The Man with the Devil's Tongue (A Prologue to the End of the World and Some Other Things)

Chapter 18

Lime was put in a cage designed especially for him at the heart of Gatekeepers HQ, beneath the streets of Rome.

While the Devil was trapped within the body of Lime, his spiritual power was divided. His entire essence was not locked away in that cage in Rome, but by being stretched so thin, he could not deny a sense of loss, a kind of weakness of the mind and spirit.

The Devil tried to convince himself that by being at the center of the Gatekeepers' hub he was in the best place to spy upon his enemies. The truth was that perhaps he had educated them on their shortcomings too well, and they treated his capture with utmost caution.

Lime was barely able to catch a glimpse of the world outside his cell. Sometimes scientists or priests came to test him. He possessed the scientist for a short time and cursed the priest to hear sinister voices inside his head.

Lime felt some measure of victory when he learned the priest had fired a bullet in one ear and out the other in order to silence the voices.

His cell was still a work in progress. It had its own air and ventilation system, so that he could not spread his will to the rest of the underground complex. He had a bed, a sink, and a shitter. If he had company, he also had a red, plastic chair meant for a child a third his size.

A doctor gave him crayons and paper one day and asked that Lime keep a diary.

Lime drew portraits of Talbot fornicating with April. He scribbled a little doodle of Perrot and his dead women-he decided to make their skin purple, an artistic choice which paid off quite well, he thought. He even made a little masterpiece for the Japanese guy he stabbed-it was a drawing of dead fish and a pink umbrella. Even Lime had to admit that one didn't make much sense. He left each and every drawing with his signature at the bottom.

He signed them all with a big, underlined S.

Talbot came to see him one day. He had enough forward thinking to wear a gas mask.

"My captor," Lime said. He sat in the little, red chair with his hands on his knees.

Talbot did not sit down. He went right to talking. "They say you're not being cooperative with questioning."

"I don't want to make it too easy for them."

"You will tell us everything we want to know," Talbot said.

"Oh?"

"We can torture you."

"I've known all kinds of torture in Hell," Lime said. "So, I'm interested to see what you come up with."

"We also have drugs that can make you talk."

"You talk to me like I'm just like you. I'm not." Lime stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "Speaking of which, when will you bring the exorcist in and set this poor boy free?"

"Not until you give us what we want," Talbot said.

Lime smiled. "That doesn't give me much incentive to talk then, does it?"

"You'll talk."

"You would sacrifice a young man's life, his soul, his sanity, just to ask me something-something about the way Hell works and what I'm planning?"

Talbot took a while to respond. "It's a rare opportunity," he said.

"It's fucking cold, is what it is." Lime leaned forward in his chair. "But at least you're learning from the best." He grinned wide. "And I have so much more to teach you, too."

Talbot started to pace the cell back and forth. Lime's eyes followed his every movement without turning his head.

"How's the Frenchman?" Lime asked.

"Why kill his family?" Talbot asked, anger finally entering his voice.

"Why not?"

"His daughter was still in grade school. Her death meant nothing to you."

"But it meant everything to her father."

"It's foul," Talbot said.

"And how about my old college buddy?" Lime asked with a chipper tone. "Yes, how's April doing these days? I heard she dropped the poor girl and is at least as responsible for her death as I am. Shame she can't catch worth a damn. I hope she's not on your softball team."

"Don't talk about her," Talbot said. He stopped pacing to face Lime directly.

"Oh, found a nerve," Lime said. "Got feelings for the young lady?"

"She's innocent," Talbot said. "Perrot's family was innocent."

"I kill innocence," Lime said. "I crumple it up and throw it away, and the only thing that's left are broken, ugly men like you and poor Monsieur Perrot."

"We'll have vengeance one day."

"Yes, build your evil so that it may swallow my evil. Tend to your Hell on earth, build it high, scrape the feet of Heaven and show God the greatness you have achieved."

"We're not like you," Talbot said.

"I love how you say that," Lime said, "as if you're even having trouble believing it yourself."