Destiny Strikes

by Flowers-Lee, Theresa

  “If there’s anybody else out there in need of the Lord today,” the man of the cloth appealed, “don’t wait until it’s too late. Please come forward, and let His light shine down upon you. All you have to do is come up here. All you have to do is ask. He’s here waiting for you.”

  More people began leaving their seats, and joining others.

  Dennis’s freaky focus and silence ended suddenly.

  “You know, I knew there was something special about Travis. Almost makes me wish things were different. I believe Travis could’ve taught me a few things, especially since he’s the one fucking you.” He then looked over his shoulder at Travis and smiled, saying, “Today should be very interesting now that you’re both here.

  Fallon skin tingled, her flesh alive with wanting to burn each layer of flesh from Dennis’s body.

  “I don’t know where you’re getting you information, but you’d better explain that last part.” If she had any doubts when it came to executing someone so young, the evil intent in his eyes and smile killed it.

  “You, on the other hand, I’ll take a firm hand to when all is said and done here.” Two women along the pew leaned forward and gave him an appalled harrumph.

  Fallon silkily whispered in his ear, “We can talk outside right now, if you like.” Bullshitting aside, she continued. “I know what you are. The how of it, I’m not so sure about. You’ve already hurt a lot of people. You don’t want your death to occur in front of your mother, do you?”

  The little rodent moved in close and hissed in her ear. “I’m not leaving. I like who I’ve become and what makes me unlike any of these piss-ants. Although it’s boring explaining this when you and Travis know all about being unique.”

  The assurance behind the smile caused a whiff of smoke to burn her nose.

  “Will you ever get to the fucking point?”

  “The X-rated version of you guy’s together last night, that was really fun to watch. Sex calling lightning. By the way, that’s nothing compared to what will happen if you don’t get the fuck away from me now.”

  Sliding along the seat, closer to his punk-ass behind, until there wasn’t any room left between them, Fallon placed her hand over his thigh. A small jolt passed from her fingers into the jeans-covered area. Despite a slight twitch, Dennis showed no reaction to her bold move.

  “Get the fuck up right this minute, and as I promised, I’ll be nice and kill you quickly. I really don’t care. The choice is yours.” To emphasize her point, she localized another shock of electricity.

  Never wavering in his focus from her hand on his leg, the sickly sweet smell of fresh blood and charred meat started to rise from the seared area. Dennis essentially looked her in the eyes and snickered. His laughter continued until he had the attention of the whole church. They turned to see what the disturbance was.

  “Stupid bitch, you can’t hurt me!”

  Dennis’s mother head came up from her prayers and hurt shone bright in her glittering gaze before she collapsed on the floor.

  Over the sound of her pounding heart, Fallon watched in horror as Travis raced forward thinking Dennis was distracted with his head leaned back, eyes closed, and maniacal laughter ringing throughout the church.

  Travis’s fist connected, not with Dennis, but with an invisible shield protecting Dennis. The ricochet tossed Travis like a ragdoll into the air as Fallon screamed. His body bounced off the double doors at the back of the church with bone-jarring brutality.

  Fallon held her breath waiting for him to move. Pursing Dennis, who’d used the distraction to get around her and head to the spot he’d been staring at earlier, was absurd since she was frozen in place. Travis lay still and unmoving for so long she began to doubt he’d been knocked unconscious, and that there was a far more heart wrenching reason he didn’t move. Through blurry eyes, she glimpsed the minute rise and fall from his body. Relief swept through her. He lived.

  Her gaze shifted and she watched as Dennis took a position in front of a painted depiction of Angels.

  Then Dennis’s arms rose outstretched and wings sprouted behind him. The words left her lips before she could call them back. “What the fuck?”

  “Travis,” Fallon said, “I’m going to need you to wake up soon, buddy.” After no response, she lowered her voice in order not to frighten anyone else. “This is so much worse than I imagined.”

