Empower

by Ashley Stambaugh

  “Yeah,” Dean said. “What you said to her was good.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, she regrets what she’s done, which is a lot more than I expected, but she thinks it’s too late to change or do anything to help.”

  “At least you planted a seed in her mind. You have no idea how it’s going to grow.”

  “True,” she said. “But even if it does grow in the right direction, what if it doesn't grow fast enough?”

  Dean shrugged. “Only time will tell.”

  Melina nodded. “Let’s get back to my apartment. I want to talk to all of the elders now. I have a lot to discuss with them.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  As they pushed their way through the crowds of crazed people to get back to her Jeep, Melina couldn’t help but wonder why there weren’t any demons out and about. Were they all hiding together somewhere, re-strategizing? The thought continued to plague her mind as they climbed into her Jeep and drove off back to her place.

  Once they arrived at her apartment, Melina called out to Walter and the other elders. A few seconds later, Walter, Phinneas, Cecil, and Helene appeared in a burst of bright white light.

  Walter took a step toward her. “What is it, Melina? Has something happened?”

  “A lot has happened,” she said as she gestured to her living room. “Why don't we all take a seat.”

  She waited until they had all sat down, and then she started from the beginning. “Dean and I decided to go out today so that I could check on Tessa, Lee, and Gwen. When we got to Tessa’s, she looked downright awful. She fell asleep shortly after we arrived, so we decided to leave, but as we were walking back to my Jeep, we saw a mysterious man lurking around her house. He was dressed all in black and had a soft black aura that shone out around him. At first I thought he might be another fallen angel, but his appearance was distinctively different than how Adelia looks.”

  The elders looked at each other with disbelief.

  Their expressions made Melina nervous. “Before you make any conclusions about Tessa, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

  The elders all looked at her expectantly, so she told them about their encounter with Maura and her minions when they went to Lee’s apartment. When she had finished, Melina glanced nervously around at all the elders. “So what do you think? Is Tessa’s life in danger?”

  Once again, the elders exchanged grim expressions, then Phinneas spoke. “The man you described—dressed in all black with a soft black aura that shone out around him—is an angel of death.”

  Melina’s breath hitched as her entire body stiffened, and her eyes filled with tears. “No.” She spoke quietly at first, and then her tone quickly became frantic. “But you said it couldn’t happen,” she said as she looked straight at Phinneas. “You said that a person couldn’t die by just having part of his soul taken. Maybe you’re wrong. Or maybe he wasn’t after Tessa.”

  Phinneas shook his head as he raised a hand to calm her. “Melina… I’m sorry, but what you described is an angel of death, and angels of death don’t just show up anywhere. Only around the person they are about to collect.”

  Melina quickly shook her head. “I still don’t understand. Did the demons do something different to her? If the angel of death was at her house today, does that mean that she’s in danger of dying soon?”

  “I don’t know,” Phinneas said. “The only thing that comes to mind is this. Maura had planned on attacking your friends regardless of how troubled their souls were because she just wanted to hurt you. Tessa is a good person, and I can bet that only a small portion of her soul is troubled. So when the demons took the good portion of her soul, the bad part that was left intact was so little that it’s almost like her soul was taken completely.”

  “So when she fell asleep this morning while we were there, she was falling into a comatose-like state?” Melina asked. “Like Lee did when Maura took his soul?”

  Phinneas nodded.

  Melina perked up a little. “Then that means she still has some time, right?”

  “Yes, but very little,” Phinneas said. “No more than a couple of days.”

  Helene sighed loudly and folded her arms over her chest. “If only we could get Adelia to help us. She knows what the demons are doing, and her testimony would get Victor and his warrior angels down here to stop this.”

  “She might be more willing than you think,” Dean said.

  Helene’s forehead creased as she glanced between Dean and Melina. “You got through to her? You got her to help?”

  “Not really.” Melina lowered her head and told them about the run-in they had just had with Adelia. “I tried to get through to her, but it didn’t do any good. She just said it was too late then disappeared.”

  “No,” Helene said. “If she really is feeling regret then she has a lot more good left in her than any of us even realized. And just like with you, the good in her will always be dominant, so she could easily be brought back to the light. All she has to do is allow it.”

  Melina looked around at the elders. “You really think there’s a chance she would do that?”

  For a moment they all remained silent, then Phinneas piped up.

  “You said that she seemed interested in Dean and why he had decided to come and help, right?” he asked.

  Melina and Dean both nodded.

  “I don’t think she’s just having regrets about her role in helping the Noxin demons,” Phinneas said. “I think she’s also questioning her belief that all humans who can absorb angel powers are abominations.”

  Nobody said anything, so he continued. “Adelia thought the humans were abominations not just because they shouldn’t have supernatural powers, but also because she thought they would abuse the powers.” He paused as he looked over at Melina and Dean. “But now, after she’s seen how much you two truly want to help other people, I think she’s starting to wonder if she was wrong.”

