A/N:Sorry I took so long! I just had a writer's block on this story... You know the drill Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra are Dan's Brown so no suing
Enjoy!
XXI
Raphael hurriedly searched around the administrative office for the missing parish. He had done enough research to know that Nicholaus would stop at nothing to acquire what she wanted, murder was her favorite medium to do so. Barachiel's disappearances not only shock his comrades but also brought fear into them; had he fallen from grace or had he been murdered? Raphael shook away the thought of his brother being dead and ransacked the nearby utility closet.
Please be alive…he thought while his search turned out empty. Suddenly, he felt a malignant presence enter the room, a careful gait that headed for his position. Raphael remained quiet and calm, his hand reaching for his smaller weapon, a derringer firearm neatly hidden in his sweater.
"Let me guess, Amelia Dickinson?" he asked, his hand already grazing the trigger and the handle and never turning around to see.
Her shrill Valley laugh filled the room, showing she was clearly amused at the angel's assumption. "Damn, you are good." Amelia responded as she walked towards Raphael. She grinned to show her fangs, as to try to scare away Raphael's relaxed stance.
"Amelia Dickinson, age of death: 23, method of death: suicide by pain-killer overdose, motive for vampirism: revenge on unfaithful companion. Of course I'd remember you, you were my first mortal case." Raphael stated, his index finger silently placing itself on the trigger.
"That's sweet. Listen, I'll make you a deal; you let me have the old pig and I'll let you go see your friend. The blood bag's probably dead anyways." The blonde suggested as she momentarily stopped; she had to see the angel's reaction.
"Bad idea." Was all Raphael could say before he swiftly drew out the gun and in a split second pulled the trigger. Amelia evaded the projectile at a break-neck speed, only scratching her ivory face.
"You're one naughty angel, aren't you?" the vampire exclaimed, growing more excited at the archangel's actions. "Haven't seen one with an aim that good since…" she lured Raphael.
"It's an honor." Raphael spat back as he pointed the weapon at Amelia's face. Two more shots rang out and a disgusting scream ran through the halls of the cathedral. Raphael then ran out the door and hastily searched for another while Amelia's face fell to the floor in pieces and splattered onto the walls.
I just bought myself some good three minutes, considering the wounds…where could that parish be! The archangel surmised while he looked all over the following room and hurried to the next. Unknown to Raphael, his damage to Amelia had caused a massive explosion of blood, enough to draw out an evil that had been reborn in the lower crypts of the cathedral. And that evil had become hungry for flesh once more.
Amelia was already halfway from recovering her face, her rage fueling the healing process.
How dare that little slut shoot my face! Became her only thought as she followed the angel's scent to the impressive marble halls. In her rage, she didn't notice the trail of scarlet that dripped from her wounds. Amelia had no idea until she heard a step that wasn't her own. She turned around, trying to catch her stalker but all she saw was the moonlight corridor.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" she screamed, drawing her glass claws out. An eerie silence was the only answer she got, one that made her aware that she was clearly alone. As she turned around, she was caught off-guard by a shadowy figure right in front of her.
"Who the hell…"
Amelia never finished her sentence as she was swiftly decapitated. As her headless body fell down, the creature licked the blood off her blade-like nails. In a foreign language, she laughed and stole Amelia's clothes while picking up Raphael's scent…
"Is anyone here?" Raphael yelled in the spacious hallway, hoping for an answer. A slight rustle of wind ran through the halls as the archangel ran to the lower shafts. The smell of blood matched the crimson that lined the old-fashioned bricks that supported the halls. Raphael could sense death plague the surroundings and said a quick prayer for the dead. There was no need to go where nothing could be saved.
I was too late…I'm sorry, Robert.
Almost instantaneously, the angel felt an overpowering presence drawing near to his location. It couldn't be Nicholaus…could it? Raphael thought, but decided not to stick around to find out. He ran through the dilapidated halls towards the Station of the Cross-, his youthful breaths unintentionally attracting the unexplained creature to his position. Raphael sped up his sprint, hoping that it would desert him as he drew closer to the main altar. He called for Robert, screaming for the professor. Their eyes met just as Raphael stopped dead. Robert could only watch as one of Raphael's wings was ripped from his back and the angel dropped lifeless to the floor.
"Come closer, child, I must see you." The shadows drew apart as they revealed what Langdon had feared; the imposing frame of Elizabeth Báthory holding what remained of Raphael's wing.
A/N: Chapter 21 and a cliffie! >3 Reviews are greatly appreciated!