Fall From Grace (26 page)

“Kill the freak of nature!” A voice rang
from behind a jeep. A raging inferno lashed at her skull, and her
eyes flew open. Fire spewed forth with such intensity she could
feel the power drain from her legs. The jeep exploded and flew up
into the air. She strained to see through a narrow tunnel of
yellow, murky waves.

They deserve to die.
A husky voice
invaded her thoughts, seized her mind in an iron grasp. Her brain
throbbed as she fought for control. Searing
pain…scratching…piercing. She clutched her head in her hands and
fought for control.

Gunfire distracted her, and the monster
punctured her skull. The demon inside clawed its way through, until
it filled her body and took control. Her calves burned as her knees
bent and she bolted into the air, landing at a nearby tree next to
two unsuspecting men that still pointed their guns where she once
stood. A soothing, cool liquid pushed up before flames licked at
her throat. Fire spewed from her mouth and she gagged trying to
still the rage inside her.

Growling, she flung another jeep into the
air, and it smashed down on top of three hunters. Bones snapped
under the weight of the jeep.

Stop!
She ordered.

The demon roared with sick pleasure. Her
head tilted left and right until everything around her was
ablaze.

Screams echoed beyond the blanket of orange.
Men choked and begged for their lives.

No more. I won’t let you—

You are nothing but a vessel. Weak and
pathetic until I controlled you.

Her mind raced with thoughts of how to
conquer the demon, but the smell of burnt grass and tires were
proof she didn’t have the power.

You think you can win? I know your every
thought…your every move.

No. I’m in control of my own destiny.

You’re destiny is to sacrifice yourself so
that Satan can rule all worlds. So disgustingly easy. Heaven
choosing an innocent child to fight a war. They always pick the
weak or pathetic to fight for their cause.

A familiar surge of current zapped her skin,
announcing the start of another vision.

The creature roared.

You might possess this body, but you’ll
never have my soul.
She relinquished control and let the
dream-like world take her. The pressure of the monster crushing her
soul subsided as she surfed through a wave-like tunnel. Water
spiraled around her soul as she slipped through the center of a
typhoon. The air was filled with a fresh breeze, but lacked the
hint of salt she’d expect from ocean water.

Gaby, you must seal the rift.

Mom?
Excitement welled up inside her,
and her gaze darted around to find the exit to the roaring tunnel.
Mom where are you?

Far away, my dear. Only my words can travel
to you.

Gaby’s heart ached to see even a glimpse of
her mother’s ringlet hair, or bright smile.
I miss you so
much.

I miss you, too.
Her mother choked.
No time for tears, my child. You must close the rift before it’s
too late.

How? The demon controls my body.
Gaby
shivered at the memory of its vile blood that seared her veins with
each pump of her heart.

Yes, we know, let it lead you to the rift.
Don’t fight it.

Gaby tried to reach out and touch the wave,
but with no real limbs, she couldn’t connect with anything.
What
then?

The translucent light-blue water turned
dark, and something snaked around her soul, tugging her back toward
the demon-infested consciousness she’d left behind.

You will end the war before it has a chance
to begin. Seal the rift the second you arrive. You can overcome the
creature at the place where Earth and Hell meet. Don’t think, just
focus on your gifts, we’ll do the rest. Don’t hesitate. If you do,
you won’t be able to seal it on your own.

What of the others? Grace, and the angels
trapped.

Silence spoke volumes.

Gaby hesitated.
Mom?

You must leave them to their fate.

No! I can’t do that. Grace is like a second
mother to me. It was my fault—

You must…
A rough grip snatched her
soul, and yanked her back. She skidded along the narrow tunnel, her
mother’s sweet voice left behind.

I-I can’t do it.
She whimpered before
the latches of possession snapped shut, and her soul was once again
imprisoned in her own body.

You cannot win.
The demon laughed and
scanned the carnage around them.
Look at the destruction you
caused because you left this body. Where did you go?

