Feature Writer: Ohzee44
Feature Title: THE FALLEN QUEEN OF EDEN 3
Published: 12.06.2021
Story Codes: Erotic Horror
Synopsis: Explanations and Hidden Symbols.
The Fallen Queen of Eden 3
The wee hours of dawn soon gave way to mid-morning and the sound of loud banging on his front door roused Eli from his sleep. Still not fully awake, he rolled over and stretched out his arm, fully expecting it to fall against the blankets as it always did. Instead, it fell across someone’s body. Instantly his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright in bed. Looking over, he was stunned to find his house guest lying there beside him. He jumped out of bed and immediately pulled on his pants, forgoing a shirt for the time being. He was about to wake Lili up and find out what she was doing in his bed when the knocking on his front door started up again.
Grumbling to himself he went down the stairs and looked through one of the small windows of his front door. Instantly he recognized his ex-girlfriend Ruby standing on the other side. Just looking at her was enough to make him roll his eyes and utter a few choice ‘colorful metaphors’. He couldn’t imagine why she had returned, but she couldn’t have picked a worse time to do it. He should at least be allowed a cup of strong coffee before having to deal with such a colossal pain in the ass.
Eli opened the door and stared coldly into his ex-girlfriend’s face, while she in turn only gave a sad regretful half-smile back. He hadn’t seen her in about three and a half months and his life had been much better for her leaving. She looked the same, including the four inches of dark roots that were showing, although perhaps a bit trashier. Nothing says class like a pair of sweat shorts that didn’t quite have enough material to cover her rear-end and had the word ‘juicy’ emblazoned across the back in gaudy sequins. Her shirt might have been okay, except that it was at least one size too small and torn at the neck in a pitiful attempt to make it more low-cut so she could show off her sagging cleavage. The purple bra that could be clearly seen through the white t-shirt was the final and perfect touch to her white trash ensemble. Eli had to hand it to her, Ruby never had self-confidence issues. How could she and dress like that?
“Yes?” He asked, already suspicious of her. He wasn’t the only one less than pleased to see Ruby. Strolling in from the living room was Mr. Jingles. He took one look at his owner’s former girlfriend and immediately started glaring at her with his ears slicked back.
“C-can we talk?” There was a hopeful look in her eyes, but Eli was convinced it was probably just gas. Still, he was curious to hear what she had to say. It had been a while since he had heard any good stories. Silently he stepped aside and allowed her in. Her large heavily made up brown eyes looked around then back at Eli. “Wow, you’re really transforming this place.”
“Oh, you like the paint job and the way I stripped and re-stained the staircase and entryway?”
“You did a great job, but then you always excelled at whatever you put your hand to,” She answered sweetly.
“I haven’t actually done anything to the entryway or the staircase. In fact, the last room I fixed up was the upstairs bathroom about six months before you left. Construction came to a temporary halt after you robbed me and took off,” he remonstrated. “Now what do you want?”
“I missed you okay? Leaving you was a mistake and I realize that. The whole time I just kept remembering all the things we used to do together. How we used to snuggle up on the couch to watch television. The way we sometimes would cook together in the kitchen.” She reached out and took his hand in hers before continuing. “Do you remember that night when we went out to Curly’s catfish restaurant and ate until we thought we were both going to bust then came home and you couldn’t wait to get me undressed?” She giggled and sidled up to Eli placing her hand on his bare chest.
“I’ve never eaten there, but I do recall that Curly’s is near where Jimmy lives, isn’t it?” He jerked his hand away then moved away from her. “You remember Jimmy, the guy you were having an affair with then left me for. What happened, did he finally get tired of you?” Ruby crossed her arms and she glared at Eli. “Careful, you’ll crack the basecoat of your make-up.”
“Yes . . . okay . . . Jimmy and I broke up. He was a self-centered ass and to be honest I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” she explained, trying once more to put on a show of contrition. “I missed that connection . . .”
“Really, I thought he was plugging in every chance he had.”
“God you’re an ass,” Ruby snapped. “You know, we used to care about each other. We used to be something.”
“So he dumped you and you’re out of money.”
