Part 1

Mike has returned yet again to the Gravely residence. His mighty wings retracted back inside his human body when appeared before the front door. He knocked loud enough for everyone inside to hear. The door opened and was greeted by a beautiful, brown-haired woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a dark green shirt, dark jeans and a pair of small, rectangular glasses.

"Michael!" Carmen cried for joy, embracing her heavenly brother-in-law with a graceful hug. "It's so wonderful to see you. How've you been?"

"Been good." Mike answered and returned the same gesture. "How are you doing?”

“Uncle Mike!” A pair of youthful voices cheered from the upstairs hallway, followed by a clatter of footsteps that rumbled down the stairs as two girls raced each other to meet with the archangel. One was about 10-years of age and dressed in a typical gothic clothes and a black beanie that blended with her raven-dyed hair. The younger one was about 5-years old and wore a bright yellow dress with a matching ribbon in her golden hair. Both daughters ran down and hugged their new favorite uncle.

"Hey Rosie! Hey Regan!” Mike greeted. “Lu around?"

A small fire blasted from before the archangel. The flames extinguished quick, and out of the soot of the fire stood a man dressed in a dark red suit and a thin black tie. The man gave his older brother a handshake and greeted. “Brother, welcome back! Our door is always open to family.”

“Thanks for having me. Afraid I can’t stay too long." Mike said. "But speaking of family, there's something I want to talk to you about, Lu."

"Alright, what loser did Dad task with this time?" Lu groaned.

"It's not that!" The no nonsense archangel reiterated. "Listen, one of our siblings just got into a bad argument with their girlfriend and moved out. So that special sibling, whose very dear to our hearts, is going to need a place to say until they're back on their feet. And so I thought, hey, your place is great for R&R, so I suggested that they stay here for a bit, and that you were totally okay with it."

"One: I'm not okay with it!” The devil complained. “Two: Which one is it?"

“Come on, Lu!" The archangel argued. "Don't be like that! Besides, she's really interested in seeing you again, and she wants to meet the girls."

"Wait!? SHE?!?!” The devil gulped.

Mike continued. “Yeah, she kept saying how much she wanted to see you again, and to hang out like old times. I think she mentioned about pulling some harmless pranks, playing some music, and having a few drinks. I strongly advise against that last activity."

“You don't mean-" Lu uttered but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. The house fell quiet. Both Lu and Mike sensed another celestial presence behind the wooden frame. Lu trembled in the knees while his cold heart throbbed frantically. The entity outside his home was someone he had hoped that they wouldn't have to seen until another eon. Flashbacks of how this holy nightmare bullied him, wrestled with his frail form, and pulled insane pranks that scarred him forever. All of the Hell's torture devices that were handcrafted by the most demented of demons couldn't possibly out due his greatest tormentor of his prolonged lifespan.

"And that's her!" Mike smiled. "Girls, say hello to your Aunt Gabriel, or Gabi as we call her!"

Mike opened the front door where a strange woman stood behind it. The woman had short, blonde hair on top of her head while the sides were shaved clean. Like her older brother, she wore a black leather jacket and a pair of shredded jeans. Her jacket was left open, exposing her leather top and bare, pierced navel. The woman graced everyone, except her baby brother, with a wild smile. Her ocean-blue eyes darted at the devil and she charged forward.

"NO! NOT YOU! GETAWAY! GETAWAY!" Lu helplessly cried before the other archangel swung her arms around his scrawny neck.

"SUP, BABY BRO!" The woman hollered hysterically as she locked him in. Her fist crashed right on top of Lu’s head and roughly rubbed it about. “ATOMIC NOOGIE!”

Her radical knuckles ground against the devil’s skull harder and harder, messing up his perfectly moussed hair. When she rubbed her fist faster small electrical sparks surged through the follicles. Suddenly a blast of lightning shot through the devil’s body, and he lit up like a fresh light bulb. His whole body and expensive suit smoldered black soot. Gabriel released her roasted, and partly conscious, brother, to which he dropped immediately onto the floor.

"Hi Gabriel.” Carmen spoke to her hyper sister-in-law, extending her hand in friendship. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Carmen-"

"Damn bro! You scored a hot one! Come here and gimme some love!" Gabi cheered ecstatically. She wrapped her arms around Carmen and squeezed with all her strength. Carmen gagged when the archangel nearly crushed her mortal life. Gabi dropped Carmen on her feet and lightly struck her hand against Carmen’s bottom. Carmen released a small yelp and her face turned redder than a rosebush. She then placed small hands behind her rump, safeguarding from any further unforeseen greets from her overjoyed sister-in-law.

Gabi hauled her luggage into the Gravely household then dropped them on her crisped brother. Lu grunted when the heavy bags, which felt like brinks stored inside, crushed against his bones. She ran all round the Gravelys' house and closely examined every inch of it with great glee. "Hot damn, I got nieces too! Damn, look at this house! Whoa, look at that snake! Check out this furniture, this TV, oh man, this kitchen space! Heaven’s fancy but not this fancy. You really out done yourself, Lu-Lu! I'm going to enjoy crashing here."

"Lu-Lu?" Rosemary teased. She and her sister tried to control their laughter, letting loose a couple of hysteric snickers instead.

"If you want to live long enough to get to college," The barbecued fallen angel hissed. "I suggest you never mention that to anyone!"

Part 2

The next morning couldn’t have come soon enough for the Prince of Darkness. His brother dropped by along with their sister off at his residence, much to his dismay. Most of the family members sat around the dining table and listened to the archangel Gabi boast about her exploits and show off her gratuitous battle scars in odd areas of the body. Lu hid down in the basement and had a few swings with his good friends Jack Daniels and Elijah Craig.

Once Mike felt and Gabi settled in the guest room, Lu felt a moment of relief that the first night with his sister was over, yet the thought of her staying in their house, for what may appear to be an extensive period of time, kept him from sleeping. The next morning he openly shared his opinion of the matter as he and his wife made their way to the kitchen. “I really don’t want her here. Have I mentioned that before?”

“Only about thirty times since yesterday." Carmen retorted. "Honey, she’s your sister.”

“Now you’re starting to sound like Mike." The devil growled. "Why here? Why dump her on me?”

"Maybe it's a chance to patch things up like you and Mike. You gave Mike a chance and things worked well."

"Because I wanted to give him a chance!"

“Well she's allowed to stay until she gets back on her feet - or wings. How bad could she be?”

“You have no idea. She's a menace. That woman tormented me through childhood! She forced me into wrestling competitions, even though she knew I could never take her. And when I first entered high school, have you ever seen the movie Dazed and Confused where Ben Affleck and his friends would paddle the freshman?”

“Yeah.”

“SHE WAS BEN AFFLECK! But the one thing that scarred me the most was when the pluming got busted and it flooded her room, Pops had me share my room and bed with her until it was fixed.”

“Now you're seriously overreacting. That’s not such a bad thing. I had to share a bed with my siblings too. Rosemary and Regan even did the same a few times. What was so traumatizing about that?”

Lu and Carmen entered into the kitchen then paused in their tracks. Lu shielded his eyes while Carmen’s jaw dropped when the couple spotted a bare naked stranger standing outside of the refrigerator. The short, blonde haired stranger had her eyes closed with a plastic carton of orange juice on her lips, drinking all the liquids inside. When she was finally finished a loud, rancid belch exhaled out of her mouth, which echoed through the kitchen. The naked woman opened her eyes and glanced at the shocked couple. She didn't bother covering herself but merely smiled and waved at them without a care in the world.

“Morning!" Gabi said. "You're out of OJ, by the way.”

She proceeded to walk out of the kitchen, passing by the very uncomfortable husband and wife duo. Lu shuttered but still did not peak. Carmen watched her odd sister-in-law make her way back to the guest bedroom down the hall, even caught a glimpse of the archangel scratching at her perfectly curved rump before the door closed behind.

When Gabi was gone Lu leered disgustedly towards Carmen and said. “Does that answer your question?”

Part 3

Kill. Feast. Kill. Feast. Kill. Feast. Kill. Feast. Kill. Feast. Kill. Feast.

The savage thoughts of a lowly scavenger, sometimes referred as a demon's demon. These are only thoughts that ran through its diseased head while it stood strapped against the cold walls. All it could do is open an array of sinister hisses from its plagued maw. Even without eyes it knows that prey is near. The prey, dressed in rubber hazmat suits, kept their distances from the volatile creature. One of them slowly waved a scanner side to side with the scavenger mimicking the same motions with its scrawny head. Prey was so close to the scavenger but it could never reach it. Its forked tongue wagged about for a taste of some fresh meat. It can hear them. The ears, while singed into its molted flesh, listened to all the sounds: the walking, the talking, movement of instruments and tools from one end of the room to another. It sensed the vibrations in the air with each sound and step, and the prey was oblivious to the notion that the scavenger was indeed watching them.

Its snake-like nostrils flickered up and down. It can smell them. It could smell the sweet scent of the prey's perspiration running down their necks and faces, even behind their bio-masks. The prey was afraid of it. They should be. It kills without empathy, or remorse. To say it kills without reason would be an inaccuracy. The only reason it would have to kill is to try and satisfy that relentless hunger that begged endlessly in its shriveled belly.

The scavenger also knew that they weren't alone. It sensed more prey nearby, but they weren't in the same room. There was a barrier separating them, that much it knew. Four figures were safeguarded behind a wall of glass. The four watchers were Lu, the devil himself, along with his trusted council of Lilith, the succubus secretary, Legion, the dark sorcerer of the Underworld, and Scrugs, the devil's assistant that cowered behind them all. Posted at the large metallic doorway were a pair of demon guards that stood at point and guarded their feared overlord. All their eyes locked onto the imprisoned scavenger and it, even without eyes, stared back at the protected prey.

"It's terrifying!" The bat-like demon Scrugs quivered.

"It's disgusting!" Lilith retorted.

"It's very pathetic, that's what it is." Lu scolded his staff. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking at, Legion?"

"This was once a miserable soul that was to endure decades of torment has now converted into the creature you see before you." Legion bellowed. "The guards in the vicinity found it halfway through its transformation while it fed off a few of the souls surrounding it."

"When did this soul arrive?" The devil asked his secretary.

Lilith flipped through her files and answered. "About a week ago, boss. Barely served its sentence."

"And how long ago did it turn?" Lu asked his adviser again.

"Four hours ago." Legion continued. "In my long life I've never seen a soul become corrupted by Hell's influences so fast."

A sound of thunder inside the safe room rattled their ears followed by a brief blinding from a flash of light. From the flash appeared a woman with large energized wings very similar to Michael's wings yet the light was made of pure silver. The wings retracted back into her thin body and she greeted her brother.

"Yo Lu!" Gabi called out. "Your wife wanted me to tell you hurry your ass up!"

"Halt!" Cried both the demon guards. They instinctively aimed their over-sized guns at the back of Gabi's partly shaved head. "Unauthorized personal in the area!"

"Chill, I'm blood." The archangel groaned. "Lu, tell the stormtroopers here to stand down!"

Lu sighed the usual irritable groan yet motioned his hand that ordered the guards to lower their rifles. "Everyone, my older sister Gabriel, the archangel. Gabi, my trusted council: Lilith, Legion, Scrugs."

"Whoa. So you're Legion, aren't you?" Gabriel spoke to the great arachnid demon. "Father used to talk about you a lot. Gotta admit, I'd thought you'd be a little uglier."

"To what displeasure do we owe for your visit, archangel?" Legion asked with all six pairs of eyes leering at the archangel.

"She's staying at my place for a bit." Sighed Lucifer.

"How unfortunate." The demon sorcerer added.

Gabi laughed for a moment then noticed the scavenger in the other room. She walked up to the glass and watched as the two demon scientists carefully took notes about their latest experiment. "I take it back, that is uglier than I imagined. What's its back story?"

"The back story, as you said, there may be some new form of infestation among the scavengers." Legion lectured. "Hell alone no longer needs to corrupt the broken minded, now something else is infecting them. Look closely at its neck."

Gabi squinted her eyes real hard to visualize what the great demonic sorcerer was suggesting. Lu, Lilith, and Scrugs joined in on observation as well. One of the scientists attracted the scavenger's attention by lifting some raw meat above its head, which forced the creature to desperately lunge at it repeatedly. They all saw around its throat were three distinct markings that formed the shape of an incomplete 'Y'.

"Are those puncture marks?" Gabi inquired.

"It was bad enough that these souls could potentially turn into these things." Lu commented. "Now there's something out there that's spreading the disease even faster. Any theories into what's doing this?"

"I'm afraid I do not know." Legion answered. "I fear that something much deadlier has evolved from these creatures. It is imperil that we find this source and eliminate it. It could infect more souls, as well as other demons."

"Sounds to me that all you gotta do is find the hole they hide in and nuke it." Gabi confidently stated.

"You think we haven't tried that already?" Lu argued. "We've been searching their hive in the deepest parts of the Inferno in the last thousand years, and still we've found nothing."

"If you can call shining a flashlight in the dark corner and then calling it quits searching, then yeah, sounds like you've done an excellent job at it." Gabriel retorted.

"Oy!" Lilith quickly jumped into the argument. "Watch your tone around the boss!"

"Your boss is also my brother." Gabriel said. Her aggression now directed towards the secretary.

"Down here, he is king," Lilith continued her defense. "And you best give him the respect he deserves."

"Last I checked, you demons don't get respect, not since after the war. Lucifer keeps his role as king only because the Council and my Father, The Creator, allows it. Meaning I have the right to talk back against you but you have no right talking back to me like that."

"Best be careful, deary. This lover can turn into a fighter real quick."

"Did you just threaten an archangel, serpent?"

"No, not threaten. Promised!"

"Is this really the best time to be doing this?" Lucifer growled. His scarlet eyes glowing redder than usual with all the anger building inside.

Soon all the demons and the sole angel argued with one another inside the compounds of the safe room. The scavenger hissed once more, only this time louder than before. It could hear tension behind the barrier, the prey were fighting amongst themselves. This could give it the opportunity it needed to strike them when they least notice, if only it could escape from its restraints. The scavenger jerked both its arms around inside the leather straps to no prevail. It tried kicking its scrawny legs but they too restrained against the wall. The two scientists hunkered around a wide, metal table and watched as their boss and his cohorts squabbled with the female angel.

"Who's the blonde one?" one of the scientists asked.

"Gabriel, one of the members of the Archangel Council." the other answered.

"An archangel, eh? She's actually kinda hot."

"No way she'd go for you."

"Why not?"

"Heard she was into hens not roosters."

"And that just makes her even hotter."

The arguments were growing more heated on the other side, and the scavenger could hear every word. The ramblings rang through its exposed lesions around its deformed head. It wanted a feast so bad that it was willing to brake its own body just to break free. It yanked harder and harder at the straps. It twisted its body into uncomfortable angles to try and wiggle its way out. Something felt off. The strap on around its right wrist felt looser than the other. It knew it was a sign, an opportunity for an escape. Its attention was averted back at the two scientists. Knowing it wouldn't reach the prey on the barrier's side, but it'll settle for the prey in the same room. The scavenger screamed at the top of its rotten lungs, which greatly unnerved both the scientists.

"Alright, this thing is making me nervous." one of the demonic doctors declared. "I'm gonna sedate it."

The demon scientist picked up a long syringe from the table. Carefully watching it struggle in the binds he paced toward the monster. This was it. This was the moment the scavenger wanted. The demon got close and prepped to apply the syringe into the scavenger's neck. One of the binds snapped off and a furious claw swiped at the scientist. He felt the razor sharp nails cut through the suit and his jugular. The demon scientist gagged as a pool of blood leaked onto the cold floor. He tried desperately to cover the wound with both hands but his life had faded from his body. The scavenger clawed at the other strap and hissed at the surviving scientist.

"HOLY CRAP!" he screamed. The survivor ran towards the glass barrier and pounded for their attention. Lucifer, Gabriel, and the others halted their babel and watched in horror when they noticed the scavenger breaking the restraints. The demon scientists pounded his fists harder against the wall, crying out for their help. 

"HEY! SOMEONE HELP! HELP! PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF GAH-"

The scavenger pounced on top the smarter demon and bit into its prey's neck. Its sharp fangs punctured through the hazmat suit with blood squirting onto the glass barrier. The intelligent demon screamed his dying breath only to be drowned out by the savage sounds of flesh and tendons ripped apart. The higher level demons continued to watch as the fellow demon was devoured. Lilith covered her mouth and Scrugs fainted from the sight of all the blood. Gabi glared at the creature then turned to one of the guards.

"Is that glass bullet proof?" She demanded.

"No-"

"Good to know." she reached for the guard's holstered pistol and pulled it out. Steadying her arm, she raised the weapon at the feasting scavenger. The creature gulped down another chunk of trachea and looked right at the archangel. 

It shrieked. She fired. 

The first two rounds shattered the glass barrier followed by the next five puncturing into the scavenger's shriveled body. The scavenger tumbled backward when the shells hit and laid motionless. The savage thoughts in its head faded permanently.

Everyone stared at the horror left behind by the attack. Two dead demons, one dead scavenger, and plenty of blood. Gabriel felt her hand tremor after killing off the creature. She tossed the gun back to the guard and returned to her regular state. "So, how about that dinner, Lu? Your wife mentioned a place in town called Dante's. Sounds cool. Let's take the elevator up."

Gabi walked away from the others, who continued to stand by. Legion waved his large hand and sparks of fire blazed all over the corpses, which reduced them to a pile of ash. The fires activated the sprinkler systems and sprayed the laboratory down with gallons of water Lu slowly followed his sister out but paused, turning to face his trusted friends. His red eyes blazed through darkening room.

"Find whatever is causing this." He ordered. "Kill it before more become like them. If you have to turned up the heat down here, do so. I want them all exterminated. If there is a scavenger that can infect souls, and possibly us, what could they do to those on the surface?"

Part 4

A couple of days have passed by since Gabriel, the archangel and older sister of Lucifer, made herself comfortable at the Gravely residence and inside the town of Brimstone. She partook in much of the family's usual activities such as shopping with the girls, wrestling with her unwilling brother, and even joined them during karaoke night at the local bar Dante's Inferno. She found herself enjoying the company of her new human family and the company of her fallen brother. Lu didn't want to admit it but he too was starting to warm up to his sister's presence after a long millennia of not seeing or speaking to each other. To him is was nice to have a sister in his life, despite her having a little too much fun with some alcoholic beverages.

What Gabi really enjoyed the most on earth was spending time with her new nieces. She could see why her other brother Mike liked them so much. They each reminded her of herself when she was young once. Together they hung out at the local arcade, explored the small shops in the mall, and even checked out a movie. Now the three of them are roaming the clean sidewalks and are off to their next destination. Both Rosemary and Regan asked plenty of questions for their wild aunt, to which Aunt Gabriel was more than happy to answer.

"What was your girlfriend like?" Asked Regan, only to be nudged by her older sister as a warning.

"Hey no worries. It's cool to ask." Gabi assured her new nieces. "She was pretty great. She was into meditation and anime. Heck, her and I spent the best few hundred years together. Actually, I'm kinda surprised that you two haven't asked why I like girls to begin with."

"Why? It's nothing new to us or anything." Rosemary said. "Our mom's coworker is married to a man; and their daughter is a friend of mine."

"And our mommy told us to be kind and respectful to how everybody lives their lives." Regan added.

"Kind and respectful? I like that policy." Gabi beamed with a grin. "And besides, I figured that there's more crazy, religious zealots burning in the lake of fire than there are gay people."

"Our mom said that too." Rosemary chuckled. "Okay, I got a question for you. So you're an archangel like Mike, do you run heaven too?"

"Yeah I kinda do. I'm one of the nine archangels. But on part time I'm also head of their investigation department. Kinda like a private investigator. Weird, cosmic stuff happens and the Council sends me to check it out. Sometimes I get to beat up bad guys and rescue the damsel-in-distress too. Keep them coming. I like answering your questions."

"How come you don't like demons?" Regan asked.

"Yeesh, more personnel stuff, huh?" Gabi rolled her eyes but kept her smile. "But that's cool. Alright, think of angels and demons like the Jedi and Sith from Star Wars. One represents the light, the other the dark. Angels are meant to protect the innocent while demons are meant to corrupt them. Demons are also violent, selfish, and live off sin. I mean seriously, is there such thing as a nice demon?"

"Lilith is nice." Regan spoke up.

"Yeah, and so's our friend Dominic." Rosie also added.

"Scrugs is nice too. Legion is a little scary but he's nice too."

"Some of Lu's workers are actually pretty nice once you get to know them. Balthazar, Ghuul, and Moloch are cool. Even Lu can be nice. Do you think he's anything like the demons you described?"

Gabi fell silent with her smile fading from her face. She remembered how well she and her brother got along, before his eventual fall. His fall from grace, his betrayal hurt their family severely, especially her and Michael.

"Are you okay, Gabi?" Rosie asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." The archangel assured them, snapping out of her moment of depression and back into her upbeat attitude. "Hey, I got a question for everyone. Anyone hungry?"

Both Rosemary and Regan nodded and followed their aunt into a building that was all to familiar to them. Gabi held open the door and the girls walked inside the popular tavern Dante's Inferno.

"So why were you and your girlfriend fighting?"

"I don't know. She mentioned something about a drinking problem. Can you believe that?"

Part 5

"Where are they?" Carmen asked anxiously. Both she and her devilish husband sat in the living room as they waited for the return of their daughters and their aunt.

“They’re fine, honey.” Lu reassured. “They’re probably still wandering around, checking out all the sights.”

“But they’ve been gone all day,” Carmen reminded her husband.

Gone all day, she said. Lu lips curled with that delightful idea caught in his head, like a fly in a spider’s web. His scarlet eyes beamed at the worrisome woman with thoughts of eroticism bubbling his mind. He slipped his arm around her. His pale fingers then crept along her thin shoulders.

"You know the more my siblings take the girls out,” he suggested as he softly caressed his wife’s shoulder. “The more you and I can share some alone time. We can play a few games while we wait."

Carmen picked up her sinister husband’s signals. Her lips curled much like how Lu’s did. "Games, huh? What'd you have in mind?"

"Oh just some poker. Maybe a little twister. Or maybe we can play something that doesn't require any clothes."

Carmen chuckled when Lu began to kiss along her neck. She then placed her soft hand on his fuzzy chin, and directed him to her lips. They kissed once, then twice. Slunking down along the couch they closed their eyes shut with their lips still locked together while making lustrous moans. The slamming sound of their front door ajar halted their sexual journey. 

"Hey, I'm back!" Gabi's voice hollered out.

"And now I don't want to play anymore." Lu growled as they reset themselves back up on the couch. They looked over to the front and saw only Gabi alone, all hunched over with a bottle of booze in her right hand.

“Where’s the girls?” Carmen asked.

“H’wah?” Gabi hiccupped, still staggering her way to the living room. Both Lu and Carmen saw how bloodshot her eyes were. “Oh, they’re fine. They’re just gettin’ dinner.”

"But where are the girls?!" Lu demanded, his temper grew in his voice.

"You know this house is pretty big." his sister stammered on. "But I wasn't aware that it was so big that it had its own echo."

"Maybe you didn't her us clearly, Gabi. I only want to know one thing." Carmen growled. She then grabbed Gabi by the collar and looked into her with monstrous eyes. "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY BABIES?!?"

                                                               ***

Rosemary and Regan sat patiently at a table booth inside the prosperous tavern of Dante’s Inferno. They were left undisturbed by any of the patrons who drank away and played card games. For their entertainment Regan colored on the back of a paper menu with some crayons given by the bar’s owner while Rosemary played a game on her smartphone. Her thumb flipped back and forth as she tried to catch some kind of monster with a small ball within the game. 

The bar bell rang when their parents and their aunt ran inside, frantically looking around for them. Once spotted Carmen ran to them and wrapped her arms around them. She held them so tight that her daughters could barely breathe.

“Oh thank god you two are alright.” She cried. Lu and Gabi approached from behind and stood by.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Regan asked.

"Yeah, what gives?" Rosemary also said.

"See? Said they'd be fine." Gabi jested while she took another swig of booze.

"Fine? Fine! How could you just leave them here?" Carmen raged on. 

"I wasn't gone that long."

Rosemary gave her angelic aunt the load down, "We showed up here an hour ago. You ordered two jugs of beer, ordered ten peppermint shots, made out with the bar girl, then went to the bathroom half an hour ago, and you didn't order us any food."

"What's worse you took them to a bar during happy hour." Mrs. Gravely's temper was fierier than her husband's. 

"You took your kids to this bar two nights ago!" Gabi snorted a snooty response.

