I felt something flow down my cheeks, and my vision was blurry when I looked at the corpse of Becca. I don't know how long I stayed there for, but Sara was gone from where she was when I first noticed her. I touched the still warm cheeks of that perky girl, and I almost though she would get up from the ground. Like it was all some kind of joke.

But she didn't move. And after all this time I finally realized it.

Becca was dead.

Not even the vampires could bring her back now. No magic or medicine could bring her back. She was gone. Dead.

I would never see that spunky little girl again. I would never get to taste her coffee, or see her bicker with Steven again. I'd never see her laugh, or cry, or get embaressed again. I'd never see her again.

And I laughed. Laughed at everything that had happened thus far. Laughed that I even thought that I could get out of this whole mess. I laughed like it was the end of the world, and felt the tears rolled off my face... I laughed until I had no more laughter to give.

“Are you ok, Mark...?” Someone said.

I turned around, and saw that Sara was standing behind me, holding my shoulder. The two vampires that were with me had noticed the situation and moved away from the scene.

I stood there for a while longer, before I answered. “Yeah, Sara.”

“I'm sorry I couldn't have done more.”

“Don't blame yourself, Sara.”

After all... It was my fault.

“What...” I muttered as I forced myself to look away from the body, “What happened?”  

“I...” Sara started, but her voice started to quiver. She settled down after a few minutes, forcing herself to be composed, and continued, “I don't know. A man came here, and Becca said she recognized him, called him Steve or something, and after that he... he...”

“I see.”

I didn't even care that one of the most loyal people that I know would do this to me. After all, why would he be loyal to a person like me? It's laughable to think that I believed that people would follow me.

“I'm so sorry Mark!” Sara cried, her emotions finally bursting out, “I tried to warn her! But I was too afraid. I- I could have forced her away. I could have done anything! But I froze up... I ran away! I'm sorry! Oh god, I'm sorry! I-”

“I said it's not your fault.”

“I didn't do anything! I ran away like I always do! Oh god! I just let the killer go! I didn't do anything! I always always always just run away. I'm so useless! I just sat there while you and Becca went off to do all this. I just sat back and pretended that everything was ok. And it's all because of me! If I wasn't here... Oh god! I'm sorry! It's my fault! It-”

“I SAID IT'S NOT YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”

Sara looked at me, unsure how to respond. She realized that I was not in the mood to hear her bitch about her flaws.

“It's mine.” I finally said.

“Indeed, Barbas. It is your fault, and you will suffer for it!”

I immediately turned my attention to the new voice. I saw a familiar figure... one that I thought I would gladly never see again ever since I left Hell. I was really not in the mood to see that asshole again.

“Sathanus.” I muttered.

Evan and Alexandra evidently noticed the new figure, and rushed in to deal with the new threat. They didn't stand a chance. With a mere thought the Prince of Hell decapatated Evan with his mind, and smashed Alexandra throw the wall with the force of a semi-truck. He did it all without moving from his spot, thanks to his particular gift.

“Did you miss me, Barbas?” The hideous Demon of Wrath said, “Because I've been dreaming of the day that I saw you again. Did you like what I've done to the people you cared for? Poor misguided Steven, he believed every word I whispered into his dull brain. Even when I told him to kill that little girl you so foolishly cherished.”

I ground my teeth in rage, and with all my I summoned more Banefire than I ever did before, and threw it into the face the bastard who killed everything that I loved. I wanted him to suffer.

But the damned Demon swatted the Banefire away like it was confetti.

“Oh, that's not going to work now, my friend.” He said slowly with a smile, showing off his perfect set of teeth, “I might have been afraid of your abilities once, but now, you are nothing but an empty shell of your former self.”

I willed more and more Hellfire into existance, and I threw everything I had at him. I could feel my head split open in exhaustion, and every single fibre of my being was telling me to stop this pointless endevor. But I didn't.

“Mark! Stop, please!” Someone said.

“Oh, don't worry, little abomination.” Sathanus continued, “I'll get to you soon. Just sit still while I enjoy what's to come.”

“Escape while you can, Sara!” I shouted.

“Oh no, Barbas. She is not going any where. I am only free to act while she is alive, and I do want to take my time with you.”

The demon made a vague gesture with his hands, and a few of his minions erupted from the earth. They made their way towards the frightened girl, and made sure that Sara was not going to escape any  time soon.

“Fuck you.” I muttered, still sending forth a stream of Hellfire his way. But I could tell that I was getting weaker. The fire didn't burn as brightly any more, and it didn't come in the same dense concentration as it did.

The demon laughed as he made his way towards me, ignoring the Hellfire entirely. He walked casually, without hurry. And it pissed me off.

“Curse while you still can, Barbas. I'll have you screaming in no time.”

“In your fucking dreams!”

“Oh, I will enjoy this, Barbas. I'm going to have you pay for all the humiliation that I've faced in the past. No one will save you now, little fallen Angel.”

