“I will toy with all of you…for a time,” he said, his clear voice fused with that of the echoing entity. I opened fire with the M4. The others followed suit. He laughed as the bullets pierced him. We kept it up, though the bullets seemed to do very little damage. He roared, throwing his arms out to the side and sending a dark energy wave all around him. It knocked us to the ground.
I recovered quickly and charged him, firing on full auto at his face. He laughed as I slammed the butt of the rifle into his chest; then he grabbed me by my vest and hurled me ten feet away. Before he could follow and attack again, the chief and his men fired, moving closer. Phasing, the Specialist vanished from their line of fire and appeared behind them and then struck them to the ground with another wave of dark energy.
Chuck moved at an angle while George rushed the Specialist, both firing at the same time. The Specialist seemed to stumble slightly when we pressed our attacks from multiple positions but not enough to halt him. With a blinding speed, he charged them, slamming into each. He focused dark energy into both of his hands, ready to hurl balls of black flame at them. I fired at his hands; he roared as he lost focus. He sent what energy he had left toward me; I jumped out of the way, firing into him at the same time. Seething with rage, he rose into the air.
“Now you will suffer…” he said from high above us. Dark energy surrounded him, forming a round shield. We fired into it, knowing that it would probably do little good.
“Regroup!” I yelled. We stood and ran to each other. Soon, a column of blackness burst forth from the shielding orb and crashed into the ground; in its wake stood a demon nine feet tall, massive, and clad in black, serrated armor. Spikes rose from its shoulders and wrists. The spikes on its shoulders, two on each side, were long and thick, rising in an arch. The ones on its wrists, smaller, extended from what would be the veins, had it been human. Its face was hidden by a helm, which covered all but its glowing eyes with a layer of plate. The armor itself gave off an illuminated gas, the same as the creatures. It had a long tail, like that of a monitor lizard, and wings like a bat. It was truly frightening to behold as it rose to full height.
“Open fire!” I cried out, firing at the new form. The others followed, but our bullets seemed to merely bounce off his armor. “Disperse!” I yelled, though I remained in the center. George and Chuck ran to the left; the chief and his men went the right. Mary and Christina, armed with pistols, followed Chuck and George. We were spread out far from each other, so that he could not wipe us out in a cluster, and we could attack from all sides. Everyone continued to fire as it charged me.
Rolling to the side, I dodged the massive sword that it wielded—the Hatred sword. Hatred was beyond the power of my flesh. The creature withdrew to stand ten feet from me. We took the chance to reload. It raised Hatred to the dark sky; a column of dark energy struck it. The dark energy dispersed throughout the surrounding area, which echoed with the shrieks of all the creatures we had encountered. The team fired into the surrounding attackers, while I focused on the behemoth before me. The entity scoffed.
Then it stopped. It looked up. The white warrior, my guardian angel, descended to stand beside me. In his arms, he carried my love.
The gunfire around us intensified. The others fell back to form a tighter defense as a group. Other warriors for the light, wielding flaming swords, appeared. They formed a circle around us, totaling a hundred. Immediately they charged into the endless horde of dark creatures, slashing wide and far into their numbers.
“So…you did come,” the entity said to the angels.
“I am Gabriel,” the white warrior angel said, turning to me. “Your love for her has brought you here, and it is for love that I am here now. Take my hand; we shall become one.” He presented an open hand to me. As I took it, a blinding light flashed, eclipsing the darkness. As it subsided, I studied my new form. Clad in white plate armor, glowing with an aura of righteousness, I looked at the demon. A flaming broadsword rested in my hand. I was about seven feet tall now, with long white hair that rested on my shoulders. Extending from my back were the wings of an angel. Wings made not of feathers but of pure energy.
My team joined in the fight, supporting the other angels in repelling the creatures. My gaze settled upon the demon as his gaze settled on me.
With blinding speed, we charged one another, our swords clashing. The sound of their thunder could not be ignored, and the flash of their strikes could be seen for miles. As I knelt down, I spun quickly and struck for its legs. The demon blocked and brought its sword down on me. Quickly, I blocked and pushed it back. The demon formed a bolt of dark energy; I formed a bolt of light. We hurled them at each other. The bolts became one, and a portion of the light broke through and struck the demon. The demon roared and took flight; I followed.
Higher and higher we went, until we were in the clouds. From there, I could see the endless horde that bore down upon the small group that fought them. Flashes of tracers and flaming swords trumpeted their strength. The demon phased and reappeared behind me to swing at me. Turning quickly, I blocked and kicked it in the gut. The demon roared and phased once more. This time it appeared above me but did not swing. It phased again and appeared below me to grab my foot and sling me toward the ground. Landing in the horde, I left a small crater. I was on my feet in an instant and released a wave of light as I flew toward the demon.
As I flew to him, I thrust my sword forward and sent forth a wave of holy flame. The demon formed a shell of dark energy to block. Before it could recover, I brought my sword to its side, knocking it off-balance. Then, I swung downward and hurled it to the ground. Gabriel was much more powerful than the entity, as light always is stronger than darkness. My love augmented my strength, fueled by my heart. Hatred could not match it. In a last effort, the demon stood and focused its entire energy into its sword, Hatred. In response, I focused my energy into my sword, Compassion. We sent the energy on a path of collision, and both sides held strong.
It had begun as a whisper, a sinister voice speaking to me. It told of times of anger, times of sorrow, and times of torment, and, indeed, the demons of my past attempted to haunt me once more. As I struggled and Hatred gained sway and inched closer and closer, another voice came to me—a soothing voice, reminding me of times of love and joy and of all that I had done simply to bring a smile to another person. Tranquility washed over my soul, and I found focus once more. All of my love went into Compassion; Compassion overpowered Hatred. The demon shrieked as it was consumed by the light and then was no more. The horde of creatures had been defeated. I landed to stand before my love.
Gabriel separated from me, and I was once more myself. She wept as she hugged me tightly, resting against my shoulder. I held her close and stroked her hair gently. The others stood around us and smiled.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, Gabriel spoke. “You will awaken now, both of you. Left with the feeling of love, you will wait for each other. And you will find each other,” Gabriel said. “Awaken.”
I woke up to my alarm clock. It was five in the morning on a Sunday. Sighing, I prepared for my walk. I set out the door, feeling love. I knew I would find her. I arrived at the church, six miles later, at seven thirty.
Gabriel’s Watch
I WATCHED THESE events knowing that those fighting with the light would prevail. They had found a strength they had not known. They stood against a darkness only a few came to know, and, at a high cost, they repelled it. My gaze was cast upon the Warrior, my Warrior. He and I would become one; together he and I would battle the darkness. I followed him into darkness and appeared to him to guide him. Never far, never near.
Finally, as all hope seemed to fade, I entered and joined with my Warrior. We would remain one even after he awakened. There was an even greater battle ahead—and more warriors to come. He was the first. He was the beginning.
About the Author
Patrick Howard graduated from Mount Dora High School in Florida in 2002 and went on to meet with ma
ny struggles in his life. He has been employed at a local Subway in Sorrento, Florida, for nearly ten years.
He is a single man devoted to the friends and family he has left. His experiences have shown him that hardship exists to strengthen us. Despite all the doubt that he has received from others, he has pushed on. In publishing this book, he is sharing the important life lesson that only you need to believe in yourself.
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