Pain shot through him like fireworks, exploding him awake from his silent state. He flinched in the darkness, and his soul reverberated from smacking against the water from a high impact. Coldness washed over him, and he shivered and choked at the water filling his lungs.
Sal couldn’t get a breath, and he expected Sara to frantically begin swimming, but her body was motionless. He shouldn’t have been surprised that she would jump in front of the bullet to protect her friend, but he was in disbelief at her recklessness.
There was quietness in the girl’s soul as if he were on the other end of the phone, and she disconnected from the line.
Anger rampaged through him like wildfire, coursing through his veins like lava and boiling his blood with rage. Sal should’ve been watching out for her, but he was distracted, planning…always planning. You had to be a damn hero, Sara. Now look at you. Great.
Sal rose from the assassin’s lifeless body like a haunted ghost. He stared at her, drowning in the waters, and felt the cold river filling her lungs, squeezing and burning for oxygen. Kate shrilled her friend’s name and grabbed Sara’s body with Nephilim’s help.
Once he knew Sara was safe, Sal’s anger turned into a deadly chemical poison. Lurching up in the sky, he soared through the cool air that ruffled his black and shortened hair. With a deadly sneer of hatred on his tightened countenance, he landed in the woods. Blood trickled down Sal’s cheeks. The wound on his head was the result of the bullet in Sara’s head.
He touched the gaping hole on the side of his head and glared at the wizards in disgust.
“You fucking missed, Will!” A wizard with a mustache accused him, and he smacked his friend on the back harshly.
“Don’t blame me! That girl shoved Katerina out of the way. On the bright side, Ben, we got rid of another annoying Prowler. Look at her friends trying to save her; feel so powerful now, huh?” Will spat at the lifeless assassin.
Ben huffed but couldn’t argue that his clean shot hadn’t been wasted. “Should we try to kill Katerina?” He lifted his sniper to where Kate was pumping water from her friend. “I know we don’t work with Lucifer, but if we got her head, he would reward us greatly. We should kill those teenagers.”
“Hmm, I see why not…” Will flashed a wicked smile that promised nothing but pain in its wake.
Oh no, you don't, Sal growled. The burning pressure on his chest subsided, and he knew the water had gotten out of Sara’s lungs.
His dark brown eyes flashed red, and he wasn’t invisible anymore. Wings burst from his back, fluttering above him threateningly. A dashing grin tugged on his face when the wizards turned in shock.
Ben croaked, his jaw dropping. “Who are you?”
Tree limbs crunched underneath Sal’s black shoes as he advanced towards them. He tucked his wings inside his back, and his smile never faltered as he hissed between fangs. “You hurt a dear person of mine.” He narrowed his blazing red eyes and said, “And now, I’m your worst nightmare.”
It seemed the Galas’ flight response kicked in because they sprinted away as if a demon was on their tails. Ben dropped his gun in fear, and Will squeaked, “Get away from this Infernal!”
Ben tripped over a log when he looked back to see where Sal was. His body shook with trepidation when he tried to get up on his feet; he cursed out when the slippery leaves gave him a harder time standing up. Right as he was about to bolt free from his struggles, a bullet shot through his skull, and Ben crumbled to the ground.
Dropping the sniper, Sal walked towards Will, who had smacked against a tree and was in a daze. A snarl creased up on the Infernal’s face, and he grabbed the wizard by the throat before he could run away.
“I’m sorry!” Will gasped, his legs trying to kick this stranger, but it was pointless. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for; however, whoever this monster was, he might have an ounce of forgiveness.
When Sal smiled, his fangs looked like the opening of the jaws of hell. Will peed in his pants out of fear. The Infernal titled his head, and his rippled horns shone in the streams of light between the trees. Sal licked his lips and inhaled deeply, sensing the wizard’s terror, and he loved it. “I wonder what your type of Gala tastes like.”
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His sharp fangs dug into Will’s neck, Sal tore away, strings of ligaments loosened from the man’s throat, and blood covered the Infernal’s mouth. Sal released him, spat out flesh, tissue, cartilage, and blood, and wiped the blood from the back of his hand. He preferred to fill himself with the fear of this wrenched Gala than actually meat.
Will wheezed to get a breath, and blood splattered out of his neck. The last thing he saw before death overcame was the wizard swearing he was looking in the worst parts of hell in Sal’s red eyes.
