World Without Angels

by Campbell, Jamie

  Jerome decided. He had to choose Leila and he had to act quickly. He headed for the garage and to a very scared woman.

  “What’s going on out there?” Leila demanded, beside herself with concern.

  “There’s a riot, they’re attacking people in the houses,” Jerome took her by the arm. “We need to get out of here. I’ll fly us somewhere safe where we can wait it out.”

  Leila nodded, trying to process the information. She was happy to have the angel there, telling her what to do and keeping her moving. If it was up to her and her alone, she would probably just sit in a mess and pray for the best. Or maybe she would hide, she wasn’t sure.

  Jerome was ready to pick her up so they could move faster, sometimes humans were way too slow for his liking. He placed his arm under her knees, the other behind her back and lifted. He would be able to take off like that once outside too. She would be able to see everything as he flew, but he had bigger concerns. Safety was the number one priority, she could always close her eyes.

  His hand was on the doorknob, ready to turn it and escape to the backyard through the open wall in the living room. But he stopped, mid-turn. Someone had broken through the front door of the house, he could hear their feet stomping on the floor. It was too late to get away. The only other way out of the room was by the garage door and that wasn’t a viable option, there would be even more people to contend with using that exit.

  “We need to barricade the door,” Leila whispered urgently. “Let me down.”

  Jerome snapped into action. He returned Leila to the floor and started moving. They needed to get as much as they could up against the door to make it difficult for anyone to get through. Unfortunately, all they had in the room was the bed, coffee table, and lounge. It wasn’t much but it was all they had. Jerome carried each of them to the door, lining them up in a row. If someone tried to get in, the door would just jam and be unable to move. It would work for as long as the door could withstand the force. If it broke, then they would be able to climb through and get to them. But at least they would have to work for it.

  “What about the garage door?” Leila asked, looking closely at the hinges. “Could they open it?”

  “It looks electric, I think that will work in our favor. They’d have to be very strong to get it open.”

  “But is it possible.”

  “Anything is possible.”

  They stood in the middle of the room, the only light being a moonbeam shining through the high window. Their hearts pounded in their chests, waiting for something to happen. Whatever it was, they were trapped. Sitting ducks in the middle of a violent riot. It was going to be a long night, if they survived it.

  “Jerome, I’m really scared,” Leila whispered.

  “It will be alright, just have a little faith.”

  “Faith? Are you serious? I think my faith in everything disappeared a long time ago.”

  “You believe in me, remember? I’ll keep you safe.”

  Leila wanted so badly to believe him. She wanted to place all her faith in an unfounded and blind belief in the angel standing at her side. But if there was ever a time to have doubts, then it was now when they were trapped like rabbits in a room barely big enough to accommodate the angel’s wings.

  Jerome could feel the walls starting to close in around him. He had never been so confined before. Angels were supposed to be free, the only thing anchoring them being the human they were assigned to protect. They definitely weren’t supposed to be in the position he found himself in now.

  The agony of hearing the screams of pain and hurt from outside cut through his heart like a knife. It was torturous, absolutely horrid not being able to do anything about it. If the demons hadn’t killed off so many angels, it could never have happened. All those victims would be protected, they would have a guardian angel watching out for them and keeping them safe from harm. It was never supposed to be like this.

  To keep himself from pacing and bursting through the doors, Jerome sat on the floor. He took several deep breaths and tried to focus on the task at hand. He couldn’t be lost in the pain, he had to focus on keeping Leila safe and that was that. He had to keep the people out and himself in. There was no other way to get through the riot.

  Leila fell into his arms, sitting on his lap. It didn’t feel right being anywhere else. Despite the distance they were trying to keep from each other, it didn’t count in moments like these. They needed to be close, it was the only thing they still had.

  Jerome put his arms around her, holding Leila tight. He could feel her shaking from the fear. To him, it hurt just as much as the screams from outside. He stroked her hair as she laid her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating, giving her something to focus on while they waited.

  Banging started on the door, both inside and on the garage roller door. Leila buried her head closer, he held her tighter. They didn’t have any option except to ride out the attack. The doors rattled, the yelling grew louder. There had to be at least a dozen people on the outside trying to get in. They moved in unison, putting all their force behind each blow.

  The furniture shifted slightly with each pounding. They were braced against the wall opposite the door, but none of it was particularly sturdy. The coffee table was no stronger than fire kindling and the bed was only as strong as the pine slats holding it together. It would only take one major blow and the whole thing could crumble.

  The roller door started to bend with the force behind it. If the rioters bent it enough they would be able to get enough leverage underneath to force it away. Jerome hoped they would give up before that happened, there was absolutely no way to stop them otherwise.

  Minutes ticked by so slowly it was like time itself had stopped. Jerome and Leila held onto each other like their lives depended on it. Perhaps they did, it was the only thing keeping them from going out of their minds with fear. For Jerome, the agony came from the pain and suffering and knowing there was nothing he could do about it. Humans all around him needed protecting but he wasn’t there for them.

