Chapter 12

Raphael had battled the beast for blocks. It ended in Georgetown. Georgetown was a historic neighborhood in DC. Usually it was packed to capacity with people shopping and going about their way. Right now though it was a ghost town. He felt his energy drain as he touched the beast. The beast weakened underneath him. For five horus they battled through the streets. No one came to same him. No one came to rescue him. The only thing that was on his side was God.

And God was there for him.

God provided him the power that he needed to kill the beast.

And as he touched the beast he felt chosen. Yes. God had chosen him. God have given him the angelic abilities to both heal and destroy with his touch. And it was his touch that had saved his life.

He healed himself and looked around. He had no phone. He had no way to contact the others. He had to get back to the hotel. He knew that it was the only way that he could get back. Right now he felt stronger than ever. He was destroy this beast without a scar.

Raphael looked up at the skies.

He was in rags really. The beast had ripped his clothes clean off his body. So when he stretched out towards the sky he noticed wings were forming. Yes. He had found his wings. Finally they had come to him.

He took off flying into the sky and everything started to make sense at that moment.

As he flew over DC the city was something that he didn't even recognize anymore. Chaos was everywhere. Fires weren't being putting out. The city was being destroyed. Along the streets there were people wandering aimlessly. Raphael wondered if these people were the same people that had been turned or if they were people looking to somehow be saved from the devil. The devil was getting stronger. He was taking over the world. There would be nothing left to it when the devil was done. He was born again and the nothing would be able to stop the antichrist.

That was when he saw him...on the streets below...

Uriel.

Raphael flew down closer to the streets. His wings were large and powerful. The power that he felt soaring through the skies made him feel like he was really that angel from biblical times. His wings lowered him onto the top of the building so that he could get a closer look at Uriel.

“URIEL!”

Raphael's voice stretched across the street. He noticed looking down from the building that Uriel didn't hear him so he began to fly lower. He descended slowly over Uriel. He had expected Uriel's face to be surprised to see him alive. He wanted Uriel to see how powerful he looked now that he finally got the wings that not even Uriel had been able to get. Raphael felt like he finally ascended. He was a true angel now.

Uriel turned to him and grunted a little, “Urgh...”

His face didn't have the look of surprise that Raphael had been expecting. They had a blank stare as though lost a little bit.

“Raphael...” a voice said.

Raphael hadn't noticed that Uriel and him weren't alone. Out of the shadows came Michael...naked as the day he was born. The look on Michael's face was intense. The intensity stared Raphael down as he walked towards Raphael. Raphael couldn't help but to look at Michael naked. His sexy body turned Raphael on immediately. His dick flustered and got swollen almost immediately. Raphael struggled to look away noticing that Uriel's eyes were on him as well.

“Whoa...sorry,” Raphael had stated before turning to Uriel, “No disrespect man.”

It was hard even now for Raphael not to feel jealous of Uriel. The fact that he had someone as sexy as Michael made him jealous. Raphael would do anything to have Michael feel for him the way that Michael felt for Uriel. Seeing Michael's slim tone, his slim waist and thick dick slinging slightly over a patch of pubic hair turned Raphael on. He wanted to just hold Raphael close...steal him away from Uriel once and for all.

“Your wings are so beautiful,” Michael stated.

Michael was walking up to Raphael. He touched his wings. He touched his wings softly. Michael was still naked and he was getting closer and closer to him. Raphael's dick was going crazy. His own clothes had been ripped off his body. So to be so closer to Michael and be nearly naked was more than he could really take.

He wondered if Uriel noticed that he was getting turned on by Michael. He struggled not to disrespect what they had going on and took a step away from Michael.

“Thanks. What happened to your clothes? Did the beast rip yours off too?” Raphael asked.

Michael gave him a confused look but then smiled, “Yes.”

“Damn. You have any scars...any bruises. Let me take a look. I can heal them.”

“I'm fine...”

Raphael thought it was fine that the beast managed to rip off Michael's clothes but still left him with no bruises. He figured Michael was lucky though and he didn't think to put any real thought into it. Uri was still standing there watching almost like a guard dog, probably jealous that Michael was giving Raphael so much attention.

