Poisonous: A Visit To Earth (DC Angels Book 2)

by Chas Funderburg

  “”You’re very welcome, Miss,” said the clerk, and went about his day.

  She walked over to a comfortable chair in the main lobby. “Now, the first thing I need is to become liquid. I need a large amount of cash to put into my Swiss bank account. I can’t be in the human world without it.” Ah, that was it! The large bank building on Seventeenth Street, N.W. where the ATM she had hacked stood in front. Now that would be a good source of cash.

  She flew back over to the bank and changed into attire appropriate for a high-powered business woman. Chanel suit, Prada shoes and purse, expensive pearl necklace, Cartier watch and perfume by Dior. Strutting into the bank through the front door, a Manager named Chester Thompson greeted her. “Welcome to American National Bank. How may I help you?”

  “I need to speak to the President of the Bank, Mr. Thompson,” she said, voice cool and devoid of emotion. In fact, she barely gave him her attention.

  “I’m afraid the president of this bank is at the Headquarters in Houston, Texas. Moreover, he’s not in the practice of meeting with anyone but board members, and top executives.”

  “Very well, tell me his name, and the address of the headquarters, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “I’m afraid we’re not allowed—”

  “Oh, but you will, Mr. Thompson, or suffer the consequences.” Normally grayish green eyes turned bright red, as powerful suggestion assailed its unwitting victim.

  Under her influence, he said, “One moment, please Miss…”

  “Loliyekar.”

  “Miss Loliyekar…follow me to my office, and I’ll give you that information.”

  She followed him to his private office, closing the door behind her.

  “Ms. Loliyekar, you can leave the door open,” he said.

  “I’d rather have my dealing done in private,” she answered, and again used her convincing stare to get him not to argue the point.

  The company information site gave him the information he needed, so he jotted it down on a notepad and gave it to her. Armed with the name and address of the Bank President, she took his right hand in hers and shook it. “Thank you, Mr. Thompson. You’ve been most helpful.” With her other hand, she stabbed his neck with long, sharp fingernails filling him with her strong venom. He, like Chad, went through the same process of disintegrating into nothing. “Well, Mr. Thompson. It’s been nice doing business with you. I’m sorry I had to kill you, but killing humans is such a gratifying experience. Besides, I like leaving every place I’ve been clean and tidy so you had to disappear. We don’t want any dead bodies around, or any evidence that I’ve been here, now do we?”

  The business woman turned back into Poisonous, flew to Houston, and alighted just outside the office building with the address Mr. Thompson had given her. A large silver monolith rose sixty floors into the Houston skyline in front of her. The demon morphed back into the powerful business woman and walked in the front door like she owned the place. The elevator in the elevator bank attached to the front lobby lifted her to the sixtieth floor in a few seconds, and opened with a dinnnnng. She stepped onto plush carpet, and walked towards a woman who obviously worked as an Administrative Assistant to Mr. William F. Ebenezer. She walked past the woman, and headed towards Mr. Ebenezer’s door.

  “Miss, I’m afraid you can’t—”

  Sit. The woman succumbed to her powerful influence, and sat back down.

  The door to the President’s office allowed no one in without permission, so she walked through it, a demon dressed like a woman, and approached Mr. Ebenezer.

  “Young lady, this is a private office and a private meeting…”

  “Yes, and you and I have matters to discuss.”

  Under her sway, the president excused himself to the others, who egressed quickly from his office. He sat down, beckoned her to take the seat in front of his desk and said, “So what may I do for you, Ms.…?”

  “Loliyekar. You will transfer one million dollars of this bank’s assets to my account in Switzerland immediately.”

  “But that takes time, Miss—”

  Dark grey clouds of impatience grew in her. “You will make it happen now, and do not test me, or you may not live to do it again…” The fire and strong suggestion in her eyes burned into his.

  “Right away, Ms. Loliyekar. Just give me the wire transfer routing number, and your account number, and I’ll arrange an immediate emergency transfer.”

