Hello everyone! Sorry I've been gone so long. Trying to get myself together. I want to thank you all for all the wonderful things you had to say about this story. I really am quite pleased with it! I appreciate all the positive things. You guys fuel my writing.

Enjoy!

Once back into all her clothing, she set about helping Michael rearrange his guns on the table. She hoped they had managed to be quiet enough for no one to hear. She couldn't stand facing everyone otherwise. The sun had recently set by the time they reentered the diner. The door had been barricaded and everyone was sitting around looking anxious, guns in hand or laid out on the tables. Addy took her seat at the bar, Michael by her side. She ignored the curious glances a few others were giving her, trying not to blush. It was a near impossible feat with Michael holding her hand in his. She was a little surprised that he was doing it so openly. Granted it was most likely to help him focus, as he seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stared down at the stained wood. She liked the idea that touching her hand to him was grounding, that it helped clear his mind.

She looked around once more. The darkness beyond the glass was quickly surrounding them like a heavy veil. She touched her gun for reassurance and shifted in her seat uneasily. It felt like an eternity passed in silence. One of the lights flickered overhead. Addy felt an icy chill seeping down her spine. She looked up at it sharply and tugged on Michael's sleeve. He barely glimpsed the look on her face before the lights went out. The diner was somehow darker than she imagined it would be without lights. Somewhere Charlie and the young girl screamed. Michael was on his feet heading toward the door, squeezing Addy's hand as he dragged her after him.

"Everybody stay calm!" Bob hissed, rushing around to find flashlights.

Michael brought her hand to his lips to delicately kiss her hand quickly before properly taking up his gun. Addy pulled out her own, holding it steady, prepared to fire. A flashlight came bobbing back into sight a few seconds later to shine in Michael's face.

"Okay, we're locked in here, so what the fuck we doing now?" Kyle asked anxiously.

He looked to the roof and answered slowly, "We wait." He paced a few steps away before looking down at Bob. "Take me to the roof. We can do more damage there."

Bob nodded and quickly headed off through the diner. When Addy made to follow, Michael looked at her sharply.

"I want you to stay inside," he said quietly. "It will be safer for you here."

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I want to go to the roof. I can help you."

"They need your help in here. Stay for me. Please."

The look in his eyes worried her. She nodded reluctantly and he handed her his semi-automatic.

"You might need this. Stay away from the windows." He kissed the top of her head and rushed after the rest of the men.

She growled quietly, joining Charlie and Audrey at one of the tables near the windows. Charlie glanced at her, worry written all over her face. Addy tried to smile reassuringly but had a feeling it didn't quite come out right.

"Everyone be sure to stay away from the windows," she said quietly.

She looked up, hearing their footsteps overhead. She sent Michael brainwaves to stay safe and started wringing her hands nervously. They were talking, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. She wished again that he had let her go with him. It wasn't until they fell silent overhead that she heard it – that faint tune in the distance. Her blood ran cold. She shot out of her seat and scrambled into the nearest booth to press her face against the glass. Jeep shined his flashlight in her direction, seemingly startled by the sudden movement.

"Addy!" Charlie hissed. "You just said stay away from the windows! What the hell are you doin?"

"Shhh!" she snapped. "Don't you hear it?"

Eyes wide to search the fog and darkness, she searched for the source of that eerie melody. Her heart was racing so fast her chest ached and her skin felt cold and clammy.

"Is that… an ice cream truck?" Audrey whispered.

Addy saw it then; two pinpricks of light on the horizon approaching quickly. In less than a minute she could see the truck clearly. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, fight back the fear that paralyzed her. Everyone gathered around the windows to glance out curiously. The music seemed to warp, slow, and twist the closer it got. When the truck whipped into the gravel parking lot and skid to a stop, everyone ducked down a little out of line of the bright headlights.

Addy tightened her grip on the gun in her hand and said quietly, "Everyone back away. Now."

They did as she suggested without question. Her eyes focused on the vehicle as it stopped, her heart pounding in her ears. Audrey ran over to sit beside her mother on the floor. Her father whispered something to her, but Addy tried not to listen. Charlie hid behind the counter, gun aimed at the window, and Jeep stood beside her. Addy watched a long, pale leg step out of the truck. The music cut off sharply. Her breath caught in her throat. A man hoisted himself out - tall, lanky, pasty gray. Something about him already didn't look human. He slowly walked to the front of the truck, bathed in the harsh lights. His head tilted to the side, then to the other. It looked like he was sniffing the air. For what – or who - she wasn't sure.

