The City Of Death

Chapter Four- Macy

"Enter." Well, this is it. I open the door and stride in, watching all seven Cardinals as they watch me. Jezebel's mouth quirks up in a smirk as I approach, but I give her no heed. I have no connections to her district, so why should I let her get inside my head? And I know that's what Jezebel wants. She treats it like a game, getting inside Citizen's heads and twisting their will to fit hers. Jezebel is the only Cardinal I'd give a wide berth to and the only one that makes me feel a slight glimmer of fear. But I won't let her know that. I have a feeling that's exactly what she wants.

"Hello, Macy," Belial greets me, and I glare at him.

"It's Dr. Macy," I spit out, and I turn when I hear Jezebel laughing.

"No, it's not. Not anymore. I thought we covered that the last time you were here," she tells me, and I bite my inner cheek to keep from saying something I'll regret. It doesn't work.

"So why am I here this time? Haven't you taken enough from me? What else do you want? My life?" I ask, and Asmodeus stands from his seat.

"How dare you talk to us in such a way? Who are you to question your Cardinals?" he questions, and Lucifer puts a hand up.

"Give the girl some grace, Asmodeus. She did get quite a shock when she was last here. She's bound to be emotional," Lucifer tells him. While I can see by his body language that he doesn't like it, Asmodeus does sit back down, posing himself as if he didn't just lash out. But that's typical for him. Quick to anger and quick to cool. It's one of his defining features.

"So why am I here? What am I losing this time?" I ask.

"You're not losing anything. In fact, we'd like to give you something," Lucifer answers, and I raise an eyebrow. They're... giving me something? But what could they possibly want to give me? "We're giving you a chance."

"A chance?" I repeat. "A chance for what?"

"A chance to get your life back," Satanus clarifies, and my confusion grows. How could I do that? Once a Citizen loses their job, they don't get it back. That was an unwritten rule in the City. What would possibly make them want to make an exception for me? "You do something for us, and we'll give you back your position as a Doctor."

"What do you need me to do?" I ask. Whatever they want, I'll do it. I have to. I have to get my job back. Maybe, if I'm a Doctor again and not at risk of becoming an Invalid, I can even get Cassie and Eliot back. Now, that being said, I'm sure that whatever task they have in mind for me will not be easy. It'll probably be harder than anything I've ever done. Probably even harder than saving an Invalid's life after he took a swan dive off of a fourth-story balcony. But if it gets me my life back, it'll be not only the hardest thing I've ever done but also the most important.

"You're aware of our little problem in the Outside," Lucifer starts, and I nod. I know exactly what he's talking about. It's a problem that has haunted me since I was a little kid. "We'd like you to help us with that problem."

"I don't understand," I say. How can I help them?

"We want you to help us end the Renegades," Lucifer says, and I shift uncomfortably. I've avoided saying that word ever since I was brought back into the City. I didn't want to speak the name of the people that had ruined my life and taken away the one thing I loved more than anything else. The name of the people that the Cardinals had to rescue me from.

No one knows when the Renegades formed, when the first group of Citizens exited the City's walls and made their own society. Most of the information on them inside the City is based on rumors and myths. All we know for sure is that the Renegades are a rebel group that makes their life in the Outside. A lawless life without rules, even worse than life on Salvia Street. They renounce the rules and way of life in the City and defy the Cardinals' every move.