Sky sprinted down her street in her ripped blue jeans and loose white sweater. Survival was the only thing on her mind. Her dark brown ponytail swung from left to right, and the wind brought tears to her eyes. She had no idea where her parents were. The last time she had seen them they had been on their way out of the house. A few minutes later the attacks had started.
Three angels flew above the suburban houses with their great white wings. Every few minutes they would shout something in their musical voices, and buildings would crumble to the ground. Every time one of the buildings would crumble, screams rose into the air.
A voice that sounded like a church choir shouted at Sky. She had no idea what the angel said, but she did not stop to find out.
The flapping of wings from behind her reminded Sky that angels could fly much faster than a person could run. A winged shadow covered her, and the angel swooped down. Sky closed her eyes and prayed that the end would be quick.
She cried out when the angel fell on top of her in a mess of feathers and armor. It felt like every single bone in her body had shattered on impact. Gasping for air, she tried to get up, but Sky couldn’t move the angel. He was either knocked out or dead, and Sky feared that she would be joining him soon.
“I found him,” a woman’s voice announced somewhere close to Sky and the angel.
The speaker soon appeared over Sky. She looked like she was around twenty-five years old. Light brown hair fell over her right shoulder, and Sky swore she could see genuine concern in the woman’s brown eyes. “I found someone else too,” the woman said. Sky noticed that she was speaking into a headset.
“I’m Fayth,” she said to Sky, “and don’t worry, we’ll have you out of this predicament soon.” She looked back the way Sky had run from, back to the city proper. “It looks like the other angels are busy. We won’t be bothered.”
Fayth threw the angel of Sky with surprising ease. Her tight black clothes seemed to be less restricting than they looked. Sky sat up, wincing in pain with every movement. Small cuts crisscrossed her arm in places where the angel’s armor had nicked her. Thankfully, the angel’s sword had fallen far away from her.
“Let me look at your wounds.” Fayth crouched beside Sky. Now that Sky could get a good look at her savior, she considered her. Fayth reminded Sky of some of the stronger girls in her high school cheerleading team. She was shorter than Sky, but, while Sky was thin, Fayth had a toned body. Her tanned hands showed signs of labor.
“You might have a broken rib or two, but with some rest you’ll be just fine,” Fayth said, interrupting Sky’s thoughts. She looked at the angel. He lay splayed out on the pavement. White wings framed his body. Glittering golden armor covered him, and a helmet hid his face. He looked inhumanly strong. “I’m glad he wasn’t too high up when I shot him, or else you would be worse off.”
“You shot him?” Sky asked, feeling recovered enough to speak.
Fayth smiled at her. “You didn’t think angels just fell out of the sky, did you?”
Sky laughed, regretting it instantly. The pain in her ribs made her groan. “We should probably get you to someone who can help more than I can,” Fayth paused, as if asking for a name.
“Sky. My name is Sky.”
“Wonderful,” Fayth answered.
Fayth led Sky back to the city proper. They had left the dead angel where he lay. Sky wasn’t too happy about returning the way she had come, but Fayth assured her it was the easiest way to get out of White Valley. Somehow, Sky found that hard to believe.
“How will we get out of here exactly?” Sky asked. People in the direction they had come from, and she wished she was running with them.
“My people should be able to get some transportation into the city.” Fayth looked both ways before crossing a street. “They told me I would find them at the church in the center of the city.” White Valley Church was the biggest church in the city.
Sky walked alongside Fayth, using a tree branch as a crutch. It lessened the pain, but she still felt weak and dizzy. “Why did the angels attack us?” Sky asked after they walked for a few minutes. “I thought President Michael said they were supposed to help us.” They hadn’t seen any angels since they had started walking, but Sky expected one to jump out and assault her any moment now.
Fayth turned to look at Sky. She held a gun in her hands. It was small, but other than that Sky had no idea how to describe it. “We believe it was President Michael’s fault this happened,” Fayth said.
Sky stopped in her tracks. If it wasn’t for the crutch, she would have fallen. “Why would he want to destroy White Valley?”
“White Valley isn’t the only city,” Fayth said. “We’ve heard that cities all over America are being attacked.”
Sky was about to ask why Fayth and her people were here and not in some more important city when she heard a cracking sound from above her head. Something hit her side, and she went down. A crash rang out and dust filled the air.
The dust cleared and Sky found herself under Fayth. Her heart beat so fast she feared it would explode out of her chest. Fayth stood up and held out a hand to her. Sky took it and lifted herself up. “What happened?” she asked.
“The buildings are falling apart.” Fayth scrutinized the large piece of concrete lying on the ground where Sky had been standing.
Sky balanced herself, using Fayth as support. “It’s like someone is trying to kill me,” she said with a half-hearted grin.
Fayth looked at her. “I think you may be right.”
“Who would want to kill me?” Sky asked as Fayth hand her the makeshift crutch. It made no sense. Weird things weren’t supposed to happen to teenage girls living in the suburbs of White Valley.
“I don’t know.” Fayth started walking. “We better hurry.”
Something in Fayth’s expression made Sky feel scared for herself. She decided it would be better to escape from the city as soon as she could.
