Something sweet catches his attention, and the smell was rare. It was rare because everything smelled dry and bitter. Gabriel follows the scent, raising his nose a little higher like a bloodhound tracking a fox, and he discovers rosebushes standing alongside a white fence.
He was tempted to pick one, but the roses were not his to take.
"Bandit!"
He hears a voice coming from behind the teal colored house beyond the fence, and Gabriel unlocks the gate, stepping on the gravel path that leads to the front porch. The house looks like it was untouched by the apocalypse, and he catches movement under the steps.
A black and white cat comes out, rubbing his side against Gabriel's leg.
"Bandit!"
He hears the voice again, and he lifts the cat in his arms, assuming that the owner's looking for him.
Gabriel follows the voice to the back of the house, ducking low to avoid the branches of the trees, and he spots a woman in a green dress with flaming red hair. She's on her hands and knees; looking carefully under the bushes, and Gabriel clears his throat to get her attention.
The woman gets to her feet, and she slowly turns around.
She has the friendliest looking smile, and the greenest eyes of an untouched forest.
Her smile slowly dims when she sees her feline friend in the arms of a giant man.
"Hi."
She greets him with the same expression that the others have given him, and he thinks about the people that he has encountered.
The woman grows anxious, nervous by his size and silence, and Gabriel averts his eyes, placing the cat down on the grass.
"I found him under the steps."
Bandit prowls over to the woman, and she picks him up, hugging the feline to her chest.
"Thank you for finding him. He's my only friend."
It was the painful and lonely truth. The woman was a social pariah, an outcast by her community, and Gabriel could feel her unease.
She glances at the back door, kicking her heel back to sweep the short train of her dress behind her.
"Would you like to come inside for some coffee? It's the least I can do."
With a strong nod, Gabriel follows her under the shade of her back porch, and he sits down at the small table in the kitchen.
There's a shelf against the wall in her kitchen, and the shelves are lined with cat figurine and books plump with different recipes.
He notices that some are handwritten on cards, and they are sticking out awkwardly.
"It appears that you are a connoisseur in the kitchen."
That comment makes her turn around.
"Yes, I enjoy cooking and baking. I don't think I'm great, but I like to try new things."
The calm fierceness of his blue eyes makes the woman blush, forcing her to look back to the brewing pot, and she bites her fingernail.
Gabriel notices that she's unwed by glancing at her finger, and he leans in his chair to look down the hallway that leads to the living room. There lays a cozy hearth begging to burn wood, a couch with scratches on the side that indicates that she has a cat, and there stands a much larger shelf with thicker books.
Bandit asks to be let in by pawing at the door, and Gabriel reaches for his waistband when he hears the unexpected sound. He looks down when he realizes that his sword is no longer there.
The woman catches that swift movement, opening the door for her four-legged friend, and she pours Gabriel a mug of coffee.
"Were you in the army?"
She places small bowls of cream and sugar down in front of him.
"Yes, I have served many years, and I'm very faithful."
The woman quietly wonders how many soldiers have remained loyal after what happened, and she remembers listening to the radio. Activists claim that the government spread a strange virus through their small town to see what the effects would be.
"What is your name?"
She quietly sips the coffee after adding some sugar, and the woman shyly smiles at him before answering.
"Heather."
He subtly glances at her lips, lowering his gaze to the table, and she slowly holds out her hand. Gabriel straightens his shoulders as if he's ruffling his feathers, extending his large hand to take her slim hand.
"Gabriel."
His tone changes when he speaks his name, and it's deep enough to shake an entire cathedral. Heather ducks her head down to hide the color in her cheeks, gently shaking his hand, and she moves her hand back on her lap.
Gabriel takes a drink from the mug, unaffected by the heat.
Two of them drink quietly, and she gets up from the table to wash the dishes.
"You can look around."
Gabriel's already halfway down the hallway, staring at the landscape paintings on the walls, and he notices the religious books lying on the mantel.
He opens one and he turns to a random page to read.
Somewhere in his mind, he whispers the findings that are true or false, and he traces the spine of the book with his thumb.
Gabriel hears purring from below, and he moves the book out of view to see Bandit staring up at him.
"Do not run away from her again."
Something changes in the feline's eyes, almost as if he understands what was said to him, and Gabriel places the book down, scratching at his forearm. He notices a black mark has formed on his skin, and he rubs it with his fingers.
Heather comes down the hallway, glancing at the disturbed book.
"Oh, I see you found my collection. I have a Master's in Theology and a Bachelor's in Philosophy."
Gabriel lowers his arm, and he looks at her from the corner of his eye, nodding his head to show that he's impressed.
