Seraph Read online

  When the whole ordeal was over, news reporters, pedestrians, and even police officers surrounded him. John was swamped by the flashing lights of the cameras, video cameramen rolling their continuous live feed, and reporters asking him 100 questions at once.

  “Who are you?” asked one female reporter.

  “Seraph,” was his answer. And then he bent his knees and flew into the sky, leaving the crowd of people shocked and awed by what they had all just witnessed.

  Kenneth healed nicely over thirty-six hours. Bone grew; flesh, muscle, sinew, and other tissue grew around it. His skin had completely regenerated, and he even had hair on his head and chest. He appeared to be a young, fit athlete, as he was in his college days, instead of the overweight middle-aged man he was when he died. Although he had physically recovered, the mental, emotional, and spiritual toll on his psyche was significant due to the never-ending torment he endured during his time in hell.

  His ordeal left him exhausted, and he slept peacefully without torture and pain for the entire time he was rescued. He didn’t know that his rescue was almost short-lived, had Lilith not been able to dispatch Nicor and Raum. But they were dispatched and Kenneth was sleeping like a baby.

  Ornias watched over him, but not out of love or care. He was simply protecting their investment until Lilith got back. Suddenly a bright red glare appeared from around the rocks, coming from the mouth of the cave, and Ornias could hear footsteps. This was either going to be a good thing or a bad thing. He reached over to grab an old rusted sword Lilith left lying around and prepared for whoever was coming. When he finally saw who it was, his heart stopped racing. The beautiful Lilith had come around the corner.

  “And what do you intend to do with that?” Lilith asked glaring at Ornias who was standing there with sword in hand.

  “I’m sorry, mistress. I thought it might be someone else.” Ornias answered letting the sword down.

  “How is he doing?” Lilith inquired.

  “Well, he’s been sleeping the entire time you’ve been gone . . . Where did you go?” Ornias probed.

  “I don’t see how any of that is your business.”

  Ornias looked dejected by her response.

  “I’ve been to and fro, on earth and heaven, if you must know,” Lilith responded.

  “Heaven?”

  “Yes . . . I went to see The One.”

  “Why?”

  “. . . Because sometimes I like to see my Father,” Lilith snapped. “. . . wake him.”

  “Yes, mistress.” Ornias obeyed and woke the slumbering man.

  When Kenneth Rose awoke he saw the two demons and screamed loudly. Ornias tried covering his mouth with his hand but Kenneth bit him. Ornias struck the man’s face with his talons out of anger, and Kenneth screamed again and tried to get away. Kenneth looked at Lilith, and his attraction to her stopped him dead in his tracks. Ornias moved in to punish Kenneth, but Lilith raised her hand, and he made no further advances.

  “Kenneth Rose. Do you know where you are?” Lilith spoke.

  Kenneth looked around and all he could see was the faint red glare of the candles and rock. He appeared to be in a cave of some kind and he answered her accordingly.

  “Yes, but do you know where?” She pressed further.

  Which led Kenneth to shake his head no, she then instructed him to sit and he acquiesced. Ornias was also commanded to sit and he obeyed his mistress while keeping a watchful eye on Kenneth.

  “Where am I?” Kenneth asked.

  “This is hell. You are presently under my protection as long as you remain inside my cave and prove your usefulness to me,” Lilith said getting right down to business.

  “Who are you?”

  “This is my slave Ornias, and I am Lilith, your mother.”

  “My mother? My mother’s name is Diane Middleton,” he responded.

  “Of course it is, and I am her mother too. I am mother to every man, woman, and child on earth for I was the first woman,” she answered.

  “What? Wait, I thought it was some chick named Eve,” Kenneth asked skeptically.

  “That is what many would have you believe. But I was the first created woman, and I gave birth to the first human child,” Lilith countered.

  “Okay . . . why are you telling me this?” he queried.

  “Because I love my children. All of them, and one in particular, are in great danger.”

  “What does that have to do with me? I’m stuck in hell. How can I help anyone? Furthermore, why would I help anyone?”

