Before The Fall (An Aron Angels Prequel)

by Jamie Campbell

Jerome tried not to pace, as much as his feet argued they really wanted to. He stood just outside the building belonging to the Grand Council of Guardian Angels, waiting for someone to exit. He didn’t want to go inside and cause a fuss, so he was trying to remain patient and vigilant on the pathway.

  He had already been waiting close to half an hour when the door finally opened. He hurried over at seeing the councilor. He knew her from the meetings.

  “Excuse me, council member Helene, would you have a moment?” He approached politely, trying not to let his rising panic take over. That would only freak her out.

  “What is it angel Jerome?” She seemed a little impatient, perhaps wanting to get home for the night. Jerome took note, knowing he might only have seconds before she dismissed him.

  “I have information that the council might not know about. I feel it’s my duty to make sure you know.”

  She stopped, it was a good sign. “Well, what is it then?”

  “Angel Maleia was attacked on the pathway, not outside of the village. I fear you have been given the wrong information about it.”

  Helene chewed her lip as she gave herself time to think. Finally, she nodded to herself and smiled. “I’m sure the archangels have all the information they need. They have deemed the village safe, we have nothing to worry about.”

  “But if she was attacked on the path, the demons could have breached our protection. We need to review the security measures,” Jerome insisted. He could feel his panic starting to rise again.

  “Do you not trust the council has everything in hand? They do not wish us to be harmed in any way,” she said calmly as she patted his arm. “Rest assured angel Jerome, we will come to no harm in the village.”

  Jerome couldn’t argue, he believed her. If the councilor said they were protecting the village, then they were protecting the village. He felt stupid for making such a fuss out of something they would have already known about. Of course they had all the details, they knew everything.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, council member.”

  “Not a problem. Goodnight angel Jerome.” Helene left him there, not waiting around for any more questions. Jerome eventually followed her back into the village and to his family home.

  As he drifted off to sleep, Jerome felt relieved for the first time in days. His main concern was that the council didn’t know the truth about Maleia’s death. Now he was satisfied they did, he could rest easy. The council would protect them, just like they always did. The demons wouldn’t get to any more of them.

  When he awoke the next day, Jerome was in a better mood. There was no school and he had the entire day to do whatever he wanted. He only had one person in mind: Lucia.

  Even an argument with Breeanna couldn’t dampen his spirits. He pushed all thoughts of his annoying sister out of his mind as he pressed on Lucia’s doorbell.

  It took only moments for Lucia to open the door and leap into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck. “Good morning, my darling.”

  Jerome laughed, planting a kiss on her pink lips. He was always happy to spend time with her, she was everything he could ever want in a girlfriend. She was beautiful, smart, funny, absolutely everything.

  “You’re in a good mood this morning,” Jerome commented as she led him inside.

  “You’re here, who wouldn’t be in a good mood?” She grinned, that cheeky smile that had made his knees buckle when he first saw it. “Aww, you’re blushing, that’s so cute.”

  Jerome wiped at his cheeks, wishing he had some control over them. “No, I’m not.” He tried to change the subject, turning the attention away from himself. “Is your family home?”

  “My dad was called into work and my mom is checking in with her human.”

  “Your dad is working on a Saturday?” Jerome asked. Lucia’s father was a council member and they rarely worked on the weekend. Everyone agreed they put in enough hours during the week, they deserved some time off.

  “They’re having a meeting or something,” Lucia said, shrugging. “Do you really want to be talking about my dad when we have this whole house to ourselves?”

  Unfortunately, Jerome did. “What was the meeting about? Did he say?”

  “I don’t know. Why? Is something wrong?” She saw the change in his demeanor, from ecstatically happy to concerned in less than a minute.

  “I think there’s something wrong with the security of the village. I spoke with Helene yesterday and she said it was all okay, but I’m still a bit worried now.”

  Lucia cradled his head between her hands, looking him directly in the eyes to ensure she had his full attention. “I will speak with my dad when he gets home and ask him. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Jerome grinned, trying to push all the thoughts aside. He bent down and kissed her, as passionately as he dared.

  They spent all morning together, eventually getting around to their homework they were supposed to be doing. Alexander arrived at noon with his books, begging for some review help.

  By mid-afternoon, Jerome knew he should be getting home. He walked with both Lucia and Alexander, enjoying the company and hoping to extend it for as long as possible. It wasn’t like it was a long walk, nowhere was far away when you had wings.

  As he approached the house, Jerome knew in his gut that something wasn’t right. The front door was open, something it rarely was unless someone was standing beside it to leave.

  Jerome hurried, ignoring the questions from his friends at his side. He had to get inside, he had to know what was going on. He needed to see his family to make sure they were okay.

  Once, it wouldn’t have been an issue to see the door open. He would probably roll his eyes and assume Breeanna had forgotten to close it. But with the recent deaths, he was already on edge.

  Hurrying inside, Jerome’s worst nightmare came true. There was blood everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, and on the door handle. He wanted to vomit with the way the metallic smell was assaulting his nose.

  “What’s going on?” Alexander asked, following him in with just as much shock.

  “I don’t like this, we need to call the council,” Lucia added, her voice quivering.

  Jerome blocked them out, he couldn’t focus on them right then. There were three angels on his mind and he needed to find them.

  He entered the living room, more blood but nothing else. He checked the bedrooms, again nothing. Stepping into the kitchen, it was like he had stepped out of his own body and was watching it all from a distance.

  Lying on the floor were the rumpled bodies of his mother, father, and little sister. Both of his parents were on top of Breeanna, obviously they were shielding her before they were killed.

  An almighty roar rang out, cutting through the silence. Jerome didn’t even realize it was coming from his own mouth. He ran to his family, cradling them and searching desperately for any sign of life. Angels could heal, it took only the greatest of injuries for them to perish.

  “Come on, you can’t be gone,” he whispered to his mother. Alexander and Lucia did the same, kneeling in the blood on the floor to attend to them.

  But they were all beyond help. Their deep gashes and significant blood loss was too much for their healing abilities. No matter how long they waited, their bodies would never recover from their injuries. They were too late, if they ever stood a chance in the first place.

  Tears ran down Jerome’s cheeks, he had never felt more alone in his entire life. His whole family were gone. It seemed surreal, he had only spoken to them that morning, how could so much have changed in such a short period of time? It wasn’t right, surely it had to be a joke.

  “They can’t be gone,” he whispered, shaking his head. Even covered in blood, the grey feathers on his wings soaking, he didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it.

  Alexander wrapped his arms around his friend, trying to comfort him. “I’m so sorry, buddy.”

  “It just can’t…”

  “I know.”

  The
y held each other as the minutes ticked by, Jerome unwilling to leave his family. Even in death, they were still his kin, he couldn’t leave them. He had done so that morning and look what had happened.

  Alexander left him, guiding a stunned Lucia out into the living room. He spoke quietly, trying not to be overheard by Jerome.

  “You need to find your dad and get the council down here,” he ordered gently. “Tell them it was a demon attack and it’s urgent.”

  “Do you really think the demons did this?” Lucia asked, her eyes still wide from the shock of the tragedy.

  “Nothing else could have made those gashes. Their skin was torn like paper. This was definitely the work of demons from hell.”

  Lucia nodded. “I’ll go straight away. Will you look after Jerome? He’s going to need…”

  “I will. Go and hurry.”

  Alexander watched as Lucia ran out the door, her wings already flapped as she took flight outside. He returned to the kitchen, dropped down on his knees to sit with his best friend.

  Even when the council arrived, Jerome refused to move. He stayed there all night, keeping vigil and waiting for the healing that would never come.

  CHAPTER 7 - LEILA