She had once been loved. She was once like Snow White. All the animals would come to her. Where were they now? None of them came. Even as Ariel screamed out in pain none of the animals came. If they heard her...they didn't seem to care.

“Relax, Ariel...my sweet Ariel. It's almost time. It's coming.”

Ariel had been going into labor. The room she was in was surrounded by candles. The midwife stated it was to calm her down. Maybe the black drapes were to calm her down as well then. Maybe the soft humming from the windows were there to calm her down. It didn't calm Ariel down though. She was afraid. She looked to her right to see her midwife gazing down at her knowing eyes.

“It hurts,” she screamed. Ariel's vagina stretched with the feeling. Her body contorted. Everything hurt her so badly. She had never felt like this before.

“Take deep breaths. Ok. Wait until I tell you to push, ok?”

The midwife, Drita Vancoff, wasn't the only one in the room. Ariel grasped at her arms. It was then that she noticed the other people walking in the room. Strange people cloaked in black. They stood on each side of the room. Ariel's heart raced when she saw them.

Ariel looked at their eyes. Blackness. No souls.

They all had dark hoods on. So dark. Behind their eyes was nothing. Darkness. So much darkness. Ariel's heart was racing at that moment as she could feel a presence in the room with her.

“Who are these people?”

“They are just like you, baby. They are here for you. We are all here for you,” the woman stated at that moment, “Get ready to push.”

“It hurts.”

“I know,” Ms. Vancoff assured her, “It's so supposed to. You're doing well. Remember to breathe ok, Ariel. You're doing well.”

“Dear God.”

“God isn't here sweetheart,” the woman stated.

It was at that moment she realized the woman had put on a red coat. A red coat that Ariel had seen so many times before. The woman in red. This woman had followed Ariel around for as long as she could remember, always stalking Ariel silently. The others had taken notice. They rarely ever approached her. They knew she was something demonic though.

“You are one of them,” Ariel stated, “The demons. Aren't you.”

The woman in red smiled down at her. Ariel wanted to run but she couldn't. Her legs were spread wide open. Ms. Vancoff went followed her down to open her legs at that moment, checking thoroughly before she came back to answer.

“They call me many names. Babylon is one of them. I prefer Drita,” the woman stated, “And I'm just like you at this point. We are one in the same.”

“I'm nothing like you...”

“So why did you come. You must have known something was off about me when I approached you in the middle of the street, offering my services as your midwife. You must have suspected who I was at that moment.”

Ariel had suspected. She had pushed it into the back of her mind. When Drita had approached her Ariel was so happy that someone was excited about this baby. The other angels wouldn't understand. If she had stuck around they would have probably made an attempt to kill the child. She had thought about killing the child so many times herself. Ariel could only imagine what someone like Michael or someone like Gabriel would do to her child.

“Are you going to hurt me?” Ariel asked.

“No of course not. Why would I do that? You are one of us now. Look at you. A beautiful angel, fallen from grace.”

“What are you talking about?”

Drita laughed. Drita was a intimidating woman. She had a narrow nose and sharp features. Her skin was pale. She looked like a foreign European woman and carried a sort of accent. Her fingers were thin and cold. When they grabbed onto Ariel they offered no comfort. They almost clawed into Ariel's skin instead.

“Haven't you noticed? Haven't you noticed the animals don't come around anymore?” Drita asked her, “My dear. Your God has forsaken you.”

“No...”

Ariel could barely stand it anymore. Tears were falling out of her eyes. She had felt it. She had felt that her power wasn't working the same anymore. She had felt like something had been taken from her when the baby started to grow. She has suspected it but for some reason she just thought it was temporary. She thought it was just a side effect of the pregnancy. No. This was something more.

“He's taken away your angelic abilities,” Drita explained, “He's left you alone. Your God. But he's done that to all of us. Don't you get it. All of us are fallen angels here. Just like you. Don't you worry my dear. The fallen shall inherit the Earth.”

“My God...my god...”

Ariel had never prayed so hard in her life. Tears streamed out of her eyes. The pain was beyond tense. It felt like something was tearing her up from the inside.

Drita's voice was cold and vengeful. She spoke as though she was another side of Ariel. The side of Ariel that wasn't the victim. She spoke as though she was the vengeful side of Ariel. She was angry, probably thinking about her own experiences.

“He cast me out, my dear, just like he did you,” Drita explained, “You fell in love with the wrong person so he turned his back on you. What kind of God does that? Huh? Tell me that, my dear. What kind of Father abandons his child in her time of need?”

