Death of a Fallen, page 14
“Riley,” she begged, “please don’t shut me out. I am not some extravagant rich girl looking for a thrill ride. When Jonathan came into my life, it all changed for me as I am sure it did for you. So, please, don’t walk away. Please let me help.” She reached over and took his hand in hers, staring directly into his eyes. “I don’t know where this road will lead, but I want to be along for the journey.”
Still holding her hand, Riley broke eye contact and looked back at the ground. He knew this was a mistake, but clearly he didn’t have much choice in the matter. “Okay, Maggie, you win. Just remember I warned you. I don’t know why Jonathan invited you into my life—I’m just sorry that he did. If we do this, you need to trust me and you need to do as I tell you. Do you understand?”
Riley could tell that his words were beginning to create a sense of fear in Maggie, as a worried expression drifted across her face only to be replaced a moment later by her confident tone. “You know, this could be interesting.” She smiled. “I’ve never taken orders from anyone. I’m always in charge, but okay, we’ll do it your way.”
“No, Maggie.” Riley now looked directly at her. “This will definitely not be interesting. You may think that now, but eventually you will realize that Jonathan actually placed you in harm’s way. Look, I can’t explain it all to you now. I’ll do everything I can to protect the both of us, but that is the reality we’re dealing with.”
His eyes bore into her until she had to look away, watching her as she wrestled with the question of what she was getting herself into.
Several minutes of silence passed between them until Maggie held up her injured hand. “Looks like the danger you speak of has already found me.”
Riley shook his head and replied in a defeated voice, “A broken finger is the least of your problems. I just hope I don’t fail you the way I have everyone else in my life.”
CHAPTER 22
Legionaries transported himself directly from the third floor of the hospital and straight into Griffin Patterson’s home. He shed the old man’s clothing and morphed back into his normal human form. Upon seeing his reflection in the hall mirror, something seemed off. Slowly turning his head from side to side and leaning forward into the mirror for a closer look, he saw something odd about his eye color. There now seemed to be a red tinge to it.
A pain formed in his temples, interrupting his thoughts. Reaching up with both hands, he began to massage the sides of his head, only to find that the harder he massaged the more the pain seemed to amplify. He stopped, but the pain continued to intensify. The pounding became so extreme that his legs buckled and he collapsed helplessly onto the floor. Legionaries pressed the palms of his hands against the sides of his head, hoping to stop his skull from opening up. He curled into a fetal position, whimpering for mercy.
“Legionaries!” a voice thundered, causing him to tremble. When he opened his eyes, he saw dark circles that blocked his vision.
“I have just given you a taste of what will come if you ever try to ignore me again,” the voice said.
“Master, I would never ignore you,” Legionaries groaned. “I didn’t know this is how we would communicate.”
“Well, now you know to listen for a soft ping inside that thick head of yours. If you don’t answer immediately, the pain will grow until it cripples you where you stand.”
Legionaries knew this could be counterproductive—in the middle of luring Riley and Maggie into their own personal place in Hell, only to have to stop and give Master a damned update. As soon as the thought occurred, Legionaries wanted to take it back. He knew that Master could tap into his thoughts at any time. He held his breath as seconds passed.
“Well, what have you accomplished?” Master asked, clearly irritated.
Surprised that the pain hadn’t returned, Legionaries quickly updated Lucifer, sparing no detail of what he had accomplished. Once he finished, he wondered if Master had heard his other thoughts.
“All right. Go ahead with your assignment,” Lucifer replied. “And don’t forget—listen for the ping,” he instructed, as if he were talking to a child. Another jolt of pain hit Legionaries between the ears, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as the last one. Lucifer left his thoughts without another word. However, Legionaries felt the sensation that something was now missing from inside his head. It was as if the fear that usually accompanied his thought process, anytime he was around or heard from Lucifer, was now missing.
