by Leo Romero
Belinda frowned. “Will do,” she said in an unsure voice and left the building, shaking her head.
When she was gone, I almost collapsed on the steps. That had been painful. I used the wall to steady myself, relief flooding me.
“Belinda’s got a great ass,” Draxil said to me. “At least that’s what you think.”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed in a hoarse whisper.
“Heh heh, reading your mind. Some of the things stored in here would turn a priest to drink.”
“Not interested in other women. I’m a married man.”
“You wouldn’t be for much longer if your beloved could have a look through here. Your mind is a veritable catalogue of debauchery. What in the name of all that is holy is Hustler Magazine?”
“Quality bedtime reading.” I shook my head. “You’re going back to high school with that kind of stuff.”
“And I take it your beloved is unaware of what went on behind the gymnasium between yourself and Mary Andrews during your high school years, eh?”
I grumbled under my breath. “I was young and hormonal.”
“And now you’re old and lecherous. What else do we have in here? Pop-Tarts, football, thongs—”
“Will you stop going through my mind! It’s rude. Not to mention creepy.” Man, this was turning into the worst bromance ever.
“You are diseased, Stone.”
“And you’re a pain in my ass.” I made my way down the stairs.
“What would your mother say?”
“Not a lot, seeing as she’s dead.”
“Oh.”
I nodded my head firmly. “Yeah, died of a broken heart after Mia and I died in the car crash and my old man ran out on her. Couldn’t take being alone and just dropped dead.”
“My condolences.”
I nodded my head in appreciation.
“To your mother.”
Asshole!
I reached the bottom of the stairs, and I took a moment to steady myself, neatening my shoulder-length hair. I sucked in a big breath. “Okay,” I said to myself and threw the door to the club open. I marched in, my chest pumped. A bunch of heads turned my way, freezing me to the spot.
Angel Enforcers sitting at their desks and bounty hunters hovering around the bounty board had their gazes fixed on me. My heart beat hard in my ears. I did the only thing I could do at that moment. I gave them all a big wave. With both hands. “Hi, everyone!” I said out loud. “I’m okay!”
A couple of awkward glances were exchanged. There was a cough. Someone cleared their throat. I stood there like a clown, my hands in the air, and a stupid grin on my sweaty face.
“Gabriel!” I flicked my eyes toward the bar. Jerome was looking me up and down, a deep frown embedded in his face.
“Jerome, my man!” I said. “How are you?”
“Fine?” he said with a shake of his head, his answer almost coming out as a question. The guy was obviously confused.
“That’s…good!” I said and chuckled. “That’s very good!” I jabbed a finger at him as I spoke. My heart was hammering, and the sweat was pouring, but at that moment, I didn’t think I was doing too bad a job of acting natural.
“You okay, Stone?”
My eyes flicked to the left to be met with Ramirez. He had a concerned look on his face.
“Sure I am, why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped.
Ramirez showed me his palms. “Whoa. Just you look…I dunno, freaked.”
“Had a rough morning. Nothing unusual.”
“Oh. Thought for a minute you’d overdone it on the Ambrosia or something. Anyway, I gotta bail. Got me a gold demon to hunt. Sheesh, people summoning demons into bars of gold. Whatever next?”
“Brings a whole new meaning to the term gold standard,” I said, the quip sounding unfunny even to my own ears.
Ramirez chuckled politely. “Yeah, I’m tempted to trade him in wholesale and forget the crystal residues. I’ll let you know what I decide.”
“Yeah. Go get ’em!” I said with a dumb chortle. Ramirez headed for the exit. I blew the air from my lungs. I needed a drink. I walked gingerly over to the bar, conscious of loads of eyes on me.
Jerome watched me the whole way with his beady stare. I sat on a stool. He just carried on staring at me. Could he see something was untoward? Was I totally paranoid? Why the hell did I go to the Guild?
I tapped the bar with my fingertips in a nervy rhythm. “Can a guy get served around here?” I said.
Jerome took the cue to come over. “Is everything okay, Gabriel?”
I huffed. “Why is everyone asking me that?”
“Because you’ve got a visit.”
