by Amy Barrett
Abyzou was still going but she too had taken a beating. Nick decided in that moment that he needed to trust the gargoyle. Without it, without that side of him, they were all going to die anyway. He knew that the gargoyle could tear apart most of the demons. In his desperation he chose to believe that it would not let him down. He needed just this one thing from it.
The gargoyle took over with glee. There was blood and destruction everywhere and he couldn’t feel more at home.
The room was small, and his wings punctured the ceiling as soon as they emerged. The growl which tumbled from his tummy and out of his hanging jaws made Mephistopheles turn to stare at him. The gargoyle knew this demon from before. As much as it thirsted for the light that inhabited the other one, revenge would taste sweeter.
The gargoyle wasted no time. He stampeded right towards Mephistopheles; his mouth opened enough to tear the skin at the side of his jaws while he screeched.
Mephistopheles stumbled out of the way, receiving a slice from his claws. The drops of blood moved single file down his arm. He smiled at the wound. “We are going to do this again, are we?” He held out his hand and made a come-hither motion with his finger.
The gargoyle stalked him. Chairs and other furniture were pushed out of the way with no real effort as he advanced one thundering step after another.
When he was close enough, he lunged. The creature managed to lock his bear trap teeth into his shoulder. The demon screamed.
The gargoyle moved his huge head, lifting the dangling demon. Zerachiel was just beside the battle. His eyes were wide, and he watched every move the gargoyle made. His breathing was shaky and sweat trickled off his forehead and down his neck. Mephistopheles hung inches from the floor, he was paralyzed from the pain of the bite. The gargoyle would make sure that Mephistopheles kept suffering for as long as possible. Sweet blood slipped down his throat.
Zerachiel raised his sword but was trembling so badly that it fell down again.
Abyzou shouted from where she was fighting the demons across the room. “Do it!”
Zerachiel moved forward, took a deep breath and raised the sword. Mephistopheles’s true face came out. He no longer looked like a man but a fiend. The two horns which came from his left temple rested a breath from the gargoyle’s face. The monster’s beady eyes focused on the tips with unease. They could be used to gash out his eyeballs. Mephistopheles’s skin was grey and pealing. His eyes were no longer eyes but holes in his face. He bared his crooked teeth at the angel, daring him to get close.
Zerachiel drew the sword towards his target, gritting his teeth and glaring.
One of the demons slipped through Abyzou’s defences. She noticed it fast and lunged to stop it. She was jerked to a halt by one of the other demons grabbing around her waist. They cut into her with their claws and she screamed.
The gargoyle’s eyes darted towards her. Specks of the chestnut brown from Nick’s own eyes wriggled into the gargoyle’s irisies. He needed to help her, and he loosened his jaws. Mephistopheles crumbled to the floor. Blood coated the hand he pressed to the bite. The gargoyle shot to the demon horde. The demon who had come to help hollered and made a bid for escape. He was torn up before he could fully turn around. Blood splattered up the walls. Zerachiel’s sword swept over the top of Mephistopheles as he had dropped just low enough to avoid the strike.
It took a minute for Zerachiel to catch up with all that had happened. His eyes widened to see Mephistopheles unharmed. Mephistopheles crawled towards the door. A trail was left behind him, some of it was blood, the rest clumps of skin. His demon face was fading back to the mask. Zerachiel ran after him.
The gargoyle tore the other demons apart like ragdolls. Pieces of them flew about the room, smashing things and making Ciara yelp. A torso hit Zerachiel and bounced him into the wall. The gargoyle feasted on the bodies. Tendons wiggled from between his teeth. Pieces of bone rattled around in his grasp.
Mephistopheles made it out the door by the time Zerachiel had struggled to his feet again. The gargoyle had made short work of the remaining demons, leaving Abyzou standing alone, and now turned to Zerachiel.
Zerachiel’s eyes widened and he darted for the door, followed instantly by the rampaging monster. The door frame was snapped through the middle, as the creature burst through. There were many stairs to get to the bottom floor. The hall was a tall narrow tower and the stairs spiralled along the walls. You could look down and see the bottom.
