The D. J.’s.

 

Steve glanced at Sarah as she lifted the D.J. gear out of the old US Jeep.

He smacked the palm of his hand hard against the wall of the old warehouse and stared hard into her eyes. Not a good stare.

“Are you sure we are at the right place luv? This bloody place looks like it’s gonna fall down any minute.”

Sarah ignored the vitriol aimed at her and continued to lift the wiring out of the jeep.

“Are you gonna help me with this deck or just stand there whimpering, dickhead. We’ve got to be ready for the gig. The pubs kick out in a couple of hours.”

Steve feeling suitably admonished mumbled under his breath. “Yea. Yea, give it here luv,”

It was hard to have a go back at Sarah due to his feelings for her. Feelings he knew she was totally unaware of unfortunately. After all he would be nothing without her. He grabbed one end of the deck and together they somehow managed to get it inside the warehouse and plonk it down onto a handy but extremely dusty table in the corner of the Warehouse.

“Speakers next then we’re sorted” said Steve trying his absolute best to sound positive. Even though he still thought the warehouse was the worst place that they’d ever held an illegal rave in.

He looked about the old timber-built building searching for something he hoped had been provided by the dodgy guy they had rented the place from.

A dusty old plug socket caught his eye at last.

“Looks like we’ve got power thank fuck. Though best test it first as may be knackered”.

“stick your finger in there Steve, see what happens!”

“Come over here and hold my hand luv, and I’ll be happy to” he addressed Sarah with a big grin. One up to him. Ha!

She shot him a look that although many would describe it as withering. He was sure he saw a slight smile crease her lovely lips. Maybe.

It took them both about an hour to set up, test all the equipment and throw on a disc to see what the acoustics were like. Not bad considering they were playing in such an old and decrepit building.

It was out of the way though. Thought Sarah. If you are going to hold an illegal rave then you don’t want it smack in the middle of town unless you wanted a visit from the old bill before the first vinyl had finished playing.

“Now all we do is wait” Sarah said with a positivity Steve found annoying.

He hoisted himself up on to a beam and looking down at Sarah from what he was sure was a safe distance remarked “Are you sure everyone will find us out here. I mean it is a bit off of the beaten track to say the least and it’s bloody dark out there.”

Sarah just answered with a distainful shake of her head and picked up a flyer from the table pointing it in his general direction.

“The directions are on the back of the flyer. They will come Steve”.

He smiled down at her wanting so much to ask her to shake her head again but he knew that would sound weird. Her golden blonde hair entranced him. When those lovely long locks swayed and just covered her perfectly shaped face. Well he shouldn’t love it, but alas he did. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Where he came from the women were hot tempered and imbued with a permanent scowl. She, she was perfection.

Sarah stared up at Steve. OK he was a bit of a dick but he was in his own rugged but innocent way quite handsome. Jet black hair and a look that made James Dean look like a loser without a cause. Rebellious and a streak that she knew ran underneath that black heart of his that in a way held some good. Perhaps.

“Work to do Steve, hope you are up for it” She looked up and held his eyes with hers. She knew exactly what he was going to say. He said the same every rave.

“So” he replied as his dark, dark eyes lit up and he looked around the warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

“Who are we going to kill tonight?”

Steve jumped down from the beam he was sitting on. To be more exact he flew down. His thick leathery wings blowing dust from around him as he landed next to Sarah.

He pointed his fists to the sky and exclaimed in a loud gutteral scream. “I am Abaddon, Angel of death and stealer or souls. Behold my fury”.

Sarah looked at him and sighed. “You are also one heck of a drama queen Steve, put those things away before anyone sees them please”.

Steve retracted his wings magically leaving no trace or tear on his Ralph Lauren polo neck. Red of course.

“Can’t you call me by my true name Sarah. Please?

“No I can’t Steve” she replied emphasizing his name as she did so. “No more than you can call me Gabriel. For one it’s not exactly a great earthly name is it? No one would call their child Abbadon now would they. Well excepting your parents obviously”

“Fuck off Gabriel” Steve shot back “You think that just because you are an Archangel you are somehow better and can keep taking the piss out of me, what makes me so bad in your eyes, come on fess up.”

“Well for one you are from the other side if you get my meaning and two your wings smell of Sulphur. Not your fault but a stronger deodorant would help. Is that reason enough?”

As the words left Sarah’s lips a gang of people appeared at the door of the warehouse.

“Come on in guys” she called out to them.

“Yes, get your souls in here” Steve sniggered eyeing the group up closely as if prematurely picking out one for damnation.

The crowd consisted of the usual twenty somethings although some were obviously much younger. Not that that was a problem. It was a bring a bottle rave. Selling alcohol on the premises wasn’t on as they didn’t have a license to sell alcohol. Rules were rules!