Fayth held her hand up after they had only taken a few steps. “Wait.”
Sky felt her heartbeat speed up again. The light around the dimmed, and the air felt heavy. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the beast that now stood in front of them.
Horns curled out of the beast’s head. Black fur covered most of its red skin, thick on its goat-like legs and thinning as it progressed up the creature’s body. Red eyes burrowed into Sky’s mind, and the beast grinned devilishly. It reminded Sky of the pictures of satyrs she had seen once.
“What are you?” Fayth asked. She pointed her gun at it.
The creature laughed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“They’re as theatrical as most humans I’ve met,” Fayth said, coughing into the crook of her arm.
“What was it?” Sky asked.
“It was a demon,” Fayth said, looking at her. “Are you okay?”
Sky felt the dizziness overtake her and the blood drain out of her face. “I can’t…”
Fayth caught her before she fell and lay her on the ground. She pulled out a juice box from somewhere on her person and broke the seal with the straw. “Drink,” she said.
Sky took small sips of the juice. Slowly, she felt herself come back from the brink of faintness. The world grew into focus, and she was awake. “It tried to kill me,” she said.
“I think there’s something special about you,” Fayth said, stroking Sky’s forehead, “and Michael wishes to make use of it.”
“We need to get out of here,” Sky said. “I can’t stay in this city.”
They started walking into the city proper once again. Sky still walked slower than she would like, but every step forward was progress.
“I think you need a weapon,” Fayth said suddenly. “If I’m right that demon back there was not the last time you will be attacked.”
“I don’t know how to use a gun,” Sky said, but having a weapon would at least provide a small line of defense between her and whoever was trying to kill her.
Fayth stopped walking. “I’ll give you a crash course.”
“We don’t have time,” Sky protested, wishing that Fayth would start walking again.
“Hm, you’re right. Here. Take this one.” Fayth handed Sky a small, black gun. “Don’t fire it until they’re really close.”
Sky nodded and stuck the gun in her pocket. It held a comforting presence for her.
The closer they got to the center of the city the more corpses and destruction they saw. Women and children were sprawled out on the sidewalk, contorted into nightmarish shapes, and all around them lay rubble. A middle-aged man sat in the middle of the road beside the body of an old man. Tears streamed down the middle-aged man’s face. Once, they saw an angel, but it flew high above them, and didn’t seem to notice them.
Cars were left in the middle of the road. From recent events in the news, Sky remembered that angels had the power to ruin technology. Anyone who tried to escape left on foot.
Walking alongside Fayth, Sky remembered the conversation that had been interrupted by the falling concrete. “Fayth, why would anyone do all of this?”
“Michael— President Nilsen is trying to create a new, perfect world,” Fayth said, “or at least that’s what my superiors have told me.”
Fayth sounded like she knew more than she would say, but Sky decided not to force her to speak. It wouldn’t do them any good to become estranged on the dangerous walk to the center of the city.
The small pieces of information she had received gave her something to ponder over anyways. The demon they had met after the fall of the building had been trying to kill her, and had that been the angel’s purpose as well? She placed her hand over the gun in her pocket, feeling its shape.
“Where are the angels?” Fayth asked, looking around at the rubble. “They’ve hardly begun to destroy this city.”
It was true. More buildings were standing than toppled, and they hadn’t seen a single angel in a long time. An eerie quiet spread out across White Valley as if everyone was holding their breath. The people they saw were trying to make their way out of the city unnoticed.
A voice that sounded as deep as the ocean spoke out to them. “Do you really want to know where all the angels have gone?”
Fayth pointed her gun in the direction that the voice came from. A demon, very like the one they had met before, stepped out of the shadows. Horns that were longer than the other demon’s protruded from his head, and it looked more intelligent. “Who are you?” Fayth asked.
“I am Azazel Lord of the Se’irim and commander of the angels that have destroyed this city,” the demon said. “I’ve come for the girl.”
“You can’t have her.” Fayth fired at the demon. The bullet hit him right in the stomach. Azazel only laughed.
Sky took a few steps back. Only her injured leg kept her from bolting down the street. “Why do you want me?” she asked the demon.
“I don’t want or need you,” Azazel said. He walked closer to both of them. Fayth tried to fire at him again, but the demon raised his hand and her gun flew out of her hands. “But,” Azazel continued, “Archangel Michael wants and needs you.” The demon gestured to the manacle on one of his wrists. “And I am bound to do as the archangel wishes.”
The demon’s pupiless, red eyes froze Sky to the spot where she stood. Run! Her mind screamed at her, but she couldn’t. Azazel stroked her cheek with his clawed hands. His eyes suddenly turned yellow, and desire filled his eyes. “You’re pretty for a human.”
“Leave her alone,” Fayth shouted, but Sky knew that there was nothing she could do to save her.
Azazel drew his claws down Sky’s neck. She expected pain, but what she felt was worse. Animalistic lust filled her. The demon laughed, and Sky could tell that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Claws reached the top of her chest, and, with a horrendous grin, Azazel continued. Sky’s mind was a mess of thoughts. The demon induced lust fought against her disgust. One word broke through the muddle that was her mind.
“Burn,” Sky said in an inaudible whisper. The word came out of nowhere, but it felt like the right thing to say.
