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For a long time Vaggie had hoped that her Soulmate was immortal. A strange wish for an angel to have who would only meet any human Soulmate once they died and went to heaven
Since she could remember she saw a red string leaving her chest and then showing the way to her Soulmate: Straight down.
As a child a Vaggie had believed that meant her human Soulmate lived on earth and would someday join her. As she grew older she saw more and more of the other angels mentioning seeing their Soulbond for the first time and then in barely any time introducing her to their human Soulmate that made it to heaven. At some point she pointed out how young the humans were (barely a few decades) and was told that that was actually pretty old for humans. Doubt started making itself space in her stomach until she finally dared to ask one of the human souls around her how old humans could get. Her stomach sank even further when she heard the answer: A hundred years at most.
Vaggie had had her Soulbond for over a century now. If her human had not appeared in heaven yet and were not actually immortal that could only mean they were…
Further down.
There was never much of a choice for Vaggie’s destiny. Since she was young she and her brothers and sisters got the same basic training: manners, flying, music, arts, theology, basic fighting skills, etc.. When she got older slowly her siblings who showed special talents in one area got chosen by the elders to further study and enhance them. One of her favorite brothers Aramed was a natural at playing the harp better than most angels centuries older than him and was chosen to become a part of the angelic choir and Vaggie had rarely seen him afterwards.
Vaggie wasn’t very talent in art or music and once made her manner teacher scream in desperation with her directness so she didn’t get chosen for a long time. It felt lonely sometimes seeing her siblings being praised for how great they were at stuff angels should be good at and knowing she was failing. She poured all her emotions into her fighting classes.
“Ouch!” Micah – one of her sisters more talented with a brush than with a spear – yelled as Vaggie managed to easily threw her to the ground again. “No need to be so harsh.”
Vaggie just shrugged uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure what to say except that if Micah kept her guard up than she wouldn’t have ended up on the ground but the last time she said that she was told that it had been very rude and unbecoming of an angel. Vaggie had never been very good with words so she chose to rather stay silent.
Micah scoffed “What? Too good to talk to me?”
Vaggie suppressed a sigh. No matter how she reacted it was wrong. Better to let her actions speak. She raised her spear again. Micah sighed and picked hers up as well.
Vaggie saw a few of the other angel around her whisper to each other.
“You sure she is actually an angel?” Someone behind her mumbled. “I thought wrath was a sin.”
“The only thing she is good at is attacking things.” Someone else answered.
Vaggie let out a scream of frustration as her spear sped forward towards Micah who just barely blocked. She lost herself in the reflexive movements of the fight and didn’t notice the small group that build around her and Micah until the other girl landed on her back once again.
“Who is that babe?”
Vaggie turned around at the unfamiliar voice and froze as she saw who it was that was standing behind her.
Adam – first man made by the Almighty themselves – was looking her up and down. “That was hot, ever thought about doing some mud wrestling?”
Vaggie just stared back not sure what to say.
Adam didn’t seem to mind and just laughed and waved her off. “Not exactly what they teach the baby angels, I guess. Never mind there is always time for stuff like that later.” He turned around to the angel next to him who Vaggie recognized at Adam’s second in command Lute. “I want her. Make it happen.” And he walked off.
Lute stepped up to Vaggie. “Pack your things up, kid. You’re coming to the garrison with us tonight.”
That was the day Vaggie became an exorcist.
Vaggie liked living in the garrison. She didn’t need to take stupid manner classes anymore or try to understand the difference between renaissance and romantic poems all she needed to know how to do was fight. It was nice getting praised daily for being good at what she was supposed to be doing instead of getting criticized by her lack of angelic behavior. Lute didn’t mind Vaggie’s lack of tact in fact Lute was open and direct herself. Vaggie appreciated her candor.
Vaggie didn’t regret what her life had become. Adam had chosen her and clearly he had known what he was doing. Not only was chosen by god themselves but Vaggie also was clearly made for battle.
She didn’t regret it even when she sometimes she missed the weight of a harp in her hands.
She didn’t regret it even when her former friends started to want to spend less and less time with her claiming life in the garrison had changed her.
