Chapter 9

"I'm sorry you have to die," a voice told me.

It was a familiar voice and when I turned to my right I saw her there. The beautiful and elegant Ariel! I should have known. I should have known by the ferocious distinct nature of the dogs that she was behind this.

"No...no..."

"Don't fight it," she told me in a calm voice, "It will be easier this way. Trust me."

It was at that moment that I realized Ariel was far from the defenseless girl I saw in the train station. She had her wild dogs gnawing at me.

The dogs surrounded me and I knew at that moment this may be the beginning of the end. I don't know why I embraced God so much at that moment when I never had before in my life. Maybe it was a fear that maybe I would be meeting him soon.

All of a sudden I could feel something around me. A force.

It was the most beautiful thing in the world. It came down to me like some invisible hand and it scooped me out of the jaws of those monsters. It protected me. It was like a protective lover coming to my defense. All of a sudden I felt it all around me. I had felt the presence before but nothing as strong as this. This was something frightening and embracing. This was some cold and warm.

It pulled me away from them and all of a sudden I realized I was in the air...planted above the air looking down at the dogs. My mind was all around me.

She said something. At first I didn't know what it was.

It was almost like I couldn't hear but I was able to read her lips as Ariel repeated it again and again. "Oh my god..."

I knew why she was saying this. I was floating above the air. I was so high that I touched the roof of the garage with my head. I floated there. It took me a minute before I realized that I wasn't flying. No. I was being picked up. I was being picked up and held there. It was almost as though I was a child. And this person was picking me up from the ground. And the person suspended me away from danger.

And this person was angry...this person was so angry...

I could feel his anger.

I almost for a moment felt bad for Ariel. I didn't know why. I was afraid. I was confused. The force got angrier and angrier even though at this moment I was so calm. It was almost as though it was taking my anger for me. It was beyond pissed and it had a weapon.

Blue light was suspended all around me.

The dogs barked at me angrily but the person that was with me was angrier. I didn't see them...not with my eyes but I could feel them moving forward. I could feel the person gliding on wings. And the person attacked the dogs. A wild yelp scratched throughout the air. The yell was beyond anything that I had ever heard.

Packs of wild dogs cut in half...slashed on the grounds before I knew it.

One at a time...one at a time.

My eyes stared at the scene below me. I was powerless to really control what was going on. I was powerless to stop it or make it happen further. At this point I was watching. I was so far removed from this. It was almost as though I was just watching these animals be slaughtered in order to protect me.

Ariel remained, "Oh my god."

She was backing up. Her feet backed up slowly. She was looking at me. It was almost as though she thought I was the one doing it. Couldn't she feel the person with us! Couldn't she see the other force that was doing this?

"Don't fight it," a voice stated, mimicking what Ariel had said easier.

It was at that moment that I realized my own mouth was moving! My brain hadn't commanded my mouth to move. No. My brain hadn't spoken but somehow my mouth was moving and Ariel heard what I was saying. She heard what I was saying and she thought it was me.

Ariel looked over at me, "Michael, please..I didn't have a choice..."

She was moving away slowly. Tears were swelling up in her eyes. I was almost afraid. I played hard on the surface but I wasn't a heartless person. I was afraid for Ariel. This person that had taken over my body and had taken over my voice didn't feel any of those emotions. This invisible person that had cut down those dogs with an invisible sword and an invisible hand was still with us. And this person was the very meaning of vengeance.

This person was moving towards her. I could feel it moving towards her. It was a masculine force. Yes. Yes it had to be. It was a him.

And he moved closer and closer to Ariel.

And it wasn't walking. No...it was gliding across the air. And there were sparks of blue lights everywhere. For some reason Ariel was still looking at me as though I was causing it. She was a fool. She was a fool.

Run girl, was what I was thinking. Run! Get out of here! He'll kill you. Don't you get it. He'll kill you. Why are you crying? Why are you playing victim like you did back on the subway. I had saw how capable she really was when she had put her dogs on me.

Run Ariel!

He'll kill you.

He's going to kill you!

"Don't fight it," the voice repeated, "It's easier this way. Trust me..."

My mouth was moving again but the voice was something more powerful and loud. It came from everywhere and no where at once. It was the most beautiful and fearful thing that I had ever felt in my life. It protected me and it horrified me. I didn't know what to think about it.

