Gabriel

“
The prison walls are failing, I cannot hold on much longer.”

“
We are coming, brother. Hold steadfast.”

Then darkness consumed
Gabriel.

****

“
It is done, my Lord,” said the Kematian demon, sheathing an
angel-killingsword into his leather waistband as he knelt before the throne.

Their leader, Baal, reached
his clawed hands out, gripping his servant’s neck with fierce strength. “If you
fail me, I will dine on your entrails while your screams echo within the
earth.”

“
Yyyes, my Lord.” the Kematian said.

Baal released his grip and
sneered with disgust as the Kematian slithered down the stairs on his belly
like the snake he was.

Baal rose off his throne,
which had been constructed from the skeletons of Kematians he had fed on for
millennia. His boots crushed the bones scattered across the floor as he
approached five hundred demons, all restless from the time spent trapped in
this prison forged by the sweat and blood of archangels.

He leaned over the edge of
his dais that presided over the vast cavern. Torchlight revealed walls covered
with tar. Veins of lava ran through the igneous floor. Several passageways
carved into the rock ran in several directions from the stadium-sized gathering
area.

Baal glared at the narrowest
passage, farthest from his throne. It twisted and turned upwards; at the end
stood a celestial gate, guarded by the archangels. He raised his hands above
his head, before addressing the Kematians.

“
Soon we will be released from this prison, and humans will bear
witness to the true meaning of terror. They shall kneel at our feet and beg for
mercy. Humans are nothing more than mere cattle, and we will show no clemency.
Our cups shall run over with their blood. The humans will call us ‘gods’. It is
our time to rule.”

****

Michael landed inside the
cavern and gestured for his brothers, Jophiel, Raphael, Chamuel, Uriel, and
Zadkiel, to join him on the edge of the failing underground prison. The archway
fell, and the passageway opened up, revealing a cavernous mouth.

Michael could not see
Gabriel, but what he did see made his blood run cold. The Kematians made their
way through the rubble, and towards humanity.

“
Ready your swords,” he called to his brethren. “The demons
approach. We shall not be moved as they try to pass.”

Michael took the lead
standing in the center of the passageway that sloped downward. His five
brothers stood behind him with their backs against the wall lining the orifice
of the cavern. The Kematians would have to pass through there to reach freedom.

The rumble of footsteps grew
louder as they approached, and rounded the corner. Baal led his army of demons,
and the angels were outnumbered. Then Baal and his mighty army charged toward
the angels with savage brutality.

Battle cries echoed through
the cavern as the demonic Legion ascended the passageway and charged toward the
archangels.

The angels unsheathed their
swords as the bloodthirsty Kematians hurtled toward them. Michael sliced
through the flesh, cutting one demon in half at the waist. He turned his
forward stroke to cleave the next from collarbone to crotch.

He caught the glint of sparks
dancing in the darkness. Raphael, beside him, raised his holy sword and swung
with swift, precise movements. The polished metal ripped through a stomach,
spilling viscera to the floor. His brother shifted his weight, and Michael
sliced through the next demon before the first fell to the ground. But the
demons’ surge continued. Angels were slammed against the walls, and blood
sprayed from the injured brothers as demon heads rolled onto what was left of
the floor.

Baal emerged from the pit, a
Falcata in one hand and a morning star in the other. His thick arms swung and
struck with little effort, devastating demon and angel alike. Baal and the
Kematians surged toward freedom as the angels were smashed into the
blood-soaked walls. The battle was over.

As the opening collapsed,
dust particles filled the air and made it almost impossible to see, let alone
breathe. Michael stood as he assessed the damage. He couldn’t see his brothers,
but he could hear Baal and the demons as they made their escape. He rushed to
the opening. Baal glanced back at him with a triumphant sneer. The Kematians
had blocked the exit, leaving Michael to stand by and watch.

 
“
Fly to
freedom,” Baal said, as the Kematians emerged from the vast gap in the earth.
Hundreds surged into the air, coloring the sky black from the gap to the
horizon. Baal peered over his shoulder at the carnage left behind. The angels
had wounded several of the demons, and their bodies lay scattered along the
passageway. They then began to rise.

“
Regeneration is a beautiful thing,” Baal said with a sneer then
turned back to the army that was airborne, “Fly to every corner of this
pathetic world where you rule like gods and feed,” Baal cried as he flew in the
opposite direction of the mass.

Michael returned to the place
where he last saw his brothers.

 
“Jophiel!
Raphael! Chamuel! Uriel! Zadkiel! Can you hear me?” Michael held his arms in
front of him feeling for something solid. “Brothers, where are you?” He found
the edge of a crumbled wall and followed it. “Where are you?”

“
We are here,” Raphael said.

“
Are you well?”

“
Yes.”

“
Remove the debris blocking the exit and return to the surface. I
will find Gabriel.”

Michael stumbled several
times over the large chunks of earth that littered the cavern, as he dug
through rock and dirt. Shattering rocks broke the silence, as he tore through
the last obstacle between himself and Gabriel.

Michael reached his brother.
He pulled at the stalactite sticking out of his chest. Flesh ripped and tore
with every jerk. Michael freed Gabriel, but he remained motionless. Michael placed
his hands on Gabriel’s chest. A golden glow poured from his hands into
Gabriel’s body. Gabriel opened his eyes and smiled at his brother.

“
The
Kematians?” Gabriel asked.

“
They are gone,” Michael said. “Let us meet with our brothers.”

Reaching the edge of the
opening, they covered their eyes, the sunlight momentarily blinding them. They
flew through the opening where they landed next to a pile of wood, glass, and
brick where a house had once stood. A field of yellow surrounded the plush
green yard.

“
We must go,” Michael said looking around. The bodies of five
humans lay scattered across the lawn. “They never had a chance.” He wiped away
the tear that hadn’t fallen.

 
Gabriel and
Michael walked over to a young woman whose throat was ripped out. Her blue eyes
were wide open and frozen with fear, her limbs limp, and hair glued to the
ground by a pool of blood. Michael glanced towards the heavens. “We are
humanity’s only hope.” Gabriel moved over to where his brothers knelt.

Michael ambled to the edge of
the rubble. Near the bottom, a cotton candy pink sleeve stuck out, the small
fingers still clasping a doll. Pulling the doll out, he lowered his head,
clutching the cotton toy to his chest.
Please
forgive me, little one.

He walked back to the
brothers who were kneeling on the grass. Eyes of green, blue, brown, and gold
stared back at him. Their faces were black from smoke, their skin covered with
cuts and bruises.

 
“
We have
failed humanity,” Michael said, extending his wings to shake loose debris
caught in his feathers.

“
I have failed humanity,” Gabriel said.

“
No, brother, they remained trapped until we arrived. We could not
stop them.”

The archangels all lowered their heads as one.

“We must not give up,” Raphael said as he
glanced up. “All is not lost yet.”

“We will never give up,” Gabriel said.

Michael offered a hand in
turn to each of his brothers as they rose.

Gabriel went over to Michael
and laid a hand upon his shoulder. “What do you ask of us, Michael?”

“
We must separate and hunt them down.” Michael turned and looked
into Gabriel’s luminous green eyes. “You should know this is a battle we may
not win.”

Gabriel grasped his forearm.
“We will win, or die trying.”

They all nodded.

The archangels extended their
wings. Shades of blue and green glistened from the tips, and the gentle breeze
ruffled the feathers as they flew to the war that had just begun, again.