When I was a little girl, my mother would remind me each night before bed to open up my heart to God, for he was kind, merciful, and just. Things changed when my father left a few years later, leaving her to raise me and my brothers in a little place on the edge of the Mojave Desert. She never talked of a kind and merciful God anymore. Instead, she spoke of a prophecy. Of a time when all the world would be covered in darkness, and the fate of mankind would be decided. One night, I finally got the courage to ask my mother why God had changed, why he was so mad at his children. 'I don't know,' she said, tucking the covers around me, 'maybe he just got tired of all the bullshit.'
It wasn't until I saw this darkness for myself that I realized my mother was right, despite all my years of disagreeing and arguing with her. God had gotten tired, our luck had run dry. His blind love for us healed, and his eyes were pulled open to the disgusting beings he had gone oblivious to us becoming.
But I had survived, and my child, Alexander which means 'defender of men', has survived as well. It's been 3 years since me or Jeep have seen Michael or Gabriel, though Jeep has told me of the last time he saw them. Sometimes, when I doze off, I can imagine the words coming from Michael himself.
"You gave him what he asked for... I gave him what he needed."
In those words, I find some sort of peace. A peace that makes me feel like we will always have someone out there who cares. If Jeep decided to leave, which I feel he will soon, there will still be someone who cares. Not just for me and Alex, but for humanity. I don't expect him to always protect us. Not at all. He's an Angel, not a robot. Yet, I feel as if he's right beside us the entire time.
If and when Jeep leaves, I will go on protecting us. That I decided long ago.
"There's word of a prophet in what's left over of California." Jeep said, taking me away from my thoughts. He looked at me and sighed. "We need some food for Alex."
"We need some food for all of us." I corrected. It had been nearly two whole days since either me or Jeep has eaten a bit.
"Alex is more important. He's the savio-"
"He's my child. He's more than just some person here to keep the human race intact, he is a young boy who needs to play, to live. This is his life as well." I said. Jeep doesn't really recognize any of us as humans. We're just all pieces of the puzzle to him. As if our destiny is chosen and sealed, and we must fill our lives with it.
"Of course." He said in that country accent of his.
"This used to be a highway road. There should be some sort of store coming up." Turning back to stare at the surroundings behind me, I hear Alex begin to stir in his seat. "Shh." I told him, smiling down as his ocean blue eyes opened up to me. He smiled and laughed a bit, then played with his seat belt.
"Mommy, where are we going?" He asked, smiling.
"To get you some food so your little tummy won't grumble like an alien." I looked to Jeep, hoping he would join in on the fun, but he just continued driving, occasionally looking down at his arm where his tattoos had grown.
"Jeep." I whispered to him. He turned and looked at me. "I need to talk to you when we stop somewhere." He nodded and faced away from me.
The past two years have been as lonely as if I were alone. Most of the time I'm not playing with Alex, I'm talking to God, or Michael. Hoping at least one of them is listening.
'I know this is probably around the millionth time of done this, and I know you're getting sick of my voice, if you can even hear it. If you can't, then I bet God's getting a pretty big kick out of this right now.' I laughed mentally. I had to be insane. 'Michael, if you're there, if you're anywhere in the range of my voice, and if there's anything in your heart nagging you to come back and help us out, don't fight it. We could really use you right now, hell, I could really use you right now. And your random cop cars filled with guns.' I sighed and looked out to the sky through my window. 'But, you probably aren't even there. Never mind. Why am I still even speaking?'
"There's seems to be some sort of shopping mart on the next exit." Jeep said, turning to exit.
Once we pulled in, me and Jeep got out of the car. "I'll be right back, Alex. Don't unbuckle yet. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." He said sadly, but was quickly re-amused by his seat belt once more.
I closed the door and turned to Jeep. "If we're going to-"
"I'm leaving once we find a prophet in California." He said, cutting me off.
"-Work this out." I finished, astonished he had said that. "But, Michael said you were our protector?"
"Yeah, well, I thought I was too. But, it's been three years, Charlie. I can't stand being around you when you feel absolutely nothing for me in return. So, I'm leaving." I couldn't believe my ears, I wanted to punch him in the throat!
"This is bigger than me and you, you dick!" I shoved him. "This isn't about you loving me or me loving you, this is about the fate of mankind, and whether or not you like the situation, it's happening." I shoved him another time.
"Well, they can get a new protector. I don't want this anymore." He sounded like a moody teenager.
"Yeah, well I didn't want it either, but now that it's been thrown in my lap, I decided to embrace it like an adult. You think I want to be stuck with you when you act like this? No, but I have to because you're supposed to help us, and you have the instructions on your damn body!"
"Well, I don't want those anymore either. And I don't want to take care of a child that isn't mine from a woman who isn't mine." Jeep shrugged. "I'm finally being selfish for once."
"Well, you chose some shitty timing, you asshole." I walked back over to the car. "Alex, come on-" I noticed the empty car seat.
"Just accept it, Charlie."
"Alex?!" I yelled, running around to the other side of the vehicle. "ALEX!" I screamed, throwing myself to the ground to look beneath.
"Oh my god, did you hear the door close?" Jeep asked, spinning around. The parking lot was empty. No cars, no nothing. He couldn't have left the parking lot in that short of time.
"Mommy's so silly."
I forced my body around so quickly, I felt a pain in my chest. But it didn't matter.
Alex was held in a man's arms. He was clothed in a gray robe with a golden breast plate. But, of course, the first thing to stick out was his dark wings tucked behind him.
