My little boy hugged me tight. He hadn’t let me go since I’d picked him up in Hell. Even though I didn’t understand his ageing or how I could have missed so much time, I knew he was my child just by the love I already had for him. He looked like Lucian, too. He had his nose and his dark devilish grin.
Lucian, there it was again... that thought. Was it really him? Was he really mine all along? Had he played me? No, he couldn’t have. He didn’t even know who or what he was. It didn’t matter. I knew him, and I knew how I felt for him and how he felt for me. No matter what we both were, our love would shine through the darkest of days. Look at what we had made, after all, I thought, staring into my son’s eyes.
Sitting on the cremated ground, we rested. Briefly, but we needed it. Cain was in no condition to go anywhere. He had to accept what had taken place. Heck, we all had to. But I knew we’d have to move soon. We weren’t safe out in the open. Not only due to the massive army Lilith would surely be leading, but also because of the zombified creations roaming the streets of Elvington. It was Hell out there. Not literally, thankfully, but it certainly resembled Hell.
“Cain, we need to find somewhere safe,” I said. He nodded, standing up and gripping Aria’s hand tightly. “We have to find a way of contacting Elysium.”
“Elysium?” he asked. “They wouldn’t welcome me in there.”
“It was God that cast you out, Cain, not Adam.” He smiled.
“Mama,” my child said. His voice warmed my heart.
“Yes,” I replied in the softest of tones.
He pointed up to the sky. “Yes, that’s Elysium up there.” I smiled. “It’s our new home.”
He smiled as the heavens opened and rain fell from the sky.
“Come on,” Cain urged, pulling me along. “Let’s find cover.”
CHAPTER 118: TAYLOR
The only place I knew would feel safe was my safe place, my family home. It was a home I hoped I’d share with my children one day. Not necessarily to live there; it did have a gateway to Hell in the kitchen, after all. But it was a home, my home, and I could share it with them, tell them about all the fun times I’d had there with their Grandad and Uncle Caleb. Jeez, I missed them. Would Malek ever meet his family? My heart weighed at the thought of it. Is this all we have now? A treacherous land with the mutated dead to keep us company? How could I bring up a child here, in this wasteland?
“Eve come on!” Cain yelled.
I remembered this place. It used to be abloom with flowers, winter pansies flourished and fell as daffodils took over there fallen carcasses. The square was home to festivals and dancing, beauty and triumph. But now... now it was all gone, destroyed in the callous act of treachery and tragedy. My sister had scorched the Earth beyond recognition, and I doubted there were any mortal survivors left on the land. Except for us, of course, and well... our children, at least. Even with Malek’s rapid growth, he was still birthed from my mortal body. As for Aria, she was as human as they came nowadays. Realistically, she was half-human, half something else. I didn’t quite know what Cain was, after all. It must have been hard on him, losing his beloved like that. To see that torment and decimation, and for his little girl to witness it, that kind of pain left a mark on the soul that they’d never recover from.
Bypassing the scavenging corpses that still lived, we fled down an alleyway. The gore of dead humans littered the streets. Granted, most of the dead were either rotten or roaming around for their next meal, but still, it wasn’t a sight any child should have to see.
“Malek, close your eyes,” I said, picking him up and carrying him on my hip.
“Why, mama?” he asked, his speech as perfect as a pre-school child’s. My eyes must have widened. “What’s wrong, mama?” he asked, placing his hands on my cheek.
“I... no, nothing. I’m just amazed at how well you are talking now, Malek,” I said and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled. “Now close your eyes while we go through the centre.”
He nodded and squeezed his eyes shut.
I turned to Cain, who had done the same with his daughter, and we ran through the rest of the alleyway, through the centre of the bloody town, and out into the fields beyond.
“My home isn’t far now,” I said. Cain nodded as we continued running.