Forras never made her cringe the way this
demon did. But was it even a demon, or her own consciousness
allowing the dark side to emerge? Maybe she should have listened to
the others and stayed on meds. Her demonic side remained dormant as
long as she took them.

No, we were always lurking nearby. Whatever
angel pulled you from here cannot save you.

She shut her mind, not allowing any thoughts
about her loved ones, or possible plan to free the others. Instead,
she hummed in her head, the way Grace always sang in the house. The
rhythm gave her something clear to focus on.

Over and over she hummed the same few notes,
hum da hum, da la hum, da hum, da hum hum ah hum hum, hum.

The monster thrashed at her soul, but she
continued. She matched her hums to the rhythmic beat of her tennis
shoes slapping against the wet grass. Wet? Perhaps it had rained
again. She wasn’t sure. She just kept humming, until she reached
County Line Road. The smell of damp asphalt shook her resolve, and
she concentrated on keeping her mind clear.

For so long you fought to live free of me,
but now, I will be free of you.

Sounds of screams and pleas made her body
shiver. The demon took pleasure in her reaction. It violated her
mind, body, and tried to take her soul.

It is time.

Thoughts of Alexander penetrated her
defenses. She’d gladly lay down her life for him, but to…no, she
couldn’t think about it.

About what?

Crap. Nothing.
Gaby began to hum
again, but in a few seconds, none of this would matter. She’d
either be demon food or free.

The monster slowed to a steady pace and
marched into the woods. No birds sang or squirrels chattered. The
land was silent, no wind and no crickets. Unnatural. The way she
felt right now.

Her body fell to her knees; no…he bowed
before entering the land, prostrating itself before the master
demon. He stood and walked a few feet further. “Master, I have
brought you a great gift.” It sounded like her voice, but deeper
and raspier.

He edged a few more feet forward; the breath
sucked from her lungs. The world shimmied then disappeared before
the familiar red-hot lava bubbled around her. It was her vision.
This was it. She had to seal the rift before it was too late.

She opened her mind and focused on pushing
the demon out and embracing her angelic abilities.

No! You can’t do that! Not here.

A light illuminated from above and shone
down on a grey-haired lady.
Grace?

The last year flashed through her. Grace
sitting and talking with her during afternoon tea, consoling her
when she thought Alexander hated her. Rubbed her back and sang
while she nursed Gaby back to health.

She couldn’t seal the rift, not when she’d
be leaving them inside to remain chained to the underworld for all
eternity.

You cannot save them.
The demon
chuckled.

This was it, her only shot for ending the
war, she had to take it, but she couldn’t leave them behind. Maybe
she could hold the demon off long enough to free Grace and the
other’s, then seal the gate.

She grasped at the little light in the deep
hidden crevices in her body and willed it out to battle the demon.
She could do this. She took in a long deep breath and realized that
she controlled her own lungs. Elation filled her, and she took
advantage of the small window of time.

Gaby clutched the cool energy ebbing to the
surface and drenched the flames. The demon struggled for control,
but she knew there would be only one shot and refused to fail. The
nausea subsided and the claws retracted, sliding up and out of her
mind.

The cool water turned frigid, and she raced
forward to the pit of bodies shackled to the underworld. The demon
slid further away and she took advantage, shooting icy energy at
one of the manacles wrapped tight around Grace’s wrists. One
snapped off, then another. Her upper body floated higher. She
coughed; sucking in ash filled air and focused on the third chain.
Another bluish-white light shot from her hands and one of Grace’s
legs snapped free.

The demon presence scratched at her skull
like before, and she knew there wasn’t much time. She drew in all
her remaining energy and aimed for the last restraint. The ground
shook and she missed.

The demon managed to puncture one nail
through her skull, and she knew what she had to do, but
hesitated.

The ground opened and lava slid down the
sides of an enormous grey stone, shooting from the depths of the
fiery graveyard of souls. No, it wasn’t a rock. It was a creature.
Two-horns, a head the size of a large SUV, and the eyes of a
supernova about to explode. The sting of panic raced through her
body. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. It was the
largest demon she’d ever imagine existed.

