Constantine Fan Fiction

Angel Slayer

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Two: A Glimpse of Heaven

By the time I got home, I was ready to collapse. I sat at my table and guzzled down half a carton of milk, before downing a yogurt cup along with a vitamin pill. When you live your life knowing that you have zero chance to get to heaven when you die, you do what you can to postpone the inevitable fire and brimstone.

Plus, the yogurt upped my blood sugar, a much-needed reprieve after being the breathed on by a demon half-breed.

I then proceeded to crash on my bed, a futon salvaged from a dumpster downtown, which I purified it with some holy water I got from the occult black market. Hey, just because I'm the Devil's exorcist doesn't mean I can't use heavenly materials.

Anyway, I fell fast asleep, only to be plagued by nightmarish images of the angelic presences that I've slain. You think killing another human who comes back to haunt you is bad? Try killing a half-breed. The dreams were ceaseless, because the angels physically invade your mind in order to place them there. I never passed a night without them.

I had gotten used to them over the years, tried to ignore them. But this one was different.

It wasn't the angelic being slain in this dream. It was myself.

I woke up sweating. The angel in my dream had to have been Michael. The holy half-breeds must have been trying to tell me what the inevitable outcome of the battle would be.

I caught my breath, recovering from the abnormal apparition. A moment later, I saw the real apparition.

I sighed. "What do you want, Mariah?"

Before me sat an Angel half-breed of crimson hair, her gray wings in full plumage, no doubt in hopes of catching my attention.

"I just felt like paying a visit," she mused, halfheartedly.

"I highly doubt that," I shrug, hauling myself up from the futon. I was finished with sleep.

"Oh…you're right, Xander," Mariah smiled, coyly. "I came here to get a piece of the action. Rumor has it that you're Lillith's favorite chew toy. She may be a demon, but you can't have won her favor for nothing."

I snuffed. "Lillith? You getting your panties in a bunch over a succubus?"

Mariah stood before be, stoutly. "The mother of all succubae, yes, I think she dangerous."

I laughed, sarcastically. "Really? Get back to me when your a hundred percent sure."

Mariah glared at me. "I mean it, Xander. She may act all peaches and cream, but she is of the nether world. Those of the Devil always, always, have ulterior motives, and it's usually about one thing. If she has you in her thrall, then that makes her one exorcist more powerful than she already is."

I shrugged her off. "Like she needs any more power than she already has? Besides, what worth is one exorcist to her?"

That's when Mariah seized me. "I don't want you getting hurt, Xander!"

"And why the hell are you worried about me? I deport your kind all the time! I'm just a killer to you!"

Mariah stared back at me hard, but I could see what I'd said had hurt her. "I'm not one of your desperate angels, Xander. I follow the rules."

I sighed, deeply. "Look…it's touching that you want to be my guardian angel. But the kind of stuff I see…the kind of stuff I do…getting scoured by a succubus is the least of my worries."

Mariah looked crestfallen after I said that, and I felt like a jerk.

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll be more careful around her, ok?"

Mariah looked up, shaking her head. "No, you were right, there are things much more dangerous in store you for you than that carnivorous siren."

She looked really serious when she said that, more than she ever was.

"Mariah, what are you talking about?"

Mariah looks at me, her face sad all over again. "I've seen your fate, Xander…you will die fighting Michael."

Now, here's the thing about fate: It's never written in stone. Except when it was. And Angels, even angel half-breeds, are very good at telling the difference.

I sat back down. "You're positive about this?"

Mariah shook her head. "Actually, it's had me down in the dumps all evening."

That scared me more than anything.

"Xander, you can't fight Michael! He'll kill you!"

I sighed. "I wasn't exactly itching to fight him, you know? I have orders, and it's not like I just skip town."

Mariah shook her head, her fiery red locks swirling as she did. "Why would they send you, a human exorcist, to deal with one of Heaven's most powerful half-breeds? It's a suicide mission! They're trying to get rid of you, Xander!"

I throw my body back onto the futon. "Great. Now both sides want me dead! That certainly helps!"

Mariah kneeled next to my prone form. "Listen, Xander…there isn't much time. I can get you out of this."

I raised an eyebrow. "How, exactly?"

Mariah paused. "I…uh…I'll…think of something…"

I sighed. "Uh-huh. Any chance you could persuade Michael to convince this philanthropist to repeal the donation he's making?"

Mariah shook her head; tear droplets shaking from her eyes. I couldn't stop staring at the tears fall, as the purest of holy water splashed and sizzled like oil in a skillet on the tainted floor of my room – I had since coated the entire place in putrid water to sap the angelic of their powers. Right now, Mariah was as helpless as a human.

I tried not to read too deeply into the tears. After all, angel cared for all beings in general.

"No," she muttered. "Even if I could, your orders would still be the same. Hell's had their eye on your guy for some time now, and they were just waiting for his inspiration to show itself."

I nodded. "Which he did. It even appeared in the newspaper."

Mariah blinked.

"Mariah, think back: in all the years of half breeds persuading humans one way or the other, how many have been stupid enough to appear on the front page?"

Mariah blinked again. "You mean, aside from the martyrs of society? JFK and the lot?"

I shook my head. "Their methods involved public inspiration. Heaven's gotten smarter since then. There hasn't been an angel since who's revealed themselves so publicly. So why would Michael just allow himself to be photographed like that? Moreover, of the dozens of pictures the newspaper had to use for this big shindig, they had to use one that just happened to feature him. It's not like he was the focal point of the story, the philanthropist was. Michael just happened to be in it."

Mariah frowned. "You don't think Michael intended to do so just to set you up, do you?"

I shook my head. "I doubt I'm of that much consequence to him. But he definitely allowed himself to be seen for a reason. The question is: what reason?"

Mariah nodded. "I'll look into it."

I smiled. "Be quick. I only have about a week and a half tops before Maleficent starts to wonder why I haven't gone after my target."

Mariah frowned. "I will. Stay safe for me, okay Xander?"

I smiled back. "It'll depend on my mood. I might be more inclined…if you were serious about getting a 'piece of the action' as you called it."

Mariah laughed. Actually laughed, which was a good sign, given the circumstances. Not to mention, her laughter was just beautiful beyond imagination.

"I'm an angel, Xander," was all she said.

And then, she was gone.

I sighed, cracking my neck and preparing for the next day. I was planning to meet up with Jerry's little supplier that day. Whether or not Mariah knew about it was anyone's guess.

"But even an Angel can be wrong some of the time…" I muttered, before strapping my unholy blade onto my back.