She didn’t regret it even when Lute sat her down after a year in the garrison to explain what the job of the exorcists really was. To protect heaven. To exterminate the sinners in hell so they wouldn’t rise up. Sinners like Vaggie’s soulmate.
Vaggie didn’t regret it at all.
“You are one of god’s chosen people.” Lute had told her. “You make sure heaven remains safe from those monsters!”
The night before the first extermination day that Vaggie was allowed to go and help her sisters-in-arms she sat awake outside for a long time looking up at the perfect full moon (all full moons in heaven were perfect).
Sinners were evil, she knew that – everyone knew that. They deserved to be in hell for what they did and they deserved the heavenly punishment Vaggie was about to bring them. She didn’t know why god decided to punish her by giving her a sinner as a soulmate but she had always been told god never put more on anyone’s plate than they could handle.
It was a test.
It must be.
A test for Vaggie to prove her loyalty to the Almighty.
And she would not fail them.
The first extermination day Vaggie felt her stomach sink as the red velvet band coming out of her chest for the first time in her life did not point straight down anymore – it pointed forward. She swallowed hard, turned around and followed Lute in the opposite direction.
The next few years she could never quite help herself following the red string with her eyes. Whenever she flew into a group of sinners she first made sure that the red would not connect to any of them.
(She didn’t know what she would do if it did.)
Kill the sinner.
Obviously kill the sinner.
The only thing she was good at was attacking things.
She was one of god’s chosen ones.
After several decades Vaggie wasn’t as vigilante anymore. She had gone to hell every year and never even came close to seeing her Soulmate. Clearly they were too careful to be caught out on extermination day.
(Vaggie wasn’t sure how she felt about that.)
She felt sad that she couldn’t end it.
Prove her loyalty to her admiral, her sisters-in-arm, to god.
Because god loved her and had only given her the curse of her soulmate so she could prove herself to them.
Right?
And then one day everything changed.
Vaggie had gotten separated from her sisters. She was chasing a surprisingly fast sinner in the form of a humanoid ferret. He had managed to get out of her sight but she knew she had injured him pretty badly - he wouldn’t get far.
She was flying along a street up a hill barely seeing where she was going before she heard voices. Training made Vaggie slow down and strain her ears and eyes to listen. While angels couldn’t be killed in hell, hellish weapons and magic could still hurt a lot so she wasn’t keen on running into a possibly dangerous situation with several sinners ganging up on her.
Looking forward towards the voices Vaggie saw a giant building made out of red brick and gold throwing an imposing shadow over her. At the front of the building a giant gate stood open only a few centimeters revealing a young woman around Vaggie’s age – at least physically her age it was hard to guess actual age in heaven and hell – with long blond hair talking with the ferret that had just escaped Vaggie. But that was not the shocking thing, no.
The shocking thing was the red strings coming from her chest.
Or maybe Vaggie should say the red string ending in her chest. The one coming from Vaggie.
She would have nearly fallen from the sky but managed to catch herself just quickly enough to hear her Soulmate say. “Come in, come in, quick before they see you.”
She pulled the other sinner inside and closed the door.
When Vaggie had returned to the main plaza in hell where the portal would open for her sisters and herself she had barely managed to get anything productive done the rest of the day.
She tried to continue her work – she really did – but the picture of her Soulmate wouldn’t go out of her head.
She had looked… beautiful.
She was a sinner
Even if she had the face of an angel.
It was all just a mask to deceive Vaggie.
She was one of god’s chosen ones.
“You alright there?”
Vaggie turned around to see Lute looking down at her with a frown.
Vaggie quickly nodded but then hesitated for a minute. Maybe she should tell her? Lute was a far more experienced angel than she was, maybe she would help Vaggie?
But Vaggie was too embarrassed to admit the truth. To admit her sinful desires. Instead she pointed at the giant red building big enough to still been seen even from miles away. “What is that?”
Lute’s gaze followed where Vaggie was pointing and her frown deepened. “That’s Lucifer’s palace. I know atrocious design but what do expect from the devil himself? Why do you ask?”
“I followed a sinner up there and…” Vaggie hesitated but then added carefully. “…there was a young woman with blond hair.”
Lute scoffed. “That must be the devil’s hellspawn: Charlie Morningstar. Keep away from her, you hear me? We aren’t allowed to touch hellborns, remember?”
