The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) (15 page)

Katie waited silently for him to finish. He was quiet for several moments, and she imagined stories told by the Old Ones drifted through his head and he pretended he was with them harvesting souls. Eventually, he cleared his throat.

“A few of the more devout and pious took it upon themselves to save the masses. They believed humans were being led astray, that it was an innate desire to do good, but us demons were hindering that. They believed if they got rid of us, they would get rid of sin and evil. They created a sect of assassins to hunt us down.”

“Is it true? Are humans naturally wired to be good?”

“Not exactly. When you’re born, your soul is pretty much a blank slate. There’s a fifty-fifty chance you could go either way. Most people are drawn to the good side because when they do a good deed, chemicals are released in the brain that make them feel even better. But the same thing happens to people who do evil. And your station in life doesn’t dictate what side you’re more prone to. It all boils down to choices. Does that make sense?”

Katie nodded, but she wasn’t sure Josh saw it. A million more questions raced through her mind. She wished her mom had taken her to church more often or she would have studied the Bible on her own. If she had more knowledge of religion and God, the whole thing might make a little more sense. She had general ideas about good and evil, Heaven and Hell, God and Satan, but she was a little less clear about Free Will and the soul. Would Josh think she was a complete moron if she asked about that kind of stuff? Was there time to discuss it? At least he was answering her questions. It was more than Wes was willing to do.

Katie stepped forward and took a seat next to Josh. She folded her legs Indian-style; her knee touched his. If they were going to be talking about this for a while, she might as well get comfortable.

JOSH LEANED FORWARD
, his face inches from hers. She felt his breath on her cheek, smelled the mintiness of his toothpaste. That surprised her. From movies she’d watched and from the way Wes and Randy referred to demons, it seemed that demon’s breath was always putrid and rotten. Of course, from what Randy had said, those movies weren’t exactly accurate. Boy, he wasn’t kidding. Katie knew very little about demon stereotypes, but she was sure Josh didn’t fit any of them. He seemed so human. Aside from the episode in the warehouse, she hadn’t seen him hurt a fly. Maybe he wasn’t as evil as Wes said he was. Maybe he could be saved.

“How does one become a Praesul?” Katie knew she should move away, but she couldn’t. The heat from Josh’s body was comforting, especially with the darkness that surrounded her and not knowing what could be in it, waiting to attack.

“You would think there would be some special sign, like a calling or birthmark, wouldn’t you?” Josh lowered his voice; his tone was seductive.

Katie found herself lost in his words, unable to speak. She nodded absently.

He chuckled. “Well, there’s not. The only requirement is a desire to kill demons. You have to apply to the Church, and they bless you, but, otherwise, anyone can become a Praesul. If you asked a Praesul, they would probably tell you they heard a calling. That some higher being wanted them to do something good for the world.”

Katie pushed her eyebrows together in confusion. That didn’t seem right. It seemed like there should be more to it. Knowledge about Heaven and Hell, good and evil, maybe an undying devotion to God. Anyone could do it? Really?

“Back in the day, the religious leaders needed all the help they could get. Sin ran rampant; people didn’t want to give up the luxuries and debauchery. If good wanted to win, they had to get help from wherever they could.” Josh placed a hand on her knee. “But don’t think that makes Praesuls weak or any less of a threat. They go through training, they get graced by a divine power. They are dangerous. They are powerful.”

Katie’s eyes drifted to his hand. She couldn’t see it in the dark, but she felt the heat drifting through her jeans. Her stomach tingled.

She cleared her throat. “How many are there?”

“It’s hard to say, Katie. They are very secretive, they keep their numbers hidden. Part of their defense is keeping their army hidden from demons.”

“So how do you know when you’ve run into a Praesul?”

“There’s a mark on their soul. A tiny hint of gold. Most of the time, demons don’t look for it. It’s a waste of time. Most of us are way too focused on harvesting sinners’ souls and then going home. But if a Praesul happens across our path, we’ll take every advantage to take them down.”

