Chapter Eight #2
Viper ran after him, holding himself aloft on the handrails so that his feet dangled and he glided to the bottom with his legs swinging.
The rest of us chuckled and followed more sedately.
When we reached the bottom, I turned to stare up at the Throne of God.
The escalators looked luxurious enough to fit in.
“Why did I never think of that?” Jesus shook his head and looked around the square between the Throne and the city. “What else should I change?”
“Maybe wait for inspiration.” Azrael considered the open space. “A fountain might be nice.”
“Oh, groovy! I love that idea.” Jesus wiggled his fingers as he looked around. “What kind of design do I want? Oh, I know! I could make a fountain of wine! Ooooh, or chocolate!”
“Uh, perhaps you could redecorate after you take us to the soul?” Hades suggested.
“Oh, damn it!” Jesus made a wincing expression. “What a goober I am! This way.” He went to a building on the edge of the square.
It didn't look like a residence; too official for that.
At the top of a short flight of steps was a pair of glass doors with gold writing on them—Soul Processing.
I widened my eyes at Azrael. How had I not known this was there?
Then again, how would I have known? I hadn't spent a lot of time exploring Heaven.
The doors opened onto a workspace full of desks. No cubicles, just desks dotting the vast, carpeted space. And they were empty. All but one. A female Angel jumped up from her desk and hurried over to us from across the room, red hair streaming behind her and white wings lifted.
“Your Majesty!” The woman came to a stop before Jesus and bowed. “I see you've brought the Godhunter. Shall I escort you to holding?”
“Holding?” I whispered to Re.
“Told you.” He grimaced. “Prison. At least we have an exit.”
“This is not a prison!” The Angel huffed. “If it were, the soul would be in a cell. He is in a holding room.”
Hades removed his sunglasses and stared at the woman. “What's the difference?”
She backed up. “What are you doing here?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill, everyone.” Jesus stepped between them.
“We're all friends here. This is Heaven; we're all about the love.” He grimaced.
“Now, we're all about the love. Keep it mellow.” He looked at the Angel.
“Hades is a friend of mine and a righteous dude. Now, Satibel, will you please take us to the soul?”
“Yes, Sire!” Satibel inclined her head and then led us through the room to a set of stairs.
We went up the stairs and down a hallway. Satibel opened a door and motioned us through, bowing to Jesus as he passed.
“Definitely not a cell.” I looked around with wide eyes.
White walls, a pink marble floor, and a soaring gold ceiling served as a foundation for a luxurious space fit for a Roman emperor. There was a wading pool with benches circling it, chaise lounges under potted fruit trees, a dining table laden with food, and—
“I'm sorry, is that a pit of puppies?” I asked.
“Puppies?!” Viper ran for the circular sunken play area full of puppies.
“I prefer cats.” Kirill headed to a twin pit across the room, full of kittens. “Hello, little babies.” He crawled in and kittens covered within moments, his expression becoming blissful.
Meanwhile, Viper lifted a puppy and nuzzled it. “Can I keep it?”
“No,” I said. “That's not a real dog.”
“Aww, don't say that. It might hear you.” Viper kissed the floppy-eared puppy. “You are real. Don't listen to her.”
“It's hard to Jesus motioned to a man seated on a bench, hunched over and staring into the wading pool. “Hey, my man. How you feeling?”
The soul looked up as we approached, his eyes blinking as if he were coming out of a daze. “Hello. I, uh, I think I'm fine.”
“Hi, I'm Vervain.” I sat down next to him and held out my hand.
“Hello, I'm . . .” He frowned.
“Lost,” I said gently. “I know. Do you remember anything?”
He shrugged. “Just feelings, mostly.”
“Great!” I laid a hand on his shoulder, but he winced, so I drew it back. “What do you remember feeling?”
“I felt cold at first.” He was Asian, with short black hair and brown eyes. Slender but fit. Kind eyes, even if they were full of fear.
My heart clenched with familiarity. He reminded me of my grandfather. He looked just like old pictures of Grandpa when he was in the army. This man might even be a grandfather. Who knows what age he was when he died? Souls come to their afterlives in the form they choose.
“Do you remember if you felt light? Like you were flying?” Re asked.
The man looked up and then stared at Re. “You're golden.”
“Yes, I'm the Sun God, Re.”
“Egyptian?”
“That's right.”
“But . . .” He looked around. “Isn't this Heaven?”
“There are many heavens,” I said.
“And many hells,” Hades added.
I shot a glare at him before continuing, “No religion is wrong. All the Gods exist.”
“Truly?” His eyebrows rose.
“Yes, and we all want to help you. Now, what did you feel after the cold?”
“I felt as if I were moving.” He frowned. “It was peaceful. I knew I was going somewhere nice. But then I stopped.”
“You stopped moving?”
“Yes. Something held me. I could feel pressure moving through me.” He jerked upright. “There was a voice.”
“Male or female?”
“I think it was male, but it sounded strange. Hollow.”
“What did it say?” Azrael asked.
The man scowled. “Something like, 'Analysis complete.”
“Whoa, trippy,” Jesus said.
“Do you remember anything else?” I asked. “Like, how did you feel when you heard that voice?”
“I felt fine. I had the sense that the analysis was positive.”
“Well, you're in Heaven, so you must have been a good person.”
He shrugged. “I don't know. I hope so.” He sighed. “That's all I can remember. That voice and then moving again. No, wait. I think it said one more thing.”
“What?” Azrael asked.
“Error.”
Azrael, Re, Jesus, Hades, and I looked at each other. We couldn't speak freely in front of this man. It would only scare him.
“Thank you so much,” I said brightly.
“I helped?”
“Yes, you did. You were very helpful.”
“Then you'll be able to return my memories?”
“I'm going to try.”
The man's expression fell.
“But, hey, don't be sad.” Jesus crouched in front of him and held out his hands.
The man took Jesus' hands in a daze, his eyes wide with awe. Soft light transferred from Jesus to the soul, filling his form. As it did, the man relaxed and smiled.
“You are where you belong. Safe. Loved.” Jesus let go of the soul and stood up. “I've got an idea. I'm going to take you into paradise, where there must be souls who will recognize you. Maybe they can help you remember.”
“Do you think so?” The man stood up.
“I do.” Jesus held out a hand. “Come with me.”
The man took Jesus' hand, and they headed for the door.
“Uh, Jesus?” I called after them.
Jesus looked over his shoulder. “Chill here. I'll be right back.”
Hades looked at Azrael and cleared his throat.
“I'm sorry, Brother, but we can't wait,” Az called out. “We've got all we need here. Now, we have to talk to Trevor about Ty.”
“Oh, of course. No worries. Text me when you learn anything.”
“Will do.”