Daemonspawn

"You have to understand what this creature is, Linao. He's not really even a *He.* It is a demon from the pit of hell, and it wants what all demons want: the destruction and damnation of all humankind."

His words flowed over her like cold water, chilling her.

"Take every scary movie you ever saw, every nightmare that left you sleepless, every demonic scribbling you've ever seen rendered by the feeble minds of human artists..."

Painting a picture in her mind...

"And understand that, even when they are all grouped together, they encompass but a fragment of the true horror of hell. The soldiers of hell - daemonspawn - exist for one purpose only: to ensure that as many human souls as possible are damned to Gehenna for all eternity."

This was too much. She couldn't handle it.

He pressed on, relentless. "Think of people you know, Linao. People you hold dear. Think of your family."

He couldn't do this to her, he just couldn't... The faces she now saw in her head belonged to Manuel... to Dominick... little Trini.

"Now think of them burning alive, but the flames don't consume their flesh... They just burn forever, in agony, and it never stops."

And that was it, the clincher. The tears that she had been holding back spilled over her lashes and tracked down her cheeks.

Softly, he continued.

"No matter how long they burn, how long they scream, how long they writhe in agony, they are just beginning... forever. This is what Azael represents. This is what we are trying to fight. This is why we need you."

She remained silent, tears still coursing down her face.

summary written by Cherie