Numbers 13:31-33
A/N: Okay thank you everyone for all those kind reviews, I really appreciate it. I was going to wait a few more days before continuing, but considering all that positive feedback you gave me so quickly, I've decided to add the next chapter now. I think I should let you know in advance, there's less action in this chapter compared to the previous one, but as promised this one should answer all your questions. Well enjoy.
Chapter Two: Answers and Pains
Silenced echoed across the desert, it was a cool night for the area. The ground was dusty, and the place was barren. Once again nothing could be heard but silence. And then was a great flapping noise, the dust was blown by the sudden wind and six figures appeared out of nowhere, just standing there on the road.
Gasping for air they all fell forward, dizzy and nauseous. Once again Leonard and Howard threw up, while Bernadette and Penny collapsed on to the ground. Only Amy didn't manage to stand up and that was simply because Sheldon did not let go of her. Sheldon himself merely looked tired, his eyes washed around their sockets.
Recovering from the shock, everyone was amazed by what they saw. "Where are we?" Leonard asked, staring at the seeming desert around them. "Home," Sheldon replied. "Home? Whose home?" Howard asked, "Mine," Sheldon replied, "welcome to Texas, somewhere in Trans-Pecos to be exact." Everyone continued to stare. It was getting dark now and in the dim light, the white glow of Sheldon's wings was becoming more apparent.
"That's impossible." Leonard mummed in disbelief; he turned to Sheldon "We were in Pasadena a couple of seconds ago. Texas is over a thousand miles, how could we possibly travel that fast?" Sheldon looked at him unsurely, he still looked tired "we flew remember." He replied. "But moving at those speeds is impossible, and assuming it was possible, the air resistance would have killed us." Leonard replied. "If we're going to go into it," Sheldon managed "we could also point out that these wings…" he pointed at his great white wings, "…are nowhere near large enough to lift one human sized person, let alone all six of us."
"But…But it's scientifically impossible." Leonard said in disbelief, "Um Leonard," Penny said, "I don't know if you've noticed by your best friend has just sprouted wings and flow us through the air, I don't really think science has much say right now." "On the country," Sheldon replied, "there are completely reasonable scientific explanations for all that just happened, but unfortunately, there all beyond your upstanding." There was a pause; Penny rolled her eyes, same old Sheldon. "Now let's find somewhere to sleep," Sheldon said, "night is fast approaching."
And with that he slowly began walking down the road. The others stared after him, all except Bernadette who silently and seemingly blindly followed him, "what is going on?" Penny asked shocked, no one answered. Everyone was thinking the same thing, "Well only he knows the answers," Amy said. Sheldon paused up ahead, "are you coming?" he asked. Amy quickly started to walk after him. Leonard paused before following also.
Only Howard and Penny stood there still. Neither was sure what to do, "should we follow them?" Howard asked. Penny paused unsure, "I don't know I don't know what's going on... but as Amy said only he has the answers to that." And with that they walked off after them.
It was getting dark now, quicker than you would expect it to. And as it got darker, the light of Sheldon's wings seemed to get brighter. As everyone was behind him they could do nothing other than stare. They fit his body as if they were made for him. But they were strange to look at, they were long white swan like wings that curved down and were attached from his shoulder blades down to end of his upper back. They were folded in now, so they were straight against his back. Looking at them was somehow both confusion and alluring at the same time.
After walking someway down the road, Sheldon paused and squinted, "there's a town in the distance," he said calmly, "it's about twenty miles up the road from here." He paused, turned his head around and then suddenly started to walk away from the road. "Where are you going?" Leonard called, "None of you will make twenty miles, well almost none of you, and I probably won't either, so we need somewhere to sleep for the night." "And what's over there?" Penny asked pointing in the direction Sheldon was facing. "Are best option." He replied before continuing on.
