Caught in the Fire

Chapter XXVI: Last Hope in Hell

Michael had been searching Hell from above for... he didn't even know for how long, as Hell didn't have a day/night cycle. It felt like he'd been flying for days without rest. He was tired, frustrated, and physically and mentally exhausted as he flew around the vast landscape of Hell. The last time he got any sleep was in Chloe's car while they were tracking down the Sinnerman Network, and that was days ago. But he couldn't rest, not yet. He couldn't lose Mazikeen in this battle for Lucifer's soul.

His wings were tired, his back muscles were aching, but what could he do other than push on? He couldn't go back to Earth, not with the time difference. Even just a few minutes of rest on Earth would cost Mazikeen precious time. He didn't even know if she was still alive. But no, he refused to believe that she'd been killed, not when they were this close to saving Lucifer. They knew what the root of Lucifer's Hell Loop was, and he knew that, one way or another, Chloe was the key to freeing him. He just needed to find Mazikeen, and together, with Chloe's help, they were going to try again and finally succeed.

But so far, he'd been unable to find any trace of his guide to Hell. Even going into the Hell Loops to interrogate the demons hadn't produced any results. Of course, he would find it difficult to find any demon of interest in his search. There were thousands and thousands of them, and they mostly spent their time in the cells torturing people.

He hissed as his wings ached and his back muscles clenched painfully. Needing to rest his wings, he landed and sat against a door that led to a damned soul's Hell Loop. He looked inside for a moment and saw nothing but clouds, so he assumed it was safe enough. He could try to get some rest before resuming the search. So, he backed up against the door, drew his sword and placed it at his side, cocooned himself in his pitch-black wings for cover, rested his head over his arms and knees, and closed his eyes.

Just as he felt himself drifting off to sleep, he realized he couldn't smell sulfur anymore and that the air felt cooler, and he forced his eyes open to look around. He was lying on a bed of clouds, bathed in celestial light. Confused, he pushed himself back to his feet and took in his surroundings, seeing a vast landscape of clouds and light, and pearly gates standing tall right before him.

"Heaven?" He looked behind him and saw his siblings, who looked ready to destroy him. "No, this is Hell." He spread his wings and unsheathed his sword, ready to fight them all. "You dragged me into that Hell Loop?! I will not be your king, demons!"

Uriel was the first to walk up to him, holding the Flaming Sword. The two of them locked arms, both fighting for control of the Flaming Sword. Michael turned the Flaming Sword toward Uriel and plunged the flames into his chest, taking the sword with him.

"I have the Flaming Sword," he said with relish as he admired the flames on the blade, then he turned to the other demons and smirked. "You do not stand a chance."

He charged Amenadiel and Lucifer, stabbed Amenadiel in the gut, kicked him away, and then he stabbed Lucifer in the back. Remiel ran after him doing her fierce battle cry, and he stabbed her in the chest and watched as she clutched at her chest and flew away in a trail of feathers. He saw Zadkiel with his back to him, and he walked up to him and ran him through the heart with the Flaming Sword.

Seeing more of those demons masquerading as his siblings, he proceeded to slaughter every single one of them before the pearly gates. When it was done, he found himself standing on a pile of bodies, with blood pooling at his feet and falling like rain from the bed of clouds. He saw a woman in the distance with her back to him, looking at him over his shoulder, her eyes fear-stricken, before she turned into a pillar of salt before his very eyes.

He backed away, shaking his head in horror. He heard a rustling behind him, like hard leather moving through the air, and he felt that same leather touching his back. "No..." he whispered with dread as he slowly looked over his shoulder. That was when he saw those bat-like, black wings coming out of his back. He gasped and instinctively tried to back away from the terrible sight, but they were a part of him.