Angels Have Fallen

by Christina Byus

demon!”

  “Surrender!”

  “Get down on the ground!”

  Gabriela started to shout back defensively. I covered her mouth with my hand, silencing her. “Shh. They want me, not you.”

  “What have you done to that angel, demon? Why does she bleed?” A gloved hand gripped my shoulder. I released Gabriela so she wouldn’t get hurt. She screamed, reaching for me. Her hand latched onto my foot. I watched another guard pry her off me and lift her into his arms.

  “Good bye, my love,” I whispered, though I knew she couldn’t hear me.

  Lying flat on my back in the middle of a forest I looked up to branches upon branches occupied by leaves blocking out the sky. In the distance Gabriela shrieked. I was happy to have known love even if for a fraction of a day. My lips curled to a smile. Blades rose in the air above me. Tomorrow, when the truth would be found, I’d be counted among the dead.