There best option turned out to be an old barn, seemingly built in the middle of nowhere, probably designed as a place to keep cattle during bad weather, back when they used to drive them across the country. Now it had clearly fallen into disuse, however Sheldon didn't stop he casually walked in through the doorway. The others stood outside; Bernadette paused for a moment before carrying on after him. Howard likewise followed her.
Amy hesitated, but quickly decided to follow her boyfriend inside. Penny and Leonard stood there outside. Both were unsure about entering, but for different reasons. Penny's sides still ached from where that thing had thrown her against the wall; she still had trouble accepting it had happened. How could anyone be strong enough to do that with one hand? Of course it was hardly the most confusing or unbelievable thing that had happened that night.
She rubbed her upper chest where her wound had been. She knew it had been there she had seen it, she had felt it, but now it was gone and she didn't even have a scar. Leonard was also unsure, Sheldon was his best friend he had known him longer than anyone else, save his family. But what had happened tonight had been completely unexpected. Up to tonight, he always felt sure he knew just about everything there was to know about his friend. Clearly he was wrong. And all this made them both weary.
In the end though, there curiosity proved too great. Walking in they found the barn had a reasonably large amount of hay inside it against the walls. Sheldon was sitting in the corner on a ledge. He had two lit lamps, one on each end of the ledge. He was taking several items out of the rucksack he had brought. Taking out a flask full of water he offered it round, but no one was thirsty; everyone was watching him, waiting for him to speak.
However he didn't seem to notice, he just kept going through his rucksack. While he did Amy who was standing next to him was staring at his wings; they looked so long, so pure, so sweet. Slowly she reached out her hand and began stroking the left one. Sheldon looked up and turned to face her, "what do you think you're doing?" he asked. Amy was taken back, "I…I…I didn't realise you could feel through them," she said a little embarrassed.
"Of course I can," Sheldon replied, "they're a part of me," "okay you know," Penny said, "I'm done waiting, Sheldon what is going on? Why do you have wings? What happened back there?" Penny managed to set them all off, dozens of questions began flying through the air everything from "what were those things?" to "What did you do to Penny?" to "Why are they so soft?" Sheldon was taken aback by the constant shouting as everyone tried to get there questions heard.
"Guys, guys...GUYS." He finally shouted over tem, "Okay, I get you want answers, maybe I've put off telling for too long, I promised I would give you all….Amy! Stop touching my wing." Amy pulled back quickly, she hung her head in shame, "I'm sorry," she said, "It just feels so good, it's as soft as silk." Sheldon glared at her for a second. Before closing his eyes and muttering under his breath and with that his wings retracted onto his back and then they simply seemed to fade into his back.
"Now that temptation has been removed," he went on, "I guess it's time I answered all your questions, but remember I am still Sheldon, so please don't crowd me." "Okay, Okay," Penny said, "do you mind if I go first? Cool, okay Sheldon…" she paused, she longed to ask one of the burning questions, but upon seeing the worried and somewhat tired look in his eye, Penny found she couldn't bring them up and instead had to say something else "…why did you take us here?" The others stared at her for choosing that as a first question.
Sheldon sighed, "Honestly I didn't intend to," he admitted "It's just I burned a lot of energy healing you and as I never flew before…" "Wait, what do you mean never flown before?" Howard suddenly interrupted, "you jumped off a building holding all of us." Sheldon rolled his eyes "Never flown like that before..." he said irritated at being interrupted. "…I just didn't have the energy to go any further and thus I decided to aim for somewhere safe, I was heading for East Texas I just ran out of energy before I got there."
Sheldon paused, waiting for someone else to speak, Leonard spoke up "Okay Sheldon why…what…who…" Like Penny he suddenly found it very difficult to bring up Sheldon's wings, he paused and took a breath, "…what happened back there? And what were those things?" he finally managed. It wasn't the question he wanted to ask first, but it was still quite high up on the list. Sheldon hung his head solemnly "They were …" and then saying the word as if it was a curse managed "…Demons."
