Last Days Trilogy

by Jacqueline Druga

  As Devante lowered his eyes and raised his arms to the crowd moaning his name, a spark, bright and blinding, shone upon him. Devante raised his head. He watched the sparkle of the sun behind him dance in the pale brown eyes of a man in the crowd.

  The man stared back at Devante. As he did, Devante bent over ever so slightly and moaned, as if stricken with a knife in his gut.

  The man in the crowd nodded arrogantly and smirked. He walked from the crowd and into the badlands next to the camp, alone.

  Devante followed.

  The man with the brown eyes was dressed simply in faded blue jeans, a tee shirt hanging over his belt. He was of average build, and stood about five foot six. His wavy hair extended just past his neck. He wandered far and didn’t stop until the people were in the distance.

  With a determined expression, Devante strove to keep up with him and finally caught up to him. “You came into my camp,” he said.

  The man stopped and faced Devante with a crooked smile, shrugging. “You came into mine.”

  “You blend right in.”

  “When haven’t I?” he snickered. “Your people call me... James.”

  “You are smug. You take a great chance with so many of my people.”

  He smiled and shook his head. “They can only kill the body.”

  “Why is it that you do not fight in this great battle?”

  “Me? I’m no expert. Spirit will defeat you. And the people you battle will have that spirit.”

  Devante chuckled. “Not from what I see. Michael is failing. I see his supposed ‘chosen one’ hating him. Hating him.” Devante brought his face closer. “Is that in the plan?”

  “As a matter of fact... yes. It works. It will work. It builds strength. There’s no hatred.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Never.” He winked. “Remember, I know all.”

  “Still arrogant.”

  “Hey...” He tossed up his hands and stepped back.

  “You are frightened,” Devante said.

  “Hardly,” he snorted.

  “You will beg me to stop.”

  “Oh, please. I doubt that...”

  “Then why are you here... James?” Devante asked.

  “To give you one last chance to back down.”

  Devante laughed. “So, I see you came to amuse me as well.”

  “I’m being fair. Since this time, your being will be destroyed forever.”

  “I will win this. I am already on my way.”

  “You think?” James nodded. “There are more out there than you realize.”

  “There won’t be when I’m finished.”

  “Continue to live your delusion. Go on. I’ll just...” he pointed backwards to the desert “...head on out. I just wanted to... antagonize you? Better word? Yes. I’ll be back with another good word to irk you,” he smiled. “But for now, goodbye.” He turned and started to walk

  “You will return only to surrender.”

  The man called James raised his hand and waved as he walked toward the high desert. The wind whipped up sand, and the heat wavered in the strong breeze like ghosts, distorting his figure as he disappeared from Devante’s sight.

  Seville, Ohio

  Michael kept rubbing his eyes and looking up at the sun. He smacked his chapped lips over and over. He moistened them with his tongue, but they still stuck together. Marcus watched him flounder, silently, as Michael walked a few steps toward the backyard where Reggie was, then a few steps in retreat. When it looked like he had finally summoned enough nerve to confront her again, Marcus warned him.

  “I think you’d better stay in the house, away from her, a little longer,” Marcus smiled.

  “I am not certain I can, Marcus. I feel strange, as if I am pulled. It frightens me.”

  Marcus shook his head dolefully. He understood.

  Michael walked around in front, his mouth opening as if to call, but whatever it was could not escape his dry mouth. When he finally made it out back, Reggie was sitting in the grass in the distance. Michael froze, his head tilted awry, his breath failing him, and his hand went to his chest. He kept it there as if gauging his heartbeat, then approached Reggie, whose back was to him. He stopped again a few yards later, this time palming his gut and grimacing. His expression grew resolute and he kept moving toward her, but the second she seemed to sense him, Michael’s body twitched. He looked up to Heaven and whispered, “God, there is something wrong with this earthly form you have given me. It is becoming defective.”

  Reggie heard him, but didn’t let on.

  He continued over to the now reclining Reggie, who ignored him. He stopped. She didn’t look up as Michael opened his mouth. His attempt at speech produced only a few garbled cracks. His mouth opened and closed, his dry tongue once again licking at his dry mouth, his face expressing a sense of panic.

  He cleared his throat weakly and plopped down next to Reggie. She huffed her displeasure and turned away.

  “Reggie,” he said.

  Reggie started to stand up.

  “No.” He grabbed her arm. “Please do not go. Sit. Please.”

  Reggie sat back down quietly.

  “I know you do not want me to talk. I know you want me to do this ‘shut up’,” Michael said. “But I need to speak, although I do not know the exact words. May I try?”

  Reggie fluttered her hand, assenting.

