“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Lexi said, putting her hand on Millie’s shoulder.
“It’s fine. I’m just glad it’s you.”
“We need to keep moving--well, if you can,” Lexi said, looking her up and down.
“I will keep moving,” Millie said, trying to smile but the pain was too much.
They started to jog slowly, then picked up the pace.
After a few minutes Millie began to recognise the area. They broke free from the trees into an open area. Millie gasped. She couldn’t believe it.
“What’s wrong?” Lexi asked as she came closer to her.
“This is the area where all my friends died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Millie,” Lexi said with great concern in her voice.
“Let’s keep going,” Millie said as she started walking again, trying not to think about her friends.
“Let’s go in another direction, then,” Lexi suggested.
Millie turned around to face Lexi. She was about to say something when Vania appeared rapidly behind Lexi. Lexi let out a screech. Vania pulled out a small, silver blade from Lexi’s back. Vania held Lexi by the neck and stabbed her again in the stomach. Vania pulled out the blade and blood started gushing from the wound. With one last stab to the heart, Lexi fell to the ground lifeless. Blood continued to flow out of her body.
Millie stood there frozen.
“Lexi?” Millie barely whispered.
“The bitch is dead.” Vania said with harshness.
Her face turned pale. She wanted to vomit, she felt so sick. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her friend had just died because of her. Another friend, dead. It was all her fault. Millie felt Vania’s gaze on her. Millie looked up and saw that she had stepped over Lexi and was walking quickly towards her. Without thinking, Millie turned and ran. She didn’t want Lexi’s death to be in vain.
As she ran, she saw the bodies of Henry, Tom, and Justin lying lifeless with black eyes. She remembered how she found their bodies, and her eyes started to fill with tears. Her legs came to a stop as she saw the house in front of her burnt to crisp. There was abandoned police tape wrapped around it. She fell to the ground as flashes of that night came to her mind.
She remembered Luke’s kiss. She remembered how he was thrown against the wall by a cosmos, how his eyes were pure white. Tears streamed down her face as she remembered how they all fled the burning house. How one by one her friends disappeared and Savannah was the only one left. She remembered the feeling of Savannah’s hand gripping her own hand, how they held each other’s hands tightly. Her memory flashed to Savannah’s dead body, how her eyes were black and there was a hole through her stomach. Her visions flashed to Mace, when the Angel came and saved her. Her mind came back to the present day. She wiped the tears off her face and stood up. She wanted to give up and die like her friends had, but she was going to do everything possible to stay alive for Mace. She turned around and saw Vania standing. Waiting.
“Boo-hoo,” Vania said in an unsympathetic voice. “Do you need a tissue?” she taunted as she started to circle Millie.
“Why don’t you just capture me already?” Millie asked, standing still.
“That wouldn’t be fun at all,” Vania said, wiping the blood off the blade on her pants.
“Stop stalling and just take me,” Millie said, trying to sound confident.
“Why would I do that when we’re all alone? No one here can protect you now, Millie. It’s just too good to pass this up.”
Vania charged at her and cut Millie’s right arm above the elbow. Millie right arm was already in pain. The cut made it even worse. Her left arm clutched the cut. Vania continued to circle Millie.
“You can’t kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you . . . just yet.”
All of a sudden, Millie could see someone from the corner of her eye. She didn’t dare turn around. She didn’t want to alarm Vania. Her eyes couldn’t see who it was. For all she knew, it could be a Fallen.
“Why did you fall?” Millie asked, trying to keep Vania’s focus on her.
“God bored me,” Vania said with a grin. “I’m much more powerful now than I was in Heaven.”
“That’s what you think,” a familiar voice came from behind Vania.
The Angel grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her into the burnt leftovers of the house. Millie turned and saw that it was Teal. One of his wings was hanging low, much lower than it should have been.
“Are you okay?” He came over and put his warm hands on her arms.
“I think I am,” Millie said clutching the cut on her arm.