"Michael..." I said, barely believing my eyes.
"Hello, Charlie." He said kindly. I felt a sudden warmth come over me. He sat Alex down on the ground, who walked over to me.
"Mommy, is he part bird?" I laughed and shook my head.
"No, he just has to be able to look at everyone from above, so God gave him wings." I told him taking him into a hug.
"Ooooohhhh." Alex giggled. "I want wings!"
"Michael." Jeep said in acknowledgment.
"I hear you're going to leave your duties as a protector." Michael said stepping closer.
"I didn't sign up for this." He stated simply.
"Jeeph, you're leaving us?" Alex asked, turning to him with a sad stare.
"I'm sorry, Alex. But yes. I'm sure mommy is fully capable of finding another guy to risk his life for her for no reason and nothing in return." When did he become like this? He had been nothing but sweet to me while I was pregnant. Now, he's nothing more than a selfish asshole.
"How about your existence, you fuc-" I began, but Michael stepped in front of me, his hand put out in a gesture to tell me he would speak on my behalf, and I was completely fine with it.
"Even God is looking down upon you in shame. This isn't some simple human existence where love and money are the main goals. This is an existence based solely on saving humanity from extermination. Tell me, brethren." Michael's voice dropped deathly low. "How will you find love when there is no one left to find?"
"God is looking down upon me? Is he not the one who did this to all of us in the first place? I do not want God's approval at this point. Seems like you have to be a killer to get that these days. I don't want any of it. Just, count me out. I'm willing to get her to California, but I refuse to be her slave any longer." Jeep shrugged once more, and a low growl emanated from Michael's throat.
"I was so incredibly wrong about you, Jeep. You're just like the ones that made all of Heaven lose hope." Michael turned back to me and Alex. "He will accompany you to California." I nodded, disappointment clear upon my face. "And I will travel along with you."
"Really?" Me and Alex both asked, nearly as equally excited.
He laughed softly, and nodded. "Yes, seeing as how Jeep cannot be trusted to put forth all effort to defend you both." Jeep scoffed, and Michael looked down at Alex. "Are we here to get you some food?" When he nodded, Michael smiled. "Then let's go find some."
Walking through the half empty market with Alex clinging to my wrist, we kept running into Michael, and like an idiot, I would stammer and look down at the ground and apologize. I felt so idiotic about it, and then I began to think about all the one sided conversations I had with him. What if he actually heard them? Would he say something to me about it?
That's when I saw him ahead of me, and I sat Alex down. "Find you some cereal from here, and bring it to mommy okay?" When he nodded, I walked up to Michael.
"Charlie, is everything okay?"
"Um, yeah. Everything's fine. I just. I have something to ask you." When he didn't stop me, I continued. "If someone were to pray directly to you, would you hear it?"
"I guess it depends on how badly they wanted me to." He definitely wasn't making this easy for me, was he.
"And what about God? Does he hear everything the world says to him?"
"You could say he has selective hearing." Michael said, smiling.
"Why did you come here? Was it really just for Jeep?" I questioned.
"Should I have come for something else?" He inquired, clueless.
"Never mind." I said, turning to walk away when he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back to him where I could feel his breath on my lips.
"You could say there was a nagging in my heart to come back and help out, and I just didn't want to fight it." His hand moved from my arm to my cheek, caressing it with his thumb. His eyes switching between my lips and my eyes.
Then, the moment broke when Alex came running up yelling, "Mommy! I found one! Look, it has a short man on the box!"
We were making our way up the drink isle when we heard a loud crash, and shelves began to fall.
"Charlie?!" I heard Michael yell. "Stay wherever you are, don't move. I'll find you."
Knowing that something could be in the store, something after Alex, I listened. But only partially. I needed to find a weapon.
The best thing I could find was a broken broom with a pointy end on it lying beneath a shelf. I had my hand over Alex's mouth, trying to shush him while he was asking questions.
It had been about four very long minutes since I heard Michael. I was beginning to get nervous. He was an angel though, right? He would be fine...
But what about us? What if he didn't get to us in time?
Not even half a second after that thought crossed my mind, a hand reached my shoulder from behind me, and I turned, thrusting the broom into their chest.
"Good thing I didn't take off the armor." He said smirking. Reaching down, he scooped me and Alex up into his arms, and propelled himself through the ceiling.
"What about Jeep?"
"He got out right after. I believe someone had a sort of trap set out, and one of us set it off. He's okay, though." He said reassuringly. My chest was pressed against his chest, and he smelled like cinnamon, lavender, and light. I wonder if that's what all of Heaven smelled like. I looked up at him and realized his gaze was already on me.
"Charlie, I really-"
But, he never got to finish his sentence, being as we were shot down from the sky. Within seconds, Michael had me and Alex above him as we crash landed. I felt a small pain in my shoulder, but everything overall was working, and alex was just barely crying. Mainly because he was scared. He made sure we were okay and smiled at Alex saying, "Don't worry, I'll protect you," when the hilt of a sword hit him in the face knocking him back.
"Poor little Michael, always trying to save daddy's small insignificant creations." A man said, stepping beside me and Alex. He looked down and shuddered. "This is what their young look like? That's disgusting. How on Earth do you learn to care for that?" The man asked me.
Michael struggled to stand, but he finally did, making his way in front of us in a protective manor.
"Lucifer."
"In the appalling flesh." He said with a grin. "Now, let's get started. You know you've got a problem when they have to call in me for a family intervention."