The Guardian Devil

Have you ever heard that annoying little voice to tell you to do the right thing? Well I sure haven’t. Because in this world full of angels and demons we are led by these spirits that tell us how to live our lives and make the way for us. See every single person has a guardian angel that makes them do a thing or another but not me. When I was five years old an angel should have come into my room and been there to lead me through what would have been a shit show of a life. But what happened was something else.

Fire rises out of a circled pentagram on my neck and a demon hopped on out and stood in front of me. Now to be fair I wasn’t scared but the burning pain in my neck was really concerning me. I placed my hands on the back of my neck and immediately pulled them away once my own flesh stung my hands. The demon that stood in front of me chuckled. He was six feet tall and fat with red skin and long horns. His eyes were a piercing yellow just like his fangs. Hooves for feet and claws for hands. He wore a black suit with a fish tie. A funny looking devil indeed to see as a five year old. I didn’t know what to make of it at the time. But the words that this demon would say next would change the rest of my life for the worst.

“Hello brat I am here to serve as your guardian devil.” I screamed as I ran out of my room. My mother was already out in the living room packing luggage bags with clothes. Extremely confused I wondered what my mother was doing so I pulled on her leg. She just turned her head towards me and smiled with a single tear going down her face.

“Tyler goes back to bed. Your uncle will be here in the morning.” My mother said this before finishing up her packing. I went back to my bedroom door. I hesitantly opened the door slowly. When I took a peek into my room I saw nothing so I went back to bed.

What a fool I was.

The next morning my mother was gone and what she left was a hundred bucks, a note addressed to my uncle, and her silver wedding ring. My uncle never arrived and I was starved for four weeks before cps came around. I survived off of cheerios and rancid milk before they showed up.

My demon, whose name I didn’t know at the time, didn’t talk to me or showed itself for the longest time afterwards. That was until I was in middle school.

I was reading books about law and the inner workings of serial killers and cops until a bully known as Delbert Fletcher. He smacked me in the back of my head before sitting across from me. Even in the library he wasn’t quiet.

“What the hell you staring at freak?” Delbert ever so obnoxiously asked.

“Oh just about how people kill and how cops work around that situation. But what it to ya chubby?” He was a little chubby for a kid. It didn’t help that he had a huge orange t-shirt on and some shorts that showed the fold of fat on his knees. Delbert got so furious at my statement. He grabs my long black hair and slammed my face into my book. My neck began to burn like crazy. I once experienced it before but the feeling didn’t come to mind. All that was on my mind was punching this twerp’s face in. Of course for a book worm at the time that only read about violence I bet a person could only imagine how bad I got my ass kicked. I’m talking about blood bruises and maybe a couple fractured ribs.

I got up from the carpet floor that was smeared in my blood and my head began to spin. Delbert grabs my shirt and pulls me closer to him. He raises his fist and I stare into his eyes. No fear nor pain came across my mind. Just anger filled me. Delbert swung his fist and the second felt like hours as I tracked his fist going towards my face.

A red clawed hand then bursts out a portal of flames and grabs Delbert’s hand in mid swing. Delbert lets go of my shirt and stares as my demon walks out of the ring of fire.

“So this twerp is beating on my kid? I tortured people for less.” His face is completely void of aggression but his words were varied with a deep tone of anger and darkly. Delbert pissed his pants and began to cry. My demon lets go of his wrist and turns towards me. He pulls out from behind him a black fedora. I take the hat from him just silently in awe. And with no words spoken he left and Delbert became my friend right afterwards.

Later that night I walked into the orphanage and as the others slept I took a stroll in their garden. A garden that wouldn’t last more than three years but at this time the night sky was full of stars and the moon’s light illuminated the green grass and the whole rainbow of colorful flowers. The one tree that was in the corner was my favorite spot. I walked over to it and sat down before I leaned against the oak tree. I pondered the thought of summoning the demon. Like what would I do if I did? Questions like that came to my mind but in the end I decided that he might have more answers than questions that I needed.

“Hey if you hear me I would like to be acquainted with the demon that showed up to my school that day?” I ask this confused and not sure that he would even show up.

A ring of smoke appeared before me. Within the ring only darkness was shown. The demon walked out of it nonetheless and stared at me.

“So you finally want to talk? Well how about you stand up.” He talks with an accent that makes him seem like a busy new york businessman. I stared at him and without a second thought I stood up.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“A demon with a lot of issues. But who I am is Durk. And your personal guardian demon. But don’t worry about that too much. What you should do is probably drop the books that you already read a total of thirty seven times and start hitting the gym. You look like a pansy.” He pulls out a cigarette and with the tip of his thumb lights it with a spark of fire.

“Sure. But how come you scared Delbert that bad?”

“See kid I don’t want to go into my whole reasoning for the whole ordeal. But what I can offer is that I was given one task. And that was to help out one mortal and that is that. If that is emotional, physical, or some other bullshit I have to help you.”

“Can you please watch your language? See we are in a-” He interrupts me with a snarl.

