Angeles Covenant

by Michael Pierce

  “Today, I would like to introduce you to my movement as we step into the daylight. We are real. We’ve always been real. However, I am here to dispel the misconceptions. We are not a threat, but a partner to help guide humanity into a new era of peaceful coexistence.

  “I understand the transition may be a little rocky, but I believe—I know we can come together to ring in a new dawn. A brighter dawn. A brighter future for all of us.” Damien paused, then glanced back to where Frederick and my mother were standing, and nodded.

  This truly was it. This was the way the world would end—not with a bang, but a proclamation of peace.

  23

  Matthew

  I’d never seen the streets so desolate as our drive to the safe house from the Society compound. Throughout the trip, Fiona and I hardly said a word. There was nothing to say after witnessing the catalyst that would soon bring humanity to its knees.

  I received a call from Janice, but no quantity of emergency meetings would change or help anything now. Being with Fiona was more important at a time like this and I told her as much—which was not something she appreciated hearing.

  We knew the date this would happen—but it was wrong—wrong by exactly three months. I had no idea why, and I knew that was the major cause for alarm from Janice. The universe had a way of thwarting our attempts to change the future, and this was just one more example. Somehow, everything remembered from the previous life was changed or this new timeline was different. However, this change also brought a glimmer of hope.

  Maybe what I know about Fiona’s death is also wrong. Maybe our time together doesn’t have to be cut so short.

  I could only hope.

  When we reached the estate, we could hear the television from the moment I opened the door. Damien’s speech was being rebroadcast, which would probably be the case throughout the day and into next week.

  Sean was gaping at the television, huddled on the floor between the leather couch and the coffee table. His expression was of someone who’d just witnessed the murder of his entire family. Perhaps that wasn’t far off, with this being the premonition of their murder. He was so engrossed in the video content he hadn’t heard Fiona and me enter the room.

  “Sean…” Fiona said, trying to get his attention.

  “How has everything changed so quickly?” he said, finally prying his eyes away from the screen.

  “I’m sorry this is all so sudden.” Fiona dropped to his level and wrapped her arms around him, Sean’s face soon buried in her hair.

  I knew the gesture shouldn’t bother me, but I couldn’t help it. Their embrace irked me but I told myself I wouldn’t say or do anything about it. Sean needed his friend.

  “You said this was coming, but… but I haven’t had a chance to adjust to the fact these monsters are real,” Sean said.

  I cleared my throat to remind him I was still here.

  Sean lifted his head and gazed up at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… I don’t even know what I mean anymore.”

  Fiona pulled away from him and maneuvered to a more comfortable sitting position on the floor. I reached for the remote and turned down the volume of the television.

  “The internet is blowing up,” Sean said. “Like, I’m still getting messages even though most of the people I know think I’m dead by now. Now they probably think I was killed by a vampire. How ironic. I’m pretty much being saved by one.”

  “I know,” Fiona said. “I’ve been getting texts from Alexis and Candace all morning. They’re freaking out—as I’m sure everyone is.” Then she turned her head to me. “I need to tell them. They need to be able to protect themselves.”

  “We can set that up,” I said.

  “I still haven’t picked up the phone yet,” Sean said. “I haven’t answered anyone, but…” He glanced back at the television where more newscasters were frantic to make sense of the implications of this morning’s announcement. “I need to go home. My family has had enough to worry about. There’s no use worrying about putting them in danger now.”

  Fiona nodded, her eyes pensive.

  “I still want to be involved though,” Sean clarified. “I want to help and be here when you talk to Alexis and Candace. But I owe it to my family to return to them before calling everyone else. And besides, if I don’t, Emma’s gonna kick my ass.”

  “Emma?” Fiona asked.

  “I’d rather not get into it right now.” Sean bit at his cuticles and couldn’t seem to keep his attention away from the television for any length of time. It was like gazing upon a car crash—you didn’t want to look but couldn’t keep yourself from doing so.

  “Now’s probably the best time to travel,” I said. “While everyone’s still frozen and dumbfounded. I’ve never seen the roads so clear. Everyone’s too afraid to leave their houses.”

  “I should get my things from my—my mother’s apartment,” Fiona said. “I think it’s safe to say she isn’t home right now.”

  “I saw her on TV,” Sean said.

  “Yeah…” Fiona climbed to her feet, not seeming to want to finish her thought. Then she fished her phone out of her pocket. It was vibrating, causing her to check the screen. “Abigail,” she said, her worried eyes meeting mine before answering the call and walking into another room.

  “I’m actually glad I’m not in New York right now,” Sean said, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. “I wouldn’t want to be across the country from my family and friends with all this happening. I guess everything happens for a reason, right?” He finally pried his eyes away from the television to look at me.

  “That’s a good thing to believe,” I offered, thinking of Fiona again, and what the unexpected events of today implied about her future.

  “Otherwise, everything’s pointless.”

  “And that’s no way to live,” I said. “Perhaps these events—however scary—will provide you with greater purpose.”

