Hellbound

Rising isn’t really different from falling when you experience a high in between. Liberty is a chaser of that high, the cat to the pitiful mouse, the final crash of the wave before it reaches the shore. Being an ageless demon, he couldn’t remember the first time he experienced falling to hell or rising to walk the earth. All he ever sought was pleasure, thrill, and everything that makes him feel alive. And he feels most alive in the middle, the center of the darkness. Everything else falls irrelevant, those that doesn’t make him feel like he doesn’t have a selfish heart. Today, he travels to a foreign country, thinking if he even has the right to call it foreign. Hell, demons rule the whole world! The ups, the centers, and the downs. He doesn’t need to feel like a stranger on any part of the sinful human land…not when he is the second strongest beast of all. “Come on do it…” He whispers to the man with tanned skin and trembling streak of sweat. A wrinkled-forehead. A coward heart.   Though the air in Madrid feels a little colder, like someone just dropped the air conditioning unit to the lowest negative, the sins aren’t any different from the rest of the world: hot, overflowing, and ever so alluring especially to a hungry wolf like him, except he isn’t a wolf. He is an impatient demon. So the effect is a hundred times more intense. “Please, drop your gun. We can talk about this. You can still get out of this alive…” Aha! The police, the fake bearers of human hope. Liberty could only roll his eyes at the irony of their morality. He finds it funny, how the men in uniform act high and mighty at day, like they hold the ultimate scale of judgment, the symbol of salvation. But at night, they are nothing but demons themselves, worse even. They’re like dogs that drool at the sight of dirty money, bark at the pleas of likely-disgusting relatives, and lick on the soles of walking greeds, if you tell them to. At least demons aren’t dogs. They’re disgusting, Liberty supposed with a smirk, disgustingly good. This is the high he is talking about, the space where he thrives, not in the fiery pits of hell, but in the depths of the sinful human hearts. Maybe he could hit two birds in one stone—the predator and the prey, that would be great for his reputation, right? “Step back or I’ll stab her!” He is so close into falling from grace, the wrinkly man that is. Orange, torned, and mud-filled shirt. He is an escapee, a prisoner before a troubled head. In his right arm stood a wailing little girl of age 5, an angelic face, a sad collateral. Liberty felt adrenaline. Or maybe it’s just his nature calling out for him. The man only needs a little push and evil will win again. He will win again. “Do it. You know there’s no escaping your situation, old man. Do you really think they will save you? There’s no such thing as a way out in this world. Kill or be killed.” The man groaned, letting his powers seep into the roots of his consciousness. What a beautiful sight, the police slowly raising their hands in the air in surrender, the walking desperation tightening his hold in the knife, knuckles turning white. And oh, nothing compares to the cries of the little girl caught up in the middle of chaos. It was pure music to Liberty’s ears. “Listen, I know you feel like there’s no way out of this but…” The leader of the officers stepped a foot forward, causing the guilty to fall one back. Of course, there isn’t and there are no buts. Liberty continues to taunt the man, licking the shell of his left ear, tasting the sweetness of death. Don’t listen to him, listen to me. He can see the way the police’s throat bobbed up and down, no hint of wanting to end this soon. “I can shorten your sentence if you just drop your knife down. Trust me…you can still get a plea bargain.” Don’t trust him, the demon brushed the man’s wrinkled forehead while he eyes the officers in front with half-hooded gaze. They’re just tricking you. To Liberty’s surprise, the man wavered, life returning to his pale knuckles, goodness knocking in his desperate heart. “A-re you telling me the truth? You’re not tricking me? I’m not gonna die in prison?” He got too many questions with a hopeful eye. Liberty is screwed. f*****g hell, literally. “No, he’s not. There’s no salvation waiting to the likes of you, my man. You are going to hell with me.” The demon growled, reducing the man’s heart into a chaotic beating muscle while the little girl continues to bawl loudly, her mouth more a megaphone than a stereo. What was once music to his ears suddenly became an annoying noise, especially when— “God didn’t want this.” Uttered the police, hitting the wrinkly man’s soft spot, stone