"It was a family event, and we weren't drinking then! You're missing the point! You left two children in a bar, alone! What if something happened? What if someone took them?"

“Carmen, sweetheart, let me handle this.” Lu suggested, helping his wife simmer down.

Carmen took a deep breath and deeply exhaled all of her negative feelings. She clung onto their hands like unbreakable chains when she escorted them walked outside to the car, leaving the archangel and the devil alone inside. Gabi shrugged off her sister-in-law's rampage and helped herself to a pair of shot glasses from the table.

“Since we’re here, how about a drink?” She cheered. She poured herself a shot and another. She passed one of the glass of to her brother, who caught it without look down at it. Within his tempered grasp, the alcohol boiled into a bubbling brew before it evaporated along with shards of broken glass.

“This is the last straw!” he grumbled.

“I think they got more somewhere.” the archangel joked.

“No, this is the last straw, Gabriel!" Lucifer roared. "I want you out! I want you to stay away from my girls! You abandoned them! How could you do something so-"

Lu felt a smiteful slap strike against his left cheek. It burned worse than hellfire. He angrily stared back up at his sister who too glared with furious anger. She had never hit him before. A teasing poke or even roughhoused a little, but never intentionally harmed him. The patrons of Dante’s Inferno fell silent as they watched as the archangel and devil stare down one another.

“Don’t you dare talk to me about abandoning family!” Gabi ranted. “Don’t you dare talk to me about that! You don't GET to lecture me about that!"

She downed another shot, "What? Did it hurt? Did it sting when those mortal children were left behind? Left all alone in this cruel, diseased world? How do you think we felt? How do you think I felt?

“You abandoned us for a horde of flesh-eating, rotten, selfish serpents, whose purpose is to torture and kill all life in their path. You chose them over your own blood, your home, and you led them to Heaven’s gates. They nearly destroyed everything that we’ve built only to be pushed back, leaving you to take the fall. Father should’ve done worse to you for all the damage you’ve caused to our family.

“I know you, Lucifer. I know you don’t care about nothing or anyone but yourself. You didn’t care about us, and you sure as hell don’t care about them! Family means nothing to you. So don't pretend that you started caring for someone else now, after all these eons, because chances are you're going to be leaving them behind too!”

Lu took a breath. “Well that's where you're wrong, Gabriel," Lu shouted back. "I do care Those three are my family, and I actually do LOVE them! 

"Maybe it's just you I don't care about. Specifically, YOU! You mean NOTHING to me! Not anymore! They're a far better family than you or Father have ever treated for so long! So you don’t have to worry about baby brother leaving you anymore, do you? Because I want you out of my life, and I want you to stay the hell away from my family.”

Gabriel's felt a huge strain in her chest. It felt like her heart was stabbed with razor sword. Her anger melted off her face and left only a saddened expression. A small, single tear rolled down her cheek. Obeying her wicked brother, she picked up her booze bottle and summoned her wings. A flashing light and a roar of thunder rallied through the bar when her gold, energized wings sprung from her shoulders. The large, mighty wings took one flap down and the archangel disappeared behind a bright light.

Abandoned by his sister, Lu looked on at the bar. The patrons witnessed the whole outlandish show with awe and shock before immediately returning to their businesses to avoid any confrontation from the devil. Lu breathed a sigh of depression. He had gotten rid of his sister, but not in a way he wished for. He dragged his feet across the messy floor and made his way toward the door. Once outside he approached his car where his family sat patiently inside. He climbed inside and kept his head down, hiding his depression from his wife.

"Where's Aunt Gabi?" Regan asked from the backseat, but Lu did not answer. 

He ignited the car and drove them home. Lu may have been glad to be part of their family, but he remembered his sister's words about how he abandoned his other family, and how he left her. Wherever his sister disappeared to, Lu knew that he was walking out on her again.

Part 6

The ride home was slow and quiet. Not a word spoken, not a sound made. All they could think about was where had Gabi disappeared to. While not wanting to admit to his wife, Lu started to worry for his sister. Their argument created a bigger wedge between them that he did not wish for. With her gone he was free from her annoyance, but he once again hurt someone he had care for deep down.

Day settled into dusk when they reached the Gravely residence when they all spotted someone standing outside their garage. The blonde haired, scruffy faced man with the leather jacket waved at the Gravelys when their car pulled into the driveway. The girls jumped out of their seats and immediately hugged the stranger.

“Hey everyone,” Mike greeted everyone. "Just wanted to check up to see how y'all doing. Where's Gabi?"

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Lu jeered when he stepped out of his car.

“There was a small incident tonight.” Carmen explained. “Gabi took the girls to Dante’s and left them there, not before stumbling home drunk.”

“She’s back on the bottle again?” Mike breathed.

“AGAIN?” The devil roared. “What do you mean again?”

"Girls, off to bed both of you." Carmen ordered her daughters. "The adults need to talk."

Rosemary and Regan groaned but obeyed her orders. They waved their uncle goodbye then raced each other into the house. Once they were clear, Lu's fist slugged against his older brother's upper arm. The archangel yelped and rubbed the bruised area.

"Explain yourself, NOW!" The devil demanded. His scarlet eyes blazed a fiery hatred in the night.

Michael then explained his story. “She’s had a problem with alcohol for a while. We got her consoling but somehow she finds herself back where she started. Her girlfriend couldn’t take it anymore so she asked me to intervene. I tried, hell we all tried, but you know Gabriel. She's as stubborn as a mule. I thought having her here would help her. Dammit, I had to talk her into coming here because she originally didn't want to see you.”

“You jackass! You knew about this!” Lu ranted. “Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why do you think I told you not to take her to any bars? Plus she made me promise not to tell anyone else."

"Thanks for sharing this with the rest of the class. When did she start?”

“After your treachery, smartass! A lot of us were crushed when you sided with the demons so long ago, Gabi more so. She just couldn’t cope with it all. None of us could!"

"Don't pit this on me! Everyone already does, but DON'T YOU START TOO, MICHAEL!"

“Okay, simmer down both of you!” Carmen commanded, stepping between the feuding immortals. "It's true that Mike was pretty vague on the information; but if she needs help, we, as a family, will help her."

"WHAT?! Seriously? After what she-"

"Yes Lu. We are." His queen defended. "Am I happy with what Gabi did? No, I'm just as furious as you are. But at least I'm willing to give her another chance. How she wants to approach this is up to her, and she needs to be the one to make amends. This is how a family stays together. They're based around chances. I gave you a chance to be in our lives, Lucifer, just as you gave Mike here a chance to back in yours. Shouldn't your sister be given the same chance?"

Both the archangel and the devil fell silent. In their hearts they knew Carmen was right. Besides, if their longevity ever taught them anything it is that a woman is always right.

"I'm sorry, to both of you," Michael sighed. "You're right, I should have told you two about this. I thought I was helping everyone by trying to patch what was broken."

"Don't be hard on yourself, Mike." The devil apologized. "I screwed up. I ended up pushing Gabi away. I gotta make things right."

"I'll can get her back here if you guys want." The archangel suggested.

Lu, however, intervened. "No, I'll talk to her."

"How will you find her?" Carmen asked. "We don't even know where she went."

"My siblings and I could always sense where we'd be at." Lu informed her. "If one of us was in trouble or we ever got lost, we could sense their location. Took all the fun out of playing hide-and-seek when we were kids."

Lu then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His thoughts, feelings, and senses tuned to all surroundings. Like a beacon he honed in all living creatures of the world. From the largest whale of the oceans to the smallest amoeba under a microscope he felt their presences, yet he could not sense his sister on this planet. Concentrating even harder he continued his search. He then found it. She was outside of earth. Not in space or the heavens, but another dimension. In this dimension he sensed her along with many distraught souls forever screaming within a sea of fire.

Lucifer opened his eyes and exclaimed. "I know where she is!"

Part 7

The fires dimmed as dusk was settling along the Inferno. The screams of the damned were quieting down and the demons retired to their homes for bed. Yet there was one soul still restless deep in the depths of the Inferno. She sat isolated on some granite stones and gazed down a large impact crater. This area of the condemned dimension was greatly different from the rest. Instead of fire and brimstone with magma pools seeping from the stone walls, the crater was covered in thick sheets of ice. The air was much colder here than everywhere else in the Inferno. The rocks were also metamorphosed into pillar shaped crystals of different hues. The crater itself was large and deep enough to harbor a mountain, as if a giant meteor had plummeted from the high heavens long ago; yet there was no sign of a meteorite at the core but more of a small outline of a man or humanoid being.

In her isolation, Gabriel the saddened angel raised a half-empty bottle to her mouth but paused. The liquid sloshed around back and forth inside the cold bottle which tempted her for a sip like a poisonous siren. She closed her eyes and cried some more. The last amounts of booze couldn’t help repress her thoughts and feelings. Her ultimatum was to toss the bottle down the icy caverns below and continued to be alone, as she always was. However, she sensed she wasn't alone. Someone stood by her and looked over the pit too.

“Quite a site, isn’t it?” A familiar voice whispered. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Gabi looked over and saw her youngest brother standing over the edge of the cooled pit. He then seated himself right next to his older sister, eyes still focused down below. 

“I remember that day I fell from grace. I landed in that very spot. Badly burned, half dead, I was sure I was a goner. These, what was it you called them? Oh yeah, flesh-eating, rotten, selfish serpents took me in and cared for me. They gave me the means to live again. They treated me more like family than Father ever did. It was an honor that they accepted me as one of them, to which in return I would became their king. A feared yet just king, one they worship freely.”

Gabi listened closely to his words. Her species and his have been enemies for so long that she never could imagine the two sitting in one location and talking, until now. "I never understood why He was so hard on you. He was hard on all of us, but you seemed to take the worst of it."

“I never understood either," The devil sighed. "But I found other ways to cope with it. Speaking of coping with the past, why didn't you tell me about your problem, sister?”

“You think it’s easy to admit?” Gabi whimpered. “I don’t think there’s any scripture out there that says Gabriel, Archangel of Strength. Messenger of God. Shameful alcoholic. How could you do this to us? How could you turn against your home and your family?”

"I was selfish. I was angry. I was just so tired of Father never taking notice me that I just wanted to do something to strike against him. I never imagined, at the time, how this would affect any of you. I'm sorry I hurt you. But why, sis? Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Somehow drinking was the only way I could relive all the good moments we shared. But then I have to sober up and remember you're not with us anymore. I'm so screwed up right now I don't even know who to blame."

"Gabi, for so long I've been the blame for some many people's problems that I've grown so sick of it. I may have led you down this path, but you chose to continue down it, so I can't be completely blamed."

"I know, you're right. I know you didn't force me into this life. I did this to myself. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I'm sorry for hitting you, and I'm sorry about leaving those girls - your daughters I mean - behind. I really like those humans you've got, I really do. You must think I'm awful for doing something that low to people you care about."

“You know, I’ve often exaggerated that you’ve bullied me throughout our childhood, but that's how close we were.”

“We were pretty close, weren’t we?” Gabi said with a small smile growing on her lips. “I still remember that time we took Dad’s car out for a joyride, and we ended up fender bendering it.”

Lu chuckled and replied. “Oh man, he railed us good for that. I also remember how I covered for you staining the rugs by convincing Father that Raph did it, to a point even Raph believed it himself.”

“And you were actually the first person I told that I liked girls too." Gabi's smile reverted back to her depressed state when the good memories clouded her thoughts. "Why can’t things be like the way they were?”

“They still can be. Not exactly like it was but… things are much different now. I'm a demon, a devil actually, and a father. But I think the girls would appreciate it if they could see you more often... and so would I."

Lu laid out his pale hand open by his sister and waited. All Gabi could do was stare at it. Her thoughts ran wild when she remembered his moment of treachery and her slink into alcoholism. But then a light shined inside. Memories of their happy childhood and recent memories with his stepdaughters beamed through her dark past. With this moment in her head she smiled. She reached out and lightly grasped her brother's hand, which formulated a smile on his face too.

Lu then picked himself off the edge and said. “We should probably get going now.”

“Why? Is little Lu-Lu getting cold?” His sister teased.

“No it’s just that our scouts have spotted scavengers crawling here before, and I’d hate if we-AAH!”

Lu felt something large pounce on top his back followed by a series of sharp daggers puncture into his shoulder. Gabi jumped from her spot when she noticed an eyeless scavenger gnaw into her little brother. The rotting fangs mauled away at the delicious meat within. Acting quick the devil grabbed the savage by its deformed skull and whipped over to the ground, which forced the creature to release its prey. Its fragile skeleton snapped on impact and the creature wailed loudly. Lu silenced the wounded scavenger with the launch of a fireball that incinerated it immediately.

“Filthy scavenger!” He hissed.

A second one pounced from nowhere and tackled the devil into the icy pit below. Down they tumbled and collided with the icy walls and small crystals all the way down. When the pair reached the bottom, Lu's head smacked against the frost-covered surface, leaving him disoriented. The scavenger lingered its contorted body to the dizzy devil like a spider crawling to a fly in its web.

Lu's vision was fuzzy but he could see the scavenger's fresh, bacteria-infected drool seep down its toothy maw as it stood directly over him. It readied itself for its first bite. Suddenly a stream of energy wrapped around the scavenger's neck. The vile imp gagged and at the impenetrable energy. Lu glanced over and saw his sister holding the creature with her wings.

“Get away from my baby brother, you freaks!” Gabriel cried. She tossed the scraggly scavenger away with one great heave from her massive, electrified wings.

A third scavenger jumped up onto of a crystal spire and hissed at both the archangel and devil. It lunged out for an attack before a bright light flashed behind it. A massive broadsword skewered through it skeletal body with black blood splattered over the floor. The wielder at the end was their brother Michael. His golden wings were spread out on his back and he was dressed from shoulder to toe in shining armor. The light from his wings reflected off the polished armor and emitted a glamorous glow. The sword, carried in the archangel's right hand, was as long as he was from end to hilt, and the blade's width matched the size of his hand. In his left was a large, glimmering shield so clean its face resembled a mirror. With his mighty shield he scrapped off the deceased creature off his sword.

“Somehow I figured you two would get yourselves into some kind of trouble.” Mike joked.

A bloodthirsty shriek averted the archangel's attention from his younger siblings. The scavenger that Gabriel tossed away scurried back on all fours. Michael swung his shield around and knocked it against its side. Its ribs snapped easily like dying tree twigs, which ruptured through its organs inside. The scavenger rolled along the ground with its body rumbling around the ice in a violent seizure. The scavenger screamed a blood curdling shriek that echoed through the Inferno's abyss. Another swing from Michael's sword finally silenced the abomination with a quick severing of his head.

Its cries did not go unanswered. The trio found themselves among a hive of starving scavengers. Dozens upon dozens of these ghostly pale, anorexic, eyeless, and naked monstrosities crawled out of their icy burrows, then began surrounding them on all corners of the crater. The siblings' ears rang with the haunting choir of the scavengers' shrieks and screams. Each hungry scavenger sensed the presence of fresh meat, to which they cautiously crawled toward in uniform.

Gabriel’s eyes glowed bright like a shining star. A mystical lightning fired from the abyss above and struck into the archangel’s palms, harnessing the holy power within as it surge all through her hands and body. Her fists slammed together into a powerful, electrical pulse that jolted all living beings around her. The lightning surge solidified into a pair of her signature weapons, two giant cestus gloves, properly named 'Pain' and 'Instant Death', that perfectly fitted each hand. The metal had a perfectly polished, gold coating and four ridged spikes resting on the knuckles.

Lu harnessed his dark power into summoning his signature weapons from the black fire that ignited within his palms. The flames extinguished in placement of a pair of cutlass swords with curved blades as black as coal. The hilts were decorated with the dragon heads projecting the blades from their gullets. The devil spun both blades around into a perfect, deadly circles. He backed himself against his older siblings who in turn guarded him.

"Just like old times, huh?" Michael asked his siblings.

"Bet I can kill more than both of you." Gabriel eagerly proposed.

"You wish!" Lucifer retorted.

Two archangels and a devil readied themselves for the approaching horde that encircled them in all corners. The hungry serpents hissed savagely as they drew near to their defensive prey. Their forked tongues flickered for a taste of their juicy meat inside. Gabriel rallied a war cry and flew forward with her cestus crashing down onto a nearby scavenger’s skull. The lowly demons scurried for her but she boxed them back with hard jabs, back and forth, left and right. Michael cleaved through the anorexic creatures with ease. His mighty sword swung around and diced their small bodies in half. His impenetrable shield was stained with their evil blood. Lucifer cut and stabbed the monstrosities with his thin blades. His blades cut clean through their throats, and perfectly severed off their lanky limbs. 

The wings of the archangels aided them in knocking away any scavengers that pounced on them. They even combined their skills and powers together to repel more attackers. They fought proudly together, like it was when they were soldiers in Heaven's grand army again. But with every two scavengers the trio slaughtered another dozen scurried out of their underground burrows. The crater, where they stood their ground, was starting to be overrun with more of these hungry creatures.

“Lu, any chance we can have back up?” Mike hollered.

“Maybe,” His brother grunted. “But I don’t know if he’ll like you guys.”

“Whatever you’re going to do, do it NOW!” Gabi ordered.

The hesitant devil obeyed, knowing full well the consequences that will come. He tossed his weapons aside. Swords would have been useless to him once the transformation takes hold. Lu’s eyes glowed blood red and his inner hatred boiled within his soul. He warned his siblings to flee, but they remained to fight. Black fire engulfed his whole body. The devil’s weak human form faded away in replace for the deadly monster he had constrained. Bursting from the flames was a gigantic monster that towered over the scavengers and angels. Twenty feet tall, sixty feet from snout to tail, the beast resembled a wingless dragon/dinosaur hybrid with a spiky, arrow-shaped tail, and dark red scales armored in Hell’s brimstone.

Both the angels and scavengers looked on with awe at the beast’s hideous, triangular face that carried a massive maw filled with rows of razor sharp teeth, two extra pairs on his cheeks, and two large horns prodding forward, and a crest of spikes crowned on top its enormous head. The Beast rose above the deathly fire and bellowed its fearsome roar. A concussive blast from its fiery breath scorched the frozen landscape and disintegrated a majority of the attacking scavengers. Upon witnessing the devastation this new apex predator brought the scavengers shriek and scurried back into their safe burrows. Another victorious roar from the Beast echoed into the abyss above. The two archangels hovered right next to their enormous brother. They both landed at the same time right beside the red dragon.

“Hot damn, Lu!” Gabriel cheered. “Guess I can’t call you little bro anymore, huh?”

Suddenly Gabriel found herself flying when the beast’s massive tail struck her. She crashed into a glacier side with piles of ice collapsing down on her. Mike looked back to his brother, who stared straight at the archangel. The Beast bared all one hundred rows of its sharp teeth in each mouth and emitted a savage growl.

“Lu. Buddy.” He called for his now turned savage brother. “I know you’re there. Let’s just take it easy.”

The Beast continued growling to the pleading archangel. The savage, soulless eyes saw not a brother but a threat; and it must die! The Beast roared once more then charged forward. Michael cursed under his breath just before levitating above his brother could chomp into him. He swiped around the air with his sharp claws, but missed the speedy archangel. Michael then dived by its legs and fired lightning rounds from his sword. He wished not to harm his brother, but if he could tire him out he could reach out to him.

The archangel then flew behind the red dragon but the Beast’s lively tail clamped onto his shining armor with its spikes and tossed his brother to the other side of the frozen pit. The archangel crashed through the icy crystals and then tumbled into the cold ground. Another blast from the Beast's maw spewed at the archangel. Michael quickly arched his shield over his body. He closed his eyes when the deadly flames deflected against its shiny surface. Smoke covered where he stood, briefly blinding him and the red dragon from sight.

Michael jumped beyond the smoke and readied his sword. When the smoke cleared his brother had vanished. The archangel remained vigilant. He scanned for any trace of his brother's presence. Then Michael screamed in pain when a sharp spike puncture through his left shoulder. His wings absorbed back into his body and he was slowly lifted up by the Beast's tail spike. The tail slammed him back to the ground followed by the Beast's massive hand crushing down on the angel. A small geyser of blood coughed out of Michael's throat when the clawed hand imprisoned him.

“Come on, Lu! Don’t do this!” Michael begged, choking on his breath. “Snap out of it!”

He still ignored him. His brother was no more. Only the Beast was dominate. All it did was growl some more and raised its fist into the heavens. A long bone spike unsheathed from under its wrist as it readied for the final blow.

“LUCIFER!” The Beast heard a woman’s voice call him. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't remember. The Beast peered up and saw a winged woman, bloodied and bruised, float toward him.

“Please, bro, come back to us." Gabriel tearfully pleaded. "We can’t lose you again. Come back, Lucifer. Please. We love you, little brother.”

The Beast leered at the archangel but his wrathful eyes softened up. Images in his savage mind appeared the more he stared. She was there cradling when he was born. They shared a bathtub together when they were toddlers. She fixed healed his scraped knee when they were kids. They placed roses together on their mother's tomb. The last image he recalled was the same woman laughing and hanging together with another woman and her two happy daughters. His stepdaughters. He remembered her. His sister.

Lucifer looked around the crater, realizing the destruction he had caused when he became the Beast. Looked under his paw and saw his wounded brother beneath. He panicked and started heavily exhaling. Michael coughed some more when Lucifer freed him from his grasp. Ashes ripped away from his scaly body as he reverted back to his more human form. Now appearing as he once was, Lucifer dropped to his knees with streams of tears rolling from his eyes.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” He sobbed hysterically. “I didn’t mean… I couldn’t control… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Gabriel ran to her brother and wrapped her comforting arms around him. His tears stained her torn jacket but she didn't mind. Then she too started to weep with him as the held on together. Michael picked himself off the scorched land and walked to both his crying siblings.

“It’s alright.” He assured his weeping brother after he wrapped his strong arms around both siblings. “We’re not going anywhere. That’s what a family does.”

Part 8

A long week had finally come to a close. The tensions between the archangels and devil had finally closed and their bonds were now stronger than ever. Michael's injuries healed completely during his stay at his brother's home while Gabriel remained sober through the duration of the week, a promise she made before her family after giving them a heartfelt apology. Outside the residence of 999 Milton Avenue was the Gravely family saying goodbye to their extended family. Gabi had her bags packed and readied for her and her brother's return to the High Heavens. Everybody's smiles were as bright as the sun when they took turns saying their goodbyes.

"It sure has been a crazy week, hasn't it?" Lu chuckled after he hugged his older sister.

"Yeah but it sure was fun, wasn't it?" Gabi chuckled too. "Wanna do it again next time?"

"Just keep being sober and then we'll see."

"Hey four days sober is already making me feel new."

Gabi felt her legs become heavy. She looked down and saw both Rosemary and Regan shackled themselves around her ankles. They both tearfully pleaded, "Can't you stay a little longer?"

Gabi knelt down, wrapped her arms around them and said, "Sorry, kiddies. Love to but I think it's time Cassie and I talked things over. Thanks so much for putting up with me."

"If you're ever around Gabi, our door is always open." Carmen said. "Same goes for you, Mike."

The girls released their aunt and stood by their parents. The crack of thunder echoed when the wings of the archangels flashed out of their bodies. Gabriel and Michael walked to the sidewalk and looked back to the family. The pair of archangels looked at how happier their youngest brother was with the family of three. They sensed he had found peace in his longevity of torment. Just before their mighty wings were about to lift themselves to the heavens, Gabi flinched when she had a revelation.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled something out. She swung her arm under, tossing the unknown object to her younger brother. Lu caught the object to which he observed it closely. The object was flat and rounded, fitted perfectly inside his palm, and weaved together by old, lively roots that glistened in the sun's rays. At its core were seven small crystalline bodies stitched into a fine silk that matched the images of the sun and the moon together.

"Your necklace?" Lu queried.

"It belonged to Mom." Gabi explained. "It's not fair that you never got to know her. I want you to have it. Keep it. Something to think of her."

Lu smiled. He and his siblings barely kept any memorabilia of their passed mother since their Father locked it all away. His sister treasured this necklace for so long, and now she passed it along to him. With anything that once belonged to his mother, he felt closer and closer than ever. The archangels waved their last goodbyes to the family for their wings flapped hard to the ground. The duo zipped into the skies in white lightning bolts then disappeared into the heavens.

"Come on in for lunch, Lu-Lu!" Carmen called for her husband with her two daughters laughing at the hated nickname.

"I knew it was too soon until one of you started calling me that." The devil hollered. "Come here!"

The Gravely girls all ran around the front yard with their husband playfully chasing them around. They laughed and dodged his taunting grasps before he tripped over himself. The Gravelys dog-piled over him and tickled his sides. Lu and his family laughed the morning away and waited for the next time one of their extended family members would pay them a visit in their humble home.