  Poisonous wrote down the information. The transaction finished, she walked up to the president, shaking his right hand, and plunged a handful of talons at the end of her left hand into his neck, claiming another hapless victim.

  “I lied, Mr. Ebenezer. Oh well, life is short, and yours was shorter.” A wry grin, and she flew out of the building back to D.C.

  * * *

  Back in Washington, she walked into the American National Bank and opened up a checking account, making sure she could transfer funds from her Swiss bank readily into this one. The transaction completed, she shook hands with the Customer Service representative, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Edwards. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

  “I hope your experience has been a satisfactory one.

  “Yes. Thank you very much.” Bored with ending human lives for the day, she decided to let him live.

  Communicating with other humans while being far away wasn’t very easy, even for a demon. She decided to buy one of those smart phones, which were very handy devices: they were like having a personal computer in a small device. The smartphone she bought had many technically sophisticated features. The attendant, pasting on helpfulness and fake camaraderie, set up her phone with a new phone number, which included the 202 D.C. area code. Just for fun, she took a picture of herself in her human body.

  “I see you’re into selfies,” the clerk said.

  “Selfies? Is that what I just did?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Oh. Well, thanks for that information, and the phone.”

  “Would you like me to put the phone back in its container?” the clerk asked.

  “No, I’ll start using it right away. But thank you.” The cost of the phone surprised her because phones had never cost that much since they were invented about a century ago. Even though money wasn’t a problem for her, the expense of modern technology could not be avoided. The bag which contained papers and the cell phone’s container went into her free hand as she walked out.

  * * *

  That evening, she flew over to the condo complex, and landed in a remote part of the lobby. No eyes were upon her, so she changed back into Perri Loliyekar, took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked to room 618, where the unmistakable presence of The Light floated in the air. The owner opened the door, looked at her with a straight face and said, “Hello, Poisonous. I’ve been expecting you.”

  Two

  Poisonous looked closely at the woman who knew her name. She didn’t remember having said a word to her. Then recognition hit. “Wait. First, you’re Evie Chen. My old partner and I fed you lies and spent lots of time deceiving you and your sister, Gracie. Second, how do you know about me?”” she answered, incredulous that someone knew of her plans.

  “Lord Yehovah told me yesterday; said a demon in the form of a woman would be visiting me, looking for an apartment.”

  She stared back at Evie, feeling very exposed. “Hmm. This doesn’t bode well. I’m afraid this isn’t going to work out; I think I’ll look elsewhere.”

  “Oh, I don’t think you have a choice in the matter. Look around you,” Evie said. Angels of The Light surrounded her, swords pointed.

  “But…this is unfair. I don’t want to be around The Light, any more than you want to be in the presence of a dark angel.”

  “That’s the way it’s going to be. Lord Yehovah has dictated it. You can’t argue with him once he’s made up his mind. He heard of your plans, and decided that some safeguards were to be put in place, i.e. you’d be staying with me and I’d know you wer
e here. Further, no other demons may work with you or encourage you to do evil, or they will be sent directly to Hell. No matter what you do, you’re on your own. I’ll always be praying for you.” Her face warmed a little. “It’s nice meeting you in person, so to speak, Poisonous.”

  “Yes…I remember you and your sister well. Had it not been for the fact that Michael the Archangel and his troops watched over you every step of the way, you would probably be lost forever.”

  “I’m not, however. Obviously, Lord Yehovah stood in your way. He and his love are greater and more powerful than you or any of your colleagues, even Lucifer himself.”

  “Very well. You know my name and who I am. Apparently, I’m going to be living with you for a while. Well, I guess I can’t do anything about that, but I don’t need other demons to teach me how to be evil. I can do that perfectly well on my own. Why don’t you just stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

  Evie just smiled, and said, “No problem.” She turned towards her apartment, gesturing for her to enter. “Come in. Your room will be the through the first door to the left. It’s right across from the coat closet.”

