Daystar (16 page)

Apple landed beside her.
 
“Three billion.”

“Holy shit!”
 
Dahlia tore out of the material.
 
She concentrated and double-checked Apple’s numbers.
 
“Bad!”

Whitney dropped down beside her.
 
“Wasn’t there like over six or seven billion recently?”

Dahlia was pale.
 
“Yes.”

Apple stared at the horizon.
 
“The count is dropping fast.”

“Shit.”
 
Dahlia sighed.
 
“Things are breaking; hospitals are no longer operational, reactor meltdowns, probably riots too.
 
I can only imagine.
 
Emergency measures time.
 
Helion, go to the City.
 
Get my kids and return here.
 
Berith, stop the fires.”

He looked around.
 
“What fires?”

“The ones all throughout China and the US.
 
I can feel them, put them out now.”

Berith nodded and took off with Helion.
 
Whitney and Apple stared at Dahlia.
 
Apple looked around.
 
“What are we doing?”

Dahlia frowned.
 
“Apple, I need all the humans unconscious.
 
They cannot harm each other if they are sleeping.
 
Please do this.”

Apple rubbed her arms.
 
“What if I screw up?
 
Can’t you do that better than I can?”

Dahlia smiled slightly.
 
“Creating an Archangel grants them narrowly focused powers and traits.
 
In that specialized area, you are better equipped than I am and your focus is refined.
 
So…”

“Got it.”
 
Apple stared at her hands.
 
“So how do I do—”

“Figure it out.”

Apple backed away and sat on a log.
 
She squeezed her eyes shut and focused.
 

Dahlia looked at Whitney.
 
“Fuck.”
 

Whitney plopped down on the ground next to her.
 
The two friends stared at one another.
 
Whitney blew out the breath she’d been holding in her chest.
 
She wrung her hands.

Dahlia waved her hand.
 
“Spit it out.”

Whitney looked at her feet.
 
“Well, two things I guess.
 
I am glad that I came to your birthday party.
 
Otherwise, well…yeah I would probably not even be a stain on the earth.
 
I know you would feel totally bad by the way, but with all that’s happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if—”

“Whitney?”

“Sorry.”

“What is number two?”

“I don’t know about you, but that would totally put me off of sex for awhile.”

Dahlia put her head in her hands.
 
“At least we did not destroy a planet this time.”

“
This
time?”

Dahlia’s lips quirked up at the corners.
 
“Lucifer and I have a history with bringing bad ends to the heavenly bodies.
 
It is a long story.”

Whitney raised an eyebrow.
 
“We have some time, spill it.”

***

Belial and Andy waited on the spiraling staircase in Furcas and Paimon’s house.
 
They stood on either side of an open door.
 
Their eyes met.
 
Andy smiled at her.
 
She looked away; a blush crept up her cheeks.

A crash rocked the room and dust blew out in a plume.

Belial dove in.
 
“What happened?”

Paimon lay on his back in the ocean-themed suite.
 
“I’m not really sure.”

Belial looked around.
 
Chests lay on their sides, burst open.
 
Clothes and trinkets dotted the floor.
 
She cleared a spot and sat down next to him.
 
She took his hand.
 
“What are you looking for?”

Paimon sat up.
 
“This coat.”
 
He lifted his hand up and showed her a burgundy pirate coat.
 
He brought it to his nose and inhaled.
 
He coughed.
 
“Fucking dust!
 
There’s dust everywhere!”
 
He sniffled.
 
“It’s so dirty!
 
Everything is so dirty!”
 
He threw the coat.
 
“Everywhere!”

Belial grabbed his hand.
 
“You like dirt.”

“He doesn’t.
 
Furcas
hates
messes!”
 
Paimon’s chin trembled.
 
“I’m making more messes, it’s all I do.”
 
Tears poured down his cheeks.
 
“Fuck!”

“Why don’t you let us clean.”

“No!”
 
Paimon jumped to his feet.
 
“This is
my
job.”
 
He stormed towards the door and tripped on an overturned chair.
 
He kicked it into the wall.
 
“Motherfucker!”
 
He wiped his eyes.

Andy stepped into the room and grabbed hold of Paimon’s elbow.
 
He led him towards the door.
 
“Where to next?”

“Downstairs, I have to check out the bedroom.
 
Let go, Andy!
 
I can go by myself!
 
I am not an invalid!”
 
Paimon jumped down the winding staircase and pushed open the door to the master bedroom.
 
He sniffed the air.
 
Furcas’ soap and cologne lingered in the dark and quiet.
 
Paimon forced himself to walk into the room.

Andy followed behind, trying to keep silent.
 
He waited at the doorway and leaned his head on the doorframe.
 
His eyes caught on a photograph of the pair at a beach.
 
He tore his eyes away and kept them on Paimon.

Paimon scrunched his toes into the carpet.
 
When he couldn’t stall anymore, his feet took him towards the dresser and closet.
 
