Jack's Back ((Ascension: Book 2))

by Adam Moon

When he did look up, first he froze on the spot, and then he screamed bloody murder. He tried to move but his knees wanted to take him in two different directions, each counteracting the other

  Jack said, "I am Satan and I'm here judge you." He almost smiled when the man pissed his pants. The Satan part was a nice touch too. Just saying the name aloud gave him a rush of adrenaline.

  "Do you know why I am here?"

  The guy stuttered, "Bbbecause of mmy ccrimes?"

  "Yes. Your sins have led me here. You have taken innocent lives, yes?"

  "Yes."

  Right then Jack knew he was the guy who had murdered his ex. Jack had dated her in high school and then things went sour. Soon afterwards she wound up dead, mutilated and stuffed between her own mattress and box spring. He'd been the prime suspect until his many alibis came forward and vouched for him. The cops never did find the murderer.

  But Jack was staring right at him. He wanted to ask him questions like, why did you do it, and were you dating her when you did it, or did you just single her out at random, but his fury demanded immediate satisfaction.

  "Are you ready to be judged?"

  "Nnnoo."

  "Too fucking bad." Jack quickly reached down and grabbed the guy by the ankle. He lofted him into the air with one hand, and held him dangling upside down like that for a few seconds.

  The guy screamed and pled for his life. He begged for forgiveness.

  Then Jack pivoted his hips and half turned as he tossed him like a Frisbee. The look on the guys face was priceless and the hyena laughed maniacally.

  Jack watched as the guy disappeared off in the distance. The fall would kill him for sure.

  He yelled, "Fore," as a cruel joke and the pig snorted.

  Dick-eyes just rolled his eyes at him but Jack ignored it.

  Jack had wanted to inflict funny little tortures on the dude, but he knew Shelly was watching and he didn't want to mortify her more than she already was. It was too bad though because he didn't get the sense of release he was expecting.

  It was at that moment that he realized Dick-eyes was right; they had a mission that was far more important than silly vendettas. Even though the mission itself was a grandiose vendetta in of itself.

  Par for the Course

  Shelly watched as a man came rushing through the air towards her. Then he soared right over the top of the car and disappeared from sight behind her.

  He was a dead man flying. He was screaming the entire time. His screams had that Doppler effect of changing pitch as he drew near and then changing again as he receded from view.

  She was glad the werewolf had stayed behind because it wouldn't have been so kind to the guy. It would have eaten him alive if Jack let it.

  Enemy Within

  Simon Jones walked the perimeter of his Pastor's house. He volunteered for the duty whenever he could get the time off of his real job.

  He had been one of Luke's first followers, and Luke valued those first few who had seen something special in him, more so than those who'd come along afterwards. Simon used this favoritism to his advantage, to get prime surveillance shifts.

  Luke Hadn't explained to them in any way that made any sense, why they were walking circuits around his house twenty four hours a day, armed to the teeth, but no one questioned it. No one but Simon.

  Dave and Jacob had taken the earlier shift. Simon hadn't seen them when he came on duty, which was weird because they'd always stop and talk between shifts about their families and about God and the approaching apocalypse and whatnot.

  Simon's suspicions were further piqued by the blood stains he found on the grass in the backyard and the bullet casing he found beside the front sidewalk.

  No cops showed up, and none of Luke's family had mentioned anything out of the normal taking place earlier in the day.

  The only other difference he noted was a brand new front door, but his imagination filled in the details. He guessed that the old door had been rammed in or shot to shit by whoever it was that left behind the shell casing and spilled the blood of his friends.

  So where were all the bodies?

  Whoever attacked the house had failed, so what had happened to them?

  Why hadn't the cops come asking questions?

  These were just more questions he would never ask Luke.

  That was because Simon had a secret.

  Simon had volunteered to clean the church on a Friday a little over a month ago. There was a sign up sheet for every duty and he was usually one of the first to volunteer for just about everything.

  But he'd been forced to call in sick that day. He went off to bed with a stomach full of cold medicine and he woke up a few hours later feeling good as new. He decided he was well enough to come in and do his duty for the church after all.

  He was spraying down the urinals in the men's bathroom when he felt the floor vibrate beneath his feet. It made his teeth chatter.

  At first he thought it was an earthquake, but those don't happen in Wisconsin to any discernible degree.

  The air thinned out and he was forced to leave the bathroom to try and catch his breath. But once he exited, their was a stench that accompanied the poor air quality.

  It stunk of burnt bacon and chemicals. But there was an underlying aroma that almost overpowered the awful stink. It smelled like a mixture of ozone and freshly baked bread, his two favorite smells.

  Although every fiber in his body screamed out for him to get out of that church, he just had to find the source of the smells.

  He tip-toed down the hallway and took a peek around the corner into the main assembly area where the sermons were given.

  There were little shadows flickering across the walls from some unknown flame. He crept out a little more to try and find the source of the flame.

  Maybe a gas line had ruptured? Maybe that was what had caused the vibrations; a natural gas explosion.

  But what he saw was far worse. He saw Luke in flames. He almost rushed out to help him until he noticed the gas canister at his feet.

