Chapter 5

Morning came in a soft breeze and gentle sunrays for two angels in human form. Monica and Andrew started their day a little later than the usual, perhaps due to some "astronomy classes" on the previous night – now taken from inside the car, or maybe because they were already feeling the effects of the permanent exposure to such inhospitable conditions. High temperatures during the day and their drastic fall when night came down, plus the scarce food and water were draining their forces and in his silent prayers, Andrew begged for guidance so that they could get at the nearest town soon.

"Monica… Angel, please, come get some breakfast…" He gently rubbed her shoulder and spoke to her ear, patiently waiting for her to open her eyes. But the vivid sunrays made them shut once again for a few seconds and she covered her face with her hand for a moment.

"Andrew…" She spoke, slightly confused.

"It's time to move on, baby. We still have a long distance to cover until the next town."

Frowning at the sudden brightness that was still obfuscating her eyes, she finally looked at him. "Is it late?"

"A little," he said, taking her hand and helping her get out of the car. There were a few bottles of water in the trunk, as well as some sandwiches. "What about you? Have you…"

"I have. I ate just a bit before I woke you up, angel." He was quick to answer. "I guess our date last night lasted a little longer than what we intended!" Andrew winked at her, managing to elicit a tiny smile from her. But the truth was that Monica felt a little embarrassed for sleeping so much, as that certainly delayed their journey on that hostile land. While she ate, Andrew checked the car tires and cleaned the windshield with a small piece of cloth. Then he looked around and up to where his eyes could reach, finding only the flat horizon ahead.

"Andrew…" Monica's soothing voice turned his attention back to her. "I can eat in the car, we can restart our crossing."

He could detect the worry in her eyes, but elected not to bring that up. Not because he would keep it to himself: they had already discussed about that. But she was right after all, they needed to find help soon. And all he could do was nod, gently leading her to inside the vehicle. Andrew kissed her temple lovingly and opened the door for her. Then, he took the driver's seat next to her and they drove off along the long road.

On the empty spot left by the red Cadillac, three angels watched their departure, one of them with her eyes filled great worry.

"Why is it my heart is so full of anguish, Father?" Tess spoke, watching as little by little the car disappeared at a distance.

"Simply because this whole situation is crazy! And unacceptable, in my humble opinion. They're angels and shouldn't be going through this just because of their feelings!" The annoyance in Adam's tone of voice was easily noticeable.

Nodding his head, Rafael faced his two friends and smiled. "They'll find more food supply the next time they open the trunk, though."

X

"Do you have any idea of which distance the nearest town is, Andrew?" the Irish angel wanted to know, her bright brown eyes lost in the horizon while he drove along the road.

"I guess we have one more day trip, since we've been doing a break for the night." He replied, initially paying close attention to what was ahead of them – he could not risk having a flat tire or something like that due to an obstacle he did not see. "Why are you asking?"

She turned to look at him and gave her shoulder a tiny shrug. "I guess I just keep thinking that perhaps when we get there Tess will be waiting for us with good news…"

Andrew nodded his head and took one of his hands from the wheel to place it over her knee. "I understand how you feel, baby."

"It's only been two days since we last saw her and it seems like a year. I miss her so much…"

Andrew could notice the bittersweet tone in her voice and it annoyed him deeply. His thoughts were on Sam and Ruth and possibly some others who were judging and accusing without caring to hear what they were really feeling and most importantly, hurting his sweet mannered angel girl – he would never tolerate something like that.

"I think, angel, that knowing Tess the way we do, we can be sure she is standing up for us, talking on our behalf and making the others realize who is making a mistake here."

Despite the permanent sadness in her doe-like eyes, Monica offered him a tender smile. "You always remember that detail that makes all the difference."

Andrew returned her smile and turned his eyes back to the road. "We'll make a break soon for lunch time. Fortunately it's not as hot as yesterday." He said, frowning as the wind was blowing stronger than the usual, throwing some sand against the windshield.

"You're right. The weather is different…"

The Irish angel looked outside again, gazing up at the sky and at the horizon. She could see the mountains at the distance and her mind travelled back at a time not so far when she was able to cross all those miles in just a blink of an eye. In many of these occasions, her rush was due to her reunion with her dearest friend, at a cozy little cabin up in the woods. That fact alone placed a slight smile on her face and she turned her eyes to look at him again; her heart was so quickly filled with joy at Andrew's image, at the tenderness and protectiveness she could see through his gaze. The angel of death had also been the angel of hope for her in many times since they first met - at a wedding ceremony, in front of a couple's love kiss. And now they could interpret that fact as a sign that something very intense and very beautiful was about to start.