"Demons?" the entire group (minus Bernadette) shouted, "there's no such thing," Leonard replied, but Sheldon shook his head, "no I'm afraid their very real, as you all saw. Is it really surprising though? All cultures, no matter how different, no matter how distant, they all believe in Demons. Creatures that exist between the physical and spiritual planes. Creatures of destruction and mayhem. Creatures that live for nothing other than causing suffering to others."
"Why?" Leonard asked, Sheldon paused, as if trying to think of a way to explain it "Well there sort of like those bullies that used to bother us as we were growing up." He said, "Sort of. Each one is angry and miserable about their own damnation as such they take their anger out on others, making them miserable as well. However unlike those bullies each one of them is insane, highly sadistic, manipulative, treacherous and brutal. They take great pleasure out of watching others suffer." "Don't sound that different." Amy muttered causing most of the group to nod. "Those were demons?" Howard asked surprised, "But they looked like normal people, I thought demons were deformed monstrosities, with animal parts on their bodies, they looked like normal people."
Sheldon nodded, "They do naturally," he said, "but demons are powerful beings, they can take a more appeasing shape, one which allows them to move unnoticed, there not stupid you know, they are well aware that what they are and what they do have been common knowledge for thousands of years. As such they generally prefer to keep hidden and operated from the shadows only emerging into the light for important matters or when it's too late to stop them." He paused, "you know what they say 'The Devi's greatest trick is he can stand right next to you and often you still can't see him until it's too late.'
Sheldon paused, "They also possess other great powers as well." He continued, "As you saw back in my apartment they are incredibly strong creatures, much stronger than any of you, much stronger than any human can be. How strong exactly? I don't know, but I do know they could break any one of you in half with one arm. They also get stronger the more powerful they are. And superhuman strength isn't there only weapon. They can teleport and move over great distances in the blink of an eye. They are enteral, they live for ever. They don't tire regardless of what they go through. And as they are creatures which exist between the two great plains of existence they can both interact with the physical word or possess others as they did with you Penny."
All eyes turned to her, Penny just stood there shocked, "I…I don't remember," she admitted, "The last thing I remember is getting home from work, having a shower and then after I got out I was going to get dressed when I blacked out, next thing I remember I was standing in your apartment dressed like this, with a knife in my chest and that's all I remember."
Sheldon nodded, "you are lucky," he said. Penny stared at him. "Lucky?" she shouted in shock, "Would you rather remember being trapped and made a prisoner in your own body? Unable to move and forced to watch as that demon used your body ever it wanted?" Sheldon asked, "Because that can happen, sometimes people forget, sometimes they don't, it can go either way and the people who don't forget are often driven mad by what they remember." Penny didn't reply.
Sheldon paused and sighed "There is another thing you should know about demons, they may be living embodiments of sin, but if they have but two virtues they are patience and persistence. They don't give up and they never tire and as there immortals they are willing to carry on regardless how long it takes; so there still be looking for me, only now they're also going to be looking for you to." He shook his head solemnly, "I'm sorry for bringing this upon you, I really am, but there's nothing I can do about it now." Sheldon paused and reached for his flask. "Okay," Penny said, "Then how do we fight them? Sheldon how do we kill them?"
Sheldon shook his head, "you can't," he replied, "demons can be hurt, they can be stopped, they can be imprisoned, they can be banished, the can flayed, but killing them is next to impossible." "What about that spell you used on the one in Penny?" Leonard asked, "That was just a Catholic Exorcism," Sheldon replied, "Exorcisms are really the only way to fight demons, they banish them straight back to hell, putting the demon out of action until they get summoned back up. They do however vary somewhat in effectiveness and/or speed based upon which Exorcisms you use. The one I used to free Penny was created some time in the early fifteen century, by the Benedictine monks. It is very quick and affective and should banish just about any demon." "Should?" Howard asked, "Some stronger demons are more resilient, but if given long enough they will all provide the desired effect, it's just you don't always get long enough." Sheldon replied he went to take another drink. "Okay, there's still one thing I don't get." Penny said, "Why are demons after you?"
