“I lied, Mr. Ebenezer. Oh well, life is short, and yours was shorter.” A wry grin, and she flew out of the building back to D.C.
* * *
Back in Washington, she walked into the American National Bank and opened up a checking account, making sure she could transfer funds from her Swiss bank readily into this one. The transaction completed, she shook hands with the Customer Service representative, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Edwards. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
“I hope your experience has been a satisfactory one.
“Yes. Thank you very much.” Bored with ending human lives for the day, she decided to let him live.
Communicating with other humans while being far away wasn’t very easy, even for a demon. She decided to buy one of those smart phones, which were very handy devices: they were like having a personal computer in a small device. The smartphone she bought had many technically sophisticated features. The attendant, pasting on helpfulness and fake camaraderie, set up her phone with a new phone number, which included the 202 D.C. area code. Just for fun, she took a picture of herself in her human body.
“I see you’re into selfies,” the clerk said.
“Selfies? Is that what I just did?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Oh. Well, thanks for that information, and the phone.”
“Would you like me to put the phone back in its container?” the clerk asked.
“No, I’ll start using it right away. But thank you.” The cost of the phone surprised her because phones had never cost that much since they were invented about a century ago. Even though money wasn’t a problem for her, the expense of modern technology could not be avoided. The bag which contained papers and the cell phone’s container went into her free hand as she walked out.
* * *
That evening, she flew over to the condo complex, and landed in a remote part of the lobby. No eyes were upon her, so she changed back into Perri Loliyekar, took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked to room 618, where the unmistakable presence of The Light floated in the air. The owner opened the door, looked at her with a straight face and said, “Hello, Poisonous. I’ve been expecting you.”
Two
Poisonous looked closely at the woman who knew her name. She didn’t remember having said a word to her. Then recognition hit. “Wait. First, you’re Evie Chen. My old partner and I fed you lies and spent lots of time deceiving you and your sister, Gracie. Second, how do you know about me?”” she answered, incredulous that someone knew of her plans.
“Lord Yehovah told me yesterday; said a demon in the form of a woman would be visiting me, looking for an apartment.”
She stared back at Evie, feeling very exposed. “Hmm. This doesn’t bode well. I’m afraid this isn’t going to work out; I think I’ll look elsewhere.”
“Oh, I don’t think you have a choice in the matter. Look around you,” Evie said. Angels of The Light surrounded her, swords pointed.
“But…this is unfair. I don’t want to be around The Light, any more than you want to be in the presence of a dark angel.”
“That’s the way it’s going to be. Lord Yehovah has dictated it. You can’t argue with him once he’s made up his mind. He heard of your plans, and decided that some safeguards were to be put in place, i.e. you’d be staying with me and I’d know you were here. Further, no other demons may work with you or encourage you to do evil, or they will be sent directly to Hell. No matter what you do, you’re on your own. I’ll always be praying for you.” Her face warmed a little. “It’s nice meeting you in person, so to speak, Poisonous.”
“Yes…I remember you and your sister well. Had it not been for the fact that Michael the Archangel and his troops watched over you every step of the way, you would probably be lost forever.”
“I’m not, however. Obviously, Lord Yehovah stood in your way. He and his love are greater and more powerful than you or any of your colleagues, even Lucifer himself.”
“Very well. You know my name and who I am. Apparently, I’m going to be living with you for a while. Well, I guess I can’t do anything about that, but I don’t need other demons to teach me how to be evil. I can do that perfectly well on my own. Why don’t you just stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
Evie just smiled, and said, “No problem.” She turned towards her apartment, gesturing for her to enter. “Come in. Your room will be the through the first door to the left. It’s right across from the coat closet.”
Grudgingly, she walked in, and took in the apartment. Furnished in comfy, modern furniture and smelling like fruity potpourri, it had a calming effect. She could live with this. This was actually not bad. The presence of the Light bothered her, however, bringing back Lucifer’s words:
“Anyone caught fraternizing with them or being influenced by them will be immediately thrown into Hell. I’ve heard rumors that some of you have been doing exactly this. Trust me, you will be found out, and the punishment will be executed immediately; no excuses, no exceptions.”
Well, Lucifer was going to have to take that up with Lord Yehovah, who had obviously arranged this deal. Her eyes turned towards Evie, and she said, “Whether the Light is here or not, I intend to do my duty as a demon, however and whenever I like, and I’ll do it well.”
“You may do as you will, but I’ll be praying for you.” A smile followed, then, “Come in. Your bedroom is here,” said Evie, pointing to the room immediately on the left. “You’ll have your
