World Without Angels

by Campbell, Jamie

  It would all be over and he knew it. That was probably the worst part, knowing what was going on. If they had only struck a strong blow to knock him out at the beginning, he would have been spared the agony of knowing.

  He felt a talon ripping his leg to shreds. The claws were digging into his knee and being pulled down towards his ankle. Jerome fell backwards, unable to stand any longer. This would be it, they had overpowered him to the point where he had to give in. He didn’t have a choice, he never really did to begin with.

  His wings didn’t cushion the blow of hitting the path. What was left of his feathers wouldn’t provide any protection. Jerome felt the shudder go through his entire body as he hit the pavement. The demons were almost giddy with the excitement of the win as they looked down at him. They started circling, each one vying for the opportunity to finish him off. The screeches escaping from their throats were like a hundred birds squawking all at once. It would have made a human’s ear drums shatter into a thousand pieces.

  Jerome was ready for it to be over. He was resolved to the fact this was a fight he would not walk away from. Alexander wasn’t there to help him limp away this time, he would never see his friend again. He was the last in his family to cross over, perhaps he would see them all again soon. That had to be something to look forward to, right? He closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.

  CHAPTER 2

  The next painful blow Jerome felt did not come from above him as expected, but below. His wings were pressed to the ground and twisted in a way that both burned and stung. But he was alive. No matter how much he hurt, he was still undeniably alive. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the trio of demons still circling.

  But they weren’t, they were nowhere in sight. In their place stood buildings, cars, and streetlights. He was a world away from the bright pathway to the council building. He recognized where he was, he had fallen down to Earth. He had no idea how or why, but he was as far away from the angel world as possible. And he was alive.

  Jerome tested his body, he needed to get moving. He was lying in the street where anyone could see him. Humans were not supposed to even know of the true existence of angels. They were supposed to go through their lives believing in good luck and miracles, not that guardian angels had been watching over them since birth. Staying part of folklore and fairy tales was of the utmost importance. If people knew they were being watched over and kept safe until their real time was up, they would do all sorts of stupid things to test it. The angels would have to work overtime just to keep them alive.

  His left leg wasn’t moving, the skin was barely hanging on. His damaged wings were weighing him down and his arms were almost dead weights at his side. Jerome could barely make himself sit up let alone stand and walk. He looked around, trying to find a place he could perhaps crawl to for cover. If he could just get somewhere secluded, he might be able to wait for his recovery. It would happen eventually, at least it always did in the angel world anyway.

  He was between two buildings, visible from all angles but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to him. Humans rushed by, caught up in their own errands and missions. For once, Jerome was grateful for the seemingly selfish lives humans lived.

  Then he saw her. Across the street was a sole young woman. Standing by herself, she was staring directly at him, her mouth agape with shock. Jerome looked around quickly, hoping something else had caused the expression on her face. But there was nobody, she had obviously seen it all.

  He tried to stand again, hoping to slip away quickly so she would just assume it was a dream. She wouldn’t have any proof she had seen an angel, perhaps she would just tell herself it was a person in a really convincing costume or something. Many angels before him had used that excuse.

  It was no use though, without Alexander there for support, he couldn’t hold his own weight.

  The girl started walking his way. She crossed the street and was there within seconds. There was no way he could hide now. She knelt down and sat on the sidewalk beside him.

  “Are you okay?” She asked with genuine concern. Her long dark hair cascaded down her shoulders as she looked down. It tickled his arm through the pain.

  “I’m fine, you can leave me alone now.” Jerome had never spoken with a human before, he had no idea what to say. They were supposed to be complex creatures, he was unsure what would offend or delight them. It was like walking through a landmine.

  “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “And you’ve got wings.”

  Jerome just shrugged, he couldn’t exactly deny it when the large things were protruding from his back. He tried the next best thing. “It’s a costume.”

  “That’s not a costume. Here, let me help you up.” The girl stood and held out her hand. Jerome just stared at it. There was no way the slight young woman was going to be of any help. If he gripped her arm like she offered, he would probably pull her over on top of him. That wouldn’t be a just reward for a good Samaritan. “Just so you know, I’m not leaving you here. So the sooner you accept my help, the sooner you can get out of the spotlight here.”

  It was a good point and Jerome could tell by the set of her jaw that she wasn’t lying. She seemed determined enough to stand there until he moved.

  “Fine.”

  He placed his hand in hers but refused to draw on her strength. He clenched his teeth through the pain shooting through his body, the worst of it coming from his leg. He made it to his feet, or foot to be more precise. There was no way he could put any weight onto his left leg.

  Standing, he was a good foot and a half taller than the girl. She positioned his arm around her shoulder and held onto it tightly. If there was even a chance he could escape, she wouldn’t let him.

  “My apartment is down the street, can you walk that far?”

  “I think so.”

  He took a step to test his left leg. It could hold a tiny amount of pressure but the waves of pain told him it would take some time before it would heal. They started walking in unison. Slowly but surely they approached the building at the end of the street.

