Element of Sin
By Dane Lurex
John woke up deeply disorientated, almost still hearing Beelzebub's voice booming above him in the darkness as it had done in his dream. He sat up, which triggered a cough that rumbled from deep inside his chest. He got a hold of himself and suppressed the cough while looking at the time, which turned out to be 10 minutes to 11 o'clock. He groaned inwardly.
He had to get up now, which he did and quickly changed his clothes before walking down to Chas, who remarkably was patiently waiting.
"The church," John commanded without looking at Chas, who was throughout the cotner of his eyes examining John's state of health. When he found no indications that John wasn't all right he started the car and turned the car in direction of the church.
"So what are up to in the church?" Chas asked like only a cab driver would. John gave him a hard look. "Sorry, occupational hazard" Chas added swiftly.
"Well, what do you really think I'm up to?" John said harshly.
"So you're going to have a little chat with Gabriel?"
"Yes Chas"
"What are you going to ask him about?"
"Beelzebub, what do you think?" John annoyed lighted a cigarette and took one of his famous deep drags. Chas wasn't sure if John knew to smoke a cigarette any other way.
They stopped outside the old church and John got out. He went straight pass the traditional cleansing act and directly into the library.
Gabriel was already waiting sitting in one of the chesterfield chairs wearing his traditional androgynous suit.
"Hello John," he said calmly in his boyish angelic voice. " I heard you had quite a day yesterday"
"Yes, you could say that. What do you know about Beelzebub?" John cut directly to the chase.
"Something, but I can't really give you any more knowledge than you've already have" Gabriel stated. John looked at him in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding," John spit bitterly. "Why?"
"There are such a thing called the balance, John, you know that"
"Dammit - we both know that's a load of hypocritical bullshit" John roared. He was going to continue, but he broke off in a coughing attack.
Gabriel immediately tilted his head like a puppy would do, when hearing a new sound for the first time, while looking at John with undivided attention. The cough stopped, but Gabriel remained indifferent. John looked back at him.
"What?" John then asked since Gabriel didn't seem to want to stop starring at him any time soon. Gabriel straightened up his neck and looked normally again at John.
"I've never heard you cough before, John" Gabriel rose from the chair and walked nearer to John without making a sound when his feet touched the floor. Gabriel penetrated John's personal space much to John's discomfort, but acted as if he didn't care.
Gabriel was so close to John's face that his nose almost touched John's cheek. With birdlike movement Gabriel was searching his face for some reason. Gabriel wiped a tuft of hair away from John's forehead and saw the mark and then took a step backwards. He met a puzzled John's gaze for a second before turning around.
"I can't give you the information you seek. However, I will give you a piece of advice;" Gabriel turned around and faced John once more "- read in the old books," he said smiling, "they will provide the knowledge you need." John looked disappointed to put it mildly.
"That's it?" John snorted. "To read."
"Yes, that and then I would like you to go to a specialist with that cough," the angel said smiling in a forgivingly way, which John hated.
"A specialist?" John asked with one brow raised.
"Yes, you know. A…doctor. Isn't that what you call it." John shook his head and lighted a cigarette, but when he looked up again Gabriel was gone. John sighed, "- Angels."
John went directly back to his apartment and opened the book that he had fallen asleep upon last night and began to read. Chas, which had been allowed to come inside, also found himself a book.
"What is it that we're looking for?" Chas asked casually.
"Anything about Beelzebub that might help us," John asked without looking up from the book. Chas looked confused.
"In our quest to do what?" John looked up and met Chas' eyes.
"Deport his ass or cast him bask to hell," John said and Chas smiled; he loved this. They were silent for a while before Chas announced that he had found something.
"What is it? John asked.
"It's some nun, Sister Madeleine de Demandoix of Aix-en-Provence, that Beelzebub possessed a while back. She says;"
"Beelzebub was Prince of the Seraphim, the next unto Lucifer. For all the princes, that is to say all the chief of the nine choirs of angels, are fallen; and of the choir of Seraphim there fell the three first, to wit, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Leviathan, who did all revolt."
Upon finishing Chas looked at John in anticipation.
"So he was an angel once like Lucifer, but that really doesn't help us in how to send him back where he belongs" John said much to Chas' disappointment, but he kept on reading, finding new relevant books, and searching the internet. Again he was the first one to find anything.
"Listen. It's some MacGregor Mathers, apparently an exorcist, who says;" Chas continued eagerly.
"the invocation to make visible the appearance of such fearful potencies as Amaymon, Egyn, and Beelzebub would probably result in the death of the exorcist on the spot; such death presenting the symptoms of one arising from Epilepsy, Apoplexy, or Strangulation."
Chas was speechless and John was looking slightly pale.
"Wonderful, we'll need a different approach then" John said ironically while turning a few pages back in the book he was reading, " – I found that Beelzebub's element of sin is diseases."
"Diseases," Chas repeated with a weak voice.
John coughed a little and Chas looked at him like he was going to die.
I love all my reviewers, keep 'em coming, please.
Dane Lurex