The sound of crunching echoed through the hall as I exited my room. The scene of blood, fresh and dripping down the walls, causes agony to stir about in my heart. A pleading pushes through my body as I mentally plead for someone, anyone, to still be ok. It was a foolish desire, but one that still filled me more than anything else at that moment. Walking down the hall, I felt I could hear the sounds of angels, rushing about, hungering for more to eat. I cover my mouth to hopefully quiet my breathing. The sight of speedy shadows makes my legs quake.
We were idiots to think we could go against them. Were we dreaming? It’s hard to imagine what we could have been thinking to believe this was ever possible. I grit my teeth to keep from crying as I finally reached the stairs. Thankfully, nothing was there waiting for me. I quickly but carefully moved down the stairs, praying to god I could make it to the door, and someone would be out there, ready to meet me and assure me there was a way to fix this. I rushed down the last few steps towards the door and grabbed the knob, twisting and pulling it open to find…nothing. The world outside was only void. The only thing floating out in the void was a burning cross that looked to be bleeding.
It was then that I felt something standing behind me, chuckling wildly. I tried to move away, but it grabbed a hold of my collar, pulling me back and slamming me into the floor. I felt my nose snap and break, causing me to scream in agony. It gleefully smashed my head into the ground again and again, letting my blood mix with the breaking floorboards. I groaned, when it finally rolled me over to stare it in the face. Seeing its disgustingly terrifying features made my last moments pure misery, as it leaned down and snapped its jaws around my neck, devouring my head in a single snap.
…
“AHHHH!” I sat up, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. Taking deep, terrified breaths, I looked this way and that, but, no, things were just fine. With a relaxed breath, I hold my chest and fall back onto my pillow. Staring up at the ceiling, my mind moves to what today is. That is, the day of the mission. My hands clench and unclench, my mind racing with the potential horrific outcomes that could come about today. I had all that bravado, but here I am, on the verge of a panic attack. Grrr…no, I need to keep control of myself! Nightmares be damned! I force myself to sit up and begin getting dressed for the day. Sweatpants and a t-shirt for freer use of movement, and the only pair of sneakers I have been provided with.
Looking…ready. Or as ready as I’m gonna get. I exit my room, seeing everyone in the hall, chatting with each other. I immediately bee-line it for Bea, who seems in a heated conversation with Sasha.
“What the hell do you mean?!”
“I mean my fists are better than bullets could ever be.”
“ARE YOU HIGH?!” I groan as Bea gives into Sasha’s prodding. Walking up, both of them see me and Bea is first to grab me. “Chris, please, explain to me how fists are both stronger and faster than a loaded bullet?” She genuinely seems on the verge of losing it.
“Don’t let her push your buttons Bea. This is obviously bait.” That seems to snap her out of it. Her cheeks turning red, she turns to Sasha and makes a vaguely threatening hand motion that Sasha counters by thrusting her finger into her mostly closed fist, making Bea even redder. Please, for the love of god, let there be an end to this nightmare. Thankfully, there is, when Bea seems to recall something.
“Chris, let's go make sure you’re ready for today, ok?” Bea asks before pulling me along and down the stairs. Once we’re out of earshot and at the door, I get a whispered apology. “I can't stand her. I needed an out.” I nod in understanding as she inputs the passcode. Sometimes I wonder if I like her mostly because she reads with me, but I decide to put the question to the back of my head for now as we both head inside, finding the firing range I’ve gotten very well acquainted with over these past few days. Bea summons the guns and places them before me, going to grab ammo from the locker. “We’ll be taking a fair few of these with us, I hope you’re ready to do some heavy carrying.” Bea says, snickering.
