~~Young~~

Chapter Five

   Jerry nodded, “told me I was workin’ for de wrong guy again too.”

   “And I bet you told him to fuck off again too right?”

   “Yes suh, he ain’t got no bettah job offer now does he?”

   Gage just smiled. Okay, so maybe Jerry only fit in until he opened his mouth and that thick bohemian accent came out, “well I guess that’s pretty subjective don’t you think.”

   “I like my life just de way it is.”

   “You’re not alive Jerry.”

   “True, but at least I ‘ad a life before, unlike some of us.”

   This was a fairly typical argument- if you could call it such- between the two of them. There was nothing malicious to it at all, just the two of them razzing each other for their shortcomings. And it was true, Jerry was perfectly happy serving the lord of the underworld, had served him even before death. The man had been stolen from his home just as many others had been in that day for slaves. But what those slave traders didn’t take into consideration, or at least underestimated, was that the man was a voodoo priest.

   He was chained and gagged, shipped across the seas, and bought by a high court lord that owned a sugar plantation in the islands. It wasn’t long before there was nothing left of that plantation but ashes though. Jerry served no man, most especially against his will. And using all the power Lucifer had bestowed upon him for the price of his soul he burned down the manor with the lord and his family inside before releasing the other slaves. But, like so many of the others that night, Jerry didn’t make it off the plantation alive. Shot in the back of all things.

   But Gage was not a man, Lucifer either for that matter and Jerry served the both of them not only willingly, but eagerly.

   “’Ey here’s a surprise for ya, he’s waiting in de chapel,” now it was Jerry’s turn to grin, “said d’u bettah go t’ere before d’u even t’ink of setting foot anywhere else.”

   No, that wasn’t a surprise at all. Unlike Gage who could appear where and whenever he wanted, Michael was stuck using only houses of god as his landing points. Something about the world as it stood today not being a safe place to open those kinds of portals between here and heaven. Guess God was afraid of the wrong ones hitching a ride to Never-Never Land.

   And in what was typical of Gage’s defiance towards God and anyone that served him he simply quirked up an eyebrow, looked purposely to the curb beside him, and stepped up on it.

   “Well look at that, it looks like I’ve disobeyed him. Guess it doesn’t matter what I do now does it?”

   “Yes suh, I’d say du is free tu do what d’u want now,” Jerry chuckled.

   Technically Gage didn’t have to heed his call anyway, but it would make his time on earth a lot easier of he just got it over with. Better to do it now then to have the damn angel come popping in at some less then desirable moment.

   He just loved to make appearances when Gage was getting laid.

   “Bring the car around the south side of the chapel for me Jerry? Just in case he gets in a good shot or two I want to be able to get away without a scene.”

   Of course he knew the layout of each and every building on the campus. He had studied them on the drive here from Vancouver. Gage didn’t do unprepared and he knew the back exit past the offices was about as secluded as it could get. Crammed between the history building and the language arts building, with another mixed learning center behind it there was only one way in or out. And once Jerry pulled in, he’d have to back out, no turning around. But, there were no windows save for the chapel’s on the alley. And whoever would be looking out them most likely would have already gotten an eyeful of what was about to go down.