  “Yeah… I like that. Since I spent so much time helping Fiona look for her father, maybe I was always a part of this—always meant to help.”

  “Maybe,” I said.

  Fiona strolled back into the room a few minutes later, still holding the phone at her side.

  “Is she okay?” I asked.

  “Just freaked out like everyone else,” she said. “I did my best to calm her down.”

  “You should visit her,” Sean said. “She’s your sister, right?”

  “Half. But her mother seems to hate me.”

  “So. She’s your family.”

  “If you haven’t already noticed, I don’t have a good track record with family,” Fiona said.

  “Sean’s right,” I said, stepping up behind Fiona and wrapping my arms around her. “You’ve been talking to her for months now. It would be good for you to actually see her.”

  “I’d like to,” Fiona admitted, leaning into me.

  “Then do it,” Sean exclaimed. He attempted to get up, then faltered. “Son of a… my leg’s asleep!” He fell back onto the couch and massaged his leg as the pins and needles attacked him.

  Fiona chuckled at Sean’s cartoonish display, which was the first smile I’d seen from her all morning. After the passionate night we’d shared, I’d hoped for a peaceful, lazy morning in each other’s arms. Those hopes were dashed from the moment I turned on the television. I should have refrained from letting the outside world into our penthouse haven, though in my defense, I had no reason to expect today would be so significant.

  Once Sean was done thrashing around on the couch like a harpooned whale, he got to his feet with a growing smile on his lips as well. I even couldn’t help but crack a smile.

  “Like I was saying—go see your sister,” Sean said. “I have to get home. I’ve got a whole hell of a lot of explaining to do.”

  Fiona approached and gave him a hug. “Text me when you get there. I need to know you’re safe.”

  “I will,” he promised. “We’ll talk soon.” Once Fiona let go, Sean turned to
me. “And Matthew, thank you… for everything.”

  Fiona helped him gather the few items he’d brought inside, then we both waved as Sean drove down the driveway and out into the dawn of a new world.

  24

  Mallory

  My phone was blowing up so badly after Damien Galt’s announcement—or revelation—that I had to turn it off. I couldn’t take the instant social media pandemonium, with everyone asking, can you believe this is really happening? Over and over again, that’s how it would go. And yes, I could believe it because I’d seen it heading our way. Everyone in the Society had known what was to come; I just hadn’t been aware it would be today. I assumed my father had known since the Assembly seemed to love their secrets, but that changed very little.

  I’d watched the announcement on Facebook before going dark, posts being shared like never before. It was still shocking to know this was the beginning of the end. Everyone else sensed it too, but they didn’t know what was truly coming. I planned to be far away when it eventually happened—when the bombs began to fall.

  I was the only one home. Dad and Aaron practically lived on the compound these days. Now that I was out of candidacy, I sometimes didn’t see Aaron for days at a time. Dad slept here, but that was about all. Our household assistant, Gloria, took care of most of the household chores and cooking, and what she didn’t do personally, she had the authority to sub out.

  This kept the household running smoothly at all times, even if only for me.

  But when I found her in the kitchen this morning, even our household came to a standstill. She was seated at the kitchen table, tightly gripping a rosary, as she rattled off prayer after prayer, her eyes glued to an iPad she’d propped on the table. She was streaming live news.

  “That’s not going to help, you know,” I said and began to fix myself a vegetable smoothie.

  Gloria glanced over at me, her face full of worry. “The antichrist has made himself known and is amassing his army of darkness. The rapture is upon us.”

  “Yeah; it sucks all round,” I said, reaching for a knife to chop the contents of my smoothie.

  “You’re not taking this news seriously. This truly is the apocalypse.”

  “Oh, I know better than most,” I said. “But like I said, praying isn’t going to do any good.”

  “Prayer is the only hope. Mankind isn’t capable of fighting these demons off alone. We need God’s help—God’s hand.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t want to get into a theological discussion with her over everything that was going on. That would completely push her over the edge. And this was about as safe a place as she was going to find. The house had safeguards and security in place to deter most people, even vampires. Gloria went back to her prayers while I finished my smoothie. Then I chose one of the many empty rooms to drink it in peace, one far away from the kitchen.

  Since I was outside the safety of the Society compound, my father warned me to stay home. I could invite friends over if I wanted, but I was not to leave. However, my friends were as bad as everyone else on Facebook, freaking out over the end of the world. I needed to be with people who better understood. So, I grabbed my Society-issued pistol and drove to Sisters of Mercy.

  The streets were deserted and parking lots empty. It was a little spooky, feeling I was the only person left in the world. The Sisters of Mercy parking lot was pretty deserted too, but that was expected for the day shift. Only a few orderlies would be here, a doctor or a nurse to supervise, and maybe Jack since he seemed to always be about.

  After some time of coming to the hospital on my own and earning Jack’s trust with the intentions of my visits, he gave me a set of keys with the instructions not to tell anyone. I was confident Matthew and Assemblywoman Degray knew too, but I didn’t ask.