                                                                 ***

Paradise, the crown jewel of the heavens. Cities stacked upon cities structured this shining haven for the angels who dwell among the cosmos. Atop the cityscapes were towers and temples that housed many faiths over the ages, which sanctuaried many shrines and idols of angels past once praised by humans. Bright lights cleared any shadows that would dare encompass any corner of the glorious city.

Two bolts of lightning struck onto the one of the marble floors of the tallest towers. Stepping out of the lightning flashes came Mike and Gabi, who the pair laughed with their arms around each other, reminiscing on the wild week they had together with Lu and the Gravelys. Their cherishing halted when a familiar face blocked their entry into the tower's doors. It was an another angel, very much like them. The angel was tall, towered both Michael and Gabriel at least a foot more. His skin darker and his battle armor bright and polished. A short, spiked mohawk ran along the center of his head, and a pair of old scars marked along his envy green eyes that scorned at the arriving angels. Mike and Gabi heard the gears of their fellow angel's mechanized prosthetic, which replaced his entire left hand, clench together into a wrathful fist.

"Raphael," Mike greeted their young brother. "Here to welcome us back?"

"When I heard that you've been acting more down-to-earth lately," The third archangel scowled. "I didn't think it meant literally."

"That a problem?" Gabi asked coldly.

"The ancient rules of the heavens clearly forbid us from interfering with the mortal world, but yet you two walk among them like you're tourists." Raph jeered.

"Those rules were established so that we couldn't mingle with the mortals during their prophetic uprisings." Michael explained. "They don't hold much baring now. Their world's changed."

"It's become a bigger cesspool of sin since Lucifer and his demon scum made their presence known." Raph said. The anger in his tone grew. "He's exposing them all to our worlds. What would become of all those souls with they knew what they'd become in the end?"

"At least he's happy!" Gabi retorted.

"What's he got to be happy about?" their brother mocked. "Paying taxes, attending parent-teacher conferences like he's one of them? He should have stayed down in the Inferno where he and his slithering kind belonged. Perhaps it's time that he's reminded of that!"

"Leave him alone, brother!" Mike urged. He almost charged for him only to be stopped by his sister's hand.

"Defending him again, Michael?" Raph said, sizing himself against his older brother. "Who else on the Council will also defend him should we decide to resolute for his sacrilege?"

"I will." Gabi stepped in.

"Tell us this, Raph," Michael demanded. "What happens now? Are you going to inform the Council about this? Did Father send you to stop us? Or are you going to do what a good brother should and mind their own damn business."

The archangel glared at both his siblings but remained silent. His answer was given.

"Keep doing this, and I will." Raph growled. 

Raphael walked away from his siblings and entered into the great temple. Both Mike and Gabi looked onto their younger brother, knowing that his anger towards them was nothing compare to the anger for their youngest sibling.

"He's different you know." Michael urged once more. "Those humans, they've changed something in him. You know Raph, someone wise beyond her years told me that family was about giving chances. You could do the same for them."

Raphael paused and turned to his older brother, his hateful eyes leering more rage than before. "I'll never give him a chance. Just because he's adopted those hairless apes that doesn't make them family, nor does that make him our brother again." 

Part 1

All the young students of Ms. Kat's kindergarten class have started celebrating Valentine's Day by handing out their Valentine cards to each other. They all ran around the large classroom and crammed bushels of store bought and handcrafted cards into everybody's baggies.

The teacher, Ms. Kat, happily stood at the center of the room and watched each of her students be kind to each other. She glanced over and noticed three of favorite her students, Regan, Alyssa, and Rachel, with a pieced-together valentine card so large it required all three girls to carry it. The gift was merely several dozen hearts all glued and taped together with a messy collage of stickers, glitter, and silly strings all mushed on top of the hearts like some sort of franken-card. All three girls smiled and presented the thoughtful gift to the surprised, but amused, Ms. Kat.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ms. Kat," Regan said as her and her friends handed their over-sized valentine gift to their teacher. "We made this for you because you're the bestest teacher in the whole world."

"Ah, thank you girls." Ms. Kat said. "I'll just put this with the others."

Ms. Kat picked up the large gift. The moist touch of fresh glue soaking her thin fingers disgusted her, but she still smiled at the girls' creativity. To her it was the thought that matter and she loved that they worked together to craft something extraordinary. She opened her desk drawer and placed the franken-card inside with the other valentine gifts from her other students.

"I bet special someone got you a great big valentine too." One of Regan's friends, Alyssa, eagerly said.

"Oh no," The teacher reassured her students with a sweet smile. "I don't have anyone this year."

"What?" The other friend, Rachel, peeped. "Nobody!"

"How come someone as nice and pretty as you doesn't not have someone special on Valentine's day?" Regan asked.

Ms. Kat stood there and rolled her eyes. She even muttered something in her heritage language, knowing the girls wouldn't understand. If translate it would have probably said something along the lines of 'Not this again.'

But Ms. Kat bounced back with the same cheery smile and calmly explained to the three friends, "That's because I have all of you. You all are my special someone, or somebodies, for Valentine's Day.

Ms. Kat patted each of their heads then announced to all the kindergartners. "Alright everyone! Finish up with giving your valentines because it's almost time for recess!"

The children cheered and hurried themselves out the door. All but Regan, Alyssa, and Rachel stood inside the classroom, looking rather saddened for their favorite teacher.

"It's not fair!" Alyssa whined. "Ms. Kat is so nice and pretty. She deserves to have someone special for Valentine's Day."

"Yeah but who?" Rachel asked. "I don't know that many grownups. She needs someone who is nice and big and strong and handsome."

"I know someone who'd be perfect!" Regan exclaimed loudly. "My Uncle Mike! He can be all those things."

"That's the bestest idea ever!" Rachel agreed. "But how is he going to come here?"

"I have the perfect idea." The little devil explained. She gathered her dear friends around and whispered her diabolical scheme.

                                                               ***

"UNCLE MIKE! HELP!" Regan screamed as she clung tightly around the top of a tall oak tree. It was all part of the plan. She remembered that Mike told her that if she was ever in trouble she could always call up for him and he'll swoop in like a superhero. Her friend Rachel served as the lookout on the ground while Alyssa would run and get Ms. Kat to their position. It was the perfect plan, except for taking in account Regan was afraid of heights; and the sight of how high she had climbed to how far the ground certainly made her nervous.

It didn't take long for the archangel to hear her cries. The sound of thunder erupted the skies and a blinding flash of light appeared. Regan gazed up at a pair of giant wings made of pure electrical energy and light were spread out and a man, Michael, hovering before her.

"You're quite the little climber." the archangel commented. His arms cradled around Regan's body and took her away from the tree. "Hold on tight. Going down."

Mike's wings brushed up into the air and the pair floated down like a feather in the breeze. When his feet touched the soft grass, the wings quickly retracted back into his body. Regan gave her holy savior a light kiss on the cheek and jumped out of his strong arms. She landed beside Rachel, who was mystified by angel's presence.

"Wow! He really is an angel." She awed.

Yet the archangel was not amused. He looked at the two young girls sternly with his arms crossed. "Alright, does someone what to explain who's idea was it to climb that tree?"

Rachel was silent. She had something to say but was too awestruck to have remembered what it was she had to say. Regan nudged her friend's arm and whispered. "Say your line!"

Rachel remembered. "Oh right. I'm sorry. I dared her. I called her a chicken if she didn't do it."

"I know it's hard to turn down a dare," Mike calmly lectured. He knelt down and spoke eye to eye to the two friends. "But it takes a lot more guts to say no. So let's use our heads and try to play a little more carefully next time, okay?"

"Regan! Are you alright?" They heard Ms. Kat's voice cry out. Alyssa hurried her over, clinging to her hand and stopped before the three.

"Oh look!" Alyssa told her teacher, still following their plan. "Regan isn't stuck in the tree anymore, thanks to this brave, strong, and handsome stranger."

"And he's single too!" Regan added.

"Say what?" her uncle squeaked.

"Mister, I can't thank you enough." Ms. Kat said. "I hope... I, um, I... oh my."

Ms. Kat paused for a moment and looked at the handsome man before her. His stunning appearance: tall, well fit, long golden-brown hair that touch the back of his neck, a scruffy five o'clock shadow, and complete with a brown leather jacket were what took her breath away.

Michael stood up and locked eyes with the most beautiful human woman he had ever met. He had met many women (humans, angels, and even demons alike), but never met one that matched her beauty.

The sight of her gorgeous dark brown hair, fairly tan skin, hazel amber eyes, a purple long-sleeve sweatshirt paired with a grey-purple blended long skirt made his heart soar. The angel and human continued staring at one another, trapped in a speechless trance.

"Uh, hi." The archangel shyly stuttered.

"H-hello." Ms. Kat bashfully replied back.

Regan and her friends cleverly smirked at one another, knowing that their plan was coming forth. Then Regan spoke out. "Uncle Mike, this is the bestest teacher in the whole world, Ms. Kat."

"Uncle?" the enamored teacher queried. "Oh, you're that Uncle Mike! On the stepfather's side, yes?"

"Guilty as sin." Michael flubbed. "I mean... sorry. Bad joke. Ah Michael, the name's Michael. Everyone just calls me Mike. I'm, eh, this munchkin's uncle. Your name is Kat? Like kitty cat?"

"Right, it's short for Katan, but I find it easier if the children called me Ms. Kat, like the kitty cat." Ms. Kat then extended out her small hand to the angel. "Malaika Katan."

"Malaika Katan." Mike repeated, complying the gesture by gently taking her hand and briefly shook it. "Small angel in Arabic, right?"

"Yes!" Ms. Kat exclaimed with a bright blush. "I mean that's correct."

"He seems perfect to be somebody's special valentine." Alyssa teased.

"Yeah. You two should go on a date." Regan cheered.

"No, no. I mean, I couldn't possibly." Ms. Kat retorted. Her face blushing redder than before. "I mean I'm sure you're busy with business... up above."

"Actually I don't really have any plans." Mike assured.

"Listen, this is all charming, but I think my students are trying to play matchmaker. I told that I didn't have anyone for Valentine's Day and now they've pulled all this together in hopes that you and I could go out."

"I say let's humor them. And I am single by the way. How about 7 o'clock down at that fancy restaurant on Blatty Street?"

Ms. Kat paused and thought for a moment. She knew it has been a while since she dated anyone, and this rather handsome stranger was offering a night out. However she wanted to prove to some people that she could remain strong and independent; never needing a man by her side twenty-four seven.

Yet the more she kept looking at Mike the more she found herself attracted to him. She was curious, mostly about his character and his general way of life. If Regan's mother could marry someone like her stepfather, what sort of experience could he provide?

Finally Ms. Kat smiled and said four simple words that would make an archangel fall and three eager five year-old girls jump for joy, "Okay. It's a date."

Part 2

Evening was setting perfectly on Brimstone. The night air was calm and cool, the streets were lit and bright, and love was spreading all around. Dinner dates, movie nights, and plenty of kissing made sure that the folks of Brimstone were enjoying a romantic Valentine's Day. Seated outside an elegant restaurant were a couple unlike the rest, an archangel and a human woman.

Ms. Kat (or Katan) wore a beautiful, light blue dress and had her shimmering hair covered within a hot pink hijab. Michael wore a more professional black suit and tie for their date. He didn't bother shaving fore he was fond of his scruffy face, to which Ms. Kat also thought it suited him well. The pair laughed while enjoying some wine left at their table.

Their meals were small, barely any meat but plenty of salad and bread. They remained untouched as the two were more interested in sharing stories rather than what was on their plates.

"So you're the oldest sibling too, eh?" Mike said while he poured themselves more wine into their glasses.

"Yes. Two brothers and a sister." Ms. Kat commented. "It was chaos trying to look after them all."

"I know the feeling. Five younger brothers and two younger sisters. You tell them to do one thing and then they do the exact opposite."

"And you're left wonder why your parents put you in charge to begin with."

"Exactly!" Michael laughed again, "You know, I've met a lot of women but you're by far the most interesting. Your family was originally from Turkey. You can speak six different languages, fluently I might add. You can play the flute, and you're a big science fiction/fantasy fanatic who also cosplays at conventions from time to time."

"And you best not tell anyone that last one." Malaika teased. "But you've heard plenty about me, what about you? Tell me about yourself."

"Me?" the archangel queried. "Can't honestly say I have anything interesting that compares to that. I'm just a soldier and I've been a soldier my whole life."

"But there's got to be more. There's so much I want to know." Ms. Kat added. She fired out her questions like an obsessed fan. "Why did you want to be a soldier? Is Heaven beautiful? What is Allah really like? Was the devil any different then as he is now? What do your wings look like?"

"Whoa, slow down!" Mike hesitantly blurted, trying so hard to keep up with her questions. "I'll answer the best I can. I guess I felt that I was predestined to be a soldier by my Father. Eventually I worked my way up and now I'm part of the Archangel Council, doing my part as a leader. See? Not that interesting."

"No, that is interesting." Ms. Kat corrected him. "Please tell me more."

Mike chuckle a little and breathed a small sigh. He knew that she was too smart for him. She was definitely different. She was already exposed to his younger brother's supernatural antics that nothing could possibly phase her. Her beautiful face, her perfect smile, everything about her left him spellbound. Even her voice, her accent, enchanted him like a siren's call; and the archangel wished he could listen to it forever.

Mike smiled and then finally spoke out. "You'd be surprised how similar Earth and Paradise really are. In some ways, humans and angels are similar too. I've watched humans grow from the ground and build magnificent cities. I've seen them stand together against tyranny and rebuild for better societies. It's like you're all one perfect unit.

"I've been to many worlds, heard their prays and I've listened to their leaders, but something about this world continues to amaze me. I'm amazed how many are fighting for peace on this world where few would rather fight to destroy it. I'm amazed of how much they are willing to sacrifice to keep their rights and beliefs.

"It's been said that humanity is too corrupted by greed and ignorance that they'll eventually rot away, but I never believed that. My fellow councilmen only watched you, but never marched with you as I did. I think the numbers of those who are selfless outrank those who are selfish.

"That's why I always come to Earth. You are right, Paradise and its angels are wonderful, but it's nothing compared to what you have here. I can't help witness the marvels you've made and hear you preach about change. Even in your most darkest times you've managed to shed a light that never dies. It is with this light my Father gave humanity a gift. This gift was always meant for you, never for angels, just you. Hope."

Touched by his words, Ms. Kat's lips curved a graceful grin. Her hand navigated itself to Michael's and her small fingers clipped around his. Mike felt the smooth texture of her skin, which craft a grin on his face as well, and his large thumb caressed along her knuckles. They stared deeply into each other's eyes and saw only what they knew was beautiful. They knew some people from their worlds wouldn't approve of their attraction but they didn't care. If this world could stop just for them, Mike and Malaika would have truly been happy.

Their happiness was interrupted by the roars of a loud engine. Dashing down the streets was a dirty red pickup truck that waved a confederate flag on the extensively long antennae. The truck halted at the stop sign where Mike and Ms. Kat could clearly see a pair of greasy men wearing red hats and stained t-shirts. The men howled at the sky like rapid wolves and spat their tobacco juiced saliva onto the paved road.

"Hey Jed!" one of the rednecks hollered, spotting Ms. Kat and her date across the street. "What're you s'pose we've got right dar?"

"Dat looks like one of dem Muslims, Billy Boy!" The second one jeered.

"Sure does," his crude comrade snorted. "Hey you! Dontcha know our president's got a ban on you? Yer time here's limit!"

His friend laughed aloud and joined in the tasteless taunting. "Yeah! Why don't you go back ter Aff-Gangi-Stan?"

Anger grew inside both Mike and Ms. Kat. Mike looked around and saw how the patrons uncomfortably stared at them as the ignorant bullies teased his date. He noticed not one stood up for her but instead tried to ignore them as if they were invisible. His face crunched together in the largest expression of anger he could form. Ms. Kat, however, made sure she kept her temper well hidden under her mature nature.

"Just move along!" Ms. Kat retorted back. "You're just embarrassing yourselves by making nonsense noise."

"Bet yer just sayin' dat cause yer sore that Jesus is bettur than Allah!"

"Best cool down. Don't want ta blow anything out proportion."

The patrons still ignored the foolish rantings and said nothing. Ms. Kat leered at both the rednecks while they still laughed and spewed more insults.

The sound of glass shattering snapped her out. She looked and saw the wine glass that was once in Michael's other hand was in pieces. The glass could not puncture through and left no visible marks of blood. Hearing enough of the insults, the archangel stood from his chair. Ms. Kat clamped both her hands around his mighty wrist.

"Please Mike," She begged. "Just ignore them. It's alright."

"No." The archangel growled. "It's not alright."

His wrist slipped through Ms. Katan's grasp as he proceeded to jump over the short metal fence and march towards the truck. The rednecks stared and laughed, unaware of what they were laughing at.

"Whatcha want, pretty boy?" One of the rednecks protested. "We ain't got nottin' to say to a Muslim lov-"

His insults stopped when he saw the stranger rip the car door off its hinges and tossed it aside like it was made of paper. He snatched both bullies by their collars and heaved them outside their truck. After both rednecks smacked into the pavement they saw a bright light blast their eyes, briefly blinding them. Michael summoned his massive wings, which astonished everyone in the area. The wings then sliced through the truck like a hot knife on butter. First the engine was diced in half, then the roof was minced, and then the tires popped followed by the chopping of the back end. The rednecks helplessly watched as their prideful truck was reduced to a pile of chopped up, melted scraps.

The archangel's stunning wings vanished back into his body, leaving no marks on his suit. Mike turned around, grabbed the bullies by their greasy necks, and hoisted them in the air with his incredible strength. Their legs dangled above the ground while they pleaded for the archangel to grant mercy.

"See that nice woman!" Michael shouted. "What do you say to her!?"

"Sorry." one of them quivered. "We're very, very sorry, ma'am!"

The other one then said. "We meant nothin' by it. Mama always said we say stupid things!"

"Now get out of here, both of you!" Michael ordered. His eyes glowed an electrical surge much like his wings did before. "If I ever hear you're picking on her or any other Muslims again, I'll show you what the Wrath of God is really like!"

Mike dropped the two frantic bullies back to the ground, and they scurried off down the street. He looked back at the outdoor dining area and noticed that all the patrons were staring at him. They then went back to their meals and hoped that the archangel wouldn't do something to them. Mike rolled his eyes and walked back to his table. There are some things in humanity that also disappointed him too. Ignorance and hate were among the biggest qualities that disgusted him. When he sat back down at the table he noticed Ms. Kat gave him a look that greatly expressed her disapproval.

"I'm sorry about all that." Mike explained. "I just couldn't sit by and let them insult you or your faith. It shouldn't be like this!"

"There are alternatives to handling bullies like them." Malaika assured. "This is why I wanted to be a teacher. Tensions between East and West are already bad enough as it is. All I ever wanted to do in life was to serve as a bridge between two societies in two simple steps: to help educate and grow the minds of wonderful children and to show that not every Muslim is a threat.

"While I am disappointed in whom this nation chose as a leader, it will not stop me from helping shape young minds about seeing the world as a much bigger picture. I worked hard to get where I am and not ignorance, nor fear, nor hate will stop that. There's also one more thing I'd like to add!"

"What's that?" Mike asked while he cringed for what might come next.

Ms. Kat however smiled and said. "Thank you for standing up for me."

Mike smiled. Her words inspired his spirit. "Is there any reward for good other than good?"

The archangel's words made Malaika smile too. She recognized her favorite verse from the Quran. Their hands met again at the center of the table.

Then an idea formulated in the archangel's head. "Can I show you something?" he asked. "I think you'll love it."

"Uh, sure." Ms. Kat said. Mike took her by the hand and guided her off. But first he slapped a couple hundred dollar bills onto their table.

"Keep the change!" Mike called out for the server, "And have one of those hundreds for your tip."

Mike walked Ms. Kat to the center of the street. There was a cracking of thunder. Shining and shimmering in the night were Mike's majestic wings. Ms. Kat ogled at them with captivated awe. She believed that angels had beautiful wings but to witness them up close was something more.

"Step onto my feet." the archangel kindly ordered. Curiosity bested the innocent teacher. She did precisely as he instructed.

"Hold onto me tight," Mike ordered again. Ms. Kat did precisely that, gripping her hands tightly on the angel's shoulders.

Mike wrapped his left arm around the teacher's small body. Suddenly, they were weightless.

The wings took one flap downward and both Mike and Ms. Kat were drifting into the night sky. Ms. Kat gasped as she saw her town become smaller and smaller. She kept herself closer to Mike now that she was hovering more than twenty feet off the ground. They climbed onward and onward to the sky. Ms. Kat could now see the whole town of Brimstone from where they were at.

"I don't believe it," the kindergarten teacher stammered, "We're flying. We're really flying."

"That's actually a misconception," her date disclaimed, "Angels technically don't fly. Our wings manipulate the gravity around us. We can be light as a feather or heavy as a mountain. And we can move through space into any direction we choose, at any speeds we wish. But I guess in some ways it does feel like flying."

Ms. Kat did not mind the correction. She was awestruck by his divine ability. "Are they... safe to touch?" she asked him.

"Not too close. You saw the damage they did to that truck."

With caution she moved her hand closer to one of the outstretched, glowing wings. Up close they definitely did not look like bird wings, even if they took the shape of them. No feathers, just pure energy of some sort. Electrical energy? Solar powered? Nuclear? A combination of all of them and more?

Her hand felt like it was bathing under the sun as she reached for it. Small vibrations flowed through her hand from the static emitted from the wings. Her hand then pulled away, satisfied with her findings.

Once again the eyes of a Muslim-American woman and a powerful archangel locked onto each other. They were spellbound by the other's alluring gaze.

"Malaika, can I ask you another question?" Mike said.

"Anything."

"Do you believe in kissing on the first date?"

"It is not something I normally practice," Malaika said. "But with you here, I'm willing to believe in anything."

Mike closed his eyes and slowly leaned forward. Ms. Kat followed the same jesture until their lips met. With that kiss they felt the world stop, and their time together was the only time that mattered.

Part 3

Dressed in his flashy, red night robe and matching slippers, Lu stepped out of the bedroom and quietly walked down the hallway, whistling himself a catchy tune. His plans for Valentine's Day worked perfectly. Lilith took the girls out for a double feature movie night while he and his queen stayed in and kept themselves company. Both he and Carmen took turns showing off how much they loved one another until they fell asleep, unbeknownst that Lilith had returned to put the girls to bed later that night.

Yet the devil still felt a little tired. He remembered that he awoke in the middle of the night when he heard a strange rhythm of thumbing below their bedroom. He didn't bother to investigate, figuring it may have been Slinky getting loose again and slithering through the walls, or the girls being restless as usual and played some games. However, that didn't explain why the lights and other electrical appliances flipped on for a second then power off the next. None of that mattered because he and his wife were able to celebrate the holiday the way they wanted. All love and no interruptions made Lu a very happy devil.

Lu made his way down the stairs then paused. The coffee maker hummed its morning tune. He last saw Carmen still asleep in their bed. He recalled that his stepdaughters don't drink coffee. He was also sure that Lilith made her way back to her apartment down in the Inferno. The only conclusions he could muster was that there was an uninvited guest in his house, or that mindless python was finally being useful and made his master some fresh coffee.

The latter seemed very unlikely.

Lu rushed into the kitchen only to find his older brother Michael, dressed only in his boxer shorts, standing by the counter and sipping from Lu's coffee mug. "Mike? What're you doing here?"

Mike jumped at the sight of his brother, which he almost spat the hot coffee on his bare skin. "Ah hey, Lu! Yeah, I was just dropping by to, you know, say hi and all that."

"Without a shirt?" Lu interrogated. "Or pants?"

"There's a good explanation for that..." Mike fibbed.

"Is that Mike?" A voice called from the stairs. A scurry of footsteps hurried down the flight. Carmen, dressed in her pearly colored night robe, entered into the kitchen and greeted. "Hey Mike. I didn't know you came in. How was your night? Wait! Where's your pants?"

A creaking sound started them all. That was the sound that the door from the guest room made whenever it opened or closed. Both Carmen and Lu looked down the other hallway across on the other side of the kitchen and saw another woman exiting the guest bedroom. They both recognized her as Regan's kindergarten teacher, Ms. Kat, who had the spare bed sheets dressed around her body. Ms. Kat kept her eyes close and fluffed her messy hair around, unbeknownst that everyone watched her walk into the kitchen

"Hmm, Michael, last night was just, in many ways, heavenly. I had a wonderful ti-" She opened her eyes and paused, quickly noticing the dumbfounded couple staring at her. She tightly grasped around the sheets to ensure it revealed nothing. "Oh my! Mrs. Gravely? And your husband? Hello."

