Chapter 11

Ariel walked into the cathedral. She had never felt so important as when she entered. She never felt so loved. They looked at her as though she had the power to heal. It was Six who had the power to heal. Six had performed countless miracles throughout the day. News stations from everywhere had come to the building to record it. Scientists, politicians and journalists all came down to confirm that the miracles that Six performed were really miracles. And everyone somehow associated Ariel to him. The world may not have known the extent that she was related to him but none-the-less she became the mother of him. That is how they referred to her. The woman in red had Ariel in every shot next to Six. Her hand on his shoulder. Ariel was becoming a symbol.

“Mother. Mother.”

People chanted at that moment as she walked past. They thought she was the Virgin Mary. She was causing a stir in the crowd as people struggled to get past the security area just to touch her.

“Mother. Mother. Bless us. Bless us.”

The chanting got louder and louder. Ariel put her hand out. She knew she had no angelic abilities but for some reason she believed what they said about her. She was beginning to believe that she was some holy figure. She had given birth to a boy that had grown from a toddler to a man in a day. She had given birth to a man who could make miracles happen. The crowd cheered as she put her hand up. People were crying. People were screaming.

No. She would never have to be alone again.

“This way Mother,” a voice said.

She had been guided through security to the back area. Thousands of people had been gathering out in the streets. Ariel was sure that with how things were going soon millions would have condensed into DC just for a chance to lay their eyes on Ariel’s son.

As she got to the back of the room she noticed the lady in red. Babylon. Babylon’s was surrounded by her attendants but she still took the task to smile at her.

“You seem happy today,” the lady in red told her.

“I delivered your message to Gabby. I have no doubt she’ll tell the other angels. Hopefully one of them will get smart and forsake their God.”

“They don’t have much time. I’ve sent a beast to destroy them.”

“Is that necessary?” Ariel asked.

“They will try to come for him. You know that don’t you? Your friends. They will try to come for your son and kill him most likely. And everyone else while they are at it. We are the heroes. We are here to save the world…”

“I had no idea they were so…terrible,” Ariel replied, “Gabriel and the other are no friends of mine. I’m here for my son. He’s the only thing that matters. Where is he?”

Babylon took Ariel’s hand and walked her into a separate room. In the back of the room was Six. He looked like the spitting image of Michael honestly. He was so beautiful but he didn’t have Michael’s crass demeanor and exterior. Six was kind and gentle. Ariel knew within her that he was the one. He was the one who would make the Christian Jesus nothing more than a memory. She had given birth to something so beautiful.

“May I speak to him?”

“He doesn’t speak unless he absolutely has to,” Babylon replied to Ariel, “You see he is a vessel. He is on a mission. And his work is very important. He cannot be interrupted.”

“What is he doing?” Ariel asked Babylon.

Six was in the back of the room writing. There were guards around him. The guards were always dressed in black. Ariel didn’t know who these people were even now. They were people from everywhere. Most of them had to have been handpicked by Babylon. Babylon called the ones closest to Six, the disciples. They were nameless and seemed to have no other purpose than being around Six to guard him and protect him. Even now the darkness about them sent shivers up Ariel’s spine but if they protected Six she would have to put her own fears aside. She believed in Six just like they did.

“He’s writing…” Babylon replied.

Babylon looked at six with glitter in her eyes. Ariel watched the dedication that this woman had as she looked at her son. Ariel wasn’t even allowed to be alone with her own son or to really speak to him. But the mission. The mission was most important. This was the New World Order and Ariel would need to understand.

“What’s he writing?”

“We must spread his sign to everyone at a faster pace. Personal blessings are taking too long. We had to find a new way. We must spread the sign of the Beast. He will not rest until the manuscript is done. He will not sleep. He will distribute the manuscript to the world. We’ll call it the Black Bible. The Future Testament.”

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Ariel looked over interested by this book. People were gathering outside to hear about this man who could fly and create miracles.

We sat in the lobby of the hotel looking down at Gabby with her flushed expression. She didn’t look like the over-confident bitch that I had come to know. Gabby looked almost lost at that moment as though something had completely taken her mind away from what was going on.

“Why would we destroy the Earth?” Raphael asked.

Uri crossed his arms, “Ariel could be lying. Look at her. You guys must have seen it too. She wasn’t herself.”

“What if she isn’t lying?” Gabby asked raising her eyes at Uri.

We looked at Uri. As usual we were wanting some sort of explanation from him. We wanted him to be the Uri that took charge in situations. Right now though he seemed like he was just more struggling for some sort of explanation for what Ariel had told Gabby. We were so caught up in him that we hadn’t noticed the footsteps.

