As clapping hands held the beat a man's voice began to sing, low and sweet. A banjo joined in, playing a twanging southern rock song that reverberated in her head.
The devil's going to make me a free man
The devil's going to set me free
The devil's going to make me a free man
The devil's going to set me free
She could see figures dancing around a fire, whooping and hollering, laughing and drinking a clear liquid from a mason jar.
Ain't got no place to call a home,
only chains and broken bones.
Ain't got no place to call a home
so come on lord what you waiting for.
A man and woman danced together, hips swaying as the others sang. Suddenly a dark figure rose up and engulfed them, dragging them to the ground as the onlookers continued to dance, drink and sing.
The devil's going to make me a free man
the devil's going to set me free
The devil's going to make me a free man
the devil's going to set me free
The dark figure rose up from the ground, lifting the couple with it, and she could see the darkness in their eyes. As it faded they turned on their companions, slaughtering and mutilating. The screams and howls of madness echoed through the night….
The devil's going to make me a free man
the devil's going to set me free
The devil's going to make me a free man
the devil's going to set me free
Her eyes opened, black as an 8-ball. She hissed, struggling against the foreign power within her. The angelic voice within her screamed for control, raking her soul and mind with its spiritual claws.
She wouldn't give in.
Michael and Gabriel landed on the roof of New Delphi, choosing stealth over an obtrusive entrance like Gabriel had made the first time. They hunkered down on the roof until night fell, sweating out the hot desert day, limiting their conversation to preserve their secrecy.
Gabriel leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and tried to picture his life had things gone normally. He scoffed softly…normal. There was a human word if he had ever heard one. He was an angel…you couldn't get less normal than that.
Devery's face popped into his mind and he hummed softly…well perhaps you could. She certainly wasn't normal for a human, or an angel for that matter. She didn't fit into either category, and after her encounter with death and his Father…he had no idea what to feel about her.
A healthy dose of fear was mixed in with the intrigue, annoyance and lust. What surprised him the most was that he actually respected her. She had stood up to him more than once, had kicked his ass, and yet when she had come back from death she had still needed help and hadn't been afraid to ask for it, even when it meant asking him.
He had killed the man she considered to be her father; she should hate him. Billions of people were dead because of him. Millions of people hated him. Those who worshiped him were mad, he knew that.
Yet she somehow found the strength to try and help him. It made no sense to him. When he had lost the person he loved he had waited decades to take his revenge, and it hadn't really been a balm to his wounded heart, if anything it had hurt him worse.
How she could stand to see him everyday…he grunted softly, it was mystifying. If the roles were reversed, he most certainly would already be dead.
He guessed he had her restraint to be thankful for….and her dead father's teachings.
When the sun had set Gabriel stood and stretched out his limbs, heading for the small trap door they had discovered on the roof. Easing it open he led the way into the depths of the building, his angelic sight giving him the ability to see without any extra light needed for illumination.
He could feel Michael behind him and for the first time in a very long time was grateful to have his brother at his back. They had always fought as a team, and had done so successfully for millennia.
Gabriel shifted his shoulders, feeling like someone was watching them. The skin on the back of his neck crawled, the hairs standing straight up as a whispering voice drifted down the hall. The words were unintelligible, but as they grew closer to a faint light at the end of the hall the voice grew silent.
"How pleasant" Michael whispered from behind him, his breath ghosting across Gabriel's neck, making him shiver. Gabriel nodded but didn't reply, instead moving forward until the hallway led into a T-junction, this one well lit.
"Left or right?" he murmured.
"Split up and look in both directions" suggested Michael softly.
Gabriel shook his head, "There are too many people here, it's not safe."
Michael sighed faintly before nodding, "Fine, go right." He followed Gabriel down the hall, sword at the ready, body tense as he listened for the sounds of oncoming people.
They turned down another T-junction, this time going left, and as they continued down the hall they both heard voices, soft, but growing louder with each step. Gabriel turned the corner and saw a door at the end of the hall hanging open, light spilling out onto the concrete floor, the source of the voices.
"She's fighting the possession. I didn't know it was possible for a human to do that" a male voice said, sounding inquisitive. "This is a rare situation, something to be studied. Do you think we could take her blood and test it?" he asked.
"She's already bitten one of our people and had to be restrained. It seems her powers are uncontrolled at this point. As she struggles against the possession they flare up. But by all means, try to take some blood."
Gabriel's jaw clenched at the smug voice of Julian.
"Ahem…perhaps I will have someone else perform the blood draw" the other man suggested, sounding slightly nauseated.