“You look pretty beat up,” Teal said, looking her up and down.
Millie looked at her body and saw it was bleeding and bruised. That’s when all the pain returned to her.
Vania soared from the debris and landed in front of Teal. Her face was filled with anger. She wasn’t expecting to be interrupted. She ran for Teal. He kicked her in the stomach, and she went flying back into the debris of the house. This time, Teal went towards her. Millie saw that his wing was just hanging onto his body. If someone pulled at it hard, it looked like it would fall off.
Millie watched as Teal and Vania fought. They flew all through the debris. Vania managed to cut Teal’s cheek with the silver blade. Sometimes it looked like Teal was winning; other times it looked like Vania was. Millie wanted to help Teal, but her body was in pain. She wiped the dried blood off her eyebrow. She hoped that she wouldn’t get another scar on her face. One was enough for her. Millie noticed her right arm was feeling a little better but was still in pain. Even though Mace is not here, his grace is helping me.
She heard footsteps coming from behind her. Before she could turn around, a hot hand grabbed her by the throat and pulled her towards a hot body.
“We meet again.”
Millie immediately knew who it was: Drake. He turned her around so she was facing him. He grabbed her by the throat again and lifted her far off the ground until they were eye level. Millie clenched her hands around his, trying to pull them off her neck. She couldn’t breathe; her lungs gasped for air. The hand was burning her neck, and her throat felt dry. She tried to wrench Drake’s hand off her neck, but it didn’t even budge. His hand squeezed tighter. She tried to scream for help, but nothing came out.
“I wish I could kill you but I can’t,” he said, letting go of her neck.
She fell to the ground. Her hand clenched her throat. She coughed, seeking air. The air flowed back through her nose and down her throat. She could breathe again, but the burning sensation stayed.
“Now let’s take you to Hell,” he said as he grabbed her hair and started to pull her across the ground.
She could see that Teal was trying to get to her, but Vania wouldn’t give up.
Millie let out a quiet scream--she couldn’t scream any louder. With a bang, Millie felt Drake’s hand leave her hair. She got to her feet and saw Hudson pinning Drake against a tree. Hudson was very tall with broad muscles, but Drake was even taller and bigger. Drake managed to pull Hudson off him and kick him across the open area. Hudson landed on all fours. He looked like a lion. He ran towards Drake just as Drake started to run towards him. Hudson was putting up a good fight, even though Drake was powerful. Millie turned around to see Teal grunt with pain. Vania had managed to stab him above the knee.
She turned back to see that Drake had flung Hudson in Millie’s direction. He was going to collide with her until someone knocked Millie to the ground. Millie clutched her head with pain. She wasn’t expecting that. Her eyes looked up to see Hudson nodding to Autumn. Millie looked at Autumn with shock. She hopped off Millie and held out her hand. Millie took it and stood up. Autumn was the last person Millie expected to save her life.
“Watch yourself,” she said in a blunt tone.
“Thank you,” Millie said hesitantly.
“Please don’t,” Autumn said as she wiped some dried blood off her arm. It looked li
ke she had been cut but it was fully healed now. They both looked up to see Hudson flying above them. He flew all the way to the wrecked house.
“Follow me,” Autumn said, as she saw that they were close to Drake.
They both ran towards Hudson. They heard a terrifying screech and saw Vania lying motionless on the ground. Her head was up against a grey rock; streams of blood flowed down it.
Instantly, Teal made it to her. He dragged her by the arms over to where Hudson was now standing with Millie and Autumn. They stood next to Hudson. Millie clenched her knees in pain. Teal lifted Vania to her knees. He held her hair in one hand to reveal her bare neck. The other hand held her own silver blade against the skin of her neck. They all waited for Drake to approach them.
As he was walking over to them, Millie noticed he took a relaxing but fast-paced stride.
“I’ll slice her neck open,” Teal yelled at him.
“Why do I care? She is just another Fallen. There are plenty more where she came from,” he said tranquilly. He finally stopped walking and stood a safe distance away.
