Genesis: Falling Angel (2 page)

“You seem upset,” the boy said, and the word seemed to be forced. It was an emotion the human souls could no longer feel.

“I don’t believe so,” I replied, confused. “I’m not sure. I just—” I glanced at the pond. “Run along.”

He did so at once, no doubt to escape the negative aura I was giving off. I pitied the human souls. They felt even less than angels. I gazed back at the pond. I could have been there from a few earth seconds to a few years, and I would’ve never noticed. Eventually, Gabriel’s reflection appeared. I whirled around to face him.

“Come with me.” He held out his hand.

I took it hesitantly, rising to my feet. I tried to ignore his touch on my wings and the cool feeling that followed.  “Where are we going?”

“Our Father has spoken on the matter. Mankind will have its second chance.” He pulled me along impatiently. “We will hold a council on this. I have included you as an apology. I did not mean to anger you.”

I barely heard his words. Had I a heart, it would have soared. Had he done this for me? Had my love of humans persuaded him? I gripped his hand tightly, and he glanced at me in confusion. Upon realizing what I had done, I released my hold on his hand and we continued on to the council.

Angels certainly didn’t hold hands. Only the children of Adam and Eve were given such luxury.

Chapter 2 – Gabrielle

Our walk to the council was uneventful. Gabriel just reminded me about certain things I could and could not do.

“Stand to my left,” he ordered. “Michael will be at my right. It is a sign of respect for you to keep your head bowed when not being spoken to. Remember not to speak at all, even if spoken to. We don’t have time to listen to your fantasies.” He gave me a pointed look, as though fantasizing was a weak point of mine.

He didn’t want to hear m
y
fantasies
? That was a strange word to use. When had wanting to save humans become a fantasy, nothing more?

The council consisted of one hundred angels. Meetings were held in a large, white pavilion that had many steps. Most angels just flew up to the meetings. Gabriel forced me to walk. No one wanted to see my wings. Gabriel in particular did not want to see them.

I was the only one whose wings were not proudly on display, and had I not belonged to Gabriel and possessed such a bright aura and heavenly beauty, I would easily be mistaken for a human. A few angels whispered upon our entry. Today, the council room was a large auditorium. Row upon row of angels became still as statues once Gabriel stepped onto the stage.

He took his place at the podium with me on his left. Michael stood to his right. I bowed my head in respect.
Gabriel glanced at me and suddenly appeared more relaxed.

A large, crystal mirror had been placed on the wall behind us, and I glanced at it curiously. It was like the pond, and I silently prayed that it would show the images the pond had failed to present. Gabriel spoke first.

“Our Father can no longer remain silent on the issue of humanity,” he began. The mirror swirled, revealing images that made the council gasp. The earth’s surface was charred. The few plants that were not burnt were shriveled. The moon was a bloody, brilliant red. The nights were long, the days incredibly short. Animals were few, replaced by the beasts that roamed Hell.

“We have shown no care for the humans. Our Father wishes us to see their torment before we take action.” Gabriel sounded bitter, as though he disagreed with Father wholeheartedly. Somehow, despite my earlier defense of humans, I still was unprepared for what he showed us.

The first scene was horrendous. It was merely a ruined city, filled with humans who bore green tattoos of the same snake. They wore tattered clothing, and their eyes were wild with distrust. A close up of one encounter showed a man gazing at a woman clutching a silver goblet. He came up from behind her, pulled her head back, and slit her throat. I held my hand up to my mouth to hold back a cry. Several images flashed in quick succession: a tiny, bald creature with pointed ears and green skin, a pale red-headed woman whose shrieks made humans collapse in agony, a large black snake with cold black eyes, and creatures that looked like emaciated, malnourished humans with greasy gray hair and sunken eyes. A light green flag bearing the image of a black snake waved above what I assumed to be a palace.

