The Angels from Hell

Ala

Ala followed Darius and Josiah out of their monitoring station. They seemed to be having a non-verbal argument. Josiah kept looking pointedly at Darius who shook or nodded his head in response. Their interaction escalated and Josiah's and Darius' intense eye movements turned to hurried whispers out of which Ala could only distinguish a few words, "don't know her," "after Raina," and "growing low." Josiah seemed mollified but kept looking back at Ala walking behind them, hand hovering around the knife in his belt. Darius smiled at Ala. There was something almost hungry in that smile. It made Ala shiver.

They entered a new room, identical to the last monitoring station except currently occupied by Lethe. He rushed up to them, "heard anything from Deleon," he started but then he saw Ala and his lips twisted in a scowl.

"What is the cleaner doing here?" He said the word cleaner like it was the worst possible insult. Ala looked down at the dagger in his belt.

"I think she might be what we need." Darius stepped towards Lethe eagerly. "We don't have enough."

"Quiet," He looked from Darius to Josiah to Ala. "She has to leave," he said. Darius scooped up the remote and turned the screens on. Dani saw that they were the same images that Darius had shown her before of people in the middle of their lifespan.

"Just watch," he said to Lethe. He clicked another button the screen and half of the images were replaced by new ones. Ala studied the pictures trying to see what had changed. "These are all people who will go to hell," Darius made a general gesture over the screens. "Hypothetically," he started to Ala. Lethe tried to interrupt but Darius waved him down. "we need you to identify anyone who may be interested in making a deal. They will die early but their souls will be taken to heaven not hell." Ala looked up at Lethe, Josiah and Darius.

"Go on." Lethe said. Adrenaline sparked through Ala as if she had just drunk seven coffees not her usual five. Her fingers skittered jittery across the desk under the monitoring screens. She sat down and focused as intently as when she had first seen white light flickering over John Castillo's mutilated body. Her eyes blurred, shifting from one screen to the next, passing over a woman lecturing a classroom, a baby in a stroller and a group of teenagers playing volleyball at the beach. She saw people in jail, people fighting, people crying, people living their lives unaware that they were already doomed. Her eyes homed in on one screen. Grabbing the remote, she reversed the footage and watched the life of a man in a stiff white collar in reverse. She saw him moving through church pews with a cap in his hand, collecting money. She saw his eyes move from the cap to a young woman scolding two children at her side. She saw the children shrinking away from him.

Ala opened her mouth her speak but the footage kept going backwards and she hesitated. Their souls will be taken to heaven not hell. Her hand moved down to the bracelet where the camera and microphone was concealed.

"Well," Lethe prompted irritably. "Come on Darius. What were you thinking? She can't be here."

"Him," Ala interrupted in a dead voice. "he would take the deal," Ala looked down at her feet, "instantly," she added.

"What makes you think that?" Lethe stepped up to Ala and peered at the screens where she was pointing.

"He's religious," Ala said reluctantly, "he would believe in heaven and, most likely, believe that he deserves to go there." She took a deep breath. "He's already around sixty so the idea of his life ending ten years prematurely would be less daunting than for a younger man and he, well, he doesn't like his life." Ala looked back to the screen. "He never speaks to his wife, he spends all his time at his church, but he never speaks to other priests. I have seen men like him. Offer him paradise and he'll take it, I assure you."

"Why should I believe you?" Lethe's position had shifted. His scepticism had mutated into curiosity. Darius was smiling that same hungry smile and Josiah was wringing his hands together with nervous energy.

"Send me up to Earth," Ala said determinedly, "and I'll show you."