By the time we reached Banbridge Street, both of us were breathless, panting and coughing up phlegm. Gasping for air, we placed our children down and walked up the dilapidated street, hand in hand. My neighbours were all gone, most of their homes wrecked as though a herd of rhinos had been let loose, trampling down the vicinity. Half-built ruins were all that lay at the bottom of the street. But as we neared the top, things looked more hopeful. A few of the buildings were still standing, granted they’d suffered damage, but they looked sturdy enough.
My home was at the top of the street, still intact except for the huge hole in the right side of it. Something had clearly attempted to crash through, with little to no avail. The gaping hole opened on the staircase inside. My country home looked aged. It had certainly been through it with the continuous war that waged on Earth. But looking at the state of everything, I’d say the dark side had won.
“In here,” I said, ushering Malek, Cain, and his daughter inside.
“I’ll check its clear,” Cain said, leaving Aria with me as he wandered off upstairs.
We headed into the living room. The sofas were black with dirt. I pounded on them to release the dust and so the children had somewhere to sit. There was one area I needed to check, our safety depended on it; the kitchen. If the hell hole was still there, we needed to get away from it quickly. I sat the children down and walked over to the entrance of the kitchen. The old wooden table was on its side, pots and pans were cluttering the floor, and the gaping hole to Hell had miraculously disappeared. In its place was a load of old broken floor tiles, a mound of cement and soil, and nothing much else. It’d been closed, filled in and left as a dirt pile in the middle of my kitchen. Even though it was a mess, I was grateful Hell had no holds on my home any more.
Cain appeared beside me. “All clear,” he said. I nodded. “We’ll freshen up here, rest, and then be out in the morning.”
“No, I can’t, Cain. I have to wait for Lucian.”
“We can’t stay here with Lilith on our heels, Eve.”
“I know, but he’ll come. Adam will send down the troops.”
“I can’t risk that, I have Aria to think about now.” It was true, the children had to come first. But I knew Lucian. Once they knew we were here, they would descend to bring us back to Elysium.
Malek walked in with Aria by his side. “Mama, daddy is coming, Hope said so.”
“Hope?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s telling Daddy now,” he said. Could Hope be my daughter? Is that her name? Did they survive Hell after all?
“They’re coming, mama,” he said, smiling. It must be true!
I knelt and hugged him. “Okay, Malek, we will wait.” I smiled, kissing his cheek. “I’m sorry, Cain, but we need to stay. You are welcome to stay with us.”
“I can’t, Eve, I can’t risk Lilith finding Aria again,” he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. We hugged. I nodded. He had to do what was right for him and his child. I knew that feeling. I just hoped that they’d be okay out there all alone.
“Okay, let’s freshen up and find some food. Everyone must be starving,” I exclaimed. Aria smiled. I showed them round. I found some of my old clothes for Aria, granted they nearly drowned her considering they were at least twice her age. After a wash and change we straightened the bedroom and snuggled under the duvet awaiting food.
Cain was downstairs putting together a cold stew with crackers. “It’s all I could find,” he said as he brought it up to my room. I laughed, crackers and congealed gravy was damn right horrible, but each of us were too hungry to argue for anything better.
After dinner, the children fell to sleep. I tucked them under the duvet and headed downstairs. Cain was sat on
the middle of the staircase looking out of the view over Elvington town. The darkness was apparent. There were no street lights any more, no noise from the wildlife or birds tweeting in the air. It was pitch black, only lit by the waning moon that blessed the land with its cool hues.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us, Cain?”
“I’d love to, Eve,” he said, placing his arm around me as I sat by his side. “But I can’t.”
I smiled weakly. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where we are,” I said.
“You’ll miss my stew, won’t you?” He laughed.
I grinned. “Of course I will!” My head found his shoulder as I sat looking out on the twinkling stars of Elvington’s night sky. As I listened to the scratching of the mutated dead, I breathed in a long deep sigh, exhaled, and finally relaxed into a deep, dark sleep.
Awaking in the morning, Cain must have carried me up to my father’s room. He was sound asleep on the bed next to me. Daylight bled through the tattered curtains as I rose to find Malek and Aria running into the room. They jumped on the bed, on top of us. Aria jumped up and down as her father groaned, fighting the child to sleep a little longer.
