Chapter 12

Is This Our Farewell?

'What...?'

The words rolled over Nody's lips almost without a sound. She couldn't believe it. After all the pain and humiliation she went through, after she had nearly been raped, Scott had given her freedom back. She had no idea what to say; this was so overwhelming.

'You've heard me.' Scott wiped off some blood from his face. 'I'm setting you free. I can't take this anymore.' 'You can't take it anymore? What do you mean by that?'

But Scott didn't answer the question. He walked over to the fallen Archangel and unlocked her chains, the chains that had made her powerless during her entire captivity. Once her wrists were freed, her arms fell down like they didn't have any bones. Her limbs felt numb.

'Come on. Let's go.' Just by listening to his voice, Nody knew Scott was serious. Nothing sounded like he was joking. He was really giving back her freedom... but why?

She tried to get on her feet, her legs were still shaking. A few moments ago, she had the most terrifying experience in her life. She knew she would never forget this for as long as she lived. Looking around in her prison made her skin crawl. Everywhere were she looked, there was blood. Blood on the wall, blood on the ground, blood on her skin. Her dress was now nothing more than a bloody cloth; she would never be able to wear it again.

From the first day she was captured, Nody had one goal: escaping and returning back to Heaven. She had been praying all time long, hoping her Angels would come to Hell and free her. But all her prayers had been left unanswered... The longer Nody was staying in her prison, the more she lost her faith she would ever be saved. Every day, she woke up knowing that the day of the ceremony was coming closer and nobody would safe her. And just when all hope seemed to be lost... Scott freed her. Him. The Archdemon. The most evil entity from Hell who was supposed to be her mortal enemy. But after the hug in that icy cave, everything had changed.

Scott was special to her now.

It felt like her legs were giving up on her. For a moment she nearly fell on her knees, but Scott quickly noticed and caught her before she could fall. 'Come on. You've gotta go.' he said, now getting slightly impatient. He wanted her out of here, right now. The Archdemon lifted her up in his arms, like he did when he flew to the ninth circle with her. But this time, the flight would be far more dangerous. But at least she would be safe...

Nody looked at her prison for one last time. Looking at the blood, she realized she didn't want to stay here any longer.

'Yes...' she whispered. 'Please... Let's go.'

He never thought it would've come to this.

Scott just couldn't take it anymore. Watching her like this absolutely broke his heart. He didn't want her to suffer any longer. She had become special to him, he had never met someone like her before. At first she was nothing to him; she was just a little worthless bitch, he only had to bring her in for the ceremony and he would be generously rewarded for his work. But now... He couldn't take it anymore.

His feet were covered with blood. Walking was no option; he would leave bloody footprints, which would make it easier for the Demons to find out he was there. Damn. He had to fly to get out of here.

'Hold on tight,' he told the terrified Archangel. 'You'll be in for a little flight.' Nody nodded softly and clung unto his neck. 'Don't make a sound or else you'll be caught. Now let's go.' Scott carried her out of her prison and spread his wings. After a powerful flutter, they charged forward. Nody suppressed a gasp and clung onto Scott's neck even tighter. Clenching her eyes shut, she wished for the flight to be quick and she'd be in Heaven as soon as possible. Scott had told her to be quiet, but even if she wanted to speak, she couldn't do it. Everything that had happened this night had truly overwhelmed her; the brutal beating, the rape attempt, the sudden freedom... This was a night she would never forget.

Luckily, Scott managed not to touch the walls despite the size of his wings. His bloody feet didn't touch the ground either. The only thing he was worried about was that he might leave some blood drops during the flight, forming a trail. But maybe if he would go fast enough, he wouldn't leave so many drops.

They flew above the stairs, his wings and feet didn't touch his surroundings. In rapid speed, they reached the top and flew through the hallways, which looked like a maze to Nody. You must've lived here for a long time, maybe years to know your way around the castle. It was dark, but Scott didn't need a light to show the way.

When they flew into the hallway of the castle, Nody could nearly taste her freedom on the tip of her tongue. The huge door that would lead to her freedom opened automatically for Scott, allowing the two to leave the castle. Nody took a big breath, breathing in some fresh air. She smelled sulfur, but she didn't care. At least it was better than the stale smell in the dungeons. Scott ascended higher into the sky, flying away from the castle. A strong wind, caused by the ascension, blew into her face, causing Nody to shut her eyes. She could barely breathe from the tension. It took a while for her to get used to the wind. When she opened her eyes, she looked down. The sight almost made her want to cheer; the castle was now a small dot, slightly bigger than an ant. She was free...

That's when she realized it.

She was free.

Nody had dreamed of this day for so long and now it was finally here. She had endured so much pain and humiliation... and now she was free. The farther they flew away, the more she felt her bond with her prison break. It was like she was bound to it with a rope, and the more the distance increased, she felt the rope break. Right now she just had one thought; soon she would be in Heaven and be able to continue her life. But one big question remained... would she be able to forget everything that had happened to her. She hardly doubted it. She looked to Scott. His had a tensed look on his face, he just wanted to get over this as fast as possible.

He did this all because of her.

Soon she could feel the heat of Hell slowly fade away. The darkness started to make place for a dark blue light. It was still dark, but less dark than Hell. Looking behind her, she realized they had just left Hell and were now in the Area. It was just like Nody remembered it; dark blue and filled with stars. Heaven wasn't far away now.

'Hey,' Scott suddenly said. It made Nody look up in surprise. Until now he hadn't said a thing during the entire flight. 'If you are tired, you can close your eyes for a little sec. We'll be there soon.' It was true, she was tired. This whole night had worn her out.

