Gabriel (24 page)

The previous owner left an
old couch, a few beds, a dresser, and a table and chairs, but the place was
otherwise empty. Downstairs sat the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and a
bathroom that no longer functioned. Upstairs were three bedrooms, none of them
very large, but adequate to hold the humans stored for consumption.

The barn out back served as a
dumping ground, to discard the beings whose purpose ended. This was convenient
because the foul individuals brought flies and bugs when their weak bodies
expired. Humans were rancid alive, but dead they were plain disgusting. The
Captain wondered how such loathsome creatures were allowed to exist.

He snickered to himself.
It does not matter because soon the world
will be rid of such a pathetic life form. Then we can return home and not have
to rely on such an unworthy species for our survival.

“
My Lord, we lost contact with the party located in Northern
Michigan,” the Captain Kematian said through the telepathic link.

“
What do you mean lost contact?” Baal asked.

“
The leader checked in a week ago, but he missed this check-in.
When I try to reach him, it’s like he’s gone.”

The Kematian doubled over as
Baal sent him the telepathic lashing that racked his body in unspeakable pain.
The Captain’s group stared at him. He needed to right himself in a hurry.
Weakness resulted in death. He needed to get someplace where he could undergo
this mental beating without appearing vulnerable to his “subordinates”.

He thought about sending them
out, but that would raise doubt in their minds. After the assault he would be
too weak to defend himself. He couldn’t allow that. No, he would push through
the pain and find a safe place to recover.

Baal continued to attack his
mind. His rage came through loud and clear. The Captain made his way to the
smallest bedroom upstairs. A mattress on the floor was the only furnishing in
the room. He locked the door and collapsed. Baal must have been really pissed
off. The onslaught was relentless.

The Captain curled in a fetal
position, blood dripping from his nose, his forehead creased and limbs
trembling. If any other Kematian came into the room now, he was as good as
dead. Although death did not seem like a horrible thing, his stubborn nature
wouldn’t allow him to meet that fate in his current condition. He would go down
fighting like the warrior he was, if only he could get to his feet.

Baal stopped the attack, but
the pain would last for hours, maybe even days. Too bad he didn’t have time to
nurse the internal wounds plaguing him.

“
How many humans were in that group?” Baal asked.

“
Four.”

“
Find out what happened to them. If you fail me, I will not be so
kind next time.”

“
Y-e-ss, my Lord. I will not fail you, again.”

“
No, you won’t. There will not be a next time for you.”

“
Yes, my Lord.”

With that, the link broke,
and Baal was gone.

The Captain lay on the
mattress for what seemed like hours. When the shaking ceased he stood up. His
insides felt shredded, but he didn’t have time for pain. He had work to do. He
walked into the room where they stored their food.

Six humans sat huddled in the
corner. He strode over and smelled each one. The one who had the strongest
scent was the winner. He reached down and grabbed her by her neck. Her feet
dangled above the floor.

He walked out of the room
carrying her in one hand. She was a dirty little human. Black mascara streaked
under her swollen eyes, and bright red outlined her lips. Her ebony skin was
marred by thick scars down both arms. Her neck was lax, and her head lurched
from side-to-side as her body twitched.

He approached the bedroom
that had a dresser and set the woman on top of it. He craned his head towards
her neck. His tongue flicked across the pale skin once, then twice before
ripping into the flesh. Blood dripped down her neck. She didn’t move. He lapped
at the opening until it ceased to spill. Then he lifted her up pouring the last
of the warm liquid into his throat. He opened the window and tossed her out.
She landed on a large pile of discarded humans. The flies swarmed the new fresh
meat.

The Captain made his way
downstairs. His insides were still in agony, but the human’s blood helped to
dull the pain. Four men sat at a kitchen table talking.

He pointed to the one
closest.

“
Why is there a repulsive pile of bodies outside when we have a
storage area to put them in?”

“
I am sorry, Captain. I will go take care of that right now,” the
Kematian said as he ran out the back door.

The Captain turned to the
remaining three.

“
Gather all the men. I want everyone here in thirty minutes.
Whoever is not present will suffer grave consequences. Do I make myself clear?”

“
Yes, sir,” all three said.

He would have sent the
message telepathically, but he needed a few minutes of rest. The Captain walked
into the living room and sat down on the couch. Springs stuck through in
several spots, but it was better than trying to make it up the stairs again. He
closed his eyes.

The front door creaked, and
the Captain snapped them open.
What the
hell is wrong with me? If they see any sign of weakness I will be challenged,
and in my current condition I may not win.
The “men” crossed the threshold
of the house and gathered around the couch. They were all looking down on the
Captain.

Oh
no, this will not do.
He stood up and entered the
kitchen, forcing the men to follow him or be handed a severe punishment. As he
looked behind him, all the men were there giving him their full attention.
Yes, that’s much better.

“
Some of our brethren in the northern region are unaccounted for.
We will head to their last known location and find out where they are. Any
questions?”

A Kematian from the back
pushed his way forward.

“
What if they have been slain?” he asked.

“
By whom? These puny humans?” the Captain asked.

