“No!” Abaddon roared, his voice shimmering through the air with power. “I killed them. Did you even know? I sent them to their death because it was kinder than forcing them back into the Abyss.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The locusts!”
“The locusts?” Jerry stared at Abaddon in bafflement. “So what?”
“So what? So what?!” Abaddon jabbed his sword into Jerry's chest, just deep enough to make him bleed. “They were my wards. My soldiers. They knew nothing but darkness and hatred.”
Jerry lifted his chin even as blood soaked his shirt. “I didn't create the locusts or the Abyss.”
“No, but you allowed them to exist. You could have destroyed them and put them out of their misery before they truly suffered. But instead, you locked them in the Abyss and sent me to guard them. You stole my life!”
“Not just yours, Brother,” Samael said as he slithered up beside Abaddon.
Abaddon didn't even blink at Samael's appearance. “He's hurt us all.”
“Yes, he has. And it's time for him to see all the pain he has caused. Let me show him, Abaddon.”
Abaddon stared at Samael for a long moment, then dropped his sword and stood back.
Samael instantly reared up, over Jerry. “You have betrayed your people over and over again, Jehovah. I have borne witness to it all and now, you shall see it as I have. The unfiltered truth.”
Samael's eyes began to glow. As they did, so did Jerry's. As he stared blankly ahead, his arms went limp, his body twitched, and his jaw fell open. The twitching turned to shudders, then Jerry gasped. Finally, he screamed.
“Father!” Jesus ran for Jerry, but Luke grabbed him and held him back.
“This is justice,” Luke said somberly. “He must face everything he's done. Samael will show it to him truthfully; it's impossible for his eyes to lie.”
Jesus slumped in the Devil's arms.
But then Jerry shot to his feet with a great roar and flung his arms out. The light in his eyes went out as his hands filled with fire. “Enough!”
Jerry raised his hands as he set his furious stare on Samael. But before he could launch his elemental attack, the giant snake shot forward and struck. Fangs bit deep, a massive jaw closed, and a snap was followed by a horrible sucking sound. Samael spat out Jerry's head. Jerry's body crumpled to the ground as his head rolled over to Abaddon and came to a stop facing upward, eyes rounded and lips slack.
The crowd of reporters finally started to flee in a screaming, panicked swarm. As they did, several Angels took to the sky and flew after them.
“They're not going to hurt the humans are they?” I asked Cid, who stood nearby.
“Probably not.” Cid, in his Demon form, grimaced, looking diabolical.
“He's dead,” Jesus whispered and went to stand before his father's head. “He's really dead.”
“Yes,” Abaddon said. “He's dead at last. Maybe now I can get some sleep.”
“Brother.” Azrael landed beside Jesus and put an arm around his shoulders. “I'm so sorry.”
“Don't be.” Jesus stepped away from Az. “His hatred and evil heart have led him to this end.” He looked from Abaddon to Samael, who had crumpled into a coil, every one of his eyes weeping. “I've always known there was only one person who could kill my father. Not me, nor Lucifer, but you, Samael, the Wrath of God. You've always been his greatest weakness, the monster he created to embody sin.”
“Don't call my father a monster!” Gello snarled.
“Easy now, Demon-lady; I meant it as a compliment. Humans believe—as my father did—that they created monsters to embody evil. But the truth is that monsters represent the parts of people that they're too scared to embrace. The wildness and ferocity. Things that would get them cast out of their tribes. Things that make them different. Being a monster means staying true to yourself. It takes bravery and conviction, so much of both that many of us would fall short and give up. All gods are a bit monstrous, but not all of us are true monsters, you dig? True monsters are the very best of us.”
I smiled even as a tear slid down my cheek. The J-man was speaking my language. I'm a sucker for monsters. Probably because I am one.
Jesus went to Samael and laid a hand on his serpent head. “You are free now, my friend. You have freed us all. Be at peace.”
A gentle glow flowed from Jesus to Samael, sinking past the scales and eyes. With a dry rustle, the snake shifted, becoming a winged man, huddled in a crouch. But then, Samael stood up, his black wings curling around his body to cover his lower half, and the pale green script on his cheek sparked.
