by R. Twine
‘Her blood and the last generation to come shall belong to me,’ Satanail said defiantly. ‘This woman shall remain with me forever. You are not in a position to change anything’.
‘I am in the position to prevent this from ever happening,’ said the Archangel, threateningly.
‘You cannot stand up to me, because we depend on each other!’ Satanail guffawed. ‘I am immortal! I am the master of all living beings! Everything on earth belongs to me!’
‘You will be overthrown’, the Archangel said. ‘The time will come when you’ll no longer be capable of ascending to Earth’s surface. Man will defeat you, with my help.’
‘That will never happen! Leave this woman to me!’ exclaimed Satanail.
‘No!’ was Michael’s firm answer.
‘She’s the one we are constantly fighting about,’ said Satanail maliciously. ‘She’s to blame for these endless disagreements between us! Look, she will never belong to you. Man, even after leaving his earthly shell, will always be seeking to return to earth where he had known bodily pleasures and high life. And all of these pleasures, he gets because of me! The heavens will never be able to give man what he wants… She will belong to nobody – that’s what I can do!’
The swords clashed again, striking out sparks. The Angels swirled around in a brutal war dance.
It was hard to tell how long this battle would last, but all of a sudden everything around me shook – it seemed to me that the heavens had shuddered. A bright ray of light cut through the air and fell upon the Prince of Darkness.
‘You, Defiant One!’ thundered somebody’s voice from high above.
The earth split apart, and its depths engulfed Satanail, who went crashing down along with his army, bellowing wildly all the way.
Then everything disappeared as if nothing had happened. The Christmas tree stood in the corner, flickering in a celebratory manner; candles continued to burn on the table; unconsumed champagne was left sparkling dimly in wineglasses. Samuel was lying on the floor, totally unaware of what had happened to him. I reached out for the telephone and called Jack…
Chapter 27
I quietly opened the door and slipped into the hospital ward. Then I made myself comfortable in an armchair and waited for Samuel to wake up.
‘Miriam, my darling, what’s happened? Why am I here?’ Samuel asked quietly when he woke up.
I got up, slightly kissed him on the cheek, took his hand in mine and said, ‘Good morning, Samuel… There’s something I want to ask you about …’
‘I don’t remember hardly anything… The doctor didn’t give me a clear explanation about what happened, and told me to ask you instead ... How did I get these bruises? And why’s my entire body aching? I feel like I have been run over by a truck… Miriam, I’ve never experienced anything like this before…’
‘Don’t worry. Everything will be okay in a couple of days, and we’ll forget about the whole thing,’ I said, avoiding his questions.
‘I do remember I was really turned on. I must have been like an animal; I was only thinking about myself!’ Samuel said bitterly.
‘It’s not your fault, Sam. I felt very good up until the moment you turned into an uncontrollable sex-machine. Your body was taken hold of by an outside force.’
‘Say what? My body was possessed? Is this some kind of joke?’ he asked, gazing at me in total bewilderment.
‘I’ve been very worried about you, and I came to realize how dear to me you are. I don’t want to lose you. Everything that has just happened to us must remain a thing of the past. I hope it will never happen again,’ I replied, leaning over him tenderly.
‘Please, Miriam, if you know for sure what’s happened, you’d better tell me about it,’ demanded Sam.
‘What goes on around me can neither be explained nor controlled. There are invisible forces we will never be able to overcome. They are capable of possessing human souls and bodies very easily, and the incident that happened to us is proof. On this planet, nobody’s going to live the way he or she wants! We are like unwanted guests here, and he can treat us however he wants.’
‘Who’s “he”, Miriam? What invisible forces are you talking about? What’s this all about?’ asked Sam, clearly worried.
‘I mean the devil. He possessed you, and through you he managed to take hold of me as well.’
Samuel didn’t deny anything I was saying. He even seemed to have believed what I told him. He paused thoughtfully for a moment; there was a worried look on his face.
