CODEX Part 3: Between Heaven and Hell
A Lamb to the Slaughter

Lucifer backed off while admiring his creation. Zoe was beautiful and he could already see her exceeding his expectations. Jasper shuddered when Zoe turned her eyes on him; those pretty wide blue eyes of hers were dark and scary. Common demons watched in awe as the commander got up and wiped her face.

She took one step, two steps, slowly while watching her opponent. Jasper furrowed his eyebrows, uncertain what her next move will be; his eyes fell on her hands which were incredibly relaxed. Zoe stopped a few feet from him and raised her right hand, where the endless knot was burning while venom seemed to infest it from up her arm. With one swift swing in the air, Jasper got thrown back by energy. She swung her hand back, towards the demons, and killed everyone who was on her right.

Lucifer couldn’t help but watch bemusedly as Zoe was acting like a natural vanity demon. Her dark eyes narrowed at the rest of the viewers before she got hit by a stone on the side of her head. Her expression fell instantly into blankness as she touched the spot on her head, feeling blood dripping down her temple and down on her neck from an open wound. It might have not been that important but in her recent state, whoever hit her was going to pay with his life.

Zoe turned to the direction she got hit from and eyed a certain demon who was struggling to get in the back. She started to walk towards him as demons scattered on the way. They were silently watching as the commander was acting out of character, bringing death instead of bringing salvation and protection. Once she got in front of that unfortunate demon, she grabbed him by the neck and shove her available hand inside his chest, making him cringe in pain. From his chest, her hand slipped down to his stomach, cutting everything on the way from the inside. She heard a few demons swallow in fear and back off but she didn’t stop there and made an example out of that first victim by throwing it into the air before making it explode. Pieces of his body fell everywhere, making the sight more gruesome than it was already.

“Zoe,” She heard Lucifer speak her name in a calm tone; even soft, since he gave her the serpent, “Kill Jasper.” The old demon ordered his apprentice.

Much like a lamb to the slaughter, Jasper returned to her forcefully since after such a strong hit he couldn’t really move his legs; two demons brought him back, like a sacrifice. The inheritor raised his head and growled, getting no response from Zoe. He pushed the demons away and struggled to keep his balance. Once he was sure he could continue, he yelled and launched himself at the commander. Zoe couldn’t help but wait for his hit with a smirk on her face.

“What about Iaosur?” Chen asked while they were thinking of a plan.

Iaosur was still leaning against the wall, sleeping peacefully. Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel jealous on his state.

“We have to leave him here or else he will be killed or get us killed,” The puppy human muttered while he was having an inner struggle.

Both boys agreed and left Iaosur there in hope that someone will find him and get him far away.

Ezekiel was leading the intervention and his legs were all wobbly. He was scared that he might die without saving Zoe, or anyone for that matter. Chen was as scared, if not more, but he could control his feelings better than Ezekiel. He already died twice and she saved him so he hoped she will interfere again, from anywhere she was.

Of course, that thought vanished quickly when the doors of the elevator opened, uncovering the dead body of a woman. Like the rest, she got stabbed and the number 1 got cut along her forearm. The detail that made the difference in her case was the eyes; she got killed in a way that made her eyes look watery.

Chen bent in front of her and checked the cuts.

“Zek, I think this girl has been drowned before stabbed,” He started.

Ezekiel entered the elevator and closed the doors before pushing the button for the fourth floor; her floor.

“She doesn’t have blood on her body and the murderer kept her eyes open, to make it look more grotesque. Her eyes are watery because she suffocated; she definitely drowned,” Chen continued, checking her twice only to be sure. He had seen enough detective movies to know that he was right.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ezekiel was facing the doors with a fierce expression and a straight back.

Chen frowned and closed her eyes. It was unfortunate that she knew Zoe; all the victims got killed because in a way or another, they met Zoe before.

“So, what’s the plan?” The younger man asked his best friend as he stood up, “Maybe we can ask Mark and Luke for help since they’re hosts,” Chen continued.

When the elevator doors opened, Ezekiel’s eyes widened. A sudden wave of energy got thrown at him and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Chen wrapped his hand around Ezekiel, to steady him before they took one step outside the elevator. Chen’s eyes widened but he tried to keep his composure.

Blood was splashed on the walls, some were drawings or even random letters but overall, it was covered in blood. As they were getting closer to her door, Ezekiel noticed that every big letter on the wall was in the end making up a sentence: I have been waiting.

Chen noticed that too and tightened his grip on his friend. When they got close enough, the front door of her apartment opened slowly by none other than Terrance. Ezekiel pushed Chen aside and walked in front of the older man.

“Where is she?” Ezekiel asked firmly, using all the courage he had left.

Terry’s eyes were empty, like a puppet’s; he wasn’t being himself and Ezekiel was sure that Terrance was already dead and his body was moving to Zoe’s pleasure. The puppet let Ezekiel enter but he blocked Chen with his body. The puppy human glanced over his shoulder at his friend and nodded, which made Chen get something from his back pocket.

When Ezekiel went to check up on Chris, he didn’t leave empty handed; he grabbed weapons against demons and possessed humans, like knives imprinted with ancient runes or bottles of holy water. Chen was uncertain how well that was going to work but he tried anyway; he grabbed a bottle of holy water splashed some on Terry’s face. Nothing happened, except the said boy getting wet, and Chen was suddenly feeling very pessimistic.

On the other hand, Ezekiel walked inside the apartment, his hand gripping the knife he hid behind. He noticed the door to the bathroom was widely open and went over there. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening in there.

