He shakes his head.
“No, it isn’t. It’s a myth. You have no idea how ugly the early days were here. We needed to forget all this and when we did, we needed something to replace it.”
The old man in the basement had it right. Give people what they want.
“It’s over now. This place and the story. Both of you. Toss those cans or I’ll do it and toss you in with them.”
Geryon and Elephant Man push open the doors and throw the open cans inside. I pull a couple of road flares from storage, spark them, and throw them into the dark. The gas explodes, knocking me flat on my ass. Elephant Man helps me to my feet and walks me to the truck. He pulls out the rest of the bodies from the cab and helps me into the passenger seat. Geryon gets in and sits on the little jump seat between us as Elephant pulls the rest of the roadkill and dead soldiers out and leaves them on the road.
“Is it just us?”
Geryon nods.
“It seems that way.”
Elephant Man brings the jerry cans of gas from the second Unimog and secures them in the back.
“I’m not looking forward to going back through the rings,” says Geryon.
“I’ll bet you a dollar they’re not there anymore. Why would they be? Maleephas is probably dead and the Breach is burning. The hoodoo that hid them is probably gone, too.”
“I hope so.”
I sleep most of the way back. I’m a fast healer, so the wound has stopped bleeding by the time we can see the lights of Pandemonium. Elephant Man stops the truck to pour fuel from one of the cans into the tank.
“You’re intent on telling the people the truth about Henoch and Maleephas when we get back?”
“Damn straight.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Hell is a wreck. Forgetting who and what you are isn’t how you start putting things back together.”
Geryon claps his hands together.
“Lessons in ethics and morality from Sandman Slim. Who would have thought?”
Geryon pours a shot of Aqua Regia into a glass and we drink together. He pours a shot into another glass for Elephant Man when he gets back.
“In many ways this has been a disheartening trip,” says Geryon.
“Which part? The hundred dead guys or Maleephas and me wrecking your fairy tale?”
“The hundred are a tragedy. The rest is your fault.”
I sit up. The wound makes me wince.
“What’s my fault?”
Geryon nods past me.
“That.”
I look at Elephant Man. He’s slumped against the door, the glass of Aqua Regia still in his hand. I pull my knife and hold it to Geryon’s throat.
“You poisoned him to keep your secret? Did you slip me some, too? Trust me, I can take your head off before I go down.”
“I would never kill you, Lord Lucifer. And you are Lucifer now. You defeated the Henoch, the evil one, and his beasts and I’ll sing your praises to all of Pandemonium. Hell needs a brave and glorious Lucifer if it’s to rebuild.”