He wondered how his thoughts hadn’t betrayed him. Every soul in Hell was under control. No one was given any sort of freedom, let alone the ability to actually think for themselves. Perhaps Master had decided to give him a longer leash. Or maybe—he was afraid to even think it—freedom? Or could it be that his powers were growing? He shook his head. No, don’t get ahead of yourself, he thought. It wasn’t so long ago that Lucifer had locked him in that damned cell and had him torn apart by his hounds bit by bit.
One thing Legionaries knew for certain was that he would never rule Hell or be able to inflict the kind of torture that Master had unleased on him for thousands of years. Still, he wondered what it might be like for the tables to be turned. He allowed the thought to run around in his head for just one moment before willing it away. Those were dangerous thoughts to entertain.
Getting back to his feet, Legionaries took a walk through the rest of Patterson’s house. It was small, yet everything seemed to have a place. I guess Mr. Patterson was a tidy man, Legionaries mused. Then a photo on a nearby table caught his eye. It was Patterson down on one knee next to some massive wall. Looking at it more closely, he saw that the old man was crying as he held a hand against the wall. Why would anyone want a picture of that? Legionaries wondered. Wasn’t the idea of photos to commemorate times of happiness in one’s life? Giving it no more thought, he slapped the picture frame face down on the table and went to explore the rest of the house, only to be interrupted by the doorbell.
Ignore it, Legionaries thought, but then changed his mind. What if it was Lucifer trying to trick him? He rushed to the door and quickly transformed himself into Patterson’s image before jerking the door open. He looked out at a small, middle-aged woman.
“Yes, Master?” Legionaries quickly said, fully expecting that Lucifer had taken on another form. The woman looked up at him with a quizzical look on her face. Legionaries could feel that the energy surrounding her was not that of Lucifer. Surprisingly, he was able to tap into the woman’s thoughts quite easily:
I thought this might happen, given the strain of his daughter suffering such a grave injury. Griffin has gone through so much. Lord, how can I help him, especially if he goes back to drinking? That road was hard enough the first time.
So, our Mr. Patterson has two vices: alcohol and nicotine! Legionaries grinned, then remembered he was supposed to be deeply worried about his daughter.
“Hello, Griffin. It’s me, Pastor Beth,” the small woman said in the sweetest voice. “Are you all right, dear? I know you’ve had a terrible shock. I thought I would drop by to see what I might do to help.”
“Oh, yes. I’m so sorry,” Legionaries quickly responded, trying his best to sound meek and vulnerable. “I take it you’ve heard.”
She eyed him a moment longer. “Yes, I thought I should come by and check in on you. Is now a bad time?”
Legionaries couldn’t contain his smile as an evil idea came to him. “Now is a perfect time. Won’t you please come inside?” He pulled the door back, hoping she’d take the bait.
“Thank you,” she said and walked in somewhat cautiously.
Once she was inside, Legionaries slammed the door behind them, watching with amusement as the pastor jumped and put a hand to her chest.
“How about a drink?”
“Yes, water would be fine, thank you.” She dropped her hand back to her side and composed herself.
“Water it is. Now, please have a seat in the living room,” Legionaries said, pointing a finger toward the couch.
Pastor Beth gave him another suspicious look, making Legionaries want to snatch the life right out of her. Instead, he headed to the kitchen. Sure, he would be breaking the rules and going beyond Master’s strict instructions, but he felt like having a little fun. Why not put a little doubt in the good pastor’s head? He filled a glass with water and headed back to the living room.
“Here you are,” he said, handing his guest a glass before seating himself in an adjacent recliner.
“I have no words to put you at ease in this difficult time, Griffin,” Pastor Beth said. “But I do know that your daughter loves her job and has been a devoted Christian. She once told me that the proudest moments in her life were becoming a police officer and getting you to come to church with her. And I must say, it’s truly remarkable how your life has changed in the past few months, being able to finally reconnect with her after so many years estranged from one another. I know Vietnam, um—changed you, but God is bigger than all of our hurt.”
“Really? You honestly, truly believe that?”
“Yes, Griffin, I believe that whole-heartedly.” Pastor Beth nodded.
Remembering the picture of Griffin crying next to a wall, Legionaries realized it was the Vietnam Memorial. This could be fun.