turning into cheesecake the instant heaven is brought up the table. The demon raised a brow at the police’s sentence, raising it an arch higher when he saw how tears pooled at the corners of the criminal’s eyes. Really? He thought. He could whisper another lure in the sinners ear, try a more intense pull but he decided to listen first, to entertain himself about the humans’ petty concept of God. “You’re a believer. You won’t wear a rosary if you aren’t,” the police said as he pointed out to the beaded necklace hanging around the sinner’s neck, hiding beneath the creased orange collar that witnessed enough evil. Oh humans the heaven doesn’t work like that. But go on, entertain me more. “You don’t want to kill the child. You don’t want to disappoint your family any further. Please, sir come with us. It’s not yet too late.” The man in uniform finally reached a pace away from the criminal, taking advantage of his loosening grip towards the kid. He gently grabbed the knife away from his hands before urging the girl to run forward, to safety. Liberty scoffed, crossing his arms while eyeing the meek. “You’re not an i***t. Do you really think your god will forgive you after you murdered your family? Only angels and saints can enter the heaven, you know? You and I aren’t much different. We belong down there.” Slowly, he paced beside him, leather shoes clicking with the marble floor, bloody and proud. The demon snaked his arm around the criminal’s neck. A senseless sensation. A touch only felt in one end. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to kill my family.” The man stared into nothingness. If Liberty squints a little, he could almost tell that the human can see him well. But no, he’s just simply losing his mind, experiencing hell even before he stepped foot in it. Well, that doesn’t make you less of a sinner, the demon smirked. Come on, just go with me, kill the girl so you can free her from suffering. He feels the familiar return of fear in the man’s heart, something that he’s aching to take advantage of. After all, there’s no recovery if there’s no relapse. On relapses, Liberty is the star. “Think about it, if you leave her alone on earth, what will she become? A beggar? A prostitute? Or even worse, a drug addict? She will have no parents to guide her, it wouldn’t be bad to send her to the light…take matters in your own hands, it’s going to be okay.” Liberty continued to taunt him, his voice slowly becoming a reality inside the criminal’s head. His sweats are now hot tears mixed with despair. “No, n-no…I…she will have a better life, the police said—“ “The police are liars, but you’re not.” Liberty smiled, inhaling the fearful reek all around. “You didn’t lie when you promised her that you’ll come back with a teddy bear that night, told her that you’ll pick her up from school, get her to the nearest bathroom stall and held her tight…told her that she’ll grow up a little faster with her in your lap…you’re not a liar when you said that you’ll plant a bullet in her mother’s head too, burst her brain open in front of her. ” “Stop it! Stop it! That—Us in the bathroom were…” “Good? Pleasurable? Deliciously tender on younger flesh?” The demon’s eyes glowed in red, not that anyone can see it. Sometimes he wishes they do, it would be more fun that way. Liberty was back on track, the man falling from grace was saved and now was falling again. The wrinkly man stopped walking, shook his head vigorously while he drops on both knees and cry useless pleas. “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t mean to.” “Yeah and you didn’t mean to take your youngest daughter in a hostage like that, too.” Reasoned the officer as he let out two circular metals, clanking before kissing the criminal’s skin. A grip on his wrist, a testimony of surrender.  “If you move even an inch further, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” At this moment, the demon thought that nobody could ever be in par of the idiocy the police has shown. He could have say those words when they made sure that the perimeter was secured, pull the trigger when the target was locked. He knows he could do better in being human than all of their efforts combined. Not that he was complaining though. After all, this idiocy is what’s ‘gonna snap his finish line. He sank beside the man, brushed the tip of his white hair, the one aged by dirty experience and poor mental health. “There’s still hope for her, though. If you kill her right here and right now…her soul will be cleansed. Who knows, she might even get to heaven in no time.” Liberty did what he does best: lie. “But you said only saints and angels are allowed there.” The man argued, the