by L. A. Boruff
When they arrived at the apartment, Matthew waiting for them at the door. Paul sat on the couch watching some mindless show while Ryan was in the kitchen grabbing stuff out of the fridge. Chris and Adam were nowhere to be found. She stepped inside the space and relaxed marginally. She glanced down the hall at the open door of the bathroom and wondered if she could shower without worry about the blood returning.
“Bathroom is clean,” Paul said. “You don’t have to worry about the water being tainted here. Go shower. Then, we should talk.”
She didn’t like the way his statement made her feel. Her stomach knotted. Her heart hammered. Whatever he had to say couldn’t be any good. Not for her anyway. She gave a curt incline of her chin then grabbed her back from Michael and headed down the hall. Once inside the bathroom, she tried again. Nova turned on the shower and waited. When the water didn’t run red, she disrobed and stepped under the spray.
Since Professor King stepped into her room, heck, since the shower ran red, her thoughts had been discombobulated. Here she stood, in a shower not hers after telling a bunch of people she thought the world was going to end and according to them, they believed her. Oh and if that wasn’t enough, five seals had been broken which meant only two more were left before the world was driven into chaos.
The stories her father told her about Michael the Archangel and Gabriel fighting against the forces of evil to save humanity filled her mind, setting her imagination to run wild. What would happen to humanity? To the world? How did people live once all was said and done? Did humanity get to live? Once seals were broken, did that mean the world was changed? That the Four Horsemen could never return to wherever they came from? Would they have periodic bouts of water running red?
She slid to the floor of the shower and buried her face against her knees. She cried. Not out of pity but frustration, because none of it made a lick of sense to her. She also wept because if this did happen, her father would be in the thick of it and she didn’t know which side he’d be on. Good or evil. She cried for Drew who’d just learned what freedom tasted like, only to have it swiped from him.
Nothing would ever be normal again.
A soft tap came at the door. “Nova?” Ryan. “You okay?”
"Yeah." She wiped her tears. "I'm good. Just take an extra minute. You guys have a great shower."
“We were just checking. Take your time.”
“Thanks.” She grabbed the washcloth off the hook near the dry towels and began to soap it up. She had so many questions. She didn’t think anyone would be able to answer them for her though. And, there wasn’t any way to turn back time and keep anything that happened next from happening.
When she emerged from the bathroom, all of the guys were on the giant sectional couch. Paul had on a national news station and each of them stared at it like it was their last lifeline. Then she glanced up at it and gaped. The blood water hadn’t just happened at the college, it was happening everywhere and where the apartment had been spared, not everyone had been lucky. Some who didn’t realize what they were being sprayed with, had giant sores on their backs, shoulders, and legs. Others looked to have horrible sunburns while others were dead.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
“Uh, Nova, we should talk now,” Paul said. “Like Professor King said it’s time. You should know the whole truth.”
She took tentative steps around the couch to sit between all of them. “We’re this deep now. Hit me with it.”
Paul barked a laugh and shook his head. “Easier said than done.”
“Well if my truth wasn’t crazy, I am sure yours isn’t either. So tell me.” She sat back and waited. Whatever he’d been meant to tell her, made him uneasy. He glanced at Michael and Matthew then Ryan.
“You know how you said the Four Horsemen are on the mortal plane, but they’re not actively participating?”
She nodded.
“Well, we have been drawn to you for a while now. We saw your essence the minute you stepped onto the campus. We couldn’t leave.”
Wait. What? She cut her gaze to Ryan who leaned forward and for the first time, allowed her a glimpse of the lust and desire for her to swirl in his mercury-colored eyes. He was absolutely ravenous with it. “You saw what now?”
“John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it...” Ryan said. “You’re the light, drawing us in. You are the brightest light I have ever seen.”
“I don’t... I don’t understand.” Fear spread its ugly tendrils through her body. What was she missing?
“Yes you do,” Matthew added. “We know you do. It might be hard to process, but you understand what we’re telling you.”
Paul stood and the guys followed suit standing before her. Four. “Nova we’re—”
“The Four Horsemen,” she said in a rush. “Holy crap.”
One by one they introduced themselves. Paul—Pestilence. Matthew—War. Michael—Famine. Ryan—Death. Low and do I see four angels and death was in the lead... The breath she’d been holding left her on a whoosh.
“Y-you’re really them,” she whispered. “Like, you’re angels. Real angels.”
Paul—Pestilence, sat down beside her. “Real angels.”
“You have wings and everything?” she asked.
“We do.”
“But you look so...” She frowned, picking at her shirt.
“Human?” Matthew—War cocked a brow.
“Yeah.” She didn’t know what she expected them to look like, but nothing like the men standing in front of her. Yet, their personalities fit who they were. However, it begged the question. “Why aren’t you getting involved?”
“It’s not right,” Michael—Famine said. “It’s not a natural progression of the second coming.”
“So, you’re not doing this then?”
They shook their heads.
