Sunday Part 4

While the children were busy in the driveway looking at and comparing their new cars, the adults had retired to the kitchen. People tried not to follow the Celestials as they processed drink after drink with their supernatural metabolism. Domino asked:

"Judging by your combat gear, I take it Clemenzo is history?"

Jon looked at her sternly:

"Totally history. If you don't want to know the details, I would recommend not watching the news for the next few days and leaving the newspapers as they are. Fat Clemenzo's corpse will also be showing up in a day or so, making the message even more clear that their scum is no longer welcome in Baton Rouge."

Liz said:

"Don't get me wrong, I don't feel an ounce of pity for this scum, but is such violence really necessary?"

"If what was at stake was not so gigantic, I would say yes, it is excessive. Unfortunately, our goal is the survival of humanity as a whole. Half measures or doubt can be incredibly damaging here. We simply cannot take the risk, and we absolutely do not have the time to be subtle. Baton Rouge must be cleaned up, and quickly. Any party that could cause us problems must be wiped off the map immediately, unquestioningly, and bloody. If that sounds like totally unacceptable behavior to you, I advise you to think about what I said. Give Domino's baby a chance to live to a ripe old age, give all our children here a chance to give us grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And this is just the beginning, we are talking about thousands of children and innocents. We are not going after innocents who are destined for heaven. We are going after black souls who are already on their way to hell. Does it suck to make a choice? Of course, because they are all human. But my choice here is quick. My child versus a criminal destined for hell, that's not really a choice."

Domino asked:

"I understand the idea and the strategy, Jon. To give everyone and everything that could jeopardize your plan the fear of their existence, so that they will think more than twice. But why the rush? Why suddenly so overwhelmingly fast?"

He smiled at her and said:

"First of all, it's not my plan, it's our plan. The seven of us who are here in this kitchen right now. We are the beginning. Make no mistake dear Domino, you and Liz along with my brothers Zelo and Argo and my sister Rae Rae will be emulated by future generations for all eternity. They will look at the five of you and say, there is one of the originals, one of those who made it all possible for us, in their footsteps I want to walk, for there is no better example to follow."

With these words, the magnitude of what they had just put into action seemed to fully penetrate Liz and Domino. Both turned pale. With a soft, warm expression on his face, Argo pulled Domino to him, and Rae Rae took Liz in a firm embrace. Both young women allowed themselves this physical comfort. Jon continued:

"I too would have preferred to do it much slower, more thoughtful, better analyzed, this sweeping clean of Baton Rouge. But there's something nagging in the back of my mind that we don't have that time. Too many things are happening on too many fronts right now, and there is no clear overview. All we can do is clear part of the field so that what remains can come into clearer focus."

After these words, there was silence in the kitchen for a while until Elise said:

"Your second job right now is that black circle?"

He nodded:

"Yes, the whole circle and the junkie who held you and Jules. I'm sure what happened to you has nothing to do with me. You were already in their hands before the last meeting. My shield was still completely intact, so there is no way Uriel could have seen a connection."

Rae Rae asked:

"So strategically our next move has no value? Just punish some bastards for the disgusting thing they were planning?"

"Probably so. However, I'll have to wander around in the brain of their high priest to see if there isn't some idiot Demon playing behind Dad's back. Dad's order is clear: White witches are untouchable because they are Grandma's proteges. There is only one possible punishment for violating this order!"

He went into the garden, followed by the others, so he could have a cigarette in peace before the second act of the evening. Red came up to him and he pulled her into an embrace. He let his cigarette disappear into thin air, planted a kiss on Elise's lips, pulled the balaclava back over his mouth, and simply nodded as they left the garden.