“What do I hear?” A booming voice asked behind them and Vaggie turned around to Adam who had joined them covered from head to toe in blood. “Miss Vagatha here wants to take on the princess of hell herself? Ha, I knew I saw something special in you that day I chose you on the training grounds. But keep your horses in the stable sweetie. Not even you could go in a one-on-one with Lucifer and come back in one piece. Better to concentrate on the scum you can get rid off, alrighty?”
Vaggie had nodded stiffly her thoughts racing.
Her Soulmate wasn’t a Monster.
Her Soulmate was a princess.
For the rest of the year Vaggie told herself she would not go back to Lucifer’s palace ever again. Adam had told her not to attack her soulmate and Adam was god’s mouthpiece. So if god didn’t want Vaggie to kill Lucifer’s daughter than clearly god wanted her to ignore temptation. And the best way to ignore temptation was to avoid it.
Which she was going to do.
Obviously.
At the next extermination day Vaggie pointedly did not look towards the palace.
She did not.
Until one of the sinners she was fighting turned around and started running towards it. Vaggie hesitated for a moment and then followed him.
She was only chasing her prey, she reasoned with herself. Once she killed him she would turn around and go back.
If she flew slightly slower than usual it was because hell was surprisingly windy today.
And then the sinner had reached the giant gates of the palace and started hammering against it. For a few seconds nothing happened and Vaggie nearly thought that he would be ignored.
Then the gates opened and a hand reached out towards him.
“Quick,” Her soulmate said. “Before my parents see you.”
And she pulled him into the palace.
Vaggie starred at the gate for a few more minutes before she forced herself to turn around and go back.
The next few years Vaggie happened to be more in more at the palace (coincidences all of them!) and she found out that the princess of hell had a tendency to let people flee into her palace to save them from extermination. Vaggie also found out that neither Lucifer nor Lilith were happy about it and if they caught Charlie (when did she start thinking about her with her first name?) they told her off and send the sinner back outside. Vaggie also noticed that every sinner coming back out of the gates had been medically treated sporting bandages and similar.
One memorable year Vaggie had seen an injured bird (was it really a bird? It looked like a mixture between a raven and a cat) making its way to a window sill of the palace and when Charlie had opened the window she was crying promising the poor animal over and over again that it would be alright.
That night Vaggie heard Adam boast about how he managed to shoot off a “small hell-pigeon just even uglier” off the sky at over sixty meter distance. It reminded her off her Soulmate’s tears.
A few years later was the first time Vaggie ever remembered one of the other angels getting close to the palace. It made her feel uncomfortable for some reason (she didn’t want them to hurt Charlie). A group of them were flying side by side before suddenly a wave of purple energy exploded from the ground and caught several of her sisters in its wave. One of them flew several dozen meters before hitting one of the intricately decorated walls of the palace. Vaggie flew after them hurriedly to make sure her sisters was fine.
She stopped in mid air as she saw Charlie leaning out of a window of the palace looking down at the exorcist on the ground.
“Are you alright?” She asked the angel nervously.
It was then that Vaggie realized: Her Soulmate was not a monster, she was an angel.
It should have been obvious to Vaggie: While Lucifer, Lilith and every sinner in hell deserved where they ended up Charlie had done nothing wrong. She was hellborn, an (half)angel whose only sin was to be born at the wrong time to the wrong parents.
She was kind, considerate, compassionate… all things Vaggie had been taught were character traits of angels.
Vaggie realized god didn’t want her to kill her Soulmate and they didn’t want her to ignore Charlie either. They wanted her to redeem her.
The next extermination day Vaggie tried to get out of the sight of her sisters as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. She felt bad for abandoning her task but she was on a new mission now.
Vaggie made her way to the palace and circled the building a few times from afar until she saw the shot of long blond hair out of one of the windows. She approached it carefully and took a quick glance inside to see Charlie the princess of hell sitting in front of a mirror combing her hair with a nervous energy. Vaggie caught herself settling on the window sill and just starring at the beautiful figure for several long minutes. Her hair looked like it was spun from pure gold and her big round red eyes gave her a sense of innocence. Her red cheeks looked like a cherub and…
“Are you going to stand there the entire day starring at me?” Charlie turned around to Vaggie with a raised eyebrow. “I think stalking isn’t a very angelic thing to do.”