It had it's eyes set out on Ariel and it was moving for her and even though she had finally turned around to run, I knew she couldn't run fast enough.

Because this thing didn't run. It flew.

It flew on wings...

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Gabriel looked over at Uriel. He hadn't spoken to her all day. She had blown up earlier in that day but had returned. She always returned. Raphael had calmed her down before she had gotten too far luckily. She regretted how she acted. It was really below her to throw a tantrum like she had thrown.

Uriel was so handsome to her. He was everything that she wanted in a man. He was on the other side of the office space. He had his own desk and Rag had supplied him with an endless number of candles. He was practicing calling his flame over and over. His flame was the perfect reflection of who he was. Masculine, light and dangerous. Like the flame Uriel had that protective nature. It's cleansing light kept darkness away. Gabriel for some reason liked to believe she was all powerful but someone like Uriel made her feel safe.

"Are you going to just stare at him?" a voice stated.

Gabriel turned to see Raphael standing there. Raphael always had a way of sneaking up on her when she wasn't noticing. She turned quickly. Luckily the office space was big enough that Uriel wouldn't have heard what they were discussing. Chamuel was also playing on his piano distracting the entire office floor.

"I'm going to ask Rag to install some cubicles in this place," Gabriel replied, "We need privacy."

There were only desks right now. It reminded Gabriel of an old fashioned office. Open space and bright open windows all around. The only actual room was a conference room that they barely used in the back and Raguel's office.

"If you do that how will you be able to see Uriel."

"Don't worry about Uriel," she replied.

"You're wasting your time with him," Raphael replied, "He doesn't even pay attention to you. You know it and I know it. Honestly I think he's gay."

"This coming from the guy who was having sex with our resident gay?" Gabriel asked.

"I wasn't having sex with him...he was seducing me..." Raphael got defensive.

Gabriel sighed. She could tell Raphael had a hint of homophobia in his blood. She wondered if he was struggling with his own homosexuality but she wouldn't bring that up. Raphael was masculine...just as manly as Uriel. She couldn't see how either of them could be attracted to another man like Michael.

She didn't know much about gay guys. She never much cared for how feminine they could be sometimes. She was always the time of girl that figured why would you waste the ability to be a man. Men were the perfect show of strength to Gabriel. Strength was everything. So she didn't understand guys like Michael. She didn't understand homosexuality. It just didn't make sense to her and she didn't agree with it.

"Whatever you say," she replied, "Have you heard from Michael?"

Raphael shook his head, "He hasn't come back. Neither has Ariel. I asked Rag about it but he's so busy in his office reading like he usually does that he doesn't care."

Gabriel rolled her eyes, "We don't have time to read books. We need to find this demon before the next trumpet."

The next trumpet would announce the next battle. She didn't know as much as Raguel but she knew that if Leviathan wasn't taken care of before another enemy appeared then it would make things that much more hard.

"We found the next demon already. His name is Michael," Raphael replied.

"Are you sure he is a threat?" Gabriel asked, "Maybe he is the real Michael.

"He can't be..."

"We'll deal with him."

"When?"

Gabriel was smart enough to know that if Raphael had any true power he would have tried to kill Michael himself. There was clearly something holding Raphael back and it had to be the fact that Raphael was afraid. That was another reason Gabriel could never find a guy like Raphael attractive. As handsome as he was, he was still afraid. She turned again to Uriel. She bet he wasn't afraid of anything. She bet if Uriel wanted to kill Michael there was nothing that would stop him.

Still...Raphael was useless. He was like a baby to her. She didn't mind being the all powerful Gabriel once in a while. Soon enough they would all follow her. She would lead the charge.

"When I feel like it," Gabriel replied, "There's other things that I have my attention towards..."

Raphael was going to say something back. She had no doubt that he was already forming some quick rebuttal to her. She got up though before it could come out of his mouth.

She was done with little boys. She wanted to go see a man...a real man.

She had crossed the room making her walk as sexy as possible. She was a beautiful girl and she knew it but being sexy was something that didn't come natural to her. She had an athletic build...like a track girl. Her shoulders a little bit broader than she would like. She wasn't as graceful as a girl like Ariel would be. She could fake it though if she needed too and now was the time that she needed to.

"Hey Uriel..."

