by C. F. Waller
“You get a call from upstairs asking me to stop?” Jenn snaps.
“Well, no, but—.”
“Then keep your pants on,” she barks, hitting two more sinners with her life force lasso.
Before Gabriel can counter, the water in the fountain begins to bubble. The few onlookers, that have not previously run away, all turn and move away. Jenn’s back is to us as she kneels in the rough water, clutching the three bodies under her. The trumpet sounds again. How many times will it ring? How long do we have?
Chapter Twenty
Rahnee Ben-Ahron
Level Seven
I follow past the red door and through a square waiting room covered in orange carpet. Beyond that is a round office with a metal desk and a crappy file cabinet. I have never been to his office; all previous negotiation took place on Leve Five. Thus far, this beats the heck out of Five. The Dark Prince, sits on the corner of his desk and sighs, as if this is a regrettable situation.
“Welcome back.”
I nod, arms crossed.
“I’m quite angry at you,” he wags a finger at me. “You released my most popular attraction.”
“You let me release her,” I snort. “Stop pretending this isn’t some twisted game of checkers between you and your Dad.”
“Yes, yes, he who will not be named,” he exhales. “You are correct however, I could have stopped her. You foiled me by returning her wings.”
“She too tough for ya?”
“No, but I just ate,” he winks. “I’m not supposed to smite anyone for half an hour.”
“You look different, but the jokes are just as bad.”
“You don’t like,” he sighs, turning is a circle. “I thought this was very contemporary.”
“Maybe, but metro-sexual man-bun guy is not very scary.”
“What would be the point,” he shrugs. “You were never afraid of me.”
“I set my expectations of the afterlife low. It keeps me from getting disappointed.”
Tapping his index finger on his chin, he morphs into the spitting image of my father. While dear old dad was always decent to me, he roughed my mother up regularly. I shake my head, indicating he should try again. Sorry old friend, you will have to do better than that.
“No dice?” he mutters, walking behind me, then appearing on my left in the form of Arron Faust. “How about now.”
“Clearly, you’re not up on the latest news,” I chuckle, thinking since my first death, my baby-daddy and I have not been close.
“Right, sorry,” he nods, walking behind me, then taking the form of my daughter Jennifer. “How about now?”
“Also, not a Facebook friend, but closer than Arron.”
He frowns, then blood slowly seeps into the sweatshirt she’s wearing. She drops to her knees, skin beginning to peel off in moldy green sheets. When she puts a hand out to catch herself, the wrist breaks, bones protruding from the dislocated joint.
“It should snap more,” I suggest, glancing away and taking a deep breath.
“And yet, you look away,” he smiles, suddenly back to his original form, his nose only an inch from mine.
“Boundaries,” I grunt, taking a step back, his breath smelling of garlic.
“You disappoint me. You completely misunderstand your predicament,” he smirks, walking back to the desk and sits on the corner. “It’s not that any single form is terrifying. It’s the fact that I will have an infinite timeline to try them all.”
“Speaking of infinite timelines,” I counter, pacing a bit myself. “I’m sure Balthazar mentioned the impending Rapture.”
“Balthazar,” he chuckles. “He did. You turned his allegiance so easily.”
“How’s that? He double crossed us in the Amphitheatre.”
“Yes, but he only revealed your plan after being discovered.”
“Grimlock?” I wince, and receive a nod. “Sucks to be Balty.”
“It will,” he agrees, thrumming his fingers on the top of the desk.
“I take it you’re fine with the whole End-of-Days scenario?” I poke at him. “The door slams forever. Just you and Balty down here on the longest playdate ever.”
“And you,” he raises an eyebrow theatrically. “Me, Balty and you.”
“Yes, but as I mentioned earlier. I set a very low bar in regards to the afterlife.”
Our verbal jousting trails off into silence. He’s watching me deep in thought. What is he thinking?
“He sent you,” he barks, a finger pointed at the ceiling.
“I never talked to him directly, but that was the impression.”