  Grudgingly, she walked in, and took in the apartment. Furnished in comfy, modern furniture and smelling like fruity potpourri, it had a calming effect. She could live with this. This was actually not bad. The presence of the Light bothered her, however, bringing back Lucifer’s words:

  “Anyone caught fraternizing with them or being influenced by them will be immediately thrown into Hell. I’ve heard rumors that some of you have been doing exactly this. Trust me, you will be found out, and the punishment will be executed immediately; no excuses, no exceptions.”

  Well, Lucifer was going to have to take that up with Lord Yehovah, who had obviously arranged this deal. Her eyes turned towards Evie, and she said, “Whether the Light is here or not, I intend to do my duty as a demon, however and whenever I like, and I’ll do it well.”

  “You may do as you will, but I’ll be praying for you.” A smile followed, then, “Come in. Your bedroom is here,” said Evie, pointing to the room immediately on the left. “You’ll have your own linen, towels, and bathtub, which includes a shower head.” Still smiling, she added, “Call me if you need anything. By the way, you can pay me the deposit and the first month’s rent by the end of the week.” Evie turned and walked away, then stopped again. Turning back towards her, flashing a taunting smile, she said, “And, a certain demon named Poisonous happens to be in love with a guy named Shane Logan.”

  Poisonous recoiled. A bombshell exploded in her heart, reminding her of how much she missed him already. Sad tears of loneliness threatened to fall from her eyes. However, she put on her bravest face, and answered, “That’s absurd; why would any demon love anything or anyone, other than misleading flesh. I’m certainly not in love with anyone, including Shane Logan. You and your nonsensical ideas; really.”

  “Well, Lady Ruache told me about you, and she isn’t in the habit of lying. Ever.”

  “Well, I happen not to agree with her, no matter how wise she is.”

  Evie just smiled as she walked to her bedroom.

  A human Perri Loliyekar walked through the apartment, appraising the situation, shaking her head at what was obvious. “It’s nice, but I don’t think I’d want to ply my trade here. I’ll just consider this a home base.” Done with her assessment, she headed immediately for her bedroom. Before she reached the door, the gentle voice empowered by the Light beckoned her. “Poisonous. One more thing…” Evie walked out of her bedroom towards her, in comfortable sweat suit, and slippers. “Is there something I can get for you?”

  “No.” Her face and body turned away from Evie, and she walked into her room. Inside her room, a strange creature stared back at her in a mirror: a daughter of Eve, wearing clothes that human women wore. The outfit she wore, modest and unassuming, did not suit her. A wool suit, uncomfortable at any time, and especially on a hot summer day exacerbated her discomfort. Worse, staying in an outfit like this one for too long, especially on a hot summer day, made her wiggle and squirm, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

  The collar around her neck, along with the rest of the outfit made her hot, itchy and sweaty. Welts erupted as she scratched all over herself. Unable to stand it any longer, she ripped her dress and blouse off, changed into something more comfortable, and sighed with relief. Resigned to the fact that clothes must be worn in her scheme to wreak havoc as a human, she put on some shorts with an elastic waistband, and a t-shirt made of soft cotton.

  “Ah-h-h-h. This is much better.” Her long and flowing hair didn’t fall as far down her back as her tentacles did. Nevertheless she had on something comfortable, and that would do for now. Never wearing clothes as Poisonous, the human body had to do some adjusting, but it was worth the effort, paying off in being among them, and destroying their lives. “Ah well, it’s still better than those bothersome garments I had on before.”

  Evie walked into the room, and caught her completely by surprise.

  She jumped; then gave her a hard stare. “What is it you want?

  Evie said softly, I just came to see if you wanted something to eat. I’m sure, now that you are in a human body, you might need nourishment.” A gentle smile followed her statement.

  “What are you staring at? And what is it about me that amuses you? Further, I would appreciate it if you would warn me that you are entering my room.”

  She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I should have knocked.” Then, “I’m only smiling because joy fills me. Even though I’m dealing with a dark angel, Lord Yehovah walks with me, and allows me to see the good in every situation.”