“Then who is? What’s the point? Don’t they understand what will happen if they finish breaking the seals?” She took a shaky breath. “Nothing in this world will ever be the same. We’ll be plunged into darkness forever!”
“Easy there, star.” Pestilence held his hands up. “Breathe.”
“I am,” she snapped. “It’s the end of the world.”
“We can stop it,” Famine said. “Keep it contained and then take the remaining scrolls away.”
“Where?”
“Heaven.”
“Hell,” Death said. “They’d be better protected there.”
“With Lucifer?” Pestilence scoffed.
“Better than with God. He appointed the scribes—apostles who wrote this shit. Look at where it’s gotten us!” Famine snarled.
“I kind of agree,” Nova said. “It didn’t work out really well with the whole heaven thing.”
War chuckled. "Well, at least you haven't lost your sense of humor."
“Lucky me.” She peered up at each of the men. “What is it about me that brought us all together?”
“You’re a beacon. No matter where you are, we’d find you,” Pestilence said.
“We’ll always be attracted to you,” Famine added. “It’s part of the prophecy.”
“Part of the what now?” she whispered.
“Prophecy. Lucifer—sorry you know him as Samael.”
“I should have fucking known!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry about cussing in front of us. We do it enough already,” Death said.
“How do you look so human?” The thought had been banging around in her head since they told her about them.
Pestilence sighed. “It’s a bit technical. In simple terms, when our seals were broken, we were unleashed onto the human plain. Due to us not wanting to fulfill our part of Armageddon we found suitable humans to inhabit.”
“So you took over people’s bodies?” She couldn’t believe what he’d said.
"Near death," Famine added. "All of our hosts were friends before dea
th. All of our hosts were the tragic victims of an accident. They were on their way home from a concert when an asshole drunk driver going the wrong way hit them."
“Oh.” Nova stared down at her hands. “Is your clothing your thing or theirs?”
“Theirs. We like it,” Famine said. “You like it too, don’t you?”
She did. She couldn’t deny it. “I do. Who owns this apartment?”
“Samael,” War said. “We went straight to him when we arrived. He put us here.”
Paul—Pestilence took her hands and she flinched. The sadness she saw in his eyes when he stepped back from her, sent a pang of admonishment through her. They’d done everything to be nice to her and when she found out the truth, jerk away. Still, how did they think she’d react? She’d just found out everything she knew was wrong.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Pestilence whispered. “We need to give you time. I understand.”
“How about you get comfortable and when Samael comes home, we’ll finish this conversation.” War held his hand out to her. “I’ll show you where you can stay.”
“I think you’re right.” She took his hand, allowing her to follow him. As they started down the hall, she glanced over her shoulder at the others.
“Don’t worry,” War said. “It’ll work out.”
Yeah...maybe.
She hadn't expected to fall asleep so easily or for so long when she peered up at the clock on the nightstand. It was then she noticed Profess—Samael sitting beside her. His hands were folded in his lap. He had a congenial smile on his lips, and he appeared to relax. Nova rolled and sat up.
“Hey,” she said. “I guess it’s your turn to tell me the truth.”
He shrugged. “Do you believe them?”
“I do. It makes sense, even though it sounds so farfetched.
“It’s a bit out there,” he agreed.
“So are you inhabiting a body too?” she hedged.
“I am. This man had a long list of bad deeds. I have his soul chained up in hell right now.” He gave her a lascivious smile. “Torture by a thousand feathers.”
“Uh...” That didn’t sound too scary.
“Inside his body. Feels like millions of tiny worms crawling through him. The sensation never ends.”
She shivered. “Okay, that’s gross and creative.”
“Thank you.” He inched closer to her. “There is something else I want to talk to you about, Nova.”
“O-kay?”
“Don’t worry this is going to be a good story.” He grinned. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”
The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and goosebumps formed along her arms and sides. It was as if there’d been a new type of charge in the air. Static, maybe a by-product of gathered energy unable to spend itself until a conductive line is complete. She leaned forward, entranced by his gaze. The blue hue of his irises swirled and rippled, becoming lighter, almost the shade of ice before darkening.
“What’s it about?” She licked her lips. Her heart pounded. Her stomach knotted into a tight band of expectancy. She was equal parts intrigued and fearful of the man sitting with her, especially after finding out who he was.
“A woman. The first woman in fact.”
“Eve?” She shook her head. “Why?”
Samael gave her a wry look before dipping his face so that his lips were inches from hers. "Because she is the everlasting light. The first woman. The Guardian. She is the protector."
“Not really the story I was told,” Nova mumbled. “She was created out of Gods image, stole a rib from Adam and ate the forbidden fruit.”
“All true, but she is more than what God wanted others to know. She contained the light that would stop the apocalypse.”
“Come again?”
“When she was created, God added an extra bit of power to her. You didn’t think the angels and my demons were the only ones who could be different did you?” He sat back. “Yes, there have always been shifters and vampires and fae folk, but us the originals, we are different from those other beings.”