I fidgeted slightly as the next city came into view. The city was made entirely of stone, save for the great iron gate. Smoke billowed from numerous iron boxes. Human bodies were periodically put into the giant ovens. At times, a live human was shoved in, screaming in agony. A large arena o
ccupied the center of the city. It was filled with demonic beings, cheering for two humans in the center who were fighting to the death. Humans were shown in chains, shuffling slowly toward a group of large buildings containing many cells. Large, black dogs with black eyes raced through the streets aside smaller, reddish hounds with golden eyes. Cloaked figures bearing scythes stood aside wisps of black smoke with glowing red eyes. Large, hulking creatures that sometimes towered over the buildings lumbered around. They were hairless, gray-skinned, and had bulging, bloodshot eyes. All of them carried a weapon of sorts, mainly clubs. The flag of the region hung behind a shadowy figure on a dark throne. It was black with a flaming sword.

Gabriel clasped my shoulder, as if sensing my unease. I had never seen anything so disturbing. “There are five more of these?” I whispered, shaking slightly.

“Hang in there. It’ll help gain support.” However, I knew it would have the opposite effect. The angels would not want to go to an earth filled with such horrors. Gabriel knew this, and he was exploiting it with full force. I was so angry at him, I was shaking. He was taking this too lightly. The angels didn’t need to be shown demons and monsters. They needed to see the suffering of humans. Gabriel was no idiot, and that is what made his presentation harder to bear. I bit my tongue to hold back a retort.

The third city shown was just as horrible as the first two. The humans there had a starved appearance, though the city was rich with food and drink. They fought like animals over scraps. Everyone looked human, though some of the “humans” had silvery eyes. The flag rippled in the wind, showing a deep green background with a black wolf’s head. A man was shown lastly. He was dark-skinned with silvery eyes and a cruel smirk.

The fourth was the absolute worst. If I was capable of feeling nausea, I would have been very ill. The citizens were hardly clothed. The immortals were more human in appearance, though they still were fairly easy to tell apart.. Mortals had half-lidded eyes, stumbling about as though drugged. Some non-humans were a bit easy to spot with their pale skin and fangs, walking confidently among the needy humans. There was no fighting, no pain, only pleasure of the most sinful nature. There were demons that fed off of such pleasure, dragging humans into dark alleys or even feeding in public. The flag was a golden eight-pointed star on a purple background.

The council was gasping with horror at all of the appropriate times, but it was obvious that most were just bored. Humans were of no concern to them. Unless God ordered them to interact with humans, then there was no real point. I tried to mask the scowl creeping onto my face with a look of horror.

The next few cities were shown, but I could no longer pay attention. Toward the end, Gabriel whispered in my ear, “These are unsettling images. Perhaps you should wait outside?”

At first I believed he was showing concern for me. I met his gaze and found that he merely wante
d to see if I had given up. His little show was all for me! This angered me slightly, and I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I want to hear what the council decides.”

He tensed, though nodded and turned to address the council. I loved him as I loved all of my kind, but he angered me more than anything. Sometimes I
wished to express my thoughts. I wanted to tell him that his pride could only be matched by Satan himself.

However,
that would be a great accusation.

“As you have seen,” he began, “the Gates of Hell have been opened. Until now, demons have only slipped through to the earth in small numbers. Even then, we drove them back. Now, they are the dominant creatures on our Father’s earth.”

“So what is to be done?” Michael asked. His companion was idly standing by him, her fingers running through his silvery hair as though she meant to braid it. I briefly pitied her. She was as bored as I was with the rules.

“A group of us will be sent to one of the seven cities. One is to be a vessel
, an angel in human form to carry the weight of his angelic brethren. In other words, the vessel will be a host to several angelic souls until they are released to fight the enemy. We are to capture Lilith’s soul and remove her from the earth. This involves a brief descent into Hell, though the stay will not be permanent. As a human, the vessel will experience emotion unlike anything we’ve ever known. There would also be pain, a great deal of it. There is more to this mission, though it will be information given solely to those who volunteer.” He reached into his robes, pulling out a small, crystal bottle filled with a black liquid. “This will trap you in human form until you experience your descent. Upon drinking it, you will be cast from Heaven into one of the cities. The others who volunteer will enter your new mortal body and remain dormant until they are called upon.”

The crowd was silent.

“No one volunteers? It is the will of God that we save his creation, though he will not force you to risk yourselves for them. He pleads with you, however. You are, after all, His most trusted servants.”

No one spoke
.

“I will go,” I said softly. If no one else would help the mortals, then I would.

Suddenly, Gabriel appeared angry, protective. “You will do no such thing. I will go alone, since my brothers and sisters are silent.”

