Gargoyles I, II, III: Dark Angel Alliance

by Rach Elle

  Tears welled in Noah’s eyes, “Please Jessie,” he begged.

  Jessie’s eyes hardened, “There is no more Jessie.”

  Noah’s pleading stare darted from her left eye to her right and back again, searching for some sign of mercy. In a quivering, vulnerable voice he begged again, “Please… Regina.”

  Regina pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet embedded itself in the center of Noah’s forehead. She quickly tucked the gun back into her jacket and turned to run away.

  Once outside Regina quickly eyed every inch of her surroundings. She prayed like hell no one would see her; because then she’d have to kill them too. She tried desperately to regulate her breathing; she was officially a cold blooded murderer. She’d just taken a man’s life as she stared into his frightened eyes. As she realized she was alone on this residential street she dropped to her knees and tried to stop her from vomiting. She couldn’t leave any evidence behind.

  A moment later she managed to calm herself only slightly. There was no taking back what she’d just done. Now it was time to flee the scene. She slowly looked up at Noah’s pickup truck. There was just one thing she had to do first.

  Regina uncovered the bed of the truck and found a number of tools; thankfully among which was a gas can. She grabbed the heavy red container and hurried back inside where she doused Noah and all of his equipment in gas. After the container was emptied she dropped it on the floor, grabbed the keys to his truck and headed toward the front door. Before crossing the threshold she lit a match and flicked it into the den, staying only long enough to watch the trail of gasoline catch fire.

  Regina climbed into Noah’s truck and backed out of the driveway as the entire house was engulfed in flames. She drove away only to ditch the vehicle at the nearest parking lot. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. Jessie Zane was officially off the grid.

  Present Day

  London, England…

  Regina had killed people before. She had performed many botched experiments; some of them leading to death. She had watched the light extinguish in Noah’s eyes as she shot him in the head; but those were all sudden events. She never intended on taking any of their lives in the beginning. Those acts were never calculated. That’s why this felt so different.

  Regina stood on the rooftop of an old, neglected, shitty hotel in an even shittier part of London; pointing a gun at a young woman’s head. She had woken up this morning with the intent to kill her. She looked around at the product of her work; the chairs her victims were tied to and the gags in their mouths; the various weapons she and James were armed with to thwart any possible retaliation; and the giant spotlight she’d acquired and had placed on this very rooftop. All of these things were pieces to the puzzle that once completed would spell out the death of Awilda Rose.

  Awilda’s heavy lids flickered open as she felt a nudging against her shoulder. Slowly, she turned her head to see a gun pointed between her eyes. Instantly she tried to recoil, forcing her to realize her hands and feet were tied with rope and her torso was bound to a chair. Her mouth was gagged as she tried to scream but her muffled whimpers were barely heard over the force of the wind. She stared into Regina’s cold eyes for what seemed like eternity until the blonde looked to her left. Awilda followed her gaze to see her dad kneeling as he secured two ropes to a thin chimney pipe. She realized they were on a roof. Her eyes followed the length of the rope from the pipe to the ledge and she suddenly began to squirm and scream even though she knew it was useless. Nearly hanging off of the ledge, attached to only those two ropes were Alvin and Mason; also tied to chairs with their mouths gagged. They both sat perfectly still, afraid that the slightest movement would loosen the knot and they’d plummet eighteen stories to their deaths. They both turned their heads slowly to look at her; their eyes riddled with fear.

  “She’s awake,” Regina called.

  James stood and looked at his daughter. He began to walk toward her, leaving the two boys behind. “Hi honey,” he smiled as he waved to her. “Now, I know you’re confused and you probably have a lot of questions for me but I can’t remove your gag right now. See, I know about your Limrid and I know that the moment we remove your gag you’ll probably just call to him and tell him to undo all of this,” he motioned around them as if it was a moment of grandeur. “And that would be unfair. Regina went through a lot of trouble to set it all up; so you need to hear me out first, okay sweetie?”

  Awilda scowled through the cloth that sat wadded up in her mouth as her father continued to speak.

