The four companions set out into the city. Satan marched happily along, gazing up at the buildings and occasionally smiling at Maria. She did not return the gesture. “So…so you’re really Death, then?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Death. Being honest felt good, yet awkward. He assumed this was only human of him, and he was pleased.
“Well, why didn’t you tell us earlier?” asked Tim.
“I guess I thought I wouldn’t make any friends.”
“Well…yeah, maybe not,” said Maria.
“But we’ll stick by you on this one,” said Tim. Death had not felt better in the past forty-thousand years or so. “Come to think of it,” continued Tim, trailing off. He looked at Satan. “Do you really do that whole buying souls thing?”
“Sure do,” said Satan.
“Can I make a deal on mine?”
“Tim,” shouted Maria.
“What did you have in mind?” asked Satan.
“How about…unending riches and fame, for ten years.” Satan laughed. Tim said, “Okay, five years.”
“No, I’m not laughing because I don’t like the deal,” said Satan. “I’m laughing because I’m going to get your soul anyways. That stuff only works with saints who want power or money. Why would I make a deal with a soul that’s already clearly Hellbound?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s a good point,” said Tim, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down as he walked.
They found a coffee shop and Satan ordered four large coffees. As they sat down, Maria said, “You know, I’ve been thinking. This isn’t some sort of devil trick, is it?”
“How do you mean?” asked Satan, taking a sip from his mug.
“I mean, you’re pretty much the embodiment of evil. And we’re hanging out with you.”
“The embodiment of evil?” asked Satan. He turned to a man who was walking by with a bouquet of flowers and adeptly plucked a lily from it without detection. He leaned across the table and placed it in Maria’s hair. She flushed as he said, “Have you read the myths about me?”
“Yes,” said Maria sternly.
“No,” said Satan, smiling and shaking his head. “I mean actually read them. Not had them read to you. I was cast out because I didn’t believe in dependence on God. I was a rebel in the name of knowledge. He’s the one with the tantrum. And sure enough, when He creates you good folks I try to give you power from the tree of knowledge and He gets all upset. He didn’t want you to think for yourselves. He creates humans and hates the very nature that drives them. I did what I did because I believed in humankind, not because I wanted to see it fall.”
“But what about all the bad stuff you said about humans?” asked Death rather smugly.
“Believed. Past tense, old friend.”
“Are you sure we can’t cut some sort of deal?” asked Tim.
“Positive,” said Satan, taking another sip of coffee.
Night fell upon the city, and they decided to walk to the park. With the hum of the generator enveloping the otherwise silent air, Satan sat between Maria and Death and breathed deeply. “This has been nice, taking the day off and everything.”
“Thinking of retiring?” asked Death, half jokingly.
“Not a chance.”
“Thanks for revealing who I truly am. In a weird way it was…helpful.”
“Oh, just doing my job,” said Satan complacently. “To be honest I was under the impression it would make them hate you and you would go back to doing your job. But whatever. I’ll find some other way to go about it.”
“Oh…alright,” said Death.
“There are absolutely no stars in the city anymore,” said Tim, looking at the sky. “When I was a kid you could see every star up there. Now there’s too many lights.”
Satan pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and folded it into a crane, which he placed on Maria’s lap. She brushed it off and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling the lily from her hair. Satan looked at her, grinning. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it. I will not accept that Satan himself is a nice guy. It makes no sense and I will not believe it.”
“Believe it, honey,” said Satan, standing up and walking towards the generator. “I’m not a nice guy, please don’t make that mistake.” He climbed the fence, over the barbed wire, and onto the cement foundation of the large buzzing structure. “But it’s all to do with perception. If hedonism, sex, and fun are sins, then sure, I’m the biggest sinner around.” He opened a tiny door on the side of the generator. “But if you enjoy being happy, why shouldn’t you be? If you want knowledge or strength or freedom, what’s so wrong with that? What’s wrong with blotting out that which deceives you,” he reached into the opening on the generator and pulled sharply at the wires, yanking them out, “and seeing the world for what it really is?” The wires sparked and buzzed in his hand. He dropped them on the ground and looked up. The generator shut down when he pulled out the inner workings, blacking out every light in the city. Millions of stars blazed overhead, some twinkling, some shooting, others hanging idly on the black canvas. When they looked back at Satan, he was gone.
“Wow, look at all those stars,” said Tim. “See, he’s not so bad, Maria.”
“So you guys don’t…you know, hate me?” asked Death.
“Of course not,” said Maria. “Should we still call you Derek?”
“Yeah, please,” said Death. They began walking down the street together.
“I think you should come out and say something,” said Tim.
“I do too,” said Maria.
“Maybe,” said Death, pondering this. “Maybe sometime soon. I don’t know, though.”
The friends moved onward, the black blanket of the city inhibiting their sense of direction. They heard footsteps rushing towards them and Death was only barely able to sidestep a little man who was barreling towards him. The man tripped over the curb and a television crashed to the ground in several pieces.
“Oh, come on, man,” said the man, brushing himself off. Death could barely make him out