“What was that?” Azazel asked, and then the demon screamed. He drew his hand back and clutched it to his chest. The skin on his hand had turned an ugly black. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Sky saw herself reflected in Azazel’s now black eyes and knew that he feared her.
Fayth’s foot caught Azazel on the side of his head. He crumbled to the ground like one of the buildings Sky had seen fall. “Let’s go,” Fayth said.
“I think he’ll wake up soon,” Sky said and started to run after Fayth. It took her a few minutes to realize that she no longer needed the crutch. Whatever she had done to Azazel seemed to have healed her as well.
They finally reached the center of the city with little trouble. Even though they saw no one once they left the outskirts, neither angel nor human, Sky kept feeling like someone was watching her. She wondered if Azazel was now making his way towards her.
“We need to get to the church,” Fayth said while they took a moment to rest. She was messing with the headset Sky had seen her using when the angel fell on top of her. Sky wondered why the headset still worked when everything else electrical had been ruined by angels.
“Who exactly are your people?” Sky asked after a moment. Ever since Azazel had touched her, doubt entered her mind, and she hoped that asking Fayth more questions would make her feel less nervous about what lay ahead.
“We’re an organization of ex-US agents,” Fayth said. “Dorian Gregersen leads us against President Nilsen.”
“President Gregersen?” Sky asked. Dorian Gregersen had been the president right before Nilsen. As far as Sky knew he had been a good president.
“Indirectly, it’s his fault this is all happening,” Fayth said, gesturing at all the rubble around him. “He made and broke some treaties he shouldn’t have and Michael took advantage of that.”
Fayth made a few more adjustments to her equipment and then looked at Sky. “There, now we can run again.”
The church lay only one or two blocks away from where they had taken their break. The closer they got to it the more activity they noticed. Other people either ran away from the city center or towards it. None of them looked as calm as Sky felt she and Fayth looked. Frequently, the shadows of angels passed above them, but they paid little mind to the humans running around the city. Every single one of them was heading towards the church.
They found the church surrounded by a group of twenty angels. They hovered above it in their golden armor, but other than that they did nothing. It looked like they were waiting for something or someone. “How are we going to get in there?” Sky asked.
“Quickly, I’ve been told that the church can actually provide some protection from the angels.” Fayth began to reload her guns. “If we can get in there I think we’ll be safe.”
Sky’s eyes followed the path from where they stood to the entrance of the church. Over it hovered the menacing angels, and she realized that she didn’t think they could make it. “It’s a long way to go.”
“And that’s why you have me.” Fayth fired at one of the angels. The angel crashed to the ground, throwing up dust. “Run!” she shouted at Sky.
The command threw Sky into action. She ran to the church. One of the angels tried to swoop down and grab her, but he suddenly twisted and fell to the ground. Two angels flew after Fayth while the others flew for Sky, bullet shots kept her safe.
Sky arrived at the entrance to the church relatively unmolested. She turned back to see that Fayth was gone, but the angels seemed reluctant to get close enough to the church to capture her. Sky entered the building.
The sound of prayer greeted her, only it was in no language she understood. The room she had entered was a small nook cut off from the rest of the church by double doors. Flickering candles allowed shadows to play in the places their light couldn’t reach. A strange smell pervaded the building. Sky assumed it was incense. She waited for someone to notice she had arrived. No one did, so she decided to walk deeper into the church.
The double doors opened out to a large room. More candles lighted it. Sky walked down the center of the room. On either side of her were wooden benches. At the end of her walk she found the people praying gathered around a crucifix. They knelt before the crucifix and chanted. Grey robes covered their whole body.
Sky felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped.
The hand lifted off her shoulder quickly. “I’m sorry,” the person, a man, said.
Sky turned around and found herself looking up at Dorian Gregersen. He looked older than she remembered. The ex-president wore a suit and tie. Dark circles covered his eyes, and a five o’clock shadow stood out against the white skin of his jaw. “It’s okay. I was just surprised,” Sky said.
“Are you the one Fayth told us about?” he asked her as he studied her. Sky felt self-conscious under his scrutiny.
“Um, I think so,” she answered, not entirely sure of what to say.
Dorian looked around. “Where is Agent Fayth?”
“The last time I saw her she was a few feet away from the entrance of the church. She gave me enough time to make it here.”
The ex-president ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Agent Fayth should be fine,” he said, not sounding very convincing.
“President Gregersen—”
“Please, call me Dorian,” he said with a smile.
Sky smiled back and continued with her question. “Dorian, who are all of these people?” She gestured to the people kneeling before the crucifix. They were still praying in their gray robes.
“They are the Gray Monks,” Dorian said. He pointed to a corner of the room. “And they are the members of my organization, Agent Fayth’s partners.”
A group of six agents stood where Dorian had pointed. They wore the same dark clothes that Fayth had been wearing. One of them smiled Sky. “What are we waiting for?” she asked Dorian.
“Dorian!” The shout came from outside of the temple. It was Azazel’s voice.
“That,” the ex-president said with a grimace.
