Retribution

She was supposed to be on vacation, enjoying drunken nights, hiking up her skirts toward young, lewd men who gave no thought to knowing her name. On the second night of her stay in the local town, she was sitting at some random bar and taking a few shots back, enjoying the view of the beach and young people dancing when she felt Archangel Gabriel, God's little messenger appeared beside her. She didn't turn to face Gabriel, instead, Lilith waved to the bartender, and he came around to pour her another shot of whiskey.

Gabriel was very effeminate in their physical features with honey-golden hair, often resembling some ancient goddess of Rome. Gabriel could spellbound humans within the vicinity of any room or space. Whatever Gabriel had to say, all would listen and take heed. Of course, whenever Gabriel appeared in the human world, they always gave kind words for those who needed to hear it.

"I'm on vacation," Lilith said after throwing back another shot of whisky. She tried waving the bartender down, who seemed enthralled at Gabriel's appearance.

"Father of all fathers has a request." The same words Gabriel always said before delivering the rest of the message.

"Did I ever tell you how cute you are compared to your angelic siblings?"

"No, but thank you for the Earthly compliment. Fa--"

Lilith hated being reminded that she was bound to Earth for as long as she was meant to be kept here per her and God's agreement. She was able to keep some of her power to clean up the mess she made when she ran off with the one who got away from God - the one who challenged him.

"Really, you are the cute one, but Michael. If only he had a d--"

"AS I was saying, Lilith. Father--"

"Creator," Lilith interrupted Gabriel, "just Creator."

"Fine. Creator has asked that new terms be renewed for your vacation hours, and be assigned to next week."

"I knew it. I KNEW it."

"Father has extended vacation time for you. Instead of two weeks, you have a whole month after this assignment. Father says you would enjoy sending this soul's captor back to hell."

Lilith did not respond. She sat there, contemplating and cursing human words at God. She knows he knows he can hear her and he's enjoying the laugh at words she was throwing at him.

"You know I can hear every cuss word you're saying to Father."

"Your Father. Not mine."

"Father created all of us. He's still your father."

"Not in my book, Gabe." Lilith snapped her fingers at the bartender who shook himself out of the gaze at Gabriel and smiled his most kindest smile. Gabriel returned the smile, beaming, making him all the more happier.

"You need to stop that and just tell me what he wants."

Gabriel shrugged and the man, Lilith's bartender, walked away. "Hey!" But he ignored her. "Really, Gabe?"

"We need verbal confirmation and being that you are on Earth, we must abide by the rules."

Lilith rolled her eyes. She's constantly reminded of how precious the humans are with their gift of freewill. "Make it quick with the terms."

"You are to fetch the man who has been doing terrible things," Gabriel was cut off from Lilith's words.

"They all do terrible things, Gabriel."

"To women."

Lilith didn't like it when men did bad things, terrible things to women and children. When she had her full powers and walked beside Satan, she could easily kill men with the flick of her hand. She didn't even have to seduce them. They would come crawling and all she had to do was tear them apart with her sharp hands when she pretended to embrace them. Take their life force by biting their necks and sucking them dry. She reveled in the kill as their body twitched into death.

But the agreement was to not kill the human body. Only to maim, but she and God knew that would not stop possessed bodies. So she took it into her hands to do a little more.

"Father knew you wouldn't be able to let this one go. Especially with how they've been mimicking your kills from centuries ago."

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Lilith said as she finally flagged the bartender down. He poured her another drink and walked away without even looking at her or Gabriel.

"Not this one. This one is drawing attention."

"And I am to stop it?"

"Priests cannot. Four cops have died. The last death was an hour ago. No bodies have returned."

Lilith had to think, who was it that belonged to Cifer that was causing so much damage, especially towards women? And now to men.

"Well?" Gabriel interrupted her thoughts. Lilith was annoyed for Gabe's knack on interrupting her.

"You and God already know what my decision is."

"Your word?"

