Hellish Pain
As the angels fell that sad day, they released piercing screeches and sobs. As wings burnt and tore from their roots, the tears shifted, floating toward the light of God. Time stood still, the fall feeling like an eternity. Bodies changed and became more solid, and skin grew over the light they were made of, trapping it inside. Just before hitting the Earth, time sped up and the ground absorbed them all, sucking them down into the absence of light.
Fallen angels’ hands reached up toward that light, but it began to dim as they were drawn downward. A final attempt to grasp it was snuffed out as fingertips disappeared into the ground. They shifted and now facing their new place in the cycle of things. The suffering continued as they beat on the ground of this hellish place, bellows of sadness filled the void, and forms changed once more.
Beautiful angelic, non-corporeal forms were now wrapped in fleshy corporeal bodies, an organic armor. Horns grew from foreheads, marking them. Twisting up like vines wrapping a tree’s trunk, they tilted back, marring once beautiful, flawless faces. Eyes turned dark and became empty, hollow sockets. Teeth broke, falling from gums, and thick blood poured from their mouths, choking them. Maxwell’s screams ended, but his torment continued throughout his silence. His face was stained with grey soot, his tears making trails.
Trembling fingers explored his new, sensitive horns, and he sucked back the painful gasps. Despite not having physical eyes, he could still see the scene playing out before him. These new creatures were almost unrecognizable. Some began to stand on shaky legs and aimlessly wander around within the darkness. His still trembling hands moved toward his shoulder blades, feeling the fresh wounds where his wings used to be, and his lips twisted into a heavy frown.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Mother and Father,” he whimpered.
None of them knew how long this punishment would last, or even if it would ever end. However, as time passed, some embraced the darkness, welcoming the negativity into their empty hearts. Maxwell refused to fully allow it in, holding out hope. He witnessed the rise of Lucifer over this new domain, listening to his charming words, but he had learned the hard way about listening to those like himself. Desperately wanting to find a way to get back home, thoughts of Lilith came forth and his heart slowly began to refill. Hope could be such a dangerous thing, but it was dripping back into his life.
His eyes turned up, staring into the bathroom mirror at what he had become. He embraced the more human form over the demonic that so many similar beings claimed as their true forms. Hands gathered up water and splashed it over his face, cleaning it of shaving cream, as Adele’s bellows died. With a heavy sigh, he dried his face, walking back to the front room. Expecting to see her quivering in a pile, he instead saw the door open and Adele gone. His head tilted and he inhaled, breathing in any scent that could be in the air. Nothing.
Moving through the room, he found her standing against the railing outside, peering over it. “Adele?” he said carefully, unsure of her state of mind. “What are you doing?” His eyes shifted, watching her hands gripping the railing. “Why don’t you come inside?”
She turned her face to look at him. Her eyes were watery and her face puffy. “What does it matter? If I am what you really say I am, I’m already damned. I’m going there anyway.” Her words were dripping with hopelessness and despair.
He dropped the towel on a chair just inside the room, stepping outside. “No. You’re not like that. You’re different because you have a chance. If I can save you, get you to the Bishop family, your family, you will be given a chance. A chance is more than anyone damned has ever gotten.” His words came out very slowly as he cautiously moved toward her. He sounded so sure of himself; she lightened her grip on the railing. “This life… This is your last opportunity to prove you’ve learned that all the things that have happened in the past were wrong. Every sin will be washed away, and you will become purified.”
“Like Jesus?” She turned toward him.
He gave a small smile. “No. Not like Jesus. His thing was completely different than what’s going on now. This is about you. This is about proving that everyone who has ever died and gone to Hell could still learn. Fallen angels could go back home. From this point forward, no matter how horrendous the act, a person wouldn’t be damned straight to Hell as punishment. They would be put in the Samsara Cycle to live over and over until they understood and corrected their behavior.”
Her head tilted. “Reincarnation is punishment?”
“It’s more like lessons. The more you study, the better chance you have of passing the course and graduating. Souls are very ancient. To understand things, they must grow until the light is no longer dim, but expansively bright. If you fail the course, you are reborn into another life to continue learning.” He finally made his way to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. It seemed intimate, but it was more to secure she wouldn’t jump.
“Sounds like chances to me.” Her eyes shut when his arms wrapped around her frame. “Sounds like we’re given many chances.”
“You could call it that, but if your light goes out and you don’t evolve into something worthy of Heaven, you go to the other place. So many seek answers, so many are left wandering the Earth, but all of them have to be open-minded to the answers so they would no longer be lost, no longer suffer. You can always spot someone who’s evolved simply by talking to them.” His chin rested against the curve of her neck. “As an angel, meeting someone like this is a true honor for me. I know they’re good people and good souls.” He spotted a scene unfolding before them at the corner of the parking lot and he smiled, pointing. “Look there.”
