Atonement (Heaven Sent Book 1) Page 13

  With Kelly dispatched, Michael turned his attention to Deb. “You should—”

  Deb shook her head. “No, I’m coming with you. We aren’t going anywhere alone, remember?”

  “No!” Gen cried out. “It should be me, Deb. I’m the one that should be cleaning this up.”

  Michael’s stern voice stopped Gen cold. “No, you need to remove yourself from this, you’ve done enough damage as it is, Genevieve.” Michael’s response stung. “If you’re coming Deb, I’m leaving now in human form.” Michael walked out of the kitchen toward the front door.

  Deb turned to Gen. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us. How could you not have told Kelly and me? I defended you to Marcus, I told him he was wrong, that we wouldn’t risk breaking the Accord by murdering beings unprovoked.” Deb walked to the kitchen doorway and turned back. “You need to think this through, you aren’t in a good place, Gen.”

  Deb turned away from Gen, walking briskly toward Michael. Silently Gen screamed at them, I haven’t been in a good place for forty years!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Deb kept pace with Michael, but she was curious to know why they were walking. They were no longer in human view, yet they were meandering through the small cramped streets as if they were.

  “Why are we walking, Michael?” Deb asked. “Better yet, where are we walking to?”

  “I need to collect my thoughts, I need to be prepared to make a valid argument on her behalf and I have no idea if it’s going to work,” he answered.

  “We’ve been to several places,” Deb thought out loud. “It’s Friday, why don’t we head to St. Ann’s Church. Father Donovan may already be setting up for quiet hour, more times than not Harry attends.”

  Deb stopped walking when Michael didn’t answer. She was frustrated with his lack of cooperation. “Hello, I’m not one of our brothers, you need to communicate with me before we keep going.”

  Ten paces in front of her, she watched him stop and slowly turn around to face her. His voice laced with impatience he asked, “What? We don’t have time for this, we need to keep moving.”

  “Stop talking to me like I’m a child, I’m not, none of us are,” Deb told him.

  “Well, if one of you hadn’t just acted like a petulant child then maybe I wouldn’t need to speak this way.”

  Before Deb could respond, Michael held up his hands in surrender and walked back toward her. “Look, I know you’re not a child, I just can’t believe she did this. It’s not like her, it’s reckless, against her better judgement. I can’t make sense of that.”

  Deb paused before answering. “Maybe we’ve been wrong, maybe she’s not the rock we all like to pretend she is.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Maybe the loss of Gabriel has been slowly eating away at her this whole time, eroding something, perhaps she’s nowhere near over it.”

  Michael let out a deep breath. “I know how hard she took losing Gabriel. I know the lengths to which she went to find him. She literally walked the earth looking for him. I’m the one who brought her collapsed body back from that desert, remember? That doesn’t justify what she’s done, Deb.”

  “I’m not arguing it does. I’m just saying, maybe we thought she was alright because that’s what we wanted, for her to be fine.” A look of guilt washed over him as she continued. “Never talking about it or volunteering to help when she would go out on every wild goose chase to follow leads, maybe it kept her from healing.”

  “I don’t know, Deb. I don’t. Right now, what I do know is that we need to find Harry. I’m out of ideas, we’ve been to his house, to Jake’s, to all his local hangouts and there’s been no sign of him. Let’s go with your gut and head to the church.” Michael turned and walked away, the conversation was over.

  Well that was unexpected, Deb thought. Rarely does Michael speak of such things, emotions were an impairment in his view. Catching up to him again, she fell back in lock step as they made their way through a well trafficked area and over to the neighborhood where St. Ann’s was located.

  The treelined street with wide pristine sidewalks calmed her, she didn’t know if Harry would be at the church yet, but any opportunity to visit was welcome. As they neared the entrance she couldn’t tell if it was open. Getting closer she spotted the dark wood grain of the doors tucked in the bedrock of the building’s surface and knew the doors were shut and most likely locked.

