9.

  “A massive fire has broken out in the Omaha industrial district, we’re reporting over two hundred dead, and some reports, questionable as they are, are saying that monster of some sort, has been terrorizing the city, abducting people from the air, again these are unsubstantiated reports, but channel eight will continue to bring you updates, as this story develops,”

  Joseph was sitting on the bed, flabbergasted, flummoxed, and forlorn. This was his fault. He knew the evil that was besieging the world, and worse he knew he was responsible for it.

  “Turn off the TV,” Xisira commanded with a tired and breathy voice as she turned over in the comforting sheets of their rent-a-night motel bed.

  “It’s him isn’t it, you told me he wasn’t going to bring evil, you told me he wanted out of the fight,” Joseph said.

  “I’m sorry,” Xisira draped an arm over his shoulder, “Demons lie, that’s what they do,” she kissed his neck, “I wasn’t lying, I really did want out of the war, I guess my father lied to me though, he just gave me an out so I could help him, it happens to everyone, how many of your kind have been manipulated by a demon of the below. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said, “What is it you mortals call it, spilled milk, no sense crying over it, if it makes you feel any better, I definitely won’t be asking you to do something like that again,”

  “Spilled milk?” Joseph asked, “This thing has killed hundreds of people, what kind of evil have you made me wrought,” he shoved her off his back, and reached for his spear, calling the Damascus weapon to his hand, “I will not let you damn me to hell, I have to make this right,” he pointed the spear right to her throat, “And I’m going to start with you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Xisira raised her hands, “I didn’t know, I swear, I didn’t know,” she said, her alluring and playful mood instantly switching to worry and sincerity, “Do you have any idea what the below is like, the awfulness of being in the abyss, separated from all pleasure, all light, all love, my father gave me a chance to get out, so I took it. It was only by the endless thankfulness that acquiring that debt gave me that I agreed to help him in the first place,” she looked down, and what for all Joseph knew could have just been a crocodile tear ran down her face, “He used me as much as I used you,” she said, “He knew how badly I wanted out, and he told me he wanted the same,” she looked up, panting, both from her guilt and the spear point at her throat, “I couldn’t have known, why would I assume anyone demon or not was lying about wanting out of the below. It’s all we think about down there, it’s all-consuming, wanting to get out,” she said, “I told you I wasn’t using my power on you, and I meant it, I have never once used any beguiling or trickery, Joseph, I thought you loved me,” she said, raising her hands, and backing away on the bed.

  “Maybe I did, but you’re a demon, and I have no way of knowing if I did or not,” he held true to his spear, “I should just end you right now, and erase all doubt, maybe killing you will help me find out,” he said, his hands wringing on the shaft of his spear. He looked up at her, and their eyes met, damn it, he couldn’t do it. He did love this demon, love this woman.

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  “I’m pregnant,” she said.

  “What? That’s impossible,” Joseph asked, his hands relaxing for just a second before he steeled himself and held his spear back up.

  “I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t even know it could happen. After our night together, I felt something,” she lowered her hands and caressed her stomach, “I can’t explain it, I can’t begin to figure out how this is even possible,” she began to weep, “In the Below, there were rumors about what the touch of Divine feels like, rumors of the miracles that those who live mortal world can experience, these were things I thought never meant for my kind, I have felt the touch of the divine, and it’s given me, given us,” she shook her head, “I can’t even describe it,” she went to the night stand, and Joseph bore down on her with his spear, “Here it is,” she threw a pregnancy test before him, and backed up on the bed, “I know that my species has a reputation for seducing men, but I’ve only seduced one, only seduced you, and not by way of dark magics and temptation, Joseph, I love you,” she said.

  Joseph kept one hand on his spear, and with the other picked up the test. He inspected it and sure enough, two pink lines, “You’re pregnant,” when the reality of the situation came over him, he dropped his spear, and fell to his knees. “You’re pregnant,” he said, stunned.

  Xisira just bit her lip, “Apparently,” she said, again reaching to caress her stomach, “I can feel it, I felt it since the first morning we woke up together,” she said, “I didn’t know what it was at first, I never seduced a mortal before, I was never even told this was a possibility, but apparently it is,” she said.

  Joseph didn’t know what to say, looking at that test, all he could do was smile, smile, and look up at this beautiful woman before him, “Xisira, you’re pregnant?” he said, “you’re pregnant,” he didn’t know how to react, and he just started to laugh.

  “I’m not going to lie, getting knocked up wasn’t really a part of my plan, what are we supposed to do?” she asked, climbing from the bed and joining him, “We’re going to have a child, I can’t even imagine what this involves,” she said, “This might change things,” she said, “Show the Above and Below that peace can be made. Since I first felt this divine gift inside me, I knew that this war would have its end someday, but we need to be careful, there’s so much to do,” she said.

  “I know what we have to do,” Joseph stood up and pulled his spear to his hand.

  “Joseph?” she asked.

  “I have to kill your father,” he said, “I rescued you from the below, and I won’t let the below do their works on this world, not the world where my child is going to live,” he shook his head.

  “Joseph, you can’t stop him, he’s too powerful, your child needs their father,” she said, “I won’t let you die for this,” she pleaded with him.

  “My child needs to live in a world that isn’t decimated by hell itself,” he said, “Xisira,” he pulled her to him, tilted her chin, “I will see this world safe for our child, I don’t give a damn if I have to end this entire accursed war myself, the below will not corrupt my child’s world, we made a mistake, I made a mistake, and if I have child, they won’t pay for it because of me,” he said, pulling her to him and giving her a deep and loving kiss.

  Bruce Longdren was right. When you had a wife, damn if they were actually married or not, and when you had a child, things were put into prospective. You could fight so much harder when you knew there was something to fight for.