police’s voice long gone. We got him, we got him, we’re on the way back to prison was reduced to nothing but a background noise, the static in the television. “Oh, but your daughter is an angel, don’t you see? A divine being you stripped out of purity and tainted with sin.” The demon thumbed his chin, wiping away the tears that don’t have the rights to fall. The criminal eyed his daughter from afar, Liberty tracing too. They saw how the humanized angel trembled while being held by a stranger’s hand. How her face crumpled pale and her little nose swelled from sobbing. How her eyes that was supposed to look at beautiful things see nothing but evil in his father’s. Yet the criminal smiled genuinely. “Can I really save her still? Will she ever forgive me?” “Yes you can and yes she will…Send her back to heaven, that’s where she belongs.” At long last, the demon feasted with his meal. In one swift motion, the wrinkly man hurried back to his feet, the sound of metal cuffs snapping when adrenaline pushed him to stretch his wounded arms, calloused hands and twisted morality. Liberty witnessed everything in slow motion, how in some perverse way, evil was done out of goodness. Mindless chaos was personified. The prisoner, both of his crimes and of his head, went to pull the revolver off of the police’s belt from behind. A few grunts of struggles were heard before blood was finally shed. “Forgive me, my angel.” He uttered before shooting the little girl and then turning to kill himself with a bullet meant to save. The high was over, the man was dead. People were wrong to think that goodness always prevails because as Liberty walks away from the scene, basking in another taste of solid win, the demon only has one thought in mind: This was my favorite mission so far. -- Descending to hell was another story. Unlike how the bible depicts his home to be a fiery pit of endless screams of torment, the place was actually fireless and elegantly quiet. There are specific chambers for specific tasks, certain demons for certain punishments. And the high-ranking ones similar to those of Liberty, lives in the pulpit rooms. Exclusive and Luxurious.  Luficer may be the king of hell but he’s no tasteless king. He loves innovation, likes to transform their home according to trends, wanted to make it cooler when its summer, and a little bit warmer during winters. Not that it matters, he just have a marketing character like that. Liberty used to call him an unstable brat, his comrade since the beginning of their fall. If he was the king, he’d do so much better than fixing everything in hell every few hundred years…like actually bring it to earth as a start. “Blah blah blah. Show me a little gratitude, will you? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not even that hard for me but you know, because of me, the fire just got another gasoline.” Liberty talked over his phone, quite annoyed at how the promotion committee remained clueless in the dark when he was out in Spain. Right now, he was in the elevator, descending to the lowest floor while holding a brown envelope, a safekeep for his latest achievement. “What? What was that? The line was being cut. Bye!” He threw it away, burning the device with flames from his left gloved hand. Ting! As his reflection on the metal partings stretched to reveal the outside of the elevator, the demon was greeted by a towering silver building, shining from every surface, no dents in sight. If every other demon marvels upon the overwhelming tower once in a while, Liberty is different. Unlike them who weren’t always invited to give reports inside, the second highest ranking demon is already growing bored of this, bored of praises, bored of reflected success. “Liberty, my man!” “Hey hey hey, the legend is here again!” “Sup?” He gestured a tiny salute towards the lower ranking demons that suddenly flocked to his direction, a foot away from the door of the promotional committee’s office. He rolled his eyes. He’s not in the mood for any conversation, especially to the horned, faceless ones. “We heard your latest victory, dude! You’re amazing!” “It wasn’t easy to taunt those who already see the light, after all!” “And in the country where religion thrives? You’re such a legend, man.” Liberty smirked, shaking his head at how pathetic they sound licking his ass. He loves it, though. He loves the attention. But not now, he has his priorities. He needs to know how his points are going first. Maybe he’ll treat those little shits later, throw a piece of rotten meat for them to fight over. Maybe later. “Well what can I say? I’m a natural.” With that, he formally entered the office’s grand space, heading straight to