…
Devil in the doorway selling any kind of hell
We're just coming out to play the game
..
Claire Speaks
'Sit, please.'
Without even thinking about it I found myself sitting in a chair, the table close enough to lock me in place as I glared at Castiel. Wearily I glanced at the burning figure in the corner of the room; it just stood there and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with its presence.
'Help yourself, whatever it is you want, you can have it.'
'Should word your sentences better, angel.'
Castiel looked at me concerned before smirking slightly, knowing that what I wanted was to leave but of course that wasn't going to happen and I watched as a bowl of Cesar salad and beer in ice appeared in front of me, burgers following on a silver platter.
I raised my eyebrow questioningly and Castiel remained as still as a statue as he stood at the end of the table.
'I thought all hunters had a weakness for burgers.'
Repulsed, I refused to look at the food even though my stomach was growling furiously. Instead I kept my eyes firmly on Castiel who seemed to shuffle ever so slightly, dropping his gaze for a fraction of a second.
'Well I'm here, and obviously there is something you wish to share with me.'
I leant on the table, trying to come across as rude but to Angels I guess all human emotions were rude.
'We understand that you and two others are following Zeno.'
Did they know who they were though? I felt nervous at the thought of being friends with Jesse, mainly because the similarities between Zeno and Jesse was enough to make me worry about the thought of Jesse having an idea consume him so much like this Zeno character.
'What sort of name is Zeno? Is that his real name or just a super villain?'
'Super villain?'
I rolled my eyes, my hand stretching out to fiddle with the top of a beer, wanting nothing more than to drink it.
'Yeah you know, bad guy out to destroy the world, we come in and stop him.'
'So you think you are heroes?' Castiel asked curiously and it was my turn to tilt my head at him; how did he not think we were heroes? I mean it was a bit farfetched with a lifestyle like ours but Hunters do more in a fortnight than any government does for its people, the war or the police.
'Should be listed on my resume.'
A high pitched whistle began to build in my ears and became so loud I thought it would blow my ear drums. I pressed my hands to them, desperate to block out the noise but it seemed to piece through my being and I groaned as the white noise slowly ebbed away, a voice replacing it.
'Enough. We do not have time for these games.'
I couldn't pin point the strange voices origins, but Castiel lowered his head, turning slightly to address the flame in the corner.
'The human torch has something to say?'
'Zeno needs to be stopped.'
My hand involuntarily slapped the oak table, my eyes falling away from Castiel to a painting on the white wall. No shit that was what we were trying to do, but if they let me go from here on some sort of parole, we may as well just lay on our backs and let him do what he wants.
'Does Jesse accompany you?'
'I don't kiss and tell.' I growled, crossing my arms but the flames in the corner became just that bit brighter and I dropped my arms back onto the table, sighing heavily.
'Why do Angels care about what we do?'
'Zeno is threatening to overpower us. He has the strength and ability to tear down the host of Heaven, wipe out all its servants and perhaps even God.'
'Good.' I snapped, hoping it stung and it did, Castiels eyes, my fathers blue eyes looking at me as though I had stabbed him in the heart; if only it would work.
'We believe that Jesse Turner may be strong enough to stop him from destroying man kind and our order.'
I shook my head, rubbing at my temple as I stared at him. It was getting too confusing being in the same room as Castiel. My stomach was eating itself and vile in my throat; I wanted to hate him, I wanted to hurt him but was my father still in there? It was all I had left of him, just some memories and the knowledge that Castiel wore my father like a suit.
'How can one guy destroy thousands of angels? Surely you all like to work together…'
'We believe that Zeno is creating his own army to accompany him in order to take the Throne for himself.'
I was lost in thought for a moment, now realising what the deformed bodies were for. Zeno was trying to make the perfect soldier, one to withstand our own defences and also that of heaven and hell. Concerned, I looked up at Castiel who seemed to nod that I was correct and I felt my worry destroy my hope even more. Even an anti-Christ couldn't take on something like that, and having two humans in the way did not make it easier for him.
I opened my mouth but instead of words, my phone began to ring in my pocket. It was followed by silence from the two beings in the room and when it rang for a second time, I quickly reached in to try and answer it but as soon as I read Bens name as the caller, it vanished from my phone.