  Luke had set himself on fire. Self immolation, it was called. He still had that urge to go help, but there was something decidedly off about the entire situation. For one thing, Luke didn't seem to mind it. He wasn't screaming or thrashing around. He just stood there impatiently, waiting for the flames to die of their own accord.

  Simon watched in horror as the flames eventually died down, leaving a charcoal husk in place of his friend and mentor Luke.

  But then Luke started to scratch and brush at his burnt flesh. He worked at it for several minutes until eventually, big thick clumps of ash and charred human flesh started to fall from him and gather at his feet.

  When he was done, the naked man that Simon was looking at was no longer Luke and he was no longer a man.

  He was so stunningly beautiful Simon nearly wept. He was taller and broader than any man and his musculature looked like it was honed for battle.

  His soul was on display and it was perfectly sublime.

  Then Simon heard a sort of crackling sound and saw the creature's back twitch. Two perfect angel wings unfurled behind his back. They were thick and strong looking, and they were black as night.

  That was when Simon knew what he had witnessed. He'd just seen an angel slough off it's human disguise. And that angel was Lucifer.

  As if to add credibility to his fledgling theory, the creature took flight, screaming in the most monstrous voice Simon had ever heard. It hurt his ears and forced him to flee just so his eardrums wouldn't burst. His heart was buzzing like a bee as he made his way back to the sanctuary of the bathroom.

  He could hear the wings beating the air as the beast flew around inside the church. What was it doing? Was it just stretching it's wings out?

  For ten full minutes Simon hid in a bathroom stall, holding his ears and weeping. His imagination got the better of him. He'd already run through a dozen scenarios where the beast would find him cowering in the bathroom and kill him, by the time the no
ises died off and the air became still again.

  Then the air became thick with those odd smells once more. Simon was certain that if he crept out and took a look, Lucifer would be in flames just like before.

  He was also certain that once those flames died down, Luke would emerge from them as though nothing supernatural had happened. Simon hadn't realized he was hyperventilating until it was too late and he passed out.

  Thankfully no one found him like that or questions would be asked and Luke might become suspicious.

  By the time Simon gathered his resolve and left the bathroom, it was dark outside and the church was silent and empty.

  He could have easily ran away from it all. He had seen something mortal men were only supposed to see right before or after they died, and only the bad ones.

  Whenever he thought back on it, his breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat.

  But he spent many a night praying to God for guidance, and when he received none, he realized Lucifer was his problem and he was all alone on this. He had to find the inner resolve necessary to deal with this fucked up situation.

  Lucifer was alive and well on earth.

  And worst of all, he had a son.

  Contemplating the Apocalypse

  Melanie slept in the bean bag chair in Jessie's room. The boy had turned the volume of the TV all the way down while he played video games but once in a while, her eyes would flutter open when he clicked the buttons on the game controller with too much vigor.

  Her dreams were an odd mix of hope, despair, murder and love. A single tear rolled out of her eye as she dreamt. Jessie crept towards her and gently wiped it away. As he got back in bed her fevered dreams evaporated and she slept peacefully.

  Luke sat on the sofa in the living room, deep in thought. He hadn't tried to stop Melanie from sleeping in the child's room. He knew she was overly protective. Plus he just didn't give a shit.

  They hadn't slept in the same bed since he'd broken out of hell. It wasn't that he was repulsed by her or anything. He worried that if he had sex with her he'd show up on God's radar. Angels weren't allowed to mate with humans. It was a huge no-no, and any angel found breaking the rule would be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly (and he would always technically be an angel, no matter how much his hatred morphed him internally).

  But only a month ago, a message had come through the ether. Apparently, one lucky angel would finally get to impregnate a human but it couldn't just be any girl (like Melanie). The girl had been pre-chosen.

  He could only imagine his brothers clambering over one another for the chance to create a new age messiah. It wouldn't matter though. A messiah born of human and angel wouldn't be able to do shit to affect the world if Lucifer's plans played out the way they were supposed to.

  In fact, it was a fortunate turn of events. According to an article he'd read, the girl was less than fifty miles from him and every angel would be making a beeline for her. When they arrived for the ceremonial raping, they would hopefully be close enough to pay attention to what he was doing with his church.

  Because that was his ultimate goal. He had to convince an angel that the apocalypse was coming and hope that the angel reported it back to the boss. So far none of his idiotic brothers had shown up, but if the girl was still chaste there was still a chance.

  The alternative was less than appealing. In lieu of an angel just happening upon his doorstep because it was in the neighborhood, he'd have to ramp things up, get a hundred million followers or more and then wait for the angels to appear, wondering what all the fuss is about.

  But he didn't want to do that. He had charisma, but getting that many people to pay attention to what he had to say could take a decade or more.

  He wondered if he should somehow try and reach the girl. Maybe offer her safe harbor or something. At least introduce himself. No, he had to be subtle. He couldn't risk his brothers seeing him for who he really is.

  He'd bide his time and pray for good luck.

