Hell's Company

Chapter 14 (Edited)

"So what you're saying is that there's this covert war going on between all of the sector leaders for singular control of Hell that no one knows about?" I stared at Michael and Lucielle incredulously. It had to be some kind of twisted joke between the two of them. How couldn't anyone know about it? We all lived in the same city. It's hard to have a war in a confined area without anyone noticing.

"People know about it, those who are participating, our soldiers, our seconds..." Lucielle looked at Michael briefly before continuing. "It seems like it has been going on for eons, just under the surface, but it's been changing lately. I don't think it's going to be very covert anymore." She sounded ominous like she intended to scare me. "But, yes, you've just summed it up."

"And tell me again, why am I in the middle of it?"

"You're different. You're not able to be marked, you're able to resist the effects of Hell and even make it so the people around you can, or so I've been told, and you could resist the compulsion of the judges and even touch them. No one has been able to do any of that, ever. You've been sent here to change things."

"What do you mean I was sent here to change things? By who? God?" I spat out the name in disgust. It meant nothing here.

"Well, obviously not. The judges sent you here to help me." Lucielle looked at her nails and continued on sarcastically. "I know, it's so hard to believe."

"Why me?"

"I don't know. Ask the judges that." Lucielle snapped but a slow grin grew on her face. "Oh, wait, you can't. You attacked them instead."

"I was freshly dead and had no idea what was going on. Not like you'd know what that's like." I shot her a pointed look and she returned it. "It seems like my destiny just happened to slip their minds when they sent me here so it must not have been all that important. Why would they even want me to help you?"

"They really don't care about what goes on down here. They look down at us and think we're filth. If you ask me, I happen to enjoy being filthy." She clearly meant it in the metaphorical sense and smiled again. "I suppose I'm the lesser of the five evils in their eyes. I'm the most responsible and I believe they think I will rule Hell in the manner they wish. For all their misgivings, they aren't exactly wrong."

She stood in one graceful movement and pushed my bedroom curtains aside to point out the other sectors. "Who else could do it, really?" She jabbed at Sector Lust. "Callista? She's an absolute joke. Don't even get me started." Laughing maliciously, her finger moved to Sector Gluttony. "Lennox simply doesn't have the drive needed and doesn't really care what happens so long as he gets to keep his sector." Her nail scraped against the glass and she glanced up at the spotlights circling the clouds around Sector Greed. "Then there's Vincent, who's the only other real contender. He's ambitious and has befriended Lennox to benefit his own means, I'm sure." Her hand dropped from the glass and she turned to briefly glance at me, then shared a look with Michael. "Luca hasn't decided what he wants to do yet."

"I don't see why all of this even matters to me. Don't you get it? I don't care! I don't want to be a part of it."

"You already are whether you like it or not." Lucielle looked back at me and narrowed her eyes. "Are you on drugs?"

"No..."

"You're on drugs. Believe me, I can tell. I've been here far too long to not know what using drugs looks like." She gave me a closer inspection. "Cocaine, most likely."

Michael gaped at me. "Persephone!"

"Don't even start, Michael. It's none of your goddamn business."