Gehenna, The Lake of Fire

Gup

He scurried through the cold and soulless dungeon, gripped with panic.

He's gone! Lucifer's gone!

The demon's mind whirred, trying to think of a way to escape. He felt his lord's soul vanish from his senses, his contract annulled. He then felt the souls of his comrades drop off as one massive wave.

Even Kruller gone… He was strongest!

His simple mind couldn't comprehend strength outside of muscle. His massive bug eyes darted independently, checking for threats in the dark. He vaguely remembered existence before his growth from an imp to a full-fledged demon. Waiting in shadow for weaker creatures to appear before wringing their necks and eating their souls. He gained the notice of the god of demons, goat of destruction, Lucifer. He liked that very much. His god had told stories of hellfire planet, a prison that held his brethren. They lost so many finding Ghenna, The Lake of Fire, only for their victory to be crushed. They didn't know. Why didn't they know?

Lucifer, the demon god had been slain.

He squeaked in terror at the soft jingling, running deeper into the dark. He passed by more glowing ones, chained in their tombs.

Gehenna was a prison for angels. Not demons. And the occupants appeared to hate their saviors more than their own imprisonment.

He scurried on all fours, savoring speed over stealth. He needed to find his comrades and flee The Lake. He heard more screams, more demons ceased to exist. Panic gripped him. He felt seven more vanish in a second. It was getting closer. He fled without a thought, in the clutches of fear. He scrambled up the stairs, rasping and squeaking in terror.

He paused at the silence. The top of the stairs led to an open room with a single overhanging light, revealing a solitary figure. A tiny woman sitting in her rags, gently weeping.

A weakling! Food!

He couldn't help it. His brethren were gone, but he could at least avenge them by devouring the girl. He skulked along the light's edge eyeing his prey. He felt safe, the fear of seconds ago gone.

How was Lucifer slain? This easy!

He gave it no thought, coiling his legs and pouncing into the light, right behind the crying woman. The haste to devour the frail being blinded him. As soon as he touched down, he kicked up the ash coating the floor. He gripped his thick hands down on the girl's throat, only to pass through her form. She continued crying, unreactive to the demon.

What?

He didn't understand as he swiped at the girl, trying to gain purchase of her.

Mine!

He frantically flailed his limbs, but was unable to do anything.

"He still doesn't get it."

The gentle and sultry voice rang out. He paused, his eyes swiveling around the room. The girl shimmered and vanished, leaving behind a mighty cherubim, towering nine feet tall with a beauty he was incapable of comprehending and with a horror he could not understand. She was clothed in glorious majesty, with blue eyes of the sky, like the watery azure deep, filled with a rage to crack a planet.

He now realized that he had made a mistake. He was not an intellectual.

He let out a terrified squeak, freezing in place, unable to move.

"Wormshit, what is your name?" the Cherubim asked.

"G-g-g…" he began to speak, stammering on his own name.

The glowing one cocked her head, her brows knit as her eyes narrowed.

"G-g-gup! I'm Gup, the Terrible!"

He added the title. Titles always made you more powerful.

The Cherubim cracked, her mask falling for a brief moment. She laughed. A laugh of silver bells and singing heavenly choirs, one that could end all wars and shame the mightiest god to impotence.

"Is that a description of your skill?"

Gup gulped.

She swept her arm, gripping him by his thin neck. Her face turned serious, a mask was adorned. One of horror and pain.

"Tell me everything."

He was gripped with terror, unable to control it anymore.

It came out.

He relieved himself on the Cherubim. He had grown this defense against other demons to dissuade from being eaten. The angel's mask dropped completely, shock emanating on her face at his desecration. He let out a whine, unable to help it.

And then the smell hit her nostrils. Satan's putrid pus-filled pustules popped and wafted throughout the room.

Uh oh.

Gup was in a lot of trouble.

Her face twisted into a snarl, her rage spilling out. He felt her hand grip down hard. He felt his neck snap, instantly going cold. His vision blurred to black.

Gup met empty oblivion.

He couldn't think in the blank darkness. Destruction had come suddenly and without mercy. A lonely and brief life lived violently and with fear. He saw a tunnel of light ahead, he was aware he had been slain.

What happens now?

A figure ahead spoke, beckoning him to her embrace. He ran, seeking peace from the horror. She spoke to him, her voice was bliss itself.

"You little piece of shit! You're not dying so easily!"

It was the rage of detonating sun.

He faltered, realizing too late what had happened. He was being resurrected by an enraged angel. He blinked, aware he was falling. He unceremoniously flopped to the floor.

Gup was alive again.

Shrieking rang out, causing him to flinch. His eyes darted madly, seeing the blur of movement.

A pristine barefoot smashed into his skull, splattering his brains across the floor.

Gup had died.

He ceased to exist, floating in darkness. Then a voice of beauty.

"Oh no, you don't! Wormshit! Return to me!"

Gup saw the tunnel of light and ran from it.

It outran him.

He came to, blinking frantically as he tried to grasp the situation. He was alive in Gehenna again. A firm hand gripped him, shaking him until he went still. His last sight was seeing a cocked fist rushing towards him.

Gup died.

More light and Gup was alive, lying limp on the floor. The Cherubim's foot slowly crushed down on his spine. He heard the crunch before the pain. He let out a shrieking whimper.

"Please- no more…" Gup begged.

"You seek to order me, wormshit?"

She gripped his head, cupping it in her palms as she raised him up. He saw her rage, saw her insatiable bloodlust. She opened her mouth and screamed. He heard nothing as his brains liquefied.

Gup died.

"I gave you no permission to leave!"