Sky followed Dorian to the entrance room of the church. Agents had already spread out in the room with their guns drawn, ready for whatever stood outside. Back in the large room, the Gray Monks continued praying as the ex-president opened the door.
Azazel stood outside of the church. The angels all hovered above him, and Sky could see that his burnt hand was healed. “I came for the girl,” he said.
“You can’t have her.” Dorian gave Azazel a menacing glare. “Take your abominations back to Michael and leave us alone.”
“Archangel Michael’s angels are not abominations,” Azazel said with a grin. “They have been purified of all evil.”
The angels didn’t react to the conversation going on below them. They only stared at Azazel impassively. Sky assumed they were waiting for a signal.
“Michael messed with magic he should have left alone,” Dorian said. “These angels were once people. Let them have their lives back.”
“You’re being a hypocrite, Dorian.” The demon purred the ex-president’s name. “You were the one that released me and made promises you could never keep.”
“The Gray Monks have forgiven my transgressions.” Sky could see the shame in Dorian’s eyes as he spoke.
Sky turned around, startled by the quiet rustling of robes. One of the Gray Monks was walking towards them. She could see nothing in the shadow of the monk’s hood. The monk ignored her and walked right to where Dorian stood.
“Begone demon,” the monk said in an old, tired voice. “Leave the girl with us.”
“You no longer hold any power over me,” Azazel said to the monk. The demon flicked his wrist. Se’irim appeared out of thin air. The goat-like demons glared at the Gray Monk.
“The girl will stay with us,” the Gray Monk said.
Sky wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Both factions seemed to see her as a thing to be possessed, but she would rather have Dorian’s kind smile in front of her than Azazel’s leer.
“Maybe we should let the girl decide for herself,” Azazel said. He flicked his wrist again and Fayth appeared in mid-air. Blood trickled down the agent’s face, but other than that she did not appear to be harmed. A split-second later two more people appeared.
“Mom! Dad!” Sky cried out, realizing she hadn’t spared her parents barely half a thought the whole time she had been with Fayth. They didn’t appear to be wounded, but Sky knew she had to get them away from Azazel. Sky ran to the church door, but Dorian caught her before she could take a step outside.
“Give them back to us,” Dorian said to Azazel.
“They are yours, if,” Azazel said, “the girl comes with us.”
“We can’t let that happen.” Dorian kept his grip on Sky’s shoulder. Sky didn’t even try to struggle.
“Well, then,” Azazel said. “I can’t leave without the girl, so I guess we’ll have to take her by force.”
“Our spells keep you out,” the Gray Monk said. “You cannot enter this holy house.”
“Did you not hear what I said, monk?” Azazel grinned and Fayth along with Sky’s parents fell to the ground. At the same time the demon’s voice roared, “You no longer hold any power over me.”
The Gray Monk fell back at the demon’s roar. He raised his hand and began to chant a fervent prayer. Dorian’s agents fired their guns at Azazel, but the bullets fell to the ground before they reached him.
Sky broke free of Dorian, but she found that she had no idea what to do. She just stood at the entrance watching as Azazel overcame the Gray Monk’s spell.
The Gray Monk raised his voice, and for a moment Azazel paused, struggled to move, and took another step forward.
On the ground in front of the demon lay Fayth. With every step he came closer to stepping on her. It was in those seconds that Sky realized what she had to do. “Dorian,” she said to the ex-president, “tell your agents to rescue Fayth.”
The teenage girl in her blue jeans and white sweater ran out to meet the demon. As she passed by the Gray Monk, he faltered in his prayer, and Azazel took eager steps forward. Then, the monk resumed his spell.
Dorian tried to run after Sky, but it was too late to save her. She threw herself at Azazel. The demon held his arms open wide to catch her, but the force of her leap sent him sprawling to the ground.
The demon sneered and tried to rise from the ground. Sky felt all the pain and fear she had held in check throughout the whole adventure bubble up to the surface. In a flash she remembered the word she had spoken the last time Azazel touched her.
“Burn!” she shouted at Azazel with all the weight of her emotions behind it.
This time he heard her, but he didn’t have time to react as white flames engulfed him. Azazel rushed to his feet, throwing Sky off of him. She fell to the concrete then rolled away from the demon and stood up.
The demon screamed and raged. The smell of burning flesh rose off of him. With one last roar he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. The angels that still flew over the church were beginning to lessen in number as Dorian’s agents shot them out of the sky. When Azazel disappeared, they flew away from the city with one last cry of pain.
Sky found herself in Dorian’s arms. The ex-president held her tight against his chest, and he smelled like her father’s cologne, and suddenly Sky just wanted to be safe. “What happened to Fayth?” she asked weakly.
“Your parents and Agent Fayth have been rescued.” Dorian released her from his embrace but held on to her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. Concern filled his, but Sky didn’t know how to react. “They are waiting for us inside the church.” He let go of her shoulders and turned to walk into the old building. He paused when he noticed she wasn’t moving. “Come with us.”
“I’m afraid,” Sky said, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
Dorian’s kind smile lit up his face. “We won’t hurt you.”
Sky shook her head. “What am I?”
Dorian walked back to where he had left her standing. “The Gray Monks will answer all the questions you have. They’re powerful.” He paused. “You just have to follow me.”
