Aeron nodded in agreement. “Never talk scary things on an empty stomach.” They both went around the row of booths and went to order. I debated the chances of this being a set up for a huge prank or if they really knew something about my mother that I didn’t. They had mentioned wings and a Child of the Apocalypse…clearly I had missed something. They came back and we forced conversation about normal college things, like classes being taken, teachers and Aeron went on about his house parties. I paid only partial attention as my mind spun with theories on what a Child of the Apocalypse could be.
We finished up and left side by side in silence. The sidewalks of the courtyard were vacant of students and nothing but the breeze rustling the trees could be heard. Aeron and Ruthie stopped in the middle of the courtyard and turned to me. “What do you know about your father?”
“That my mother had a one-night stand with him and got me. I don’t even know what his name was, what he might have looked like. Nothing.” I shrugged. “My mom raised me on her own.”
They exchanged looks and both gave a dramatic sigh. I raised a brow. “This is going to turn into one of those, your father—”
“Is Death.” They both said at the same time and I tried to decide if I needed to laugh or run screaming because of their answer. What on earth were they talking about?
“Death? As in the Grim Reaper?” A laugh bubbled up in my throat. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m being pranked, where are the cameras?”
But neither of them laughed. “Your mother is a fallen angel, kicked out of heaven for whatever sin it was that she committed.”
My money was on adultery, but I didn’t think that voicing it would help the situation. “So that makes me what?” The daughter of Death – a creature from the Bible. Or myth or whatever. My heart pounded as my mind tried to wrap around the possibilities. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. “A Child of the Apocalypse. Holy shit.” Other than being the daughter of Death I had no idea what that meant. Where they Children of the Apocalypse too? What exactly did it mean to be one?
“Aeron, you need to contact your father and tell him we found her.” Ruthie put a hand on my shoulder. “I told your mom that I’m going to take care of you, but I can’t do that without you knowing what you are and what it means.”
The ground shook and rumbled under our feet, throwing me off balance. Aeron pushed me behind him. “Demon.”
I glanced around the courtyard and my gaze landed on a cracking black ball of energy appearing. What the hell? “Ruthie?” I reached back for her, my hand shaking. She grabbed my hand and squeezed.
“Stay behind me and Aeron for now, clearly we weren’t the only ones looking for you.” Ruthie held her hand out and a bo staff appeared.
Aeron laughed. “What are you going to do with that, angel?”
“Beat some sense into it. Where the hell is your weapon? You going to call the others?”
Aeron held his hand out and a sword appeared. “Better? And no, just one demon, I think we can handle it.”
I took a few steps back and hit an invisible wall and panic over took my mind. The ball of black faded and there stood an enormous red humanoid creature, with goat horns, and a tail of spikes trailing behind him. Aeron rushed towards it and Ruthie stepped in front of me. I blinked and realized there were now white wings draped down her back. I had to be dreaming, just another anxiety dream about leaving for college. I’d wake up and it would all be over.
Except I knew what the death toll of the battle would be. The number sat in my mind, one. One person would die in this. I peeked around Ruthie to watch Aeron deliver a series of attacks on the creature. Black blood followed each stroke until the demon backhanded Aeron, sending him into the same invisible barrier I hit.
Ruthie tightened her grip on her staff and watched the demon. I found my own hand itching for something to attack or protect with. The demon took a few steps forward and Ruthie spread her feet a little more and pulled her staff in front of her.
“The child of Death is a woman?” The voice coming out of the demon’s mouth took me by surprise. Other than a rumble growl, the words sounded clear.
“Hey now, what’s wrong with being a woman?” I snapped.
Ruthie threw a glare over her shoulder. “Shut up.”
The demon laughed and stomped forward. Aeron seemed to appear behind the demon and stabbed it through the back. He pulled out the sword and jumped away. The demon swung around, his clawed hand barely missing Aeron.
