Fall into Darkness

by Skyler Andra

  “I’m gonna need all that.” Zak stole Mike’s mug and added two spoons of sugar.

  Mike winked at me and munched on some bacon.

  Here we go.

  Zak sipped at the liquid; at first his expression remained as lifeless as that of a zombie awoken. Slower reaction time courtesy of all the alcohol swirling in his system. But then his senses finally registered. His eyebrows twitched, his eyes widened, and he made a choking noise. “Oh god.”

  He shoved the mug away, sneering at it as if a dog had pissed in it.

  “Doesn’t it taste nice?” Jophiel glanced from Mike to me to Zak. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it sucked. She took a sip, and her forehead pinched. “Sorry, I didn’t know how much to put in it.”

  We all laughed. At least we still had that; one thing Luc couldn’t take away from us. But there might come a day where there was nothing more to smile about, and I dreaded that.

  “Don’t worry,” I said to Jophiel. “I’m pretty handy in the kitchen. I can teach you.”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled, and a flutter chased through my chest.

  Damn she was beautiful. Beyond being the Archangel of beauty. Her smile, comparable to a precious and rare ray of sunshine, warmed my chest. Having her in my apartment gave it a new radiance and shine.

  I cleared my throat and turned to Zak. “Have some tomato juice. It’s good for you. Will give you more hair on that bald chest of yours.”

  He punched me in the arm. “The ladies love me bald. Don’t they Jojo?”

  She blushed and stared down at the table.

  Mike’s fist curled around his knife. There’d always been some tension between those two. They were like a married couple, always bickering. But Zak refused to be “Michael’s bitch,” as he called it.

  When I was fresh to Earth, I’d trusted Mike and followed him to the ends of the Earth. Until I saw my leaded in a new light. He always thought he knew best, thinking with his head, not his heart. Now Michael acted with pride, nothing else. He didn’t lead. I mean, who did he have to lead? Zak? Team of two?

  This fresh batch of tension told me they’d both fucked Jophiel. I’d hazard a guess that Mike had warned Zak to stay away, but he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. Their issue, not mine, and I’d leave them to resolve it.

  My eyes landed on Jophiel as she picked at her eggs with a fork. Pure and innocent no more. Sex was one of the first things we had all tried when we’d fallen. Curiosity killed the cat they said. But with both of them? I blew the air out of my mouth, puffing my cheeks. Damn, girl. She’d surprised me on that front. Well, they were very attractive angels, and I guess if I were female, I’d probably have tapped them both too. For comparison’s sake, and because the road to war was long and hard and we all had needs. I wondered whether she might like to get freaky in bed with me. Maybe not when she had those two. I didn’t stand a chance next to them.

  Jophiel’s fork scratched against the plate.

  I wasn’t going to leave her feeling awkward from Zak’s comment. I pushed the bottle of juice toward him to shut him up.

  “I’d rather not lay down my man card in front of the lady,” he said.

  I chuckled. “You’ll come crawling back for it in an hour.” I snatched it back and took another swig. “Trust me, sometimes you have to pussy out and just drink the damn juice.”

  “Talking from experience?”

  “You betcha.”

  Zak shook his head. “I’ll pass.”

  “I’ll have some.” Jophiel’s request surprised me.

  I positioned the container in front of her. She took a hesitant sip, as if she expected it to contain more alcohol, then took a longer drink.

  “Nice,” she said, rubbing her lips together. “Much sweeter than a real tomato.”

  “They add sugar to everything here.” I selected a slice of crunchy bacon. Just how I liked it. Except mine was burned to hell and back, like Luc’s soul. I put it down on my plate.

  “Oh.” She nodded.

  Mike tried his eggs and chewed like he was eating sandpaper. Don’t tell me they were burned too. Crap. I was really looking forward to breakfast. I picked up my fork to lift the egg. Just as black.

  Dammit. Jophiel had mutilated my food! First chance we got, I was getting her in the kitchen to work on her cooking.

  “I’m going to take a cold shower,” Mike announced as he rose from his chair.

  Smooth. What a way to get out of eating Jophiel’s shit cooking. Asshole! Now Zak and I were stuck, and we’d have to suck it up and eat it.