A spark of panic erupted in my mind. “A visit?”
Jerome gave me a stern nod.
“From who?”
Jerome leaned in toward me. “Michael.”
My jaw dropped, and I involuntarily ducked. “M-Michael?” Oh man, there was no way I could face an Archangel in my current state. “Where is he?”
“Out back.”
“What does he want?”
“He wouldn’t say. But I got the impression it’s something serious. Has something happened recently, Gabriel?”
My back straightened. “No! Nothing!”
“You can talk to me, Gabriel, you know that.”
My chest relaxed a little. “Yeah, I know, Jerome. I appreciate it. There’s nothing going on. I’m…fine. But, I really don’t think I can face Michael right now.”
“Why not? He’s our superior.”
“I just…I…” I huffed. “Look. I can’t face him, okay? I’ve gotta go. Don’t tell him I was here.”
Jerome recoiled. “I can’t lie to him!”
“Pretty please.”
Jerome’s back straightened. “Gabriel! There’s a room full of people who’ve seen you. Do you expect all of us to lie about having not seen you?”
I groaned. “You really have to be a hard-ass, don’tcha?”
I went to give him what for when a voice stopped me.
“Gabriel!”
My heart skipped a beat. I turned my head slowly toward the voice. Michael was standing there in his perfect suit with his perfect hair and radiant glow about him. I craned my neck around and caught a glimpse of everyone else sticking their heads back into their work to try and appear busy.
I bit my bottom lip. I’d been caught. I had no choice but to face Michael. Man, I prayed he couldn’t detect possessions, or I’d be screwed.
I flicked my gaze back toward Michael. “Uh…hi.”
“Can we talk?” Michael said, cocking a thumb over his shoulder toward the rooms at the back.
I gulped. “Do we have to?”
“Go with him, Stone,” Draxil ordered. “We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
Oh, I think we are way past that stage, Drax, my man!
Michael gave me a solemn nod. “I’m afraid it’s important, Gabriel.”
It was like my father speaking to me. I couldn’t not go. I shot up from my seat and ran my hands through my hair. “On my way, Michael!” I said, straightening my jacket. I blew out my cheeks, rapped my knuckles on the bar a couple of times and set off toward him. My wobbly legs made me walk like I was treading through a swamp. I was catching strange glances from everyone around me.
“Will you walk straight?” Drax demanded. “Head up!”
I jutted my chin upward.
“Shoulders back!”
I threw back my shoulders and pumped out my chest. Now I was walking like I had a rod up my ass.
“Smile!”
I clenched my teeth and pulled back my lips. Now I was a Rottweiler with a rod up his ass.
“Good. Just act natural,” said Draxil. “Don’t give the game away.”
I staggered toward Michael doing my Monty Python walk and even he was staring at me like I was a maniac. I reached him and came to a halt. “Lead the way,” I said, my grin still on. Man, going to the Guild was the w
orst idea I’d ever had.
Michael squinted his big, brown eyes and scrutinized me. It was like being showered in acid.
“Everything okay, Gabriel?”
“Absolutely!”
Michael gave me a final unsure look then turned and walked off. “Follow me.”
I cleared my throat. “Sure.”
I set off after him.
“Remember, don’t tell him anything,” Draxil said. “Just act natural.”
I really wished he’d just shut up. He was starting to drive me nuts.
“Answer his questions and keep me hidden. Don’t let him know what happened earlier with the horsemen.”
We made it to the back area where I was glad to be relieved of prying eyes. Michael went and held open a door to one of the changing rooms. “Come in.”
I steeled myself and headed for the door, my heart slamming against my ribs. I just wanted to run, to get the hell outta there. Instead, I stood in the open doorway. A couple of stools sat facing one another in the middle of the room. Oh boy.
I stepped past Michael, wanting to be out of his direct eye line, and into the room. He closed the door behind us, and we were alone.
“Take a seat,” he said.