  Michael walked past the front steps. The polished gray cement ran the length of the structure with its majestic decorated stone face and tall steeple reaching for Heaven. He entered through the large wrought iron gate that would lead them to the gardens that ran along the side and back of the property. The Archdiocese owned several acres of land adjacent to the church. For years residents pitched in to clear the land of large boulders, overgrown shrubs, and dead bushes. Deb remembered that it had been one of the first things Gen had volunteered to help with when they first relocated back to this area after a long absence.

  We thought we lost you Gen, but somehow this garden brought you back to us, maybe it gave you a purpose, Deb thought.

  The community had left intact a labyrinth of worn out paths that wound their way up and down the sloping landscape. Each path guaranteed a magical journey around some of the city’s oldest trees: oak, sycamores, white pines, and sugar maples. The jagged placement of the trees and the sloping inclines made the property feel more secluded than it was. The ground was littered with sap-laden needles and seeds of flowers just opening. The red oak burst into orange and red in fall while the sycamore’s soft yellow leaves cascaded light in the spring. The large floral heavy garden just outside the side entrance flourished under the watchful eye of the administrators who helped Father Donovan with maintenance and new plantings.

  The scent of jasmine lightly swam through the air while the early blooms of blue crocus and yellow daffodils dotted the stone walkway to the back. The sound of water gently lapping in the ornate stone birdbath up ahead echoed quietly toward them.

  Such a remarkable place, one of many if you know where to look, Deb mused.

  Michael walked to the side door and turned the knob, it didn’t open. “Is it unusual for all the doors to be closed and locked at this hour?” he asked.

  “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been here this early,” Deb told him. “Father Donovan could be running late this morning. What’s the plan, are we going in human view? If not, what do we need the doors to be open for?”

  “Use your powers and go inside to look around.” Michael peered up toward the treelined hillside. “I’m going to look around out here, there’s a lot of ground to cover, so stay open so we can hear each other.”

  Michael made his way around the bird bath water feature and disappeared up the first path. Deb knew he would go to the highest peak to get the best vantage point. The yard was shaped like a round, top-heavy tree with sprawling bushes and dwarfed red maples dotting the area closest to the church. To the right, just past the back entrance, there was another small gate attached to a stout stone wall that separated the yard from a historic burial ground. Before heading inside the church Deb looked through the trees one more time for Michael and couldn’t see him. He was in a militant frame of mind, the advantage would be his should any unexpected visitor show up.

  Deb used her powers to teleport inside the church. With the main lights off, emergency lighting dimly lit the alter and front of the church. The only other light came from sunshine seeping through stained glass. She saw no one. Going on instinct she walked toward the alter because it felt like the correct direction. If a human were here, they would most likely be working to get ready for service later, so they should be in the sacristy, the room behind the alter.

  She crossed over into the middle aisle and proceeded straight ahead. The church was old, maybe one of only a handful of originals left in the city. There weren’t many left like this one. Most of the ornate churches had been sold off and replaced with luxury apar
tments.

  Deb took in the intricately carved marble statues that adorned the back wall of the elevated alter. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed shadows dancing along the bronze railing, slivers of candlelight were coming from the devotional stand. Through the air she could smell the remnants of incense mixed with candle wax. As she gazed upward, she caught site of the large crucifix that hung from heavy chains bolted to the ceiling. The eyes of the statue penetrated through her and she took in a deep breath.

  You must save her, please God don’t let anything bad happen to Gen, Deb silently pleaded.

  The darkness behind her brought a chill and she circled around half expecting to find someone standing behind her, but there was no one.

  Turning back toward the alter she spoke to Michael. His silence was unnerving. “Michael, what’s happening out there? Someone was here at some point, there are candles lit already, but no one is here now. There is nothing else to report from inside.”

  Except for me scaring myself that is, she silently quipped.

  She started to walk on but stopped when no response came.

  “Michael, can you hear me?” Every fiber of her being stilled. “Answer me, please.”

