by Melody Rose
“Section 105-FA-908-LP.” I bit my lip thoughtfully. “That’s one of Gabriel’s sections. That’s pretty convenient. I’ll check it out. Thank you.” Gabriel was certainly one to stay out of family drama. He didn’t exactly call to check up on me regularly, but I knew I could trust him to help me.
“Of course!” Lilith exclaimed. “You know I’m always happy to help you. Oh, by the way, I have a great new idea!” So, this was the reason behind her happy tone, I thought before she continued. “I was inspired by my conversation with Evelyn. We were discussing firearms, and she seems to be a wealth of knowledge on them. I realize that’s one thing we don’t have here.”
“Firearms? We shoot people all the time!” I countered, throwing my hands up in question. “What are you talking about?”
“No,” she responded. “I’m not talking about casually shooting people. I’m talking a legitimate gun range, where we can go and hone our skills and also relieve some stress. Except I have a great twist. Imagine self-healing targets using our damned souls!”
Lilith chuckled. “It’s brilliant, I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this earlier. Work the torture into stress relief. I’m talking full-on outfits to make them resemble the paper targets, so we have the different zones to shoot for. Plus, I can kill two birds with one stone, or three birds, rather. I’ll bring Evelyn with me to spark some conversation and see if I get further than you did.” She smirked.
“That’s genius,” I replied, genuinely impressed. This was a great idea, and I was happy to steer the conversation away from the dinner last night.
“It’ll take me a day or two to set this all up, but once it’s set, I’ll go get Evelyn to test it out with me and see what’s going on.” She stood up, walked over to place her glass on my bar, and danced her way out the door.
I loved hearing Lilith’s new ideas. She was definitely the more creative of the two of us, something I attributed to her human nature, and was always incredibly hyped for the days when she put one of them into action. I knew that no matter how her conversation went, Lilith was going to be floating on adrenaline and excitement for the rest of the week. It put a genuine smile on my face.
10
Lucifer
I did not let Lilith in on this plan, but I decided I needed to spend more time with Evelyn one-on-one. I wanted to give myself a better opportunity to attempt to be nice and see if I could be successful at finessing more information out of her. I also had to admit, I was drawn to the idea of getting to know her better. I told myself this had nothing to do with attraction, and everything to do with my potential mortality.
So, with that in mind, I spent the rest of the morning planning and coordinating with our kitchen demons and decided to set up a lunch date for that very day. Once it was all set up, I went back to my living quarters to get dressed and ready to go, walking in and heading straight through to my bedroom. I had spent a bit too much time, admittedly, deciding what aesthetic I wanted in here when I first set it up. Ultimately, I chose black silk sheets under an oversized black comforter with silk trim. The dark hardwood floors had a slight sheen to them, and they ran the length of the room, into my walk-in closet. The closet housed all of my suits on one side and my more casual outfits on the other. The color scheme was decidedly… dark. There was also a significant number of options. Stocking up on clothing was crucial, as I never knew what substances could splatter or drip on me during the course of the day. I opted for dark jeans and a pressed black button-down shirt with the top button undone. I wanted to appear more human and thus more relatable. I rolled the sleeves up at the last minute, for a more casual approach.
I walked out into my living room, which had a very minimalist decor approach. I never understood why humans kept all of these little trinkets lying around. What is the point of a stuffed animal? Why keep twenty of them? I also never understood wall art in small spaces. If no one is entering the room to appreciate it with you, then what was the point? As such, I could count on one hand the items in this room. I was tempted to swap out my throne for the black leather recliner before me. Sure, the demons wouldn’t take me as seriously, but the back pain would resolve itself in a matter of minutes.
Once I was ready, I went straight to Evelyn’s room and knocked twice. It took a minute for her to answer, but when she opened the door, I was amazed at what I saw. Her hair had been tied back since I met her, but now, her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, tight, dark brown ringlets twirling in every possible direction. She smelled like soap and coconuts and was wearing a small black silk robe.
I must have stood there motionless for too long because she was the first to speak.
“Uh… good morning?” she uttered, pulling her robe tighter around her. Maybe I should have called ahead. I pictured her picking up the phone and sounding like Ace Ventura: “Yes, Satan?”
Still, I played it cool. “Good morning,” I said as casually as I could. “You should get dressed. I’d like to show you the other side of Hell.”
I saw the slightly furrowed brow and the pursed lips, and I knew that statement confused her somehow.
“There’s more than one side of Hell?” Evelyn asked as if it was something she hadn’t even considered.
“Of course!” I replied conspiratorially. “My side.”
Evelyn looked unsure, but then she opened the door a little wider in invitation before turning and walking into her bedroom. Wordlessly, she shut that door behind her for privacy, leaving me to my own devices.
Not one to let an opportunity lie, I looked around Evelyn’s living room. Maybe there would be some insights I could glean simply by her living arrangements from Earth. After all, I had told Asmodeus to recreate her home to the best of his ability for a reason. The ratty green recliner and matching ottoman looked like they were bought second-hand. Perhaps even third-hand. There was an obscene amount of thick white yarn pouring out of a basket on the floor. I remembered her family history with knitting and crocheting. She had a television on her wall, and a news channel was playing on it. I could only guess that she had hacked our WiFi somehow.
