“Oh,” Katrina said. She extended a hand out, palm flat and facing up. “Do continue.”
Alex glared at Katrina, deciding he preferred her more before she knew who she was. “Look, you’re all in hell, but that doesn’t mean the rest of it is true.”
Natasha frowned at him. “What do you mean the rest of it isn’t true? Are you trying to tell me there isn’t a God? That there isn’t a heaven full of angels?”
“There is all of that, but the angels are assholes and God isn’t great either,” Alex growled.
“Blasphemy,” Natasha gasped in horror and her hands rose to cover her mouth.
“Better not tell this one Lucifer’s inside you,” Lucifer chuckled.
“It’s the truth,” Alex said.
He told them everything he knew.
He started at the beginning, with Lucifer and how he was the first human. He came before the others. They formed in his image and they lived on earth in an Eden like Garden. Humans lived in peace.
Then, one day, a blinding light hit the ground. When it faded, there stood the most beautiful thing Lucifer had ever seen. He was tall and had glowing white wings. There was a golden halo hovering above his head.
It was God.
He lived amongst the humans for a time and observed them. Then one day, God drove his hand inside a human and killed it. When Lucifer asked why he’d done that, God replied saying he was freeing the souls that were trapped by the flesh and blood.
The souls either went up or down, God said. In his observation, it was the conscience that decided the soul’s fate. If it were guilty, it did not rise up, but sank into the ground. God planned to kill the humans and free their souls before it had a chance to feel guilt and be dragged down by it.
Lucifer didn’t want the humans to die, to be murdered. So he tried to stop God. But God was too strong. And he wasn’t alone. The skies opened up. Bright white lights of beam shot down and hit the ground. When the light faded away, in its place stood angels.
Lucifer tried his best to stop God and the angels from killing the humans. He did his best to save as many humans as he could. He created enormous underground bases to hide them.
But living underground, hidden away from the sunlight, from fresh air, from nature, humans became miserable. They were still dying, and they were miserable. Lucifer was on the verge of giving up. He was ready to go for an all-out attack and die in a blaze of glory. But then the ground opened and a pit of lava rose up. Riding on top of the lava was Satan.
Satan looked human, but he wasn’t. He came from another realm, one that was beneath their own.
Satan was here for the same reason. For the souls of the humans. They used to go down to his realm regularly, but suddenly, they declined in number. Satan came up to wonder why. Lucifer knew the answer. What with being hunted down by God and his angels, the humans were too afraid to have a guilty conscience.
Lucifer was suspicious at first. He feared another being from another realm had come for the humans’ souls. He should have trusted his suspicions.
Satan claimed he came to set things back to the way they were. And for a while, that was true. So they teamed up to battle God. In the end, Satan betrayed Lucifer and killed him. But Lucifer didn’t die like the rest of the humans. His soul remained on earth, and every so often, it found a compatible human to merge with. When that happened, Lucifer fought back against God and Satan.
“Well, it’s Satani now,” Alex said, as he finished explaining. “That’s Satan’s sister. She made a deal with God and betrayed Satan. Threw him into a pit.”
They all stared at him in silence when he finished talking.
Finally, Jamana raised a hand, as if she were in school. “I knew most of that. What I didn’t know was that Lucifer was inside you…” the thought seemed to arouse her as she licked her bottom lip and ogled him.
The humans seemed to take this information dump pretty well, but Natasha’s pale face took on a sickly ghost white. She stared at him with wide eyes as her mouth hung open.
“Natasha? Are you okay?” Alex asked.
“You’re possessed by Lucifer?” Natasha raised a trembling hand and pointed at him. “You’re possessed by the devil!”
“He’s not the devil,” Alex muttered. “Weren’t you listening to anything I just said?”
“Oh, she was listening, olrite,” Katrina said with a chuckle. “That’s how the brainwashed religious people listen. They pick the bits that make sense to them and just go with it. Far as she’s concerned, there is a hell and a heaven. There is a God. There is a devil. She’s in hell. Lucifer consorted with the devil against God. And you’re possessed by that Lucifer.”