Steam rolled from his nostrils as he tilted
his chin down to study her.

You have failed to seal the rift and now, I
will win the favor of my master as he takes his rightful place on
the throne to rule all of Earth and Heaven.

****

Alexander’s wings strained against the force
of the wind. The sky grew dark and clouds shot through the sky,
forming distorted manifestations of evil beings. He re-centered his
focus and banked right, diving into the heart of smoke and
wreckage.

His shoes pressed against the darkened
grass. Men lay in contorted positions, strewn about the open field
like breadcrumbs to feed a wild animal. They
had
been food,
life-feeding energy for a demon. His heart mangled in the grip of
sadness at the thought Gaby had anything to do with this kind of
evil.

Steam rose from a jeep’s engine, bits of
clothing and supplies sizzled in small piles, and the silence of
life taken. He heaved and choked on the smell of death. Each
wobbled step weighted his legs with the heaviness of loss.

“It wasn’t her.” Alexander rasped.

“Deny if you want, but it is what I warned.”
The principal continued through to the other side of the field with
the back of her hand pressed to her nose.

“Elianna, tell me it isn’t true. You
wouldn’t…” Bruce’s voice faded.

There was no way Alexander’s sweet, loving
Gaby was capable of destroying life.

David remained near the edge, scanning the
remains of his comrades with a blank stare.

The ground shook beneath them. Avery
outstretched her arms and gave a deep laugh. “My father grows
stronger.”

Sand ran down into dark crevices. Each step
challenged Alexander to remain on his feet. His right foot slid
down one of the holes and he took flight, hovering over the
breaking ground.

“No time. We must stop this. The Master
demon is opening the rift wider.” The principal yelled before two
large black wings flapped, igniting the remaining flames. Her frame
shrank with each passing second.

Wind erupted. Typhoons of sand rose from the
falling sand. His wings flailed, struggling to free himself from
the current.

“Alex!” Sammy screamed.

The sand lashed at his skin. Wind thrust one
wing forward while the other one twisted behind him. He spun in a
whirl of wind, too strong to control his direction. A dark hand
reached through the wall of sand and yanked him free. Boon led him
from the clearing. Bruce stood by Sammy, but none of them
hesitated.

Boon released Alexander and he dropped with
a thud against the rumbling ground. Bruce jumped on Boon’s
back.

Mastema struggled, but finally clutched
Avery’s thrashing arms tight to her side. They all raced toward the
rift, and the only chance to end the reign of terror on Kemp.
Possibly, their only opportunity to stop a war that would destroy
humanity, and one day overtake Heaven.

Horrific images of Gaby imprisoned in the
clutches of the master demon haunted him. He shivered, but a
minimal amount of relief fueled him forward, because if she was
imprisoned by the master demon, that meant she didn’t serve it. His
gut wrenched, how could he want his soul mate to be tortured, and
how could she take anymore?

The loss of her mother, alcoholic father, in
love with a fallen angel, marked by a demon, and powers she
couldn’t control. Not even an angel could handle that much in a
year. He shook his head and refocused.

They landed just outside the area the master
demon had attacked earlier. He strained to see into the wall of
dark amber and crimson air that filled the area beyond the trees,
but it was no use. The fog was too thick.

“How are we going to do this?” Sammy asked,
with her chin raised to look at Boon. Her thumb brushed his hand,
and Alexander longed to hold Gaby in his arms again.

“Any stealth approach?” Bruce walked along
the green grass at the edge where it was blackened.

The Prim struggled against Avery’s body,
twisting and screaming to free herself. “No. Demon’ll detect us the
minute we cross into his territory.”

“Fine, then we stay together and approach
head on.” Sammy took off before Boon or Alexander could stop her
from hitting the barrier. She shot back with pale pink feathers
smoking. “What was—”

“We can’t cross in angelic form.” Boon
scooted her back to a tree and brushed the hair from her eyes.