  “Do you remember the story I told you? About Arav’s The Cowardly Imp?” When Awilda didn’t gesture yes or no, he continued, “Let me refresh your memory. You see, the piece states that whoever kills a Limrid will be privy to the ultimate power. So naturally when I saw you with your little Limrid friend I wondered just how much of that piece was actually true; but I digress. You see Wills, I didn’t come all the way to London, England on the off chance that you knew anything about the world of gargoyles let alone had one as a pet. No, I came here for a very different reason.” He began moving closer, sauntering toward the young woman tied to a chair; her brown hair swirling in the wind behind her. “Wills,” James said darkly, “have you ever heard of The Ultimate War?”

  Awilda’s eyes were instantly bombarded with tears as her mind flashed to all the pain that stupid piece of literature had brought upon her. She could picture her grandfather in the dark kitchen, pinning her against the cabinetry and lifting the butcher’s knife; preparing to thrust it into her chest. She remembered her grandmother as she stood outside the asylum and walked blindly into the middle of the road just as an SUV sped into her, mangling her body underneath. And then the insanity written all over her grandmother’s walls; physical proof of her obsession with The Ultimate War and the damn prophecy it entailed. Her mind jumped forward again to the image of Junior pressing a knife into her throat; tears pouring from his eyes as he prepared himself to slice through her skin and end her life. This prophecy had caused her nothing but pain and sorrow and now she sat tied to a chair as her father threatened the lives of her friends and his girlfriend pointed a gun at her head.

  James waited for an answer from his daughter, when none came he continued, “The Ultimate War was a piece written by Arav Dave. It tells the story of the war between Heaven and Hell. Now, I’m sure you can guess that Heaven won, but not before the devil declared a prophecy; every five-hundred years he will choose a queen to wage another war and destroy the human race. I’m very sorry to tell you this Awilda; but you are the chosen one.”

  Awilda began shaking her head frantically.

  “Yes, you are,” James insisted.

  Awilda continued to shake her head and tried to speak through her gag.

  James sighed, “Okay, hold on,” he held up his hand to calm his daughter, “I’m going to take the gag out of your mouth; but if you try to call on your Limrid or scream for help then Regina is going to pull her trigger, got it?”

  Awilda could feel Regina nudge her temple with a semi-automatic. She nodded her head. James reached out and pulled the gag from her mouth. After a second of catching her breath Awilda explained, “I’m not the chosen one.”

  James rolled his eyes, “Care to tell me why?”

  “The prophecy states that the devil will choose a gargoyle as the queen,” she said, remembering Kingsley’s explanation in the park.

  James crinkled his nose, “No it doesn’t.”

  “Yes it does; read it again. I’m clearly not a gargoyle.”

  James glared at the young woman and shoved the gag back into her mouth. “I don’t have to read it again, dear. I know that piece forwards and backwards; like the back of my own hand. Nowhere in it does it specify the destroyer must be a gargoyle. Do you really think you can trick me so easily? I’m insulted.” When Awilda tried to object again he brushed her off. “I came to London to kill you, to put it bluntly. I came to do my civil duties and to save the entire human race. The
legend states a savior would have the honors but I’ve sadly come to the conclusion that said savior doesn’t exist. Therefore I, as the only living relative to the destroyer, will have to do it instead.” His chest puffed out with pride.

  Awilda wanted to object again. She knew who the savior was. She began shaking her head and trying to squirm to get her father’s attention but he ignored her.

  “But now I think I have a different idea,” he continued, “You see, to kill you now would put an end to the prophecy. Then I can go back to my normal life doing everything in my power to forget you ever existed; just like before. Or,” he smiled, “I can stop the prophecy after harnessing the ultimate power; that’s where I’m going to need your cooperation. I know the Limrid followed you here; that much I do remember from Arav’s explanation of the creature – they go wherever their master goes. I know he’s here somewhere. I need you to call him out for me.”

  Awilda shook her head defiantly.

  James smiled, “I thought you’d say that.” He turned and began walking toward the two ropes tied to the chimney pipe. “Originally this is where my plan got a little fuzzy. I was going to have to either lure the creature out of hiding or trick you into calling for him; but then your friends wanted to come along and well, the leverage was just too good not to use.” He squatted next to the second knot and began to loosen it.