  But even if he could step outside, could he have really saved anyone? He was but one angel when all of hell was influencing the evil occurring in the streets. He had been no match back in his village and he questioned whether he would be any match here on Earth either.

  They sat on the floor for hours, so still their bodies ached to move. But they didn’t, they couldn’t. Slowly, the noises started to fade away. Whoever was trying to break in had grown tired, probably been distracted by an easier win. After all, they didn’t know for sure that anyone was inside, perhaps they decided the time and effort wasn’t worth it.

  Sometime during the night, Leila had fallen asleep. Jerome had fought the fatigue, needing to stay alert in case the people came back. It was possible, anything was possible.

  The hours ticked by until the darkness outside was replaced by the faint orange glow of sunrise. It was a relief as much as dreaded. They wouldn’t be able to stay there forever. With daylight came the obligation to get up and move. Jerome didn’t know what lay outside. Even if the rioters had moved on, what horror did they leave behind? What would they be faced with outside? He shuddered with the thought.

  The soft sunbeams shining through the high, lonely window in the garage fell on Leila’s face. She was still in his arms, sleeping but not soundly. He gently moved the hair from her eyes, caressing her face ever so slightly. She was so perfect in his eyes, just as much an angel as those in his village. The curve of her little nose, the pinkness of her lips. There was not one part of her he didn’t absolutely adore. Despite the fact that he shouldn’t. It wasn’t something he could control, he couldn’t just turn off his emotions. As much as he tried. If he didn’t have the war to focus on, he would have been driven mad by now.

  He traced the edge of her jaw with his finger, thinking how soft her skin was. Each touch made his skin tingle like it was alive with electricity. It was an extraordinary feeling, one he wished to remember for a lo
ng time. It was going to be difficult leaving her when the moment came. He dreaded every second that passed because it took him closer to that moment. It would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do.

  But he had to do it, there was no other option. She was a human and he was an angel, they belonged in different worlds. He scolded himself for allowing the emotions in the first place, if he didn’t let himself fall in love with her at the beginning then it wouldn’t be an issue now. If only he had left that first day when he wanted to, he shouldn’t have listened to her and made the promise to protect her. All the heartache could have been avoided.

  But then again, he wouldn’t have experienced the tingly feelings on his skin either. Or the rush when he had kissed her. Perhaps it was worth it in the end after all. Don’t they say it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts all together. He would have to leave the pain for another day, it would come soon enough.

  His eyes shifted lower to Leila’s neck, the vein pulsating with the blood running through her body. Even that was adorable. He noticed the gold necklace hanging around her neck. It was an ornate little key on a simple chain. She always wore it, he couldn’t remember her ever taking it off. It was pretty, delicate and beautiful just like Leila herself. He picked up the key gently to have a closer look, it was tiny in his big hand. The gold was turned in swirls, creating a filigree head for the key. It was made with such intricate detail that it seemed impossible.

  As he examined the key, Leila’s eyes started to flutter open. He put it down quickly. “Good morning.”

  She took a few moments to fully awaken. “Are we alive?”

  “Yeah,” he smiled. “Everything has been quiet outside for a few hours. I think we’re going to be fine.”

  She sat up, taking her weight off Jerome’s arm. He had been the only thing stopping her from falling onto the floor. She shuffled onto the ground beside him, abandoning his lap for the first time since the attack had begun.

  “Did you stay awake all night?” She asked, still a bit groggy.

  “I wanted to make sure they didn’t get in.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It was my honor.”

  They sat in silence, neither particularly wanting to get up and open the door. Yet there wasn’t a great deal to do on the floor of the cold garage. Jerome made conversation to delay the inevitable. “That’s a nice necklace you wear.”

  Instinctively, Leila’s hand shot up to hold the key. Something she had done a thousand times before. “Thanks. My dad made it for me for my sixteenth birthday.”

  “Your dad made that? He must be very talented.”

  “He’s a jeweler. He was always making things for my sisters and my mom. He used to have his own business, before…”

  Jerome nodded. Just like in his village, everything was before. Nobody talked about what happened after. It was too painful or terrifying. All the good stuff happened before, not after.

  “You’re probably hungry, why don’t you cook some breakfast and I’ll go have a look outside?” Jerome suggested, knowing it would have to be done eventually. Perhaps it would be best just getting it over and done with. At least he would know rather than just imagining the worst.

  Leila let him go, trying to tidy up some of the mess they had made the night before. At least everything was intact, including her little burner and pot. She started cooking a potato for breakfast, trying to pretend it would be appetizing.

  Jerome placed his ear on the garage door, there was nothing but silence on the other side. Considering the coast was clear, he started to unstack the furniture from behind the internal door. When it was clear, he cautiously opened the door with all his senses on high alert for the most minute of noises.