“Mama, Mama, wake up,” Malek yelled. “Daddy’s coming!”
“I know honey, I’m getting up. I’m just so tired,” I yawned.
“Cain, get up,” I shouted, slapping him on his back as he turned away from me.
“No,” he stated. I laughed.
“Come on, the cavalry will be here soon,” I said, then paused in thought. “Will you stay the morning with us?” I asked.
He groaned, “Yes.”
“And maybe the evening?”
“Don’t push your luck, Eve,” he said and smiled, placing the pillow over his head.
I smiled. “Good... come on kids, let’s find some breakfast!”
CHAPTER 119: LILITH
Why must I have to continuously search for that drastically disastrous sister of mine? It grew tiresome over a century before. I only kept up the charade because it was fun to see her die a thousand deaths and watching her be reborn every time was like having a new playmate to track, hunt, and taunt again. I grinned.
“Blane!” I yelled, stomping my feet. I was growing impatient at having to wait for my people to arrive when I called for them.
Blane walked in. “BLANE, why must you dawdle?” Blane shrugged. “Evie has escaped.... Again,” I yawned. Blane shrugged again. “That means,” I said, raising my voice, “daddy wants us to find her.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I DON’T KNOW!” My lips were poised, “STOP QUESTIONING ME!”
“Okay,” he said, mimicking a gallant bow as he left.
The little shit, did he really think he was above my order? Since Daddy had come back, my minions seemed to have little respect for me. Couldn’t they see the big beautiful picture of everything ablaze? I would have thought Blane would have liked to live in that world, but no, the demon had to taunt me. Tut, tut, naughty demon. If he continued his charade, I’d make him pay.
“LILITH!” Daddy boomed. I jumped.
“Eek, Jesus, what’s the rush?” Thinking of Jesus, where was that little rascal? I hadn’t seen him since Cain had been let loose. Jesus always had a soft spot for Cain; he better not have taken him, too. And as for Cain having a daughter... damn, when did that happen? That boy dabbled in any whore that opened her legs for him. I shuddered. Weeeeee, see, Aria could have been my daughter, too. I was the closest critter she had to a mother now. Well, now that good old EJ had ripped my predecessor to shreds.
“LILITH!”
“Damn, I’m coming Daddy!” I hollered, skipping down the corridor.
CHAPTER 120: LUCIAN
I think I’d prefer to fall to my inevitable death, mushed up in a thousand tiny pieces, then fly by that damned angel again. Gabriel put me down and I turned and vomited all over the floor. Hope giggled and came over patting my back. “There, there, daddy, it’s all over now.”
Gabriel bellowed out a laugh, holding his stomach. Hope giggled again, too.
“Hmm, so that’s how it is? You two ganging up on me now?” I laughed, all colour remained drained from my body. Brushing myself down, I stood tall, looking around the town centre of Elvington. It was barely recognisable. The stench of rotting corpses was vile, as was the sight of flayed bodies sprawled across Jenkin’s chip shop. It gave a whole new meaning to battered fish and chips. I smirked, engaged in my own humour.
“Daddy, what’s that?” Hope asked, pointing to the bloody décor the chip shop was caked in.
“Err... it looks like Mr. Jenkins, Hope.”
Gabriel stepped forward. “It’s nothing to concern yourself with, Hope, you are perfectly safe with us.”
Hope smiled. Gabriel came over and whispered in my ear, “maybe we should find somewhere nice for the young child. She shouldn’t be seeing this at her age.” I nodded. Of course, he was right. Blood and guts weren’t exactly the new teddy bear’s picnic of games. The place was enough to give even me the darkest of nightmares, let alone my innocent baby girl.
“Daddy, I’m okay,” she said as she skipped over and placed her hand in mine. I smiled, there was nothing the girl didn’t understand.