  Michael grabbed at his throat, his head twitching again, and gazed down at Reggie. “I have wronged you somehow. A mortal wrong on my part, worse than any I could have done during my short visit to earth thus far. I have broken this spirit you carry, this spirit that lights a room. And for that I am sorry. Very sorry.”

  “You didn’t break my spirit, Michael. You pissed me off.”

  “I will take it that is another phrase for anger?” Michael questioned.

  “Yes.”

  “And I am sure, because I was this… ‘dick’?”

  “Very much so.”

  “Tell me Reggie, did I...‘suck’ as well?”

  “That, too.”

  “Can you not, as my teacher, tell me how to not suck anymore?”

  “You can... you can just leave me alone and go away.”

  As Reggie started to stand, Michael gasped in pain. She looked at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “There it is again. Reggie.” He looked at his chest. “My earthly form falls apart. Look.” He held up his hand. “It shakes. I cannot stop it. And feel...” Michael grabbed her hand and placed it on his throat. “Do you feel? I believe there is something in there. Uh!”

  “What!”

  “There it is again. This chest. Feel....”

  “I don’t want to feel.” She tried to pull her hand away.

  “Reggie, please.” Michael laid her hand on his chest. “Do you feel that? It hits me fast and hard. A thump.”

  “It’s your heart,” Reggie said softly and pulled her hand away.

  “What is wrong with it?”

  Reggie closed her eyes. “Nothing. It’ll do that from time to time.”

  “I fear something is wrong. This body feels... it feels bad… from the inside.”

  “Michael,” she whispered.

  “Perhaps your prayers are answered. Maybe God is calling me back. I don’t like this feeling.”

  “I can try to make you better.”

  “How?” Michael asked. “Do you think you can?”

  “No promises, but...” Reggie brought her knees up, wrapped her arms around them and glanced at Michael. “I didn’t pray for God to take you back. You made me mad, but I’ll get over it. Okay? I’m not mad anymore. Just a little disappointed. In you and myself. And, we should try working together again.”

  “You do not want me to leave?” Michael asked.

  “No.”

  “Ah.” Michael laid his hand on his chest. “Amazing. I feel better. Reggie, you are magical.”

  “No, Michael, I am human.”

  “Then we will work togethe
r again?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Reggie.” Michael turned toward her. “I must tell you something. You spoke falsely when you said I couldn’t care less if you lived or died. Reggie, I care very much if you live. I want you to know that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It is the other men of this...”

  “Michael?” Reggie interrupted. “Don’t,” She shook her head. “Don’t say that. Saying something like that started this.”

  “It is a... ‘suck’ thing to say?”

  This caught her unaware. She fell back on the grass, laughing uproariously.

  Michael gawked at her. He laid backwards and rolled on his side, his face inches from hers. “What happened to you? Why did you lose your balance so quickly?”

  Reggie laughed harder.

  Marcus’s hand trembled at the kitchen curtain as he peeked outside at Reggie and Michael laying in the grass. He wanted to let go, wanted to quit this cheap eavesdropping, but he couldn’t. His eyes stayed glued to them laughing on the grass, eyes just inches apart.

  “Punishment.” Eliza stood behind him, pouring a cup of coffee.

  Marcus closed his eyes.

  “I remember a seventeen-year-old boy telling me that he loved his best friend and he didn’t know what to do about it,” Eliza continued. “I believed you then and the love’s grown as you have.” Eliza paced over to the window and pointed to Reggie and Michael. “But now, look,” Eliza spoke coldly. “Your family’s gone and now that you finally have her, she’s going.” She turned to Marcus in indictment. “You’re losing her. Punishment, Marcus, and God’s making you watch the whole thing.”

  Marcus swallowed and said nothing. What could he say? Part of him believed it. He was in a daze, listening to his mother as she left the room, and then suddenly he felt a fragile hand on his. With a painful smile, Marcus looked down. It was his Aunt Rose.

  “You don’t listen to her. She’s talking through her grief.” Rose squeezed his hand. “It’ll be all right. But she keeps it up, I’m gonna have to yell.”

  “She’s right. Look at them.”

  “Marcus. I don’t need to and neither do you.”

  “I can’t help it. I just got her and I’m already losing her,” Marcus said.

  “Things happen for a reason. If you lose her, it’s for a reason. God may want this, but I believe it will pass.”

  “Pass?” Marcus laughed. “I doubt it.”

  “Well then, you look back out that window. Go on. But when you do, you see who he is. When you realize that, step back, take a breath and be patient. It will pass.”

  Marcus glanced down to the old lady’s hand as she gave him one last reassuring double pat. Then he returned to his masochistic vigil.

  “And ‘I bet’ is the phrase I use when I agree?” Michael asked.

  “Yes. Well, no. Sort of. You’ll understand soon enough.”