He had not cleaned the dojo out of precaution. The blood stains on the mats had to serve as a deterrent. Those he was about to pull in would be confronted with them and the message would be abundantly clear. He snapped his fingers and seven figures appeared in the middle of the dojo. For a moment, they just stood there stunned, looking around. Not understanding how it was possible for them to go from one place to another from one moment to the next. When they saw Jon with his red fire-breathing dragon on his chest, they realized what had happened. They fell to their knees. These seven had studied black magic and knew the difference between a Demon and an Angel. Since they were about to become permanent guests of Hell, Rae Rae had just donned the same outfit as Zelo and Argo to prevent the rumor from spreading in Hell that an Angel was playing with a bunch of Demons. Jonathan came to stand in front of the small group, let his eyes burn with Hellfire, and said icily:

"I am Jonathan Drago, the Crown Prince of Hell, and you will answer my questions properly. If not, my friends here may play with you for a while until you find your tongues. Understood?"

It sounded through each other:

"Yes, My Lord..."

But the fear was more than audible in their voices.

"Which one of you is the high priest?"

"I am, My Lord..."

"Why did you kidnap the woman and her daughter? And what was your purpose, what were you going to do with them?"

"They are both of the Paschal line, My Lord. They were to be sacrificed during the Samhain celebration. Sacrificing two of the carpenter's descendants would pave the way for your coming to Earth, My Lord. The girl is a virgin, and with her, the bloodline would end."

His voice roared through the room and made everything tremble:

"I am the Antichrist Idiot; my path was prepared two thousand years ago. The time of my coming was given to only two, my father and me! Where did you get the idea that you, a puny little stain of human shit, could force my path?"

When the warlock could not or would not answer immediately, Jon grabbed him by the throat lifted him up like a feather, and hissed:

"You know what, I'm already tired of the sound of your voice. I don't want to hear it anymore."

His eyes lit up golden for a moment, and all the information he needed simply came out of the high priest's head. He had partially expected the answer, but the confirmation still pissed him off. The independent parties in this mess continued to grow. He manifested a chair and said:

"I need to think for a moment, so I'm going to sit there for a bit. When I see you physically like this, my loyal warriors, you could use some exercise to get in shape. That one over there..."

He pointed to the junkie that held Jules and Elise captive:

"This one is for me. The other six are for you. Have fun, but remember, they have to come alive!"

The scene repeated itself more or less as they had done with the criminals, but they put a little more gusto into it and took their time. On the one hand, Jonathan enjoyed the spectacle, on the other hand, he was already thinking about the next step. A certain demon would later serve as a deterrent to the rest of hell. A reminder of what would happen if his or his father's orders were questioned or simply disobeyed. As the six of them lay together like a pile of misery, ready to be taken to Hell, Jon stood up straight and stepped towards the junkie. He grabbed him and hissed:

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to play with something as disgusting as you. That's why you're going to be an example to everyone in Baton Rouge and far beyond!"

He put both his hands on the junkies head and began to squeeze excruciatingly slowly. It wasn't that he didn't have time that he would not to do this very vigorously. The pressure on the man's skull increased, and the bones in his skull could be heard creaking louder and louder until they could no longer withstand the pressure. Suddenly his head seemed to implode under the pressure; bone fragments, hair, blood, and brain matter appeared between Jon's gloved fingers, and he dropped the body. He looked at Rae Rae:

"Take this and hang it from a lamppost somewhere in the city, sign it, anything to do with black magic will immediately disappear from the city or be destroyed. Zelo, Argo, the rest of those come with us to the throne room!"

Jonathan, Zelo, Argo, and their pack of six broken humans appeared in front of Lucifer's throne. Bearus, standing to the right of the throne, smiled. The little prince seemed to be having a huge temper tantrum and was doing everything he could to eliminate the trouble.

"Dad, a question, is it possible that you have rescinded your standing order to leave Grandma's protégés alone? That it is suddenly okay for Demons to actively hunt down her charges? And especially the descendants of the Paschal bloodline?"

The angry expression on Lucifer's face betrayed everything:

"No, absolutely not! This order cannot be questioned!"

