by M A Roth
“Please don’t push me away.”
My heart broke a little more at the pleading in his voice. His fingers traced my cheek so gently. I closed my eyes and let more tears spill as I leaned my head into his hand. My stomach fluttered when I opened my eyes and I could see how he felt. It was so plain on his face. He moved closer, and I didn’t pull away as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. His lips stopped right next to me and his eyes searched mine, making sure this was okay, but I could see the want in his eyes. Our breathing was heavy and then his lips were on mine and my stomach erupted with hundreds of butterflies. My whole body seemed to come alive, and I pulled him closer and he obeyed, not hesitating for a second. After a few moments, he pulled away, breathless but smiling and I felt like crying. He was so willing to give me all of him.
“I love you, Abigail!” he said it while still smiling and holding my face so close to his.
“I know,” I replied as more tears fell. “I have always known.”
“Don’t cry. You’re too beautiful to be so upset,” he said while rubbing his thumbs under my eyes, capturing some of my tears, but his beautiful words made me cry even harder and soon, I was buried in his chest. He lay down beside me and let me cry my heart out while stroking my hair and whispering how beautiful and perfect I was.
The last words I heard were his gentle encouragement for me to sleep and I did, dreaming of nothing.
***
Chapter Twenty Nine
Abigail
I awoke to a commotion outside my room, more than likely, Steven. I turned and stared at the ceiling.
“How do you feel?” My heart pounded in my chest at the sound of his voice. I looked over at Zee as he sat in an armchair. I couldn’t make out his features in the dark, but I knew his structure by heart.
“Better,” I admitted. I didn’t feel as if I would burst at any second, but did feel kind of empty. “Zee…” I took a deep breath, not sure of what to say.
I could hear the creak of the chair as he moved across the floor. The bed shifted under his weight as he sat on the edge.
“I’m sorry you had to heal me again.”
He took my hand in his, raising it to his lips, he kissed the back of it so gently and I held my breath the whole time. He released my hand and sat still for a moment. I wasn’t sure if he was even breathing now.
“I’m not. I don’t think you could understand what you mean to me. If you ever get hurt again, I will heal you and each time I do, I feel what you feel. So please try to be more careful.”
I sat up, nearly smacking into him. “What? You never told me that before!”
“What? About what you meant to me?”
I could hear the smirk in his words. “No, Zee, that you feel the pain when you heal someone.”
“I didn’t want to worry you and I’ve never healed anyone, but you,” he said softly.
He pulled me into his chest and I didn’t protest as he laid his chin on the top of my head. I could hear his heart racing.
He pulled away, and a resigned look appeared on his handsome face.
“Steven has been stationed outside your room. We are all on lock down. We can’t leave Rome.”
“Is this because of what everyone saw?” I was very afraid for Zee and sorry I had caused him so much hardship.
“No.”
My head whipped up, looking into his eyes. “No?” I questioned.
“It’s about you; your blood test came back. I tried to stop it, but I ran out of time.” And at his words, I started to laugh.
“Let me guess, I have the same DNA as Lucifer,” I said, and Zee’s face set in a scowl.
“This isn’t funny, Abigail, and after what just happened…”
His words trailed off. “You’re dead, right, it isn’t funny.” I spat back, my own fear and anger raged through my body, panic now replaced the numbness. Too much was happening and it was all crazy.
Zee pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry. They couldn’t find a match for your blood. You have no blood type here on middle-earth.”
“Middle-earth?” I asked. It was easier than focusing on the reality of the situation.
“It’s what we call this world. Hell, as you know it, is Hades, and heaven is the uppers.”
“Where you’re from?” I said, hoping that just this once, he could tell me about heaven.
A knock on the door cut off any further conversation. Zee opened it, and Steven walked straight in.
“I know you must be tired, but we have waited now for several hours and my patience is slowly coming to an end,”
I stood and moved towards Steven, who moved ever so slightly back. I cringed, hating that I had that effect on anyone, even Steven. I despised him, but I didn’t want to be feared.
“I’m surprised you have lasted this long,” I said as I walked straight past him and made my way out of the hotel and to the two SUVs that sat outside.
“You and Daniel can come with me,” Steven said, climbing into the second one. Once we were safely inside, we took off after the first one.
We arrived back in the concrete jungle and were taken down deep under the ground.
The large wooden doors were pulled back, and it seemed like a frenzy of activity, but soon stopped. Once I walked in, all eyes were on me, the freak.
“This way, Abigail.” Steven held my elbow firmly, directing me away from the rest.
I could see Zee was about to protest, but I shook my head, it would do no good. The rest of them were being taken further down the hall and soon, they were out of my line of sight.
***
Steven took me into the same interrogation room from the day before.
I sat down, feeling tired but knew that sleep would not help me. What would they do with Zee or me for that matter? I stayed quiet as he took his seat across from me.
“You are quite the puzzle, Abigail Thornton” he said with a slight smirk on his face.
My body tingled with energy. I wanted this to be one bad dream, but I didn’t want to show him any fear.