  They couldn’t talk the entire way, the exertion for both of them took all their concentration. If anyone else noticed Jerome, they didn’t stop and stare. The pair hobbled through the few people like they were just ordinary commuters on their way somewhere important.

  Reaching the apartment lobby, the next challenge was the stairs. The elevator hadn’t worked for years, nobody having any money or inclination to repair it. Jerome took one step at a time, sucking in a breath with each jolt that ran through his body. It was a long and painful climb up the six storeys.

  They finally entered the tiny apartment. There was no need for a grand tour, the rooms consisted of just two – a bathroom and then everything else. A single bed was pushed against the wall, it acted as a lounge, dining table, ironing board, and guest reception.

  “Lie on the bed, I’ll get something to clean you up,” the girl ordered. She let Jerome’s arm fall away from her shoulder as she hurried away.

  “Don’t go to any trouble.”

  “Are you always such a terrible patient?”

  Jerome had to laugh, despite the pain. Angels weren’t used to being hurt, he had no idea what kind of patient he was. He hoped he wouldn’t have to find out.

  The girl returned, a container of water in one hand and some ointment that smelled painful in the other. “Lie down, this is going to hurt a little.”

  He did as he was told and braced himself. Surely she couldn’t hurt him any more than he was already. The claw marks across his back stung and his leg throbbed with pain, a bit of water and ointment surely wouldn’t even come close to the hurt that was coursing through his body.

  He was wrong. It only took one dab of the cloth for his wounds to sear with a whole new form of pain. The sweet, innocent looking girl was a torturer. No matter how much he groaned, she didn’t stop. She was completely relentless in her nursing.

  �
��I’m almost done,” she assured him.

  “Good, I don’t know if I can take much more.”

  “So what’s your name, anyway?”

  “Jerome.”

  She waited in silence for a surname that never came. “That’s it? Just Jerome? Are you so famous that you don’t need a last name?”

  “I’m not famous, I just don’t have another name. None of us do,” Jerome answered, unsure how much to tell the girl. She seemed nice enough, but he wasn’t meant to be seen by humans. He couldn’t trust her with any information. “What’s your name?”

  “Leila Loudon.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Leila Loudon.”

  “You’re lucky you met me,” she finished with the last wound on his wings and moved down to his leg. The mangled mass did not look pretty as it oozed. “What happened to you? It looks like you took on a lion and the lion won.”

  “Something like that.”

  He braced himself as she trailed the wet cloth across his leg. It barely made a dent in the dried blood clinging to the skin.

  “This really needs stitches,” Leila tried to keep the disgust out of her voice, but it really did look terrible. You would need to be an expert at jigsaw puzzles to be able to piece it back together. “Perhaps you should go to the hospital, we might be able to find a doctor.”

  “I can’t. Just bandage it up, it will heal in time.”

  “No, it won’t. The skin isn’t even meeting.”

  Jerome tried to sit up, suddenly not wanting to be a patient any more. It was a waste of time lying in the tiny apartment. Not only did he need to work out how to get back to the village, he needed to work out how to do it without being seen by any more humans.

  “I need to go.” As he was speaking, Jerome’s head started to spin with the effort. He gripped the side of the bed, waiting for the room to come to a halt.

  “You need to rest,” Leila pushed at his chest, he was weak enough to follow the command and lay back down again. “You need to let me look after you. If I can’t convince you to go to the hospital, then I’ll do the best I can. But I warn you, I’m not a nurse or the least bit qualified to do this.”

  “I’m going to heal, I just need time.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because it’s true.”

  Leila sighed, wishing she had as much blind faith in something like the creature had. It didn’t have to be in anything important, just something.

  She finished wiping away the blood and examined the skin on Jerome’s leg. The edges were jagged but it did look like it was all there. Perhaps if she wrapped it tight enough, the edges might find each other and heal together. It seemed unlikely, but she didn’t even have a needle and cotton to sew it together. Even if she could stomach it.

  “I’m going to need a bandage. Or six.”

  “You can use my shirt if you need to,” Jerome couldn’t say how many times he had torn up his shirt to use as a makeshift bandage for himself or a friend. In times of war, you got creative.

  “Thanks, but I have bandages. Don’t move.”

  He tried to do as told and lay still while he listened to Leila rifling around in her bathroom cabinets. He kept telling himself he needed to heal before he went anywhere, he had no choice. He would leave the moment he could, but that time wasn’t now. He tried so hard to be a patient with patience.

  Leila returned with a handful of bandages. They weren’t new in the box, they had been used and washed many times. It matched the state of the apartment, everything looked used and well worn.

  “This might hurt,” she warned. “Can you bend your knee so I can get right around your leg?”

  Jerome followed orders and hauled his left leg upwards. He cringed with the pain, trying not to think about it. He was alive, that was the main thing. A bit of pain was nothing compared to death. At least he had a chance now.