"And yet you have a Demon running around who thinks he knows everything better than you. I know this pisses you off, Dad, but this Demon is mine! Elise and Jules were the victims he had in mind!"

The Devil growled in agreement. That what his son had in mind for this Demon couldn't be less horrible than what he would have done to it himself. Jon let his voice echo through hell:

"Pazuzu, the throne room now!"

A few seconds later, the Demon stormed in and fell to his hands and knees in front of the thrones, his forehead pressed to the floor. It was extremely rare for Jon to sit on his secondary throne, and the times he did, it meant that good news would never follow. He snapped at the Demon:

"Pazuzu, have you had a brain transplant lately? I mean, you usually have the IQ of a dead shrimp, and now you suddenly think you are smarter than your King. Well?"

"I'm sorry, My Prince, but I don't understand."

"Those six idiots over there in the corner, you know them, don't you?"

The Demon knew there was no point in lying and it would only make things worse for him. If that was even possible, given the position he was in, but he still didn't dare take that risk.

"Yes, My Prince. It is a black circle that serves the King."

"And what have you been whispering to these idiots?"

The demon began to stutter an incoherent answer and Jon growled:

"Keep that damned chatter to yourself! You told them to sacrifice a woman and a girl. Two direct descendants of the Paschal bloodline and that this would herald my coming as the Antichrist!"

He leaned dangerously forward on his throne:

"The very path that would pave my coming was already cleared by your King two thousand years ago! Who are you to doubt your King? Who are you to disobey an order from the Throne and be permitted to order those human shit stains over there to physically go after two protégés of Mother Nature!"

He jumped from his throne, and now there was nothing to stop his terrible vengeance. He grabbed the Demon by the hair and screamed:

"Pazuzu, you are guilty of high treason, and you will die slowly and horribly."

He dragged the Demon out of the palace by the hair and smashed him to the ground. He made a large cross appear in the middle of the square.

"You seem to dislike the carpenter so much well why don't you share in what was his to receive. Only for you it will take a while longer for it to end and there will be no chocolate eggs to make children happy when they think of your last moments!"

It was as if Pazuzu had been lifted by invisible hands and nailed to that cross. Then Jonathan made the fire of heaven appear in his hand. It slowly flowed from his hand, bridging the few feet between him and the demon, and suddenly set it ablaze. It would be months before the fire had done its work, and Pazuzu was finally swept from existence. In the meantime, no one in hell could put out the fire or remove the Demon from his cross. Anyone who passes by here in the coming months will be reminded by the sight of the burning demon and its piercing screams that there is a price to pay for high treason. He addressed the Demon one last time, but it was more for all the other Demons watching:

"You were so eager to predict, weren't you? Well, from now on you will serve as Hell's clock. Every hour on the hour, your screams will be heard throughout the circles. We would not want to wake up the little ones in Dis now would we. This will let everyone know that only the King knows what the future holds!"

With a quiet snap of his fingers, his work in Hell was done for today. He appeared in the kitchen and made his battle gear disappear before walking into the garden. Elise looked at him questioningly, and he only had to nod in agreement to make his message clear. It was past nine o'clock and she sent the three youngest to bed. Tomorrow was a new school day, and Brandon and Pamela needed to be enrolled so that they too could go to school as soon as possible. Azrael got up to leave:

"This was fun boss; we should do it again soon. I kind of like that new outfit, might even wear it more often. Anything scheduled for tomorrow?"

He shook his head:

"No, tomorrow is for earthly business. Specifically, Deflin House and putting Domino to work for the papers. A visit to Pam's parents, but I can do that alone and make it clear to them that from now on they don't have a daughter, that Pam is now our daughter!"

Zelo and Argo stood up as well. Zelo said:

"I'll make sure that our little group wears our uniform from now on so that they can be easily distinguished.

With that, the Angel and the two Demons disappeared from the garden. Jonathan manifested his favorite mix, and with Red on his lap, there could be no better end to their first day.