Hidden Wings (16 page)

“The crazed humans hid away and evolved underground, thus becoming the Darkling. But, the Fallen eventually found them, and made them a proposition… If the Darkling obeyed their biddings on earth, they would be taken care of in the afterlife.”

I sucked in a long breath. This was all so overwhelming. This was something that wasn’t taught to us in history lessons or in church.

Neither Malachi nor Kade moved an inch. Their heads remained frozen, staring out of their windows, probably an attempt at giving us some type of privacy.

Alaine continued. “There is a rift in the ranks of the Fallen. Lucian, one of the leaders and second in command, has gone rogue. His brother was murdered by a Nephilim, and though his brother rightfully deserved death, Lucian has sworn revenge and has vowed to wipe every last Nephilim from the face of the earth. Abominations are what he calls them. And now there is a mark on every Nephilim head.”

“Were they responsible for my parent’s death?” I questioned.

“Yes. But it wasn’t your parents they were after. They were after
you
. Your mother and father were innocent victims.”

“Innocent victims? Weren’t they targets too?”

“Emma, your parents
were
human.”

Her eyes became saddened. There was something deeper to all of this. Ever since the accident, I’d been spiraling further and further down that black hole, a hole that was swallowing me, like Alice in Wonderland. Only, Alice got to wake up. I could only wish that my ending would be similar, that I could just open my eyes and everything would be as it was before the accident. But I don’t think I would ever wake up from this, and so… my nightmare continued.

“But you just said that they were angels…”

“Yes, I know what I said,” she said softly. She exhaled another long breathe. “I knew one day it would come to this, I just don’t know where to begin.”

I could feel my insides twist in tight knots. My eyes began stinging with hot tears. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for her answer. I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“Are you trying to tell me that my parents
weren’t
my
real
parents?”

“They were your parents, Emma, because they raised you, but no…they were
not
your birth parents. They were…human decoys, caring for and hiding you until your eighteenth birthday. But I know for a fact, that they loved you as their own.”

“So my whole life has been a lie?” I exhaled, as the tears streamed down my face.

“I hate to interrupt this moment, but…
we’re not alone
!” Malachi alerted, in an urgent tone. We all stared into the darkness ahead, and then Malachi clicked the on the headlights. About a dozen horrifying creatures stood in the middle of the road before us.

Darkling!

They all looked the same… pasty white skin, dark, sunken eyes, and long, black stringy hair. They looked like a pack of zombies, but these zombies were fully alert and ready for battle.

As soon as the headlights hit their eyes, deafening screams of pain sliced through the air. The Darkling immediately took cover, some dropped to the ground, scurrying out of the beams, while others dove off the road into the cover of the trees. All that is… except one.

The last Darkling standing was huge…more like gigantic. Muscles bulged from the horrific, freak of nature. He stood around ten-feet tall, and wasn’t budging. The reason…he had the darkest black goggles hiding his eyes. So, I guess the big guy wasn’t that stupid after all.

“Holy shit!” Malachi cursed. “Are you guys seeing this? That freakin’ thing is crazy! They must have shot that thing up with some major steroids. I’ve never seen anything like it! You Kade?” Malachi was pumped, excitement gleamed from his face.

“Nope. Never seen anything like that before,” Kade answered. His eyes steeled on the creature.

“Should I run it over?” Malachi shot a glance at Alaine, whose eyes were also on the Darkling.

“Malachi. Something’s wrong,” she said, pointing.

In a second, the giant Darkling pulled something from his back. It was large, black, and looked like some type of weapon; a weapon that looked awfully similar to a missile launcher, or something else that shot out big, exploding things. I’d watched a lot of war movies with my dad, and knew that a weapon like that caused death and devastation.

From the moment he pulled the weapon, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Malachi and Alaine kicked open their doors and dove out of the Hummer. Alaine screamed my name. Kade grabbed my arm and in an instant, I was flung outside, off the road, and rolled into the trees.

Kade jumped over me, grabbing hold of my arm, dragging me on my back away from the Hummer. He suddenly threw his body on top of mine.

BAM!

