World Without Angels

by Campbell, Jamie

  “I think I just need to rest until I heal. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “Take your time, I’m not going anywhere soon.”

  She watched as he lay on his side on the bed, his wings folded neatly behind him. When he closed his eyes, he looked peaceful. She studied him as his breathing became rhythmic, lost to sleep. His thick, dark hair had a slight curl to it and was perfectly in place – like he’d spent hours at a hair salon. Leila was surprised to see he looked to be about the same age as her – seventeen. His demeanor had made him seem much older. War tended to do that to you.

  His wings moved slightly when he breathed. They were covered completely in feathers except where he had been hurt. Their loose ends fluttered ever so slightly with the movement, like they were alive in their own right. Their grey color was light and had an iridescent sheen on the tips. They were possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. They were mesmerizing, she wanted so badly to reach out and touch them. But she didn’t, his need for restful sleep was greater than her curiosity.

  Leila left Jerome to his slumber as she tidied the apartment. There wasn’t much to do except put away the supplies she had used to tend to his wounds. She had been on her way to get food when she had stumbled across Jerome. Her cupboards had barely a scrap in them to straighten. She could get groceries tomorrow, she had a higher calling today. It wasn’t like there was much available anyway. The shelves of the supermarket were rarely stacked and the fresh markets were so chaotic you practically had to fight for a mere morsel of food.

  Eighteen months ago. That’s when Leila could rule a line in the timeline of the world and definitively say everything had changed. Most people wouldn’t have started to notice it for a few weeks, or even months, but Leila had felt it straight away. Something in the balance of things had shifted. Evil started its takeover of the world. It started small, a few more murders, a few more assaults reported on the news. But you only had to look around to see the real movement. People didn’t dream anymore, they didn’t wish for a brighter future. They were resigned to the fact the badness would just continue forever.

  When people lost hope, they lost everything. They gave up, not needing to make something of themselves or their lives. They didn’t feel the need to invest in children’s futures. They lost the will to try harder. They went about their lives like robots, never giving it a second thought.

  Leila herself was no different. She was once a vibrant romantic who would often lose herself in daydreams about the future. She would go to university, fall in love, excel in her chosen career, have children, and live happily ever after. She couldn’t wait for it to happen and her life to really start. Up until eighteen months ago, anyway. Now, she had seen too much death and destruction to believe there was anything but more of it in her future. She was afraid to love anyone for fear she would only lose them. A higher education was a waste of time when you didn’t have a future and nobody would be foolish enough to have children anymore. What was the point of bringing new life into this world when it would spend a lifetime suffering? Everything was so pointless.

  So Leila kept herself busy by making sure she had enough supplies to last for a few days and spent all her time in the apartment. Staying outside for too long was dangerous, you never knew who was watching. Food and supplies had become so scarce they were precious enough to kill for. The bandages she had used on Jerome’s wounds was enough to stab someone over, the ointment even scarcer. Had she not snooped through the apartment upstairs when the owner was killed for his car, she wouldn’t even have them now.

  Just thinking about the situation was making her tired. That, and the steady breathing of the angel on her bed. She laid a blanket on the floor and used an old sweater as a pillow. She allowed herself to lie down and close her eyes. Sleep was another commodity that didn’t come easily lately. Leila was never certain who could come crashing in through her door to rob or kill her. She always slept with one eye open, feeling her most vulnerable.

  They slept there all afternoon and through the night too. It wasn’t until early morning that Jerome was awoken by the sound of running water. He opened one eye, trying to remember where he was. It took a few moments to recall everything that had happened the previous day. The attack, the fall, the girl.

  He flexed his wings, it was painless. Finally, the healing had settled in. He sat up and checked his leg. Through the bandages, it felt smooth. He started to unwind the white cloth.

  “Hey, don’t do that,” Leila ran over to grab at his hands, stopping him mid-wrap. “They’ll get infected.”

  Jerome was taken aback by her sudden movement and the warmth of her hands on his. He had never been touched by a human before, he hadn’t expected such softness. Her skin was like cashmere, silky and smooth. He almost wanted to stroke her hands, just to feel the luxury.

  “Don’t take them off,” she repeated, testing to see whether she could remove her hands and he would follow her instructions. She let go of one hand, he didn’t move. She let the other go. He was so silent and still that she was concerned she had said something wrong or offensive. She knelt on the floor, recoiling until he did something.

  He finally came back to life. “I’m healed now, I can remove the bandages. It will be okay.”

  “But it’s only been one day. You shouldn’t be back to normal for weeks. You need to keep them on.”

  “We heal fast. Watch.”

  Jerome carefully unwound the bandages one by one. Underneath, the pink skin was revealed. It wasn’t perfect yet, but there were no open wounds or cuts. He would have to be careful for a few days yet, but he wasn’t at risk of infection and there was barely any residual pain.

  Leila was amazed, she couldn’t stop herself from staring. “But it was so mangled yesterday. It needed stitches.”

  “Like I said, we heal fast.”