They all entered. Some were clearly the worst for wear. Falling all over the place. Most just looked spaced out on some drug or other.

They were all younger than the Angels as time really didn’t mean much to Angels and they’d been together gathering souls for at least three hundred years. Being from opposite sides when it came to good and evil hadn’t really hurt their relationship. They’d been a bit pissed to be told they’d have to work together at first. But they’d got used to one another’s foibles. They also worked very well together and their opposing bosses had always been happy with the souls they’d received.

More cars pulled up and more people filled the warehouse. The crowd now at least one hundred deep. Steve licked his lips.

Sarah turned to Steve. Her angelic voice rang out above the crowd. “Well play some music dickbrain”

Dickbrain obeyed and soon the dance floor was filled with hot sweaty kids (compared to themselves) gyrating with hands in the air (like they just didn’t care) to the twelve inch remix of ‘Murder on the dancefloor.’

“Witty... not,” Sarah joined Steve behind the decks. She noticed Steve was staring intently at a big guy sitting on a beam halfway off the ground.

“Wifebeater” he whispered in Sarah’s ear. “Serial too. Put a few in the hospital but that’s by the by. Not my concern. I will gut him with a knife and splatter his brains all over the toilet walls though... Break every bone in the cunts body... Tear his soul out and give it to the Master to torment for eternity” his face lit up as he said this.

“Fair” she replied. “You get the evil souls and I of course get the good ones. The ones that will die of drug overdose or alcoholic poisoning, in an accident or in a fight. Which usually happens at these gigs sadly”

“Steve... You sound like you totally disapprove of his violence towards his wife; that’s not a very demonic trait if I may say so. Don’t tell me you have feelings towards these mortals”.

“I don’t care what his body does to others or about the others he does it too. I’m here for evil souls and that’s it”.

“You’re lying. But not the sort of lie I expected from you mate.” She caught his eye as he changed the vinyl on the deck. Did she see a glint of guilt. No probably not.

Sarah pointed into the crowd. “See the girl over there in the purple top. She’s a heroin addict. Pimped into prostitution too. Beaten regularly. Her life is torture Steve, pure torture.”

She pointed again to a sad looking man sitting in the corner of the warehouse. “That man well more like boy. He’s sixteen and running away from a sexually abusive father.”

Her head dropped and a tear formed in the corner of her eye. “I can only take one soul at a soul gathering as can you mate. How the fuck do I choose Steve? Do I end her life with an overdose or his with suicide. I fucking hate this job sometimes”

Steve put his hand on her shoulder. “You are saving a soul I guess S, I don’t pretend to understand this Heaven where it’s going. But the one you don’t save, on death, will go into limbo, the place between heaven and hell, and may stay there for eons until another of your lot comes for them. I suppose you are helping out. I dunno.”

“Me, I just send mine to cook. Limbo is too good for them.”

Sarah looked at him in amazement. Many times, she’d explained her job description and how it differed from his. Many times, like a man, he’d not listened.

He smirked at her and continued laughing loudly “I fucking hate this job. Did I hear right Miss Perfect, you better not let your boss hear that... Naughty Naughty”

She turned to him...” Shove it Sulphur breath. Sheesh you really are a... a”.

Before she could finish her sentence, she had grabbed Steve by his raven black hair and pulled him into her. Kissing him with a passion she never knew existed within her. Running one hand through his hair and the other squeezing his delicious derriere. No sulphur breath just the hot devilish taste of lust upon her lips. No!

She let go of him and pushed him away. His look of surprise mixed with need upset her.

“Enough, please. I’m sorry Abbadon You know I can’t with an opposite, I Want to but I can’t. It’s eternal damnation. I’m so sorry Steve.”

“Er, yea ok. Let’s get this soul thing done. I need to be back at base. Things to do.”

“Yea let’s sort it. I need to be on my cloud soon mate.” She laughed awkwardly the cloud joke didn’t sound so funny in the circumstances.”

“I’ve chosen,” said Steve matter of factly. “Wife beater, I’ll take him outside so as to not make too much of a mess.”

As Steve pushed his way through the crowd. Sarah wondered what he would do. It wouldn’t be pretty. Then again what he did to his wife wasn’t pretty.

“What the fuck do you want?” The pudgy guy looked Steve square in the eyes. “You look at me like that again and I’ll... I’ll... “

He was outside the Warehouse. Around the back. How? “How!?” 

“Please enough with the questions sunshine. I was just waiting for you to sober up. Now I’ve got you all on your own, I’m going to take your soul.”

The guy laughed. “What the fuck have you been smoking, cunt.”

Abbadon ignored him. His wings were bristling under his skin. He could pick this mortal up and fly him somewhere quiet but he was in a hurry. To get back to Sarah. He did have a gig to sort.