He looked up sharply, lip curling in a snarl. The inhuman scream she already recognized ripped through the silence. Right before her eyes, his arms extended, elongated. Her eyes widened as she watched in horror. He – it, rather – growled menacingly as it charged at the building. She raised her gun defensively. A hail of gunfire erupted outside. It was moving too quickly. Rather than smashing through the window as she thought it might, she heard the thud of it scaling the side of the diner. Addy followed the sound with her gun, chest tightening anxiously. She could hear them shouting and that thing shrieked again. A moment later there was silence. A body fell past the window and hit the ground. Addy darted forward to peer out the window. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was that creature, whatever it was, and not one of them.

Pinpricks of light in the distance caught her attention. She squinted at the horizon. Dozens of cars were racing toward the diner from both directions. Why were they all converging here? Seconds later, a hail of gunfire erupted once more. Cars swerved and ran off the road, some flipping and causing others to crash. She could hardly follow what was going on. Everything was happening so quickly. She took a deep breath and squeezed the gun in her hand. The feeling of cold steel against her palm was grounding. There was an explosion somewhere to the right, quickly followed by the left. Addy felt the ground beneath her feet vibrate from the force of it. The sound of metal crunching and squealing tires filled the air. She looked over at Charlie. The two of them shared a look. For a moment, Addy felt as though she had found a kindred spirit. The connection between them had never felt stronger. She would not fail. She couldn't.

She smiled tensely and whispered, "Stay close, Charlie."

Charlie nodded, pistol shaking in her hands as she watched the orange glow beyond the windows. All at once dozens of car doors began opening and closing. Addy tried to keep taking deep calm breaths, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. The barrage of gunfire started once more. She could see the bodies dropping like flies. There was another explosion. An SUV with yellow flashing lights was pulling in, casting the diner and everyone within it in a creepy golden glow. Everyone was looking around wildly, terrified. Addy raised her gun, focused on the windows. A body flew through the window to the right of the door, raining glass down on the tables. Someone screamed. She fired two shots, but missed. Jeep shined his flashlight everywhere in a panic.

"Where is it?" he asked. "Where did it go?"

Sandra was screaming while Audrey tried to soothe her. Charlie was aiming her gun around nervously. Addy's eyes searched the darkness, trying to sense any movement. There was a great deal of shuffling and Howard yelled. Sandra screamed. She spun toward the sound. A girl no older than her was dragging his body toward the shattered window. She got up over the table to crouch on the windowsill before Sandra caught his hand, still screaming. Audrey was torn between pulling her mother away and trying to save her father. When Charlie rushed forward, she swore quietly and ran to join them. The possessed girl said something to Sandra, but Addy couldn't make out the words. Whatever the creature had said, Sandra started shouting 'No!' over and over again. When it turned to look at Addy, she almost gasped in alarm. She saw herself perched on that ledge covered with dirt, grime, and blood. It jumped out the window, pulling Howard halfway out. She held him firmly by the belt, gripping on for dear life.

"Hold him!" Jeep was shouting. "Hold him! Grab him!"

Another arm shot through the blinds, hand snatching up Charlie by the wrist and dragging her toward the window. She started screaming and Jeep called her name.

"There you are," one of those creepy voices said to her.

Addy immediately let go of Howard and ran around to wedge herself between the creature outside and Charlie. She grabbed the man's hand and attempted to pry his fingers away. He made a strange hissing sound and snatched her up by her hair. She cried out in alarm as he pulled her head back. She had no choice but to look him in the face, in those black, soulless eyes.

"Abomination!" he screeched. "Atrocity!"

"Fucking shoot him!" she screamed at anyone who would listen.

The girl pulling on Howard had looked at her with such fury, like whatever information the man latched onto her had discovered was being shared with her. She bared her teeth and hissed, like she couldn't stand the sight of her. The man was trying to force Addy's head back further – whether he was trying to break her neck or force her down on the closest piece of jagged glass she wasn't sure, but it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe.

"Jeep!" she screamed, voice full of panic. "Jeep, do something! Please!"

She watched the man raise his elbow above her head. She let go of everything else she was holding and put her hands on the back of her head to block the kick back of the blow. She couldn't cushion both and she'd rather have a busted face than glass puncture her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut. She thought she had been prepared for the force of it, but she saw now that there was no way to prepare for a hit like that. She felt and heard the crack of her nose simultaneously before her head snapped back. The little pieces of glass left in the frame of the window sliced and stabbed her hands, but at least they did the job of protecting her head. Everything sounded muted as she yelled at the pain. Blood was pouring down her face, dripping onto the ground. She was seeing dots of color floating between her and the ceiling. Her eyes were watering and someone was tugging on her elbow. Her eyes started to roll back in her head.