Zoe’s head rose when she heard movement. She was standing on the edge of the bathtub, her hand gripping tightly a mess of blonde hair.

“What are you doing?” The puppy human muttered, not believing what he was seeing.

Zoe’s grip loosened and the victim could finally raise his head and breathe. It was Mark and he looked like he’s been gone through Hell. He had scratches on his face and one of his eyes was bleeding; even worse was the huge bloody wound on his collarbone. He must have had even more wounds because the water he was in was red.

“Ezekiel Addams, we finally meet!” The wide teeth smile that contoured her face was sickening.

Ezekiel didn’t think smart but he thought of Mark therefore, he barged in and pushed her away, grabbing poor Mark’s hand and squeezing it. The blonde opened his eyes and smiled when he saw the soft features of a kind human.

“Zek,” He breathed, “You have to leave. She’s not Zoe,” Mark whispered since he didn’t have enough power to speak.

“I know,” Ezekiel stated firmly while glancing over his shoulder at her; she moved in the living room, as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s Abaddon, Lucifer’s trusted demon. He’s the commander of Lucifer’s Legion and h-“ Mark couldn’t even finish his sentence. It was really bad, “Luke is dead,” The blonde was tearing up.

Ezekiel patted him fondly and sighed. It was even worse than he imagined; and that theoretical image was pretty bad.

“I should call an ambulance and-“

Mark shook his head, “I am almost dead and we both know it. My wounds are deep, in fatal places and no doctor can heal me. I will end up in a vegetative state or coma and the end will be the same,” The blonde was crying while speaking.

Mark was still young and had dreams; his entire life was flashing through his eyes; memories of happy and hard times, the moment he and Luke made the host pacts with Belphegor and Leviathan and the moment he met Zoe. All those memories were invading his mind and it was making him feel lighter.

As Mark was witnessing every moment of his life, his grip on Ezekiel’s hand lessened more and more until he died. Ezekiel couldn’t help but let the tears drip down his cheeks. He closed Mark’s eyes and made a small prayer for the unfortunate soul.

When he walked out of the bathroom, he was looking down at the floor. Once his mind started to work again, after such an experience of seeing a friend die, he groaned and hit the wall.

“Damn,” Ezekiel mumbled as he wiped the tears.

“What? Haven’t seen someone die before?” Her tone was so common, like death was just a scratch.

Ezekiel glared at what seemed to be Zoe. He could sense the darkness around her and he was sure it was nothing compared to what was inside her.

“Death is not like falling off a bicycle. You don’t see it happen everywhere, around every corner.” Ezekiel spat with hatred.

“Weird, because I’m sure people die around every corner,” Zoe was taking everything lightly. The real commander was oblivious but Abaddon was ignorant and careless. She pointed at her chest and shrugged, “I am a demon. I don’t feel pity, regret or remorse. I am strong and evil,”

“And very modest, it seems,” Ezekiel added sarcastically.

The demon raised an eyebrow, intrigued, “Ezekiel, you impressed Hell with your courage and loyalty,” She took a step towards him, continuing, “You, a normal weak human got to meet Zoe and succeeded in making her feel what she never felt before,” She flashed behind him,“Comfort and safety,” Abaddon whispered, making the hair on the back of his neck raise.

The human decided not to comment just yet and find out what she wanted and where was her weak spot. Zoe had to be there, somewhere, feeling everything her body was going through. He had to touch that spot in order to weaken Abaddon.

“Love is such a powerful word. Family is even more powerful, isn’t it?” She asked, knowing fully that he won’t respond, “Family has special characteristics like loyalty, unconditional love, commitment yet most families lose these values in time,” Abaddon continued, “Why do they lose it, you wonder?”

Ezekiel wasn’t interested, truthfully.

“Because of envy and pride,” Abaddon continued anyway, “You,” She pointed at him, “You were so, so envious. She had the ability to see everything you wanted to see and live a life that most people pay with their souls for. You were ready to pay in order to catch a glimpse of the darkness,”

“That was stupid. Besides, she gave me the chance to live that life without a price.” Ezekiel barked.

“Did she now? What about the sign on your wrist?” Abaddon was taunting him and he was aware of it but he couldn’t help glancing at his wrist. The endless knot was moving lightly, like it was reacting to what she was saying.

“Her sign is better than a deal with the devil.” He wasn’t an easy guy to flip over and was wanted to show Abaddon just how tight was the connection between him and Zoe, “I would give my life for her.” Ezekiel recognized the truth.

Abaddon smirked and disappeared. Ezekiel frowned and ran in the middle of the living room, his head spinning around, trying to find her but she vanished.

“Don’t forget what you said, Ezekiel,” He heard her voice echo through the whole apartment, like it was coming from invisible speakers, “Are you really ready to die for her?”

Ezekiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His mind was clouded with fear and his body was acting on his own. He knew she will kill him and he was ready for it so he kept his eyes closed and bit his lip in anticipation.

I’m ready to die.

I’m ready to sacrifice my life for others.

I can do this.

He repeated in his mind, hoping that he won’t get into Lucifer’s domain. That was his only fear; becoming a vanity demon.

A high pitched noise pierced his ears, making him cringe yet over all that noise Ezekiel could still hear the tapping; like someone was still undecided. That stopped abruptly when his head got pulled back harshly and sharp claws touched his neck. A chill went down his spine at the thought that his death was coming and it was going to be painful.

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