"New bargain. I will have a WHOLE month of vacation after this. NO interruptions. NO bending the contract. NOTHING, but peace and quiet where I can lay on the beach and have all the sex in the world."

Gabriel hesitated and then chuckled, "Father says one whole month in peace, except for the sex. You should be focusing on harnessing your powers."

"Not a deal."

"Fine, sex. But on the condition that you harness your powers through meditation."

"Blah, blah, blah. No meditation. I'm sick of that bullshit. Just peace, sex, and no interruptions for one whole month."

"Deal."

Lilith stood up off her barstool and contemplated the heat. Hell was hotter than this, and she didn't mind how the sun casted light on the skin of these humans. Lilith headed toward the beach where drunk bodies swayed to a beat, reverberating deep within her. She craved a similar rhythm, but the only person that came to mind was the one who broke her heart some eons ago. No matter how much she tried, she knew that each night she spent with someone, it was only a moment to capture something from her past.

Gabriel watched Lilith and felt the human emotion of pity for her. Father had always said that Lilith kneeled to no one, not even her then human partner, Adam. Satan, or as he was called then, Lucifer, who broke Lilith and misled her to think that Adam had no love for her. He made sure to blame it all on God's humans, that it was Eve's fault-- her son had murdered Lilith's only human child, Abel.

Gabriel decided not to stay longer. Each time they did and walked among humans, they would gain a new feeling, and understand what humans felt. Gabriel took a deep breath and heard their father call them back. Gabriel decided it was best to seek out Lilith in the morning before Michael came along.

* * * * *

Lilith found herself sauntering into the establishment with no care, ignoring the whistles and jeers men made when she walked past them. The music blasted overhead, drowning out most conversations. She felt a large number of eyes casting long glances at her. Some were filled with hatred for the way she looked - her skin. Some looked at her with lust, but of course, this was her task, to draw out the man she was looking for.

Lilith purposely wore a sheer, lilac dress with a low-cut back, revealing a single column of a scale tattoo from the nape of her neck and down her spine. This furthered more eyes as she sashayed to the bar to order a drink. The bartender was caught off guard by her petite stature and only nodded his head when she asked for a shot of tequila.

It did not take long for a man to approach her.

Lilith could sense the overbearing heat he exuded on her back. She could hear his heavy breathing laced with beer. His panting annoyed Lilith, reminding her that she was surrounded by stupid humans who couldn't get past the small city they dwelled in. Lilith wanted to turn around and punch the guy in the gut, but something told her - this one.

She purposely ignored him as she threw her head back and enjoyed the cool drink sliding down her throat. The man who stood behind her belched to get her attention, and when she didn't respond, he said, "Hey, little lady." His attempt at trying to sound smooth disgusted her already. Lilith didn't bother to respond because she knew men like him had similar tactics.

"You look like you can fill a man's thirst for the night," he added.

Lilith finally turned to face him with one raised brow. The man stood tall, nearly twice her five-foot frame. She examined him from head to toe. He was handsome at first glance and had a stocky build for his height. She continued to look down, stopping to linger at his crotch. She was not impressed and sneered as she lifted her eyes to meet his. He mistook her sneer as a compliment and glanced back to his friends, giving them a thumbs-up to confirm that he's conquered the little woman with his charm.

Lilith could sense anxiety from some people around her, especially the bartender when she raised her glass to him for another refill. She heard the bartender pour another drink and walked away. Lilith called over her should to thank him. It was her way to reassure them that she was not afraid. Lilith did not cower to men like this. She has seen worse men in her life, and even then, she did not submit. Not ever.

His voice became a little rougher when he asked, "You're gonna make me work for it, eh?" He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Bitches like you deserve to get strung up and beat so they know their place."

A woman who sat not far, heard what he had said. Lilith pretended that he had said something interesting and put her hand on his arm. She expected the man to get angry easily and hit her, but then again, he seemed like the kind that would hit a woman behind closed doors.