“You son of a . . .” she started to say only to be cut off as Lilith came down the stairs dressed in nothing but Elijah’s pale blue terry cloth robe.
“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing this, but I wanted to come down and explain . . .” Lilith stopped suddenly cognizant of the tension in the room and the added awkwardness of her presence. Ruby was staring up at her in wide-eyed shock while Eli could only pinch the bridge of his nose with his eyes tightly shut in frustration. “Oh I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” The demoness said, quickly backing up and trying to sneak back up the stairs.
“No, no, you’re fine. Ruby was just leaving,” He explained, trying to move his ex-girlfriend to the door, but she wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
“You act all high and mighty about Jimmy while trying to hide this bitch?”
“It’s not what you think . . .” he attempted to clarify.
“Well, aren’t we just two scoops of grumpy in a bowl full of bitchy this morning,” Lili commented as she adjusted the tie on the robe so it wouldn’t come loose and expose more than Eli’s ex would want to see. “Actually, I’m the original bitch, if you must know,” she continued casually, looking down at the walking white trash glaring up at her. “And I refuse to apologize for it since no one has ever apologized for making me that way.”
“Lili is just a friend . . .” He continued, trying to prevent the obvious misunderstanding that was beginning to rise. The demoness could see what he was doing and immediately tried to help.
“Yes, there is nothing between him and me, we just slept together,” the words barely left her mouth and Eli instantly face-palmed and managed to mumble ‘oh God’.
“We didn’t sleep together,” he said, trying to clear things up. “We were just in the same bed.”
“Riiight and now she’s wearing your robe.”
“Exactly,” Lilith answered brightly.
“If you want to screw around with the first thing that crosses your path then fine, but don’t try to make me out to be the whore for running off with Jimmy.”
“Oh, no we didn’t have sex.” Lilith corrected.
“Really?” Ruby sniffed, not believing this for a second.
“I offered, I mean, it was the least I could do since he was nice enough to give me a place to stay for the night, but he turned me down.”
“He turned you down?” she really wasn’t buying any of this.
“I know, I couldn’t believe it either. No one has ever turned me down before, it’s like being in the twilight zone of something,” The demoness observed, still genuinely befuddled by Eli’s refusal. “You know, you look like you have a lot of experience with rejection, how do you handle it?” Lili genuinely wanted to know the answer, but Ruby was not amused.
“Go to Hell,” she snapped, then stormed out the door.
“Why would I want to go back there? Czernobog still has a restraining order against me,” Lilith responded off-handedly as she watched her leave through the screen door. Eli naturally believed that his houseguest had simply been making sport with his ex-girlfriend and couldn’t help bursting out laughing at the entire situation. “I’m sorry if I caused any trouble between you two.”
“No, no there was trouble between us before I ever met you,” he answered, still chuckling to himself.
“Anyway, I appreciate you letting me stay here for the night. I hope I didn’t freak you out too much when you discovered me in your bed.”
“That was . . . a little unexpected, yes,” he replied, trying to be polite.
“I’m sorry about that. I’m afraid I’m rather accustomed to having someone share a bed with me or not sleeping at all.” It sounded like a poor explanation, but it was honest. Until she lost her power she seldom needed sleep and most of the time men and the occasional woman were only too happy to let her spend the night. “If you’ll let me grab a quick shower, I’ll get my things and get out of your way so you can get back to your life.”
“Let me make you some breakfast while you’re showering then I’ll drive you to the airport. Okay?” He offered, turning towards her. “I assume you’re hungry.”
“Famished,” she smiled.
As Eli turned to go into the kitchen, his right side came into view and Lili’s smile disappeared as she noticed the tattoo on his bicep. Usually, body ink didn’t garner much attention from her, but this one was different. Etched into Eli’s arm was a rectangle bisected in the middle and framed by a primitive pattern with floral-like corners. In the left section of the rectangle were three creatures that possessed traits that were reminiscent of birds and mammals. On the right side were three primitive designs that were distinct in style, but strange to modern eyes. All of it was surrounded by ancient Sumerian writing that this man couldn’t possibly understand. It had been ages since Lilith had seen this design, but its power still had its effect on her.
“Your tattoo . . . where did you get it?”