“Did God tell you to deny me the right to volunteer?” I challenged.

“No, but your right is denied regardless.”

Murmurs rose up from the council. I couldn’t tell if they were whispering over my initial volunteering or Gabriel taking over afterwards.

After a few closing words and prayers, the council left. I was angry that no one wished to help. I was the only one fully willing to go to earth, to risk a trip to Hell and a brief human life filled with agony. Yet I was unable to go. I was angry with Gabriel, who had volunteered only to deny my going. I was an angel. Perhaps I was not among the first angels, but a true angel nonetheless. It was my job to be a messenger or warrior, whatever God and humanity most needed me to be.

Gabriel was the last to leave, and I cornered him, pushing him back into the council room. I closed the door, turning to face him. He looked irritated. His arms were crossed over his chest, his muscles tense. His feathers looked slightly ruffled.

“What is it? Is it the images you saw?” His expression softened a bit, and he gripped my shoulders. “They can’t touch you. You’re safe here.”

“Why did you throw away my offer?” I demanded. “I’m ready to experience an eternity of torment to save them. It is our duty to protect and guide them, and no one else was willing.”

“Gabrielle, you don’t understand what you’re saying. You don’t understand the concept of eternity like I do. You don’t know what torment is. You’ve never known pain, or irrational rage, or despair. Your emotions are but weakened echoes of what human forms possess. If you die as a human, you enter Hell as a human. You don’t understand what that feels like.”

I ignored the comment on Hell for the moment. “And you do?” I snapped, breaking free of his grip. “Only recently, you didn’t care what happened on earth. What’s changed? Were you ordered to take this mission yourself?”

He said nothing. His hand grasped my arm pulling me to him. His fingers brushed over my wings, stroking the black feathers gently. They did not disappear this time. It was as though he truly liked them for once, and I was filled with joy at the thought.

Still, I was tense in his embrace, too stunned
to respond in any way. Affection was not common amongst our kind. Gabriel upheld the rule best of all. He’d always flinched at the slightest contact with me.

“I will not let anything happen to you,” he said softly. “I fought too hard for you, went so long without you. You’re mine, Gabrielle. You’re the only thing that I believe truly is. Please, don’t torment me with your defiance. You belong in Heaven, and I will sacrifice myself to ensure that you remain here.”

His lips brushed my forehead, and then he released me. “No more of this,” he said, catching my gaze.

“No more,” I whispered.

He smiled then, and I couldn’t help but return it. It faded the moment he left, and I held up the crystal bottle he’d kept in his robe. I was unsure as to why he hadn’t noticed me grab it, or why he embraced me for so long. Guilt gnawed at me now, as I knew that he treasured me so dearly. However, if I hadn’t been sure that I was the one meant to go before, I certainly was now. Despite Gabriel’s words swimming in my head, I uncorked the bottle.

Food and drink were not needed in Heaven. At times, humans would partake in eating or drinking just as echoes of their earthly lives. I had never tried anything the humans ate or drank, and the black liquid looked like nothing I’d seen before. I sniffed the opening of the bottle. No odor.

I drank the contents quickly, just as the door opened. Gabriel and Michael entered. They must have suspected. They must have decided to run back to stop me, but it was too late. Upon seeing the crystal bottle in my hand, Gabriel ran to me. I felt strange suddenly, as though I was no longer solid.

It was then that I felt pain. It was brutal, ripping through me like some sort of purging fire. I screamed and screamed as Gabriel held me. His face was calm, though his eyes were shiny. Were those tears forming? Did Gabriel feel as I did? I reached up for him, my teeth clenched in agony. “Please,” I whispered.

“What, Gabrielle? There is nothing we can do for you now. You’ll be alone, and I will only be able to visit your dreams. Oh, why did you do this? Why couldn’t you obey your teacher?” He seemed on the verge of adding something else, but he refrained.

The fire raced through me. “Understand,” I finished. Please understand. I was begging him now, though my words were choked and raspy. Pain was new to me. It had affected me probably more than it would affect any grown human. I convulsed, and Gabriel held me even more tightly.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, though he sounded unsure.

Did he even know what the liquid would do? Had he made it especially for himself? Had he wanted to save me from the pain of becoming human?