Vaggie had nearly fallen from the window sill she was perched on. “I… I wasn’t… I mean… sorry…”
Charlie’s face broke into a big smile (and wow did she have a pretty smile) as she stood up, made her way to the window and opened it to stare up at Vaggie. “I didn’t know angels could get so flustered. It’s kind of cute.”
“I… eh, hi.” Vaggie had never been good with words but she was on a mission now and she was one of gods chosen ones so she would do what she needed to do. She stood a bit more upright and pushed her chest out. “I am Vaggie, I am your Soulmate!”
Charlie raised an eyebrow then looked down at her own chest then following the red string towards Vaggie’s chest. “Yeah. I thought that was kind of obvious.”
“Oh.” Vaggie felt herself faltering. “I guess you’re right.”
Charlie stepped back from the window and sat back down on the chair next to the window. “I was wondering when you would finally approach me. You’ve been coming here every year for decades now.”
Vaggie gasped. “You knew I was here the whole time?”
“I’m not blind.” Charlie rolled her eyes before pointing at another seat close to the window. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Oh… yes of course.” Vaggie jumped the window sill into the room and sat in the chair. “Thank you…” She added a bit late and winced at the thought of what her old manner teacher would have said.
“Don’t worry.” Charlie waved her off. “We aren’t that strict with protocol here in hell.”
“Oh,” Vaggie said again (why did she keep making that stupid sound in front of Charlie? It was so embarrassing!). “Why not?”
Charlie shrugged. “Daddy isn’t much into it and he is the king of hell so he dictates proper protocol.”
“Oh.” (GODDAMMIT DON’T SAY IT AGAIN!)
Charlie smiled. “I honestly like it better this way, I mean could you imagine myself in a big puffy ball gown and with a tiara on my head?” She mimed with her hands a big skirt around her and a crown on her head with exaggerated gestures. Vaggie didn’t want to admit that she could very well imagine Charlie like that. It would be the proper attire a beauty like her deserved. “So…” Charlie continued. “…why did you finally decided to approach me?”
Vaggie took a deep breath and exclaimed. “I am here to save your soul!”
A few seconds Charlie didn’t say anything. Then she did. “What?”
“I am here…”
“No, no, no I heard you the first time!” Charlie interrupted. “But… what do you mean with it?”
“God made you my Soulmate for a reason.” Vaggie explained. “And I finally realized why they did it! I am here to save you from this unholy place!”
“You… want to kidnap me to heaven?” Charlie frowned. “I don’t think your supervisors would be that happy about that. I am very sure DAD would not be happy about that. Like starting-a-revolution-against-heaven not happy. Also I might not look like much of a fighter but I assure you I am more than capable of keeping anyone from kidnapping me.”
“I DON’T WANT TO KIDNAP YOU!” Vaggie exclaimed.
“You don’t?” Charlie smiled her pretty smile again. “Oh good, I really didn’t want to hurt you.” Her sharp teeth made that threat sound a lot more credible.
“No, I want to save your soul!”
“Isn’t it our soul?”
“What?”
Charlie put her a finger at her lower lip in a thinking pose. “I mean if we are Soulmates doesn’t that mean we share a soul?”
“I… I guess? Maybe?”
“You don’t know?”
“No one but the Allmighty knows how Soulmates are truly connected.”
“By a red string.”
“What?”
“Soulmates are connected by a red string only they can see.” Charlie pointed out.
“That is only the visible manifestation of our bond.”
“Our bond?” Charlie repeated thoughtfully. “So is that why you want to save my soul? So you can save yourself?”
“No!” Vaggie was insulted her Soulmate thought she was so selfish. “I want to save your soul because I realized you are actually a good person in bad circumstances. You don’t deserve to be in hell!”
Charlie’s smile became sad (Vaggie wished to never see that expression on her Soulmate again). “Hell is my home!”
“Only because of Lucifer’s selfish acts!”
“My dad is not selfish!” There was a sudden uppick of wind even though they were indoors and Vaggie swore she could see horns poking up from Charlie’s hairline. “And I won’t let myself be lectured by someone killing humans by the dozens every year.”