“A couple of years ago my buddies and I went down to Encore Ink and got tattooed. Kaleb got this really detailed coyote on his left shoulder blade and Wynne had an amazing bear inked across his back. I didn’t want to do the same thing that everyone else had done and at the time I was reading a book on ancient rites and religion. This particular design caught my eye and I thought it was cool,” he explained.
“Do you know what it means?” Lilith asked.
“Not really.”
“The figures in each rectangle represent three angels, a set of triplets named Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof. Wearing their mark protects your soul from the ‘demon of the night,” she explained. What she didn’t want to tell him was that the demon in question was her.
“How’d you know that?”
“I know a lot of things,” she acknowledged, not wanting to explain any further.
“Heh, I had no idea. That is cool,” he commented, looking at the tattoo. He turned and noticed the look of revulsion on Lili’s face and was surprised. “I take it you’re one of these girls that don’t like ink.”
“Quite the contrary, actually. I would have some myself if they didn’t fade and disappear after a couple of days.”
“Wow, you got ripped off,” he commented, thinking that her tattoo couldn’t have been more than a cheap ‘lick-and-stick’ for it to fade so easily. Lilith could only shrug. Unless he knew the truth about her, he wasn’t going to understand.
Going back upstairs to take her shower, the demoness contemplated the tattoo. What were the odds of her running into someone in this day and age bearing that mark and not even knowing what it means? It had to be astronomical. She thought about the strange faint aura that emanated him. Was it from the tattoo, or was something else at work in him. He wasn’t an angel, of that she was certain, nor did he seem to have any celestial power. Whatever it was, it was of no consequence to her. She knew damn well that only God could damn her and no one but God could lift the curse of her punishment either. Not that she had any desire to be saved or forgiven. She liked herself exactly as she was. Well, perhaps ‘like’ was too strong a word, but she was content at any rate.
Lilith turned on the shower so the water could heat up then went and got her backpack from the spare room. On her way back to the bathroom an idea came to mind and she decided to take a detour through Eli’s closet. She opened the door and was surprised to find quite a bit of clothes for a single guy, particularly shirts. She thumbed through Henley’s, work shirts and sweaters and numerous flannel shirts, all of which looked as though they had barely been worn. She was about to grab a basic long-sleeved white dress shirt when a pretty turquoise and dark blue plaid top caught her eye. She quickly snatched it from its hanger then ran into the bathroom for a nice hot shower.
Unaware that his closet had been plundered, Eli put on a pot of coffee, then went to his fridge and got out a package of bacon and three eggs. He set them on the counter then got a pan and turned on a burner allowing it to begin heating while he cut open the plastic and took out the first four strips of meat and started frying them. After a few moments, the kitchen became alive with the sounds of popping and crackling as the bacon started to cook. There can be no greater smell in the morning than that of bacon sizzling in a skillet, except perhaps the robust aroma of coffee. Both greeted Lilith’s nose as she stepped from the shower and started to dress. If she wasn’t hungry before then she certainly was now. Hurriedly she pulled on a pair of jean shorts then took Eli’s shirt and buttoned up the front but instead of putting her arms through the sleeves she tied them beneath her pretty breasts and wore the garment like a strapless top.
She was still brushing her wet hair when she came strolling into the kitchen. Elijah looked up as he was cracking the eggs and was pointing out where the coffee pot and mugs were when he suddenly recognized the shirt she was wearing. For a moment he didn’t know what to say. He had never met any woman as forward or as bold as Lilith Eden. He wasn’t even certain how to address it.
“Um, isn’t that my shirt?” he finally asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Do you like it?” Lili gave a playful twirl to better show herself off. “The color suits me don’t you think?
“My mom got that for me actually.” Hearing this and seeing the awkward look on his face, the demoness realized that she had been a little too presumptuous. Immediately she untied the sleeves and held the shirt out to him leaving her naked from the waist up. Momentarily stunned Elijah dropped his tongs and couldn’t speak. This was nothing that had ever happened to him before and not one of his friends was ever going to believe him. “Uh . . . p-put the shirt back on . . . please,” he told her, managing to find his tongue again. Lili shrugged then picked up the garment and started to redress herself. Picking the tongs up off the floor, Eli went over to the sink and began to rinse them off. All the while he couldn’t hold back the smile that spread across his face. This woman definitely kept him on his toes, not to mention she also had a very nice set of boobs.