In the next few minutes it was clear that someone had joined us. Jophiel. He was standing there in the lobby with us. I hadn’t seen in which direction he came from. He had a thing about him where he just seemed to ‘appear’ out of nowhere. The awkwardness of leaving him back at the church didn’t even seem to matter.

Jophiel looked over at us, “Ariel is fallen.”

Even with how we had left him a part of me was happy that he was here. Jo seemed to have answers that the rest of us didn’t have. He just seemed to know things. However there was something about him that still seemed tricky. I crossed my arms and stood next to Uri. I could see the distrusting expression in Uri’s eyes as he looked over at Jophiel.

“Fallen?”

“Yes. She’s turned from God. She is damned. She carries his mark now. She’s no different from the damned souls who attacked you earlier. Once you carry the mark of the beast, there is no coming back from that. Ariel had chosen her side.”

“Exactly. So she’s lying?” Uri asked him.

Jophiel hesitated to answer. I wasn’t sure how much he had heard. I wasn’t sure how long he was in the lobby but he seemed to be aware of the conversation we had just had with Gabby. He must have overheard what Gabby told us that Ariel shared with her. I knew that wasn’t a good sign by his hesitation. He stood there for a few minutes and took in the air around him. I looked over at the others. Raphael and Gabby both looked shaken up. Uri had wrinkled his brow in that strong Uri-way that made me always feel like he was the real leader of this group.

Jophiel shook his head, “Not exactly. I didn’t want to tell you guys why we were here but she is right. We are here to destroy everything…”

“What are you saying?” Raphael asked.

“Ariel gave birth to the Anti-Christ. He has already begun. He is in this world now and he will influence people away from God.”

“Aren’t we here to stop that though?” I asked.

“We can’t stop it. We can only save the souls of those who do not have his sign. This is the revelation. This is the last days. And we are the bringers of death. The four of you have been chosen by God himself. It has been foreseen. The horsemen. The angels of death.”

“These people are lamb being lead to a slaughter,” Uri shook his head, “They don’t know who this Anti-Christ is. T hey are being deceived. You want to kill them? I knew it. I knew this motherfucker was up to no good…”

Uri looked pissed. I had to admit I understood where Uri was coming from. Jophiel always seemed like he was hiding something. First he was playing with my memories and now he was letting us know he was sent to destroy the Earth? He was telling us that we had to help him?

“This is the will of God.”

“I’m with Uri…why the fuck would we want to kill them?”

“Of course you’re with Uriel. The blind leading the blind. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

Uri was getting emotional. I could tell he was. He wasn’t the only one. For the first time in forever Gabby seemed speechless. My own heart was racing by these words. I had assumed that it was the Anti-christ who would want to destroy this world but now that I thought about it that didn’t make sense. He wanted the Earth. Satan wanted to turn people against got and inherit the Earth. They wouldn’t

Jophiel shook his head, “They are sinners none-the-less.”

I was shocked when Raphael stepped forward, “The wage of sin is death. It says it in the bible.”

Raphael was serious. What blew my mind even more was the fact that he walked over to stand next to Jophiel in the same way that I stood next to Uriel.

Uriel and I exchanged a stare. It was almost like we were in the twilight zone.

“Raphael what are you doing?”

“He’s right. We have to end it. There’s nothing left to fight for…”

“Nothing left to fight for?” I asked shaking my head, “Are you joking? What do you mean there’s nothing left to fight for. What we just destroy everything? That’s the answer. What about family, friends, love?”

“I don’t have any of those things,” Raphael replied, “All I have is my faith. And if this is my destiny I’ll follow it. Completely.”

I didn’t get it. Was Raphael just trying to get back at me? Did he really believe these things. I shook my head in disbelief. I didn’t want him feeling this way but it looked like his mind was set. Raphael wasn’t budging. He was supporting him.

That was when I noticed Gabby crying, “If everyone else dies…do we die too?”

I almost rolled my eyes at Gabby. It was just like her to only care about herself. I could look at her and see the selfishiness in her.

“It is up to us to destroy everything,” Jophiel replied, “Everything is everything.”

“We don’t even have that kind of power,” Gabby replied, “I can punch a wall. Give me a wall to punch. Killing billions of people? Are you joking?”

Jophiel stared at her, “We do have the power. We all have dormant abilities and Gabriel you are the key to unleashing the dormant strength in our abilities. “

“I don’t want to die,” Gabby replied.

Her tears were getting louder. She looked ridiculous right now.

