The Devil's Love

Shadow of Death: Chapter 25: Anton

I stared out the window of my office, feeling rather superior at the moment. Waiting to bring this plan together was thoroughly frustrating, and as I heard the patter of feet down the stairs, I knew it was time for me to leave.

"You asked to see me?" Nicolas asked.

I turned with a smile.

"Yes Nicolas, I have to surface for a short while and retrieve something. I think it would be a good time to have a test run. So take a seat and run hell for a couple of hours, ask Rowan to tend to the crows."

"As you wish."

I faded into the air, feeling more alive than I had ever felt. This was going to be good.

Sliding through the floorboards of the house I took a careful glance before extracting myself completely. It was not what I expected. For all that she was a woman that wore nothing but couture, she lived in a sty. Well, it looked like a sty, if she bothered to clean it up, then it might look reasonable.

Hearing a noise from the bedroom, I dropped back into the earth and moved closer. As I slowly rose through again, I saw the bed rocking hard. Freezing the one that I didn't want to speak with, I heard a gasp and then a lot of shrieking.

"Jimmy!" Allison cried out.

"Funny, I thought the invitation said your partner's name was Carl."

Allison turned and looked at me, wide-eyed and filled with shock as I lifted myself through the floorboards.

"You're not cheating on him, are you Allison?"

"How did you?" She whispered as she stared at me. "What kind of nonsense is this?"

"Nonsense?" I asked after moving behind her, sitting on the bed head.

She shrieked, scrambling back over the bed.

"What are you?"

"Hmm, appropriate that you said what. Let's play a game and see if you can figure it out."

I waggled my fingers at her body that was covered in a sheet.

"That's not a sight that I need to see so this is much more appropriate."

Allison screamed as she looked down at her clothed body.

"Time for guess number one, what am I, Allison?"

"Not human."

"Very good." I smiled, climbing off the bed.

Her eyes widened as I stepped down steps that did not exist, when I reached the dirty carpet, I turned back to her.

"Guess number two."

"What have you done to Sarah?"

"That's not a guess, but I will humor you with an answer, not that I can understand why you care. You've never cared. She is perfectly fine, incredibly happy and in recent days she gave birth to our son. He is gorgeous. Has her black hair and for now, her blue eyes."

Playfulness filled me, the red washed through my eyes as a result. Allison gasped, backing away she fell off the bed.

"Come on Allison; I don't have all day. Guess number two."

She backed against the wall, keeping her eyes pinned on me.

"You're some kind of freakish ghoul."

"Well, I wouldn't say a ghoul though freakish might be accurate. Guess three and think harder. Use that brain you've been blessed with."

A crow flew into the room, Allison screamed again, staring at the bird as it flew to my shoulder. I scratched my finger into the feathers, earning a satisfied caw from the creature.

"You've tamed a bird."

I chuckled hard as dozens more flew in.

"I guess you could say that."

"Jesus Christ." She muttered, looking around the room.

"Ooh, so close but no, sorry."

Allison looked blankly at me, not offering anything.

"Tic-toc Allison, I've got better things to be doing."

"I don't know." She cried out. "What have you done to Jimmy, is he dead?"

"Just frozen, he will defrost in about an hour and will believe that you have fled mid-coitus."

I grinned darkly at her. "I am appalled Allison, cheating before you're even married."

"I'm not getting married." She snapped. "Carl left."

Not surprised at all.

"So come on, time to give a final answer. Would you like a little visual assistance?"

I took the bird from my shoulder and nodded at it, responding to its suggestion.

"I think you are right Themedies, seeing is believing."

"You're talking to a bird?" She choked back her laugh.

"Well, it would be rude to ignore them when they speak to me." I offered.

"You're crazy, that's what you are."

Looking at Themedies, I gave him the nod.

You are a rude lady he whispered in her mind. Then he flew out of the room followed by the rest of them.

Allison shrieked, gripping her head as she babbled about voices.

"The voice you heard in your head was Themedies. He asked to speak to you, and I gave him permission. Now as for the visual. Would you like scary or ultra-scary?"

"I think I'm calling the cops, get out of my house."

She moved to the door that slammed shut before she could reach it. As she turned back to me, I felt the surge of anger build fast. Her eyes widened as she sat in the corner of the room, staring at me.

My back burned with the tears that stripped my skin, the clothes beginning to burn and shred. The cloth of the divine replaced the more humanly clothes, wrapping me in a delicate material that covered the essentials and allowed for movement of my limbs and wings.

They hadn't been out in a really long time, there was the odd occasion that I missed them and gave them a stretch, but generally, I hid them within me.

Why did I hide them? Well, that's because I am fallen. Fallen meant that I had lost my innocent white wings and was given ones that were as black as the night sky. Did I need a reminder of how they thought I was nothing but evil? No. Did I need to remember how they said I would never change? Definitely not.

The wings spread wide, bristling as they dried off.

"So, any guesses now?"

"You're an angel?"

"Not quite, though you are a little closer. Maybe you need to think a little downwards."

She looked at the floor with a frown.

"Not as in your floor Allison, think more worldly. Head on down to the depths of the unknown where it is a brilliant warmth."

I took a step closer to her, feeling the darkness swell in me.

"Think pain and suffering, think unbearable heat the deeper you get."

She pressed herself hard into the corner as she looked up at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Think back to Sunday school and what you were taught about everything evil. Tell me what your mind is whispering to you, believe it, Allison. Your mind knows the truth; I can hear it telling you. I can hear it screaming at you that you are faced with your nightmare. Tell me, Allison, tell me what you fear to be true."

"You are the devil."

"Well done Allison." I sighed with much satisfaction.

Reaching into the air between us, I lifted her off the floor as she began to shriek.

"I think that you need to pay a visit to your sister. Are you ready to go to hell Allison?"