  No response.

  Her body shot into action, she darted between the breaks in the pews back toward the side entrance by the yard where she had left him. It would be faster to teleport, but she wouldn’t know what she was teleporting into if she didn’t look outside first. Hastily heading for the exit her eyes nearly missed the cascading darkness that pursued her.

  Something is here with me Michael, it hasn’t manifested yet, Deb telepathically told him.

  As she went to look out the window nestled in the top of the door she had to turn away. Her eyes burned from the bright light outside.

  What on earth is that? she wondered.

  Pushing hard against the locked wooden door did nothing, it wouldn’t budge. She turned around preparing to run to another exit. The being standing behind her nearly crushed her. She gasped. The demon towered over her, he was at least eight feet tall, the veins on his face were raised, bulging lines as if his body were filled with tar instead of blood. He wore a black cloak over black clothing, he was the embodiment of darkness. He said nothing, he just stared at her with his head tilting slowly from side to side as if trying to gage her level.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” Deb knew her words lacked the confidence needed to intimidate a being this ominous.

  His wide shoulders were partly covered by his black hair. His long cloak billowed in the windless space between them as if it were a living creature. Perhaps it is, thought Deb. She was within inches of him, yet she couldn’t hear him breathing, everything about him was quiet and dark, except his eyes; he had the same eyes as the demon Antonio exposed. The demon floated just above the red carpet and slowly bent forward narrowing the small distance between them.

  Leering into her eyes he asked in a deep and raspy voice, “Where’s my brother?”

  Deb shook her head. “Who’s your brother? Better yet, what have you done to mine?”

  The being raised an eyebrow in her direction, his green eyes peering into hers. “Clever, but I don’t have time for this. I just want to know what you know. Now give me your thoughts.” The being raised his hand to her forehead as if to touch her. Deb pushed back against the door frame. He left his hand in the air palm down hovering just above her head. Feeling him trying to penetrate her mind sent a shockwave of panic through her body. She instinctively put up her arms and sent her shield toward him. Even if it didn’t knock him down, she hoped it would be enough to escape.

  The figure slid back away from her, stunned. Then he swatted in the air as if annoyed by a small insect. “Enough you foolish thing. You want to go outside and join your friend, so be it.”

  Deb watched him raise his arm as if to strike her, she threw her forearms around her head to lessen the blow that never came. He lifted her body off the ground and threw her across the room, where she landed hard against a pew. Before she could catch her breath, she was hoisted up and sent flying through the air once again. She felt her back and shoulders crash through the door first. As she grappled with nausea, she felt the darkness lift and the brightness of outside envelop her.

  The fresh air blew onto her face and she saw the green grass coming up to meet her much too fast. As she hit the ground she attempted to curl up and roll with the impact, but she wasn’t fast enough. Pain surged through her and she felt close to passing out. The ringing in her ears muffled the sounds outside. Every image was streaked with red as blood dripped down her face from an open wound. There was a lot of movement and the thumping vibration of something running toward her scared her into lucidity.

  She wrapped her shield around herself and hoped it would be enough to stop whatever was heading her way. As her eyes adjusted to the brilliance of the sunny day, she caught site of a demon rushing at her. When he bounced off her shield and rolled down toward the church, she realized just how far she had been thrown.

  Stumbling to a standing position she heard the faint roughness of Michael’s voice yelling to her. “Deb, run to Harry, to Harry. He’s behind you, project your shield Deb, now!”

  In one sharp breath she took in the scene, Michael was much further up ahead battling multiple demons at once. Deb could sense their Hellish nature. The demons were moving quickly, but she caught glimpses of ragged clothing, pale hairless skin, and black combat boots. Michael’s shirt had been torn off, his mark, the Shield of Trinity, was ablaze across his back. She turned behind her and saw the back of Harry’s head, he was just beyond the gate’s entrance. With him, were the two angels that Deb had previously seen with Marcus. Harry was urging the angels to run through the gate and out onto the street. The angels didn’t move. They looked shell shocked, both faces were crumpled in horror as they witnessed the carnage of the demons’ attack. Harry must have felt her looking at him and turned toward her.