  “Considering who it is and how harshly you treated them, it would behoove you to help me or I’ll personally find a punishment worse than the one you’ve endured for so long,” Lilith threatened with fire brewing in her hands.

  “Alright, I’ll help; please don’t hurt me,” Kenneth cowered.

  “That is more like it, coward,” she responded.

  “Who is it?”

  “Andrea Lewis-Rose.”

  “My wife?” he asked shaken.

  “She is no longer your wife, swine,” Ornias interrupted.

  “Relax, Ornias,” Lilith said with a grin.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Kenneth asked.

  “Some very evil demons have conspired against her, and they seek to kill her and drag her down to hell.”

  “WHAT? NO! SHE CAN’T COME HERE!” he yelled.

  “She most certainly will be brought down here if you cannot help us convince her to leave Wilsonton, Kansas.”

  “Wait, how can you help when you’re here in hell with me? Aren’t you demons?”

  “You impudent human,” Ornias exclaimed. “How dare you speak to Lilith, your rescuer, in such a manner?” Ornias rose to strike him.

  “Ornias, keep calm and sit down. It is a fair question. We are here as secret angels. I believe they are called spies where you are from. We saved you from your torturous coffin; would a demon save you from anything here?” Lilith spoke with assurance.

  “I suppose not,” he said and believed.

  “If Satan ever found out what we’ve done, we would have to escape back to heaven where we are from. But we came here to rescue you so that you could tell us how to best save Andrea. And in return, I was assured that you’d be given a reprieve from your punishment and allowed to enter heaven,” Lilith said confidently.

  “REALLY? I COULD GO TO HEAVEN?” Kenneth hoped.

  “Yes . . . so will you help us?” she responded.

  “What do you need me to do?” he asked.

  “Excellent, all you must do is tell us about Andrea. What would make her want to leave Kansas so the demons cannot find her?” Lilith pressed.

  “I’ll do anything to protect my wife, I mean Andrea,” Kenneth replied.

  “That is good, very good,” Lilith said smiling.

  “Okay, when she was younger she wanted to be a model and an actress, and she could’ve been; she was very beautiful. She still was, even when I died. . . . She likes luxury, cars, homes, money. She loves kids and her favorite color is yellow. Do you need to know more?”

  “No, my son, I’m so very proud of you. You have done more than enough. This will be so very helpful and I will definitely tell The One about your complete cooperation in helping us protect Andrea. Ornias prepare to leave at once.”

  “Wait, is that all?” Kenneth questioned.

  “For now. Yes,” Lilith said.

  “Is there any way I can give her a message?” he wondered.

  After thinking about whether she would allow him to contact Andrea, she had Ornias give him an orb. “This is a messaging orb,” Ornias said. “Simply hold it and speak to it, and it will record your message. I will show it to Andrea.”

  “Thank you . . . May I have some privacy?” he apprehensively asked.

  “You may use my private bedroom chamber,” Lilith replied. “Come out when you are done.”

  Kenneth entered Lilith’s private chamber. It was enormous, beautiful, and elegant, yet dark and reminded him of ear
th. Many things she had in her chamber were things that reminded her of her short time on earth as a human. The massive room, just through the door, was a deep chasm where an assortment of creatures lived. Some flew, others grazed, and a few played, but most rested.

  Her chamber had the feel of a dark jungle. Flowers, plants, bushes, and small trees thrived under a fireball that spun in the ceiling of the fissure. He marveled how something so beautiful could exist in a place inhabited by billions of tortured souls. Then he remembered why he was in the chamber in the first place and began recording.

  “Andrea, it’s me, Kenneth. The first thing I want to say is sorry. I’m sorry for the way I treated you and for how long I treated you that way when the only thing you wanted to do was love me. I’m sorry for keeping you from your dreams and for killing our unborn child. I was wrong in so many ways, and I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but at least I am going to try.

  “Lilith and Ornias are angels, and you should trust them. They can guarantee your safety if you go with them. You are in a lot of danger and demons are trying to kill you and bring you down to hell where I am. . . . I don’t want you to come here. It is the worst place imaginable. I am being tortured day and night. It never ends. Just constant pain and anguish.” He began crying. “There have got to be millions, no, billions of people being tortured here even as I speak to you. We’re all crying and filled with dread.

