The Real Story of Heaven and Hell

I’d finally done it. I’d pushed away the one person who meant more to me than life itself. I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest, hot tears soaking through my pajama pants. This wasn’t delicate sobbing like you see some girls do. This is was snot and tears mixing together, shoulders heaving, someone just died sobbing.
I knew Sera. She was my damn sister and I knew she blamed herself for what I tried to do.
“Lil?” Jimmy pulled me against his chest. The sobs gradually subsided and I lay back against the pillows, not wanting to look at him. My pride wouldn’t let me.
Not to mention jumping his bones was all I really wanted to do. He lay there quietly next to me for a long while, and I thought he’d fallen asleep.
“All I wanna know is why.” His voice broke the silence like a gun shot.
“Why what?”
“Why you fucking tried to kill yourself Lil!”
“I should be dead! I’m putting her in danger Jimmy. Two times the demons have come for her and it’s been my fault each time. If I was dead then she’d be free.” I buried my face in my hands.
“Lilith.” He said my name like a prayer. “If you were dead, then the angels would rule the earth.”
“Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen? Good wins over evil?”
“Angels aren’t all good Lil. Just look at me.” I did look at him.
And I felt like crying again. I so badly wanted to be near him, to hold his hand and kiss his lips.
But I’m a demon.
The fucking daughter of Lucifer.
“Why aren’t you good?” I found myself asking.
“I acted like I owned the world. I drank, I smoked, I did every drug under the sun, and it caught up with me one day. I took a life by accident when I was high and I didn’t even care. But I was forgiven anyway, and I must have done something right because here I am.” He smiled down at me sadly and I stared at my hands. I was past the point of exhausted. I’d done everything possible to keep myself awake: drinking coffee, eating massive amounts of sugar and blasting music in my headphones to stay awake.
It must have been working because I haven’t slept in about five days.
“Was that a good bedtime story Hell Girl?” He asked, putting his arms around me.
“Will you sing for me again?” I murmured, my head resting just above the “F” in “Fiction.”
“Now I think I understand
How this world can overcome a man…”
--
I woke up disoriented. The light looked wrong for morning. It looked more like-
“Holy shit it’s three.” I said, sitting up.
“Sleeping Beauty finally awakens.” Jimmy stretched. “God, I’ve been waiting to move all morning.”
“You could have left you know.” I shot back.
“I tried, but you held on.” He smiled at me cockily. “Seems you didn’t want to let me go.”
“Hey. Sleep is sleep, no matter how I get it.” I shrugged.
“Whatever floats your boat Hell Girl.” He ruffled my hair and jumped off the bed. I followed him down the hall, looking for my sister.
“Sera! Come out, come out wherever you are!” I yelled.
“Hey.” She’s been distant ever since my drowning attempt and I have no idea how to fix it.
“Dude, it fucking snowed!” I bounced up and down happily. “Can we go out?”
“Go ahead.” Johnny pointed outside. I grabbed Sera’s hand and dragged her outside to play in the snow. Cory, Brian, Jimmy, Zacky and Matt followed us out. The snow and my happy attitude seemed to cheer Sera up, because she started playing in the snow as well. I didn’t notice we were moving away until I couldn’t see the house anymore.
I picked up a handful of snow and pitched it straight at Matt, hitting him in the side of the head. Soon snow was flying everywhere and the air was filled with laughter of angels and demons alike.
Which is why we didn’t notice the demons until it was too late.
“Get them back to the house!” Matt yelled, drawing a sword I hadn’t noticed him carrying. Cory started herding us back towards safety, but we were surrounded. Brian and Zacky fell into step together, alternately stopping the demons and making them attack each other. Jimmy was throwing lightning bolts and the sizzling of flesh rang in my ears.
But they kept coming. I pushed Sera between Cory and me and lit up my palms, getting ready to barbecue anyone who got near my sisters.
But they kept coming, wave after wave of demons, with no end in sight.
“Zacky, get a shield up!” Matt yelled, moving out of his place in the circle. He did as the guardian ordered and a horrible sound, like metal on metal, rang out. It was Matt’s screaming. A lot dropped, but there were still so many left to fight.
Jimmy was the first one out of the shield, fighting off anyone who tried to get near to us.
I watched in horror as a demon hit him over the head with the hilt of a sword and began to drag him away.
“Jimmy!” I screamed, trying to run after him. “JIMMY!” Cory caught me and held me back. I could do nothing but stare after the demon dragging Jimmy’s limp body away.
I don’t remember getting back to the house.
I was too busy formulating a plan.
I’d managed to grab Jimmy’s sword and I stuck it into my belt, preparing myself for what I was about to do.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Cory snapped, grabbing my arm when I walked past her.
“I’m sorry.” I punched her in the face and kept moving. Nothing mattered except getting Jimmy back.
“You can’t go out there.” Matt was the next one in my path. “He’s gone Lil. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Yeah, tell yourself that.” My voice was thick with unshed tears. “But I’m gonna fucking try.”
“Don’t leave me Lil.” I turned to Sera, who looked so fragile my heart almost broke.
Then again, it was already shattered into a billion different pieces, so what did it matter?
Something inside me snapped.
“Goddammit Sera, for once in my life I’m gonna do something for me instead of staying and protecting you. I can’t abandon him like everyone else in this fucking place is going to.”
“So what? You’re picking him over me?” Her eyes filled with tears.
“I love him. If it was Brian down there you wouldn’t be standing there crying. You’d be trying to do something. So I’m gonna get him back.” It didn’t occur to me that while I was giving my speech Zacky would be putting up a shield. I walked straight into it and I whipped around to glare at him. Drawing back my fist, I punched it, breaking a hole in something I didn’t think could be broken. I ran out before anyone could try to stop me.
I knew instinctively how to find the way to Hell. I let my feet lead me, my face streaked with tears I hadn’t let myself release.
I reached the mouth of Hell. It opened onto a stairway that flickered with light. I could hear faint screaming and smell the brimstone from it. Taking a deep breath, I stepped in; taking the first step on a mission that would never work.
But I had to try, to save my angel.