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Chapter 2
The pub came slowly into view as he descended from the night sky. Andrew had been right; it was close to the city, not even a 10 minutes flight. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the ruined building and its surroundings. The used to be pub looked familiar. He'd used to check on it regular but it had been two months ago the last time he had been here. He had simply given up on it since it had been always the same; old, ruined, broken, no sign of life. There had been several fights in and around the pub in the past making the area anything but attractive for any humans. Rotten corpses and gore were everywhere around the building and if he remembered correctly the inside did not look any better either. As he got closer he noted the military jeep parking outside the pub. Andrew's jeep. It was a strangely lively spot among all the other cars around the building. All of them useless, some of them rotten to the core, others laying on their side's or top's. There were no movements whatsoever.
Endymion landed easily next to the military car, his wings strong and powerful making the exercise so much easier. He frowned. The silence was too profound. It reminded him of the calm right before a huge storm. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. Everything was calm and quiet.
Turning to his left, slowly and carefully he looked around once more. His eyes sharp like those of an eagle's. There was little to nothing that he could not see. His senses sharper than a human could ever hope them to be. He stood in absolute silence. The smell of rotten flesh. The tiniest of the movement from his right.
Pulling his sword smoothly from its sheath attached to his back just between his magnificent wings, he walked towards the deserted cars to the right of the building. He never missed a step as he jumped over one of the cars which had landed on its top a few decades ago, the time and the elements already had taken their hold on the material; it was rotten and broken.
He landed at the other side of the car and jumped to the left just in time to avoid the poisoned claws of a Bestia. It hissed and shrilled letting out a high pitched unearthly sound as it spun around, its pupil less, black eyes staring at him in madness. It hissed once more and went for his wings with such speed he avoided this next attack only by a second.
Endymion narrowed his eyes. This Bestia was special. He had long ago got used to ignore the fact that Bestias had once been humans. They still looked like one in appearance. Except the smell and the eyes and the fact that at some places the skin started to pale from their bodies. Bestias were the infected human beings. The ones touched by angels, life force sucked from them. Those unfortunate ones who did not die from the process but turned into these lifeless, soulless beings, who knew nothing else but madness and killing. However, this Bestia was stronger, faster than the others. Something was off with it.
"Who made you?" Endymion asked as he swung his sword at the being effectively creating a deep wound at its left arm. Blood, black and thick, oozed from the wound but the creature did not seem to care for more than a second.
The Bestia hissed in respond. He knew that was all he would get. These beings were just like that, unable to talk, to think.
It jumped yet again and landed behind another car which was laying on its side. Endymion followed in the next moment, spinning now to his right as a throwing knife flew toward his left wing. It avoided his wing but marked his arm with a deep cut. Endymion looked at the wound surprised. This being was smarter than the other Bestias. He had never ever met before a Bestia who used weapons. They were instinctive creatures, incredible fast and blood lusted yes, but they only used what they had, which was actually enough. Long, poisonous claws and sharp teeth. Swinging his sword he went after the creature again.
It crawled its way below a car.
"Endymion?"
The dark angel looked over his shoulder for a second to note as Andrew walked out of the pub with a woman covered with dirt and blood, at his left, a small, brown haired child holding on to the leg of the woman.
"Take a hide!" Endymion shouted as the Bastia ran out from under the car. It was on its legs and arms as it rushed toward the small group like a giant spider.
Endymion did not hesitate and raced toward the creature, drew his sword and aimed for its left arm. It cried out in pain, as the arm was all but cut off from its body. Turning to Endymion it hissed at him and ran up the wall of the pub. It did not seem to mind that half of its arm was missing as it turned around, stood up and took yet another throwing knife and threw it towards the group.
"What the-?!" Andrew cried out as he ducked, taking the woman and child with him as they got out the knife's way.
Endymion did not waist time and flew up to the roof. He was about to land when the shaky building cracked under his weight and the roof collapsed. Thanks to his inhuman reflexes he went into the air just in time to avoid the roof taking him with it. Landing was impossible.
The Bestia grabbed another knife and aimed at him as he hovered above the roof. And that was the moment when the heavenly sound filled the air. A voice sweet and beautiful touching the soul sang a song in an old language.
