Saved by the Devil (boyxboy) ✓

Chapter Twelve

He shook his head just slightly. "No. When people rises it's their souls I receive, not their bodies. Even if I set them on fire it would not hurt them. Besides, regarding the entire eternity punishment. That's archaic in itself. We do not punish people for eternity. We punish people for the appropriate time before they are shipped out. Our punishments are those that make the person open up and suffer under the guilt of their crimes. Or if they have no guilt. Suffer."

"Gays?" I asked. I wasn't particularly worried about that, since the devil was seemingly a man and I was a man too, it would be a little hypocritical. Besides I'd never believed that gay people went to hell for being what they were born as however at the same time I'd never really believed in hell.

He grinned. "Oh yes."

My body went cold and my eyes widened. "What?"

He laughed.

I blushed. "You're lying!" I accused him.

His arm tangled me a little closer so it slipped under my right arm and wrapped across my chest. "I am."

"Isn't lying a sin?" I asked, grinning.

"Your bible has nothing to do with our laws." He smiled slightly.

"It doesn't?" I asked, confused. "So lying isn't a sin? What about murder?"

"It depends. It all depends. Depends on the situation. Lying is not a sin. People lie more than they notice. 'How are you?' 'I'm great.' Small insignificant questions can lead to small insignificant lies. What we measure is the rate of calamity they cause and the actual intent behind the lie. Not the lie itself."

"Murder?"

"Murder can be in self defence. It is especially complicated at times. The thing you have to remember is that your circle of law is very different from ours. We have very different degrees of punishment to certain crimes."

"Like what? Examples?"

"Murder, and ɾape for example. Here in hell they are measured quite differently. Murder where you come from warrants a life in jail or at times, when they want me to decide, a death sentence. ape is on a much lazier standing. It can depend on the victim, on the judge, on the prosecutor, on the lawyer, on the country, in what region. Yet I can say the number of abusers that are sent for a full life sentence are low.

"Here in hell. Murder often requires a much shorter sentence. ɾape can however take a, as you say, life time or a couple."

"Is it that much worse? Like at least they didn't kill the person right?"

"To kill one is to send them to an early grave, the torture beforehand is what counts. And the pain inflicted on those around them. Besides, ɾapists are mostly held accountable for the death of one of their victims when they would not have otherwise died in such drag means had they not been abused, murder often falls under one of their misdemeanors."

I stayed silent.

Not only was it fascinating, weird, and somehow just right. I enjoyed listening to him talk. His gravelly voice. I wish he had been a teacher I would have passed every lesson with flying colors.

"Besides. Our punishments require the acknowledgment of the victims guilt in the situation where the crime occurred. Those fiendish enough to ɾape are often more convinced they have done nothing that should be considered a wrongdoing. That makes it all take a lot longer."

"How do you know if they're telling the truth? What if they lie and just say they feel guilty about it all?"

"Oh they do, all the time. We know when they are lying. We would be doing an awful job if we could not tell."