"A wise choice doctor. Please keep me updated on her status."
Gabriel heard footsteps and a moment later heard Julian speaking to someone else, his tone entirely different, this time sounding like he was talking to a child perhaps.
"Can you hear me? Are you there? This is your body now."
There was a long moment of silence and then a strangled gasp and a choking sound. "Ackgh…ahhh…Ffffuuck you p-psycho."
Gabriel's head came up at the sound of Devery's voice, his eyes widening in astonishment. He took an impulsive step forward, his sword half out of its sheath before he realized where he was going, but Michael's hand clapped down on his shoulder, stopping him from going any further down the hallway.
Gabriel whirled on his brother, glaring. "We have to help her" he hissed.
Michael nodded, "I know. But we have to get Alex first" he insisted, keeping a tight grip on his brother's shoulder, preventing him from escaping and barreling down the hallway.
Gabriel glowered at his brother, whispering, "You heard Julian, she's been possessed! With her abilities he could use her against your precious city or other humans."
Michael hesitated, know he was right, but his instincts told him that saving Alex was more important. He was the Chosen One, the one that would save humanity, and they couldn't let him languish in captivity.
"I understand Gabriel, but Devery is fighting the possession, we heard it for ourselves. We need to get Alex first to help us get Devery out." He squeezed his brother's shoulder firmly, giving him a reassuring look, "Trust me."
Gabriel sighed, shaking his head, "Fine" he muttered.
Michael nodded and tugged him back around the corner; leading him back to the junction they had come from, going in the opposite direction, leaving Devery behind.
Gabriel looked back; worry creasing his features and his hand gripped his sword tightly. He knew Devery was strong, but being possessed was impossible to fight…she would give in eventually.
He turned ahead and followed his brother deeper into the bowels of New Delphi, squaring his shoulders, his jaw tightening.
Gabriel and Michael sprinted through the halls, a hoard of 8-balls pursuing them, shrieking and howling as they chased them. Gabriel ducked as a series of bullets whizzed over his head, cursing loudly.
"I don't think they're happy to see us" he panted, grinning maniacally at his brother.
Michael shook his head, dodging around the next corner and running for a large steel door. He slammed against it, yanking it open and hauling Gabriel into the dark hallway with him, slamming the door shut behind them.
He threw the heavy metal bolt into place, securing the door, knowing it wouldn't last for too long against that many 8-balls with weapons. When bullets began to tear into the metal he quickly backed away, shoving Gabriel back.
"Go" he called, turning to run.
As he ran he felt something bite into his leg, forcing him to stumble as pain radiated through his limb. Crying out in surprise he caught himself against the wall and reached a hand down to where the pain was spreading from. His hand came away wet and slippery…bloody.
Michael hissed, he had been shot.
Gabriel turned at the cry of pain from his brother and ran back, concern flooding him, "What happened?" he demanded.
Michael wiped his bloody hand on his shirt and shook his head, "Nothing I can't handle. Let's go." He moved away from the wall and began attempting to jog, but quickly stumbled, his leg unable to handle the pace.
Gabriel shook his head, "We need to bind it." He knelt swiftly and cut a piece of his cape off, binding the wound tightly, stemming the tide of blood flowing from the wound. He stood and nodded, "You go first; I'll follow, in case they break through."
Michael shook his head, "I should do that" he insisted, "You heard them, Alex isn't here. He escaped with Noma, which means Devery needs our help. You lead and I'll follow."
Gabriel studied his brother for a moment, hesitating at the insistence in Michael's voice. When they had first ran into the 8-balls and found out that Alex and Noma had left New Delphi, he had expected Michael to leave and pursue them, leaving him to get Devery out on his own.
When that hadn't happened he had been shocked; Michael was of course level headed, cool, and rational, but when it came to Alex his passion for keeping the Chosen One alive and well ruled him.
Gabriel nodded slowly before reaching out and slinging Michael's arm around his shoulder, his own arm tight around his brother's waist. Michael grunted in surprise as Gabriel aided him down the hall, moving quickly.
They could both hear the 8-balls pounding on the door behind them, bullets pinging off the metal, and they knew that the door wouldn't last for more than a few more minutes. Gabriel sped up, turning left at another junction, attempting to go the way they had retreated from—he needed to make his way back to Devery.
As they struggled down the hallways a sweat broke out on Gabriel's forehead from the strain of carrying Michael's weight, the air of the hallway damp and close. Behind them the sound of metal crashing against concrete resounded through the hallways and a moment later the sound of triumphant howling filled the halls.