  Zak jabbed his fork in his egg and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.

  I held back my barf.

  He swallowed and his face twisted. “Sweet mother of…”

  “I’m sorry.” Jophiel pressed a hand to his shoulder. “I turned the meat brown, like on the cooking shows.”

  I chuckled. “Bacon stays pink.”

  She pressed her hands to her face. Cute. Sweet. She was trying to impress us.

  From the intel Mike had passed on last night, she was powerful and had managed to injure Luc. But she wasn’t much of a fighter and needed more training. She was too gentle and hesitant to hurt anyone, like I was when I’d first landed…when I hurt… I swallowed hard and held back a choking noise. I forced my mind back to Jophiel trying to make up for her lack of fighting skill in other ways.

  “I’ll get us some chow,” I offered. “I know a place down the road that makes to die for bacon and egg rolls.”

  God, I wanted to kiss away the pink flush in her cheeks. It was so cute. But not as sexy as her attempt at making us breakfast. I liked a woman who could cook. Something about them in an apron, their bodies pressed to the counter, their asses wiggling as they worked gave me a hard on just thinking about it. I imagined Jophiel at the counter, me pressing her over the counter and fucking her from behind.

  Down boy!

  “I’ll come with you.” Jophiel stood up. “I need some fresh air.”

  “There’s nothing fresh about this place.” Zak shuffled away, leaving me alone with Jophiel. I wasn’t complaining. He slumped on the couch, claiming it, and hugged a pillow to his chest.

  I’d love the company for a change after being single for a month. For a few months I’d been seeing this girl who made incredible Italian meals, but we broke up when I refused to commit long term. How could I? I didn’t know if or when I’d be recalled back home. If I’d make it through this war alive. Of course, she hadn’t known of my secret angelic identity, and I had hated lying to her. By no means was I in love, but I definitely had strong feelings for her, and if I had stayed, I might have fallen for her.

  That aside, I always loved to learn how each angel expressed themselves in human form. What made them tick. What defined them. What made them laugh. Each of us were so similar in heaven. The only thing defining us being the different frequency and color of light. On Earth we had more personality, more depth, more expression of emotion, and different vices and interests, to the point we were almost new beings. I looked forward to alone time with Jophiel to find out more about her.

  “You’ve only got a dress on,” I told her. “It’s cold out. Let me get a coat and scarf for you.”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Meet you by the front door when I’m dressed.” Every time I drank, I had a habit of throwing off my clothes somewhere. I blamed it on a combination of overheating and being wasted and wanting to get naked. Despite my lack of inhibition, I wasn’t going outside in just my jocks.

  She glanced down at my chest and blushed again. Oh yeah, she liked what she saw. Instant hard-on. I loved it when a woman admired my figure. The Most High had certainly blessed me with a strong and tall body. Leaner than the other two, but I was just as strong, if not stronger. I made sure I trained longer, fought fiercer, and punched harder.

  I brushed past her and a current shot up my arm. We both glanced at each other; she’d felt it too. Yep. There was definitely chemistry between
us. And it wasn’t just because she was the hottest thing I had seen since I’d arrived on Earth. She was not only hot, but beautiful. She had the type of beauty that you couldn’t find anywhere on this planet. Pure, complete beauty inside and out.

  Down, boy. I had to behave. Not because I wanted to get my rocks off. Judging by Jophiel’s interactions with both Mike and Zak, she’d acted on her attraction to both of them. And they had too. Nothing wrong with exploring the ways of the flesh. I totally understood the appeal. But if Zak and Mike were fighting over her, I didn’t want to jump in the mix and create more tension. Besides, I doubted she’d be interested in me. Most women didn’t even notice me with the other two angels in the picture.

  Honestly, I was a little surprised that Mike had let his guard down with her. He wasn’t usually interested in sex; he preferred the glory of battle and defeating the enemy. Zak, on the other hand, manwhore that he was, chased any tail he could nail. Maybe Jophiel hadn’t gathered that yet. Maybe she was still caught up in his charm. She was still fresh, after all. Naïve. But eventually he’d cast her aside for fresher meat. He always did. A part of me wanted to protect her from that. No wonder Mike was tense about whatever relationship they had going on.

