She's Hiding Horns

“Tell me who you are!” demanded a tall man flashing a light straight into my eyes in this dark room. He was standing in the shadows at a safe distance from me.

“Oh, but you see, you wouldn’t believe me even if I did,” I purred innocently.

“Well, try me. You never know, people might surprise you sometimes,” assured the man in his deep voice.

“Yet, why do I still have a feeling that you won’t be one of those people? Riiight, it’s the fifth time I’m here in this exact situation,” I mocked the man. I was staring right into his shadowy figure and there was no fear in my voice.

“It’s the first time I’m seeing your face, so quit playing your little games and just tell me who the hell are you!” he demanded again. By the way his voice rose at the end of his sentence I knew he was getting irritated by my confidence. “You do know it would certainly be advisable in your situation. At least if there’s the slightest chance you care about your life,” the man added calmly. There was no longer any emotion left in his tone.

“You do know, you’re no fun at all,” I teased him flirtatiously. I wasn’t afraid of him so I was not going to lose my self-confidence. “But fine, if you insist let me present to you the Devil itself or, well, for now the Devil in a mortal body - me” I smirked at the man with the evil promising smile.

“I told you quit playing games and just tell me your name. I don’t have all day and my patience is running out.” I could hear him getting more and more annoyed with each spoken word.

“Ooh silly me. You meant the name and not who I am literally,” I replied laughing to myself. I then continued speaking, “You know, since you already know who I am, it just wouldn’t be fair if I told you just like that, would it? So let’s make a deal. I will tell you my name if you tell me yours first.” Actually, I already knew who he was and I also fully knew I couldn’t lie to him and would have to answer eventually, but I was trying to buy myself some more time. Testing my luck if you will.

“Oh, but, sweetheart, you know I cannot do that,” the man was quite frustrated with my sly answers. “So now would be the time you stopped testing my patience and finally answered me. And this time no trying to avoid the question, understood?” the later was trying his best to keep his cool but his voice was a dead giveaway. The man took a few steps forward and was now right in front of me. At last I could see his emerald green eyes. The same eyes I have seen every single time I’ve been here before. Now you may ask ‘But how? The man clearly said he hasn’t seen you before’ Well, to that, I answer – you are right, but only partly. I know him and I know those green eyes of his, how can I not. But he isn’t familiar with mine. You see, I have experienced this man’s scrutinizing look four times before. Each of those times I saw his emerald eyes staring straight into my soul right before my mortal body died. Thus, this covers the part why he doesn’t recognize me. He simply can’t, since each time I come back here looking like a different person. I am in a different person’s body. How is that possible? Well, let me clarify it to you. When I told the man I am the Devil I wasn’t lying. As a matter of fact, I am unable to lie or even manipulate the truth in the slightest. Not in this form of mine. And this is the catch of this mortal body. I am the Devil, Satan, the Antichrist or Mephistopheles, you name it I have many names known to human kind. Oh, and yes I am a woman. Damn the patriarchal society. I’m tired of everyone assuming that any infernal must be a man because women aren’t capable of power and strength as great as this. If there were no other reasons, sooner or later this human thinking alone would have lead me to become the Devil itself. But now that that’s clear let me return to the point. As Satan, I am the queen of this doomed realm called Hell. And being the ruler of Hell comes with its duties. One of them being – occasionally I must come to the human realm and take lost souls, or in other words criminals, back to Hell with me by killing them. Did I forget to mention that I’m not the bad guy as the Bible portrays me to be. I work with and not against God. But back to the human’s body. To go to the mortal realm I must bind myself to a moral vessel and there are rules to doing so. In this form I am not able to leave the human world so when the time comes and I need to go back to Hell, my human form must die or be killed. Only then will I resurrect in Hell in my true form. Another rule is that each time entering a human realm I must have a different mortal vessel so people wouldn’t see an already dead person walking. Final rule is that when in a human form I must not lie and alternate the truth or the hell fire will start burning my insides and since, by binding myself, I suppress my infernal powers, let’s just say it’s not the best idea. The pain of being burned with hell fire is greater than any other way of dying experienced by humans. This rule is actually the one that brings me back to situation I’m in right now. At the moment I’m in the presence of one of the most dangerous men in the world with my arms tied to a chair behind my back. This tall man with emerald eyes right in front of me is Raven Huntwood a criminal, mobster, also known by other as Lucifer, the leader of Lucifer’s mafia. Ironic, isn’t it? I have already been murdered four times by the hand of a man that uses my own damn name as an alias. Four times already I have tried to take Raven to Hell and all of those times ended up dead myself. Though, I can’t complain since my mortal vessel of a damsel is certainly not as powerful as my immortal form and truth be told, I cannot tell you I’m disappointed in my failure either, because maybe it’s just meant to be. Maybe he’s meant to be my equal in a mortal realm. Besides, I kind of grew to like these little interrogations of mine, even though I already know how it’s going to end. It’s quite refreshing to talk to someone like that, without having to be serious all the time. You see, being a queen of Hell can become boring at times. All that said, I was still in a stalemate, since every time someone asks me a question I respond truthfully and yet no one ever believes a word I say. Honestly, I don’t blame them. It’s not their fault that their brains can’t process the thought of immortals existing amongst them.