"That does not surprise me given the abundance of books you possess, but be aware that these books are not completely accurate."
Heather winces at that remark, very proud of her collection, but she stays quiet.
"There's a meeting tonight. Are you going to be there?"
Gabriel sets his eyes out her window, judging the time by the light outside.
"I suppose. Do you know the details of the meeting?"
Heather picks up a flyer from the table, and she holds it out to him. He takes the piece of paper, narrowing his eyes down at the print, and he raises his eyebrow.
It mentions the names of certain individuals, and it's supposed to be a meeting about restoring the town, but Gabriel senses that it will turn into a witch-hunt. Maybe he can attend the meeting in hopes to restore some of the faith that was lost.
"I will be attending this meeting. It's not long from now."
He hands the flyer back to her, and he clutches his wrist, getting used to speaking to someone without eye contact.
"If you are going to the meeting, I would like to go with you."
Heather bites her bottom lip, nervous by those words, and she looks at the clock.
"Okay, but I'm going to change. I'm dirty from being outside."
She runs upstairs to her bedroom to change clothes, and Gabriel continues to look at her books. He tilts his head to read the titles, pausing his gaze on a particular book.
He reaches out to look inside of it, but Heather returns in a clean sundress.
She has combed her hair, applied a little more makeup, and the haunting aroma of her lavender and sandalwood perfume tingles his senses.
Gabriel silently gives thanks to God for creating such a beautiful being. He slowly approaches her, holding out his arm, and she wraps her arm around his. She touches the solid curve of his bicep, exiting her house.
The townspeople gather together, flowing into the town hall, and the seats are occupied with each passing minute. Heather finds two unoccupied seats, and Gabriel looks at the stage, noticing that the three men that stopped him and Scott earlier today is standing on it.
Someone touches Gabriel's shoulder, and he reacts by flipping the person over on his back.
People gasp, and they move away from the towering man.
Scott wheezes on the floor, touching the back of his head.
"I could have settled for a handshake."
The men on the stage stare at Gabriel, and he helps Scott stand up.
"I apologize. I'm not used to being touched like that."
The people quickly find a place to sit down, giving the men their space, and Gabriel helps Scott sit down.
"It's okay. I'm fine."
Heather stares at Gabriel with wide eyes when he looks at her.
"What was that?"
He lets out a long sigh, taking a seat between her and Scott.
"That was years of training."
When everyone finally settles down, the man on the stage begins to clap his hands, and he laughs.
"Good evening, people. That was quite a prelude to this meeting."
He addresses Gabriel's scene, moving to stand in front of the microphone. It screeches an awful noise through the speakers, and he taps the head to make it stop.
"How's everyone doing tonight? Great. Nice. Good."
He nods to the people nodding at him, loosening the crowd as if he was doing a comedy act, and Gabriel watches him with an unfriendly expression in his face.
"Well, that's good. Anyway, we're here to give everyone updates about what's been going on."
Scott shakes his head, pulling the rim of his hat a little lower over his eyes.
"These guys are a joke. I don't know who died, and put them in charge."
The man on stage continues to talk, flipping through his notepad. Heather leans forward to look at Scott, reaching over Gabriel to shake his hand.
"I'm Heather. I met Gabriel a few hours ago. He helped me find my cat for me."
Scott takes off his hat, smiling kindly at her, and he shoots a look at Gabriel who has his eyes on the stage.
"I'm Scott. It's nice to meet you. You can call me, uh, Scott."
Heather shakes his hand to show appreciation for his friendliness when the microphone screeches again.
"Excuse me, but is there something you would like to share?"
Heather looks at the three men addressing her, and she goes quiet again.
A man sitting a few chairs away glances down the row, standing up to get attention.
"No, but I have something to say."
He shifts from foot to foot, scratching the side of his head, and his pupils are dilated.
"It wasn't the government that did this to us. It was God. It's time to repent, and ask for His forgiveness!"
Several people in the crowd clap and nod their heads to agree with him, and another man stands up to speak his mind.
"It wasn't God that did this to us. It was the government! They created a virus to sell to other countries to induce everyone with fear, and the government is trying to control us. We were their guinea pigs for this little experiment."
Gabriel rises from his chair to silence the two men, and everyone goes quiet. The man in font of the microphone motions to him.
"What do you have to say about all this?"
Heather and Scott look up at him, waiting to listen intently to what he has to say.
"There is no one to blame, but yourselves. Both men have valid points because the government was created by man, and whatever possessed the men and women of this town and the neighboring towns is nothing short of something that transcends this world."
Everyone continues to be mesmerized by Gabriel's words, and the two men sit back down.