"Fuck." Endymion gritting his teeth in anger. "Andrew, the ear plugs!" He shouted but the blond man had already moved. The ear plugs – an obligatory equipment for every soldiers, a tiny piece of soundproof earplugs had saved more than once the life of those out in the battlefield. The best defense against the certain death lurking behind the sweet angel's song. However instead of plugging them into his ears, Andrew pushed them into the ears of the child and pulled out another pair – most likely for the woman - but it was too late. His eyes, along with the eyes of the woman, went sightless and hazy and they both froze. Their arms dropped as they stood still like a living statue, staring into nothing.
"Damn it!" Endymion felt as his body shook with anger and frustration. He glared around, his fingers curled into a fist looking for the source of the song. He knew that the humans could resist the heavenly sound of an angel's song for no longer then a few second. The songs were alluring; they were addicted and took control over humans' mind. That was what they were supposed to do; control the minds and the bodies, luring the humans to the collector angels. It was the easiest way to gather the humans so they could transport them to angel's cities and harvest their life force. Life force being the first and upmost source of the energy angels used to guard their cities and make them invisible. It was also a potion that gave a special boost to angel's strength and given the right amount – which was a lot – helped impregnate the female angels. Baby angels were a rare gift to his kind. A cherished gift for which angels would give anything to have. And do anything… Killing humans, who were anyway seen as lesser beings, creatures, who poisoned the earth, gifted the air, wasn't seen as a sin.
Pain… sharp and deep, ran down his left arm. He had to pay for his musing dearly. The Bestia jumped at him as his attention was still on the humans. Now its poisoning claws and teeth sank deep into his flesh. The pain was fresh and new but he ignored it and with one swift movement he cut the Bestia's head off. As it fell to the ground with a heavy thud, the pain lessened but the poison had already gotten into his system. Nothing he could not handle, a Bestia alone was not strong enough to kill a warrior angel, but he would feel the pain for a few days.
Now that the demon was out of the picture he turned his full attention to Andrew and the woman who had already started their mindless walk toward the dirty road leading up to the nearby hill. The child tugged helplessly at the leg of the woman crying uncontrollably.
"Mommy! Mommy!" He cried but the woman shook him off like he was nothing else but a rag leaving him lying on the ground without a second glance.
Endymion landed next to the kid within a second. He was still lying on his stomach; a piece of metal scratched his leg leaving an angry wound behind. It was but a small cut never the less it was bleeding a lot. Endymion knew better than try to talk with the child, the ear plugs were effective letting no sound at all through.
Instead, he took the child into his arms and walked to the jeep, opened the door and pushed him into the car without a word.
"No! Let me out! My mother!" The kid cried but Endymion had already closed the door and dismissed him from his thoughts flying toward Andrew and the woman.
He caught up with them easily and reached out to Andrew first, grabbing his arms. The blond man started to fight his grip in his mindless status, kicking and screaming, slipping from Endymion's hold.
"Fuck it!" Endymion gritted in anger, grabbing Andrew's arm so hard it was going to leave a mark on it later for sure. Still the pain did not stop the soldier from fighting him.
The song; that sweet, seductive melody; kept going on when the sky above the hill opened. Wings rustled above them, several one, as the collectors descended to gather those humans, who were infected with the angel's song and gathered at the top of the hill.
Taking a hold on Andrew's fighting body he reached out for the woman. She had already made her way half way to the hill by the time Endymion caught her. With his free arm he grabbed the woman's waist but she struggled hard, stronger then she normally would have been able to. Andrew doubled his force to free himself as well and they both started to scream in pain. In this hypnotic state, humans were able to use their full strength, all for one aim, to get to the source of the song.
Andrew scratched his left arm drawing blood, while the woman bite down hard on his right hand.
"Perfect…" Endymion murmured as both humans were fighting him like they would be fighting for their lives. It was just as much as he could handle. Slowly but surely he started to pull both of them in the direction of the jeep, away from the source of the song. He saw as several humans started to walk up the hill, their eyes lifeless and hypnotized. Woman and men, old and young ones. He counted at least 20… But there was nothing he could do for them… He could barely hold the two in his grip.