  “THERE IS NO HOPE HERE. . . . NO HOPE. PLEASE DON’T BE FOOLED INTO COMING HERE. THE DEVIL IS REAL, I’VE SEEN HIM, AND HE WAITS FOR ANY SOUL FOOLISH ENOUGH TO REJECT GOD,” he screamed. “But I’ve also seen Jesus. He is real too. And he wants to love us. He died for us and rose from the grave. I believe that now, but it is far too late for me. Far too late. But it is not too late for you. . . . Please listen to Lilith and Ornias and escape my fate. I’m sorry and I love you. God bless you and good-bye.”

  Kenneth finished his message and gave the orb to Ornias, who lied about giving it to Andrea. Lilith told him to stay in her private chamber because no one knew of its existence, and it would offer him protection. She also told him not to venture outside the cave under any circumstances. After he promised her he wouldn’t, she made a gate to earth and they stepped inside. Kenneth was left in Lilith’s cave all alone.

  Camilla sat glued to the six o’clock news as continuous footage of the attack and the mysterious hero was shown by every major network. Seraph had instantly become a global phenomenon. The news showed the attack over and over again, and there was more video rumored to be synonymous with the new hero. The news began showing a video that was captured by a smartphone and placed on a very popular video site. The video had gone viral and it was of man stopping a taxi cab with his bare hands and then running off before anyone could identify him. John watched as well, but he wasn’t as interested as Camilla was. The news story brought assumptions of the origin of this new hero.

  Pedestrians were questioned and offered their opinions. Some thought he was an alien; others believed he was a guardian angel. And a small number of people believed he was a government science experiment and that the whole attack was staged by the government as part of a conspiracy—especially when the apprehended terrorists happened to be Americans.

  Camilla and Seraph got a kick out of the assumptions people made, but it was clear from a pedestrian poll that ninety-one percent of the people loved him. Seven percent were on the fence, and the other two percent either were apathetic or disliked him altogether.

  Camilla loved Seraph, and the things he was able to do, and couldn’t wait to see him do more. As she watched the news from John’s cramped apartment, she noticed some things that she hadn’t before. His brown eyes, his broad shoulders, his ripped muscles, his New York accent, and even his scent were suddenly attractive to her. She was amazed that despite having the same scent he always had, it smelled better than ever. While she was always quite fond of his personality, she never loved him romantically and was never drawn to him sexually. This enabled their friendship to blossom easily. But now, she found herself feeling in ways she had never felt about her best friend. She was falling in love with him and she knew it.

  CHAPTER 4

  Andrea was finishing up by counting her teller drawer. It was perfectly even as usual. If she actually had become a model, she would have been an exception to the rule because she had a very sharp mind. She was excellent with numbers, a result of her twenty plus years of working at the bank. Her mathematical superiority helped her earn promotions, become a senior bank teller, and eventually assistant manager. Today was a normal day without highs or lows. She left work without any hiccups and was going home to spruce up for the local bar scene. It wasn’t anything spectacular; it was the same old bar with the same old people in the same old town.

  Andrea arrived home, took a shower, dressed in a beautiful yellow sundress, fed her dog, and left for the bar. She drove her 1979 Chevy Blazer into the parking lot and pulled up beside a yellow 2014 Chevy Stingray. She thought the car was absolutely stunning and was intrigued at the thought of a high roller in town. Strangers didn’t frequent the town, let alone the bar where everyone knew everyone.

  Wilsonton was so small that everybody even knew each other’s cars, and sometimes Andrea would drive to the bar only to drive back home when she recognized a car of someone she disliked. So to see a new car in the lot was very surprising unless someone recently hit the lottery, but in such a small town, everyone would’ve known anyway. After she was done admiring the Stingray, she went inside.

  She scanned the bar to see if there was indeed someone new inside the old bar, but there was no one there who she didn’t recognize. She sat at the bar and waited for the bartender, her best friend from high school, Sally.

  “Hey, Sal, how’s it going?”