Raphael wondered if Uri was jealous. He wondered if he was jealous of his wings.

“Things are getting worse. I flew over the city,” Raphael explained, “It's like a wasteland. Everything is ending Michael. Shit is really bad.”

Michael didn't seem to be reacting to him. He jut smiled weakly, “Yeah. I'm afraid...”

At that moment Michael did something that Raphael didn't expect him to do. He walked closer. He put himself in Raphael's arms and he stood there for a minute. Uri didn't move. Uri just watched this and didn't even say anything. Raphael didn't know how to respond to this. So he did the only thing he could think of. He rapped Michael in his arms and held him, despite Uri being around.

It felt so good holding. This was what he always wanted. It felt so...right. His heart raced. No matter how much he wanted to hold back he couldn't. He still had feelings for Michael.

“You are so cold. Are you ok?” he asked Michael.

“Just hold me...close.”

Michael and Uri must have just been put through a lot. Raphael was getting nervous. The fact that Michael was in his arms instead of in Uri's was definitely strange. It was clear that they had just been through a lot.

“Did you guys kill the other beast?” Raphael asked him.

Michael ignored him, “Closer...please...”

Raphael held him tighter. His heart raced, “You're safe now. You know that right. Whatever happened your safe now. Ok. Michael, where are the others. Where are Jophiel and Gabriel? Did they make it...”

That would explain why Uri and Michael were acting strange. Maybe they were traumatized.

“It doesn't matter right now,” Michael replied, “I want you...”

“What was that?”

Raphael couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everything that he wanted to hear from Michael was being said right now. Michael was looking at him and telling him that he wanted him. Michael didn't care that Uri around. Michael was paying no attention to Uri at all. Michael was in his arms...looking up at him. His eyes were inches away from Uri.

But his heart was open. His heart his wanting that he couldn't explain. He wanted Michael...

“Kiss me...” Michael directed him.

Micheal leaned closer to him. At that moment he wanted to do it. He allowed Michael to get closer to him. He allowed Michael to almost put his lips on his. He wanted to kiss him forever. He would rip the remainder of his clothes off and fuck Michael in the middle of this alley if that is what Michael wanted.

And just as Michael's lips were about to touch him Raphael noticed Uri. Uri...staring quietly.

There was no way in hell...

“Get the fuck off!”

Raphael hadn't just pushed Michael off of him. His wings batted in the sky a few times sending him a few feet away. He lunged back away from Michael.

“This is what you want. I can see it. I can smell your desire to give yourself to me completely,” Michael replied, but this time Michael's voice was deeper and more demanding.

“Since when did you get the angelic ability to smell someone's desire?” Raphael asked.

That didn't sound right at at all. There wasn't anything angelic about that ability. Raphael looked over at Uri. Uri had no expression. He hadn't even cared at all that Michael was about to kiss him. There was no way in hell that Michael would have chosen to kiss him right in front of Uri like that. Either Raphael was dreaming or he was being tricked.

Michael shook his head, “You're a clever little angel aren't you. Did your God warn you? Well...tell him that the Earth is mine now. Tell him when you see him. You'll be seeing him shortly.”

“You aren't Michael...”

Michael turned over to Uri, “Kill him.”

Raphael looked over at Uri. All around Uri he could see the flames gathering. The flames surrounded him. A tornado of fire pierced through the sky. The flames grew and grew. The entire street seemed to be full of heat.

And Uri lit the air on fire....

“You guys want snacks?”

Gabby had come back from the vending machines. We were still at the hotel. Jophiel was pacing back and forth at the door. I had my arms crossed. The look I shot at Gabriel was enough to put her on ice. She was beyond selfish. All she cared about was herself.

“How can you eat at a time like this?” I asked her.

“Suit yourself,” Gabriel replied.

I rolled my eyes at her. I don't know why I kept expecting more from her. I had grown I had mature and I figured after all we had gone through she would probably mature a little bit as well. I was wrong. Gabriel hadn't matured at all. She was the same Gabriel. She was the same girl who didn't give a damn about anyone but herself.

