After-Life

Chapter 32. Stairway to Heaven

"Have they all gone?" Lilim asked.
Mabel and Kristoph jumped at the subtle sound of her voice. The daughter of Lucifer and Lilim had remained resolutely silent throughout the duration of the group's scheming that they had all but forgotten about her being there. Lilim smiled affectionately as she moved closer to the couple.

"I figured you two might benefit from some inside knowledge," Lilim said, as she pulled out a series of rolled up pieces of parchment from behind her back. She knelt down gracefully in the sand and smoothed out the ancient looking material before them.
"When you enter heaven, there are two things you need to keep in mind. Number one, nothing is as it seems. Number two, security is tight. Every door you encounter will be closed to you. Not only that, but it will also look uniform. Every corridor, hallway, entryway, it all looks the same. So, I while you guys were plotting, I dug up these blueprints for you," Lilim explained.
"Where and how did you get these?" Kristoph asked as he marvelled at the detailed illustrations that Lilim had presented them with.
"Mother," Lilim blushed. "She's never trusted the space up top and has made it her mission to conduct regular visits up there in different guises. She's been up there more times than normal, recently. She never spends longer than intended, to avoid being discovered. Believe me when I say, if she doesn't want to be found, there's no way you will locate her."

Mabel groaned, "are we embarking on a fool's errand?"
Lilim simply grimaced, "you could be, but this feels different from her usual recon visits. She claims she goes to speak to the management, but there's no one up top ever readily available to talk to when she visits."
Mabel frowned, "or so she says;" she murmured. "Lilim, does none of this seem suspicious, to you? You're trying to tell me that the all-seeing, all-knowing father, has no idea that the first woman he ever created, and queen of Hell, is roaming the hallways of heaven? Not to mention reconning the area in enough detail to create blueprints?"
Lilim paused and chewed at her lip, "when you say it out loud like that..." She mused.
"What's this darkened square?" Kristoph pointed to a miniscule blotch of ink that seemed to leak from the main central corridor from the gates.
Lilim shrugged, "I'm not sure. I asked mother on multiple occasions, but she always shuddered and shook her head. My theory is, if mother reacted like that to it, it can't be good."
"Then, that will be our first point to check," Kristoph folded his arms and looked grimly at Mabel, who nodded.
"Why?" Lilim puzzled, "I've just said that..."
"Your mother really puts on a performance that the place is not good," Mabel nodded. "Lilim, you said it yourself; nothing is as it seems. I think your mother was dropping hints."

"Hints?" Lilim frowned.
Kristoph smirked, "speaking to the management. How do you know there was no one up there to talk to?"
Lilim shrugged, "because mother said so."
Mabel and Kristoph looked at each other knowingly, just as Thet pulled himself up from the ground beside them coughing and spluttering, while brushing sand particles off his t shirt and khaki trousers.
"Well, that's the pocket world warzone filled with most of Limbo's populace, now. Not sure whether I should be pleased or concerned as to how many jumped at the opportunity to see the apocalypse," he sighed as he straightened up. Skirting around the opening in the ground, he peered over their shoulders and observed the area of intrigue that Kristoph's finger was still pointing to.
"Ah, the main vantage point. I would start there if I were you," he suggested, nonchalantly.
As the trio kneeling on the ground stared aghast at each other, Thet looked between them and faltered, "was it something I said?" He asked.

**

The journey back to the hospital was surreal. As Thet explained to them both, there was a surprising number of souls who found their way into Purgatory, very few made a return journey. Lilim hugged and kissed them both before they departed, wishing them every luck in every world. As Thet stood between Mabel and Kristoph, holding their hands tightly, they sank down through the sandy ground.