Into The Light (The Fallen Shadows)

by Rebecca R. Cohen

  As if having a conversation that only the two of them were privy to Ash raised his hand and waved it back and forth signaling that now was not the time. Davon placed himself in front of the bed where Katharine lay, his arms still folded across his chest. He looked briefly in Ash’s direction before facing Katharine focusing his eyes on the rim of her nose just between her eyes. He stared intently and awkwardly.

  “Chance sent me to check on you,” Davon replied.

  “Who is Chance?” Katharine inquired of Ash.

  Ash turned white. He stood silent besides Katharine’s bed unable to move.

  “Chance is one of the elders, those who pre-date even the oldest of angels. Chance is Michael’s right hand, a demigod if you will. He and elders decide our fate and determine which of the Guides will be in charge of each and every Tracker,” Ash explained. “He assigned me to you.”

  “Hence why he sent me to check on you. He wanted to make sure that what happened the last time you were placed in charge of a tracker didn’t happen again. After all you,” Davon said fastening his gaze on Katharine, “are the very last Tracker left.”

  Davon’s words struck a nerve. Whatever it was that happened between Ash and the last tracker he was in charge of was something he didn’t want surfacing. Katharine wanted to inquire about what happened the last time but something else was plaguing her, something Davon said that was far more vital, the last one.

  “What do you mean I’m the last one?” Katharine asked turning the attention off of Ash and onto herself.

  “You mean Ash didn’t tell you?” Davon asked with a joy in his voice that insinuated that he already knew the answer.

  “Davon please,” Ash begged giving Davon what Katharine could only describe as “puppy dog eyes.”

  Davon smiled and ignored Ash’s pleas.

  “There used to be thousands of you, Trackers all over the world. They would have the ability to sense the Descended, where they were and how many of them there were. For many years, with the Trackers’ help, we had the Descended situation under control. In fact in the early 1900s it seemed as if we had removed almost all of the Descended from the earth and put them in Purgatory where they belonged; but then something changed. As we got closer to wiping them all out we learned that a few of the Descended had banded together and started going after all of the Trackers and their families,” Davon said keeping his eyes fixed on Ash who was staring right back at him angrily. He was fidgeting where he stood, clearly uncomfortable with the words that were flying out of Davon’s mouth.

  “Their plan was to wipe out the ones who had already been activated, the potentials and their bloodlines so no further Trackers could be born. We don’t know how but your family’s bloodline survived the attacks. They must have found a way to hide them from the Descended. Your bloodline remains the last of the Trackers. Your parents had no other children and there are no other potentials in your family, there is only you. That is why they risked exposure and attacked you in broad daylight. You are quite literally our last line of defense against the Descended.”

  Katharine sat in the hospital bed paralyzed by her own shock. She pulled the white sheet that lay across her body up against her shoulders, sinking into the hard mattress. It reminded her of the mattresses she slept in at Camp Sleepaway, the summer camp she went to every summer from age seven to thirteen. The sleeping accommodations, much like the hospital she was in, were terrible but the activities provided at the camp were always a great time.

  Davon’s words pierced through her. She didn’t want to be a Tracker involved in a war between Heaven’s warriors and angels that fell, let alone be their last hope and only line of defense.

  “Are you okay?” Ash asked Katharine placing his hand on her forearm, his eyes filled with concern. A look Katharine did not recognize from him.

  She said nothing while giving Ash a look that shouted terror. She had just woken up in a hospital room after being broken by one of the Descended, she was being told that the fate of humanity rested with her. All she wanted to do was pull the covers over her head and hide until she woke up from the nightmare she was living in.

  “I don’t understand. If I am supposed to be able to sense the Descended and know where they were, how come I didn’t know about the one that attacked me at Murphy’s, or in the Quarry that night?” Katharine inquired.

  “Well that all depends, how old are you?” Davon asked. A question that puzzled Katharine, what did her age have to do with anything?

