Earth Angel

by E. Van Lowe

  “That’s Matt and Erin,” I said. “They used to be my two best friends… before Matt died.” My voice cracked.

  “That means we are getting closer,” said Roxanne. “It is a figment. Your sins are here in hell, and Beelzebub is revealing them to you.”

  Matt and Erin laughed joyously.

  “But they seem so real,” I said.

  “Your sins have power over you. You have sinned against both of them, and he is using those sins to probe for a weakness. That is good.”

  Matt and Erin turned towards us and smiled. “Hey, Megan,” called Matt. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I’ve missed you.”

  I turned to Roxanne. “Why is it good?” I demanded, my emotions spiraling out of control.

  “It means he fears you. He would not be probing for weakness if he didn’t.”

  “You’re not real,” I called to Matt and Erin.

  “What? Don’t be silly. Of course we’re real,” said Erin. “We’re your best friends. Remember?”

  “Yes. But you’re not real,” I repeated, adding an edge to my voice.

  Both their expressions changed from joy to sadness, and they vanished into thin air.

  I was relieved they were gone. The figment had worked on my emotions. “That’s amazing,” I drawled. “Can you make a figment?” I still couldn’t get over how real they seemed.

  “Yes. But creating one takes a lot of energy, much more than healing you required.”

  “Do you think I could do it?”

  “No.”

  I didn’t like the way she said no, but I let it slide. I had other things on my mind.

  #

  When we reached the bottom of the mountain, we arrived at a beautiful garden, the perimeter of which was lined with flowering bougainvillea that stretched up into a dazzling overhead canopy of bright red flowers at the entrance.

  “We are entering the second level. I didn’t think we’d make it this far.” Roxanne was smiling at me again. I wasn’t used to seeing her smile. It made me uncomfortable.

  “What? Why are you looking at me with that goofy smile?” I said when she wouldn’t stop.

  “I was wrong about you.” Her eyes softened. She passed under the flowering canopy and into the garden. I followed her in.

  “When God chose man as the object of all his affection, the angels rejoiced. Yet we watched as mankind abused the gift. I have seen you kill each other over race and greed. It sickens me.” She didn’t glance in my direction as she spoke. She kept her gaze straight ahead, but I got the feeling she was looking into the past.

  I understood how she could feel the way she did about us. Mankind was really messed up. “But there are some good people out there, too,” I said.

  “There are some amazing people out there. One I can think of in particular, who would risk her life for love.” A smile was once again on her lips. It was the first time she had referred to us as people and not mortals.

  “You’re probably wrong about Nephilim, too.” Since we were on the subject of her being wrong about things, why not bring it up?

  Her smile flickered and then went out. “Perhaps.” She again got a far-away look in her eye. “I have never known emotion. After meeting you, I have experienced two. I’m not sure how that makes me feel.”

  “Don’t let it get to you. Now that you’ve experienced some emotion, the door has been kicked open. That means there’s a whole world of emotion out there to explore. It’s something to look forward to.”

  She smiled again, but this one seemed sad. “Perhaps.”

  As we continued into the garden, it became more lush and beautiful, filled with exotic flowers of purple, yellow and azure blue. The lovely fragrances were intoxicating. Beelzebub was really going out of his way to disorient me about hell.

  Something moved in the shrubbery to my left. I stiffened, but kept walking.

  “There’s something over there,” I said through tight lips.

  “Yes. He has been following us since we entered the second level.”

  I saw it move again, and caught a flash of red. “Ibwa,” I called. “I command you to show yourself!”

  The Ibwa stepped from behind a low shrub. The moment he revealed himself he threw himself at my feet. “Please, please forgive me! I am so sorry. I did not want to steal the book.”

  “Ibwa, you are a liar and a thief.”

  “I admit I do not have the finest of reputations, but that is not true. I didn’t want to take the book, but I was powerless. If only you had commanded me not to touch anything.”

  I recalled telling the Ibwa not to touch anything, but I didn’t command it.