“So, you do construction, welding and cook. Is there anything you don’t do?” she asked, retying the sleeves then taking her coffee and seating herself on one of the island stools.
“Plenty. I don’t sew, I have bad seasonal allergies in the fall and decent women don’t find me attractive,” he answered smartly as put the last piece of bacon on the platter with the other eleven pieces, then started to pour the excess grease into a strainer.
“Well I don’t sew either so I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t know anything about allergies so I have no advice to offer there. As for the women, well, lust is more fun anyway. From my experience love doesn’t exist so why bother looking for it.” Lilith was supremely confident in her opinion regarding matters of the heart. If the first man and woman to be created on earth could feel nothing but indifference or disdain for each other, how could anyone else feel it? Lust was far more practical. No promises or commitments were required and the feeling was easily sated. Eli just smiled and shook his head as he poured the eggs into the skillet and quickly scrambled them.
When they were cooked he scooped some onto a plate for her then pointed towards the bacon and told her to help herself. To his surprise, she grabbed several crispy pieces of pork and swallowed the first couple of pieces in seconds. Eli wasn’t even certain if she had chewed them.
“You’re not one to eat like a bird, are you?” he commented, watching the way she dug into the food.
“Sorry, normally I don’t need to eat at all unless I just want to, but . . . well, it’s the burden of being stuck as a human I guess.”
“Yeah, cuz, you know, there are so many other options out there.” He was being sarcastic, but his guest seemed completely unaware of it.
“The only thing I had to eat yesterday was a small box of popcorn at the fair,” she responded as she practically inhaled another piece. “You have no idea how good this tastes.” She scooped up a mouthful of eggs and suddenly realized that he wasn’t eating a bite, just drinking coffee. “Aren’t you going to have anything?”
“I don’t eat breakfast,” he explained, going to the sink and starting some water for the dishes. “I’ll have some bacon later . . . if there is any left,” he teased.
“Well, you’re missing out. This is probably my favorite kind of breakfast,” she smiled, sipping her coffee. “The only thing that would make it better is pancakes with real maple syrup.”
“I’m not wild about pancakes either.”
“Oh, I love them,” Lilith remarked as she ate the last piece of bacon on her plate. “Mind you, I’m not the worst pancake fiend out there. Lucifer is far worse than I am.”
“Lucifer?”
“Yeah, you know, the original fallen angel. A couple of fluffy flapjacks smothered in butter and syrup and he’s practically your slave. I once saw him return a man’s soul for a plate of the light and fluffy babies covered in pecans and butter pecan syrup. True story.” She took her empty plate and coffee cup and set them in the sink as she chuckled softly to herself. “Of course, the poor, spoiled devil never actually gets to eat them. Guess we all have our curses.”
“I see, so uh . . . you know the devil,” Eli remarked. He wasn’t buying her assertions for even a second, but she told the tale with such confidence that he couldn’t help but find it entertaining.
“Oh yes,” she continued, leaning against the counter. “Now, he’s not quite the active participant in damning souls the way people think. He much prefers to send his demons out and let them do all the dirty work. You should hear the way they bitch about quotas and the long hours. I don’t know what they expected, I mean, they’re in Hell for a reason. Sorry, no banker’s hours, pensions, sick or vacation time and certainly no 401(k).” Eli laughed at the ridiculousness of the story as he washed the dishes and put them in the drainer. “You don’t believe me,” Lilith observed, noting his laugh. She wasn’t really surprised. Why would he believe her? To a human, it had to seem terribly outlandish, particularly in this day and age. At least he was kind enough not to call her a liar.
“I never said that.”
“Would it help if I described his knob and bollocks for you?” she offered, teasing him back.
“Uh . . . no,” he answered firmly. “That’s not necessary.”
