CODEX Part 3: Between Heaven and Hell
Losing Control

They got discharged by Chen and Jasper, who had to sign for them. Ezekiel’s brother called him and came to take him home. Zoe didn’t like that but she was in no position to fight against it. Jasper took her home and stayed with her, just in case she needed something.

That night, Zoe fell asleep almost instantly.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a forest. She closed her eyes unconsciously at the smell of blood, furrowing her eyebrows and cracking her knuckles. The smell was getting closer rather fast.

It was quite strange how she knew it was a human running towards her. It was a young teenage girl and Zoe could hear the quick heartbeats and the adrenaline rushing through that human's veins; she could even picture it before her eyes.

Zoe stood there like a statue, waiting for the teenage girl to come but shockingly, the human went right through the commander.

“I’m s-sorry,” The girl looked up at a boy that appeared from nowhere, who didn’t seem much older than her.

Zoe noticed her bloody ankle and the bruises on her arms and could already picture what happened to her.

“Are you, really? You made a fool out of me back there!”

The girl whimpered.

“I-“

He slapped her. The man looked tired but at the same time he had an insane expression, his face bruised most likely from the girl who tried to defend herself. He started to yell something at her but Zoe couldn’t hear them well.

“Break the rules and you will save the girl,”

Zoe’s eyes widened at the familiar voice. It sounded like a snake, whispering to her, pulling her into the world of sin.

“Help me,”

She turned around and found the girl clinging on her hand but Zoe didn’t budge.

The voice snickered.

The girl squeezed Zoe’s hand one last time before the man grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Zoe took one step back and watched horrified as the man started to literally drag the girl into the forest. All that time, the human was looking straight into Zoe's eyes.

Zoe couldn’t help but feel like she should do something. She threw a stone at the man but it went right through his head.

“Break the rules, Zoe. Break them!” The voice became firm. It wasn’t pushing her anymore, it was ordering her.

“Help!”

On the other hand, the girl was going to get beaten up or even worse, get raped and killed. Zoe closed her eyes and covered her ears but she could still hear the pain in her voice.

“Help me!”

Between the helpless girl and the voice inside her head, she noticed something else, something that sounded muffled.

Everything stopped when she started to concentrate and silence engulfed the forest. Zoe opened her eyes and realized she was alone. She sighed in relief and turned around, not expecting to meet two red eyes that seemed to pull the soul out of her body.

“The darkness is all around you. You can’t escape it. Not now, not ever.” He whispered.

Zoe gulped and tried to move but she couldn’t.

The scene changed and she was transferred to a cell, on a bed with her legs and arms chained.

“What’s going on? What are you doing?” She asked, her eyes moving from the chains to him.

“You’re going to suffer,” He emphasized the last word. It was an important detail and it sent chills down her spine. Besides, she was threatened by Lucifer himself and that was really scary.

The vanity prince knew it and she knew it. He was the one demon prince she feared the most because he had the power.

Zoe looked to the side and saw her human friends. They were all standing in a line and had their eyes closed. Her heart stopped when she saw Ezekiel.

“You can survive pain but can they?”

She gulped and squirmed but the chains were really strong.

“You know, Zoe, the greatest sin is disappointing your loved ones. Taking pride in your life above anyone else’s, even I wouldn’t be able to live with that guilt,” He chuckled bemusedly partially joking but for her it sounded like he was insufferably sincere.

“It doesn’t concern me,” She spat out.

Lucifer sighed and swayed around the dagger he was holding in his hand.

“You see, it may concern you,” He leaned over her and smiled evilly, “You will kill them all, slowly, painfully and irremediably. They will all be dead and it will be your fault.”

She spat in his face, literally, which was probably not the best idea since he was far more powerful than her.

Lucifer wasn’t just a man; he was far beneath that level yet he was above. It was a contradiction but it was reality. He wiped the spit off and turned to Ezekiel. The demon glared at him before he placed the dagger in her hand.

Zoe suddenly became free but had blood on her hands. She touched her face only to realize she had blood around her mouth.

Lucifer was next to her, smirking proudly.

“Look at what you have done, Zoe.”

She looked up and gasped.

“Ezekiel,” she whispered, crawling next to him quickly but he was definitely dead, “Wait!” She looked up at the demon prince, realizing something new, “If he’s in Hell already, he can’t die again. He can’t die twice,”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow and laughed loudly.

She only blinked for a second but it was enough time for him to appear in front of her.

“But you will,” he whispered and plunged his hand through her chest as she screamed.

“Zoe! Zoe, wake up!”

She opened her eyes and jumped out of bed, surveying the room warily before realizing it was her bedroom. The windows were closed and the light in the living room was turned on; next to her wasn’t Ezekiel but Jasper.

“Where is Ezekiel? I need to see him,” she started, moving around chaotically.

Zoe entered the kitchen and the bathroom but he wasn’t there; he wasn’t in his usual spot in her room or on the couch. She was searching like a mad woman for someone who was safely at home.

