“Steal? Do I look like a thief to you?” I demand as I count out the money on the counter. “There is you $550 and could you add a wallet and a hand bag please?”
She apologetically selected me a simple black hand bag and a matching wallet and gave me a 20% discount. She even allowed me to change into the black leather pants, with the matching jacket with a red tank and knee high boots that laced from top to bottom before I finally left her store. As for the several bags I had to carry along with my visible weaponry, that is when I realized I needed a place to go and a means of transportation. Usually one of the members of my team would have that part sorted out, but this time there was no room for planning. It sucked being on my own.
Chapter 3
I stand in the middle of the sidewalk for a few minutes trying to figure out my next move. There is a reason why my father sent me here to this particular location and so maybe my quest begins in Los Angeles. Someone framed my father for stealing the first seal of the Apocalypse, and if not retrieved and returned to the powers on high, Armageddon would begin too soon and both sides needed time to prepare. My father was on the verge of being terminated-literally- which would mean that Death would no longer exist and Life would fall to ruin. One would think that the end of Death is a good thing, but I am afraid it isn’t. Death’s extinction would cause a cosmic imbalance that would not only affect humanity but all forms of life; disrupting the delicate circle of Life and Death by causing an exponential growth in populations where famine and disease would run rampant. Disease without healing leads to suffering; and suffering without death is an eternity of misery.
I am not sure how much time Grim has before the gauntlet is thrown, but I take it I have to find that seal before whoever the culprit is figures out how to break it. Surveying my surroundings I catch a glimpse of a hotel sign just a few blocks away. The neighborhood looks a bit sketchy, and I can tell by the negative vibrations that most of the humans within the two block parameter were destined for a meeting at my father’s doorstep at some point. Trash littered the pavement, while homeless humans strolled about, their pain as palpable as their smell. I decide to head towards the sleazy hotel, I pass by a homeless woman whose face is so dirty she is rendered close to being unidentifiable and I purposely drop a stack of hundred dollar bills. She looks up in surprise and shouts behind me, “Excuse me miss! You dropped something!” I keep on walking, hoping that she will understand that my gesture was intentional. Several demons, black and formless but demons none the less, all of them I recognized moved stealthily and invisibly as they tortured their human victims with relentless attacks on their minds, health, and daily lives. Some of them stopped in their tracks as they took note of my presence. “Go away!” I demanded in a whisper, and they all disappeared back into the portals from which they came.
Humanity is in enough trouble already and the devil’s minions were of no help.
In less than twenty minutes I arrive at the hotel, and using some of the powers that Grim has bestowed on me I manage to get a room on the second floor. The hotel-or better yet motel (although I do not understand said difference) - looked about as habitable as the streets on the outside but I find myself pleasantly surprised once inside. What would be considered modern country décor is a running theme throughout the premises. Following the friendly clerk’s instructions I did not have any troubles locating my room. However, once inside I am met by a surprise visit by the face of death himself: Grim, A.K.A. Daddy O .
He doesn’t even let me close the door all the way before I am met with his rage in a full blaze of hellish glory. He slams the door behind me using his telepathy and I drop my bags. His black soulless eyes glare at me and the bags, his black hooded robing billowing beneath his rage. “You went shopping?” He fumed, his full lips curled into a snarl. He looms over me at a full height reaching over 9 feet. In his possession is his infamous black Scythe of equal height. Tattoos cover his white face, giving him a terrifying look and what no human has successfully discovered is that underneath that hood of his is a head full of beautiful straight midnight colored hair. He continues to stare at me, and I could sense that he is dangerously close to using that Scythe on me. If there were ever such thing as child abuse in Hell, growing up, I would have reported my father…multiple times.
“Well I needed to blend in with the humans father.” I reply cautiously meeting his gaze.
His eyes burn through me, my explanation plausible, but for an entity that has never known what it was like to run out of time, he is damn near over the edge.
