Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Axl Rose)

1: Locked Out

My wings dragged behind me while I walked across the soft ground of Heaven barefoot. I loved it here, after all, it is Heaven. The gentle sounds of harps and waterfalls filled the air, and the voice of God could be heard all around. Here, everyone was rejoicing and filled with love. My long, curly hair was braided back, the edge of the braid touching the collar of my white dress, which had a skirt that reached my ankles.

But I should take a last good look at this place. I'm going to visit Earth for a little while tomorrow. I'd been sent on a mission to save the soul of some rebel kid named Axl Rose. It was my first journey to Earth, and I was excited. I'd been told countless stories of the place, and it sounded pretty interesting. Not in a good way, of course. But sometimes, the thought of sin did seem a little bit tempting.

I was great at resistance though, so Axl can't try to seduce me, and the Devil will not get the best of me during my time there. I approached the gates of Heaven, looking out into the sky. A hand is on my shoulder, that of my best friend. "Lucy," She said. "I've been looking for you."

"I'm not hard to find, Anna," I replied, laughing a little. 

"I'm going to miss you when you go to Earth." Her fingers ran across the edge of my wings. "And you're going to miss these."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't heard? You don't get to take your wings to Earth with you. The humans get suspicious. They can't know that you're an angel. Your wings are a dead giveaway."

I thought for a long moment. "I guess you're right. I'll have to get used to being a lot lighter when I'm on Earth. Do you think I'll be top heavy without wings to hold me down?"

Anna laughed. "You'll be just fine. No one's ever fallen without them, at least not that I'm aware of." Her dark skin glowed in the sunlight, making her look even more heavenly.  

"I'm holding you to that."

"When have I ever lied to you?" It was true. We've never sinned, so we've never told each other a lie. In response, I laughed. She joined in.

Later that night, I walked up to the gates of Heaven again. This time, there was no one else here with me. Not Anna, not God. It was just me. I pushed against one of the golden-rodded doors, and it opened up, just a little. Curious, I walked through it, and with it, my wings disappeared. I felt a little awkward without dragging them behind me, but it was a nice sort-of relief I didn't know that I needed. After the gates was a stairway. I would guess that would be the stairway to Heaven. I walked down the marble steps, only the first four, and then looked back. The gates were still cracked, left untouched except for what I'd touched. I looked over the stairway, able to see lights from Earth.

But the marble steps were slick, so my foot slipped, and I went falling, headfirst, down onto Earth. I screamed the whole way down, not knowing where I was going to fall. I wasn't supposed to go there yet! I wasn't ready!

I fell and fell until I could see something, I could see lots and lots of lights. Several people spoke to each other, each dressed more ridiculously than the last. The walked while the spoke, crass language filling my ears. Until finally, my bird's eye view became more of a landside view, and I fell into some man's arms.

I looked up at him, and he looked down at me. I recognized him immediately from all of the glimpses I'd gotten to see when I was preparing for my mission. The man who caught me was none other than Axl Rose.

"Where'd you come from?" He asked, looking up at the sky to see if it was raining more angels. "I didn't know it could rain chicks." I moved out of his grip, not understanding what he'd said. What on Earth was a 'chick?' His lip quirked up a little bit. "What's a pretty girl like you doin' out here so late?" 

I was warned about several different things in Heaven, but the number one thing to watch out for are the words 'pretty girl like you' in that order, specifically. "I got lost," I explained. This isn't a lie, so I haven't already succumbed to sin.

"I'll say. With that white dress in a dark alleyway. You could get hurt, if you're not careful."

I'd never felt pain in my life, it didn't exist in Heaven. I had no desire to learn the color of my blood or what the sensation that so many souls told me was the most dreaded thing they'd ever experienced. "How do I know that you won't hurt me?" 

Axl chuckled. "You're smart. But I won't hurt you. I don't have anything against you." 

I looked around my person. "Why would you hold something against me?" I touched my arms. 

"Not-" he stopped himself. "Where are you from?" 

"Heaven." I couldn't tell a lie. 

He snorted. "Alright, Angel-face. Cough up those drugs." 

"I'm not using any drugs." 

"Then you're wasted." He sniffed close to my mouth, but looked surprised. "You haven't been drinking?" I shook my head. "What's your name?" He asked. 

"I'm Lucy." 

"Yeah? I'm Axl." 

I bit my tongue, not saying 'I know.' "It's nice to meet you." 

He gave me an odd look, then shook his head. "Do you need me to help you get home?" I looked up at the sky, which is where 'home' technically was. Do I need his help? No. Do I need someone's help to get back up there? Most definitely. 

So how do I respond without it being a lie? "I've forgotten how to get home. Could I stay with you for the night?"

"I think that's a really bad idea, darlin'," He replied. "You ain't gonna find Heaven with a rock star."

"I've already found it."

Axl snorts again. "I'm sure you have. But I could buy you a drink while you wait for someone to come find you."

I wanted to tell him that no one's going to be out looking for me until the morning, and even then they wouldn't be able to take me back, but I resisted the urge. "I could use something to quench my thirst."

He gave me that odd look again, taking my hand and leading me to a place which I did not expect to go to so soon. A melting pot of sin. Possibly the worst place to take someone like me. A bar.