Bernadette turned to stare at them, "Oh come on," she said annoyed, "are you people blind? Think about it Wings? Healing? Flying? Fighting Demons? Isn't it obvious?" The others paused to think, and then it sunk in, turning back to face Sheldon. Penny stared, "Sheldon…" she said shocked, "you're an Angel?"
Sheldon choked upon his drink, sputtering he coughed to displace the liquid before staring at them, "WHAT?" he shouted, "No, I'm not an angel." Bernadette turned face him shocked, "you're not?" She practically screamed, "but the wings and the Latin and…" Sheldon stopped, "I'm sorry," he said solemnly, "But I'm not an Angel, I sometimes wish I was, but I'm not." "Then what are you?" she asked slowly backing away.
Sheldon sighed, standing up on the ledge; he closed his eyes as if concentrating. As he did a soft wind began to blow throughout the barn and the lamps light seemed to flicker. Opening his eyes, once again they glowed bright. His wings sprouted straight out of his back and in the dimly lit barn they also glowed bright white. As they watched they unfolded, stretching out like he was about to take off. "I…" Sheldon began, his wings flapped gently "…Am…" he straightened up completely, so he was standing at his full height "…a Nephilim!"
Everyone stared in surprise, "A Neph…what?" Penny asked, "A Nephilim," Sheldon replied jumping down from the ledge, his wings flapped slightly as he did creating another soft breeze. Howard stared at him "I've heard that word before." He muttered, "I know I have." Sheldon nodded, "you should have," he replied "it is after all in the Holy Torah."
Howard stared at him in surprise. "Okay Sheldon," Penny said "what is a Nephilim?" Sheldon turned to face her and as he did his glow began dulling until he was back to his normal eyes, his wings began to dull as well, his eyes started to water. "A Nephilim…" he began slowly in an almost sad voice "…is an abomination," a single tear ran down the side of his face. "It's a monster. A blasphemy against nature. The Nephilim is the offspring of the sons of God and the Daughters of men. An unnatural hybrid, one that's very existence is an assault on life itself. They are creature's that belong to neither of its parent's kinds, but instead to one of its own. Creatures of extraordinary power, power which is matched only by their destructive natures. For you see, the Nephilim are creatures which are half-man and half-Angel."
The others stared at him in shock. "What?" Leonard shouted, "That's impossible, there's no such thing." "Then what am I?" Sheldon suddenly snarled, "Because if you have any other ideas, kindly let me know!" Leonard jumped back in shock. Sheldon straightened himself up, "I'm sorry," he said calmly.
Bernadette stared at Sheldon in shock, "wait," she said, "I remember them from the book of Numbers; I thought Nephilim were meant to be giants, huge beings that made humans look like insects in comparison. I know your tall, but you're not that big." Sheldon turned towards her, "what you see," he said almost sadly "is not what I really look like or rather it is, but it's not what I should look like." Seeing there confused looks, Sheldon continued, "what I mean is they have the power to make are selves look more like you, as such I look like you so I can live amongst normal people."
"But how come it isn't stated anywhere you can do that?" Bernadette said feeling sure that someone would have thought it important to include that they could stop being giants when they wanted to. "Because," Sheldon replied, "I'm probably the first Nephilim ever to do so." Bernadette stared at him confused, "think about," Sheldon replied, "would you rather be your present height or tall as a building?" Bernadette paused, her old fantasies of a being a giant replaying thought her mind and with them she smiled. "I get your point." She admitted.