  “If that is how she feels,” Cecil said, “we don't want to pressure her to help us. If she feels like she’s being forced before she’s ready…”

  “I know,” Phinneas said. “She’s going to have to come to this on her own. And I think that she will. Melina did a good job of making her think, but now there’s not much else we can do.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Did anything else happen?” Walter asked.

  Melina looked over at Dean, and then they both took turns recalling all of the chaos that they had seen around the city that morning.

  “I thought the Noxin demons were only targeting troubled people,” Melina said, “but now it seems as if they’re attacking everyone.”

  “Remember,” Walter said, “everyone is troubled to some degree. But I think at first they were targeting people who were more troubled than not.” Walter folded his arms across his chest. “I wonder what changed?”

  “Dean thinks the demons are worried that I know what they’re doing after I saw those two demons suck out that man’s soul last night,” Melina said. “So now they’re rushing around to complete their plan before any of us can stop it.”

  “That makes sense,” Walter said.

  “Yes,” Phinneas said as he stared down at the floor, stroking his beard. “It makes a lot of sense.” He raised his head and looked around the room at everyone. “Think about it. If the Noxin demons are only taking the good part of a human’s soul then attacking those with mostly troubled souls would be quick and easy since the good portion would be small. It would barely knock them out of their stealth mode. Attacking less troubled people would mean that the good portion of their soul would be much larger, and it would take too long and put the demons at risk of being caught in the act. But if they think they’re running out of time then they’re not bothering with listening to people’s thoughts to find the more troubled ones anymore. They’re just attacking everyone now.”

  “If they don’t see the need to listen to people’s thoughts anymore then that must be why we didn’t se
e any demons out today.” Melina ran a hand through her hair. “This is getting out of hand. We have got to get Victor and his warriors down here soon.”

  Phinneas shook his head. “He needs absolute proof.”

  Dean stood up from his chair, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels as fast as he could. Suddenly he stopped and turned up the volume. “There,” he said as he pointed at the screen. “There’s your proof.”

  Melina glanced at the TV and saw that the chaos which had broken out in her small town was being broadcast to the entire tri-state area. Her stomach lurched at the sight, but what happened next was even worse.

  The words “Breaking News” came flashing across the bottom of the screen as the picture switched from the crowd of people to a young anchorman in the studio. Melina moved to the edge of her seat, anxious to hear what he had to say, but when he opened his mouth to talk, all she heard was, “There’s been a homicide,” before she tuned everything else out.

  Her eyes grew wide as her entire body went numb. This couldn’t be happening. Someone in her town had been murdered? She was still in a state of shock when she heard Walter calling out her name.

  “Melina? Melina, are you okay?” he asked.

  Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly started to shake her head. “I did this. To Tessa, to Lee, to Gwen… to everyone.”

  Walter reached out his hand and gently touched her shoulder. “No, Melina. You didn’t—”

  “This is Maura’s way of getting back at me,” she said, cutting him off. “She wants me to see my friends and my entire town destroyed.”

  Silence hung over the room for several seconds, and during that time Melina’s shock turned to anger. “Get Victor down here,” she said as she stared down at the floor.

  “Melina,” Phinneas said.

  “I know,” she said, not even bothering to lift her head. “He needs absolute proof, but even telling him about this,” she said as she gestured at the TV, “as well as Tessa and everything else that Dean and I saw today still won’t be enough. He needs to see it himself.”

  Dean and all of the elders just stared at her. A faint white glow was shining from her hands and starting to emanate from her entire body.

  “I have it under control,” she said. Even the fiery sensation coursing through her veins didn’t have as intense an effect on her anymore. It was barely noticeable now. A few seconds passed, and she finally looked up at everyone. “When it first turns dark, he needs to go out with us so he can actually see that the Noxin demons are stealing the good part of people’s souls and leaving the bad, and all of the chaos it has created.” She clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. “This all needs to end tonight.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  When Walter, Phinneas, Cecil, and Helene arrived back in The Realm, they changed back into their angel forms and went straight to see Victor. As they approached the warrior angels’ temple, Ivan, Victor’s lieutenant, greeted them at the door.

  “Victor’s been waiting to hear from you,” he said. “Come. Follow me.”

  The elders followed Ivan through the doorway and up a dark mahogany staircase. Once they reached the second floor, Ivan led them over to a large set of wooden doors and knocked.

  “Come in,” Victor’s voice boomed from the other side.

  With a bit of force, Ivan pushed the heavy doors inward and escorted the elders into the spacious room. Victor was sitting at the head of a large, circular wood table.

  “It’s good to finally see you all again,” he said and then gestured around at the chairs. “Come. Sit. And tell me what news you have for me.”

  They all took a seat and let Phinneas speak since he was the oldest.

  “We think we know what the Noxin demons are doing to the humans in Melina’s town,” he said.

  “You think?” Victor asked.

  “We’re pretty sure that the demons are taking the good part of people’s souls and leaving the bad part intact,” Phinneas said.