She nodded and followed Dorian back into the church. She noticed that the monks had stopped praying as the shadows and scent of incense welcomed her into their embrace.
Three angels flew above the suburban houses with their great white wings. Every few minutes they would shout something in their musical voices, and buildings would crumble to the ground. Every time one of the buildings would crumble, screams rose into the air.
A voice that sounded like a church choir shouted at Sky. She had no idea what the angel said, but she did not stop to find out.
The flapping of wings from behind her reminded Sky that angels could fly much faster than a person could run. A winged shadow covered her, and the angel swooped down. Sky closed her eyes and prayed that the end would be quick.
She cried out when the angel fell on top of her in a mess of feathers and armor. It felt like every single bone in her body had shattered on impact. Gasping for air, she tried to get up, but Sky couldn’t move the angel. He was either knocked out or dead, and Sky feared that she would be joining him soon.
“I found him,” a woman’s voice announced somewhere close to Sky and the angel.
The speaker soon appeared over Sky. She looked like she was around twenty-five years old. Light brown hair fell over her right shoulder, and Sky swore she could see genuine concern in the woman’s brown eyes. “I found someone else too,” the woman said. Sky noticed that she was speaking into a headset.
“I’m Fayth,” she said to Sky, “and don’t worry, we’ll have you out of this predicament soon.” She looked back the way Sky had run from, back to the city proper. “It looks like the other angels are busy. We won’t be bothered.”
Fayth threw the angel of Sky with surprising ease. Her tight black clothes seemed to be less restricting than they looked. Sky sat up, wincing in pain with every movement. Small cuts crisscrossed her arm in places where the angel’s armor had nicked her. Thankfully, the angel’s sword had fallen far away from her.
“Let me look at your wounds.” Fayth crouched beside Sky. Now that Sky could get a good look at her savior, she considered her. Fayth reminded Sky of some of the stronger girls in her high school cheerleading team. She was shorter than Sky, but, while Sky was thin, Fayth had a toned body. Her tanned hands showed signs of labor.
“You might have a broken rib or two, but with some rest you’ll be just fine,” Fayth said, interrupting Sky’s thoughts. She looked at the angel. He lay splayed out on the pavement. White wings framed his body. Glittering golden armor covered him, and a helmet hid his face. He looked inhumanly strong. “I’m glad he wasn’t too high up when I shot him, or else you would be worse off.”
“You shot him?” Sky asked, feeling recovered enough to speak.
Fayth smiled at her. “You didn’t think angels just fell out of the sky, did you?”
Sky laughed, regretting it instantly. The pain in her ribs made her groan. “We should probably get you to someone who can help more than I can,” Fayth paused, as if asking for a name.
“Sky. My name is Sky.”
“Wonderful,” Fayth answered.
Fayth led Sky back to the city proper. They had left the dead angel where he lay. Sky wasn’t too happy about returning the way she had come, but Fayth assured her it was the easiest way to get out of White Valley. Somehow, Sky found that hard to believe.
“How will we get out of here exactly?” Sky asked. People in the direction they had come from, and she wished she was running with them.
“My people should be able to get some transportation into the city.” Fayth looked both ways before crossing a street. “They told me I would find them at the church in the center of the city.” White Valley Church was the biggest church in the city.
Sky walked alongside Fayth, using a tree branch as a crutch. It lessened the pain, but she still felt weak and dizzy. “Why did the angels attack us?” Sky asked after they walked for a few minutes. “I thought President Michael said they were supposed to help us.” They hadn’t seen any angels since they had started walking, but Sky expected one to jump out and assault her any moment now.
Fayth turned to look at Sky. She held a gun in her hands. It was small, but other than that Sky had no idea how to describe it. “We believe it was President Michael’s fault this happened,” Fayth said.
Sky stopped in her tracks. If it wasn’t for the crutch, she would have fallen. “Why would he want to destroy White Valley?”
“White Valley isn’t the only city,” Fayth said. “We’ve heard that cities all over America are being attacked.”
Sky was about to ask why Fayth and her people were here and not in some more important city when she heard a cracking sound from above her head. Something hit her side, and she went down. A crash rang out and dust filled the air.
The dust cleared and Sky found herself under Fayth. Her heart beat so fast she feared it would explode out of her chest. Fayth stood up and held out a hand to her. Sky took it and lifted herself up. “What happened?” she asked.
“The buildings are falling apart.” Fayth scrutinized the large piece of concrete lying on the ground where Sky had been standing.
Sky balanced herself, using Fayth as support. “It’s like someone is trying to kill me,” she said with a half-hearted grin.
Fayth looked at her. “I think you may be right.”
“Who would want to kill me?” Sky asked as Fayth hand her the makeshift crutch. It made no sense. Weird things weren’t supposed to happen to teenage girls living in the suburbs of White Valley.
“I don’t know.” Fayth started walking. “We better hurry.”
Something in Fayth’s expression made Sky feel scared for herself. She decided it would be better to escape from the city as soon as she could.
Fayth held her hand up after they had only taken a few steps. “Wait.”
Sky felt her heartbeat speed up again. The light around the dimmed, and the air felt heavy. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the beast that now stood in front of them.