“You don’t have time for such foolery Sin!” he bellowed. “Maybe I should have sent one of my other hunters since you are proving yourself incapable of such a-“
“-I can do it father! But I have very little information to go on. This is like searching for a needle in a haystack!”
He turns his head. Desperation, anger, and fear all rolled into one ripple from his robes and into the air, saturating the atmosphere. “You have to find that seal. It was last seen on the Island of Patmos where St. John spent his last days writing the Book of Revelations. All that is known is that a human has taken it.”
“Father, I don’t understand how you are to blame for its abduction,” I say releasing a frustrating sigh. “None of this makes sense.”
He returns his focus on me. “The seal has always been protected by warrior angels on the island. Unfortunately, the incident where all of those humans died in a plane crash just off the island’s coast due to demonic interference summoned not only myself but those guardian warrior angels leaving the seal vulnerable. I am being blamed partly because I believe there is a conspiracy to have me removed from my position and because of what I am. The warriors believe me to be a great evil, and to some degree I am. But I am a necessary evil, and the warriors think that I am in search of claiming the seal’s great power for myself.”
I stare at Grim in disbelief. “But opening the first seal is only going to unleash the spirt of conquest which will lead to more warfare…you don’t claim souls. You just send them to where they belong. How could they think that?”
Grim glanced at me, looking every bit as exhausted from his eons of claiming the dead and earning a reputation as being something that at his core he was not. Sure he wasn’t the most doting and affectionate parent on the planet, but when your child has to be raised in the bowels of hell, tough love is the only option. Besides, Grim didn’t choose to be what he is; he was created for a purpose.
“But the powers on high know that you are not responsible!” I argue. The higher powers were more concerned for justice for humans but what about entities like myself and Grim? Did we even matter?
“What has been done has been allowed to happen for reasons I do not understand. But I cannot have this on my hands,” Grim replied sullenly. “In a few minutes they will come for me, and if I do not do what must be done now, Death will no longer exist on the planet…”
“Do what? What are you talking about?”
Grim moves in a motion too quick for the human eye and takes my hands into his. “I am temporarily transferring all of my powers unto you child of mine. Sin of Sin, you are now the Angel of Death.”
“Wait-NO!”
The transfer of power is sudden and all consuming. The surge of power being transferred into my veins is the equivalent of being struck by a million volts of electricity. I can feel myself changing, transforming into a powerful entity. My knees buckle from the force of it all: it is too much. I think I am going to die but my father remains steadfast in his grip. The pain is exhilarating and unbearable at the same time. His voice, deep and melancholy…a dark symphony of the night itself.
“You are now the Angel of Death; from the very bottom pits of darkness are the possession of powers that extend beyond the realms of life and death. You will now bear the Scythe that hunted the first man condemned for murdering his brother; that bore witness to the original sin. You are Sin, daughter of mine and I relinquish all powers and responsibi
lities unto you. My will is yours to command. My powers are now yours and use them wisely. You are now the shadow that blots out the light. You are now the echo in the backdrop of humanity; the forgotten yet feared Watcher. Princess of the dead, you are now Grim’s Reaper!”
“Father, NOOOOOOOOOO!” I cry out one last time as his last ounce of strength is forced into me. He releases me and watches as I collapse on the ground with a hard thud. And it is in my last moments of consciousness that I witness two beings surrounded by blinding light grab my father by his arms and snatches him into the light. His legendary Scythe collapses next to me, and as he disappears into the higher realms his voice whispers into my ear, “Find the Seal before it is broken. I have sent someone to aid you…he is coming…”
Darkness closes in on me, and I struggle against its agonizing pull. Fatigue washes over me, drowning me and I have no other choice but to relinquish my will to it. My father’s final words remain an echo in the corners of my mind and I can only hope that I can find the seal in time…otherwise I would remain as the Angel of Death forever.