Carmen and Lu awkwardly waved. Jaws were dropped. Eyes were bulged. The dirty images that raced through their heads when they pieced it all together.

"I, eh, I can explain..." Malaika stuttered.

"Ms. Kat?" A child's voice squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

Carmen and Lu stepped aside and found that their youngest daughter Regan, dressed in her pink feety pajamas and carrying her favorite stuffed monster plushy, stood behind them. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with her little hand. Her vision cleared up and she saw all the adults staring at her with very embarrassed expressions on their faces. Her attention, although, was more focused on her teacher. Ms. Kat had never been to her house before and she wasn't wearing any of her pretty school dresses that she liked.

"Regan!" Ms. Kat gasped. Her face burned redder than a cherry. "I, uh, I was, um-"

"She was checking your homework." Mike blurted, placing himself between Ms. Kat and his niece's view.

"Yes." The embarrassed teacher followed the lie. "Just checking your homework."

"I helped."

"Yes, he helped. Just wanted to make sure everything was good, and it looked like everything was good. Then I got sleepy, and..."

"I, ugh, offered my bedroom. I mean... the guest room. And she stayed there for the night."

"Yes. Quite right."

Perplexing silence filled the household. Lu and Carmen still stared at the archangel and his date. Ms. Kat and Mike prayed that Regan bought into their white lie. Little Regan was still confused on what was going. After a long moment of quiet time, Ms. Kat asked Mrs. Gravely about any available showers that she could use.

"Upstairs on the left." Carmen exclaimed. "I can help show you where it is."

"Thank you." Malaika cried. She rushed back to into the guest room and closed the door. A minute later she was back out with a pile of her clothes in her arms. She ran up to Mike and kissed him on his rough cheek. "Call me again some time. Preferably whenever you're around."

Mrs. Gravely escorted Ms. Kat to stairs that led to the hallway on the same floor as the kid's bathroom. The two women giggled back and forth when the walked passed their lovers and ran upstairs. Regan stood by and watched them disappear down the upstairs hallway. Suddenly, she had an epiphany.

"Hey! We didn't get any homework!" She angrily shouted. She stomped her way up the stairs, following far behind the two adults and wanted more answers. "What's going on? You people know something and you're not telling me."

The ladies were away and in the kitchen was where the men stayed. Lu turned to his brother and looked at him with squinty eyes and a crooked smile curled on his mouth. Mike darted his brother with a more grimacing glare; even after Lu waltzed over to his brother's side, used his telekinetic powers to swipe away the coffee mug, and took a long sip out of it. All the while he did so that same stupid squint and smug smile on his face.

"Not one word!" Mike growled.

"How about two?" The devil slyly hissed. "Fist bump!"

Trapped. 

Defenseless. 

Helpless.

Regan failed to hide from them, and now they've locked her inside a small room. The two assailants grabbed her and tried to tear away her cloths. Regan kicked, screamed, and bit into the violators as they each peeled away every ounce of clothing. First was her socks, then her yellow dress, finally her underpants. Regan laid on the floor stripped and exposed like a lifeless doll. One of the assailants then lifted her small body up and dropped her into a porcelain tub.

SPLASH!

Regan emerged from the bath and pouted. Her beautiful stink that she had been working on was soaked away by the warm water and comforting bubbles. She angrily stared at her mother and stepfather. The pair laid along the bathroom floor exhausted and beaten. 

"Do we..." Her mother, Carmen, irritatedly huffed. "Have to go through this... every time... it's bath night?!"

"LU? LU!" Regan's voice cried out from the darkness.

Her stepfather Lu, the devil himself, burst open the door and approached her bedside and calmly asked. "Yes Regan. What is it?" 

"Lu, I think there's another monster under the bed." the frightened five-year old peeped as she shuttered under her covers. "Can you go check it, please?"

"Another monster, you say?" Lu amusedly said. "I guess it's true what they say. Some lolligaggers are always trying to ice skate uphill. Don't worry pumpkin. I can take a look. There shall be no monsters living under this bed."

Lu knelt down and lift up the covers to peak under the bed. His scarlet red eyes could not find any scale, hair, or any evident presence of his stepdaughter's so called monster. He then stretched his arm underneath, toying with Regan's expectations. It was the same scheme that he'd always pull just to appease the little one.

"Careful Lu," Little Regan warned. "I heard some rustling under there."

"Rustling?" the devil whispered, addled by what the little mortal child meant. He hadn't started the stunt yet where he would sink under the bed and open up a portal to roughhouse with his assistant Scrugs. However he continued to feel around the spacing. Suddenly he touched something long and mushy. Lu smirked, figuring that it was one of Regan's toys that he could use in his act.

"Oh, wait!" Lu conned. "I think I might have nabbed some-D'OW!" 

Regan ducked under her blankets when she heard him yelped. Lu grasped his mouth with his right hand and uttered a loud, painful moan. He felt rows of needles puncture into his hand. The embers of hellfire couldn't match up this amount of pain. This was something different. Something was actually under the bed and attacked him. 

Lu thought about all sorts of new tortures to endure onto his assailant once he wrapped his hands around its neck. He then furiously pulled up the bed sheets and poked his head under the covers. His scarlet eyes blazed hatefully when he discovered the attacker.

"I think I found your monster!" he grumbled. 

Lu pulled his left hand up and showed Regan the monster under the bed. The large seven-foot, cream-colored Slinky had his oval-shaped mouth clammed around the devil's pale hand. Slinky's blinked his emotionless pink eyes, not caring about the situation that he has put himself in. He also refused to not let go Lu's hand, which he mistook for a juicy meal.

"Bad Slinky!" Regan said and wagged her little finger at the great snake. "Very, very bad. You know you're not supposed to be out of your fish tank."

"Carmen, get the crowbar!" 

The depths of the Inferno harbored many foul residents within its charcoal covered cities. Not just the souls enslaved and tormented but the demons who dwell on the granite and brimstone. Scriptures would say that the demons are vile beasts that feast off the flesh and bone of those imprisoned and forgotten by the Creator. Not the case for these denizens of the dark, for they share many roles and lives as humans, with the exception of some of their more monstrous appearances. They work, they lounge, and they party like all the rest. Their children, all of various age, attend schools for better education and knowledge of the ever growing universe. Yet there are few of these children granted with the gift of sorcery, to which they are offered the grand opportunity to be taught under the great mystics of the Inferno. 

With all the demon spawn that are chosen to train under powerful magic wielders even fewer were hand selected by the all-powerful sorcerer supreme, the ancient adviser of the devil, Legion. In his decrepit, six-fingered hand he carried a dying, wooden staff. He wore black garments that covered much of his insectoid body, a towering papal tiara on his round head, and a ragged scarf hid his face except for three pairs of black spider-like eyes. Those three pairs watched over his latest and most promising student. A small demon boy with red skin, pointy ears, and a messy patch of spiky, black hair, and a long, pointed-tip, serpentine tail. He also wore clothing that were every human from his blue jeans to his red-orange hoodie.

This boy, Dominic, one of the many sons of Moloch, practiced his magic with fireballs outside the home of the ancient spellbinder. The great arachnid's hut was crafted inside the trunk of dying tree, its bark made from the same wood as his staff. The fruit had long rotted off and the leaves have long since fallen and withered away.

For his lesson, Legion had instructed his pupil to hit various targets with his fire projections. Small green fireballs shot out of Dominic's three-fingered hands and he pitched them at the targets like a baseball. He threw one, then a second, then two at a time, followed by a fire blast that engulfed the whole target. Dominic smiled at his perfected performance and hoped that his master would acknowledge his improvement. 

"Your form has improved," The ancient demon commented. "But what of your fire art? Have you been practicing that?"

"Yessir." Dominic replied. "Everyday."

"Show me!"

Dominic took in a deep breath and exhaled out a stream of green fire. He then pictured the image he wanted to craft in his mind. Legion watched as his apprentice stroked the air like a painter brushing his artwork. With each gentle motion of the boy's hands the emerald blaze moved with him. The fire spiraled around and then his art came to form.

"Not bad," The old demon bellowed, carefully studying his student's work. "But you seem distracted."

Dominic looked back to his fire then gulped of what his teacher had noted. The fire he had outlined was in the form of a human girl, looking about his age, with the smoke that represented her black hair and beanie, and was even sure to detail that some of the smoke covered a portion of the girl's right eye. Dominic swiftly waved his arms out, which extinguished his art into a fading cloud of smoke. But his master had already recognized the model, much to Dominic's embarrassment.

"You still need focus, boy." Legion reminded his pupil, tapping on his spiky head with the end of his staff. "But for now let us move on to the next lesson: levitation."

"I can lift some small things," Dominic said.

"So I've noticed before, but now we'll move onto something more advanced." As Legion slowly raised his six-fingered hand into the air, three statues, all the etched into great demonic creatures, ruptured through the sulfuric earth. They became air born after being summoned from their earthly slumber. With a final wave of Legion's hand the statues dropped before his surprised pupil. "Lift these."

Dominic nervously stared at the statues. "But they're too big." He gulped.

"Only in your mind," His master gravely reminded him. "Concentrate. Clear your thoughts. Then lift them."

Dominic took a deep breath and focused on the three monstrous statues. He closed his eyes, focusing only on the statues. It was no different than levitating a ball or book. These were just much bigger, bigger than him and his master for that matter. Dominic held out his arms at the three statues. Each of his three fingers were spread out into obtuse shapes. He felt a connection between him and the statues. All he needed to do was lift with his mind.

The statues vibrated eccentrically. Chunks of dirt cleaned of their curves and edges the more Dominic focused on them. Dominic figured he they were lifting. His head flooded with thoughts of graduating to become a powerful, demon sorcerer and a date with a certain black-haired, beanie wearing, human girl at the success of mastering levitation. Dominic peaked one eye open but discovered that the statues only rocked around yet did not float in the air. 

He concentrated harder, then harder. His brows were soaked with his sweat. His sharp teeth ground against one another. Thoughts of achievement faded behind delusions of being disowned by his family and humiliated. He then dropped down to the floor after the statues wouldn't budge for the final time. 

"I can't do it!" Dominic pouted irately. "What you ask is impossible. I'm just not good enough. I'll never be good enough!"

Legion stared sternly at the young imp, who sat there with a tear dripping off his cheek. His old spider-like limbs crept him over to where he was. One of his six, skeletal fingers arched the demon boy's chin up, making sure that the boy's sad, hollow eyes were locked onto each of his six eyes.

"Impossible?" The old master grumbled. "The task is impossible because you deem it so. You believe yourself as unready or not good enough, and so your actions in the matter will follow. If you continue to see yourself as a failure then that is the only result you receive. Life will always keep you unprepared. It is up to you how you adapt to the situation. Now rid yourself of those tears. You know they won't serve you in my lessons. Concentrate, clear your mind, and lift them."

Dominic wiped off his last tear with his sleeve and picked himself off the ground. "Alright," he sighed. "I'll try."

"No!" Legion retorted fiercely. His old staff slammed against the ground, which cause his apprentice to jump. "Don't try. Only do. Trying will only give you the same results. Doing will give better solutions."

Looking back at the three statues, Dominic cleared his thoughts once more. Like before he held out his arms, thinking only about levitating them. His teacher stepped aside and waited for results. Dominic concentrated harder and harder than before. The stone statues all rumbled again. The connection between him and the three stones rose up inside like a hungry fire. Legion watched as the statues proceeded to slowly levitate a few feet off the ground then drop suddenly back to their spots. Dominic opened his eyes, now a more confident spellbinder. He looked to his teacher and eagerly awaited his comments.

"Your form needs work." The old demon grumbled. Dominic smiled at his criticism, knowing that is the best form of compliment that he'll get out of his stern teacher. 

Part 1

Down the depths of the Inferno was an ageless tree long since dead, yet its fruit still grew under the care of its giver. The caregiver had made his home out of the old tree, the massive trunk gave him shelter and the bark he had sculpted his trustee staff from. This was the home of the all-powerful sorcerer supreme, the ancient adviser of the devil, Legion.

Inside his home the ancient arachnid stood over his cauldron and stirred a most toxic brew. He had together different herbs into the bubbling liquid which fumed out the smell of rotting fruit. It was a sign that he had perfected it. He took a fresh cup and scooped enough of the poisonous liquid to fill it. Just as he was about to unveil his monstrous mouth, which remained hidden underneath his ragged scarf, a knock at his door halted him. The old demon sorcerer bellowed a small groan. Being interrupted from his morning tea was one of the many annoying things he despised.

Setting aside his cup he lingered to the door like an aging spider. He opened it and saw girl, a very human girl, stood before him.

"Hi Legion." Rosemary greeted.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of you being outside my humble home, young one?" The old demon bellowed. All six of his dark, soulless eyes peered at the courageous girl.

"I wanted to bring some flowers from here to my biology class. Can you help?"

Part 2

Rosemary trekked along the plains of the Inferno with Legion lingering not far behind. His old, skinny spider legs tried to keep up with the youthful wanderer.

"You didn't have to go with me, you know." Rosemary reminded the old demon.

"Do you know this terrain?" Legion questioned the girl. "Do you know its inhabitants? The beasts the crawl on the rocks? The rocks that hide the beasts? If you wandered here alone it won't be long before you'd be dead."

"So what are we looking for?"

"Wrethkars, native beasts of this realm. They share many similarities to your world's Sus scrofa domesticus, the domestic pig. It is they who will help us find the flower fit for your presentation, which you have not provided the specific details about it. Why ask me for assistance? Why not your father?"

"Stepfather," Rosie corrected. "And do you honestly think he knows anything about plants?"

"Valid point."

"Besides, I don't know much about you, and I think it'll be cool to, you know, get to know you a little better."

"I'm afraid there isn't much too tell."

"Oh come, that's not true. I'm sure you're full of-" Rosemary suddenly tripped off a small ledge and tumbled down to the bottom of a rocky ravine. After she recovered from her brief disorientation, she looked up and stared into a pair of dead pale eyes. Those eyes were part of a massively wide head of a large, four-legged, pudgy beast that relayed a loud, monstrous squeal and unveiled its toothy and tusked maw. Rosie gasped at the sight of its snout rounded that was much like a pig's and its reddish-pink hide was covered in armor plating. Spikes and horns engulfed most of its back and tail. 

She couldn't move as the beast drew closer. Rosie's heart pounded faster than a marching drum with each sniff the beast took from its large piggy snout and for every minute it opened its mouth opened wide like a hippo's. Just as the wrethkar edged over to Rosemary's spot, it lunged its head up when it caught sight of Legion posed over the ledge. His thin, arachnid legs crept down the slope, careful to step over the frightened Rosie and slowly approached the defensive creature.

"Legion, do something!" Rosie cried. "Zap it!"

Legion ignored her pleas and raised his staff above the squealing beast, which emitted a green light before its eyes. The wrethkar watched the light, captivated of the glow.

"We mean you no harm, great beast." The ancient demon softly spoke, waving the hypnotic staff left and right. "We are trespassing on your territory and we apologize. Let there be peace between us."

With a final wave of his staff the light diminished. The wrethkar uttered one last squeal and then trotted off. Its fat feet kicked up some dust as it lumbered towards more of its kin nearby. Rosie picked herself up and gazed in awe at the large herd of wrethkars. There were large and small, young and old, all roaming the ravine freely.

"These beasts are mainly innoxious if not provoked." Legion explained. "Now show me your injury."

"My what?" Rosie asked.

"It smelled your blood, and so can I," Legion bellowed. "Now show it to me."

Rosemary obeyed and lifted up her right pants leg. Underneath revealed a small, fresh scrape still bleeding out. Legion drew himself closer and placed his six-fingered hand around her injury. Rosemary saw a white light flash beneath. When he lifted his hand off and her injury was gone.

"That," Rosemary fumbled her words. "What you did... I saw Mike do that when I accidentally cut my finger on some broken glass."

"Healing touch," Legion explained again. "Angelic magic."

"How do you know angel magic?"

"An angel taught it to me long ago."

"But isn't that, like, restricted or something? That's like good magic, and demons use evil magic, right?"

"Magic is neither good nor evil. Its only allegiance is to the one who wields it. Now come along."

Old Legion walked off into the herd of wrethkars with Rosemary close behind Legion's abdomen and cautiously watched each of the wrethkars. It surprised her how they ignored the duo as the casually walked among the beasts. So docile and so relaxed as if they were part of the herd. They did not nip nor charge nor gave a leering gaze but continued their business, scrapping the ground and squawking at one another. Once in a while Rosie felt a breeze whenever one of the wrethkars gave a sniff but were still left alone like how the old sorcerer left them alone.

"You needn't worry about them. I won't let them hurt you." Legion reminded the mortal girl, sensing her growing fear of the creatures.

"But when that thing was coming after me. Couldn't you just shoot it with a fireball, or turn it into a toad?" Rosemary questioned the demon yet again.

"Why? Its intentions were not to harm me, therefore I had no intention to harm it. I deplore violence anyways. You can solve more problems with a strong mind than brute force. Now, for that flower-"

"What?" Rosemary asked. It took her a full second to remember their reason being there. "Oh right, that! So what flower are we looking for again?"

"It is called a Deathly Bloom." The old demon explained. "This plant can survive outside this realm, and it won't spread deadly pathogens to you or other species from your world."

"Why do you need wrethkars to find it?"

"Wrethkars are omnivores, consuming both plant and carrion materials. Usually where there are wrethkars, there are flowering plants. They'll likely be scrounging the soil for them, or better yet they have excreted their seeds long ago and the flowers will be freshly bloomed by then."

Rosemary cringed in disgust at the thought of picking flowers from old monster poop, but she smiled a little when she listened to the royal adviser talk. Oblivious to the old demon, Rosemary pulled out a small notepad and pencil. She knew that her project was about to get interesting when her pencil readied itself for fresh notes. "You sure know a lot about everything, huh?"

"No, not everything." Legion calmly said.

"But you seem to know everything."

"That is because I spent most of my life studying everything there is to know on every subject that has been documented. Every form of science, every form of magic and sorcery, and every culture built of various intellectual species of the known universe."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just know the answers to everything?"

"Then there would be no point to learning. What is life if you could not keep learning? One day when my time ends, just as all life must do so, my knowledge will be passed down to my apprentice."

"Like Dominic?"

"He has potential. One day, perhaps, when he is ready."

Rosemary's smile never faded when she listened to his lecture. With every word the adviser spoke she make sure that she wrote down everything. But then her note taking stopped when she heard a gentle thud. She glanced over to the open plain and saw one of the larger wrethkars laid immobile on its side. It wailed a mournful cry that ached at Rosie's heart. Abandoning her guide she ran over to the poor creature. When she encroached it cautiously she noticed that the large creature's belly was swollen like a balloon. Rosemary then walked up to its skull, petting the ill creature. The armor plating felt like coarse sand with every stroke. Its milky eyes, whose eyes were very reptilian, looked upon the strange newcomer that sought to aid it. It did not sense her as a threat but whatever ailment was developing inside forced the beast to continue its painful squeals.

"Legion, something's wrong with that one." She cried for the arachnid-like demon. "I think it's sick."

Legion crawled over to his worrisome assistance, studying the sickened beast. His six-fingered hand caressed along the fattened belly. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it is time."

The old sorcerer moved himself towards the wrethkar's lower half. He placed his left hand between the creatures hind legs while his right hand lightly pressed against the stomach.

"Push, old girl." He whispered softly. "Push."

The wrethkar bellowed out its loudest roar, a roar so painful that Rosemary had to cover her ears against it. Yet there was nothing that could cover her breaking heart when the beast cried. Legion felt something pasty engulf his hand. The blobulous mass started to take form and then it grew heavy.

The cries ended. The wrethkar's stomach deflated a little smaller. It started breathing normally. Rosemary watched as Legion peeled off some white goop but could not see what he cradled in his hands. When he finally turned she was stunned that in his old hand was a much smaller wrethkar with no horns or spikes, or a hard armored skin. Its small eyes finally opened to its first sight. Its first breath of air powered its lungs, which led it to cry soft squeaks and squeals much like the adults. The tiny legs and tail kicked around the air as Legion held it by its soft underbelly.

Rosemary gasped in awe at the newborn. A giant smile formed so large tears nearly poured from her eyes. The newborn reminded her how happy she was when she met her baby sister for the first time. She wanted to pet the thing so much but she looked up to Legion for permission. The softness of his six eyes were enough to guarantee an okay, so she lightly touched its backside. The infant's skin felt as smooth as leather in contrast to its mother.

"Such miracles and wonder life can bestow." The old demon sorcerer chuckled.

Part 3

The wrethkar herd continued their free roam in the ravine. Wandering amongst the herd was Legion, the great demon sorcerer, who searched for a flower, the Deathly Bloom, that would be suitable for Rosemary's upcoming presentation for her class. And where was Rosemary Gravely? She sat away from the old demon an a small boulder pile, no longer interested in her project but more so on the gentle herd that allowed the two of them to roam with. She sketched out drawings of a few of the beasts in her notepad. She drew in detail of each spike and scale of the young and the old. She even drew Legion guiding the herd like a old shepherd, which made her smile even more.

Suddenly she felt a tug on the back of her hoodie. She turned and saw an infant wrethkar gnawing at the cloth. It was the same baby that Legion helped birth. The newborn released her and gave a small squeak, then jumped down from the boulder pile. It was born not that long, perhaps only an hour or two, yet it was already walking and running at an accelerated rate. With every couple feet it ran it would always look back at Rosemary, coaxing her attention.

"Oh, you want to play?" Rosie giggled. She could resist its temptations. Jumping down from the pile, Rosemary pursued the swift infant. It ran farther and farther from the human girl that she could barely keep up. She soon chased the newborn down the ravine which led them to a canyon. The infant cut through a rocky corner and disappeared. Right then she heard frantic squeals of the infant.

"Oy! Snagged another one!" A grizzled voice cried out.

Rosemary darted for the large rock and crouched down. She poked her head from behind the large rock and saw three demons, that she has never met until now, gathered around a small campsite and safeguarded a set of large, wooden crates. One demon appeared like a muscled skeleton, much like Ghuul, but the horns on his head were longer like a gazelle. The second demon was much thinner and shorter than his comrades, with his appearance head and legs appearing rather goat like. The third demon was much more sinister looking than the others, with his muscular appearance much like a cross between a human and a lizard, complete with flaky scales, a short tail that swung behind, and his left eye so scarred up he couldn't open it.

"Remind me again why we're snatchin' up these babies." The skinny goat-demon whined. "Why can't we hunt down the bigger ones?"

"Their hides are only soft like this until they get bigger." Their horned leader explained. "Good for makin' some smooth leather, and worth quite a fortune to the right buyers. I gots me a flyboy in the heavens whose looking to buy off on some of their skins."

"Oh I can't wait to tell me brother." The skinny goat-demon giddied. "He's gonna be jelly of me when I come back stupid rich."

"You best keep your gob shut less you don't wanna loose your head!" The scarred lizard-demon warned his eager partner. "If any higher demons finds out what we've been up to it'll be our hides that's skinned."

Rosemary grew angry of what these demons were planning. She knew she had to get them out of that crate. As the demons talked among themselves of how their profits would be split, Rosie sneaked quietly to the crate. The closer she drew she heard the desperate pleas of the baby wrethkars inside the crate. She reached for the lock and tugged with all her might, but the lock wouldn't budge.

Suddenly she felt something yank at her hood and hoisted her off the ground. She could help but let out a small yelp from the hoisting. Off the ground she dangled in the hand of the scarred demon, who barred his sharp teeth at her.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a spy in our mist, boys!" The scarred lizard-demon hissed to his comrades.

The other two demons gather around the two. They watched how Rosemary kicked about in the air and her small naval was exposed from her hoodie and shirt being held up.

"What is it?" The skinny goat-demon asked.

"Looks like a soul." The horned leader commented.

The scarred lizard-demon took a couple sniffs at Rosemary and hissed once more, "Don't reek like one. Too fleshy and clothed to be a soul."

"I'm a girl, you jerks!" Rosie retorted. "And you better let these baby wrethkars go!

"Or what?" The horned leader jeered.

"Or I'll tell my stepfather!" She warned. "May have heard of him. He's the devil, sometimes referred as the boss."

All three of the demons gulped at the mention of her stepfather. Small sweat beads dripped down from their monstrous heads.

"She's the boss's brat!?" The skinny goat-demon squeaked.

