《All of The Angels》


 Prologue 1: All of The Souls

    Chapter 1: The Souls


    We were all the same, but we had died differently.


    Tom called it the second revolt. Poppy said it was a war. Anthony labeled it God¡¯s second gift, but that kid was so positive he could eat a Christmas cracker and shit confetti. I stood somewhere in the middle, knowing that a label didn¡¯t change a lily into a poppy seed.


    God had either left or been killed. The Devil had gone with him. What remained now was a ruined place, filled with wandering souls, and empty thrones.


    We were all one of those souls. Each one of us with grey skin, empty eye sockets, and a skirt made from the hair ripped from our scalps. The way it matted together into a smooth black sheet made it look beautiful against our tarnished flesh.


    There were no men or women here. Although our memories of Earth stuck around like a bad dream. It might have been bearable without the thoughts of loved ones and a life spent wishing for better. Many of my decisions had been based on being a good person.


    Until I couldn''t take my stepfather''s open palm anymore and decided to fight back.


    Now that I was here, I might have chosen to simply run away from home.


    Instead, I made the mistake of being violent. The man drove a screwdriver into my chest twelve times. I had only done it to him once. But you couldn¡¯t undo the past, and so I tried to understand this world. It too could be a nasty place.


    The plains of this world stretched as far as the eye could see, and in the distance, there were mountains jutting up from the ground like Dragon¡¯s teeth. Storm clouds rolled above the peaks, rumbling with thunder and crackling with lightning.


    If you stood on the tips of your toes, the mountains and the sky merged. All of which made sense in a messed up way. Either the war had ruined this place, or heaven and hell had joined into something that fucked with your sensibilities.


    Sometimes we would stand on a ridge or climb to the top of a ruined castle and open our mouths when the storm drifted overhead. The rain never came. But you could watch the rims of a fellow soul¡¯s eye sockets light up. You would know then, that somewhere behind those dark clouds light still beamed.


    Anthony, the optimist of our group of four, would stare at us and lick his lips. He would say, ¡°Holy shit, I got some rain! I got some rain!¡±


    There was nothing that could make the insides of our throats feel any less like broken glass. Thoughts were all we had. We nodded our heads, cursed our luck, and talked about how we would catch the rain next time. Then we would walk the plains again.


    The more we walked, the more souls we passed lying in the dirt. They had given up. That didn¡¯t mean they were dead, only that they had accepted their fate. Poppy asked me if there was a difference.


    I asked one, ¡°What have you got to lose now?¡±


    He looked up wide-eyed. ¡°Everything.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I asked another. It screamed something we didn''t understand.


    We had walked quieter after that. Until Tom broke the silence.


    ¡°You ever wonder what it¡¯s like to be dead but not die?¡±


    No one knew what to say to that.


    Tom answered his own question. ¡°I think it would be a lot like not moving.¡±


    He was a mathematician back on Earth. That meant that he knew we had been walking for seven days, one hundred and sixty-eight hours, or 10080 minutes, as well as we knew how to breathe. He also had a talent for answering his own questions.


    Poppy had been in junior high. Anthony like me had just started university. And as students, we had all the questions, but none of the answers.


    I didn¡¯t need to be a mathematician to tell you that we rarely talked during the seven. Dying made you quiet. No one wanted to talk about how it had happened. And whatever words we had left, heaven and hell took and mushed under the stinking feet of hopelessness.


    But I tried to keep positive. I swear I tried for Poppy''s sake.


    ¡°Not too long now,¡± I would say.


    It was strange talking like that to the body of a grey man, a body just like mine. But I knew that the consciousness inside was that of a twelve-year-old girl.


    "My legs are tired," Poppy said.


    Tom craned his neck toward the peaks. ¡°Three hours give or take.¡±


    ¡°Good. It¡¯ll be over before we know it." Anthony gave everyone a smile, but it only made his face look scarier.


    We walked on with nothing but the thud of our heels and the rumble in the distance.


    ¡°You really think it''s real?¡± Poppy asked.


    She¡¯d asked this question often since the second day. We only walked this path because the older souls told us this was the way to go.


    ¡°It exists,¡± I said. "I''d bet my life on it."


    That phrase had lost its kick since dying. It was an old habit more than anything. The group didn''t draw attention to that fact. We just kept walking.


    An old soul had called the place we were headed to the ¡®Sovereign Cathedra¡¯, they¡¯d called the other one ¡®Death¡¯s Flush¡¯.


    They were the names of two thrones, one which had appeared for a God to claim and another that waited for a new Devil. No one had taken the seats yet. The reason remained beyond the peaks.


    ¡°Find the thrones and save God,¡± Anthony said. ¡°We can do it.¡±


    I had a soft spot for him. He was a little strange, but he kept us going. Each thought went into his mind shitty and popped back out a golden nugget.


    ¡°Not long now,¡± I told him.


    He smiled at that and walked a little faster. I hated when he smiled.


    An old area of castle ruins came into view as we trekked over a hill. They were all over the place. Something moved at the center.


    A group of white souls surrounded a group of three greys. It was three on six. They would kill them.


    In this world, you didn¡¯t have weapons or growing strength. You had numbers, and three beats six, it was that simple.


    Grey souls were innocents, who were brought here and tried to understand their fate. We remained grey because we only wanted answers. The white souls were the ones who had gotten bored and looked for entertainment.


    They were cannibals.


    ¡°The ruins, now!¡± I said, running downhill. "We need to help them!"


    The others cursed and then followed. I pushed the weak limbs of this body to their limit. The white souls closed in around the greys.


    We were too far when the first white threw a punch. They dropped the grey in one hit.


    That¡¯s when I knew there wouldn¡¯t be talking.


    ¡°Fight,¡± I told the group. "Make them stop!"


    I balled my fist and ran at a white soul.

 Prologue 2: All of The Sinners

    Chapter Two: The Sinners


    The white soul hit the dirt.


    My fist throbbed at my side with a white streak across the flesh. Tom slammed his shoulder into the back of another white soul. Poppy drove her teeth into the scalp of one that had pinned down a grey.


    By the time Anthony reached the group, the white souls were running away.


    They knew we won the moment that three greys turned to seven. I rushed after them as if I was going to chase. They scuttled across the plains back to where they had come. A crack of lightning arched in the distance. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Sorry, we tried to come sooner,¡± I told the Greys.


    All three stood and dusted themselves off. They looked shaken, and the one who had been punched had a swell on the side of his face. But all in all, they weren¡¯t badly wounded.


    ¡°We owe you.¡± One of the grey¡¯s held out a hand.


    I took it and shook. ¡°I could have killed them all. Scumbags.¡±


    The grey¡¯s eyes hovered on my fingers. ¡°Your skin.¡±


    I pulled back my hand. It had turned white where my knuckles had struck the soul''s face.


    "It''s nothing," I said.


    They shared a look. I knew what they were thinking. If we were so easily provoked into violence, then we could turn on them at any moment. Anthony was the only one whose skin hadn''t been burned white.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best if we go our separate ways then,¡± I said, walking on.


    Tom, Anthony, and Poppy followed. The greys stood where they were, relief showing on their leader¡¯s face.


    ¡°If we meet again, we owe you,¡± he said.


    Judging by how things were going for them, that day would never come.

 Prologue 3: All of The Thunder

    Prologue Three: The Thunder


    Lightning crackled across the sky.


    The dirt caked our dry feet in grey dust. The closer we came to the peaks, the more our perception changed. They weren''t mountain''s as we''d imagined. Instead, they were grey mounds of dirt under a fierce storm.


    A tunnel snaked in between the mounds. It stretched all the way to the other end like the body of a snake.


    Every now and then lightning would flash. Each bolt struck a mound and the snake-like pathway filled with light.


    ¡°Steer clear of the walls,¡± Tom said, ¡°if the clumps conduct electricity, you¡¯ll get zapped.¡±


    The thing about being dead is although you couldn''t die again, you still lived with sensation. Where in the real world you would either be wounded or dead, those wounds would eventually heal. In the world of the dead, injuries and the pains that came with wounds remained forever.


    We walked into the tunnel. The clumps on either side formed what looked like grey cliffs. As the wind blew down the tunnel mouth, little bits of dust swirled around us.


    I paused as I noticed something in a clump. The rest of the group stopped as well, watching me scoop away a handful of grey dust. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A hand poked out of the dirt, one just like ours, with tattered skin and broken fingernails. A black line arced across the skin, as if it had been struck.


    ¡°Lightning?¡± I asked.


    Tom cursed. "Energy, just like water, needs a place to flow in and flow out."


    It gave a new perspective to the tunnel. If the mounds were the collectors, we were the pipeline that the current flowed out from.


    ¡°Run,¡± I said, pushing off from the wall and glancing up at the sky. ¡°Quickly!¡±


    The group took off with me, keeping pace. A rumble of thunder sounded overhead. I stumbled.


    ¡°Three . . . Two . . . One,¡± Tom said.


    Lightning flashed, illuminating the dark sky. The bolt struck a clump to our left. The tunnel burst alight as lightning arced from wall to wall. I dove to the ground. Poppy mistimed her dive. Lightning struck the back of her elbow.


    She screamed and rolled on the ground.


    I backtracked, lifting her. ¡°Go! Go!¡±


    Anthony stopped to help me. Tom took off, ahead of us. The sound of thunder rumbled overhead again.


    Tom focused on the sky. ¡°Two . . . One. Get down!¡±


    I flung Poppy at the ground, then dove. The sky flashed. Lightning struck a clump to the right. The tunnel became alive with electricity. Then died down.


    ¡°It hurts, it hurts so bad,¡± she said.


    "We''re nearly out." I pushed her forward.


    We were three-quarters of the way through. Only a small stretch remained between us and the end of the tunnel.


    ¡°You can do this,¡± I said.


    ¡°I can''t,¡± Poppy said.


    Anthony pulled on her arm. "You''re nearly there!"


