by Bob Williams
“Lights,” it said. And there were. Cole fainted.
MALCOLM
“Malcolm!” Shields said enthusiastically through sobs. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. “You’re alive!”
“Yes, Laura. Just barely. It takes a great deal of energy to vanish, and even more to return. I won’t be doing that again for quite a while. Ah yes! Mr. Prescott. Thank you very much. I will call you that, so don’t bother asking me not to.”
“Hey!” I hadn’t even formed the thought in my head yet to ask him...it...what the heck was I supposed to call him...it? “How do you even know I don’t want to be called that?”
“One moment, please. I need to address my appearance.” He snapped his fingers and instantly he was wearing blue jeans, boots, and navy blue button up shirt. What? Was I in the presence of the most metrosexual angel in history?
“No, you are not, Mr. Prescott, in the presence of the most metrosexual angel in history. I just threw something on.”
“Hold on! Just hold the fuck on for a second.” I said
“Language, Mr. Prescott.”
“Let’s start over.” Cole stirred on the ground and Shields went to check on him. “You are an honest to goodness ANGEL! Yeah?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Why am I not freaking out right now? Or spontaneously combusting? Or I don’t know…freaking out?”
“You have seen, first hand, the demon Chaos enter your father and speak through him. You have also witnessed the essence of Chaos enter the bodies of other Regulars and become the creatures so eloquently called Freaks. You are not freaking out, Mr. Prescott, because your brain has already surmised that angels are the next logical step. The missing piece? In fact, you have never said it aloud before, but you have wondered where we were. The angels. Isn’t that true?”
“Yes. It’s true. Ok. So...yeah. You’re an angel named Malcolm. How do you know so much about me, Malcolm?”
“We have much to discuss, Mr. Prescott. And you have much work to do. But first, let’s get our friend Michael up and about. We should find another place to talk. I believe, Laura, that you have set up camp in the Student Union? I must vacate these premises. Despite the fact that the MSZ was my home, I can no longer stay here. The pain and suffering that took place here is weighing heavily on my soul.”
I pulled Cole, who was still not nearly returned from la-la land, up and put his arm over my shoulder. Shields—I couldn’t make myself call her Laura—took the rest of his weight and we slowly made our way out of the building. The miracle of interacting with an actual angel and the sheer excitement of it all was quickly forgotten when we once again made our way through the sea of bodies. Was there any possible way to make what happened here right? Would killing Kade be enough? One life for hundreds. It wasn’t a fair trade. Kade’s death would not bring these people back.
No, it will not Mr. Prescott.
What? Get the fuck out my head, Malcolm!
Language.
Shut up.
Mr. Prescott…
Quit calling me that!
I’ve been in your head since you walked into The 88. Your thoughts have been my words. We are linked, Mr. Prescott. My, oh my, it was quite the bone chilling evening, wasn’t it? The weather gets much warmer, even in December, the farther south you come.
“Shut. Up!”
Shields, from the other side of Cole said, “Huh? Nobody said anything. What’re you on about?”
“Oh...uh...nothing. I musta got carried away with my internal debate.” I said, sounding nuts.
“Care to share the topic of your internal debate?” said Shields.
“The weather, actually. Just wondering why it was so much warmer here in December than Chicago.”
Malcolm said, “It’s the evil, Mr. Prescott. There’s more of it here.”
“Well, that is certainly debatable,” I said.
Once we were out of the morgue formerly known as the Murfreesboro Safe Zone, we all felt like we were breathing new air. Clean air. The air of life! The entire time I was in the MSZ I felt like I was inhaling death and exhaling life. As if every breath I took in there was time off the clock and, if I didn’t get out of there, I was going to die.
Shields and I carried a still semi-conscious Cole back to the Student Union. Shields and I set up a makeshift bed for Cole on one the couches I had found earlier. I told Lexi to stand by and watch Cole while Shields and I went to get food and supplies from our vehicles.
Oh, and Malcolm, the angel I still was having a good ol’ time taking in, disappeared after casually saying, “I’m going to go have a look around.” I’m quite sure there was some heavenly magic or something going on, but his wings simply emerged upward from behind his shoulders and expanded outward in a most staggering display. It was nearly impossible to not get caught up in it. He lifted himself effortlessly a few feet off the ground and glided towards the doors of the Student Union. He touched down ever so briefly, pushed open the door, then vanished right before my eyes.
“He does understand that he’s just revealed himself to me, us, as an angel right? He can’t just fly off like that. I have questions!”
“He...does that.”
KADE LEARNS THE SCORE
About thirty-five miles up interstate 24, sitting in his office at the Hard Rock Cafe, Kendrick Kade suddenly, and rather violently, vomited. What he didn’t know was, at the exact moment of his eruption, Malcolm the angel was making himself known to the Regulars at the Murfreesboro Safe Zone. Kade had been sitting back in his rolling office chair, one that he finally really liked, with his feet crossed and resting comfortably on his desk.