"They're in" murmured Michael.
Gabriel nodded and struggled to move faster, looking for a way out, his heart pounding desperately. After a few moments the sound of their pursuers grew louder, the footsteps growing closer.
Michael shoved Gabriel away, collapsing against the wall. "Go, I'll stay behind to hold them off."
Gabriel shook his head fervently, "No, I won't leave you" he insisted, though every instinct within him told him to run.
"You need to go find Devery, Gabriel. She's the only other person who can help Alex, and you. Please" Michael pled with his brother.
Gabriel cursed and nodded, stepping forward to clap Michael on the shoulder one last time before tearing his eyes away and turning, running from down the hallway—the sound of the 8-balls hellish howling pursing him the whole way.
He skidded around a corner nearly missing the inconspicuous wood door. Throwing himself against it, the door flew open spilling him out into a well lit hallway. Behind him he could hear the faint sounds of Michael crying out in rage, the 8-balls screaming in pain.
Gabriel closed his eyes in revulsion and shut the door, sealing off the noise. He gripped his sword as he glanced around warily; looking for new foes until he was certain he was alone. Walking slowly down the halls he peered down the corners until he gained a sense of where he was in the building and began his search for Devery.
He slunk down the hallway, his nerves taut and ready for action, the silence wearing on him after the constant howl of the 8-balls. His gut was in knots at the thought of what could be happening to his brother…he shook his head, trying to push thoughts of Michael away.
He needed to concentrate on finding Devery and Julian.
When he turned another corner he let out a triumphant little grin, on the wall opposite was a Biohazard sign that had been hanging outside the door that Devery had been in. The light was off now, but the door was still open, inviting him in.
Gabriel moved swiftly, his eyes adjusting to the dimness of the room, peering around for any sign of Devery. The concrete floor was stained a dark rust color in spots and though there were cots lining the walls, it was the other room through the glass wall that caught his attention.
He moved swiftly to where Devery was, strapped down to a hard metal table, her eyes closed, her wrists raw from struggling against the straps. Julian had stripped her bare except for her bra and underwear, exposing her markings for study.
Lying spread out on the counter were photographs of her nude body, marker circling spots of interest, question marks and words like, "Spells?" "Magic?" scribbled next to them. Gabriel tossed the photos aside, his rage growing with each moment that he stood in this room that smelled like blood, bleach and pain.
Sheathing his sword, he leaned over Devery and began fumbling with the straps holding her down, unbuckling her as quickly as he could, eager to free her from this hell. Halfway through her second wrist he saw her fingers twitch and glanced up to her face, his stomach twisting with pleasure when he saw her eyes were open.
For a moment he forgot himself, reaching out and running his fingertips across her cheek, "Hello love" he murmured. Her eyes narrowed and in a flash she was lunging up at him, her nails raking across his face leaving bright furrows of pain.
"Archangel scum!" she shrieked, struggling against her restraints, hissing and lashing out at him as he backed away in shock.
Gabriel looked around and spotted a pile of her things; her pack, clothing, shoes and weapons, all lying out of her reach on the counter. With a sigh he shook his head and turned back to her, smiling grimly, "Sorry love" he murmured.
In a flash he was behind her, overpowering her with a headlock, cutting off her airway, his face a grim mask of determination. Devery struggled in his grip, her eyes bulging as she fought for air, black spots dancing in her eyes before she passed out.
When Gabriel felt her go limp he waited a moment and then released her, stepping back quickly in case it was ruse on her part. When he was satisfied she was truly unconscious he began removing her restraints and redressing her, struggling with her limp limbs.
Long minutes passed during which Gabriel was convinced that 8-balls or Julian would come barging into the room and cut him to pieces. Luckily for him neither happened; it seemed that the torture of Devery was done for the day.
Gabriel grunted as he hauled her over his shoulder, she was surprisingly muscular, he supposed she would have to be to kick his ass like she had. Keeping a steadying hand on her, he strode through the hospital of horrors and out the darkened door, keeping his head down as he walked down the hallway, trying to avoid notice if anyone were to run into them.
Unfortunately for them, his luck didn't hold. As he turned the corner he ran into a large group of 8-balls, led by Julian. His eyes narrowed with rage when he saw that they held Michael captive, bound, gagged and bloody.
Julian grinned at Gabriel, "Hello Gabriel. I see you've found our prize! Were you planning on leaving?" he taunted, his shit eating grin infuriating.