She felt someone lean over her and seconds later the pressure of her hair being pulled was gone. She opened her eyes, trying to blink away the blurriness. Everything was moving in slow motion. Michael was leaning back inside, a large, intricate knife in his right hand. He looked furious and a little alarming, flecks of blood on his face. She was glad he wasn't looking at her like that. Sound was starting to come back to her, but she was still dazed. She felt Howard being pulled out beside her. Sandra was calling his name and bawling as she tried to crawl across the table. Audrey's words were all jumbling together. Someone scooped Addy up into their arms and set her on the floor by the bar. She leaned her head back against it, blinking up at the ceiling a few times. There was more shooting, but it only lasted a few seconds before everything fell silent. She couldn't focus on anything but the pain. Michael was picking up Sandra and carrying her away from the window.

She was fighting him saying, "No, he's out there. He's alive. He's out there. He's out there."

He set her on her feet and forced her to look at him. "He's gone. He's gone."

Sandra seemed to melt, sliding down into the chair beside her. Jeep was helping a groaning Charlie to her feet, asking her if she was okay. She was holding her stomach, gasping for air.

"Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I'm fine." Michael was crossing the room and she looked up at him. "Thanks," she said reluctantly.

"I told you not to do anything brave," he said harshly.

Percy and Kyle came running in from the back room.

"We got them running," Kyle said excitedly. He took one look at Audrey and Sandra holding each other in a sniffling heap. "What happened?"

"Someone needs to be on the roof," Michael said, kneeling beside Addy. She had come out of it enough to be staring down at her bloody hands. "I wish I could stop seeing you this way," he added quietly, taking her hands in his to get a better look.

"I'll go," Percy volunteered.

"Hold on." Bob came striding in from the back looking and sounding disgruntled. He walked straight over to Michael, face red. "You better start talking."

Michael nodded reluctantly. "Let me tend to Addy and then I will explain." Bob huffed and went to busy himself behind the bar. Michael looked back to Addy, brushed her bangs out of her face. "Can you hear me all right?"

Addy squeezed her eyes shut and flinched, nodding carefully. She groaned and opened her eyes, making another face. "I think my nose is broken. It's killing me. My first aid kit is in my bag…"

He left momentarily to retrieve her bag. He checked her face over with his mouth drawn in a taught line. "I'm going to have to reset it," he said, gesturing to her nose. "It's going to be painful."

Addy breathed out heavily. "Can't be much worse than the impact was. Can we get the glass out of my hands first?"

He nodded and got to work with a pair of tweezers. Twenty minutes, lots of rubbing alcohol, five stitches in her left hand and six in her right later her hands were bound in gauze. He handed her the shirt she'd worn yesterday.

"Hold this under your chin. It's going to bleed again."

She did as he told her and closed her eyes. "Do it as quickly as you can okay?"

She felt him place his fingers carefully on either side of nose. "Take a deep breath."

Again, she did as he directed. As soon as she stopped inhaling, he snapped her nose back over the left. She screamed and flailed her hands in the air beside her, fanning her face as she swore profusely. A little wiggling and she felt the bones settle into place correctly. She whimpered and gasped pathetically as Michael set a sort of brace across the bridge of her nose. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair down as he started to clean the blood off her face.

"All done," he said soothingly. "Take some deep breaths. The pain will ease."

Once he was finished he helped her to her feet and lead everyone into the garage. He draped his coat around Addy's shoulders and leaned on one of the gun-covered tables. Everyone was watching him expectantly. He finally lifted his head to gaze around the room.

"The last time God lost faith in man, he sent a flood," he began carefully. "This time, he sent what you see outside."

"Are you saying this is the Apocalypse?" Percy asked quietly.

"I'm saying this is an extermination." Addy looked up at him and swallowed hard, pulling his coat closer. "Those things outside are just vessels. They're possessed. The weakest willed are the easiest to turn."

"Possessed by what?" Kyle asked. "Demons?"

Michael glanced back at him for a moment. "No. No. By angels."

Addy shifted uncomfortably. Even she didn't have all of this information. She felt a little caught off guard.

"No, no, wait, wait wait," Percy interjected, stepping forward. He sounded calm and passionate though, not angry. "Hold on, son. I don't know what book you've been reading but in my version, the angels are the good guys."

"Well the truth, I'm afraid, is never that simple," Michael replied, taking Addy's hand.

"Bullshit," Kyle snapped. "I'm not a pastor but I've never heard of no ice-cream man or old lady eating raw meat, jumping on the ceiling with baby teeth so I don't know what the fuck you talkin' about."

"Hold on," Jeep put in. "How do you know so much about them?"

Charlie was looking at him with worry and she shifted her gaze to look at Michael. Addy shuffled her feet and looked at the ground for a few seconds in the following silence.

"Because until only a few nights ago, I was on their side," Michael admitted.

