8:24am

Cole followed the way to his classroom. On his way there, he passed the stairs/hall that had the Hanging Family of ghosts. When he looked up this time, he saw something different.

A wraith-like figure, wearing brown rags. His skin was leathery, with a thorned vine over his eyes. He was crouched on the steps.

Cole gasped. "Oh..oh boy.."

When the boy looked at him, the Minion snarled silently.

Cole ran after Tommy and Darren. "Hey, wait!"

Darren looked behind him, seeing Cole catch up to them. "Great. What do you want, kid?"

Cole bent over, catching his breath. "That stairway in the hall. Did you see anything unusual?"

Tommy laughed, "Yeah. No teachers!"

Cole shook his head. "No. Different. This guy in rags. Something evil. Secret. He was crouching on the steps, watching."

Tommy said, "Oh, please. Will you just cut it out? Stop playing games." He walked off with Darren, leaving Cole alone once more.

Cole turned around. He saw the wraith walk down the steps and walk
*through* the exit doors. Cole ran down the hall, to his class.


Tommy walked inside the room. Mr. Cunningham wasn't there yet. But
when he went to his desk, he was VERY surprised.

Josiah crouched on the bookshelf, hands on his knees. He had been there since dawn. He looked at Tommy and jumped down, landing on the floor. He walked up to him, pointing a finger accusingly. "YOU! I believe you got something that belongs to me."

Tommy yelled, "Hey, you better get that finger out of my face! Or I might have to beat you up."

Josiah replied, "No, you won't. You don't have a chance in Hell.. and I mean that literally. Give it up and back away..if you want to LIVE. Now!"

Darren ran up to Josiah, "Okay, Joey. That's enough-"

Josiah touched him on the head. "Shh!"

Darren fell to the floor, immediately unconscious.

Tommy stared at Josiah open-mouthed. "What..what did you *do*?! You only touched him. And he's asleep! How'd you do it?"

The cherub said, "My sickle, give it back to me, *now*."

Tommy shoved him. "No! I have to turn it in. You tried to kill our friend." He slapped him in the face, knocking Josiah back. "Now we have to get rough!" He pushed him again.

Josiah got up, ran to Tommy. Grabbing his arm, he threw the boy against the wall.

"Agghhh!!" He got up, but Joe held him by the throat.

"You'll have to learn the modicum of RESPECT!!" Josiah backhanded
him, then knee-kicked him in the gut.

Tommy ran at him. "You punk!"

Josiah grabbed his hand and twisted it.

"AGGGHHHHH!!! That hurt!!"

"Exactly." He grabbed the other arm and threw him.

Tommy flew in the air, hitting the other wall.

A few kids stood up, cheering, "Hey, guys. Fight! It's a fight!!"

Josiah picked him up by the jacket, roundhouse-kicked him in the ribs several times, then threw him again..


Outside, Zurghas stood on the roof of a building across the Academy. He looked down, into one of the windows. Sensing conflict. "What's this? Josiah.." He noticed movement in the window, the cherub was fighting one of the kids. Cole started to get into it. "No. Cole must not be harmed, in *any* way." He walked to the edge, perched down, arms spread. He opened his coat and jumped off, gliding towards the window..


Josiah saw that Tommy was on the floor. He grabbed the boy's backpack, ripped it open. He removed the other sickle and stored it in his coat. Then he knelt down over Tommy. "Now, you must pay for your insolence, child-"

Cole tackled him, knocking him on his back. He pinned the angels wrists, knee-kicked him in the crotch. "Stop it!"

Josiah growled, "YOU!! Monkey pest!" He pointed at him, sending a
bright flash out.

"Ahhhh!!" Cole let go of the arms, covering his own eyes.

He grabbed Cole's shirt, throwing him off. He got up, grabbing Cole by his upper arms. "Now, out the window for you. Time to *join* the ghosts you always see.." Then he smelt something odd. He sniffed looking at the window. Sensing an attack from his own kind, he let go of Cole and leaped for it.