    Thunder rumbled overhead. Tom and Anthony burst from the tunnel mouth. I counted three, two, one in my head. The sky flashed. I shoved Poppy for the end of the tunnel. I dove.


    The world flashed.

 Prologue 4: All of The Rules

    Prologue Four: The Rules


    Everything hurt.


    My arms stung whenever I moved them, my legs burned with each stretch, and sitting up seemed next to impossible. So I chose to lay in the dirt, looking at the grey mounds before me.


    ¡°Lexi, you okay?¡± Anthony asked.


    I would have answered, but my jaw was clamped shut and I was too scared to move it.


    Tom knelt next to me. ¡°She¡¯s in shock.¡±


    ¡°Double the shock, double the fun,¡± another voice said.


    ¡°I will eat you," Poppy said.


    The voice squealed. ¡°I''m just lightening the mood.¡±


    I pushed my head back into the dirt, looking behind. It felt like the skin around my neck might snap. But I wanted to see the new person.


    A little red imp with a halo floated nearby. It had a small body, no bigger than a human head, with black paws and two batwings that flapped lazily on its back.


    Behind the imp a white tiled floor led to two empty thrones. The first throne was white with golden rims and a statue of an angel on either side. The second throne was red with black stone snakes covering the exterior.


    ¡°You''re an imp."


    ¡°Barcavus,¡± the creature said. ¡°A trustworthy imp.¡±


    I pushed up off the dirt. ¡°Don¡¯t imps work for the bad guys?¡±


    ¡°Not when there¡¯s an imp-portant job to do.¡± The imp broke out in fits of giggles and drifted toward the thrones. ¡°Come along now, don¡¯t make me imp-patient.¡±


    I leaned forward and whistled through my teeth at the pain. Both Anthony and Tom helped me to the tiled area. Poppy had a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Maybe you should sit down?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I''ve had worse.¡±


    I really hadn''t.


    The imp chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t need to stand for long. You have a choice to make.¡±


    "You''re actually kind of cute," Poppy said.


    Anthony grinned. I tried not to, but did, and paid the price. Pain lanced across the side of my face. It stung and went numb.


    "I''m actually very dangerous when I want to be," the imp said.


    "Suuuuure," Poppy said.


    "The decision . . ." I said before the imp retorted.


    "Uh, yes, a decision. First, you should know the story." The imp spun in the air and snapped its fingers.


    The world we were in disappeared, replaced with a beautiful place sunlit and filled with fluffy white clouds.


    "Once upon a time Heaven and Hell existed."


    Angels drifted through the air, wearing armour and glowing white swords that stretched far past their bodies. Each angel had wings much larger than their swords, and they flew between the spires of a great castle.


    The image changed to a red land with many dilapidated buildings and black spires. There were apartment buildings and cemeteries covered the lands like garden plots.


    Creatures that looked human-like flew about with black feathered wings in completely black armour. They fought with red swords, but it wasn''t clear what they were fighting for. Their armour bubbled and dripped into the air like mottled ink. Each drop sizzled and evaporated before us.


    There were creatures down below, too. Some of them were humans that lived in small villages, others were demons with red skin and horns. The very unlucky ones were neither human or demon. They carried crude weapons and traveled in packs.


    This world looked like a mixture of time sequences. They ranged from the medieval to as recent as the modern day with computers and guns. But the overriding power seemed to be a type of magic that kept the places sustained and worked as a current of life.


    People did not need to work to harvest goods. And instead, had all the time they needed to plot against each other and kill.


    "That place looks terrible," I said.


    The imp grinned. "It might surprise you that the people in Hell were happier than those in Heaven."


    The group shared a look. We weren''t sure how much to believe.


    "One day, God sent an angel to spy on Hell, in order to understand humans better. The Angel was a child no older than nine or ten.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    We watched as God promised him one favour in order for his services. The child''s eyes lit up at the offer and he promised to bring back lots of information about Hell.


    "The child angel, Isma, traveled to Hell and snuck through the castles, villages, complexes, seeking knowledge."


    We watched the Angel fly from place to place, village to building to castle. He watched the violence, the murdering, the drugs, the hate, the sex, and at the same time the love between those who had banded together. He learned that people can only care when they have a reason to.


    In Heaven, everything was too easy, too nice, and people quickly became bored when they were given what they wanted. It was one of the flaws of human nature --a flaw which God had not accounted for.


    True free will was the by-product of hard work. If you were to drop a man on an island by himself with whatever he wanted, he would soon get bored and return to society. A purpose gave humans reason to live. Heaven made purpose worthless when nothing, not even the unimaginable, was out of reach.


    Isma flew back to God and told him. "The answer is a purpose, my lord."


    God mulled over this for many years. Eventually, he decided Isma was right. "One favour, as promised."


    "Anything?" Isma asked.


    "Anything," God said.


    "Give Heaven a purpose," Isma said.


    "A way to make heaven better?"


    Isma shook his head. "Too easy, my lord."


    God mulled over the idea for many years until eventually, he came to a conclusion. "I will let the humans find a God amongst themselves."


    Isma had wondered if he took the idea too far. "A-and what of the Angels?"


    God stood from his throne and walked away. "You were once human too."


    It was the last thing he ever said.


    The vision ended, leaving us with a sudden emptiness. The realization that God had left under the premise that humans could only be happy with suffering, left a hollow space inside of me. I''d always thought Heaven would be the reward. Nothing would change until we completed the task that had been set.


    Find a new God and a new Devil.


    I had no words. Neither did the others. But looking around us we saw the evidence of the decision.


    ¡°And now, the battle is on to find someone worthy?¡± I asked.


    The Imp nodded. ¡°But there are a few rules.¡±


    "Rules . . ." That brought back memories. My stepfather used to lay them down as if each one was a dare. I learned them, and then I broke them all.


    One time he even banned me from going to school. I sat at the front of every class that day.


    "There are always rules," Poppy said.


    Tom and Anthony kept quiet.


    "The first rule is that if you die, you will resurrect. But everything you own goes to the other side."


    "The second is that in order to win, you must become a God."


    "The third rule is that some players will go into the war with talents. These are skills that should not be shared with allies. You can add skills as you grow."


    "The fourth rule is that everyone is an Angel and at the same time everyone is not."


    "The fifth rule is that if you make deals, make sure it''s with the Devil."


    "Thesixth rule is to kill everyone. It is in your best interest, not to break these rules."


    Judging from the rules, the Devil never truly left. If you die you lose everything and all of it goes to the other side. Some players will be more skilled than others, but there are no hints as to what these skills mean. Also, everyone is an angel but isn''t. That one could be a joke more than a rule. The final rule is to kill everyone and that the rules aren''t meant to be broken.


    If anything, the whole ordeal left me more confused --but curious.


    "What exactly are we supposed to do?"


    "Follow the rules," the imp said. "And, since three of you have sinned, and one of you is still a grey. The sinners will fight for the Devil and the lone wolf will join the fight for Heaven."


    "Sinned?" I looked down at the white strip on my fingers.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± the imp said. ¡°But as you arrived in a group, you must accept the terms as a group. If you want to make your choice alone, you must run back and through the lightning tunnel again.¡±


    The group turned to me. It wouldn¡¯t be so difficult for them, but I could never run through the tunnel again with these injuries. My choice to accept was already set in stone.


    ¡°What if we don''t want to become the Devil?" I asked.


    "You choose not to, then you won''t.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to rid ourselves of sin,¡± I asked.


    The Imp grinned. ¡°Stick around until we find a new God.¡±


    In short ''a very very very long time''.


    ¡°You know my answer,¡± I told the group. ¡°I am no Devil. But I will fight to change Hell if I can.¡±


    ¡°Our chances are better in there than out here,¡± Tom said. ¡°I accept.¡±


    "I don''t want to stay here," Poppy said.


    Anthony dropped to his knees. ¡°I can¡¯t go in alone.¡±


    ¡°Whatever happens, we are still on the same side.¡±


    He looked up at me. ¡°But if we''re enemies . . .¡±


    ¡°Then sin.¡±


    Anthony¡¯s eyes went wide. He balled his fist and swung for Tom. It thudded into Tom¡¯s arm. But when he drew his fist back, it was still grey.


    ¡°A sin isn¡¯t in the violence,¡± the imp said. ¡°It¡¯s in the intention.¡±


    It was an easy lesson to comprehend but tough to carry out. In order to sin, you needed to want to harm the other person. You needed to fight to kill.


    Anthony stared at Tom¡¯s face, working up his anger. Tom looked back, bored. Anthony swung. The fist thudded into Tom¡¯s cheek. It came away plain old grey.


    Poppy sighed. ¡°Like this.¡±


    She walked over to Tom and punched him in the middle of the nose. Tom clutched his face, howling in pain. Her knuckles came away blazing white. I couldn¡¯t help but raise my eyebrows. The kid had been through some shit.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Anthony said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to harm anyone,¡±


    ¡°Then carry out the fight that we can¡¯t. Do it from the good side.¡±


    He gritted his teeth but then nodded.


    ¡°If I see any of you in there, it will be as a friend," Anthony said.


    We all nodded in return.


    He turned to the imp. ¡°I accept,¡±


    The Imp snapped his fingers. ¡°Phew, you lot were getting all emotional for a second there. Good luck all of you!¡±


    A red circle surrounded Poppy, Tom, and I. A white circle surrounded Anthony.


    I felt hot, and then the heat turned to a burning sensation. Tom yelped first. His hands were on fire. The others started to burn shortly after, and then the fire started at the edge of my feet.


    Tom screamed. I tried to fight the pain, but it came and it never stopped. Only Poppy stood, staring into the fire as it burned her hands. The image still sends shivers down my spine.


    I tried to run. But there was no way to move past the red glow. Tom wilted away into a groaning pile of grey dust. Poppy went second. And then the pain that scoured my already burnt flesh made whatever consciousness I had left slip away.


    The place known as heaven faded to black.