Jeep frowned with a confused look on his face. "So you're saying-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's right," Bob scoffed in an annoyed tone. "Yesterday I was fucking Santa Clause. I mean, you know this is crazy, right? I mean, I don't even believe in God."

Michael picked up one of the bullets, looking down at it as he turned it over in his hand. "Well that's just fine, Bob. He doesn't believe in you, either." He looked around the room. "He doesn't believe in any of this anymore."

"I knew this day was coming," Percy muttered, pacing in the corner. "I just didn't think I'd be around to see it."

"Come on, Percy," Bob said, stepping forward. "What are we even talking about this for? Angels and possessed people? It's not real! It's-"

"Have you looked outside, Bob? I mean, those people aren't exactly our regular customers."

"It's true," Addy said quietly, finally looking up. All eyes turned on her. "All of it. It's true. I've been having these dreams… They just didn't make sense until now. I've seen this diner, those people outside, and more." She looked down at the blood that had started to seep through the gauze around her hands. "This is what it's come to."

Audrey lifted her head off her mother's lap and asked hopefully, "Wait, so are you here to protect us?"

Michael looked over at her. "No, not you." His gaze shifted to Charlie and Addy couldn't help but do the same. "Her."

She looked back at them with a horrified expression. "Me? Why me?"

"Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving."

She laughed nervously for a few seconds before the smile faded and she realized he was serious. "Wait, wait. Wait a minute. This can't be happening to me. I mean, I'm nobody. I'm just a waitress. I don't even own a car."

"None of that matter's anymore," he continued picking up a handgun to make sure it was loaded. "Either your child lives or mankind dies."

Charlie nodded sarcastically and took a step back to stand closer to Jeep. She looked like she'd just been punched in the chest.

"So we supposed to hold those things off till the baby gets here?" Kyle asked in an agitated tone.

"That's it," Michael replied.

"I'm only eight months pregnant," Charlie mumbled.

Addy wished she knew what to say instead of standing there being useless. Despite the painkillers her head and face were still throbbing painfully. It was hard to focus.

"This shit can't be happening, man," Kyle said, rubbing his hands over his shaved head.

"How are we supposed to survive here for a month?" Sandra asked, finally joining the conversation. She looked exhausted, completely drained.

"We won't have to," Michael answered simply.

Addy glanced up at him curiously before looking over at Charlie. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking like a nervous wreck herself.

"It's coming soon, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes." She looked over at him. She looked like she was about to cry. "Listen. I simply don't care what you people believe. And those things outside, they don't care either. They just want the child dead."

Addy looked around the room. Charlie was holding her stomach protectively. Everyone looked terrified or downright confused, but at least they were all listening attentively.

"Now, this first attack was a test of our strength," Michael continued, replacing the small handgun for a shotgun. "The next will be a test of our weakness. We can sit here and discuss it, or you can try and help us." He paused to cock the rifle he was checking. "Believe me, something much worse is on the way."

Addy perked up a little. She liked the idea that he was including her in this. He wasn't going to treat her like a helpless child as so many would, but rather as an equal in strength, ability, and determination. Everyone looked around at each other like they were telepathically asking one another for answers. Michael nodded to Addy before abruptly leaving the room. She stared down at her shaking hands as she leaned on the table in front of her. They stood in silence for a few long minutes.

"You said… you've been dreaming about this?" Jeep asked cautiously.

She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "For months. A couple of years, more like. I've always seen the strange in this world, ever since I was little. I had a knack for dreaming things up before they happened. Even until recently I wasn't sure what it was that I was seeing. I can never remember every detail. Just bits and pieces. Sometimes the things I see... I'll try to ignore them for the simple fact that I don't want them to be real. Feels like if I acknowledge them then it makes it that much easier for them to be true." She looked up at him. "I dream things that people are too horrified by to talk about."

"So wait, do you know what's gonna happen?" Kyle asked urgently, grabbing her arm.

She looked over at him and shook her head. "I don't remember seeing this," she replied. "Like I said, only bits and pieces. I don't know when things are going to happen. There's not a time stamp on my dreams. Your guess is as good as mine right now."

He swore under his breath and stalked away to sulk in a corner. She sighed in defeat and ran her fingers through her hair as she left the room. She caught Michael as he was headed back toward the roof.

"I'll be standing guard," he said reassuringly. "I want you to stay inside and try to get some sleep. Understood?"

Addy nodded and hugged him. She just wanted to feel his body against hers, his arms around her. The tension in the air was overwhelming. He was the only steadfast thing she knew to go to and he always seemed to ease her mind. They stood like that for a long while before he sighed heavily and kissed the top of her head, reluctant to let her go. He showed her a small, strained smile.

"Get some rest," he whispered. "You've got a long day ahead of you."