Chapter Seventeen
Hello again
Sophie ran from the apartment as fast as she could, her tears stung her eyes and her heart pounded so hard she felt it would burst and her mind was a complete haze, everything seemed to disappear in that moment, she couldn't see any further than where she was running, she didn't pay attention to where she was going, as long as she was as far away from that nightmare.
As she ran she saw even though it was daytime, it was starting to get dark and stormy and before long the heavens opened and the rain began to pour, almost as if the heavens were weeping along with her.
Sophie closed her eyes and lowered her head as she continued to run, through the alleyways and leaping over fallen trash bins and dodging fire escape ladders. She was so desperate to get away and before long she started to feel her chest ache as she ran out of puff.
She wasn't sure how far she had run, but Sophie soon found herself in what looked like an abandoned church.
She walked a couple of paces until her strength gave out and she collapsed on the broken down alter sobbing hard.
"NO!" she screamed "NOOO!" her mind had broken as had her spirit as she thought of everything that had happened in her life and what had taken place.
As she screamed, some pigeons who were resting nearby flew away in fright.
"Oh God!" she whimpered, "Please...I didn't mean to do it! He was hurting me! He killed my mother! He deserved it! Will I be denied into your kingdom because of what I did?" she rolled over onto her stomach and sobbed harder, not caring about the fact the floor was dirty and the rain was pouring in through parts of the broken roof.
Little did Sophie know that the Church she had run into was in fact the same church Diablo, Samson and Rex were hiding in.
Diablo had been sitting on the beam curled up under his wings sleeping whilst Rex and Samson were laying on sleeping bags.
The Raven had been startled awake when he heard Sophie run inside and scream in anguish and he leapt off the beam before looking through a hole in the floor to see Sophie on the battered alter weeping.
Looking over to Samson and Rex, he saw they were too heavily asleep to be awakened by Sophie's arrival and he walked over before shaking them both awake.
Samson groaned as he was awakened and Rex rolled over.
"Samson, Rex!" Diablo hissed "Someone's in our hideout!"
"WHAT!?" Both the panther and Doberman barked yet Diablo shushed them.
"Below!" he said gesturing a taloned finger to which Samson and Rex looked through a hole in the floor and saw Sophie.
"Oh my god!" Samson gasped as he saw Sophie laying there "Sophie!"
Diablo looked up at Samson curiously.
"You know this girl?" he asked to which the Panther nodded.
"She's a barmaid at the Strip Cub I worked at! Sophie Erelah!" Samson exclaimed "What?...What's she doing here?"
Rex also looked and his ears flopped at how saddened she was.
Diablo meanwhile watched her and a slight smirk formed on his beak.
"Another lost soul?" he thought "Hmmm, someone in need? Maybe one I can convince to join me? And a female at that!"
He looked at Samson and Rex.
"Let us go to her." he said.
Samson's eyes widened.
"Diablo?" he said "Are you...?"
The Raven nodded.
"Look at her Samson." he said "She is lost, she needs help."
"I don't know." Samson said "Seeing her...something must have happened...I'm not sure..."
Diablo cocked his head on one side.
"If she refuses to join us." he said "Who will believe her if she was to tell anyone about us hmm? And anyway, if she's that lost, maybe we are the only ones who can help her, depending on her situation?"
Samson looked down slightly as he thought of what Diablo was saying. He was torn as he didn't want to frighten Sophie by revealing himself, but he wanted to desperately to go to her, especially since he and her had shared a bond before he was almost killed then taken in and mutated by Diablo.
He wanted to know why she was here, and why she was so broken as well as help her, like he wanted to help Rex, he wanted to help her at her most darkest hour.
Looking up at Diablo, he nodded.
"Let's go to her." he said.
Diablo grinned within in triumph.
"Follow my lead." he said.
Back downstairs, Sophie lay with her tearful eyes closed on the dirty floor, she had sobbed so much she was almost falling asleep due to exhaustion from heartbreak and anger yet she found some energy to pray.
"Bless me father for I have sinned...sinned of the worst kind..." she sobbed again "Please...don't judge me...he was hurting me...my mother...she needed me...I failed her...I failed her! Please tell me she's there with you! Oh mummy! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
She rolled on her side and curled in the foetal position as she tried to stop crying. Blinking her eyes she looked around and she soon saw some figures walking towards her.
"The police..." she thought "They must have found out my crime...they followed me...and they're here to take me away..."
As the figures stepped closer, she was again unsure of who they were as her tears still blinded her and she curled up more.
"Take me..." she whispered "I know what I've done...I will not lie! I killed him...I killed him!"
As Sophie lay there, she had no idea that before her, it was Samson, Rex and Diablo walking close to her.
"Killed?" Rex asked in confusion.
Samson was worried, he studied Sophie's form and saw the blood on her clothes and hands.
"Killed him?" he questioned.
"Looks like she committed a murder." Diablo mused "But to who I wonder?"
"Someone who deserved it for sure." Rex replied.
Samson said nothing yet he knelt beside Sophie.
"Sophie." he said "Sophie."
Sophie looked at Samson and blinked her eyes again.
"Whose that?" she asked tearfully.
"Sophie!" Samson said "It's me! Do you recognise my voice?"
Sophie strained her ears to listen and blinked her tear filled eyes more.
"Sophie!" Samson said again "It's me! Milo! Milo T'Challa!"
