A Deafening Silence In Heaven - Thomas E. Sniegoski Page 0,141

“Are you out of your fucking mind?”

The man smiled sadly. “After all this time, I’d probably have to say yes.”

A fiery rage surged up inside Remy and he felt his body tense, ready to spring.

“You’ll stay right there,” the man ordered, and again Remy’s eyes fell to the ring upon his finger.

He felt as though his feet had been cemented into place. “That ring,” he said, his eyes locked upon the silver piece.

“This old thing?” the man said, raising his hand. “I’ve got two of them.” He raised his other hand so Remy could see the pair. “The rings of Solomon—one controls the angelic, and the other, the demonic. I could not have achieved this greatness if it weren’t for them.” He laughed proudly. “Created by Solomon and Heaven itself to maintain balance between good and evil, but instead they helped me to achieve my most cherished desire.”

“Who are you?” Remy asked with a snarl, the crazed Seraphim within him threatening to explode from his body.

“I was nobody,” the man said. “A nobody named Simeon, until the Lord God Almighty stole away my chance at bliss . . . ripping the euphoria of being one with the universe—with God and Heaven—from my grasp and sentencing me to an everlasting eternity of misery and pain.”

Simeon glared at him with an intensity that Remy could feel, and finally, the angel understood the extent of this man’s madness and rage.

“Then I became something more . . . something terrible.” He paused as if remembering where he’d come from and where he had ended up. “Someone who made it his purpose to take away God’s joy, to tear down everything that He had built.”

Simeon looked around at his surroundings and then back to Remy.

“And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Remy seethed, fighting against the magick of Solomon’s ring, but it was to no avail.

“At first you were a nuisance, sticking your angelic nose into things that really didn’t concern you, but eventually I began to see where you might be a benefit instead of a hindrance.” He smiled at Remy. “You became my secret weapon, Remy Chandler.”

“How could I not have known?” Remy asked, more to himself than to Simeon, shaking his head in disgust. “How could I not have known that someone like you existed?”

Simeon laughed again, holding up his hand and wriggling his fingers. “Because I didn’t want you to,” he said.

Remy’s body vibrated with fury. “So, what now? You’ve accomplished your heart’s greatest desire; where do you go from here?”

Simeon began to pace. “An interesting question,” he said. “And one I’ve asked myself repeatedly.” He stopped before the frozen visages of God and the Morningstar. “When is it enough?”

He turned his head to look at Remy.

“They’re not quite dead,” he explained. “The bullet you fired could only do so much damage.” He smiled again and then chuckled. “He is God, after all.”

“He’s still alive,” Remy whispered, staring at the image of his Creator. And suddenly, he knew why he had traveled so far.

“Still alive and, most important, still suffering.”

Remy could barely comprehend the madness that was coming from the man’s mouth.

“That’s right,” Simeon said. “As far as I’m concerned, He just hasn’t suffered enough.”

Remy began to scream, his rage roiling up from within. “How dare you! To think that your petty issues are somehow worth the price of all this.”

“They are, and more,” Simeon spat. “But I’m not surprised that someone like yourself is incapable of understanding the level of offense . . . of betrayal. He was my God, and I loved Him with all my heart and soul, and He was supposed to love me, but instead He cursed me to an eternal life where the promise of euphoria in the bosom of His love was dangled in front of me like a carrot.”

Simeon was nearly hysterical. He lunged toward Remy, his face mere inches from Remy’s own. “I can make you understand,” he said, his eyes wild and insane.

Remy had no idea what was to follow as Simeon stepped back.

“I’ll teach you the pain of betrayal.”

He walked to the edge of the stairs and looked out over the broken ruins of Heaven.

“He’s here, Francis,” Simeon called out. “The one who took away your forgiveness. Come to me, Francis.” He played with his ring. “Let me give you your prize.”

Remy could hear the sound of something approaching, crying and mewling like some sort of wretched beast. He didn’t want to believe. . . . He didn’t want to