Evolution of Angels

by Nathan Wall

  “I'm a little freaked,” she said, swallowing in an exaggerated manner.

  “Don't be.” He smiled, flexing his arms and stretching his fingers. A blue glow traveled through his veins as he looked to the sky. His eyes returned to normal. “I've changed so much, but I am still me. You see, when we were on a training exercise along the foothills of Afghanistan, we came across this town and this bad dude named after a cookie was causing all sorts of hell.”

  “Uh huh…” She nodded, her eyes growing large as she slowly backed away.

  “Anyway, he could create these monsters out of nothing. We defeated him and got recruited up by these men-in-black type dudes and they can create portals to other dimensions where there are all these people who look like us, but they're not, and they have weird superpowers...”

  “I think I'm going to just stop you there.” She put her fingers to his lips and shook her head. She laughed and rubbed her face. “Oh my God, you've gone off the rails crazy. You got some psychological discharge. My friend’s husband had this when he got back from Iraq and he tried killing her with a bat.”

  “I'm not crazy.” Jarrod grinned, reaching for her hands. She jumped out of his grasp.

  “The whole eyes and arms thing… you're doping with something.” She walked in a hastily pace toward the river. He followed. “Jarrod, I'll always be there for you, but right now I need time to process everything. You're not thinking clearly.”

  “I'm thinking just fine.” He smiled, suddenly standing in front of her.

  “What? How did you—?” She squinted, looking back and then forward, pointing behind herself. “You were all the way back there.”

  “That's what I'm trying to tell you.” Jarrod grabbed her wrists and didn't let go. His smile grew abnormally large. “The men in black people... they made me this superhuman guy so I could fight the baddies.”

  “The baddies?” She rolled her eyes. “Do you understand how stupid that sounds?”

  “Yes, I do.” He let her go and walked over to a large tree. He flexed his hand and a blue light shimmered over it. He swiped his hand through the tree, chopping it down. He turned around and she fainted. “Yeah, it's a lot to take in.”

  * * *

  Austin sat on top of a stage with a large crowd looking back at him. At the foot of the stage to his right, Lian smiled and waved. He nodded back and turned his attention toward the Mayor who stood at the podium speaking.

  Behind Austin was a large sheet draped over some weirdly-shaped object. He discretely stuck his hand behind the sheet and pulled it forward, hoping to catch a glimpse, but the woman to his right rubbed his knee, getting his attention.

  “It's so great that you could be here,” she said.

  Why the hell is she touching you? Lian's voice entered his thoughts. He looked at her and she scowled at him, crossing her arms.

  “I'm glad to be here. It's an honor.” Austin smiled, shaking the woman’s hand off his knee.

  That's more like it, Lian's voice danced through his mind once again.

  “And that's why it's a great honor to have an American hero here with us today. To dedicate this new memorial for all of us too look upon in the future. To never again take our freedoms for granted. Please help me welcome the son of our great town, Austin Hanigan.” The mayor's voice came back into focus. The crowd erupted with applause as Austin stood and walked over to the podium. The mayor leaned in and whispered. “Thanks for saying a few words.”

  Austin nodded and put on a fake smile, unfolding his speech and placing on the podium. He cleared his throat and lifted his hand into the air, thanking the crowd.

  “This means a lot,” he said, leaning forward into the microphone. “When I first learned about a special ceremony that was going to be held in honor of the military service, I was walking through the foothills of Afghanistan.”

  “Oorah. Fight those terrorist bastards,” a man yelled, prompting a quick applause from the crowd. Austin lifted his hand and they quieted back down.

  “Yeah, um, but that day I didn't have much of an intention on ever coming back here to be a part of the ceremony...”

  “You're a humble hero. We love you,” another voiced called out.

  “A hero,” Austin said, pausing for a second. He smiled to himself. “What is a hero?” He replied to the man in the front row. He examined the crowd, watching them squirm as the silence grew awkward. “In high school we learned in mythology that heroes were just tragic figures and slaves to a purpose. I guess, in that sense, I was a hero.”

