At first racing through the forest was fun. Michael felt exhilarated and it felt like he had power again, but like every mortal thing, it didn't last long.

After a couple minutes, Michael began to tier. He began to have a hard time catching his breath, and his lungs and throat felt like they were on fire. Making it worst, the sweat that broke out on his forehead ran into his eyes, stinging them.

Michael forced himself to up keep his pace. He couldn't stop. At any second the demon could kill April and dash Michael's hopes of ever becoming an angel again. She needed him to survive and he needed her to live.

When the warehouse finally came into view Michael literally pit-stopped and put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

After a few seconds, he straightened and began walking towards the old building. Michael was still breathing heavily but the burning sensation was lessening with each gulp of air.

The light was on in the Warehouse, but at a distance Michael couldn't see into the small windows and if he got closer he could be seen. Michael glanced up and noticed a skylight on the roof. He decided to climb it. It would be his best bet.

The problem was that he had to find a way to get up there. Michael couldn't see any ladder lying around. If there was one it probably was in the warehouse.

So Michael decided on using the rain gutter. As he climbed it Michael hoped it wouldn't break. The gutter wasn't the sturdiest object around, and if he fell he'd alert the demon to his presence.

Michael grimaced as he pulled himself up onto the roof, but he made it. He crawled over to one corner of the skylight and looked down.

April was in the center of the room. Her hands were bound with rope and her mouth was gagged with some kind of cloth, possibly a torn piece from the demon's shirt.

Two strange men stood on either side of her with their hands behind their backs. They had to be the demon's followers. Lots of demons had two others accompany them on their hunts.

Three's company, Michael mused.

The demon wasn't in the room but he appeared seconds later.

Michael cocked his head so he could listen to anything spoken below him through a hole in one of the window panes.

"Hank, take her gag out," the demon ordered.

The taller of the two of his "friends" pulled the gag out of April's mouth and she coughed. "What do you want? You son of a bitch!"

The demon smirked. "Jeez, such language for a young girl like you."

"I'm thirty," April spat.

"And I'm two hundred and eight," the demon countered. "Let's not get going on that subject. I don't want to be here all night."

He pulled his knife out again and ran his index finger over it lightly.

April froze for a moment. "Why are you doing this? I never did anything to you."

"Not directly," the demon agreed. "But you sent a sister of mine to Hell."

"The blonde?"

"I don't know what meat suit she was wearing at the time," the demon told her.

April huffed.

The demon narrowed his eyes. "I don't like anyone hurting my sister. I made a promise to revenge her."

"Death for an exorcism isn't very fair," April pointed out.

"By human standards." The demon grinned as he sliced his hand with his dagger. "I have my own set of laws."

He walked up to April and whipped the knife up against her throat. "Any last words?"

April lifted her head and spotted Michael on the roof.

She gasped.

The demon looked up and Michael had to duck out of view quickly.

"I want to know your name," April said, trying to distract the demon from the skylight.

The demon hesitated for a moment, then looked back down at her. "Why?"

"Because I want to know my killer's name so I can curse it the rest of eternity."

The demon chuckled. "Very funny. I hope you go to Hell. You'd be interesting to be around when you go demon. It's a shame you are too good. Terrible shame."

April glared at him.

"My name's Victor," the demon finally answered her question. "It means winner in Latin. I named myself that because I always win at everything I do. It was my name when I was human too, if I remember correctly. Hell screws with old memories."

"I bet it does."

Victor pressed his knife against her throat. "Any other last words?"

April glanced at the skylight and smirked. "Go back to Hell."

Suddenly there was the sound of shattering glass as Michael broke through the windows above and he and the glass came crashing down onto Victor.

Victor flung Michael off his back, into a beam holding up the structure and Michael winced as pain shot up his back.

Victor and his allies were on him in a split second, punching and kicking him. He rushed to pull out the bottle of holy water he'd brought and threw it into the demons' faces. They shrieked in pain.

"How does that feel?" Michael shouted.

The demons hissed and charged him again. This time he was prepared for the onslaught and he fought back.

April meanwhile, struggled to untie the rope behind her back.

"Almost there," she muttered.

When she was finally free April jumped the demon Hank.

Michael threw more holy water on Victor and the other demon, then began reciting an Enochian exorcism.

Victor rushed him and knocked Michael onto his back.

At the same moment, Hank threw April off himself and into a wall. There was a cracking sound of skull hitting concrete and Michael's eyes widened.

"No!"

Victor laughed and flung Michael up into a stand against the nearest wall, across from where April was lying unconscious.

Michael felt fury rise within him. He continued the exorcism and Victor's followers went to Hell, their smoke going directly down.

Victor was fighting harder than the other two. He grabbed at his throat like he was choking.

"This isn't over," he managed, and then the exorcism did its job.

Michael was relieved when the demon's forces released him, but looking at April it disappeared, and he ran to her side.

"April," Michael spoke as he shook her shoulder.

She showed no response.

"April answer me!"

Michael checked her for any visible injuries. She was fine except for the bump on the back of her head, and she was breathing. It was shallow, but she was alive.

Michael wished he could heal April. It would have been so easy to lay his hand on her head and do it, but he couldn't.

So he needed to get her to a hospital.

Michael carefully hooked one of his arms under April's knees and the other around her neck and shoulders then lifted her as he slowly stood. He held her close to his chest securely.

And as he made his way out of the warehouse, he prayed that she would be okay.