“There has to be another way,” Uriel replied, “I refuse to believe that this is the end. I refuse to believe I will have anything to do with the end either.”

“Guys look…” I stated.

Just at that moment two men walked into the lobby of the hotel. It was odd seeing them walk in at this particular minute. Everything about them walking in was odd. It was dark outside but it went from dark to pitch black. I could barely see through the black windows at the front of the hotel. It was almost like a deep tint, reflecting everything that had went on before.

The two men just stood there for a minute. They were hooded black figures. A sinister shadow seemed to follow them. I felt myself shaking as I looked over at the shadows. Uri moved closer to me at that moment.

“Get ready…” Jophiel stated.

The room started to get dark. The lights started to flash. My heart was beating faster and faster. Uri was still holding my hands but my hands sweat so much that I had to release his grip. I didn’t know how to get ready. I wasn’t sure what was happening.

All of a sudden two dark figures that had walked into the room started to whisper. I didn’t have time to wonder who had sent them. I hadn’t had time to worry about where they came from or how they knew we were here.

Being threatened seemed like second nature.

“Stay close,” Uri told me.

I nodded and for good reason. Just at that moment those men started to change. The dark shadows came over them. They weren’t the regular people that had attacked us many times before. These things were…darker.

The shadows covered their bodies and stretched. The elongated shadows began to change into something much darker. Demons. The two were turning into demons and I knew it almost immediately. I could hear Raphael pray in the background as it happened. The bodies changes into fine green scales, shading to darker towards the hindquarters. Dark claws formed that stretched out across the floor. The body extended about 15 feet across the lobby of the hotel floor.

It seemed like some sort of large serpent with claws. A deformed dragon with traits that weren’t so reptilian but not of this world. The skin of the two beasts seem to drip. Dark yellow eyes spread from me to Uri to Raphael.

It was almost like the things circled.

Waiting…

Glaring…

“Move!” I heard a voice say.

I didn’t know who said it first but I saw the first beast slide across the floor gliding in a speed that was so fast that I was literally taken back. I jumped on the floor sliding away from it but realized that it wasn’t even coming for me.

The beast grabbed onto Raphael of all people. It bit hard into Raphael’s neck. It’s black serpent like mouth stretching as it sunk it’s teeth into him!

“Raphael!” I was screaming.

I got back on my feet and by the time I let go him. The dark figure grappled onto him and took him away. It slid him across the floor relatively quickly. Glass broke as the beast took Raphael away. I screamed after him not seeing where the beast was taking Raphael.

“I’m going after him…”

“No…stay here…” Uri replied.

Uri pushed me back as he ran after Raphael. He was running as fast as he could. I wanted to call back to him. I wanted to go after him but I felt an arm pulling at me.

“Focus,” Jophiel stated.

Jophiel’s arm was pulling me grabbing for my attention. Raphael had been taken away out of the glass walls and Uri had pursued him onto the street.

“Uri…”

“We need you…” Jophiel stated.

It was at that moment that I heard the noise. It was a hissing grunting noise. That was when I remembered that another beast was in the room. The beast was looking over at us. It was circling Gabby in the middle of the floor. Gabby had slid a couch between her and the beast using all her strength.

The beast quickly reached out for Gabby and Gabby quickly lifted the couch tossing it at the beast. Even with a ll her strength however Gabby lacked precision. The couch hit the floor in a loud thud.

“God be with us!” I heard Jophiel state.

In the next few seconds Jophiel was running forward. He was armed however. He had that hidden sword that I had seen before in the church in his hands. He yield the sword almost like some knight from medieval times. He swung the sword with all his might throwing all his strength into it and cutting at the beast. The beast let out a scream and hissed. The huge body swung at Jophiel! Jophiel jumped back barely missing the attack from the beast.

The beast was fast. It attacked again. This time more aggressive. This time it was going at him.

If it wasn’t for Gabby the beast would have made impact with Jophiel. Gabby grabbed him out of the way just in time. She tossed Jophiel back almost like his body was made out of a feather. Her powerful thrust just so managed to save his life possibly.

The two jumped back, breathing heavy as the beast stared us down. The hissing got louder. The room got darker. There was an aggression in the air. My heart raced.

God be with me. God be with me.

All I could think about was faith at that moment.

“Gabby…you need to focus your strength on Michael.”

Gabby shook her head, “What? Both of you stand out of my way. I can deal with this on my own.”