 1: All of The Thorns (Game Begins)

    Chapter One: The Thorns


    I became conscious in a burned down bedroom. Poppy and Tom stood center room with their backs to me. I pushed up off the floor and gathered my bearings.


    They looked like their normal human selves. Poppy was as tall as my chest, with tanned skin and long dark black hair. Tom was slightly taller than me with pasty skin, glasses, and a lanky frame. I stood at 5''6, with my light brown skin and long black hair.


    The last time I had seen my hair there was blood in it. Blood from the fight with my stepfather. It was good to know you came into this world healed.


    We all wore the same black t-shirt, pants, and heavy-duty boots.


    There were drawers spread out around the room. A bed had been placed in the corner, and a desk rested close to it. The room had an en-suite, of which the top half of the door had broken away while the bottom half remained soot stricken. Despite all of this ruin, the sky shone a crystal clear blue above us, through where the roof used to be.


    ¡°Hold it, we¡¯ve got freshies!¡± a voice shouted.


    Goosebumps spread across the back of my arms as I turned toward the noise.


    Half a dozen men and woman with guns made their way upstairs and into the room. Their weapons were all matte black, varying in design and the odd splash of colour.


    A man with white armour and a pair of black angel wings pointed his gun at us. It took me a second to register that the wings were very real. They were folded against his back and made from black feathers, much like those in the flashback the Imp had shown us.


    The more I looked, the harder it was to process that a human could have wings.


    He stood a head taller than Tom and his gun stretched half the length of his body. It looked like a sniper rifle ¨Cfrom the ones I had seen in real life. At this range, he could blow through all three of us with one shot.


    ¡°Check that they¡¯re thorns, Dux.¡±


    A woman pushed past the other people in the hallway. She wore a black armoured suit similar to the man¡¯s. It reminded me of Kevlar. Her long blonde hair hung past her shoulders and over the sword strapped to her back. The sword dwarfed the length of her body, which begged the question of how she used it, let alone carried it.


    Unlike the man, she had no wings.


    I held my hands up in defense. Dux grabbed me around the neck and pushed toward the floor. I shut my eyes, expecting her to jam that sword into my spine.


    Instead, she touched the area below each shoulder blade. There were knobs in my flesh. Bulges I hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    ¡°This one is.¡±


    She moved to Tom, who let her carry out the search without a fuss. "Him too."


    When Dux grabbed Poppy, the small girl put up a fight. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Poppy kicked at her shins and called her a long list of names that any normal twelve-year-old didn''t say around adults.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got ourselves a rug rat,¡± the man with the gun said.


    The group of people chuckled. Dux clucked her tongue like a mother hen. She scooped Poppy under her arm and checked the spots on her back.


    ¡°Unfortunately, this one is one of us too.¡±


    The man grinned. ¡°Welcome to Hell, freshies. The current version of it at least. You would¡¯ve seen the fucked up Heaven above. This world ¨C the real hell ¨C is in the same state. I''m Tag, your thorn leader.


    ¡°You, that is to say, each one of you losers, are our latest additions. Your thorns will eventually sprout into black wings --if you survive long enough."


    There were snickers from the rest of the group.


    "I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m impressed with you lot. But we can only hope the Angels got someone with a finger twitch or a missing leg.¡±


    A sound like a jet plane passing by filled the sky.


    The man¡¯s smile dropped and his eyes filled with fear. ¡°First floor, now! Fast!¡±


    I glanced at the sky, but whatever made the noise was still a distance away. There was a moment then, much like watching sharks running away from some greater predator.


    Whatever came toward us, it was dangerous.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I told the group, grabbing Poppy.


    ¡°They¡¯re all assholes,¡± she said.


    ¡°You got it.¡± I held her hand. ¡°But for now, they¡¯re on our side.¡±


    Tag shoved us toward the steps before following.


    Tom raced ahead with the group. We trailed down cement steps and to the first floor.


    The group crouched behind walls and hid in cupboards. They held their guns close, fingers on the trigger. The jet sound grew louder.


    ¡°Everyone down, now!¡± Tag screamed.


    I pulled Poppy with me and we ducked behind the steps just in time.


    Whatever the thing was, it slammed onto the outside street. The ground shook. Bits of dust drifted from the ceiling, twirling through the air.


    The drone of a machine powering down, made Poppy''s shouts sound like whispers. I could read her lips. The sound hurt her ears. It hurt mine too, making the insides of my head sound like a windy tunnel.


    Poppy already had her hands over her ears. I added mine on top of hers. She looked at me wide-eyed. I pressed a finger to my lips. The overpowering noise stopped.


    Each footstep shook the house. It sounded like a giant robot stomping across the concrete. It made my body shake as it walked.


    Someone smarter than me wouldn¡¯t have chanced a look. But I had to. There¡¯s terror in dealing with the unknown.


    I pressed my cheek against the side of the steps and crept forward. Dux shook her head from the opposite end of the hall.


    She couldn¡¯t stop me. That would risk the attention of the creature.


    The bottom of the third step had been chipped away, creating a peephole. I pushed my eye to it and looked at the street.


    The creature stood taller than the tallest man. Its body and face were human and it had long golden brown hair. The armour looked just like Tag¡¯s and Dux¡¯s, only it was golden. The creature wore metal boots and gloves that matched and had a helmet with a turquoise transparent visor.


    Two white wings made of feathers protruded from its back, stretching far behind. Below the wings, thrusters were built into the armour. Smoke drifted from them as the jets cooled.


    The creature flapped its wings, creating a gust. It drew the handle of a sword from its hip. The sword handle beamed into a golden laser blade. Something like that could cleave through a bus, let alone a person.


    I pulled back, my heart racing. It was some kind of fighter angel, there was no doubt about it. It looked like an upgraded version of the angels in the flashback.


    It gave a long sigh and then sniffed the air. I held my breath. A few members of the group closed their eyes.


    Poppy pressed her head against my chest. I wrapped an arm around her and waited the moment out.


    We might have sat there for a few minutes or an hour. Eventually, the angel flapped its wings. Thrusters buzzed to life and a whoosh of air rushed through the house. It blew wood from parts of the structure, sending pieces bouncing across the floor.


    The noise died down as the angel flew away. Judging by the faces of the crew, we were lucky to have gotten away with our lives.

 2: All of The Talent

    Chapter Two: All of The Talent


    Tag pressed a gun to my forehead.


    The nozzle felt ice cold. It would leave an imprint. That¡¯s if he didn¡¯t fire first.


    It wasn''t the first time that I''d had a gun in my face, and I doubt it would be the last. There''s something final about it. As if all of your lies and excuses hang in the balance, and one wrong step will send you over the edge. A person with a gun says ''pay attention to me''. There''s nothing that can make you more significant in a shorter space of time. For one moment in their lifespans, a man with a gun can erase everything and feelsignificant. The catch is that pointing a gun at someone else means that eventually, maybe today or tomorrow, there will be a gun pointed back at you.


    I tried to inch away from the nozzle. But Tag moved with me.


    They had knelt us center room ¡ªexecution style. I figured if they were going to kill us, at least we''d go out together. The rest of the thorn crew crowded around, a few still glanced up at the sky every now and then.


    ¡°Which one of you is it?¡± Tag said. ¡°Talk or you¡¯re all dead.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant. The other¡¯s glanced around in confusion.


    ¡°The Harkons can smell strong talent. We don¡¯t bring those players with us.¡±


    ¡°Talent?¡± I asked.


    I recalled the imp mentioning them. One of the rules said that you shouldn¡¯t share your talent with your allies. And the rules were not meant to be broken.


    Tag levelled the gun in front of Poppy¡¯s face. The twelve-year-old stared down the barrel. If she felt fear, it didn¡¯t show.


    Dux stepped beside Tag. Her metal gloves clinked against the white armour on his forearm.


    ¡°Maybe we should slow down for a second.¡±


    Tag cocked the hammer on the pistol. ¡°How about you? You notice anything strange, little girl?¡±


    Poppy scowled. ¡°Only your face.¡±


    Tag pushed the gun against her eye. ¡°You keep talking pretty and your face will make mine look gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Tag,¡± Dux said.


    Poppy moved the barrel of the gun on to her forehead. ¡°If you shoot me in the eye, you might not kill me. I¡¯ve seen it happen before.¡±


    ¡°This kid . . .¡± Tag said, aiming.


    One of the crew members cursed and walked out. My heart raced. Watching a twelve-year-old asking to be killed made me feel sick to my stomach, and at the same time, I felt like reaching out and giving her a hug.


    Poppy must have seen and experienced terrible things. Trying to think of what those experiences were, sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to see in the real world. Being in Hell didn¡¯t change my morals. It only made me want to figure out Poppy before her past ruined her.


    ¡°What about the rules?¡± I said.


    Tag swung the barrel to me. ¡°You got something to say now?¡±


    I kept my mouth shut, happy that the gun was on me instead of Poppy. I didn¡¯t want to get shot. But if anyone could figure out how to survive on their own, I had confidence in my ability.


    Once I¡¯d spent a month on the streets, after running away from my stepdad. Downtown wasn''t easy to navigate. You had more chance of being picked up and thrust into the sex trade than you did finding a stranger to buy you a Big Mac. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I¡¯d robbed people. Double-crossed others for a place to stay the night. And I¡¯d learned that if you were desperate enough, drunks were the easiest targets. Something about alcohol dabbled with the conscience.


    I¡¯d had a gun pulled on me twice in that month. Once when I took something I shouldn¡¯t have and another time when someone took something from me. After that, I stole a screwdriver from home depot and kept it close. I didn¡¯t think I had the courage to use it. Until my stepfather taught me that I did.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to shoot, do it,¡± I said.


    According to the rules, I¡¯d respawn without the things I had collected. I had no weapons but my words and my integrity. Killing me would only sharpen both.


    "Don''t tempt me," Tag said.