  Austin held his breath. He stared holes in his speech. The crowd stood still, waiting for his next words. His fingers underscored the next line he was supposed to recite. Something else was touching his heart. He looked at Lian and smiled. She flashed a ‘thumbs up.’ He took the stock speech and crumbled it up in his fists.

  “But we also learned in mythology that those heroes only ever had their own agenda on their mind, and at the end of it all, they never really were all that heroic.” He looked back out to the crowd, nearly in tears. “In that sense, I was also a hero. I didn't care about freedom. I didn't care about making life better for anyone. I didn't even care that my best friend decided to throw his own life away and follow me halfway around the globe just to fulfill a promise he had made. I didn't acknowledge the pain anyone else felt and I loathed all of you who just wanted to pat me on the back and give me your condolences only so you could have something to talk about and feel some sort of fake pride in as if you were suffering along with me. My friend told me to just go with the flow and try to forge on for the greater good, but like those mythological heroes, I was only ever caught up in what tormented me.”

  He held his breath and sighed, nodding. The Mayor approached to take over at the podium, but Austin powered on.

  “I guess what I am trying to say is that the world didn't make sense to me for the longest time. And even though it's become vastly more complicated since my time overseas, it's become ten times as clear. I know what makes a hero and I'm not one.” He smiled, looking down at his hands. His eyes shifted back up, seeing Aunt Liv and Sanderson standing together in the crowd. He nodded at them and they waved back.

  “My parents, as great as they were, weren't anyone's heroes but mine. And even though I'm sure they'd appreciate the gesture, they sure as hell wouldn't want some creepy statue with their likeness erected in their honor and placed in the middle of a town square for people to look at and then one day forget the story behind it. Because, unlike some global tragedies, this one wasn't shared by everyone else. It was mine and it was shared with just one other person who took it just as hard as I did. Unlike September eleventh, this tragedy has been largely forgotten and is only on your minds because it makes for a good showing. When we're all gone, none of this will be worth a thing because... none of us are heroes. The real heroes suffer in silence, put on a good face, and march on like everything is alright so the rest of us can live out our lives unaffected. I guess that's all I really have to say. Thank you.”

  He stepped back from the podium and nodded, waving at the sparse claps that came out from a shocked crowd.

  “Woo. Go America,” another drunk voice yelled out, prompting a cheer from the crowd, making everyone erupt in applause.

  “Yeah, America.” Austin smiled, leaning forward into the microphone and raising his fist. He walked off the stage toward Lian. He turned around to see the sheet being pulled off the monument. It was a statue resembling a man and a woman holding the hand of their young child. Etched in the bottom were the names of his mom and dad. He wrapped his arm around Lian and pulled her away. “Let's go somewhere else.”

  “I find it interesting that we grew up in two different worlds, but are bound by similar tragedies and unified by the same person,” she said, smiling. “He's a remarkable person, isn't he?”

  “He'd do anything for a friend.” Austin nodded. “You've never really gone into what happened with your family.”

  “I've never been
told much,” she said, looking over at Sanderson as he walked their way.

  “You ever think to just poke around in his head and find out?” Austin asked, waving Aunt Liv and Sanderson their way.

  “I figured he'd tell me when he's ready.” Lian smiled, walking toward them. “Like I said, I want to at least pretend I am normal.”

  She rushed over to Sanderson and gave him a hug. The streetlights came on as the sun fell behind the horizon. Aunt Liv hugged Austin.

  “For what it's worth, you're my hero,” Aunt Live whispered to Austin.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because,” she smiled, leaning back and looking in his eyes, “you're the first friend to the person I care most about in this world.”

  “At this point, it's safer to call us brothers.” Austin smiled. He turned around and noticed the entire crowd was staring them down. He looked at the other three who continued to chat away and tapped on Sanderson's shoulder. “You guys notice how it got really quiet?”