  “You said the powerful one no longer controlled you.”

  “That was true when I said it. Your command freed me. But once I was away from you, he regained control. If only you had commanded me,” he said sorrowfully.

  Get up!” I snapped. The Ibwa hopped to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to help. It was very clever of you to let me steal the wrong book. You must not allow him to have the right one,” he said in a guarded tone.

  “You came to help, and yet you were following us in the bushes,” I said with a heavy dose of skepticism.

  “I knew you would not be happy with me,” he whined, “and I didn’t know how to approach you.” He lowered his voice. “But I know of a secret way to the next level. I can show you a path he will not be expecting you to take. Only I know of it.”

  I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Why should we trust you?”

  “Because I seek redemption!” the Ibwa squawked. “I do not wish to rot in hell for all eternity. I don’t even like most of the demons down here. I want heaven.” He looked to Roxanne, eyes filled with hope, as if she could grant him his wish.

  “That is ridiculous,” she said with disdain, and I saw his face fall.

  “I believe him,” I said softly. “And if he can help us save Guy, he deserves redemption.” For some reason I had always liked the Ibwa. I smiled at him, and his face lit up.

  “Yes! Yes, I do deserve it,” he said hopping around all excited like a child with a new toy. “And I will earn it. Follow me!” He took off, bouncing up the path.”

  “Do you trust him?” Roxanne asked as soon as he was out of ear shot. Her tone was serious.

  “Yes. I do,” I replied with equal sincerity.

  “Then, let’s go.” She started up the path behind him without hesitation.

  I watched her go. I think I’ve won her trust, I thought. I followed along, a secret smile on my lips.

  The Ibwa darted off the path and into a thicket. “This way,” he called.

  We could no longer see him. Roxanne was eyeing the thick brush with doubt. Before she could raise a doubt, I pushed my way in. The branches scraped against my skin. I emerged on a tiny overgrown trail.

  “Come on!” the Ibwa called from somewhere up ahead.

  “It’s okay,” I called back through the thicket. “There’s a trail here.”

  Roxanne pushed through. She looked at the trail and then at me. “Are you sure about this?”

  “No,” I replied. “But I believe him.”

  “He is a demon. And he has lied to you in the past.”

  “I know. But I still believe him.” I didn’t know how to explain it. It was a gut feeling. I recalled the look on his face when Roxanne told him his request for heaven was ridiculous. I didn’t believe anyone could fake the sorrow I detected in his eyes, not even a demon. “You don’t have to come along. You’ve come this far, and I appreciate it. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

  “Yes, you could have,” she said as though I was being ridiculous. “I was just checking your resolve. Let’s go.”

  We continued down the trail, low branches scraping at our arms and smacking us in the face. We arrived at a five-foot hole dug into the ground at an odd angle. The Ibwa was standing in front of the hole. When he saw us he beamed with pride.

  �
��This is it! This is the secret passage to the next level where Beelzebub is keeping the angel.”

  When he mentioned Guy, a knot formed in my stomach. The moment of truth would soon be at hand.

  The Ibwa climbed into the hole. “We will catch him totally by surprise,” he said gleefully. He was about to disappear into the hole.

  “Wait!” I called. “Ibwa, I command you not to betray us,” I said. My voice was low but firm.

  “Of course I will not betray you, Master Megan.” His eyes hinted sincerity. But he was a demon. What did demons know of sincerity?

  He ducked into the hole. “Whoaaa!” The Ibwa’s voice got farther and farther away, as he slid down into the third level of hell.

  I climbed into the hole behind the Ibwa before Roxanne could question me again. If she questioned me now, I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have my doubts.

  I went sliding into darkness. Down… down… down…

  #

  I landed on my feet. It was as if I had fallen out of the sky. I had been falling into darkness, and the next thing, I was standing at the entrance of an old carnival grounds. It was sunset, and there was an odd bluish tint to the sky. It was as if we had entered an old movie where the color wasn’t right.

