"Kara! Kara!"
She kept hearing her mother's screams echoing in her ears.
"Ha!" Kara gasped as she jolted upright. But the scene before her wasn't what she expected.
"Oh my God—isn't that Kara?" a girl dressed in white exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Yeah, the queen of the school. And she's not in white, which means she hasn't been taken to the morgue yet. But why would she show up here so early?" another girl added with a puzzled look.
Kara blinked in confusion. Where am I? The last thing she remembered was partying and drinking with her friend Becky. Then—flashes of headlights. A crash.
She looked at the girls again.
"Canila... Daffodil..." she whispered, recognizing them.
They were two of the people she used to bully in high school.
They died three years ago, she remembered vaguely. But no one ever said how.
Kara froze. Her body refused to move. What is this place? Why are they talking about the morgue? Am I... dead?
Just then, a scream pierced the air.
"No! No! I didn't do it! I lived a good life—please, believe me!" a middle-aged woman cried out in terror.
Two glowing beings stood before her.
"There are two books before thee," one of the angels said solemnly. "This is the Book of Life, and this, the Book of Death. Thy name is written in the latter. Lucifer claimed thee, and thou followed. Therefore, we have no authority over thee, neither does our Master. This is the end."
"No need for all that, angel. Take her home," a deep voice cut in, laced with mocking sweetness.
Lucifer.
He smiled as his dark followers seized the woman. She screamed, struggling in vain.
"Ahhh!" Her cries turned to wails of pain and torment as she was dragged into a smoke-filled tunnel.
Kara stared in horror. The screams, the smoke, the smell of burning—it was unbearable.
Could this be hell? she wondered. And Lucifer... isn't that the devil's name? Am I dreaming?
But deep within her, Kara knew the truth. She was dead. And this... this was judgment.
She looked around. People of every race and age stood in line, each one preparing to give account of their lives.
Some smiled with peace as they were led toward a radiant golden gate—heaven, Kara assumed. Others screamed like the woman as they were pulled toward the tunnel—hell.
Then she saw him again—Lucifer. A towering, fiery-red dragon with human features. His scorched skin glowed, and his eyes burned with ancient malice. Two twisted horns curled from his head.
How is this real? Kara thought, terrified.
"It's very real, my dear. Kara, isn't it?"
The voice made her turn slowly.
Lucifer stood before her now, smirking.
Instantly, Kara remembered a lesson from Sunday school when she was five:
"The devil is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. His mission is to steal, kill, and destroy."
"Ah, thinking about my mission?" Lucifer said, breaking into her thoughts.
"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked, stepping back.
"That only confirms it—you're mine." He grinned. "There was always a debate about you, Kara. Some believed you were just naive, that all you needed was guidance to reach that golden gate. They fought for you. But you drove them away when they brought you the gospel. Your mind was clouded with the darkness I planted—and you embraced it. You're one of my finest trophies."
He chuckled.
But to his surprise, Kara didn't flinch. She stared at him calmly.
"It would be nice if you stepped away from me," she said.
Lucifer paused, intrigued by her defiance. He smiled again, preparing a final retort—
But then, a voice roared across the heavens, like the sound of many waters:
"Stay away from her, and return to your place—now!"
The command thundered through the air, and at once, Lucifer cowered. Fear twisted his face as he fled into the shadows.