"In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lion's teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails."

Revelation 9:7-10

Chapter 14

A warm gentle breeze floated by causing Chrono's thick purple hair to tickle his nose, but all he did was twitch his nose in his sleep.

"Rosette! Chrono! Where are you?" A far off voice called.

Chrono's sensitive ears twitched as his mind worked to rouse him from his nap.

"Rosette, come back!" A different voice called from far off within the compound.

It really shouldn't be called a nap. He had flat out passed out from the previous excursion Rosette had taken him on.

"Chrono! You don't have to leave! Rosette, where are you?"

That voice was closer.

Slowly Chrono tilted his head towards his right just in time to see a girl, in what appeared to be one of the girls in a Magdalene Order uniform, round what he guessed was the far perimeter corner, and headed straight for them both. 'And thus ends our short escape,' he mused. He stretched long in the grass waking Rosette in the process.

Rosette sat up with a start and yawned as wide as a cat.

"Rosette!" a joy-filled voice called out.

Rosette's head snapped towards the approaching light then groaned loudly. "Already?" having the same realization as Chrono.

"Oh, Rosette, Chrono… thank goodness," Sister Anna said with relief as she finally reached their hiding spot. The red head doubled over gasping for breath.

Rosette made a frowny face.

Anna forced herself to stand straight. "Why did you leave?" she was finally able to ask once she could breathe again. "What happened? Did you see something? Did some being speak to you? OH! Did you figure out what was going on? Why you're blind?"

Rosette stood up rolling her eyes within. She honestly didn't think she'd be found so quickly.

"Why are you laying down out here?" Anna now asked bewildered.

Chrono simply leaned up against the wall with relief. He knew being blind wasn't going to get them far. Worse, he figured they'd have tripped into the next ditch if they had actually tried walking anywhere. Yes, he was relieved to be caught.

In the distance, others were still looking for them.

"Well," Rosette sighed. "I figured that… we would…uh…"

Rosette's words died in her throat as the feeling of unease and danger crept up around her. Anna was about to speak, but Rosette quickly raised a hand to silence her. Something wasn't right. What was it? In the air? The ground? No, a sound.

Sister Anna wrung her hands in silent worry. She watched Chrono stand beside Rosette in equal concern. They laced their hands together and faced the surrounding trees. Rosette seemed to be looking all around urgently. Chrono seem to tilt his head to the side. What was he listening for?

"What is it?" Anna finally asked nervously. "What's going on?"

"Shhh," Rosette warned.

Something was coming. They could really feel it now. They all could hear something now. A white noise like sound. It grew deafening like an overwhelming stampede of horses, that wasn't quite right. A buzzing? A SWARM!

"Demons!" Chrono declared the moment they were within range.

"A swarm of them!" Rosette yelled.

"Where?" Anna panicked as she grabbed her two strapped guns. "I can't see anything!"

"There!" Rosette pointed as the small demonic swarm was rapidly getting closer. "They are the size of soccer balls!" she yelled. "Shoot them!"

"I can't see anything! Wait- THERE!" Anna fired at the frightening insect like creature hitting it on the mark and turning it into ash. However, the next one that came into view disappeared before she took her shot. "Wait... where?"

It reappeared in a different location.

"Why aren't you firing?" Rosette demanded. The swarm of demonic locusts was getting closer!

It took a moment, but Anna figured it out. "They're PHASERS!" she declared as she now fired blindly. The swarm was almost upon them.

"Phasers?!" Chrono spoke surprised. It was an unstable type of demon who couldn't retain its earthly form for long, so it constantly phased in and out of solid state. It was an adolescent trait to be unable to remain outside of a spiritual body for long.

"I can see them!" Rosette said urgently. "Anna give me your guns! Chrono, get her over the wall and back within our protective barrier!" she quickly took charge.

Anna was firing all over the forest. Every time she aimed at the damn things, they would disappear. She quickly realized she needed to trust Rosette. The moment Anna passed off her two sacred guns, Chrono grabbed her around the waist and jumped over the wall. He had faith in Rosette.

Rosette pivoted fast, took aim the best she could without being able to use the weapons sights, and commenced rapid fire. She could see their dark red spirits regardless if they phased into a physical body or not. She was cutting down their numbers easily. It only pissed her off when she shot, only to miss due to hitting a tree she didn't know was in her way.

Within a heartbeat Chrono dropped down by her side, passed off two new magazines, and then stood poised ready for attack. His human looking hands grew harder than stone as he extended out only his claws.

With him now at her back, Rosette moved forward slowly as to hopefully not walk into a tree. Chrono slashed to pieces any vile creature that dared get too close as Rosette reloaded.

"What's going on?" Rosette asked aloud as she front kicked one of the nasties back, cocked her first gun and blasted the furious demon into ash just before it could bite her. This swarm of hideous large insects with bodies like locusts only with demonic faces like a man with lions teeth, charged toward the only human in view, Rosette, with a vengeance.

"Watch OUT!" Chrono yelled as he slashed, elbowed, roundhouse kicked, and slashed again dozens of demons now swarming. These things had horrific tails like scorpions, which one almost stung Rosette in the arm. He couldn't much breathe another word after that defense.

Rosette, fully reloaded, shot like there was no tomorrow. Her aim was still deadly accurate with both guns, and as fast and sudden as the swarm had appeared, it was gone. Completely destroyed. Rosette and Chrono were breathing heavily as they searched the blackness all around them.

"I think that's all of them," Rosette's chest heaved.

"Ya," was all Chrono could manage. His arms lay slack at his sides as blood dripped off his claws.

They had both just barely had enough strength within them to fight off that small attack.

Suddenly they both felt a holy pulse from behind them. Clearly the compound's barrier had just been reinforced.

"Rosette we need to get back," Chrono now spoke once he was sure nothing else would be coming for them. He could feel his hands were warm and slick. Chrono wanted to just collapse onto the ground, but he managed to just kneel and wipe his hands off on the grass.

"Ya…" she said in a half enthused manner. She was shaking. She hadn't used that much strength in months! Even before she had died she hadn't needed to react like that. It was unsettling that they would have such an attack so blatantly disregarding the location of their Holy stronghold. Getting back inside would be a good idea. "And it seems I only have two rounds left," she mumbled.

Chrono stood back up on shaky legs and walked back towards the wall. His hand found the wall and it tingled his flesh. The holy barrier. He sighed. "We'll have to walk around to the front gate," Chrono revealed distastefully. He wanted her protected quickly.

"It's fine Chrono," Rosette smiled. "Let's start walking already. Man these guns feel so heavy!"

Chrono smiled back at her as he dragged his hand along the wall towards where Sister Anna had first appeared. "Well you haven't had to shoot sacreds in over six months."

"Ugh, but that shouldn't have to matter! Why do I have to be so out of shape?" she moaned theatrically.

"Well, you were dead," Chrono joked.

"Tell me about it!"

They walked on, finally reaching the corner and turned right to continue towards the front gate entrance.

"Chrono."

"Hum?"

They then oh so gracefully walked right into a shrub. Rosette grumbled under her breath as they rounded the sneak-attacking bush.

"Are you okay?" Chrono asked only slightly concerned.

"Ya, fine."

Rosette didn't get the chance to ask her question. They had already reached the front gates and Sister Kate was already waiting for them on the inside.

TBC….