An Unholy Redemption Chapter 3 continued

“Peace be with you brother,” Raphael and David were now ascending hand-in-hand into the

light. When it vanished, the ward was in semi-darkness again. Silence had returned, apart from an occasional snore. Lucifer smirked at the ceiling where the angel had disappeared and was about to turn over to go to sleep when he suddenly clasped hold of his chest. The skin started to pull tighter around his skeletal frame as a tremendous pain shot from his head into his heart, causing him to recoil in pain and shut his eyes. In an instant, an image of David as he was just before he died began to form in his mind. Lucifer could see the pain and sorrow on David’s face and as the image got stronger, all of David’s pain, fear and sorrow entered Lucifer’s heart. He struggled with the enormity of these feelings and the pain they were causing him. The more he tried to fight them off, the worse the pain. Lucifer was so used to inflicting pain on others that he could not understand the alien feelings resonating through his being. The pain began to ease as the image passed, then a second wave of feelings began as another image began to form. It was of David’s family, looking at his grave. His young child was tearfully arranging flowers on the grave while the rest of the family looked on in sorrow. Just then they all seemed to turn to look at Lucifer. Within an instant their sadness made its way into Lucifer’s heart. Their sorrow at losing one they loved so much caused him to feel he was being torn apart from head to foot. He thought he was going to die when other images started racing through his mind, pictures of people being tortured and killed − all in his name.

“Arrghhh! Leave me alone, go away,” Lucifer moaned. The visions started to fade away as Lucifer let out his cry. As they left, Adrian’s angelic face came into his mind. Lucifer remembered slaying him with his sword just before the battle. The vision confused Lucifer because he could not understand why Adrian came to him with a face of such forgiveness and love after what he had done to him. “Luther, Luther wake up. Are you all right? I think you were having a nightmare,” a panicked

stricken face of his nurse was looking down on him as she shook him. “That must have been a real bad dream. Or just bad memories of a dark past?”

“Can you stop your idle conversation? Isn’t it obvious I’m not well? Also you might want to check on David, I think he’s dead.” The nurse rushed to David’s bed, stretching to reach for the panic button to call for help. In minutes nurses and doctors all came running and after an examination by one of the doctors, David was pronounced dead. It was tearfully recorded by one of the nurses. Watching the nurse cry for the loss of her patient, Lucifer still could not comprehend why such a person would dedicate their life to help other people. Still pondering on this, he laid his head down on his pillow and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. Wanting to close his eyes he knew he couldn’t. The images were still burning deep in his mind.

The previous night had been a restless one for Lucifer and he hadn’t managed to get much

sleep. Now the smell of slightly burnt bacon and eggs made its way into the ward as a nurse

wheeled a breakfast trolley to each patient’s bed. The squeak from one of the trolley wheels got louder as it approached Lucifer’s bed.

“Would you like bacon and eggs Luther? I had an uncle called Luther, a bit of a character though always getting himself in trouble with money and the ladies. Come to think of it, men as well. Such a shame about David don’t you think? Would you like orange or pineapple juice?”

“Will you just shut up? Take everything away. I’m tired and irritable and I’m not feeling well

and you’re not making me feel any better, you irritating little man.”

“Well excuuuse me, you can be like that if you want. I was only trying to cheer you up.” He

raised one eyebrow up in disapproval and glared at Lucifer as Lucifer continued with his barrage of words. “Do I look like I’m being cheered up? No, you’re annoying the hell out of me.” The squeak started up again as the annoyed nurse moved onto the next bed and started to bore one of the other patients with his ramblings. Damn God, he thought as he bashed his head backwards into the bed pillow, Could the Most High not of thought of a worse place for me to be incarnated as human? So much sickness and people wanting to be nice. I think I’m in a different

sort of hell. “How are you this morning Luther?” A tall man in a white coat, holding a clipboard approached his bed and spoke in a rough deep voice.

“I have felt better. When am I going to be able to leave this place?”

“That’s why I am here, to determine whether you’re fit enough to leave. I just need one more

examination to see if you’re one hundred per cent. Good news is that your x-rays were clear of any brain damage. In fact, it was remarkably healthy. Look to the left then to the right, please.” The doctor held the pocket torch to his eyes. Lucifer tried to turn his head away as the smell of coffee and cigarettes from the doctor’s breath met his nose.

