“The program is too dangerous. I have to terminate it,” said Nikola. Sadik was clutching at Eric and the boy was looking at the door, through which they returned with fear.
“What if all this disappears?” Asked Sadik. Will they be in a white limbo? What type of life was that?
“I will make sure it won’t. But, from now on, no one, not even me, will be able to add new things,” Nikola closed his eyes and his laptop disappeared. In its place, there was now a PC.
“It is done? Just like that?” Sadik stared at the PC. It looked to be a newer model, but, not a powerful one.
“My intent is the key here. What I wish happens,” Nikola had asked Satan if he could do this, two days ago, when he had gone with Eric to Hell to spend the day. He would be damned if he left his son in there by himself. Sadik had wanted to go too, but Satan hadn’t allowed it.
So, now, Nikola spent a Purgatory hour, which was a Hell day, in Hell with his son. They were mostly left alone. Satan gave them a leave of a zoo, the same one where Ivar the bear was kept.
The animal must know that it was dead, at least on some level because not even Nikola’s visits could brighten it up. It was moody and acted like a normal bear. Nikola had been careful to not let Eric too close to the bars.
“I wish you could wish Satan into not existing,” said Sadik, and Nikola shushed him.
“He could be listening,” and he liked to visit them with Lucifer at odd hours. Sadik hated those visits. Mostly because Nikola and Eric were on edge. If they were at home.
When they weren’t, Sadik had to resist the urge to punch both of the assholes. They were holding both Nikola and Eric hostage. Many things could happen in a day, and that was how long Nikola and Eric spend in Hell.
“I have a solution to that. But, Eric will never grow up,” Sadik would welcome the possibility of being able to baby his son for an eternity. Even if Eric grew bitter when his mind became that of an adult.
“You can’t! Think of everything you will be taking from him,” pleaded Nikola, having caught on what Sadik wanted.
“If he dies as a vampire, then he will be made to stay here. What is the difference?” Eric looked afraid now. He had been quiet on the bed for the duration of the conversation. He knew that this was his fault. Still, he didn’t want to die. A tear fell down his cheek and he let out a sob.
Two sets of arms enveloped themselves around him.
“Don’t cry, champ. Dad didn’t mean it that way,” Eric cried harder, his entire frame shaking.
“Well, isn’t this just sad, Lucy?” They heard the mocking voice and turned to see Satan and Lucifer in the doorway.
“Is it too much to ask for a bit of privacy?” Snapped Sadik. The two eyesores had come by once today. So, they must have been listening in. Just as Nikola had feared.
“Sadik didn’t mean to be rude,” Sadik was reminded that they couldn’t go up against these two and lowered his head.
“Truly sad, right, Lucy? I feel like scum for putting such a lovely family through this. Especially since there is such a simple, yet elegant, solution to all of this,” Sadik wondered what the Devil could take from Nikola. Surely, Nikola had signed away everything by now.
“What do you want?” Nikola’s defeated voice made Sadik shiver. Sure, Nikola went with the flow on almost everything, but, surely, he knew that whatever it was that was asked of him next would be with a too steep of a price.
“Sign over the ownership of Purgatory and I will give you back your powers and your son will be left out of our old agreement. I will even stop pestering you. Just like you wanted,” Sadik saw Nikola nod. His hands reached out to grip Nikola’s.
“We can’t go back to the world of the living, Niki. The angels are going to rip us a new one,” that made Nikola pause.
“And, I wouldn’t want a rival to remain in here. This will be my vacation home,” said Satan with a shrug. Sadik saw the anger in Nikola’s eyes then.
“You!” Nikola stood up, for the first time since Sadik knew him, he was enraged. “Darn son of a…”
Lucifer stepped before his lover, but Nikola didn’t stop his advancing. He was before the blonde, fists balled by his side.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” told him, the angel.
“Listen to your words!” Snapped Nikola. He then got a cold dread running down his body when he heard coughing from behind.
“You picked Purgatory over your son,” said Lucifer as Nikola turned around. Eric was coughing blood, his small brown eyes wide and face pale. Now, Nikola saw red. He imagined the two fiends on fire, and the fire appeared. But, it didn’t seem to faze them.
“We are immortal, just like you,” said Satan in a sing-song voice. Nikola turned to his son. He was limp in Sadik’s arms. His eyes unseeing.
“Well, there goes my leverage. Guess I pushed too hard too fast. Feel free to lock the door behind me. And have your powers back, too. I couldn’t make heads nor tails about controlling them, anyway,” Satan and Lucifer disappeared and Nikola went to Eric on shaky legs.
Eric was dead. But, Nikola had brought one child from the dead. He could do it again. He breathed in as much of his life’s essence in Eric, and the boy’s hands twitched.
“More,” urged him, Sadik. Nikola began to pour in bits of his soul, even though it hurt him to do so. When Eric opened his eyes, he looked wildly for a second. But, Nikola couldn’t reassure him that everything was going to be ok. Because he felt the hollowness inside himself. And he knew that it wasn’t going to be.