  He wondered, not for the first time, where those creatures Jessie had conjured up had gone off to. He wanted to dismiss their appearance as a fluke but the more he dwelled on it, the more paranoid he became. Of course, he could kill all of them with nothing more than a thought, but still. They were pesky and they weren't supposed to be here.

  And what of the military? He'd just wiped out a bunch of them and he had to admit that it felt great to flex his muscles, but were there going to be others?

  He put all of that trifling bullshit to the back of his mind. Obstacles like those were easily removed and he had bigger fish to fry. He had to invoke the apocalypse.

  Stockholm Syndrome

  Jack stared at Shelly as she drove them back home.

  He must have been too obvious because she said, "What the fuck is it?"

  Jack thought long and hard before responding. "Listen, I don't think Lucifer's going to fall into our trap. The fact that he hasn't raped you already is proof enough he doesn't care about God's little prophesy."

  "Then why the hell am I here?"

  "Because I was clutching at straws. You were my only lead, but I'm pretty sure now that you're not going to draw him out like I had hoped."

  "What does that mean then? Are you cutting me loose?"

  "Yes. You're free to go as soon as we get back to the house."

  "Tough shit. I'm staying. And you're going to stop angels from assaulting me, got it?"

  Jack laughed aloud. "You don't give the orders around here girl. God has a plan for you. In case you haven't noticed, God and I aren't exactly on speaking terms. By association, you're my enemy. Consider yourself lucky that I've protected you this much."

  "Fuck that. I'd rather be a right hand man to Satan than a boot polisher to God. I may not be useful as a lure for Lucifer but I attract a shit load of angels and one of them is bound to know where Lucifer's hiding."

  "I don't think so. Lucifer will be laying low. I don't know if he's still cooking up a scheme to take over or if he's just enjoying life outside of hell, but either way, he wants to avoid detection at all costs."

  " I don't care Jack. I'm staying."

  Jack opened his mouth to disagree but Dick-eyes scurried forward from the back seat and crawled on top of Jack's head. Jack stared up at it and after a few seconds of silence, he nodded.

  He said to Shelly, "Dick-eyes here thinks we need to keep you with us. He's worried you'll buckle and tell an angel what we're doing here and the angel will tell God."

  "So now I'm your captive?"

  "It appears so."

  "Good. You don't need to tie me up or anything because I'm going nowhere."

  Jack groaned out loud but Shelly knew it was for show.

  Death to Jessie

  Simon saw his chance. Lucifer had left for the morning and the rest of the house was silent as the grave. He told Steven, his fellow patroller, that he was going inside to take a leak.

  Steven argued with him that it was against the rules but Simon lied and told him that Luke had said it's ok because their port-a-potty in the back yard was overflowing (he'd seen Steven relieving himself at the back fence on several occasions so he knew he didn't have a clue about the state of the port-a-potty).

  Steven mulled it over and finally let it go. It wouldn't have mattered though, Simon was going inside, with or without permission because the son of Lucifer was being hidden away in there and he was defenseless at the moment.

  He knew he didn't have the strength to defeat Lucifer, but he could take out the kid, no problem.

  He walked up to and then through the front door.

  The girlfriend was in the living room in her pajamas nursing a steaming cup of coffee. Her eyes went wide at first when Simon walked in, but she recognized him and waved. "What's up Simon?"

  "Sorry for barging in miss, but the port-a-potty's out of order and I was hoping I could sneak in and use your restroom. I didn't know you were awake or I'd have knocked first."

  "Don't worry a
bout it. I'll leave the door unlocked until Luke gets the port-a-potty replaced."

  "Thank you so much."

  "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

  "Yeah. Thanks again." Simon walked down the hall, and when he was out of earshot, let out a heavy sigh of relief. He hated that he had to do this. Melanie was a sweetheart and the kid was cool enough, but there was no other way.

  He reached into his cramped waist band and pulled out the revolver. It was heavy in his hands. He would make this as quick as possible. When the boy was dead, he'd push a round through Melanie, just in case there was more to her than met the eye, and then he'd camp by the front door and wait for Luke to come wandering in. He was pretty sure a bullet wouldn't kill Lucifer, but he'd be an idiot to not try. If it did nothing, he'd eat his own gun and call it a mission accomplished.

  He slowly slid the boys bedroom door open.

  Jessie the Conundrum

  Melanie jumped at the gunshot report. Her coffee went all over her pants and into her shoes, but she barely noticed the burns. She ran towards the noise and realized in horror that it had come from Jessie's room. There was a single wisp of smoke from gunpowder floating in the hall outside his bedroom.

  She pushed his door open and was stunned at what she saw. Jessie was glowing with a faint light, like a halo. He was standing on his bed. There was a man face down on the floor, dead. But there wasn't any blood. Jessie was staring at the man with an intensity Melanie had never witnessed before. All at once the man burst into a flash of brilliant light and when the light diminished, his body vanished.

  Melanie looked to Jessie again. His glow faded as he slumped back into the bed.

  Despite all the crazy shit she'd seen over the past year, she was momentarily speechless. Finally she stammered, "What the fuck just happened? Did you do that?"

  Jessie seemed to be mulling over what he should say. Eventually he said, "He came in with a gun and shot at me. I had no choice."