She turned to Jasper and grabbed his hands.

“Where is Ezekiel?”

Jasper was speechless. The woman in front of him was a mess. She was tired and stressed out for reasons he couldn't fully understand.

He really wanted to help her but he had no idea how so he begun with what he knew.

“He’s home. His brother came and took him home from the hospital. Do you remember?” He continued but she shook her head.

“I just want to know he’s safe. The demons-“ her eyes widened and she fell on her knees when she remembered, “-the demons want me to suffer. They’ll go and kill him first,”

Jasper sighed and pulled her into his arms, caressing her hair as she started to mumble about demons and death.

“It’s alright, Zoe. He’s safe. Iaosur and Eneizar are with him,”

She licked her lips and closed her eyes but Lucifer's red eyes flashed through her mind and she opened them quickly. Anything just to get his face out of her head.

“You should go sleep, at least for an hour or two,”

Jasper was in the living room drinking coffee. She woke up really early in the morning and didn’t go back to sleep.

“You need to rest, Zoe,” the inheritor continued, watching over her with worry.

Zoe was on the armchair near the window, looking outside, staring at nothing in particular. She was all crouched on the small armchair, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

“I can’t sleep,” she finally responded, “Every time I close my eyes, I see him. He knows my weakness,”

“Ezekiel is not weak. The demons you have are definitely not weak, besides, you have four princes who won’t let you die just yet,”

She looked down at her toes, her fingers playing under her legs.

“You should be careful, too,” Zoe started, “He wants you dead, more than anything. He’ll come after you in no time and he will push you off the cliff.” Her tone was scary, almost like it wasn't herself that relayed this message.

“I will remember that,” he took a sip from his coffee and turned back to his phone.

Jasper had to meet someone from a big company soon for a job but with Zoe in that state, he was afraid to leave because she could commit suicide just to be sure the rest were safe.

“Is she alright?”

When Chen came over with Jake, he didn’t expect to see Zoe like that.

“She looks like a zombie,” Jake's statement wasn’t entirely untrue with how much weight she lost and how pale she looked.

“She looks like a vampire,” Chen added before walking in front of her. He tilted his head to the side and poked her cheek but there was no reaction.

“She doesn’t respond. She’s been like that for three days already and I’m getting really worried,”

Jasper was probably the one who knew her the least yet he got stuck with taking care of her. Mark and Luke weren’t allowed to enter since they were vessels and they've been contacted and instructed not to enter her apartment for a while.

“Did you inform her parents?” Jake asked, taking a seat close to her.

Jasper shook his head.

“She doesn’t sleep and doesn’t eat. I tried and she bit my hand,” Chen and Jake turned to Jasper in surprise, “She really did!” He raised his hand and showed the biting marks.

“We shouldn’t call her parents yet,” Jake stared questioningly at Chen as he started to speak, “They don’t have a good relationship. Besides, they will send her to an asylum. Again.”

“Maybe I should go to one,”

Everyone turned to look at her, surprised that she was actually listening. It was the first time she spoke in three days except the cries and screams in her sleep.

“They would take care of me and lock me up,” She suddenly got on her feet and walked towards them, “You’d be safe,”

Zoe stopped in front of Jake with wide eyes. She smiled cutely for one moment before she narrowed her eyes at him, scaring him with he sudden change.

“Or maybe not,” She whispered, leaning in and touching his nose with hers.

Zoe heard Andy coughing in the back but she didn’t move away, only her eyes did. She glanced briefly at the ghost: he was dead worried but he was also glaring at her for invading Jake’s personal space.

Jasper invited the guests in the kitchen but they left the door open.

Andy walked behind her, looking at her as if she was a stranger.

“What happened to you?” The ghost whispered.

She chuckled and rubbed her face, the last few sleepless nights finally taking their tool on her.

“My guardian ghost,” she started, pretty loud at that, “You’re dying to replace out, aren’t you? You weren’t even here, to guard me when I needed it,”

Andy narrowed his eyes at her yet couldn't combat that because he's been more involved into Jake's life than hers. Zoe turned around and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Andrew flinched under her touch.

“You’re not dead yet. Why can you touch me?”

She smirked and squeezed his shoulder before pulling him closer and hugging him.

“Because my soul has already been corrupted by the darkness,” She whispered in his ear.

Andy frowned and pushed her away, quite harshly.

“It’s been for a while now but you always overcame it. You are a commander not a loser, Zoe.”

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled bemusedly, walking past the ghost, her hands linked behind her.

“You say so. You think so but you have no idea what it feels like. Hell is Hell and it has nothing but torture and sin. It’s a freaking pit where only scum get into. I am one of them,” she hissed the latter part.

Andy shook his head.

“You didn’t decide that,”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t but I chose it. I chose to act like a commander and now, I pay the price. Nothing is for free, not even life,” she whispered, “I don’t need you to help me anymore, Andrew. You’re place is in Heaven. I’m already a lost cause.”