  She wrapped the bandages around and around the leg, pulling it as tight as she dared. It needed to have no slack to keep the skin edges together, but she didn’t want to cut off the circulation. It was a fine line in which she had no idea where it lay.

  Finally, she reached the end of the bandage and tied it together. At least it looked clean, that would go halfway towards the healing process. The ointment should keep away the majority of infections, providing he kept it covered.

  “All done.”

  “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

  “Are you hungry or anything?” Leila put the supplies to one side and stood, studying the creature on her bed. “I have soup.”

  “No, thank you,” Jerome politely declined. He didn’t eat, no angel did. He wouldn’t even know what to do with food. Sustenance was a human thing, angels didn’t have the luxury of stopping three times a day to eat. If someone needed protection, it was an around the clock sort of deal. Not just a between breaks shift.

  “Well, I’m going to have some soup. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, go ahead.”

  She put a pot onto the one burner in the kitchen and poured some water into it. Jerome got the feeling she had soup a lot by the way she moved so precisely. Not one extra movement was needed. She was fascinating to watch, he couldn’t help it. She moved with grace but there was something else about her. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, perhaps some kind of injury? Her back was slightly hunched, but she could stand tall when she wanted to reach something. Something else seemed to be weighing her down.

  As Leila turned to face him, she caught him staring. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want any?”

  “Positive, thanks,” he smiled, embarrassed about being caught watching her. He had seen humans dozens of times before, but they had never been able to see him. And they had never been so close – or intriguing.

  “Do you mind if I sit next to you?” Leila asked, not having any other option except the bed or the floor.

  Jerome carefully shuffled down to make room. Silence filled the apartment as they both stared into space. The room didn’t even have a television to fill the void. Somewhere in the distance they could hear traffic and an alarm blaring, but it was hardly enough to keep them amused.

  Jerome couldn’t stand the quiet, he had to say something. “You haven’t asked me the question I’m sure you’re keen to hear the answer to.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What am I?”

  Leila nodded. “I figured you’d tell me if you wanted me to know.”

  Now it was Jerome’s turn to nod. Everything he knew about humans didn’t seem to fit with the girl sitting beside him. They were supposed to be curious, demanding even, of the truth. Yet here this girl was, a creature with wings sitting in her apartment and she was calmly eating soup. He seemed more intrigued of her than the opposite way around.

  “Can I trust you?” He asked, even though his gut was telling him he could.

  “I haven’t called the news yet, I don’t plan on doing it either. I don’t think anyone would believe me.”

  “I’m an angel,” Jerome blurted out before he could have second thoughts. “Or a guardian angel, to be more precise.”

  “I figured that. The wings kind of give you away. They’re pretty cool.”

  “And painful.”

  “Did you come crashing down from heaven? Is that why you suddenly appeared out of nowhere?” Leila remembered it so clearly, she thought she’d never be able to forget it. There she was, walking to the shops and suddenly a large flash of extremely bright light almost blinded her. When she could see again, a man with dark hair, an eerie glow, and grey wings was lying on the street.

  “A part of heaven, yes. It’s not like we hang out with all the dead people, they’re in a different part.”

  “Good to know. Did you come here to protect someone?”

  “I’m not sure how I got here, actually. I was attacked,” he pointed to the claw marks on his wings. “Obviously.”

  “Who
attacks an angel?”

  “Demons.”

  Leila wanted to gasp, but she had heard of so much evil lately, that she couldn’t be surprised. “Why?”

  “They’re attacking all angels, they want to wipe us out,” Jerome sighed, knowing it wouldn’t be long before their mission was accomplished.

  “That explains it then.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The world’s gone to hell,” Leila started. “Everything here is chaotic now. Not a day goes by without murders, assaults, kidnappings, torture, you name it. And I’m not just talking a few. I’m talking millions worldwide. We’re slowly killing ourselves.”

  The news startled Jerome. He had thought the council were keeping them informed about what was going on with Earth. However, the more Leila described the bleak events, the more he was certain they had been withholding a lot of information. The war wasn’t only in the angel realm, it was being waged on Earth too.

  “When did it all start?” It was the first of the many questions he had for her. There was so much he didn’t understand, he craved to know it all.

  “About eighteen months ago.”

  “That’s when the demons started attacking us too.”

  Leila nodded, feeling a camaraderie with the angel despite their differences. They had both been through hell, they didn’t even have to voice their woe for the other to understand. She finished her soup and placed the bowl in the sink. “How many angels have died?”

  There were so many he couldn’t even count. “A lot.”

  “How many are left?”

  “Not a lot.”

  Jerome flexed his wings, the conversation making him uncomfortable, even if only subconsciously. Pain shot through them, resonating in his back too. He was nowhere near healed yet, that luxury was going to be at least a few more hours away. Until then, he was trapped in the tiny apartment.

  “Are you tired or anything?” Leila asked. The angel seemed to have grown weary all of a sudden. Talking about horrors such as war couldn’t be good for him. “I can close the curtains so you can sleep.”