Alice's Insurrection (Alice Clark Series) (15 page)

“If I have learned anything from you
, Alice, it is to not feel ashamed for who or what you are or what you feel. We are all creatures of God who strive for a love He never felt we were worthy of. Yet you were granted the gift of God. There doesn’t have to be a reason, perhaps it’s a message.”

“A message?
Like what?”

“Maybe He’s letting you know He hears you and He
’s watching. Maybe He’s basing His decision on what you have done and are willing to do. I don’t know, I spend a lot of time dwelling on the possibilities ahead.”

“It’s entirely possi
ble this all is our trial with Him. I just hope I get the opportunity to voice my plea.”

“I have faith you will
, Alice, I truly believe that,” Briathos smiled, bringing Alice into a hug. He had grown very fond of her and he felt it was mutual. Her smile beamed as she leaned into his welcoming arms. Theresa walked about, clearing her throat, but Alice didn’t mind the interruption. Alice knew that her teacher knew of the impending doom and that her days with Briathos were numbered. Alice reached up and gave Briathos a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you
, Briathos. Enjoy your afternoon, I’ll let you know when I’m ready to go.” He nodded in response as he took Theresa’s arm in his and walked off toward the garden.

“You’ve really done a number on them all
, haven’t you?” James asked as he walked up to her.

“I suppose I have.”

“I just hope it wasn’t all for nothing.”

“No, it was definitely not for nothing.
It was everything.” As the words left her lips it was as if they echoed off of her soul. Each of the Fallen and Nephilim could hear it as if it were a part of their own heartbeat.

COLE

Cole was dressed in only
a pair of sneakers and long black gym shorts. He considered working on his car but chose to work out to blow off some steam. After a few sets of push-ups and crunches, he did pull-ups off of the bedroom doorframe. He was frustrated that Rogziel always had the upper hand, and though he wished he could be more helpful, he promised Alice he wouldn’t go off and do anything on his own and get them killed, as he had almost done the last time he went off half-cocked. He listened to the news in the background as he switched through his sets, a gentle bead of sweat crawled across his skin.

“This war seems more like an eradication.
I’m sorry to inform you, the people of the United States of America, that though this war seems as if it is finally dwindling down, there is an estimated 1,796,931,525 deaths worldwide. This is Jordan McKintil, Fox News.”

The fourth seal is completed.
Jake’s voice rang through all Nephilim and Fallen minds.

“Shit.”
Cole leaned against the doorway with nothing to hold onto except Alice’s blind faith. For now, that was going to have to do.

ALICE

Alice and Briathos walked in
the door, laughing about his poor driving skills as she had decided to teach him how to drive. She told him she felt he needed to experience as much as he could before it was all over.

“Okay
, it was a little more fun once I got the hang of it,” Briathos said with a smile.

“Told you it would be, though I was a little more nervous than I
expected to be. I thought you were going to drive into that tree.”

“If you
hadn’t kept your nerves to yourself, I may have done that.”

Cole walked into the room looki
ng solemn but quickly adjusted, curious as to their great mood.

“Wait
, you drove home?” Cole asked.

“Yes, it was interesting to say the least.”

“How did he do?” Cole asked. They both stared at her expectantly.

“Not too bad for his first time
, though I now know why parents are terrified at teaching their children to drive. Their instinct is always so heavy footed on the accelerator or the brakes. There may have been couple of times I almost cracked the dashboard with my forehead - almost.”

“I do apologize for that
, Alice,” Briathos said, the laughter leaving him.

“Stop it, I’m fine and you are fine.
I’m just teasing you a little.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Now shush about it.” She turned to Cole, feeling his concern, but it wasn’t for her exactly. “Cole? What’s going on?”

“The news today, the death toll finally reached a quarter of the population.”

“The seal has been completed. I didn’t want to ruin your high spirits with something that cannot be changed,” Briathos whispered.

“Those poor souls
,” Alice’s soul ached for them and they all felt it. She blocked the best she could but a fraction leaked out, sending a warning out to all of their kind that the end was coming, faster than anyone of them had thought.

Alice walked arm in arm
with Cole into the movie theater downtown. It was the middle of the week so they knew it would be mostly empty. Jake tagged along as their security detail, orders straight from Paul. They were no longer taking any chances when they all felt the end getting closer. Jake convinced Alice to go relax and see a movie after she was banned from going to the Field of the Damned to speak with their mothers because they had seen that it would be their future battlefield. During the previews, Jake and Alice tossed popcorn at each other from row to row laughing like child siblings. “Knock it off, Jake!”