"No she ain't!" The horned leader denied. "She's a liar!"

"Hey, what if she's telling the truth?" The skinny one asked. "What if we're ratted straight to the devil?"

"She's a kid. Kids always tell lies to get outta trouble." The lizard-demon spat. He then drew a large bowie knife from his belt and raised up to the girl's chin, to which she gasped at its sharpness. "Kids also know how to keep their mouths shut or risk their tongues cut out if she spills to anyone."

"And what of me?" A familiar voice bellowed nearby. "What is my punishment for knowing?"

All four looked to the path and saw the great demon sorcerer supreme himself lingering down their way. His old staff tapped the ground with each slow step. Each pair of spider like eyes glared to each of the poaching demons. The horned leader and skinny goat-demon pulled out their machetes from the sheaves of their pants and readied themselves.

"Oy! That there's Legion, the royal adviser." The skinny goat-demon gasped. "Kid was speakin' the truth!"

"This ain't your concern, old timer." The scarred lizard-demon hissed.

"You are trespassing on ground you do not belong in," The old arachnid said. "You are holding my assistant hostage and are threatening her life, and you have a few infant wrethkars boxed up with intentions to craft their hides into leather and sell it to the black market, an act to which I myself established a ban all across the depths of Hell. I would say that this indeed is now my concern. I am will grant each of you mercy and pardon your crimes if you do the following: release the wrethkars, apologize to the girl, leave this place, abnegate your professions, and never return.""

"Gut this old wizard!" The horned leader ordered.

The scarred lizard-demon dropped Rosie onto the ground and charged forward with the skinny goat-demon following suit. Legion spun his staff around and struck it against their heads. The skinny goat-demon took few more strikes against his body before being sent flying to the canyon wall by a final blow. The scarred-lizard demon tried to blast Legion with a couple fireballs, but, without a single glance, the sorcerer dissolved them with his hand. A purple glow emitted from the arachnid's hand followed by a great gust of wind, which blasted the scarred attacker into the canyon wall as well.

The horned leader charged forward only to drop to his knees when Legion's staff jabbed him below his belt. A hard strike across his head knocked him on his back, which forced the demon to groan loudly from his pain. He then gagged when the wooden staff pressed down on his throat with the sorcerer standing above him.

"My offer still stands." Legion reminded them.

After their humiliating defeat at the hands of the old demon, the poachers did exactly as he instructed. They dropped their weapons, unlocked the crate of baby wrethkars, to which the babies scampered back to the herd. The poachers then followed up with a short apology to Rosemary, who mockingly smiled and laughed as they all ran out of the canyon, screaming like scared girls. 

Legion raised his left hand, which emitted a hazy green glow. Sprouting from the tainted ground were large roots that coiled around the crates, crushing them down into tiny splinters, so they can never be used again. The six eyes peered over to Rosemary. 

"For one so small you seem to constantly find yourself in big trouble." He uttered under his sacred scarf.

"It's a bad habit." Rosie jested. "What about you? I thought you were against violence."

"I am. But I am for self defense."

Legion's six eyes beamed. Caught in a mesmerized trance, he slowly crept to a corner of the canyon.

"There." He muffled. Rosemary was confused. She looked to where the old demon was moving for where she caught a glimpse of a patch of what looked to be plants that sprouted from beneath the mouth of a very small gaping burrow.

"Here we are," Legion thrillingly exclaimed. "The Deathly Bloom!"

His human compatriot ran toward the opening to see what his excitement. Yet Rosie's eagerness could not match that with the demon sorcerer's for when she arrived at where he knelt she saw only a large patch of dying weeds. The stems were bent like fish hooks, the leaves below were dried up, and their black petals were closed together.

"But they're all dead." Rosie said sadly.

She then felt Legion's large six-fingered hand slide along her own. Two of his fingers directed her index finger outward; then he guided her to one of the dead flowers before them. With a light poke on a frail petal, the Deathly Bloom waved back and forth like a swing caught in the wind. The petals blossomed up and revealed its lively spark that it hid away. Its glistening colors of radiant purples and browns, along with shades of black and grey, all blended wondrously together that it looked like this small flower held a whole new galaxy inside. Rosemary's eyes twinkled at the sight of the flower's natural beauty that a gleeful smile enveloped again on her face.

"Sometimes you have to look past what seems scary or hideous in order to see the true beauty within." The wise, old demon boasted.

Rosie started poking at every flower she could spot. But then Legion stopped her with his staff. "Back away!" He warned.

Legion crept low to the soil with all his eyes locked on a single flower shadowed by a black mist. He unhooked the skull amulet he carried around his neck and whispered into it in strange tongues. Rosie watched as the skull opened his small mouth and the black mist surrounding flower shoot inside like it was sucked through a straw. The skull clamped shut, forever locking whatever contamination had engulfed the decay-looking plant along with other evil souls he had locked prior.

"What was that?" Rosemary asked.

"A taint that has been long since forgotten." Legion replied. "Nothing you need to concern yourself over."

"Tell me." She softly urged once more.

Legion exhaled his hesitation, but he complied. "There were others before your father-"

"Stepfather." Rosie corrected the demon elder again.

 "-stepfather to claim the title as Devil. What you witnessed was an extraction of a piece of a soul of the worst of them, the one before your father. Most would not mention him by name, but we called him Baracrus. Cruel, heartless, relentless. Baracrus sought the destruction of Heaven and its angels, back in the long days of the old war. The Heaven-Hell War, a war for all the souls of the universe."

"What happened to him?"

"During the final days of the war, a trusted member of his council plotted against him. This member made a deal with the Archangel Council to help them defeat Baracrus. With a temporary alliance of angels and demons Baracrus was destroyed, and Lucifer was made our king. Only shattered fragments of his dark soul remain. I've spent many centuries collecting these impurities and keeping them away from corrupting other souls. Even in death he is still capable of corrupting the strong willed. 

"I feared if Baracrus' reign had continued he would have destroyed all of creation. It mattered not the collateral damage he dealt, or how many had to sacrificed, victory through any means was all that matter to him. Even if it meant corrupting a young angel to his will, having him turn against his home and family; only to ultimately be damned here with us, and then be created into a living weapon that would give demon-kind an edge in that dreaded war."

Rosie looked deep into his eyes. She saw half his eyes expressed sadness. The other half expressed regret. Feelings that she didn't believe this old demon, or any other demon, could have these same feelings much like a human. His emotions faded when Legion waved his hand once more, which emitted a brown glow around it. With his magic he crafted a clay pot out of the earth of the surrounding cave mouth. Carefully he scooped up one of the Deathly Blooms into his hand then placed it inside the materialized pot. Once inside he gently patted and smoothed the soil, which made the flower feel more comfortable in its new home. With his telekinetic powers he lowered the pot to Rosemary, which she gratefully took.

"Know this, child." Legion lectured once more. "Your father — stepfather — is a good king. But I fear by following the orders of one monster, I forever cursed him with another."

Part 4

Inside his hut the demon sorcerer brewed another hot, bubbling cauldron. One smell from the toxic fumes informed him of the perfection of the fresh brew. Just as he was about to take a cupful of poisoned liquid, he heard a knock outside his door. Interrupted during his morning tea yet again.

"Enter." Legion bellowed.

"Legion, old friend!" Lu said as he stepped through the door.

"My lord," His loyal adviser said with a bow. "How may I be of service?"

"You can give yourself a pat on the back for starters." The devil boasted. "Rosie got her essay back. A+, gold star, and everything - and she said it was all thanks to you. I'll admit I was a little jealous that she didn't pick me to help her out."

"With all do respect, my lord. You don't have much knowledge to botany."

"What are you talking about?" Lu asked. "Oh, she didn't tell you. You might want to read this then."

Confused, Legion took the short essay from his king's hand and read it. He, the all powerful, the all knowing, the wise master of the dark arts, was deceived by a human child. What he read was certainly not about biology or plants, but what he read was enough to craft a smile beneath his tattered scarf.

                                           Who I Find The Most Interesting

                                                   By Rosemary Gravely

There sure are a ton of interesting people in the world that it's hard to choose one that interests me the most. And if you've met my stepfather and some of his employees, interesting is just one word to describe them all. But I think the one that stands out the most to me would be my stepfather's adviser, Legion. 

Legion serves as the royal adviser for my father, making sure he doesn't go through with whatever dumb scheme he cooked up. He's also a part time scientist and teacher. Don't make him angry because he can even kick some serious ass. He's like Gandalf, Yoda, and Mr. Miyagi all in one. 

When I first met him I really didn't know what to think of him. I mean he's pretty creepy looking, he comes off as kinda crude with his brutal honesty, and he can be kinda boring at times. But sometimes you gotta look past what you think is scary and hideous in order to see the true beauty within. 

"Twilight, and the ocean breaks..." Rosemary read aloud from a small, pink booklet in her mother's bedroom. A small box full of old knick-knacks laid open by her side on top her parent's bed. 

"Whatcha doing?" Her little sister, Regan, called out as she entered the open bedroom.

"Reading mom's old poetry." She replied. "I found this box of old junk while I was helping clear out the attic."

"Lemme read it too." Regan hollered, crawling onto the large, king-size bed. Then she grabbed at the booklet from her big sister's hands and stared down at the words.

Rosemary retorted. "You can barely read."

"I'm still learning. Ms. Kat says practice makes perfect."

"Hey you!" Their mother pounced on the bed and started tickling her youngest. She then nabbed her oldest daughter, tickling her sides as well. The three Gravely gals laughed about as they rolled around on the bed, making a mess of the covers. "What're you two nosy nuggets up to?"

"Just reading this." Regan replied, holding up the booklet to her mom's face.

"Oh wow! That's my old diary. I used to write in this when I was your age, Rosie, all the way up to college."

"Cool." The eldest daughter said. "What secrets did you hide in here?"

"Just the good ones, and some happy memories." Mrs. Gravely answered. "Tell you two what. We can read some entries just as long as you keep this away from Lu. Deal?

"Deal!" They both agreed. Mrs. Gravely then positioned along the bed with her head rested on her fluffy pillows. Her comforting arms directed her daughters along where they laid their heads upon her shoulders. Each arm locked around each daughter's neck and shoulder. Once they were all comfortable, Carmen flipped through the pages of her old diary until her eldest daughter pointed out one of her entries.

"Here's something interesting." She exclaimed and started reading. "Today I met the man I want to marry. He's smart, handsome, and one of the nicest persons I ever met. I think I know who that this."

"Think so, huh?" Carmen teased.

 Rosie continued reading the entry. "He is perfect, and his name is... Jake Blake? Who the heck is Jake Blake?"

"Captain of the debate team from high school." Her mother answered.

"What about daddy? Where's daddy?" Regan anxiously pleaded.

"I didn't meet your father until I started college. Skip a few pages in and start there."

Regan did as instructed and she thumbed a few pages in. The three came across an entry of Carmen's collage years. With the assistance of her stubby finger, she tried reading from the passage. "First day of..."

"Col-lage." Her mother assisted. 

"...col-lage and I met the most r-ru..."

"Rud-dest."

"Rudest person on the-

"Planet."

"I would rather kiss the devil than kiss him. He is so rude, and his name is... Doug Gravely?"

"Harsh, mom." Rosemary uttered with a short chuckle.

"Well that was my first impression of your father at the time." Carmen explained. "When we first met he was loud, obnoxious, and he liked to play music or practice his music during my study hours. He'd always show up late to lectures, and he'd act like a total clown during lab sessions. It was a bumpy start."

"Alright, so when did you two finally hook up?"

"Let me see." Carmen pondered. She turned a couple more pages until she found her most treasured entry. "Aw, here it is. I'll read this one. Last night I had a wonderful time. Doug took me to a concert featuring my favorite band. I was surprised that he agreed to going to this, but knowing him he loved all music. The best part was when we shared our first dance, and then our first kiss; and it was from that moment on when I realized... I wanted to... spend the rest of my life with him..."

Carmen cleared her throat of emotions then slowly close her diary. She stared deep to the plain white wall, reflecting all the fond memories she, her daughters, and her late husband shared. Rosemary and Regan did the same. Their eyes filled with water upon the realization that the person they admired and loved was no longer with them.

"I miss daddy." Regan sadly muttered.

"Me too." Rosemary muttered too.

"Oh, babies." Their mother softly whispered. She held them both tight and kissed each daughter on the forehead. "I miss him too. Back then I never could have imagined him not being with us. But we still have each other, and we also have someone whose just as loving and caring and wonderful as he was."

"YOW!" The Gravely gals jumped when they heard the rantings of their loving, caring, and wonderful someone outside through an open window. "DAMN STUPID PIECE OF CRAP! LET ME SHOW YOU A REAL FIRE!"

The cursing followed up with the sound of a roaring flamethrower, then the sound of a thunderous explosion. Carmen, Rosemary, and Regan immediately rushed to the window. The three looked out and saw Lu in the backyard, covered in smoldering soot, standing in front of the charred crater of where their gas-powered grill used to be. Lu, the devil, glanced up to his three girls, who all laughed at his misfortune. He gave them a sheepish smile and raised up a pair of roasted wieners skewed in small prongs.

"Hot dogs are done." The devil coughed.

Part 1

Down the fiery depths the elevator plummeted yet again until it crashed onto the granite tile flooring inside Inferno Tower. This time only a single mortal woman wearing a dark green shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of small, rectangular glasses stepped out of the rusted contraption. 

The woman walked past the demon workers, ignoring the horrid tortures they bestowed on the wretched, screaming souls. She then walked through a long hallway filled with various paintings of different facial expressions of her husband. From top to bottom the walls were covered in a painting which featured a more ridiculous smile after the other. 

After an extensive walk through hall of over-the-top smiles, she stepped inside a large office space where a humanoid, purple-skinned, purple haired succubus sat behind a large desk and typed away at a computer. Her lavender eyes caught a glimpse of the very human woman approaching the front desk.

"Hello there, missus!" Lilith said with a cheery smile and wave. "Here to speak with the boss, are ya?"

"Actually I'm here to talk to you, Lilith," Carmen said, plopping a seat on top of the secretary's desk. "I was wondering if you had any big plans this Saturday. Any hot dates for the weekend?"

"Not really." The purple succubus sighed. "Just going to be me, a movie, and a tub of ice cream to keep me company again."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." Carmen said abjectly.

"Don't worry nothin' about it, love." Lilith assured. "It's not as bad as it sounds, though I would really like to get into the habit of going out again, maybe having some luck with a potential partner."

"Well let's try to turn that frown upside down. As you know that Lu's getting some buddies over for a poker night, and Rosie's going to have her friends hang out. So I figured why don't we have a girl's night out? Just the two of us!"

"A girl's night out?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun! We can hop some bars, catch a chick-flick, wave at some cute guys. Plus I feel you and I don't really hang out outside this office space here."

"That does sound like a lot of fun." The succubus conveyed. A small simper curled around her flawless face. "I can't remember the last time I hung out with some girlfriends. Are you sure about this, missus?"

"Oh you bet it's gonna be fun!" The queen ecstatically exclaimed. "It'll be good for you to take your mind off this break-up. And, please, call me Carmen. Friends don't slap some fancy titles onto each other."

Friend. Lilith knew the term but was never addressed as such. A lovely lady, a sexy beauty, and even her old nickname long ago, but never once called a friend. She hung out and chatted with her demon kin around the office but only referred to them as coworkers. She spent time with her boss but never established any friendship with him. Even the times she talked with the boss' wife she never once thought of her as a real friend. Something light bloomed inside her dark soul that crafted another fresh smile.

"Alright, love," She agreed. "You've got yourself a girl's night. What time should I be showing up?"

"Everyone's coming around five, so why don't you do the same?" Mrs. Gravely suggested.

"Capital! See you then, Carmen!" Lilith obliged with a wink.

Carmen Gravely mimicked the same gesture and waltzed back to the elevator. Lilith waved her a goodbye, eagerly waiting for the weekend to arrive. She knew when Saturday comes around she was going to have some fun with her friend.

Part 2

Preparations were being made inside the Gravely residential home. All the members of the Gravely family were busy readying themselves for their big night. Lu the devil poured himself a large bowl of salsa dip then placed it at the center of the dining table while Carmen fluffed her face with makeup in her bathroom. Rosemary was in the living room disconnecting her game console from the TV, placing them all inside a small box. She then bolted downstairs to the basement's entertainment room and hooked up her system to the larger flat screen that hung on the wall. Little Regan even had her own plans where she collected all her stuffed toys for her tea party. Everyone in the household knew one thing: tonight was going to be epic.

Lu laid out some playing cards on the table; a careful shuffle of the deck to make sure that he got the exact cards needed to win each game. He heard his mortal wife scamper down the stairs. The elegance of her beauty caught his sinister, red eyes. She didn't want to flaunt too much of her extravagant looks. A touch of makeup, her bob cut ironed and highlighted, a new pair of her classic spectacles, and a change into a flashier green top was enough for her to stand out.

"Hummana, hummana," The devil howled. "Don't you look divine!"

"Thanks." Carmen said. "I hope it isn't too much."

"For you, babe, too much is always right." He complimented. He then took his wife by her hand and planted a soft kiss on the back. He followed that treat with a longer kiss on her sweet cheek, to which Carmen giggled at the brush of his wet lips.

"By the way, it was nice of you to invite your brother to your poker game. You're sure the rest are okay with this?"

"Trust me, Carmen. When I say they're okay with it, they damn well are okay with it. Basically my word is law. Also I think it's cool you and Lilith are gonna hang out."

"I think so too. I'm going to treat her to the best night ever."

"You really are enthusiastic about this girl's night thing. Does this have anything to do with me stating that you don't know how to have any real fun?"

"I can have fun! Loads of fun. I'm the fun parent too! Right girls?"

"Nah ah," Regan rebutted. "Daddy was always the fun parent."

"Yeah," Rosemary teased while she carried her games and console controllers. "No offense, but you're more like the bossy one."

"That's not true!" Carmen whined. "Wasn't it fun when I took you all to the studio planning room?"

"We sat around listening to you, Mr. Marlow, and the staff members talking about different concepts and activities for the show for three hours," Her eldest daughter refuted. "And we ate stale donuts and drank room temperature hot chocolate."

"Well I'm gonna be all fun tonight," Carmen announced. "I'm gonna be so fun that you're all gonna be jealous of how much fun I'll be having."

The Gravely daughters and the devil all rolled their eyes over her outlandish rant. A knock at the front door took them by surprise. Mrs. Gravely scurried over and opened the door to find the archangel Mike standing outside.

"Hi Mike." She accosted and hugged. "Come on in."

"Hello Carmen!" Mike said. "Hi girls. Hey brother!

"Bro! You're early." Lu welcomed his older brother.

"Early is on time, and on time is late, as we say." The archangel responded.

CLINGK!

The sound of the haywire elevator crashing to a stop made everyone in the household to jump. Popping into the kitchen was a reptilian man with black, scaly skin serpent-like nostrils, and hollow, greedy green eyes. Small horns punctured through the hood of its unzipped hoodie, and chains that coiled around his arms like snakes.

A second demon appeared behind his ominous smiling comrade. This one looked like melted skeleton, the muscles and tendons peeled away exposing the skull beneath. This demon was much skinnier than his comrade. Practically skeletal underneath his black, leather jacket and biker jeans.

A third demon scrambled into the kitchen area with a large box of alcoholic beverages it hauled over its head. The small creature had the head and wings of a balding bat, large bulging red eyes, a rounded belly, and small curved taloned feet. The timid thing also wore a tattered loin cloth around his waist.

"Wazzup!" Balthazar, the hooded, razor-toothed demon, hollered.

"Heyya boss! Madam, kiddies!" Ghuul, the skeletal biker demon, greeted.

"We bring the beer, so let's have ourselves some cheer!" Scrugs, the short bat-like demon, sang.

"Hi fellas." Carmen happily welcomed her husband's cohorts. "Make yourselves at home."

"Hey, where's Mol?" Lu asked.

"He should be behind us." Ghuul responded.

The house rumbled from thunderous footsteps. A hulking shadow encroached into the kitchen followed by the full size of a giant, red demon that resembled much like a minotaur, complete with a bare chest, bulging red muscles, a monstrous short face, large hoofed feet, and wore moldy, grey pants. His red eyes scanned the archway, pondering how he was going to fit his massively large horns that were crowned above his brows inside. The giant demon tried to crouch down and slide through the open arch. His horns, however, busted through the white plasterboard, leaving a small pile of rubble onto the clean kitchen floor.

"Sorry. My bad." The giant Moloch mumbled.

"It's alright," Carmen nervously said. "We've been meaning to redo the kitchen anyway."

Rosie ran up from the basement and looked around the giant demon. "Where's-"

"Hi Rosie!" A familiar, innocent voice called her out. Crawling over his father's gigantic shoulders was a small demon boy with red skin, pointy ears, and a messy patch of spiky, black hair, and a long, pointed-tip, serpentine tail. He also wore clothing that were every human from his blue jeans to his red-orange hoodie. The boy disappeared in a small puff of smoke and reappeared in front of his human friend.

"Hey Dominic!" Rosie cried. The duo tapped their fists together in a secret handshake. "How did you all fit inside the elevator?"

"Are you kidding me, kiddo?" Lu called out. "We can fit a whole circus inside that contraption."

"We did fit a whole circus one time." Scrugs echoed.

With a wave of his hand, Mike repaired the archway in a flash. Ghuul glared at the archangel and scowled. "Hey, who invited the flyboy?"

"Flyboy?" Rosemary asked her demon friend.

The imp answered. "It's what we call angels down below."

"Well, since you've never met an angel," Rosie said. "Dom, this is, well, my Uncle Mike."

"Dominic, huh," The archangel politely greeted, reaching out his hand before the young demon. "Rosie's told me a lot about you."

"Really?" Dominic excitedly stuttered. "She has?"

Dominic reached out his small, three-fingered hand to the friendly angel. An aggressive growl stopped the boy from making full contact. Dominic pulled his hand away and looked over to his father, Moloch. His pointy ears drooped sadly when he saw his father's stern eyes glaring down at him. As an angel, Mike could sense the emotions emitted from both the father and the son. He sensed the fear inside the nice child as well as a growing hatred from the boy's father.

Rosemary tugged on Dominic's shirt, to which she led him down to the basement. When they both walked by the intimidating Moloch, he lightly stroked his son's spiky hair. The archangel now sensed the care and compassion he had for his boy. Yet the hatred boiled back inside when the demon boy and the human girl disappeared into the basement, and he felt that hatred geared at him when Moloch stared icily at the archangel. He also felt uncomfortable with the eerily stares of his brother's other minions.

"We're not gonna have a problem tonight, are we?" Michael asked, trying to size up against the monstrous giant.

"Boss says it's cool, it's cool." Moloch growled. "For now."

"This is going to be a long night." Mike then whispered his brother.

"Come on, brother. They like you," Lu reassured. "They haven't tried to kill ya yet."

Part 3

Another knock drew Mrs. Gravely to the door. She opened it and was welcomed by four children, three girls and a boy, all around her daughter's age, standing outside with eager smiles. The first girl wore a pearly colored jacket and a fancy blue dress that matched her tiny, diamond-coated purse. She had excessively curly, raven hair, small gold piercings in her ears, and bright blue eyeliner over her green eyes. Mrs. Gravely knew her, of course most of the townsfolk would recognize her, as Krystal Lotsadeux, daughter of an extremely wealthy entrepreneur. Rosie and Krystal weren't friends for long, in fact Carmen remembered how much they despised one another when they first met. Yet through circumstance she was glad to see the two became the best of friends.

The second girl had dark brown skin and dark brown hair. She wore a light purple long-sleeve shirt and light blue jeans. A beaded necklace hung around her neck. Mrs. Gravely already recognized her as her coworker's adopted daughter, Kayleigh Marlow-Goto. She and Rosemary had been friends for a longtime ever since the Gravely family moved to Brimstone after Carmen accepted the T.V. host position. Her and her family often hung out with the Marlows to a point they too became family.

The third girl had long red, curly hair that touched to her shoulder blades, and her face was decorated with freckles. She wore a green, long sleeved, wool sweater. Mrs. Gravely knew was Ashley DeMarco, sometimes referred to as Ash, the daughter of a scientist friend of hers that lived in the neighborhood. She and Rosemary have been friends for while, much like Kayleigh and Joshua. They both enjoyed loud music and sometimes got into trouble at school, yet Carmen thought of her as a kind child and a good influence, often helping her busy father around their house.