The explosion of the Hummer sent shockwaves through the trees, and sent fiery shrapnel shooting everywhere. Flames and smoke bellowed from the wreckage, which had flipped onto its side. I couldn’t believe that just a few seconds ago we were sitting inside, thinking we were safe.

What happened to almost impenetrable?

“Emma! Emma!” Kade breathed, shaking me. My ears were muffled by the sound of the blast. We were only a few yards from the road, but the trees shielded us from the bulk of the stray fiery shards of metal falling around us.

I looked into Kade’s eyes. They were intense and had gone completely black. There were no whites to his eyes. He looked like he was in combat mode. His face was close to mine, his warm breath brushed my face.

I gasped.

“Emma, we have to get out of here,” he urged. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I breathed, taken by the change in his eyes, but it didn’t scare me. I was overwhelmed with the feelings of warmth, and the euphoric pleasures brought on by his closeness, even more so now that his body was hard pressed against mine. He was gorgeous, and he was on top of me.

Kade’s head snapped up when sudden sounds came from the trees. He sniffed the air. His head steadied in the direction of the movement, his eyes glaring intently into the darkness.

“We’ve got to move. I’ve got to get you to safety,” he said in a quieted tone. In a split second he was standing, assisting me to my feet, and leading me quickly through the trees. We were hand in hand, running deeper into the darkness of the woods when I tripped, releasing my grip from him. I fell hard to the ground, but couldn’t see anything but the immediate area around me. Kade was gone. My eyes strained to see him, but the only thing I could see was the glow from the fire behind us. Noises echoed all around me.

“Kade!” I screamed out loud; my pulse racing faster than ever.

I was suddenly scooped off the ground, and cradled in strong arms. I glanced up. I was in Kade’s arms, tight and secure. The heat from his chest warmed me to the core. The beating of his heart and the steadiness of his breath relaxed me as he ran effortlessly through the dark woods.

He stopped after a little while and carefully set me down behind a large fallen tree.

“Emma. Stay here and stay quiet,” he whispered. He sniffed the air around us, his eyes intently gazing towards the glow of the fire. I could hear voices and screams carrying through the woods, but I couldn’t pin point them. They sounded like they were everywhere. Quick footsteps suddenly pounded in our direction. I knew the Darkling were fast, and I knew they were out there, somewhere in the darkness…and they wanted me.

“Please don’t leave me,” I breathed, grabbing onto Kade’s arm.

“Don’t worry, Emma. I won’t leave you,” he said, facing me. “Ever.”

“Promise?” I whispered.

“I promise,” he answered. “It’s not safe for you here. We need to find the others.”

The pounding footsteps grew louder and louder. Kade pushed me behind him, drew his blade, and took a combative stance. A dark figure shot out of the darkness. Kade swung at it, but it dodged him, flipped over his head, and landed at his back.

“Kade!” Alexander yelled, grabbing hold of Kade’s arm to keep him from swinging again.

“Alex. What the hell? Why do you have that stupid mask over your face? I couldn’t tell it was you!” Alexander pulled a black ski-mask off his face and tucked it into his pocket, then released his grip from Kade.

“Sorry, man. It helps with that damn Darkling stink.”

“Where are the others?” Kade asked.

“Kicking some Darkling ass…I’m assuming,” Alex replied.

“What about Alaine?”

“She’s holding her own, as usual. Crap, did you see that monstrous one? That dude looks like he’s on steroids. He’s gonna be a tough one to beat.”

“Yeah, we saw him. But we need to get Emma out of these woods. She’s easy prey out here.”

“Well, the second vehicle is still intact. Dom backed it down the road, maybe half a mile. Right now, that’s probably the safest place for her to be. At least we can see what’s coming from the road.”

“I guess. You ready, Emma?” Kade asked, glancing at me.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied. But I was terrified. My body was trembling with so much fear, that I knew I wouldn’t be able to run.

“Alex, cover her back. I’ll take the front. We’ve got to move quickly.”

“Why don’t you just carry her? We’ll get there faster,” Alex questioned.

That was a good question.