Too late. A black man in a blue coat came through first, shattering the glass. He landed on Josiah, holding him down. He picked him up by the white coat. "You! You must not harm the children, cherub! That is not the way of *innocence*!!"

"Too late. That's ancient history!" Josiah, held two feet above the ground, attempted a front kick.

It connected, landing on Zurghas' knee, causing sharp pain to shoot
through it. "Ooof! Fool!" He dropped the fellow angel.

Mr. Cunningham came into the room. "What's going on, I heard breaking glass.." He was shocked at the scene. He looked at the broken window, Tommy was on the floor, Cole stood against the wall..obviously afraid of something. And Joe was fighting a big black guy in a trenchcoat. He pointed at the man. "Hey! What's going on?"

"This is a private matter. This boy attacked our charge, Cole Sear. He MUST be protected!"

"No! It's not private, not if it's on school property. Leave, before I call security.."

"Very well." He grabbed Josiah, pushing him out the 'open' window. He fell to the ground, landing on Josiah.


Hurt, on the grass, Josiah got up and brandished his sickles. He ran forward, in a thrusting motion.

Zurghas intercepted the arms at the inner elbows, in a Wing Chun style cross-block. He kicked Josiah in the stomach about five times, knife handed to the neck, then uppercutted him to the chin.

It caught, sending Josiah on his back. He looked up, seeing the angel kneeling over him. He pointed his hand out, sending another flash of light.

Zurghas looked away, then backhanded him twice, hitting both sides of the face. "Enough!" Doing a palm-strike to the chest, he then opened the cherub's coat. "I'm sorry..this *must* be done. Goodbye, brother." He plunged his hand through josiah's chest, reaching for the vital part. He removed the hand, holding the heart. He dropped it on the ground.

Josiah's eyes disappeared, his nails turned black. He was slain.

Zurghas smelled sulfur near. Standing up now, he saw one of Lucifer's minions--the wraith Cole saw in the stairway--approach. He picked Josiah up and carried him away, vanishing as he walked off.


Cole looked out the window. Joe was carried off by the wraith. He saw a guy in black clothes come behind the man. His hair was dark also, wavy. "Look out!"


Zurghas tried to turn around. Too late.

Zophael swung his ancient knife..it became a spear. He thrust the jagged blade through the other angel's back, impaling him.

Zurghas looked down. A knife protruded from his chest. "Ughh.. gghh.."

He turned the handle. The blade separated at the base, outward into a six-sided prong, a tool for retrieving things. He pulled it back out in reverse, through his enemy's back.

"AARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" He fell to the ground, his 'eyes' were gone as well.

Zophael held the spear. The heart was in it. Shaking it, the organ fell out. He twisted the handle, the prong closed up to blade-form. He put it away. He looked up at the window. Shaking his head, he walked through the doors, into the school.


Cole walked over to Tommy, trying to help him up.

Tommy grabbed a desk, bringing him to his feet.

"You alright?"

"Huh? Oh yes, fre--uh..*Cole*. Thanks."

"So..Joe is alive. Or, he WAS."

"I don't get it! He..we SAW him get run over by a semi trailer. He CAN'T be in..even if he lived, he can't be as healthy as he was a few minutes ago. And how could he beat me? He could, but he kicked that man so hard, just like he had a bodybuilder's strength. He threw us around the room, like we were paper! How?"

"I said he was an angel. Can't you just believe? What happened here should be proof eneough."

"I guess. Hey! What do you mean, he WAS alive?"

"He died. That man took the heart. Then another stranger took HIS."

"Really?" He walked over towards the window.

But Mr. Cunningham, who was there already, held his palm out. "No,
Tommy. Don't."

He stopped. "Why?"

"Cole is right. Two deaths, hearts torn from their bodies, lots of blood..I don't think you want to see that. Trust me."

Tommy thought about that for a minute. "Oh..okay. I don't think I'd want to see something that gross either." He walked back to his desk and sat down.