The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!
The Soundtrack to My Agony
by Naching T. Kassa
Luke Smith glanced at the homeless woman as he passed. He noticed her world-weary expression, and the dirt which covered her dress. She seemed so forlorn. So alone. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop and speak with her. He hurried home. The Angel was waiting.
He felt the presence of the divine being the moment he stepped through the door. The air thrummed with energy and a soft light illuminated the living room.
“I’m sorry, I’m late,” Luke said. “I hurried as fast as I could.”
Spheres of light coalesced before him. The Angel’s beautiful face appeared.
“Never fear, my child,” The Angel replied.
Luke smiled. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve The Angel. One day, it had simply manifested before him. He had bowed down before it, sore afraid, but the creature had bid him rise, telling him just how special he was. Luke had been chosen by The Lord.
“There was a woman in the street,” Luke began. “I think we should help her.”
The Angel nodded, arching a golden-blonde brow. “A woman in the street? And you passed her by?”
“Forgive me, divine one. I should have stopped. I shouldn’t have allowed her to wallow in poverty.”
Wings, blinding white, rose behind The Angel. The being was beautiful, the most beautiful thing Luke had ever seen.
“There will be poor always, Luke. And most are unworthy of your time. They are liars, cheats. They pretend they are poor so they can live off those who have more.”
Luke nodded. The Angel was wise.
“They are the root of all that is evil in the world,” The Angel continued. “You must save this woman from herself.” A strange grin twisted The Angel’s beautiful face. There were many teeth in that smile.
“What must I do?” Luke asked.
The Angelic eyes grew crimson and blood leaked from the corners. “Take me to her. Mark her with a kiss, and I shall reward you with silver. After that, you can leave her to me.”
“What will you do to her?”
The creature grinned fiendishly. “I shall squeeze the life out of her, of course. For is it not written, ‘Thou shalt not allow the poor to live’?”
Luke watched as pustules, angry and red, covered the once alabaster skin. The golden hair sloughed away. Luke’s eyes widened as he marked the change, but he said nothing.
“You have doubts?” The Angel asked.
“No, divine one. It’s just…well, I’ve never heard that before.”
“But you believe it, don’t you?” The Angel’s dulcet tones had become deep and guttural. “You believe in me, do you not?”
Luke paused. He stared at the once beautiful face. A face which had become a wounded and bestial travesty.
“I have offered you the thing you treasure most,” the creature said. “Surely, you can overlook the rest.”
In Luke’s mind, something screamed at him, the same word over and over. Wrong. But he found himself nodding. The Angel, no matter what horrific or perverse form it took, was still a divine being, a servant of the Lord.
He led it to the door and through it.
***
A war continued in Luke’s mind as he hurried toward the alley where he’d seen the woman. Part of him knew he shouldn’t lead the creature there. It nagged him, trying to dissuade him from the path he had chosen. At last, he silenced it. The Angel was right. He should not suffer one such as she to live.
He rounded the corner and found the alley empty.
“Where is she?” the creature asked.
“I don’t know, divine one. She must’ve gone.”
The sound of a horn filled the air, a great and heavenly trumpet. Luke turned. Too late he saw the SUV bearing down on him. The impact sent him flying and when he landed, he knew he was broken inside. He lay gasping on the pavement.
A strange almost maniacal laughter drifted toward him. For the first time, Luke saw the demon standing in The Angel’s place.
“Now, that’s what I call Divine Intervention,” the creature cackled.
The laughter continued to assault Luke’s ears, just as it would for the next millennia, within the depths of Hell.
Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
More from Naching T. Kassa:
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