“It's getting darker,” Jophiel replied.

“Is that possible?” I asked.

Jophiel was looking out of the glass windows onto the street. The street was quiet. No cars. No dogs. No people walking around. Wherever everyone had gone they weren't here. It was scary looking outside of those doors and looking at people. My heart raced thinking about them.

“This is the end,” Jophiel replied, “When the anti-christ is around white is black. Day is night. Everything is backwards. The world is crying right now...listen do you hear it?”

“I just hear the fucking wind.”

“Exactly. Just the wind and nothing else,” Jophiel replied, “Everything is wrong.'

Jophiel crossed himself at that moment. He was doing the same thing that Raphael had done. I was worried. I was worried about Raphael and I was worried about Uriel. They hadn't shown back up. We had been in the hotel for hours waiting for them. We hadn't been attacked again luckily. God knows that the demons knew where we were. The fact that they didn't attack us again blew my mind. Maybe they thought the two demons they sent earlier would be enough to get rid of us. I looked to my back to Gabby. She had turned on the television again.

“Do you see this shit?” Gabby asked.

She looked over at the television. As she turned to every channel. There were words being played. They weren't even in english. The screen lit up with the words glowing in yellow. The Disney channel, Fox, ABC. All the channels in the lobby was playing the same script over and over. It was almost like a chant. As I heard the chant blood ran down my nose.

I stopped the blood a little bit and looked over at Gabby, “You mind turning that shit off?”

She rolled her eyes and reluctantly turned it off, “This is really the end huh?”

“I keep telling you all. Those were the words of the beast. He's taking over everything. He's taken over the media now.”

“I'm not going to just sit in here.”

Jophiel looked over at me, “Where are you going?”

“To find Uri and Raphael.”

Jo grabbed my arm as I started walking out of the door. He twisted my arm in a way that I thought he was about to break it or something. When he twisted my arm he threw me back with force that I wasn't expecting. I ended up landing on the floor. Gabby laughed a little bit when she saw Jo toss me down. I was about to jump back up to my feet but I noticed Jo's sword in his hand.

“I can't let you do that.”

“I'm not just going to let them die.”

“They are probably dead by now. Or worse,” Jophiel replied, “We must prepare to cleanse this world.”

“Fuck you talking about, cleanse...”

“He's talking about destroying it...” a voice said.

I hadn't noticed someone walk through the glass doors of the hotel. When I looked over I noticed who it was almost immediately. I couldn't help but to run over.

“Raphael!”

Raphael was standing there. He looked scarred and bruised. He had wings but the wings were burnt...almost dropping off as he walked. His whole body seemed burnt and bruised a little bit. Jophiel and Gabriel didn't move. They just watched as I went over to catch Raphael. He damn near collapsed into my arms at that moment.

“Are you real?” Raphael asked.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked him.

Raphael smiled as though recognizing me, “Good. Hey. You mind letting me lay down. Your boyfriend did a number on me. I just need some time to heal myself.”

“Um...sure...”

“Michael.”

“Yeah?”

“Stay with me.”

Hours had passed. Gabby was eating so much that I was thinking she really was pregnant. Jophiel continued to look out of the door of the hotel with his sword in his hand. I wasn't sure if he was trying to make sure no one got in or to make sure that none of us left. He wasn't like his assistant either. Jophiel was definitely very alert. He showed no signs of moving at all.

I was on the couch with Raphael. He had cross his arms over himself and sat in complete silence. I stayed away from him but stayed close enough to see him. His wings had gone back into his body and his sores were healing up. The burn marks across his body were going away as he healed himself. Soon I was sure that he had completely healed and instead was just sleeping.

His eyes opened to look over at me, “You stayed...”

Raphael seemed happier than I thought he would be. I moved closer onto the couch and took a seat next to him. Raphael had that sexy Italian stare with his dark features and flashing white teeth. He looked like he had been through a lot. He didn't have much of a shirt on at all and his pants had been torn abundantly. He just looked over at me. His eyes pressed onto mine.

“Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?”