“They deserve it!” Vaggie exclaimed. “They are dirty sinners who have it coming…”
“GET OUT!” Charlie roared and waved her hand so that Vaggie was pushed back towards the window by an invisible force. “You do not get to talk about my people like that.”
“But I…”
“OUT!”
Vaggie turned around but threw a glance back at Charlie who looked like a proper demon (glorious) with her red horns and trident in hand, eyes glowing in a fiery red. Then Vaggie jumped out of the window wings far outstretched. She had barely made it out of sight of the window when she heard the door fly open and a male voice shout. “CHARLIE! Are you alright?”
Vaggie could have sworn she heard her Soulmate sobbing afterwards.
“You came back.”
“I did.” Vaggie was perched on the same window sill a year later.
Charlie’s eyes were red and swollen and she was hugging a cushion to her stomach. “Do you want to insult me and my people some more?”
“I…” Vaggie hadn’t expected her Soulmate to be hit that hard by their last meeting. “I am sorry. I hadn’t meant to make it sound like that. I’m not very good with words. I made my manner teacher cry in frustration several times.”
Charlie chuckled wetly sniffing her nose several times. “I wish I could have seen that. What does a manner teacher teach?”
“How to properly conduct yourself as an angel, I think.”
“You think?”
“I told you I was terrible at it.”
“You must have learned SOMETHING!”
“Ehm...” Vaggie racked her brain for anything she learned all those decades ago. “Don’t chew with your mouth open? Although Adam does it regularly so it can’t be that important.”
“Well I always chew with my mouth closed.” Charlie explained. “So I fear that won’t help you get me into heaven.”
“Do you…” Vaggie bit her lip trying to be diplomatic about it. “Do you really not want to go to heaven?”
Charlie shrugged. “Visiting would probably be fun at some point but I could just ask dad for that. Although he and mum would probably not like that much. They are very overprotective. But I honestly like being in hell.”
“You like being in hell?” Vaggie repeated. “But it’s hell!”
“I mean yeah I guess I see why you an outsider would have some problems with it - all the murdering and stealing and stuff. But you know what hell means to me?” Charlie looked up at Vaggie with bright eyes full of wonder. “Free will. My father’s dream of humanity deciding their own fate for themselves. And yeah sometimes they fuck up but go out there any day and you will sometimes see even the greatest sinner do genuine acts of kindness. Some of these people had the most shitty lives with the chances always stacked against them and hell is their second chance. No one in hell actually judges what you did or your skin color or your sexuality.” Her intense eyes left Vaggie and Charlie looked at her fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe. “Is it… still illegal to be gay up there?”
“That was just a misunderstanding…” Vaggie tried to explain.
Charlie scoffed. “Tell that to all the persecuted down here that turned to a life of crime to survive.”
“Everyone makes their choice…!”
“Yeah,” Charlie let her gaze wonder outside. “Funny how the decisions for some people are so much easier than for others. Privilege makes it so much easier to go to heaven.”
“See this is what I mean!” Vaggie pointed out. “Your compassion is admirable but hell will take and take and take until you have nothing left to give of it.”
Charlie turned back to her with a sad smile. “And now you sound like my dad.”
“I only want to help!”
“And how would you get me to heaven even if I said yes?” Charlie asked with a new intensity in her eyes. “Is there a set of traits I need to fulfill to go to heaven?”
“I…” Vaggie frowned. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what gets someone into heaven?”
“I… no,” Vaggie had to admit. “I’m only an exorcist I don’t need to know stuff like that.”
“And what was your plan to get me into heaven then?”
“I… haven’t thought that far.”
Charlie laughed. It was the first genuine, happy laugh Vaggie had heard from her and she wished the sound would never stop. “And mum calls me impulsive!”
“I will find out!” Vaggie promised.
Charlie bit her lip and then nodded. “If you can tell me what could get someone into heaven I will… consider going up with you.”
Vaggie nodded and stretched her hands out. “Deal.”
Charlie nearly fell over so quickly did she scoot away from Vaggie. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, we don’t do that in hell!”
Vaggie frowned down at her hand. “You don’t?”
“NO!” Charlie emphasized again. “You know cultural differences and stuff.” She looked at Vaggie with intense worry written in her face. “Do not EVER propose a deal to someone in hell, alright?”