The sole boy in the group Carmen recognized was Joshua Wordsworth, the son of the strict fundamentalist principal of Rosemary's school. Joshua wore a plain white, buttoned collar shirt and plain tan shorts. His short brown hair was combed over to make him look well nurtured. While she may have not been on good terms with Principal Wordsworth, she always thought of her son as a kind, gentle boy who was well mannered and more accepting than his mother, and she liked how he was good friends with her daughter regardless of his strictly Christian background.

"Hi Mrs. Gravely," Krystal said. "We're ready to party!"

"Hi Krystal. Hi Kayleigh. Hi Joshua. Hi Ashley." Carmen greeted the four children. "Come on in. Rosie's waiting for you down in the basement. Snacks have been set out for you on the table."

"Thanks Mrs. Gravely." Joshua said as he and his friends all entered the home.

"Thank you Mrs. Gravely." Kayleigh said too.

Ashley said not a word but instead gave Carmen a sweet smile and wave then raced her friends down to the basement.

CLINGK!

The elevator down the hall popped open again. Out stepped a purple-toned woman with a matching purple dress and purse. The woman casually waltzed into the dining area and greeted the family and supernatural entities. "Hello, loves," The devil's sexy secretary chirped. "Hope I'm not too late."

"No, no, no Lilith," Carmen assured. "You're just in time."

"Chipper!" she gladly chimed. Her perfectly polish teeth beamed under the light.

"Alright, boys," Carmen announced to Lu, his brother, and cohorts. "We're off to Dante's, so don't make too much of a mess of the house."

"Don't worry a thing, Carmen," Mike assured. "We'll hold the fort down."

"Kiss up." The hulking Moloch mumbled.

"Ain't that like a flyboy." Scrugs agreed.

Michael caught wind of those mocks, but brushed them off for his brother's sake. Lilith and Carmen said their goodbyes to everyone and they both walked out to the front door. Once gone Michael pulled out several brown cylinders encased in plastic wrappings and presented them to the demons.

"Who wants a stogie?" He proposed.

The demons simpered greedily from the archangel's offering. "Liking you already, flyboy." The demon Balthazar commented, gladly putting one of the cigars in his toothy maw.

But celebrations were cut short when they heard the door open once more and Carmen's voice shouted. "If I come home and the place smells like smoke, I'll skin you all alive!"

The six supernatural beings darted away their cigars, fearful of the thought of Carmen's wrath. They then sat down at around the dining table and started their poker game. Downstairs in the basement's entertainment area was in full bloom with the children getting their activities started. Rosie's game system was hooked up to the large, wall mounted, flat screen television with the start up screen of their favorite video game flashing. Bags of chips, soda bottles, and cooked frozen pizzas were littered about the tables for their enjoyment.

Dominic was feeling comfortable among Rosie's friends. Of course he had already met most of them prior when Rosie invited him to partake in various activities; yet the red-headed Ashley was a new face to him. She was only mentioned once by Rosemary, and he only met her online when they played video games. While he never heard her voice before, she spoke with them only through chat rooms.

Summoning up his confidence, he slowly approached the table where Ashley stood. Ashley stacked a paper plate up with some chips and pizza. She took one of the slices and placed it into her mouth. She smiled as she chewed away at the cheesy goodness, oblivious to the young demon that stood next to her.

"Hi, um, I don't think we've met," Dominic opened up. "My name is Dominic."

The girl said nothing. She did not answer, nor did she look at him. She continued dining on the hot cheesy pizza without glancing over to the young imp. She then took her plate of junk food and flopped onto the beanbag chair that was directed at the television.

Dominic curiously scratched his head. Did she not hear him, he wondered. Did she ignore him? Dominic's heart felt a little heavy after being brushed off, but he shrugged it off when he tasted one of the pizza slices.

Unbeknownst to the young party goers, little Regan crept down into the basement. She then started looking high and low for something lost. She looked over and under the sofa, then she looked by the bar section, and then she looked under the food tables.

"Regan, what are you doing down here?" Her sister asked, irked by her younger sister's presence. "You're suppose to be upstairs, not bothering us."

"I'm looking for Slinky," the kindergartner said. "We are suppose to have a tea party, but he disappeared."

"Eeek!" Krystal shrieked, jumping away from the area where the game system sat. Dominic ran over to investigate what could have scared the popular rich girl. To his surprise he found a large seven-foot, cream-colored python with small, soulless pink eyes coiled near the warming game system. The snake gave his fellow reptilian a friendly flicker of his forked tongue. Dominic replied back with the same notion then carefully picked up the slimy serpent. He often found it funny how most of his kin were afraid of these creatures but he found them all the more fascinating.

"Here he is." Dominic proudly exclaimed, placing he great snake into Regan's arms.

"Yay." Regan cheered. "Thank you, Dominic."

Regan carried Slinky back up to her room in the top floor of the house. Rosemary and her friends waved her goodbye then proceeded with their game night.

"Hey, where's the controllers?" Joshua asked.

"They should be by the Play-Box." Rosemary explained.

"But that's the spot where I find Slinky?" Dominic reported.

All children tried to recap where the controllers could have been. They knew the controllers were with the game, then Slinky was found by the game. When little Regan carried off the python, they remembered that it had a large bulge in his abdomen. Everything suddenly clicked in each of their heads.

"GET THE SNAKE!" They all screamed and scurried up the basement stairs to Regan's bedroom, hoping that the game controllers haven't been digested yet.

Part 4

Another busy night at the local bar, Dante's Inferno. It may not be the cleanest bar, stuff was always breaking or broken, and the food was so atrocious that the patrons often left with food poisoning; yet the beverages were always cold and the attendants served with a smile. It had it's regular crowds come in to watch the sports channel on its staticky T.V. and forget their stressful affairs; and families partaking in for the popular weekly activities such as family trivia or karaoke night. Yet this is just another Saturday, which means it was the perfect time for folks to come in and drink away.

This Saturday night was all the more special with the lovely Mrs. Gravely and the sexy Lilith celebrating their first girls night together. They sat up at the front in the bar at the head of its long, horseshoe shaped counter top table. Their feminist bartender poured the two their drinks, to which they swallowed down shot after shot.

"Cheers!" They praised and sipped down their third shot.

"Lu wasn't kidding," Lilith said. "when he said this bar was great. It kinda reminds me of that show from the 80s where one of the blokes got a better spin-off series."

"Yeah it may not look like much," Carmen said. "but it makes you feel at home. Hey, hunk over at two o'clock."

The two ladies peered off to the one of the back corners of the bar as they carefully eyed a very handsome man, who in returned raised his glass to them.

"That he is, and I spy a nice lass over there with a fine ass," Lilith said, giving a wink to the female seated next to the charming man. Surprised, Carmen's eyebrows raised, to which Lilith gave her the most logical response. "I'm not picky with whom I share my love with. That is if I can share my love with anyone."

"I can't believe that someone like you doesn't have a lasting relationship." Then Carmen said. "I mean look at you. You're smart, you're attractive, you got a great body, and I love how the light reflects off you- AH! Sorry! Did I just say that stuff out loud?"

Lilith playfully giggled. "Worry nothing, love. That's just me pheromones. It's a succubus thing. We emit pheromones to draw attention and attract all sorts of Joe Bloggs, no matter what sex or sexual preference. Once they've got someone under their spell, that someone do just about anything for us. Watch this."

The cunning succubus then spun to her right and faced a much older, sophisticated patron guzzling down his glass. "Hellooo there." She sing-songed for his attention. "Mind paying for our pints?"

"Sorry." The old patron grumbled. "Got my own."

"Ah come on now, love." The succubus flirted some more. "Surely a handsome bloke such as yourself wouldn't mind paying for a pair of lovely ladies. It would be the Bee's knees."

The old patron finally looked at Lilith then suddenly he felt caught in a hypnotic trance. His old maw gawked open stupidly with a dry thirst for the luscious purple lady. The flicking ceiling lights glistened around her smooth skin and her perfectly fit body. Her eyelashes blink rapidly to offer a tease of her licentious, lavender eyes like a wooing feather dancer. A succulent scent of sweet roses and minted lavenders intoxicated his hairy nostrils. Sweat began to drip from his face when he stared deep into her covered cleavage that hid the great treasures beneath. A fantasy formulated in this head of how this enchantress offered him all his deepest pleasures, though this only a small taste of what invisible force that secretly secreted from her skin.

"You know," he uttered, wiping away the drool off the corner his mouth. "It's on me."

Lilith thanked the old timer with a gracious grin and rewarded him with a blown kiss. The old patron nearly fell off his seat as if he felt her desirable lips crash against his cheek, much to the joy of his hallucination.

"See?" The succubus asked her awed friend.

"Wow." The mesmerized Mrs. Gravely muttered. "That's incredible."

"Doesn't stop there," She complied and then focused her sensual gaze at the lady bartender. "Excuse me, ma'am. We're all having a wondrous time, though it be more wondrous if you could pour some drinks for everybody, on the house. Just for this time around? Pretty please?"

The bartender stood there and stared back at the spellbinding secretary. The similar aroma that the old man felt now entranced by this mysterious and beautiful purple woman. A fantastical vision bloomed her in thoughts, where this same siren lured her into a pool of flower petals, tempting her for a taste of her lips. Without a word but only a bright blush and a sheepish smile, the bartender poured round after round for every customer in the bar. They all cheered like wild hounds being rewarded their favorite treat when free drinks were given away.

Carmen laughed and applauded. "Oh my god. This is incredible. Can all demons do that?"

"As I mentioned," Lilith explained. "Only a succubus has this kind of talent. That and as well as our male counterparts, the incubus."

"You are amazing! How can you not score a date with this ability?"

"Landing a date is not really a problem. It's just for me... I, well — Aw, that's just some personal business we don't need to go over. We're here to have fun, right?"

"Absolutely! It's our night, and we're having fun!"

"Then that case, I have an idea of how to make this night even more fun."

Lilith jumped from her seat and yanked Carmen by her wrist for the exit door. There the duo ran into a gruff biker, who parked his monstrous motorcycle up front. This muscle bound giant looked down at the ladies through his dark sunglasses.

"Hello there, mate," Lilith flirted with him. "May me and my girl friend take a spin on your bike? I promise we won't scratch it."

Without as second thought, or perhaps there was one but it was blinded by an imaginative mosaic of this succubus playing in a bubble bath, the biker obediently placed the keys into her soft, small hands. Lilith pounced onto the bike's leather seat and strapped on the biker's helmet. She pulled out the spare helmet that hung near the kickstand and tossed it over to Carmen.

"Hop on, Carmen!" She eccentrically ordered.

Stealing a motorcycle wasn't exactly what Carmen had in mind for a pleasant girls night, yet the temptation for a wild and fun time was too much to resist. She wanted to prove that her new husband that she can be fun, and she was damned sure to have it. Carmen strapped on her helmet and saddled herself behind the friendly demon. Her arms coiled tightly around Lilith's waist like noose around a dead man's neck. With the flick of the key and a press of a gear, the motorcycle popped a wheelie high towards the heavens, and the fun-seeking duo zoomed off into the sunset. Their howls and cheers were heard throughout the town as Dante's Inferno faded from view with Lilith's amnesiac stooges left wondering what had happened.

Part 5

"Read them and weep, boys." Lu mocked his companions as he laid down another winning hand onto the dining table. A pair of kings flopped down, which was paired up perfectly with a pair of aces and a third king. His demonic cohorts and older angelic brother cursed under their breaths after tossing their cards away. Lu scooped up his large pile of multicolored poker chips, cackling like a mad hyena as he categorized them by their color and amount. The hands of fate were aiding the devil in this fortuitous night—or his slimy hands were cheating his way to victory.

Scrugs, serving as the evening's dealer, reshuffled the cards in his scaly hands. He cut them, decked them, and impressed the guests with his stellar card tricks before he finally dealt two pair to each player. After each player received a new hand he set out three cards: a red seven of hearts, a red six of diamonds, and a black jack of spades. A careful peek at their cards helped them plan their next moves. Ghuul tossed out two white chips onto the table to start things off. Next Moloch tossed his chips in followed by the two heavenly brothers. Balthazar took one look at his hand and tossed them away into the discard pile, disgusted by what the bat-like creature gave him.

Balthazar then pulled out one of the cigars that the archangel gave the group and pointed it at the monstrous Moloch. With the press of his giant thumb, Moloch's fire magic lit it up. Balthazar proceeded to put the butt end of his cigar into his rotted mouth, inhaling the toxic tobacco content in, well aware that tar will never affect his lungs.

"So flyboy," He breathed with a puff of thick smoke spreading through the clean atmosphere. "I hear you got yourself a human girlfriend as well."

"Uh, yeah that's right." Mike cautiously replied.

"Heard she's Muslim too." Ghuul said after tossing in a couple more chips to the table.

Mike replied again. "Right."

"So tell me," The demon Balthazar interrogated. "Is it embarrassing when you two are going at it and she screams for your father?"

All the demons laughed, including the devil, at the lewd joke, yet Mike kept silent, wishing not to start any conflicts.

"Nah, nah, Balthazar," Ghuul interrupted. "She's more disappointed when she finds out that the scripture was right. There's no holy trinity below the belt."

The party laughs again, but Mike uncomfortably said. "Ha, ha, like every angel hasn't heard that joke before."

Despite the mockery from the demons, they continued to play on. Scrugs flipped over a card from the deck, a red ace of diamonds. From there the chips started to fly. Regan ran down the stairs to the kitchen to get herself and Slinky a little snack for their tea party. When she walked by her stepfather, he gave her a peek at his cards.

"Hey Lu," She innocently asked. "Is it a good thing to have all the cards the same color?"

"Regan!" Her stepfather gasped. "Naughty, naughty. Giving away my winning hand."

The demons hissed angrily, just about to discard their hands until Michael said. "Don't fall for it! He used to pull this stunt all the time. He's got nothing."

"Take the fun out of everything why don't ya?" His brother grimaced as he threw away his hand into the discard pile. Scrugs then drew the final card, a nine of spades. Upon that reveal Moloch shoved half his chips in like a snowplow pushing into a mountain of snow. The menacing minotaur demon then bellowed a most grueling laugh that sent chills around the dining area. Ghuul folded his hand but Mike called him out, shoving the same amount of chips the giant did before.

Moloch laughed again and set his cards out on the battle. A pair of sixes, one black of clubs and another red of hearts. "Three sixes." He grunted.

"Not bad," The archangel humbly stated. "but I think I got you beat."

Michael revealed his hand out for all to see. A pair of sevens that matched up with the sole seven on the table. The jaw of every demon in the household dropped at the sight of the angel's victorious set. Moloch, however, growled savagely, unimpressed by his opponent's victory.

"You. Me. Throwdown. Now!" He bellowed.

"For what?" The archangel demanded. "Winning?"

Lucifer stood up and tried to settle the tension. "Guys, you can't fight here!"

"Thanks Lu."

"That's why we're taking it outside!"

"Dammit Lu!"

Unlike Lu's poker party in the dining area, Rosemary's video game party was going much smoother. They felt lucky they could get Slinky to regurgitate the controllers before they've entered his digestive system. A quick, clean bleach bath later and they were ready to play. Dominic and Joshua were busy mowing down pixelated monsters in their ultra violent video game while Rosemary, Kayleigh, and Krystal rocked out to her metal band playlist that played over the speakers. 

Dominic was getting along perfectly with everyone and even learned some new things about his human friends, such as Joshua being lead soprano of his Sunday school choir and Krystal's mother owned several businesses in Brimstone. Yet the one person that was still a mystery to him was the quiet, red-headed Ashley DeMarco. He recalled that ever since she arrived she has never said one word to anybody. Other than the occasional wink, nod, shrug, or thumbs up she presented during some small talk, she said nothing the entire evening.

Then a odd odor tickled his slit nostrils. He sniffed the air and caught wind of a musty, metallic smell. He's familiar with this type of smell from the pits of the Inferno. Blood. Human blood.

"Is someone here hurt?" Dominic asked everybody in the basement, to which they all answered with a no.

He then heard the sound of a toilet being flushed from the bathroom down the corner, which was where the bloody smell was coming from. He dropped his controller and ran over to the bathroom door only to be met by Ashley, who exited the bathroom and wiped her cleaned hands on her shirt.

"Hey, are you hurt?" The young demon asked. "I smelled blood and thought someone was hurt. Are you okay?"

Ashley blankly stared at him, confused by what the young demon had to say. Dominic's ears lowered again in disappointment. He knew that he was never going to get an answer but he, and everyone else in the basement, did receive another response.

"Hey guys," Kayleigh shouted from the basement's window. "Something's going on outside."

All the kids ran up the stairs and onto the wood deck to bear witness a reenactment of an old battle between the forces of light and dark. Lu, Scrugs, Balthazar, and Ghuul were all stand out on the large deck and watched as the archangel Michael and the towering demon Moloch stared each other down in the backyard. Even Regan stood by the adults and watched the spectacle with Slinky coiled around her small shoulders.

"I'm not gonna fight him, Lu." Mike argued to his brother and company. "What's even the point of this.

"You better fight him, bro." Lu said. "Otherwise he will kill you."

"This is ridiculous! I won that hand. You think —"

A surprise attack from Moloch's giant fist into the right cheek silenced the angel. Another fist flew through Mike's other cheek, then finally being knocked down his feet with a swift upper cut. Moloch unleashed a carnivorous roar so loud the alarms of every car in the block squawked. The kids started chanting for the fight to continue joined in with the supernatural adults.

Moloch turned to the small cheering crowd and grinned. So confident that he was victorious this time that he never saw the archangel's electrified fist collide into his own cheek. The crowd flinched from the painful sucker punch but kept chanting and cheering. Moloch looked back to his opponent. Mike's eyes scorched bright as the sun and his golden wings were pulsing from his back. He then slugged two more jabs into the demon's stomach and then headbutted his enormous head.

Mike sprung into the air like locust and somersaulted over the giant demon. His large, energized wings snatched themselves around Moloch's large horns. The hot energy coiled around like chains around the ivory horns that were nearly as big as the demon himself. With the aid of his wings the archangel threw the demon into the wooden fence like a rag doll. The demon continued to fly until he crashed through into the neighbor's pool. Cool chlorine water spilled out all over the wiped Moloch.

The crowd gasped then cheered wildly for Mike's miraculous display. Though much to his chagrin even the holy archangel couldn't help himself but wave to his applauding fans. Moloch picked himself off the ground but felt something off inside his mouth. His tongue poked around the innards of his jaws until he found the distorted source. The demon spat out one of his sharp teeth into his gargantuan hand. He looked back at the angel and chuckled, impressed that anyone, little an angel, was able to do that.

"That all you got?" He then growled.

Michael smirked at the hellish brute. He then readied his fists for another assault and quipped. "Why don't you come and find out?"

And that the demon did. One booming roar later and he charged like a raging bull. Mike launched into the air with a thunderous fist prepped for battle. From there a battle of godly champions echoed into the coming night.

Part 6

The outskirts of Brimstone echoed with the roars of a wild motorcycle riding through the night. Carmen and Lilith zoomed all around the winding road of a towering cliff side, still screaming and cheering along the way. The wind breezed through their hair as they road through the cool night air. Their crazed smiles never ceased after they left Dante's. At the top the motorcycle putted to a creasing halt, finally out of gas. Both Carmen and Lilith jumped off the dead motorcycle, still thrilled about their wild ride.

"You have officially made this," Carmen said estatically. "the best girls night I've had in a while."

"Likewise, Carmen." Lilith gratefully said.

The women tossed their helmets off to the gravel road. Lilith paused. Her lavender eyes enchanted by the luminous light of the pale moon. Her feet guided her hypnotically to the edge of the cliff like she fell for the moon's siren call. She swatted a seat onto the soft green grass, eyes still fixated towards the full sphere that hung in the starlight sky.

"Amazing." Lilith whispered. "I never realized that the moon was that big. It's truly beautiful."

Carmen quietly lingered over to her demon friend and planted a seat next to her. Her eyes were fixed to the succubus. She was shocked to see how such a beautiful creature could be so captivated by something as simple as the moon. But perhaps Lilith deemed this grand sight a true spectacle outside her natural home. Her home, a world full of darkness, shadows, and flames. Never to be graced by the gift the moon gives. Lilith's beaming adoration was enough for a smile to curl on Carmen's face, happy that she was able to give a friend something she, or her species, would never have in a lifetime.

"Hey, I thought we could share this." Lilith then pulled out a large glass bottle from her purse, shaking the liquid contents inside. "I fenced it from the boss' secret hiding area."

"You mean his sock drawer?" Mrs. Gravely chuckled. "That's the same place he always uses whenever he tries to hide something that he doesn't want anyone to find."

Lilith's thumb popped off the bottle's cork. She quickly sucked down a small amount of booze and handed it off to her human companion. "Here, have a sip of this. Careful, it's a little strong."

Carmen shrugged and gladly the bottle. The booze was odd. It was odorless and transparent. Shrugging once more she took a sip of the contents. To her a little strong was exaggerated. The powerful booze burned down her throat like she swallowed fresh lava. She almost coughed it out but managed to keep it down before she handed it back to the succubus.

"Strong, huh?" She choked.

"Well what do you expect when this stuff was brewed straight from Hell? Just keep drinking, it'll water down."

"Okay, despite some strong alcohol, I'm honestly having a lot of fun with you. Everybody I know says I'm no fun. Heh, that's kinda true. I mean I took my daughters to a board meeting thinking that would be fun."

"Rubbish! You're loads of fun, love. To be honest, I've sort felt a bit envious of you. You've got a fancy house, a hot talk show job, a darling husband, and a couple of twee girls. There's some folks that sell their souls for that life."

"Thanks. But I can't tell you're saying that to be supportive, or kissing my ass because I'm your boss' wife."

"Maybe it's both." Lilith teased, and they both laughed. The two continued staring at the glowing moon. "I think this is the part where friends start sharing secrets."

"That time, huh?" Carmen muttered.

"Let's make this a drinking game. We'll take turns asking deep questions and then we'll take another sip."

"Okay, I'll start." Carmen thought hard about a question then finally asked. "How long have you been working for Lu?"

"Not too long for the likes of me, but it can be considered a very long time for the likes of you? Age and time escapes those who have an extensive life. But I didn't start out as a secretary. No, life for me wasn't all tea and sugar. There was a time where succubi and incubi where viewed upon as second class citizens. You can't imagine being told that all we were only good, or all you'll ever be good for was for shagging. Makes it rougher still being told that as a child."

"Oh my, that's terrible."

"Fret not, love. That was the old days. Now that Lucifer is king, our lives have been smashing."

Lilith sipped from the bottle and passed it again to Mrs. Gravely. Upon noticing what was on her queen's left hand she asked her question. "I see you still keep your first husband's ring on. Would you like to share something about him, or is that subject still too touchy?

Carmen fell silent. The subject was sensitive to her but she never minded. "Doug was... just amazing. We were married for almost nine years. Nine happy, wonderful years. He was part time music teacher at Rosie's school, and part time band instructor at the high school. He loved music, no matter what genre."

Carmen's second sip didn't burn as much as last time but the hellfire-tasting booze was still strong enough to maker her flinch. Lilith then asked. "Do you still love him?"

"Absolutely," Carmen proudly said. "Now and always. As much as I love Lu, now and always."

"Wish I had someone who could love me the same."

"You will. I'm sure there's someone for you out there. I mean look at you. In the right light, you are looking so hot right NAH! Not again!"

"Sorry. It's the pheromones."

Carmen then chuckled. "Point is you will find someone. It may take time but you will. So, my question. That pheromone thing you did earlier at Dante's. Have you ever used it on Lu before?"

The bottle was passed to Lilith now. One big sip later and she admitted. "Actually he seems to be the only thing that's immune to my charm. I've tried asking for a raise that way before but he wouldn't cave. Alright, my turn for a question. Even before you've met all us, did you ever believe? Did you ever think there was a heaven or hell, or even God, before all this?"

The bottle ended back to Carmen. She downed another sip, this time the burning sensation felt more eased. "Well, I admit that I've never considered myself religious or associated with any religion, but I guess I was sorta spiritual in some way. Part of me wanted to believe that there was someone watching over us, but part of me kinda saw reality and thought if He was real why let so many suffer, you know?"

"Yeah I hear ya. I come from a realm where God's merely lost hope. Nobody's ever seen him, except for the boss and Legion of course."

"Well, if you did meet God, what would you ask of Him?"

"A chance to love someone without hurting them..." The succubus sadly uttered. "A chance to bare children too."

Lilith took the bottle from Carmen's hand and drank a large portion of its contents. A small tear leaked from her eye to which she immediately wiped away with her wrist. Carmen looked at her friend, saddened by her shocking revelation. She gently placed her hand on Lilith's shoulder, comforting her in her sorrow.