"I'm still not getting this," Leonard said trying to wrap his head around it all, "you're telling me, that your part man and part a creature that up until now I always assumed didn't exist?" Sheldon paused, "perhaps this would work best with a visual aid," he said, walking over to his rucksack, he took out a knife. Calmly he slit open his hand again, flinching slightly from the pain; the red blood began to drip down on to the ground. "Human blood," Sheldon said calmly. And then his eyes focused upon it, he stared, as if concentrating and suddenly the blood stopped dripping. It just froze there and then it started to glow. It was still red but it was now much lighter. And as the others watched, it suddenly started flowing upwards, back into Sheldon's wound. As they watched the wound sealed itself up, in seconds it was completely gone. All eyes turned back to Sheldon's face. "Angel blood." He said calmly. "Mix the two together and you get Nephilim blood."
Sheldon paused for a moment, Amy turned to face him, "Sheldon," she said slightly unsure "if this is not what you're really like, what do you like?" Sheldon paused, "I don't know," he admitted, "I never looked. I do know that I look like mostly the same, Nephilim can't really change their form, merely there height and they can hide a few characteristics that we don't want others to see, my wings for example. But I never once looked at my true form."
He paused for a moment as if hesitating, but he was already down the rabbit hole "I guess I should also tell you how exactly being a Nephilim affects me." Sheldon went on, "As a hybrid I possess traits of both Angels and men, amalgamated in terrible ways. Being a Nephilim is the reason why I'm so intelligent; my mind is closer to an Angels than a man's. It is also why I don't forget almost anything, Angels don't forget, there designed to always remember. I suppose a lot of my personality could be explained at least in part as being a Nephilim." He shook his head solemnly.
"Hold on," Leonard said, "are you saying the reason you think so differently from everyone else is because your mind is literally different from ours?" Sheldon shrugged, "more or less." He replied. "And the reason you're arrogant, is because you literally belong to a higher chain of being?" Leonard continued. "Somewhat." Sheldon replied. "Okay what other things come from being a Nephilim?" Leonard asked.
Sheldon sighed, "It is why I can learn so fast, you see the world in but three dimensions, I can see it very differently. It is why I love in quantum physics, like I said I can see the world in ways you can't. It is why I'm asexual; as Angels are immortal they have no need for reproduction, so they have no sexual drive. It is also why I have such trouble lying, Angels don't lie, well the fallen ones do, but apart from that they don't. It's why my senses are better than yours, I can see what you can't, hear what you can't, feel what you can't, all because I'm more attuned to existence than you are, because Angels are. And it is also why I don't like flying."
The others stared at him, "But you have wings and you can fly." Penny said confused, "and your part Angel?" Bernadette said, "Why do you not like flying?" Sheldon looked at her, "don't you remember what happened to the other Nephilim?" Sheldon asked. "No," Bernadette replied. "There was once a time when they were many Nephilim on earth." Sheldon said, "Those were dark times."
"The majority of the Nephilim died out, with most of the people during the great flood. But some managed to survive, traveling to the land of Canaan; they took it as their home and there they lived, it was recorded by the Israelites when they were searching for a new home. But the Nephilim were cruel, very very cruel. And they were also greedy and gluttonies beings. And soon it became clear that there existence was too dangerous, as such Heaven destroyed them. Reducing them to dust so there weren't even bones left to burry. It was the right thing to do." The others stared a bit shocked by this, "That is why I avoid the heavens," Sheldon said solemnly. "Sheldon," Leonard said "Heaven isn't literally up there in the sky." "And Hell isn't literally down there in the earth," Sheldon replied, "but that doesn't mean I'm ever going to go potholing either, it all comes down to symbolism, it represents it and that is close enough for it to cause affects. And I'm taking no chances."
"Okay, what about you're other traits, like your obsessive compulsive habits, fear of germs and love of trains." Howard asked, "Does that come from being a Nephilim to?" "No," Sheldon replied, "The first I deny having, the second sort of does and I'm just human enough to get sick, as for the third that simply stems from growing up in an area with a lot of train stations."
"Hold on," Amy said, she had previously been running what she had heard through her mind, she was somewhat disappointed upon hearing that Sheldon was naturally asexual, but she had found something that didn't fit. "If Angels don't have a sexual drive or need to reproduce, how and why did they reproduce with humans in the first place? How were you born?"