Vaggie was still confused but personal interaction had never been her strength even in heaven. so she decided to just trust Charlie on this. “Alright.”
It cost Vaggie a lot of effort to get herself to talk to Adam about this but she had not became one of heaven’s most feared and admired warriors without a good amount of bravery. A few weeks after the extermination a chance finally opened up when Adam invited all exorcists to go drinking that night. Vaggie had always hated those “teambuilding” events. The other exorcist let go of any good form when they got inebriated and it made her uncomfortable. Usually she just sat in a corner of the bar with her one and only drink in hand and hoped it would be over soon.
Today she instead made her way to the biggest crowd in the room and pushed herself forward. Some of her sisters-in-arm grumbled a bit about being pushed aside but they were drunk enough they didn’t react much.
Finally Vaggie made it to Adam lounging direct at the bar a drink in one hand a piece of ribs in the other and in the middle of one of his stories. “And then she said I don’t listen to her enough! I mean hello, if she had anything interesting to say maybe I would…VAGATHA!” He turned to her with a bright smile. “How unusual to see you in the middle of the party did you have enough of brooding in a corner? I mean the mysterious strong warrior woman in the corner has some sex appeal but only if she gets out for the right man, y`know?”
“Adam,” Vaggie nodded nervously. “Sir. Mister. I mean…” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to consult your wisdom!”
“Wisdom, he?” Adam laughed. “Well I am literally the most… experienced man you will ever meet...“ He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “…so shoot away.”
“I…” Vaggie had thought long and hard about a cover story but she was not the best liar so she kept it as close to the truth as possible. “I have some reasons to believe my Soulmate is possibly a human on earth.”
“Uhhh sucks!” Adam laughed. “Oh well at least they’ll be up here in a blink of an eye.”
“Yeah, about that I…” Vaggie frowned. “I wondered what brings someone up to heaven.”
“Their own good deeds, duh!” Several of the exorcist around them laughed.
“I mean, yeah of course but… what counts as a good deed?”
“You know… good shit and stuff!” Adam made a vague hand gesture.
“But who decides what is a good deed?” Vaggie asked. “If you shot someone in self defense is that good? What if you were protecting your wife? Or your daughter? Or a random dog?”
Adam groaned. “Are you one of those drunk people that start philosophizing about random shit? You’re overthinking this babe, people who did good will just end up here and people who did bad shit, well you know…!” He pointed down with his thumb and started laughing. The crowd around them joined in.
Vaggie felt a pit in her stomach.
“Adam himself also doesn’t know what brings someone to heaven?” Charlie questioned her eyes bright with a mixture of over eagerness and concern. “How can even the higher ups in heaven not know something so important?”
Vaggie shrugged with her arms still wrapped around her middle. She had been feeling weird about this train of thought for nearly a year now and she was so happy to finally be able to talk to someone about this. “I tried asking some of the other people in heaven as well but no one could give me a good answer. They all just say who appears in heaven was good and that was enough prove to them.”
“Well that is fucked up.” Charlie commented but a smile started to appear on her face. “But this is… it also kind of good news.”
“How is that good news?” Vaggie asked. “We have no idea of how to get you or anyone else into heaven intentionally!”
“I know but don’t you see,” Charlie laughed. “If heaven doesn’t know why someone goes up that means they also don’t know that someone from hell couldn’t. It could be possible to get any sinner or hellborn to heaven if we just manage to change their behavior!”
“I don’t care about the sinners or hellborns!” Vaggie exclaimed. “I only care about saving you!”
“Vaggie!” Charlie scolded her. “We are talking about human souls here! I thought angels were supposed to be good and caring.”
“I… yes but…” Vaggie buried her head in her hands. “Everyone knows sinners in hell are irredeemable!”
“They are human Vaggie.” Charlie pointed out. “No human is just good or evil. We just… have to give them a chance!”
“We?”
Charlie frowned. “I can’t do this all on my own. Dad thinks all the sinners will ever do is disappoint me and mum… she thinks the sinners are better off here than in heaven. But if they stay here they will die! I only want to save my people.”
Vaggie couldn’t believe she ever thought her Soulmate was a monster. Charlie was a saint!