"This world is already bruised and damaged by the lack of care we have shown it, and there is no reason to place judgment on something we cannot change. We have to salvage what we have left, and rebuild what has been destroyed. The judgment will come later."
A woman with puffy eyes stands up from her chair, her small daughter is holding her hand.
"And what about the things we lost? I lost my husband, and for what? He was a good man, our only provider, and now he's gone. If God didn't take him away, what did? I deserve answers. I deserve to know why my husband and the father of my child was taken from me!"
Heather wipes her eyes when she hears the woman speak, only able to imagine the pain she's feeling, and she touches Gabriel's arm.
He slightly bows his head, and he sits down when he cannot justify God's actions for that.
The man on stage has a look of mock sympathy on his face, hugging his hat to his chest.
"What happened was a tragedy, and what our friend here said is true. We need to rebuild our town, and get as much help as we can from the others."
The meeting continues with small talk, the possibilities of what building should be rebuilt first, and the remaining supplies in the stores.
Gabriel scratches his forearm, and he covers the somewhat noticeable black mark with his hand. Scott folds his arms, leaning back in his chair.
"The only reason I came was because they usually have cookies and juice at these sort of things."
His chair creaks when he looks around to see nothing of the sort, and he sighs disappointedly.
The meeting finally comes to an end when the screeching of the microphone stops.
Before Heather and Gabriel leave the building, the man on stage comes up to them. Scott watches on the side, and he pulls the rim of his hat down to cover his eyes.
"I know we met before, but we haven't been formally introduced. My name is Peter Smith."
He addresses Heather, and Gabriel eyes Peter with his cold gaze. Heather hesitantly shakes his hand, always polite to everyone.
"Hi. I'm Heather."
Gabriel clenches his hand into a fist, aggravated by the aura surrounding Peter, and Heather senses the thickness of the tension.
"It's nice to meet you, Peter, but I have to go. It's getting late, and I don't like to stay out after dark."
An unlikeable smile spreads his lips, and he steps on the side to give them space to leave.
"Maybe I'll bump into you when you're in town."
Gabriel touches Heather's back, urging her outside into the crumbling crowd, and Scott follows them. Heather shies away from Gabriel's hand, not used to being touched by others.
Scott curves the rim of his hat, and he shoves his hands in his pockets, tensing his shoulders at the growing coldness.
"It sure is cold tonight. Will I see you back at the hotel, Gabriel?"
Heather turns away from the conversation, stuck with awe by the full moon, and Gabriel nods his head.
"I will return to the hotel soon. I would like to escort Heather home."
Scott glances at her, and he clicks his tongue at Gabriel.
"You got it, buddy."
Scott goes on his way, leaving the two alone near the edge of the park. Gabriel stands next to Heather; watching the way the moon shines its silver light on the grass and trees, and she sits down on the bench.
He lowers his bulky body beside her, and she subtly leans closer to him for warmth, seeing the lake tremble from the wind.
"That meeting was horrible. I shouldn't have gone to it."
Gabriel rests his forearm behind her back, seeing the ducks drift over the moon's reflection.
"Not many were left untouched, but everything happens for a reason. Wounds heal only when we forgive and forget."
Heather rubs her upper arms to warm her numbing skin, and she stands from the bench. She warily glances at her home down the street, but she looks down at Gabriel.
"I would like you to walk me home."
Peter and his friends watch Gabriel and Heather leave the park, whispering among each other, and Peter flicks his cigarette on the road.
The automatic light illuminates Heather's front porch, and Gabriel stands at attention when she unlocks her door. Bandit purrs when he hears the lock click, peering up at his owner and her friend. She beams when she sees him, and she picks him up in her arms, warmed by his fur.
She turns to look up at Gabriel, leaning against the doorframe.
"Thank you for finding Bandit, and for escorting me to and from home."
She bites her bottom lip, considering her next words carefully, and she clears her throat.
"I would like to see you again tomorrow."
He gently takes her hand, and he presses a kiss to her pale knuckles.
"It would be an honor to see you tomorrow."
Gabriel notices the color that rises to her cheeks, the same color that resembles the color of her hair, and he slowly releases her hand.
"Good night, Heather."
Heather watches him descend from her front porch before she closes her front door, following him with her eyes through the window, and he vanishes out of sight.
Gabriel scratches the black mark on his arm, looking down at it with curiosity.
He strolls calmly through the dark streets, passing the farmer's market, and he pauses to read the bulletin board. He notes the time when the farmers will be setting up their shops, and Gabriel continues down the street, seeing the lights of the hotel.
He walks up to his room on the second floor to turn in for the night.