Adele’s eyes opened and looked to where he was gesturing. “What is it? All I see is a homeless guy begging for money.”
“Yes, but do you see the woman across the street? The blonde who just got out of that beat up car? Pay attention.” He drew Adele’s attention to a blonde with a dirty scarf around her head. She was wearing paint-covered jeans, sneakers, and a rock band t-shirt, and her body was covered in piercings and tattoos. “Now, she doesn’t look like she’d give him the time of day, but you can’t always judge a book by its cover.”
The woman got out of her car and began digging in the back seat, quickly pulling out a brown paper bag with writing on it. She carefully walked across the busy street, then handed the homeless man the bag, squatting down to talk to him. Although Maxwell and Adele were too far away to hear what was being said, they could only imagine it was kind. The homeless man smiled and reached into the bag, pulling out a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil, a bag of potato chips, and another sandwich.
“Such kindness,” Adele whispered with a smile. “It’s nice to see someone helping. You don’t think she wants anything from him, do you?”
“Not at all. Not everything in the world has to have a motive behind it. I could only assume she just wanted to help out her fellow man.” He hugged her closer, the sad moment of before disappearing, replaced with the goodness occurring before them.
Adele felt hope grow. Although she wasn’t part of the exchange, it touched her. Her lips thinned into a smile and she relaxed in his arms. He was comforting and was growing on her. She wasn’t sure if she liked it but figured it couldn’t be all bad. Even though he was what he was, he had already proven to be different than the others.
She sighed. “I’m going to go clean up. I’m still sore.”
Everything in him wanted to kiss her shoulder and neck, but fear held him back. “All right. I’ll be in shortly.”
When he released her, she moved back into the room, shutting the door behind her. He continued watching the blonde and the man until they shared a hug and she got back into her car and left.
While Adele slept peacefully, Maxwell reclined in a large chair in the corner, guarding her. It made him chuckle when he thought about how he must’ve been changing. A guardian angel now… Another label to add to the growing list. He was racking them up like most collect coins. He couldn’t deny her beauty, especially when she was at peace…like now. Her red hair was shining from what light invaded the room from the window. Her skin not only spoke of beauty but the tales she could tell. A tiny scar over her top lip, that bite mark on her shoulder, slight bags forming under her eyes… All those little details spoke to him.
As she moved, he adjusted, wondering if he could get more of a peek underneath her clothing. He was still male, something he could never deny, and he was attracted to her. As she rolled over, she drew the blankets up, as if she knew. Giving in to his need for rest, his eyes slowly closed. Slumping further down into the chair, he crossed his legs at the ankle and nodded off.
When Adele finally fell into a deep sleep, she began dreaming of her past lives. The sound of exotic birds, the feeling of the breeze, and the smell of flowers no longer in existence captured her. Standing barefoot, her toes dipped into the clear water, she giggled. The newness of this feeling, of touching water for the first time, made her happy.
“Careful,” a male figure called out to her. “You shouldn’t play with it.”
Acknowledging the being’s presence with a raised brow, she didn’t bother looking in his direction. “Don’t have such fear. It’s only water.”
“He’s only afraid because it’s new.” Maxwell’s voice was faint, like a murmur only for her. “Give him time. You can drink it.”
Lilith looked at Maxwell, a creature of shining light, colors highlighting what later became his black hair and grey eyes. Majestic feathers sprouted from his back…his strong and beautiful wings. Taking his words to heart, she squatted down, cupped some water in her hands, and began to drink the cool, refreshing, unpolluted liquid. She smiled. “It’s nice.”
“You will need it,” Maxwell added, sitting upon the ground. He watched her dip her hand down, gathering more. Unable to hold back, he chuckled at her eagerness, causing her to laugh quietly. She splashed some at him, but the water sprinkled against his form and rolled off.
“Why are you and the others not like us?” Moving closer to him, she sat, like a student. “Why are we the way we are? Why are we here?” Eyes wide, Lilith sought for a hint to the answers in his grey ones.
“Those are answers for which you’re not ready.” He was holding back, still very aware of guidelines and rules to which he and the other Watchers were to adhere.
Adele had experienced dreams like this before, but not this particular one. Now she understood that those dreams were past lives. Reconnecting with Maxwell triggered memories of their experiences together in her first life. The shock of this epiphany abruptly woke her, causing her to gasp for air. Looking around the room, she found Maxwell asleep in the corner. Realizing what the dream meant confirmed everything he told her. He truly wasn’t like the others. He was in a league all his own.