  Roxanne fell out of the sky landing next to me. The Ibwa was hopping up and down excitedly. “I told you! We are here!” He lowered his voice. “The powerful one is not expecting you so soon. Perhaps you can sneak in and free the angel. That would be worth redemption.” His questioning eyes moved to Roxanne. Before she could respond negatively, I shot her a pleading look.

  She paused. “Perhaps,” she replied. That was enough for the Ibwa. A gratified grin appeared on his lips.

  “This way,” he called and entered the carnival grounds. He seemed to be walking more erect, as if for the first time in his existence, he had done something to be proud of.

  “A carnival?” I asked.

  “It is a figment. This must be how you pictured a perfect day with Guy.”

  She was right, sort of. My perfect day with Guy was a trip to Disney World, holding hands and riding Space Mountain again and again as I clung to him.

  “It’s no Disney World,” I grumbled.

  We walked up the deserted midway. The smell of popcorn, cotton candy and perspiration hung in the air. Up ahead, rides twirled and dipped and spun around. A calliope was playing somewhere.

  We passed a food truck. The words Funnel Cakes and Elephant Ears were emblazoned high on the sides in yellow block letters, surrounded by a parade of flickering light bulbs. The booth of the truck was dark. The carnival grounds were empty.

  The midway was lined with darkened gaming booths as if the carnival had not yet opened for the night’s business. I thought I saw tiny red eyes peeking out at us from the shadows in the booths. I was starting to have my doubts about the Ibwa.

  “Demons?” I asked through tight lips.

  “Yes. We are surrounded by them,” Roxanne whispered back. “I believe we have been led into a trap.”

  So much for sincerity.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  “The demons are all around us. They must fear you, or they would have attacked by now,” she continued.

  “They fear us,” I replied.“EEEEBWAAA!” I bellowed, my voice shrill with anger.

  The Ibwa turned and looked at me with pitiful eyes. “He…he tricked me!” he whined. “I thought he didn’t know about the entrance. But that is what he wanted me to think.”

  “LIAR!” I screamed.

  The Ibwa fell to his knees and began to cry. “No. I do not lie. I want redemption,” he whined.

  “You will have no redemption, lying demon!” Roxanne snarled. She placed a hand on the butt of her light sword, about to pull it from its sheath.

  The calliope music stopped. We both froze.

  “Hurry, hurry,” a carnival barker’s voice crackled from a loud speaker up ahead. “Come and witness the death-defying angel as he tries to defy… death.” The announcement was punctuated by cackling laughter.

  A booth up ahead at the end of the midway suddenly lighted. The carnival music started again.

  Without a word, we left the Ibwa sniveling on the ground and continued up the midway towards the lighted booth. Things moved in the shadows around us, darting things, slithering things, but none approached.

  As we got nearer, we could see it was an old milk-bottle-toss gaming booth. Knock over the milk bottles with one throw and win a prize. Cheap stuffed animal prizes hung on the walls. The booth was unmanned. An old-fashioned loud speaker hung above the counter.

  “Stop!” a voice commanded over the loud speaker. “You have come far enough.” It was the voice we had heard earlier.

  We stopped walking. “Show yourself, Beelzebub,” Roxanne demanded.

  “Ooh, it seems I have an admirer,” the voice said with a satisfied chuckle. “Patience, my sweet. I will show myself in time. Business first. Megan, my dear, do you have the book?”

  I stepped forward. “Yes,” I said in strong voice. The demons had come out of their hiding places and were now lining the shadows along the midway. There were hundreds of them.

  “Show it to me,” the voice commanded.

  “No. I have come to make a trade. Show me what I have come for, and I will allow you to see the book.”

  “As you wish.” At that moment, the sky behind the booth lit up. A giant spider web hung, as if by magic, a hundred feet about the ground. “Behold! The death-defying angel,” the voice over the loud speaker boomed.

  A man was spread eagle at the center of the web, his hands and legs lashed to the webbing. I knew it was Guy.

  “Guy!” I screamed. “I’m here!”

