by Angela Nock
Josh knelt down on the floor. 'Look at this,' he said, pointing to a curvilinear depression in the damp earth.
'Melusine?' It looked like something heavy had slithered across the ground. Thoughts of Cassie emerged from the dark corners of my mind. I pushed them away.
'I think so, yes.'
I followed him into the mortuary. I thought it was going to be dark, like places are in horror movies, but in fact, it was quite light with dappled sunshine streaming in through the decaying roof. It didn't make me feel any safer though; the air was cold, despite the sun, and it left its fingerprints on my spine. The building wasn't beautiful; it hadn't been cleansed by nature, not like the dolls' factory in Spain.
Sophia. Where was she now?
We walked through the small reception area and into a room edged with body fridges, the doors hanging off their hinges and smeared in blood and dirty hand prints. The floor was wet and covered in a thin film of mud mixed with splinters of glass, and small plastic capsules containing what looked like slivers of brain tissue and organs. A black rat lay curled up on the floor, decaying where it had dropped.
I tried not to look too closely at anything, especially not the open fridges. What if there was a dead body in one of them? I was too creeped out for that. My legs were already threatening to give way.
At the end of the space lay two rooms; the one in front was blocked by a closed door, the other, on the left, had no door, and looked like a staffroom with a row of closed lockers, an armchair and a small kitchen area with a rusty kettle and an abandoned jar which once contained what I thought were probably tea bags or coffee. It was hard to tell.
'Can you hear that?' asked Josh.
I listened. Noise had returned but it didn't make me feel any better. The wind was rattling the rotting window frames, and there was a tinkling sound like wind chimes. No. It wasn't wind chimes. It was crying.
'Is someone…crying?'
He nodded. 'Can you hear the music?'
I shook my head. 'No, no music. Is it an angel?'
'Yes and no. It was an angel.'
'Was?'
'Look, Evie, I don't think you should go in -'
'I thought we agreed that you'd stop trying to protect me?'
'I know, but -'
'But what? I can't handle it?' My voice was crazy, bordering on hysterical. I wasn't doing my cause any good at all.
'It's not that. Well, it is that, but not because -'
'What?' Why was I getting so angry at him? I was kind of proving his point, but it was coming from within and I couldn't control it. It wasn't through tiredness, even though the exhaustion was eating into my bones.
'If you'll let me finish,' he hissed at me, 'I'm not patronising you. What is in that room will…break your heart.'
My body tensed. 'What does that mean?'
Josh placed his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. 'I've never met the angel that's behind that door, but I can tell, by her music, that she's been damaged in a way I have never encountered. Imagine something so beautiful and so innocent, now destroy it in the most despicable way, and you wouldn't even be close to what's happened to her. You think you can handle that?'
'Hyperion did this?'
Josh nodded. 'She was a Cherubim. They look after the elements. Her speciality was...' Josh strained to hear, 'the air, I think. Her music is distorted, corrupted by Hyperion's evil. It sounds as if part of her soul has been ripped out.'
There was a howl, then a hysterical sobbing coming from behind the door.
'She sounds crazy,' I said as the crying became louder and more manic. She sounded like a trapped animal, caught in a snare, knowing its fate and lamenting it. Part of me wanted to rush in and save her, to free her from whatever trap had her in its clutches, but the greater part of me was afraid of what I'd find and worse, that I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
'Are you sure you want to go in?' He looked deep into my eyes, and I knew he was deliberately trying to throw me off balance, to make me admit weakness.
'As I'll ever be,' I said, not feeling very brave or ready at all.
Josh turned the handle and pushed the door open.
The sobbing became louder, more frenzied. There were chains rattling and a smell that was almost beyond description. He put his hand over his mouth and walked into the room.
'Jesus,' he exclaimed.
I stepped forward and he threw his hand in the air to stop me. 'Don't,' he said, shaking his head.
I nudged his arm aside and went in any way.
