"Billy, I'm not too sure about this." said one of the girls.
"Give it a rest already, Emily. Just relax and embrace the darkness." said the other girl.
Around one of the graves, they formed a pentagram using a black powder and placed a red candle on each tip. The group themselves have deeply amerced themselves in a gothic style, they had died their hair black and wore the typical gothic outfits. Billy stood atop the tombstone marked 'Chester Kramer, 1984-2004', while Liza started lighting the candles counter-clockwise.
Billy looked up at the sky and prayed in an eco-ominous voice, "I stand here in the time of the prince, the light bringer. I summon the demon Sammael, son of desolance. For him I shall announce my soul to the devil, I shall pledge to embrace his acts.."
At Billy's signal, Emily hurled a tiny jar at the grave filled with chicken's blood.
"I shall embrace his acts, and I shall embrace his pomps..."
"This is so awesome." whispered Liza.
"I denounce..."
"What a half-assed job."
Billy looked back down and fell off the tombstone into the pentagram; he sat with his back to the tombstone as the mysterious guest draped in shadows approached.
"You have no Idea what you're doing, do you?"
Liza and Emily were frozen with fear, Billy's Jaw dropped, if they weren't covered in gothic makeup, someone would have noticed how pale they went. The speaker stood at six feet-five inches, a towering muscular figure, wore a hooded jacket; he had a dark and truly sinister voice lined with great cruelty.
"A-a-a-a-ar-re you... hhhhim?" asked Emily.
"Do you even believe in him?" asked the guest, his face completely obscured, "Do you think he's just someone your dad and mom made up so you would behave? No, I'm not."
At that instant Billy mustered some nerve and stood up with trembling legs.
"We summoned him, the demon Sammael can't hurt us." said Billy, trying to sound sure.
"Your bravado is pathetic. You're all pathetic." said the guest; he started inching ever so slowly closer to them.
"Where the hell do you get off dictating what a demon can or can't do? I'm not Sammael anyway. What did you think?"
Liza and Emily staggered closer to Billy.
"A little Mary-Jane behind the school gym and some kinky sex with these sluts, some 'Hatebreed' CDs and that Anne Rice gothic life style and you think you're ready to run with the big boys? Is that what you thought?"
A brief glimpse of the visitor's face was seen, they couldn't make out what it was but they were frightened anyway.
"You're whole spell was done wrong, chicken's blood is not strong enough for this kind of stuff. Your pentagram is askew. And do you even know if this Kramer is in hell? Your whole spell was a bust; the only part that worked was forking over your soul to Hell, thanks for that."
Billy started to wheeze as his asthma was acting out. The visitor crouched before them; the hood was still on, the light from the candles vibrated. The visitor slowly removed his hood.
"My name is Nergal."
The Demon nergal had blood red skin, his face had many tattoo like carvings and four tiny yellow tusks stuck out of his cheeks, his eyes were entirely white, iron fangs were seen when he said, "Leave now."
Liza and Emily ran away, never looking back, the fear of god was deeply embedded in them.
Nergal reached into Billy's pockets and produced Billy's inhaler that he sprayed into his mouth, as Billy's breathing steadied. Nergal continued, "You still have several years left, and you've been condemned to hell, so work on your sorcery. When you die and we receive you, after a few centuries of torture you may be allowed to return as a half-bread demon. So you're not completely screwed."
Billy seemed on the verge of fainting.
"But first I need a favor."
Nergal grabbed the teen's temples and pressed hard, causing the boy to faint, while Nergal's demonic features morphed into human ones.
"There, that didn't hurt, did it?"
Nergal put out the five candles with a wave of his hand, then got up and head to leave the cemetery.
"M'Lord, she had been appearing on and off since yesterday." said Lilith, gazing at the pool of her blood in the man's stomach.
"On and off? nonsense." said Satan.
"That's how it is, Dear Devil. Something is different with her, something happened to her while she was obscured by the Sigils"
"Nergal has just been unleashed; let him find out by himself."
John pushed the door to Midnite's office open and entered; the six and a half feet blend between business man and witch doctor had removed his hat and placed it on the desk, baring his bald head for all to see.
"You're going to blind someone with that." said John.
"Constantine, I was getting suspicious, I thought you may have robbed something and fled, or have you"
"I going to pinch that Buddha in the storage room but couldn't lift it."
Midnite smiled and took out a Cuban from his cigar box; John produced a cigarette and lit it.
"You're not going to ask me why I'm smoking again"
"No. I always knew you would return to it one day."
John paused for a minute to figure how he was going to break the news.
"Something has come up"
"I know all about it"
"What? Who told you"
"I have the whole place on security cameras. I noticed my bed was not as neat as it should so I checked it out. I thought I'd see if my doubts were true. It was much worse I'm afraid."
"You thought I got some quicke at the office, huh?" asked John with a grin.
"You should have told me"
"I did"
"You didn't say it was of these proportions"
"So you're saying it was my fault?"
"That's not the point, but yes. You should have informed Azrael, but you chose to get in what you weren't capable of, and now the child is gone"
"Who told you that? Never mind. What we need to do is find the baby."