  “Seventeen.”

  “In a few weeks when you turn 18 your abilities will activate. They remain dormant until midnight on your 18th birthday. This is why it came after you now. It wanted to get to you before you had the ability to find it.”

  In every movie and book she’d ever read that involved some magical powers or major change in the protagonist’s life it came around when they were 18-years-old. Why is it never twenty-five or thirty? Why always eighteen?

  “When is your birthday?” Ash asked calmly.

  “One week from today,” Katharine replied gravely, “though now I am wishing it were in a couple of years.”

  “Look, I know this isn’t easy to hear and I am sorry I am being so abrupt about all of this but we simply don’t have time for sugar coating,” Davon said, seeing the look of sheer panic on Katharine’s face and raising an eyebrow. “This attack confirms what we’ve feared all along; the Descended have found the doorway and they want to make sure all the Trackers are gone before they go after it.”

  “What doorway?” Katharine asked resentfully. She was learning far too much in far too little time. Her question also did not sit well with Davon.

  “Geez Ash, did you tell the Tracker anything? I understand why you did not tell her about being the last of the Trackers, you wanted to protect her, but how could you not tell her about the doorway?” Davon lectured Ash. “What else are you keeping from her I wonder,” Davon glanced at Molli with a suspicious smile.

  “I didn’t have the chance Davon and her name is Katharine,” Ash snapped, stepping in front of Molli to block Davon’s gaze.

  Ash had becoming increasingly protective over Katharine since Davon walked into the room. Katharine couldn’t help but wonder if something had gone down between the two of them before Ash came into her life. Ash was staring at Davon almost brooding but persistent not to remove his gaze.

  “You have been in charge of this Katharine for weeks now and you have told her nothing of real value. Perhaps brother, you should keep yourself more far removed from your emotions and more focused on the task at hand,” Davon said angrily.

  “Every time we alerted a tracker about what was to become of them they panicked and ran and I didn’t want to overwhelm her with an overabundance of information all at once,” Ash said, defending his decision not to tell Katharine about the doorway and her status as the last of the trackers.

  Ash looked at Katharine forcefully but she could see a hint of shame in his eyes. It was clear that Davon’s words hit Ash like a hand slapping him across the face. She felt sorry for Ash, which took her completely by surprise, so she redirected the attention.

  “Can someone please tell me about this doorway,” She insisted. “I mean if we are going to unload a world of information on me, might as well get it all out now while I am laying broken in a hospital bed unable to run.”

  “The doorway,” Davon said, walking past Ash, nudging him out of the way forcing him to bump into a stunned Molli, “leads to the path back into Heaven. The Descended are trying to enter back into Heaven; they have been on earth looking for the doorway for hundreds of years. If they are allowed to remain on earth and walk through the doorway the balance between Heaven and Hell will be undone. All the creatures that Heaven cast down to Hell and Purgatory will have open access to the mortal world and would literally allow them to unleash Hell on earth.”

  “So if one of the Descended walked through the doorway the world would implode?” Katharine inquired. If it only took o
ne fallen angel to undo billions of years of the mortal world then the man upstairs didn’t do the best job of creating the worlds.

  “No, thankfully it is not that simple. It takes thirteen. If thirteen of the Descended walked through the doorway at the same time they would undo the balance. Before you go rationalizing that the likelihood of thirteen of them going through at the same time is slim let me explain; the Descended often travel in packs of twenty or more looking for the doorway. It would take no time for them to break down the balance.”

  Molli burst into uncontrollable laughter, something no one else in the room understood or appreciated, except for Katharine. This was Molli’s defense mechanism. Whenever a situation became too intense or uncomfortable Molli would burst into uncontrollable laughing fits. She did this during tests, weddings and even at funerals. She didn’t mean it to be rude; it was something she could not control.

  “I’m sorry but I don’t see the humor of anything that I have said here,” Davon said, his voice full of dismay. “You of all people should not be laughing.”