“It hurts! IT HURTS!”

Drita ignored her, “Things are about to change. His beloved Earth will be ours. It all begins with you Ariel. My beautiful, dark, fallen. You ready now. Almost? Almost.”

“It's coming...it's COMING!”

“Ok my dear. Push!”

I walked into the house. My heart was racing. A cloud followed me. It was morning by the time I got back. I had left Jo last night after his revelation but I'd spent the entire night flight. Now that it was morning time my wings were tired. I had no time to sleep though. I had to tell the others.

The mansion seemed empty at first until I went to the kitchen. The first thing I noticed was laughter. It was Cham. He was talking to Raphael. They were discussing something. Cham seemed relatively excited about something. Even more so then usual. A smile spread across his face completely. He looked so happy. They had no idea what news I was about to give them.

I leaned back into the hallway to see Gabby. She was speaking to Uriel. I watched as Uriel was putting on his jacket.

“Can we all have a meeting?” I asked him.

His eyes pressed over to me. Gabby's eyes looked over at me as well. It was the first time that it didn't necessarily bother me to see them together. There were bigger issues I needed to be worried about. The feeling on my chest wouldn't let go.

There was a burning sensation in my eyes. I hated that kind of sensation because I knew what I was trying to fight back with it.

“I was actually headed out to the doctor. I got a last minute appointment for Gabby,” Uri explained at that moment.

“Last minute appointment?” Gabby asked.

“You know. To check out the baby,” Uri explained.

“I know this is a lot to ask but this is important,” I stated, “I think it's worth rescheduling the appointment.”

Gabby seemed to agree. She nodded almost immediately to my request, “Fine. Yes. It's just an appointment. I'm sure what you have to tell us is much more important.”

I walked into the kitchen.

“May I have a moment?”

“Michael. Look. Last night I spent the entire night trying to make this happen. After Jophiel stated that we all had wings, I didn't go to sleep until I figured out how to grow them. Take a look. Take a look at this...” Cham stated.

At that moment I saw what Cham was so excited about. He had taken off his shirt and laid it on the island table. Cham was slim, probably the same body shape as Jophiel and I were. His tight body flexed at that moment and he turned his back towards us. In the next moment huge white wings spread across the kitchen, knocking over pans, trays and glasses everywhere.

“You want to warn us about that shit!” Uri asked blocking him, almost getting hit by Cham's wing.

“Don't hate cause I got my wings,” Cham stated, “Where's yours?”

“I don't need them. Scared of heights anyway.”

“What kind of angel is scared of heights?” Cham laughed.

There was laughter across the room. Even Uri joined in on the laughter. I knew what Cham was trying to do. He was trying to break the ice more. He was trying to get us to communicate. That was the type of person Cham was. He was always trying to help us out and make peace.

I crossed my arms at that moment.

“Cham. I'm happy for you...but I have something important I have to share with all of you guys.”

I might have gotten their attention now. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know what it was about my mood but they all seemed to notice. The four angels looked me dead in my eyes. They stared me down with this look of confusion.

Cham had put away his wings. Uri had leaned over on the island. Raphael and Gabby were both staring at my face as though trying to read what I was going to say before I actually said it.

I sat there in the room and I explained everything to them. I told them that I had met with Jophiel. I told them about what he told me. I watched their expressions as I told them about my night last night. I watched their expressions as at first they seemed to understand how magical my late night flight was. They then seemed bothered by me finding out where Ariel was. Then the last revelation. The last revelation I gave them all seemed to cast this down shadow across the room.

“The end of everything?” Gabby asked, “Like...the world or...”

I nodded, “Jo says the world will end. Inevitably?”

“Jo?” Uri asked, “Is that what you are calling him now? You don't know this guy Michael. None of us do. Why are we trusting anything this guy has to say?”

“He's from the church,” Cham argued.

“So fuckin' what? Do you want me to pull up my phone and google some shady shit that has gone down in the church in the last century?” Uri asked, “These aren't saints. Jo clearly is gay and thinks him and Michael are destined to be together. How many priests you know go around kissing boys?”

“Actually---” Cham stated.

Uri raised his hand at that moment, “Don't answer that. My point is we don't know who he is. Why are we trusting anything he said.”

“Because he's right,” Raphael stated at that moment, “The revelation is the end. I mean after all the symbols and weird terminology that we haven't interpreted yet, the book of revelation has always had the theme of apocalyptic days. I've read it over and over...”

