The Fallen (Angelic Redemption)

by Angela Horn

  Today’s hunt involved a villain in the body of a salesman at a technology company. The monster kept up appearances, going to work everyday, while hunting children in its spare time. If the villain had other evil hobbies, Joaquin didn’t care to know. He just wanted the thing dead.

  Joaquin tracked the villain by car for several miles without being seen. Wherever the monster was headed, it was in a hurry and unaware of the short lifespan it possessed. Joaquin took his time, not particularly worried about how this adventure might end. His only concern involved making it home to Maximo before dinner.

  Following the villain into a formerly industrial area, now just blocks and blocks of empty buildings, he realized something bigger was now in play. Since Heidi’s death, Joaquin had grown skilled at sensing villains and their degrees of danger to him. He knew when more than one was present or when the villain might put up a real fight.

  As this villain parked its car and he drove past to hide his sedan a block away, Joaquin felt a large number of villains in the vicinity. He also sensed something more powerful than the villains - a power almost frightening in its intensity. Hunters were nearby, including a big dog. Prepared to join the fight, Joaquin was restless to do some real damage, even if playing with others wasn’t one of his better qualities.

  Staring into the trunk of his car, Joaquin felt a pang of uncertainty. When he left the hotel earlier, he had assumed an easy kill and packed his weapons accordingly. Sensing he was about to walk into a firefight ill-equipped, he thought to play it safe. No matter his desire to return to Maximo, Joaquin felt something urging him to join this battle.

  Nearing the corner where he left the villain, Joaquin flinched at a sudden burst of gunfire. A second round of guns opened fire and Joaquin suspected these were the hunters. His kind was being ambushed, so he ran towards the fight.

  The villain in the salesman’s body never noticed Joaquin who shot his target and swiped off the thing’s head without pausing. The gunfight roared ahead. More guns joined the conflict and more villains ran to and from the battle.

  Joaquin tried to use his bullets sparingly, taking out as many villains with as few shots as possible. With every step he took, he felt the presence of a big dog growing in his gut. Even with so much adrenaline pumping through his veins, nothing prepared Joaquin for the view ahead.

  Bullets rained down on the street, directed at a few locations where hunters were pinned down. Joaquin moved towards the battle, hoping to change the momentum of the fight. Once he laid eyes on Karen though, he stopped in his tracks.

  The traitor ran from the battle along with two villains who appeared to be protecting her. Joaquin heard rumors over the years of a rogue hunter killing off packs. He also knew the rogue called itself the Reaper. Joaquin might have admired Karen’s audacity, if he didn’t desire so strongly to strangle the life from her.

  Changing directions, Joaquin raced to catch up to Karen and her bodyguards before she escaped once again. Her attention elsewhere, Karen let him get within a few yards of her before ordering the villains to stop him. Fleeing with Karen into an abandoned building, the villains opened fire.

  Losing sight of a long term plan, Joaquin fired back. He only wounded them while missing Karen completely. Chasing them into the abandoned building, he tossed two spent weapons to the ground. Joaquin held his remaining gun tightly, anxious to finally punish Karen.

  Bullets cascaded around him as he entered a dimly lit hallway. One shot hit his thigh, more bouncing off it than cutting through it. Joaquin felt nothing more than the painful desire to watch the life leave Karen’s eyes. Careful with his final shots, he hit one villain in the head. It fell to the ground. Twitching, it wasn’t dead, but harmless for now. The second villain followed Karen further into the building.

  Panicked that she might escape again, Joaquin fired into the hallway, just hoping to slow her down. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, he fired his last rounds before tossing the gun aside and moving forward with only a sword in hand.

  A villain fired at Joaquin, giving away its location with every shot. Moving swiftly and lower to the ground, the hunter hurled his body at the villain. They wrestled for control of the weapons. The monster shoved a blade into Joaquin’s side, tearing into the flesh just above his waistband.

  Whatever pain rushed through his body, Joaquin refused to feel it. He craved retribution and this villain and its blade would not deny him what was due. Seizing the villain’s gun, he fired into the thing’s head until the gun was empty. Yanking the blade from his side, Joaquin used it to finish off the villain.