“Enlighten me, Steven.” I made sure to sound as bored as possible.
His lips set into a thin line. “I knew from the start something was wrong with you and that it was only a matter of time before I found out and now, I have,” he said, self-satisfied.
“And what is it that you have discovered?” I questioned, turning my full stare on him.
“You’re not human,” he said and sat back to let that sink in.
“If I’m not human, then what am I?”
That made him sit straighter. “I don’t know,” he said, shuffling the papers.
“So you tell me that I’m not human, by your analysis not mine and yet, you don’t know what I am. Well, that is a puzzle, Steven.”
His fist smashed into the table, making me flinch as he rose. “Don’t play games with me, you little bitch!” he roared as spit flew out of his mouth. My heart pounded, but I wasn’t going to show him any fear. He straightened his hair back - the gel hadn’t kept it in place throughout his tantrum - and sat back down, dabbing his mouth with a white handkerchief. “I will find out, Abigail. If I have to keep you locked up in here forever, I will find out what you are.”
My body froze at his words, he was serious. I could see the dedication he had poured into me.
“Why do you care? What difference does it make?” I asked. Why was he going to such lengths to find out who I was?
“Demon hunters have always been around with the belief they save people from demons and help get rid of them as demons attach themselves to a human or a structure.” Steven paused. “Would you say that’s an accurate analysis of your job?”
I didn’t like his line of questioning or what he was getting at, so I answered honestly, “Yes, I would agree,” I said.
“Well, that is not the case, my darling Abigail. This group of elite hunters were never put together to get rid of demons. You are the reasons the demons are around. The areas that demon hunters occupy are
highly active with demons. The areas that you do not occupy have little to no activity. You attract the demons, so we keep an eye on all of you to see why that is so.”
I couldn’t breathe; another lie to my existence.
“The majority of demon hunters come from a background of utter despair, a family wiped out, yet one survives. They are always lost in this world, so we send out recruiters to find people that fit our description. We check the area for activity and offer you the job of being a demon hunter to avenge your loved ones or to have some sort of normal life with others like yourselves.”
“This is all a lie?” My breath caught on each word.
“Not a lie, you do hunt demons, yet you attract them and I want to know why. And you were the most interesting case that I have come across, the way you were found. Now, I know what the unknown blood was. It was you, Abigail.”
The relief I felt at him thinking the blood was mine and not Zee’s made me a little calmer. At least, he was safe and away from Steven’s clutches.
“Yet, your mere existence is a mystery. All the other demon hunters are human with human DNA, but not you. I had always known this centered on you,”
“You’re making me feel special, Steven,” I said.
He grinned before standing up. “And that you are,” he said, and I swallowed.
“So what now?” I asked as he reached for the door.
“Now, you can decide if you want to tell us who you are, or we will use other methods to make you talk.”
I stood. “Other methods?”
“Yes. I saw the most interesting footage today of you at the Ostia Antica, being saved by what people called an angel.”
My whole body shook, this can’t be happening, not Zee.
“And what do you think?” I asked.
Steven turned to me and looked at me for a few moments. “I think your hoax might have fooled people into believing Daniel was saving you, but I know that the light was coming from you, not him. I have your blood to prove it, and I also have his, and it’s human.” At that, he left and closed the door. My shoulders sagged in relief.
***
I sat down, my head roaring with so many lies and truths, I needed a drink. I wasn’t sure if my hands trembled from everything I had heard and everything that had happened, or the need of a drink. The door opened and Father Peter stood in the doorway.
“You need to eat,” he said.
I brushed past him, not looking at the man who must have known all of this, our recruiter, and yet, let us all believe such a lie. I walked fast as his pace quickened to catch up to me.
“Abigail!”
I swung around at the sound of my name. “Don’t. I would love to tell you what I think, but you’re a man of God, aren’t you, John? Sworn to protect the innocent children of this world, not recruit them for a fucking science project!”
He hung his head and shut his mouth, he had the right idea, I walked away, and this time, he didn’t follow.
I arrived at a small room that acted as a canteen. Cathy and Simon sat together eating, but they were silent. I slid in beside them and both of them looked at me and smiled.
“You guys okay?” I asked.
Cathy laughed. “More like are you okay? I wasn’t the one getting my throat slashed.” She grimaced at her words, but I nudged her with my shoulder; jokes sometimes made things easier to handle.
I looked at Simon, but he continued to stare at me. I hoped they didn’t know about what happened in the bathroom or about my blood, or even what Steven had told me. It would tear them apart.
“You lied to us!” Simon said before getting up and stomping out of the canteen. I didn’t have the energy to go after him, so I rested my head against the metal table.
“This is a nightmare,” I said, letting out a heavy breath.
“How can you say that? It’s a miracle what I saw, Daniel healed you!”
I sat up straight and looked at Cathy. “Did they question you on what you saw?” I asked with alarm.
“Keep your knickers on. I told them I have no memory, and so did Simon.” She winked at me, and I smiled back.
I looked around the empty canteen. “Where are Zee and Blake?”