Gabriel gripped his sword hilt tightly, smirking back at Julian, "Once I have my brother. Why don't you hand him over so I don't have to spill your guts everywhere?" he asked pleasantly.
Julian laughed, "You truly think you could? I think our little friend there might get in the way" he said with a devious grin, motioning to Devery.
Gabriel felt his stomach sink, knowing that protecting Devery would slow him down. If she woke up she would probably try to attack him again. He shook his head, he was an archangel, he had pure brute power over these dogs.
"I doubt it" he mocked, smirking faintly back at Julian, hoping he was right. He lowered Devery slowly to the ground and drew his sword from its sheath, prepared to fight for his brother. Michael was shaking his head and straining against his captors, trying to shout against his gag, but Gabriel ignored him, knowing he would do the same thing for him were the roles reversed.
Julian laughed derisively and nodded, "Very well." He lifted a hand and began to chant in a language that Gabriel recognized…one that he hadn't heard in a very long time. His heart pounded, realizing what Julian was doing.
Spinning towards Devery he watched in sick dread as her eyes fluttered open, her limbs twitching. Slowly she rose from the ground, her eyes focused on him, filled with hate. Julian finished chanting and grinned, calling out to her, "Kill him."
One of the 8-balls tossed Michael's sword onto the floor between them and Gabriel watched as she crouched down, all lithe muscular grace, wrapping her fingers around the hilt, glaring up at him.
Gabriel's stomach sank at the look on her face, knowing there was nothing he could say to shake loose Devery from the hold that the possession had her under. They had no "good times" no good memories, they weren't friends, she probably didn't even trust him….he frowned in frustration, circling her, his sword clutched tightly in his hand as his mind raced for a way to prevent her death.
When she lunged to her feet, her sword dancing out to meet his, her face a mask of hate and determination, an idea suddenly sprang to Gabriel's mind. With a renewed hope he fought back, using his strength to push back against her, their swords clanging.
He met her blow for blow, punching her in the gut when her defenses weren't fast enough, taking the elbow to the jaw that she slipped past his guard, hissing at the slice her sword left across his bicep.
He danced past her and slammed a foot into her spine, kicking her forward and off balance, stumbling nearly to her knees. He moved swiftly and shoved her against the wall, his sword at her throat, his eyes boring into hers, demanding that she remember who she was.
"I'm going to kick your ass" he hissed, grinning at her before dipping his head down and capturing her lips with his. He laughed deep in his chest as she struggled against him, his laugh turning to a pained groan when she bit his lip and kneed him in the groin.
Stumbling back he nodded, "Good love, try to kick my ass. Devery knows how" he taunted. He saw the rage in her eyes grow and he hoped it would work, that somewhere inside he would reach her, that she would recall him kissing her, her taunting him about kicking his ass, and she would come back.
She lunged away from the wall, growling with rage and began fighting with twice the fury of before.
"Is that…all you have?" Gabriel taunted, panting. He was holding his own, barely. It had been a long time since he had fought anyone as talented as Devery, and he knew he couldn't hold out against her for much longer.
With a shriek of anger she lunged at him, slicing across his thigh in a lightning fast move that dropped him to one knee before knocking his sword away. In a flash her sword was at his throat, her hand steady as she stood above him, her eyes blazing.
Gabriel's stomach sunk; this was it, he had failed and he was going to die. He glanced over to where Michael stood, and gave his brother a sad smile, biding him farewell with a final nod. Turning his gaze back to Devery he squared his jaw and waited for the final blow.
Her face softened for a millisecond from hate to something else, something he couldn't define, and in that moment she winked at him, so fast he would have thought it a twitch if he was observing it from the outside, but from where he was, he knew it for what it was—Devery, letting him know she was in control.
A moment later she swung, twisting her hips as though to deal the final blow, but at the last minute she turned and threw the sword, burying it in the chest of Julian with a sickeningly wet thudding sound.
The look of surprise on Julian's face was nearly perfect as he sunk to his knees, blood pouring down his chest. The 8-balls howled and scurried into action, lifting him to his feet and carried him down the hall, back towards the medical ward.
Another 8-ball gathered up Gabriel's fallen sword in a hasty movement and stepped towards them, hate blazing from his eyes. "Get up" he demanded, motioning to Gabriel.
"Screw you" Gabriel replied cheerily, smirking up at the man.
The 8-ball glowered and lashed out, smashing his fist into Devery's face so fast that neither of them had time to react.
She crumpled to the ground, blood streaming from the cut he had opened above her brow, her head pounding. Gabriel glared at the 8-ball for a long moment before rising to his feet, his wounded leg aching painfully.