“Just Gabriel then,” he rolls his eyes. “Whinny ass-kisser. He sent you here to free Lilith.”
I nod, noticing he refers to her as Lilith, further corroborating her origin story.
“Would he actually go to all this trouble to annoy me,” he scowls, a finger on his chin. “Or is it possible that Gabriel is just messing with you? Possibly this theatrical plot is for your benefit.”
“Or it’s the Rapture,” I assert, flipping my arm over revealing the counter flashing all zero’s.”
“He didn’t mention this,” he mumbles, stepping across the room and grabbing my forearm.
He leans in to get a closer look, then runs his thumb over the numbers. A sizzle sound, as if a steak was dropped on the grill results in him pulling his hand back. A confused expression lands on his face as he licks his thumb.
“Like Balty said, it’s the bloody Rapture.”
“How long has the counter been at zero?”
“Just before you turned up,” I sigh, twisting my lips in thought. “Dinner bell already rang.”
“Fashionably late it is then,” he scowls, his skin turning leathery and crimson as he pushes past me.
“If the trumpets have stopped, you’ll never get topside,” I shout, chasing along behind him.
“Nonsense,” he grunts, striding into the three-story cave, his body doubling in size.
“Gabriel promised to let me back up if I freed Rhea,” I choke out, rushing in front of him, but coming face to face with a reptilian knee.
“Rhea?”
“Sorry, Lilith,” I correct. “Take me with you. I am allowed to go.”
He gazes up at the water swirling on the ceiling. Two long pointy teeth hang over his lizard like snout. A long tongue flicks in and out as he breathes. Two scaly flaps burst from his back, tossing me back. Small at first, he flicks them back and forth, unfolding them. He towers over me, glancing between his wings and the bottom of the fountain. What is he thinking? The end of an ever-growing tail snakes off his backside and around my position.
“All of this is a lie,” he snorts, fire escaping two wide nostrils. “You’re well motivated to lie.”
“Willing to bet eternity on it?” I stammer, pushing myself away from his growing tail.
“You have the nerve to lecture me on eternity,” he chuckles, then flaps his wings, throwing the cave into chaos.
Chapter Twenty-one
Edward Grey
Level Two, The Cue
We remain in the fountain, water running off the end of my nose.
“So, we do what now?” Dorian complains, shaking water out of his tangled hair. “There are no upward moving fountains here. Are you expecting us to take the stairs?
“We can’t get to the stairs,” I point out, walking down the street, away from the Pulitzer fountain. “Rahnee said the door doesn’t open from this side.”
“Stop whining,” Bea sighs, dragging Dorian by the arm.
Taking Annie’s hand, I march in the general direction of Columbus Circle. My only thoughts are that since this is the fountain we came down in, maybe we can get out that way. Annie suddenly drags me to a stop.
“Wait,” she stammers.
“What is it now?” Bea groans. “Does piglet need a snack?”
“I could go for—,” Dorian mutters, but Annie gasps.
“Grab on to my arms,” she orders.
/> I start to ask why, but her clothes begin to glow. When she opens her mouth a soft light shines out. Jennifer must be latching onto her. We made it to Level Two and Jenn can get us now.
I direct the others to form a circle around Annie. I lean down, putting a hand-on her shoulder. Wrapping the other arm around Bea, we share a hopeful smile. The yellow lights on Annie’s forearm have turned red, flashing all zeros.
“Listen to that,” Dorian suggests, taking one hand off or Annie and putting it to his ear. “A trumpet.”
We all listen to the faint sound of a trumpet echoing in the sky. I lock my gaze on Beatrix, her soft brown eyes wide. I worry that Rahnee has not freed Rhea, and this will be a quick round trip up, then back. Is it really that bad? Either way, I will be with my one true love.
“Tight, hold on tight,” Annie warns, the light inside her growing brighter.
We all do, closing our eyes to keep from being blinded. I take a deep breath and hold it in, as the thrumming that vibrates down her arm is disorienting. Suddenly water falls all around us. We cower together, fighting to remain standing under the tidal wave falling from the sky. Abruptly, the light inside Annie dims, and the water trails off to only a few drips.