Horns curled out of the beast’s head. Black fur covered most of its red skin, thick on its goat-like legs and thinning as it progressed up the creature’s body. Red eyes burrowed into Sky’s mind, and the beast grinned devilishly. It reminded Sky of the pictures of satyrs she had seen once.
“What are you?” Fayth asked. She pointed her gun at it.
The creature laughed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“They’re as theatrical as most humans I’ve met,” Fayth said, coughing into the crook of her arm.
“What was it?” Sky asked.
“It was a demon,” Fayth said, looking at her. “Are you okay?”
Sky felt the dizziness overtake her and the blood drain out of her face. “I can’t…”
Fayth caught her before she fell and lay her on the ground. She pulled out a juice box from somewhere on her person and broke the seal with the straw. “Drink,” she said.
Sky took small sips of the juice. Slowly, she felt herself come back from the brink of faintness. The world grew into focus, and she was awake. “It tried to kill me,” she said.
“I think there’s something special about you,” Fayth said, stroking Sky’s forehead, “and Michael wishes to make use of it.”
“We need to get out of here,” Sky said. “I can’t stay in this city.”
They started walking into the city proper once again. Sky still walked slower than she would like, but every step forward was progress.
“I think you need a weapon,” Fayth said suddenly. “If I’m right that demon back there was not the last time you will be attacked.”
“I don’t know how to use a gun,” Sky said, but having a weapon would at least provide a small line of defense between her and whoever was trying to kill her.
Fayth stopped walking. “I’ll give you a crash course.”
“We don’t have time,” Sky protested, wishing that Fayth would start walking again.
“Hm, you’re right. Here. Take this one.” Fayth handed Sky a small, black gun. “Don’t fire it until they’re really close.”
Sky nodded and stuck the gun in her pocket. It held a comforting presence for her.
The closer they got to the center of the city the more corpses and destruction they saw. Women and children were sprawled out on the sidewalk, contorted into nightmarish shapes, and all around them lay rubble. A middle-aged man sat in the middle of the road beside the body of an old man. Tears streamed down the middle-aged man’s face. Once, they saw an angel, but it flew high above them, and didn’t seem to notice them.
Cars were left in the middle of the road. From recent events in the news, Sky remembered that angels had the power to ruin technology. Anyone who tried to escape left on foot.
Walking alongside Fayth, Sky remembered the conversation that had been interrupted by the falling concrete. “Fayth, why would anyone do all of this?”
“Michael— President Nilsen is trying to create a new, perfect world,” Fayth said, “or at least that’s what my superiors have told me.”
Fayth sounded like she knew more than she would say, but Sky decided not to force her to speak. It wouldn’t do them any good to become estranged on the dangerous walk to the center of the city.
The small pieces of information she had received gave her something to ponder over anyways. The demon they had met after the fall of the building had been trying to kill her, and had that been the angel’s purpose as well? She placed her hand over the gun in her pocket, feeling its shape.
“Where are the angels?” Fayth asked, looking around at the rubble. “They’ve hardly begun to destroy this city.”
It was true. More buildings were standing than toppled, and they hadn’t seen a single angel in a long time. An eerie quiet spread out across White Valley as if everyone was holding their breath. The people they saw were trying to make their way out of the city unnoticed.
A voice that sounded as deep as the ocean spoke out to them. “Do you really want to know where all the angels have gone?”
Fayth pointed her gun in the direction that the voice came from. A demon, very like the one they had met before, stepped out of the shadows. Horns that were longer than the other demon’s protruded from his head, and it looked more intelligent. “Who are you?” Fayth asked.
“I am Azazel Lord of the Se’irim and commander of the angels that have destroyed this city,” the demon said. “I’ve come for the girl.”
“You can’t have her.” Fayth fired at the demon. The bullet hit him right in the stomach. Azazel only laughed.
Sky took a few steps back. Only her injured leg kept her from bolting down the street. “Why do you want me?” she asked the demon.
“I don’t want or need you,” Azazel said. He walked closer to both of them. Fayth tried to fire at him again, but the demon raised his hand and her gun flew out of her hands. “But,” Azazel continued, “Archangel Michael wants and needs you.” The demon gestured to the manacle on one of his wrists. “And I am bound to do as the archangel wishes.”
The demon’s pupiless, red eyes froze Sky to the spot where she stood. Run! Her mind screamed at her, but she couldn’t. Azazel stroked her cheek with his clawed hands. His eyes suddenly turned yellow, and desire filled his eyes. “You’re pretty for a human.”
“Leave her alone,” Fayth shouted, but Sky knew that there was nothing she could do to save her.
Azazel drew his claws down Sky’s neck. She expected pain, but what she felt was worse. Animalistic lust filled her. The demon laughed, and Sky could tell that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Claws reached the top of her chest, and, with a horrendous grin, Azazel continued. Sky’s mind was a mess of thoughts. The demon induced lust fought against her disgust. One word broke through the muddle that was her mind.
“Burn,” Sky said in an inaudible whisper. The word came out of nowhere, but it felt like the right thing to say.