She had walked up to him. She was well aware that Raphael had returned to his desk but was probably still staring them down on the other side of the room. Still...they were removed from the others. Uriel's desk was placed on the right side of the floor next to an empty desk that probably would have gone to Michael if he was ever around in the first place.

"Whassup?"

Flames. Flames were starting all around him. One candle would light up on his table and then another candle would up. It wasn't until Gabriel stood quietly for a moment that she realized that he was coordinating his flames to the music that Chamuel was playing across the room. Each note and each key would light up another flame and then diminish it only to be relit again.

"Beautiful," was the only thing that came out of her mouth, "You are getting so good at that."

Uriel still hadn't looked at her, "Good isn't good enough. I have to be perfect."

His work ethic was something that she admired so much. Since had joined the other angels, he had been always in the office earliest and out of the office the latest. He had started to master his power at a level that the others couldn't comprehend. There was nothing that Gabriel really had to master. She was strong. She would come in and spar on the clear area by the piano with Cham or Raguel once in a while but they always ended up getting hurt or something. So usually it was pointless.

"You are perfect," she found herself saying.

He finally turned to her. He was so handsome. Chocolate skin and model beauty. There was no flaw on his face. There was no blemish. There was no blackhead. He was truly an immortal. It was hard to believe that he was only just a half angel and not the full thing.

"Did you need anything?"

"Maybe just you not to be a dickhead to me," she stated at that moment.

"You guys have been really negative towards Michael. I don't really like bullies all like that. That shit is a turn off to me..."

There it was. She could see it. Uriel was being that protector. He was being that flame warding off danger. Instead of turning her off it seemed to ignite her. She was crushing for this boy harder than anyone she had ever crushed on in her entire life.

"So you don't think Michael is the aggressor."

"Of course not. He's misunderstood," Uriel replied defensively.

"What about me? What if I'm misunderstood by you?" She replied at that moment putting her hand on her chest, "If you can see the good in Michael then why can't you see the good in me?"

It was the most she could come up with. She felt a little desperate actually. She was extremely competitive and if she had to act like a wounded animal to get Uriel to protect her than she would do it. Uriel was a protector. That was who he was by nature. She would win Uriel over...one way or another.

Uriel's face seemed to soften up all of a sudden now.

"I'm sorry. You just never seemed like someone who had trouble expressing herself."

"You'd be surprised. Sometimes it's hard to express my feelings. Sometimes this tough girl act is just that. It's just me putting up a wall when all I really want is that strong man to break it down..."

She was moving closer. Closer. He wasn't moving away. Now could be the time. Now could be the time. She had placed her hand on Uriel's cheek. His eyes had flickered up at her. They had settled on her lips. Her eyes had settled on his. His lips were so moist looking. She could move in and kiss this soft lips of his. She could massage them with her own lips. She could make him feel good if she wanted to. She could make him feel good if he would let her.

All of a sudden Chamuel hit a wrong chord on the other end of the note.

"Somethings coming!" Chamuel had stated.

He had barked it across the room. Raguel ran out of his room all of a sudden. It was Raguel who had begun to change the room almost immediately. Raguel was a master at hiding details in the open.

"Impossible," Raphael was saying, "This place was blessed."

By blessed Raphael had meant that no demon could enter the actual office space. The church had blessed it with holy water.

Raguel still hadn't hesitated to conceal all the books they had under his guise. They all disappeared. Chamuel was looking at the door. They didn't even have time to hide anything.

Something was coming for them and it was moving fast.

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I came into the room at that moment. I would say walk but I didn't walk. Getting to the office building was different. I had flown in the air to get here. I had flown over the city like a bird...carrying my prey in my arms.

The doors flung open to the office space.

The angels were looking at me. The only person that seemed to notice that there was more going on was Chamuel. His eyes didn't look at me. It looked all around me. It was almost like he could see the person with me as well. Except the way he was looking at the person was as though the person was all around me at once. It was hard to describe how panicked Chamuel's face looked at that moment.

"Take it..." a voice said.

It was my voice but it wasn't. It was my thoughts but it wasn't. The person had made me speak those words. I had Ariel by her hair in my hands. She was a trophy to me. I threw her into the room tossing her by her hair onto the floor. Her limp body slid across the room like a ragged doll.