I noticed the wooden coffee table pushed against the wall with the Xbox on it. There were two controllers, but although one was a pristine white and sitting on the back of the charger, the other had a few smudges on it and sat on top of the console, ready to be used again soon.
I looked down at the dark concrete floor and realized that even though I had all of her belongings brought over, I still hadn’t managed to replicate her home perfectly. It must be bizarre for her, seeing all of her items in a perfectly familiar configuration over a background that she did not choose.
That’s when Evelyn came back out from her room, hair pulled back loosely away from her face with a brown hair clip, and a light blue t-shirt that fit snugly over her body. She had paired this with black leggings, which together, accentuated just how strong she was. Her muscles pulled the fabric taut, yet her clothing also showcased her curves as a gentle reminder that while she was an absolutely stunning woman, she could also definitely kick some ass. I immediately thought back to how she had been acting since she got down here, and everything started to make a bit more sense.
That’s when I noticed her black sneakers, exactly what was needed for my planned activities. “Great choice, you are dressed perfectly for what we have going on today.”
“So, where are we going?” she asked hesitantly, one eyebrow arched.
“Follow me,” I said with a smirk before I turned and walked out the door, Evelyn following close on my heels. I started walking down the hall, listening for a second set of footfalls to announce that she was still with me.
“So, how did you get into our WiFi?” I wondered aloud as we walked.
Evelyn laughed from behind me. “I actually guessed it. kingofhell. All lowercase. No spaces. Got it on my third try.”
“Oh,” I said simply as she continued to chuckle to herself. I mentally chastising myself for not coming up with something a bit m
ore creative.
I decided to take her on the scenic route, going through a set of double swinging doors out of the consistent flickering light, into my favorite part of this level.
I went for the extra drama in this section. I was going through a goth phase at the time. High stone walls with torches supported by sconces lining both sides, which threw light everywhere and made for an eerie trek down to the pits. I would often douse my victim in gasoline before entering, and then grab one of the torches and chase him down, prodding as I went. I made a mental note to add that back into my repertoire.
I heard Evelyn’s echoing footsteps behind me and wondered what she thought. This stone section did descend gradually into the pits, but it was on such a slight grade that it took forever to get there. I loved the added suspense but didn’t want to subject Evelyn to all of that, so I took a sharp right, through another set of swinging double doors, and back into the familiar flickering light.
“You know,” she announced from behind me, a tinge of snark in her voice. “I can fix those lights for you.”
“I like them this way,” I responded, some humorous memories returning to me. “Sometimes, they can cause seizures. It’s hilarious.”
“Seizures are no joke,” she snapped.
“Down here, they are!” This girl needed to relax and remember where she was. “These people deserve everything they get.” I made a mental note to fix the flickering light in the section where her room was, so she could at least get a reprieve from the strobe effect, if only for a short while.
We continued down this new stretch of hallway. I realized that the route I had taken was pretty convoluted, but we were quickly approaching our destination.
“Here we are,” I announced after a few twists and turns. I grasped onto the door handle and swung it open, revealing a large expansive room with a giant fish tank that took up an entire wall, extending all the way up to eight stories and spanning the entire length of the room. Inside the tank were two blue whales, swimming aimlessly in the tank. I stood to the side to let Evelyn enter the room first, and then I followed. I took my spot next to her, facing the whales.
“There is a man here in Hell,” I started to explain, “that preached about protecting Earth’s wildlife. He stood in front of the public, describing in acute detail the pain that these whales must go through when trapped in tanks out on display at amusement parks, and then protested to protect these species. In private, however, he was a whale poacher. He was a walking contradiction, and he slaughtered countless whales throughout his life. These are two of them.”
I turned to Evelyn with a smile. “I’d like you to take point on this one,” I offered. “When I bring the man in, you’re in charge of the punishment he must endure.”
She looked at me in horror with her mouth hung open. “Why the fuck would I do that?” she retorted.
I have to admit, I was honestly not expecting that reaction, so I tried to explain further, to sweeten the pot.
“One of my favorite perks of the job is deciding the punishments for each person down here, and I’m letting you share in that. You can get as creative as you want, there are no limits. The world is your oyster, as they say.” I tucked my hands in my pockets and waited for her response.
I could see the color drain out of her face as she turned back to face the tank. Her eyes widened, and she started cracking her knuckles with her thumbs. She almost appeared to be shaking.
“I…” she stammered and then turned to look me in the eyes. “No,” she muttered in a low, hushed voice. “No, I won’t do that.”
I was taken aback. This date was not going the way I had anticipated. I had figured, given her attitude, that she would jump at the opportunity to take control of the situation. Given her jabs and sarcastic comments, I immediately had her pinned as someone that did not like the idea of relinquishing control, much like myself. Here I was giving her all the control, and she balked.