Katrina gave him a wink. “It’s kinda hot,” she added.
When put like that, Alex could see how this would all seem to Natasha. A devout Christian in hell, she was in a state of shock. And it was hell. There was no getting around that.
Alex sighed. He needed the old Natasha back. She was his strong character. She was supposed to get the girls to safety. Maybe Katrina could do that. She’d recovered well from the abuse suffered back in the town square. The girl seemed a lot chirpier now that she had her memories back.
As did Felicity.
Rebecca on the other hand, was ridden with guilt about having killed someone in a car accident. He could see why she’d made it to hell. That guilt would have weighed a ton on her soul.
“Why do you think they’re remembering all this stuff now?” Jamana asked.
It was a good question. That was what they should have been focusing on instead of thinking about their pasts and wondering if they deserved to be in hell. It was a miserable place for humans. None of them deserved to be here. It was even a miserable place for demons too, unless you were rich and powerful.
Alex shrugged in response to Jamana’s question. He climbed to his feet and dusted his clothes. His priority right now was to get the girls safely to the village.
“Do you know the way?” he asked Katrina.
She nodded. Then she glanced at Natasha. Her eyes narrowed with hostility. Natasha didn’t seem to notice. She stared into the distance; grief stricken.
“What are we gonna do about her?” Katrina asked.
“We have to take her with us, even if she doesn’t want to come,” Alex said. “Can’t leave her here.”
Chapter 39
In the end, it wasn’t too difficult for them to persuade Natasha to go with them. She was a ball of confused memories. Religious ones from her time on earth, the happy moments she spent in hell with Katrina.
But that didn’t mean she’d lost her senses completely. When given the option of staying in a cave by herself in the middle of nowhere. Actually, in the middle of hell, or go with them to a village of humans, Natasha sensibly chose the latter.
They headed back the way they had come, no longer having to take the long mountainous route. Or at least, the longer mountainous route. Once back on the flat plains, they rode along the foothills of the mountains.
Alex knew it was time to part ways when in the distance, to his left, was a thin line on the horizon. The walls of the city of Katarnak. That’s the way Alex would go, along with Jamana. The humans would venture back into the mountains, towards the human village.
Katrina brought her hell horse close to his and leaned over for a hug. “Thanks for saving my life, Alex.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
Katrina glanced at Natasha. The girl sat on her horse, staring at the mountains, her face scrunched.
“She’s got a lot to process, but I think we’ll be fine,” Katrina said. She gave Alex a kiss on the lips. “Thanks for everything, really. Now you go and do your thing…” she paused. “What’s your thing again?”
“Stop the rebellion and save millions of human lives,” Alex said.
“That,” Katrina clicked her fingers at him. “And once all that’s done, maybe come back down to hell to check on us.”
Alex planned on doing t
hat.
As he was about to turn his horse and head for Katarnak, Katrina stopped him once more. “Your shirt,” she said. “I’ve still got your shirt.”
“Keep it,” Alex told. It was all she was wearing.
“Thanks, but it’s yours and it’s kinda hot,” Katrina said.
She undid the buttons on the shirt and slid her arms out. Katrina passed the shirt to Alex. She sat on the horse now completely naked. The whip marks across her body had darkened. There was bruising too, especially her breasts, but it didn’t look too bad.
Natasha glanced at Katrina’s completely naked body. Her eyes widened as she ogled Katrina’s breasts. When Katrina winked at her, Natasha’s cheeks reddened and she looked away hurriedly.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Katrina said, smiling at him. As Alex placed his shirt on his saddle, Katrina pulled him in for a deep kiss. “Apparently, I’m a lesbian,” she told him. “But I like you. That’s another reason to come back, right?”
Chapter 40
When Alex had walked to the city of Katarnak from the mountain range the first time, the thin line that resembled the wall of the city remained thin for hours. Now on the back of a hell horse, the thin line steadily rose up.