Andrew noticed Monica's steady gaze and smiled at her dreamy expression. "Angel?" he said, his attention still on the road even though he gave her a quick look.

His voice took her out of her thoughts and made her smile. "I love you very much, you know?"

Chuckling at the way she spoke – without warning and apparently without a range of ideas that usually preceded her comments, the blond angel reached for her hand. "Well, I had a slight suspicion about it, but hearing it from you makes it all far more pleasant, baby!"

The angels were more and more certain that brief moments like that one, when their mood was suddenly enlightened by their joy to be at each other's side, helped them carry a great burden.

"And just for the record…" he kissed the back of her hand. "…I happen to love you very, very much too, sweet angel!"

"I know!"

Monica inched closer and sealed those sweet instants with a kiss against his cheek.

They fell in a comfortable silence for the next 10 minutes, but the constant wind was getting stronger and a few more miles ahead made it possible for both angels realize that the horizon was quickly disappearing. A major dark cloud started to take form not up in the sky, but actually covering the ground where they would pass by within a few minutes.

"Andrew…"

"It's… a sandstorm…" There was tension in his voice and she knew that in his heart he feared for them. The cloud was growing bigger, both in height and in width, forming a great wall that appeared to be more and more threatening as they drove along the road.

"I'll pull over and turn off the car, it's… quite dangerous going through it." A few sad flashbacks of past assignments crossed Andrew's mind as he spoke, and he would never imagine that one day he would have to go through that situation himself. And worst, having his beloved Monica by his side. "Plus, the car could be damaged and we cannot risk that."

"How long do you think it'll last, Andrew?" She wanted to know, not missing the great worry in his eyes.

"I'm not sure, angel… It could be just an hour or an entire day…" He kept the car moving forward, determined to cover as much distance as possible before they had to stop.

Monica closed her eyes and conjoined her hands. "Dear Father, please help us… We humbly beg Your protection…"

The dry, hot wind grew stronger each and every minute and soon the asphalt road became covered with sand and dust. The dark clouds that covered the horizon soon became a huge dark wall that quickly swallowed the ground and everything else that was ahead of it.

Andrew moved the car out of the road and pulled over, turning off the headlights and turning the hazard lights on. He got off the vehicle under Monica's inquisitive gaze. "I'll bring us some food and water." He said, facing an already difficult exterior to get them some basic supplies as they did not know how long the sandstorm would last.

When Andrew returned, he locked the door and certified that all the windows were completely shut. Monica noticed a smile playing on his lips and he was quick to speak again. "The trunk is packed with more food and water, angel."

"Really?" Her eyes grew wide with hope. "So Tess…" she did not need to complete the sentence.

"Perhaps Tess or Rafael, who knows?"

"Come with me, angel."

The couple of angels in human form took the back seat of the car and in each other's arms they watched as the giant wall of dust and sand quickly covered the red Cadillac and transformed the day into night in a matter of seconds. Andrew felt Monica's body tremble as complete darkness surrounded them, leaving no room for the sunrays that had been a constant during their journey. Andrew tightened the hold around her and kissed the top of her head, while the little angel closed her eyes and kept on with her silent prayers.

"He's protecting us, angel." He said, tenderly stroking her hair in an attempt to put her heart at ease. "And we're safe in here."

"I know… I just… wish I didn't feel so vulnerable." She replied against his chest.

"I suppose that we'll have to get used to that, baby. For a while, that's true, but we still have to learn how to keep ourselves away from any harm."

"I do not fear for myself. I fear for you, Andrew."

"If I tell you not to be afraid, will you do as I say?" There was a soft tone in his voice, as he already knew what she would answer. Plus, Andrew only wanted to divert her attention from the chaos they were in.

A slight, bittersweet smile appeared on her face. "And I always thought that there wasn't anything in this world that you could ask me and that I could deny…"

The blond angel let out a tired sigh and bent down his head to place a soft kiss on her lips. They remained in silence for long minutes which turned into hours, just listening to the strong wind that violently threw millions of sand grains against their car. The night that had suddenly fallen around them was another factor that only added more apprehension to an environment that was already too hostile.