I was honestly ok with that. Gabby’s pride had always been the thing that kept her back. Her standing in front of Jophiel and I now it was clear that she wanted to take down the beast herself. Truthfully I assumed she would or at least she would die trying. The sweat poured from her brow. I could see her breathing heavy but she still seemed so proud and ready to do this.

I stayed behind. Frozen. I wanted the Cherubim to come but for some reason they didn’t. I couldn’t control it all the time. I had called for them. I had the same thoughts that I had before. I wanted protection.

God help me. Send your angels.

Help me.

Nothing.

“Focus on Michael,” Jophiel replied, “Give him your strength.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t…”

Jophiel had walked up behind Gabby. He put his hand on her shoulder, “Give it to him. You have to.”

Whatever motivation Jophiel had given to Gabby seemed to work. Gabby looked over at me at that moment. Jophiel walked past her in order to distract the beast but Gabby was fully focused on me. Our eyes connected and at that moment I could have sworn I saw Gabby glow a little bit. The wild hair on her shoulders seemed to calm and almost relax. Her eyes softened. Her skin seemed brighter.

In the darkness Gabby almost seemed like a guiding light. At first I felt nothing. At first I was just assuming that Gabby had no idea what she was doing. It wouldn’t be the first time our angelic abilities didn’t come to us in the time of need.

However soon I realized something. My mind was becoming clearer. I was able to calm more. I was able to focus more. I could see a light that I couldn’t see before.

“Try again!” Jophiel was screaming. His breath was hustling as he was swinging his sword trying to keep the beast at bay in the middle of the hotel floor. Still even as he swung his sword he was screaming his commands over at me, “TRY AGAIN!”

My heart raced. Gabby was still glowing but this time I felt like I was glowing as well. I felt strong. It was almost the boost you would get from a drug. My entire body seemed light. I felt invulnerable. For a moment I felt how it would feel to be Gabby.

I turned to the beast.

“Cherubim. Come to me…”

The voice that came out of my mouth didn’t even feel like mine. I had felt this power before but only once before when Ariel had attacked me a long time ago. This time everything became clear. My words were a command instead of a wish. I wasn’t begging the angels or hoping they would come to my aid. I was commanding.

My voice was strong and my voice was clear.

My voice was deeper. I wasn’t young Michael anymore. I was a commander. I was a general. I was leading an army of angels and they were all around me. They weren’t invisible. I could see them. I could fucking see them all around me. Every space in the room was filled with these angels. They looked all around their early 20s. They were all relatively attractive. No. They were all beautiful. They all had wings. They all had words.

“Oh my god,” Gabby stated looking around.

It was clear that I wasn’t the only one who could see the angels that I commanded here either. I had brought them to Earth in all their glory do my bidding.

And in the middle of the room I saw them…angels.

I actually saw them appear. And a flashing light followed as the angels ripped the beast apart.

Uriel ran through the street chasing after him, “Raphael!”

He had been running for almost twenty minutes. His flames burned in his heart ready to come out if he needed them. He couldn’t see Raphael however. He didn’t know where Raphael had went. The streets were empty which was different from earlier. Earlier it seemed like the streets were full of people. However Uriel knew the Anti-Christ brought about strange behavior. He had to stay focused on his goal.

“Raphael!” Uri yelled out again.

“He’s this way…”

At that moment Uri saw Michael. He could only see a flash of him. Michael went into a back alley at that moment. Uri followed behind him closely.

His heart raced. How the hell did Michael find him all the way back here? Uri quickly followed after Michael and when he got to him he noticed Michael in the back of the alley.

Michael was in the middle of the street…naked.

“Michael what the fuck happened to you!”

Uri started to panic. God knows who attacked Michael but his heart was racing. He was scared. His mouth got dry. Michael was the love of his life and he would do anything for Michael.

“Help me…Uri…help me…” Michael called out to him.

Uri ran over to Michael picking him up off the floor. As he got Michael up he looked at him, “Are you ok? Are you hurt? Where are your clothes…”

Michael looked over at him, “I don’t know…”

“What do you mean you don’t know. Where’s Raphael…”

“I don’t know…”

“Michael you just screamed out that he was this way…”

“Kiss me…”

Michael’s face didn’t seem to the same. His eyes were darker. Uri looked at him. The way Michael held him wasn’t the same. When he reached over and kissed him Uri knew something was wrong. This wasn’t Michael.

This wasn’t Michael.

But now it was too late. The kiss seemed to inject something into Uri. An influence.

The kiss had given him a sign. And it was the number of the beast.

“Now you’re mine…” the man who looked like Michael said, “All mine.”

A 666 lit up on Uri’s forehead.

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