“As if you weren’t retaliating
,” he said with a wicked grin.

Cole just reached into the bucket
, nonchalantly grabbing a handful while dodging the popcorn war near him. They settled down as the movie began to play. Alice rested her head on Cole’s shoulder, snuggling closer. He kissed the top of her head in return.

“Thank you for this
. I almost forgot what it was like to be human,” Alice said.

“Anytime
, Love,” Cole said before kissing her briefly.

Hey I’m actually watching this movie
, you two.
Jake thought.

“Sorry
,” Alice whispered. A word she had said far too many times for far too many reasons. She turned her head back to the big screen before her, wishing her story was a movie that could be rewritten or at least that she could see what was to come and how it would all unfold. She hated being in the dark and the closer the end was upon them, the more she feared that she would die, that they all would.

We have to go.
Jake ordered as the credits had barely begun to play.

“What’s wrong?” Alice asked.

“It’s Rogziel, can’t you sense him? I think he’s here. We have to get you out of here,” Jake said.

“What about these people?
He’ll kill them to get to me.”

“We have to worry about you right now.
If something happens to you, they all die.” He grabbed her hand pulling her toward a nearby exit. Cole’s hand was clutched on the other side following behind them. Her anxiety rocketed and all the joy she had just felt washed away, dripping off of her skin like water. Only the memory was left on her skin. She was tired of having the good moments in her life stripped away from her. Anger climbed her spine threatening to explode behind her eyes.

“Alice?
You might want to calm down before we can’t defend you.” Alice blocked her rage from them with purpose and just as they exited the building, Rogziel dropped in front of them with a thrill in his cruel eyes.

“Did I already push a button
, abomination?”

“What would make you think that?”
she spat. She turned to yell to look out and before the words left her mouth they stuck to her tongue as a half dozen angels landed behind them, grabbing a strong hold on Jake and Cole. Cole’s anxiety attacked Alice but he reached his shield out to her as if begging her to be rational, and careful.

“I came to tell you the sixt
h seal is being broken as we speak. You and all your kind will be nothing but a memory carved into a cave wall for no one to see. I also wanted to visit and remind you that soon your demise will come to pass at my hand. That, although our battle will be in that horrid field you all hold so dear, I could if I chose, take you whenever I deem the right time.” He reached into the sky and, as his sword dove from the heaven’s, one of the angels came up behind her, wrapping his arms in hers and pressing her back to his chest, holding her still.

“And
, yes, this does bring me much pleasure. I am sure He will be pleased.”

“Don’t pretend you’re doing this for anyone but yourself.
You think you are better than us all and truly you are a far worse creature than we are all combined, and when I speak with Him, He will know the truth of what you have become and what you do in His name!” Alice said fiercely.

Rogziel jammed his sword into her torso, smiling wildly.

COLE

“No!” Jake and Cole screamed.

“That felt better than I thought it would. I’m sure you will survive this just fine. I will see you soon, and I won’t take it so easy on you.” With that he shot into the dark sky with his brothers following closely behind him.

Cole and Jake rushed to Alice’s side
, lifting her crumpled body from the concrete. “Alice! Wake up!” Cole screamed. Cole carried her to his car demanding Jake sit in the back seat with her. “Hold on, Alice, we’ll get you home. We’ll get you fixed, all fixed up,” he said through tears. “Jake, tell the others to meet us at the house.”

“Done.”

Cole was doing nearly twenty over the speed limit as he barreled down the road. No matter what he did, he couldn’t keep her safe. They could not even have one human moment to do something as mundane as going to the movies. He knew she was strong, but a part of his brain question if she would survive such an injury.

“She’s going to be okay, but you might want to slow down a tad.”

“There’s no time.” A mile from the hous,e Cole began to calm until he felt through his connection with Alice, Jake’s panic.

“Look out!” Jake screamed pointing at an angel in the center of the road.
Cole swerved in an attempt to miss him, losing control of the car. His car spun in a circle before hitting the angel in the road and sending the car over top of him, landing on its hood. “Cole?”

“Yeah?”

“We have to get out of this car. The others are on their way, but that angel is still out there. I can feel his hate.”

“Feeling
’s mutual. Alice?”

“I have a pulse
; she’s okay. I blocked most of the damage.”

Cole looked back to see Jake’s body sliced multiple time
s with hunks of glass sticking out of him, Alice safely tucked in his arms. Jake set her down on the headboard that was now the floorboard, before unbuckling his seatbelt. Cole unbuckled his belt and climbed through where the windshield used to be. He walked up, determined, toward the angel.
Take him out.
He heard Jake’s voice say.