“You mentioned in the warehouse that you weren’t after Wes until you discovered he was a Praesul, but you also said you were harvesting souls at my high school. Who were you after?”

He raised his hand and placed his fingertips gently on her cheek. “You.”

Katie recoiled backward, away from his touch. If he was offended by the action, she couldn’t tell. On one hand, she wasn’t surprised to hear Josh say that. She figured it was another of his lines to suck her into his plan to get to Wes.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Josh stated softly. “But it’s not true. There were a few other students there that would be easy to lure to the dark side, some kids you consider Emos and some jocks that drink too much on the weekends. But when I saw you, I knew I had to have you. But not just your soul, all of you. I kept an eye on you, followed you in the shadows. It wasn’t until I saw you and Wes near the locker rooms and had a good look at his soul that I figured out what he was. I lost my mind at that point. Got greedy. I knew if I could take Wes out, it would give me stature among the ranks of demons. I didn’t care what I had to do to destroy him. When I realized how much it was affecting you, I had to back down. I couldn’t stomach the look on your face. I couldn’t stand to see you hurt.”

Katie’s mouth went dry, a knot developed in her stomach. “Why?” The word barely came out of her mouth.

“The dark spot on your soul. The propensity you have for evil.”

Katie swallowed thickly. “What does it mean?”

“It means you have the ability to do devastating and awful things.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Josh laughed. “That has yet to be decided. You are always free to choose what you will, what side you want to be on.”

“And you’re here to make sure I choose your side.”

“Of course. You would be a valuable asset for Hell.”

Katie felt queasy. That didn’t sound like a very promising position. She’d always tried to do what was right, treat people with respect, and listen to her mom. She couldn’t stomach violence. Wars and killing made her sad, mistreatment of any living creature made her nauseous. Josh had to be wrong. He had to be mistaken. There was no way she could ever be evil.

Josh abruptly got to his feet and held his hand out for Katie. “Come. Let me show you something.”

Katie hesitated and stared at the shadow of his limb. She should leave, head back to the hospital room and wait for them to release her. They had to let her go in the morning. She wasn’t sick. After that, she would go home and pretend like none of this happened. She would cut off communications with Wes and pray that Josh stopped coming around. She just had to get through the rest of the school year, then she’d be off to college. Somewhere far away where no one could find her.

And yet, part of her was curious to know what Josh had to show her. Was that the dark spot on her soul? The part that had a proclivity toward evil? Fear squeezed Katie’s chest. If she went with him, did that mean she was giving in to her dark side? Would that make her one of them? Katie didn’t want to do that.

On the other hand, if she went with him, she would have more answers, she would see exactly what Josh was. Maybe it would give her an answer of how to fight him, how to defeat him. No. It wouldn’t make her one of them. If she went with them, she would see what her future might hold, and she would fight against it.

With a deep breath, she reached up and took Josh’s hand. He pulled her to her feet, then directed her toward the red light. The rotten egg scent of sulphur tickled her nostrils, growing more intense the closer they got. The room grew hotter. Katie tensed and tightened her grip on Josh’s hand. She was pretty sure she knew what they were heading toward. She was in a dark place with a demon, so she doubted they were close to a city park. Her body pressed closer to Josh’s. It occurred to her that he might not afford that much protection, especially since he was the one leading her toward danger, but he was better than nothing. Katie couldn’t rely on herself; she was far out of her element. She could only hope Josh wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to keep her safe.

The light grew brighter, bathing the pair in an eerie redness. Katie’s hands were sweating. Her heart rate increased. Part of her brain screamed for her to turn around and run, to get as far away as possible, but the other part was curious. It kept her emotions stilled just enough to keep her feet moving forward and her curiosity piqued.

The smell of sulphur became overwhelming. Katie gagged. Sweat dripped down her forehead and back from the heat. Low moans and whimpers reached her ears, along with the sounds of cracking whips and growls. Katie tensed even more. Josh leaned close.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

For some strange reason, Katie found the words comforting. While her fear didn’t dissipate completely, she relaxed and loosened her grip on his hand. She remained close to his body, finding comfort in the proximity.