"How do you expect to do that"
"Archer says he's still in this realm. Once I relocate the mother I will get a sample of the umbilical cord, Nigel can then track him"
"Any clue on who's behind the abduction"
"They're not armatures; they used this strange chain that I had Moriarty check out."
Midnite leaned back no his chair and took a drag, "Sounds like a plan, it's not very good but it's still a plan"
"Fell free to put your two cents in whenever you want." said John as he got up and head for the door.
"Hey John," called Midnite, "Don't do anything you would usually do."
John walked up the stairs to his apartment; he had moved from his old apartment above the bowling ally, I choke full of bad memories, he couldn't stand the place that reminded him of Chas and Beeman.
He rummaged through his pockets in search for his keys; he came upon his beloved Silk Cuts and opted to smoke one. He was exhausted from walking for a good part of the day, Frank's cab was at the shop, and his services were no longer available.
As he unlocked the door and walked into the apartment he saw Ellie and Eudaemon waiting for him.
"You found her," said John, "Good."
Ellie still looked frightened and lost, but she was there at least.
"I know of a spell to bring back your kid, but I need something"
"What is it?" asked Ellie.
Slightly disgusted John said, "A bit of umbilical cord."
Ellie and Eudaemon didn't seem especially surprised and silently head for the bedroom.
Finding himself alone, John took of his coat and tie, and lit a new cigarette and hit the button on his answer-machine.
"You have three new messages." said the machine followed by a beep.
"John, this is Jack. If you get this message before midnight then call me back, it's about the chain."
John opened the fridge and coy out a dish of cold spaghetti which he stuck in the microwave.
"John Constantine you loathsome bugger! You should have told me they got to them last night. And I want my money You pig! You - beep"
Gabriel's message was interrupted by the beep, John smiled ear to ear, he'd forgotten all about the angel. But that wasn't really causing him to loose sleep.
"John this is Frank, the shop is asking for twenty-one hundred dollars."
A beep followed.
"You have no new messages."
John sat in his favorite seat waiting for diner to heat up, he smoked wondering how will all of this end, and for no reason he started thinking about his friends in the other world, Heaven hopefully; Beeman, Hennesy, Chas and several others who died just cause they had the misfortune of crossing paths with John Constantine.
John figured he'd call Jack and ask what he's found out. Glancing at his watch he realized it was almost 1 a.m., Jack must have left his store.
John took a drag and then suddenly felt something was wrong, he looked back at his left wrist where his watch was, only his watch was there.
(Flashback)
John put out his cigarette and made sure the bracelet was secured on his left wrist.
(End Flashback)
John raised his right wrist and saw the bracelet was wrapped around it.
(Flashback)
John went to leave, but Azrael grabbed him by the wrist, "Hey John," she said.
(End Flashback)
"Oh No!"
Azrael knew. John was sure of it. He was royally screwed.
"You have to run," said john as he burst through the door, "Right now!"
"Dammit John, ever heard of knocking?" said Ellie furiously.
"They know about you all, the beans got spilt, the angels are coming to get you."
"What?"
"There is no time."
The three hurried out and head to the door, but strangely it wouldn't open, John unlocked it but it still would open, Eudaemon gave it a series of tremendous blows but still couldn't do a thing, the door stood in place, shattered to bits but still holding up.
"We'll leave through the window." said Eudaemon as he pulled Ellie with him to the end of the hall; where a window took up most of the wall, Eudaemon pulled back the drapes and met a sight that caused him great fear.
"They found us." whispered Eudaemon.
John looked outside and saw five figures floating towards them, the one leading them stood at the middle and was noticeably shorter than the others.
Nigel had saw it coming, what he failed to say that they had wings. The window opened up letting in a powerful wind and allowing the five angels to get in.
Ellie was still weak and couldn't fight, John couldn't do a thing, and his secret was out. Eudaemon was frightened but surrendered to his fate.
The leader of the pack removed the cloak and Azrael's face came into view. The other four did the same and John realized they were Azrael's band, The Seraphs had come to perform in John's apartment, and they played a frightful tone.
"You must come with us, Eudaemon."
Eudaemon looked back at Ellie and John, a look of somber defeat filled his features, "I'll always love you." he whispered at Ellie, he then stepped forward and allowed the angels to grab him.
"It wasn't his fault." said John.
Azrael turned and glared at John, the girl no longer posses that care-free air about her; she was completely about the job right now.
"John Constantine," she said, her voice echoing and filling the place, "You have lied to us, harbored those who had violated the rules of conflict and tried to deceive us. Rest assured that your fate will be reconsidered."
Azrael turned and floated away.
"What do you mean?" asked John, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
The six angels flew into the heavens, never looking back, till they disappeared. John looked behind him and realized Ellie had disappeared as well, the door had crumbled into shreds.
John lit a cigarette with trembling hands; the past couple of days were a storm of surprising events, usually unfortunate. First the child was abducted, Eudaemon will be never be seen again, Ellie was gone, and Azrael's words rang in John's head. Was he consigned to Hell once again?
Was He?