Ruthie shot forward, her wings adding to her speed, and struck the demon’s knees, taking it down to the ground. Aeron jumped and struck downwards, slicing through the demon’s neck. Blood sprayed the ground and the head rolled toward me. I studied the cruel grin still plastered on his face with his blank eyes. My stomach rolled and threatened to betray me. The body turned into ash and disappeared, a strange transparent form rose into the sky until I couldn’t see it any more. I didn’t know how, maybe instinct, but I knew what it was.
The soul.
“If it was a demon, shouldn’t it have gone to hell?” I questioned, still staring into the sky.
“Hell isn’t up or down. It’s another plane of existence, just like Heaven. If it had been a human soul, Death would have shown up to claim the soul or called it to him.” Aeron came up to me. “You okay?”
I took a deep breath before I answered. The amount of thoughts and confusion running through my head made the world spin. I didn’t know what to make of any part of this situation. “I was stuck in an invisible barrier with a demon that you and Ruthie decapitated. I’m not sure how I feel.”
Aeron laughed. “Honesty. I like it.”
“The invisible bubble is something the human realm creates so that the war and violence don’t spill into the human world and upset the balance. It makes it so the humans can’t see what’s going on and gives the area a feeling of dread so it’s normally avoided.” Ruthie let go of her staff and it disappeared. Aeron did the same.
I swallowed. “So if I’m the daughter of Death, what does that make you two?”
Aeron grinned. “I’m the son of War.”
A child of another horseman of the apocalypse. “Are you a Child of the Apocalypse too then?” My voice shook just a little and he nodded.
“There’s four of us total.”
That was good to know. My gaze turned towards Ruthie and she held her arms out as if saying ta-da. “I’m your guardian angel.”
“I’m still not sure that I’m not being pranked.” I muttered and ran a hand through my short hair. “So now what? You said that you weren’t the only ones looking for me? The demon knew I was the daughter of Death, what is it you see that I can’t? Is there a giant floating skull above me or something?”
Aeron shook his head. “We didn’t know you on sight. We had to do a bunch of research on who might be the child of Death and honestly we were looking for a male.”
“How does Death not know that he has a child?” I crossed my arms. “And why male?”
Ruthie sat down on a bench and sighed. “The Children of the Apocalypse have all been male, until now. We’re assuming that Death didn’t think an offspring could be created with a fallen angel.”
I was going to have to ask my mother exactly what it was she did to get kicked out of heaven. “And why are you looking for me? Can’t he go knock up another angel?”
They both snickered a little. “Horsemen are only blessed with one child. We won’t fully grow into our abilities until our parents are either killed or retire.”
I pressed my lips together and tried to think again. “That doesn’t explain why you’re looking out for me.”
“The other horsemen and Death were wondering why another child hasn’t come along. War, Pestilence, and Famine had the theory that there was already a child. They sent us out into the world to find you.”
My head spun at the idea that any of this existed. Sure my mother was religious and we read the Bible, but all this didn’t match
up to anyone’s translation of the Bible. “So what? It’s time for the apocalypse?”
“Our fathers’ job is to keep the apocalypse from happening and keep everything in balance. Now that we know who you are we can make sure that happens.” Aeron said.
I raised a brow. “We go about our lives until we’re needed?”
“Something like that.” Ruthie stood. “It’s life as normal until something like that demon pops up again. That’s not normal, even for us.”
Aeron nodded in agreement and gave a little shrug. “We keep an eye out for your abilities to start showing, and eventually you meet your father.”
“Does my mother know?” This was a hell of a thing to hide from your daughter.
“We don’t think so.” Ruthie shook her head. “Your mother lost most of her abilities when she became a fallen angel. She might not have realized who Death was.”
“Again, are there giant neon signs or something?” I asked. “Because you two don’t look any different to me now than when we first met.”
They exchanged glances before turning back to me. Ruthie smiled and put an arm around me as she urged me back toward the dorm. “When your abilities hit, you’ll understand. It’s hard to explain.”