“What was that?” Azazel asked, and then the demon screamed. He drew his hand back and clutched it to his chest. The skin on his hand had turned an ugly black. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Sky saw herself reflected in Azazel’s now black eyes and knew that he feared her.
Fayth’s foot caught Azazel on the side of his head. He crumbled to the ground like one of the buildings Sky had seen fall. “Let’s go,” Fayth said.
“I think he’ll wake up soon,” Sky said and started to run after Fayth. It took her a few minutes to realize that she no longer needed the crutch. Whatever she had done to Azazel seemed to have healed her as well.
They finally reached the center of the city with little trouble. Even though they saw no one once they left the outskirts, neither angel nor human, Sky kept feeling like someone was watching her. She wondered if Azazel was now making his way towards her.
“We need to get to the church,” Fayth said while they took a moment to rest. She was messing with the headset Sky had seen her using when the angel fell on top of her. Sky wondered why the headset still worked when everything else electrical had been ruined by angels.
“Who exactly are your people?” Sky asked after a moment. Ever since Azazel had touched her, doubt entered her mind, and she hoped that asking Fayth more questions would make her feel less nervous about what lay ahead.
“We’re an organization of ex-US agents,” Fayth said. “Dorian Gregersen leads us against President Nilsen.”
“President Gregersen?” Sky asked. Dorian Gregersen had been the president right before Nilsen. As far as Sky knew he had been a good president.
“Indirectly, it’s his fault this is all happening,” Fayth said, gesturing at all the rubble around him. “He made and broke some treaties he shouldn’t have and Michael took advantage of that.”
Fayth made a few more adjustments to her equipment and then looked at Sky. “There, now we can run again.”
The church lay only one or two blocks away from where they had taken their break. The closer they got to it the more activity they noticed. Other people either ran away from the city center or towards it. None of them looked as calm as Sky felt she and Fayth looked. Frequently, the shadows of angels passed above them, but they paid little mind to the humans running around the city. Every single one of them was heading towards the church.
They found the church surrounded by a group of twenty angels. They hovered above it in their golden armor, but other than that they did nothing. It looked like they were waiting for something or someone. “How are we going to get in there?” Sky asked.
“Quickly, I’ve been told that the church can actually provide some protection from the angels.” Fayth began to reload her guns. “If we can get in there I think we’ll be safe.”
Sky’s eyes followed the path from where they stood to the entrance of the church. Over it hovered the menacing angels, and she realized that she didn’t think they could make it. “It’s a long way to go.”
“And that’s why you have me.” Fayth fired at one of the angels. The angel crashed to the ground, throwing up dust. “Run!” she shouted at Sky.
The command threw Sky into action. She ran to the church. One of the angels tried to swoop down and grab her, but he suddenly twisted and fell to the ground. Two angels flew after Fayth while the others flew for Sky, bullet shots kept her safe.
Sky arrived at the entrance to the church relatively unmolested. She turned back to see that Fayth was gone, but the angels seemed reluctant to get close enough to the church to capture her. Sky entered the building.
The sound of prayer greeted her, only it was in no language she understood. The room she had entered was a small nook cut off from the rest of the church by double doors. Flickering candles allowed shadows to play in the places their light couldn’t reach. A strange smell pervaded the building. Sky assumed it was incense. She waited for someone to notice she had arrived. No one did, so she decided to walk deeper into the church.
The double doors opened out to a large room. More candles lighted it. Sky walked down the center of the room. On either side of her were wooden benches. At the end of her walk she found the people praying gathered around a crucifix. They knelt before the crucifix and chanted. Grey robes covered their whole body.
Sky felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped.
The hand lifted off her shoulder quickly. “I’m sorry,” the person, a man, said.
Sky turned around and found herself looking up at Dorian Gregersen. He looked older than she remembered. The ex-president wore a suit and tie. Dark circles covered his eyes, and a five o’clock shadow stood out against the white skin of his jaw. “It’s okay. I was just surprised,” Sky said.
“Are you the one Fayth told us about?” he asked her as he studied her. Sky felt self-conscious under his scrutiny.
“Um, I think so,” she answered, not entirely sure of what to say.
Dorian looked around. “Where is Agent Fayth?”
“The last time I saw her she was a few feet away from the entrance of the church. She gave me enough time to make it here.”
The ex-president ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Agent Fayth should be fine,” he said, not sounding very convincing.
“President Gregersen—”
“Please, call me Dorian,” he said with a smile.
Sky smiled back and continued with her question. “Dorian, who are all of these people?” She gestured to the people kneeling before the crucifix. They were still praying in their gray robes.
“They are the Gray Monks,” Dorian said. He pointed to a corner of the room. “And they are the members of my organization, Agent Fayth’s partners.”
A group of six agents stood where Dorian had pointed. They wore the same dark clothes that Fayth had been wearing. One of them smiled Sky. “What are we waiting for?” she asked Dorian.
“Dorian!” The shout came from outside of the temple. It was Azazel’s voice.
“That,” the ex-president said with a grimace.
Sky followed Dorian to the entrance room of the church. Agents had already spread out in the room with their guns drawn, ready for whatever stood outside. Back in the large room, the Gray Monks continued praying as the ex-president opened the door.