“I… I am not the right person for this Charlie.” Vaggie explained carefully. “The only thing I am good at is attacking people!”
“That’s not true!” Charlie insisted. “You care! If you wouldn’t you wouldn’t have tried to get me into heaven. Why do you actually think I deserve to be up there?”
“Because you’re kind.” Vaggie answered. “You are caring. You try to help even those who don’t deserve it.”
“But if sinners are irredeemable than why would it be a good things when I tried to help them?” Charlie questioned. “Am I not helping irredeemable monsters?”
“I…”
“Some part of you still sees them as human even if everyone always told you otherwise.” Charlie leaned forward to take Vaggie’s hand in hers. “Please just think about it. We could help so many people! Save so many lives!”
“They aren’t innocent!”
“We aren’t either! No one is.”
“But…”
“Please think about it!”
The good thing about the exterminations being yearly was that it gave Vaggie a lot of time to think. The bad thing about the exterminations was that it made her miss Charlie like crazy. It was weird to think about. All in all the time she spent with the princess of hell was less than a week all put together but she felt like Charlie understood her better than anyone in heaven. She thanked god every day for giving her the most kind, intelligent beautiful Soulmate in existence but sometimes she felt like god couldn’t hear her.
If no one but god knew how to get into heaven and god wouldn’t answer any of them… Maybe there was something to Charlie’s idea. Maybe sinners could be redeemed. They were human after all. And wasn’t Jesus the one surrounding himself with prostitutes and thieves?
If getting into a relationship with hell royalty was god’s plan for Vaggie maybe he had intended to let her help further? Maybe this was all in his bigger plan?
At the end of the year Vaggie had decided: She would help Charlie with her plan. They would find a way to redeem whoever still deserved it of hell’s population.
Vaggie felt her stomach twist and turn as they descended down to hell but this time it was more giddy anticipation than dread. She had made her decision now she only needed to sneak away and get to Charlie as quickly as she could. Only a few more minutes…
“You’re coming with me!” Lute had grabbed her arm and pulled her long. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you sneaking off every year in the last decade!”
“I…” Vaggie tried to protest. How could she explain her connection to Charlie to Lute? Would her lieutenant believe her? Would she understand? Would she try to harm Charlie?
(But she can’t harm Charlie. Charlie was hellborn and Lucifer’s daughter no one would dare touch her!)
Before she could come up with a good excuse Lute scoffed. “If you wanted to laze around instead of working you shouldn’t have joined the exorcist. Now get to work!”
Vaggie felt relief surge through her veins. Lute didn’t know what she had been doing. “Yes ma’am.”
Lute pulled her down into a group of sinners and Vaggie raised her spear. Since she started talking regularly with Charlie she hadn’t killed a sinner. But it was okay this is what god had chosen for her. The only thing she was good at. Vaggie raised her spear towards a cowering cat but hesitated.
“Please!” The cat looked up at her with tears in her eyes.
They are still human, Vaggie heard Charlie’s voice in her head.
They are monsters!
Before Vaggie could attack the cat had managed to get to her feet and ran off.
“Goddamit, concentrate Vaggie!” Lute shouted at her. “You are better than this!”
Vaggie was better than this! Vaggie was one of god’s chosen ones.
She turned around to the next sinner: A bigger raven who had crossed his black wings in front of him to keep Vaggie off. He didn’t plead, he just looked at her with sad resigned eyes.
The spear went into the wall just next to his head. He ducked under it, spread his wings and took to the air.
…before Lute’s spear buried itself into his back and he fell with an animalistic scream. He didn’t move anymore when he hit the ground just next to Vaggie. Blood was pooling from his head. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful as if asleep (he would never wake up again).
Lute stalked towards him and pulled the spear out of the body making blood spray everywhere.
Vaggie starred at her in horror as her leader walked over to her and shook her shoulders. “What is going on with you?”
“I…” Vaggie’s fingers felt numb. Her lips wouldn’t work as she wanted them to. The picture of the dead raven burnt into her head.
They are still human.
“Oh FUCK IT!” Lute let go of Vaggie and ran past her into a small dark alley. As out of nothing she pulled out a small child and dragged him towards Vaggie. “Kill it!”
Vaggie took a step back. “He’s a child!”