Jamana rode beside him. They made small talk, but as the city walls came closer, she spoke less and less. For the final half hour, Jamana didn’t say a single word. When the black gate came in view, her eyes fixed on it and sweat beads formed on her forehead.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked.
“I’ve never broken the rules before,” Jamana said softly. “What do you think they’ll do to me?”
“Nothing,” Alex said flatly. “If they try anything, they’ll have to go through me,” he added darkly.
Alex knocked on the large bell on the gate. The doors opened to a guard of demons. One was a familiar face. It scowled at Alex, but then, it stepped aside.
Alex rode into town on the hell horse, Jamana by his side. Nothing had changed. The roads were dusty and the demons eyed him with hostility. The air was hot and ashy, but in the city, it had a bitter metallic taste to his tongue.
Alex dismounted in front of the hotel he’d stayed at when he first came to Katarnak. As he walked up the steps, he felt a slight pang in his chest. This was where he met One and Two, now known as Rebecca and Felicity. It had been less than half a day since they parted ways, but he still missed them.
They headed up to the first floor, and Alex wondered if it was still his to occupy. It would be awkward if there was a demon family in there. When he opened the door to the bedroom, it was empty. The first thing Alex did was jump into the shower. The water was cold, which was perfect for hell.
After showering, Alex rummaged through the wardrobe in the room. He found a pair of trousers that weren’t made of leather and a white shirt. Once dressed, he planned to head up to the second floor, where the canteen was located, but Jamana stood at the door with a large tray in her hand.
“Thought you’d be hungry,” she smiled.
“Starving,” Alex replied.
Jamana put the tray down on the table. Alex lifted the silver dome and dug into the plate of meat, mashed potatoes and peas. At least, it seemed like that. It tasted as good. Better even, probably on account of how hungry he was.
After eating, Alex decided to head up to the fifth floor, more out of curiosity than expectation. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do now, if he was supposed to do anything at all. He had no idea where Keira was, if she was even alive. If Keira had won, and Merculis Azarath was dead, then it was time for him to get the hell out of hell.
Maybe Magnamus, Corcin, Cierrella or Mariah were sitting on the fifth floor. Maybe one of those demons could tell him of a portal that led back to earth.
Alex left Jamana in bed. The poor demon girl was exhausted. He climbed up four floors of steps and opened the double doors, hoping someone would be in the meeting room.
There was someone in the room. Actually, there was more than one demon. Magnamus was there. As was Cierrella, Corcin and Mariah. And at the end of the table sat Keira.
“Alex,” she smiled at him. But it wasn’t a warm smile. “So nice of you to join us. Sit,” she pointed at the chair beside her.
All the demons in the room stared at him. Alex couldn’t tell if there was hostility in their eyes. Keira’s smile was cold, but it didn’t quite verge on evil murderous bitch. That could change quickly, and if it did, Alex’s sword was back in his room.
Deciding if they were going to kill him, they would have attacked him already, Alex closed the door behind him and took a seat beside Keira.
Chapter 41
Alex sat on the chair beside Keira. She had her eyes on him, as did the others. Eyes that Alex was beginning to suspect were actually hostile. Fuck, he should have gone down to collect his sword before taking a seat here.
“So you killed Pikes,” Keira said, apparently not one for small talk.
“He tried to kill me,” Alex responded. “But he didn’t do a very good job of it.” Alex pointed at Magnamus. “He was also trying to kill me. Pikes was showing off with his swords. You know how he spins them all about,” Alex moved his hands in the air, attempting to imitate. “He wasn’t as talented with his feet though. He tripped and fell. And then the big dumb Hulk over there,” he nodded at Magnamus, “Threw his axe into Pikes back. I think he might have been aiming for me but,” he shrugged. “He absolutely destroyed Pikes spine. It was horrible. Pikes was just lying there on the ground. I mean, I took pity on the ugly fucker and drove my sword into his heart. At least, I think it was his heart,” Alex paused, pretending to think. “Do demons have hearts?” he asked.