  “Sorry,” Molli said trying to compose herself, “this is my way of coping about the fact that my best friend is the only hope of preventing Hell from rising.”

  “With everything that has happened in the last 24 hours and everything that has happened to you…do you really find laughing your best defense mechanism?” Davon asked scoffing.

  “With all of this lack of time for sugar coating things for me, did you factor in the fact that I am lying in a hospital bed?” Katharine said sarcastically. “They aren’t exactly going to just let me waltz out of here with all of these injuries.”

  She raised her arm that was bound by a white plaster cast. It was broken. She pulled the sheet off her legs revealing that her left leg was badly bruised and covered in scratch marks and her face was equally as battered and bruised.

  There were only two scenarios she could picture in her mind as to how she would get out of there that day and none of them involved being at Meadowbrook Medical. Nothing ever really happened in Meadowbrook and that included medical emergencies so it became hospital policy that if a medical patient came in with injuries that put them in an unconscious state for more than an hour they would remain in the hospital for a minimum of two days. She had been unconscious for twenty-four hours and she was badly injured, there was no way they would release her without a miracle.

  “I’ve got it covered,” Davon said confidently.

  He pulled a small vial filled with clear liquid and removed the cap. Turning the vial upside down a tiny drop of the liquid ran onto his index finger. As his skin and the liquid met the clearness of the liquid turned bright red, almost as if it were glowing blood. Davon slowly rubbed his index finger and thumb together, massaging the liquid between his fingers. After a few seconds of massage he rubbed his index fingers on Katharine’s forehead just between her eyebrows and above the base of her nose.

  She felt a cooling sensation spread throughout her body as Davon’s finger touched her skin. His fingers were soft and felt like silk. His touch excited her, awakening every muscle in her body. As he rubbed his finger along her forehead she saw the blue glow of his eyes. Beautiful she thought staring at him. The blue shining glow of them hypnotized her so deeply that she hadn’t noticed how intently she was staring. She could sense that there were many eyes on her, more so than just Davon’s as he stepped back once the vial was empty.

  “Now there should be no issues in getting you out of here and someplace a bit more concealed,” Davon said placing the vial back in his pocket.

  “Thank you,” Katharine said softly and seductively.

  What on earth are you doing? She thought to herself. She had only met Davon moments earlier and he was an incredibly insensitive and rude person, but she was imagining all of the silly things that teenagers imaged about the objects of their affection. She envisioned what holding his hands would feel like.

  Would they be soft or hard like the rest of his perfectly formed body? Her eyes made their way up his arms and traced the nap of his neck and up toward his lips. She envisioned pressing her lips against them, feeling the sinful emotion of wanting and desiring more.

  She realized that Ash was staring at her intently, the way she had been looking at Davon. Molli stood beside Ash wearing an incredibly obnoxious grin and Katharine was mortified. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she wished to be buried beneath the steel frame of the bed.

  Katharine pulled the sheets off to look at what Davon had just done and Molli’s eyes widened as if they’d seen something they could not believe. All of the wounds Katharine had sustained in the attack had completely healed.

  “Badass,” Molli said definitively.

  Ash shot her a look. She imagined they would not have the smoothest of relationships. Of course, if she had to drop one of them she wouldn’t shed a tear saying goodbye to Ash. The thought of being rid of him and all of his sarcasm and cockiness drew a smile on Katharine’s face.

  “What are you smiling about?” Ash inquired.

  “Oh nothing,” Katharine replied coyly. “So now what?”

  “Now,” Davon said pushing the nurse call button that sat on the end table beside

  Katharine’s bed, “we get you discharged and bring you to your new home.”

  “What? No! I don’t want a new home. What about my parents?” Katharine protested. She began to feel trapped by the IVs protruding from her arms. They were everywhere, she panicked and wanted them out so she could get out of there before she could be taken away from those she loved. She was dealing with her destiny, dealing with the fact that angels existed, that they could fall and kill people, but the idea of leaving her parents without so much as an explanation was too much to bare.