"Milo?" Sophie stuttered then looked at Samson's face seeing his furry features, "What...the...?" she then passed out in shock to which Samson caught her head before she hit the floor.
"Quite a shock!" Rex commented.
Samson gathered Sophie into his arms and he turned to walk to the stairs to go to the upper floor.
Diablo and Rex followed.
"When she awakens." Diablo said "Hopefully we will learn more of what has befallen her."
Some hours later, Sophie slowly awoke to find herself laying on something soft.
She blinked a few times wondering where she was, even though where she was laying on was soft, it was still slightly hard as well, nothing like her bed back home or on the sofa.
"What? What, where am I?" she asked trying to shake the sleepiness from her head, and soon the memories what had happened returned to her.
"Mum, Dale?" her heart pounded and she soon remembered the figures that surrounded her.
"I'm in a jail cell!" she said "I must be!"
"No..." she soon heard a voice "You're not in prison."
"Who said that!?" Sophie gasped as she looked around and she soon realised she was laying on a sleeping bag and she was in the abandoned church she had run into! Through the broken roof she could see twinkling stars showing it was night-time.
"Hello?" she called "Who? Whose there?"
"Sophie." she soon felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see the face of Samson!
Sophie screamed as she looked upon his furry features but Samson instantly grabbed her and clapped his paw over her mouth whilst the other held her close to him.
"Shhh!" he whispered "Shhh!"
Sophie struggled yet couldn't fight out of Samson's grip as he held her tighter.
"Shh! Sophie! It's alright! I'm not gonna hurt you! It's me! Milo!"
Sophie ceased screaming as she heard his voice, she knew Milo's voice anywhere! There was no denying it!
"Milo?" her voice was muffled as Samson still had his paw clamped over her mouth.
"Yes! Sophie it's me!" Milo confirmed "I can prove it's me! Remember when some pervert in the Pussy Parlour tried to grope you not long after you first started working there?"
Sophie nodded.
"And remember I walked you home when you felt ill one night? I made sure you got home safe!" Samson spoke again.
Sophie started to relax as she listened to Samson's words then she placed her hands on his paw pulling it away from her mouth.
"Milo!" she cried "It...it is you! It's really you!"
Samson gave a small smile.
"That it is hun!" he said "It's me!"
Sophie took in his appearance and lifted her hand to his face feeling his fur as well as his cold panther nose.
"Milo..." she breathed "What...what's happened to you?"
Samson sighed.
"You're...you..." Sophie continued to analyse and touch Samson's fur as if trying to see if he was wearing a costume or if it was real fur.
"I'm a mutant yes..." Samson confessed.
"A mutant?" Sophie gasped "What?...How?"
"It's a long story Sophie." Samson said "But it'll take me a long time to explain."
Sophie started to feel weak as she took in what was before her.
"Milo..." she said "Please...explain..."
"I can explain it all." Sophie's eyes widened and she looked to the side to see Diablo appear along with Rex and she gave a slight yelp, almost too frightened to scream.
"What the fuck..." she squeaked.
"Don't be frightened Sophie." Samson reassured her "He won't hurt you, nor will Rex! We're here to help!"
"Who is he?" Sophie asked reaching up to her throat and she felt a silver cross she had around her neck before silently praying.
"My name..." Diablo replied "Is Diablo...Diablo the Raven."
"And I'm Rex." Rex volunteered "And as Samson said, there's no need to be afraid, we won't hurt you."
"Samson?" Sophie asked looking at the Panther who nodded.
"That is what I call myself now." he said "After I mutated, I took the new name."
Sophie swallowed hard, her mouth was so dry.
Diablo then walked over to a shopping bag nearby and picked it up before placing it before Sophie.
"Thirsty?" he asked.
Sophie looked at the bag and saw within there were bottles of water and cans of soda along with the odd alcoholic beverage.
"Th...thank you." she breathed before picking up a bottle of water and opening it.
"I'm sure you're feeling scared as well as confused." Diablo said "Not to mention wondering if you've gone totally mad, but I can assure you, we mean you no harm and are only here to help you, since you've wondered in here, lost, frightened and confused."
Sophie stared at Diablo silently.
"Tell me." Diablo asked "Why did you come running in here, and why are you covered in blood?"
Sophie yelped again and her tears began to fill her eyes.
Samson sat closer to Sophie and placed a paw around her shoulders.
"Sophie." he said "You can trust us, you can trust me! I want to help you! We want to help you!" he gestured to Diablo and Rex "Who hurt you? Who did you kill?"
Sophie looked at Samson in shock.
"How? How did you know?" she asked.
"When you stumbled in here." Samson confirmed "You were lamenting about killing someone, and how they were hurting you."
It was then Sophie felt the memories return again and she began to break into sobs again to which Samson pulled her to him and rested against him.
Samson looked up at Diablo and Rex.
Rex was looking sad and Diablo was looking thoughtful.
"She seems traumatised." Rex spoke softly to which Diablo nodded.
"She will tell us when she is ready." he said "And if she tells us what has happened, then maybe we can help her in her plight."
He smirked within as he thought of the water from the well he carried on him, and wondered if Sophie once she had recovered and told her tale, and depending on her situation, she would be a new member of his disciples.
He toyed with his thoughts as he continued to observe her as she cried into Samson's chest, trying to gather herself to tell her story.
So Sophie's run into the same Church Diablo, Rex and Samson were hiding in, and they've found her! Sophie's reunited with Samson, yet what will be the outcome of this meeting?
Tune in to find out!