Chapter 3

The vortex landed us in my mother's apartment, and the sudden rush of oxygen filling my mother's lungs was visibly showing as she gardened enough energy to walk up to me, give me a tight hug which was followed by a furious slap across my face.

" You said you were going, on a one-month camping and hiking trip in South Africa, you lied to me and went to the competition on hell, after I warned you against it, your father even visited you and told you it wasn't a safe place for a twentyone-year-old, but Asmodeus told you it was a way to gain your father's respect and you fell for it. Your father and I have tried to keep you away from the knowledge of the underworld but you always wander back to it" Mary said with tears

The visible pain and sadness and uncertainty of seeing Asmodeus again written in my eyes, I said "but I am a demon, hiding and running won't change the fact"

As we were talking a vortex appeared and an unconscious body of Asmodeus fell through it and it closed back.

Mother and I exchanged looks wondering what just happened, I bent over to inspect him when he flinched, coughed and opened his eyes, the tried to stand up but was hurt enough to make him grunt while he sat on the ground and leaned his back on the sofa.

"Asmodeus what happened" Mary Asked

"His father happened" Asmodeus replied

I turned and made the 'you have got to be kidding me face' and said " are you for real right now?" Don't tell me he tried to capture or probably kill you for helping us"

"Actually," Asmodeus said as he shifted his weight on top of the sofa "he is the reason I am here, he and Lucifer showed up pretty soon and was about to release a devastating blow when Leviathan hit him from the back and asked me to go into the vortex he had made and when I refused and Lucifer was getting up Leviathan hit me with a fireball that sent me into the vortex and he told me to please lead you"

The looks on the faces of my mother and I spelt different things. She shows the feeling of pride and support for her lover and also sadness cause she didn't know what befell him. Mine shows confusion, embarrassment and pain, due to the uncertainty of his fate.

We all went to take showers cause we smelt of sweat, blood and burning flesh.

Soon after we re-gathered and the topic of what next was the aim. How do I run from Lucifer, how do I keep my mother, was Lucifer killable. If yes how.

"We have to run," Asmodeus said

"To where? " Mary asked

"First of all, away from here" I added

"There is nowhere we go on earth Lucifer won't find us, the demonic link on earth is a one that is greatly spanned and every nuke, cranny, church, Cathedral, Mosque, Temple, Forest, Mountain, Rocks, wherever you think he won't reach you he well, cause he has familiar spirits and demons lurking there," Asmodeus said

" so we better get moving," I said

Asmodeus, Mary and I left the apartment in my grandfather's old pickup truck and hit the road to the sound of War Pigs by Black Sabbath blasting through the speakers, as we dove out of Kansas.

Soon we were at a roadside motel in Oklahoma, i and Asmodeus were offloading our luggage while Mary went in to book a room, maybe two for us.

We went in and still met her by the counter trying to communicate with the middle-aged lady that was attending to her, who should be in her late thirties, there were about five other people in the reception hall too. Immediately we dropped our bags the doors shot magically and everyone who sat there tore off their human skins to reveal their para-demoness, while they circled us.

The lady at the counter didn't transform, which meant she was a witch who was in league with one of the princes of hell, but which one?

Someone started walking down the stairs while clapping and laughing, so it was obvious who it was, the demon of gluttony Lord Beelzebub In his human form, clad in a nice fitter black two-piece suit. Hair bright red, neatly parked in a ponytail and a chalice from which he took occasional sips.

"In as much as I want to separate bone from the skin and you entity away from Lucifer in his infinite mercy, said he is giving another chance, that's like the fourth or fifth time he is showing another chance" Beelzebub laughs out cheekily, as he uses telekinesis to pull an armchair to himself, he sits and take another sip from his chalice.

Then he went on " you can choose to follow me or die oI the spot, but you Asmodeus knowing I cant kill you myself, Lucifer will if you dont make him come with me".

"Why me", I asked " you and your son want the post so bad, take it and let us be," I said

Beelzebub moved towards me with the speed of light, held me by the neck and lifted me, Asmodeus landed a punch on him which sent him flying across the room over the counter and I fell to the ground.

"Run," Asmodeus told Mary as he went over to Beelzebub.

Already Mary was cornered to the wall by para-demons, so she took out her holy water, poured it on the floor to make a circle, exposed her crucifix which was hidden under her shirt, sat in the middle of the water and closed her eyes and began praying. This created a sort of force field which wouldn't let the para-demons get to her.

It felt like what Mary had just done gave us new strength, because Uncle Asmodeus and I went through the para-demons faster and easier, maybe it was because of the assurance she was safe or the fact she was praying for us.

Soon enough we had finished the para-demons off and turned to face Beelzebub but we saw him already going away through a vortex.

Mary got up, dusted herself and said

"This town isn't safe either".