Last Episode
“Purgatory? You mean that place between
Heaven and Hell?”
“Not that Purgatory,” Zafira laughed. “It’s a bar,
a special bar, a safe haven for those who rise and
those who fall.”
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“You’ll understand when we get there. Meet me
at my place in an hour.”
“Should I wear anything special?”
Zafira looked him up and down. “I don’t think it
will matter. You’re not going to get the best of
welcomes, no matter how you’re dressed.”
“Wonderful,” Cole said sarcastically.
*****
Cole collected Zafira on time and motored to their
destination. “Over there!” Zafira pointed to a
driveway off the side of the road.
Cole rolled up to what appeared to be an
abandoned, condemned factory, festooned with
yellow caution tape and “No Trespassing!” signs.
“This place?” Cole wondered.
“Yep, this is it,” Zafira said, stepping from the
car.
Cole walked around to her side. He looked at her,
marveling at her beauty that never failed to
impress. He wondered why she had bothered to
dress up in her signature red summer dress and
black stiletto heels to come to a place like this.
“Seems you’re a bit overdressed for this place;
not that I mind,” Cole said.
Zafira smiled, hooking her arm into his. “Come
along,” she said, and led them onward.
They ducked under the yellow tape and proceeded
inside through a rusty door. It was pitch-black
inside; Cole pulled out his cell phone to use as a
makeshift flashlight.
“I forgot — humans can’t see in the dark,” Zafira
chuckled.
The building interior looked like it had not been
touched in ages. The faint light of Cole’s
cellphone illuminated inches of dust on every
surface. The crackling of broken glass echoed
down the corridors with each step they took into
the darkness. Cole could barely discern the
shapes of old machinery, broken crates, conveyor
belts, and chains hanging from the ceiling. He
might have stumbled on the set of a horror
movie.
They walked toward an open space deep within
the building. “Here,” Zafira said, pointing, to the
floor.
“Here what?” Cole asked.
Zafira waved her hands. The dust gently blew off
the floor, revealing some kind of large symbol. It
was a huge circle, filled with all manner of
characters from a fey language Cole did not
recognize.
Zafira held her arm out; her clenched fist radiated
a purple light and the writing on the floor
responded with a similar luminescence. The
symbol suddenly vanished. The floor descended,
groaning a mad cacophony of mechanical noises
and eventually contorting into stairs.
“Let’s go,” Zafira said, descending the newly
formed stairway.
Cole caught up with Zafira. The dark stairway
seemed to go on forever. Unlike the rest of the
building, the stairway was free of dust and debris.
A chill ran down his spine. He knew in his gut he
was in a place he was never meant to be, as if he
was descending to Hell itself.
They finally reached the bottom. As soon as
Zafira’s spectacular feet left the dark stairs,
torches hanging on the walls sprang to life,
illumining a long narrow hallway. A dark figure
slowly entered Cole’s view as they walked down
the cramped space. When they reached the end, a
tall black man in a black business suit stood in
their way, blocking their path.
“Mortals do not belong here!” the towering brute
of a man said in a commandingly deep voice.
“And you, succubus, know that you have been
banned from entering. Indefinitely.”
“Was this what you meant by ‘not the best of
welcomes’?” Cole whispered.
Zafira nudged him in the ribs, signaling that he
had best stay silent. “I seek an audience with
Anariel,” she said.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled forth
a cellular phone. He dialed a number and held it
outward; he obviously had put the phone on
speaker. “Hmph. Phones,” Zafira scoffed. Cole
heard the phone ring three times before someone
answered.
“Speak,” a female voice said through the phone.
“This is Chicago district,” the man said. “A
succubus wishes to speak with you.”
“A succubus, huh? Is it Zafira?”
“Affirmative.”
“Tell her rules are rules and I’m not bending
them, not even for her.”
“Not even for a cure for your affliction?” Zafira
yelled into the phone.
There was a long pause. “Send her in.”
“She also has a mortal with her, a male,” the man
added.
The female voice growled into the phone. “Let him
in too, but I’m not responsible if one of the
patrons decides to eat him.”
THE END
Season 2 Starts Tomorrow
Watch Out !!!!
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