In his lap was a plate. The spoils of victory, he told himself. There were several grilled fingers and few slices of Regular thigh. He’d earned this. Then, suddenly and totally unexpectedly, his stomach turned violently, and vomit shot from his mouth, hitting his boots and splashing everywhere. Kade threw his legs off the desk and flung himself to the floor as the vomiting continued. His stomach was heaving in a dramatic fashion, and his eyes bulged in their sockets. Kade thought he was close to death for sure.
Then, just as quickly as it began, the sickness was over. He was on all fours, still heaving, trying to regain his composure. He truly hoped that Ortiz hadn’t heard any of this and wouldn’t be bursting in to check on him. Kade rolled over onto his butt, brought his knees to his chest, and dropped his head. He had never felt to so disgusted. If anyone were to see him on the floor covered in vomit, they would most assuredly die before they could tell.
Then, just as suddenly as before, a new and extremely unwelcome feeling came over him. It was as if a thousand individual snakes of current were slowly sneaking and creeping into his body. His long, pitch-black hair stood on end. Whatever darkness that caused his heart to beat felt as if it could explode any minute. As the current grew stronger, Kade’s reaction was to contract into a ball and hope he somehow survived.
His head whipped backwards as if someone had yanked his hair. His arms shot out to the sides and when they were stretched as far as they could go, each arm jerked several more inches and both shoulders dislocated. Kade screamed in an agony, a sound he’d never heard come from his mouth before. He had not felt pain such as this even when he had been tortured by The Black Hand prior to joining the cabal. Kade’s body levitated until he was very nearly standing. Then the surge in current grew and his right foot crossed and rested on the top of his left.
Kade was afraid. He felt admitting this to himself might, in some way, help. It did not. He shot backwards and savagely slammed into the wall. Across the room was a rather extensive collection of knives that Kade had liberated from various Regulars he had murdered over the last couple of years. Out of the collection of knives rose three very sharp and very deadly blades. The three blades floated in the air for only a brief moment before spinning across the room towards Kade.
Two of the blades went straight through the centers of his upturned palms. The other speared h
is feet. Kade spit up blood from the pain. He had been crucified on his wall by a force far greater than he could ever imagine.
His door opened slowly, and Ortiz stepped in. He crossed the room, the door closing of its own accord behind him, and stopped two steps away from Kade. His eyes locked on Kade’s and, he simply stared at him for several seconds, cocking his head ever so slightly in judgment.
“Well, don’t just stand there, you fool! get—”
The eyes that were so intently focused on Kade’s turned blood red and started glowing. His ears stretched outward and grew pointed, and his teeth morphed into fangs. To crown the transformation, he grew four feet in stature, and his skin turned black as night. The thing that had been Ortiz waved its hand and Kade was rendered mute.
A voice clearly not Ortiz’ came from the mouth of the apparition. “Shut your foolish mouth, Kendrick Kade.” The voice was a low growl that reverberated throughout the room. “You stand on the cusp of victory, but your arrogance will be your downfall.”
It waved its hand once again and Kade spat, “What are you?”
“It is I, Kendrick Kade. Chaos. The one to whom you pledged your life. The one who’s given you this wonderful bounty you enjoy. The one who can very easily take it away if you fail me.”
“Master! I don’t understand. Why have you done this to me? My men and I have just returned from a great victory. We gave thanks to you! We honor you with blood, murder, and destruction. We annihilated the Murfreesboro Safe Zone and killed every Regular there. All for you, master!”
“Yes. I am aware. Your Black Hand spy Lou Bixby was a true martyr to the cause. The destruction of their precious network and the dismantling of all medical equipment has crippled the efforts of the Regulars in this region. They will scatter and our forces will grow. And we will continue to spread our message of hate, destruction, and death, until every last Regular is destroyed or converted.”
“Master,” said Kade, “we have returned with two of three members of their command structure. They are called The Three. One of them was at large when we executed our attack. But, thanks to Bixby, we knew the identities of the remaining two and brought them back. It was my intention to torture them for any remaining information we hadn’t received from Bixby.”
“Save them. Here are your instructions. There is one named Prescott who lives. He narrowly escaped my grasp in Chicago, mere days ago. He is misguided and out for revenge. He poses a great danger to us, Kade. He is a pawn in a much larger game, and one with far reaching ramifications for us, Kade, if he is not stopped. Revenge is a very powerful weapon. He must be captured and killed with great haste before he plays his hand. He is with the last two remaining survivors of your attack. You will draw them here using their friends as bait, and tomorrow evening you will capture them, you will hurt them, and you will sacrifice them all to me in a grand ceremony fit to glorify all Eighty-Eight Demons. Are my instructions clear, Kade?”
Kade had been hanging on that wall for what felt like an eternity. He had lost an immense amount of blood and his body had been ferociously abused by Chaos. “Yes, master, Glory to The Eighty-Eight! The Black Hand Serves!” He could barely lift his head.
“Good. Remember what I have told you. Do not disappoint me, Kade.”
A knock on the door startled Kade from his slumber and his now-cold plate of food slipped out of his lap and fell to the floor. He sprang from his rolling office chair, and ran to the mirror on the wall opposite the door. He face looked normal. His hands were fine, and his feet were all right. He turned and looked at his office. Pristine. No vomit, no blood, and no holes in the wall.