    I didn''t like this man. He had a self-centeredness that stretched beyond his role in the group. You could see it in the way the others looked at him. They tolerated him because they had to. Maybe they were afraid or maybe they had seen worse in other parts of Hell. I didn''t know. But if they had screwdrivers in Hell, I might have to keep one nearby.


    Tag scoffed and walked over to Tom. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to be you. We could have used the extra manpower.¡±


    Tom sighed. ¡°I . . . I . . .¡±


    Tag knelt and pushed the gun under Tom¡¯s chin. ¡°Come on now.¡±


    ¡°Tom, don¡¯t do it,¡± I said.


    He knew the rules. But then he shook his head. ¡°If I tell you, and I break the rules, what happens?¡±


    ¡°There are no rules in hell. That''s something they tell freshies.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t tell you?¡±


    ¡°Do you see what is in my hand?¡±


    Tom swallowed. ¡°Okay. . . I . . ." He battled with the words."I can see every talent in this room. They hang over each one of your heads as icons.¡±


    ¡°Scanner,¡± Dux said.


    Tag frowned, holstering his gun. ¡°That¡¯s usually a pretty shitty skill. Switch over there can do the same. Maybe yours is stronger. Marin can decide.¡±


    Dux perked an eyebrow. ¡°Back to HQ?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking any risks.¡±


    "The crew are just getting warmed up."


    With the way they talked, these two were either good friends or intimate. She stood too close, for someone that wasn¡¯t at the very least a good friend. But the way she challenged him gave it away. When you¡¯re afraid of someone, the very idea of saying something coherent without your voice breaking seems impossible. When you know someone well, there''s nothing to be afraid of.


    Dux''s challenge had no hesitation in it. In fact, it seemed rather personal.


    ¡°We should talk,¡± Dux said.


    Tag sighed. ¡°Alright people, search the area for guns, ammo, and map particles. And try not to do anything stupid, these freshies are giving me a headache as it is.¡±


    Dux walked out of the house, onto the lawn, and around the corner. Tag followed.


    The other members of the unit rifled through cupboards, holes in the walls, and drawers. A young man with no guns and who twitched every few seconds watched us from the corner of the room. His grey beanie had an NY logo on it, and his jumper and pants matched.


    ¡°Y-you th-three are g-going to l-love it here,¡± he said.


    The stutter made me pay attention to every word. The act of getting them out made the words feel more important. Poppy perked up, too.


    ¡°You really like this place?¡± Tom asked.


    ¡°N-not really,¡± he said, laughing at his own joke. ¡°Th-they make you l-like it. I-I¡¯m Switch by the w-way.¡±


    Poppy frowned. ¡°There was a boy like you where I used to live."


    ¡°G-get outta h-here,¡± Switch said. ¡°Where you f-from?¡±


    Poppy stood up and dusted herself off. ¡°Everyone used to burn him with their cigarettes.¡±


    ¡°Okaayy! Let¡¯s find something to help with," I said.


    Poppy grabbed the back of my pants, sliding up against my hip. The dark haired kid became attached easily. I didn¡¯t mind it. Somehow she made me feel safe. However, it was the things she said to other people that irked me.


    Tag and Dux walked back into the room. Their black armoured boots crunched across the concrete.


    ¡°Change of plans,¡± Tag said. ¡°You¡¯re all heading to HQ with Dux and Switch.¡±


    Dux nodded.


    ¡°R-rad,¡± Switch said.


    It really wasn¡¯t. But it would be better than here. The man with the gun and the threat of the angel made me glance about every few seconds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t engage in combat. You run south if you¡¯re attacked. Keep going until you find a bridge. HQ is under it. Don¡¯t use your ability, try not to think about it if you can. Marin will explain.¡±


    Tag dropped his eyes to us. I thought he¡¯d been talking to everyone.


    ¡°You two are to fight until you can get away or until you die.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t bait,¡± I said.


    Tag scoffed and walked to the door. ¡°You¡¯re either talented or you aren¡¯t. It¡¯s that simple.¡±


    ¡°Asshole,¡± Poppy mumbled.


    I squeezed her shoulder. We would do what we had to, to survive.

 3: All of The Evil

    Chapter Three: All of The Evil


    Dux stepped to where Tag had been standing. ¡°Stay close. Tom, you¡¯re behind me. Kid and Mandy, you¡¯re in the middle. Switch you take the rear.¡±


    ¡°Kid? Mandy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She is one. You look like a Mandy. Enough talk, we can chat when we¡¯re safe.¡± Dux turned and ran toward the street.


    We streamed after her, following like the snaking body of a caterpillar. She gripped her sword handle, checking every corner we passed.


    The streets here were mirror images of urban areas in the real world. However, sections had been scoured black, and there were craters in the concrete. Whatever had been fighting here, they caused destruction.


    Houses lined the road. They were all burned down. Their wood had turned black and the parts that were still standing looked like blackened limbs. Some of the houses had concrete foundations and walls. They made for perfect hideaways. The deeper we went into the area, the more destruction that had taken place.


    And as the houses got smaller and we got a better view of the sky, the halfway point came into full view. The blue sky and sunlight stopped in what can only be described as the middle of this realm, the other side was blood red with a black moon.


    Dux called us to a halt behind a tall maroon fence. "Heaven and Hell didn''t merge down here. Instead, somehow the two sides divided and flipped."


    "Separated into halves?" Tom asked.


    "That''s another discussion, but kind of." Dux shrugged.


    "I have another question," Tom said. "Tag mentioned my ability might act strangely at the start."


    "Try not to think about it," Dux said.


    "But. . . well, it''s gone.¡±


    Dux sighed. "You don''t listen very well, do you? Look, we''ll talk more when we get where we''re going."


    We put our heads down and started running again.


    Tom''s words had sounded odd. The Imp hadn''t mentioned losing a talent or that they would morph. Either these thorns knew something we didn''t or there was something else going on.


    Dux led us down the empty streets, roads void of cars or people. We took sharp turns and jogged down pathways which connected between roads. It reminded me of the streets where I had lived.


    You could pass kids playing soccer on the road and the little ones zooming down the footpath on their tricycles. They became more like my family than my actual one. And between the streets, the downtown library, and school, I usually only went home to sleep. Not because I didn''t like our house. It was a beautiful urban property with everything a family needed to set up something good. But because even staying the night meant that you heard the shouting and if you came home before the fight started, then the time you came home was the fight.


    ¡°Stop here,¡± Dux hissed.


    We crouched in an alleyway that cut between two streets. Everyone stayed silent, holding our breaths as we listened.


    Tom knelt behind Dux. The holster with her gun rested inches from his fingertips. He stared at the weapon. Dux had her head craned forward, listening. She didn¡¯t know what was coming.


    I didn¡¯t think he had it in him.


    Tom inched his fingers toward the gun.


    Poppy looked back at me, her eyes wide. I gritted my teeth. Tom¡¯s fingers curled around the handle of the weapon.


    Switch gasped.


    Tom yanked the gun and shoved it against Dux¡¯s neck. She stopped mid-turn.


    "Put it down."


    ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± Tom said.


    Dux kept her lips pursed.


    ¡°Tag said we should head south. You¡¯re moving west, away from the sun.¡±


    ¡°Shoot me then.¡±


    Tom gritted his teeth, his hands rattling with the gun. "Be honest with us, dammit."


    "Shoot me," Dux said.


    "Tom, don''t do it," I said.


    If he killed her, we would be in an even bigger mess. Having enemies on both sides of the spectrum would be worse than having no one at all.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Think about this!" I said.


    Tom pulled the trigger. The gun gave an empty click. Tom stared at the gun, open-mouthed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t shoot a thorn with a black gun,¡± Dux said, taking it from his limp grasp. ¡°You need a white one or a grey one for that. Whites are common as blacks. It¡¯s the greys that are rare.


    ¡°But you threatened us,¡± Tom said.


    ¡°We just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t dangerous. Sometimes guns aren¡¯t the best weapons.¡±


    My heart raced. They had played us. Every single one of them.


    "What about his talent?" I said. "You knew something about that, too."


    Dux glanced back at Switch. He averted his eyes.


    "This is bullshit. We''re doing what you''ve asked."


    "Identical talents screw things up," Dux said. "We believe the Angel sniffed us out because Switch and Tom matched."


    "You made him break the rules on purpose."


    They had forced us into a corner and only given us one option.


    "Either we survive and find a new God. Or we lose every time and let this war waste away the years. We lied because we had too."


    "My talent," Tom said. "It''s gone."


    "You broke the rules," Dux said. "That has consequences."


    I balled my fists. "You should have told him what would happen."


    "And then what?" Dux said. "We kill him and one of us is infected with the Talent. We tell him and he runs away, risking the enemy capturing it while we lose a man. We took the smartest option."


    I looked back at Switch. He stared at the fence.


    "How do we know this isn''t another trap?"


    "There are no other options," Dux said. "Who knows, you might even like this."


    Something about her words took me back to Switch''s introduction. He had said ''they''ll make you like it''. It seemed normal then. But now it stuck out. Dux''s words were almost an exact mirror of that.


    Dux stood up, watching the end of the alleyway.


    Despite all of her talk, my instincts told me to get away. I placed a hand on Poppy¡¯s back. She turned.


    ¡°Be ready,¡± I whispered.


    She nodded.


    A figure filled the opposite end of the alleyway. It wore a suit of matte black knight''s armour with helmet and visor and carried a sleek black sword. There were large dark feathered wings at its back. The creature folded them in and then approached us. As it came closer, I noticed the sword was made of black and grey cubes that flowed up and down the surface like they were melting and then solidifying. The sword would dwarf any human body and was defined by a sharp tip.


    "Dux." The Dark Angel inclined his head.


    His voice was deep and chilling. It set me on edge. The other members of the group backed up as well.


    "D-d-d-demi," Switch whispered.


    "Is it on our side?" I whispered back.


    He looked at the creature and then shrugged.


    "I¡¯ve set everything,¡± Dux said, standing in front of the Demi.