Immediately I wanted to vomit. The air was full of flies and smelled of decaying flesh, congealed blood, faeces and urine. There was a grisly mix of brown water spewing out of an overflowing sink, and the gnarled arm of an oak tree had pushed its way in through the top of the boarded-up window, its outstretched hand clawing against the ceiling.
I took a step further into the room. My legs were shaking, threatening to give way on me again.
It was like a scene from a horror movie.
The angel (if that was, what she was) was by the far wall, curled up in a ball on the floor, her left leg clamped to the dirty mortuary table behind her. Blood splatters traced ugly patterns across the walls, the ceiling, the table, and the walls. It was smeared on her legs, her ripped white gown and ran through her once blonde hair. She rocked gently backwards and forwards on the floor, her black eyes unseeing, and yet, all-seeing as she stared at something horrific that only she could see.
Above the angel, a message had been scrawled in blood on the wall. A message from Hyperion. It read:
Found your phone. Follow me if you must. You won't stop me. I'll even throw in a clue ;)
Head to the point where the Underworld and earth collide, the place where the horses meet Egypt and Lebanon, and Death's
Domain is heralded by the Cedar tree.
I was about to ask Josh what it meant but was interrupted by the angel who started to wail and rock backwards and forwards furiously. Her black eyes looked right at me. I shivered. It was as though she had walked over my soul, leaving black sticky footprints all over it. I felt wretched, melancholic like I would never be happy again.
Suddenly she stopped still. Everything went quiet, apart from the scrape of the oak's fingers against the ceiling tiles, and the rush of water cascading from the sink.
'What's he done to her?' I asked. My mouth was dry, the words almost stuck in my mouth.
A tear ran down my cheek and moistened my lip. I didn't even know I was crying. I wiped my cheek furtively with the arm of my hoodie. I didn't want Josh to see.
'I'm not sure,' he replied, creeping slowly towards the angel, his feet sloshing in the water with every step he took. The angel bent forward and clamped her arms around her legs. There were two large, angry gashes either side of her backbone.
He bent over her to get a better look. When he finally stood up and turned to look at me, his face was white, and his eyes were full of tears.
'He's dug out her wings.'
I shuddered. Vomit burned at the back of my mouth.
'Why?' I asked, my voice quivering. What a stupid question. What did it matter when such a beautiful creature had been defiled in this way? The sorrow that had fallen over me, just moments ago, now crashed around me, threatening to sweep me away with its force. Tears rolled down my face. I didn't try to hide them now. I didn't even want to imagine what she had been through, but the stain of her ordeal hung heavy around us.
My body jumped as the angel howled, with pain or terror, I could not tell. Maybe it was both, maybe it was more. Her head thrust upwards and I could see tears of blood flowing from her black vacant eyes. The red river fell down her cheeks and onto her once white gown, then pooled like a lake on the tiles.
'What's happening to her?' I asked, horrified at her suffering.
'He's given her the Elixir of Azoth so he could cut out her wings. The elixir that demons gives angels when they want to remove the divine spark -'
; 'Has he? Removed it?' I don't know why, but the thought of him robbing her of her soul as well was too much to bear.
Josh shook his head. 'I don't know….I….'
'Why would he do this?' I stepped forward, inexplicably drawn in by her blood-rimmed eyes, and the look of terror on her face. I felt this deep urge to fling my arms around her. To hug her tight until the end.
'I think he's stolen her wings for himself. You saw him at the church, his wings were destroyed. Maybe he intends to somehow graft them onto his own back.'
How evil, and cruel to destroy something so beautiful just so he could have new wings because he'd destroyed his own.
'How could an angel do that to another angel?'
'He's not an angel now.'
'But he was.'
'Not all angels are made perfect,' he said. 'Not all demons are bad, not all angels are good.'
'What's worse,' I asked, 'a demon doing evil or an angel?'
'Does it matter?'
I don't know, but at that moment it did to me. 'Surely, there's something we can do for her? Some way we can end her suffering?' I rubbed my forehead. The place, the smells, the overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss, were in danger of overpowering me. Long foul fingers were tightening around my throat, trying to pull me down onto the wet floor. I wanted to curl up and sleep and never wake up.