‘I love you,’ he said finally. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be out and about before long, and hopefully, I’ll soon be able to give you a lot of pleasure. We have our whole lives ahead of us…’
To everyone’s big surprise, Sam recovered within several days. Jack was always on guard, making sure there were no leaks to the media about what had happened.
I was grateful to Jack. He came to us right after I called him, and without much ado, he put us into a private clinic owned by one of his old friends. It was there that we licked our wounds and recovered from the shock of what we had been through.
Filming was put off for several weeks.
‘We are home, at last,’ Sam said, joyfully stepping over the threshold of his villa. ‘I hate the hospital smell. Who would’ve thought that this was the kind of Christmas we were going to have! Just another of life’s many surprises.’
All this time I was thinking of how we should carry on. What was happening to me and to my life? Was there any way to protect myself from the Kingdom of Darkness? Why was Satanail so unwilling to give me to anybody else? What were his intentions? What was he up to this time around? Could I have been wrong all along, putting my trust in him? How naïve I was!
‘Please, stay with me, Miriam. I want so much for you to be by my side. After everything we’ve been through, we should always stick together. I don’t want you to leave,’ said Sam, persuading me to stay.
‘All right, Sam, I will do as you wish.’
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about the vial of my blood that still remained in his house. I didn’t want to aggravate the already tense atmosphere. I felt like a trouble-maker and I didn’t want Samuel to get involved in my problems. But how could I avoid doing so? After all, I couldn’t possibly stay alone …
‘Many years ago, a famous producer offered me a small part in his movie. I turned down the offer then,’ Sam suddenly recollected. ‘It was about the Prince of Darkness and a little girl who was possessed by him. As far as I can remember, a famous expert in demons took part in making the movie as a consultant. I can give you his telephone number if you want me to. He may be of some help; maybe he can help to explain what happened, at least in part.’
‘Thank you, Samuel, I think I may need his help at some point,’ I replied, and went upstairs to my room, leaving Sam alone.
My fatigue wouldn’t pass, and there was the constant noise of inner voices talking incessantly, but I was unable to make out what they were saying. I kept on looking back on that unfortunate evening, constantly turning things over in my mind, again and again. Why did everything happen exactly the way it did? Why was my first sexual experience doomed to failure? Why had Satanail done his best again to hurt me and those around me? Had I not paid for all my mistakes yet? I was ready to love and to be loved. Samuel was igniting my passion; I wanted to be in his strong arms again. But now I was afraid. And I kept on thinking, trying to find an explanation of the situation I found myself in so that I could find a way out. Big raindrops started pattering on the windowpanes. A torrential rain shower came pouring down; it shielded me from my sad thoughts, and I sank into a deep sleep.
At night, the sound of thunder woke me up. A thunderstorm was raging and the whole house was shaking. My bed jolted and jumped, thumping against the floor.
‘Miriam, Satanail will keep coming back to you until he gets his vial with your blood in it,’ said the Archangel. ‘This vial symbolizes the new civilization he dreams of creat
ing.’
I sat up and looked at Michael in bewilderment.
‘The vessel contains not only your blood, but his semen, too, Miriam,’ he explained.
‘Semen…?’ I echoed back.
‘He mixed your blood with his semen. This is the third and final vial he needs to implement his plan. The loss of virginity of The Foremother of Mankind who recently reappeared on earth had always played a crucial role in Creation. Satanail took possession of you through your lover’s body, and when Samuel achieved climax, Satanail’s seed passed through him into you. By gathering this mixture and sealing it in a vial, Satanail performed the last symbolic act, proving that not only you, but all of mankind are at his mercy. Clearly, Samuel does not remember that evening in detail; Satanail might have taken hold of his body long before the act began,’ explained the Archangel.