“Because if anything comes at us, I’ll need to be able to fight. Just watch her back.”

It was better and safer, with two of them on full guard. I just had to pull myself together and do whatever it took to stay alive.

Kade grabbed my cast, and we took off running back towards the road. The fire from the Hummer served as our only guide. I tried to keep up, and lifted my feet higher than usual, so I wouldn’t trip.

From the corner of my eye I saw something blacker than the dark, shoot towards me.

WHAM!

I was tackled from the side and thrust through the darkness. I blacked out from the initial impact, but when I regained consciousness, I was tumbling across the cold, rough ground. A sudden stop against a solid tree stump knocked the wind out of me, and sent excruciating pain through my already injured rib. I scrambled to get to my feet, desperate to get away from whatever it was that attacked me. Kade and Alexander were nowhere in sight.

I tried to run but the pain in my rib was keeping me from moving too fast.

“Kade! Alex!” I screamed, terrified. I must have been attacked by a Darkling.

There was movement around me, but couldn’t see a thing. And then I caught a whiff of a horrid stench. It was a Darkling, and it was close…taunting me.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something darker than the darkness around me. It moved and then paused. I froze trying to focus on the figure. My breath seized, and then it shot at me. I covered my face as it knocked me to my back, and then I felt a pressure on my chest. I screamed in pain as it rested on my injured rib.

I opened my eyes to witness a horrifying pale face, looming inches from mine. Its eyes were dark as the night, its breath reeked of death, and its head swayed back and forth as it sniffed me.

“Sweet Nephilim,” it hissed into my ear. I stared deep into his dark, evil eyes. Saliva dripped from his mouth onto my skin. I wanted to vomit.

A wicked smile grew over his sharp, rotted teeth.

God! Help me!

I struggled as he wrapped his frigid fingers around my neck, but as soon as he squeezed, he released. His eyes became wide, as if he was shocked, but they never left mine. His back arched and he screamed.

There was a loud
swoosh
in the air, and in a split second, the Darkling’s head was severed from his body, and toppled onto the ground next to mine; its dark eyes, still glaring coldly at me. In a few seconds they turned completely white.

I screamed in horror, trying to get out from under its headless body.

“Emma!”

I looked up and saw the most beautiful hazel eyes glimmering in the darkness.

“Kade,” I called to him as tears streamed down my face.

He stepped closer to me, his blade dripping wet with Darkling blood. He took another step and kicked the body off of me, and then reached his hand down to lift me up.

That was the second time he’d saved my life.

“Are you okay?” he asked, placing his warm hand on the side of my face. I couldn’t answer. My heart was pounding so fast I felt like I was going to pass out.

“Hey man, I think she’s going into shock.” Alexander put his hand on my head like he was trying to feel my temperature.

Kade pulled a small blue vial out of his pouch and unscrewed the lid.

“Drink this Emma,” he breathed, whispering into my ear. He held the vial up to my lips and I drank. It was sweet with a bitter aftertaste, but within a few seconds my body stopped trembling, and I felt relaxed and a bit stronger.

“What is that?” I asked.

“A magic brew,” he answered, with a sly grin. “I’m sorry that damn bastard got to you. It was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault. That thing came out of nowhere,” I replied, and he shook his head.

“Alex, you need to get her back to the car. Emma, he’s going to carry you but I’ll be close. I have to check on the others.”

“Okay,” I breathed.

Kade whisked me up and placed me into Alexander’s arms. “Keep her safe, Alex. Guard her with your life,” he demanded.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got her.”

Chapter 11:

In a flash I was being carried through the woods, the cold wind whipping across my face. The funny thing…it didn’t even feel or sound like Alex’s feet were even hitting the ground. It felt more like we were flying. Everything was a black blur, but in a matter of seconds he stopped and we were already back on the road. The remains of the Hummer that took the blow were a few yards away, still on fire. Alex set me down and pulled a sword from his back. It looked old, like the type of sword King Arthur would’ve have used, but a bit smaller and probably lighter. The blade was sharp, and looked like it could slice a tree in half with one swing.

Alex grabbed my hand and led me toward the burning heap of metal.