by Amy Barrett
Abyzou ignored him and sped from the apartment. She slipped into a dark ally and let Zerachiel and his followers rush past as they tried to find her.
She then made for the café. Her breath left her throat dry, but she walked steady. When she reached the building, it was a faceless shadow, imposing itself in the landscape like a mountain. The outline of the roof almost blended in with the sky. The wind whispered in her ear and she heard it say that she shouldn’t have come.
Nevertheless, she marched up to the front with a calm heart. The door lay ajar, and something had been put over the glass in the middle to block the view inside. Abyzou nudged it open further, the hinges creaking. It was chilly and the place smelt metallic.
The lights clicked on as she moved under them. One by one, pools of yellow light showed the truth behind the silence. A waitress, of about twenty-five, was draped over one of the wooden chairs. Her hair was dyed red by her own blood. Her skull had a gaping hole and grey matter oozed out of it in clumps. Splatters of blood left a trail to her co-worker, who was slumped under a table. His body was a mass of paper cut sized wounds and there was a slice out of his neck. He held a set of keys in his limp hand.
In the middle of it all, Mephistopheles sat in a clean wooden chair before a spotless table. His eyes were brown and fathomless and his skin as pale as a sickly mans. His hair was black, and the light was gobbled up by it. The skin of his hands was cracked and pealing and around his nails was blue with the chill. He wore brown trousers and a black t-shirt. Unlike Abyzou he didn’t seem to mind feeling the cold on earth. Despite being a demon herself, the sight of one of hells oldest demons still made Abyzou cold to the bone.
Mephistopheles gestured to the chair across the table from his. “We need to talk Abyzou.”
She didn’t move her eyes from him the whole time she sat down. The drip, drip of blood on tiles was like a steady heartbeat.
“Someone likes to make an entrance,” Abyzou said. She surveyed the mess of human insides around the room. He was so clean that Abyzou felt bad for him that he had missed the thrill of being covered in a victim’s blood.
Mephistopheles shrugged. “Perhaps.” He pulled a strip of dry skin from the side of his nail and flicked it onto the floor. “Or maybe I am less distracted than some so I can kill much quicker.” Abyzou knew that the comment was meant to relate to how quickly she had claimed she could kill Nick and return him to hell. She hadn’t expected it to take any longer than a few days, but that was when she hadn’t seen what he could become. Not to mention she couldn’t shake the feeling that her heart might not be totally in it.
Abyzou narrowed her eyes. “This looks like a distracted demon to me.”
Mephistopheles got up from the chair and moved so that he stood beside her and looked down into her face.
“You have failed, Abyzou. You were given a chance to fix this and you failed. Now the boys in charge have sent me to clean it up.”
Abyzou got up so she was face to face with him.
“Nothing needs cleaning up yet. I have got this.” The wind wailed against the windows and they shook in their frames. “Besides,” She tilted her head at him. “what makes you think they are boys in charge? I find women are more efficient.” She scanned him head to toe, making sure to do it slowly, before raising an eyebrow. She wouldn’t show weakness in front of him. She knew that he was looking for an opening to tear her down.
Mephistopheles smirked and Abyzou wanted to punch him in the face. “You have got this? By teaming up with an angel and a reaper.” He chuckled darkly.
Abyzou blinked three times without moving. Mephistopheles pressed the advantage. He walked around behind her and snarled the words over her shoulder. “You think you can win the favour of that creature by siding with a reaper and heaven scum.” His wet breath made her stomach turn.
She kept her face neutral and resisted the urge to move away. She wouldn’t show how close he was to the truth. Yes, she was considering convincing the angel and reaper to help Nick, but she wasn’t even sure what she was going to do yet so Mephistopleles wouldn’t get anything out of her.
“Does he like the disgusting mask you wear to please him? Has he even seen the true majesty of our race?” Mephistopheles’s face bulged and changed. His eyes became as dark as a moonless sky and his face storm cloud grey. His cheeks were hollowed out and his teeth were sharp like broken glass. Two horns emerged on the left side of his temple. The skin around his eyes was rotting and fell away in flakes. Around his lipless mouth, cracks ruptured the skin like fault lines. The demon’s true face was gone as fast as it had come. Now he wore the outfit of a human once again.