“Still being questioned, but I say good luck to them with that. Daniel was resistant, even to leave you, and Blake, well, he wasn’t there.”
I wondered if she knew the truth about Father Peter. She didn’t look upset, so I could assume she didn’t know and it wasn’t the right time to tell her. If I did, she could freak out and maybe let something slip. I was knee-deep in this already, so I decided to keep that information for a later date. That was assuming I got out of this at some stage.
Zee walked into the canteen and I jumped up and threw myself into his arms, much to his surprise. I leaned my mouth into his ear.
“They think the light came from me, so keep it that way. You’re safe.” I said before I returned to the floor, moving away from Zee.
He nodded, and I turned back to Cathy as she smiled at both of us.
“I knew it!” she said before stabbing her food with her fork. I didn’t question what she knew, but took my seat. Zee slid in across from me and looked at Cathy.
“Could you give us a moment?” Cathy let out a heavy breath before she got up and left the room, leaving us alone. My hands were in Zee’s so quickly, my head whipped up and I looked at him.
His eyes held mine with a new kind of urgency. “You need to leave and get out of here.” I shook my head, but he stopped me. “You need to leave now, or you may never get out!”
Chapter Thirty
Abigail
My mind froze for a moment. “Are you coming with me?” I asked, but he shook his head sadly, and my heart went into overdrive. “Where would I go? And for how long? And how do I even get out of here?” My mind was frantic, but Zee squeezed my hands.
“I need you to focus, Abigail, can you do that for me?” I nodded yes, but my mind was screaming no.
“Abigail.” I turned to Father Peter.
“What?” I barked, unable to keep the anger out of my voice.
“I just need a moment.”
I looked at Zee and he gave me a pleading look. But what for? I didn’t know. Was it not to speak to Father Peter like that? Or was it the look on my own face, the look of pure panic and fear? I didn’t want to leave. What would I have left if I didn’t have these guys? The irony of it wasn’t lost on me; one minute, I had slit my wrists, and now, I wanted to fight to stay alive.
“Abigail.” Father Peter’s words were gentler this time, and I slid my hands out of Zee’s.
“I’ll be back soon and we’ll talk more about… you know,” I said and followed Father Peter out of the room, without looking back at Zee, even though I could feel his eyes bore holes into my back.
As we walked, he started to talk, not that his words could make any difference. “If I could change the outcome of today, I would.”
I sneered. “What? Like keep us dumb kids in the dark?”
Father Peter stopped and turned to me. “No, Abigail, I should have protected all of my flock better against The Reote.” He turned back around and started to walk again.
Flock? He thought of us as a flock of sheep, dumb sheep in my opinion.
“When you arrived with me at the age of eleven, with your big brown eyes, you just melted my heart. I had never seen a child so devoid of emotion. But as time went by, you changed before my eyes. I still remember the first time you smiled at me,”
I pushed back the tears that threatened to spill. “Don’t try and soften me for your deceit!” I said, making him stop.
“Everything I did, I did to protect you, Abigail.” The pain in Father Peter’s eyes made my own tears spill over. “I want to show you something.” We had stopped at an old elevator door, one that would be more suited for mines. It looked like a cage, and Father Peter pulled open the gate, waiting for me to step in. I was unsure, fearful of what he was going to show me. “I only wan
t to help,” he said, noticing my hesitation.
I climbed in, even against my better judgment. Father Peter closed the gate behind us and removed a small pendant from his neck, inserting it into a slot on the wall of the elevator. It was like a coin slot, and the pendant stayed in it. As the old machine groaned to life and we started to descend, I could hear heavy footsteps racing down the hall Towards us, but we disappeared, going deeper into the ground. The temperature dropped along with my stomach.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
At my words, the elevator stopped its descent, and Father Peter removed his pendant from the small slot and pulled the gate open. He turned to me before moving into the blackness that sat before us.
“Hold on to my arm, there is no light down here.”
I did as asked and he led me down a small corridor I couldn’t see two feet in front of me.
“How do you know where you’re walking?”
“I have memorized every step it takes to get to where I need to go.”
I stopped. I could hear footsteps behind us.
“We must hurry!” Father Peter’s voice sounded alarmed and he walked at a very brisk pace, our noise level rising. He stopped, and I smacked into him.
“Why have we stopped?”
“I need to open the doors.”
I reached out my hands, and they rested on ice-cold doors, a heavy metal that rose and fell under my fingertips. It must have been a design of some type.
“Ah!” I could hear Father Peter say, just before the door opened and light poured out. It was almost blinding.
I shielded my eyes with my arms while taking steps in after Father Peter. The light slowly receded and I could see what I stood in. I turned a full three hundred and sixty degrees, believing my eyes had deceived me.
“What is this place?” I asked, moving around the garden.
It was a little bit of what I thought heaven might look like. Flowers bloomed at my feet, swaying to an unheard music or an invisible wind. Vines grew along all the walls, thriving, I looked up at the ceiling that was coated in vines, in the centre, a large tower rose high until a spot of sunlight broke through. It shone on something - a tree.