  Somewhere in the darkness, Karen escaped once again.

  Unwilling to return to Maximo without killing the traitor, Joaquin stood with his sword in hand. Running forward, his mind tried to separate the sounds of movement inside the building from the firefight outside.

  Heart racing as he remembered sending Heidi to die, Joaquin knew this was the closest he had come in all these years to finally killing her murderer. Arriving at a lighted section, he surveyed the two possible getaways for Karen. Deciphering the sounds of her feet sliding against trash in the hallway to his right, he rushed after her.

  Barreling into the hallway, Joaquin saw the flash of her gun. Without pausing, he slammed into Karen, knocking her to the ground. Kicking away her weapon and holstering his blade, he reached for her in the darkness, his fingers claiming the warmth of her throat.

  “You can’t run anymore, traitor,” Joaquin said, yanking Karen to her feet. “You must pay for what you’ve done.”

  “She’s alive,” Karen gasped as she tore at his fingers around her neck. “She’s here. God brought her back.”

  Joaquin slammed her against the wall. “It’s over. No more running.”

  “No, listen, she’s here. Heidi’s here. She just doesn’t know who you are, but she’s alive. She’s outside with the others. I brought her here, so you could see that she was alive.”

  More lies. Joaquin wondered how many hunters died over the years by trusting Karen’s lies. Hunters like his Heidi. He wished he might claim to be unfazed by them, but her words created a stirring in him. Joaquin felt a wistful need to shut her up before he gave into the deception again.

  Joaquin pressed down on her throat to silence her before he faltered and she escaped again. He felt her struggle against his assault, clawing at his arms and face, kicking against his legs. Joaquin’s resolve never wavered. As her struggling lessoned and she grew limp in his hands, he reached for his sword.

  So transfixed on Karen’s impending death, Joaquin felt those memories breaking forward. Heidi’s trusting eyes, her smile as she left him, her laughter as she slid on the loose canyon ground. Heidi was his to protect. No matter how many times he killed Karen, it wouldn’t change the fact that his wife was dead and his son motherless because Joaquin failed to act when God cautioned him.

  Just as he was poised to take his vengeance, someone slammed into Joaquin, throwing him and Karen to the ground. Smacking his head against the wall, Joaquin felt disoriented. He was slow to react as the newcomer kicked him hard in the ribcage, shoving him onto his back.

  Next to him, Karen was already crawling away from the struggle, but Joaquin grabbed her ankle and yanked her back. With his mind on Karen, he didn’t block the newcomer’s attack fast enough. One of the kicks tore open the knife wound.

  With so many villain and hunter vibes in the area, Joaquin couldn’t tell if his attacker was an ally or an enemy. He didn’t care either way. This person was keeping him from killing Karen who once again crept away from her rightful death.

  Ignoring Karen for a moment, Joaquin turned his focus to neutralizing this new threat. Even in the darkness, Joaquin spotted the long locks of a woman as she moved in for another strike. Dodging the attack, he grabbed her boot and yanked hard enough for her to lose her balance.

  Instead of just falling though, she swung her other foot around and kicked Joaquin in the face. They both tumbled to the groun
d. Still disoriented, Joaquin pulled back his legs and kicked out as hard as he could. Both feet made contact, throwing the woman across the hall and into a wall.

  On his feet now, Joaquin knew he only had moments to catch and kill Karen before this woman stopped him again. Racing after the traitor, Joaquin found himself inside a bright and cavernous room.

  Tackling her to the ground, Joaquin twisted Karen onto her back then grabbed for his sword. He again felt his opportunity slipping away as Karen’s ally approached, her boots clicking on the ground. Before the blade could pierce Karen’s flesh, Joaquin felt the barrel of a gun press against the side of his head.

  “Get off her, Reaper.”

  Joaquin ignored the woman and pressed the blade deeper against Karen’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood. The traitor studied him for a moment then her eyes moved to her ally.

  “Shoot him, Sophie! Kill the Reaper before it’s too late!”