Chapter 4
I awake to the familiar smells and sounds of sulfur erupting from the gaseous pits of home sweet home: Hell. I force my eyes to open and there standing beside me in dazzling white robing is the messenger angel Gabriel. Like the rest of his brethren he is surrounded by a blinding gold light, and he extends a glowing hand to help me to my feet. He lifts me with no effort on his part, and once I am steady on my feet, he gazes at me with hopeful eyes. I find his stare to be unnerving, his colorless eyes examining me with a quiet uncertainty.
“Your father has been removed from his duties,” he said sadly. I look at him, the memory of my father’s final words turning my stomach into a tangle of knots.
“Forever?” I ask hoping that there is still some time left for me to find the seal.
His gaze remains focused on mine, and his presence alone surrounds me with an eerie sense of calm. “No. Until the seal is found he will remain under heavy guard…but if the seal is not returned in time before it is broken, then…he will be held responsible.”
“Where is he being detained?” I at least needed to know that he was…ok. For all of the misery and extreme punishments he has subjected me to, one would think that I would be kicking my heels with joy. And, to a certain extent a part of me did feel slightly vindicated that he may receive a taste of his own brutal medicine, but at the end of the day he was still my father…and he trusted me.
“I cannot reveal that information to you for reasons I am sure you would understand.”
“So why are you here?” Without thinking I summon my father’s Scythe into my possession. Gabriel looks at me alarmed by my sudden offensive act.
“I ask that you do not react in such haste; such actions could further instigate harsher consequences for both you and your father.”
“I have no intentions on threatening you Gabriel,” I say softly. “I just want to know why you are down in the more…baser levels.”
Gabriel studies me once more, his expression changing from alarmed to thoughtful. “You are more like your father than you know,” he says finally after a brief pause. “No one foresaw that he would transfer his powers unto you, a half mortal. But now that he has done it, there are a few things you should know.”
“I’m listening,” I say shifting my weight onto my right foot where I could lean onto the Scythe for support.
“You are to only claim the humans without the mark, and your powers are not meant for you to act on revenge. To do otherwise would result in a punishment worse than what your father may experience. You are the gatekeeper of the afterlife: humans that are allowed entrance into the Heavens will be escorted by one of my brothers. You are never to intervene. Humans that are not allowed entry will be escorted by you to the lower realms where…the fallen will claim ownership….”
He continues on in a speech about what I can and cannot do for what seems like an eternity. Most of the stuff I already knew courtesy of Grim, some of it would take a few practice lessons for me to get it. But what I do not think Gabriel understands is that my new promotion is temporary. I am finding that seal and proving my father’s innocence.
“And last but not least,” He says turning to leave from whatever path he took to get here. “I do not believe your father had something to do with the seal’s disappearance. I believe that my brothers are guided only by their reverence for human life that they see him for what he is not. Grim may be a lot of things that oppose what most of us are designed to do, but ambition is not his motivation. He is nothing like the Unnamed One and it saddens me that he is being blamed for such an atrocity.”
“I will find that seal and the human responsible for it,” I declare, now more determined than ever.
“I know you will. That is why I came down to speak to you. But I must leave you be Sin of Sin. Send for me and I shall assist you in any manner that I can…” And with that, he disappeared into a ball of light and was gone.
So even the angels are divided, I think to myself still staring in the direction where the angel had stood. It was then that I realized my father had given me his powers to better aid me in my quest and not so much to prevent a cosmic meltdown. As the Angel of Death, I am now more connected to humanity than ever. I gaze down at my hands, stretching out my palms and I could sense the very vibrations of life right underneath my fingertips. In my mind’s eye I witness human after human whose lives were on the brink of coming to an end ranging from the last few moments of breath after months of battling a terminal illness; the moment their heads make impact through the windshield in a fatal collision; the brush of fear as the really unlucky humans fall victim to a murderous predator and their cries are blotted out by a gun, or a knife, or the overpowering grip of a pair of hands wrapped around their throats choking the life out of them.
So this is why dear old dad is always so damn cranky.
