Fiction| Urban Fantasy | Supernatural | Angels & Demons
Luci’s New Hell: The Man in the Black Coat
The bigger and better version of Luci’s New Hell — Episode 13
Jessica walked down the sidewalk in silence. The events of the past couple of days whirled wildly through her head. The constant hum of the bustling city was a subtle reminder of where she was and helped to keep her mind grounded.
“Hey, you okay?” Nikki asked after a while. She adjusted the knapsack slung over her shoulder with a quiet grunt.
“I don’t know,” Jessica said quietly. She idly licked her lips and tried to organize her thoughts into words. “I feel like I’m trapped on some sort of Hell ride that only goes up, err- down?”
“Yeah… I can vibe with that,” Nikki nodded. She continued to walk alongside Jessica for several city blocks before she spoke again. “That soul contract thing that happened back at your apartment.”
“What about it?”
“What do you think will happen to me if I don’t have a soul?” Nikki asked worriedly. A genuine fear had crept into her eyes, a look Jessica had never witnessed in her friend before.
“I don’t know. My soul belongs to Lucifer so I guess I’m in the same boat. Maybe we go to Hell?” Jessica speculated.
“Even though we’re like half devils or something?” Nikki asked and nodded toward Jessica’s horns that were hidden under her hood.
“It’s anyone’s guess. Behm would probably know more but he ran off with Lucifer and I have no idea how to get ahold of him.”
“Catcifer,” Nikki awkwardly chuckled and brushed against Jessica’s shoulder. “At least where ever we go it’ll be with you.”
“Yeah,” Jessica smiled weakly. “I just wish I knew where it was we were going.” She glanced past Nikki and noticed a white-haired man watching them from the other side of the street. He twirled an unlit cigar around his fingers and maintained eye contact.
“Do you know that guy staring at us?” Jessica looked away and asked quietly.
Nikki cast a side-eyed glance across the street and shook her head. “I’ve never seen the creep before.”
“Do you think he’s one of Slade’s guys?”
Nikki shrugged, “He could be but look at the way he’s dressed. He looks like some pompous rich guy from the 1800s.”
“Our faces were on the morning news. He could be police,” Jessica said gravely.
“We need to find a way out of town. You still have the keys to your car?”
“Yeah, but it’s likely been impounded by now. I left it at the nightclub when everything went down.”
“Shit,” Nikki kicked a rock.
The duo continued to walk for a while without talking and let the chorus of city noises fill the silence. The occasional wail of a siren would cry out causing them to jump. Jessica wasn’t sure if it was her paranoia of the cops but she rubbed her eyes when the white-haired man appeared again, this time sitting on a bench.
“We’re definitely being followed,” Jessica warned.
“We’ll lose him down the alley,” Nikki said leading the way. Together they quickly turned and began to sprint. Their feet pounded into the wet pavement as they darted around another corner narrowly missing a fallen trashcan. Several city blocks later they slid to a tired stop.
“Do you think we lost him?” Jessica panted with her hand propped against the side of a brick building.
“No,” a tall man with snow-white hair scoffed loudly. He stood positioned in the middle of the alleyway blocking the direction Jessica and Nikki were running toward. He adjusted the collar of his black coat and eyed the two girls intently.
“I’ll fuck you up!” Nikki growled. She grabbed an empty glass bottle laying on the ground and broke it against the brick wall and threateningly pointed it at the man.
Jessica balled her fists and stood confidently beside her friend. Her thoughts went back to the nightclub when she punched one of the bouncers with a fist as hot as a branding iron. She wondered if she could summon such a feat on demand.
“Oh, a feisty one,” the man chuckled. He raised his hands in a calming manner, “I didn’t come looking for trouble.”
“Then who are you? What do you want?” Nikki snapped and continued to point the broken bottle at him.
“The name’s Azazel,” he said un-phased by the improvised weapon. He slowly walked closer to the girls while he spoke. “I couldn’t help but notice the trail of destruction you two left behind. You’ve made quite a name for yourselves,” he smirked.
“What do you mean?” Jessica asked, her nerves shaken.
“Witnesses around the apartment complex reported there was an earthquake but there was nothing recorded by the city. The place had enough cops swarming to garner the attention of the feds.” Azazel shrugged, “Besides it was hard to miss the sulphuric demon circle in the middle of the room.”
“How do you know about that?” Jessica lowered her guard.
“I’m not blind to the fact Lucifer has been in the area,” Azazel continued talking as he slowly closed the gap between them. “I’d also be a fool to ignore the fact he’s missing.”
“Hey, back off pal,” Nikki took an angry step forward and jabbed the air with the broken bottle.
“What are you getting at?” Jessica asked. “Get to the point.”
“The point is, you’ve shaken things up in Hell and I want to help you.”
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