“I guess you're too much of a coward to fight me any other time! I didn't know you liked to pick on the weakened!”

“Oh, save your useless taunts, Barbas. I am a demon, nothing is too beneath me.”

I grumbled something else as my feet buckled under me from Sathanus' will. I saw that he was right in front of me, and I desperately wanted to punch that smug face, but I couldn't lift a single finger under his gaze.

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“This will be fun.” He said one last time.

The next few hours were a blur to me. I remember Sathanus knocking me around like a rag doll, toying with me as I tried to get up and resist, only to be knocked down again. I remember Sara screaming and crying in the background, and the laughter of the minor demons.  After I could physically move no longer, whether from the pure exhaustion or physical trauma, or simply because Sathanus was bored, I did not know. What I do know is the pain that I experienced after.

Pain.

Pain like I had never experienced before. Pain like I didn't even know could exist. I remember wishing for it to end. Wishing for everything to simply end. But every time I thought that my life would finally be over, that I'd finally be free from all the guilt and suffering, Sathanus would look into my eyes, and he would remind me of all the failures that I've done. That I was the one who lead to Becca's death. And he would never let me forget that, nor will he allow me to know the sweet embrace of death.

I would have lost my mind to insanity if I could have, but in God's infinite wisdom, He decreed that to be an impossibility. Another form of punishment for those that would defy His law, so that all of the Fallen would never be able to forget the consequences of their actions.

And I think that in all of that suffering, in all of that pain, a little part of me reveled in it. I deserved everything that I was getting. I had caused more grief and horror than perhaps even God could fathom, and this is what I deserve for it. So maybe I was glad that Sathanus was here, because I knew that it would be worse if I was left alone after all this.

Through out the time I heard Sara scream for Sathanus to stop. I could hear for her to simply kill her and let me go, and it broke my heart. It tore me because I didn't deserve her pity, I didn't deserve her care. And I knew that the heartache she was suffering from was pointless as well, because at the end of the day, both of us were going to die. I've failed.

I don't know how long he tortured me for, but it did end eventually. He would have stayed longer if he could, but the compulsion to end Sara's life was too much even for him. Not even the Prince of Hell could escape the Divine Law. I couldn't tell you how I looked, because I had neither the energy nor the ability to even more my limbs, let alone check to see how badly I looked. But from the corner of my blurred vision, I could see that Sathanus had left my side to finally confront the frightened girl.

“Unfortunately,” I heard Sathanus say, “it seems that I cannot delay this for any longer. I pity, really. I owe Barbas much, much more. I guess it is time to deal with you, little Nephilium.”

“O-our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name-”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Sathanus said, laughing, “Do you honestly think that praying will help you?”

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven-”

“You really don't know, do you?”

“Give us this day, or daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that tresspass against us-”

“Should I enlighten you?”

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil...”

“This whole situation was because of God! Why do you think we are allowed to roam the mortal world? God doesn't care for you! You're an abomination!”

“Ame-”

“God was never on your side, girl!”

“T-that's not true!”

“Oh, I think that you know what the truth is, little abomination.”

“I...”

“Think about it, you're running away from all of Hell, but who allowed us to roam the Earth once more? Who is the only one that can free us?”

“But...”

“Face the truth!” Sathanus yelled, “You do not belong in this world. There is no place for you. You are unloved by God, and hunted by the Devil. You are an abomination in all sense of the word.”

I heard Sara sob.

“And those little outcasts that are so desperately trying to help you are all gone. Dead. Because of you. Because you exist.”

“No...”

“Accept it! You know that it's true! But worry not, for you will join those that you loved!”

“No!”

“I'll end it all.”

“IT'S NOT TRUE!”

“It is!”

“NO!”

I heard Sara yell from where I was, followed by a cacophony of noise. I felt a blast of force that ripped through the whole building, and it flung my helpless body across the room. More yelling was heard, but this time it was not from Sara.

My vision at this point was all but gone, and I felt that my consciousness was going on me. I doubt that I would ever wake up again after this. But before I embraced that beautiful darkness, I noticed that Sara had somehow escaped her captors, and she was walking towards me.

The girl looks weird. Something was off about her, but with my crippled brain, I couldn't point out what it was. She seemed... unnatural. No, it was more like everything around her was off.

“I'm sorry, Mark...” I heard her say, “I couldn't help until the end...”

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that she did everything she could. But no matter what I did, I couldn't move my mouth at all.

“I know you tried your best, and... I'm sorry for what happened. I guess there really is no place in this world for me. I've failed you, I've failed Becca... I'm sorry...”

You're wrong! I thought.

“I'm sorry... Rest now. You deserve it. I'll... I'll make everything right again.”

I'm not dead!

She bent down and forced my eyes closed. I wanted to tell her that I wasn't dead, that I could still help her, but my consciousness was quickly leaving me.

“If there's no place for me in this world, then I'll end it all, Mark. I'll make everything all right again. I promise.”

END OF PART ONE