Unable to rest peacefully, they decided to begin packing up their things, sensing something in the air, the atmosphere seeming to have shifted in the night. Maxwell and Adele exchanged glances and smiles before they opened their doors to the SUV and got in. He turned to her. “Before we head out, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go back to your place in Los Angeles to pick up anything you’re going to need.”
Thinking, she nodded. “I have a journal and some little things, but I can get all of that on…if the landlord doesn’t toss my stuff to the curb.”
“I’m sure Goodwitch can arrange things once we get to the house in Alabama.”
“Who’s Goodwitch?” she asked.
“Oh, her name’s Anya. She’s the head of your family.” He started the SUV and headed eastward.
Wind whipping and cars flying past took over the silence, thoughts occupying them both. He was thinking of what was to come, worrying if he was truly prepared for the end, but Adele’s thoughts were on him and their past. How could loving someone be bad enough to be damned the way they had? Was war really waged because of love? Something was missing. Some key to it all that hadn’t been discovered yet. Did Maxwell know? Even if he did, would he tell her what it was?
Her glances caught his attention. “What? What is it?”
“Just thinking…” She adjusted her body, preparing for another long conversation. “Wondering…” She hesitated until he motioned for her to continue. “Well, I had a dream last night. I was experiencing water for the first time, and I saw how you used to look. It was so beautiful, but I can’t help but wonder. Was it worth it? Did the punishment justify the crime? Was justice served?”
At one point, a question so loaded would’ve caused fear, but he felt she deserved answers. “Remember when I told you about the children who came from angels and humans?” She nodded. “The mutated children who didn’t die off trickled down. Werewolves and vampires are the products of these. The only difference between them is Werewolves are more in tune with nature, taking after man, and vampires are the opposite, taking after angels.”
“What? Are you seriously fucking telling me vampires, blood-sucking vampires, are closer to angels than man?” She took in the information and processed it for a few minutes. “I always assumed they were demonic, like some sort of possessed or cursed being.”
“They are what they are. Werewolves are more closely related to witches than angels because of their ancestors, the Nephilim, embraced nature. Your family is the purest of all your descendants. For a time, no werewolves existed, but they popped up sometime before the New World made its way to the maps. I had heard a rumor that one of the first recorded Bishop women, besides you, cursed a lover who refused to settle down. A great wolf saw this and tried protecting the man from the dark magic, becoming entangled in it.” His eyes refocused on the road and he smiled slightly. “I love hearing legends. You can always find the truth somewhere within them. All myths and legends have some sort of truthful root to them, creating a mortal cautionary tale or explaining things.”
“I’m not big on reading into things. I’m more action than investigation.”
“I know.” Maxwell chuckled, rubbing the spot on his shoulder where she had stabbed him, feigning pain. She smiled back with a small laugh of her own. A once violent meeting now had faded into an inside joke.
“What happens once I get to the Bishop Witches?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I do know you’ll be protected. I’m sure they’ll teach you a lot. Goodwitch is a good person. They call her a White Witch because she only does good.” His hand reached over and patted her knee, reassuringly. “It’ll be okay. This is a journey that’s taken a very long time and it’s time to rest…for both of us.”
“What’s going to happen to you?” Her brows came together, showing concern before she could stop it.
“I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll be able to continue helping others but, right now, there’s no way of knowing.”
Heading towards the east, peace began to claim time, trying to seduce both of them into a false sense of security. But this seductive dance caused the opposite in Maxwell. His hair began to stand on end, and his body became rigid, awaiting anything. Adele rested, taken over by the powerful lure of peace.
Within the blink of an eye, all tranquility was shattered. Adele screamed when she saw a shadow person standing in the middle of the road.
As she braced for impact, Maxwell pressed the gas pedal down. Instead of colliding, the being moved through the front machinery of the SUV. Once Adele was within reach, it grabbed her, dragging her over the leather and fabric of the interior, breaking through the metal and glass of the back window. Adele was cut and bruised, but the being remained unharmed, standing with the struggling woman in its unwavering grasp.
“Let me go!” she screamed, pushing at what resembled an arm around her chest.
The tires of the SUV screeched to a halt and Maxwell got out. He knew the being that held her wasn’t a full demon, but a minion. Once human, but no longer. A negative and dark spirit that had accepted its fate.
“Kokabiel, you fucking coward. Come out!” Maxwell screamed, knowing of only one of his brothers who would’ve sent another to do the dirty work. “I demand it, Kokabiel!” Maxwell knew he had to be nearby but wasn’t sure where.
Adele continued kicking, hitting the spirit’s arms with no success. The being’s head tilted confidently, an evil grin carving its way across the shadowy face. In response to Maxwell stepping forward, it clenched its arm tighter around her, forcing her to gasp for air.