I knew, from Josh's face, the answer before he replied. There was a pause. He studied my face, trying to choose the right words.
In the end, he simply said, 'No.'
'We can't just leave her.' I wanted to lie down. I wanted to sleep.
'We have to,' he said, quickly closing the distance between us, 'We can't end her suffering. The only way to do that is by killing -'
I whimpered at the word.
Josh continued. 'Yes, we'd have to kill her,' he said, placing his hands on my shoulders, 'and we can't do that. I can't do that.'
'I could do it,' I said, not even believing it myself. Josh pulled me close and held me tight. He didn't respond. I buried my face in his shoulder, and whispered, 'Why? Why? Why would he leave her like this?'
'Shit! How could I have been so....'
He almost threw me away from him. I looked up at him in shock.
He smacked his hands off his head, then swung around and kicked the leg of the mortuary slab.
'Josh? You're scaring me? What's -'
'We need to leave,' he said, sweeping around and grabbing my hand.
'Leave? What's going on?'
'It's a trap!' he said, pulling me through the door.
'What?'
He turned to face me as we hurried down the corridor. 'Why do you think he left us the message?'
I could hear the blood in my ears. 'To keep us here?' I felt sick.
'Exactly. This was his plan. He never intended to kill me at the church. He's going to try and finish it here.'
'But he's not here?'
'No. But he doesn't need to be.' He stopped abruptly, then swung around to face me. 'That angel wasn't only a wing donor, it's also bait. He's using her to lure in demons. They'll be able to hear her, let alone smell her, for miles. They won't be able to resist it.'
'And they'll finish us off too.' It was more of a statement that a question.
He stared at me. His crystal eyes now shone with a determination. They spoke to me without words, filling me with the energy I needed to get out alive. 'Ready?' he said.
I nodded. No. I was nowhere near ready.
He planted a kiss on the top of my head. He stepped backwards and grabbed my hand firmly. 'If we're quick, we can get out of here before they come. If not,' he said, pulling his dagger from the sheath at his side, 'use this. Aim it for the soul.' He laid his free hand gently on my stomach, indicating the place I needed to hit. 'Okay?'
'Okay,' I said, taking the cold dagger in my hands, 'let's go.'
I had never seen a demon before, only those that rattled around in my head. I had seen Hyperion of course, but he wasn't a demon or an angel. What was he? A demon disguised as an angel? Or something, much, much worse?
We ran back through the mortuary. The corridors seemed like a labyrinth, confusing us, not wanting us to flee. I was sure that it hadn't taken this long when we had followed the silver thread of the angel's tears, but it was taking forever to leave. I was struggling to keep up with Josh. My pumps slipped on the dirty, wet tiles and splashed putrid water up the legs of my jeans. My side ached with the effort and my breath was ragged. I was so unfit.
I gasped for air as we emerged out of the building. I bent over and held my side, trying to catch my breath.
'Come on,' said Josh, 'we need to go. Now.'
There was a crash of thunder in the distance, and a flash of lightning ripped the dark sky in two. We hadn't been in the mortuary for long, or at least, I didn't think we had, but the weather was very different now. Dark clouds were scooting across the sky towards us, pregnant with rain. The air was humid, and smelled dirty, like the dry, thirsty earth just before a refreshing downpour.
Josh grabbed my hand again and pulled me close to him. And then let me go. 'It's too late,' he said.
Shit. I wasn't ready for this. I couldn't do it!
'You need to fight, okay?'
'I...' My heart was racing, and my anxiety was cranking up to breaking point, and my legs were jelly, my arms weak, and I didn't think I would be able to move, let alone wield the dagger still clasped in my hand. 'I can't see anything.'
'They're here,' he said, with a hard certainty. He grabbed my arm. 'You need to hit them hard, okay? Evie?'
I nodded.
He placed his hand on my stomach. 'Just here,' he said, 'like I said.'
