Chapter 27
I sat in a chair Neil had brought in for me inside Lucifer’s office. When he had opened a filet that read ‘Individual Death Document’, I suddenly got excited. Spending the past week being told to believe that Lucifer’s voice wasn’t real, and being forced to believe I was insane, it was nice to decide other’s fate.
“Let’s see here,” Lucifer mumbled as he scrolled down the computer file. “Ah, here’s where I left off last night.”
I gazed at the screen; there in a large size was a picture of a woman. Her name was Lindsey Kendra Taylor, age 88, widow, afraid of spiders, and the chemotherapy; Died of cancer. My skin started to crawl as my eyes lingered on her face...I was looking at a dead woman.
“What did she do?” I asked.
Lucifer scrolled further down her document. Underneath all her information was a history of all the wrong she had done.
-Cursed at her daughter
-Neglected her grandsons
-Did not pay respects during husband’s funeral
-Disrespected the nurses and doctors during chemotherapy
-Lied to IRS
-Did not pay taxes
-Past history of identification theft
“Oh my,” gasped.
With a laugh Lucifer said. ‘I’ve seen worse. So what shall her room look like?”
I bit my lip trying to contemplate whether to trust my desire for power over people, or my head that told me otherwise. “Have her live through chemotherapy over and over again. Oh and bring her daughter in just to talk down to her.” I laughed, she did so many wrongs. I didn’t see any harm in giving her what she deserved.
“How grand,” Lucifer cheered. “Next!”
We gave tremendous effort with giving the next few candidates a living hell. Yes pun, so damn well intended!
One man raped and murdered his daughter, so we gave him his daughter to haunt him, and added a couple of towering skyscrapers, for his fear of heights. This one lady was clever, she scammed her boss, but was then sued, yet she didn’t show up for trail. When police were trying to find her she left Portugal and fled for Mexico where she scammed another employer. The second time though, she got away with it. So in regards to her pain, and our benefit we had sent her to live back in Portugal to live her fear of being caught and tortured.
I was losing myself in all the excitement. Lucifer and I were howling in laughter as he created the rooms through the processor. Before I knew it we had gone through at least 30 people. By the time we reached the 35th entry, Lucifer stood up and insisted I set this room up myself. I cheered with enthusiasm as I sat down on the seat. My hands were shaking as it hovered over the keyboard.
I wondered who I’d get! A bully from high school? A stuck up girl who thought the world revolved around her?! A boy who didn’t support his friend and ran off? A mother who didn’t love her kids?!
As Lucifer clicked on the file with the mouse, I couldn’t help but hold my breath, waiting to see who it would be. My mind was racing with so many thoughts on how to make their room dreadful, yet amusing for me! I could place them stranded alone in the desert, or locked up in a dark room! Oh even better I could place them in a world where it was nothing but their loved ones ignoring or hating them! No, that seemed too subtle. A world where all they did was wrong, no one cared for them, and they were ignored! ...Well I’d work on the last one.
Finally Lucifer opened the document revealing first, like always, the picture. But I ignored it and begged him to hurriedly scroll down to the person’s history. It read:
-Occasionally cursed at his grandmother
-Thoughts of his father deserving his death
-Swore when angry
-Cheated on one English midterm paper
“That’s it?!” I huffed in disappointment.
Lucifer shrugged.
“Who is this guy? Jesus Christ?”
“Actually,” Lucifer mumbled as he moved the page back up face the picture. “His name is Jesse Christian Dare, age 17, he is an orphan. He is afraid of death, solitude and failure. Cause of death, uh, suicide...”
I stayed silent, completely of everything Lucifer was saying.
“Oh! I know exactly who this lad is! I saw him once...oh! He’s that boy with the grandmother!!”
I whipped my head around to face Lucifer, “You saw him?” I gasped.
“Why yes I did,”
“Where?”
“Here, I wasn’t sure where he came from, seeing as though I don’t personally greet those condemned to hell...”
I shook my head. ‘What?”
“Neil found him wandering the halls while I was having supper.”
“When?”
“Two days before you arrived...”
“What?”
“Lucia, stop asking so many questions, will you please just figure out what we should do with him!”
I turned away from Lucifer facing the screen again, all I saw was Jesse. His curly brown hair just hovering over his eyes, eyes that stared back at me causing me to shiver.
“Well, come on now, it’s nearing lunch time and I’m quite famished!”
“He’s here...” It wasn’t a question or a something meant for Lucifer to here. It was only a statement of the obvious I said out loud to myself.
“Yes, I am quite aware of that!”
“Jesse is here...”