  All was silent and still. He stepped into the living room and took everything in. The windows were smashed in the front of the house, the front door was in splinters. The internal walls had gaping holes through them and the carpets were splattered with blood. If they had chosen any other room to hide in, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. The sturdy brick walls of the garage were the only thing that had saved them.

  “Leila, it looks safe in here, I’m going into the street to have a look at the neighborhood,” he yelled back into the garage.

  “Okay, but be careful.”

  “I will.”

  He stepped over what remained of the door and looked outside for the first time. He wished he hadn’t. Every single plant, tree, and shrub was pulled out of the ground and strewn across the yard. But beyond that was where the real horror began. Bodies lay on the street, some still with the weapons lodged in them. It was a massacre, the rioters showing no mercy for any of their peers.

  Jerome wanted to cry, he felt like collapsing where he stood and turning into a blubbering mess. The scene reminded him of the riot he had witnessed in the city that night, the one that had started the alarm siren. The fact they didn’t even bother with the alarm last night was proof the situation was getting so much worse. Everyone was becoming accustomed with the violence now, prior standards didn’t even apply. It was disgusting humans could do this to one another.

  He forced himself to walk around, checking each body to make sure they couldn’t be saved. He wondered if there was anything he could have done to save them if he had tried hours ago. Maybe. Perhaps he could have done something, but at what cost? He tried not to blame himself, but it was difficult. He wondered what the council would make of it. What they would make of him.

  He returned to the house and placed the furniture where it was previously. He sat on the bed while Leila ate, trying to think of anything except the bodies outside.

  “Was it that bad?” Leila asked, already knowing the answer just by looking at him.

  “I wouldn’t go outside.”

  Leila found some resolve she didn’t know she had. “So we stay in here and we work out who the mortal is. We find them, give them the sword, and then they kill the demons.”

  Jerome found himself nodding, that was exactly what they needed to do. He picked up the laptop computer and stared at the names they still had on their list. He tried hard not be despondent about the thousands of people still looking back at him.

  “We need to find the people on this list,” Jerome stated. “How do we do that?”

  “Their address would be listed in the telephone book. Some might be private listings, but most will be public. Give me the laptop and I’ll look them up online.” He handed her the computer.

  She started typing, but something was wrong. Instead of the internet pages, there was just a warning. “The internet has been shut down in ‘the interest of public safety’. That must be how the riots are starting, they are posting them online.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  “It means we have to go old school. This house might have a phone book, I’ll have a look.”

  Leila stood and disappeared into the living room. Jerome could hear her rifling around. She returned a few minutes later.

  “If they have one, I can’t find it. We’re going to have to go to the post office. They keep all the telephone directories there. Or at least they used to,” she explained. Jerome went along with it, not confessing he had no idea what she was talking about. “Bring the laptop, we should go straight away. I think our time for waiting has passed.”

  “I think I agree.”

  They hurried into the backyard, Leila allowing Jerome to fly her into the city instead of facing the mess in the streets. Her fear of flying was nothing compared to her fear of facing the aftermath of the violence. And besides, you never know who you might run into. Flying was definitely the best option.

  They reached the post office and let themselves in through the broken window. The place was ransacked for anything of value. Even half the phone books were missing, presumably to fuel a fire. The thick books would keep a flame alight for hours.

  Leila showed Jerome how to find the names and
gave him a book, she took one herself. Painstakingly, they picked a name on the list and checked in the directory. They were only successful in finding a match half the time.

  After an hour of searching and writing down addresses, Leila had enough. “This will take years. We don’t have years, Jerome. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “It’s a start, we have to find the people somehow. This was a good idea.”

  It didn’t feel like one. Not when her hand hurt from writing and her nose twitched with the dust. They had just over a dozen names out of thousands on the list. The whole search seemed impossible.

  Jerome acted swiftly, he could see he was losing her. “Why don’t we go and talk to a few of these people? We might have the address of the human already.”

  “Fine.” She wasn’t going to argue, at least they would be out of the wreck of the post office with its musty smell and dim lighting.

  They chose the address closest and hurried away, trying to remain positive. After all, Tiresias wanted them to find the one human that could fight the demons, surely he couldn’t have made the search impossible.

  Jason Bennett lived on the outskirts of the city in a unit block. That was according to the phone book anyway, he could have been long gone by now for all they knew. But like Jerome said, they had to start somewhere so it had to be at the very beginning.

  Knocking on the door, Leila waited by herself. She was far less confronting to open the door to rather than a large angel with wings. She waited, hoping and praying they would find their mortal.

  “Who is it?” A man’s voice came through the door, completely absent of any friendliness.

  “My name is Leila Loudon, I was hoping we could have a quick chat? Are you Jason Bennett?”

  She waited, only met with silence from the other side. The time seemed to go by so slowly.