The others seemed to take Raphael's word for it more then the rest of us. Raphael was always the one who had his head in a book reading bible verses. He seemed to be the most well versed about what was in the bible out of all of us. I knew I didn't know a damn thing.

A few minutes past before anyone said anything and even then it was just Cham whispering a soft, “Damn” to himself. Uri looked angry. Gabby didn't have on any expression. Raphael was pacing back and forth with his hand on his face as though thinking of something to say.

It was Gabby who broke the silence after almost ten minutes of cold long stares.

“How long do we have?”

I shrugged, “He said we were in our last days. I don't know if that is him just a figure of speech or if he literally meant a few days.”

Gabby shook her head as though not understanding, “Well how will it end?”

“He didn't say.”

I felt stupid. I had thought about having Jophiel come back to the house but that didn't work too well last time he came back. I didn't even have a way of contacting him. I had been too shocked to ask him. I assumed he would come back around when he was ready. If not for the angels I definitely had the feeling that Jophiel would come back around for me.

“Why didn't you ask these fucking questions?” Gabby replied.

“He was VAGUE. I don't know.”

Gabby looked pissed. I watched at that moment as she made her way across the room. She punched into the wall. Her fist went right through it. It didn't even make her jerk a little a bit. She brought her hand back and punched another hole in the wall. Then she did it again. Another hole.

“ENOUGH!” Uri replied, “We need composure. There has to be something we can do to stop this. Clearly none of us are ready to die.”

“It's not just us. It's everyone,” Raphael stated at that moment, “Isn't that what we were fighting to prevent in the first place. The demons from taking over. Isn't that what we were fighting for man?”

No one had the answer to that. Raphael was asking me and I just didn't know. All I knew was what Jophiel had told me. The world would end soon, regardless. We would all die. Regardless. This was the oncoming rapture...regardless.

Hours had passed. We had found ourselves in the study room. Raphael was looking through different versions of the bible that Ariel had stored in the study room. He was flinging books down from the bookshelves searching through them. Gabby looked like she was helping him but they didn't seem like they were getting anywhere.

“More wine?” Cham asked.

“Definitely.”

Cham had brought out the wine. He was more my speed. It was times like this that a personality like Cham really broke through. The happy go lucky, joker honestly did come in handy right now. He poured my glass up to the top. Cham was already drunk. I had no doubt. Him and I were the only ones drinking. The others seemed like they were trying to find a way through this. They seemed like they were trying to find answers.

Uri had walked into the room. He had been on his phone doing God knows what. I assumed it was important because he hadn't talked since I broke the news.

His eyes caught onto mine and Cham seemed to take that as his clue to walk to the other side of the study. Cham seemed to know how heavy Uri's presence could be at times.

“You want to cry,” he stated.

“No I don't.”

“I wasn't asking you. I was making an observation,” Uri replied shaking his head at that moment as he moved closer to me, “You want to cry. I can see it. You're scared.”

I sighed. It was so weird that Uri could read me at times. He didn't have Cham's third eye. Not that I was aware of at least. He moved close. He had a candle in his hand. When he got close his candle's heat seemed to warm me even though it was nothing but a small flicker. It must have been Uri's angelic flame. The flame had a warmth to it that comforted me.

Uri sat next to me, Indian style on the floor. He put his phone in his pocket and then reached out his hand. I knew what he wanted almost immediately and passed him my glass.

“You ever wonder what it feels like to die?” I asked, “For so long, when you are young you think you'll live forever. I never really took the time to sit there and think about it. You know?”

“Yesterday...I had a dream. Only. It felt more like a memory,” Uri explained, “I was in a white palace. Golden doors. And everywhere I turned there was a host of angels. There was music. There was food. There was laughter. There were clouds. It was a kingdom in the sky. It was the most beautiful thing in the world.”

“Maybe it was a memory.”

“You think?” he asked.

I shrugged, “Jo says we aren't just children of the archangels, but we are reincarnations of them. Maybe you saw heaven. You know.”

Uri nodded at that moment, “I'm sure I did. And you were there. And our eyes met and you took my fucking breath away.”

Uri's dark eyes leaned up against me. He passed me back the wine. I drank from the exact same spot that he drank from. I don't know why it made me feel better doing that. For some reason it made me feel closer to him. Pressing my lips on the spot that he just had his lips were probably the closest he would let me get to kissing him.

I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to kiss him so bad.