"Ariel..." Raphael stated.

He had run to her. I wondered if it was too late for her. Her body was mangled in all sorts of ways. I was so afraid for her. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream out in horror as I witnessed how cut up her wounds were. I had watched her being attacked by my invisible friend. I had watched cuts appear all over her body slicing her up like they had done the dogs. Except it kept her alive. It seemed to take pleasure in watching her suffer.

The force was trying to prove a point. I didn't know what it was but I could feel my mouth open as though to make it's intentions clear.

"If any of you try to kill him again," my voice stated without me able to control it, "You'll end up worse than this..."

The threat was loud and clear. Him. That was what was used. Not me...but him.

And all of a sudden the presence was gone.

I came falling down to the ground, landing on my ass!

"What the fuck just happened?" Gabriel asked.

They were all staring at me...even Raphael who was had put his healing hands on Ariel already. I watched from the ground staring back at them. I didn't know how the fuck to explain what had just happened. I was was a witness just like the rest of them. It was almost as though I was possessed but not really. It wasn't just my body that was possessed. It was the area around me. Everything around me was possessed by that presence. The sound. The air. The ground. Everything was taken by that invisible person.

"Are you ok..." Uriel stated.

I opened my voice in an attempt to answer but nothing came out.

I wanted to say, "Father..."

That was what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell Uriel that I wasn't alone. I wanted to tell Uriel that my father had come and he had shown me his true power and maybe I believed now. Maybe after all this time I was finally believing in everything.

I was so weak. I just felt my body giving up before I was able to. I felt everything giving in.

And slowly but surely I was just giving up and there was nothing but darkness.

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I had fallen asleep from exhaustion and in my sleep I had a dream. I hated the dream. I was standing where I was like I was in the other dreams. This time it was different. There was another angel and this time the angel wasn't falling. TThe second angel sounded his trumpet: "And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown in the sea, and a third of the sea became blood" killing a third of everything in the ocean, including ships. And just when the fire came for me there was something that basked me away. It was a creature. It had four faces: one of a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle. It had four conjoined wings covered with eyes, a lion's body figure, and it had an ox's feet.

I woke up to a flickering light. Right next to it me was Uriel and Chamuel.

"He's up," Chamuel's voice said to Uri.

Uriel looked over at me. He leaned in closer than I liked. He had a worried look on his face that kind of warmed my heart. We were still in the office building but it was daytime outside.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"All night. It's 10 am the next day," Uri replied.

"Holy shit."

"Do you have to call into work?" Uri asked.

"I quit."

Uri raised an eyebrow to me at that moment. He was the man reason that I quit and the look on his face let me know that he kind of assumed that himself. He was smiling before I knew it and I found it hard to keep staring at him with that triumphant smile.

I instead turned to Cham, "Ariel tried to kill me..."

"I know."

"I stopped her."

Cham nodded, "I know that as well. Did a number on her. Actually, shit you might have gone ahead and did numerical exponents on her. You hear that screaming? That. Right there. That's Raphael trying to put her back together. He's been at it all night."

He was right. There was screaming. There was this roaring scream that echoed throughout the hall at that moment.

"You should go find Gabby and Rag," Uriel told Cham, "Let them know Michael's up. I think they went to out to that diner across the street to get some breakfast."

Cham seemed confused, "This is modern day. I mean I can just text them---"

"Or you can just give us some time..." Uri stated.

Uri gave Cham a look. I wasn't sure what the look meant. Maybe I was out of the loop but it clearly meant something because Cham seemed to get it almost immediately.

Cham got up off his feet, "Oh shit---right right....I need to um. Yeah. Let me do that real quick. Be right back!"

I didn't want Cham to leave. As he grabbed his jacket and walked away I damn near almost reached out to him but I still felt weak. It felt like I had been knocked out by a ton of bricks or something like that.

I looked over at Uri. We were alone. There was still screaming from the conference room that was blocked off. It was a female's voice. I had no doubt that it was Ariel. She looked like she was really suffering. I had seen Raphael heal people before. I had never known it to be a painful process.

I wanted to explain to Uri that it wasn't me. I had to explain to all of them that I wasn't responsible for that.

Before I could get anything out Uri spoke.

"She deserved it. She turned her back on God," Uri replied.