Who balks at an opportunity like that? Hell, I designed this place to give me that all of the time. You want to know why I think my job is awesome? It’s because I created my job to be exactly what I wanted it to be.
“Why not?” I asked, unable to think of anything else to say.
“That’s… that’s terrible.” Evelyn was still standing there, facing the tank but looking up at me in horror.
“This man is responsible for the slaughter of multiple whales for nothing but personal gain,” I countered, unsure why it was so horrible to decide a just punishment. I stared at her, expecting her resolve to soften. It didn’t.
“You can’t ask me to do this.” Her voice was still hushed, and her face still pale, and she had tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Please don’t ask me to do this.”
I paused, unsure of how to handle this. No one had ever cried in my presence before, due to something I did, that didn’t justly deserve it. I also had a hard time wrapping my mind around someone not getting full enjoyment out of assigning just punishment to the wicked. It was something that I leapt at the opportunity for, and here Evelyn was, scared and in tears over it.
“Okay…” I lowered my voice in apology. “Okay, we don’t have to do this. Let’s… come on, let’s get out of here.”
I took a few hesitant steps backward, and when I saw her turn toward me, I slowly turned and walked back through the doorway out into the flickering lights of the hall. When she cleared the doorway, I reached through and closed the door gently behind her.
“Hey,” I said softly, closing the distance between us. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would upset you so much. I was trying to show you something nice.”
“Nice?! Are you fucking kidding me?!” She didn’t move, but her head snapped upward, and she stared directly at me. “You wanted to show me something nice, in Hell, and your definition of nice is making me torture some poor soul?!”
The anger in her voice felt like a forceful blow to my chest. I stumbled back a few steps and regained my footing.
“It’s not some poor soul, Evelyn,” I countered. “The man is here for a specific reason. It needs to be addressed. I thought you would enjoy it.” I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I shoved them unceremoniously into my pants pockets.
“Why would I enjoy that?!” Her voice started to crack, on the verge of crying.
I took a deep breath, let it fill my lungs to the brim, and then rushed it all out in a huge exhale. “Evelyn, I admit, I’m a bit detached when it comes to humans and their needs and emotions. But this?” I gestured back towards the torture room. “This is something that excites me. My favorite part of this job is assigning torture rooms and assignments. I never stopped to think that someone in your position might not get the same joy out of it that I do. And truth be told, I may be a bit numb to all of this by now. For you, this must be completely jarring. I apologize, I did not see this from your point of view.”
Evelyn seemed a bit calmer now, and I could see her taking deep breaths to re-center herself. She still seemed a bit shell-shocked, however, and was staring straight ahead as if contemplating if what she just saw was real, her eyes constantly blinking.
I stood there silently for a moment, debating how to make my next move. I had a loose plan when I knocked on her door, but that all went out the proverbial window once she reacted the way she did.
“How about we skip ahead, then?” I suggested, unsure if she would even want to stick with the rest of what I had planned.
She looked up at me through her lashes, an air of uncertainty about her, in her hunched posture and her clenched fists.
“Skip ahead to what?” Her voice was still low but no longer trembling.
“How does lunch sound?” I floated the idea out, hopeful that she wasn’t already set to run from me.
“I could eat,” she muttered and turned her head to face me. When I saw the glimmer of light in her eyes, I knew the date would be salvageable.
11
Evelyn
To say I was
incredibly shaken up would be an understatement. Even though the door behind me was closed, I could still see the large fish tank before me, the two whales swimming inside, and the threat of torture hanging over the entire room like a shawl.
How could he have asked me to do such a thing? Did administering torture seem like something I would have been into? What kind of person could get off to making those decisions on a regular basis?
He wasn’t a person, though. He was Lucifer. The Devil. The King of Hell. He probably had no soul, no compassion, no empathy whatsoever. This must have been so easy for him.
I didn’t understand why he thought this would be something I would have wanted to do, but after he explained it and we began to walk toward the dining room, it started to make sense. If he got enjoyment out of it, he probably wanted me to be able to experience that enjoyment, too. Just the idea of Lucifer going out of his way to try to bring me joy made my hands stop trembling and brought my heart rate back down. I started chuckling to myself as we walked down the hall to the dining room.
“What’s so funny?” Lucifer asked, mild concern still lingering on his face. I noted how adorable he looked, the worry wrinkling his forehead and etching pain into his eyes.
“Nothing,” I muttered, walking one step behind him. I still wasn’t sure which direction was which down here. I noticed his forehead smooth out, and the pain faded into the distance, relief washing over him that I was capable of laughing at this moment. He didn’t say anything else, though, until we arrived at the dining room. He grasped one curved golden handle, twisting it downward and pushing against it, until the door gave way and opened up to a familiar ten-top dining table, complete with the same place settings from our last meal together.
I approached it slowly, and as I did, I was able to take in the aroma emanating from the baking dish sitting on our end of the table. I smelled cheese and tomatoes and garlic. As I got closer, I recognized the dish as baked ziti. It smelled just like my grandmother’s. I immediately wanted to dive in, but--