  They stopped talking and looked around. Aunt Liv and Lian looked at each other, both seemingly understanding the situation.

  “You kids need to go,” Aunt Liv said, pushing them along. “William, take them and run fast. Find our boy.”

  “I'm not leaving you,” Sanderson said, grabbing her. He looked at Austin. “Find Jarrod. Run away.”

  The crowd swarmed in and engulfed the two. Lian and Austin sprinted down the road with their hands tightly entwined. They turned down an alleyway and three men stood on the other end. They turned around and six more people blocked them in, their eyes glassed over.

  “If you know what's going on, now would be a good time to say it,” Austin said, his voice strained as he fought with the group of men. Lian threw her hands up and those who encircled her fell to the ground asleep.

  “It's her,” Lian said, touching her temple. “I can't keep putting them to sleep. We have to run.”

  “Who?”

  “The Blood Queen is here,” Lian grunted.

  * * *

  Claire sat up, rubbing her head. She found herself sitting next to newly-created, stone pit fire. To her left, Jarrod sat quietly, staring at her.

  “I'll be honest; you were out longer than I thought you'd be.” He stood and handed her a water bottle. “You're probably dehydrated. You should drink.”

  “It's not every day your boyfriend chops down a tree with his bare hands.”

  “So, I'm still your boyfriend?” He smiled. His fingers fumbled over the stick in his grasp. “Supernatural, tree destroying, powers and all?”

  “Well, I guess having a guy like that will make it a little safer to walk down back alleyways.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “So tell me.” She turned and faced him, sitting on her knees. “How exactly did all this happen?”

  “It's all real scientific and whatnot, but all it boiled down to was the fact that I just have good genes,” he said, smiling and kissing her on the head. “So in the whole natural selection type theory, I would be the ideal mate for all females to procreate with. You should feel lucky to have me.”

  “You're funny.” She pinched him and rolled her eyes. “So, I guess you're going to be missed. I mean, someone special like you just doesn't get up and walk away without being noticed. Right?”

  “No amount of force in the universe could ever get me to go back to that world,” he said, leaning in close to her.

  “Why is that?” She closed her eyes, her lips hovering close to his.

  “Because it would take me away from you.” He slid his fingers through her hair and pulled her in for a kiss.

  They held each other and rolled through the grass. She crawled on top of him and removed his shirt, running her fingers along his defined physique. She sat up and removed her jacket, then slid her dress off, revealing her lace underwear.

  He sat up, gliding his hand along the small of her back and pulled her into his clutches, connecting their lips again. The warmth of their bodies radiated with more power than the flames beside them. He maneuvered himself on top and massaged her shoulder blades as they kissed.

  He lifted his head back and just looked at her. For the first time since he’d been back, they didn’t feel like strangers. Her hands slid down to her waist and slipped her panties off, tossing them to the side. Sweat ran down his back as the veins in his neck pulsated with nervous anticipation. Her breathing galloped pensively as her fingers ran along his chest and abs. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and waited. He delicately kissed her on the cheek before rolling to the side and lying next to her. He kept his boxers on and draped his shirt over her.

  “It's ok,” he said, whispering into her ear. He crossed his left arm over her side and laid her head on the bicep of his right arm. Her body trembled as she let out a faint sigh, smiling.

  “Thank you.” She closed her eyes and snuggled in next to him. “I thought I was ready, but...”

  “I'm not either,” he said, rubbing her arm. His other hand curled her dark locks around his fingers. “I've never really told you the truth, but I haven’t done that either.”

  “Really?” Her eyes perked up. She rolled around and faced him. Her hand caressed his chin, neck, and shoulders. “I always assumed...”

  “You were the first person I ever got serious enough with.” He rolled onto his back and looked at the stars as they began to sit under the sky. “I've done and seen things no one else could ever imagine, yet that part of me remains unexplored.”