Raphael shook his head and shrugged looking up at me, “Once upon a time we hated one another. I thought you were the Anti-Christ honestly. I was so sure that you were just posing as an angel to corrupt my soul.”

Raphael laughed as he said that.

“Funny that now the Anti-Christ is posing as me...” I replied.

Raphael nodded, “About that. I just saw him. The Anti-Christ. I thought he was you. And Michael. He was with Uri.”

“Where? Is Uri ok?”

Raphael paused. My heart was beating faster and faster. Uri.

“He's been...turned,” Raphael replied.

“What do you mean turned?” I asked him.

Raphael grabbed my hand as though trying to comfort me. He held onto me a few seconds. It was that sad pathetic look you gave someone when you were trying to sympathize with them. Why the fuck was he trying to sympathize with me? I didn't need sympathy! Uri was ok. Uri had to be ok. There was nothing in the world that could hurt Uri. Uri was the strongest of all of us.

“I'm sorry Michael...”

Tears. Fuck. They came so fast. They were tears of anger though instead of sadness. Why would Raphael choose now to become a comedian? Was he trying to light up the room now that Cham was dead? Was he trying to be funny or something? This wasn't funny. He was going to far.

Raphael had the never to try to hold me at that moment. He attempted to reach over and wrap his arms around me.

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!”

“What's going on here?” Jophiel asked.

“He's lying! He's lying on Uri!” I replied to them.

My mouth was dry. There was so much anger. I couldn't believe Raphael was being so cruel at this moment. Jophiel and Gabby were called over by my panicking. I didn't care if I was tripping. I didn't care who heard me. My tears couldn't stop at that moment. I couldn't stop my anger. I couldn't stop hurting. I couldn't.

“Let him explain,” Jophiel replied

“Uri is gone. Uri was turned...by the fake Michael. He was turned by the Anti-Christ. He has the symbol of the beast.”

“Did you see it?” Jophiel asked, “Did you see the symbol of the beast on him?”

“I didn't have to see it. Uri damn near almost burned me to ashes. I barely escaped with my life,” Raphael stated.

“Uri would never give himself to them,” I replied, “He would never turn against God.”

“He would for you...” Raphael stated.

The room got quiet. Jophiel was looking over at me almost as though I was the cause of this. He was almost telling me, “See, I told you so. I told you that your relationship with Uri would turn out badly.” The look on Jophiel's face said it all. He was upset. I just couldn't believe it though. Clearly Gabby couldn't either because she was just shaking her head. She just kept shaking her head No. Over and over.

“I think Uri thought he was giving his heart to you. Isn't this how the others were turned? They gave their heart to someone and then the anti-christ embraced them. Then they had his mark,” Raphael replied, “He attempted it with me, you know? He attempted to kiss me. And the thing is you had my heart...Michael. You had my heart. And all he needed to do was kiss me. I think he ended up kissing Uriel...”

“Deception,” Jophiel replied shaking his head.

“No Uri...” I replied.

“Why not Uri?” Jophiel asked, “The book of Revelation refers to a lawless mystery religion and shows it appearing with “two horns like a lamb”. He is presenting himself as Christ-like but speaking “like a dragon”. The “dragon” in Revelation is Satan the devil, who deceives the whole world. So what we're seeing here is an extremely powerful “wolf in sheep's clothing.”

“What if you were mistaken?” I asked Raphael.

It wasn't just me asking Raphael.

No. It was more than that. I was begging him.

Raphael shook his head, “I swear to God. Uri...Uri is lost to us...”

The others looked over at me. I dried my tears. First I felt anger. Then I felt duty.

Love wasn't clouding my judgment anymore. The love of my life was dead.

I knew Raphael wouldn't swear on God if he wasn't sure. I knew that he was the most religious out of all of us. He was probably more faithful than Jophiel, the priest. There was no way that he would have worn without being completely sure. Uri was gone.

And with Uri the world.

“Prepare yourselves...” I told them...my voice now the commander that I had always meant to be, “I am going to bring forth an army of angels. And they will destroy this damned world. Once and for all...”

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