“Listen here brat. If you really want to get down to the whole thing. You would have known that your chubby bunny of a friend was told to pick on you by his guardian angel. Now I dont want to be a total brute about this but kid your dumb if you think something as making me not cuss will stop problems or make life easier. And besides you have more to worry about than a demon cursing. Maybe just watch where you head down in life. I’ve seen a lot of detectives in hell and that was mostly because they let their guardian angel screw them over with the lax drinking and the lust out the wazoo.” He took a drag of his cigarette as I stood there dumbfounded in what to do. I was offended but at the same time didn’t want to challenge his wisdom. He continues after flicking the cigarette butt into the garden. “See kid, I want to tell you one thing. And that is you should really dive into angels and demons. You’ll find out the truth behind the silver tongues of angels and what they do to twist the desires and hopes of those they “protect”.” I stomp on the cigarette butt before it could light the garden on fire. “Oh and stop trying to be innocent. This world is cruel and if you know any better you should forget the whole good side to the world. Because the world that you walk on now is paved towards the road of hell.” Before I could ask another question he walks back into the ring of smoke and disappears.

***

Today at noon I lay on my couch with a cigarette in hand. I wear an old black trench coat and a brown business suit underneath. I sit up and put on my black fedora. I stand up and walk to the back of my messy paper scattered house as I head into the bathroom. I spray on some deodorant and brush my teeth. As I pick up my razor I look into my stained mirror and with a quick glance at the black beard I decide that maybe another day I’ll shave it. I put down my razor and stare into the mirror. Normal body with some muscle on it. Baby blue eyes with short black hair.

I walked out of my bathroom and out the front door. I let out a sigh as my partner Kyle Shearman, is outside with two cups of coffee. This man can’t seem to go without that horrid smile. I take a cup of coffee and with a word from me I begin to walk towards his brown mustang.

“Why do you welcome Tyler? Good morning.” He cheerfully says.

“When is it ever.” I mumble underneath my breath. Now I knew that I shouldn’t have said a word but it just happened to slip.

“What was that? Well nevermind. I know you’re having a rough one today so I’ll drive and maybe pick you up a donut of your liking.” Oh god he says this in genuine. Can’t help but to think that he’s being sarcastic or has some hidden agenda. But now I am dealing with a man that would take his heart out of his own chest to give it to a man with terminal heart cancer.

I let out a sigh and stepped into the passenger side of the car. He hops into the driver’s side of the car and begins to drive off. This rookie became part of the force just a few months ago and already people love him. I don’t see how because he never turns in a case and because of him the crime rate has risen. But noooo because of me they actually say on paper that crime is on the steady path. People don’t like me because I dont hide any lies nor do I tell complete truths. Their angels hate this because if one thing I hold over an angel is that they are sworn by oath to never lie. But I don’t interrogate angels, Durk does and he has an absolute way of getting answers. Unlike Kyle here who plays only the role of the nice cop.

As we get closer to the donut shop that is just around the corner of the police station I see a woman and man talking to one another. As Kyle parks the car the two shady looking people just across the street look at one another. Already I can see that they both heavily use drugs. One looks to be a drug dealer while the woman looks to be a drug abuser.

“What would you like?” Kyle asks.

“One chocolate donut and no filling.” As Kyle leaves the car I shout, “and I swear to god Kyle if I find one sprinkle on the donut this gun that is attached to my hip will ring like church bells in your ear!” Kyle nervously turns around and walks into the store. I lean forwards in the car to see him walk into the back. Durk appears on the driver’s side and lights a cigarette.

“Yeah the angels over there are wanting their humans to numb their pain and to make money all the same. You humans are getting more disgusting by the hour.” Durk says without my questioning. I step out of the car and the two figures witness me. Durk stands behind the two figures awaiting what I need.

“Now don’t run, I just want to talk.” I say as I walk towards the two suspects. But did that stop them from running? The answer is obvious as their faces light up like christmas trees and turn tale and run. Durk slammed his fist into the man and woman, knocking them down on the ground. I walk up to them as they hold their broken noses in their hands. The drug dealer stands up.

“What the fuck man?!” He shouts as he tries to catch the blood from falling onto the cement.

“Listen, both of you are arrested for drug dealing and drug use. Now I could just bust a cap on your leg and call it good and get back to work. Or you come with me and cause me more hell in the office. You can pick the option.

“I pick the bullet!” The woman shouts in my face. I take out my gun and fire a round at the woman’s leg. This makes the man jump in place as he stands there with his mouth wide open.

“Pal what would you like huh? The bullet to the leg or cuffs and a cage to protect you from the likes of me?” The man holds out his wrists and I end up cuffing the both of them and putting them in the back of the car. Thankfully rubber bullets hurt like hell but aren’t lethal. The woman cries as she holds her bruised leg.

Kyle walks out of the shop and sits down in the driver’s seat. He looks behind him and sees the two criminals.

“Did you have to shoot the women?” Kyle asks as he passes me my donut. I looked down at the pastry and saw that it was a pink cherry filled donut with rainbow sprinkles.

I take my gun out of its holster and Kyle begins to freak out. “I was just kidding! Don’t actually fire the gun inside my car!” I holster the gun and Kyle takes the pastry away from me and hands me my chocolate donut.

“Yes I had to shoot the woman Kyle.” I stare forward and take a bite out of the donut.