  Victor raised his eyebrows. “That is pretty serious. Elaborate.”

  Phinneas cleared his throat and recounted everything they had pieced together so far.

  Victor leaned forward in his chair. “When Melina was attacked at that man’s house, anything could’ve happened. If the demons thought you were on to them, they could’ve given the man his soul back. Or they could’ve been tricking you all from the beginning, making you think that they took the man’s soul when they may have done something completely different to him.”

  “We know,” Phinneas said. “But our theory makes sense with everything else that’s happening.”

  Victor stroked at his beard, pondering the matter, when Walter spoke up.

  “We’ve been trying to keep our distance,” he said, “and just let Melina handle everything because we thought that it would hinder our progress if the demons sensed us. But the demons seem to be attacking everyone now, so I don’t think that matters anymore.” He paused for a moment then said, “When night falls in Melina’s town the demons will be out again, attacking people with full force. Come with us to see what they’re doing firsthand. Please,” he said. “Those people need your help. One human has already been murdered, and Melina’s friend, Tessa, has an angel of death after her.”

  Victor’s brow creased.

  “If absolute proof is what you need,” Walter said, “then I’m afraid coming with us is the only way you’re going to get it.”

  Victor looked around at all of the elders. “I’ll come with you. But if the Noxins really are stealing parts of people’s souls then I’m afraid that my warriors and I would only be able to stop them from attacking any more humans. If we destroyed the demons, the human souls would be destroyed, too, so our attack would only be a temporary roadblock. And we can’t do anything about the souls they’ve already taken.” He paused to swallow. “Melina is the only one who can truly stop all of this. Does she know that?”

  “She does,” Walter said. “But even though she’s the only one who has the ability to retake all of those humans’ souls, she’s still going to need help.”

  Victor nodded. “I will go and meet with my warriors. We need to develop a strategy.”

  The elders nodded at him.

  Victor stood up from his chair. “I must leave now, but as soon as night falls, I’ll be ready to go.”

  Back at Melina’s apartment, she and Dean were trying to pass the time by keeping themselves busy. Dean was using Melina’s computer to check on a few work projects, and Melina alternated between reading a book and doing random chores. She was trying to avoid watching the TV so she wouldn’t have to see any more bad news.

  When she had finished wiping down her kitchen counters she sat down on the couch and picked up her book again. But just when she was about to open it, she laid it back down on the coffee table and sprang up from the couch. She quickly walked over to the hallway closet, grabbed the broom, went back into the kitchen, and started sweeping the floor.

  Dean scrunched his eyebrows together as he set the laptop aside and turned around to look at her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just trying to keep myself distracted,” she said as she continued to sweep. “I’m worried about Tessa.”

  “Why don’t you go and check on her again? It’s not going to be dark out for another hour or so.”

  Melina stopped sweeping and looked up at Dean. “I think I might.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked. “In case something happens.”

  “Sure,” she said. “But I think we should just teleport instead of taking my Jeep. It’s quicker and…”

  “And what?” Dean asked.

  “And,” Melina said, “since you figured out that we can teleport to a person and not just to a place, I think that would be the best option for us.”

  “She’s in a comatose-like state,” Dean said. “I don’t think she’s going anywhere.”

  Melina nodded. “I know. But, jus
t in case.”

  “Okay,” Dean said as he stood to join her. “Let’s teleport to Tessa.”

  A few seconds later, Melina and Dean both appeared in Tessa’s bedroom. And the first thing Melina saw wasn’t Tessa. It was the mysterious man in black she had seen earlier. The angel of death. His velvety black aura shone out around him as he stood next to Tessa’s bed looking down at her.

  “No!” Melina yelled. “You can’t take her.”

  The angel slowly turned around and faced Melina and Dean. His features were soft and his eyes were full of compassion. “She still has some time,” he said in a low, calm voice. “But not much. I’m sorry.”

  “Please,” Melina begged. “Give me a chance to save her.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at Tessa one more time and then looked back at Melina. “My name’s Claude. My estimate of the strength of her life force is just that. An estimate. She could have more time, if she’s a fighter. But right now I’m not sensing that. If you think you can save her, I would hurry.” He gave her a sympathetic smile and then disappeared in a burst of black light.

  Melina’s eyes began to fill with tears as she stepped over to Tessa’s bed and gazed down at her friend. She reached out with her hand and gently swept a lock of Tessa’s golden-blond hair away from her forehead. “She’s so cold.” Melina knelt down beside the bed and closed her eyes, causing her built-up tears to trickle down her face. “I’m so sorry, Tess. I’m so sorry about all of this. But you can’t give up. I know you’re a fighter, so please, please… don’t give up.”

  She felt Dean’s hand on her shoulder. “She still has some time,” he said. “And once night falls, you’re going to do everything you can to save her.”

  Melina nodded her head as she opened her eyes and looked at Tessa again. She was definitely going to do everything she could to save her friend. To save all her friends. She just hoped she could do it in time.

  Chapter Thirty-Six