Prices to Pay//Michael Langdon

Hail Satan

"You want to know what I did this week? You want to be inspired? You want to know how I'm helping bring end-times? I robbed a nursing home and I gave all the money to the NRA," The woman, Hannah, says as she adresses the crowd. "Next week I need to feel some evil," She takes a break to motivate the crowd. "I need to be repulsed, I need to feel sick to my stomach," Screaming and raising her hands up, "I want to be inspired!" She screams in glory then turns into a depressed ball of negativity. All of the energy that she once had vanished into thin air. She felt as though she had no faith in her crowd of church goers. "Whatever, let's speak in tongues for a hot sec and show some respect!"

I took Michael home last night to shower and get some rest and he decided to not do either of the above. He ate though, a slice of bread made him satisfied enough. Currently, I'm sitting on the edge of the row in a satan church, it's crazy what lengths I go to for Michael. Never would I think that I would be sitting next to the antichrist who is desperately lost, what is wrong with me? "I don't have any money right now," Michael says to the woman handing him the bowl for money and donations.

"Or any food from the looks of it," She chuckles a little to herself, "How long has it been since you ate, kid? Both of you look as thin as sticks!" The woman exclaims and I can't help but take that as a compliment, never in my life have I ever been called skinny.

"What is it to you?" I ask. She shrugs her shoulders and Michael sighs deeply.

"I could fix you something- my place is only a couple of blocks from here," She says invitingly, but she is displaying herself as incredibly sketchy. I've learned from Michael himself to never accept car rides from strangers, that's how the poor girl was chosen for the sacrafice.

"That's really nice of you but-" I start to say but she cuts me off.

"What can I say? Nobody's perfect!" She says giving us both a toothy grin. "What's your names?" She asks and I can tell that Michael finds comfort and peace in her, she reminds him of Ms. Mead. Without thinking twice, he answers immediately.

"Michael," He says without energy and she turns to me. At first I felt reluctant to tell her things about myself, but then I remembered that I am the most powerful being on earth. Nobody can defeat me, not even a satan church goer.

"I'm Natalie," I say and decide to put on my best confident front. If I'm not going to lie about who I am, I might as well be the bad bitch that I am known for.

"I've seen kids like you guys, they all had the same look you do. Scared, searching-" She says and takes a pause, "Questioning what the hell all this means. So what's your story?" She asks with a gentle curiosity.

"My father abandoned me and my own mother tried to kill me,"Michael says without hesitation to tell a stranger his business, she chimes in with a comment of her own.

"Humanity is shit!" She says and I smirk at her.

"I wouldn't exactly call them human."

At the Woman's home, we have sinced learned her name is 'Madelyn'.

"We are moving towards the beginning of the end, our savior is coming! The spawn of Satan will lead us off and cliff and into end-times," She says as if she were excited. What kind of sick person wants all of humanity to die off? "We just have to make things terrible enough for him to rise. We are the fetid, rancid, contaminated soil from which he will bloom!" She says and I raise my brow.

"What if it's a girl?" I ask her and she looks at me as if I was stupid.

"No woman will amount to the greatness that our savior will bring, that is just dumb!" She says and my feminist mind settles itself from getting aggitated. She begins to continue her speech, panting at the passion, "And then plunge us in eternal darkness so that we can walk with Satan in eternal hellfire!" She says walking into the kitchen to retrieve something.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but you are waiting in vain." Michael says loudly so that she can her him from the kitchen.

"What are you talking about?" She hollers from the kitchen.

"Michael is the one you are waiting for," I say as I continue to eat my soup, but then she comes out of the kitchen and holds the knife to Michael's neck.

"How dare you blashpheme!" She screams in shock and I can't help but laugh. Pointing the knife at me she threatens me too, "Don't think I can't kill you too, you liar!" I just smile at Michael and he rolls his eyes.

"Well, before you kill me, dear believer, see me!" He says and removes his hair from behind his ear. She stares in shock, wondering if it was real. Was she in the presence of the antichrist?

Gasping, she drops the knife and lets it fall to the ground, "Hail satan, our savior has risen!"

Back at the church, a sacrafice is about to be made.

"Wait!" Madelyn screams as we walk through the doors, everyone turns to look at us. "This honor belongs to someone else, his name is Michael." She says excited, and Hannah, the church leader, looks at us funny.

"Well, even if he's willing to sell his soul, why would he go before?" Hannah asks and Madelyn begins to make her speech.

"Michael doesn't need to sell his soul! The end times are upon us. Behold!" She says panting as lightning crashes in the background, "The mark of the Beast!" She proclaims loudly. Shoving Michael's hair back Hannah looks at the mark in shock.

"Is it possible that you are the one?" She asks, taking a few steps back.

"I am," Michael says calmly. I mentally slap myself for allowing Michael to do this, he is ruining all of his chances of being a decent person. Yet, I cannot bring myself to remove the love I have for him.

"Hail Satan!" Hannah exclaims proudly. How could I let this happen? I'm going to let the antichrist bring about the end times. I hate who I have become.