Lilith threw on a smile that meant something else entirely, but the human male before her mistook it for compliance. "What do you have in mind?" She spoke in her sweetest tone.

All eyes in the bar fell on her, and usually, she enjoyed the attention, but not when it was like this. No woman wanted to be harassed. No woman wanted to feel vulnerable and alone when others did not come to their aid. But this man was messing with the wrong being. She didn't feel weak, and she would never let a man try to take advantage of her. Ever again.

Lilith leaned back into the bar and watched him with a half-smile, waiting for him to respond, and there it was. The gleam in his eye shown briefly and the man grinned. She could see the monster inside him, literally grinning from ear to ear, but she could not point to which monster this was that occupied the host.

"What's your name?" She said as she folded her arms towards her body.

He smiled. For a second there, he seemed almost charming with that smile. "Name's Barry, but you can call me Big Daddy."

Lilith mentally rolled her eyes at his response and forced a smile as best as she could, repeating his name a couple of times. It was intentional on her part to stall men all while she was tasting the spirit of his name, which didn't melt in her mouth right away.

Instead, it sat pooling in the back of her throat. It was an awful taste, and she lavished it. It was rare to taste a spirit so deliciously evil in this modern age. Her eyes narrowed at him, trying to reanalyze her mission.

"So, what do you say?" Barry asked as he leaned in and propped his arms around her to cage her in.

Lilith knew this to be a form of intimidation. If it was any other woman, they would be afraid. Lilith, however, could easily grab his right arm that gripped the ledge of the bar and knock him down with a punch. It would be too easy and it would cause a ruckus. Instead, she leaned into him. She pretended to give in to his supposed, daunting presence and responded with, "I'm ready when you are."

"Good," he answered immediately, "'cause I know a place nearby."

Barry grinned and stared her down. He didn't blink, nor did she. Another intimidation, but she only mirrored back the smile he gave. Lilith could smell his body odor, which reeked strongly of onions. It wasn't the smell that distracted her. It was his memories she began to see.

They came in waves, images that flickered into a movie in Lilith's mind. She saw Barry at the gym, drenched in sweat from intense weight lifting. Another memory of Barry followed, showing a tight plastic wrapped around his right bicep. The rest of his arm was turning red while on the other hand, he a had needle that leaked a clear liquid.

One memory stood out when Lilith saw Barry eating a hamburger and drinking beer in front of a TV. The sofa he sat on appeared dull, but she gathered that the house was overall the same way. To her left, she saw a small, dark figure appear in what looked like the kitchen doorway. She was a tiny woman who wore nothing but a bra and shorts.

Half of her face looked bruised, and her voice sounded weary. Barry becomes enraged by the woman's whispered words. He throws his beer bottle at the woman who dodged it in time. The impact of the glass on the wall made a high-pitched sound that disbursed just as fast as the bottle did.

Lilith could see the tiny woman crouched down with arms over her head. There was glass in the woman's dark hair, and she was already in tears, begging Barry not to hurt her. Lilith saw through the woman's eyes, and it was Barry's fist that came down. What felt like an eternity in seeing other memories of Barry abusing and killing women was only a matter of seconds.

She leaned into Barry, putting one hand around his neck, and played with his hair. Her lips were close to his ear, and a small thought occurred to her. If anyone had walked into the bar and seen them, they would have assumed Barry and her to be lovers. That worked in her favor, even now as she ignored his stench and whispered in his ear, "We should hurry then."

Barry stood upright and watched Lilith. She could see the murderous excitement in his eyes, and he had mistaken her voice for her compliance again. Barry stepped aside and waited as she placed money on the counter and led the way to the exit. She heard his friends hollering and cheering for Barry. Lilith was confident that they wouldn't be doing so much once they learned the truth.

As she exited the establishment, she began to plan his death in mind. She wanted to do precisely what he did to the women who died by his hands, and there was no better way to do it than under the full moon.

Thank you for reading Chapter 1 of Retribution - Under the Full Moon. Chapter two will be coming soon.