I shook my head, "I wouldn't say all that. She just turned her back on me. It's not like I'm the friendliest guy in the world. Hell. I guess if there was anyone she should try to kill out of us it makes sense that it would be me."

"So you're glad she attacked you and not the rest of us?" Uri asked.

"I didn't say that."

Uri smiled at that moment, "You didn't have to..."

What was he trying to do? Make me seem like I was some sort of saint or something like that? I wasn't. I was as low as they came. I was the scum of the earth and I knew it. I didn't know why Uri looked at me the way he did. I didn't know why he just seemed so shook.

"You should eat," Uri explained, "Here..."

He pulled out a breakfast sandwich from a bag. I wondered if he had gone out and picked it up. I wondered if he was here all night or if he had just come back. I noticed he was wearing the same clothes as he had been wearing the day before. That wasn't a good sign. He must have been here all night.

Why? Why the fuck would he have done something so stupid as that.

He leaned the food close to me.

"I'm not a baby. I can feed myself..."

"Fine...do it," Uri replied handing me the sandwich.

I struggled at that moment to sit up. My body felt so heavy but I managed to do it. I would have rather done this a million times before letting Uri feed me. I couldn't take that kind of affection. I didn't deserve that kind of affection.

I struggled to bite into the sandwich, "Fuck..."

It tasted so good.

"Got it down the street. It's a nice ass place. I go there all the time," Uri stated, "It's my little hideaway. I'll take you there one day. You know. If you want that is."

The food was good. I had to admit. Smoked sausage. Crackling bacon. Creamy eggs.

"No," I replied stubbornly, "It's your spot."

"I don't mind sharing it with you," he replied, "I mean you like it don't you?"

I loved it. I fucking loved it but I wouldn't give him that. I shrugged off, intentionally attempting to eat slow as to show him that the food wasn't getting to me.

"It's ok. I used up all my energy somehow so I'd eat just about anything."

He nodded. He must have had high expectations for how I would react to that sandwich. Was this planned? I was intrigued by him even more and more as he sat there. Uri eyes were dark. They were like a dark sky and when they fell over me I felt blanketed and comforted. It felt like he was all over me.

I struggled to look away from him as our eyes connected. I took another bite of his sandwich and breathed in the aroma. It was the best thing I'd ever had in my life.

"Ariel admitted she attacked you. I heard that much between her screams. She was saying that you grew wings and that you attacked her from all without going anywhere near her."

"Wings?" I asked.

"Wings. Raguel explained it to us. He said your ability is the most complex. You are surrounded by a blue light. I don't see it...but it's a beacon."

"A beacon for what?"

"More like a beacon for who. It's a beacon for...angels. Cherubim actually," Uriel stated at that moment crossing his arms a little bit.

"What the fuck is a Cherubim?" I asked confused, "You mean like cherubs? Like baby angels?"

"Kind of not exactly. See angels have a hierarchy. Archangels like our fathers are the top of that hierarchy," Uri explained to me and then leaned closer, "Then they have Seraphim....then they have Cherubim and lastly Ophanim. The Cherubim are ruled by the archangel Michael and they come to him when he shines his blue beacon. You have that same blue beacon..."

"So it isn't Michael that comes to me...it wasn't the archangel that came himself?" I asked.

Uriel shook his head, "That's not what Cham saw. He saw more than one angel. He saw multiple figures around you. They protect you, they defend you and they avenge you. These cherubim. Are you---ok?"

I nodded, "Just assumed...my father...nevermind."

It made sense. It made sense how I was able to be lifted at one point and how Ariel was attacked as well. It explained how the dogs died so fast.

"It's a beautiful thing. They come and they protect you. They show you visions with the third eye. They carry the archangel's blue sword to cut your enemies. You know. Tell me that's not beautiful?"

Uriel was more excited about understanding my ability than I was.

"Yeah beautiful," I stated, "Wings and what not..."

I wasn't thinking that. I didn't know why I had thought it was my father. I didn't know why I felt at peace with the idea of the archangel Michael having been the one who actually appeared.

"Exactly. See I always knew you were an angel after all," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes, "Why do you say shit like that?"

I didn't mean to ask it. I didn't mean to put all the cards on the table like that. It just came out as more of a joke than to be taken seriously but I realized that Uri wasn't smiling back. Uri had stopped laughing and his face got real serious at that moment and at that moment I regretted saying that.