“Jo says we were hated each other in heaven. He says we were enemies.”

“Now I know Jo is a fucking shady ass liar,” Uri replied.

“Oh do you?”

“Yeah. I would never hate you,” Uri replied.

I had spit up a little of the wine after he said that. Maybe it was the shock. Maybe it was just the fact that it seemed like the old Uri was looking back at me. At this moment Uri didn't seem to be closing off anymore. He seemed to be opening back up. He frowned up his face in the sexy, model-like way that only Uri could do.

“Damn. I'm making a mess.”

“Here...let me help you with that,” Uri replied.

Uri leaned closer to me at that moment. He raised the bottom of his shirt revealing his hard six pack. He was on his knees leaned over me. He moved closer. He rubbed the bottom of his shirt on my lips cleaning up the red wine and not seeming to give a second thought to the fact that it stained his shirt. When he was done cleaning it off with his shirt, Uri gently leaned over and brushed his fingers up against my lips.

“Thanks,” I stated.

My heart was beating faster. It was beating in the fast way that it only beat when Uri was around. I watched as he sat back down indian style and played with the brush of facial hair he had. He had something like a small goatee. He seemed to be playing a lot with his hands. I noticed he did that when he was trying to say something. His hands went from his goatee to the fresh fade that he had. Being that I never saw Uri actually go to a barber, I was pretty sure he learned to tape himself up. He was always very clean cut. His eyes were still on me, squinting in the way that made him look like Broderick Hunter's stunt double.

“You want your 'revelation' was hilarious as hell, yo. You do know that right?” Uri asked.

“Hilarious? I wouldn't have used that word myself.”

“Well the reaction to your revelation really. I mean look. Look at everyone. They are all worried about the end of the world.”

I looked over at the others. Gabby and Raphael were busy at work. Raphael was reading something out loud to her. Gabby was looking at it. Cham was sitting in the middle of the floor. He seemed to be meditating...or sleeping. One of the two. Maybe he assumed his third eye would kick if in he did that. Or maybe he was just tired.

“Aren't you worried?”

“I am but when you told me about it the funny thing is I didn't get past the fact that you were flying with Jophiel,” Uri stated, “Imagine that? Someone is telling you about the end of the world and you are still stuck on what they said in the beginning. You can't get past your jealousy that the person you love spent the night flying with an old flame. Isn't that pathetic?”

He had said the person he loved. My heart was skipping beats now. It was drumming. It was FUCKING drumming.

“It's human.”

“That's the thing. We aren't human. Now are we. We are supposed to be angels.”

“Well who said angels were perfect? By how many of them are thrown out of heaven, I'd assume that they were very flawed creatures. Just like humans. Driven by temptation. Weakened by love...”

“Are you just trying to make me feel better?”

Uri raised a suspicious eyebrow and flashed me a smile. I didn't imagine there would have been any smiling after I had broken the news to them. I had imagined all hope was gone. I had imagined that we were going to be in a much worse place mentally than we were before.

“Only if it's working.”

Uri nodded, “Listen. If this is the end... I just want to make sure I spend as much time with you as I possibly can...”

Uri held my hand at that moment. He held my hand even while Gabby watched from the other side of the room. She seemed to turn exactly when he grabbed my hand. Gabby's eyes glared at him but she didn't say anything. She just watched as Uri held onto my hand. Uri might have knew Gabby was watching. He might have not. His eyes were caught up onto mine.

At that moment. With the world about to end...nothing else seemed to matter to Uri.

Ariel was dressed in a black gown. She had slept for what seemed like forever. As she rolled out of bed the gown spread across it. It was the biggest thing that she had ever worn before but it seemed so elegant and beautiful. She let it fall to the floor as she struggled to get up off of the bed.

“Be careful, sweetheart.”

Ariel turned to see Drita Vancoff sitting there. Drita had on all black as well. Drita was at the window looking outside of it. Ariel walked up to her. She was wondering what Drita was looking at and as Ariel got closer Drita pulled back the curtain. When she pulled back the curtain Ariel could see the people outside. They had lined out there. They were like protesters except there was no protesting going on. They just stood there waiting...silently. They gathered.

“Who are they?”

Ariel would have been afraid once. Now she wasn't though. Now it just seemed as though she was more shocked then anything. She was shocked that so many people had come out for her. She wasn't alone. That's all that mattered. Ariel hated the thought of being alone.

“Back in the day Christian made pilgrimages to find God in different places,” Drita explained, “They travelled throughout Europe. This is just...a different sort of pilgrimage. They've all come to see your son.”