I swore if a neon sign wasn’t flashing over their heads I would be disappointed. “When do the abilities come?”
“You just turned eighteen, didn’t you?” Aeron asked.
“A couple weeks ago, yeah.”
He patted me on the head. “Just a baby, but they’ll be showing up soon.”
I scowled at him and pulled away from Ruthie. “And exactly how old are you?”
Ruthie twirled a piece of her curly hair around her finger. “Four hundred and twenty-seven years.”
I turned to Aeron. “And you?”
He shrugged. “Ruthie makes me look young, I’m two hundred. Gotta say though, this is my first time going to college.” He grinned and looked around the campus. “I like it.”
I really was a baby compared to them. “Lovely.” I headed towards the dorms. “I’m going to go lay down and digest all this.”
I could hear Ruthie walking behind me, but I had no words for her right now. I hoped when I woke up it’d all be over.
I opened my eyes to Ruthie sitting on her bed and leaning over books. “If you’re an angel, why are you going to college?”
“It’s important to keep up the facade. Angels aren’t all knowing beings, neither are the Horsemen or the Children of the Apocalypse. We all still have freewill to choose our own paths and can learn. There are consequences to not doing our jobs, just like there are consequences for humans making bad choices.” She glanced up from her books. “Are you ready for classes tomorrow?”
I nodded. “I only have four classes a day, all in three days a week, and mostly in the morning.” I wasn’t a morning person, but I had originally wanted my afternoons free so I could work. Now I guessed it’d be filled with strange things, like demon fighting. I rubbed my eyes at the thought of the demon. Had Ruthie and Aeron not been there, I would have been defenseless.
She leaned back on her hands and met my gaze. “Do you want to talk about what happened this evening?”
I glanced at the clock and realized I’d only slept for half an hour. “Not really. I was hoping it was all a dream.” I shrugged and got off the bed. I pulled my suitcase over and opened it to start putting stuff away. “But I have a feeling you want to talk about it?”
A fist knocked against the door and I glanced at her. She shrugged and motioned to it. “I’m sure it’s fine, go ahead and answer.”
I opened the door to see a tall, scraggly guy standing there. His blond hair stuck out all over, giving the illusion that he’d just rolled out of bed. His back hunched over as his head bowed over a book, but I could see the thick-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He walked in, passed me and shut the door with a foot without glancing up.
“Ruthie, we have a problem. Did you know the world would end if it’s true that this chick is the daughter of Death? It’s proclaimed in our scrolls that it would be the ending of an era when a female offspring steps into the role of a horseman.”
I rolled my eyes. “By all means, please come in, stranger.” The sarcasm dripping from my voice made him turn around. He lifted his gray eyes to meet mine.
“Oh, you must be Sammy.” He swallowed and snapped his book shut. “I’m Kaleb.” He held his hand out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Ruthie was rooming with anyone.”
I crossed my arms, not taking his hand. “So I’m going to cause the apocalypse?”
“No, you’re bringing an end to an era, it’s a different story.” Ruthie gave a dramatic sigh. “Unless Kaleb has something to prove otherwise?”
“Pestilence is already happening.” He sat down in my computer chair and I turned to continue putting my stuff away. I at least wanted to be unpacked for my first day of classes and it gave me a reason to not meet his gaze. I still wasn’t convinced about all this.
Ruthie came over with her computer chair and sat with us. “Cases of the black plague pop up occasionally. The death toll isn’t unusual.”
Kaleb tapped me on the shoulder. “Do me a favor?”
“What? As I learned with the demon, there’s not a lot I can do to help you guys.” I shoved some of my clothes in the wardrobe.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Close your eyes. Focus and tell me, how many souls will be collected from the plague in the United States?”
