I asked the guard as he checked his list to see if I could get in to see Satan right away.“Go on in.”“It sounds like he has company. Maybe I should wait out here.”“Doesn’t matter; it’s bedlam in there.” The guard cocked his head toward the door. “One more or less won’t be noticed.”“Is he having a party?”“Try rebellion. They’re all in there—Baal, Asherah, Tammuz, Mammon, Molech—all the big names. It’s no party; more like a mutiny.”I made my way through the crowded foyer toward the inner sanctum. Inside were all the ranking demon gods huddled together in front of the throne. Satan was stomping back and forth, breathing fire, as the first line of demons knelt trembling in front of him. I didn’t know what it was about, but I knew how they felt.“Do you dare refuse an order?” Satan bellowed as he loomed over Baal, who kowtowed even lower before him.“N–no, sire. I would, that is, we—none of us would ever defy you.”“Then get back to the earth and do your job.”