"Stop screaming damn it!" He shouted annoyed, his eyes running around counting at least 3 collectors on the top of the hill. If they heard them… He could not possible fight all three and in the process not lose one of the humans in his charge. And no matter what, he did have a liking for the foolish blond soldier now acting like a zombie dragging and pulling on his already injured arm.
Any minute now and the collectors would notice them. Gritting his teeth he changed his hold on them and with one fast movement knocked them out. Both humans collapsed unconscious into his arms.
He only had minutes he knew, the pull of the song so hard it could wake them again. He dragged them both to the jeep, opened the door and pushed both of them inside, slamming the door closed in the next moment.
He turned around just in time to see the last of the collectors grabbing the last of the gathered humans, taking him toward the high sky. They were young collectors, focused so much on their task that they noticed nothing about the dark angel in the night. But it had been a close call. A too close one and if the song was going to go on longer, Andrew and the woman would wake up…
However, as the collectors vanished with the last of the humans, the song stopped. Endymion waited a few more minutes, just to be sure, then finally opened the car door again and signed to the kid that he could take the ear plugs out.
"Incredible luck." Endymion murmured as he looked over Andrew's unconscious body and shook the young man's form. "Get me some water." He said to the child without taking his eyes off of Andrew.
"But my mother…" The brown haired boy whimpered.
"The sooner you get me some water the sooner this soldier will wake up and the sooner he can help your mother. Go!" The black angel said glancing at the crying child with cold blue eyes.
The kid shuddered under his hard glare but got out of the car and jogged back to the pub without a word. After a few seconds he came back with a small bottle of water.
"This is our last bottle." He offered as explanation.
Endymion did not bother with an answer; instead he poured the cold water on Andrew's face.
"What the hell?!" The blond man came to consciousness shaking his head and regretting the movement in the next moment. "Jesus." He hissed wincing and lifting his arm over his head. "God, what happened?" He blinked several times trying to get rid of the dizziness.
"God has nothing to do with it." Endymion said emotionless.
"Don't you say…" Andrew murmured. "Why the hell I feel like a train ran over my head?" He asked his eyes still hazy with pain.
"I knocked you out." The warrior angel said like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Drink the rest of the water and drive the car to Selena." He added tossing the bottle to the blond soldier.
"You knocked me out?" Andrew tried to make sense to what had happened around him but never the less he took a few sips. "All I remember is that Bestia attacking and then…."Now that the fog started to clear from his mind, he turned to his right and his eyes fell on the whimpering child and his unconscious mother. "Is she…?" He trailed off, his body going tense.
"Not infected." Endymion answered. "I knocked her out as well."
Andrew turned to the angel, who got more and more annoyed with every second. His eyes were wide with surprise. Why the hell had Endymion knocked them out?
"Collectors." The warrior angel explained. "You were both enchanted. It was the only way to save some time and save you." He added and watched as recognition swept through the soldier's eyes. Andrew glanced at the small boy who was holding his ear plugs shyly out to him.
"Thank you." The child whispered.
"You are very welcomed kid." Andrew ruffled his hair smiling. "Your mommy will be all right we just let her sleep a bit longer okay?" He asked and the boy nodded slowly.
"Drive back to Selena. Bring them to the hospital and meet me at the station in 30 minutes." Endymion said already spreading his wings in preparation of flight.
"Are you okay?" Andrew asked frowning as he took in the blood leaking from his wounds on his chest and arms.
Endymion raised an eyebrow in answer. "30 minutes Andrew." Was all he said and disappeared from sight with a rustle of wings.
"Talk about tight deadlines." Andrew muttered but he did as he was ordered to do and started the engine.
That was it for chapter 2. Please let me know if you still like the story! Your reviews mean a lot to me!
SerenityMorrison: Thank you! There was no Serenity in this chapter but she will show up next time. I hope you also like Endymion's character.
ashiri-sama: Thank you. There will be some juicy part though later on ;)
Sere, Silvermoonlight9, alitre, ladylove, amelia, love it, zi si noapte, love and war, sogniando, carmen, jessica, indacodagliocchi, bella, marina calvi, lilly, babyface, Guest : Thank you for reading, and i hope you liked this chapter as well!
seredarien fan: Yes I am still in the „introduction" part I hope you like it.
Guest: I hope it is not too much detail! And I am happy if this story helped you get your mind off of being sick. Get better soon!