Lilith immediately perked back into her peppy attitude. "Well there I go being a Debby Downer again. The night's still young and we gotta spice things up a bit; and I know just the place."

"Where?" Carmen asked.

"Down the Inferno there's a club called the Babylon. Mephistopheles used to own the joint."

"Mephistopheles owned it?" The sound of that name sent shivers down Mrs. Gravely's spine.

"Used to. Not anymore. Place is a bigger hit now with the boss owning it. Let's go!"

"How are we gonna get there? The house is miles away?"

"Oh there's always more than one way to get to Hell."

Lilith pulled out her cellphone and started texting rapidly. After her text was sent, a fiery portal opened behind them on the gravel road. Out hopped a yellow, banged up taxi car that huffed and puffed on arrived before coming to a shrieking halt. In the driver's seat was a skeleton cabby wearing a black beret and had a missing lower jaw. The living skeleton looked over to the girls with molten charcoal he had in his eye sockets. A quick nod from him was the only greeting he could give. Lilith pulled Carmen by her wrist once again and the two inside the rusted vehicle.

"Hello, Charon!" Lilith welcomed. "One trip to Babylon, if you please."

Suddenly the cab powered off. The cabby dropped his keys into the vehicle's next seat, not wishing to drive at all. The sliding window that separated the three slid open and the cabby laid out his bony hand.

Lilith rolled her eyes and moaned. "Ah, always wanting for tips first."

Reaching back into her purse she pulled out a twenty dollar bill and gave it the cabby, enough to cover both of them. The cabby snatched the bill, slapped the keys back into the ignition, and pressed his bony foot onto the gas petal. The cab's engine popped alive and it rolled back into the fiery portal.

One short trip later and, much to Carmen's astonishment, they were already outside a large building, deep in the depths of the Inferno at the heart of its capital city, Dis. The building was moldy and very crooked, it looked as though four building blocks were poorly stacked on top of each other, and flashy neon lights lit up the darken abyss surrounding it. Loud techno music boomed inside its walls that the whole building shook from each electric beat.

Lilith thanked their cabby and hurried herself and her friend out the cab. They ran up the creaky stairs and entered the eerily, flashing clubhouse. Inside appeared and felt adversely from the outside. The interior was very clean, polished, and its lighting flashed different hues of lively colors. At its core was a crowd out quite literally colorful people. The numerous human looking succubi and incubi and their colorful skin tones blended perfectly with the all the flashing lights as they danced wildly to the demonic D.J.'s vibes.

Mrs. Gravely stared in awe at the partying crowd until Lilith coaxed her again to join the fun. She knew she hadn't done anything like this since she was in college but she couldn't resist dancing along with the demon folk. She felt younger and livelier thanks to her fun-loving friend, and the two continued to dance on through their best night ever.

Part 7

Rosemary, Dominic, Joshua, Krystal, Kayleigh, and Ashley all raced back to the basement to resume their party. They couldn't stop talking about what an awesome fight they just witnessed. An archangel battling against a giant demon. Two veterans of an ancient war that ravaged across many realms reengaged not to hold domain of this world, or determine the fate of souls, but rather to gain respect for one another. To feel the thrill of battle once more course through their veins. A thrilling battle of immortal combat it was. Their attacks shook the very neighborhood they lived in. It was like watching a superhero battle from their favorite comic book movies up close, or video game characters from a fighting game come to life, or the tale of David and Goliath... on superpowered steroids.

The group was divided on who they believed won. While there was no real victor but there was no real loser either. One half boasted that Mike, the archangel, was the winner with the other half defended that Moloch, Dominic's monstrous father, held his ground. Regardless, they all agreed that that fight, and all six of them just hanging out together, made this the best night ever.

"That was, like, totally awesome!" Krystal cheered.

"Very awesome!" Dominic joined in.

"That was a battle of biblical proportions," Joshua proclaimed. "just don't tell my mom I said that."

Rosie said, "Alright, let's get back to our game night. Dom, why don't you see if you can take on Ash in Major Rager."

"I think I'll pass," Dominic sadly said. "How about Ash goes against Kayleigh? I'll sit out."

Dominic walked to the snack table and helped himself to what was left of the pizza slices. Confused, everyone but Rosemary and Ashley placed themselves at the from of the large flatscreen TV. The two friends looked worried for the demon boy, who isolated himself from the others. They then approached the table where Dominic was filling his plate full of cold snacks.

"Hey," Rosemary said. "what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Dominic fibbed, paying no attention to the two humans who tried comforting him.

"Is it something that Ash said?" She asked again.

"Well, that's just it," Dominic retorted. "she hasn't said anything to me. I don't think she likes me all."

Both Rosemary and Ashley gasped at Dominic's comment. Rosie defended, "What? That's crazy. Of course she likes you."

"But when I first talked to her earlier she ignored me. And then when I smelled blood, she just stared at me when I asked if she was hurt. Help me out here? You obviously speak girl."

Rosemary looked onto Ash and replied, "Okay."

Dominic watched closely to see if Rosemary could get her friend to communicate. She lifted her hands before her face and gave Ashley a mixture of hand signals. Ashley said nothing but relayed similar hand motions. Back and forth the girls signaled one another, much to Dominic's surprise.

"What's going on here?" The baffled imp asked.

"Speaking girl, obviously," Rosemary answered. "this is called sign language."

"Sign language? Like for—oh!" Dominic held his forked tongue. He felt lucky that his skin was red otherwise everyone would have seen how embarrassed he was. "I didn't know."

Ashley signed to Dominic while Rosemary translated. "It's cool. Don't worry about it. I went deaf when I was two years old due to a genetic condition called autosomal recessive Alport syndrome. It affects my kidneys by damaging the tiny blood vessels, leading to kidney disease and kidney failure. It can also affect my hearing, though no one is sure how the two are connected. It's only recently that my kidneys started acting up. A usual sign of this is blood in my urine."

"So the blood I smelled was..." Dominic awkwardly said.

"Yeah, that's kinda gross that you detected that." Ash signed. "Sadly, there's no cure for it, and sooner or later my kidneys will completely fail and I'll need a transplant."

"I'm sorry."

Ashley shook her head and signed again. "Please don't be. I know I might be in some pain as I grow older but I'm going to live my life to the fullest. There's medications I take to help treat the symptoms, which is a good start. That's why I want to be a biophysicist like my dad when I grow up, so I can find cures for all kinds of diseases. And you don't need to have Rosie translate for you all the time. I can read lips too. Just treat me like any other kid and we're good. Besides, I think it's so cool you're a demon from Hell."

"Really?" Dominic gleefully said, "Thanks!"

"Hey Dominic," Joshua called from the sofa. "we got an extra controller if you want to join."

Dominic waved to Ash and Rosie before teleporting himself to a cozy spot next to Joshua and Kayleigh. He gladly took the spare game controller from Joshua and joined in on the first-person shooter action. Rosemary smiled at the sight of all her friends, mortal and demonic, getting along so well. Before she could join them she looked at Ashley, who gave her a mischievous smirk.

"What?" Rosie hesitantly requested.

Ashley signed, "Your boyfriend's pretty cute."

Rosemary laughed and signed back, "He's not my boyfriend. But he is cute."

Part 8

Back outside on the wooden porch were the adult, supernatural entities sitting out in the cool night air. Mike laid on his back across the porch holding a piece of frozen meat over his blackened left eye. His heavenly wings were retracted back within his body. The short bat-demon Scrugs dragged a large cooler onto the deck with the devil pulling out some of the cold beers stored inside.

"I can't believe that you got me into this," Mike moaned. He felt like he fought a Triceratops.

"Gotta admit, you held up pretty well," Lu boasted, tossing out some cold beers to his chums. "No one's ever been able to last that long against Mol before."

The gigantic demon was seated next to the sore angel. A piece of frozen meat was also placed over his right eye. The demon merely looked at his boss and gave him a thumbs up, signaling a beer from him.

"Yeah," One of the other demons, Ghuul, chuckled, "not bad for a flyboy, huh?"

"No." Moloch grumbled, his grim lips curled upward. "Not bad for an archangel." The brute then nudged his enormous fist into Mike's shoulder, giving the exhausted angel a friendly tap.

"I'll drink to that." Another demon, Balthazar, agreed. "You're welcome to hang with us anytime."

The demon gifted Mike a beer, to which the angel mumbled, "I fought thousands of demons single handed before, and now I'm accepted as one of them. Greatest accomplishment of my life."

They all laughed at the comment, sipping down the cold refreshments. Their laughter was interrupted by a techno beat of familiar melody. Lu pulled out his cellphone and answered through a video chat. On screen was his wife and secretary in a dark, crowded room. The background rattled with loud music and it was hard to see the pair with the multicolored lights flashing about. But from what he could make out from the video chat was that the pair looked drunk.

They had their arms wrapped around each out and a table littered with empty shot glasses. Their eyes were glazed, they wobbled unbalanced on the table, their smiles were crooked and matched their disordered behavior.

"Heyee!" Mrs. Gravely blurted cheerfully, her words slurred together. "Howzzit goin'?"

"Hi, sweetie," Lu awkwardly greeted them. "Having fun?"

"You're damn right imma havin' fun," Carmen snapped back. "Imma havin' loads a fun. Are you jelly? You jelly of ma fun now?"

Soon Lilith babbled, "I thinx hes jelly."

"Yeah, hes jelly. Hes jelly of ma fun! Imma so fun you canta have ma fun. Imma da mostses funnests person in the wurld."

"That's great, sweets," the devil hesitantly said, "I'm glad you two are having fun. I see you're at Babylon. What do you think?"

"Tis place is crazee. I loves tis place. Get this, I toldda tem da I was married ta you, and day gave me free drinks. I gos free drinks cause Imma fun. Whosa not having fun naw? Free drinks for da queen, baby!"

Lilith then started giggling uncontrollably, "I jis realized somthin'."

"Wa-what's that?" Carmen asked.

"Hish face..." the succubus laughed, "really dosh look lika goat."

"OHMIGOD, HE DOES!"

The two laughed wildly like a pair of drunken hyenas. Lu's face redden with his companions and older brother gawked at them. "Again, happy to hear you're having fun." Lu uttered, "Why don't you bring the party home, and we can have more fun then? Maybe put you to bed while we're at it."

"Yah, maybe yer right," Mrs. Gravely slurred again. "Itsa gettin' late. Imma walk home right now."

"Ah no, no, donta do that." Lilith blurted out. Lu watched as his secretary swung her arms around her queen, her violet cheeks pressed against Carmen's. "Itsa too fur. You canta walk and drunk atta same time. Why, why donta stay my place? Itsa not fur. I-I want C-Carmen to stay wif-da me! Prity, prity please?"

"Yeah! I like that!" Mrs. Gravely hollered at her phone. "Imma go to Lilth's and Imma go sleep with Lilth. I mean, Imma sleep ovter at Lilth's. Prity, prity please?"

Lu sighed and said, "I guess there's no harm in that."

"Ah yeah! Partying wid Lilth tonight!" She screams over the crowd. "I see ya tomorrow. Love ya!"

Mrs. Gravely gave one last drunken wink before the call disconnected. There was an awkward silence among the immortal beings.

"They sound like they're having fun." Mike muttered.

"A little too much fun." Ghuul added.

Lu sternly asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what they say," Balthazar then answered. "Never mix alcohol with a succubus. Heck, just ask the big red guy. He's married to one."

"Yup." Moloch grumbled. They all sat there all night, quietly drinking their beers. Though a thought occurred to them and they stood there wondering the worst could possibly happen.

                                                                  ***

In the inner city limits of Dis, away from the slums and shady business, at the highest floor of a tall, rusted apartment building was a dark penthouse. The door's lock wiggled around, someone was trying to enter. The door flew open and Carmen and Lilith invaded the living quarters.

They laughed as they stumbled inside the dark living quarters, wine bottles glued to their hands. Lilith flipped on switch that illuminated her home. For one who makes on average a secretary's salary, her penthouse was very large and roomy. It was complete with a set of leather skinned couches with bushels of magazines littered about, the floors groomed with soft, white carpets, a large kitchen area that dwarfed a five star restaurants', and a large television set perfectly in the center of the living area. The stainless, snow white walls were decorated with lively paintings and statues of half nude men and women, which some of them had Lilith as their model.

"Ho-ee crap. Dish... dish very nis place you got." Carmen slurred, dazzled by the interior.

"Tanks," Lilith belched, still helping her friend stay on her feet while struggling to stay on her own. "Surry itsa mess. I don't gets lots o' visitors."

The two tried walking around Lilith's apartment with each careful step; yet the two friends toppled right into a wall, their bodies pressed against each other. They laughed louder than madman while they held each other up. Their dazed eyes met one another now locked in a starstruck gaze.

"Yuva made this," Mrs. Gravely hiccuped, shaking her bottle about in the air, "da bestest night eva. Imma rememba dis fureva."

"Thatsa best friends fur, right?" Lilith said. At this point they weren't sure which one was drunker.

Carmen tapped her bottle against Lilith's, toasting, "To best friends!"

"And to being friends fureva!" Lilith cheered.

With one large gulp their bottles were half empty. Carmen stared aimlessly into Lilith's luscious eyes. "Yur really, really bootiful, ya know," She slurred sublimely. She stared some more. A euphoric illusion blinded her reality. No longer was there a the elegant face or the tender smile of her friend, but the graceful glow of a gorgeous violent toned angel engulfed in a swirling sea of lavender pedals that fell from the ceiling like snowflakes. Her lavender eyes gleamed a tainting temptation that could not be controlled. Neither of them realized it but the spell of the pheromones was cast again, and they beckoned for Mrs. Gravely.

It was too much. The booze, the pheromones, the clouded judgments, the overpowering lust, a succubus' greatest ally. Carmen let the bottle slip through her fingers. Gravity carried it all the way to the floor, crashing it open and splashing its contents all over. Her eyes fell shut and her lips pressed onto Lilith's, an action she wouldn't ever do. Her hands graced around Lilith's soft cheeks with a gentle brushes.

Lilith delightfully purred when she tasted her queen's lips for the first time. She has kissed many men and women lifetimes ago, but her flavor satisfied her the most. A voice in her jumbled head screamed for her to stop. It warned her that this was her boss' wife and the potential danger that would come from her arousal, something that often haunted her with each lover she was with.

Lilith lightly pushed Carmen back. "Naughty, naughty," The succubus bluntly teased, "You don't want to do that."

Carmen ignored her and kissed her again. The kiss lasted longer. Her taste was too much for Lilith to resist but she urged again, "Imma serious. You really don't wanna do that."

As much as Lilith tried to push back she couldn't ignore her instincts. Her sweet lavender eyes rolled over into a black abyss much like a shark's eyes. Her perfectly glossed teeth serrated into a very toothy maw. The joyous sensation drove out an erotic creature of the night that thirst for more love.

"Okay," The succubus hissed. Her voice, once gentle as a song, now a rally of sinister echoes. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lilith lunged forward and pressed Carmen against the wall. She saddled her hands around Carmen's wrists, holding them firmly onto the bare wall. Their lips touched again, both emitting soft, muffled moans as they kissed more and more. Carmen no longer had any control. She allowed the succubus complete dominance in their erotic moment. She couldn't stop, she couldn't breathe. Her breath, fading. She felt she was drowning. She was gasping.

Lilith released her queen's mouth and opened wide. Carmen's mouth opened too as she gasped for some air but felt it fading. She felt she was drowning. Escaping her mouth was a ghastly, white mist that flowed out like ghostly river. As the mist exited her body Carmen felt fainter than before, her body weakened from the succubus' touch. Yet it did not cease their sensual moment as they continued kissing again. Their hands caressed around each other's bodies, feeling every ounce of they could.

Their seductive exploration took them further down the apartment and into Lilith's room. The lust-craved succubus pushed the dazed Mrs. Gravely onto her bed and she slammed her door behind them. From there that night, on girls night, a deadly predator, deadlier than the most wretched of scavengers, was released.

Part 9

The hellfires were lit. The temperatures rose. This was a sign that it was morning in the Inferno. But a night of distorted passion turned into a deadly pleasure.

Safely in her bed rested the devil's secretary Lilith. She laid cozily naked underneath her cotton sheets, dreaming an alluring dream where she made love for the first time, in a long time, to someone who adored her too. She cared not who it was, not for their gender or the identity, but the luscious sensation they gave each other helped her sleep like a peaceful baby.

She slowly woke from her elegant dream only to be hit hard by reality. Her memory was disorganized. She remember hanging out with someone, then they drank like thirsty fishes, then blank. As Lilith rose up a tidal wave of migraines rocked inside her head. Her brain felt like a pendulum inside an old grandfather clock. All that booze truly messed with her head. She tried rubbing her temples but it didn't ease the aches.

Failing to cure her throbbing head, Lilith plopped back to her pillows. She figured that a few more hours of sleep would heal her ailment. Her lavender eyes peered over to the side where, to her surprise, there was someone else in her bed with her. It was indeed another women. She rested peacefully on her left side, undisturbed by the forces around her. Her brown hair was a mess and her skin was pale as snow. Lilith could only see her bare shoulders, so it was unclear if this stranger was nude too. She cautiously lifted up the thin covers for a peek and quickly dropped them back down. Her face stretched timidly. Her right hand slapped over her mouth to silence a scream. Goosebumps crawled all over her purple skin. The sight of the woman's bare bottom was enough to deduce she too was as naked as Lilith was.

Lilith roughly rubbed her temples some more, hoping to recall some memory of last night. More fuzzy images came back to her. The woman, she knew her. They kissed then made love. Not demon but human. Then she remembered that the woman wore something that made her stand out: a pair of rectangular lens glasses over her kind, brown eyes.

She remembered again her boss' wife, Carmen Gravely. She and Lilith had some fun during their girls night, and then blank. Yet there was something she remembered in her dreams. A lusting predator possessed her body and made advances toward the stranger. They torn their clothes off and fondled each other's bodies. But she also recollected the woman gasping for air and a ghostly mist flowed out her mouth. Lilith wondered to herself where Carmen could have been in all of this. Unless...

Lilith timorously stared at her passed out bed mate. She reached over and painstakingly tipped the woman to her back. Her heart pounded faster than a drum as the body slowly to view. Her jaw dropped to the horror, her naked bed mate was her boss' stiff wife. While she wasn't wearing her glasses it was definitely her.

Carmen Gravely laid motionless. Her skin much paler than before. Her lips tinted blue as the darkest oceans. A small, sliver strand of grey poked through her bushy, brown hair. By all accounts she appeared to be dead. Lilith's dream turned out to be a nightmare.

"Oh my god, Carmen! Wake up!" Lilith frantically screamed. "Wake up!" She shook Carmen about, hoping to wake her dead sleep. She did not move nor made a sound. A still, quiet corpse.

"Bloody hell! What have I done?" Lilith panicked. "I've gone and killed the missus! Why does this always happen to me? I'll, eh, I'll just have explain it to the boss. He'll understand the situation. B-but he'll probably feed me to the hellhounds for this. I gotta fix this somehow! I'm need a saw, some plastic rap, a big suitcase, and-"

Loud moans silenced the frightened seductress. Lilith looked back to the body and witnessed a miraculous resurrection. Mrs. Gravely tossed around under the covers until she slowly lifted herself up. Her head felt much worse. Her brain knocked around her skull like a cue ball smacking against other pool balls. The liquid contents in her stomach splashed and bubbled around like a witches cauldron, making her terribly ill than before.

"Carmen!" A joyous Lilith screamed. She hugged her friend tightly until Carmen started gagging. "Oh for once thank god you're alive! Not sure how you're alive. Almost like this whole scenario was part of some lonely pervert's fantasy, but who cares? You're alive! I'm so glad you're alive!"

Carmen nauseously groaned, "I don't feel alive right now."

Sure enough the liquid contents boiled their way toward the upper exit. Carmen clapped her mouth shut and bolted for the bathroom next door, unaware she was still undressed. Lilith flinched as she listened to Carmen upchuck three times into her toilet. The queasy sounds almost made her sick too.

"Oh god." She heard Carmen moan. "Oh god? OH GOD!"

Mrs. Gravely then jumped out of the bathroom and back into Lilith's bedroom. She used a bath towel to cover up her parts. Her face frozen in horror upon seeing her friend covered in her sheets, realizing that she too had nothing on. The real horror came when she pictured what may have occurred. "No!" She gulped. "No, no, no, no, no! We-? Did we? Tell me we-! Oh my god, no! No, no, no. This isn't happening right now."

"Now, now," Lilith eased, "just take it easy. Plant a seat and we'll talk about what happened, love."

"Don't you love me!" Carmen fired back.

"Can't help it. You're just too sexy."

"What the hell did you do to me? Why's my skin so pale?" Carmen looked between her eyes and finally noticed the small couple of grey hair follicles. "Is that a grey strand of my hair? ANSWERS DAMMIT!"

"Well," Lilith nervously related, "emitting pheromones is just one part of my nature. The other part is that... um... when we succubi — and incubi for that matter — get in the mood, we tend to... well... suck out the partner's life force. Or their soul if you will."

"WHAT?!?" Carmen irately squealed.

"Don't worry, it's naturally harmless. We don't consume much, and the partner feels really good after a while. It's like taking drugs without the nasty little side effects. Sadly, I'm a special case. I have a rare condition where I consume too much of one's life force... and then my partner... dies."

Carmen dropped to the floor. She felt ill all over again. Though she wasn't sure if it was from all the alcohol she consumed the prior night, the fact that she was naked and may have gotten too cozy with her demon friend, or deranged combination of both.

"How did this happen?" She bawled, repeatedly smacking her hand against her forehead. "How did I let this happen?"

The succubus then said, "It's not entirely your fault, dear. I'm to blame too — sort of. Well it all started when-"

"Shut up!" Carmen snapped again. "Don't talk right now! How could you do this to me? To Lu? To us?"

"W-we were both really drunk last night, and I had me pheromones going kooky. We weren't thinking straight, pun unintended. You kissed me, I kissed you, my succubus instinct's kicked in, and... things happened. That's all. There's no real harm done."

"No harm done?" Mrs. Gravely growled, her brown eyes blazed furiously like the Inferno's hellfire. "Are you insane? You and your demon kind probably think this is acceptable, but that's not how it works back on earth."

Carmen then picked herself back up. She harshly pitched the towel into Lilith's face, exposing herself once more. Her eyes squinted while she scanned for her missing glasses. It didn't take longer than a second for her to quickly spot them resting on top of an alarm clock. Carmen snatched them up and threw them on, now noticing that the lens were cracked and one of the temples were bent. Lilith pulled off and sorrowfully watched as her frustrated friend clothed herself at a speedy pace. Once dressed Carmen marched her way to the door just before Lilith tearfully pleaded, "Please, Carmen, don't leave. We can still talk this out as friends."

Carmen turned back and shouted, "Friends? Friends don't seduce each other. Friends don't sleep with their boss' spouses, whether drunk or not. And friends certainly don't try to kill each other, intentional or not! If you seriously think this is how friends behave, then I don't want any part of it!"

And there Carmen left. The front door slammed viciously shut behind her. A sharp pain punctured through Lilith's heart. She knew that normally she did most of the heart breaking, but now, for the first time, someone broke her heart. The poor succubus covered her face, quietly crying over the loss of her one friend.

Part 10

A demonic portal opened outside the Gravely house on Milton Avenue. Out of the portal rolled the ragged cab car as it dropped off its latest passenger, an enraged Mrs. Gravely. Mrs. Gravely kicked open the door and hobbled out of the rusty vehicle. Its jawless, skeleton cabby held out his bony hand before the queen of Hell.

"Oh, you want a tip?" Carmen viciously snapped, "Here's a tip: don't go drinking with someone who can take complete advantage of you, and ultimately try to kill you without being conscience about it!"

Charon the cabby remained silent. Four of his carpels rolled and creaked back toward his hand, leaving only one out in the form of an insulting gesture. Noxious fumes from its tailpipe popped out while the cab rolled in reverse, back into the portal from whence it came. The portal sealed shut when the cab disappeared inside.

Carmen marched towards her house, invisible steams spewed out her ears with each sullen stomp. She opened the front door and proceeded to the kitchen, where Lu, Rosemary, and Regan were having their breakfast. They were alone as the rest of the guests had already left home late at night.

"So, how was your night with Lilith?" Lu blithely asked.

"Terrible!" She fired back. Her eyes flared with rage, "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to hear or see Lilith ever again. All I want is to left alone. Where the hell is the damn orange juice?"