the altar-like desk at the center, a statement of mockery towards the man above. He didn’t bat an eye to the beauty of the everlasting flowers hanging all around. He only seeks one path, the one leading to the blonde girl, demon rather, with round eyeglasses and red lipstick…sitting in the middle. “Liberty!” “Hey baby.” The demon spoke flirtatiously as he crouched on the most comfortable chair in the room, swiftly throwing his envelope to her direction. An action she countered with an equally flirtatious wink. Liberty licked his lips. “I heard you did spectacular up there, hon. Such a dirty demon. Love you.” The girl giggled before Liberty leaned forward and let their noses brush. He wore a toothy grin that seemed to excite the girl too. “What am I gonna do to you?” “Let’s see…you can start by checking my progress, don’t you think?” The demon let his seductive red eyes lure the girl even further, hoping that she could do something about his ugly situation. Though he knows she couldn’t. Maybe he’s just hiding his nervousness behind his s*x appeal. The lady demon smiled. “Of course, dear. Give me a sec.” She let her left index finger with a nail as long as her patience for him touched his lips, a gesture which Liberty found hot. If the situation is any different, he already grabbed her from behind and f****d her senseless right here. But that could wait, especially when he as all the time in the world. “Sure, love. Take your time.” He groaned as he watches her figure turn from him and skim a few files from the cabinet, slouching lower so her ass is almost touching his chest. Liberty almost lost it. She finally rose, opening a black folder before licking her thumb and skimming carefully. A curious frown spreading on her forehead. “800.” She sighed. FUCK. “How much points did Spain got me?” he asked, face falling flat, anger seeping in. “20” the girl replied casually, causing Liberty to grit his teeth and vent out his anger towards her. His s****l appetite long vanished. In a blink of an eye, the lady demon’s neck is nothing but a fighting breath between Liberty’s gloved palm. “I did everything you told me to, didn’t I? For what it’s worth, the last mission wasn’t a piece of cake for most demons. I was the only one who could do that…you know it, baby.” “I k-know…l-let me g-go. L-Libert-ty!” She’s turning purple, breathless but not out of fire. For some miracle, the angry demon decided to do as she wants, waiting for her explanation in between labored breaths. “I don’t know how t-they do the pointing system. I’m just here to keep the files intact.” She reasoned, brushing her bruised neck while Liberty glowered at her direction. He parted his mouth open but the lady didn’t let him speak. “They sent me something though…something they had for you. If you wish to ascend the highest rank, they said this would be your ticket for real.” “Bullshit.” “No, this is the real deal Liberty…look.” Oh, oh. A folder with a golden seal welcomed his fury gaze, a symbol of an ultimate mission only give to special demons that have a potential to become the next leaders. Interesting. “How much is this worth?” “A thousand points.” The lady uttered without a hint of playfulness. The two demons locked gazes for a while before Liberty let out a howl and picked up the folder. Browsing inside, he saw a profile of his next target, the one who will make his dream come true. “Naomi Mara Taylor, 18-year old, abandoned, brain tumor, 2 years to live at most…what do you want me to do to her?” He asked, studying her profile carefully. He thought maybe they would task him to become her incubus before killing her, or worse, strip her out of sanity…you know, all the nastiest things he could— “Keep an eye on her until the time of her death. Make sure she doesn’t die before that…” The lady demon replied with a sigh, causing Liberty to become stone cold and confused as f**k. “Are you f*****g with me?” “Nope. Real deal, baby. Take it or leave it.” Silence enveloped the atmosphere for a while, their breaths the only echo bouncing through the walls. This mission is impossibly easy. Suspicious, even. But if he wants to surpass Lucifer with a thousand points in no time, then this is his only chance. He has no time to think about this. What if it slips right through his hands? “So?” The girl asked. “Fine. 2 years, huh? Guess it will be fun.” After all, 2 years are nothing but a millisecond of his eternity. The demon closed the folder and slammed it right back to the altar desk. As he turns his back from the file organizer, a smirk automatically formed from the sinful corner of his mouth. “I’ll be taking my cat with me.” “No problem.” Off to earth he ascends again.