Keira continued to stare at him, clearly not impressed by his storytelling skills. Finally, she turned to look at Magnamus. “You really threw your fucking axe into Pikes’s back?”
Magnamus shrugged his shoulders.
“Jesus,” Keira muttered. “You spend hours every day practicing just so that doesn’t fucking happen.”
“It was the human,” Magnamus growled. “He was too fast. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.”
Alex raised a hand. “Firstly, this human has a name. It’s Alex. Secondly,” he turned to Keira. “Jesus?” he repeated. “Like…. God’s son?”
Keira rolled her eyes. “No, you idiot, not God’s son. God doesn’t have children.” She paused, as if reconsidering. “At least I don’t think he does.” Keira shook her head in annoyance. “We need to focus on our priorities.” She pointed a finger at Alex. “Firstly, no more letting humans escape and secondly, no more killing off my elite demons.”
“They weren’t that elite,” Alex mumbled under his breath.
Keira let out a long sigh. “Alex. Just do the damned job you’re here to do. Then get the hell out of hell.”
“You know back on earth, we don’t say get the earth out of here, or whatever… just sounds weird hearing you guys use hell in the same way when you’re actually in hell.”
“Alex,” Keira growled. “I need you to focus. Merculis Azarath used his rebellion as a massive distraction.” Her hand reached to her waist. There was a long pouch attached to her belt. She opened it and from inside, drew out a scroll, which she then threw at him angrily. “This came a few hours ago. Merculis never was at the Valley of the Two-Headed Kromos. He used this whole time to sneak his troops through the Great Depression and into the Tabareenk.”
Alex opened the scroll. He couldn’t read a word of it. The letters seemed more foreign than Chinese, which was saying something because, Chinese was as foreign looking a written language as any.
“Cool sounding places,” Alex said. “What’s in the Great Depression and the Tabareenk?”
“Satan,” Keira growled. “Satan is there. They’re going to free Satan.”
“That’s not very original,” Alex said.
“It’s not,” Keira agreed. “But there is actually a difference. When Jamie Azarath freed Satan from hell, he did it casting
a spell that used Satan’s own strength to break out. As a result, when the devil stepped foot on earth, he was severely weakened-”
“He wasn’t that weak,” Alex muttered, a little annoyed. None of these demons had seen Satan when he broke out of hell. The devil was not weak. It took Alex everything to send him back down.
Keira ignored him and continued. “If they break him out in hell, they’ll do it the old-fashioned way by knocking down the front door of his prison. Satan will walk out in full strength. You know what will happen if Satan walks out in full strength. He will kill us. Then he will kill you.”
“He can try,” Alex said defiantly.
“He won’t even need to try,” Keira said evenly.
“If he’s so damned strong in hell, why didn’t they try to break him out here in the first place?” Alex asked. “Why bother sneaking around, killing humans and doing a stupid spell to get him out on earth?”
So, Keira explained.
The Great Depression was a large depression. It was full of the most fearsome beasts in hell. Beasts that would eat demons’ whole with a single bite. It would take a small army to successfully navigate through the Great Depression and make it to the Tabareenk.
The Tabareenk was a cave. It had a narrow entrance that was guarded from the inside by a hundred of Satani’s most elite troops. Only two demons could enter the Tabareenk at a time, and a powerfully cast spell would incapacitate them immediately, making it easy for Satani’s troops to kill them. It would take another small army to get through the Tabareenk and make it Satan’s prison.
“This rebellion was just a ploy to divert our attention while he sneaked his troops in small groups to the Great Depression,” Keira said furiously as she slammed her hand on the table. “By now, they could be breaking the barrier to Satan’s prison. Our mistake led to this.”
“Our mistake?” Alex repeated.
Keira frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You said ‘our mistake’,” Alex said. “I didn’t make any mistakes. I did exactly what I was supposed to. I killed Judas, Nekrosis and Skalgrig. This was your mistake.”
The Devil's Apprentice: Book 2: Descent to Hell Page 21