Fallen
I like to walk in the rain, especially at night, especially through construction sites; it is the most silent place in the world then. It makes me feel like I am the only one in the world. Which, funnily enough, I am.
My name is Lucis, and I am a guardian angel; or, at least, I used to be. I have Fallen. I am a proditor, a Betrayer to the Heavens. Stripped of halo, holiness, and angelic light; my sentence is to walk the mortal world in shame. Since there was a sentence, you may be wondering, what was my crime? I exposed myself to my charge, a young girl of 17. She was getting into a car with a friend of hers, a boy who was under the influence of heroin. I saw the crash coming before the boy's car went around the corner. I knew she would die in that crash unless I did something.
I showed myself to them, in all my white-winged, haloed glory. Her eyes met mine; and they were full of disbelief. I called out to her and her friend, I told them to stop the car. The car stopped just before the telephone pole crashed down, sending sparks and pieces of the road into the windshield.
Now I am here. Shamefully tossed down from the Gates of Saint Peter. We have rules, you see. Very important rules, from the Big Man Himself. Rule number one: Never reveal yourself to a mortal. Rule number two: Never speak to a mortal. And, rule number three: Never get emotionally involved with your charge.
I stopped at the end of the road, heavy machinery and caution tape ahead of me. I didn't know where I could go, or what I should be doing. Turning around, I walked back down the way I'd come, thinking. I wasn't one of the Archangels; rebel angels sent to earth to fight demons in secret, invisible to the untrained mortal eye. I had no purpose on earth, no where to be. I let my mind wander to my human girl, and I soon found myself standing outside her door. What am I doing here, I thought. She won't know me, not the way I've known her all these years. I watched her grow into the young woman she's become, watch her move through her years of school, her birthdays, her boyfriends. I sat miserably on her front porch, not caring about my wet hair, wet clothes; an immortal being like myself didn't worry about catching colds. "Can I help you with something?" I felt the shock like a physical slap in the face. I looked up, slowly, through the rain. There was my girl, wet hair plastered to her face, clothes drenched. I didn't know what to say, I opened my mouth and closed it several times, trying to force out words. She studied me with an artist's eye, taking in my dripping mop of hair and lost expression. "I'm lost," I managed to say quietly, "I don't know where I am." She continued to look at me from her spot on the sidewalk, saying nothing. Just watching me. I met her gaze with my own, and saw a flash of confusion in her eyes. "Do I know you?" her voice was so familiar to me, only it sounded wary. "You look... Familiar." I ducked my head. How could she possibly know me? All the years I've been looking out for her, guarding her, she never saw me; I was but a ghost to her. She must have said something while all these thoughts were zooming through my head, because the look on her face was one of annoyance. "Are you listening to me?" I started, glancing up at her. "I said you should probably come in. You look like you've been out here a while, and it's cold." It's true, I mused. I could see her breath coming out in smoky wisps of air. "I'm really not cold at all," I admitted, smiling slightly. She walked towards me, and I held my breath as she brushed by, reaching for the door. "Come on," she grumbled. I nervously stood up and followed her in.
She shut the door behind us and leaned her back against it, watching me with that same studious look. "What?" I tensed self-consciously, but she just tilted her head, seeming lost in thought. "What's your name?" She finally asked. "I'm Kyla."
I know, I wanted to say. "L-" I hesitated. Lucis isn't a human name. "Luke," I decided, thinking it was close enough.
"Stay here, I'll grab some of my brother's clothes. Even if you're not quite the same size, at least you'll be dry." She smiled as she walked away, and I was left staring after her. Suddenly, I heard something, something only an angel could hear.
THUMP. Sssrrrrrkkk….
A feeling of dread enveloped me. "Kyla?" I called out, my voice echoing in the seemingly empty house. Isn't it always SEEMINGLY empty, I seethed. I kicked off my puddle-filled shoes and walked halfway down the hall before turning back to face the door, tensing for what I knew was to come. Ssrrrrkk… It was a thick, gross, slithering sound, and it was coming from just outside. I felt my stomach clench in revulsion as the door burst open.