I frowned. I had no way of knowing that, but I did what he said. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Collecting souls meant Death would be calling on and visiting people, the number in my brain went higher than I knew what to do with, but I focused. In the United States, by the plague. “Sixty-four million.”
“Twenty percent of the population, give or take.” Kaleb said. “Thank you, Sammy.”
“How did you know I could do that?” I wasn’t even sure how I could do it.
“It’s an ability passed down from your father. It helps you keep things in balance by knowing the death tolls.”
I shook my head. His explanation made little sense to me, but apparently it was clear to him and Ruthie. “That aside, twenty percent is extremely high from one disease.”
“It’s high for anything in the United States.” He looked at me. “And the toll started to rise two weeks ago.”
“When I turned eighteen.” I stated, making the connections he must have. “If the Horsemen are supposed to stop it, where are they?”
Kaleb put his book down. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of my father lately. Have you tried to contact yours?”
“I don’t even know where to begin with that.” I glared at him. “It’s not like we’re on good terms.”
Ruthie swiveled in her chair. “I’ll see if I can get a hold of Death tomorrow, as an angel I can hop into his realm. I’ve met him before; he’s a nice guy. Did Pete or Aeron try to get ahold of theirs?”
“Not that I’m aware of. We can ask them tomorrow. We need to find out what or who is causing this.” Kaleb gave me a pointed stare. “And then take care of it.”
I wanted to punch him in his narrow face. I threw my hands up in the air. “I am not causing this. I didn’t even know this was going on until a few hours ago.”
“It’s true.” Ruthie stated. “She had no clue. We don’t even think her mother knows.”
“How would a member of the Zadkiel bloodline not know she was giving birth to a Child of the Apocalypse? Or slept with Death for that matter?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t really want to think about who my mother slept with.” I went back to putting away items from the suitcase. “What’s so special about the Zadkiel bloodline anyways? From what I understand, it’s been a long time since anyone’s met one of us.”
“They tend to be higher class of angels. Often ones who are the first into battles.” He shook his head. “Your mother must be one of the only ones who’ve fallen. That’s n
either here nor there. What matters is that we figure out what is going on, where the Horsemen are and if you are the actual cause of the upcoming apocalypse.”
I didn’t bother looking back at him and shoved my empty suitcase under the bed. “You’ll have to let me know and until we figure out what is going on, let’s skip the trying to make me feel guilty. Okay?”
Ruthie stopped spinning in the chair. “We’ll focus on getting through classes now and leave the situation up to you three. Between you, Pete, and Aeron, you can handle it for now.”
“And when her abilities grow?”
“I’ll teach her to fight against the demons who will come after her.”
I turned to Ruthie and raised a brow. “Fight against demons? Isn’t that what you’re for?”
She turned her gaze towards me and I couldn’t see the humor I’d grown accustomed to in her eyes. “And what if a demon was to kill me?”
“I guess I would be screwed then.” I rubbed my eyes. “I didn’t ask for all this. Demons and what not.”
Kaleb laughed. “None of us did, but I guess we have the advantage as we’re older and more prepared. You’re going in blind.” He opened up his book and leaned back in my chair. “Now, you and Ruthie try to get a hold of Death and we’ll work from there. I’ll talk to Pete about his dad. Hopefully they are just busy and being elusive.”
With the way he said it, I assumed it happened often. “I imagine being a Horseman keeps one pretty busy.”
“You have no idea.” He shook his head and snapped his book shut. “I’ll let you two be. I need to prepare for class tomorrow.”
Ruthie nodded. “Yeah, we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kaleb walked out and I sat on my bed. “I swear, I have no idea what is going on or how I could possibly cause the death of twenty percent of the population.”
“I don’t think it’s you. I think it’s a coincidence that it’s happening now. But if the Black Death is back and will spread that fast and far, then something is going on with Pestilence as it’s his job to keep it in balance.”
“What could happen to a horseman?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted the answer.
Children of the Apocalypse Complete Trilogy Page 2