Abyzou wanted to scream angrily but she held it back. She breathed in the scent of murder and used it to make herself strong.
She spun to face him with a sneer on her face. “I do not need your help.”
Mephistopheles was silent and searched her eyes for weakness. Abyzou worried that some lurked there so she began to walk away from him.
“Abyzou,” He shot the words after her. “I will kill that creature and the wolves he has with him.” One of the lights clicked off.
“I will send them to hell with my own chains.” The wind seemed quieter next to his booming voice. “and as for the angel and reaper, well I can’t kill death, we need him to fix this, but the angel must be punished for his deeds.”
The words were a bullet which chased her to the door and exploded into her, starting an ache in her chest. She was terrified of what he might do. If she decided to fight for Nick then there was no going back but if she didn’t then he might be at the mercy of Mephistophles for eternity. She could go easy on him if he was in her care in hell, but other demons would not be as gentle.
The last thing which she heard Mephistopheles growl was. “Choose a side wisely Abyzou. Keep this meeting just between the two of us and we will be back to work very soon.”
***
Ivan was sick of all the waiting. He hummed and he whistled but none of it worked to distract him. It was becoming ever clearer from Zerachiel’s rants that the angel fully intended to go back to heaven. Ivan didn’t intend to go back to being a ghost.
He leaned back in the kitchen chair until it creaked on the floor. Ciara was making tea and the spoon clicked on the cup side every few seconds while she stirred. It was the middle of the night. The blinds were closed, and the light cast a warm circle around the table. Zerachiel was pacing the lino. He was sweating and every time he passed Ivan got a whiff.
“Come on mate.” Ivan waved him to the table. “Relax. We can do all this pacing in the morning.”
Zerachiel halted. “In the morning!”
Ivan recoiled when he noticed Zerachiel’s eyebrows climbing his tight forehead.
“Yea mate. The morning.” Ivan looked at Ciara, thrust his thumb at Zerachiel and grimaced.
Zerachiel stormed to the table and slammed his palms onto the surface. This made Ivan jump.
“We have lost the demon again and we now have no way of righting any of this and…”
Zerachiel let out his breath. Flopping into a seat, he thudded his head onto the table. There was a silence. The tap dripped once.
“Cup of tea?” Ciara held the cup out to Zerachiel. He nodded against the table. The light hit her hair as she moved. She brought Ivan a cup as well. The steam was electrifying on his nose. He inhaled it and let it boil his eyes.
“Maybe we need to forget about it for a while,” Ciara said. She sipped her tea and smiled. Ivan was pleased to see someone happy for a change.
“Sure. What should we do?” Ivan stuck his finger into the cup to test the temperature of the tea. The liquid was searing hot, so he yanked it out and shook it cool again.
Ciara shrugged. She had her face close to her cup and it was distorted by the steam. “I dunno. Maybe we should pray for an answer?” She glanced at Zerachiel and grinned.
Zerachiel slowly lifted his head. He seemed to look at something no one could see. “I only w
ant to do the things I shouldn’t. “
Ivan felt a strange stirring in his chest. The more he looked at his friend the worse it got. He was gripped with the sudden urge to hug Zerachiel. Maybe he just wanted to hug someone, he reasoned to himself. No, it was Zerachiel in particular. Ivan knocked on his chest with force. Nope the feeling was still there. He tried again.
“Are you okay?” Ciara tilted her head at him.
Ivan thought for a second. “No, I am not. I feel weird.”
Ciara rose to attend him but Zerachiel pulled her to her seat again. “It’s nothing. He probably drank the tea too fast or something.”
Ivan concluded that must be it and ignored the growing weight.
Zerachiel sighed again. “Let’s just do something that doesn’t involve thinking.”
“Gossip Girl?” Ivan asked. His hands had gone red because he had them wrapped around the cup for so long.