"Hey, Luke, I brought you some-" Kyla's voice was cut off as she screamed. I spun around, calling her name as the Thing slithered in the doorway behind me. I ran to her as her legs gave out from under her, scooping her up into my arms as if she weighed nothing. I looked over my shoulder at the grotesque demon that was sluggishly moving towards us. It was alligator-like; with a long, greenish body, and gaping jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth. It was dripping with ichor.
"Move!" A deep voice shouted at me and I ducked just as a glowing dagger sped past where my head had been seconds ago and plummeted into the demon's thick hide, causing blood to burst from the dagger wound. Against my will, my wings erupted from their hiding spot, just behind my shoulder blades, and wrapped around Kyla and myself, protecting us from the demon. Then, as suddenly as it happened, the demon and blood began to dissipate into thin air.
"Have you come to join me, Lucis?" I lifted my wings up slightly and, looking behind me, saw Furtim, an Archangel favoured by the Boss. His large, black wings rustled as he patted me on the back, and his halo glowed dimly.
"Not exactly."
"So, it is true, then. You have Fallen." He said it so simply, and his eyes were focused on me intently. I glared at him defiantly.
"What are you doing with the mortal girl?" Furtim nodded at Kyla, still lying limply in my arms. I looked down at her, rustling my wings nervously, uncertain how to answer. "Half her house has been destroyed, Lucis. By DEMONS. She's seen you. You know the rules; you have already broken them. You know what must be done." I tightened my hold on her. "No," I whispered. "I will not take her there."
"You have no choice!" Furtim erupted, and his angelic light pulsed dangerously. "She will be taken by you, or by force; whether you will it or not." He walked by Kyla and I, and out through the broken door, vanishing into the darkness of the night.
I looked down at Kyla. Her eyes were wide open, as was her mouth. I almost wanted to laugh, but her eyes held that same look of disbelief as the first night she saw me. "You," she breathed.
I set her down, and her eyes moved from my dark wings to my eyes. "I know you," she whispered to me. "The night I was in the car with Eric… There was this telephone pole…And… I SAW you. That's why you looked so familiar." I stammered, hoping to counter-argue her statement. I became conscience of the fact my wings were visible and lost the hope.
"Kyla, we need to get out of here," I told her, ignoring her dazed state, "Now." I scooped her up in my arms again, ran out the door and spread my wings. "Hang on." I flapped once, twice; and then we were in the air, rising fast. Please don't faint again, I thought. I looked down at her and saw her lit-up expression; she was thrilled. Pleased at her enjoyment, I rose higher.
"Luke, is this real?" She asked me excitedly. "Are THOSE real?" She reached out toward one of my wings, brushing the feathers with her fingertips. "My angel name is Lucis, actually. And yes, my wings are real, because I happen to be an angel." I wondered if I was being too straight forward, and chuckled, assuming the sound would be lost in the wind. We were flying fast now, over the construction site.
"What's so funny?" Kyla snapped. Guess it wasn't lost in the wind. "In the past 17 years, I never thought I would be flying you away from danger; let alone having a conversation with you," I told her. I looked down at her and she was staring at me in shock. "Seventeen YEARS? You've known me since I was born?" I nodded calmly. "Kyla, I was your guardian angel." I felt her intake of breath rather than heard it as I landed on a hill looking over the construction site. "You probably have a lot of questions," I said quietly, my wings contracting and disappearing. "And I'll do my best to answer them." I was too nervous to meet her accusing stare, so I settled on looking at her socked feet.
She was quiet for a long time, before slowly and quietly asking the question I knew she would, "Why am I in danger?" I clenched my fists. "Because of me… Because you know me; know who and what I am. Human beings are not supposed to know of the Upper and Under worlds. We are meant to be invisible."
"Upper and Under…?" Kyla walked around and stood facing me. "What do you mean? Upper and Under worlds… You mean, Heaven and Hell?" I nodded and she abruptly sat, looking helpless.
"I know it seems unbelievable, Kyla, but you need to believe me. Do you know the story behind Lucifer?"
Kyla started. "As in the devil?"