  “Since most of the town is here, I think it’s about time I introduce myself.” Dennis unfurled the purplish-black wings like a peacock and continued. “I have come to learn within the past month that my dear mother here fucked one of the Fallen. So, not only am I a rare breed of Angel as they tell me, I’ve been tasked recently with an obligation to weed out the herd, so to speak.” He stepped away from the mural into the beginning row of pews, raising his hands as if overseeing the church.

  Three people began to levitate from their seat, their bodies bowed and soundless screams stretching their lips.

  “You have a soul that doesn’t belong to you and I’d like it back.”

  Fallon’s heart rate picked up as she denied what the unknown force within her coaxed her to do. Every person present would end up dead. She gripped the edge of the pew in an effort to stave off the worst compulsion, to be judge, jury, and executioner. The wood beneath her fingers creaked.

  Thankfully, Dennis’s mass mind control held everyone else motionless. The compulsion had almost sunk its tainted talons into her mind, and her success hinged on Dennis believing it had. The kid’s power rivaled any Sortaneph she’d ever came in contact with. In addition, the reference to the Fallen was troubling and inordinately toxic to her inner being, in light of stories she’d heard over the centuries. The dark breed had remained a myth until now.

  Her anxiety increased and so did the storm beyond the windowpanes. The pretty prisms with light shining through when they’d arrived had disappeared as the weather outside cast an ominous gloom over the interior of the church.

  Even if she could call lightning, and directed it straight at Dennis, the castoff would cause insurmountable damage and probably destroy the church and all its inhabitants.

  “Dennis, listen to me. What’s been done can’t be changed, yet you’ve got a chance to do the right thing now. Let these people go and we’ll handle it. I don’t know how or why you’re doing this, but I need you to stop,” Fallon said from the depths of her soul. “Whatever you’re doing, just stop. For Christ’s sake, your own mother is dying, if not dead by now. Why not just take me?”

  “You can’t stop this, and you know it,” Dennis snarled. “After I’m done with these stupid people, you’re next.” The barrier around him shimmered as he continued to draw on a disembodied sentient force fighting to stay with its host.

  “Be reasonable, Dennis. At least tell me why you’re doing this. What is the game plan after all of this? Or do you even know,” she asked in a mocking tone.

  Fallon had taken her eyes off Dennis for just a minute to watch Travis’s progress, and when she turned back to him, she saw an unknown woman standing beside him, who began stroking him like her favored pet.

  “Who the hell are you?” Fallon frowned, sizing up the woman.

  Utter contempt lined the detestable, but lovely face.

  “I knew of the one called Rafael.” Her perfect Botox-like lips curled with derision. “It seems there are more mistakes running around than I anticipated. That’s just great.”

  The woman’s expression changed to amusement at witnessing Fallon’s confusion. “You have no clue about your pathetic brother,” she said and clapped her hands together. “Your naiveté would be more useful if you knew who and what you are.”

  “The Guardian fills your head with nonsense, and choosing to hunt my Sortaneph brethren will be this world’s undoing, and soon enough you’ll pay for your mistaken sense of rig
ht,” she said, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

  “I don’t know what makes you think you can interrupt this little party and spout off absurdities, right out of the gate, but I was talking to Dennis. Not you.”

  Fallon didn’t want to admit any resemblance between the newcomer and Travis, but as he stood unmoving, there was no denying the fascination dawning on his face.

  The woman in the hooded long black cloak broke Fallon’s concentration by throwing her head back and issuing a maniacal deep-throated laugh.

  “When it comes to enlightenment, the role you Neplilim simpleton’s play in humanity’s future is on a grander scale.”

  “It’s been such fun over the centuries, torturing Raphael, the inept dolt. However, I grow bored altering the people he’s helped for my purposes. He actually tried to inspire hope, and it only led him into a trap. We are the rightful heirs to Earth.” The cloaked woman turned to Travis. “But obviously, you've found the same thing I did. Love can make us all do stupid things.”