  She kneeled over his leg, running her hand gently over the wounds. She had to, just to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. What was just a bloodied mess was now smooth and new.

  “That’s really cool.”

  “It comes in handy now and then,” Jerome smiled, happy he could impress the human. He liked the way her eyes were bright and sparkled with the curiosity. She reminded him of his sister when she was little, when everything was so new and amazing. He would spend hours teaching her about the world. He tried to push away the thought, it was too painful and that wound never seemed to heal.

  Leila sat back again, watching as Jerome stood to test his leg. Standing at his full height with his wings reaching above his head, he almost filled the entire apartment. Not that it was difficult, there was barely room for two normal sized humans.

  He stretched his muscles, everything seemed to be working just fine. “I think I’m all good.”

  “Do you want some breakfast then?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “But you haven’t eaten since you fell, you must be hungry.”

  Jerome shrugged. “Angels don’t eat.”

  “Oh, I guess I should have known.”

  “You go ahead though, humans need to eat,” he smiled, hoping he didn’t appear like the utter freak he felt at that moment. Leila made some tea on the burner and leant against the counter, studying him.

  “What are you going to do today?”

  “Try to find a way back home,” Jerome answered, having no real idea how he was going to do that. Waiting around for someone to come and rescue him wasn’t an option. When he didn’t return to the boarding house, he would probably be presumed dead. You didn’t go looking for bodies to bury in wartime. You just accepted the absence, had a moment of silence, and then moved on. It was the only way to survive.

  “I can help you.”

  “No, it’s too dangerous. I appreciate you letting me stay here last night but I need to be going.”

  Leila panicked when she saw him approach the door. “You can’t just leave.”

  “I have to go. The sooner I start, the better.”
>
  “But…” She couldn’t think of one real reason why he should stay. She didn’t even know why she wanted him to stay. All she knew was she didn’t want to see him walk out that door and never see him again. He was the first person she had ever had in the apartment and she had lost too many people already. She wasn’t ready to wish him farewell. Not yet.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Leila Loudon, but I have to go. Stay safe.”

  She shielded the door with her body, throwing her arms against each side. “Please stay.”

  “I can’t.”

  They stared at each other, waiting for the other to cave first. Eventually, it was Leila that moved. She couldn’t keep him there, not if it meant having to hold him hostage forever. He may not need to eat, but she did.

  He gave a small nod. “Thank you. Goodbye.”

  Jerome opened the door and disappeared into the hallway. His wings brushed the walls as he went. Leila watched him go until he was out of sight. She sighed, turning back to the empty apartment that now felt a thousand times emptier than ever. She turned off the burner, put on her shoes, and quickly started after him.

  CHAPTER 3

  Angels walk fast, as Leila discovered, but they were hard to miss. Jerome was three blocks down the street when she caught up to him. She hadn’t had to move that swiftly since she had to leave her family home after the attack. That was almost six months ago now.

  She didn’t have a plan beyond following him. Clearly, she couldn’t beg him to stay, it hadn’t worked earlier. Considering he had so easily left her behind, he obviously didn’t feel an attachment to her that she could lure him back with. That only left covertly trailing behind him and hoping he wouldn’t go far. However, considering how quick he was walking, it was going to prove difficult.

  The one thing Leila hadn’t considered in her plan were the senses angels possessed. Not only was their hearing exceptional, but their sense of their surroundings too. It was how they anticipated the movements of humans and better protected them.

  Jerome was barely out of the building before he became aware he was being followed. He listened to the footsteps and their lightness told him it was a female. He didn’t have to be a genius to work out it was Leila. He tried to walk faster to shake her from his trail but she had kept up. Next, he tried to zigzag through backstreets and parks, but she was still following him. Failing flying into the air and risking more attention coming his way, nothing he did dissuaded her.

  Suddenly, Jerome stopped dead in his tracks. If he couldn’t politely shake her, then he was going to have to use a more direct approach. He had more important things to do than play chase through the streets.

  “I told you I had to leave,” he spoke to thin air before turning around. She at least had the sense to look guilty.

  “I want to help you.”

  “You can’t help me.”

  Leila stood there, taken aback by his abruptness. He wasn’t the angel she had heard fairy tales about during her childhood. “Well, I appear to be the only one offering to help you. So I think you should accept it with thanks. You don’t know how this world works, you have no idea what it’s like here anymore. I do.”

  He was about to start protesting again but the words stuck in his throat. She was right. Everything he knew about Earth was what he had learnt in school. He had been allowed to visit momentarily but it was always supervised and always brief. If he was going to work out how to get home and get rid of the demons, he would need help. And the girl standing in front of him was all he had.

  Still, it was dangerous. He didn’t want to expose her to any more hazards than she was already. Having a human with him might be dangerous for him too, he wasn’t equipped to look after her. He had never had a human to protect, he wouldn’t know the first thing about actually guarding them.

  “Just go home, you’ll be safer there,” he urged her.

