Seraph

by James Hicks

  “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed,” John said.

  “Wow . . . that was beautiful . . . did you write that?” Sally asked.

  “Ha, no I didn’t. A prophet named Isaiah wrote it a few thousand years ago. It basically means that because Jesus went through all that physical punishment on his way to dying on a cross for all of mankind, we can be healed if we believe it. You believed in his power, that’s why you were healed.”

  “I believe it and I believe Jesus is with you, and I want him to be with me too.”

  “If you believe that he is, then he is.”

  “Really, that simple?”

  “Absolutely, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

  “I believe,” Sally said with tears streaming down her eyes.

  “Go see your brother and sister and tell them what has happened to you, sin no more, and love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

  John began heading out.

  “Where are you going?” Sally asked.

  “To find Sophia and Andrea of course. I’ll be back when they are safely returned home.”

  “Okay, and you can keep the feather, I don’t need it anymore.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you,” Sally said.

  After John healed Sally and she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, he left her home with the feather in his hand. He sniffed it to find the distinct scent of the angel and then searched the air. It was too faint for him to tell, but he knew that the angel was somewhere in Missouri so heading that way was the best start. John bent his legs and jumped into flight as Sally watched from her door. She watched as John got smaller and smaller and then vanished completely. She took her keys in hand and headed toward her car to tell her family the good news about her healing and lifestyle change.

  Anzu’s black feathery wings beat against the hellish ether. For days he hadn’t been able to shake the feeling he had after he questioned Ornias. Other demons would be able to let it go, but not him. It was simply not in his nature to do so. Every question had an answer. If no suitable answer was given, he could not, would not, accept it.

  He flew over the Ottocom Desert where Ornias and Lilith were last seen. He had to. Not because he wanted to either. He could have satisfied his thirst for an answer at the chronicles, but both of their chronicles went black after they entered the desert. They clearly didn’t want anyone to see what they were up to, and a simple spell could make that possible.

  Anzu knew they were looking for something, but what? With his amazing vision he could see if there was a disturbance in the sands from even more than a mile above the desert, but he found no such evidence. This was not a suitable answer.

  He kept flying until he saw the mouth of Lilith’s cavernous home. He began his descent, landed softly, folded his big black wings over his shoulders and chest, and walked in.

  There was not much for Kenneth to do most days beside sleep and think. He dreamt about Andrea when he slept and daydreamed about her when he was awake. Hopefully she would believe his message and forgive him. He truly was sorry and paid dearly for his physical abuse. But if the two angels were really able to put in a good word for him, then maybe he could go to heaven. Or better yet, possibly be allowed to go back to earth to try and be a better husband to Andrea this time around.

  When he wasn’t thinking about her, he played with the creatures. Some were grazing animals, others were fierce animals of prey, but none of them resembled any animals that exist on earth. Kuyel was an enormous herbivore with horns and a black pelt. She was his favorite. She tended to her offspring quite a bit, and he felt the safest around her. But there were also predatory animals as well, and none bigger than Shaziel, who slept most of the day. The 13-foot-long, 1,100-pound beast had razor-sharp, protruding teeth that it couldn’t hide and claws that weren’t retractable. They could dismember a demon with one swipe. Shaziel was a powerful creature with deep orange, leathery, purple-spotted skin; she and her kind were among hell’s deadliest creatures. No telling what she could do to a human. This creature was Lilith’s favorite.

  One day Kenneth heard noises coming from outside the chambers and went up to investigate. He heard banging and clanging and thought Lilith and Ornias were back. He ran to the door, excited that they were back, and cracked the door slightly. But what he saw scared him to death. It was neither Lilith nor Ornias. It was another demon searching her cave. The big hulking demon, dressed in a black, tattered robe with black raven-like wings, swung his sword smashing things, looking for all kinds of clues that he could possibly use against her.

  Kenneth closed the door behind him and backed up, but he backed too far and fell from thirty feet to the dirt floor below and yelped. Anzu heard the cry, immediately ran to the door, and kicked it open.

  “Who is here? Show yourself.”

  Kenneth didn’t answer. If he were caught he would be beaten and taken back to his punishment, but even worse, he’d never escape this place. Anzu walked down the grassy walkway admiring the beautiful flowers and the brightly burning, sun-like fireball.

  “I know you are in here . . . I can smell you. Come out . . . and I will make this quick.”

  When the demon reached the main grassy ground, Kenneth slid behind a big rock.

  “I promise . . . I won’t hurt you . . . much.”

  Kenneth moved from his hiding place as Anzu approached, slithering to a tree where he came upon Kuyel. She looked at him and cooed. Kenneth tried to shush her but to no avail. The demon hadn’t seen anyone behind the rock but heard the animal in the background. He slowly made his way to the sound.

  “I can hear your heart beating through your chest. You are afraid as well you should be. You are going to pay dearly for playing this game with me . . . although I must admit it is quite fun.”