“I know she cares for you. When she saw you turned up, her face changed. It’s that same face Millie gives Mace.”
Millie’s heart nearly stopped as Teal said Mace’s name. Why isn’t he here? she thought alarmingly to herself.
“Her fighting became much stronger when you showed up,” he continued, pressing the blade harder into her neck.
Her eyes slowly opened with pain.
“I don’t care about her. Kill her for all I care,” Drake said, waving his hand at them.
“Okay,” Teal said and started to cut her throat.
“Stop!” Drake shouted.
Teal stopped. “So you do care.”
“Give her back to me.” Drake said in an angry, booming voice that echoed around them.
Millie was surprised. Drake had feelings for Vania. Millie had never imagined that an evil thing like Drake could ever have the feeling of love in him.
“Why should I?” Teal asked.
“I will kill you if you don’t.”
“You’re outnumbered,” Teal said, looking around.
“What do you want?” Drake said in an unpleasant tone.
“I want you to call the Fallen off, and you will leave Millie with us.”
Drake laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Teal took the knife away from her throat and aimed it at her heart.
“Okay. Stop!” Drake yelled.
Teal stopped and waited for an answer.
“I will call off the Fallen,” he said with grief.
“And Millie?” Teal questioned.
“She will stay with you,” Drake said, his jaw clenched.
“Deal?”
“Deal.”
Teal threw Vania to the ground. Drake walked over and picked her up in his arms. He eyed everyone. His eyes were full of rage. He had had Millie at his fingertips and let her go because of his love. Vania rested her bloody head on his shoulder. He turned around and walked into the distance.
Twenty
The Aftermath
They waited for a few minutes until Teal spoke. “It’s all clear.”
A smile came across all their faces.
“It’s over? As in the battle is over?” Millie asked, astonished.
“You’re safe,” Teal said. “The Fallen have all retreated.”
“Lucifer is going to be furious,” Autumn said with a grin.
“That’s their problem,” Hudson said.
“How did you pick up on Vania’s feeling towards Drake?” Millie asked.
“I have noticed how you look at Mace,” he said with a smile. “I picked up on it.”
“Who knew?” Autumn said.
The smile fell off Millie’s face. She was happy that the Angels had victory, but she thought about Mace, Zeke, Lilly, and Lexi. Her legs started to run without her mind commanding them to. Even though pain went through her body, she ignored it. She ran towards the body of Lexi. She was still lying lifeless on the ground. Her blonde curls were now drenched in blood. Millie rolled her over. Lexi’s unresponsive eyes stared back at her. Millie burst into tears. She held Lexi’s cold hand in hers. It was not perfectly warm; it was icy cold. She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder. Teal crouched beside her.
“Because of me, she is dead,” Millie managed to say between breaths.
“We all knew there would be sacrifices made,” Teal said.
“I saw Vania kill her. She stabbed her with the silver blade. It was horrific,” Millie said as she laid her head on Lexi’s shoulder.
Teal felt the silver blade in his pocket. He felt awful that he now had the weapon that killed Lexi. He thought it would have been ironic if he had killed Vania with her own weapon.
Autumn came up behind them. “I’m going to help out with the mess,” she announced to them.
“Mess?” Millie asked as she sat up again.
“Many good Angels died because of you . . .”
“Autumn,” Hudson interrupted in a dark tone.
“I know they have, and I am sorry,” Millie managed to say before more tears came streaming down her cheeks.
“Sure you are,” Autumn said as she stormed off into the darkness.
“Ignore her,” Teal said gently.
Millie couldn’t say anything. She was too upset. She wiped the tears from her face. “What happens to Lexi?” she asked as she wiped the blood off Lexi’s forehead. She looked at her friend’s blood on her hands--she was horrified at the sight.
“She will go to Heaven,” Teal said.
“Will she ever come back to Earth?”
“No. She will not. She will forever be in Heaven now.”
