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Door at the end, on the left.
I materialize in front of the door and with a kick that sends it exploding inward, I step inside.
A demon has a woman strapped to some kind of board, tilted so that she’s upright, and holds a long, wickedly curved knife in one hand. My stomach churns as I stare at the long sections of exposed, raw, bloody musculature on her legs and arms.
He’s…flaying her.
She is surely within the last moments of her life.
In less time than it takes to draw breath, I materialize in the room behind the demon. I aim the tip of my sword at the back of his neck, preparing to end him.
“The treaty, darling,” Agrat drawls from the door. Another snap of her fingertips.
Time immediately grinds to a halt, freezing everything around me. The demon’s arm holding the dagger remains cocked back as he prepares to deliver another strike to the suffering woman, her face streaked with tears, pale with shock and agony from her wounds. Her gaze is fixed on her tormentor, the last thing she’ll see before she exits her life and is dragged down to Hell.
It’s unfair. Undeserved.
My arms fall to my sides.
There’s nothing I can do about it. The treaty binds me. I would be a traitor, a trespasser, to go against the word of God and intervene to save her life, her soul.
“Shame, isn’t it?” Agrat saunters up beside me, hands clasped in front of her. Her face is a picture of cheer, as if this terrible, frozen scene isn’t placed in front of her. “Something you could reach out and touch, and yet, you can’t touch it.”
I can’t find the words.
“This young lady’s name is Katie,” she continues, stepping beside the woman and leaning close to examine her still, agonized face. “Katie is a pre-medical student. She’s brilliant. In seventeen years, the next plague will descend upon the Earth. Like the bubonic reloaded. The infected will turn into rabid shells of humanity. Violent, unstoppable. The population will collapse, and humankind will be threatened. But her studies and research in microbiology and virology will be critical to understanding the virus, developing an antiviral cure, and ultimately eradicating the plague and rescuing what’s left of the humans. Universities will be opened in her field of study, and advanced research of viruses and humans will be conducted. Medical care will change to better protect humans, and there will never again be a plague. Health care in the world will change, eliminating most widespread diseases—all based on the research Katie’s conducting right now.”
As Agrat speaks, I look into Katie’s wide eyes, seeing her life from birth to now, and until the rest of her natural life, which, before she set foot in this bar, was meant to end at the age of one hundred eight. I see this plague, the destruction, the death. I see the cure, the future protection. I see a hundred years from now, when the world, still in tatters from the plague but rebuilding, uses her work as the fundamental ideology for the new direction of virology and molecular biology and medicine. Everything Agrat says is true.
But then I see the course of destiny following where Katie is right now. She will die. The plague will descend in due time, and the Earth will collapse. God decreed free will among His creation. Her free will led her out tonight on a date with a man she believed had her best interests at heart. With a man she believed…was aman.
“It…it is written,” I say woodenly, stepping back. “It is how it should be. She chose her path, as she was supposed to, and now, this is the result.”
Agrat tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “You can’t be serious.”
“The Father has made known His will,” I argue, but I cannot take my eyes off the young woman’s face; it is a sweet face, one that is well-loved by those who know her. I peek into her past. She was a kindhearted and reliable child who grew into a kindhearted, reliable young woman. She is very serious about her studies, but she also gives her time to those in need on the weekends, no matter how great her workload is. She attends church regularly, and though organized religion has long since been lost to Hell, her heart is pure as she worships. She loves the Father and His Son. She is close with her parents and her younger brother. She loves animals, especially her cat. She is a good friend. She loves to cook.
She is only twenty-two years old.
Agrat pauses at her side, resting an elbow on Katie’s shoulder. “I’ve told you—and you’ve just seen for yourself—all this woman is capable of. What her true path is. How she’s going to effectively save this horrible fucking world. And you will do nothing to save her?”
I swallow and meet her black-eyed gaze. “It…is written.”
She leans toward me, elbow still perched on the woman’s shoulder. “Fuckthe treaty, Zeph. Fuck obedience. Fuck your rules.”
I clench my jaw. “And what is your concern? You and your kind despise humans. You gave up your place in Heaven because of that hatred.”
“We wereexpelled,” she snaps. “Hurled out of Heaven. Not because we despise your beloved hairy little pets, but because we refused to bow down to them. Humans, though perplexing why you love them so much, didn’t ask to be created. They just were. They’re fascinating to watch, and I suppose over the eons of my existence, I’ve grown fond of them. Do I love torturing those unfortunate souls who find their way down to me? Yes. Would I torture her if she ended up in Hell? Most likely. But we both know she doesn’t deserve to be there. And we both know that the only reason she’ll end up there is because of some stupid fucking treaty and your blind obedience.That’swhat enrages me the most.”
“What?” I demand.
“That you see the right thing to do staring you in the face.” She grabs Katie’s chin and points her face at me. Katie’s eyes remain fixed on her frozen attacker, whose face is a blur of the human mask he wears and the demon beneath. “And you refuse to do it.”
“You know why!” I growl.
“Let me ask you a question.” Agrat releases Katie and folds her arms. “Were you there when the treaty was written? Were you present when God and Satan drafted it together? Did you hear from your own mouth the voice of God stating what He wanted?”
“Of course not,” I say impatiently. “It was a matter above my rank.”
