Chaya had to run to keep up with his rescuer's pace. Haniel, Irvin, and Mavet fell in beside him, each exchanging bewildered glances between the flashes of grenades. The cave shook with every explosion, but the woman seemed unperturbed by the chaos. She ran between crowds of tightly-packed people, every once in a while stopping to let the boys catch up, then continued deeper into the cave. Chaya glanced over his shoulder and noticed that one hundred percent of the mass of humanity flooding into the cave bore the same red eyes, unsheathed claws, and unmistakable muscle tone.
"Wait a second, you're a demon?" Chaya blurted out.
The woman stopped outside a narrow passageway, shooting him a wink. "Uh-huh. Have been for the last ninety years! It's not so bad, though."
Leading the way into the pass, the woman found large, metal door and tried the handle, but it was locked. She rolled her eyes and planted the heel of her boot into it instead. The door came flying off its hinges, crashing into the opposite wall. Chaya exchanged an appalled glance with Mavet, then followed the woman into the room, starstruck.
"Del!" Irvin exclaimed.
In the corner of the room, Del shot to her feet. "Guys! How on Earth did you- ?" She finally noticed the demon-woman. "Who's this?"
"Uh...what's your name again?" Haniel questioned.
"Adeline, straight from my dear home state of Georgia!" the woman proclaimed, pretending to tip an imaginary hat at Del. "Come on, Girly, let's get you and your friends outside! You probably haven't breathed fresh air in hours..."
Chaya, by now thoroughly confused, followed Adeline out the door and toward the cave mouth. They walked at least a quarter mile, if not half a mile, until they finally emerged into the moonlight. Chaya appreciated the cold desert wind on his face when they stepped outside. He brushed his fingers through his hair and tied it back into a ponytail before it could blow everywhere. Adeline chatted amiably with Del and Irvin while Haniel and Mavet stood a good distance away, whispering darkly. Chaya furrowed his brow. Could they really trust Adeline, or any of these demons, for that matter, after everything that had happened?
"Hey, Blondie, what's your name?" Adeline called, catching Chaya by surprise.
"Oh, um, Chaya," he mumbled, stepping closer so she could hear.
"Chaya! That's a beautiful name!" Adeline laughed good-naturedly. "I've never heard it before! That's an accomplishment, because I've heard hundreds of thousands of names since I died."
"Hundreds of thousands?" Irvin said.
"Yessir! Hundreds of thousands! People die left and right in this world. Not everyone can make it to Heaven right away, can they?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, most people these days just aren't as Christian as they used to be!" Adeline explained. "God didn't want everyone being damned to hell, so he gave only half-bad people like me a second chance! I was a raging drunk, and I neglected my family, unfortunately, so I became a demon the moment I died! I've got three chances to prove that I'm a changed woman, and if I succeed, I'll finally go to Heaven."
Chaya's nerves frayed. All of this felt familiar, but why? He felt like he'd heard this speech a thousand times in a thousand different ways, but he couldn't remember when, how, or what the circumstances were. He agonized over the details of the memory for several moments before he gave up on it, letting out a frustrated sigh. Would he ever know his past?
"Oh, look, it's Leviathan!" Adeline exclaimed. "He's the one that led the charge for rescuing you five! He'll want to see you."
Chaya's heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. When he turned around, he understood why. Leviathan was a menacing presence at best. Even wearing a neutral expression on his face, Chaya got the impression that he was scowling at everyone and everything. Leviathan's dark grey armor bore gleaming spikes on the shoulderpads and scarlet stains on the chestplate. His shadowy features, including his nearly black eyes, pierced through the night and wreathed him in shade. Chaya would have fallen to his knees in fear had Haniel not put his arm around him.
"Adeline, are these the ones?" Leviathan boomed, his voice echoing strangely off the cave walls.
"Yes, Sir. Safe and sound, as you requested."
To Chaya's great surprise, a warm smile spread across Leviathan's face, and he almost appeared...friendly. "Thank you. You're dismissed, Adeline. I'll take them from here."
Adeline quickly scampered away. Leviathan motioned for the five to follow him, and they immediately started after him deeper into the cave. Chaya noticed a few angels being carried out on stretchers, which seemed rather odd, considering that angels and demons most certainly did not respect each other, but he quickly forgot about the curiosity of it, as he had already fallen behind the group. He had to run to catch up to Haniel and Mavet.
"Um, Leviathan, S-Sir?" Irvin stuttered. "If you don't mind me asking, what in the heck is going on?"