  “I missed you so much.” She crawled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, delicately tickling his stomach with her fingertips. “You were taken away from me, and I'll be honest, I was really mad at you for leaving. I always had this vision of what we would be in the future. The day you came back and said you joined the military with Austin... you wrecked that part of me, Jarrod.”

  “Now, we get a second chance,” he whispered, still massaging the back of her head. “Life can be what we make of it.”

  * * *

  Lian and Austin backed up to the county courthouse. The townspeople pursued them at a snail's pace. Their collective, hollow eyes seemed to beam out through the night, reflecting the glare of the streetlights which were scattered around the town square. Tight in their grips were bats, shovels, axes, and any other items they scrounged up to use as weapons.

  Austin stepped in front of Lian and held her back. The first townsman attacked, swinging a garden hoe down diagonally. Austin stepped into the blow, catching the man's arm underneath the armpit. He slammed his forehead into the man's nose, breaking it in a splatter of blood and sending the man to the ground. Three more townspeople attacked. Lian raised her left hand, stopping them in their tracks. Austin was ready for a fight, but Lian pulled him back. The townspeople looked around, confused, and then proceeded on their way.

  “What's wrong with them?” he asked, breathing heavily.

  “I erased the vision of us from their minds,” she whispered, slowly exhaling as she rested her chin on the back of his shoulder. “They can't see us.”

  “But I can,” Maya said, grabbing Austin by the neck and throwing him across the street. He crashed through a convenience store window. She backhanded Lian—sending her to her knees—and lifted her head back by the hair. “You thought you could just leave me without a kiss goodbye, you little bitch?”

  Maya picked Lian up, the aurascales retracting from her face, and kissed her. She then tossed Lian back to the steps. The suit once again reformed on Maya's face as she slowly walked down the steps. Lian crawled backwards frantically. Maya manifested her golden sword out of thin air and pinned it in the ground behind Lian's back, blocking her escape. She leaned over Lian, sliding between her legs, and put her left hand around Lian's throat.

  “Do you like it rough?” Maya smiled.

  “All this is for me?” Lian squinted, confused. She shook her head and stuttered. “But why? These people aren't fighters. They did nothing to you.”


  “These people make the best kind of fighters.” Maya stood and pressed her foot down on Lian's neck. “They are innocent and loyal to me. Neither of which you are. It would take a cold-hearted bastard to kill them, and I intend to use them to see just how cold your remake friend is.”

  “You're pathetic.” Lian laughed, choking as she tried to pull Maya's foot off her neck with no success.

  “And yet, you are the one beneath my foot, so what does that make you?”

  “Enlightened.” Lian coughed.

  “Exactly how?”

  “Because I know what Jarrod is and you don't.” Lian smiled, letting go of Maya's ankles and relaxing her arms. “You still think he's a remake. He's much more than that.”

  “Really? What is he then?” Maya leaned over.

  “Our death…” Lian spoke with the last bit of air she had in her lungs. “And hell follows behind him.”

  Large, hairy claws dug into Maya's shoulder plates and then threw her into the wall of the courthouse. She bounced off like a rubber ball with shards of brick dust spraying out into the air.

  Lian rolled to her stomach, taking in a long, drawn-out gasp. She blinked her eyes as the muscular beast came into focus. She stood slowly and her eyes zeroed in on three elongated, oozing scratch marks on the wolf-like creature’s back. The beast looked at Lian, but its eyes were human.

  “Austin,” she said under her breath, stepping back and leaning against a parked truck.

  Austin charged forward, growling with saliva flying out of his mouth. He jumped on top of Maya and bit down on her left arm, grinding away at her armor with his massive jaw. His hind claws wrapped around her legs and his front claws slashed away at her back, but they barely broke the surface.

  Her wings snapped out from her shoulder plates, slinging Austin off of her. With one flap of her wings she jetted into the air and hovered fifteen feet off the ground. Austin snarled, turning in circles and looking up. He sprinted after her, springing off the walls of the courthouse and collided with her. The momentum sent them crashing into the street, digging up large chunks of pavement.