"Yes. He was an angel, once. An Archangel-"
"Aren't archangels evil?" Kyla interrupted, sounding a lot like her childhood self, interrupting story time. I chuckled. "No, they aren't. That's just a human myth. Archangels are angels that do God's work on earth. They prevent demons of the Underworld from destroying your world, battling them in secret, invisible to the eyes of mortals. Lucifer was one of the oldest Archangels, and one of the best. He could not be beaten. You know the saying, 'if you can't beat them, join them?' When he encountered a demon he couldn't beat, he became obsessed with demons, with the Underworld. Lusting after the power demons possessed, he took over the Underworld, and by showing favour to the demons, enslaved them for his bidding." I sat across from her solemnly. "That happened way before my time of guarding you. It was so long ago, I'm not sure even he knows why he ended up in Hell."
"Right. Not that your story wasn't great, Lucis… But what does Lucifer have to do with me?" Kyla looked at me imploringly, and her innocence seemed to be shining from her eyes. My heart ached at what I had brought upon her. I sighed sadly.
"He will come looking for you."
"Uh. I'm sorry. WHAT?"
"Although Lucifer rules the Underworld, him and the Big Man have a deal: Lucifer is aloud to rule over the world of devils; but his is the job of punishing human beings in penance for great sins. And there is no greater sin than looking upon God's holy messengers," I looked at Kyla carefully. "He will come for you, because now that you have seen me, your life belongs to him."
Kyla stood, her eyes flickering with rage and fear. "You sit there, with your sad eyes but you brought this upon me! Everything in my life was NORMAL until YOU SHOWED UP!" She ran at me, before I could react, and tackled me with all the force she had, kicking and punching any part of me she could. "Kyla! Kyla, stop!" Panting, she stood up and looked down on me with a look of horror. I tried to get up and winced. She has a good arm. I tasted blood in my mouth and heaved myself to my feet.
"Lucis, I didn't mean to… I was just so mad…" Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Hey, it's ok, I'm fine-" Kyla ran into my arms and cried miserably into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her protectively. "Listen. I'm not going to let him get you, we'll get out of here… Okay?" I felt her nod against my chest, and stifled a grin. "I promise it's going to be ok…"
"Well, well. Isn't this scene touching." I hastily stepped away from Kyla, who looked confused, and we both turned to face the shadows of the hill. I felt my lungs drop into my stomach as someone stepped out of the shadows into the light of the moon. "Lucifer," I whispered in horror. He smiled a fanged smile. His wings were that of a bat's, and he had spiked horns that started from his forehead and trailed down his spine. I shuddered and my wings emerged, each spreading to their full eight-foot span to block Kyla from view. Never did I plan to lay eyes upon the King of the Underworld, of demons and death.
"Now Lucis. Do really plan to protect the child from me?" Lucifer's tone was mocking me, and I narrowed my eyes in response. He snarled. "You know that once a human sees a Messenger their soul is MINE! That is His will! You cannot defy it!" Lucifer seemed to pulsate darkness, and I unconsciously stepped back.
"This wasn't like the other times!" I tried to plead with him. "I showed myself to her to save her! I couldn't just… let her die!" Lucifer laughed an evil, scorning chuckle. I paled. "Please…"
"Don't beg, Lucis, it makes you look like a pathetic fool, and I would hate to see your wings ripped off while you look like that." I was only confused for a moment. Lucifer made a strange sound in his throat, and from the shadows behind him, demons of all kinds emerged and came toward me. I heard Kyla scream my name as I was knocked down, sharp pains in my wings.
"KYLA!" I shouted blindly as my face hit the dirt, "RUN!" The pain in my wings intensified, and I blacked out to the sound of Kyla's blood-curdling scream and Lucifer's chilling laugh.
I need to get up. I tried to open my eyes. I succeeded, and struggling into a sitting position, I wished I hadn't. Kyla was lying on the ground, her throat and wrists slit, an upside-down cross burned onto her forehead; the sign of Lucifer. Lying on either side of her were a pair of torn, bloodied wings.
My wings.
The End.
Latin Translations:Works Cited:
Proditor: traitorTranslations from
Lucis: light
Fertim: stealth