‘But I was able to see Satanail clearly only when he was already inside me…’
‘You saw him only because he allowed you to. Probably, he wanted you to know that he’ll always be able to take a hold of you. It’s highly likely that he’ll always use the body of the man you’ll be having intimacy with. And this will be exceptionally hard to prevent from happening: it’s impossible to know whose body he will take hold of next. Satanail is capable of assuming any appearance and any form.’
‘The vial is still somewhere in the house. Can I destroy it?’
‘It cannot be destroyed, Miriam. It contains the molecules of human life and death. In case mankind disappears, Satanail wants to recreate human beings, but this time around he wants them to have only the traits which are inherent in him. The Prince of Darkness should not be underestimated: he’s clever, sly and immortal. These three vials are the quintessence of what he strives for; they are the basis of human essence. They contain the data pertinent to the creation of human beings as well as his energy which is needed for the creation of a new civilization. And as long as Satanail is immortal, the energy mixed in the vials with his seed is immortal, too. There, hidden inside the vials, is your history from the moment of your creation. This history contains the information about everything: about you, about Adam, about your children and about the genes they have – the gene of holiness and the gene of destruction.’
The Archangel paused for a long time and then went on.
‘The vial is a symbol. While you, Miriam, are a kind of implementation tool, a personifier, Satanail, angels, and human souls are immortal. In our dimension, nothing disappears without a trace; nothing can be destroyed completely, without anything being left over. Every layer contains the information that cannot be gotten rid of - just as you cannot get rid of those created by Father. The individuals who had been destroyed would transform and continue to exist all the same. This is the way it was and always will be. The multi-faced Satanail is very expert in transformation. Eden, which was closely guarded by angels, is another example. Satanail managed to slip inside, unnoticed. Be careful, Miriam. Under no circumstances can this vial get into Satanail’s hands!’
‘I will never know peace on Earth!’ I exclaimed bitterly.
‘History repeats itself: Satanail broke the immunity pact, and now I’ll always be standing behind his back personally, keeping a watchful eye on him. But you have to know that nothing happens without Heaven’s consent. If Satanail did something, it means he was allowed to!’ the Archangel went silent. He was clearly very angry and the current situation annoyed him.
And suddenly I realized: whatever I would undertake, the end result would be the same. And that was the ultimate truth.
The thunder was still rumbling. The Heavens must have been furious: they cast mammoth bolts of lightning whose flashes illuminated everything around the house. I was surrounded by angels with big flaming wings: their faces were grim, and their bodies were clad in glistening dark red clothes while the feet of every angel rested upon a perpetually rotating wheel of fire. The red light they emanated filled the entire space and seemed to color the air with blood. Far in the distance, behind this carmine veil, giant angels were hovering; they watched what was going on very closely.
‘Very soon, the Threads of Light will be woven into your body, and these threads will protect you until you fulfill your predestination. These warriors,’ the Archangel said, pointing at the giants, ‘will come to protect you – and so will I – in case a very big disaster looms over you. Satanail is quite likely to resort to violence once he feels he’s losing the battle…’
‘Everything happens with Heaven’s consent, does it not?’ I asked, smiling bitterly.
‘The thread that connects you to The Fallen Angel begins as far back as Eden, and passes from one incarnation of yours to another. The struggle for your soul has been going on for as long as humankind has existed. Satanail is sure you belong to him as of right now because you followed him by your own free will. But we believe that The Foremother – that is, you, Miriam – belongs to us, because she was created by The Heavenly Father. You made the mistake of letting him get too close to you. And now he’ll be seeking the opportunity to draw you into his cobweb and bring you again to a dangerous limit. That’s where he’s going to snap his trap shut. Every man makes his own choices; Satanail doesn’t push anybody into the abyss personally, thus avoiding the responsibility for what humans do.’
Michael took me by the hand and carried me into another dimension.
‘Take a look at this,’ he said, pointing at the horrible battle scene which was unfolding before our eyes.
The Angel’s army was incinerating the civilization which looked different from ours. Militant angels were doing their destructive work silently and matter-of-factly.