Mephistopheles had made it to the third turn. He was on his feet and recovering. Blood no longer poured from his shoulder. The crash of the gargoyle exiting the apartment drew his attention up. He started to run when it met his eyes. Zerachiel slid against the wall at the side of the door. The gargoyle passed him without care. He galloped to the edge of the top banister and dropped down. His wings tunnelled the air into gales that roared in his ears.
The gargoyle hit the ground at the bottom with a thud. Even with all his strength the impact hurt. Shock waves rocked through his skeleton.
Surveying the stairs, he waited to catch sight of the demon who had tried to kill him. He heard the smash of a window and snapped his attention to the sound. One of the windows was broken outwards, the glass reflected sunlight about in rainbows. The gargoyle knew that the demon must be on the pavement outside. The flimsy door at the front of the apartment complex was all that lay between him and feasting on that demon’s heart. The gargoyle strode forward. Chatting and whispering bounced into his ears. The sounds of food.
Sharp pain hit him in the back. The area of the pain was too wide to pinpoint, but it was in the region of the mid spine. The world became a bit blurrier. The gargoyle shook himself. Then all went dark. His body hit the ground like a building in an earthquake.
***
Ivan had never been punched before, but the ordeal was exhilarating. Zerachiel had come to his rescue, as every best mate should. Ivan had watched the gargoyle emerge and seize Mephistopheles. He had seen the demon almost get stabbed. The tide had turned quickly. Ivan was sure that if Abyzou had only kept quiet then they would have one less crazy demon to worry about. She just had to go and make noise.
When Zeracheil came back his face was the colour of sour milk and his hair was drenched in sweat. Blood stained every part of him.
Ivan looked him head to toe. “You look as shit as this place, mate”
There was no doubt that the apartment was ruined. The furniture looked like that of a doll house that had been shook about and stood on. The walls were sprinkled with blood and the floor had spots of it here and there like chickenpocs. The windows did not survive any better. Not a single one remained fully intact. The wall which separated the kitchen and the living room was no more and at ninety degrees from that, the front door frame suffered the same affliction. The air smelt like blood and rot. The crisp winter cold waltzed in through the broken windows and a cat crept in by the front door.
Zerachiel smiled at Ivan’s remark. “Thanks.” He groaned and rubbed his eyes, smearing blood on his eyelids.
Abyzou was standing by the window. Her hair was being huffed from her face and then dropped down again by the wind. She had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply. “Did you do it?”
Zerachiel nodded then spat out a lump of blood. “I did it”
Ivan tiptoed over the wreckage in the room and sat beside Zerachiel. “Funny how your blood is toxic.” Ivan picked a piece of flesh out of Zerachiels hair. It squished in his fingers and he gagged.
Zerachiel rubbed his own head to try to clean it. “Yea. Holy blood is too powerful for mortals, but I had no idea it worked on weres.” He nodded to Abyzou. “Thank you for the tip.”
She didn’t respond and looked over her shoulder towards the door.
Ciara was leaning against the wall. Her face was painted by someone elses insides. She was staring at thin air and clutching her stomach where her wound was.
Abyzou looked out the window. “He will wake up. It just put him to sleep.”
/> Ivan dusted off his trousers and stood. “Well in that case I might have some tonight. I have been having trouble with the whole sleeping thing.”
Zerachiel started to make his way to Ciara. She was pale and dazed.
“Ivan you don’t sleep,” he said.
The reaper nodded to himself and walked to the front door. “I want to. I heard that your mind makes up movies for you while you sleep.” When he reached the door, he was suprised to see Nick in the hall outside. He too was covered in someone elses blood and his clothes were just about staying on him because they were so torn to pieces. He was flat out on his back, snoring softly.
“You brought him up here?”
Zerachiel was checking Ciara over. He lifted one of her arms and felt gently along it. “I was hardly going to leave him downstairs.”
Ivan crouched by the unconscious man. “I suppose that would freak people out.”
Abyzou squinted out the window. “Someone called the cops,” she said, “we need to get out of here.”
