The City Of Death

Chapter Two- Macy

Directly next to the center on the left is Behemoth. His district holds the maintenance district, where Citizens like Electricians and Plumbers work. His district also holds the most sacred area in the City. The graveyard. All Citizens are cremated and their ashes are spread in the graveyard with a neon statue to remember them by. The statue is shaped like a map of the City, with a plaque underneath with the Citizen's name and lifespan. Of course, certain Citizens get a slightly different treatment. He's easily the proudest of the Cardinals. Proud of himself and of his district.

On the far right side is Belial. His district is where I work, home to both the hospital and the morgue. He's the most compassionate of the Cardinals, and he supposedly chose to have the hospital in his district. But there is no light without the dark. No life without death. And so it is with Belial. To remind the Citizens of their ultimate purpose, the morgue is only a five-minute walk from the hospital. And while Belial is compassionate, when angered, his wrath can put Asmodeus's to shame.

Next to him is Satanus. The courthouse resides in his district, where Citizens who have broken the laws of the City are tried and sentenced. It's also where couples are married and birth certificates are filed. Also in his district, near the Coliseum, is the shopping district where all Citizens get supplies and decorations for their homes. I still love going to the shopping district, walking through the streets and seeing vendors hawking their wares and dipping in and out of stores. But still, Satanus is the strictest of the Cardinals, and his punishments can be severe when he's left to his own devices.

And next to him is the right-hand man of the Cardinal in the center. Or, should I say, right-hand woman. Jezebel is the only female Cardinal, but also the second-most powerful. In her district lies the news station and the Messenger's station. It's where the Messengers report for each shift and get assigned a district before taking off. Any news that the Newscasters present comes from Jezebel. She's also dangerous to be around. She's persuasive. She can get someone to do something they don't want to do by only talking to them for five minutes. There are worse rumors about Jezebel, but I choose not to believe them.

And in the center is the lead Cardinal. Lucifer. His district is the largest and is where the Council resides. It's also where I reside. But Lucifer's district is also the most mysterious. In two corners are two walled-off areas. One we call No Man's Land. No one knows what's inside. All we know is that if a Citizen's crime is severe enough, they'll be sentenced to No Man's Land. No one has ever come back out. And the other we don't have a name for. We don't talk about it. No one knows anything about it, and we don't care to know.

Lucifer himself is the most intelligent and most cunning of the Cardinals. He has all the skills of a leader, and as such, he's also the most powerful. I'm not sure anyone knows the full extent of his power. It's rumored that Lucifer can control a person just by touching them, but no one knows if that's true or not. We've all seen Citizens with the black marks on their neck, but whether Lucifer actually gave them the marks or if they're being controlled, we have no proof. Just rumors.

"You called for me?" I ask, and Lucifer nods. All of the Cardinals look to Lucifer, waiting for him to start. All except for Jezebel, anyway. Her mask sits higher on her face and allows a clear view of her mouth. It allows me to clearly see that she's staring down at me and grinning.

"Yes, Macy. We called you here because we have a problem. A problem with you," Lucifer states, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. What could this possibly be about? I don't think I've broken any laws recently. I haven't done anything wrong that I can think of.

"A-A problem? What do you mean? What's the problem?" I ask, my breath catching in my throat.

"Why were you at the hospital so long today, Dr. Macy?" Belial asks, and I look over at him. Surely this isn't about me working too much overtime, is it?