  The news discouraged Poisonous: she had to learn to act human. Hands flew up over her head. “Curse you humans and your imbecilic habits!” Looking down her nose at Evie, she said, “Very well, then, but this is my room, and I don’t need your help meeting my needs. Now please leave.”

  As Evie closed the door, Poisonous turned and walked towards her bed, where she flopped down hard. “Humans! What stupid creatures.” Turning towards the door, she yelled, “Do you hear me Evie? You’re not worth the flesh you’re made of!” In this condominium, she could not carry out her evil plans as she usually did; the presence of the Light drained all the hellish intentions from her. “Scat! Being a Daughter of Eve near the Light makes me a real weakling.”

  To add insult to injury, the air conditioning covered her entire human body with goose bumps, making her shiver so hard her teeth chattered. “Now I’m sensitive to temperature. This is abysmal! She smirked, however as she put on a sweater. I may have to live among them, and be human to accomplish my intentions, but I’m still Poisonous, no matter what they call my human body.”

  An hour later, curiosity got the better of her, causing her to make her way back into the living room. A strange sense of peace infused the air. Warm coziness decorated the apartment, which contained comfortable furnishings. Sweet smells floated throughout: the perfume of newly clipped flowers, the aroma of freshly baked apple pie. The smell of apple pie aroused a grumble in her stomach. She searched for the source of that enticing smell.

  “You Okay?”

  Startled, her eyes zeroed in on the source of the voice. Evie looked at her with gentleness and compassion, strangely without malice. It made her feel better, somehow, but she, of course, didn’t admit it, especially to this daughter of the Light with whom Lord Yehovah and The Lamb had just sentenced her to live.

  “I’m fine. Poisonous’ eyes glared hard at Evie, while her hands crossed in front of her chest. “Now, go away.”

  Evie smiled and walked away.

  The lack of reaction in Evie evoked a frown. She turned and walked towards her new bed, shrugging her shoulders.

  Alone in her room, she forgot, for the moment, about Evie, and ruminated about her new situation. It all felt very different: her body felt rather heavy; she could do much wickedness in her natural state, but she had chosen to dwell
among humans, so she had to make the best of it. To her surprise, a melancholy she had never known before burgeoned in her heart. “My heart aches as though I were sad about something. What’s wrong with me? A-a-a-a-a-h-h-h! I detest this human emotion. It’s so... so... demeaning.” She intuitively knew the source of that sadness, and with great effort, forced him out of her mind.

  Her room held her captive for a long time. Pacing the floor and staring with curiosity at her new surroundings painted a comical picture to her. Her disdainful laugh mocked the creature comforts these humans needed. A couple of feet away, the bed caught her attention; it felt springy and soft. “Bah! These creatures are spineless and weak. I would never need these...” Then she remembered she was now in a human body, which would probably need sleep, and soon.

  Her human body flopped down on the bed, and she groaned loudly. “Ah-h-h-h-h! This is a bloody pain! However, I have a plan, and I intend to carry it out: to torment these miserable creatures. Oh, misery... I’ll have to endure this body in order to carry out my plans. Human bodies and this human existence seem so…debilitating.” Holding her hands to her head, she massaged a splitting headache. She tried to ignore the frailty of the human form she had taken on, but it had only been a short while since she had taken on humanity, and getting used to being a demon in human flesh took its toll on her patience.

  “No-o-o-o...” She hung her head low.

  A knock on the door startled her. “Are you okay in there?”

  The words came out loud and piqued. ‘I’m fine.” Her face contorted again. “Now, go away and leave me alone, you miserable creature.” A tear trickled down her cheek. Wiping both of her eyes, she jumped up off the bed and stomped towards the door, throwing it open so hard the sound echoed down the hall. Startled, Evie jumped back.

  “I swear, you poor excuse for an ex-angel: I’m going to make you pay for having the Godhead incarcerate me with a creature of the Light. Do you hear me, daughter of a dog?”