We walked through the alleyway beside the chip shop, entering the back field; a place where all the kids used to hang out, drinking cider at the park. The park we came to consisted of a rusted old merry go round, a broken slide, and a rotted wooden swing. The wind rushed by as the swing swayed and the merry go round began to spin. “Man, there best not be no ghost round these parts!” Joey uttered, turning paler than usual.
“It’s about time you caught up, mate,” I said, spotting a hoard of angels behind him and Eliza.
“Well, we couldn’t be leaving you all alone down ‘ere on these parts, now, could we.”
I smiled, “thanks, mate.”
“We would have been perfectly fine,” Gabriel muttered.
“Oh, Gabby, mate, I missed you,” he said, punching Gabriel on the shoulder.
Eliza looked spooked. She stopped, watched the merry go round spin on its own, and frowned as she grabbed onto the bars, halting its movement.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Something’s coming,” she said.
“Shit, what?” Joey asked.
“Something different, I don’t know. I’ve never felt this before.”
“Shit, mate, we gotta hide.”
Hope stepped forward, “Uncle Joey, my mummy would tell you off for saying that word.”
I laughed. “She’s right.” Heck, my daughter knew her mother so well, even though she’d barely met her.
“You can’t know that, kiddo,” Joey said.
“I can! Malek told me.”
My brow creased, who? I turned to face my daughter, knelt, and looked her square in the eye. She was growing so quickly, her powers forming independently. It concerned me. “Who is Malek, Hope?”
She laughed, looked puzzled, and placed her small hands on my cheeks. My mind became a wash of thoughts. Memories transferred across to me as Hope shared memories of Malek, the boy I’d lost. She showed me how he survived in Hell. She showed me how he’d used the well to communicate with Hope. She unravelled the knowledge in her head as she took me on a journey of day by day, week by week. and year by year. I’d missed so much of his life, but now I managed to catch up and watch the rerun as it ended with my darling wife-to-be and my handsome, strong son entering the world we now stood on. And with that, I knew where they were.
“Malek...” I said smiling, tears rolling down my face. I kissed her forehead, picked her up, and ran as fast as I could to where Taylor and I shared many intimate moments. Of all the places she felt safest, she had said it was when she laid with me, nestled in the crook of my shoulder. We had starred at the ceiling with the glow in the dark stars that I’d surprised her with one day when she was too cold to sit outside and view the real ones.
As I ran,
I heard Gabriel yelling behind. I couldn’t wait, though. I needed to get there, see if it was true, see if my love was really alive, safe and sound, waiting for me. Had my daughter been able to see her brother all this time? Hope buried her face against my chest, giggling as we bounded over the fields and past the school, right up to Banbridge Street at the old country home at the top of the hill. Taylor’s home was broken and cold, but no matter the state of it, and no matter the horror that had taken place there, it was still her home. It was still the place she’d shared charcoaled pancakes and fresh orange juice in the mornings with her dad and brother. I remembered listening to their laughter as I waited around the corner, always keeping an eye, always watching, awaiting her arrival. Then when she was finished, I’d pull up in my aqua blue ‘69 Chevy Camaro. I’d speed around to open the car door, and the we would head off for a blissful day together at Stonebridge Academy. Those were the days. It felt like a lifetime ago, though. So much had happened since then, but through everything that was thrown at us, one thing was always certain; we always ended up together.
Entering her home, I saw a gaping hole down the side of her staircase. Light streamed through and wind blew a gale whistling from wall to wall as it circulated around the home before us.
I placed Hope gently on the floor. She ran up the creaking old stairs as if she had been in the house a thousand times before. She knew the way like the back of her hand. A thudding of footsteps beat against the upstairs floorboards as a little boy shot down the stairs, jumping into Hopes arms. They laughed, twirling one another round and around. Was that him? Was that my little boy, the child I thought I’d lost all that time ago?
I fell to my knees in awe of my two children embracing one another like long lost souls. Was this real? Was our family back together? Not quite... there was one person missing. My ultimate soulmate, my one true love; Taylor Lane.
The Celestial Rose BoxSet Page 74