"I wonder the same thing all the time," he stated.

Jesus.

My heart was beating faster and faster at that moment. I had to fix this.

"Listen. I wasn't going to tell you but I need to," I stated, "I am not sure what what my power entails. I am not sure what the limits of my gifts are but clearly I have some. And I spoke with Cham and Cham said..."

"I know what Cham said. And I know what I feel has nothing to do with any fucking ability. Your gifts don't work that way. Cham told me himself," Uri replied.

"How you feel?"

That was the only thing I took out of what he said.

Just at that moment Uri showed me how he felt. Uri leaned over at that moment and he did something that I wasn't expecting. Uri did something that made the whole world shut down almost immediately.

Uri kissed me. He kissed me on my lips and I could feel my heart racing. Our lips smacked across one another.

He was a fool. He was such a fool.

"I'm going to hurt you," I warned him.

I meant it.

Uri just stared at me, "I'll take the risk."

I didn't know what came over him. He leaned over me aggressively and he was kissing me. I was kissing him back. Our tongues smashed into one another. Our tongues clashed over and over.

I let go. I was showing him just as much as he was showing me in that moment and there was lights all around us. I could see them. I wondered if he could see them too. Maybe not. Maybe those Cherubim were back and they were showing me things. I didn't know. I just knew that it felt right. This all felt so right and I felt my guard being left behind. I felt this strange feeling in my chest that I had never felt before. It was wild. It was scary. It was raw!

"Excuse me."

We were disturbed by Raphael.

Uri was in between my legs. We were on the floor. Uri struggled to get off of me touching his lips as he did. I don't know if Raphael noticed the tent in his pants but I definitely did. Things had gotten really hot really fast. We were probably just kissing for a few seconds but it had to be the most intense few seconds of my life.

"Yeah," Uri asked.

Raphael was looking at the both of us but he stared directly at me after a minute or two, "Ariel would like to confess something to you...but she will only talk to you."

"Ok..."

I walked over to the room and noticed Uri staring at me. Uri's eyes connected with mine. Uri remained in the main office space with Raphael as I walked into the conference room.

My heart was racing. I was already on a high with Uri. I didn't understand how one person could make me feel so fucking good. I didn't understand how one person could take me on a high like that. I had never experienced something like that. It was an outer body experience like when the Cherubim had come to protect me...except it was caused by one man.

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Raphael had tied Ariel to a chair. I didn't get it. Was all this necessary. He closed all the blinds. I didn't understand that either but I figured it had something to do with her abilities the more I thought about it. If Ariel could contact one of her animals...maybe a bird flying by or something...who knows what she was capable of.

She was shaking when I walked into the room.

"They are going to kill me aren't they?" she asked.

She was that confused little girl again. I knew she had two sides to her. I had seen both. It was possible that she was just playing a game. It was possible she was just fooling me. I didn't know what to believe.

"Probably," I stated.

I was going to play this game with her.

"Listen there is so much to this that you don't know," she explained, "I did try to kill you. I'll admit it. Ok. I was wrong. Please. Please don't kill me. I'm begging you."

"You are going to have to convince them harder than that," I stated, "I'm not talking about Rag and the others either. You have friends in your animals Ariel. I have friends too. You saw the power of my friends yesterday. I'm really scared Ariel. I honestly am. They are...vengeful...vengeful things. You'll need to convince them..."

I was talking about the Cherubim. I was trying to scare her but most of what I was saying I really believed. I felt them. I felt how horrible the presence was before. I felt how angry they were when they came. I had thought it was my father but it wasn't. They were just extensions of him. I could only imagine the force behind my father if these things that visited me were his servants.

Ariel must have felt it too.

"Have you ever been in love, Michael?" Ariel asked.

I thought about it. I touched my lips. I didn't mean to but it just happened. I could still feel Uriel on my lips. I could still taste him in my mouth. I could still feel him grinding on top of me.

Was that love?

"No," I replied coldly.

Ariel looked at me...that innocent look seeming as though she was completely sheltered and confused as much as I was, "Love is a force that will make you do anything in this world. I loved him. I loved him Michael."

"Who?"

​"Leviathan...you know him as Rodney Peters," she explained, "Your mother's boyfriend."

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