  Fallon could tell Travis was just as perplexed by the illogical ramblings as she was. What dastardly purpose could this new arrival to her shit fest have for following Raphael, Nephilim, or using Dennis to take over the world? Where had all of this come from and where was it fucking going?

  Fallon automatically followed the long blood-red fingertip skimming over Dennis’s chin and the slow progress down his shirt.

  “The first time I met Rafael,” the woman said, “I recognized what he was, and I’ve kept close tabs on him ever since. You see, I also knew when I set eyes on Rafael who had sired him. That’s when my hatred toward him began.” She ran her fingers through Dennis’s hair and growled as she yanked his head back. “I take it Rafael hasn’t told you anything about what he’s seen or knows.” The mysterious woman moved directly in front of Dennis. “But I must confess, if not for following the buffoon, I would never have found this young one, and he is exactly what we need. Half-breeds might’ve been a mistake for Angels in the beginning, but we’re learning just how valuable you really are.”

  If what the woman said was true, it explained some things and left others open-ended.

  “You’re right about one thing. Something is talking to me. But before I let it loose, I’m kind of tired of thinking of you as just some evil insane lady.” Fallon smiled to drive her dislike home. “Most civilized people you run across introduce themselves when they meet someone.”

  Cocking her hip, and cradling one arm under her breast to rest her elbow on her balled fist, and placing her finger to her lip, Fallon tapped it a couple of times before saying coyly, “Even bitches have names, too.”

  Moving without Fallon ever seeing it, the crazy woman placed her small but incredibly strong hand, around Fallon’s neck, lifting her into the air before she knew what was happening. “You are an insolent little bitch. You have no idea the likes of which you fuck with! My name is Anebasi, and you will show some respect.”

  The next thing Fallon sensed was her body soaring through the air, waiting for an impact similar to Travis’s earlier flight. Damned if she didn’t like trouble and it was probably going to get her killed.

  CHAPTER 36

  Time stood still as Fallon fought for one last glimpse of Travis. But she saw he’d started moving. The next thing Fallon knew, she was in Travis’s arms. He flew overhead to snatch her right out of the air.

  Yeah, her suspicions about him were starting to fit and telling him could make or break their budding relationship. She immediately shook off the panic that tried to invade before it could take root. So instead, enjoying the moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder a second before letting out a huge breath and turning to smile at Anebasi. The bitch glared spitefully.

  “Do you think you can handle things from here while I try to calm down the situation?” he asked while smoothing away one stray hair obscuring her vision.

  In light of dwelling on such tenderness amongst the chaos, Fallon turned to see people huddled in masses weeping and quieting the children’s fears of what was taking place before them. Dennis had obviously dropped the ball when it came to keeping the sixty or more people docile and under control.

  “Yeah, I believe so. But it sure would be nice to have my brothers for backup,” Fallon admitted honestly.

  As soon as her feet hit the floor, Shirley, the crazy person who’d given her direction and practically predicted this shit, appeared. There also wasn’t a warning for how remarkably nimble she was for her age until she jumped up onto the edge of a pew and held a crouched position facing Dennis.

  “You take care of the Wicked Bitch Witch while I deal with the young one.” Her voice held authority and she was nothing like the kind old lady she’d portrayed herself to be when they met.

  People rushed for the exit now that Dennis’s hold on them was broken. They pounded on the doors. “Let us out,” they screamed but the double doors held firm.

  Fallon watched in fascination as Shirley’s ballet-styled shoes effortlessly glided from one pew to next. Her feet never touched the seat’s curved shoulder rests. Shirley raced for the front of the church, eyes focused on Dennis.

  Granny kicked it into high gear well before Fallon realized she looked twenty years younger than in the store.

  “It cannot be,” Anebasi said in terrified bemusement as she watched the drama as it played out. “The Guardian has never stepped out of his place before. Sataria, this has nothing to do with you. This isn’t a Heavenly dispute Archangels must fight.”