“Sure thing, if I must I am Lucifian Morningstar,” I finally replied swiftly throwing my curly charcoal black hair over my shoulders. “Or wait, did you mean the name of this human body of mine? Cuz in that case the name’s Sam Blackburn. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I teased Raven.

“Just stop with this Satan’s nonsense of yours, dammit,” the man cursed. “There’s only one Lucifer in this room and he’s standing right in front of you.”  

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” I smirked at his statement.

This time Raven ignored my little remark, “Now, Sam, would you please be so kind and tell me who or what’s this Lucifian Morningstar you’re talking about, since it’s not the first time I’m hearing this name.” He then gently placed his fingers under my chin, lifting my head so he could take a closer look at my face. Once again Raven’s green eyes were scrutinizing me. My face was slightly swollen in some places and I may even have blood dripping down from the fighting I did before I ended up here. The man didn’t seem to mind that, “Oh, and this time go straight to the point. I don’t like hurting girls. Especially pretty ones like you.”

If I was someone else I would have felt intimidated by this mobster. However, I was who I was, so I was actually feeling smug by his comment. “News flash, I don’t think your little minions have the same opinion as you,” I sighed innocently before flashing him with my smile that screamed danger. “Not to worry, though, I killed most of them on my way in. You know, Hell could become pretty lonely if new people didn’t come there,” I winked at Raven. “Right, and I almost forgot. You catch on pretty slowly, you know? I already told you that I am Lucifian Morningstar, so please just call me that, since there’s something disturbing about you addressing me by my human vessel.”

“Yet, you catch on even slower. I’ve already told you to quit playing your little games a few times and somehow you still don’t seem to understand that the smart choice would be obeying me. However, there’s something about you that intrigues me, so I’ll give you one last chance to tell me the truth,” there was something unsettling about the way he said those words. I knew he wasn’t joking when he said it’s my last chance before Raven takes physical force so I would speak. Despite that I wasn’t afraid of him. “Say, who are you working for?” the man demanded.

“I’m the Devil, the Antichrist, the queen of Hell, rings any bells?” I declared with a pride in my voice. “I work for nobody but myself. Though, others work for me.”

In an instant I felt the man’s palm’s hardness on my cheekbone. He slapped me. I busted laughing, “There’s just something so fascinating that I always tell the truth, yet no one ever seems to believe me.”

“Oh, but, sweetheart, I warned you,” Raven replied. “So tell me, if you really do work for nobody, then what’s yours relation to those dead girls that also mentioned the name Lucifian. Are you their leader?”

“Not to boost your ego even more, but to put it simply all of those girls were me. So good job you theoretically already managed to kill the Devil, or at least its mortal body, four times. Though, technically none of those girls are dead as you can see I’m very much alive,” I observed.

“You must be insane to think I would ever fall for these little tales of yours. So, just cut the crap already,” at this point the man was furious. “One thing is clear, though, even if this interrogation goes nowhere, you must know those girls,” Raven stated. “So, I have one last question for you. What’s your deal, huh?” The man once again lifted my head so that my eyes met his. He was searching for fear in my amber color eyes. There was none. I knew how everything was going to end this time and had my peace with it.

“What’s my deal? Hm…” I repeated acting to be in a deep thought. I couldn’t lie, but there were no rules about acting. “Well, you know the usual. I just came here to kill and take you to Hell with me. Though, as you can see, failed miserably,” I blurted with a fake disappointment it my voice.

Raven wasn’t impressed with my answer, but I don’t blame him. It was not an unusual thing that someone was trying to kill him, thus he almost completely ignored the main point of my statement. “Seriously? What’s up with this Hell obsession of yours?”

“Listen, pretty boy, you’re the one talking. Lucifer’s mafia, wasn’t it?” I rolled my eyes at the man.

“I see. You’re a feisty one. That’s a shame I have to spoil a charming face and personality like yours, but you’re only wasting my time, so…” the mobster said hyperbolizing his words. “Any last words, sweetheart?” he asked smiling and took out his gun.

“See you next time, Raven,” I replied confidently and winked at the man. The noise of a shotgun resounded through a room.

Next thing I knew I had opened my eyes with a sharp pain in my chest. I simply pulled out the bullet from my rib cage and threw it onto the ground. Another mortal body of mine was dead and that’s quite unfortunate, really. I kind of grew to like that one. However, I was now back in Hell in my true form.