“Pastor, can I ask you where God, Jesus, or this Holy Spirit was when my whole platoon was wiped out by a bunch of gooks in Vietnam? Young men were drafted and forced to fight a war that everyone protested. I was lucky to have survived!” he paused and stared at Pastor Beth, who was looking uncomfortable. “And you know what I got when I came home? There wasn’t any parade. No one said, ‘thank you for your service.’ No, what I got was people spitting at me and calling me a baby killer. I changed out of my uniform, put on civilian clothes, and grew out my hair just so I wouldn’t be harassed,” he said, really getting into the act.
“Despite the shame I felt, I still wanted people to know I lost good friends in that hell hole. Those of us who made it back were being mocked and ridiculed by people who believed we were the actual problem, all because we were drafted and forced to fight! So, tell me, where was your precious god then?” He was really on a roll. Why stop now? “Where was this god when my wife was taken from me because of cancer? And where is God now when my daughter is lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life? She was just doing her job and then some bizarre accident—”
“I am not here to debate with you, Griffin,” Pastor Beth interrupted. “I know there is evil in this world, but we have to believe in something bigger than ourselves.”
“Why pray or believe in a god who obviously doesn’t care about us?”
“Griffin, we have spoken about free will countless times. It’s God’s greatest gift to his children. If He had not given us free will then we all would be forced to think and believe the same way.”
Ahh, Legionaries thought. This is just like Master. He gives us a choice to do his will or not, but the consequences are a thousand types of torture and being banished to the deepest pits of Hell.
“Tell me more of this free will,” Legionaries said. He was intrigued.
Pastor Beth stared at him with an idiotic look, making him wonder if maybe his rant had gone on a little too long. However, now he wanted to learn as much as possible about this free will humans had so he could exploit it better.
“I am so sorry, Pastor Beth,” he said, speaking more softly and hoping she couldn’t see the gleam in his eyes. “I’m just under so much stress. Please continue and I promise I won’t interrupt. I need to learn more about free will.”
The woman’s face once more had that annoying do-gooder look from before. He could see that she was pleased with herself, believing she had reconnected with him.
Pastor Beth took a sip of water and looked like she was gathering her thoughts. “Well, Griffin, God gave us this gift so that we could make our own choices,” she began. “We know when we are making a bad choice, but we are free to explore and make our choices, understanding that there will be repercussions for the decisions we make. We learn and grow from our faults. It’s what makes us human.” She stopped and searched Griffin’s face to see if he agreed with what she was saying, hoping that her answer was what he needed to hear.
Legionaries couldn’t contain his smile. “Thank you so much for explaining this to me.” He could see that the pastor was quite pleased with herself. Oh, you are truly pathetic, Legionaries thought as he smiled politely back at her. Regardless, she did give him perspective on the current situation that he found himself in. Now he just needed to see what he could do with this socalled “free will.”
Giving him a sympathetic smile, Pastor Beth asked, “Would you mind if I prayed with you?”
Legionaries wanted to slap her right off the couch. But why not play along? “I would be honored. But first, do you mind if I dim the lights?”
She appeared pleased by the suggestion and responded eagerly, “Yes, please dim them. It always seems right to pray and thank God for the day,” she said. “It’s how I close out my day, on my knees, with the only light coming from the lamp on my nightstand.”
Well, whatever works! Legionaries thought as he turned off the lights and switched on a nearby lamp. She was already on her knees with her eyes closed. Legionaries assumed he was supposed to follow suit, so he knelt down and took her outstretched hands in his. She gave a small jerk when he sent a small pulse of adrenaline through her hands.
“Father, we come to you asking for guidance for our good friend Griffin,” she began.
As he listened to her pray, Legionaries felt a strange discomfort and realized that he was now the recipient of pulses and shocks. He tried to pull away from her grasp, yet for some reason he was unable to. Then a low voice spoke to him with an air of authority. It definitely wasn’t Master, but something far greater than he could comprehend. In fact, this new voice struck a fear in him unlike any he had ever experienced despite his long confinement in Hell.