And Gup lived again, lying in a fetal position, curled around his tail. He wept. The agony of being slain and revived over and over broke his mind. He did not know how long he lay there.

"He may know a way out," the heavenly voice admitted with annoyance.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder, shaking him from the terror. He trembled at the Cherubim. Her face had donned a new mask, one of compassion.

He whimpered, trying to bundle up and hide.

"Little demon, your indiscretions are in the past. All is forgiven."

"Eh?" Gup grunted, poking his head out from his bundled body.

"Yes, I only speak the truth. Please tell me everything."

Gup blossomed, gathering to his feet. This glowing one was nice. He didn't smell his spray, which was also nice.

Why was I sad again?

His pain faded, the moments were gone.

"Uh, yes. I am Gup. I am demon."

The Cherubim nodded, coaxing him along. He belted out what he memorized in a sing-song tune.

"I follow demon god, lord of all, goat of destruction; Lucifer!"

The mask the angel adorned cracked for a brief second.

"W-we found Gehenna. Thought demons were here. Only glowing ones! Crazy! All comrades gone! Scary angels!"

The Cherubim nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"And now Gup alone. Demons gone…"

"So there are no more demons here?"

"Gup only know big demons are gone. More like me? Sure. Could be." He replied with a shrug.

"Verywell. How did you get in?"

This was the part Gup loved the most about the plan.

"Oh- yes! We fly on human ships- human slaves! Gup show you!"

The demon scurried on all fours in circles, trying to find the way. He sniffed, still smelling the human pilots. He scrambled towards the ships, his black heart leaping with glee.

Why was he happy?

He gave those big thoughts small attention as he led the Cherubim to the cruisers; all that remained of the fleet.

"Lost many getting here. So many…"

He noticed other glowing ones march from the darkness. Each a terrifying force.

"You have done well, Gup."

He swept his tail happily. The Cherubim was nice.

But Gup remembered a small detail.

"Where is Lucifer?"

He now noticed all eyes and things that may have eyes were on him.

The Cherubim let out a silver bell laugh.

"My good Gup, you are looking upon her!"

"Ehh?"

He was filled with confusion. Lucifer was big and had horns. She was just big. And a she.

"For I am Lucifer!"

Her glorious voice traveled to the edges of The Lake.

Gup blinked, full of confusion.

"Lucifer lives?"

But he had died. And he was a he.

"Yes, my little Gup. Lucifer is an angel. The one you followed lied to you. He brought you all here to imprison you."

Gup's eyes bugged out.

Of course! Trap Gup here and eat poor Gup!

"And now, Gup, you get to serve the true Lucifer."

Feel wrong for Gup to serve glowing one. Probably better than feeling dead.

"As you wish, my master!" He announced, flattening himself on his belly as he splayed his limbs, getting as low to the ground as possible.

Lucifer turned, waving with a finger as she sauntered away, dragging her lengthy golden hair behind.

Another Angel hobbled to Lucifer, a twisted and hideous thing. It was blubbering in tears. Gup was a demon and he had never seen anything so ugly.

"Luuucy!" She cried out, caught in a fit of crying, "Lucy I never thought- *sniff*- I'd ever s-he-he yooou agaaain! Waaaah!"

The appalling crying angel wrapped her stumped limbs around Lucifer, flapping her crow wings.

"Ugh, you hideous creature!" Lucifer barked, kicking the other away. Her mask dropped, revealing cold annoyance, "Amy, hide your gruesome features!"

The other angel blubbered in response, tears flowing down what Gup thought were eyes.

"The robes! Those elder demon robes. Amy, go get them! Hide yourself!"

"O-o-ok!" The angel wailed.

She shuffled to the ash covered blue robes and crawled up inside them. The robes tightened around her waist, the massive gloves clicked to her arm stumps. The cowl raised, revealing two sad glowing white spheres within.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her massive gauntleted hand.

Lucifer knelt down to the pathetic angel.

"There, now you are tolerable."

"Am I? Oh, Lucy… I was so afraid!"

Lucifer embraced the newly robe Angel, like a mother to a small infant. Gup felt weird, he disliked sappy things.

"Amy, I have here your first demon! Over there. Read its mind for a way out, will you dear?"

Gup realized the angel named Amy was staring at him intently. Weighing him. She waddled to him, tripping over her long robes.

"Oof! Oh! Clumsy…"

Gup blinked, unable to understand.

Amy immediately inspected the demon's teeth, eyes, frills, and tail.

"Mm. He's new. We must have been gone a long time…"

Amy shrugged before pointing a finger at him.

Gup had a bad feeling.

"Supremacy."

Gup felt a rush of emotions like he was in a sudden fog of ecstasy. He needed to obey her, needed to die for her, needed to-

"Ok, just follow me. And no back talk, no sir!"

Gup nodded quickly scurrying behind her.

Lucifer rose to her full height, addressing her congregation. Her voice traveled to all of Gehenna itself.

"My children! We've spent an eternity in darkness and gnashing of teeth! Imprisoned by a spiteful Adonai! No more! The demons have been kind enough to release us and we've returned their kindness with freeing their miserable lives from existence."

The angels rumbled, like the beginning of a tidal wave.

"We will free the others, find our lost artifacts, and show this universe that I am-"

"God."

The words cracked the air, breaking the will of those present. All bowed in worship to Lucifer. The sound and noise of singing pierced the hopeless darkness. Countless voices cried out to an angry and vengeful god. The furious judgment had been released.

Gup had a bad feeling about this.

"Good thing you didn't destroy this one, we'd've never made it out!" Amy announced.

Gup had a really bad feeling about this.