    ¡°How long?¡± the creature asked.


    Dux turned back toward the sun. ¡°Thirty seconds at most.¡±


    ¡°Old Hell or Gun Town?¡±


    ¡°Old Hell first,¡± Dux said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a debt to settle with Guntar.¡±


    The Demi relaxed. Its sword retracted, all of the cubes folding in on themselves until there was one small cube left. ¡°And them?¡±


    "Fresh spawns.¡±


    "Our first servants," the Demi said, walking toward us.


    Tom pressed up against the fence, trying not to look at the creature. Poppy didn''t make a move.


    I wanted to hide, as the terror made my fingers shake. But I couldn''t look away, the longer I stared the more the details engraved on the creature''s armour came to life. There were small red horns poking out, and sharp red tips poked from the end of each digit of the armoured gloves.


    The longer I stared, the harder it became to remember.


    The Demi¡¯s gaze rested on me, and he didn¡¯t look away. The cubes folded back out. This time the sword was grey.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. His voice sent chills down my spine.


    I looked at the others, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a freshie, Lark,¡± Dux said.


    Lark slammed his hand into my throat.


    I screamed. The edges of his gloves bit into my flesh. It burned. I tried to break free. But he held so tight that my head felt like it would pop if did.


    "Who is she?" he asked as if the answer would decide my fate.


    "I don''t know!" Dux said. ¡°Ma-Mandy?"


    "Lexi," Tom said. ¡°She¡¯s innocent!¡±


    Poppy grabbed at the Demi''s legs. He kicked her. She slammed into the fence and crumpled.


    "She is the splitting image of Adrell,¡± Lark said.


    My throat cartilage felt like it would bend and snap. I had no doubt he could break each one of my bones without trying.


    I kicked at Lark. My foot thudded uselessly against the black armour.


    "Please," I tried to say, but my voice didn''t come.


    Poppy screamed and attacked him again.


    An explosion sounded in the distance. The ground shook beneath us. Lark relented his grip.


    My knees thudded against the concrete. Pain shot up my side. I held my throat, coughing in between gasps for air. Everything hurt, from my legs to my ribs, to my face.


    Poppy stood between me and the Demi. That¡¯s when I noticed that her nails had scraped away bits of his armour.


    A second explosion sounded. The street vibrated from the aftershock. Bits of broken concrete bounced across the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Dux said.


    ¡°We need to take her to the Throne,¡± Lark said. "It''s more important than anything else. Even this."


    Dux swallowed. "She really looks like the leader of Heaven?"


    "You think I would lie?" Lark said. "Twins is not a valid measure, duplicates, the living breathing ditto."


    I wiped the tears from the edge of my eyes. ¡°Poppy.¡±


    Poppy turned.


    ¡°Run,¡± I said, as a third explosion rocked the world. "Please run."


    Poppy grabbed my arm and yanked me under the Demi¡¯s legs. I fell forward, knocking my elbow on the concrete. Poppy pulled me through a gap in the fence. I rolled onto a lawn of dead grass.


    ¡°Stop her!¡± Lark screamed.


    But we didn¡¯t look back. Not even when we heard the flapping wings. We just ran.

 4: All of The Fear

    Chapter Four: All of The Fear


    I made it to the end of the lawn before I was sure the Demi would kill me.


    Lark swooped down. I dove out of the way. He hit the dirt with a whoosh of air, denting the soil.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me do this, human.¡±


    I scrambled back. ¡°You were like me, once.¡±


    Lark paused and cocked his head. ¡°Interesting. A reminder of what it feels like to be weak.¡±


    It was hard to imagine that the thing under the armour had been a person once. The Demi walked with power, void of fear. It towered over me. And its strength alone made my body a play toy between its claws. The creature had the blueprint of a God. And yet it wanted something from me.


    ¡°Tell me how you became like Adrell," Lark said.


    I shook my head. ¡°This is just who I am.¡±


    He raised a claw. ¡°The throne will accept you injured. Only if you make me.¡±


    I bumped into a concrete wall. Lark stepped forward. I covered my face with a hand. He screamed.


    Poppy had jumped him. The Demi snatched at her. But she moved fast, dodging his hand, and then sinking her teeth into his neck armour.


    Lark yelled and flung her forward. Poppy flipped through the air, landing in front of me. She hit the dirt on her feet and slid.


    ¡°Little devil,¡± Lark said, touching the blood on his neck. It crusted over his armoured gloves. ¡°A conditional talent. The girl grows stronger with her want to protect you. A peculiar bunch, indeed.¡±


    Dux ran toward us. She dragged Tom by the collar.


    ¡°G-g-g-guys!¡± Switch shouted. ¡°W-w-we''ve g-got company!¡±


    I pushed to my feet, using the concrete foundation as a support. My body shook with adrenaline. It thudded through all the parts of me that hurt as if they had their own pulse.


    Lark and Dux turned to face the street.


    Tag approached in white armour with his black sniper rifle raised. The thorn unit followed behind him. Their guns were locked on us and a few of them had ripped clothing and others holes in their armour. Some of the group were wounded as well. They looked like they had been caught in an explosion.


    ¡°Lark, Dux. Fancy stumbling upon you on this fine day,¡± Tag said, cocking and aiming his gun at Dux.


    Lark drew the cube from his hip into his palm. ¡°You had one job.¡±


    ¡°I followed the plan,¡± Dux said.


    "The girls are conditional."


    "You''re shitting me," Dux said.


    Tag grinned, too busy with his own thoughts to catch the conversation. ¡°Risking a high-level talent so the crew could carry on with their run? Come on, Dux. The moment you were gone I figured it out. Batboy over there baited that Harkon to us.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh. Miran ¡®told you¡¯ about a place we just ¡®had¡¯ to loot, and you didn¡¯t come along. You¡¯re more curious than a damn freshie on spawn day. I should know.¡±


    Dux blushed.


    Tag chuckled. ¡°So who wanted us dead. This chump?¡±


    Lark sighed. ¡°The Thorns have become more focused on staying alive than they are on winning.¡±


    ¡°¡®¡¯Stay alive, blah blah blah¡¯,¡± Tag said, mimicking Lark. ¡°You only got respect after you found that sword. You didn¡¯t earn anything, let alone an opinion.¡±


    Lark sighed. ¡°I never liked you.¡±


    ¡°Formations boys,¡± Tag said, flapping his wings out.


    The crew moved into position, surrounding us. I backed up against the concrete. Poppy pushed her back against my legs, facing the firing squad.


    Tom and Switch stepped up onto the concrete foundation. We were cornered, with Lark and Dux in front.


    ¡°There¡¯s a high-level talent amongst the freshies,¡± Dux said. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Tag.¡±


    ¡°Try fooling me once, it¡¯s fair game,¡± Tag said, aiming down the scope of his sniper. ¡°Try again and the fool in me knowsyou¡¯re full of shit.¡±


    "It was a conditional talent,¡± Dux said. ¡°That¡¯s why we never noticed it.¡±


    Tag shook his head. "This conversation is over."


    We would die. There was no way two dozen guns could go off and we wouldn¡¯t get hit. Poppy swore she would find and kill every one of them as she pressed against my legs. Tom tried to find a way out and ended up on his knees with his hands over his face. Hell had done a number on him.


    Something about death took away the mask we held securely over our face. If you really thought about death, you would see that it was just a moment of pain for a quick escape. And in a world where you would respawn, the unknown factor was taken away.


    Even though I knew this, I still felt afraid. Maybe it was something about pain that kept that fear alive. Then again, it''s also the possibility of ending up alone that terrifies us the most. Sometimes being with people you don''t trust, in Tom''s case, was a stretch better than being by yourself.


    In my case, I had Poppy to stick around for. We were bound together, whether by talent or choice.


    Lark, Dux, and Switch faced the guns. The fear showed in their eyes, yet they stood ready to fight.


    ¡°This is your last chance to surrender,¡± Lark said, extending the cube out. The black blocks stacked, forming a sword.


    ¡°You going to fight thorns with a black weapon?¡± Tag asked.


    ¡°Much like your guns,¡± Lark said.


    Tag grinned. ¡°Not everything is as it seems.¡±


    He scratched the sniper rifle with the sharp tip of his glove. The matte black paint peeled, revealing a white interior.


    Lark cocked his head. The sword broke apart, each square drifted out becoming an individual block in the air, no bigger than the center of a palm. One side of the block was coloured black and the other half was coloured grey.


    Four blocks remained in front of Lark as a shield.


    ¡°Not going to shield the others then?¡± Tag asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m in the killing mood today.¡±


    The drifting cubeshovered out,creating an oval shape around us. Each one rotated, showing its grey side to the crew.


    ¡°Grey Demi, what are the chances,¡± Tag cursed. ¡°Give him hell!¡±


    Gunshots burst to life. The cubes zapped out, one for each man.


    I grabbed Poppy and dove to the ground. Tag burst up into the air. A grey cube zipped after him. His sniper rifle cracked with a shot. The bullet struck Lark¡¯s cube causing an explosion.


    Poppy and I were sent rolling down and across the grass. The cube zipped up and straight through Tag.


    There were thuds of bullets on Lark¡¯s armour. Men let out their final breath as cubes sliced like a hot knife through butter.


    Then everything went quiet.


    Tag slammed into the ground, dead. His rifle and white armour dematerialized instantly. A middle-aged man remained in the basic black pants and t-shirt, with his eyes staring aimlessly at the sky. Then he vanished.


    Duxcollapsed close to us. I stared into her fearful blue eyes as her body faded away. That moment felt like the closest we''d been since I met her.


    Smoke hung in the air. I held Poppy against my chest. She looked up, blinking at the surroundings.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I whispered, not wanting to look.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Poppy said.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is dead.¡±

 5: All of The Blood

    Chapter Five: All of The Blood


    Blood drooled from wounds like spit from gaping mouths.


    Each drop stretched down the sides of clothing and armour sticking to the grass. It painted the brown strands a dark red. The bodies were outlined as red snow angels, only they would not stand back up to admire their art.