Ivan smiled as he heard the sirens. “I know those guys well.”
Zerachiel picked up Ciara. She cringed and gripped her wound. He turned to Abyzou. “I don’t want to get to know them. Get Nick.”
Abyzou glared at him. “Don’t tell me what to do feathers. I will take him somewhere safe. Alone.”
Ivan poked Nick’s cheek. Nick groaned but didn’t wake. Ivan tilted his head. “It would be nice if he didn’t try and eat everyone in a safe place.”
Abyzou stormed over to him and shoved him away from Nick. “He saved us.”
Ivan fell on his ass. The ground was freezing so he yelped and jumped up. Once on his feet, he gave the ground a sour look. “Dosent mean he didn’t want to munch on us.”
Abyzou knelt next to Nick. His eyes were clenched shut and their lids trembled. His hands were tightened into fists.
Abyzou swallowed hard. “I will take him back to the wolves.” She looped an arm around his body and stood him up. The door to the apartment complex opened downstairs and Ivan heard many pairs of boots stomping along the lino.
“How are we gonna get past them, mate?” Ivan asked Zerachiel.
The angel looked like he struggled with a word that wanted to escape. He settled for muttering the word sugar.
Abyzou glanced to Zerachiel. “I could send them to hell”
“No!”
“Fine.” She pulled Nick further against herself. “What then?”
Zerachiel surveyed the room. He nodded to an overturned chair. “Ivan, do me a favour and stand that chair up.”
Ivan practically ran to do the job and his face beamed all the while. “Sure mate. No problem.” While he may not be much of a fighter, he still liked to help in little ways.
Once the chair was standing Zerachiel laid Ciara on it. The police were jogging up the stairs now. “You tell them that people broke into your apartment.”
“And then turned into the hulk and demolished the place, then helpfully killed themselves.” Ivan placed his hand on his heart. “Criminals are so polite nowadays.”
Zerachiel shook his head. “Tell them people broke in and wrecked the place. That there were loads of them.”
Ciara nodded and cringed as she shuffled up the chair.
“And the bodies fell from the sky.” Ivan concluded.
Zerachiel massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. “No. Then another guy burst in. He had a shot gun”
Ivan chuckled at Zerachiel’s story. “Sure, a shot gun could do this much damage.”
“Shut up Ivan.” Zerachiel waited for a second. When he was sure that Ivan had stopped he continued. “Give them a description of Mephistopheles. Even if they don’t believe you what are they going to say, that a monster wrecked the place and demons were murdered by it?”
Ivan shrugged.
The police’s voices were getting louder.
“They won’t take you in because of the injury,” Zerachiel said, “Go to Hannah’s house. Say she is the friend you can turn to. We will come and see you there.”
With that, Zerachiel took Ivan by the sleve and led him to the back window. It faced out into an alleyway. The place was so dark and deserted that Ivan felt a bit creeped out looking into it.
Ivan dug in his heels. “Wait a sec, where are we going?”
Zerachiel yanked him harder. “We are going to jump into the alley.”
Abyzou nodded and dragged Nick to the window. “We will survive the fall and I will let Nick land on me.”
Ivan shook his head so fast that his vision blurred. “Nope no thanks. Suicide is not on my bucket list.” He leaned on the nearest piece of furniture. The coffee table that he got was too damaged to take the pressure. The leg snapped off and spat splinters into his hand.
Zerachiel clutched him around his middle and lifted him the rest of the way. “Relax. You can fall with me. My body will take the impact.” Zerachiel let go of Ivan and crawled out onto the windowsill. The police had become destracted by the destruction and Ivan could hear them checking the apartments next to them for anyone hiding. Zerachiel stood on the windowsill outside facing in. He held out his arms to Ivan and nodded at him.
“Come on Ivan,” he said.
Ivan started to back away. He raised his hands as if to protect himself.
“Come on. I won’t let you get hurt.” Zerachiel pleaded with his eyes. They were shiney with exhaustion. Blood was smudged around them. Some of Zerachiel’s eyelashes were red. Ivan took a deep breath. He could do this. There was no one in the world he trusted more than Zerachiel. If Zerachiel said it was going to be fine then he had no reason not to believe him. He closed his eyes and breathed out his apprehension.