“Are we here?” Dorian’s voice asks.
I open my eyes, but we are still on Level Two, albeit now standing in a huge muddy puddle. Was Jenn unable to pull us back?
“Is this it?” Bea sighs, lifting her shoe and shaking off mud. “Welcome to eternal damnation.”
“No,” Annie sobs.
“Wait,” Edward blurts, putting a hand to his ear.
“Wait for what?” Dorian grumbles.
“She’s trying again,” he shouts. “Grab on.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Arron Faust
Columbus Circle, New York City
Rhea explodes out of the fountain. The spray of water hits everyone within 100 yards. My view of Jennifer is lost in the tidal wave raging in the center. I turn my back and crouch during the worst of it, then notice Gabriel isn’t even damp. Over us, Rhea flaps huge feathered wings, gliding in a circle. Drops of water cascade off the wings, shooting sideways with every flap.
“She did it,” I mumble, more startled than excited.
The Angel lands off to my left, a mouthful of bright white teeth grinning. The fountain still bubbles, water rushing over my shoes. Looking down I observe the water forming an invisible channel, missing Gabriel’s shoes completely.
“It’s about time you came for me,” Rhea shouts, picking a loose feather off one wing as she walks over.
“A little help over here,” Jenn’s voice rises over all the others.
As the water subsides, Jenn is visible in the center of the fountain. She struggles to a standing position, then the face of Edward Grey pops up to her right. He came back? Before anyone can react, Annie’s head emerges from the water, sputtering and coughing. I rush over, pulling Annie up on the retaining wall. Edward, paces the fountain, gazing into the water desperately.
“Where is Bea?” he mutters, splashing the water about with both hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“Beatrix and Dorian were with us,” Annie whispers. “It doesn’t look like they came back.”
“No bodies,” Jenn coughs, spitting water.
“Maybe they went right up and skipped this stop?” I suggest, but we turn to Gabriel in unison.
He shakes his head.
The trumpet blares, bringing a temporary pause in the discussion. Edward, splashes across the fountain, crawling out and grabbing Gabriel by the front of his suit jacket. I find this shocking, as he didn’t even get wet in the recent flood, but Edward practically lifts him off the ground.
“You got what you wanted,” he shouts. “Bring her back.”
He doesn’t reply, simply shoves Edward off and takes a step back.
“Touchy, touchy,” Rhea chuckles. “She’s right where she belongs.”
Edward swings a fist around in Rheas direction, but she catches it, the smack sounding painful. Gabriel, straightens his lapels, the puts up a hand for Rhea to back off. After a brief stare down with Gabriel, she lets go of his hand, but snaps her teeth together, causing him to flinch backwards.
“Send me back,” Edward orders Jenn, splashing his way into the fountain.
“You don’t mean that?” Jenn asks. “You’re going up, we are all going up.”
“He doesn’t want to leave her,” Annie sighs.
“Send him back,” Rhea jeers. “Send them all back. If it were up to me you would all—.”
Gabriel put up a hand and Rhea’s voice goes silent. Her lips are still moving, but no sound comes out. After a moment, she realizes this and flies Gabriel the bird.
“You can send him down if that’s what he wants,” Gabriel explains. “There’s nothing in our Agreement stating anyone absolutely has to go up. I can’t force him to stay.”
He turns to Jenn and puts out his hands, looking desperate.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dorian Faust
Level Two, The Cue
I have to walk two blocks before I find a liquor store. I procure a mid-grade bottle of scotch as they are out of my preferred flavor. The proprietor, a smarmy looking fellow I suspect is spying for the authorities, throws in a paper cup. I drink nearly a third of it before reaching Bea.
“Oh, get up already,” I groan, pouring her a glass.
She sits in the center of the mud puddle, eyes red from crying. Edward and Annie were pulled back by this Jennifer person, but Bea and I remained here. I lean over and hand her the paper cup. She takes it, nods her thanks, then takes a sip. I understand her disappointment, but how could it have ended any other way.