  Sophie didn’t fire the gun even as it pressed harder against his temple. A minute passed with Joaquin holding his blade against Karen’s throat and Sophie holding her gun against his head.

  Karen frowned deeply at her ally’s inability to act. Joaquin watched her gaze shift from panic to another emotion. Less afraid, now almost hopeful.

  “I told you she was alive, Joaquin. I don’t think God will let her kill you. Just look at her and you’ll see I’m telling the truth.”

  Sophie pulled the gun away slightly. “What are you talking about?”

  Joaquin told himself it was a lie. He refused to look at the woman called Sophie, yet the trio was at an impasse. If Joaquin killed Karen, Sophie would kill him. While Karen’s demise felt worth the loss of his life, he pained to think of Maximo orphaned again.

  “Please look at her. It’s Heidi. God brought her back.”

  Joaquin was unsure how to proceed as long as Sophie held the gun. Deciding to give into Karen’s request, he hoped to make a move for Sophie’s weapon. He instead found himself staring into the confused eyes of his dead wife. His mind ached with the absurdity of this false image before him. His heart though yearned to move closer and embrace this woman who looked like his Heidi.

  Still holding Karen by the throat with one hand, he touched Sophie’s knee, sure the image would disappear. She only backed away.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  Sophie’s frown deepened and she studied both Joaquin and Karen before answering.

  “Who do you think I am?”

  Joaquin recognized differences between this woman and his wife. The blonde hair was darker, the skin lighter. He assumed if Heidi hadn’t been out in the sun much these last three years, this might be what she would look like. Yet her freckles and green eyes were the same. Her eyes were what told him this woman, no matter the slight differences, was somehow Heidi. Even while pointing the weapon at him and knowing him only as the Reaper, this woman wasn’t afraid.

  Releasing Karen, Joaquin stood quickly, ignoring the gun pressed against him as he studied the Heidi woman. She never lowered the weapon, but did not fire. She watched him watch her.

  “Who do you think I am?” she asked again.

  “Heidi, my wife. Karen murdered her, but now somehow she stands before me. Is this a miracle or more treachery?”

  Sophie did not answer, but her eyes flashed to Karen who watched them both.

  “Why would she kill me?”

  “She made a deal with a demon. The price was your life,” he said, sliding his sword into the holster.

  “What was the prize?”

  “It would seem the demon denied her the prize of a human life for she still betrays our kind.”

  The Heidi woman watched Karen then turned her attention back to Joaquin.

  “My name isn’t Heidi anymore. I’m Sophie and I was Sophie in my first life. I think I’m supposed to be Sophie. God sent me to stop you.”

  “Stop me from what?”

  “I don’t know. It was Lila’s vision. You’re the Reaper and I’m supposed to stop you.”

  Frowning, Joaquin was concerned that somehow this woman who looked like his Heidi was not in fact his Heidi. Was it somehow a trick? She watched him with a curious gaze, unafraid and just a little confused. If she meant to kill him, she planned on taking her time about it.

  Studying him, Sophie’s eyes flashed occasionally to Karen. His enemy, the one he desired to kill, never moved, unusually docile as if hoping Sophie would finally pull the trigger and end the standoff.

  “Did you kill those hunters?” Sophie asked and he sensed she knew the answer. “Are you my enemy?”

  The proximity of his wife, if this was his wife, became too much. Joaquin hungered to end the suspense and know the truth. Taking her face into his hands, he waited for her to object. She allowed him to kiss her, even though she did not return his affections. When he pulled away, she stared into his dark eyes with her soft green ones.

  “Karen set up an ambush and we’re outnumbered,” Sophie said. “Will you please help me save my friends?”

  Joaquin knew this woman couldn’t be Heidi, but she was his wife. No matter what name she wanted to be called or what path brought her to him. If she needed help, he could no more deny Sophie than he could Heidi. Outside on the street, guns roared, the battle shaking the windows and threatening to overwhelm all other noise.

  “We should go, but we can’t leave Karen alive,” he said.