Closing her eyes, she felt herself dozing off.

Her little nap didn't last long, though. Just when she was about the fall asleep, she was awoken by Scott.

'We're here.'

Hearing those words made Nody wide awake.

They were here. In Heaven.

Scott put her down on the ground. Much to Nody's relief, her legs didn't give up on her this time and she was able to stand on both feet. Scott spoke the truth... they were really here. They were just a couple of meters away from Heaven's Gates. Nody just kept staring at it, her eyes and mouth were wide open with amazement. The Gates were repaired, perhaps they had put a new protection spell on it. She still couldn't believe it... she was back in Heaven!

She turned around to Scott, smiling from ear to ear. Just when she wanted to give him a hug, the smile on her face faded away.

The look on his face immediately took the happiness away.

Scott didn't even bother to look at her. He was looking away with an expression on his face she had never seen before. He looked sad. 'There you go.' he mumbled. 'You can go now. You're free.'

What was this? The carelessness, the coldness... It was like he didn't care at all. This wasn't right. With a worried look on his face, Nody touched his arm.

'Hey... what's the matter? Is something wrong?'

'No.' the Archdemon replied, his voice nearly toneless. 'I'm alright. You got what you wanted. Now go.' Nody frowned and shook her head. No, she wouldn't go now. She wanted answers. 'Scott,' she said. 'I know something is wrong. Please, tell me.'

'Nody, I'm fine...' Scott sighed, shaking his head.

'Scott...'

'I'm alright...'

'Please tell me...'

'Just fucking go!' the Archdemon yelled, looking the Archangel straight in the eyes, his eyes flaming with anger. 'Forget you've ever been in Hell! Forget what has happened to you! Forget about me!' Nody was shocked by his sudden outburst, she didn't expect this. The words were harsh, really harsh. But still, there was something in them that could be the cause of his sadness, maybe even the reason why he had released her...

Suddenly, she had figured it all out.

'No.' she replied calmly. 'I will possibly never forget what has happened to me in Hell. Thanks to you, I was tortured, abused and humiliated. My pride and dignity had been crushed into the ground, all because of you. You've sexually assaulted me and degraded me to a lust object. But still...'

It felt like there was a lump in her throat. She tried so hard to hold back her tears, but she miserably failed. Tears rolled down her cheeks, while she bit on her lower lip. The lump started to hurt due the sobbing. Now Scott had to try to hold back his tears. He had never felt this miserable before.

'But still...' Nody repeated, softly sobbing. 'I forgive you.'

She forgave him.

After all the shit she's been through, she forgave him. Scott couldn't believe it. It was too surreal to believe. Nobody could ever forgive him for all those horrible things that had happened. Abduction, torture, abuse of all kinds, humiliation, sexual assault, an attempt of rape... These things were impossible to forgive. And she just did that.

'Are you serious...?' Scott whispered in disbelief. Nody nodded. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a tight hug. Scott's eyes went wide with surprise; this was the second time she had surprised him with this act of endearment. Closing her eyes, Nody nuzzled her wet cheek against his muscled chest. His body was so damn attractive... She could hear his heart beating faster. More tears flowed down her face.

'It's so strange...' Nody whispered, touching Scott's chest. 'I never thought I would ever feel attracted to you...' His heart beat went faster and faster. She looked up to his face. Scott's cheeks had turned bright red. Despite everything that had happened this night, Nody managed to smile at him. Removing her hand from his chest, she touched his flushed left cheek. 'I want to thank you for all the kind moments. Thank you for not letting me getting raped by your Lord or Justin. You've saved me, I'm forever grateful to that...'

Biting his lower lip, Scott hugged back, hugging her body close to his. He had to tell her the truth.

'I did this all for you.'

Listening to the words made Nody nearly beam with happiness. But suddenly, Scott let go of her waist, leaving her body cold. He took a step back. The blush on his face disappeared. The new-found happiness faded away in an instant.

'I have to go now.' Scott said. 'If I don't get back there in time, the other Demons might get suspicious.'

'Wait!' Nody remembered something important now. 'What if they discover I have escaped?' 'Don't worry, I'll come up with something. Now go.' Scott turned around. Just when he wanted to walk away, Nody spoke to him again.

'So this is goodbye, then?'

Scott stood still. For a moment, it was quiet.

'Yes.'

He heard a soft sad sigh, but he forced himself not to turn around. 'Goodbye, Scott...'

'Goodbye, Nody...'

Scott spread his wings and ascended into the dark sky, before plunging down into the depths towards Hell.

A tear trickled down his face.

So this was it, then.

It was all over.

Nody was standing still for several minutes, which felt like centuries to her. She felt empty. She felt no emotion. Just emptiness.

Suddenly she felt a chill running up her spine. Finally she realized how cold she was. Turning around, she walked towards Heaven's Gates. There she was, the Archangel. Once the mightiest creature of Heaven, she was now even more puny than a worm. Stripped from her powers and wings, her pride and dignity crushed to dust. Tortured, abused, humiliated, sexually assaulted and nearly raped. Her life would never be the same again. But the worst part of all this was that her heart was broken. She had felt feelings of attraction to her brute, but now he had left her at Heaven's Gates.

Finally she had reached the huge Gates, she felt like she had walked for hours.

'Who is there?' the voice of an Angel Guard shouted.

Despite the emptiness, Nody was able to speak.

'It's me, Nody. Please... let me in.'

It felt like her heart was ripped into thousands of pieces.

Her legs gave up on her. She fell down on the ground. The emptiness was replaced by one emotion only; extreme sadness.

Nody couldn't stop crying.