“
This is the place where the archangel Gabriel landed. Is it not?”

“
I killed Gabriel! That is why I am your new leader,” the Captain
said as he caressed the Nex Addo with his right hand.

“
What if he survived?” the solider asked, not backing down.

“
If you would like your old position back, just say the word and a
battle can be arranged,” the Captain said.

“
No, I’ll let you take care of this one. I’m eager to see what Baal
will do to our leader, if Gabriel is indeed alive.” He knelt. “I defer to you,
my
Lord
.”

“
I bet you are eager to see what fate befalls the demon who bested
you. Coward.”

The Captain shut his eyes.
“Does everyone know where we are heading?”

They all nodded. A smile slid
across his face.

“
Go upstairs and feed. When you are done fly to the designated
location. Any questions?”

The group remained silent.

“
Good.”

The Kematians went upstairs
to eat, while the Captain stood and stepped out onto the front porch. He
extended his wings and took to the skies. He was going to make sure that if
Gabriel was alive he would not survive his sword twice. The success or failure
of this mission fell on his shoulders, and he was going to make sure there were
no mistakes.

He flew for an hour when he
landed in front of the warehouse. The gate was open. Yellow tape surrounded the
area. With a swipe of his claw the ribbon sliced in two and drifted to the
ground. He approached the entry with more trepidation than he would admit.

The Captain walked inside.
The air had a familiar smell, woodsy, earthy, and clean. He searched the area,
but none of his brethren were there. He flew up to the loft and strode over to
the office. The stink of humans filled the air. He opened the door to find the
floor covered with dried blood.

He left the bathroom and
exited the office. He stood at the railing and noticed the gouge marks in the
concrete walls. He went over to the stairway and touched the railing, pulling
his hand back as if he had been burned.

“
No! It can’t be,” the Captain yelled.

Confirming his worst fear, a
white feather floated down from the rafters. The Captain grasped it in his hand
and released it as if the feather burnt his skin. He raised his hand to his
nose and screamed, “Gabriel!”

His group walked in.

A smile slid across their
face of the former leader.

“
Is there a problem, my Lord?”

The Captain jumped down, his
descent slowed by his wings, and landed with a thud on the concrete.

“
You would like there to be a problem, wouldn’t you?” the Captain asked.

“
And be in your shoes, no. Gabriel did survive then?” the former
leader asked.

“
It appears so.”

“
What would you like us to do now?”

The Captain started to pace
as he considered all of his options. If he tried to track Gabriel down and
attacked him at his home, the angel would have the advantage, but if they could
lure him here then they would. Yes, they would need to find something that
Gabriel would claim.

“
What do humans hold most valuable?” the Captain asked.

“
Not their planet, they are pigs,” the former leader said.

“
That is true, but what is their greatest weakness?”

The Kematians started talking
amongst themselves.

The Captain stopped pacing
and stood before the group. “Shout out your responses. No matter what they are,
or how stupid they sound. I want to hear them all.”

He was desperate, and despite
how this might sound he needed to come up with a plan.
Maybe these fools will be of some use to me.
The group fell into
silence.

“
Speak up.”

“
Those furry creatures,” one shouted from the back.

“
I have seen them washing those machines they sit in,” another
yelled.

“
The little humans,” someone else said.

“
The plants they grow,” another called out.

“
Wait, what did you say?” the Captain asked.

“
The pla—”

“
No, not that you idiot. The little humans. Yes, their children.”
The Captain started to pace again.

“
I have seen a place where they keep them locked up inside a chain
link fence. We could go there and grab some, but we’ll have to leave something
for Gabriel to find,” the Captain said.

“
We could leave a few of these,” the former leader said as he
pulled a feather out.

“
Yes, but I do not want the humans to know about us, yet. The
Master would be displeased. We need to make sure Gabriel is the one who
receives the message.”

“
We could find him and leave the feathers there, for him.”

“
Yes, we will do that.”

The Captain faced the former
leader.

“
I want you to take a team and find out where Gabriel is living. It
should be easy enough to track his scent. It’s all over this place.”

“
Yes, my Lord.”

The former leader assembled
two other members, and they left.

“
The rest of you go scout out the little human prisons. You are not
to bite any of them, at least not until we have an angelic audience to watch.”

“
Yes, my Lord,” they said in unison and flew out of the building.

The former leader returned an
hour later. The other two each had a woman over their shoulder.

“
What is this? You stopped for food on the way?” the Captain asked.

“
No, my Lord. These two women were at the house where Gabriel is
living. The smaller one carries his scent.”

The Captain walked over and
lifted her head by her hair, but she didn’t move. He smelled the woman, and his
lips turned upwards.

“
Put them in the bathroom and lock the door.”

He resisted the urge to feed from the little one right there and then.
The Captain would feed from her personally, but that would have to wait. He
wanted to make sure Gabriel saw the light leave her eyes. He would save the
other one, and allow Gabriel to make a choice as to who lived. Then he’d enjoy
the devastation Gabriel would suffer when he lost two of his pathetic humans. Gabriel
would be no match for the warehouse of Kematians that awaited him. He wouldn’t
kill him right away, he would suffer first.