“Come in,” he said.
It was Ortiz. “It’s time for your evening address, Boss. Have you thought about what you’re gonna say?”
Kade broke into a rather sinister looking smile. “As a matter of fact I have. Let’s go.”
PRELUDE TO SHOWDOWN
Cole finally revived from his fainting spell, with a new knot to add to his collection of cuts and bruises. I personally was not looking to add any more, but knew that was unlikely.
Cole said, “So, what did I miss? Did y’all get a chance to see what that light was all about? I went down early.”
“No, you saw it. Just say it out loud. Shields already knew, I saw it and talked to it. Lexi even saw it. She peed herself but at least she remained conscious. You saw what you saw, Michael. Now just believe it.”
“It looked like...an...angel,” he said, completely unsure of himself.
“That’s because it was, Cole.” We didn’t have time for this.
“How is possible that an angel is not only here, on earth, but working for us?” Cole asked incredulously.
“Is it that far out of the realm of possibility, Michael? Demons caused The Descent, so, what? Angels can’t exist?”
There was a whoosh sound and the door of the Student Union flew open. Malcolm walked in, his wings completely outstretched before retracting and disappearing behind his shoulders. He walked casually towards the three of us.
“Be calm, Michael Cole, and know that all of your fears will be addressed shortly. I will answer all of your questions, and yours too, Mr. Prescott.”
Stop. Calling. Me. That!
I don’t understand what your issue is with your name, Mr. Prescott. It is a very nice name. I don’t particularly enjoy calling you Mr., either. You certainly haven’t earned it. However, if I can’t call you by your name, what would you have me call you?
Just Prescott will suffice.
Oh, very well.
“Hey! What the… Where did you come from?” said Cole.
“Michael Cole, you saw me appear before your eyes while inside my quarters in the MSZ. Your mind couldn’t comprehend what you were seeing so it shut down. You are clearly awake now and more amenable to accepting your new reality.”
“Fine,” I said, “I’ll start. How did you end up here? And are there other angels in the playing field?”
“A fine question to begin with. I was dispatched by my superior to come and observe the activities of the Murfreesboro Safe Zone. At this juncture, Heaven has been knocked down by a stiff uppercut. We got up, but we’ve been given a standing eight count.”
“Boxing analogies? From Heaven?” I said
“We have been reeling for the last two of your Regular years. The demon Chaos is not the only demonic force we are contending with. We, in essence, are just now beginning to fight back. I was to observe, as I said, the MSZ and report back on whether this was a position we needed to fortify in the continuing war against The Eighty-Eight.”
“How did you become known as The Network?” Asked Cole.
“I might be able to help with that,” said Shields. “Malcolm appeared to us, The Three, when we were in private session. He expressed that he had been sent to observe us, but felt that so much more was going here for the perpetuation of good and the sanctity of life, that he offered us his assistance.”
“I told her the Murfreesboro Safe Zone was being considered as a Point of Light, and my observations and findings could lead to a permanent protective detail from Heaven’s Guard. Until such time as I reported back to Heaven, I vowed to use my...abilities…to assist the MSZ with any information I could uncover to help their cause. However, I am not omniscient.”
“Malcolm was of tremendous aid to us on numerous occasions. He was able to determine safe travel routes for vital humanitarian aid to pockets of Regulars. He was also able to make communication possible to those pockets so that we, in essence, did have a viable network. Michael saved countless lives in service to the MSZ.”
“Is that so?
I hope you’re ready, Malcolm. Here comes the billion dollar question.
I’ve been waiting for it.
“What did you do to help our brothers and sisters of the MSZ when Kade and his Freak Army came calling? Because NO lives were saved by Malcolm on this occasion. So what did you do, Malcolm? Please tell us.
“I did no
thing.”
“Malcolm…,” was all Shields could say.
“You. Did. What?” blasted Cole. He ejected himself from his seat as if by a giant spring and flew at the angel.
Malcolm’s wings appeared and he flew backwards well out of the reach of the out-of-control Michael Cole. Shields went to him, dropped to one knee and embraced Cole. Their friend, The Network, who had been helping them while spending time among them, had stood by and let everyone they knew die. At least, that’s what it looked like.
“What’s the fuckin story, Malcolm? It doesn’t look to good for you right now, my winged friend. Is this how an angel falls? Did you already fall? Do you have any powers at all? Besides flying?”
“Listen, before this gets out of hand.”
It’s way out of hand, dude. You’re up shit creek without a paddle! And there’s a lot of shit getting in your boat.
YOU ARE NOT HELPING!
Then help yourself and tell us what the hell happened. And why?
“Michael Cole. What happened here was a tragedy. It not only weighs on you and Laura, who came after the fact, but the horror, the violence, the death, destruction and base cruelty that took place here will haunt me for a thousand years. I understand that you will never understand, nor forgive me, but I can not fight.
“Michael Cole. I am an angel of heaven, yes. But I follow orders just as you did with your Army Rangers, and you too, Mr. Prescott. When you were a marine fighting in Fallujah, how many of your comrades in arms just decided not to follow orders?”