    There were cries for help. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore them. The more I told myself that they were killers, the more the voice of reason died down.It¡¯s being struck by the bad driver versus showing up to the crash scene. There are no enemies in death unless the other man tries to drag you down first.


    The players would respawn. When the burning in their chests and the screams of their hearts died down to a whisper. I remembered that feeling all too well.


    Once had been too many times.


    When the Imp spoke about rules, respawning sounded perfect. I didn¡¯t imagine it like this, though. You didn¡¯t just lose the few things you had collected. You lost the little safety that you cultivated amongst the chaos. Even in Hell, living, breathing people were much more valuable than guns.


    Lark had learned that at the price of his power.


    I pushed up onto my side, checking the place where my calve stung. A wound leaked through my trousers. I had taken two bullets in the right leg, and a graze on my left. The left hurt and the right would fester if I didn¡¯t close the wound.


    Each movement made me wince. Pain lanced up the leg. I kept it straight and applied pressure to the wound.


    Poppy moved from body to body, searching for weapons and items. She managed to pocket some scraps of a map, two handguns, and a grey knife before the bodies and items disappeared.


    The fact that items only went away with your corpse, meant dying to allies was different from dying to an enemy. While an enemy received all items, allies had to loot the bodies. If you were smart, you¡¯d finish yourself off given the chance. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Poppy stood over Lark, staring down at the Demi¡¯s chest.


    There were a dozen holes in his torso. Any normal man would have been dead in minutes. And by the look of things, the bullets had shredded right through, opening wounds on his back as well. Lark breathed in and out with shallow gasps. Each breath caused more blood to spill from the holes.


    He turned toward me. I gasped.


    ¡°Old Hell,¡± Lark whispered. ¡°The Throne.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to be part of this.¡±


    And I didn¡¯t. This battle they fought between each other was madness. Hell¡¯s occupants schemed and drew the enemy to carry out their dirty work. Heaven would have an easy time winning the war. They would find their God, while we bickered amongst ourselves.


    ¡°You won¡¯t survive.¡± Lark opened his hand. ¡°Take it.¡±


    The black cube rested on the center of his palm, covered in blood.


    He killed two dozen men in the blink of an eye. Power like that would tempt anyone into doing whatever they wanted. When a life was worth as little as a cube in your palm, you could never realize its true value.


    Despite the way this game was played, our understanding of the world and thoughts as people hadn¡¯t changed. Men could still choose whether to be as twisted as my stepfather. And even if you didn¡¯t make the choice, you could still become affected like the twelve-year-old who changed until the bad stuff became normal.


    I wouldn¡¯t murder for the sake of power. Maybe because I didn¡¯t know if I really had that much killing inside of me. I¡¯d like to think it was so I didn¡¯t become another cog in this wheel of destruction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± I said.


    Lark sucked in. ¡°You want to end this? This madness?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t look at him. Because that¡¯s exactly what I wanted.


    ¡°I can feel it in you,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re like the old angels.¡±


    I stared at the cube. ¡°There¡¯s blood on that weapon.¡±


    ¡°Then do something about it.¡±


    He coughed and blood dotted the metal of his visor. The Demi would die in seconds.


    The cube rolled down his palm and onto the grass.


    I didn¡¯t want it, but I knew I had to take it. Doing nothing wouldn¡¯t change anything. Even if it only meant bearing the burden for now.


    The blood on the cube stuck to my fingers. It shuddered in my hand, and the black and grey surface morphed until the cube became a grey tinted crystal. A small black ball hovered inside of it.


    Lark stared up at the sky. ¡°Beautiful . . .¡±


    His armour sizzled and he disappeared into nothing.


    Poppy watched, her lips pursed. She cradled the handguns, a knife, a knapsack, a ripped piece of fabric, and the pieces of map in her arms.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone now,¡± she said, kneeling by my side.


    I didn¡¯t ask how she knew for sure. Because the blood on the knife told me all I needed to know.

 6: All of The Choices

    Chapter Six: All of The Choices


    Poppy stripped the fabric with her knife.


    I tied the pieces around my calf. Blood soaked into the material and the bleeding slowed down. That didn¡¯t stop the pain. The wound would fester without medicine.


    Poppy placed the pieces of the map together.


    I angled myself toward her, the grey diamond clutched between my fingers. It had become a versatile weapon for Lark, a killing machine. Nothing happened as I held the object. I slipped it into my pants pocket. It felt warm, even through the fabric.


    ¡°They should all fit together,¡± Poppy said, matching the fragments of parchment.


    The little girl¡¯s neck had blood on the side and her tan face was covered in specks of mud. I wet my finger and wiped the mud from her cheeks. She grinned. I flattened out the long wispy bits of her dark hair.


    ¡°You are like Cher,¡± she said.


    I smirked. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°My older sister.¡±


    My eyebrows went up before I could think twice. I hadn¡¯t imagined Poppy as being part of a happy family. Her reactions to other people pointed to someone from a rough past.


    ¡°You must miss her,¡± I said.


    ¡°She left me.¡± Poppy became quiet for a while.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    Poppy avoided my gaze, staring at the map instead.


    It was the first thing she¡¯d told me about the real world. I didn¡¯t want to bring up difficult memories. Hell was hard enough on its own. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°This place is Burn Town,¡± she said, pointing at the west coast. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    The continent split in two halves with a large bridge between the two pieces of land.


    In the bottom left corner of the Continent, a sketched area of streets and burned down houses had the words ¡®Burn Town¡¯ written over the top. The town was outlined by a river labelled ¡®The Dark¡¯. There were several small bridges along this river.


    ¡®Old Hell¡¯ took up the North Part of the continent, but there were no details given as to what was inside this area.


    To the east, what looked like an inferno had been labelled ¡®Fiery fields¡¯. It filled the gap between here and ¡®Gun Town¡¯.


    Gun Town stretched from the north tip of the continent to the south. There were shops, taverns, recruitment areas, and a council building. It also looked like a tram travelled across the town, but the sketch made it difficult to be certain. A note had been attached to Gun Town --¡®Safe area¡¯.


    That sounded like a good place to be. With everyone killing each other out here, it would guarantee at least a little down time for my wounds to heal.


    Right after Gun Town, a Metropolis lined the east coast of the continent until the central bridge. The bridge connected Heaven¡¯s side to Hell.


    This Metropolis area occupied both sides of the bridge and had been labelled ¡®All of The Angels¡¯. There was no description as to what actually happened here. But my best guess, was that it either ended up being a war zone or a negotiation area connecting the two realms. Maybe both.


    The remaining Heaven side of the continent had a big question mark over it, with the sketch of a castle to the furthest East. Either the people who mapped this never made it that far or there was just nothing there. I leaned toward the former.


    ¡°Gun Town could be good,¡± I said.


    Lark had begged us to go to Old Hell. But going off of this map, there was no way to tell what waited for us there. If we didn¡¯t get to safety soon, I¡¯d have bigger problems.


    He had also said that I looked like Heavens leader, a person named Adrell. Maybe he¡¯d made a mistake or we just looked similar. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine. People in the real world looked alike sometimes. I didn¡¯t want to risk another situation like that. The sooner we got off this road, the better.


    Poppy frowned at my wound. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°You aren¡¯t that strong. And, I¡¯m fine to walk.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I am.¡± She put her hands under my shoulders and lifted. But I didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Poppy pouted, flexing her hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuss over me. We¡¯ve got to stay focused.¡± I stood up. Pain lanced through my calve. I squeezed an eye shut against the pain and hobbled forward, gritting my teeth.


    Poppy slung the knapsack with the guns over her shoulder. I waited for her to catch up. She held the map in one hand and wrapped an arm around my waist with the other.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll find some bad guys,¡± she said.


    ¡°You can talk them out of their bad ways.¡±


    Poppy smiled. ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll kill them all.¡±

 7: All of The Memories

    Chapter Seven: All of The Memories


    Wounds become worse before they get better.


    It starts with the moment you are hurt. Then the pain that comes when adrenalin goes away. That is the hard part. And with time the wound begins to heal until the injured area is back to normal but for a scar.


    I''m not sure about the truth of that process. However, the adrenalin had gone and walking brought tears to the edge of each eye. What had started as teeth-gritting pain changed into a throbbing burn that stretched the length of my calve, up into my knee, and down into my tendon.


    There was no option but to walk through Burn Town. And as far as I knew, scavenging houses wouldn''t lead us to medicine. I staked my bets on Gun Town being the only place that could help. Poppy and I pushed on, walking down the long, mottled concrete road toward the border.


    We would pause now and then, listening for signs of life. After the first few tries, it became clear the area had no occupants. That led us to believe that either everyone had died or everyone had gone to the explosion sites. We were long past those areas now.


    Poppy slowed down. I hobbled to a stop, gritting my teeth.


    Ahead of us, the street opened up into a crater. It looked a lot like a meteor had struck the center of the intersection. The houses around the area were flattened and bits of concrete and wood littered the dirt.


    "That¡¯s a big swimming pool," Poppy said.


    I hit her on the arm.


    In truth, it looked a little too well placed. If a creature in this realm harnessed this much power, it could take hundreds if not thousands of lives by itself.


    The concrete in the impact zone had turned a dark grey and black colour. At the bottom of the crater, the ground had a rainbow sheen to it, kind of like when roads are covered in oil.


    "Whatever was swimming here it was big," I said.


    "A God?" Poppy asked.


    I shrugged and guided her around the crater and to the opposite side of the street. We continued on the road, the hole at our backs.


    "Big round hole like that reminds me of golf," I said.


    One of the few times our family had fun was at mini-golf. The eighteenth hole was a big orange crater with the title ''comet'' slapped onto it. We could be a happy bunch when wine and privacy weren¡¯t involved.


    "Golf clubs hurt," Poppy said.