  Fallon decided not to let the opportunity go to waste and used every ounce of her strength to land a blow straight to Anebasi’s sternum. The strange woman flew backward with the force of the blow and shattered the podium in the pulpit in a showering debris of splintered wood.

  “Neither one of you can stop what’s coming,” she hissed. Her body shuddered. Then she bent over as if to vomit and a copious amount of blood flooded past her lips. The malicious smile she taunted Sataria with turned Fallon’s stomach. “I’ve seen what Orion’s handwork has done in times past, and I believe you've witnessed it yourself, Sataria, a time or two. We’ve ushered in the wrath of the Creator, and his right hand is not far away.”

  Shirley, or Sataria, or whoever the duplicitous woman was, wasn’t far from Fallon. She had her knee in Dennis’s back with him facedown. She had one of his massive wings bent at an odd angle.

  “I know,” Fallon overheard. “But thwarting what you had planned here will be good enough for me.”

  Fallon had no idea what they were talking about, but before Anebasi could respond, Fallon struck again. She relished the pain that glazed the woman’s eyes that continued to water as skin sizzled, and enjoyed the satisfying sound as bones crunched. Good. She’d fractured Anebasi’s jaw. “You won’t be messing with my brother again.”

  Any satisfaction for the blood flowing down Anebasi’s chin was short-lived as Fallon felt excruciating pain in her abdomen. The bitch had delivered an achingly powerful shot to her midsection, which felt like a laser as it burned her flesh through the heavy material of her dress. Her regular attire would have been useful now, Fallon supposed, as she sailed through the air for the second time.

  Travis, trying to keep everyone calm at the back of the church, raced forward and caught her again before she crashed against a table set up with gold plates on it. “I’ll buy you flying lessons after this is over if it’s so important for you to be in the air.” Then his expression turned serious. “Think you can finish this? Because Lord knows I don’t want to hit a female, but that woman is pushing me.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I got this. I’ll heal. Thanks for the assist, but I can take care of myself.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Might hurt for a while, but I always get over it.” Fallon pushed him off, trying to make sure Shirley/Sataria was o
kay. She’d seen another body flying through the air with wings and had hoped it was Dennis. It wasn’t. Shirley lay still as death near a huge hole in the building’s structure.

  Screaming in rage over the sight, the reins to her power slipped and lightning flashed in rapid flickers outside. Her own wings sprouted forth. Travis's astonishment was nothing compared to the panicked expression that flew across Anebasi’s face.

  “Yeah, chick-a-dee, now it’s really on.”

  Fallon knew Anebasi’s painful death was clearly written on her face as she smiled. She even enjoyed the emerging fear on the bloodied and disfigured features of her adversary.

  “I thought if I killed you, he would come,” Anebasi muttered contemptuously. Then she smiled awkwardly and looked not at Fallon, but directly at Travis. “It appears all the reunions are going to have to be put off until another day. But let’s see if she can save you this time, brother.”

  Before Fallon flexed a muscle to move, bright light seared her vision, temporarily blinding her as it left Anbesi’s hand. As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she saw that Anebasi had crawled and reached Dennis's prone body. Her body wavered as she lifted her hand and pointed again. A second beam arrowed past her and Fallon squinted this time as she hurried to reach Anebasi. Too late, her foot came down where the woman’s head should have been. Shit, she’d disappeared with the lifeless body of Dennis in tow.

  Travis groaned somewhere behind her.

  She turned, making sure Travis was okay. He lay in a dark-red pool as his hands clutched his exposed ribcage and abdomen. The sight activated a familiar numbness that settled over her like a mantel. The building pressure that had constantly plagued her could no longer be denied.

  If in her right mind, it would’ve been hard to believe the succession of events that happened in what seemed like a split second of time. One minute, Travis lay in the middle aisle with a giant hole in his stomach. The next, the church doors burst open with the percussion of a cannon blast. Fallon disregarded her brothers’ sudden appearance as they sized up the scene. Instead, she approached Travis and fell to her knees.