“Just remember the name Abbadon matey, oh and when you get where you are going give my regards to my boss.”

“Idiot” The guy tried to walk away. Abbadon grabbed him and with crunching upper cut knocked him down to the ground. Not quite unconscious though. He wanted him to feel what was coming.

He put his hand over the man’s mouth and said quietly whilst keeping his eyes fixed on his. “This isn’t because of what you have done Matey, It’s just my job. I’m sorry if it hurts though. It’s necessary so you understand what is to come. Pain is my Bosses business. Well one department that is.”

As he said this, he broke the man’s arm with a deft twist. He kept staring into his eyes as they widened with pain. His hand wet with the man’s blood as he pushed hard on his mouth to prevent him screaming and disturbing anyone in the Warehouse.

“Armless fun eh Mr,” he laughed as he twisted the broken arm. “Bit like removing a cork from a bottle eh sunny Jim.? Not unlike all the bottles you imbibed before kicking your wife in the head.”

Tears flowed from the man’s eyes. For a moment. They widened again as Abbadon removed the arm from the socket. Crunching bone and tearing ligaments made a sound Abbadon had heard many times before not unlike when you spatchcock a chicken. The blood squirted out initially from the hole then flowed copiously onto the grass.

The man had fainted with the pain. Abbadon was going to wake him by slapping him around the head with the severed arm.

Something stopped him. This wasn’t fun anymore. Necessary as he dispatched the mortal as per the boss’s instructions. But not fun. Was he going soft?

He threw the arm to the ground. Holding the man’s head firmly. Yanked it around until his neck broke with a satisfying crack. As he died Abbadon collected the departing soul and sent it downstairs to the boss. The man’s body slumped to the floor. As he walked away he looked at his hand. The guy had bitten him. “Vicious bastard” he murmured and continued walking.

There was no lighting around the back of the warehouse so he doubted the body would be found until the morning. By then himself and Sarah would be gone.

Gone. The word stuck in his throat. He didn’t want her to go, but rules were rules and he’d see her another collection night. When that would be, would be up to the suits. Damn them all.

Sarah saw Steve as he pushed back through the crowd towards her. He was late back. Waving towards him he quickened his stride until he was at the side of the decks.

“Have you chosen yet Sarah? I’ve done my bit.”

“Fun? “She asked. Hoping his answer would be different than usual. To her surprise it was.

“No, not this time. You chose. I want to get out of here. I’m all mixed up”.

“The beaten, prostitute girl on heroin was the one” I took her soul and sent it up. It’s done. I’ve sentenced the boy to God knows what though”.

“Ok well let’s get going, leave the decks. I can’t be bothered with this job anymore. When I’m gone, I’m gone. I’ll tell the boss I’m resigning. I can’t be near you anymore. It hurts.”

“You ain’t going anywhere dickhead.” Sarah took Steve by the arm and sat him down on a nearby crate.

“I was away, whilst you were doing your collecting. I was out collecting too” Her face although stern on the outside was hiding a smirk behind it he was sure of it.”

“Yea you said, the heroin addict... We’re done now”.

“No. The boy”

“What you collected two! Is that allowed?” Steve looked worried.

“Well not exactly, I considered it, but if he died then his father would only go on to abuse again, he has a brother and sister”.

“I’m confused” Steve looked worried. What the fuck had she done.

“I took his father’s soul; He came looking for his Son. His body is in the woods nearby. I sent the soul to your boss”.

“What!” Steve jumped to his feet “Sarah, you can’t take an evil soul. They are mine. It means eternal damnation”.

“Yea, I know, my wings have gone already Hun, but I’ll be with you so fuck it, what’s it like In Hell anyhow?”

“Bit like Florida I guess but demons instead of Alligators. But you aren’t coming with me. How’s about hanging around here for a few thousand years at least. I’ll even get my wings removed. Can pretend we are mortals. Though I’m afraid I’ll still have some evil tendencies” he winked at her.

“Oh Mr Abbadon, naughty naughty”

They left the warehouse and walked towards the city lights. Their shadows disappearing into the gloom.

A mobile phone rang in one of the cubicles in the toilets, It rang and rang. Eventually a hand picked it up. A figure hunched up on the toilet pressed the phone to their ear.

A woman’s tearful voice on the other end. “Robert, please don’t get upset, please come home. The police. The police have found Dad’s body. Where are you. Please come home.”

The boy looked at his other hand and the razor blade gripped tightly in it. It dropped to the floor. He spoke softly into the phone. No tears to cry. He would never be abused again .he was glad his Dad was dead. it was his Dad or him.

“I’m on my way Mum, don’t worry I’ll look after you now”

End...