Carmen took a case off the counter, pulling out a fresh pair of new glasses while tossing her broken ones aside. She then opened the refrigerator. Her eyes scanned everything until she finally spotted the two cartons of orange juice in the back. Carmen proceeded to rip open one carton, dousing her mouth and throat with every ounce of that Vitamin C goodness.

Lu and the girls stared awkwardly as Mrs. Gravely quickly finished one carton and moved onto the next. "Girls, I think you should run along upstairs." Lu ordered. "It's time for grownup talk."

Rosemary and Regan obeyed, racing out of the kitchen and off to their rooms. Once clear Lu pulled his wife from the fridge.

"Baby, come on, talk to me." The devil flattered. His eyes then caught a glimpse of a small silver streak through her lovely, brown hair. "Are those grey hairs I see?"

Carmen snarled. She reached over and opened one of the drawers. She pulled out a pair of scissors and sliced off the silver strand. "Not anymore!" She barked.

"Darling, what's bothering you? You know you can talk to me about anything. Did you and Lilith have a fight?"

"You could say that." Carmen tried to repress the events that took place. She knew what Lilith did was wrong, even if under the influence of alcohol affected her nature. Worse yet she knew what she herself did was wrong, and she was afraid to admit the truth to the devil. She could always come clean to her first husband in the past, but she feared how her new husband would react to this heartbreaking news.

Her bottled feelings could no longer be contained. Carmen embraced her husband and wept, "Oh Lu, I'm afraid I've done something terrible last night."

"Did you two accidentally murder someone?" Lu asked, "Because you know, we have people that can cover it up."

"No, no, just listen to me," She pleaded, "Lu, baby, I am so, so sorry. None of this is my fault. I never meant to hurt you in any way. Last night... Lilith and I had too much to drink... and then her pheromones possessed me or something. Then the next morning I woke up naked in her bed. She was there, naked too. Dear god, I'm a horrible wife. I think she and I had sex together."

Lu's jaw then dropped. At first he didn't want to believe it but the signs were there. Pale skin, some grey hair, the constant consumption of orange juice. She had fondled with a succubus. Then came a reaction that Mrs. Gravely never could have expected. "Oh my father, that is the best thing I ever heard." Lu laughed aloud. "You and her. And you then you girls — ahahahaha! No way! Oh, that's so awesome! And you're not dead? Holy crap, that's even better!

"Babe, I take back everything I said about you not being fun. You are incredible. I love you so much. Oh please, honey-muffin, you gotta share all the juicy details with me. I can't wait to tell the guys-"

Carmen could only respond in the only way possible: a swift punch below his belt. "D'oh!" The devil squeaked, dropping to the kitchen floor. "My holy trinity!"

"I just opened my heart to you," She roared angrily. Her furious eyes lit up like a furnace. "I just told you I accidentally had sex with your secretary last night, and your response is to laugh about it?"

"Come on, it's not that big a deal." Lu gasped, slowly picking himself off the floor. "I mean sure it sucks that you slept with someone else but it's not like it was ever intentional, was it? Everybody's had at least one crazy one night stand with somebody before, right?"

Carmen's fist drove right into his groin again. "Yow!" The devil gasped. "Noah's ark!"

"What is wrong with you demons?" Mrs. Gravely yelled. "Where in the universe does it make this alright? Lilith's stupid pheromones seduced me, and then she apparently almost killed me by sucking out my soul. How does anyone think this is okay?"

Tired of her husband's insensitivity, she planted a seat at the table and moped. Lu dragged his weakened body over to the table she sat at. He wheezed when he slowly picked himself up and then he embraced his wife again.

"You're right," he choked, still gasping for air, "Look, I get it, you're peeved. I understand. I would be too in your shoes. But I can't be mad at you. Like you said, it wasn't your fault. To be fair, it wasn't Lilith's fault either. She's a succubus. Kinda nature versus nature, you know? But ask yourself, was last night really all that bad?

"I mean before the sex thing, you two were actually enjoying yourselves for once. You were having fun, you were hitting shots, living life to the fullest as they say. Believe it or not, you may have made one lucky girl feel pretty special last night.

"I've known Lilith for a long time, and I can't tell you how many times she's spent being alone. She may be an open clam in public, but trust me, she constantly isolates herself from anyone who tries to get close to her. Sure she's been on plenty of dates but she always stopped it before they could develop a serious relationship. The greatest surgeon's in the world couldn't piece together all the hearts she broke.

"She's just so afraid of hurting those closest to her. Come to think, it must really suck knowing that someone who she could potentially fall in love with winds up dead because of that condition of hers. Having to spend night and day alone, without someone to love or be loved by could put a dapper on one's social skills. Believe me, I've been down that road before. But for Lilith, it's much worse.

"She has accidentally killed some lovers before, and the poor thing's been devastated by it. Worse, this condition of hers can't be fixed. She'll never find anyone to love her the same, and she'll never have children of her own too. I mean, after all, all of life's creations are meant to socialize and find that one thing that makes them whole, in one way or another. No one's really meant live in absolute solitude, certainly not her."

Carmen's face sank when she heard that sad story about her former friend. "She's got other friends, right?" She asked Lu.

The devil replied, "She hangs with us, but I don't recall her mentioning any other friends. And I don't think she ever hung out with anyone outside the tower."

"What about family?"

"None that I'm aware of. She's an island, that one."

Carmen heart grew heavy like it was chained to weights. A feeling of pity and empathy swept through her the more she learned about Lu's secretary.

"I think there are some things that can be overlooked," The devil continued, "I mean, I would really hate to break out a new secretary. Besides, Lilith's always been something special to me. Hasn't she been the same to you too? Plus, you actually survived a one night stand with her. That alone is an amazing feat. You probably gave her a chance that perhaps there's someone out there who is just as resilient to her condition; maybe then she'll find someone wonderful, just as I found you and your daughters."

Carmen sighed. While she believed last night's actions were inexcusable, but she knew, in an odd viewpoint, Lu was right. The events that took place were out of their control. From what she could remember Carmen came onto her, not the other way around.

Since they first met Lilith has always offered a helping hand to the family. She gave fashion advice, she was always the supporting type, and when they needed a babysitter Lilith was always ready to volunteer. She had done so much for the family she was already part of it without even knowing.

"I'm need to get back down and talk to her." Carmen said, now eased about the situation. She smiled and gave her husband an everlasting kiss on his lips. The taste of the devil's lips felt wonderful to the touch. She then walked down the hall to the old crooked elevator that transported the guests to the dark realm.

"At least tell me this," Lu called out. "Who's better? Me or her?"

"Easy." She teased, her wisecracking attitude now returned. "Doug was."

"The first guy?"

"He gave me children."

"Fair point."

Part 11

The mystic and chaotic elevator plummeted back down towards the burning depths like a falling meteorite. It made its final stop with a loud crash inside the lobby area of Inferno Tower. The doors creaked open and Mrs. Gravely stepped out, unscathed from the fiery decent. The lobby area was empty, no demon in sight nor a soul being tormented. It was as quiet as a tomb. Carmen Gravely slowly walked through the long hallway filled with various paintings of different facial expressions of her husband until she finally approached the large office space on the other end.

There Mrs. Gravely saw Lilith, sitting at her desk alone while she filed some paper work into various folders. Depression was written all over her face as she kept her sad eyes closed, oblivious of her queen approaching her desk. When she finally opened them she stared at Carmen, who stood right in of her desk, dressed with some fresh clothes, new pair of glasses, and now carrying a carton of orange juice in her hands.

"Oh, hello there, missus," Lilith sadly sighed. Her innocent lavender eyes tried to avert away from the queen's attention.

"Hi Lilith," Carmen said shyly, "Can we talk?"

"How did you know where to find me?" Asked the sullen succubus.

"Well for some reason I know that whenever you're sad you'll come here and do extra work to take your mind off things; and I also know that your favorite ice cream flavor is peanut brittle; and I also know that your favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's. I'm sorry, how do I know these things?"

"It's a side effect," Lilith explained, "You learn some things about the significant other through... well... interaction. Just like I know that you truly loved your first husband, and that you love the boss just the same too; and I also know that you like pineapples on your pizza. I find that very odd about you."

"I see," Carmen noted just before gulping down some more orange juice, "Though that doesn't explain why I'm so thirsty for orange juice."

"That's another side effect. Your body's lacking Vitamin C. Keep drinking, it'll help."

The two said nothing afterward. They stayed within the silent tower, unsure about the next thing to say.

"Carmen," Lilith finally spoke, "I am sincerely sorry about what happened last night. You were right to be angry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn't have any control over my natural state. But you've treated me like no else had before. All that night you've treated me like a real friend. You've made me feel... special; I guess that's a good word for it. The way you looked at me and even the way kissed me, I just couldn't help it.

"It just felt so good to be cared deeply by someone you know. I just wanted to feel some love again. To be loved by someone who shares the same passions as I do. Is it my crime just for being born a succubus that I'm cursed with such a dreaded condition? To live only for the purpose as a sex slave only to turn out that I harm those I try to get close with? I ask God why I'm damned like this for all time, and yet there's never an answer."

The poor succubus could no longer hold it in. Her hands covered her face as she wept into them. Carmen's heart sank when she saw her cry. She walked around to Lilith's chair and passionately wrapped an arm around her friend, embracing the demon's head to her body.

"Lilith," She softly spoke, "There's more than one way to be loved by someone. You don't need to find a partner in order to have enjoy the pleasures of love. Love is a universal thing. Friends can love each other too, just without the sexual stuff.

"I'm sorry too for getting angry at you. I didn't understand what you have to go through. I can't be easy, that much I know. But you don't have to shut everyone out because of this condition. You can still make friends by just being your-totally-incredible-self.

Lilith wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked up. A small sliver of a smile was starting to bloom on her beautiful face.

"You really are an amazing person. I mean that." Carmen continued, "The fact that can persuade people with your pheromones, the fact you can ride a Harley, and you're really great with the girls. Anyone would be grateful to have you as a friend. I know I am."

"Does this mean..." Lilith peeped as one single tear leaked out her eye, "we're still... friends?"

"Just friends? How about best friends? And if you're up for another girls night out, I'm down. Let's just remember not to drink so heavily."

"What about the boss?"

"Yeah I had to tell him. Don't worry, he'll keep quiet about it, or risk losing his holy trinity, if you know what I mean."

Lilith chuckled from the comment. Her arms hugged around her friend with Carmen returning the same gesture. Smiles grew on both their faces. A friendship now mended together.

"So, in all honesty," Lilith spoke out again, "How was I last night?"

"Don't ruin this." Carmen growled, trying keep their friendship from fracturing again.

"Sorry, love."

Their hug still continued. They would then plan for their next night out and joy another wonderful time as friends. They would laugh and cheer until the night was done.

Yet there was one secret, one of creation's greatest secrets, that Carmen Gravely will never admit it. A secret she alone will forever hold on to. That moment of their first girls night may have been blurred from Carmen's memories but one thing would always be clear. A fact that she will deny herself again and again yet will remain truth. Of all those she fondled with — a couple boyfriends from the past, her first husband who helped her conceive her two daughters, and even the devil that she thought was a wild ride — fondling with a succubus... wow.

"I'm home." She called, entering the house alone. She waited. No answer. 

The house was empty and quiet. Her family must have taken off somewhere, so she had it all to herself. It had been a long day at work and she could use some relaxation. She strolled up the stairs and turned the corner to her bedroom. She never felt the need to close the door as she undressed, confident that she was absolutely alone in her own home. She stepped inside her bathroom and flipped the knob on. Hot water fired out from the nozzle above. It felt soothing as it rinsed down her naked skin.

While the woman washed herself she was unaware that the front door unlocked itself. The door creaked open enough for an intruder to step in. He crept across the wood floor as quiet as a church mouse. A noise drew him upstairs where the woman was. With each creeping step, the intruder heard the running water from the bathroom. He grinned of the thought of his prey bathing.

Sure enough he could see clearly that someone was hidden behind a pale shower curtain, oblivious to his presence. Yet he wasn't alone either. Two others crept along at his sides. They were much shorter than him but they too had the same cruel smiles that was painted on his face. The trio slowly crept into the bathroom where the woman continued showering. The tall one whipped open the shower curtain. The woman turned to face her assailant. She screamed at what he and his small assistants had in their hands.

"Happy Mother's Day!" The three cheered. Two girls presented platefuls of pancakes and toast to her while her husband held up a video camera, recording every embarrassing minute.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Mrs. Gravely screamed, covering up her breasts and her lady parts with her hands.

"Mom, you owe a quarter to the swear jar," Her youngest daughter laughed.

"You better eat or breakfast will get cold," Her oldest daughter said.

"Wave to the camera, sweet cheeks!" her devil husband mocked.

Her face turned pale. Her eyes shrunk. The camera zoomed out on the large flat screen, where a large studio audience laughed and cheered as the footage ended. Mrs. Gravely sat in her large, cozy couch next to her coworker, Marcus Marlow, who laughed along with the audience. Mrs. Gravely covered her face as it blushed a humiliating red like a tomato after watching the video, which had been submitted to her show's annual Mother's Day prank videos. 

"Carmen, honey, I'm sorry," Marcus said, "But I gotta admit. Out of all the video submissions, that one is by far my favorite."

Mrs. Gravely knew she couldn't be mad at anyone. She too thought it was rather funny, and she couldn't help herself but laugh too.

"Oh just you wait, Marcus," She gave a nervous chuckle, then her eyes glared straight into the camera, "I got something better planned for Father's Day."

Happy Mother's Day!

Part 1

Alone Rosemary sat in her living room with only the glare of the staticky TV to give her light— unaware of the encroaching shadow that drew itself from the dark depths of the hallway. The shadow crept along the ceiling like a spider after its fly. Burning, soulless eyes pierced through the darkness, locked onto Rosie.

Through the television's beaming light the shadow morphed into the form of a red-skinned demonic child with pointy ears, a messy patch of spiky, black hair, and a long, pointy serpentine tail. He also wore clothing that were every human from his blue jeans to his red-orange hoodie.

Dropping down from the ceiling he pounced on the couch behind the girl. Rosemary turned and locked eyes with the ominous, smiling creature. She did not flinch nor jump, but she smiled and greeted. "Hey Dominic. You bring your stuff?"

"Yup," the little demon boy responded. He pulled out a couple items out of his pockets, "Wireless controller and headset right here."

"Awesome. Let's get started."

The kids plopped on the couch and activated Rosie's Play-Box game system. A text then appeared on the screen.

Warning: This game contains graphic violence, blood and gore, adult language, gratuitous nudity, sexual content, alcohol and tobacco use, inappropriate references, mayhem, explosions, genocide, blasphemy, kitten kicking, and t-bagging!

The television then spoke in a gravelly voice, "In the future, scientists tried to speed travel times up by inventing teleportation devices. But then things go to hell when they opened a portal to nightmarish realm, home to the most volatile monsters imaginable. Everyone is killed, except one. Lock and load as the ultimate killing machine..."

The game's title flashed on screen in a colorful aura of blood and explosions. Rosie and Dominic ecstatically joined the announcer, screaming out loud, "MAJOR RAGER!"

Part 2

Their gamer tags—DarkDawter11 and HLboy966—appeared inside the hub screen. Two other tags—BigBillionz and Eziekel2517—were already waiting for the duo.

"Hey bestie!" BigBillionz's voice called from her mic. "I see you brought Dominic with you. So cool!"

"Sup Krystal," Rosie answered. "How goes it, Josh?"

"Hey guys!" Eziekel2517 (Joshua) called out. "Just to clarify, my mom thinks I'm at Krystal's doing homework. So don't tell her about this."

The imp Dominic replied, "Secret's safe with us."

Then a fifth gamer tag appeared onscreen. This one was named MLPwny1123. Another girl's voice echoed over, "Hey everyone."

"Hey Kayleigh. You made it." Dominic said.

"Wouldn't miss this for the world!" Her voice cheered.

Finally a sixth tag popped into the party. Recognizing the gamer's tag Boomstick92, Rosemary gleefully said. "Hey, Ashley's here too. Hold on a sec!"

Rosemary attached a small keyboard to her controller and typed out a message to her friend. "Hey Ash!" she typed, "Ready?"

After waiting a few seconds, a message popped in the chat room. "Red-E 2 GO!"

"Alright everyone," Rosemary announced, "This is it. We are about to enter the Major Rager Shoot 'Em Up Tournament. If we win, we're gonna receive the best armor, the best weapons, and the best loot that will carry on into the next Major Rager game. We are gonna kick both inter-dimensional monster and noob ass."

"YEAH!" Her friends all cheered. Without hesitation the pressed start on their controllers. The next screen that appeared was the class selection, where the players could choose and customize their avatars that best represents them.

To start out, Rosemary selected the Combat Commando, a soldier class specializing in machine guns, shotguns, and dual wielding weapons.

Kayleigh chose the Boom Blaster. This tank class was an expert in heavy weapons and explosives, a feat that Kayleigh always enjoyed in these games.

Joshua chose the Engin-Fear, which specialized in hacking computer consoles and enemy robotic units.

Ashley picked the class everyone agree suited her the most, the Silencer. Feats in stealth, sniper, and swordsman made this one of the deadliest of the classes.

Dominic selected the Psycko, a spellbinder class, as his avatar. Dominic liked this one because of how much he and the game character had in common with dark magic and spells.

And for Krystal, the Chem Fatale, specializing in chemical weapons such as acid bombs, poison gas, and napalm mines.

Now the tournament began!

Part 3

Level 1.

Six armored avatars appeared at the center of a small empty room. They cocked their weapons as the metal door opened wide. The fireteam rushed inside to find themselves against a horde of horrendous, pixelated monsters awaiting them. The game's graphics detailed these beasts with green scaly skin, piercing red eyes, rotten yellow teeth, and large spikes protruding from their heads, spines, and arms.

The monsters shot fireballs from their mouths. The six players moved their avatars all around the room, dodging their attacks while shooting back. A hailstorm of bullets riddled the monsters, decorating the walls with animated blood and organs. Sometimes the glorious graphics generated the monster deaths to have their blood splatter over the television screens in divine detail.

Rosie and Dominic twitched their fingers on the game controllers as their video game characters assaulted the creatures. Their eyes focused on the T.V. set. They didn't blink or flinch when some monsters popped out of hidden corridors only to be gunned down without mercy. Their scores on the upper right corner multiplied with every kill they rallied.

The last monster was then executed by the young gamers. The stage was cleared and then the six friends moved onto Level 2. A similar firefight ensued in their progression, only with more hording monsters than before. The kids gunned them down when suddenly Rosemary and Dominic heard Mrs. Gravely call out, "Rosie, I need you to empty out the trash."

"Mom!" Rosemary complained, "My friends and I are playing Major Rager. It's the big tournament."

"It'll take less than five minutes." Her mother hollered back, "Then you can play afterward."

"I can do it later."

"No, not later. Now!"

"But mom-"

"ROSEMARY LEE GRAVELY!"

Rosie flinched at the sound of her full name. She knew if she didn't comply she would be in for it. Dominic swiped her controller with his long, pointed tail and began operating it.

"Go ahead." the demon smiled and said, "I got you covered."

Rosemary thanked him and hurried off to her chores so the tournament can continue.

Part 4

Level 5.

The six gamers made their way down a long corridor, where giant cyclopian glob guarded the entrance to Level 6. The animated monstrosity puked a pool of acid at them, but they managed to dodge out of the way. Their weapons fired rapidly with little affect against the horrid blob.

Dominic's Psycko casted a spell, which emitted a screeching sonic sound. The powerful vibrations were too much for the blob as it died in a grotesque explosion of goo all around the corridor. His friends cheered his accomplishment.

"Awesome!" Rosemary said, high-fiving the imp.

"Nice one!" Joshua's voice called over the microphone.

A message from Ashley appeared in the text box depicting a thumbs up and a smiley face. The team then ventured to the next level, continuously gunning down more monsters that were in their path.

"You know, Dominic," Kayleigh spoke over her headset, "I'm surprised you play this game. I mean we're basically killing demons."

"Technically whether they are demons or other nefarious creatures is up for debate," the young demon corrected, "Besides this game is like a national sport down below. Everyone plays it."

Then Krystal's voice cried, "Incoming!" A rocket fired in their direction. They dodged in time but the impact knocked their avatars off their feet. Another player loaded his weapon up and readied to fire.

With quick thinking, Ashley commanded her Silencer to pull out her giant sniper rifle, aiming it at the opposing opponent. Taking a deep breath, she fired. The 50 caliber bullet hit directly between the eyes.

Deep in the depths of the Inferno, Ghuul's controller and jaw hit the floor at the same time.

"How did I die?" he whined, taunted by the "Game Over" text on screen.

"You suck, dude," his friend Balthazar commented.

Part 5

After much progression, after battling reptilian monsters, killer robots, mutated experiments, and other online players, they made it to the final round of the tournament, Level 10.

It was going to be their greatest challenge yet, but the grand prize that at the end was going to be worth all the hours spent sitting around a television set during the daylight over the weekend.

"This is it, everyone," Rosemary radioed all her friends, "This is what we've been building up to." Her avatar guided the others toward the doorway. "We've won many battles together, and now that grand prize is ours."

Her friends all agreed as their armored avatars raced down the dark hallway to the locked door. They listened to the mechanized whirly sounds as the gears started unlocking. The door opened its metallic maw and the six entered inside.

There inside was their greatest challenge. There it stood at the center of a lava chamber: a monster, half demon and half machine. Its muscles fused with tubes and wires, flames blazed from its maddening eyes like ritualistic torches. The lower half of its legs were not normal but a centaurian appearance complete with eight robotic legs that resembled spider limbs. Its hands were replaced by a pair of gatling guns that fired rapidly at the players.

The avatars ducked behind cover from the barrage of animated lasers. They fired their weapons back that the behemoth but it laughed as their feeble attacks took small pieces of its health. A carnage of rockets shot from its guns that hit around the players, dealing some damage to their avatar's health. All six friends frantically tapped the buttons on their controllers, trying desperately to stay alive and damage the final boss. Their eyes locked heavily on their screens. Their teeth ground tightly with each counterattack and quick dodging.

"Any ideas, anyone?" Joseph called out.

Ashley had her avatar scan the battlefield. There on the rafters was a glowing orb with an image of a mushroom cloud inside. Her avatar pointed at the distant object and her friends took notice.

"Ash found an F-Bomb!" Rosemary said. "Cover me! I'm making a break for it."

Her friends continued their assault on the final boss as Rosemary's avatar ran for the orb. The beast's guns were now aimed at Rosemary. Dominic's avatar protected Rosemary with a absorbent shield while the other focused on its head.

Their hearts pounded sporadically as they moved closer to the orb. Rosemary made her avatar dive at the shining object. A single touch then made it evaporate into thin air. Suddenly her avatar pulled out a gigantic bazooka and shot a single pellet, no bigger than a golf ball at the mechanized brute. It gulped when it felt the small object poke its sternum.

The T.V. screens gave a blinding flash. When the light ended a massive mushroom cloud formed where the final boss stood. The sole sound it made was an offensive term the kids dared not repeat.

Part 6

The smoke cleared and the flash faded. All that remained of the final boss was a pile of ash, scrap metal, and bloody organs. But hovering above the remains was a golden chest that shined brighter than the gates of Paradise.

All six friends gazed at the object with great awe. The vast prizes was just in their reach. Rosemary and Dominic smiled the largest. But they both felt something odd. Looking down they noticed that their hands were gently clinging together. They flinched away, embarrassed by the compassionate act. Both the human girl and the demon boy tried to keep their eyes on the television, neither one noticing their faces blushing red and small smiles curve their lips after they touched.

The six players slowly approached the chest. Their minds raced with all the treasures they would earn. The new armor and armor upgrades, the best weapons, unlimited ammo, and thousands of credits—the game's currency—was about to belong to them.

Suddenly, they heard a gunshot. Blood and brain bits splattered out of Rosemary's avatar and it dropped dead. Soon Dominic's followed beyond with a similar fashion. And then Joshua, then Krystal, then Kayleigh, then Ashley. All avatars were dead. Their prize just short from their reach.

Rosie and Dominic dropped their controllers. Their jaws followed too.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?" Rosie angrily screamed.

"THAT'S BULLCRAP!" Dominic also ranted.

Rosie shouted again, "WHO KILLED US?!?"

A single armored avatar, with the gamer tag MOTHERMERCY, stepped onscreen, claiming their prize. Inside the privacy of her office at Brimstone Elementary, Mrs. Wordsworth laughed as the in-game riches now belonged to her.

"Oh, bless you, Lord," she gave a fiendish cackle, "Bless you for giving me the strength to pwn these noob suckers! Ahahahaha!"