"I'm sure you have many questions. I promise, all will make sense shortly." They reached a lighted room, and Leviathan held the door open. "Please, step inside."
Chaya relaxed a little when the door was left open. Leviathan took a seat at the head of a long table, and the teenagers all huddled together on the other end. Despite Leviathan's warm smile, Chaya squeezed Haniel's hand under the table as the imposing man spoke once more.
"I think I should start from the beginning. The angels told you their plans of world demolition, did they not?" Haniel and Del nodded. "It's unfortunately true. Angels and demons have created balance since Jesus Christ truly opened the doors to Heaven, and we've coexisted in virtually total peace for the last few thousand years. Seven archangels, seven archdemons. Millions of demons, millions of angels. We all have the same goal- or, we had the same goal."
Leviathan's eyes darkened. "The angels turned on us around three hundred years ago. They grew restless, thinking that they had the right-of-way to Heaven, being mostly good and all, but their cockiness served them poorly. Instead of settling their Earthly strife, they began to meddle with loved ones, attempting to resolve their issues their own way. The angels were blinded by their own arrogance, and unable to see that they were preventing themselves from getting into Heaven, they devised a plot to wipe out humanity, and with it, their Earthly problems.
"Us demons are completely against this, because, after all, the only way we can redeem ourselves is by creating positive change in humanity through selfless acts. By wiping out humanity, demons would be trapped as demons forever, unable to ascend to Heaven. Their only options would be to roam pointlessly forever, or to corrupt themselves, become truly wicked, and descend into the pits of Hell."
Chaya's blood ran cold at the last statement. Being a demon sounded horrible enough, but to be stuck as one forever, unable to fix the mistakes they made in life...that was real torture.
"The angels have made themselves enemies of the demons, and tensions have risen astronomically over the past few centuries. Demons do not want the annihilation of angels, nor the destruction of humanity, but angels have taken to promoting our violent natures, and the blame for much of the world's issues has fallen to us. We have been falsely accused of being heartless monsters time and time again when, in reality, the angles have whispered in the ears of corrupt leaders, causing war, suffering, deprivation, and monstrous betrayals all throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, and now they're continuing to destroy the 21st.
"Their most recent plot involved you five. For whatever reason, Mavet and Chaya have shown up with powers representing the precarious balance of this world. The secrecy surrounding them only mounted when you, Haniel, appeared to be connected to both of them, and your friends Del and Irvin here were roped into it when the angels attacked. The angels must have thought they could use you as weapons, but we would not allow this to pass. As soon as our scouts caught wind of their plans, we came to your rescue.
"We have no idea what the point of Chaya's and Mavet's powers are, but we suspect it to be a last-ditch effort by a few good souls to ensure the balance of this world. We're going to figure out this mess along with you."
Leviathan made eye contact with Chaya, and oddly enough, a sense of safety washed over him. This man didn't look at him with anything except care and concern. Chaya suddenly felt comfortable in the archdemon's presence, like he was finally in trustworthy, safe hands.
"Not to be nosey or anything, but you seem like you know this cave pretty well," Del pointed out. "How do you know this place?"
"This is one of our many surface bases around the world," Leviathan replied. "The angels stole it from us less than a week ago, and that's when we sent out the scouts that discovered their plot. This cave is actually very welcoming when we decorate it to our tastes."
"Can I ask you about demons?" Haniel said. "I mean, I thought it was a direct Heaven-or-Hell thing when people died."
"That's what most people think, but when so many humans teetered on the brink between Heaven and Hell, God invented a new method. He created a space in between, dividing souls into angel or demon ranks depending on how sinful they were during their life. These souls cannot enter the gates of Heaven or Hell, only hang out in the space connecting them to the rest of the world. Most angels and demons are assigned to one of the seven archangels or archdemons, respectively, according to the types of their sins, and these leaders are charged with guiding them to the most opportune moments for them to redeem themselves. As most angels and demons get themselves into trouble while searching for redemption, and they are still able to die from unnatural causes, they have three extra 'deaths' to fix things. If they die for a third time, whatever they have done is considered before God, and his decision is final."
"That...actually makes sense," Del remarked.
"I don't believe you."
Chaya turned to Mavet in shock. The boy's silver eyes glittered and shifted in a concerning way as he stared hard at Leviathan, his gaze never wavering. Leviathan held his gaze without a single blink. Chaya could have sliced through the tension with a knife. The anger and suppressed frustration swimming within the archdemon's eyes was enough to send a shiver down the Chaya's spine. At length, Leviathan called for Adeline, still never looking away once.