“Because you’re biblical?” Confusion muddled her thoughts. Nothing of what he said made sense. “Help me here. You’ve got me at a disadvantage.”
“Eve was human in every way possible. She shouldn’t have had the ability to go from heaven to earth or vice versa. However, upon her death, God gave her light. A soul not bound by conventional rules. She could travel between the planes. Heaven to Earth and to Hell, if she chose to. Because those stupid scrolls were written and then cast into Revelations, there had to be a failsafe.”
“Failsafe?” She sounded like an illiterate fool.
“Yes. Eve, when awoken, would be able to stop the apocalypse from happening. She is the key to keeping mankind safe.”
“Well, how do we find Eve?” If she was the key they couldn’t sit around. They needed Eve three weeks ago, not today. Nova pushed the covers off of her expecting Samael to explain where they’d have to go while she got ready.
Instead, he pushed closer to her and bent his head, once again, invading her space. "Like this." The minute his lips touched hers, everything fell away. He tapped her forehead with his index finger while his tongue rubbed against hers. The sensation of being bent then folded through time, sent her tumbling, yet, Samael kept her rooted to the spot where she sat and then, the memories assailed her.
Eden.
The apple.
Adam—who kind of looked like, well, Adam. Weird. She knew it all and still retained all of her memories as well. It was bizarre. Uncomfortable mostly.
When he pulled back, Nova—Eve stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder. She couldn’t quite grasp the sensation, because it was her and Eve, both expressing two different emotions. Eve excitement. Her curiosity. The woman spoke in her mind and milliseconds later, they tumbled from Nova’s mouth. “Lucifer, you’re here too?” Nova scrunched up her nose. “So, you don’t go by Samael in Hell?”
He laughed. “No. Lucifer is more terrifying don’t you agree?” He stood. “The effects of waking your sleeping soul will abate. Soon, you and Eve will be one person. You’ll...mesh.”
“Mesh? She’ll be okay with that?” It didn’t make sense at all. Why was Eve in her body? What did she have to do with any of this? Why couldn’t she go back to being ignorant like the rest of society and hide away until the end?
"Yes. Because, despite what your mind can't comprehend right now, she has always been you and you have always been her. Through several lifetimes, you have shared a body with Eve. You are the only one among us who can do such." He took her hand, tugging her to him. "Think back to the most profound moment in your life and ask yourself, were you alone in making that decision?"
Drew. She swallowed the lump in her throat just thinking about her friend. She hadn’t been alone when she came up with the plan to get them both out from under her father’s reign of terror. She couldn’t allow him to be hurt anymore or worse killed. “No. I wasn’t.”
“She was there guiding you, but subconsciously, you thought it was you all along. Now, she has awakened and you two will become a whole.”
“And stop this mess?” she muttered. “Before it’s too late.”
“I’m counting on it,” Samael said.
Nova took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright. Let’s do it then.”
“Now you’re talking. First, we have to tell the others about this development,” he said, wrapping his arm around her.
“Which reminds me. If they’re the Four Horsemen. Who are Chris and Adam?”
The devilish gleam in Samael’s eyes as he escorted her out of the room held such meaning now and was a bit ridiculous to say, because, hello, he was the devil. “They are two of my most trusted demons. Claec and Adamah. They will protect you along with the angels.”
“Ah. Makes sense. Can’t have the devil on the earthly plane without protection. And, why are you here?”
“I got bored of Hell.”
“So, who’s running the show down there now?” She arched a brow.
“Baal.” He said the demon’s name so nonchalant. As though, it wasn’t a big deal the one demon who seemed to cause the most human possessions happened to also be the demon Samael chose to be in charge.
“The Baal?” she prodded.
“Yes. He will keep the hellions in line while I am here,” he replied. “Anything else?”
She shook her head, afraid if she asked anything else, she might be given too much information. Information she wouldn’t know what to do with it. “I’m good. I think.”
"You're far from it right now, Nova. But, soon you will be when you figure out your place with all of us." They stepped into the living room where the others were still huddled around the television watching updates about the blood water. "Gentlemen, guess who's arrived."
Pestilence joined them first. “It’s good to see you again, Eve.”
“Wait...what? You can see her?” Nova wanted to race to the bathroom and see if she too could see the mother of all humanity.
“In your eyes. She is the light there,” Pestilence replied. “It’s always been there, I couldn’t see it though, until now.”
Once she was done greeting everyone, Lucifer—er—Samael gathered them around the table. There were still two scrolls left for them to find before they were broken and everything humanity knew existed, would vanish forever.
No pressure, right?
Chapter Nine
Nova decided to have a conversation with Eve. Silly really. How did one talk to themselves without wondering if the answer was theirs, or the person sharing a body with them? Yet, she tried. After Lucifer—Samael told her about Eve being with her for forever, Nova worried at some point she’d lose herself. That’s she’d disappear and Eve would take over. She didn’t want that. She wanted them to co-operate her body, strange as it seemed. She wanted them to also have a friendly, good-natured relationship.
