Abraham found strange contradictions with his position as the head of a church and the father of a family. There were expectations to be a father with preference for his family. He was to be a good husband to his wife and spend time with them.

However, as the speaker of the holy word and a student of the faith, he was perplexed by the desires of the lord, particularly in the New Testament, to seemingly rip the idea of family apart.

Had not the lord said: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life— he cannot be My disciple"?

Troubled, that was when he turned to the lord for an answer. The response was swift.

His wife died.

That was all the signage he needed. That was when he picked up his preacher's box and began to travel in search of the angels. His son followed, but he did not pay him any special mind.

When he met Danny, Gilbert was already studying to become a surgical assistant. The boy came under Danny's supervision and aided him with some of his victims. Danny showed the boy little but disinterest and occasional spite. His eyes were boring and commonplace.

Gilbert watched as the person named Father grew his little sandbox of angels and sinners. He was all too happy to follow along. After all, he had to honor his father as though he were his Heavenly Father... and soon the difference became unthinkable, fading into obscurity. There is no more distinction between the two.

His Father is his God.

It seems only fitting that Gil would therefore be driven to question his God after seeing his interest in Zack and Ray. Why is this person so important to the eyes of God? He is but an unrefined heathen. Why does God look upon a witch and not even his faithful servant, his true child...

Gil wordlessly clicks the monitor showing the elevator's process. He is making good progress to intercept them. He clicks on the lock that will stop the elevator at his floor as planned. As he thinks of that bandaged brute making his way towards the surface, towards a world he did not deserve, Gil grinds his teeth in anger.

Yet, the words of God ring still in his mind with grating effect.

"You are similar to Zack, Gil."

How horrible to be compared to that unholy scum.

Kirsten was all too enamored with him. God has willingly turned a blind eye to the true treachery of the scythe bearer. Thus, it is up to him, Azazel, to rectify this and punish him. It will prove the ocean of difference between them.

As for Rachel Gardener... Gil remembered Danny had a thing for her eyes. Perhaps they would make a nice present for his mentor.

...

The two are relatively silent as the ride continued. The silence is broken by a sudden singing from an angelic choir, playing over the old elevator system. Its acoustics are jarred due to the antiquity and worn mechanics, so the voices have a slight demonic tone to them. The lyrics are incomprehensible. Rachel and Zack largely ignore it until the elevator rattles to a stop and the music cuts as well. There is a release of air pressure as the clunky contraption clunks to an end and the door opens with a squeak, revealing yet another pathway through a derelict-looking hall.

"Kuh, still no exit..." Zack growls.

"Hmm... the elevator isn't going any further?" Rachel looks at the elevator panel, "Strange."

"Ahh, maybe we'll find the control here on this floor or somethin'," Zack steps out, scythe hoisted over his shoulder, "Or another way up."

Rachel follows with a nod. The hallway is not exactly dirty, but it looks old. The structure is similar in design to that of Danny's floor, which models after hospital hallways. The overall vibe feels uncanny and perturbing to her.

Down the main way, with strangely no rooms on the side, they take a few turns before reaching a peeling metal door with a rusted sign hanging above. As they walked, the scenery became progressively aged and rusted. Zack kicks down this door with his foot easily, and the hinges all come apart.

The lights, dimly flickering, reveal the room to be some sort of prep station, perhaps for the butchery of animals. There are some lockers, a sink with an eyewash station, a carving table, and some rusted tools hanging on the wall used for carving and gutting. Zack looks around and sighs.

"I'd like this a lot more if it wasn't all broken."

"Ah, there," Rachel points to a door in the back of the room, in the corner by the lockers, partially hidden from view.

"Great, easy-peasy..."

The killer jostles the door's knob several times. It eventually snaps off in his hand. When it clatters to the floor, they both can see there is some sort of slick slime on it, which now coats and soaks into Zack's hand.

"Huh?" Zack wipes his hand messily on his hoodie, "The fuck? Now what?"

"Hmm..." Rachel goes to peer at the broken knob part of the door, "Backtrack...? Maybe one of the lockers is..."

Zack slides down to his knees suddenly, groaning. Rachel turns in alarm to see him mildly convulsing on the floor.

"Agh... Urghhh..." The man drools with maddened eyes, "The... fuck is... ahh..."

"It was poison on the knob..." Rachel breathes.

"That is correct, my dear."

One of the nearby locker doors from the side throws open. Before she can react, two gloved hands grab Rachel, with one of them wrangling an arm around her neck and another pressing a treated cloth tightly to her face. The girl's efforts to escape are muffled as she pulls at the arm around her. Her hand goes to fumble for the gun in her bag, but her fingers are soon too limp to operate as the chloroform fills her lungs. Her vision blurs rapidly. As the drug takes hold, the gun drops from her hand and clatters onto the floor next to the now inert Zack.

Gil gives Rachel a small shake to see if she is really knocked out. Ascertaining that she is indeed unconscious, he looks with distaste over at Zack.

"... The poison will not kill you just yet, Samael... That pleasure is reserved for my hands personally."

Carrying Rachel in his arms, he leaves the room with Zack on the floor. The knockout effects will fade soon, and then the punishment will begin. Given Zack's temperament, this will not take nearly as long or go as slow it did with Kirsten's. He must be prepared accordingly to deal with that feral beast.

As he walks briskly to his secret quarters, his face slowly curls into that of growing anticipation and his eyes rest on the porcelain doll in his grasp.

"You and Danny both will be done in by her, it seems."

But you and I are nothing alike.