Millie felt horrible. Why do my friends die and not me? She wished that maybe one day if she went to Heaven that they would meet each other again. She was going to miss their conversations and her happy smile. Millie stood up as did Teal. She stood facing Hudson and Teal.
“Where’s Mace?” she finally asked, scared of what they were going to say.
“Let’s go find him,” Teal said as he placed his hands over her shoulders.
Millie was glad for the support. Her body ached every time she took a step. The three of them walked into the dark forest.
Millie could hardly see in front of her. The smoke was now thick and the smell heavily lingered in the air. Someone was walking towards them. Millie couldn’t make out who it was. She looked up at Hudson, and he smiled. She instantly knew who it was: Lilly. They all stopped. Her long, golden locks were tangled and had leaves in them.
“Millie,” she said with joy. She hugged her.
“Ow!” Millie said in pain.
“I’m sorry,” Lilly said, pulling back.
“What happened to Cillian and Mischa?” Teal asked her.
“Backup came and helped Hudson and me, but I’m pretty sure we could have taken them on,” she said, shooting a flirty smile at Hudson.
Millie noticed that the bite on her neck was nearly healed.
“What happened?” Lilly asked.
“I’ll tell you later. At the moment, we’re looking for Mace,” Teal said.
“I haven’t seen him,” she said as her smile faded.
“I have to show you something first,” Hudson said.
Millie knew exactly what he was going to show her: Lexi’s lifeless body. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
“What is it?” Lilly said, looking at Millie’s reaction.
“I’m so sorry,” Millie said.
“What happened?”
“It’s Lexi,” Millie said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “She’s dead.”
Lilly was frozen. Her eyes became glazed. Hudson walked over and hugged her. Her hands tightly clung onto his shirt. Millie felt responsible.
“We’ll continue looking for Mace,” Teal said, nodding to Millie.
“Okay. See you after,” Hudson said as he continued to hold Lilly in his arms.
Millie look
ed back at Lilly and Hudson as they started to walk away. Lilly was distraught. They had been more than family to each other. Her heart sunk with guilt.
Millie turned away and focused her energy on trying to look through the smoke for the one she loved. Teal helped her over fallen trees. He caught her a few times as she tripped over twigs and rocks. A figure came towards them. Millie desperately wished it was Mace. Autumn continued walking past them with bloody arms.
“I found him. He’s over there,” she said, tilting her head.
She looked away and continued walking into the dark. Millie felt sick at the sight of the blood on Autumn’s arms. Her mind thought about all the dead Angels’ blood on her. She felt miserable for all the deaths. Her mind switched to Mace. Without even thinking, she started to run in the direction Autumn had indicated. Her body throbbed with pain, but she ignored it. Suddenly, she saw a body lying on the ground. The body was lying on fallen branches. As she came closer, she recognised Mace’s face. Her mouth let out a small cry. Her legs ran over to him and she skidded on the ground, making her knees bleed even more.
“Mace! Mace!” she yelled at him.
He was not moving. His eyes were closed. His face was covered with blood and cuts. Millie could feel Teal standing behind her.
“Wake up, Mace,” she said, grabbing his bruised hand.
Her eyes filled with tears. Her heart was slowly breaking. Her mind was blank. She didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t responsive. His hand wasn’t perfectly warm; it was nearly cold. She placed her head on his shoulder. She cuddled his body. Tears flowed down her cheeks onto him as his blood dripped on her. Cries came from her mouth as she thought of never kissing him again, never experiencing a happy moment with him again. She thought about his touch. She thought about him never holding her close to his body again. She wished he could tell her that he loved her one last time. You have taken away all of my friends from me, God. Don’t take him away from me. She hoped God listened to her thoughts.
Millie laid there for a couple of minutes until she noticed his fingers twitched. She sat up and took his hand closer to her eyes.
“Mace?” she said, still crying.
His hand squeezed hers. A smile spread across her face. He let out a groan as his whole body moved. His beautiful eyes opened. Millie stared back into them.
White Wings Page 26