~~Young~~

Chapter Three

   Gage frowned at that.

   “How old are-” he corrected himself, “were you when you died?”

   “Fourteen my Lord,” Riley looked back to the woman who were now moaning on the bed.

   And for once the sound didn’t call to Gage, he didn’t even hear it, his ears were ringing with fury.

   “Riley,” he said as he grabbed the boy’s arm, getting him to focus on Gage, “what did you do?”

   “Do?” he shook his head, “oh,” his expression saddened, “to get here you mean?”

   Gage, fighting his anger at a certain deity could only nod.

   “I…I started a fire,” he said as he looked to his hands, “I didn’t mean to,” he added quickly, “but my mom didn’t want me playing with fireworks so…so I went to that abandoned mill by the river…I didn’t think there was anyone else in there, but then the fire started. I…I tried to get them out, that homeless lady with her kids, but we got stuck when the floor caved in…”

   Gage’s eyes ran over the boy in pity, this boy, this was exactly why he and God have come to blows before. Riley didn’t belong here. People may have died because of him but it wasn’t intentional, it was an accident.

   Sure he went against his mother’s wishes and did exactly what she told him not to. And yes that was exactly the outcome she was most likely afraid of, but he was just a boy, a virgin for fuck’s sake. He was the innocent and he did not belong here.

   “Stay here,” Gage ordered the woman on his bed, abruptly interrupting their little show, “all of you, till I get back do you understand me? Do not leave this room until I tell you to.”

   The women smiled at each other, slinking off the bed to wrap their arms around Riley again.

   “We will my Lord,” Ann answered as she worked the knot at Riley’s hip.

   “And we know just what to do to pass the time,” Laura beamed as she took Riley’s hand, placing it against one of her breasts.

   Riley’s eyes shot to Gage’s one more time in fear.

   “It’s okay my man, just have some fun. I’ll take care of this little mix-up and be back right quick, got it?”

   Riley had begun to nod but Ann had dropped to her knees having undone the cloth…

   ‘Nuff said.

   With a clunk Gage shut the door behind him, shaking his head as he finally got a bite out of his apple. He was going to knock God a good one for that shit, right after he got Riley out of hell and into heaven where he belonged.

   As the juice from the apple ran over his hand, Gage considered that maybe a fruity stoning was in order. God did like a good stoning after all, and what better then with his precious apples. That was a good one on Gaia’s part, or Mother Nature as she was now known. Taking God’s prized ambrosia and turning it into a fruit so widely available to the masses after he booted her out too. He tried to forbid them to eat it, but did they listen? Of course not, because again, they had their own free will.

   Gage nodded to those he passed in the halls, he knew most of their names, but that was just another of those things you just didn’t do in hell. Address anyone by name. That was another honor that someone with any sort of status not only knew, but would speak your name. But once told Gage remembered, it was kind of a thing for him. Oh what did the humans calls it, OCD perhaps? Whatever it was it was he couldn’t help himself but to put names with faces. And how tiring was it that Jerry’s face constantly changed.