I, Devil (a love story)

Chapter Twenty: Adramelech

he sounds of Miguel hollering and his children wailing sustained me as I pulled away. I motioned for Sachiel to follow. We left Miguel's house and walked down the broken, concrete steps. I jumped into my car-- which wasn't truly a car but merely a projection. It allowed me a sense of control over myself and Sachiel. I adjusted the mirror and felt the white leather crunch under my considerable weight. One minute passed, and then another. The longer I waited, the more I decided to put energy into the details of the car. I made the red paint shine like a tempting, red apple. I pressed my suit and detailed the fabric. I made sure every hair on my head was in place. I challenged myself for realism. More time passed and I began to wonder what was going on inside.

It took much, much longer than I expected to see Sachiel appear on top of Miguel's porch.

"What took you?" I snipped, annoyed that he lingered inside when I was ready to leave. I put the car into gear and revved the engine in anticipation. I didn't know where I put my previous sunglasses, so I just manifested new ones.

"I—I just," Sachiel stammered. I could tell that he was hiding something, that he didn't know what to say. I wasn't really interested in Sachiel's observations or deep reflections. He was a fallen brother now, and it was an entirely different game than being one of the good guys. I could tell that he just didn't get it yet. It was a different reality, a different world, and there was a very steep learning curve.

"Spit it out," I grinned, enjoying his squirming. I revved the car a few more times to make him more antsy. Sachiel did a stupid dance, shifting his weight as he stammered searching for words.

"He killed them," Sachiel said simply.

"He what?" I asked, pulling a fat stogie from the glove compartment. I could feel a tearing in the veil. Sachiel wasn't wrong, I could feel someone in that house was dead. Soon, Azazel was going to show up to usher them to the other side. I wanted to leave before that happened. Almost every angel could hold the title to Angel of Death, but it wasn't something I liked doing. Azazel held the most 'keys' to escorting humans-- people passing over was mostly his thing. I could tell my guy, Miguel—that fetid worm, was still very much alive inside. I knew I had to leave before Azazel became aware of my new brother.

"He killed them, the children. I had to leave before he took his wife... I..." Sachiel seemed dizzy as he sat down in the passenger's seat. "I fed off his negativity but it was nothing like I--"

I cut him off and stuffed a cigar into his mouth. It wasn't exactly tobacco. I just needed him to stop talking for a minute. He accepted it like I knew he would, clamping his teeth down to hold the blunt in place. I lit his cigar and mine. Accepting to consume something of mine was like accepting another cup of coffee, it only solidified our bond. With every intake of smoke, Sachiel became more and more coiled around my finger. I slapped my foot down on the car's pedal and sent it soaring down the road. I tried to keep my mind from replacing the cigar in his mouth with something else of mine. I was going to have him as part of me, and I was more than happy to hunt down my prey. I love to play games with what I eat.

"Whoo!" I howled, holding onto the note like a wolf and flying down the road. The car partially lifted off the ground and for a moment we were weightless. Even though we were just spirits and no part of us was physical, it felt real. It looked real. I spent energy to detail everything about the car. I wanted Sachiel to feel it, I wanted him to be scared that I might strike the car into a brick wall like jettisoning missile.

"Hey, Sachiel, does anyone ever call you, 'Snack-iel'?" I asked out loud, turning to look at his stupid face through my sunglasses.

"What?" he boggled, holding onto the door of the vehicle for dear life as I zipped down the city streets until I lifted the car into the air. He didn't know what was happening and I didn't care.