The Chamber of Sins

“Number 76,” a divine voice echoed in the loudspeaker.

Robert glanced around, disorientated, as a person covered in a shiny dark clock stepped forward from the antechamber, followed by a woman in her mid-eighties. The woman’s face seemed calm and happy as she had been waiting longingly to arrive at her ultimate destination. The two of them entered the first room. Robert peeked inside for a second until the door closed, just enough to see a vast hall with various entries. Inside the room, glass elevators were going up and down, carrying the souls to the purification chambers. People dressed in golden clothes were transporting crystal balls containing a sparkling substance. They exited the room and headed towards another one at the end of the hallway.

Robert’s companions started backing up.

“Hey, hey, where are you going?” He said.

The two children were crying as they grabbed their mother’s leg.

“Come on now, don’t be afraid. Nobody will hurt you here. I am with you guys,” Robert said while trying to figure out what to do next.

He reached the first door on his right and pressed the handle, hoping to open it, but it didn’t.

“Hey, you!” A desperate voice echoed.

An undersized man strode towards the compact group and, reaching them in no time, came close to Robert’s ear.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed. “Where is Derek?”

The boy shrugged.

“How many of you?”

“Three souls, me and,” the boy enumerated and turned to see Margo. The girl wasn’t there. I am sure she was behind me. “Three souls and me,” the boy said, avoiding the man’s inquisitory eyes.

“Stay here!” Ramiel said and disappeared into the antechamber, only to return a few minutes later with a ticket in his hand.

“You,” he addressed the three souls. “Stay here and wait for me,” he said and grabbed Robert’s hand. His eyes were casting thunders over the boy’s face.

“Look, you cannot show up when wherever you want. It would be best if you stayed on Earth. You can’t be here.” He finished his speech in a low voice while monitoring the set.

“Why not? I have the key,” the boy said.

“That is not your key! It’s Azrael’s,” Ramiel raised his voice. “We have enough trouble as it is. So when you have souls to save, call Derek and send him up.”

“I will do that,” the boy said, and he observed a golden silhouette entering the mysterious chamber.

“What is it in that room?” He asked. “And those balls?”

“Go away.” Ramiel waved at the boy. “Go!”

“I will go,” the boy said, glaring at Ramiel. I am sure that is The Chamber of Sins - where all the sins are collected. Robert scoffed and exited the hall, but not before looking over his shoulder to see if he had missed Margo.

Stephionee straightened her back as she was rummaging through the glove compartment. She took out the gun and put it in its holder under her armpit. The woman felt safe there, in the dark, protected by the lurking, thirsty creatures. She looked across the street at the looming old orphanage. It’s been her second night of tabbing the building, but tonight she was tired and in great need of a hot bath and a glass of red.

The phone’s screen lit up in the dark for a second.

Can you come out?

Stephionee stared at the message, her hand trembling slightly on the keyboard.

I’m in the car

The screen switched off - no message coming from the sender. Then, a loud knocking in the window startled her.

“For the name of God,” she said and gawked through the window. Robert was grinning at her, his white teeth glowing under the moon’s pale cast. “Let me in. I am cold,” he gesticulated.

“What is going on?” he said as blowing warm air into his cupped palms and cuddled up into the passenger seat.

“You are blowing my cover. That’s what’s going on,” the woman said.

“Is she inside?” Robert asked.

“She was, not a long time ago.”

“I am hungry. Do you have something to eat?”

“Look in there,” Stephionee pointed towards the glove compartment.

Robert took out a tuna sandwich. He smelled it and threw it back.

“Too good for you?” Stephionee smirked and took the sandwich for herself. Robert glared at the woman devouring the uneditable food, and his stomach, which protested vehemently until then, got pleased only with a gulp of staled water from a bottle thrown on the car floor.

“Why do you think the accomplice will come to the orphanage? The nun is dead,” said Robert watching Stephionee licking all her five fingers noisily, trying to clean the last drops of mayonnaise. He turned his face, disgusted, trying to erase the dirty image from his mind.

“They may have information to recover.”

“They could have already obtained it when they killed her,” Robert said.

“Something evil killed her. And unfortunately, her accomplice is human,” said Stephionee.

“If you say so,” Robert said and glued his face to the cold window. The moon was hiding momentarily behind the thick grey clouds. Lights flickered inside houses as people were watching their favourite shows in the cosiness of their homes. Robert sighed.

Margo, where are you? The boy thought. The girl didn’t show up after his brief trip to Heaven.

The pale shadow of the fence surrounding the orphanage was briefly stricken by a flash of light, enough for Stephionee to jump out of the car.

“Hey, wait for me!” Robert whisper.

With fantastic agility, the woman lurked by the fence, jumped over it and disappeared from Robert’s view. The boy squinted his eyes and saw her chasing somebody through the back garden. He started running; the neighbourhood lights bounced up and down, interfering with his jumping over the small and high obstacles.

“Stephionee,” he muttered, “Wait for me,” Robert said, trying to keep up with the woman who had already jumped over the fence again, chasing the intruder outside the orphanage.

Robert passed in a hurry between two men, knocking one’s glass on the ground. It reached the concrete with a splashy noise, making everyone glare in his direction.

“Sorry,” Robert shouted and changed his course a bit. He could have flown, which would have probably made everyone count how many pints of beer they had had. Instead, he noticed Stephionee in front of him, slowing down, and he hurried to reach her.

“Where did they go?” Robert asked as he passed by her.