  Jophiel was the kind of beauty this world had lost. Earth had spent years in darkness and dreariness, and I had started to forget what real beauty looked like. She was a reminder that real beauty existed. It was in her name, of course. Beauty of God. And her spirit had come to Earth to remind me that not everything was ugly and pointless. I wouldn’t screw up my chance with her by acting too soon.

  3

  Uriel

  I returned from my room, fully clothed and respectable, holding a coat and scarf for Jophiel. She smiled as I held the green jacket open for her and slid one arm in after the other. Amazing didn’t begin to describe how she looked in it. She ran her fingers over the fake grey fur along the hood.

  “It belonged to my ex-girlfriend,” I told her, wrapping the scarf around her neck, showing her how to wear it. “She left these, along with a few other personal belongings.”

  “They’re so soft and comfortable.” Smiling, she gently stroked the edges of the crème cashmere. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” I smiled.

  “What’s that on your shirt?” She pried the flap of my jacket open, her brows pulling together as she read the slogan on my shirt. “A smile a day keeps Lucifer away.” She burst into melodic laughter that lit me up inside.

  “You like it?” I asked. “Designed it myself. I have a bit of a knack for slogans.”

  “It’s very fitting,” she said.

  I grabbed the door handle, ready to leave my apartment to get breakfast, when a crash sounded from the living room.

  “Mother fucker!” Zak shouted.

  Jophiel and I hurried back to the couch where Zak lay sprawled between it and the coffee table.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, concern written in the lines creasing her forehead.

  “I hit my head on the fuckin’ coffee table,” Zak grumbled.

  “You fell off the couch.” She kneeled next to him, placing her hands on his head, stroking his temples with her thumbs.

  He closed his eyes and let her fuss over him. What a pussy. But I kind of got it. He wanted her attention. I wouldn’t have minded the same whenever I was hungover to high hell and stubbed my bloody toe on the edge of something.

  Zak groaned and leaned forward, putting his arms on his knees and hanging his head. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  Jophiel looked up at me. “Is there anything you can give him? Some medicine for his stomach?”

  I shook my head. “Better if he gets it out of his system.”

  “I’m out. Fuck.” Zak got up and staggered to the bathroom. My apartment wasn’t very big. Forty-four square meters with one bedroom, a bathroom, and a combined living room and eat-in kitchen. In several strides he crossed it, pushing the bathroom door open. “I’m not going to make…”

  “I’m in the shower,” Mike yelled.

  The sound of retching rose above the sound of running water.

  “He doesn’t care!” I called, chuckling.

  “Get the hell out of here, man!” Mike shouted to the strain of Zak’s puking.

  Jesus, talk about an ungodly noise. These days I rarely vomited. I held my alcohol like a sponge. My kidneys paid afterwards; I was lucky they healed fast.

  Jophiel shook her head. “This is crazy.”

  I stood next to her, careful not to get too close and crowd her personal space, especially when she already had two angels vying for her affection.

  “They’ll get over it,” I advised her. “I’ve never died from a hangover.”

  Her lips pressed together.

  “Let’s leave these clowns to argue it out,” I suggested, gesturing with my hand to the front door, “while we go get breakfast.”

  “Maybe I should stay.” She bit her lip. “Care for Zak while he’s sick.”

  “Trust me, he’ll be fine when he gets it all out.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve done this hundreds of times.”

  She frowned at my response. Her eyes dulled. Was that repulsion? God, Zak was puking his guts out and she wanted to look after him. Me, I was disgusting for it. Just went to show that attractive men got away with a lot more. I resented having to work harder for everything.

  “Won’t the food make him more ill?” she asked.

  “No,” I replied, easing the door open and allowing the chill of the hall to cross the threshold. “The food will mop up the alcohol like a sponge. Make him feel ten times better. It will leave him the loveable asshole you like.”

  That got a little giggle. She nodded and followed me out of the apartment.

  “So, Earth is a bit of a shock to the system, huh?” I asked, trying to take her mind off Zak before she had second thoughts.