Sheldon sighed, "The same way demons came into existence." He replied, "Every demon was once an Angel." "They were?" Penny asked surprised, Sheldon nodded, "yes they were?" "Then why did they turn evil?" Penny asked, "And how does this link to you?" Amy asked confused, "I'm getting to that." Sheldon replied. "Now as I was saying, every demon was once an Angel, once a servant of God, once a good being. However they all possessed free will and like all beings with free will, that meant they could turn evil."
"All it took was one powerful, arrogant and envious Archangel to corrupt them, a one who spread hate and lies and convinced a third of them to side with him in his mad plot to overthrow there father. His true name has long since been forgotten, but you know him best as Satan." The others stared watching as Sheldon, he had taken a seat back on the ledge. "As you probably can guess the war was a failure, the third of Angels who sided with the devil were cast out of heaven for their treachery. Upon hitting the earth, each one was transformed, no longer Angels they became Demons and were promptly banished to the pits of hell."
Sheldon paused, "but that was not the end, following the fall, sometime later a number of Angels led by the Watcher Samyaza, who sympathised with Satan and the fallen brothers, went on a rampage to avenge them. Acting through spite and hate they seduced or raped multiple innocent women, all to spite God by attacking his children. For this they were eminently cast into the pits of hell. Those women who had been there victims however fell pregnant and thus the Nephilim were created."
"But that was thousands of years ago," Bernadette said, "how old are you?" "Thirty-three," Sheldon replied, "I'm not finished yet, that was how the Nephilim were initially created, but that's not how I was. For you see that isn't the whole story. When the Angels under Satan rebelled and fought the ones who sided with their father, there were others, Angels who did not join the rebels, but refused to assist there father and brothers in their fight. For their sloth, indecisiveness and unwillingness to help, they too were cast out of heaven. But instead of falling to earth, they remained Angels. They were sent to walk the earth for a period of judgement, one of which they were of course unaware, thus they stayed in limbo between the two planes. The majority of them did no ill and helped others, and were thus soon welcomed back home. Others however, angry at their loss, listened to the silver tongues of their fallen brothers and turned on Man, they were thus banished to Hell. However when all this was done one Angel was left."
Sheldon paused just standing there for several moments, then he finally continued "For thousands of years he wandered the earth, doing neither good nor ill and thus remaining in Limbo. Empires rose, Empires fell. People lived, People died. He saw it all, and then in 1979 after so many thousands of years of watching, he unfortunately made up his mind. Maybe one of the demons managed to get there words in his head, maybe he simply lost faith in goodness, maybe he simply decided he had been gone so long there was no hope of him ever returning and declared if nothing he might as well be evil. I do not know why he did it; all I know is that he did. On the 7th of August 1979 he arrived in East Texas, there he sort out the most devout woman he could find and that night, taking the form of her husband, he fornicated with her. For this act he was thrown into hell, but the woman fell pregnant. It was the same night that her true husband also slept with her; as such she was left carrying twins, one Human, One Nephilim. That woman was my mother and that Nephilim was me."
The others stared in shock, "so your father…" Leonard began, "wasn't really my father," Sheldon replied shaking his head, "that is why I don't resemble either him or my brother and that is why we never got along, somehow I think he could sense I wasn't his." The others didn't know what to say. "Oh Sheldon," Penny said horrified, "I'm sorry." Sheldon sighed, "Nothing can be done about it." Sheldon replied sadly, "As the child of the last angel fallen, I am the last Nephilim, and the first one born in over five thousand years."
"Sheldon?" Leonard said curious, "how do you know all this?" "I read it," Sheldon replied. "Read it, you can get a book detailing this?" Howard asked in shock. Sheldon shook his head, "No, not a book, the details of life and history is inscribed in the world around us. From childhood I could read these details, ones that no one else could, it is from them I learned what I was, and as I grew older, the longer I spent reading, thus the more I learned."