Great. I picked the one closest to the door. Even though the stool was cushioned, it felt like sitting on a spike. It took me what felt like an age to get myself comfortable on it. By the time I did, Michael had taken his seat opposite mine, and we faced off. I unconsciously squirmed in my seat. I felt like a teenager out of his gourd on drugs, facing his father and having to conceal the giveaway signs. ‘No, my pupils really aren’t dilated, Dad. No, my teeth aren’t grinding. No, my speech isn’t slurred.’ I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the giant mirror that lined the wall. I looked like shit.
“Gabriel. I want you to be honest.”
Oh boy, that was a great start. Way to make me feel even worse, Michael!
“Of course!” I exclaimed, rubbing my nose.
“Something happened earlier. Something that shouldn’t be happening at this moment in time.”
“Hell froze over?” I asked and let out an unnatural burst of laughter.
“Well, that would be nice. But, no. We’ve had word that the Horsemen of the Apocalypse have made an appearance. You’ve maybe heard of them.”
I gulped. “Only briefly. In movies and stuff,” I said with a casual flip of my hand. “Stuff like that.”
Michael nodded. “Well, they shouldn’t be making an appearance. God created them as harbingers of his Last Judgement. That time has not yet arrived.”
“Well thank goodness for that,” I said with a chuckle.
Michael pointed toward the carpet. “So, the horsemen should not be here. However, there was an incident long ago that involved a group of fallen angels and the horsemen. God felt the time was ready to unleash the apocalypse, and the horsemen were sent in to perform their duties. The demons, acting on behalf of Satan, stopped the horsemen. Satan wishes to take the Earth for his own and wouldn’t allow it to be destroyed by the horsemen.”
I listened intently. That was the same story Draxil told me.
Michael continued. “The horsemen retreated. God changed His plans, and the apocalypse was averted.” Michael leaned back in his seat. “Unfortunately, this brought about another problem. The horsemen had been activated. You see, their purpose is to destroy everything. They act as a kind of reset button. If mankind takes a wrong turn, then God will start again if need be.”
I nodded my head in understanding.
“Now you have to understand,” Michael continued, “the horsemen were created for one purpose. You have to see things from their point of view. They were made to destroy, and they were stopped from fulfilling their destiny.”
“So, they’re mighty pissed is what you’re saying?”
“You could say that, yes.”
“So why doesn’t God just, you know, kill ’em?”
Michael gave me a small shrug. “Because He still needs them. And so He’s sent the Archangels in to resolve the issue.” He smiled wryly.
“Sucks.”
“Yeah. See, the issue, Gabriel, is that God didn’t activate the horsemen today. Something else did. For them to be making an appearance means at least one of the fallen who stopped the horsemen has returned to Earth. An arrangement was made between the horsemen and Hell. If any of the fallen who they battled that day walk the Earth again, they would re-ignite the battle, defeat the demons, and then fulfill their purpose. And if they were here today, then you can put two and two together.”
“A fallen angel is walking the Earth?”
“We believe so.”
“Well, Michael, if I ever see him, I’ll be sure to take him out straight away.” I went to stand up.
“Gabriel, please sit.”
I couldn’t refuse. I found myself sitting back down without even thinking about it.
“The horsemen said an angel was fighting alongside a demon earlier today.”
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. “An angel, huh?”
Michael nodded. “Know anything about that?”
I shook my head meekly, my gaze on the carpet.
Michael sighed. “Because of this angel, the horsemen now believe Heaven has aligned with Hell. They’ve given us an ultimatum. Hand over the demon by high noon tomorrow, or they’ll go ahead and scorch Earth.”
My head snapped up, and I faced Michael. My brow furrowed in concern.
“Complying with their demands will be viewed as a mark of goodwill on the part of Heaven,” Michael added. “Meaning they’ll reconsider working for us again, thus averting the apocalypse.”
I nodded dumbly.
“We’d like to take them up on their deal,” Michael said. “It’ll be less messy that way.”
“Don’t give me up, Stone!” Draxil pleaded.
My eyes darted left and right. “Why do they want this demon so bad?”
Michael shrugged. “It’s a flaw in their design. They’re compelled to finish things they’ve begun. A tenacity that never rests. The battle with the demons wasn’t resolved. So they’ve waited all this time for the fallen to return to finish the battle. The threat is real, Gabriel. They want that demon back.”
