Lucifer

Chapter 5: Knife to the heart Lana

Lana

Rising early the next day, I heat up a breakfast sandwich and head out of my cabin to meet the rest of my group at the picnic tables.

Since arriving at the Canyon, we’ve agreed to eat as a team and discuss our findings. It’s a good way for us to connect with each other and diminish the feeling of isolation.

I yawn with exhaustion as I step out of my door. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. And when I slept, my dreams were a mixture of oddly discomfiting dreams where I was having an unknown conversation with a glowing entity, and the other dreams starred me lying naked in a bathtub with a sexy devil.

I growl at the reminder. Lucifer’s hands washed more than my hair in one of the dreams. I squirm in my seat, remembering how good it felt to have him touch me. It was so real that I woke up covered in sweat.

I close my eyes, recalling how his elegant fingers caressed their way down my shoulders, stomach, and thighs. It was maddening because his fingers would come close to my breasts or aching center, then change direction.

I’m so lost in thought that I startle when one of my classmates, Jill, slumps down on the chair beside mine. A dozen of us are in our group, not including the professors.

Jill can make anyone feel comfortable with her bubbly personality and sweet demeanor. Her caramel skin gleams from the sunblock she uses, and her curvy body vibrates with excitement as she approaches me, “Hey, I saw you came home early last night. Are you alright?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed some rest.”

Her long brown ponytail swings and her chocolate eyes project excitement as she digs into her breakfast. “I found some very old cave openings near the mouth of the river. Do you want to investigate it with me?”

I nod excitedly. “Sure, sounds good.”

We’re getting through breakfast when two of the guys in our group approach. Tony and Kyle are ruggedly handsome. Kyle has very light hair, dark eyes, and a flirtatious smile, and Tony has brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a broody bad, boy aura. Jill smiles shyly at Tony before she looks at Kyle.

“Hey, boys, early morning?”

Tony sits and rests his tray on the table with a shrug.

Kyle looks at me and winks, “Hey, Lana. How is your research going?”

“It’s good,” I reply.

Our team members come out of their tiny houses and mingle around the camp.

I give him a halfhearted smile as I rise from my seat and mutter to Jill, “I’m going to go change. I’ll see you in a few?”

Jill nods as she continues to cajole Tony into a conversation.

I feel bad because Kyle's not my type though I’m resolved to find a boyfriend. Based on my current fixation, someone like Tony would be more to my taste. Like a certain gorgeous devil that I can’t stop thinking about, he’s tall, dark, and handsome, but I feel nothing for him. I guess it’s a good thing because Jill is head over heels for him, and I’m not the kind of girl who would hurt a friend that way. I hope that brooding asshat figures out how great she is before she gives up and moves on.

Throughout the day, we maneuver through caves and caverns. Whenever I change locations, I check to see if Lucifer is nearby. It’s so bad that Jill keeps asking me if I’m alright.

We gather data and take photographs as we traverse into the cavern. Eventually, Jill stops beside me, her face flushed, and perspiration runs down her temple, “Woah, we’re pretty far now. I’m ready to take a break. Want to go back out and have a snack?”

I wipe my grimy hands against my khaki shorts and nod, “Yeah, sounds good. Let’s go.”

Because we went pretty deep inside the carven, we marked the walls with colored chalk so we wouldn’t get lost.

“Geez, we’ve been walking forever?” Jill looks at her watch, “We came into the cave nearly two hours ago and worked for at least a little over an hour, so I’m going to say that it will take an hour before we get to the surface.”

I chuckle when she rubs her forehead and groans, “I’m so tired. It was cool, but I wish we hadn’t walked and climbed so far.”

I nod as we climb up one of the steep caverns, “Be careful,” I warn when I slip on one of the rocks. The rocks are slick from the moisture, and it’s harder to climb up than it was to go down the cavern.

Jill curses as she slips and slides up the narrow opening, “s**t, this is worse than going down. We definitely should have thought it through before we came this way.”

I nod as I grip a protruding stone and carefully slide through the narrow entrance. My feet wobble for a moment as I crawl up the burnt-orange limestone. It’s quite humbling to know that I’m climbing a two-billion-year-old structure.

My knees burn as they scrape against the stone, but I keep going until we stop at another cavern.

Jill and I stop to rest and wipe our sodden brows, “Man, I really need to get in better shape,” she says as she takes a drink from her canteen.

Chest heaving, I give her a weary nod and drink from my flask, “Yeah, I’m so tired…ugh.”