Leonard stared in amazement, it was incredible hear, if he had read it in a story he would probably have deemed it unbelievable or unrealistic and thrown the story away. But the look in Sheldon's eyes as he told the story showed him he was sincere, as amazing as it sounded, it was true; he had no doubt of that. "Okay Sheldon," Penny said, "you never answered the question, why are the demons after you?"
"To cause destruction," Sheldon replied, "That is what demons live for, to create havoc and misery amongst others. But there are few demons on earth, a few dozen at most maybe; the majority of the demons are imprisoned in Hell and the only way to get them out if for them to be summoned. And each demon requires a unique and complicated summoning ritual. As such it is next to impossible to bring sizable reinforcements and demons are not stupid, there well aware that there are people who know what they are out there and there are ways to stop them, ways which aren't that difficult to perform or get hold of. So they are limited in what they can do, the majority get by making deals, corrupting people or causing disasters, but these are all small things compared to what demons want."
"And that's where I come into this. I am a Nephilim, a creature of great power and a destroyer of man deemed more dangerous than the demons themselves. They want me to harness my power, to unlock my potential, they want use me as a weapon to bring forth the carnage and destruction to man that they all long for. That's why the want me." "They can't do that." Amy said shocked, "they can and they will do that." Sheldon replied, "they want to claim me for their demonic lord, that is why they hunt me, they will hunt me to the ends of the earth, I managed to hide from them for the last thirty-three years, you know stay under their radar, but somehow they finally managed to find me and now they have, there never stop looking until they succeed."
Sheldon shook his head solemnly, "And thanks to me, there also after you." "It's not your fault," Penny said calmly, "Yeah, you couldn't have just left us," Bernadette said. Sheldon nodded, "maybe, but until once again your safe, whatever happens to you is my fault." "Um Sheldon," Leonard said, "just something that bugs me, if you know that Angels, Demons, God, heaven and Hell are all real then why are you an Atheist?"
Sheldon smiled, "Would you suspect an Atheist as being part Angel?" He replied. "Virtually my whole life I've been hiding and I long since forsook my Angelic heritage, I've lived my whole life as a man, I have done so since childhood. After all who would want to be a Nephilim?" he asked.
"After all," he continued "Nephilim are horrible, violent, cruel monsters that eat men. Why would anyone what to be a monster?" Sheldon seemed close to the brink of tears now. "From my earliest memories I always knew I was different. And then when I turned four I learned what I was, fortunately for me Nephilim children look the same as human ones, for most of their early life, they merely grow a bit faster, so no else realised. No, that's not true; they all knew I was different. It's just none of them realised how different I really was."
"And following my discovery of the truth, even I didn't really understand. I didn't know what to think really. Sure I kept it hidden, I was already aware that demons would be interested in me, at the time I didn't understand why, but I knew they would. So I kept it hidden, more or less, still it didn't matter who would believe a kid who claimed his father was an angel? I never showed anyone what I could do, but I never forgot what it was. And then it happened." Sheldon shook his head, his eyes were watering. "What happened?" Penny asked.
He paused, "I was five years old, it was an ordinary day and I was playing with some toys in my front yard. And then this over kid came up to me and he took them off me. I told them to give them back, but he refused, he was a few years older than me you understand. Well I kept trying to make him give it back. In the end he got sick of my complaints, so he hit me." Sheldon looked like he was standing on the brink of tears now. His wings glow had almost completely vanished.
"Laying there the ground I remember getting so angry, this was my yard, those were my toys and he had taken them and then he had hit me. So I rose up… I was just a boy; I had no idea what I was doing. I walked up to him; he leered over me and said in a mocking tone 'back for more?' I was so angry…just so angry… and then…then…then I did it."