“It is a sinner!” Lute shouted. “It is a monster!”
“I can’t!”
“DO YOUR FUCKING JOB AND KILL IT!” Lute threw the child down at Vaggie’s feet and Vaggie looked down at him. Tears were streaming down small cheeks. What was a child doing in here anyway?
(Funny how the decisions for some people are so much easier than for others. Privilege makes it so much easier to go to heaven.)
Vaggie let her spear clatter down to the ground and shook her head. “No.”
She didn’t see the strike coming. One moment she was standing there and the next pain exploded over her side and she was lying on the ground Lute standing over her. “You pathetic weakling! How dare you disobey an order?” Lute stomped down on Vaggie’s hand and she howled on pain.
“Please… Lute…” Vaggie begged.
The lieutenant just scoffed and repeated. “Pathetic!”
She raised her spear and Vaggie closed her eyes.
When she felt pain exploding over her face – white hot agony like burning hot metal pressed against her skin - she tried opening them again but only one would obey. Her hand reached up to where the other eye was… had been. Because where her eye once had been she could only feel blood and open flesh.
Vaggie wasn’t sure how long she had laid there in agony. Every minute she thought that would be it: this is how she would die but than her heart kept on beating. Painfully, slowly but it kept on as if it desperate to keep her alive. Ever pump was agony but her body was as stubborn as she was. Killing an angel was incredible difficult, they were nearly indestructible and Vaggie nearly regretted it now. Death would have given her relief from the agony running through her entire body.
But one thought was keeping her going.
“Charlie!” She mumbled. She had never told her Soulmate how beautiful she was. How clever. How incredible.
She had never told Charlie that she loved her.
The minutes ran by painful second after painful second.
If she died here she hoped Charlie would be able to fulfill her dreams.
When had the sun gone down over the horizon? It was getting cold.
Charlie would find a way to redeem sinners, Vaggie was sure of it. If anyone could do it than it was her.
Vaggie was losing the feeling in the tips of her fingers.
Maybe Charlie would find someone else to love. Someone better.
Now she couldn’t feel her arms anymore but at least she wasn’t as cold as before.
Charlie…
She swore the darkness was giving way to a small light. Was this what dying felt like?
Charlie…
Everything felt so far away.
Char…
“VAGGIE!” A voice ripped the angel from her stupor enough to open her eyes again (when did they close?) “VAGGIE, PLEASE!”
“Char… lie!” Vaggie tried to shout but it came out as a whisper. As she looked at the red threat coming from her chest (it had started turning grey on the edges, was it dying as well?) it led straight down a narrow alleyway where a lantern was illuminating golden hair. “Charlie!”
Charlie gasped when she saw her and started running. “NO!” She fell down on her knees next to Vaggie and pressed a hand against the wound in her side. “No, no, no, you can’t die.”
“Charlie…” Vaggie raised a bloody hand up to wipe the tears from Charlie’s face. She left a bloody handprint.
“Why, why didn’t you go back to heaven?” Charlie was sobbing by now. Deep painful sobs coming from the soul. “I got so worried when the string didn’t go back up when the extermination ended. Why did you stay?”
“Threw me out…” Vaggie mumbled. “Turns out I’m not even good at attacking things.”
Charlie let out a small laugh that sounded close to a sob. “You are great at so many things.”
“I’m sorry…” Vaggie whispered not even quite sure what she was apologizing for (Everything!). “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
“It’s alright,” Charlie tried to smile down at her. “It’s alright I will fix this!” With clumsy hands she patted down her pockets and got blood and gore all over herself and the phone she pulled out as she desperately hit a few buttons. When the person on the other hand picked up immediately she started sobbing again. “DAD! PLEASE, I NEED HELP, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE… I… I CAN’T…”
Vaggie wasn’t sure if it was the blood loss but one second she closed her eyes and the next Lucifer Morningstar, the king of hell, was standing over them, all six wings spread wide, horns and tail on display and eyes blazing.
Charlie stood up and threw her arms around her father. “Please, dad she is my Soulmate, please, she only wanted to help…”
His gaze softened looking up at his daughter and he patted her back gently. “It’s alright ducky. I am here now. Everything will be okay.”
Strong arms wrapped around Vaggie and raised her from the ground and she lost consciousness.