  “I will learn. From you.”

  “Yes. And though these are common things, I’m glad to instruct you.”

  “I am grateful. Though common, these will be useful when we gather soldiers. They will understand me better. Like how when I am angry or mad or want to exclaim surprise, I say,” Michael deepened his voice and exclaimed heartily, “Shit!”

  “Good. It helps to be on their level.”

  “Which is important,” Michael nodded. “I do remember the special Marcus line. When he is kind to me, or says something nice, I tell him he is a jerk.”

  “Good. Now... how about you teach again? Battle skills.”

  “I bet. First, I worry about your size. You are small.”

  “My size?”

  “Small,” he repeated. “I will teach you skills to defend and fight against bigger foes, so your size will work in your favor. Those who challenge you will be bigger. Stronger.”

  “Yeah, but my Dad raised me. I can hold my own.”

  “Hold your own what?”

  “Another slang term. It means, I can do well for my size. I want to learn these skills, but don’t underestimate me. I have brought many men to their knees. So to speak.” She winked.

  “You have brought men to their knees. Were they small men?”

  “No.”

  “What sort of weapon did you use?” Michael asked.

  “My hands.”

  “Your hands brought big men down? Were they injured in your defeat of them?”

  Reggie gasped. “No,”

  “I do not believe you can bring a man of my size to the ground. How?”

  “Like this.” Reggie spun her back to Michael, stepped into him, reached back, grabbed his arm and, with a quick bend of her knees and a grunt, flipped him over her shoulder. He landed hard on the ground.

  “Ha!” Reggie pointed down to him. “How’s that?”

  Michael slowly rolled to his hands and knees and looked up at her. “Reggie, you must not move with such haste.”

  “Why?”

  “Because sometimes you will have to flee from your hasty deed.” Michael glared at her.

  When Reggie saw the look in his eyes, she said “Shit,” and took off running. Twenty-five yards away she felt, literally felt, Michael behind her. The ground vibrated as he closed in. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Michael running like a runaway train, just seconds away from her. Reggie braced herself for a tackle that would probably kill her. She felt her body jolt as Michael’s arm connected to the small of her back. But, it didn’t hurt, merely took her breath away. Then she felt only air beneath her feet. She elevated in a quick motion as Michael secured her waist and rolled her into him, chest-to-chest, and a rush of air filling her head as they soared horizontally.

  She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. She could barely breathe. The two of them moved upward with exhilarating speed as she clenched Michael’s arms and held on.

  “See, Reggie?” He looked into her eyes with a smile. “Do you still doubt I am an angel?”

  Slowly, they stabilized, their speed diminishing, as he raised their bodies vertically and lowered them to the ground.

  Reggie stumbled and clutched Michael as she felt the soft, sinking earth beneath her feet. She looked at him in awe. “You fly. Oh shit. You fly.”

  “I do better with wings,” Michael said.

  “Oh, wow.” Reggie trembled, laughing and in shock. “Oh shit.” She grinned wide.

  “I assume you liked that?”

  “I loved that,” Reggie gasped. “And…” She pointed to him. “You smiled.”

  “I smiled?” Michael looked confused, then seemed to understand. “Yes. I smiled. I am glad I could share that with you. It is a step in our closeness. I must tell you though, in our embrace I felt...” Michael hesitated, lowering his voice. “I felt your chest thump against mine.”

  “Oh, my heart was beating, all right.”

  “Were you guilty? Feeling bad?”

  It took Reggie a second before she understood his meaning. “No. See, a heart can beat fast for many reasons. Nervousness. Excitement. Fear. Happiness.”

  “Which one of those was your reason?”

  “All of the above. In a good way. That was really great. Thanks for sharing it with me.”

  “I am glad you did not find that it sucked.”

  Reggie laughed. “No, not at all. It made me feel good. Free. Like nothing I’ve ever felt.”

  “You would like to feel it again?”

  “Oh.” Reggie breathed out. “You bet.”

  “Good. Because Reggie... walking would take quite a while.” He pointed over her shoulder.

  “Huh? Holy shit.” Reggie looked behind her, they were on top of a cliff, miles of ocean.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes.” Reggie took a breath and stepped into Michael’s arms. “Hold onto me tight. Okay?”

  “You bet.”

  With one hand around her back, the other to her head, the Archangel Michael clutched her to his breast. Spinning rapidly, they lifted from the ground.

  CH
APTER SEVENTEEN

  Seville, Ohio

  Kyle was elated when Herbie relieved him on roof watch. He also felt a little guilty about Herbie’s growing list of assignments: triple watch duty, plus forging swords and tending to the animals and crops. But Kyle smelled dinner and wanted nothing more than to race downstairs and eat.