"Did it? Did what?" Penny asked. "I hit back," Sheldon replied. The others stared. "Sheldon that isn't so bad." Penny said, annoyed at the large build ups anti-climax, but tears were rolling down Sheldon's face. "No," he said with urgency, "no, you don't understand, I hit him with all my strength. I hit him so hard he went flying backwards through air. He smashed into the wall opposite my yard, and then he just lay there. It all happened so fast, I didn't even see my fist move. One minute he was leering above me, the next he was sprawled out in front of me, laying in a pool of his own blood."
Sheldon shook his head, tears still falling down his face, "for a moment I just stood there, I couldn't believe what I saw. I couldn't accept the reality of what I had done, that it was true, that I had done that to another human being." He shuddered, "I managed to snap out of it, I ran into my home screaming for help. An ambulance was called and paramedics were quickly on the scene. Through some miracle he survived, but he spent months in the hospital recovering. I hit him so hard that it shattered his spine and punctured his kidneys, he eventually got out of hospital. But he could never walk again, to this day he's crippled, I did that to him, all in a moment of anger over a stupid toy. That's what I did."
Sheldon shook his head solemnly, "after that I detached myself from every part of my angelic heritage, I closed all the doors, I tried to live my whole life as an ordinary man. I carefully exaggerated my characteristics to make myself unassuming; I always made myself out as weaker and more useless than I truly was. I've spent my whole life playing the role of a coward, all so that people would never suspect the truth. And after it all, after all I've done, it was all for nothing. The demons know I exist and now they will never stop looking, there hound me for eternity."
And with that Sheldon rose to his feet, "all for nothing," he repeated. His wings began to flap and sudden he shot upwards. He landed on top a beam above them, "all for nothing" he said again as he lied down. His wings slowly folded into his back. The others looked at one another, it was clear that there questions and answers session was over. All feeling tired, they searched for a place to sleep. Looking around they decided the best answer was to sleep in the hay. Leonard laid next to Penny, Bernadette laid next to Howard, only Amy slept alone. Lying there she shivered, she felt so cold. Despite being sleepily, none of them managed to sleep very well. Lying there they could get what they had seen and heard out of their heads. Everyone kept their eyes up upon the beam where Sheldon was lying, fearing that maybe he would fall off or something.
Up above them, Sheldon also laid awake, but he couldn't sleep for a different reason. What had he done? They were his friends, what had he gotten them into? Until they were safe again, there protection was his responsibility and whatever happened to them was his fault. Silently he just lay there sadly, it was lonely on the top of the beam, but how could he sleep amongst them? Now that they knew what he was? So Sheldon continued to lie there, alone and tired.
Miles away in the back street of an alley, the demons who had attacked them earlier, stood silently, all too afraid to speak, for in front of them stood another demon. A demon that made them all shudder, for even in his assumed form, the darkness of nature was apparent. For his body was disproportional, he was tall, but very thin. His arms were long; he had dark skin and was very hairy. His hands were huge; he was dressed entirely in black. From his belt he drew his three pointed blade, a blade as dark as his own soul. "So you failed." He said coldly, his voice was deep. "He was better prepared than expected." One of the demons spoke out, "he had holy water, he clearly was ready for us coming and once he got the roof he just flew off, there was nothing we could do..."
"Excuses," the other demon snarled, swinging his blade he slit the left side of the demon who had spoken face open. Howling he hit the ground in pain, the other demons stared in horror. "All excuses, track the Nephilim down again and this time I am going with you, there will be no more mistakes, there will be no more excuses, we will get him, I will get him! Do you understand?" The other demons nodded. "Good," the demon said coldly, "now stick with me, and I'll try to remember you when it's time for the rewards to get handed out. Well what are you waiting for? Track him down!" The demons disappeared.
The other demon paused and turned to face the wall. He slipped his Dagger back into his belt, so that it was opposite his axe. "You may be too much for regular demons to handle, Cooper." He said coldly, "but you're still nothing compared to me."
Okay I hope this chapter measures up to the previous one, and I hope I managed to answer all your questions (except of course all the knew ones this chapter creates) if I've missed any, please let me know and I'll answer them in the next instalment. Which I should upload soon.
Please review.