“Get up from there,” I sigh, taking her arm and lifting her to her feet. “A proper lady would never sit in a mud puddle. It’s just not done.”
“I’ll let you know if I see a proper lady,” she frowns, tipping up the cup and draining it. “Oh, that burns.”
“We should see if our place is still available. Last time I was there, this Helen person was living in it,” I grouse. “A coat-rack wielding lunatic.”
“Can you really just hit rewind and settle in after seeing Edward?”
“I didn’t sleep with him, so it’s less of a shock than you might expect.”
“No, I don’t mean that,” she sighs, holding out her glass for a refill. “How can you stand there like nothing happened? The End-of-Days has come and gone. We are stuck here forever.”
“Forgive me,” I reply, filling her glass. “I had been operating under the impression we were already assigned here on a permanent basis. Did I miss something at orientation concerning the terms of our stay?”
“No,” she snickers, seeming to regain her bearings. “It’s just hard to see him, then go back to this. I guess the reality that it’s only going to get worse just hit me.”
“There, there,” I put my arm around her. “Be thankful you move forward in the darkness armed with the memories of these past two days. If not for his coming, you would be long removed from the very scent of him.”
“Aye, true,” she nods her head, then takes a long drink. “I can’t remember where home is.”
“No worries,” I assure her, locking my arm in the crook of her elbow. I know the way.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Arron Faust
Columbus Circle, New York City
The trumpet sounds again, in what feels like a never-ending serenade. How long does this go on? Edward continues to beg Jenn for a quick trip back to Hell and I fear if she denies him, he will take matters into his own hands.
“No,” Jenn yells, then pauses, frozen like a statue. “Wait.”
“What?” Annie asks, stumbling to her feet beside me.
“No bodies,” Jenn mumbles. “We just need bodies.”
Gazing around the Circle, most of the charred bodies previously used by Jenn seem to have washed away by the waterfall produced when Rh
ea escaped. Jenn steps out of the fountain and searches the area, dragging the man formerly wearing skinny jeans badly burned body to the edge of the fountain.
“What is this for?” I ask, turning my nose away from the smell.
“Put him in the water,” she orders, circling to the other side.
Receiving a shrug from Gabriel, I do as my daughter requests. Gabriel looks checked out, standing with a now muzzled Rhea to one side. He did his job, so he has nothing more to worry about. Jenn comes back dragging the woman who was walking the dog and I help her pull the woman over the retaining wall. She floats them to the center, one under each hand and motions for me to get out.
“You too Edward,” she barks, but he stands next to her looking dazed.
“You will need some lifeforce for this,” he croaks, holding out his arms.
“Get out,” Jenn shouts, “and be quick. We haven’t got all day.”
He does as he’s told, leaving Jenn and the two corpses alone in the now still water. The trumpet sounds again. I am still at a loss for any comprehension of Jenn’s intention. She can’t have enough power left from her other attempts. Even if she did, how crazy is this plan. If they did come back, the bodies are ruined. You can’t put someone in a dead body.
“If I get them back in these,” Jenn asks Gabriel. “They can stay?”
“I think you mean can they go up?” he clarifies. “The Agreement is to go up. I was never in charge of getting them out, just up from here.”
“Right, so I get them here, you send us all to Heaven?”
Gabriel nods.
“Jenn, you can’t reanimate bodies like these with human lifeforce,” Edward sobs. “No matter how much you use. Remember your mother at the Cathedral?”
“That’s exactly what I am remembering,” she grins. “All we need is an immortal donor.”
Rhea doesn’t seem to get the joke. Edward and I turn in her direction, but nothing dawns on her. Before she can figure it out, Jenn hits her with the red lasso of fate. Rhea struggles to free herself, but Jenn kneels on the two bodies, one arm held out in Rhea’s direction. The sizzling sound is loud, the hairs on my arm standing up, even at quite a distance.