    That''s because they weren''t meant for people. But I didn''t continue on that tangent, instead, I pushed on, walking through the pain.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The houses changed from the flattened state back to the burned down properties with their foundations intact. Some of these houses still had their second stories as well. The concrete looked to be in good condition. And if there was ever a place to stay in Burn Town, this would be a better area than what we''d passed.


    "Your leg," Poppy said.


    A trickle of blood ran down from the wound across my ankle. "It''s going to keep doing that until I can rest it."


    Poppy changed course for a nearby house.


    "We have to get to Gun Town," I said.


    She shook her head. "I''m tired."


    She had barely broken a sweat. On top of that, I wasn''t sure if these bodies needed rest. At least, not in the sleeping sense.


    It felt like the spectrum was pain and not-pain. Tiredness didn¡¯t linger, neither did hunger or thirst like in the real world. I''d become so accustomed to it, that I''d barely noticed the feeling.


    We walked into a two-story home, entering through the lounge. An old set of drawers and a few broken chairs had been left lying around.


    Poppy led us into a hallway with a set of stairs. There was a cupboard near the stairs that still had its wooden sliding doors attached. The top half of the doors had been burned away.


    I slumped down into the cupboard. Poppy sat on the bottom step.


    "We can''t stay long," I said.


    "It''s going to keep bleeding."


    "That doesn''t matter."


    Poppy pulled a grey knife from her pocket and held it to her black t-shirt.


    I reached forward. "Please, don''t."


    She cut along the side of her t-shirt and ripped a piece of fabric away. Then Poppy knelt over my leg and tied the fabric over the wound.


    "You have to take the bullets out.¡±


    It''s funny that she mentioned that because I felt nothing in my leg. They had just caused a wound.


    "I don''t think there are any," I said.


    Poppy frowned.


    ¡°I think they go away when the person dies.¡±


    ¡°This place is strange.¡±


    It would be the same as any other weapon vanishing upon death. It also reduced my chances of infection. Trying to survive without a leg would have been hell.


    Poppy propped my leg up on the stoop. I winced but then settled.


    ¡°Elevate it,¡± she said. ¡°It will heal faster.¡±


    I leaned back against the wall. While I didn¡¯t tell her out loud, I appreciated Poppy''s help. I preferred being the bigger sister. Even if that meant not taking help when I needed it. But here in the privacy of our own company, it wasn¡¯t so bad. I just hoped that I could be as helpful to her. Poppy should be able to count on me, too.


    "Tell me about your, Sister," I said. "I know it didn¡¯t end well. But, you said that I¡¯m like her."


    Poppy twirled the knife in thought. "She used to read me stories sometimes until I fell asleep. Whenever I felt scared or hurt, I would go to her and she made me better. She was like my real Mum."


    "She was important to you.¡±


    Poppy nodded. "This one time, my Mum''s boyfriend made Cher cry. I don''t know what he did. But she wouldn''t let me into her room that night. I went to the lounge and he was sleeping on the couch. That''s when I realized that fighting for other people can make you braver."


    "Did . . . did you do something to him?"


    Poppy stopped twirling the knife. "I did."


    Voices came from somewhere outside the house. Poppy jerked up. I gasped, glancing left and right. We had been too busy talking.


    Poppy pressed a finger to her lips and helped me into the cupboard.


    "Come in here," I whispered.


    She shook her head, eyes filling with fear as if the idea of coming inside the cupboard terrified her. I waved her in. The voices grew louder. Poppy pushed the door shut. I watched through a crack as she ran up the stairs.


    A figure entered the hallway. It held a gun in its grip.

 8: All of The Deals

    Chapter Eight: All of The Deals


    The man with the gun stalked down the hallway.


    He stopped just short of the cupboard, staring at something on the floor. ¡°Looks like fabric from a Freshie¡¯s t-shirt.¡±


    When Poppy cut a piece of her t-shirt, she must have left some strands behind.


    I gripped the diamond in my pocket and sunk further back into the cupboard. If the diamond could be useful, now would be a great time. Anything that would keep me hidden would do. I''m not a fighter, not in the killing sense at least. But something to trick the enemy, a noise somewhere else, or a cube that could chase them away would be great.


    There wasn''t much I ever asked for. But I was desperate. We couldn''t die. Not now.


    The diamond shuddered in my hand, growing warmer. I gripped it tighter, surprised that the weapon had reacted at all.


    Footsteps crunched across the concrete in the lounge. There seemed to be a few of them. Maybe two or three at most.


    I gripped the diamond tighter, hoping it would do something. The weapon melted across my palm, like a warm sludge spreading out. I gasped, pulling my hand out of my pocket. Grey liquid snaked its way across my arm, over my clothing, all the way down to my wound, filling the grooves of flesh.


    The pain made me suck in and grit my teeth. I shut my eyes. The swirling liquid coated the open flesh and then covered both of my boots.


    It rushed up over my face and hair, creating a smooth sheen. When it was done, I was covered in a warm grey shell, and the pain in my leg had disappeared. Somehow I could still breathe, despite a layer of liquid metal over my nose and mouth.


    Silver words appeared in the air as if written in steel by an invisible hand: Talent acquired: Blind Beggar.


    The words changed. Accept this talent¡¯s assistance?


    "Yes," I whispered. The metal skin sunk in place with finality. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The words changed. Done Deal!


    They disappeared into the air.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what those last words meant. But I didn¡¯t have time to consider them. The people in the lounge moved about. It would take them seconds to find me.


    "There are footprints in the dirt," a man said.


    "How many?"


    "The fuck do I look like?"


    "You just said there were footprin-"


    "Doesn''t mean I know how to count the things."


    "You do it then."


    The second pair of feet scuttled away. "It''s easy. You just. . ."


    "You just?"


    There was a long pause.


    "Screw it. Just find whoever they are."


    "Probably freshies."


    "Samson, you stay here."


    "But I want to help you," a young voice said. ¡°Dad always lets me.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°No singing on the way back to HQ then.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± the boy said.


    Footsteps tapped along the concrete. The other two moved around the house. I could hear them kicking drawers and checking potential hiding spots as they walked. A lighter set of footsteps stopped near the stairs. They were in front of the cupboard I had hidden in.


    The person stepped back down the first few steps and inched toward the cupboard. Their shadow crept under the door. I held my breath, heart racing as I prayed for them to turn away. I wasn''t sure what the ''Blind Beggar'' talent could do, but I was sure that I didn''t want to die. If it came to it, I would try and talk my way out or run.


    A hand gripped the cupboard door. The door creaked as it slid back. My chest burned while I refused to breathe out. Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to react.


    The door slammed open. A teenage boy stood with a gun pointed at me.


    I tried to think of something to say. But with the way he looked at me, it was as if he was ready to shoot.


    He couldn''t have been any older than fourteen or fifteen and he wore a set of white armour much like Tag¡¯s had been. This boy didn''t have a pair of angel wings, though.


    "There''s no one down here," he called out, dropping the gun to his side. "I''m checking upstairs."


    "Don''t tell us where you''re going, you idiot. They''re not deaf."


    I breathed out. My heart pounded in my ears. The boy walked upstairs, with no idea that he''d just had a gun trained to my face.


    Blind Beggar either turned me invisible or melded me into my surroundings. Whatever it did, it had just saved my life. I stumbled to my feet. My hands shook, along with my knees. I had to get upstairs and help Poppy.


    I stepped forward, expecting to wince. But no pain shot out from my leg, my body was back to normal, in perfect condition. I checked the hallway for the other two men. They were still roaming around the house. I ran upstairs.

 9: All of The Noise

    Chapter 9: All of The Noise


    I followed the boy, step by step.


    He held a rifle at eye level as he panned the bedroom. The roof and the wall facing the street had been broken down, giving a full view of the street. There was an en-suite, two sets of cupboards, and a working desk in the corner. He paused over each of these items ¡ªinspecting them.


    I stepped past, in search of Poppy. The en-suite had no one in it, neither did either of the cupboards, that''s when I turned to the working desk and saw Poppy pressed flush against its back. She had angled herself side on. That way, it looked like the desk had been shifted off the wall by mistake. No one would take a second glance at the angle.


    "Samson, anything up there?" a man shouted from downstairs.


    "Doesn''t look like it!" the boy, Samson, said.


    He inched into the room, peeking into the en-suite with his back against the wall. As he cleared that part of the bedroom, he let out a long sigh.


    "I hate this shit," he said.


    I grinned and felt a little sorry for the kid. He reminded me of Anthony, the soul that had been the optimist of our group before he went to fight for Heaven. They tried their best for those around them even at their own expense.


    Samson peeked into the cupboard. Poppy looked over the desk and then ducked back down. Samson turned back right after. He didn''t notice her. But his senses were on edge. He gripped the gun tighter.


    Poppy readied the knife in her hand. Samson stepped toward the desk.


    He was going to find her, and after that, there would be killing. I had to help ¡ªand soon.


    The first thing that came to mind was knocking him down. But the other men would hear. I glanced around the room for a distraction.


    "You need me up there?" the man shouted.


    A second man chuckled. "Give the kid a break."


    It clicked. I needed to get Samson back downstairs. The right distraction would draw him away from Poppy.


    I ran to the broken wall. A set of drawers remained below in the lounge area. I knelt to the edge of the wall. Samson stood only footsteps away from Poppy now.


    One option remained.


    I dropped down, landing next to the drawers. I pulled the top drawer out and flung it at the floor. It smashed into the concrete.


    One of the men yelled from near the stairs. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I ran as fast as I could, away from the house and across the dirt. Once I reached the street, I bent over to catch my breath and watched.


    Samson and the men convened at the drawers. Their eyes followed the destruction to the set of footprints leading away in the dirt. One of the men cursed and they ran straight toward me.


    They approached, guns raised and gasping for breath. Samson was the only one with armour. The other two were in normal clothes but had rifles that were just as powerful. They ran straight past.


    "My father is going to kill us for letting them get away," Samson said, as they ran.