  Alvin and Mason sat with their torsos restrained and their hands and feet roped together as well. They tried to remain perfectly still as the four legs of their chairs rest on the sloped ledge of the roof. They were too far back on the ledge to see the bottom of the side alley below, but the eighteen story height still made them dizzy with fear.

  Suddenly, Mason could feel his rope loosen and his chair slid forward slightly. He tried to scream as he looked over his shoulder to see James actively untying his rope.

  “You see Awilda,” James continued, “I don’t know these two kids and therefore I have no ties to them,” he smiled playfully, “Pun intended. If you don’t agree to call out your Limrid and order it to do nothing while I take its life then I’ll be forced to take one of theirs.” He motioned to the two boys. After a moment of staring into his daughter’s pleading eyes he smiled, “Case and point.” James let go of the rope.

  Alvin screamed as he watched his friend slide down the shingled slope. The chair tipped over the edge and gravity pulled Mason downward. His muffled cries were barely heard as he disappeared over the ledge, falling to his death.

  Tears violently stung Alvin’s eyes as he started to squirm, desperately trying to find a way out of this hold. He looked over his shoulder to Awilda as he writhed in hysterics. Because of her his friend was dead. And he had a feeling he was about to join him.

  Awilda could feel her entire body go limp as she witnessed Mason’s death. She wished like hell someone would have heard the crash of him hitting the pavement below and called for help, but as she looked around she realized that would be unlikely. They were in an industrial part of town; surrounded by factories and old, decrepit looking buildings much like this hotel; businesses that were either closed for the night or condemned. She figured this hotel was just as abandoned as the building across the street that looked like it was ready to fall down any moment. A large crane sat next to it; its arm stretched far with a giant steel hook hung by a massive cable; as if during the day this part of town was in the process of rebuilding. Tonight, however, it was nothing more than a landfill for death.

  James reached for Alvin’s rope and began slowly untying. “Awilda,” he called to get her attention. Once he had it he continued, “Please don’t make me kill this kid too. You see, Regina did a lot to prepare for this night and it didn’t involve going back to the castle and opening fire on more of your friends.”

  Awilda’s head began to swim. She wanted more than anything for her father and Regina to try that. She wanted them to go to the castle thinking a simple gun was going to take out the five shifters only to realize when it was too late that they were wrong. But in order for that to happen she would have to kill Alvin first. She watched as the boy tried to wriggle in his chair as his rope loosened. She thought of Tauggle and a sharp pain pierced her heart. Finally, she tried to call to her dad through her gag and began nodding her head.

  James stopped untying, tightening the rope only slightly but neglecting to execute another knot. He stood, “That’s a good girl.” He walked toward her, “Now remember, if you do or say anything unsavory Regina is going to pull the trigger on not only you and the Limrid; but the kid as well, got it?”

  Awilda nodded with a heavy head.

  James smiled and reached for the gag, “Good.”

  An enormous roar was heard from above. James’ head whipped upward to see a massive gargoyle; wings spread and eyes red as he barreled toward him. He grabbed a gun out of the waist of his jeans and opened fire. The gargoyle dodged the bullets and shifted course, flying off to the right and preparing to circle back around. Another roar was heard from the other direction as another gargoyle attempted a dive. James opened fire on that one too. Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by four airborne monsters. “Regina!” James called, “Get the light!”

  Regina ran toward the large generator and the giant, circular spotlight that she had rented. She grabbed the control box and flipped the switch. The spotlight turned on; blasting a brightness that washed out all visibility from the sky and sent every gargoyle careening backwards.

  A taxi pulled to a stop in front of the old hotel. Sunders climbed out of the backseat and threw a small wad of cash at the driver. “Thanks,” he said as he looked up to the roof. A bright, white light shined from atop and he heard a distant roar. He picked up his feet and ran into the hotel. The reception desk and lobby were empty as he ran to the elevators. He skidded to a stop when he read the crudely written sign, Out of Order. He instead ran to the spiral staircase and he cursed it every step of the way as he bounded upward.