Eli finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and put the leftover bacon in the fridge before finally going upstairs to take a shower and get ready. Lili also went upstairs and collected her things then carefully put them in her backpack. She then went back down to the living room to wait for Eli and was quickly joined by Mr. Jingles who eagerly wanted his belly rubbed as well as the sweet spot right across the bridge of his nose. She had no trouble obliging him with both. Inexplicably the cat suddenly decided it was time to do some climbing and leaped from the couch to the mantle then once more to the top of one of the bookshelves. Concerned that he shouldn’t be up there Lili climbed the shelf and reached back to grab him only to discover something she hadn’t before.
Shoved to the back of the shelf was a book. Lili picked it up, curious to know what it was. To her surprise, it was a photo album filled with pictures of Elijah and his ex-girlfriend on vacation in Eureka Springs. The woman looked a little less trashy in the photos, but it was definitely the same one Lili had met that morning. There were pictures they had taken at the wildlife refuge, Thorncrown Chapel, walking through the historic downtown area and so many other places. In all of them, Eli looked genuinely happy with the woman in his arms, so much so that Lilith couldn’t help wondering what had made them break up. Eli was slipping his pocket holster into his jeans as he came down the stairs when he glanced up and saw her looking through the album and immediately his jaw set.
“Looks like the two of you were happy once,” the demoness commented as she put the photos back on the shelf.
“Looks can be deceiving. We met while hanging out with a group of mutual friends at a park one night and hit it off. We moved in together and things instantly started changing. Ruby just wanted to play. She spent my money like it was water, stopped showing up to her job, and preferred to spend her evenings in clubs. She was also very friendly with a co-worker of mine named Jimmy. The end came when I made a deal with a contractor to redo these floors. It was a cash deal so I went to the bank and took several thousand dollars out of my savings to pay the man. The next day, I discovered that the money was gone and so was Ruby.” Talking about this ex-girlfriend brought a cold hardness to Eli’s normally soft brown eyes that surprised Lili. This woman was truly a sore spot with him. “Something tells me that my story’s not as interesting as yours.”
“I don’t know, even a short story can be insightful.”
“Ready to go?” he asked, taking his keys from his pocket.
“Yes, but if it’s alright with you, I need to make a stop before we go to the airport. It won’t take more than a minute. I just need to get something from Millie’s place, if it’s okay. It’s not too far from here. She lived above her bar over on Pleasant Street and Coleman Avenue” Elijah knew exactly where the place was and had no issue taking her there. In fact, he was a little curious to see the inside of the place. He must have passed it hundreds of times and wondered about it. The city had long since torn down all but two of these buildings and this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Slipping on her sandals and grabbing her backpack the pair got in Eli’s car and drove the mile or two to Millie’s bar. The neighborhood that the old Firehouse sat in was a mix of old homes and turn of the last century storefronts, most of which had seen better days and were boarded up. No doubt these were the remnants of former corner grocery and hardware stores where everybody knew each other and gossip was exchanged regularly. Looking out of the windows at the neighborhood Lilith felt strange. Once she had talked and been friendly with those living and working on this street, now she wondered how many had sold her out. Which of these ‘friends’ and acquaintances had filled their pockets with the Preacher-man’s gold in exchange for information on her comings and goings as well as who she spoke to?
The door to the bar was right there, not even a hundred feet away, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even pull the door handle to open the car door. All she kept thinking about was which corners the Preacher-man’s minions were probably waiting behind. She looked at the various cars parked around the neighborhood and found herself questioning whether they were the ones that were normally parked there or spies already reporting her movements. Lili sat there paralyzed by her fear and paranoia. It wasn’t until Eli clasped her hand in his and reassured her that he would go inside with her that she was able to finally open the door and get out.
Even with his reassurance, she darted quickly to the door, unlocked it and slipped inside. It wasn’t a big place, but it did have an impressive counter that ran the length of the room and was fully stocked with almost everything, including a bottle of absinthe that Lili had purchased specifically for herself. The decor reflected the building’s past with old photographs of the fire fighters that used to grace this building. Even the original elegant alarm bell hung in the same place it always had. In every other way, it looked like a typical dive bar with its pool table, a television that normally had some kind of sports game on and the lingering smell of cigarette smoke that permeated the air even when no one was there. There was also a jukebox but until the Preacher-man slid his quarter into it and played ‘Pretty Woman’, no one had thought it worked.