"Yes, Sir?" Adeline chirped.
"Will you tell this crew a bit about yourself? I have a few skeptics in the room."
Adeline's face brightened, and Chaya sighed with relief as she began to speak. "Of course! I was born and raised in west Georgia, on a beautiful, vast cotton farm. My father and his friends worked day and night in those fields, and my mother and I weaved textiles for a living. When I grew up, I made the worst mistake of my life when I decided to marry a man I met at the bar. Earl was charming, handsome, and very sweet- but only in public. He was horrible to me, leaving me for month-long stretches of time, during which he'd have multiple affairs and take advantage of countless rich women. I apparently drove him to cheat, he claimed, because I never paid him any attention.
"Instead of divorcing him or hitting him right back, I turned to the drink. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I'd be at the bar, drinking from the moment they opened the doors to the second they kicked me out. I neglected my kids, and they grew up juvenile delinquents. I died in 29' from alcohol poisoning. Next thing I know, I wake up in hell, back in my prime, the need for the drink gone, and Beelzebub, the Archdemon of Gluttony, pulls me to my feet and says that I've got a lot of work to do.
"I left my kids to finish growing up on their own. It's my fault. Beelzebub taught me to accept my sins, and I've been trying ever since to steer my offsprings' offspring away from their lives of crime. I'm getting close, and someday soon, I hope to be forgiven."
Chaya noticed how Adeline's red eyes, claws, and muscle tone receded as she talked. Instead of being wreathed in darkness, Adeline positively glowed, obviously proud of how far she'd come in her ninety years. Chaya glanced to his right to see Mavet less grumpy than before. In fact, the tanned boy appeared taken aback, almost as if he was ready to admit he was wrong. Chaya hoped he would, because he didn't like how Leviathan mercilessly glared at his friend. He much preferred the warm, welcoming Leviathan.
"Thank you, Adeline. Would you be so kind as to show them to the common area?"
"Of course, Sir!" Adeline sang.
Chaya gladly followed the demon out of the room. He looked back to see Leviathan staring at blank space, a pensive look neutralizing his expression. Chaya wondered what the archdemon was thinking about, but before he could, Adeline swept him further into the cave.
"How did Leviathan become an archdemon?" Irvin questioned.
"Oh, it wasn't hard, really," Adeline said, waving at some passing demons. "When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, he was put in charge of Hell and became the first archdemon. Not long afterward, as the number of souls under his charge increased, and God made his new decree, Lucifer realized he should reorganize Hell to mirror Heaven. Six men offered to remain demons forever, in order to guide other souls to redemption, and became archdemons. Leviathan was the first to step forward, and he was made Lucifer's right-hand man."
"Can you guys change your appearance like angels?" Chaya asked.
"Of course! We have to blend in among the living somehow," Adeline chuckled. "I've had to modernize myself at least seven times, and that was just in the sixties. I like to be my real self among other demons, though. Most of us only change appearances when we have to."
Chaya beamed. "Demons are a lot kinder than I was led to believe."
"Thank you!" Adeline said, shooting him a toothy grin. "It's nice to see that a few people still like us!"
Chaya's heart warmed as he saw more and more demons give them a friendly wave. In fact, hundreds of demons, ranging from late teenage years to mid-twenties, bustled about the cave, cleaning, renovating, and redecorating every inch of it. Chaya noted the incredible self-expression of the demons. Over a series of hallways that led to what Chaya assumed were barracks, creative, bright images reflected the personalities that they contained. He even saw a rainbow flag, and it put a smile on his face.
"What happens if living people discover you're a demon?" Haniel asked as they entered a massive opening. Enormous tables filled the space from wall to wall, and not a single bench was empty. Adeline ushered them into a line that led up to a buffet-style food cart and turned to answer Haniel's question.
"Well, it's tricky," she began, tossing a chunk of brisket onto her platter. "Usually, we're able to pass ourselves off as human, even when they get suspicious. But every once in a while, we confront a family member or a friend, and it's complicated. It's usually better if people who we think are dead- "
Chaya yelped when a loud crash! of shattered glass slashed his eardrums. He looked to his left to see Del frozen in place, eyes wide, staring at an equally shocked girl less than ten feet away.
"-stay dead," Adeline finished, rather remorsefully.
Chaya watched as Del and the other girl struggled to form words. Then, at long last, Del managed to stammer out a single, Earth-shattering name:
"Julia?"