Ciara was about to nod when the apartment door slammed open. Ivan perked up like a curious meerkat. When he spotted Abyzou he stood up too fast and spilt the tea on his crotch. Yelping, he waved his hands at the area in an effort to cool it. All this achieved was that he punched the table. He cursed and rubbed his sore knuckle. He really needed to practice this being real thing.
Abyzou came into the room like a hurricane, kicking the nearest chair over and screaming in rage.
Ciara shrunk back from her and watched the tea in her cup.
“What is wrong with you?” Zerachiel asked without care.
Abyzou didn’t answer. Ivan had recovered from his crotch roasting and stood leaning on the back of the chair. The front of his trousers was soaked. In his mind, he looked totally natural. “Yea I second that. Do all demons have a shouting hour?”
Ivan watched Abyzou pace. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and her breath was audible.
Zerachiel sat straight and surveyed her. “Well?”
Abyzou yelled into the air again. “Fine. Holy hell. I don’t even know why I am doing this I hate you bastards.”
Ivan flinched and Ciara shoved her face further into the cup.
“Love you too mate,” Ivan muttered. He sat again and waited for her to reach the table. Abyzou approached the three of them and walked away a few times taking steps forward and retreating just as fast. With one final toss of her hands, she lifted the chair she had kicked and sat in it. The table was full now and the three of them leaned closer as Abyzou started to speak.
“We have a problem.”
“Is this our problem or yours?” Zerachiel narrowed his eyes at her.
Abyzou raked her hand down her face in slow motion. “It wouldn’t be my problem if I just kept my mouth shut.”
Ciara looked up at this. Ivan wondered why she looked so tense. The significance of Abyzou’s statement was lost on him. After all who wouldn’t help him?
“I won’t ask why only what it is that you are supposed to keep from us.” Zerachiel moved his tea to the side.
The room was quiet again apart from the dripping tap. Outside the wind swelled for a second. Ivan was sure that the smell of sweat came from more people than just Zerachiel now.
“Another demon is on earth and I doubt he is alone.” Abyzou spoke to Zerachiel only. Her eyes never left his.
“Which demon?” Zeracheil drummed his fingers on the table.
“Why are you expecting someone?” Ivan giggled. When no one paid attention, he looked to Ciara for a laugh. She was looking at the covered window.
“His name is Mephistopheles.” As soon as the words had left Abyzou’s lips Ivan saw the jolt it sent through the angel. His fingers stilled and the hairs on his arms stood up.
“My name doesn’t have all those syllables, but I am just as impressive as this guy.” This remark made Abyzou take notice of Ivan for the first time that night.
“Are you stupid or insane?”
Ivan considered this. He wasn’t sure how he would know if he was stupid. He had never been tested but he didn’t like the idea that he was. He could be insane. Zerachiel had told him as much before. He had thought that that was just a pet name of sorts.
Abyzou growled and dropped her hands. “It wasn’t a real question you moron.”
“Well regardless. Why should we be afraid of a demon? You’re fine I suppose.” Ivan gestured to her. He didn’t know what to think of her but at least these words should calm Zerachiel. It didn’t have the desired effect.
Zerachiel rubbed his eyes. “There are some demons who have been around for a longer time. They are skilled and powerful. They also lack humanity. Mephistopheles is notorious for messing with mortals and a hatred for angels.”
“Ciara and I are fine then.” Ivan winked at Ciara. She blushed pink.
“Ciara is mortal and Ivan,” Zerachiel said, “without me you will vanish back to the reaper realm again.”
Ivan was struck silent. The room swam and his throat went dry. He gulped some tea but no matter how much he drank; his throat was like sandpaper. What is wrong with me? He thought he knew what this was, but it was more intense than he had ever felt. His heart sped up. He placed a hand on his chest and blinked the world back into focus.
“I will go- go back to-“
“To being a reaper Ivan.” Zerachiel’s tone was sympathetic.
Ivan took three or four swallows of spittle and regained himself. “So how do we fight this weirdo then?”
Ciara smiled gently at Ivan and he grinned back. He coud freak out later, in private.