They were completely encased in heat and red light. The ground gave way before them into a pit. A pool of red liquid dominated the middle. It looked like lava, but it didn’t. From what Katie had seen from films at school, lava was thick and slow moving, with an orangish tint to it. This was a deep red and fluid, almost like water. Maybe the films she’d watched were wrong. Either that or that wasn’t lava. Steam rose from the lake, curling upward with jerky movements, as if it were alive. The cave extended far beyond Katie’s vision and was filled with shapes that looked distinctly human, as well as winged creatures that walked on two legs and animals that looked like dogs. The red light messed with her vision, making it hard for her to tell exactly what she looked at. Shadows moved across the landscape, not really connected to bodies or things, but seemingly with a mind of their own. More moans rose from the depths below, sending a shudder through Katie’s body. They sounded sad, in pain.

Katie wasn’t sure what was going on, but from her vantage point, it looked like the human-shaped creatures were hauling the red liquid from the lake in buckets. The line started on the left and extended to the right, appearing from and disappearing into darkness. The burdens looked heavy, the place unbearably hot. If one of them stepped out of line or slowed, a winged creature pushed them back. Katie watched one collapse, and a winged creature lifted it up roughly by the hair. A moan escaped from the human’s mouth. She pressed even closer to Josh.

“Is this Hell?”

He nodded. “A section of it. The depths and dimensions of eternal damnation vary greatly. There are various levels and punishments.”

“What are they doing?”

“Meaningless work. Torture in Hell doesn’t have to have a rhyme or reason, as long as it punishes the offender.”

Katie turned to him, confused. She didn’t know much about Hell, but she figured if a soul went there, the punishment it received would be equivalent to the sin. One more thing she was going to have to find the answer to.

Josh placed his hand around her shoulder, drawing her into his body. White eyes glowed from the dog-like creatures below. They growled and snapped at the human figures to keep them moving and in line. Hell Hounds. Renewed fear surged through her. Her arm throbbed. She wrapped her arms around Josh’s waist, hoping the proximity to him would guarantee her safety. Even though Josh was the one who brought her there, and part of her hated him for that, he was also the only one who could get her out. She wasn’t going to let him get away from her. If she were honest with herself, she would admit there was something comforting about standing with him overlooking the lake. The way Josh’s body felt next to her was familiar. The thought made her breath catch in her throat. He tightened his grip around her shoulders.

“The scene before you isn’t as horrific as you think it is.”

She pulled slightly away and stared at him with eyebrows pushed together.

He laughed. “Okay, it’s bad, but it’s not without its purpose.” He pointed to the line below them. “All of those humans you see are sinners. They did something bad in life to make them wind up here. They are paying the penance for their bad deeds.”

“What did they do?”

Josh shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. Probably nothing too major. Perhaps they didn’t repent their sins. For each one, it will be something different. But for each one it was something minor. Trust me, the bigger the sin, the greater the torment. This is nothing compared to what some souls go through for eternity.”

For some reason, her mind drifted to the Greek stories she read in English class about Sisyphus and having to roll the boulder up the hill for eternity and Tantalus with his burning thirst and inability to drink. Those punishments seemed almost as pointless as the souls beneath her gathering liquid for an unknown reason. While she didn’t want to do any of them for eternity, they didn’t seem that bad. Granted, the repetition and pointlessness would drive her crazy, but it wouldn’t be as bad as having birds eat her insides while she watched or having her skin removed in sections until the end of time. She shuddered as she thought some people had to go through that…and worse. Her mind couldn’t even fathom what worse was.

“My point is that whatever they have to endure, they deserved. They didn’t lead good lives, Katie. They led awful, evil lives. They did things to hurt other people. They sinned. Us demons, we make sure that they pay for their crimes.”

Katie scoffed. “From the sounds of it, you also help lead them down the road of bad deeds.”