DEVIL, DEVIL (Michael Langdon)

xi.

Mallory, Coco, and Dinah were alive, and there were three new women in the outpost. And they were arguing. "I haven't promised anything," Dinah was saying when Michael, Judas, and Ms. Mead made their way to the top of the stairs. "I haven't signed anything. And I'm not here to defeat anyone."

"Who cares?" a young blonde woman, Madison Montgomery, demanded, rolling her eyes at Dinah. "As if you could ever defeat anyone with that backwards voodoo shit." The power that was filling the room was stronger than anything that Judas had ever felt before. The power of Michael, of Mallory, Coco, Dinah, and the three women. Witches, he realized, and of the six, five were strong. Michael didn't even seem to care. 

"How can any of you defeat me, when I've already won?" he said, and in an instant, all eyes had fallen on him.

"You haven't won," said a woman that Judas was sure he recognized. And then it hit him. Cordelia Goode, who he'd met only briefly at Hawthorne when she declared that Michael would have to bring Misty Day back from Hell in order for him to complete the Seven Wonders. Michael had done it. He'd ascended to Alpha, but that felt like eons ago to Judas, and an entirely different world.

"Perhaps you haven't noticed the state of the world," Michael said with what Judas could have sworn was a smile filled with sickly sweet poison.

"It's almost as bad as your dinner jacket," spoke up a woman with wild red hair and thick glasses. Judas had met her too, Myrtle Snow. "But at least the world can be saved."

"By you?" Michael asked.

"By all of us," said Cordelia, unfazed by the smirk on Michael's face.

"Hey. Get the wax out of your ears," Dinah stated. "I'm here to watch."

"But I'm not," said Coco, moving forward to lock eyes with Michael. She shrank back, glancing at her friends. "Just don't let me die again, okay?" she said. "It really sucked the first time."

Cordelia held out a hand, stopping Coco. Michael chuckled. "When I'm done, you'll all wish you were still dead," he stated.

"I always thought the world would end with fire and ice, not witches and warlocks," Myrtle noted.

Judas hesitated before he recited a poem he and Michael had once read. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice."

Myrtle snorted. "Ah, so the boy does speak. I was starting to think he was mute."

Michael took Judas' hand, giving him a brief but strangely reassuring squeeze. Judas had to admit, he needed that.

"The seventh seal has been broken," Michael said. "Wormwood has fallen from the sky and turned the rivers to blood and fire. The bottomless pit has been opened in the sky and my swarm of locusts and scorpions have ravaged humanity. The world has been remade in my father's image."

Myrtle released a chuckle. "Darling," she said. "It seems Daddy didn't tell you the most important rule of bringing on the Apocalypse. If you want to finish the job, the thing you have to do first is get rid of all the witches."

"Big mistake," said Coco.

Michael didn't care. "I could annihilate all of you in a second and the world would go on without missing a beat," he stated. Judas fought the urge to tell him that there was really no world left. "You and all of your work will be forgotten in the rubble of the past. But I want to give you a future." Michael began to make his way down the stairs, his grip on Judas' hand tight. "Fall to your knees and accept me as your lord and savior, and I will bring you to the table as my obedient subjects."

Cordelia actually chuckled at that.

"Imbeciles!" Ms. Mead stated, her tone making Judas nearly jump. "Fall to your knees before the king! Hail Satan!"

"The only way we would sit at your table is if your decapitated head were the centerpiece," Cordelia stated.

Dinah spoke up. "Cordelia, you raised me from the dead so that you would have the power of voodoo on your side. But if you know anything about who I am, you know that the only choice I'd pick would be the winner."

She took a few steps toward Judas and Michael, locking eyes with the Antichrist. "You're half right, Dinah," Cordelia said.

"She needed the help of a powerful voodoo queen," said a voice that Judas had never heard before.

All eyes moved to a woman, who walked with all the purpose and confidence of a queen. She chuckled as she pointed a finger at Dinah. "But that ain't you, sis. To release me from Hell, Cordelia promised Papa Legba the darkest and most corrupt voodoo queen's soul for mine," she jabbed her finger at Dinah's chest. "You'll serve him well in my place."

"You're a fool, Marie Laveau," Dinah said. "You would have done no different if you were queen."

"No," Marie stated.

She was behind Dinah in a flash, wielding a knife. Judas flinched as she sank the knife deep into Dinah's throat. A scream escaped Dinah as blood began to spurt forth. Judas closed his eyes tightly, feeling Michael's grip tighten on his hand. "Out with the trash," Marie stated. "Give Papa my regards."

Michael shot Ms. Mead a look, and Judas stared, stunned, as she removed her arm to reveal a gun. The woman had a fucking gun for an arm.

Cordelia uttered a spell softly, and before anyone could say another word, the sound of beeping and mechanical whirring began to emanate from Ms. Mead, who groaned as if in pain, jerking wildly. "Ms. Mead?" Michael asked, confusion clear in his tone.

And then she exploded.

Judas and Michael were thrown over the bannister. Judas cried out in pain as he heard his ankle snap, bending at a sickeningly sharp angle as he landed on it. He could vaguely hear the sound of Ms. Mead's voice, but the ringing in his ears was too loud to make anything out. "Michael?" he tried to call, but the word wouldn't leave his lips.

Michael was shaking with rage. 

Madison slowly began to move to grab at the gun. "Madison!" Cordelia stated.

Judas stumbled to get to his feet. And suddenly the gun was aimed at him. He didn't have time to do anything, not even open his mouth before pain ripped through his shoulder. He heard Michael cry out and then he was pulling Judas into his arms, ignoring Madison who continued with the onslaught of bullets, riddling Michael's back with holes. They both collapsed, and Judas realized that he couldn't breathe beneath Michael's weight. Tears were welling in his eyes, either from pain or fear or sadness, he didn't know. Perhaps a mixture of all three. And the only thing that he could think was that this must be what death feels like.