  I let myself in and searched out Kelsey. This was most likely a normal morning for her, with no knowledge of what was happening to the world at this very moment. Her schedule was regular enough for me to locate her without too much difficulty.

  She was almost finished with Nathan’s room. Most of the blood had been cleaned and he looked to be healed, even though he was still in bloody rags from the night before.

  I knocked on the door, peering through the small window and smiling. I was given keys to the hospital itself, but not a master key for patient rooms. For that, I still needed help from a hospital staff member.

  Both occupants of the room looked over, and both seemed glad to see me.

  “You’re here early today,” Kelsey said, holding the door open to allow me into the room. She was usually out of Nathan’s room when I arrived, so there weren’t many times I shared a room with them.

  “Good morning, Mallory,” Nathan said, standing beside his newly-changed bed. “Must be my lucky day.”

  “I don’t know about that, but it’s good to see you,” I said. I was just glad I didn’t have to see him in the injured state his clothes alluded to.

  Kelsey set a clean and pressed uniform on the bed. “I can come back for those if you want to spend some time with Mallory,” she said sweetly.

  Now I was sure they didn’t know what was going on this morning. I walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains. The outer grounds of the hospital were as desolate as the areas I’d driven through. There was no mob waiting outside with torches and wooden stakes.

  “I’m basically finished here,” Kelsey said. “What’s your plan this morning?”

  “I wanted to spend a little time with Nathan right now, if that’s okay with you,” I said. “Then I’ll catch up with you and help you clean.”

  Kelsey produced a shy smile and gripped the handlebar of her cart. “Sounds good to me.” She handed me a temporary key, so I could let myself out of the room when I was done talking with Nathan.

  “I won’t be too long because I’m sure Nathan needs to rest,” I said, holding the door for Kelsey as she wheeled out the cart.

  She gave a small wave to both of us, and I closed and locked the door behind her.

  I’d grown fond of Nathan over the past few months and stopped in to see him each time I was here. It was hard at first, especially when he asked—then pleaded—for me to help him escape. But I held firm, knowing I couldn’t do that; the greater good was at stake here.

  He now understood I wanted to help him, but there was only so much I could do. Breaking him out of the hospital was more than I was capable of and would end badly for both of us. So, I worked to keep his morale up within his room.

  I’d still yet to show up and see him before Kelsey had healed him, and I was grateful for that. As our connection progressed, I knew how hard it would be to see him in the state in which some of the vampires liked to leave their victims. I knew it all too well from firsthand experience, which I finally built up the courage to tell him. Like Fiona, we could also bond over our shared trauma, which I actually wanted to do in this case.

  “I can leave for a minute, so you can change,” I offered as he reached over to pick up his set of clean clothes.

  “I don’t mind if you just turn around,” he said. “I’ll be quick.”

  I did as he asked and immediately heard the rustling of clothes as he tore off the bloody rags. They hadn’t left much to the imagination, and as I was just beginning to imagine what he looked like without them, he told me I could turn back around.

  “I’m sorry you had to see those,” he said.

  I’m not, I thought but didn’t want to accidentally say that aloud.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Of course; why do you ask?”

  “You’ve just had a strange expression since you arrived—seems like something’s bothering you.”

  “Besides you being locked up in here and me being helpless to do anything about it?” I asked with a smirk.

  “Well, that’s nothing new. No… it’s something else.” Now he was in clean clothes, Nathan took a seat on the bed, then gestured for me to sit beside him.

  However, I didn’t mov
e from my spot in the center of the room. I wanted to be close to him—I always wanted to be close to him, but I feared his reaction to what I was about to say.

  “The vampires announced themselves to the world this morning,” I said—just getting it out there rather than hesitating.

  Nathan didn’t immediately respond. Then his beautiful blue eyes drifted away from me as the information sank in. I could see the questions flashing across his face, questions he was afraid to ask—questions he was afraid to learn the answers to.

  “How are you taking it?” he asked after a heart-stopping pause.

  He didn’t ask about what it meant for him. He didn’t ask what this revelation meant for the rest of the world. He asked about how it was affecting me. As if I hadn’t already been enamored enough!

  “I expected it one day—just not today,” I said, then went to sit beside him. “It’s going to change everything.”

  “Not for me,” he said, turning to look me in the eyes. His expression quickly grew sad.

  “Maybe there will no longer be a need for this place,” I said. “Maybe I can finally convince the director to let you go. I know your family’s gone, but you can come live with me.” Like every other initiate, the Society provided me with expensive accommodations, currently sitting vacant. My father didn’t want me to move out yet and I hadn’t cared enough to leave. I liked our family house, and most of the time it was just me anyways.

  “You haven’t known me that long. I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”

  “If you knew me at all by now, you’d know I don’t do things out of obligation. I do what I want to do and don’t let others hold me back. We may not be perfect for each other, but I’m willing to find out.”

  “You’re my angel,” Nathan said. “And I wouldn’t be able to endure this place without you.”

  I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m nobody’s angel. I’m not even a good person most of the time. But this place… this place has opened my eyes.”