After a minute, we continue our trek up the steep rocks. The caverns are small, which makes me feel a little claustrophobic. We’re nearly halfway through our journey when Jill screams and skidders above me. I try to grasp her but, in the process, misplace several loose rocks below me. Jill manages to land on a flat rock, but my footing is off, and I begin to slip. As I do, the cavern begins to shudder, and rocks begin to rain down on us. The roar of the rocks falling is nearly deafening, and my body aches with every strike of the stones and debris falling.

Letting myself slide down as carefully as possible, I manage to land several feet below and cover my head as the rocks continue to fall.

“Lana! Are you alright?” Jill calls out hysterically.

I try to see her, but the opening is covered, and I worry that more rocks will come down on me if I move anything else.

“I’m fine!” I call out, searching for another exit, “But the way is blocked. I’m going to see if I can find another way out.”

Jill sniffles with worry. “I’m so sorry, Lana. I’ll look around to see if I can find another way in.”

I cough as dust and debris continue to fall. “It’s fine, Jill. Just mark where I am, get to the jeep and inform our group that I’m trapped.”

She whimpers in reply, “Okay, I’ll go. Do you have your two-way radio?”

I look at the radio strapped to my belt. “Yeah, I have it.”

We test it before she leaves.

“Okay, call me if you need me to come back,” she calls out.

I reply using the radio, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just go and get the others.”

Once she has reassured me, I head back down the way we came. It’s eerily dark due to the cave-in, so I turn on my headlamp. As I move around the cavern, my fear seems to amplify every sound.

I look around for other openings and inspect a few but come up with a dead end. As soon as I step back out, I mark the entrance with an X and move on.

Heading back in the direction we came from, I gasped when I heard the sound of scurrying feet. I’m not usually scared of bugs or creepy crawlies, but the sound is so loud that I freak out and flatten my back against the wall. When Sahara and Marael kidnapped us last year, they took us to a mountain range in hell, where we saw many horrifying creatures. There were a few that, up to now, I hope I never have to see again. One of the ones that creeped me out the most were these little demonic-looking insects that looked like large centipedes. The sounds emitting around me sound like those creatures.

Trying not to panic, I take a couple of deep breaths and wave the headlamp around me. Unfortunately, as soon as I do, I see something moving in the light's fringes.

Heart pounding wildly, I back up until I’m out of the opening and try to return to the spot where the rocks fell. As I climb, the sound comes closer, and my body begins to tremble with fear. My breathing hitches as I try not to look behind me. I feel like the final girl in a horror flick at that moment. I know I’ll be done if I look at whatever is behind me. My ragged breaths mingle with the eerie sounds of whatever is behind me. I’m nearing the blocked entrance when my headlamp goes out. Gasping with fear, I tap the headlamp and shake it, but nothing happens.

That’s when I feel something slither between my feet. It wraps around my ankle, and before I can run, I am dragged down the steep entry. As I claw the rocky ground for purchase, my cries echo across the room.

Looking back, I see nothing but darkness. Cloying terror envelopes me as whatever is holding me pulls me down. My vision clears as I’m about to pass out, and everything becomes illuminated. It’s almost as if someone turned on a light switch. Whatever holds on to my ankle hisses and releases me from its grasp.

Rolling over, I cringe with pain when I look at my abraided ankle, knees, and hands.

Swallowing hard, I look at the horrific sight before me. Spider-like creatures are crawling across the ceiling and surrounding me. It’s a horrific sight to see. The creatures look like large spiders, with spines on their backs, long-taloned claws, and razor-sharp teeth. Their eyes are red, and saliva falls from their chelicerae as they gaze hungrily back at me. None dare to approach me. Instead, they pace around me, which is super confusing.

Now that I think about it, the whole situation is bizarre because I know there’s no light in the cavern. I don’t know how I’m doing it, but my eyes have changed, and I can see in the darkness. As the creatures circle around me, I take a cautious step forward. One of the creatures hisses and swipes at me but remains where it is. I feel like a caged canary being stalked by a cat.

As the creatures grow more agitated and move closer, I feel a coldness grow inside my chest and seep through my body. My senses heighten, and my vision blurs as fear turns into an uncontrollable rage. My mind feels stuffy, as if something is stopping me from thinking rationally. My vision steadies, and my eyes dilate. At that moment, I want to tear these creatures to pieces.

When one of the creatures moves, I pounce. It’s as if I was taken over by something because I ruthlessly ripped into the creature. Seeing the destructions that I reap, the rest of the creatures move to attack, but I’m a force to be reckoned with. I laugh as I tear through each creature, flinging limbs and entrails everywhere. It’s so freeing that I no longer remember where or what I am. All I do is kill.