Azazel stood outside of the church. The angels all hovered above him, and Sky could see that his burnt hand was healed. “I came for the girl,” he said.
“You can’t have her.” Dorian gave Azazel a menacing glare. “Take your abominations back to Michael and leave us alone.”
“Archangel Michael’s angels are not abominations,” Azazel said with a grin. “They have been purified of all evil.”
The angels didn’t react to the conversation going on below them. They only stared at Azazel impassively. Sky assumed they were waiting for a signal.
“Michael messed with magic he should have left alone,” Dorian said. “These angels were once people. Let them have their lives back.”
“You’re being a hypocrite, Dorian.” The demon purred the ex-president’s name. “You were the one that released me and made promises you could never keep.”
“The Gray Monks have forgiven my transgressions.” Sky could see the shame in Dorian’s eyes as he spoke.
Sky turned around, startled by the quiet rustling of robes. One of the Gray Monks was walking towards them. She could see nothing in the shadow of the monk’s hood. The monk ignored her and walked right to where Dorian stood.
“Begone demon,” the monk said in an old, tired voice. “Leave the girl with us.”
“You no longer hold any power over me,” Azazel said to the monk. The demon flicked his wrist. Se’irim appeared out of thin air. The goat-like demons glared at the Gray Monk.
“The girl will stay with us,” the Gray Monk said.
Sky wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Both factions seemed to see her as a thing to be possessed, but she would rather have Dorian’s kind smile in front of her than Azazel’s leer.
“Maybe we should let the girl decide for herself,” Azazel said. He flicked his wrist again and Fayth appeared in mid-air. Blood trickled down the agent’s face, but other than that she did not appear to be harmed. A split-second later two more people appeared.
“Mom! Dad!” Sky cried out, realizing she hadn’t spared her parents barely half a thought the whole time she had been with Fayth. They didn’t appear to be wounded, but Sky knew she had to get them away from Azazel. Sky ran to the church door, but Dorian caught her before she could take a step outside.
“Give them back to us,” Dorian said to Azazel.
“They are yours, if,” Azazel said, “the girl comes with us.”
“We can’t let that happen.” Dorian kept his grip on Sky’s shoulder. Sky didn’t even try to struggle.
“Well, then,” Azazel said. “I can’t leave without the girl, so I guess we’ll have to take her by force.”
“Our spells keep you out,” the Gray Monk said. “You cannot enter this holy house.”
“Did you not hear what I said, monk?” Azazel grinned and Fayth along with Sky’s parents fell to the ground. At the same time the demon’s voice roared, “You no longer hold any power over me.”
The Gray Monk fell back at the demon’s roar. He raised his hand and began to chant a fervent prayer. Dorian’s agents fired their guns at Azazel, but the bullets fell to the ground before they reached him.
Sky broke free of Dorian, but she found that she had no idea what to do. She just stood at the entrance watching as Azazel overcame the Gray Monk’s spell.
The Gray Monk raised his voice, and for a moment Azazel paused, struggled to move, and took another step forward.
On the ground in front of the demon lay Fayth. With every step he came closer to stepping on her. It was in those seconds that Sky realized what she had to do. “Dorian,” she said to the ex-president, “tell your agents to rescue Fayth.”
The teenage girl in her blue jeans and white sweater ran out to meet the demon. As she passed by the Gray Monk, he faltered in his prayer, and Azazel took eager steps forward. Then, the monk resumed his spell.
Dorian tried to run after Sky, but it was too late to save her. She threw herself at Azazel. The demon held his arms open wide to catch her, but the force of her leap sent him sprawling to the ground.
The demon sneered and tried to rise from the ground. Sky felt all the pain and fear she had held in check throughout the whole adventure bubble up to the surface. In a flash she remembered the word she had spoken the last time Azazel touched her.
“Burn!” she shouted at Azazel with all the weight of her emotions behind it.
This time he heard her, but he didn’t have time to react as white flames engulfed him. Azazel rushed to his feet, throwing Sky off of him. She fell to the concrete then rolled away from the demon and stood up.
The demon screamed and raged. The smell of burning flesh rose off of him. With one last roar he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. The angels that still flew over the church were beginning to lessen in number as Dorian’s agents shot them out of the sky. When Azazel disappeared, they flew away from the city with one last cry of pain.
Sky found herself in Dorian’s arms. The ex-president held her tight against his chest, and he smelled like her father’s cologne, and suddenly Sky just wanted to be safe. “What happened to Fayth?” she asked weakly.
“Your parents and Agent Fayth have been rescued.” Dorian released her from his embrace but held on to her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. Concern filled his, but Sky didn’t know how to react. “They are waiting for us inside the church.” He let go of her shoulders and turned to walk into the old building. He paused when he noticed she wasn’t moving. “Come with us.”
“I’m afraid,” Sky said, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
Dorian’s kind smile lit up his face. “We won’t hurt you.”
Sky shook her head. “What am I?”
Dorian walked back to where he had left her standing. “The Gray Monks will answer all the questions you have. They’re powerful.” He paused. “You just have to follow me.”
She nodded and followed Dorian back into the church. She noticed that the monks had stopped praying as the shadows and scent of incense welcomed her into their embrace.
