The boot slammed into her chest. Casi tried to scream, but the boot
returned, pounding her shoulder. There was a loud crack as a bone broke.
When she finally managed to glance back up, lobster claws had returned
to his spot, and balloon head was gone.
“Think she can die
again?” a voice beyond her field of vision queried.
“Hey, Jaras,” another
voice spoke. “Did Rayedd tell you how to kill her? Or is he leaving that
up to us?”
“He didn’t say,” the
one named Jaras remarked. “But I kind of like watching her suffer.” The
demon leaned over from behind her, getting so close to her ear she could
smell its rank breath. “So much for your little plan to get us all out
in the open so you can destroy us. Won’t matter anyway, since we’d never
fall for that ruse, now that we know all about you, little angel mouse.
Hey, guys. I say we go ahead and stomp her to death. Whaddaya say? Let’s
smush her into bloody little pieces, until there’s nothing left but worm
food. Y’all have at her. I’m gonna start with her head.”
Casi sensed a boot
rising above her temple, the edge of the sole coming into view from the
corner of her eye. Reaching up with one hand, she grabbed the boot and
at the same time rolled to the side, dragging the leg with her. Her
action jerked the demon off balance, and the creature fell backwards.
Her sudden movement surprised them, and gave her that second to get to
her feet.
Standing was close to
impossible. Her body rang with agony, and her head threatened to black
out at any moment. She held out her one usable hand, as if she could
ward them off. To her surprise, they hesitated.
Remember the one who hit you?
The little voice reminded
her they couldn’t make skin-to-skin contact with her. Doing so didn’t
harm her, but it was like pouring acid on them. Along with the reminder
came the vision of the creature whose hands and arms began to boil after
beating her.
Naked. I need to fight them naked.
Grabbing the hem of
her t-shirt, she slid it over her head with one swift tug. It hung up
for a micro-second on her shattered arm and shoulder. Gritting her
teeth, she fought the sharp knife-like stabbing racing through her body
and dropped the garment, leaving her nude from the waist up. The demons
tensed, waiting for her next move.
Keeping her head up,
she dove straight toward them. The demons reacted automatically, and
darted out of the way to avoid being touched. She ran past them as a
couple tried to reach out and snag her. There was the sound of something
popping, followed by the smell of burning flesh, but none of them were
able to get a grip on her.
That injured demon had
stupidly left the door wide open, and no one had closed it behind him.
Maybe it was because they believed they could prevent her from escaping
by their sheer numbers. That after they were done with her, she would
either be dead, or completely incapacitated, too injured to move.
Casi burst through the
doorway to discover she was inside a larger warehouse type of structure.
At the far end of the building were a set of large delivery doors. They
were also open, and beyond she saw an open field.
She took off toward
the doors when she heard the demons emerge behind her. They were running
after her, attempting to head her off. Someone shouted orders to shut
the door. A loud beeping noise filled the cavernous building, followed
by a rumbling sound, and she saw the doors start lowering.
No! Nooo!
From some inner
well she found the strength for a burst of speed. If she had to, she’d
throw herself onto the floor and try to slide out underneath if the
doors were too close to the ground. But she quickly realized they were
shutting faster than she could run, and her meager energy was nearly
depleted.
Someone took a swipe
at her, striking her arm. Another brief burst of foulness came with a
screech. Then something hard hit her in the back of her head. Casi
stumbled and fell forward. She tried to throw her arms out in front of
her to break her fall, and her hands met the rough cement, scraping away
the skin from her palms and fingers. The impact sent fresh waves of
debilitating pain through her body as her broken arm collapsed
underneath her, and she went tumbling, rolling over and over until she
came to rest on her side.
The demons caught up
with her, laughing with delight from being able to stop her from
escaping. As they made another circle around her, one of them hunched
down to face her directly.
“Nice try, little
mouse. Our little mouse angel.”
A demon near her feet
snorted. “Some angel. Where are your wings?”
“More like a wingless
angel,” another remarked.
“You know they don’t
get no wings if they’re still alive,” still another taunted.
The one squatting
arose. “Let’s see if she sprouts any wings, then,” he announced, and
raised his boot.
A sword of fire came
down, slicing off the leg below the knee. At the same time, the
warehouse was filled with a golden glow that permeated every inch of
space. The glow intensified, bringing with it a heat she could feel. But
the heat and light didn’t affect her. Not like it did the demons. Casi
watched as the creature in front of her let out a screech as it slowly
melted, skin from muscles, to bone and organs, until the blood hissed as
it evaporated.
Around her, the other
demons dissolved into puddles, steam rising from their remains. Once the
last demon was nothing more than a wet spot on the floor, the light and
heat dissipated, leaving behind a blessed coolness.
Casi lifted her face
for his kiss.
“Don’t move, Casi, my
love,” Coheed whispered. Helping her to roll over onto her back, he
gently wiped her body with his hands. Gliding his palms over her wounds,
allowing them to miraculously heal. Sending sheets of warmth throughout,
until the bitterly cold warehouse no longer affected her. He took extra
time to administer to her shattered arm and shoulder, mending the bone
and muscle until no mark or bruise remained. While he worked on her, she
drifted in and out of consciousness, without pain or care. Without any
worry of any more demons trying to attack her. They knew better than to
confront an archangel.
At some point she was
aware of the warehouse doors opening. Outside, a car’s engine rumbled as
it pulled up next to the building. She recognized the rough sound of
Gilly’s vehicle. Before she could say anything, Coheed lifted her into
his arms and carried her out to where the priest was waiting.
The angel slid into
the back seat, cradling her in his lap, and Gilly drove them away. |