  “Megan?” he called back. His voice was weak, and so far, far away. I could tell he had been injured.

  “Yes! It’s me.” In that moment all my emotions came to a head, and tears flowed down my cheeks. Even though Guy was a hundred feet above me, lashed to a spider’s web, I was so happy that I could see him one last time.

  “I am here as well,” Roxanne called.

  “Rocky?” He sounded incredulous.

  “Yes.” The word was filled with the kind of emotion she had never shown before.

  “That is all so very sweet,” the voice said. It was no longer coming from the loud speaker. A man dressed as an old-style carnival barker was approaching from behind the booth. His face was painted red, and black, and white. He could have been a new member of the rock band Kiss. “The Book of Calls, please?” He held out a white gloved hand.

  “Do not give it to him,” Guy called from above. “If you give it to him, he will kill you both.”

  Just then the spider web crackled with electricity, lighting up like a Christmas tree.

  “AIIIIII!” Guy let out a tormented scream. He shook violently as the electricity flowed through the web, ravaging his body.

  “Stop it!” I screamed. “You’re killing him!”

  The flow of electricity stopped. Guy hung limp in the spider’s web, like a dead bug.

  “Enough of this,” Beelzebub said, losing patience. “Show me The Book of Calls. I promise, if you do not have it with you, I will finish him.”

  “I have it!” I squawked. I reached into the shoulder bag and slowly pulled out the book. When the demons in the shadows saw the book, they let out a collective ahhh.

  “Bring it to me,” Beelzebub rasped hungrily.

  “Not until you release Guy.”

  At that moment, the Ibwa ran up from behind me, snatched the book from my hand, and started running back down the midway away from us.

  “He cannot have it! He will use it for evil purposes,” the Ibwa called as he ran.

  “Ingrate!” Beelzebub bellowed. “Seize him!”

  A swarm of demons emerged from the shadows and tackled the Ibwa with ease. Beelzebub disappeared, and then reappeared in front of the Ibwa, squirming in the demons’ grasp. He knelt, and gingerly removed the book from the Ibwa’s hands. A bo
lt of lightning jumped from his eyes, slamming into the Ibwa’s chest. The demons released the Ibwa, and slunk back into the shadows. He lay unmoving on the ground, as if he were dead.

  I looked at Roxanne, chaos in my eyes. She refused to look at me. “Now what?” I whispered.

  #

  I found myself rushing to the Ibwa’s side, kneeling beside him, cradling his head in my hands.

  “Ibwa,” I called softly. “Can you hear me?”

  His eyes flickered open. He smiled at me. “I tried,” he said. His voice was a scant whisper. He looked past me, and I realized Roxanne was standing over my shoulder. “I tried to rescue the book. I almost had redemption,” he said to her.

  “If God is merciful, he will grant you redemption,” she said softly.

  “Yes,” he whispered, smiling into her eyes. And then he disintegrated into a cloud of ash and blew away. Gone.

  At that moment, malevolent laughter rang out behind us. Beelzebub, the barker, was standing a few feet away, clutching The Book of Calls.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” he said as though he was a game show host. “And now, in front of my loyal subjects, I will destroy you all.”

  I jumped to my feet. I was so angry at what he had just done to the Ibwa. “Release Guy!” I demanded.

  “You are in no position to make demands of me. I am Beelzebub, most powerful of all demons in hell,” he said smiling at the book in his hands. “Who shall we take out first?” he called to his subjects in the shadows. They chattered back at him excitedly.

  “You promised to release Guy,” I said.

  “I do not remember such a promise. I am a demon. All a demon ever promises is death and destruction.” He turned back to his fans, the demons who were chattering at him.

  “Then, go ahead and kill me! I don’t think you have the nerve,” I barked.

  “Silence,” he said in a low, malevolent tone. He did not like the way I was talking to him in front of the demons.

  “Or what? You’ll kill me? Didn’t you promise to do that already?” I didn’t care about his image with the other demons. I knew I was getting him worked up. That was my plan.