In the underground parking garage of a large mall, Cain turned off the car's engine. The ride over had been a repeat performance of the previous night's journey. Every streetlight, billboard, pedestrian, and shopfront had prompted a fresh question from Lucifer. Cain had answered them all, his patience wearing thin but never quite breaking, his tone hovering between amusement and exasperation.
He pulled the keys from the ignition and looked over at his passenger. Lucifer was still pressed close to the tinted window, her nose almost touching the glass, watching people walk to and from their cars with the fascinated intensity of a naturalist observing a new species.
"You wanna come inside with me," he asked, "or do you want to stay here and watch the cars?"
Wait, he immediately thought, is bringing her in a bad idea? It'll be so embarrassing if someone I know sees us and she starts yelling questions about escalators or mannequins. It'll be a scene.
Lucifer turned her head from the window. She looked at him, at the faintly strained expression on his face that he hadn't quite managed to mask. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're thinking," she said, her voice flat, perfectly mimicking the cadence of his internal worry. "'I don't want her to come,' aren't you?" She lifted one eyebrow, her invitation clearly in doubt.
Cain stared at her, a deep confusion settling in. Did she just read my mind? Can angels do that? Can she hear everything I think?
A wave of guilt followed the confusion. I feel bad. She must be aware of how she acts, but she just can't help her excitement. It's genuine. She's like a kid seeing everything for the first time.
Another face, familiar and fond, flashed in his memory. A friend who had once shown the same unfiltered wonder at the world's simple things.
Just like her.
Cain's expression softened into a real smile. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Even though it can be a little annoying, I do want you to come with me. I want you to see it all. I want to show you how… interesting our world can be." He reached across the center console and extended his hand to her.
Lucifer's eyes lit up with pure, unguarded happiness. But instead of taking his offered hand, she simply vanished.
One moment she was there in the passenger seat, a bright smile on her face. Next, the seat was empty.
Cain blinked. He blinked again, harder. He leaned over and peered into the footwell, then checked the back seat, as if she might have teleported there.
Okay, I am definitely awake.
He was still craning his neck, looking under the dashboard, when he heard a voice right beside his ear.
"Did you already locate the object of your search?"
He jerked his head up. Lucifer was standing outside his car door, leaning down to look at him through the open window, her face a picture of innocent curiosity. She saw him looking around inside the car, so she, too, bent to peer inside, their faces now close together through the window frame.
"I was looking for you," Cain said, his voice a mix of awe and annoyance. "Because you vanished. Can you please not do that when we're out in public? Humans get scared of things they don't understand. It causes panic. So no vanishing, okay?"
"Yes," Lucifer agreed solemnly.
Once inside the brightly lit mall, Cain immediately took Lucifer's hand in a firm grip. It was partly to guide her, but mostly to act as a physical anchor, preventing her from stopping dead in her tracks every ten feet to point at a kiosk selling phone cases, a fountain, or a giant animated screen. The strategy was only partially successful.
And then, there were the stares. As they walked through the main concourse, heads turned. Conversations hushed. It wasn't every day you saw a woman of Lucifer's impossible stature and flawless, almost luminous beauty, dressed in slightly-too-large men's clothes, being led through a suburban mall like a curious, giant child. She absorbed the attention without seeming to notice its cause, her own gaze too busy drinking in the overwhelming sensory input.
When they finally reached the vast, brightly lit supermarket section, Cain guided her to a relatively quiet spot near a pyramid of canned beans. "Okay," he said, turning to face her, his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to stay right here. Do not move from this spot. Wait for me. And please, do not do anything… unusual. I will be right back, I just need to grab some food."
Lucifer nodded, her expression serious. "I will stay here."
Cain gave her a doubtful look but headed off into the aisles with his cart, casting frequent glances over his shoulder. For her part, Lucifer stood perfectly still, as ordered. She simply observed the flow of human life around her: parents scolding children, elderly couples debating prices, teenagers laughing.
They keep looking at me, she thought, noticing the lingering glances of passersby. Ever since we entered this structure, their eyes track my movement. Do they recognize me as Lucifer? Is there a flaw in my human appearance?
Her internal audit was interrupted when a young man sauntered up to her. He was dressed in expensive-looking casual wear and had a confident, slick smile. He slowly removed his sunglasses.
"Hey there, Miss," he said, his voice smooth. "You are unbelievably beautiful. You really caught my eye. Maybe we could have a little fun together? What do you say? I can make it worth your while. Four thousand pesos. Cash."
Pesos, Lucifer thought, her interest piqued. That is the material Cain said humans exchange for goods and services. He mentioned we needed more of them. Would he be impressed if I acquired some independently?
She tilted her head, analyzing the offer. "What manner of fun do you propose?"
The man's smile widened, sensing opportunity. "I mean, we could have fun outside. In my car. It's very private." He gave her what he clearly thought was a seductive, winning smile.
"Okay," Lucifer agreed. The transaction seemed straightforward.
Minutes later, they were seated in the man's sleek, black car in a dim corner of the parking garage. He had opened the door for her with a flourish. Now, from the driver's seat, he turned to her, his earlier smile replaced by one of pure, anticipatory lust.
"Let's get started," he beamed.
"The money?" Lucifer said, holding out her hand, her tone businesslike.
The man chuckled, a low, smug sound. He pulled a folded stack of bills from his pocket and placed it in her palm. "There you go. All yours."
Lucifer took the money, examined it for a moment, then neatly tucked it into the pocket of her borrowed trousers.
" … What must I do now?" she asked.
The man, his eyes gleaming, quickly unzipped his pants. "Blow me," he said, the crudeness a stark contrast to his earlier polished demeanor.
Lucifer considered this. The phrase was unfamiliar. Was it a command for a specific type of violence? Given the context of a private transaction for 'fun,' and his exposed state, she interpreted it in the most logical way she knew.
Her eyes began to glow with a soft, ethereal golden light.
In the next second, the air inside the car compressed and then erupted.
The man's upper body exploded violently. It was a contained, precise detonation. Blood, bone, and viscera splattered across the leather seats, the dashboard, and the inside of the windshield with a wet, shocking finality. Not a single drop touched Lucifer; an invisible barrier around her caused the gore to slide down like rain on a glass dome, pooling messily on the car mats.
She looked at the headless, ruined torso slumping in the driver's seat, then at the money in her pocket.
It is strange, she pondered, utterly unperturbed. Do humans often exchange currency for assisted termination? Is this a common service?
A moment later, the passenger seat was empty. Lucifer reappeared, standing exactly in the spot Cain had left her, in front of the pyramid of canned beans. Less than a second had passed in the mall's timeline.
Not long after, Cain returned, pushing a cart full of groceries. He looked relieved to find her standing obediently where he'd left her.
"See? That wasn't so hard," he said, smiling. "You hungry? I was thinking we could grab some actual food at a restaurant before we head home. My treat."
Lucifer nodded. "I agree" She did not know what a 'restaurant' was, but it involved food, and Cain was paying, which seemed fair.
As they walked away from the supermarket section, weaving through the midday crowd, Cain glanced over at her. His eyes caught on a small, perfect, crimson dot on the pristine white collar of his polo shirt, right near her throat.
Is that a stain? he thought, a tiny, inexplicable knot of unease forming in his stomach.