  Kenneth tried to hide behind Kuyel who was walking slowly away from the trespasser. Anzu saw the big beast and noticed the four-legged animal had six; he smiled generously knowing that he had found whatever it was he was looking for. He jogged, which quickly turned into an all-out sprint. But just as he was about to reach the huge beefy beast, Shaziel jumped from the bushes and attacked him. Anzu was thrown to the ground and lost his sword when it fell into the bottom of the pond.

  The demon fell flat on his back and Shaziel jumped toward him. He rolled backward till he was on his feet and jumped straight into the air, landing on the top of the grassy walkway and transforming his facial appearance into a menacing raven. Shaziel looked at her prey from down below, unafraid of the new form, and ran toward the walkway, sprinting toward the invader.

  The demon went through the door slamming it behind him and pushing against it. The predator rammed the door and moved the invader every time she slammed against it. The trespasser reached for a metal pole and stuck it between the door handles. He backed away, thinking that maybe this would hold the beast. Shaziel rammed once, twice. There was a lull and finally the creature rammed a third time and broke through the door.

  Shaziel roared and leapt toward Anzu, but he rolled out of the way trying to make his way toward the entrance of the cave. But Shaziel blocked his only way out. The beast jumped on Anzu pinning him against the wall, her claw sliced a portion of the demon’s wing. Anzu struggled free and dodged the beast’s mighty jaws chomping at his head. Shaziel swiped wildly with both paws and clipped Anzu in the ribs, making him scream.

  Anzu could not waste time fighting this creature because he would surely lose. So he pushed the mammoth beast off with all his strength and when she lunged again, Anzu formed a fireball and hit Shaziel. It slowed her down, but she kept coming. Anzu summoned more fireballs and kept bombing the beast until it was severely burned and had no choice but to back down.

  Anzu seized his window to run as fast a
s he could with Shaziel close on his heels. She chased the demon all the way out of the mouth of the cave and when the demon had gathered enough speed, he jumped high into the air and flew off, grabbing at his side where the beast had slashed him. Any closer and he would have surely been done for. Part of his wing had been taken from him, which made flying extremely difficult. When Anzu believed he was safe enough, he landed on the outskirts of the desert next to the boiling Sea of Fire. He was covered in filthy red sediment from rolling around on the floor with the mangy beast in Lilith’s cave. But even though his wounds were substantial, they were still able to be totally healed with a day’s rest. Anzu was lucky to be alive and he knew it. But he also knew that his ordeal was worth it. All that resistance was proof that Ornias and Lilith were indeed hiding something. This was a suitable answer.

  Ornias sat in his chair thinking about Andrea, wondering where she was, what she was feeling. She never left his mind, which was the strangest feeling his dark heart ever felt. He looked at the time and rose from his seat. He grabbed the empty bucket and headed out of the cabin and toward the stream. It was a beautiful sunny day with minimal clouds in the sky. When he arrived at the stream he filled the water to the top of the bucket and walked back to the cabin. When he was back inside he approached the fireplace and pushed in the secret brick and a series of sliding units brought out Sophia, still chained and a bit damp. It was about that time for her “shower,” which she hated. She couldn’t wait to burn this place to the ground. She was so angry that she even thought about setting the lush woods on fire as well, but there would be no way she’d be able to explain that to The One, no matter how angry she was. Sophia stared at him. Ornias looked at Sophia and neither of them said a word, but they were saying so much in the silence. They were reading each other like books. Finally, she broke the silence.

  “You look unsettled, old friend.”

  “You still consider me a friend?”

  “We’ve never stopped being friends.”

  “How noble of you.”

  “It is, isn’t it. . . . What’s troubling you?”

  “Nothing that you would understand.”

  “Is love something I wouldn’t understand?”

  “What do you know about love?”

  “Love is patient, love is kind—”

  “Oh shut up Sophia . . . you have no idea of what I’m feeling. To care about someone other than yourself. To love someone and only want the best for them. I never thought that I could feel that way about anyone . . . Andrea was just supposed to be a mark. A target. I was supposed to impregnate her and leave before she even realized what happened to her . . . but something happened to me. With each passing moment that I spent with her, the longer I looked into her eyes or smelled her fragrance or held her hands, the more I became blinded by her. It is her beauty as a being that makes it impossible for me to get her out of my spirit. There is a fire that burns deep inside me for her. I love her and she loves me. That is love.”

  “Aww, that is really sweet. I would clap my hands for you if I could.”

  The statement was wet with sarcasm and Ornias drank in every sour word and became angry.

  “You must think this is a game?”

  “No, you must think this is a game. You are a fool to think that she would fall for such a filthy creature if she knew who you really were. You do not love her. If you loved her, you would not have deceived her. You would not have carried out your plans. You would have risked your own spiritual being to protect her. But you could not possibly love her. You are a vile, disgusting demon who cares only about himself.

  “If you love her so much, why don’t you go to her and tell her who you really are? She will reject you and hate you more than you hate yourself for what you’ve done to her. You are filled with hate, and there is no good thing in you. But I, too, have a fire that burns deep inside of me for you and it is my desire to show you.”

