“No,” I replied, wishing they would leave mealone. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Maybe most of them were being punished, andprobably deserved it, but I couldn’t help pitying them. It musthave been unbearable to be trapped in the middle like they were,unable to communicate with the ones they loved. All the whileknowing that if they were able to communicate with them, theirloved ones would run screaming. Even more horrible would be stayingbehind for loved ones who ultimately passed onto another placewhile they remained stuck in the in-between.
“It’s the best place for us right now.”Corson never looked up at me from his search of the other side ofthe counter.
“No, you shouldn’t be here,” Ethel agreed.“You might bring one of those who search for you here, but maybeyou could help us before they come for you.”
I blinked at her and Corson snorted, “See,this is why I hate ghosts. You’re all always looking to escape yourpunishment and serve yourselves. Did you ever stop to think thatmaybe the reason you’re still here is because of yourselfishness?”
“You try floating around being nothing ofsubstance for years on end!” Ethel retorted. “Then tell me if youcan think about anything other than freedom!”
“At least you have an afterlife,” Corsonreplied. “I bite it and that’s it, no more. Poof, dust in thewind.”
“Really?” Erin asked.
“Yes,” he replied and shoved a box ofdust-covered silverware he’d pulled out from behind the counterback under it. “Immortality comes with a price, nothing afterwards.It’s the same for the angels if they perish. However, Heaven is alot more stable for them since they threw their garbage out and wegot stuck with it.”
I didn’t miss the bitterness in his voice;I’d heard it often enough when Kobal spoke of the angels too. Thedemons may not have been the mortal enemies humanity had alwaysbelieved them to be, but when the angels had thrown Lucifer out ofHeaven and he’d figured out a way to enter Hell, the angels hadearned the wrath of many demons.
“Interesting,” Hawk murmured.
“Boo hoo,” Ethel replied and planted herhands on her hips again. “You get to live forever, but if, bychance, you do die, you’re done. Poor you. Just don’t die.”
Corson looked up from the dusty stack offaded menus in his hand. He placed them on the counter and leanedtoward her. Judging by the look on his face, if she’d been real,her guts would be spilling across the counter right then.
“Poor you, Eth,” he said. “You’re gettingexactly what you deserve. Try being a decent human next timearound, or even an honorable ghost for once.” He turned his back onher and walked away.
“Get out!” Ethel commanded in a thunderoustone that made the hair on my arms stand up.
“Corson!” I grated through my teeth.
He kept walking toward the swinging silverkitchen doors as if he didn’t have a ghost staring daggers into hisback.
“I think he pissed her off,” Hawk mutteredwhen the light over Corson’s head flickered before blazing to lifeonce more.
CHAPTER 18
Kobal
I moved noiselessly through the forest as Iscented the air and searched for the humans. In the distance, anowl screeched, but I couldn’t see it through the canopy of branchesstretching over my head. The moonlight filtering through the treescaused shadows to dance across the pine needles and leaves liningthe forest floor.
Following the potent aroma of body odor, Icame up behind a human lying on his stomach on the ground. Branchesstuck out from his hat, and dirt streaked his face and clothes ashe stared at the road with a rifle against his shoulder. Halting, Igestured for Morax to go around to the man’s right while I went tohis left.
Gliding through the trees across from me, Ispotted Morax moving with his tail curled over his head and alethal expression on his face. He broke away from the trees andslipped up behind the human as I emerged from the other side. Whenthe man’s eyes shot to me, he gasped and spun to aim his rifle atmy chest.
Morax swung his fist down, driving it intothe human’s temple before the man ever knew he was there. The man’seyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the ground. Moraxripped the rifle from his limp hands. He glanced between the manand the rifle, his muscles flexing as he looked about to bash itinto the man’s temple. My command from earlier held though. Helowered the rifle and rested the end of it on the ground at hisside.
“Leave his weapon,” I ordered. Morax tossedthe gun a few feet away at the base of a small oak tree. “Let’sgo.”
I slipped deeper into the woods, movingthrough the forest with ease. After centuries of maneuvering thetreacherous pathways of Hell, Earth and any of her many obstacleswere easy to get through.
The coolness of the shade within the woodsbrushed over my skin. The decaying odor of the leaves and pineneedles littering the forest floor filled my nose, but I couldstill pick out the aroma of human sweat. It drew me onward to wherethe other humans were hiding.
Behind me, the demons moved soundlesslythrough the brush. This dimension was not our home, but over thelast thirteen years, we’d become accustomed to it. We’d adapted inways I’d never believed possible when we first arrived here, andnow Earth had become as much a part of us as Hell was.
Climbing onto a small boulder, I perched atthe top and knelt to survey the forest. All I’d ever wanted sincearriving on this plane was to destroy Lucifer, return home, andclaim my throne. After meeting River, I still wanted all of thatplus her by my side. The more I contemplated our future though, themore I realized I’d prefer to keep her out of Hell as much aspossible and away from everything that went on there.
I had never envisioned staying on Earth, butas I looked over the surrounding wilderness, I realized I wouldn’tbe leaving it behind after Lucifer was defeated. Not for goodanyway. This was River’s world, and I would make my home here withher.