I extend my left arm, summoning the legendary Scythe into my grip. Thank goodness wearing that black hooded robe is not a requirement because I still remain in the leather outfit I purchased. I made a mental note to take Grim shopping as soon as this mess was resolved. He needed a different look, other than his current dreadful appearance. I take one last look at my surroundings. Hellfire, brimstone, lava pits, demons materializing from the physical world in search of a soul to torment; fallen angels lurking about, perhaps on their way to meet with their boss…speaking of boss, now that I am the Angel of Death where are my underlings? Father had a legion of soldiers at his beck and call and here I stand in the middle of Hell alone…. Shouldn’t there have been some sort of ceremony to recognize my promotion? Strange…very strange.
Father mentioned something about being some sort of conspiracy against him, and in Hell, there is always a conspiracy for a power grab. Coups are performed on an almost constant basis, alliances are always formed and agreements made. Everyone down here works for someone, with the exception of my father. He is a sort of free agent, and now that I think of it that makes him more of a threat than anyone. Someone down here has conspired to remove Grim permanently from his position and used a human to see it through. The question is who? There are millions of demons and most of them work for the Beast. Furthermore, they do not act unless told and I doubt that the Beast has any real interest in destroying Grim considering the fact that he has a war to plan and Grim’s purpose is more beneficial to his cause than not. So that must mean it had to be one or some of Grim’s own soldiers who were responsible.
First things first: find the human. I could terrorize the entire realm and would still find myself unsuccessful. And then I have an idea. Using the Scythe, I send out a telepathic call to every last one of my father’s soldiers to my presence. Instinctively I knew that the one or ones responsible would not make an appearance. They would be somewhere in the earth realm hiding until the time comes for the seal to be broken, when my father would meet his end. The caverns vibrated a deep rumbling, creating deep splint
ers in its wake. Sounds of souls being tormented escalated to a deafening level; cries begging for the Almighty to come and set them free of their eternal torture. Within seconds the first few hundred of my father’s soldiers, now fully under my command are standing in front of me. Some of them sported the black winged/dark angel appearance, while others resembled gargoyles with their clawed hands and feet, stony expressions and grey scaly skin and wings like that of a bat instead of a bird. In just a few minutes I had almost an entire legion standing before me, ready for my command.
All of them stared at me in surprise, and as I mentally counted present heads, I noticed that a good fifty or so were absent-and those that were absent had been my father’s best men. As a matter of fact, those that were missing had accompanied me on several recon missions…just as I thought. They stared at me with curiosity, desperate for answers. As I surveyed these entities, I sensed the vibration of jealousy coming from a few of them, and I knew that if I did not establish myself now as the Angel of Death, I would have to deal with a possible mutiny, and Grim was no longer available for me to run to for obedience issues. I take a deep cleansing breath before speaking.
“As you all may know, Grim has been temporarily removed from his position,” I begin slowly, making eye contact with every one of the warriors that stood in front of me. “For now I will resume as the Angel of Death, fulfilling my father’s duties which is why I felt the need to call this impromptu meeting.” I wait for a response, and when there is none I continue. “Someone or, someones have stolen the Seal of the Apocalypse and somehow my father is being held responsible. When I discover just who the culprits are,” I say, my eyes blazing with rage so dark my unnaturally emerald green eyes turned completely black. “…not only will I skin them alive personally, they will die a second death. Most of you know that I survived the Abaddon Pits, and inside those pits lay a creature that has yet to be unleased onto the earth for a reason. His name is the Devourer and not only does he eat your physical body…he eats your soul. And one more thing,” I add staring beyond the legions and into the deeper pits that made Hell what it was. “I know that this may come as a shock to a lot of you. Some of you even feel that I am not qualified to assume such a prestigious position considering that I am half mortal. And I know that some of you feel slighted by Grim after eons of unquestionable allegiance…yet here I stand being given all of the powers of darkness at my disposal… Here is what I present to you: either you stand with me as you had my father or you stand against me and betray my father. You could try to form an alliance with the Unnamed One, but we all know how that goes…betray my father and you die, plain and simple. Have I made myself clear?”
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