The feeling of blood gushing through my fingers thrills me as I’ve never felt before. A buzzing rings around me, distracting me from all of the death. I turn my back on the creatures and search for what makes the sound. While I do, creatures scurry around me, running for their lives. After a moment, I realize that the sound isn’t coming from the room; it’s coming from beneath me. Stepping back, I look at the ground as it begins to open. Strangely enough, I’m more curious than scared. As the ground shifts beneath me, what looks like locusts begin to zoom out. Within minutes, a horde of locusts attacks all of the cavern's creatures. I watch with disattachment as the locusts consume the creatures. To my surprise, the locusts do not even look my way. They simply ignore me as they gorge themselves.

I watch with glee as blood, the color of tar, splatters everywhere.

Without a thought, I move close to one of the hives and hover my hand over their bodies. The locusts move with my movements but do not attack. Curious, I try several times with the same results.

I’m so entranced by all of the death that I don’t realize Lucifer is behind me until he speaks, “What the bloody hell is happening here?”

Turning around, I look at him and sneer. I know I shouldn’t be acting this way, but something inside me refuses to care.

“Well, if it isn’t the devil,” I sneer.

His eyes narrow as he takes in my appearance, “Lana, what happened to you?” he looks on as the locusts continue to devour the spiders, “Are those locusts eating the Arachia demons?”

I shrug my shoulder and point to the locusts devouring the creatures with a wide, maniacal grin, “Yep,” I giggle, “It looks like they messed with the wrong girl,” I laugh again, which makes his brow furrow.

I intently watch him as he approaches and wipes his hand across my face. Blood coats his fingers when he moves his hand away.

Leaning close, I take his soiled hand and whisper.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – perhaps she’ll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,

That wriggled and wiggled and tiggled inside her;

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!

I twirl in place as my mind becomes foggier. I have no control over myself. All I can do is gleefully repeat the rhyme over and over again.

Looking grim, Lucifer grips me by the forearms and pulls me against him, “Stop it, Lana.”

Smirking with amusement, I look back at the Locusts, “Lana’s not here anymore!” I say in a sing-song voice, “Lana’s gone.”

Lucifer’s expression darkens further, “What is your name?”

I roll my eyes and walk my fingers up his chest playfully, “Oh, that hurts, mate. You don’t even know my name.”

Pouting, I look back at the locusts and call out, “Time to go, my lovelies.”

As soon as I say the words, the creatures retreat into the ground.

“Are you scared?” I kiss Lucifer’s jaw and wrap my arms around his neck.

Lucifer’s ebony eyes change into a fiery red as he pulls me closer. Groaning, I plow my breasts against his hard stomach and nip his chin. His throat bobs, and his eyes fall half-mast at my blatant move. Our lips hover over each other, “How did you end up being in human form?” he asks.

Rage engulfs me as I look into the eyes of the male who rejected me. Chest heaving, I step back and look down at my soiled figure. My thoughts flicker for a moment, distracting me from any coherent response. Walking toward a nearby rock, I slide my hand across the coarse surface and rhyme.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;

How absurd to swallow a bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!

Lucifer stomps forward and roughly pulls me to face him, “Stop it, Lana. Stop it!”

Growling with rage, I push his chest hard until his back is to the wall, “Do you remember what you told The Creator before you fell? Do you?!” I place my hand on his chest and claw at his shirt until it’s ripped in half and blood is pouring from his skin, “Answer me….”

His eyes simmer, and his chest heaves as he tries to control his need to attack.

“Do you remember?” I mutter, “Because I remember.”

His eyes widen at my confession as he lowers his arms and places them gently around my waist, “What?” he mumbles. “You were there?”

I tilt my head and blink my eyes rapidly when my head starts to pound and become foggy. Stepping back, I slam my palm against my forehead several times until I am somewhat coherent again. Sliding down the wall, I curl into a ball and rock in place, “He asked you if you would give up everything you were given by heaven, and….” I swallow the bile that threatens to spew from my lips, “…you said there was nothing that mattered to you. You just wanted your freedom,” I hiss and look up at his ashen face as my mind begins to fog again, “Well, your freedom had a price…your freedom came at a price….your freedom had a price…”

I rock harder and clutch my head as the pain becomes unbearable. It feels like I’m in the middle of the ocean, and waves are crashing around me. I scratch and strike my temple as the sound heightens.

Lucifer kneels before me and places his hands over mine, his lips moving, but I can’t hear him over the thundering in my head. I try to speak but begin to choke out blood and seize until the reprieve of darkness finds me.