The 8-ball was quickly joined by two others who grabbed Gabriel's arms and led him down the hallway, closely followed by Devery and Michael. They were led into a large dank room that smelled of sweat, blood, and other less pleasant things.
Lining the walls were chains and manacles, the flickering lights overhead lending a bleak air to the whole room. The 8-balls shoved them to the floor, shackling them all in securely several feet apart.
When the iron door had slammed shut Devery quickly turned her attention to the shackles, trying to summon her powers and break free. To her extreme surprise and frustration she found that her powers were gone, unavailable…as though they didn't even exist.
"What the fuck?" she hissed.
Michael leaned forward, frowning at her, "What's wrong?" he murmured.
"You mean other than us being held captive?" Gabriel muttered, struggling against the chains.
"My powers are gone…I don't know what happened. I can't break us out of here." Devery appeared scared as she looked to Michael, "What happened?" she asked.
Michael shook his head, "I'm not entirely sure. Julian forced a possession on you, which I didn't know he could do. It could be that the angelic presence within you is preventing you from using your powers."
"Fucking perfect" Devery muttered darkly, shaking her head, tossing the chains aside. She curled her arms around her legs, dropping her head down onto her knees, sighing deeply in frustration. She could feel the dark malevolent angelic spirit within her fighting for release, and she knew it was only a matter of time until it broke free.
A ghost of a smile crept across her lips; Gabriel kissing her had infuriated the angelic spirit so much that it had lost control, allowing her to retake her body. His words about kicking her ass and the sensation of his lips against hers had sunk into her consciousness, searing her, rousing her to the surface to fight for her body.
Who would have thought that Gabriel would fight for me? Or that him kissing me would save me? She sighed and gripped her legs tighter, pain rippling through her body as the angelic spirit fought her, struggling for control.
"We have to get out of here. Julian is going to kill us." Gabriel stood and began tugging on the shackles, trying to yank them from the walls, to no avail. He collapsed to the ground, the wound on his thigh bleeding freely.
Devery unwound herself and crawled over, ripping strips from his cape to bind the wound, her hands shaking from the pain of her internal struggle. As she tied the knot on the tourniquet she winced sharply, excruciating pain ripping through her head, nearly blinding her.
She collapsed forward against Gabriel with a groan, her fingers clutching at his body armor for support. Gabriel let out a startled noise, his brows flashing up in surprise as his hands raced to catch her, one carefully circling her waist, the other wrapping around her neck gently.
Michael strained forward as far as his chains would allow, a worried frown furrowing his handsome face. "What's wrong?" he demanded.
Gabriel shook his head, his heart pounding, he had no idea but it didn't seem good. He leaned Devery back, brushing her hair back from her face, "Come on now, open those eyes" he murmured, shaking her shoulders gently.
Her eyes flew open, wide and black as night, filled with a lustful hate. In the time it took Gabriel to inhale sharply she was upright, her hands at his throat, her hips straddling his, her eyes blazing into his as she squeezed the life from him.
Gabriel thrashed against her, bucking his hips to try and throw her off, clawing wildly at her, trying to push or shove her off, but it seemed the angelic spirit possessing her had lent her even greater strength to her own natural abilities.
Spots began to dance in front of his eyes and he faintly heard Michael shouting, his voice sounding as though it came through water, faded and weak. Devery grinned wickedly at him as her grip tightened, leaning in to whisper, her lips brushing against his ear, "She enjoyed your kiss you know, the human who used to live here. She likes you."
With a manic giggle she tightened her grip until Gabriel passed out, collapsing in her grip. She continued to squeeze, determined to banish the life from his body and leave it empty for Julian to possess.
THIS BODY IS MINE BITCH!
Devery collapsed away from Gabriel, eyes rolling back in her head, limbs twitching as her body seized uncontrollably. Blood trailed from her nose slowly as her fingers and toes curled painfully, her back arching, unintelligible noises streaming from her throat.
Michael watched in horror as the fit seized Devery and his brother lay motionless, his chest barely rising and falling. A feeling of hopelessness settled in as the situation was fully realized; there was no escape.
Someone was going to die.
AN: Hello my dears! Well, here's another update, soon after the last one! And I actually like this one more than the last-it's very Gabriel centric, lots of introspection, so I do hope you enjoy! Please review, I love hearing your thoughts! Thank you as always for reading! (And for following, favoriting and reviewing!)Also the song at the beginning of this chapter is "Broken Bones" by Kaleo, give it a listen, it's awesome. K thanks.