'What do you want me to do? Sounds like you need Jesse not me.' I growled, becoming frustrated but it was replaced with icy fear again when Castiel stepped back, the burning figure in the corner moving closer to me. Its flames licked at the floor and the carpet but nothing caught on fire and I leant back in my chair, trying to put some distance between me and it, even if it was only an inch.
'You are the most important part Claire.'
The thing didn't even have a face and as it moved even closer, I looked to Castiel hoping he would do something, explain it even. I felt like a child when it looked at me, I just knew it looked at me. The voice didn't give away anything; it sounded old and young, female and male all at the same time and it confused me beyond what I thought possible.
'Me? Look, I was taught not to talk to strangers,' I shot a dark gaze to Castiel before I got to my feet, the chair no longer locked in place, 'And I have a really tight schedule, I'll leave you the number for my assistant.'
The torch lifted an arm, defining the side of it and it did seem human but then something followed its arm, a wing? Wings?
They spread out behind it, three pairs of long flames drowned out most of the room and I could feel its heat, warm against my skin but it became too bright and I dropped to my knees, shielding my eyes.
'I am Nisroc, Seraphim for Our Lord and I demand that you show some humility and listen.'
My eyes were beginning to sting with tears but I battled with my trembling body to stand, backing away from this seraphim but there was no way I was going to back down. Searing heat made me sweat but the angry tension drowning the room ebbed, becoming light with laughter. It felt right, it felt like the seraphim, felt like Nisroc was singing.
'If you say yes, Claire, we can stop this abomination. You can save the Kingdom of Heaven and your own civilisation.'
Now I was just down right confused and I looked past Nisroc to Castiel, who had his head hung low now. Was this why he didn't want me here? He knew that this thing wanted to wear me around like a puppet? I backed up slowly, praying that there as some door I could get out of but Nisroc turned to follow me, waiting for my reply.
'But I thought; he has used me before.' I said, pointing at Castiel like a student in trouble.
'That is irrelevant. I am not like any other Angel, any vessel is possible for me but only one that is strong enough to contain me for a length of time. That vessel is you Claire. All you have to do is say yes and all of this can be over, you can save the world.'
'No,' I mumbled, repulsed by what I just heard, 'No! I won't be used by you bastards, ever! You have already destroyed my life,' I growled, furiously staring at Castiel who was brave enough to join in on the group discussion again.
What the Angel was saying was true, all I had to do was say yes and all of this could be over just as quick as it started but the thought of my father being trapped inside his own body, the memories of everything that has happened because of Angels, that seed of hatred and mistrust was rooted into my very soul and I would never agree to it.
'We can do our part and you can just keep searching the globe for someone else. Fuck someone else up, not me.'
A heavy anger radiated from Nisroc and it threateningly took a step closer and my mind went blank; Angels couldn't force it could they?
'I could do so many things to you, Miss Novak to make you say yes, to make you beg. Broken arms, no lungs, all sorts of terminal diseases but I won't, not yet. Whatever it is that is keeping you from forming the word yes with those lips, forget it. Think of the world, Claire, you're not a selfish person.'
It disappeared before I could argue with the seraphim, it felt as if it had never been here. There was no more lingering warmth, no smoke or anything but the nervous fear I had pumping through my veins was still there.
'You're making this harder than it should be Claire.'
Snapping my head to Castiel, I crossed my arms to hide my fear from him but he knew it was there but the longer he remained in this room with me the more danger he would be putting himself into, but I couldn't keep it up.
'You didn't even let me say goodbye to him.'
Something in Castiels eyes made me drop my guard but the more I looked at him, there was only more reminder of my time living in a broken home with a broken mother who drove her own daughter away, reminded me of everything I could lose if I agreed with this angel. But what would I lose? There wasn't even that much of a chance that anything would happen, was there? Only I could die or Nisroc might not give me up; how many other times would it want to use me?
'I am sorry.'
'Do you even know what that feels like?' There was something haunting in his eyes now and I wondered what exactly had happened to my father with those damned Winchesters to make me lose my father?
'There was a time when the sorrow it brought me was almost overwhelming.'