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Pain overrode any other sensation, and her body recoiled from it. Sara couldn’t move, as if she were tied up to a table. The girl begged through her thoughts for this agony to stop. Even if death swept her away in its arms, she would welcome it.
It hurts so much. Why do I deserve this? Please…spare me.
Nothing but darkness surrounded her. There was no hope of any light to vanquish the blackness and give her relief. A shiver trembled through her like a fever. Her head throbbed, and she tried to muster what took place.
She remembered the bullet flying in the air, its metallic gray coating shining in the blazing sun.
Is Kate okay? Please let her be safe…
The anguish coursing through her finally started to ease away. Sara didn’t care if it was death giving her mercy and carrying her away from this horrible place.
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With the bewildered questions coming from her brothers and Ashey, Kate didn't have the energy to process them. Andrew sat beside her, quiet and listening to the Prowlers wondering how this happened. When she stepped into the silent hospital wing, the shock of what occurred pounded deep inside her, and guilt swarmed bitterly in her stomach.
Vomit threatened to come, but Kate held it down. She stared at the white walls blankly and watched the clock tick away slowly, disheartening her as every hour passed with no news on her best friend.
The only thought running through her head was the image of Sara bleeding out in the operating room. She tried to think of other things, but she kept seeing the bullet striking at the assassin’s head and her silently going headfirst into the gushing river.
Kate’s face must’ve been extremely pale because her brothers kept snapping her out of the trace she was in. They periodically asked her if she was okay and gave her water.
The Archangel paced around the waiting room, going back and forth. Biting his finger in uneasiness, he looked around as if any second now the surgeon would deliver the news if Sara was alive or not.
A few chairs from Kate, Demetrius and Ashley huddled together and did their best to support each other.
When Nathan and Timothy rushed into the waiting room, everyone was glad to see they were fine. They asked if Sara was alright, but no one responded. The boys glanced at one another in vexation.
In the endless trance of negative thoughts throughout the long hours, Kate snapped out of it when she heard Timothy say, “The Choirs helped us move the train along.”
Nathan added with a frown and a ghastly expression, “I did find the wizards, but they were already dead. I don’t want to go into details, yet let’s just say—one of them had their throat torn upon—I think I’m going to puke!” He ran to the nearest restroom.
“You don’t think Sara killed them somehow before she got…” Ashley gasped, her hand over her racing heart, in puzzlement.
“No,” Michael answered, and he halted his anxious pace. “That would be impossible if she was trying to dodge the bullet, as Kate described.” He looked at the young warlock in curiosity. “Did you kill those wizards?”
Timothy shook his head and said, “No, I was too busy with the train.”
“It should’ve been me with a bullet in my head,” Kate blurted out with a whimper. She dug her nails into her palms, and her emotions boiled to the brim. Tears were ready to shed again.
Ricky argued, “No, you also being shot wouldn’t do any good.”
“This isn’t your fault, Katerina,” the Archangel muttered.
“It is!” Kate yelled, standing up from her chair. It was unlike her to disagree with him, but her emotions controlled her thinking and actions now. She couldn’t grasp the overwhelming dread of what had occurred. Her cheeks flustered in embarrassment at not getting herself together. “If I hadn’t been reckless and stupid, Sara would be alive! I should be stripped of my title and dishonored. I keep messing up! How can any of you look at me?”
Everyone stared at her outburst, and Michael was the one to cut away the tension. “Mistakes transpire, and we learn from them,” he began calmly. “Missions are never meant to be easy, and any Prowler knows that.”
“You shouldn’t put me as the leader on missions anymore.” Kate insisted, unbelieving she had spurted that out and knowing she would regret it later. However, this might be for the best and her friends’ safety.
With a sigh, Michael announced, “If I thought for once you shouldn’t have been a leader, I wouldn’t have made you one in the first place. Am I disappointed in you? The answer is yes. This was your mission to protect the people who came with you, but just because you failed doesn’t mean you should give up on a single slip-up.
“This is more than a slip-up, though!” Kate cried, wiping tears from her distraught face.
“Even when life knocks you down, you get back up and keep fighting, no matter what.” Michael watched her try to hold back a storm of tears.
Kate slowly nodded, and she wiped snot from the back of her hand. She couldn’t bear to lock her gaze with her boss, and she felt like a complete failure. “It’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not,” agreed Michael.