He slapped her; he actually slapped her.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? Just because you have been sentenced doesn’t mean you have to live how they tell you to. I told you before, Zoe, you are strong enough to overcome anything!” The ghost screamed, growing really angry with how fast she was giving up.

Zoe went back and sat on the armchair, her eyes returning to the window and the outside world that was slowly darkening around the corners.

“Take care of my friends, Andy, not me. Take care of my legacy,”

Andy scoffed and disappeared.

“Did she just talk to herself?” Jake asked the others confused since the door was open and he could hear her speak to air.

Chen glanced at Jasper but the inheritor seemed to be thinking of his own issues.

“It’s the trauma,” Chen interfered since Jasper seemed out of words, “You know, Ezekiel’s parents think that Zoe is a bad influence so they forbid him to meet her or come to this apartment.”

Jake raised an eyebrow and leaned against the fridge.

“Is he in the same mental situation as her?”

Chen sighed and sat on the chair.

“Yes and no. He can’t sleep either and he locked himself in the basement for a day or two. I think he’s trying to replace answers,”

Jake sighed heavily and crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes unconsciously moving towards the door.

“What happened to them?”

It was more of a question for everyone but no one responded. They were all wondering the same thing.

Ezekiel was in the basement, looking for incantations. Ever since he woke up, he started to hear a tapping noise that didn’t make him uncomfortable but it made him curious. He couldn’t replace anything in books so he was getting really frustrated.

“Dammit!”

He threw yet another book against the wall. The human grunted and rubbed his eyes, feeling like he was helpless. His parents forbade him from seeing Zoe but he could feel her energy becoming weaker through the mark, annoying him even more.

“Why am I so useless?!” He screamed and flipped the table.

“Because you’re not looking at it from the right angle. You’ve been in the purgatory and an Izmedu tried to eat your soul. No human can get out without being mentally and spiritually affected.” The blonde demon made an appearance, his voice calm and his whole presence suspiciously collected.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes, already fed up with Eneizar and his lectures.

“I want answers,” The puppy human mumbled, his forehead starting to hurt as the tapping returned, “And what’s with this sound in my head?” Ezekiel grunted.

Eneizar raised an eyebrow and placed the table back in its place before he took another chair and sat in front of the human.

“Izmedu are souls left in the purgatory to rot. When an Izmedu dies, his energy slips into the victim. Most demons don’t care and they live with it without a problem because they don’t feel remorse. But you are human and you do feel the quantity of pain endured by that creature.”

“How do you kill an Izmedu?”

Eneizar licked his lips and leaned back.

“When it attacks you, it first starts with your head. He gets into it and transfers his darkness into you. You heard screams and voices talking loudly but among them, there is his voice. An Izmedu has been human once so he has a little, very little consciousness hidden deep inside. When he attacks you, he’s vulnerable because you can hear his consciousness.”

Ezekiel's eyes widened, remembering something he heard back in the purgatory.

“Listen,” He mumbled, “I heard it.”

Eneizar narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

“You did, yes.”

Ezekiel closed his eyes and leaned his head back, “What about the tapping? I hear it at night in the silence. It’s like something is calling me into the shadows.”

The demon narrowed his eyes and leaned over the table.

“Ezekiel, never go after anything you hear. Demons don’t do nice deeds out of curtsy. They are evil and they do not know different.”

“That comes from a vanity demon who tried to kill me,” Ezekiel commented with a chuckle.

“But I’m part of the family now and no matter how evil and selfish demons are, they are always loyal to their master,” He smirked and winked at the human before he got on his feet, “Now, let’s go for a drink,”

Once Eneizar said the last word, two more demons appeared in the basement.

“Did anyone say drink?” Iaosur’s eyes were glowing with excitement.

At least they were demons Ezekiel could trust, probably the only ones.

Gakhas was pacing around and he couldn’t forget Zoe’s face. Those eyes were carved into his mind.

His master noticed how out of character his demon was acting. Gakhas was usually really lazy and wouldn’t do much but he started to pace around the hall and even go on long walks around the domain.

“Sit down. I’m getting tired when I see you move.” Bel’s tone was calm, he didn’t seem to have any problems in the world.

“I can’t get rid of that gruesome image,”

Belphegor raised an eyebrow and put his legs on the arm of his throne. Not even Mammon had a throne but the prince of laziness did.

“You see it every moment in here. You’ve seen worse, actually.”

Unlike his demon, the master was playing with a lollipop. He liked sweets and stole a few when he ordered Mark to leave Zoe alone for a while.

“But they are already mad. She lost control. I’ve seen her so collected and thoughtful but that time, she became irrational and savage,”

Belphegor noticed the glint in Gakhas’s eyes as he was speaking of Zoe's new found image. That demon was rarely interested in something.

“You like her,” Belphegor stated coldly, “You can do whatever you want as long as my mark doesn’t change.”

Bel was probably one of the most laid back princes. He and Leviathan already had enough demons and there were more to come; envy and sloth were two sins that humans couldn’t help but make.