“Pupil reaction is good. Any feelings of dizziness or sickness?”

“Only from the smell of your breath; all these people who are constantly invading my space and not giving me any peace.”

“Very funny,” the doctor said. “Well if that test comes back normal you will be glad to know

you can leave this afternoon. You seem fine and have healed very quickly. It’s remarkable how the wound on the back of your head has healed. There’s only a scab left, though that’s in a very unusual shape”. Lucifer felt with his hand where the scab was. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Anyway, hopefully the nurse will be along shortly with discharge papers for you to sign. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Lucifer frantically grabbed his bed sheets with urgency at the thought of getting out of the bed and hospital.

“You can tell me where my clothes are, I don’t seem to see any around.”

“Your clothes have been destroyed because of the damage and blood stains from your mugging.

The nurse will take you to our gift aid cupboard where people have donated clothes to our hospital so you can choose what you want. I’m off to see the other patients now. It’s been nice meeting you Luther.” Lucifer looked as the doctor held out his hand to be shaken. He gave him a disapproving look. The doctor pulled his hand behind his back in embarrassment and walked off. The sooner I get out of here and find a way of becoming an angel again the better. A couple of hours later, a nurse approached his bed. “Your papers, Luther. Your tests all came back negative; these papers are all ready for you to sign.”

He took hold of the pen from the nurse. I wonder if I can write my true name? He started to

write it but his bony hand started to shake and would not move even when he tried to move it

with the other one. All he could manage to write down was the letters “Lu”, so he carried on with Luther Fallen.

“Well Mr Fallen that’s all the paperwork out of the way. We now have to get you ready to leave here. Has the doctor told you about clothes?”

Lucifer nodded. “Put on that dressing gown, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Lucifer waited until the nurse had closed the curtains, then got himself out of his bed and

slipped on his dressing gown. He sat on the end of his bed waiting for the nurse to return and

wondered what he was going to see when he left the hospital. The curtain sprang open as the

nurse pushed it to one side. “I see you’re ready. Good, come with me and I’ll find you some new clothes.” Walking past the bed where David had been, Lucifer struggled with the memory of those images as they started to make themselves known again. Shaking his head, he followed the nurse down the shiny corridor, looking occasionally left and right to the side rooms until they stopped in front of a door on the right. On the front of the door there was a small golden plate, which read, in small letters:

Charity is to give from the heart

To all of us in this world which we are all a part.

When all hope is gone and there is only despair

Thank God for you who give and care.

Lucifer lifted his left eyebrow in a disapproving manner at the poem. “I think I can take it from here.” He pushed past the nurse and shut the door behind him, much to the nurse’s objections. Inside, he could see a vast array of clothes, all of different sizes and colours. He found some black, neatly pressed trousers. Well if I am the Prince of Darkness, it’s going to have to be black. The trousers fitted perfectly, as did a black polo neck top. He turned to face a tall mirror fixed on the wall, where he saw for the first time the face he had as a human. It was almost unbearable for him to look in the mirror at the mask of flesh. With his hands, he felt every bone and feature of his face. He was in his mid-thirties with dark hair and dark eyes. He stood about six foot in height, looked muscular and had the tattoo of an angel on his arm. Lucifer felt anger building in his veins at the thought of all memories of him as the angel Lucifer being wiped from existence. Four thousand years had vanished, hadn’t they?

The glass stared to fall to the floor, as he rammed his clenched fist into the glass and it remained there as the final pieces fell to the floor. Moving away from where the mirror had been, he finally finished dressing himself with black socks and shoes. Walking to the door he reached for the doorknob and spied a long black woollen coat which reached nearly to the ground. It had a high collar with a red label attached which read: “Simon’s gift, please give to someone in despair and I hope it will comfort someone in a time of great need”.

Thank you Simon, he thought remembering his right hand angel. “Well, don’t you look smart, Luther. All ready to take on and face the world again are we?” Face the world, If only she knew what I had planned for the world and for humanity. He opened the exit doors and took his first human step in the outside world. If only she knew.