Love from, Hell

EARTH

“Here’s to exams being over! Let’s hope we all gave enough head to get good grades!” Leah proclaimed, lifting her shot above her head.

The large group laughed. Julie tossed the liquor down her throat and felt her cheeks turn pink. Exams were over and the juniors at Kansas Community College were all celebrating the official beginning of spring break. Cork’s bar was full of rambunctious young people planning to get plastered tonight. Julie wasn’t much of a drinker, too much of a light weight and usually willing to be the designated driver.

But tonight, there were no designated drivers. Tonight, everyone was going to get shit and piss drunk and Julie was going to let loose with her girlfriends. She also figured if she got drunk enough, she wouldn’t mind too much if she gave in and hooked up with Calvin Loskey, the boy who’d openly had a crush on her for the past semester. A little action would be nice in her life, where love and romance were non existent; even if it was with the lacrosse player who sat behind her in psychology class and didn’t seem to have a remotely interesting bone in his body.

Leah clambered up onto the stage and slurred loudly into the microphone.

“Ok. It is karaoke time-”

A collective groan rose up.

“Hey. All you bastards are going to love this ok? Because Nancy from Trig is going first!” Leah cheered.

The group whistled for this as Nancy from Trig climbed bravely up on stage and sang out a not half bad rendition of a Led Zeppelin song. Julie attracted as little attention as possible as one by one progressively more drunk classmates climbed up on stage and sang along to the karaoke machine. The boys got into a belting out routine- involving a lot of off key yelling and cheering from their peers while the girls self-consciously giggled their way through their songs.

As a loud boy and his even louder group of friends sang loudly along to Tim McGraw, Julie leaned across the table and shouted to Calvin over the noise.

“What are you getting in Price’s class?’ she asked, referring to their psychology teacher. So far as Julie knew, the class was the only thing they had in common.

“C before the exam. You?” he called back, his breath stunk of beer.

“… A. What’d you say for the, uh, essay question?”

“What was the question?”

“Whether there was enough evidence to support Freud’s theory that the first sexual impulse children have is toward their opposite sex parent,” she shouted.

“Oh, uh. I just like bull-shitted through it,” he replied. J

ulie nodded, at a loss for what to say next and silently cursing her awkward social graces.

“C’mon Julie bean! You’re next!” Leah sang and grabbed her wrist and then shoved another shot in Julie’s free hand.

Julie quickly swallowed the alcohol before she was pushed up on stage. “Um,” She muttered and put up her hand to block the light being shone on her. Fever by the Pussycat Dolls. Julie swallowed and the song started. She stumbled a bit at the beginning, caught off guard by its sudden start but managed to stay on the beat for the rest of the song. For this amazing non-sober feat she got a loud applause and an attempted whistle from Calvin. She smiled self consciously as her face went red and she quickly hopped lamely off the stage.

HELL

Malcolm patted down his leather jacket, searching for his pack of cigarettes. Not that he’d smoke now, but once he was out of this place. Adrienne stood near by, watching her son anxiously as he easily moved around the silver car that would race him to earth. They were waiting for his father to come and say good bye.

“Malcolm?” Adrienne began.

“Hmm,” Malcolm grunted looking up from the car.

“… be careful,” she said after a pause.

Malcolm looked at his mother for a second longer than looked back at the car.

“Malcolm?” Adrienne began again.

“Yes?” Malcolm said.

Adrienne walked carefully toward her son, her eyes shiny and enigmatic. “Do you know how much younger I am from your father?” she wondered, starung into Malcolm’s eyes.

Malcolm looked back at her apprehensively. “No,” he said.

“15 years. I was sent to be Lucifer’s queen,” she said.

Malcolm failed to see how any of this was relevant to his leaving. Adrienne was standing directly in front of him her eyes looking away from his and down at his chest.

“He has been good to me. Loyal, smart, and brave,” she continued. She looked up into his eyes, suddenly intense.

Malcolm tensed his jaw but didn’t look away as he stared down guardedly at her.

“But there are things he can’t give me,” she said.

Malcolm raised his head and looked away, inhaling sharply. Adrienne grabbed his wrist to keep him from pulling back.

“Your father is a great leader. But a woman wants more than leader, especially when she knows exactly what it is she needs,” Adrienne finished.

Malcolm glared down at his mother.

“Malcolm,” a strong voice rang in the air. Adrienne quickly pecked him on the cheek then stepped away from Malcolm as Lucifer approached them.

“So prince, you are taking a break?” Lucifer asked of his son, clasping his hands behind his back and squaring his broad shoulders. While both were tall, Malcolm was lean where his father was burly and dark where his father was clear cut. Lucifer had distinguished lines in his face with streaks of silver in his black hair. Malcolm’s angular features were softened by smooth skin inherited from his mother providing him with an impression of eternal youth.

“Call it sick leave, your highness,” Malcolm said.

Adrienne eyed Malcolm over her husband’s shoulder secretly. Malcolm looked from her back to Lucifer.

“Yes, well,” Lucifer dropped the formality. “Be discreet son,” Discover what it is that troubles you, search it, cure it… then come home,” He said, putting heavy emphasis on ‘come home’.

“Yes father,” Malcolm said.

“Your future is here. Do not be foolish and lose sight of that,” Lucifer continued.

Malcolm swallowed tensely.

“Come home soon,” Lucifer said again and clapped his son gently on the shoulder.

Malcolm met his father’s gaze and nodded. Over Lucifer’s shoulder, Adrienne mouthed the word ‘soon’ at him.

Malcolm turned away and climbed in his car. The stone gates shifted and opened. Malcolm floored the accelerator and the car raced him away from where he least want to be- home; which, ironically, was Hell.