  She glanced at the walls of the building, stained with the grime carried in the air. While it was one of the better neighborhoods of Sterling City, this place hadn’t been maintained in at least thirty years. Posts in the stairwell railing had loosened, and some had fallen off. None of the light bulbs worked. Dull daylight illuminated the stairs in the daytime, but during the night I had to use my phone flashlight.

  She shrugged her shoulders as we descended the stairwell. “Sometimes. I’m getting used to the strangeness bit by bit, and I’m learning how to deal with it.”

  I chuckled as we reached the ground floor. She still talked like the angels in the Heavenly Realm. Nice. Polite. Sweet. I liked the way she formed her words. Her accent sounded just a little sharper than ours did. I could listen to her speak all day.

  I nudged the front door open for her, and she exited onto the street. Afternoon sunshine battled the shadows of buildings for dominance. She glanced up, her mouth parted, eyes lighting with a renewed glow.

  “Sunlight,” she remarked with the wonder of a child. “I haven’t seen any since I wounded Lucifer.”

  “Sterling City is a pretty dark place,” I started. “It’s poor and run down, but this part of the city, a five-mile radius in every direction that I claim as my town, is the only place I’ve been to with daylight. I like to think my cheer and goodwill brings a little sunshine to warm the place up.”

  “I believe it.” She reached out her hand, letting the light caress her pale skin, and she closed her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

  I let her walk like that for a while, enjoying the light, soaking it up.

  Maintaining this little amount of sunlight was no easy feat. I had to clear every rat out of the place. Took me over a year, but I did it. After one miserable son of a bitch entered a school and shot forty-two kids, I hunted every last one of them down. I struck each of them with my staff of wisdom, blasted them with the acumen to dissolve all their hatred, envy, and fear.

  Up ahead at the traffic lights, I caught Mrs. Adelson, my neighbor, trying to cross the road and some punk in a car h
onking at her.

  “Excuse me,” I told Jophiel, jogging to reach my neighbor.

  Mrs. Adelson hobbled back to the sidewalk when the jerk lunged at her with his car, almost taking her out.

  “Hey!” I shouted, releasing a pulse of grace that hit the asshole’s car, making him lose control and smash into a fire hydrant on the sidewalk. Smoke poured out of his engine.

  I hurried to my neighbor’s side and slammed the crossing button several times.

  “Hey, Mrs. Adelson,” I said, waiting for the crossing signal to light up. “Let me help you cross the street.”

  “Oh, Uri!” she cried, her voice shaking. I linked my arm with hers, flushing her with my reassuring grace. “Bless you.”

  Mike would lay an egg if he knew I did this, but screw him. We’d been on Earth twenty long years and his way hadn’t made a difference. It had gotten a hundred times worse under his leadership. He didn’t listen to my repeated suggestions of curing each person of their darkness. Nooooo… What did Uri, the old Archangel of wisdom, know about defeating an enemy? I wasn’t the mighty general of Heaven. I hadn’t fought thousands of wars and led the charge of angels to victory each time. Well guess fucking what. We weren’t winning this war, were we? That was one of a few reasons why I’d gone off on my own. I wanted to make a difference, and so far I’d succeeded. The impact might have been small scale, but the light kept that cockroach, Luc, away. My small actions prevented him from getting a foothold here. And things could only improve from here now that I had more angels to help me.

  What other city in the world had sunlight shining through the chokehold of clouds? What other city had people smiling as they walked past each other? What other city remained untouched by Luc? Sure, Sterling City still had its issues, and I was working on them. I was a “take it one step at a time” kind of guy. Whereas Mike wanted to fix everything at once by taking out Lucifer. That wasn’t the solution, in my eyes. Luc got stronger because we failed to see what mattered: saving the humans. Not trying to kill Luc.

  It pissed me off that Mike was so self-righteous and failed to listen to me, but now he’d crawled back, wanting to join forces. Well, we’d see. Jophiel had reported the Creator wanted us to work together as a team. I was fine with that so long as we all agreed. Ten years ago, we all had differing opinions on how to stop Luc, and that was the main reason we all split. Only Gabriel and Zadkiel had stayed loyal to Mike. It spoke volumes, really. Raphael, Chamuel, and Jeremial took my side and we split, each doing our own thing, ready to be recalled if Mike just listened to us for once. This was the first time I’d seen him in over ten years.