Abyzou grunted. “That’s the thing. I don’t know if I can.”
“We can help you.” It was the first Ciara had spoken and as a result Abyzou took a moment to source the high-pitched voice.
“You are a human. All you will do is distract him for a second or two.” Abyzou ignored her again.
Ciara opened and closed her mouth but said nothing.
“If you can’t do it maybe human is just what we need.” Ivan stuck his tongue out at Abyzou. “Or reapers cause we are the best at dealing with death.”
Ciara looked at him through her eyelashes and nodded her thanks. Ivan was confused and just nodded back.
Zerachiel stood up and started to pace. This made Ivan want to punch Abyzou for putting his friend on edge.
“I will help you to survive Mephistopheles.” Abyzou watched Zerachiel. “On one condition.”
“What?” Zerachiel asked.
“We help Nick, not kill him.”
“Since when are we going to help that thing?” Zerachiel’s body was rigid and Ivan felt the need to rise from his seat and move away. “And since when do you care what happens to it?”
Abyzou clenched her jaw. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. Either way I have betrayed Mephistopheles. I have chosen to fight for Nick. All I need to know now is if we are on the same side or not.” Abyzou stared into Zerachiel’s eyes. There was a long silence and Ivan decided he would fill it.
“Okay then. We will help. Zerachiel’s sword will kill this demon and if we can get the dagger from Nick than we can use that too.” Ivan nodded to himself and didn’t notice the others gawking at him.
“I am not helping that monster.” Zerachiel rolled his shoulders.
“Well mate, we are all being hunted by the same crazy demon. Plus, I don’t want to fight against another one.” Ivan made a point of nodding his head at Abyzou.
She rolled her eyes.
Zerachiel rubbed his neck and shut his eyes. Just as Ivan was beginning to imagine that he might have gone to sleep he let out a breath and nodded. “Fine. But I am doing this to protect Ivan and myself, not for that monster. If this demon has back up I suppose we will need some too.”
***
Nick stuffed the bandages into the bag over and over. The white strips were escaping like overactive snakes. The bag folded under his weight as he leaned on it. He knew that just in the other room the wolves were getting ready to fight Abyzou and he was sick with nerves. He was packing first aid equipment for one of
the younger wolves to carry while the rest went into battle. Deep down, he knew that bandages and gauze wouldn’t be much use against Abyzou, but he wanted to prepare in some tangeible way instead of just with speeches and calls to arms. Through the wall he could hear a pack member giving the others one such speech. They were rallying together under the same muffled battle cry. Nick had heard this kind of mob before. As “the saviour” he tended to create them without trying.
The room was breezy and cold. The stench of the dead still wafted around, and it was making Nick think of hell a little too much for his liking. He had wondered that none of the wolves seemed to smell it. Then again, they were different since they had returned from hell. He didn’t want to think about it too much so instead he counted the spots of sunlight that were coming in through the holes in the ceiling. They were dotted across the mouldy wall and reflected off the window.
Screams from the other room reached his ears through a crack in the door and broke him out of his trance. Nick stumbled into the other room. His breath hitched when he saw Abyzou. She was dressed in all black. Nick’s eyes drew lines down her curves. Her hair whipped around her face like silk ribbons. She was focused on the wolves and shot daggers at them with her eyes. When Nick emerged, she and her companions faced him with determination. She locked eyes with him. He sucked air into his nose and smelt her rose perfume.
Ivan put his hand in a fist in front of his mouth and coughed twice in succession.
“We need to speak to your leader.” He held his hands up at the sides of his head in surrender.
Nick took a step towards him. “Are you insane?” He couldn’t imagine why in the name of god any of them would come here, let alone those who could not defend themselves.
Zerachiel slid over and blocked Nick’s path to Ivan. “That’s not the point.”
“Yes. We need the help of a certain deformed wolf to kill a crazy demon.” Ivan very deliberately put his hand on Zerachiel’s shoulder and gently shoved him aside. When the angel didn’t move, Ivan pushed him harder. Zerachiel flew a step or two before he regained his poise.