Lucifer // J.H

III

(Song of the chapter: Run Rabbit Run by Flanagan & Allen)

I nibbled on my bottom lip as I locked my apartment and headed to class. The air was sweet but brisk, even considering how the pollution had been getting worse lately. The streets were quiet which was odd since its the middle of the day. There were only a few people roaming around and a couple cars zooming past but other than that, it was dead.

As if on cue, the grey sky began to drop rain like no tomorrow. Cursing to myself, I sprinted down the slippery concreted street, bolting for the closest bus stop which with my bad luck was ONLY 40 bloody meters away. I pulled my sweater closer to myself as I finally made it underneath the shelter. I watched the remainder of the people run into their homes or disappear completely around the block, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

My mother had called all the way from Busan last night crying, not making any sense at all before finally blubbering out that my stepfather is sick. Too sick to be treated by any qualified doctor. The cancer in his blood lit up like a Christmas tree on the CT scan, so much that; the only thing that the doctors can do is make his last few however many months as painless as possible. I never had a father as a child, he abandoned us as soon as he had found out that my mother was pregnant and he was never to be seen again. She'd met Bob an engineer from U.S.A who was in Busan on business almost a decade after and they hit it off instantly, and of course being at the young age of 9; I clung to anything that merely related to the word daddy. An that's exactly what Bob is, although we may not be blood related, he is my dad and he's an amazing one at that. He taught me and my mother English, even though he can speak fluent Korean. Taught me how to ride a bike, how to tie my shoes, how to drive a car. Lectured me about boys and hopefully one day give me away to the right boy. He loved me unconditionally even though I wasn't his, cried when I called him dad for the first time and now the most important man in my life, may not stay in my life and it tore me apart. How can someone so kind and loving, who has never done one thing wrong; have their life threatened like that? It just isn't fair.

I felt tears sting at the sides of my eyes, but blinked them away. The doctors might of gave an estimate of months but that doesn't mean they're right. More times than none, people have lived way past their life expectancy and I bet dad will. He's not a quitter, he'll keep fighting. He has to. As if an eerie feeling blew over the quiet suburb, I looked across the road to see a man standing in the pouring rain although he didn't appear to be wet. He leant against a pole in a white blouse with tight fitting black slacks, his shoes were black leather that caught the light of the overcast sky. My eyes traveled up from his attire, searching for a single imperfection. The man's hair was slicked to the side effortlessly in a light brown wave, and his skin reflected that of a sun kissed tone. His eyes were dark but yet, light at the same time, they glistened with secrets, hardships and age. 

And although I was a good 15 meters away, I could describe him as If we stood but a foot apart. That's strange isn't it.

As I sat staring at this odd man, it was as if I were hit with a ton of bricks... I know that face. But it can't be. It was just a book. I quickly closed my eyes and rubbed at them with the palm of my hands before opening them once again. But the man wasn't anywhere to be seen. I groan irritatingly, scratching at my scalp and laughing to myself with stupidity.

"Jesus." I sigh, leaning my head against the side of the cold metal shelter. "I definitely need to sleep more."

"Why are you telling him? He can't hear you." A deep voice hissed beside you. A sound so cold that it made the hair on my neck stand up in alert. I jumped out of my skin and turned to the side, only to be met with the man from across the street. He was even more beautiful up close but he reeked of danger.

"W-what I-I?" I stuttered nervously, my hands began to grow clammy at the close proximity between the man who looks astoundingly a lot like Lucifer from the book. Even the indented facial lines were the same. The man rolled his eyes with a groan.

"Jesus Christ. He's a few beads short in his rosary." He spoke, laughing a melody to my ears. I stared at him with wide eyes. I've never talked to a crazy person before. What do I do? Kick him where boys fear it the most and run or do I back away slowly as if he can't see me like a Tyrannosaurus rex. The man squeezed his eyes together in distaste. "For starters, I can't believe you'd actually ask that imbecile for help, and two; he's dead, he died a very long time ago and no matter how many times we try to tell you, you cease to want to believe it all because of what a 3,500 hundred year old book has told you. It's just a book written by PEOPLE may I add, half that shit in there is altered. When you're dead, that vessel is dead. It's very easy to understand, but you humans are that dense that light literally bends around you." The man responds rudely, I shook my head, trying to adjust to all the new information that I'd been given from a man who just escaped from the psych ward down the road.

"I-I'm so confused." I stumbled, the man propped his muscular arms underneath his head to keep him up.

"As I said, dense." He declares. I snapped my head toward him, my ears burning red. How dare this annoyingly beautiful, asshole of a man, sit here and call me, a woman he's never met; dense.

"I'm sorry, who are you to call me dense." I snap. The man looked at me, his stunning brown eyes peering at me like he could see through my clothes and but also into my mind. I covered my chest with my arms in resentment, making a little grin appear on the corner of his plump lips.

"Aw darling, don't pretend like you don't know." He pouted innocently. I looked at the wet floor, shaking my head vigorously.

"It's not possible. That was just a picture book of what people believe to be him. It's not real, you're not real." He frowns at my statement. His perfectly arched brows creasing together.

"That's not what you're heart rate believes. Can't you hear it? Its almost beating as hard as the rain fall." He smirked. I pressed a hand to my heart and frowned. It was pumping 3 times a second, it beat like I ran a sprint. As if a new found confidence bloomed within my stomach, I connected our eyes and smiled.

"Prove it." I challenge. He smirks even wider now, his eyes squinting together in a cute fashion.

"I'm not a party trick... Ali." He spoke winking. My eyes widened. I never told him my name, how does he know that? "But because I don't like your know it all attitude, fine. Would you believe me if you saw the image everyone thinks I look like?" He asked. Suddenly two curled brown ram-like horns appeared to grow from his scalp and a spear headed tail grew from his backside. "Cliché enough for you?"

My jaw dropped in horror, as a ear curdling scream left my throat. I was ready to run, but just as I was about to bolt across the street, I was stopped; abruptly.

"Sleep." Was the last thing you had heard before that monster pressed his thumb against your forehead and everything went black. "Believe me now, stupid girl."