  As Sophia spoke to him she began steaming and her eyes began turning red. Ornias, noticing what was happening, took the bucket of water and splashed her with the contents, which cooled her off immediately.

  “You would be foolish to think that I will allow you to escape so easily.”

  “Enjoy it while it lasts,” she said, soaked from head to toe.

  The words Sophia said about Ornias struck him deep in his heart. He thought about what he had intentionally done to Andrea, and if he was being honest with himself, could he really say he loved her? But he fell for her before he slept with her and what happened between them was only a natural and logical outcome for two people in love to take.

  Yet those words stabbed him and burned him as if someone put salt in his wound. Sophia was right. If he loved her like he said he did, then he must see her. Tell her the truth of who and what he is. Apologize and see if she truly loves him enough to forgive him.

  “You are right. I must see her. I must confess my sins against her.”

  “She hates you and will turn you away.”

  Ornias backhanded Sophia, but no blood came from her mouth.

  “You would do well to mind your tongue.”

  Sophia looked at him with vengeance in her eyes.

  Ornias looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel; it was almost a quarter to five. He decided that he would go to the hotel and reveal himself to Andrea. Ornias pushed the key brick and Sophia disappeared behind the fireplace, convulsing and screaming, and he walked out of the door into the cool afternoon air.

  He flew into the air toward the hotel, which was about an hour away from the cabin. When he finally arrived, he realized that she was no longer there. He had a retrocognition and saw that she had been taken away to the hospital. And he was on his way.

  Andrea lay in her hospital bed asleep. Her pain had subsided, thanks to the drugs the hospital staff supplied, allowing her to achieve that sweet peace that eluded her earlier. There was no dreaming, no slumbering, only sleep that resembled death. She would have slept longer if Doctor Lillian had not awakened her.

  Doctor Lillian walked into the recovery room holding Andrea’s charts while she slept, checking on her IV and other equipment that helped her remain in stable condition. Dr. Lillian looked around to see if anyone was watching her, and when she realized she was alone, she kicked Andrea’s recovery bed to rouse the sleeping beauty. Andrea was startled and sat up quickly.

  “I’m so sorry to wake you,” Doctor Lillian said. “I can be such a klutz sometimes.”

  “It’s okay . . . it’s fine.”

  “Please don’t be upset with me.”

  “I said it was fine . . . How long have I been out?”

  “Fifteen hours. It’s almost five in the evening.”

  “Oh my god, I can’t believe I’ve been out that long.”

  “Yeah, there was actually an office pool about when you might wake up . . . I said noon.” Doctor Lillian smiled.

  “I see. Did you guys find out what is wrong with me?”

  “Oh yeah, of course. I actually have your chart right here. And it says . . . are you ready for this?”

  “Please just tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Why, nothing is wrong, Mrs. Rose. Congratulations . . . You’re pregnant.”

  Andrea swore.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Rose . . . is this not a good thing?”

  “Miss.”

  “Excuse me.”

  “It’s Miss. . . . I’m not married anymore.”

  “I see. Is everything alright? As your attending physician, there is patient confidentiality. You can tell me anything.”

  Andrea began to tear. Doctor Lillian closed the door to give them privacy and pulled up a chair next to her bed.

  “You can tell me anything.”

  Andrea gathered herself and told Doctor Lillian about her inability to have a child and now that she had finally become pregnant again, she couldn’t find her future baby’s daddy. Oscar was nowhere to be found, and he should have called by now, or at least have returned to the sui
te. There, the staff would have informed him that she had been taken to the hospital. He could have easily found her if he cared; if he truly cared and had not been feeding her a load of bull that she ate up like a homeless person at a Thanksgiving feast.

  She was hurt and angry. Angry at him for his apparent disappearing act, but angrier at herself for believing some strange man would swoop into town and give an aging wannabe model a chance to fulfill her dreams.

  Doctor Lillian hugged her as if she, too, had been duped by the devilishly handsome womanizer.

  “Thank you for listening to me. I must sound like a crazy person,” Andrea said between sniffles.

  “Oh no, no, dear. If I were in your position, I doubt I would react any differently.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, please don’t worry about it.”

  “I need to get out of here and get back to the hotel.”

  “Sure, of course you do. Look, here is my personal number in case you need something. Anything. Please call me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Never been surer about anything.”

  “Okay. Thank you. I will.”

  Doctor Lillian left the room, and Andrea got dressed and made her way to the front desk to check out. There, one of the medical billing assistants explained her bill.

  “Ma’am, we ran you’re insurance card, but they won’t cover the bill because you are out of your coverage network.”

  “Okay, well then how much is it?”

  “The total is $1,153.83.”

  “One thousand one hundred fifty-three!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have 1,153 dollars . . .”

  “Do you have a credit card, ma’am?”

  “No . . . I don’t, I didn’t exactly have time to grab my purse when you guys rushed me to the hospital, you know?”

  “Well, ma’am, we’re going to have to . . .”

  “Miss Rose, is there a problem?”

  All of a sudden Doctor Lillian was there and came to her rescue.