Lili stood looking at the chairs as they sat motionless on the tables where they were left and silently remembered. The sound of Millie’s laugh when the demoness kicked the chair out from under a drunk as he tried to flirt with her came back to her recollection. To the demoness, this place was filled with Millie Daws and she wished she could hear that sweet raspy voice that would call you ‘hon’ or tell you to kiss her ass with equal enthusiasm and without taking the unfiltered chesterfield cigarette from her mouth. The old gal had called Lilith ‘spirited’, but never really understood just how ‘strong’ she really was.
“I like the memorabilia,” Eli said suddenly. “Gives it a touch of history. I’m not quite sure I understand the oddly spaced black spots on the ceiling though.” He commented as he pointed up to random spray paint blotches.
“That was not a design decision. That was the result of discovering that the place had been bugged with numerous tiny cameras. If you went upstairs you would see it there too. No corner went unmonitored including the fold-away couch bed where I slept and the shower. We discovered those two days before Millie was killed. It’s hard to say how long they have been there, but we figured they were probably put in about four months ago when we went to the Buffalo Run Casino overnight. She thought I brought her good luck. Maybe I did on that trip, I mean, she was able to win back the cost of her little excursion after-all.” Lili looked up at the black spots on the ceiling and furrowed her brow. “That was what Millie was so angry about the night she was killed.”
Thinking about her friend and what had happened to her, Lilith suddenly wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. She dashed up the spiral staircase to the apartment above leaving Eli alone looking around the more than a century-old building. Elijah had said very little regarding Lilith’s stalker and in truth, this was the first evidence of her story. Looking up at the dark spots on the ceiling he couldn’t help but wonder, who was this guy? Why would anyone want to do this to someone?
Lilith wasn’t shocked by the insanity of it all or even the cruelty. Hell was filled with twisted and evil souls, not just the lost and fallen. This was simply the first time it had been directed towards her and she was powerless to stop it. It was also the first time she had ever felt loss and she still wasn’t certain how to process it. What she did know was that it hurt and even the smallest things, such as looking at Millie’s clothes silently hanging in the closet, brought back some of the pain. She really didn’t know why it bothered her, because she had witnessed countless human die and never once had she felt anything.
Lili tried not to think about it, but it seemed impossible. No matter where she looked, the entire apartment was filled with the ghost of its last owner. What the demoness really wanted was a drink, better yet a whole bottle to help her to silence the strange new feelings that Millie’s murder stirred in her. She didn’t dare touch any alcohol though. The last thing she wanted was for some idiot TSA agent to smell it on her and refuse to let her on the plane. She was best off just grabbing what she came for and then getting out of there. Silently she went over to the bookcase next to the television and examined the books. Millie boasted one of the foremost collections of romance novels in the tri-state area and could readily point out all the subtle differences.
Lilith ran her finger along the spines of what appeared to be an anthology following one particular buxom heroine then using both hands she pulled out the series. Rather than a collection of books, it was a false front concealing a small safe which Lilith opened. Inside there were two bundles of cash banded into two thousand-dollar stacks, the two favorite books she was missing and an antique wooden box that had the same mark on its lid that was engraved on her signet ring. Inside, the box held a turquoise and gold necklace that looked for all the world like a real snake along with its matching bracelet. Millie never knew about the safe and Lili preferred it that way. She had meant to empty it the night she ended up at the fair, but she had noticed headlights and her paranoia took over. This time she was doing it right. This time she got a suitcase and carefully packed up those items as well as the rest of her clothes and what she put in the backpack.
Downstairs Elijah was looking over the memorabilia that was hanging on the wall, particularly the photographs. He didn’t know who would inherit Millie’s or what was going to happen to all this old carefully preserved stuff. He hated to think that it would all end up in the trash. Perhaps there would be an estate sale or the items will be donated to the Springfield History Museum. Wandering into the back room, Eli found the usual items, cleaning supplies, glasses, unopened cans of nuts and such. There were even a couple of old neon signs lying propped up against the wall. One advertised Pabst Blue Ribbon beer on tap. Picking it up, he looked at it but other than its age he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Eli plugged it in and the sign came to life glowing a bright blue and white light.