“Where is he...may I see him.”

“You absolutely can. Come. Follow me. We will go to him. Are you well? Do you need water? Whatever you need you can have my darling. You are most important to us.”

Ariel walked down the hall. The hallway was lined with people in black. They were hooded figures. The hallway was dark. No light...even though it was daytime outside. Somehow the light seemed to be sucked out of the hallways and it might as well have been night. Ariel struggled to find her way and it was only when Drita held out her hand that Ariel didn't trip over the long gown that she had on. She hadn't known where she had gotten the gown from.

“Me...important.”

“Of course. You are our Mary.”

Ariel couldn't help but laugh at that moment. The way that Drita was looking at her was almost a thing of worship. She had never had a human look at her in that way before. The animals did. The animals had loved Ariel, but Drita seemed to have this new level of love that Ariel couldn't understand. Her smile wasn't forced or painted on. She seemed earnest. As scary and intimidating as this was Ariel was definitely ready to embrace this.

“How am I your Mary?” Ariel asked.

“As Mary gave birth to Jesus. You gave birth to...our version,” Drita explained, “And just as the people had grown to love and worship Jesus...they loved Mary. You are our Mary. You have given the greatest gift onto our world.”

“God will be angry...” Ariel acknowledged.

“He is threatened. Yes. It is only a matter of time before they love our savior even more than they love Jesus. Come. Right through here.”

They had walked into a room. It was a nursery room. Ariel jerked back at the sight of three elderly women. The women were completely naked! The women were so old that the skin seemed to be drying off of their bones. Ariel could see their veins and organs almost. They made hissing noises at first that made Ariel jump but then Ariel realized they were doing something odd. They were bowing to her. They were showing her some sort of respect. They were showing her some sort of acknowledgment.

Drita pointed. Drita pointed towards a cloth that was laying in the middle of the room. Ariel looked at the cloth shaken.

The cloth was just laying over there. Was it her baby?

She had no idea.

The cloth began to expand...it began to grow. There was a noise. There was rattle. There was rattling like a snake! Ariel's heart beast faster and faster. Pearls of sweat formed as the rattling got louder and louder.

What had she given birth to? What had she given BIRTH TO?

Then out of the cloth stepped someone. A human being. He looked the spitting image of...of...

“Michael?”

Michael was there. Naked. Looking back at Ariel.

“No. Not Michael,” Drita told Ariel, “That is your son.”

“Impossible. He's a grown man. He's a grown...black man. He's a grown black man that looks exactly like Michael.”

“Our christ is a vengeful one. He took the image of the one who cast Lucifer from Hell,” Drita replied, “A final slap to the of God.”

It wasn't Michael. Now Ariel could see differences. Small differences. The hair for one wasn't as black as Michael's hair. This boy's hair was a darker brown. This boy's expressions seemed to be different. Ariel walked closer to him. She touched his face.

Her son? Full grown. Could it be possible.

Drita handed them a mirror.

“The mother, the son, and the holy spirit...” Drita stated.

It was blasphemy. It was fucking blasphemy and Ariel knew it but for some reason a smile spread across her face, anyway. Blasphemy to who? Blasphemy to the god who had turned his back on her? Blasphemy to the god who had left her alone? If it wasn't for God and the angels, Leviathan would have still been alive. Leviathan would have been able to see their son. So she would turn her back on thoughts of blasphemy right now. There was an evil in her that she couldn't understand. Not yet at least. There was an evil that she welcomed. Her son. Yes. This was her son. This was her Michael. No...he would be greater than Michael. He would be greater than any angel.

A sense of pride swelled up in Ariel. Ariel took the mirror and held it out. Her son seemed confused and aware at the same time. He seemed so new to this world and yet seemed to already know all it's mysteries.

He was a child and yet he was a grown a man.

Ariel's forehead began to light up.

“What is this?” Ariel asked Drita as she touched her forehead.

“That is the sign of your son,” Drita responded.

On Ariel's forehead were the numbers 666. And they lit up for a minute as though burning in her skin. But it didn't hurt. Her son wouldn't hurt her.

“What's his name? My son. What is he called?”

“My darling. You are the mother. You haven't named him yet.”

Ariel nodded smiling. She looked at her son at that moment and put her hand back on his face. He seemed to like her touch. He smiled at her. Yes. Yes....

“I would like to name him...Six...”


To read the next chapter go to www.crushedcrown.com