“I’m death,” he whispered to himself, “I have nothing to fear.”
Ivan took a few steps back and then ran at Zerachiel.
He hit him and the angel used his one wing to steady Ivan and wrapped his arms around his friend as they fell from the windowsill. The air whooshed around him and made Ivan’s ears pop. He screwed his eyes shut. Watching the things whizz past was making him queasy.
Ivan cried out as they crashed onto the pavement. Although he hadn’t been on the bottom, the impact, even through Zerachiel, shattered his forearm. Ivan knew it would heal quickly with the help of an angel, but it still hurt like a bitch. There was a booming crack from within Zerachiel that made Ivan’s stomach turn.
Ivan moaned and rolled onto the pavement. He was cradling his arm. “Holy death mate!” He punched the ground gently. “This is more painful than I imagined. Wow, I can feel it all over my arm”
Zerachiel laughed. “Such an optimist.” He was slowly propping himself up on his elbows and Ivan knew that his injury must be healing already.
Abyzou came flying down after them. She hit the ground with Nick’s dead weight on top of her. She clamped her mouth shut when she smacked into the concrete.
“Heavy is he?” Ivan asked, sitting up.
“Fuck you,” Abyzou said.
Ivan held up his healthy hand in surrender. Then he realised that without support, his arm hurt more so he reverted to holding it like a baby. Ivan heard the police enter Ciaras place. He kind of wanted to see the looks on their faces when they saw the mess. Then again, whenever he ran into detective Kershaw, she kept him for a while. The police station was too dull to spend another evening there. He would rather jump out a window without Zerachiel. Ivan tilted his head back and squinted up at the window. On second thought, he didn’t think that was true.
The three of them struggled to their feet. Abyzou started to stand Nick up. Zerachiel came to help her.
“I don’t need help,” she snarled.
Zerachiel ignored her and helped anyway.
“You’re welcome.” Ivan smiled.
Abyzou sighed. “Idiot.”
Ivan waltzed towards the end of the alleyway. Zerachiel caught the back of his collar. “This way. There are too many people that way.”
Ivan let out a long br
eath. “I like seeing people.”
“Not in this state we don’t.” Zerachiel walked towards the darker end of the alley.
“Good idea mate.” Ivan skipped past him. “We gotta look our best for defeating evil… or something like that.”
Abyzou left the two of them quickly. She didn’t have much to say apart from that she was taking Nick to a safe place. Ivan and Zerachiel’s bodies had already started to heal so by the time they had reached their destination, Ivan was only in a bit of pain. They went to a house. It was a bungalow with a small porch in front of a whitewash door. There were plant pots on the windowsills but there were no plants in them. The walls of the house were a warm brown brick. The roof hung over the porch and sun rays split on the angles.
There was no garden to speak of and no driveway. Ivan had seen simpler places but also way better ones.
“Where are we?” Ivan asked. He ran his hand along the railing on the way up to the door.
“My house.” Zerachiel opened the door and revealed an open plan kitchen and living area. There were no lights, only cables dangling from the ceiling. Sunlight bathed the small room from one of the windows. There were two, one at the back and the other at the front. The smell of paint and fresh air made a strange mixture.
Ivan covered his nose with the side of his hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way mate but I thought you would have better taste. I remember all the money you had so don’t try to tell me you are poor.”
Zerachiel pealed off his t-shirt and discarded it on a chair. “This house didnt need to be fancy. That’s not what it was for.” Zerachiel’s weight made the floor creek as he moved towards the back of the room.
“What was it for then?” Ivan closed the door to halt the breeze that was following him from outside.
“I am going to shower.” Zerachiel vanished through the door he had been advancing on. A minute later and the sound of running water was heard.
Ivan sat on the floor, there were no chairs. He hadn’t been attacked much so he didn’t feel the need to shower. As a reaper he had never showered and hadn’t needed to. Now there was a smell emanating from him which his own nose had become immune to.