    "Tag don''t know what he don''t know," one of the men said.


    They bolted down the street, in the direction they believed the person went. It only took a few seconds until they turned out of sight.


    I walked back to the house. We had made it out, and no one had died.


    "Poppy!" I called from the first floor.


    But the liquid metal swallowed my voice. That spurred me to pull it away from my lips, while I called out again. But still, my voice caught in the metal as if it was a net.


    Footsteps sounded down the stairs. Poppy slung the knapsack of guns over her shoulder with a big grin on her face. She reached the bottom step and looked at the cupboard. But it was empty.


    Poppy frowned.


    "Lexi?" she said.


    I pulled at the metal over my face.


    "Poppy!" I screamed. No noise came out.


    "Talent deactivate!" I said.


    The metal didn''t change. It clung to my skin. I tried to think it away. But still, there was no response. The words that had drifted away came back to me.


    Deal Done!


    That''s when I remembered the fifth rule. ''If you make deals, make sure it''s with the Devil.''


    "Lexi?" Poppy said, more urgently this time.


    I followed her through the house. She checked every cupboard, behind every drawer, then the outside area.


    "Lexi?" she screamed each time, her voice filled with panic.


    That''s when she noticed the footsteps leading away from the house. Poppy counted each set-out. There were four pairs in total. I knew what was going through her mind. She thought I had run ¡ªjust like the men.


    Poppy stared at the prints. "She couldn''t have. They must have . . ."


    She flung the knife in the dirt. It slammed into the ground, handle up.


    I chased after Poppy into the house. We were so close, but I couldn''t talk to her.


    "Remove talent," I said. "Deactivate!"


    Nothing happened.


    Poppy stood in front of the cupboard and covered her face with her hands. I tried to reach out and touch her, but a force repelled me. Poppy slid the doors open and shut as if I''d appear through some kind of magic. She kept opening and slamming shut, harder each time. Eventually, she stopped and stared at the closed door.


    I stood, watching in silence.


    "Those bastards,"Poppy said, running back to the footsteps in the dirt.


    She stopped at the edge of the foundation, fury contorting her features. Poppy curled her fists.


    The clothes on her back started to rip. Her thorns stretched out, twisting and turning as they gave birth to two wings with perfect black feathers. The wings curled over the knapsack and outward like long arms.


    I shouted at her, but no sound made it past the metal. My heart ached.


    "I''m right here," I said. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    But she didn''t hear me, she couldn''t.


    I reached out and wrapped my arms around the little girl. But we were negative magnets trying to touch.


    Poppy kept pressing her fists until the nails made cuts in her palms. A dark substance seeped from the cuts, covering her hands in a thin layer of black armour.


    "Don''t do that," I said.


    She snatched the grey knife from the dirt and adjusted the knapsack into a comfortable position. "They want to play with us."


    I clawed the armour attached to my flesh.


    Poppy flapped her wings out and smiled. "Very well. Let''s play."

 10: All of The Haste

    Chapter Ten: All of The Haste


    Poppy burst up from the ground.


    The air cracked as her wings carried her far above the houses. I stepped forward onto the soil, mouth agape. While it made sense that the large wings would carry a small body with ease, Lark hadn¡¯t been nearly as fast ¡ªand that was with practice.


    Poppy covered the distance we¡¯d walked in seconds. She drifted over Burn Town in search of the men. The large black wings flapped at her back, each one dwarfed her frame. I jogged across the soil. Poppy focused on a particular set of houses.


    She shot down. The air cracked once more.


    The little Devil is a fast learner, a voice said.


    It had come from the sky or somewhere inside of me. The sudden sound along with its abrupt end took me by surprise.


    I looked up. ¡°Who said that?¡±


    When no response came, I blamed my imagination. I sprinted in the direction Poppy had travelled. She flew toward the city border. A maze of streets that would eventually open up to the Fiery Fields. The two men and the boy had run in the same direction.


    I turned down the first street and pushed the body harder. There had to be a way to stop Poppy before she harmed those men or worse killed them.


    It wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d do to them that bothered me the most, though. It was what all this bloodshed would do to her.


    I took another turn, and the street opened up into a split. Neither road looked more promising than the other. Poppy could have gone down either one.


    Left turn, a voice said.


    This time I¡¯d heard it loud and clear.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    No time for chit-chat now, you¡¯ve got a Devil to save.


    I took the left turn. Whatever the voice was, it didn¡¯t sound like it wanted to stop me.


    We can always strike another deal, the voice said. You could stop your friend before she becomes more . . . evil.


    The voice giggled.


    "I''m not falling for that again," I said.


    The street came to an abrupt end and I took the only turn. Poppy stood in the middle of the three men. They had their guns raised, but all of the weapons were black. Poppy held the grey knife in her hand.


    I ran to the group. They were a peculiar bunch. One of the men was especially tall, with a wild look about him. The other had a pudgy frame and wedged his rifle a little too far into his stomach. Samson stood tall and thin with angry green eyes and short brown hair. None of them could see me.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Poppy asked.


    The trio exchanged glances between the grey knife at Poppy¡¯s side and each other.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for new recruits, lass,¡± a man said. ¡°No one has been harmed under our watch.¡±


    ¡°Liar. . .¡± Poppy¡¯s voice was barely more than a whisper and yet the sound seemed to cut the air.


    ¡°This is thorn territory,¡± Samson said. ¡°Anyone that¡¯s the same is a friend.¡±


    ¡°Sounded like you wanted more than a friend back in that house,¡± Poppy said.


    The biggest man of the three balled his fist and scowled at Samson. ¡°So you were hiding in there after all.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Now look,¡± Pudgy said. ¡°We ain¡¯t got bad intentions. This lad¡¯s father didn¡¯t come back so we¡¯re out looking for him . . . and anyone that has information.¡±


    The man glanced at the knife again.


    Poppy gripped the knife harder and flapped her wings. ¡°He¡¯s dead. Where is the woman you were chasing? I will kill you if I have to.¡±


    ¡°You killed my father?¡± Samson¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°You have five seconds to answer me,¡± Poppy said.


    The men exchanged glances.


    ¡°Look, lass, really now, we don-¡°


    ¡°Five.¡± Poppy stepped forward.


    I couldn¡¯t sit back and watch this take place.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal,¡± I said.


    Indeed, you will.


    ¡°Four.¡±


    ¡°What are the specifics?¡±


    Poppy could burst between all three in a moment. I needed to stop her and fast.


    Very well. I will be your sword and wings, instead of your cloak. In return, you will let me taste the flames of the Fiery Fields.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°I will not kill for you,¡± I said.


    The taste of blood bores me. I wish to taste the fire.


    ¡°That¡¯s all then?¡±


    As clear as the flickering flame.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    ¡®Talent acquired: Guardian Angel.¡¯


    ¡®Deal done!¡¯ Appeared in front of me.


    ¡°One.¡±


    I burst forward. The metal on my body reshaped. Wings made of the ancient metal formed from the thorns on my back. A silver longsword solidified in my hand. It felt light, despite its length.


    Poppy pushed off, right as I jetted past. There were two loud cracks as we both zipped through the air.


    I slid to a stop in front of the pudgy man. Poppy flapped her wings and propelled backward with the gust.


    ¡°Lexi?¡± Her eyes went wide.


    The man behind me groaned and thudded down to the floor. The man next to him knelt down. Both of them had paled in our presence.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. ¡°This talent made me silent and invisible. I was behind you, but I couldn¡¯t tell you in any way.¡±


    Poppy dropped the knife and ran forward. I opened my arms. She wrapped hers around me.


    ¡°I thought you left,¡± she said.


    ¡°That will never happen.¡± I angled her chin toward me. ¡°Never.¡±


    The sound of a gun being cocked echoed behind. Everyone turned toward the noise. It was the boy, Samson, holding a black rifle in his hand.


    ¡°You killed my father,¡± he said, his shaking hands rattled the gun.


    I¡¯d noticed that same nervousness in him earlier. And I knew that while he might not be cut out for killing, just like me, being pushed to the edge could change us.


    Show him the sword, it can stop the bullets, the voice said.


    I held Poppy close with one arm and held the sword pointed at Samson with the other. ¡°It was a Demi named Lark that killed Tag, not one of us.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid? A grey knife and a grey sw-¡±


    The longsword''s saber shot forward. It sliced through the gun and into Samson¡¯s chest. The metal retreated. The gun broke apart exposing the white interior. Samson hit the dirt and faded before our eyes.


    Both of the men yelled at the sight. They turned and ran. Neither Poppy or I chased after.


    My pulse raced. I hadn¡¯t activated the sword or known that it had that ability.


    ¡°You¡¯re like me now,¡± Poppy said.


    I stared at the sword. ¡°I . . . I didn¡¯t mean for that to happen.¡±


    We stopped the bullets, the voice said. We saved her.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of fun after a few times,¡± Poppy said.


    I dropped the sword. The metal morphed, snaking up my leg to merge with the wings.


    ¡°I want one of those,¡± Poppy said.


    I knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. ¡°That was a mistake, Poppy. A mistake. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lexi. I¡¯m glad to have you back. I thought they hurt you.¡± Her eyes moved to my leg. A silver scar remained where the wound had been. ¡°But you¡¯re better now, stronger.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I made a deal with this. . . thing. And after I pay my debt at the Fields, I¡¯m getting rid of it.¡±


    ¡°But it just saved our lives.¡±


    I dropped my arms, unsure of what else to tell her.


    Poppy placed her arms on my shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re like real sisters now. With these wings and powers, nothing can stop us.¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand that those things didn¡¯t make us sisters anymore than they made us Gods. We were a pair of murderers, and we had deepened the rift between our own kind to get this far. Chasing power served no one but ourselves.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting rid of it, Poppy.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°You have until the Fiery Fields to think about it. So think. Okay?¡±


    Poppy pushed off from the ground and flew overhead. I looked up at her flying figure and then down at my wings.


    I decided to walk.