  “I don’t want to. I think- ”

  Leila didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. As the words went to escape from her lips, both she and Jerome were knocked to their feet. The building across the street exploded in a ball of fire. Debris, concrete, and glass flew in all directions. Screams rang out from the streets surrounding them as people ran in panic. There was no good reason for the building to just explode out of nowhere, something else was going on. Whether it was just a random act of vandalism, or something more sinister, nobody was prepared to stick around and get the details.

  When Leila hit the ground, she felt the shock go through her entire body. Her head cracked as it hit the pavement, like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. Her arm hurt from trying to take the brunt of the fall and it was bleeding from the elbow. She didn’t move for quite some time until she could work out what had happened.

  “Are you okay?” Jerome asked. He had absorbed most of the explosion, instinctively putting himself between the building and Leila. He didn’t even think about it, he didn’t even realize he had done it until it was over and he saw his body across hers.

  “I think we should get out of here,” Leila choked out. Dust was starting to filter through the sky from the fallout, prepared to settle in her lungs when she breathed.

  “I’m taking you back to your apartment.” He stood, picking her up in his arms. She was like a ragdoll, she didn’t try and struggle at all. “I told you it was safer there.”

  She let him carry her, it was easier than having to fight with him at that point. He would have preferred to fly her there but it was too dangerous. If humans started seeing a person flying, who knows what they would do in their heightened state. Considering all their nerves were stretched to their peak, they probably wouldn’t have second thoughts about firing at them.

  Walking was still a fast option with Jerome’s strong stride. The extra load in his arms didn’t make any difference, Leila barely weighed anything. It only took a fraction of the time to return to the tiny apartment than it did to leave.

  Jerome placed Leila on the bed gently, trying not to inflict any more injuries than she already had. He didn’t know what to do with her. She wouldn’t heal like he did, she would actually need medical attention.

  “Did that really happen?” She asked sleepily, rubbing her head. “Did we fly?”

  “No, I ran. With my feet. Are you badly hurt?”

  Leila tested her body, trying to work out what caused the most pain. Her butt was sore from the impact, the cut on her elbow was starting to congeal, and she had a terrible headache. Overall, it could have been a lot worse.

  “I’ve got a killer headache,” Leila smiled, trying to reassure him. “But I’ll live. You don’t look so good.”

  Jerome walked to the bathroom and checked himself in the mirror. His neck and arms were dotted with bloody spots. Shrapnel from the building had hit him during the explosion, he hadn’t even realized it. “I’m going to have to pull these pieces out, aren’t I?”

  “I’ll do it for you. I’m at least good for that.”

  “No, you need to rest now.”

  “I’m fine,” she sat up, feeling the pounding in her head at full force. “Grab me some tweezers and I’ll get started.”

  Jerome gently pushed her back onto the bed. “Sleep. Or something. Just don’t worry about me.”

  Leila stared up at him, refusing to close her eyes. The second she did, she knew he would be out the door and she would never see him again. If she had to rest, it wasn’t going to happen until she was certain he would be there when she woke up.

  “Promise me you won’t leave when I’m asleep.”

  Jerome sighed, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “I can’t promise you that. I’ve got work to do. I can’t protect you, Leila Loudon.”

  “It’s just Leila and you can protect me. You did it when that building exploded. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be the one covered in glass and metal. You saved me, Jerome.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “You did. You pushed me behind you so you could act as a shie
ld. You protected me when I needed it.”

  He considered her words. He didn’t know what had made him step in front of the girl. It was just something he did. Perhaps there was something to an angel having a natural instinct to protect humans. He hadn’t given it much thought before, he figured that was why they went to school. But maybe there was more to it, something more inbuilt.

  Jerome stared at her pleading face, crossed with worry. She wasn’t going to give up any time soon. It would be far easier to sneak out of the apartment and never return, not even give her a second thought. But he couldn’t. She reminded him too much of his little sister, so innocent and vulnerable. He just couldn’t do it.

  “I promise I won’t leave,” he finally replied, leaning against the wall. “You can sleep soundly, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  “Are you lying to me?”

  “No, I don’t lie.”

  “Is that an angel thing? Are you physically incapable of lying?” Leila wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.

  “It’s not an angel thing, more of a personal belief.”

  She looked him directly in the eyes, hoping to be able to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. She had no idea. All she could do was hope that he was.

  “Will you lie down with me?” She didn’t know where the question came from, but she didn’t want anything else at that moment. She needed to have the comfort of someone else being there. It had been so long since she’d even had a hug from somebody.

  “I guess.”

  Leila shuffled over to press against the wall, making room for him. It was a tight squeeze on the single bed, but he managed to lie down providing his wings could drape to the floor at his back. She placed her hand on his arm and closed her eyes, praying he would be there when she woke.

  Jerome watched her fall asleep, her eyelids fluttered as she was lost in a dream world. The feeling of her hand was distracting. It burned so warm, tingled even, on his arm. It was like he could feel the life in her through that touch. The spark and spirit that kept her alive flowed through her fingertips into his skin. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.