“I know of you, just as you know of me, so listen and heed my warning: If you carry out your plans and harm those who have declared themselves to me, you will feel my wrath.”
The voice left just as quickly as it appeared, and Legionaries once again heard Pastor Beth rattling on.
Finally, Pastor Beth said, “Amen,” and gave him a light squeeze of his hands, letting him know it was his turn.
However, Legionaries was feeling panicked. He sat with his eyes open wide, looking frantically around the dim room. Would the voice take on a form? He felt another squeeze in his hands, startling him.
Pastor Beth opened her eyes and smiled at him, looking serene as she made eye contact with him.
“Griffin, I am sorry to have to visit you under these circumstances,” she said quietly. Then she leaned forward and wrapped him in a warm embrace. “Please call upon me at once when you get any news at all about your daughter. I want to be here for you, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”
She stood and took notice that he didn’t move. She offered her hand and pulled him to his feet. His legs began to shake under his own weight. She noticed.
“My goodness, Griffin. You don’t look well. Please sit and I will get you a glass of water.”
Legionaries collapsed onto the couch, staring after Pastor Beth as she turned on the lights and disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later she was back, handed him the water, and continued speaking as if everything was perfectly normal. “Please, Griffin, call me for anything. I am here for you. For now, please just try to rest. I will see myself out, but before I do, is there anything else I can do?”
Legionaries had become so disoriented he was barely able to give a shake of his head.
“Just remember that you are loved and I am here for you. I will see myself out, you just try to relax and know that our god works in mysterious ways.”
Pastor Beth left. Hearing the front door open and close filled him with a sense of dread. What was wrong with him? He let the glass of water fall from his hand and asked the empty room, “What the hell just happened?”
CHAPTER 23
As Jonathan pulled into a run-down neighborhood defiled with graffiti, he wondered if Granny’s GPS was faulty.
“Is this the right neighborhood?” he asked.
Granny gave him a sad smile and nodded. Jonathan thought about how hard her life must have been all these years with no one to open up to through her Earthly trials as a Fallen. Somehow, she continued to put others before herself despite no longer being able to hear the songs of angels, let alone God’s voice. It was the price she paid when she chose to fall to Earth.
Pulling into the driveway, Jonathan found that Granny’s house fit right in with the rest of the neighborhood. Looking closer, he noticed that Granny’s home seemed to have been singled out—it had been spray-painted all over with graffiti, even the roof. A logo, likely from a local gang, had been drawn on the front door. It consisted of three fingers—the pointer, ring, and pinky finger—with the word “REAPERZ” underneath it.
“I usually put the car in the garage, but I won’t be needing it any longer,” Granny said quietly. Her voice was so faint that Jonathan could barely understand her. Her face had become ashen and her eyes had gone completely light gray, almost white.
Jonathan got out, hurried around to the passenger side, and opened the door. He quickly caught Granny before she fell out.
She gave him a pained smile, as if apologizing for the current state that she was in. She whispered, “Would you mind doing an old lady a favor and carry me inside?”
“It would be an honor,” Jonathan responded. Then he took her in his arms, knowing that he was in the midst of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She stared past him up into the night sky, as if knowing it would be the last time she saw the stars with mortal eyes. Jonathan stopped and looked up too, just happy to share this moment with her. He wished it could go on forever.
Granny gave him a pat on his chest letting him know she was ready. He wanted to say something about how much he appreciated, loved, and respected her and was humbled just to be in her presence, but he couldn’t get the words out. Once more she gave him a pat to his chest. He looked down at her and she gave him a knowing smile. As he approached the front door, he could see it was a metal security door, the type that was more difficult to break through. It angered Jonathan to think about Granny and all the good she had done in the world, only to be preyed upon by those who couldn’t see it. “You know it is wrong to think that way,” Granny murmured, hearing his thoughts. “They are lost souls who need guidance. They don’t like me because I’ve helped so many over the years to find a different path. The ones who didn’t want my help see me as a nuisance because I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong.”