‘Are these the killer angels?’ I asked.
‘They relieve the Universe of especially dangerous civilizations,’ the Archangel answered.
In this alternate dimension, the planet we were on was dark, stuffy and unwelcoming. Not one ray of sunlight reached it; the stars provided the only source of light. There was no vegetation or water there, while its soil was hard and bluish black. In the light of searchlights one could see cone-shaped spacecrafts located at random, without any apparent order. Here and there, weird, five-legged creatures with multiple arms were running about aimlessly. They were almost twice the height of the average human being. Their sleek skin was glistening; it seemed to have a certain amount of elasticity. Their red eyes were rather alert but they expressed nothing but bottomless emptiness; the creatures had two holes in place of a nose while their mouths were elongated and narrow. These monsters moved so fast that they seemed to be capable of evading the flames that were hot on their heels, but there was no avoiding death. Horrible screams came from everywhere, but the angels, unmoved, kept on methodically throwing flames at these unusual creatures, turning them into ashes.
‘Where are we?’ I asked. ‘This planet seems so strange. Who are these creatures and why are they being destroyed?’
‘This civilization was created hundreds of millions of years ago. The creatures you see now were called “Arlians”; they lived calmly and peacefully, there had never been any hostilities between them. We watched these creatures evolve, and rejoiced over how clever and innovative they were. This used to be one of the most peaceful planets in the Universe. But one day, the Arlians developed the desire to know what was hidden behind these stars,’ said the Archangel, gesturing upwards with his hand. ‘They quickly built a spaceship, and their exploration of space started from the nearest planet, called Kerza. A team of courageous astronauts landed on Kerza and found unusual and unwelcoming creatures there, which were very hostile towards unwanted guests. None of the team members survived: the indigenous creatures killed all of them. When the Arlians learned about the fate of these unfortunate astronauts, a burning desire to avenge the deaths of their compatriots came over them, and they started to wage war on their offenders, the Kerzians. This war had catastrophic consequences: the axis of Kerza shifted, thus putting nearby planets into great jeopardy. It has remained uninhabited
ever since the war; its population died out. This was a brutal war of attrition, neither side expressed a willingness to negotiate peace despite our repeated warnings. That was why the Arlians underwent total destruction. The Arlians were strong creatures; their militant spirit still lingers on in the Universe! What you’re seeing now is just a mirage stored in the memory of cosmic space. The Arlians don’t exist any more. They were turned into ashes a very long time ago.’
I kept on looking at the unfortunate Arlians, quickly moving all of their five legs, and desperately trying to avoid the unavoidable. The mission aimed at the destruction of these poor creatures was headed by a fearless and confident angel whose clothing was the color of flames. He was expertly giving orders to his warriors, leaving the Arlians no chance to survive.
‘Who is this powerful and arrogant angel?’ I asked.
‘This is Satanail,’ the Archangel answered. ‘Prior to his expulsion.’
Arlians were screaming and howling; their faces distorted with horror, but I could neither hear nor see them anymore; I stood, weirdly numb, watching the crisp precision of The Cleaner’s movements.
The Archangel spoke again, clearly trying to make me come out of my stupor.
‘Satanail is a shrewd angel. He always acts slyly and in cold blood. It is for this reason that we’re keeping him away from the center of the Universe, because he’s dangerous. We tried our best to defend humans from his attacks and machinations. But now we have all the grounds to believe that a human being with a highly-evolved dark essence in him has already become slier than the Black Angel himself. Naturally, we don’t like it.’
Is Satanail a warrior who rids Earth (which he considers to be his territory) of shameful mankind? If so, it’s quite likely that this is the reason The Heavenly Father tolerates all the nasty tricks he plays on people.
Images disappeared. We stood alone in the darkness – flaming angels merged into the distance; the virtual particles of dust hanging in the air, which looked like tiny ashes, were all we could see around us.