  Nodding, Sophie turned her gun towards the traitor. A door burst open behind them and Joaquin spotted the enemy just in time to see their guns fire. Grabbing Sophie against him, he used his body as a shield. The bullets tapped at him, their entries mostly harmless, barely painful. Sophie at first cowered against him. She then shifted under his arm and fired at the villains, taking them down. Checking his wounds, she scowled.

  “You’re hurt,” she said with a panic to her voice that betrayed her otherwise calm appearance. “Are you in pain?”

  Joaquin shook his head, the sting of the wounds invigorating for they proved this experience was real. His wife stood next to him, her warm hand against his skin as she studied the wounds. She then straightened, alerted to danger. Joaquin felt it too, but they were both too late.

  Having crawled away from Joaquin and Sophie during the shooting, Karen now stood with a villain’s weapon. Any attempt by Joaquin to protect Sophie from this onslaught failed and Karen’s shots tore through both hunters.

  Sophie’s weapon skidded away as she tumbled to the ground next to Joaquin. In more pain than he had ever suffered before, Joaquin still tried to focus and plan an attack, even as his body refused to do anything more than gasp for air and bleed the floor red. Sophie stared at him, in pain, though still unafraid.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” she said with a gentle smile.

  Karen moved closer, reloading her weapon.

  “It’s not over, Karen,” Sophie said casually. “The battle outside is quieting and those villains weren’t running to your aid, but from danger. You’re going to die today and I’m betting God doesn’t bring you back.”

  Laughing off Sophie’s certainty, Karen still looked enraged. “You think God’s going to save you? Just like He saved you back in Mexico or how about with Micah? God doesn’t care about us. He uses us to do His dirty work then tosses us aside the minute we slip up,” Karen said, glancing angrily upward. “Oh, yeah, God’s a super guy. He forgives humans for the most disgusting sins, if they ask for mercy. We get nothing.”

  Sophie smiled at Joaquin. “When this is over, we’re going to New Orleans to find a member of my old pack. Then we’re freeing Micah and closing the gateways. She can’t stop us.”

  “Shut up!” Karen screamed. “You think that silence out there is because you’re winning? My army of villains has cut down your friends and now feasts on their remains. How’s that for winning?”

  Calming down, Karen glanced at the doorway as two more villains rushed through. “Speak of the devils.”

  Joaquin felt stron
ger now. Maybe his wounds were healing or maybe Sophie’s calmness infected him. He sat up with the hope of fighting off the monsters. As if sensing his plan, Karen shot him in the chest, throwing him back to the ground.

  Sophie gasped and reached out to him. She began to say something, but then her gaze turned to the doorway where the villains had entered. Sophie’s face brightened and she smiled at Joaquin.

  Bullets from the darkened doorway ripped apart the villains and Karen. The now injured traitor turned her weapon towards the unknown shooter in the darkness. After firing until her weapon was empty, Karen rushed to find another one. Preoccupied, Karen didn’t notice the sword until it was too late. The blade whizzed from the darkness and lopped off her right hand.

  Screaming out in pain, Karen collapsed. She yanked off her jacket and pressed it against the gushing wound. From the doorway, a woman stumbled forward, her gun empty and her body riddled with wounds.

  This newcomer felt familiar to Joaquin, but it took him a minute to realize she was the woman from his strange dream all those years ago. Sophie sat up and cried out to her ally.

  “Nice throw, Lila.”

  “Not really. I was aiming for her head,” Lila said, collapsing to the floor with a thud.

  Joaquin felt blood flowing into his lungs and his heart slowing. No matter his pain, Joaquin smiled as he watched Karen suffer.

  Even outnumbered and injured, the traitor seized the blade that took her hand and threw it at Lila.

  “Watch out,” Sophie cried.

  Lila, who was checking her wounds, glanced up and caught the blade, giving an unimpressed smirk.

  “Do better, traitor, because…” Lila paused then looked at Sophie. “I’m tired. You kill her.”

  With that command from Lila, Sophie was on her feet. Seemingly unfazed by her earlier injuries, she barreled towards the traitor. Karen moved quickly too, letting go of her wound and sprinting for the gun lying between her and Sophie. Watching as Karen reached the weapon first, Joaquin tensed as she aimed it at Sophie.