He opened the drawers and stared blindly at the clothes Furcas had neatly put away.
 
He snatched up random shirts.
 
He balled them up and sank to the floor with them.
 
They smelled like Furcas.

Paimon pushed himself backwards until he reached the bed.
 
He pulled pillows off the mattress.
 
He wrapped the clothes around the pillows and hugged them to his face and chest.
 
He inhaled and wept.
 

Paimon fell to his side and rested his head on the floor.
 
His hand snaked out and he found one of his bottles under the bed.
 
He bit the top off and chugged it as tears ran into the bottle.

Andy watched Paimon from the doorway; he said nothing.
 
He looked up to Belial but she was not on the staircase.
 
He frowned.

***

Belial crawled into the bathroom of the ocean room.
 
Pain lanced through her chest.
 
She closed the door quietly behind her and locked it.
 
She climbed up the sink until she could make out her reflection.
 
She allowed the pain to escape in a quiet cry.
 

She tore her shirt off and pushed herself up to standing.
 
The skin over her ribcage was bruised and black; it looked like a tattoo of a spider between her breasts.
 
Belial poked at the skin.
 
The dark spot rippled under her touch and the spider moved away from her fingertip.
 
She backed away from the mirror, her face a mask of horror.

She grew out one talon and hooked it in a rib.
 
She peeled back the skin.
 
No blood came out.
 
Belial pulled back an inch, then another.
 
The darkness underneath became visible in the light.
 
She bit her lip to keep from shrieking, not from pain, but from fear.
 
The tissue was not a mass of flesh and bone, but webbing that looked like tar.
 
The material moved away from the light.

Belial followed the tendrils of black with a finger until they sank into her regular muscle.
 
She pulled on one tendril, trying to disentangle it from her flesh.
 
Her heart squeezed and pain raced through her body.
 
She sagged against the wall and struggled to breathe as it compressed her lungs.

Andy knocked on the door.
 
“Are you okay?”

A tendril roped out of her body towards him.
 
Belial sliced it off and stepped on it where it hit the floor.
 
She struggled to sound normal.
 
“I am fine!
 
Stay with Paimon!”

“Are you sure?”

Belial’s heart beat and the darkness grew.
 
Andy was near and it wanted him.
 
It desired to join with him and spread itself.
 
The pain made her take a step for the door.
 
She reached for the lock.
 
The cancer crept through her muscles and bone, slowly taking control of her limbs.
 

“
Andy
.”
 
Belial drove a spiked finger into her heart.
 
Her eyes rolled back in her head.
 
The mass quivered.
 
She fought with her left arm for control.
 
“I am fine.
 
Go!
 
Paimon needs you.”
 

Andy walked away and the desire to attack him left her.
 
Belial pulled the spike out and stared at her chest.
 
The cancer shook like it was laughing.
 
Belial snarled at it.
 
“Fuck you.”
 
She replaced the skin and the wound healed over.

Belial thrust her hands in the sink and washed the gunk off her fingers.
 
She grabbed the severed black tendril and threw it in the trash.
 
The tissue dried out and crumbled once out of her fingers.

Belial leaned over the sink, her entire body shook.
 
She blinked back tears.

She stared into the mirror; she searched her blue eyes.
 
There was no darkness there.
 
She still had time.
 
Her eyes caught on her neck.
 
She brushed back her hair.
 
A purple bruise colored the skin just under her ear.
 
The area pulsed and throbbed.

Belial pulled her hair forward until it framed her face and covered her neck.
 
She looked down into the porcelain and silver sink.
 
Her wings quivered.
 
The metal faucet melted.
 
Belial gaped.
 
“Fuck!
 
No!”
 
The faucet went back into place.

Belial stared at it.
 
“Melt again.”
 
The faucet melted.
 
“Reform.”
 
It reverted.
 
Belial allowed a small smile.
 
Her chest burned.
 

“Fuck!”
 
Belial clamped her hand down on her heart; it strained against her.
 
Dormant, unable to access power, the cancer had remained small before, content to live on as her heart.

Belial glanced at her wings, her halos.
 
As she gained power, it also gained power.
 
She stared at her reflection.
 
“Uriel…you will not get the chance and you will not win.
 
I remain
Belial
.”
 
Her heart throbbed in response.
 
Darkness spread under her ribcage.

Belial broke the lock on the door and dashed out, unable to look at herself any longer.
 
She grabbed a robe, tore holes in it to make room for her wings.
 
She slipped the soft material on.
 
She ran down the stairs as Andy entered the master bedroom.
 
She followed him in.

Paimon slept on the floor, curled up and covered in Furcas’ clothes, an empty bottle beside him.
 
Andy sat near the doorway; his transparent wings went through the wall without resistance.
 
He patted the spot next to him.

Belial walked over and took a seat.

Andy kissed her temple and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
 
He spoke quietly, “Anything wrong?”

Belial shook her head and answered him with a whisper, “No.”