He was about to unplug the sign when something else caught his eye. Beneath his feet was a mark on the concrete floor that was also faintly glowing. It had not been there when he entered the room, he was sure of that. Curious he knelt down and touched the smooth slab floor, but it wasn’t painted, or stained, and it wasn’t burned or etched into the masonry. There was no reason for the mark to be there at all. He also couldn’t help wondering what it was because it appeared to be some kind of message or symbol that had been deliberately left there. It was a circle with a strange sort of lowercase ‘h’ in the middle. The ‘h’ was crossed at the top and the letter rested on a line that was also crossed at each end. He also saw the way that a portion of the letter dipped below the line and curled rather delicately. Intent on looking into what it could be Eli took out his phone and began taking pictures.
Lilith came back down the stairs, her missing items safely tucked inside her backpack and the jewelry now adorning her body. She didn’t see Eli anywhere and was about to check outside when she noticed the door to the storeroom was open. She poked her head inside to tell him she was ready to go, but before she could speak Lili saw the symbol on the floor and Eli photographing it. Instantly she blanched. She knew exactly what he was looking at and how it got there. It was her sigil and it marked the place where she had been stripped of her power, by Millie. She hadn’t done it on purpose, of course, and she never really knew what had happened.
Millie had always loved the idea of magic and readily believed in ghosts and spirituality as well as God. Knowing this, her son purchased a Ouija board that he had come across one day at a local pawn shop for about three dollars during one of his visits. The hope was that Millie would find some amusement trying to contact her late husband or perhaps talk with long-dead firefighters that still inhabited the building. Had Lilith known about it she would have made a point of getting rid of the board or the planchette so that it wouldn’t work.
Poor Millie never knew exactly what had happened. She had been sitting at one of the tables happily playing with her board when to her shock the planchette began to move on its own. Lili had been working in the storeroom unaware of the ‘game’ unfolding. Millie began to write down and read what the board was spelling to her. A-D-E-M-O-N-I-S-A-M-O-N-G-Y-O-U it said then once more it started moving at a furious space, but only spelled out four letters: Y-H-W-H. The old woman had no idea what it meant, but the holy name no sooner escaped her lips and the door to the storeroom slammed shut.
Lilith was enveloped in a bright light that seemed to force her to her knees and hold her like a captive. Her voice echoed throughout the room as one by one she recited each of her hidden names. Scared and unsure of what was happening, Millie leaped from her chair and started beating against the door trying to open it. As the last name fell from her lips a ghostly version of Lili bearing her demonic form separated from her body. It might have seemed like a spirit in appearance, but to Lili, it felt as though she was being torn apart, inside and out. Unable to move, she could not even cry out in her agony. The room began to glow so bright that the old woman backed away in horror as it bled out from around the edges of the door. All at once it was suddenly over and the door creaked open. Millie found Lilith lying on the floor weak and unconscious. Until the day she died, she believed that while messing around with that board she had somehow summoned a demon. Lilith never corrected her or talked about it.
Elijah was the first person to notice the mark on the floor where her demon had passed through the veil back into Hell. She didn’t know how she could explain it to him and she really didn’t want to. She rather liked the fact that he saw her as a normal ordinary woman and wanted to keep it that way. It wasn’t as though she was going to be around him for much longer anyway so why complicate things.
“Eli,” she said, getting his attention. At the sound of her voice, he jumped slightly. He had been so focused on the strange mark that he never heard her come in.
“Sorry, I was just looking at this really weird design on the floor, I can’t figure out how . . .”
“Uhhh, don’t you think we should get going?” Lili interrupted, changing the subject.
“We’ll get there.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and knelt down again to feel the concrete. Using her foot she kicked the plug from the socket turning off the neon light and causing the strange symbol to vanish. “How . . .”
“If it all the same to you I’d like to get going as soon as possible. The sooner I’m in the air the sooner my life can return to normal.”
“Yeah . . . sure,” Eli said, turning his attention back to her. “Come on, let’s get you to the airport.