“Max…,” she weakly pleaded.
Stopping in his tracks, Maxwell didn’t push the spirit any further. “Kokabiel, brother, answer me!”
From the darkness, a being appeared, tattered white robes dragging against the dirt as it moved closer. Skin as pale as bleached bone, dried, and flaky, Kokabiel embodied how demons welcoming of their punishment and reveling in it could become. Empty eye sockets could be seen from behind the black, tattered blindfold. His deep voice echoed in a hissing whisper. “Maxwell.”
Maxwell took a step back at the appearance of his brother. “What are you doing?”
“It seems you do not enjoy my tactics. Perhaps this isn’t dramatic enough for you?”
“You know what she means to us, brother. What are you doing? Why such aggression? What’s the reasoning behind it?”
“Not all of us agree with you, Maxwell. You have betrayed your kin. Your journey will not be easy.”
Maxwell was missing something. He knew of a greater good, but he had forgotten that many of his brothers were no longer, lost in their acceptance of darkness and evil. For them, any reflection of angelic roots was replaced with an ever-growing faintness within their personal histories. “Betrayal? You’re doing this, and you want to speak of betrayal?”
Adele stopped struggling as the dark spirit began a low, rumbling growl. It grinned, and his head tilted upward, slowing raising his arms. With every inch his dry, stick-like arms raised, the sky grew darker, the ground beginning to shake and break open. Adele screamed as one of these cracks opened underneath her, the spirit holding her the only thing keeping her from falling.
She began to weep as she looked down. Faceless souls were trying to claw up the sides of the hole, screaming and begging. She could make out a female voice. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please…” It was begging for its immortal soul. It was then she realized Kokabiel had opened fractures so deep, even Hell was exposed.
Another fissure appeared, separating Maxwell and Kokabiel, slithering black masses coming up from the crack. The creatures came together, forming several minions. “You know what to do, my pets,” Kokabiel ordered, disappearing as they began racing toward Maxwell.
Maxwell lost his footing and fell to the ground as they covered him. Hisses, terrible screams, and guttural growls came forth from these creatures, and he began swinging. Managing to knock off a few, he heard Adele scream. His hand reached out to her as more creatures engulfed him. A tear fell as he witnessed Kokabiel, Adele, and the spirit walk over the crack and disappear into the ground, the crack instantly repairing itself.
The warmth of his body abandoned him. “Mother, Father, please help your lost son,” he began to pray. “Please aid me in this. Help me overcome my demons and these.”
Maxwell’s grey eyes began to shimmer, the color fading to black. Blinking, he could feel himself changing, his flesh also losing its color. His arms were no longer struggling, and he moved easier, pushing the creatures off and slamming them into each other. Fire swirled around him, burning many in the process. They let out screams of pain, backing away. Like a tornado, the fire grew, surrounding him, creating a barrier between himself and the minions of Kokabiel.
Screeching and whimpers resounded as one reached toward the flame, vaporizing on contact. Another rushed toward it and incinerated, turning to black ash. Realizing they could no longer get to Maxwell, they began to back off, plotting what their next move would be. Their attention turned toward the sky as the clouds parted, an angel descending. The minions began whining at the saintly individual.
Swiftly, the angel brought his horn to his lips, blew into blowing it, and the shuddering sound bellowed to drive the sinister beasts back. His wings stretched and moved, flying upward to keep distance between himself and their stained presence. Again, the unearthly blare of the horn filled the air. Hissing and screeching, they began to lower back into the ground. Between the pebbles and ground below, they became slithering worms, digging down into the Earth once more.
The angel lowered, landing upon the ground. His form was solid to protect him from the evils of this realm, flesh, and bone acting like an organic armor.
The flurry of flames began decreasing until they vanished into the dirt. He looked at Maxwell. It was the first time they had seen each other in millennia. “Brother Gabriel.”
Gabriel grabbed Maxwell’s face and pressed his forehead into the fallen angel’s, then they hugged. “Brother Maxziel.” Maxwell smiled at hearing his angelic name. “You know where she is. We’re going to have to go after her.”
“Gabriel, not even you want to go there.” Maxwell stepped back. “I couldn’t handle seeing another brother of mine there, especially one who doesn’t deserve it.”
“Maxziel, there are other ways.” Gabriel hesitated for a moment, staring at his curled ram’s horn instrument inlaid with golden angelic script, or Enochian. “We’ll have to see Eshu. He is the strongest communicator on this plane.”
“I don’t think he’ll help us. He’s… Well, you know how he is.”
Gabriel smiled. “I will have to make an offer he simply cannot refuse then, won’t I?”