  “Go help your brother, Deborah, I’ve got this, go.” Harry pointed past her toward Michael.

  Turning back to Michael, Deb saw the demon that Antonio had revealed to her and her sisters lurking in the far-right corner near the cemetery gate. He stood looming over the scene, yelling at the demon she had just encountered inside the church.

  Demons seemed to be everywhere.

  Deb ran toward Michael, as a demon leaped toward her, he too bounced off her shield and rolled away from her. This time she took the opportunity to grab the weapon he had dropped. It was a short makeshift knife with a crude serrated blade, but it would have to do.

  Deb, stop, go back. Use your powers to get to Harry. Michael’s voice was steady, but she heard it lack the gusto it normally held.

  I can barely stand, Michael. My head, it’s jumbled from the fall. I think I have a concussion, she told him. I can barely keep my shield in place, there is no way I can teleport, can you?

  No, the demons are too close, if I try, they’ll just come with me and drain my strength. Go to Harry, he can’t defend himself against this many Gutter Demons. The area is being cloaked, Deb. You need to get to Harry. Michael was firm.

  Gutter Demons, of course, that’s why they’re moving so fast, they only know one fighting technique: the swarm. Her mind was clearing but the lifting haze clarified and sharpened the pain coursing through her. Her left shoulder burned from her mark, its glow shining through her top, just as Michael’s was.

  The demons chased her down and as she attempted to turn back, they encircled her. Two of them were young, she could tell by the brightness of their skin and the small tint of color still left in their eyes. The third one was old, his gray skin and translucent eyes the stuff of legend. Deb knew Gutter Demons lived in the wasteland outside the gates of Hell, swarming and pillaging for survival, but they were fast and resourceful. She couldn’t remember encountering them before, but her memory would be unreliable right now anyway.

  She swung up and through the first demons jaw, k
nocking him off balance he bumped into one of the others allowing her to kick the third one to the ground. Before he could rebound off his knees, she used the jagged blade to slice his neck. It would be a slow death as the dark blue essence sprang from his injury.

  She turned back to the other two and plunged the blade several times into each of them. She hit their arms, chest, and face sending thin fluid splashing over them. She pulled the blade back and wiped it on her pants, but it didn’t burn. She was half expecting it to be like Hell Fighter venom, but it was the opposite. The cold liquid was runny, and it made her attempted quick movements sloppy and haphazard.

  She heard Michael in her head. Don’t waste movement, Deb. Strike them in the neck and the high thigh area pulling vertically, not horizontal, like humans those two spots carry the majority of what’s keeping them alive.

  Michael’s voice calmed her, and she struck the demons exactly where he instructed, successfully taking them down. She moved on toward Michael thinking that the two of them touching would be strong enough to break the cloaking but, encountered two more demons. With each kill she managed to pick up a new weapon, in her hand now was a piece of the Chain of Chaos. She swung the chain in the air and managed to land it across three demons at once. One demon lost his head, while another grabbed his throat falling to the ground, and the third tried to hold in his stomach, but it was too late; the chain had gouged a hole nearly straight through him.

  She moved on picking up a dagger, this was more her type of weapon; lightweight and small she wouldn’t need a large distance to wield it. The fight was daunting as she swiped, stabbed, and clawed away at them. One by one they fell to her, but not without extraordinary effort. Falling to her knees several times she was able to peer in between the twisting and turning of battle to catch glimpses of Michael in a turmoil of his own.

  How are we going to get out of this Michael? Deb implored.

  She heard her brother’s reply echo in her head. Steady yourself, Deb. I don’t think the two of us reaching each other is going to be enough to break the cloaking. I think one of us needs to touch Harry, we need a piece of divinity. I’m heading your way as fast as I can. Deb heard the slight tremor in his voice and it scared her.