  Junior landed on the side of a nearby industrial building, trying to readjust his eyes from the brightness of the light. A second later Zeff joined him, gripping into the side of the building with his claws. “Fuck!” He exclaimed.

  Junior leaned toward the scarred gargoyle, “They’re blocking our aerial attack; we have to keep this fight on the roof.”

  “Aye,” Zeff called back as they lunged off of the building and glided low. They both latched onto the siding of the hotel and began climbing upward. They were soon joined by Bawli and Cooper.

  Zeff looked to Bawli, “How’s Mason?”

  “A little shaken up but he’s fine. I told him to wait in the side alley.”

  “Thanks mate,” Zeff breathed.

  The image of Mason plummeting off the ledge nearly paralyzed him with fear. He had been climbing the hotel, taking his position as the ground attack when suddenly the boy tipped over the edge. Zeff gripped into the siding with one hand and caught Mason by his chair with the other. Bawli met up with them and relieved the extra weight by gliding the boy down to the street below himself to untie him. It was then that Junior roared in the sky and Zeff’s eyes burned red. James had tried to kill his Responsibility; now all bets were off. He leaped off of the building and to the next to climb higher than the roof and aid Junior in his aerial attack before Regina hit the light.

  Now he bared his fangs and his eyes glowed in the darkness as all four of them climbed with a readiness to kill.

  The gargoyles reached the roof and suddenly a sea of bullets was unleashed upon them. They all ducked and fanned out, preparing to attack from all ground angles. The bright, white light illuminated the rooftop but not enough to be blinding. The gargoyles began to emerge; two of them distracting James and Regina while the other two climbed onto the flat surface.

  James quickly latched onto Awilda’s shoulder and pointed his gun at her head. “Don’t come any closer!” He demanded just as Junior tackled him from behind. He lost his grip on the gun and the weapon skated across the rooftop into the s
hadows of the generator. James tried to fight off the tattooed gargoyle on top of him as Regina cocked her gun and pointed it at the monster’s head.

  Junior stopped instantly, his eyes glowing red as he slowly turned to face Regina. She sized him up, eyeing his shirtless physique and his arms covered in tattoos then the dimple on his chin, “Do I know you from somewhere?” She asked, suddenly remembering their encounter at the castle. She tried to hide her shock as she realized what he was; what gargoyles were – shifters.

  James pulled another gun out of his jacket and aimed it at Junior, “Holy shit,” he said as he too came to the realization. “Did you know about this?” He asked Regina. She shook her head no just as she was hit from behind. She wheeled around to see a female gargoyle with tiny wings and a short tail. She bared her fangs and hissed as she lunged at her. Regina re-aimed her gun and pulled the trigger, the bullet slicing through the small gargoyle’s wing. She fell backward in pain just a hand latched onto Regina’s shoulder and spun her around. She now found herself face to face with a much larger gargoyle. He had blonde hair, red eyes and a large gut.

  Sunders finally reached the roof. He pushed his way through the door and had to shield his eyes from the bright light that shined upward into the sky. He tried to survey the situation; hearing bullets flying as James and Regina tried to ward off the gargoyles. He heard a muffled scream to his right and looked to see Alvin tied to a chair. The rope that kept him from falling over the ledge was slowly coming untied; his weight pulling against it. Sunders mustered the little strength he had left in his legs and ran for the boy.

  The rope loosened further and finally gave way completely, sending Alvin sliding down the sloped ledge. Sunders dove forward and outstretched his arms; wrapping his fingers around the tip of the rope. He bent his elbows and tried to pull the boy back onto the roof but he was too heavy. Sunders repositioned him so that his legs could push against the surface, providing him with enough leverage to pull the boy to safety, but the first two legs of the chair tipped over the ledge and suddenly he was fighting against dead weight. He wrapped the rope around his knuckles for a better grip but the weight shifted and began to pull him. He tried to dig his heels into the roof but he couldn’t find a hold. He slid slowly toward the ledge, trying desperately to save both his and the boy’s life. His heels reached the slope and he could feel himself beginning to slide at an angle.