My mind whirled. The world could end at high noon tomorrow? Holy moly that was a spanner in the works. What should I do? Give up Draxil? If it meant saving the Earth, yeah.
But he was connected to the Dark Bearer. I couldn’t just give him up to the horsemen. They’d destroy him, and Satan would win.
Michael gave me a sincere stare, and I felt my insides whither. “Gabriel, the fallen angels who fought the horsemen still work for Satan.”
“That’s a lie!” Draxil sneered in my mind.
“We believe Satan has grown impatient and has used the fallen to trigger the horsemen so they’ll destroy the Earth on his behalf instead of through the will of God.”
“That’s not true, Stone! You know that!”
Michael clasped his hands together as if praying. “Now, Gabriel. I want you to be perfectly honest with me. Have you seen one of these fallen? Please be truthful. I promise there’ll be no repercussions for you.”
“Don’t tell him anything, Stone! The world will perish if something happens to me. The Dark Bearer will die, and Hell will be unleashed on Earth!”
“Uh...” I uttered, thousands of thoughts and negative emotions streaming through me. I felt compelled to tell Michael the truth. He was Michael for crying out loud; I couldn’t just lie to him. “I...I...” I began.
Michael opened his eyes wide, and I was almost sucked in by the warmth and compassion they held. “It’s all right, Gabriel. You can tell me. Just tell me the truth.”
My jaw went slack. I was mesmerized by that stare. I couldn’t lie. I had to tell him. Tell him everything. Tell him that somehow the Dark Suits had resurrected Draxil from the Armor of Agony, which triggered the horsemen, who I fought after teaming up with Draxil, before e
scaping to the Netherworld, and how I then let Draxil possess me. Oh my god, I let him possess me! Am I frickin’ nuts?
“I...I...I...” I continued like a hypnotized parrot. I wanted to lie, knew I needed to lie, but it wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t!
A sudden calm overcame me. I shivered as if the temperature had dropped below freezing. The sweat on my face turned icy. My shredded nerves glued themselves back together, and my limbs stiffened. A moment of darkness fell over my eyes although they remained open. My lips began moving of their own accord, and my tongue moved. Words formed, but I wasn’t conscious of uttering any of them. It was like something else was at the controls, like I was, well, possessed.
“I’m sorry, Michael. I wish I could help, but I didn’t know any of this until you just mentioned it. And no, I haven’t seen any fallen angels.” The voice was a gravelly growl in my mind, but my ears picked up my own voice as calm and measured as it had ever been.
I watched Michael frown. I just stared at him like a lobotomized monkey, my jaw slack, my droopy eyes staring through him. The dark veil lifted, and I came back into the room. My eyes rolled briefly. I sat up in my seat like I was waking from a dream. I focused in on Michael as fast as possible, not wanting him to think anything was amiss. I ran my hands through my hair and straightened my back. I tried to make as much eye contact as I could, which wasn’t all that much.
Michael narrowed his eyes. He leaned back and rubbed his chin, studying me. “Hmm. All right, Gabriel. I think we’re done here. I thought you’d be the best person to ask since you’ve become kind of the leader at the Guild.”
“Leader? Me? That’s a joke.”
“Don’t be so modest. You’ve served the Guild and Heaven fine in recent times. The others all look up to you. I can tell.”
A prang of guilt struck me in the heart. I stared at the worn carpet. “Well, I’m just trying to get by. Just like everyone else.”
Michael nodded. “Well, I’ll go back and talk to the other Archangels about this horseman business.”
“Sounds good, Michael. Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
I cocked a thumb toward the door. “I think I’ll be leaving.”
“Go ahead.”
I shot up from my seat. I couldn’t wait to get out of that room. I darted toward the door and threw it open. I jumped out and let it shut behind me. I tripped over my own feet, almost collapsing from the stress. My heart was thudding hard again, and the sweat was pouring. Could things get worse? Now I had Heaven on my case. Even if Michael did buy what happened just now, it wouldn’t take long for him and the other Archangels to work out what was going on. And with the horsemen loitering around itching to destroy Earth, things were about to get messy very quickly.