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“You’re cruel.” I mumble, placing the ammo in the guns. Starting with the automatic, I get into a proper stance and start firing. Unlike the first day, I had a bit more control over the gun this time, allowing for me to keep it decently centered, though I definitely still had my slip-ups. Next, the other one, with the high power and recoil. I get into the same stance for this one, except this time, I bite my tongue, causing my body’s shake to decrease in seriousness, allowing for more consistent good shots. I sigh, pulling back my arm and admiring my shots. Oh yeah. I'm ready. I look to Bea who gives me a high five.
“Alright. Let’s go kill a fuckin angel.” She takes a bag from the counter and begins filling it with ammo boxes. Once done, she hands it to me. As expected, it’s heavy as shit. “Chris?” As I’m suffering while trying to find a way to hold this thing, she lightly punches my chest. “We got this.” She says with a smile.
“Right. We got this.” I return the smile, lightly punching her on the shoulder back, before we leave the training room, hopefully not for the last time.
…
“Line up!” The debriefer demands and we follow the order, lining up in a single line as she looks over all of us. “Alright. You all are being sent to a simple set of woods where an angel is located. On your tablet's special map app, we have the area outlined for you. As long as you finish this without being detected, you won’t need to worry about it leaving these borders. It appears these woods are its home.” She checks over a clipboard for an agonizing two minutes before continuing. “Alright, from what spirits have said, the thing tends to be docile until provoked, whether that be through an aggressive act or through disturbing it too much, that’s up to your discretion.” She looks up and down the clipboard a few more times before smashing it against the ground. “Whatever, you all can figure it out, I’m tired.”
The briefer walks away, leaving us be as we wait for the sign that the force field’s teleportation location has changed. I put down the bag of ammo and fell onto my ass, groaning from the soreness running through my entire arm. Everyone once again seems to be talking amongst themselves, leaving me to my thoughts, until a sudden interruption makes me raise my gaze. I see a girl I recognize only through passing meetings. Mimi. She looks down at me with a cautiousness while holding out a protein bar. I take it.
“Uhm, thanks.” I nod, unsure how exactly to talk to this person
“You’re…really making good impressions here, huh?” For the first time ever, she finally talks to me. It’s a bit of a bewildering moment, but I do my best to stay composed.
“It would seem so, yeah.” I responded. She looks around for a second before sitting down next to me. She starts running her finger over her knee in a circle, completely disappearing from this plane of reality for the time being. So, she’s gonna acknowledge me and then just disappear? Hell no. “Uhm, hey.” She doesn’t seem to respond.
–
With an annoyed sigh, I lay down on the grass, looking over the protein bar. It is still nice of her to at least think of me at all. I silently thank her before pocketing the bar. Looking up at the fake sky, I let myself admire the false sun. The inability to truly provide warmth gives it a nice charm.
You’re gonna kill this thing. You keep doubting yourself, but you should know that you’re capable. You can do this. You will survive. You will not run away.
“And that’s what makes you so interesting.” My view of the sky is blocked by Sasha staring down on me. With a grunt, I sit up.
“Is your ability actually mind reading?” I ask. She shakes her head.
“Nope. I’m just perceptive and you’re just easy.” She declares. The words don’t make me feel all that great but they’re probably true. I shrug, and she takes a seat next to me. “But I’m being honest. I can’t think of any humans who are crazy enough to not find an excuse to stay behind until they’re properly trained. Are you masochistic? Does death turn you on?”
“I’ve shown you the splatterpunk shit, you know the answer to that already.” I sigh. “If me being here has the potential of meaning none of you die, then it's worth coming. Get it?”
“Hmm…how sweet.” The words sound sincere. She turns her head to focus on the forcefield before us. “Hopefully in your ambition to keep us safe you don't end up dead again. Something tells me you haven’t truly considered that.”
“I have. I will survive.”
“Will you really?”
“Yes.”
“Chris-”
“-and I could care less if I don’t.”
“...an even more interesting answer. Oh?” We both look up to see the force-field flash. Our sign to go. Everyone sitting gets up and I grab my ammo bag.
Right. I don’t care. I don’t at all…