I whimpered involuntarily. I had never killed anything before. I couldn't even bring myself to stamp on ants and, if I accidentally stepped on a snail I was inconsolable. He grabbed my shoulders and said, 'You've got this. Remember, they won't hesitate to kill you.' He let me go.
I felt like I couldn't breathe.
'Okay, here we go,' he said, standing with his arms open and legs apart. 'We need to be quick, more will be coming. Ready?'
I sucked through my teeth as I spotted a grotesque creature crawling out from under a thick holly bush. It was no more than the size of a seven-year-old child, and yet, it looked ancient and twisted. Its wrinkled skin sagged from its breasts and protruding belly, whilst the leathery skin of its face was pulled taut, almost as though it had no skin and its head was just an empty skull with blood red eyes. It was bald, except for long matted, grey hair that hung in clumps at the side of its head. It looked at Josh, then at the dagger, I clasped in my hand. It tilted its head, its mouth twisted in a distorted smile.
'I'll get this one,' said Josh, 'you take that one.' He pointed to the side of me.
I looked over to see another demon crawling out from the tree line. It was around my height and looked like an angel with its blonde hair and blue eyes. Unlike the other demon, this one was fully clothed in black jeans and a white t-shirt. It looked like a normal person. And yet, there was something weird about him. He moved slowly, awkwardly towards me, like his joints had fused together, or the skin had tightened over them.
I stood terrified, the knife in my hand. 'I….'
My words disappeared as the little naked demon jumped at Josh, screaming like a banshee, its yellow jagged teeth bared as it snapped at his flesh.
'Shit, Josh!' I screamed as the demon knocked Josh backwards, her teeth just inches from his neck.
I snapped my head back just as the boy demon lunged towards me, its mouth unhinged like a snake's as it prepared to devour its prey. I felt the dagger trembling in my hand, felt the cold metal against my clammy skin. Sweat was trickling down the back of my neck. Everything seemed to slow down as the demon advanced upon me, its gaping mouth ready to suck out my soul. Or whatever else it wanted to do to me. I wanted to run. I couldn't do this.
There was another loud shriek to the side of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I
could see Josh fighting to keep the little demon from ripping into his neck. He punched her in the side of the face, sending blood splattering on the ground.
My legs wouldn't work. Run. I had to run. Go anywhere but here. I wasn't made for this.
And then the demon was on top of me, swiping at me with its clawed hands. I stepped backwards and fell over a tree root which sent me crashing to the floor with a hard thud. It began to laugh like a hyena as it saw the terror on my face, a guttural sound from deep within its belly.
It dropped to the floor. Its face twisting this way and that in jagged movement, almost like a lizard. Slowly, it began to crawl. Over my feet. Up my legs. My torso. And then, it was facing me, its blue eyes now wide and excited. I gagged as drool dripped down onto my face. Its breath was acrid, smelling like battery acid.
I squeezed the pommel of the dagger in my hand. The demon leaned forward and ran its long tongue down the side of my face.
Vomit threatened to explode from me. I shuddered. It pulled back, opening its mouth wide to strike. It lunged at me, just as I found the courage from somewhere, to grab the knife tightly and thrust it into its stomach as I had been told. It shrieked, spraying my face with spittle, then it disappeared into a cloud of dust.
I lay there, breathing heavily. I looked over at Josh. He was struggling with his demon. She was surprisingly strong for something so small. Her teeth were now just millimetres from his neck.
'Here!' I shouted, rolling over and holding out the knife to him. He grabbed it and in one fluid movement had thrust it into the demon's side. Green goo spilt out of the wound, hissing as it hit the floor. It thrust its body upwards, ready to strike again, when Josh threw the blade into his right hand and drove the knife up, deep into the demon's stomach. It gave a piercing shriek, cutting off mid-flow, as it too disappeared into a cloud of dust which lingered on the air like tiny dust motes.
I pulled myself up onto my elbow. 'You okay?' I asked, looking over at him. He'd got a small gash on his left cheek.