We were silent for a minute but then Castiel waved his hand, my gun back in my hand and dagger on my back.
'Jimmy is happy now. He has his place in Heaven.' I nodded, feeling a tear slip free from my eye at that; now I knew that my father was well and truly dead, now I knew that it really was just the corpse of my father I was looking at.
'The time will come Claire when you will need to say yes.'
'I don't think so. Nothing will make me say "yes".'
At that, Castiel lowered his head and the sound of fluttering drowned out any other noise and when I glanced around, I found myself in a grubby class room, my phone ringing in my pocket.
Was I meant to be feeling sick after speaking with Angels? All I felt like doing was grabbing a bottle of whiskey and burying myself in my bed. My phone stopped ringing and gluing myself back together, I marched towards the door, pushing it open.
For some reason I wasn't all that surprised to see Jesse standing there, eyes wide with concern.
'Jesse?' at that Ben stepped around from behind the door and I admit I was happy to see them, I really was, but I didn't want them here. It confused me even more when Ben stared at me, those glass like eyes wide.
'You're doing that crazy eye thing again Braeden.'
Huffing blonde from my eyes, I stepped between them, just wanting to get out of the building.
'Claire! Wait, what are you doing?' Ben called after me and I turned in the corridor, staring at him angrily. I wasn't mad at him, but this building was making me uneasy.
'What am I doing, what the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?'
Ben was a few paces in front of me and he pointed over his shoulder to Jesse and I shook my head; I guess privacy was gone now.
I preferred it when I hunted alone.
Ben got the idea and didn't follow me down the stairs and I slammed the doors open, gasping in the warm air as I freed my hair, brushing it around my shoulder as I paced on the old tarmac. Did I just ruin our one chance of finishing this thing? How do I tell the guys? Being the only girl in the house, I just couldn't come across as weak, but how do I tell them about my mortal fear of Angels without coming across as a selfish little girl?
I never thought I was selfish, but when that yellow flame ball told me that I wasn't selfish, and then Ben stepped around that door, I realised I was selfish. Right now I was the most selfish person on this planet.
A whistle stopped me from wearing the tarmac even more and I glanced up, Ben hanging half out the window, a big dorky smile on his face. I lifted an eyebrow but it dropped into a forced glare when he pressed his fingers to his lips, blowing me a kiss.
'Cheer up Novak!'
I felt my heart go giddy but I tried desperately not to show it and pulled the finger at him but he just laughed, shutting the window and before I could even straighten out my thoughts, Jesse and Ben were stepping through the doors.
I was grateful that they didn't hound me for questions right now, but I knew it would come as soon as they had food in their stomachs and I would have to tell them. Something like this I couldn't keep to myself for a long time, it would eat away at me.
I was scared, more so than I ever had been. Right now I would rather be stuck in a room with Angels, I would rather relive Lances death then face Nisroc or Castiel again.
Ben and Jesse stood on either side of me, each taking my hand and I looked up at Bens face as he closed his eyes, a small smile on my face; he didn't like this new way of getting around did he?
All I could think of was what the angel had said to me; that this hunt could be over before I forgot the taste of coffee. Half of me regretted the idea of saying no but the other half shot it down and Bens hand squeezed my own. I didn't want to lose this, even for a second. I didn't want to be trapped, locked away for a war, even a minute. Did I really think I could fool myself into thinking that by doing this; I really could become some sort of hero? I could never be anything more than a pathetic hunter with daddy issues, and I was sick and tired of living a life that was dictated by those events that I couldn't be who I wanted, what I wanted to do. I didn't want to be used, it could be an invitation to be raped again by a pathetic angel, I didn't want to take the chance of anything going wrong and loosing whatever chance I had at making this life something worth living, whatever chance I had with Ben.
Did that make me a bad person?
..
Way too long I've tried to be, what I could never be
For too long you've rolled the dice
but you can't control me.
...
I have to say, I have done my homework and I am aware that Seraphims more than likely don't have names or the rules that apply to them, I'm going with my own take of the Bible and info I have gathered. If anyone has handy tips on anything you're more than welcome to share with the class Silver-Kirin
Thanks for reading!
xXx