  “Same old crap just a different day.”

  “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Some days are worse than others . . . this is one of those ‘worse’ days, but I’ll manage.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you right now?”

  “No, hon, don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. You’ve already did more than enough when you took me to the doctor’s.”

  “Sal, you know that was nothing for me. . . . You’re like my—”

  “Sister. I know and I love you for it.” Sally gave a wide smile and continued. “But really I’m fine for now . . . so will it be the usual, honey?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Sally made Andrea’s favorite drink—Kahlua, lemon juice, Scotch, and Triple Sec mixed together—a Blackjack. Andrea could drink that all night. The first time she had it was on Sally’s first day at the bar. Andrea didn’t know what to order and Sally surprised her with it and she’d been drinking it ever since.

  “Here ya go, honey, one Blackjack.”

  “Thanks.” After taking a swig she continued, “Hey, Sal, did you see that gorgeous yellow Corvette parked out front?”

  “What?” Sally asked.

  “Go ahead, take a look,” Andrea urged.

  Sally did.

  “Oh, wow, there really is. I wonder who it belongs to.”

  “It’s mine,” said a man at the door. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a Brooks Brothers catalog. Wearing comfortable navy blue pants and a tailored yellow shirt with a white collar, two buttons were left undone at the top. He sported a white tweed blazer and white buck shoes to match. The tan-skinned man had a perfect smile, a dark beard, trimmed neatly to the sideburns that connected to the hair on top of his head. He approached the bar and sat next to Andrea and introduced himself.

  “Hello, the name’s Oscar. And you are?”

  Andrea’s heart raced. She had never in all of her adult life met a man like this. She was instantly attracted to him and even if she tried to hide the fact, her eyes were dead giveaways. She smiled and introduced herself.

  “Andrea.” She giggled.

  “That is a beautiful smile you have there, Andrea.”

/>   Andrea hadn’t heard words like that from a man in such a long time. Kenneth never spoke to her like that when he was alive, and no other man would dare compliment her beauty because Kenneth had a dangerous temper. In fact, it was part of the reason she was still single three years after his death.

  “Wow, uh thank you,” she said blushing.

  “Bartender, do you have any Scotch?” Oscar asked.

  “Do I? Honey, I got everything.”

  “Well then I will take a Scotch on the rocks and if you have lemon juice, Triple Sec, and Kahlua; mix them together.”

  “One Blackjack coming up,” Sally said.

  “Okay, hold on. This is crazy. Who are you?” Andrea asked.

  “What do you mean?” Oscar replied.

  “Well, for one, you come in here, out of nowhere, wearing my favorite color, ordering my favorite drink . . . Am I getting punk’d? Cuz it’s a good one.” She laughed nervously.

  “Here’s yer drink, hon,” Sally interrupted.

  “Sal, do you know this guy?” Andrea quipped. “Are you trying to set me up with someone? You did good, girl.” Andrea kept laughing.

  “No, honey, I don’t know him, but I’d like too.” Sally joked.

  “Ladies, I’m sitting right here,” Oscar said.

  “You sure are, and if you play your cards right, you could be sittin’ somewhere else,” Sally replied.

  “Sally!?” Andrea laughed hysterically now.

  “Honey, gorgeous is gorgeous. Kinda man that could make me go back to the other side.”

  Even Oscar joined in the laughter.

  “I’m just kiddin’, honey,” Sally said, wiping off the bar and leaving.

  “So who are you?” Andrea asked again.

  “I told you my name is Oscar,” he answered.

  “Yes, but where are you from? What is an obviously big city slicker doing out in the middle of nowhere?” Andrea pressed.

  “Right, of course . . . Well, I’ll give you the short version. I’m from California, LA. And I work as a talent scout for a big modeling and acting agency. I was heading out to visit a potential client in Kansas City. But when I went to the young woman’s address, it didn’t exist. I called her and she told me she lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Stupid me. I booked the flight to the wrong state. I was pleasantly surprised that I could drive to Missouri from Kansas, so I bought the Corvette at a dealership and headed down I-70 and three hours later I ended up here.”