  Suddenly Davon wasn’t looking quite as delicious. She began to pull at the IVs that had been placed inside her forearm. The pain was excruciating as she yanked at the clear tube trying desperately to remove it before the nurse came in. Ash grabbed her shoulders trying to hold her down and prevent her from hurting herself. He had to keep her calm otherwise he knew the nurses would never allow her to leave and would more than likely restrain her for her own protection.

  “Katharine calm down. No one is taking you away from you parents. I promise I will take you to them before we take you anywhere else. Let’s get you discharged from here first,” Ash said holding her down gently. His voice was calm and sincere. She could see it in his eyes, he was telling the truth.

  Katharine composed herself and settled down just in time for the nurse to come in and check on why her patient hit the call button.

  The nurse waltzed into the room as if she had all the time in the world. She was a morbidly obese woman whose white nurses outfit didn’t quite fit her properly. There were slits along the front of it where the buttons were attempting, somewhat unsuccessfully, to keep the shirt closed. Katharine likened it to the way a ham looks wrapped in meat string before roasting.

  Her hair was short, barely making it past the tip of her ears and it was curly with extremely tight curls. Katharine’s mother would often refer to these types of curls as “kinky.” Of course, whenever her mother would talk about kinky curls Katharine’s mind would head straight for the gutter. On the nurse’s outfit was a nametag that read Penelope.

  “Is everything okay in here Ms. Macklemore?” Penelope asked looking around the room at Katharine’s visitors. “You know visiting hours ended about an hour ago. I am afraid I am going to have to ask your friends to leave.”

  “Actually that is kind of why you were called in here Madame,” Ash said, stepping forward and walking toward the bed. He raised the sheets that covered Katharine’s lower half to show Penelope that her wounds had completely healed. As he lifted the sheets high enough for Penelope, who was looking up at Ash and had not yet noticed the healthy legs that Katharine was wearing, she caught Ash’s eyes before he drew Penelope’s attention to Katharine’s legs. She forcefully motioned with her eyes and he
r head shaking it rapidly as if to say “don’t show her.” Ash was perplexed.

  The plan was to heal Katharine and show the nurses and doctors that she was well enough to be released. However, Katharine knew that because she was still a minor she would have to have her parents come and sign her out, which would mean they would have to know the truth, thus putting them in danger. Once she knew Ash was paying close enough attention she mouthed, “they will call my parents.” He quickly placed the sheet down just as Penelope looked.

  The sheet went over Katharine’s legs just in time as Penelope’s eyes met the white sheet.

  “Did you need something Ms. Macklemore or did you just want me to see the small party you’re having in here?” Penelope asked with a hint of annoyance for having been bothered for no reason.

  Davon stepped forward but Ash placed his hand on Davon’s upper chest preventing him from moving any closer to the bed. Davon shot him a terrible look but Ash simply shook his head.

  “Can I have something to eat?” Katharine asked, clearing her throat.

  She had to get Penelope out quickly before Davon ripped the sheets off her and forced her to stand up. He was too strong to follow someone else’s lead for much longer.

  “Your friends had better be gone by the time I get back Ms. Mackelmore,” Penelope rolled her eyes and let out a loud and clear sigh before heading out of the room.

  Davon followed Penelope toward the door and ensured it was shut before he began in on Ash and Katharine.

  “What the hell was that about?” Davon asked rushing Ash and nearly knocking Molli over in the process. He was holding Ash by pinching the part of his shirt by his pecs together the way a superhero would interrogate a villain before giving them a beating.

  “In order for Katharine to be discharged the hospital would have to call her parents and then the door to a million questions fly open. There is no reason to get her parents involved and give them a similar fate,” Ash said, seizing Davon’s hands, trying to loosen the grip on his shirt and looking briefly at Molli.