SUNNYVALE

(84) FIGHTING WHILE THE SKY IS FALLING

Crystal woke up this morning knowing that something was off. 

When she did not feel Shelina next to her on the bed they had been sharing those past few days, she immediately panics: indeed, if the blonde had the weight of the world on her shoulders (being God's daughter and heir was one thing, but needing to kill her own mother in order to be ruler of the universe was really another level of crazy) and was freaking out internally, obviously not showing it to the world. 

Crystal soon realises that The Circle is empty - apart from Kristie recovering with Nichelle's help, who had been nothing but kind and helping those past few days, as well as Tierna and Sam playing cards in the main room - and this just make her feel even more creeped out. The lightning outside was a bit reddish, and when she walks outside, she soon realises her fears were reality: the dome was cracking up slowly, as if Shelina was not there to keep it strong and hard. 

Suddenly, Crystal spots someone across from the road - or, rather, a handful people, with one of them having a familiar face: Pernille was there, with another girl (Kadi, obviously) and someone she had never seen before. Calling for the others to join her, Crystal just waits as the few girls would cross the road. 

When Pernille is only two steps away from Crystal, Nichelle walks out of the house, followed by Sam, Tierna and Kristie (who was in a rather bad shape).

Pernille has an evil smirk when she sees her fellow angel friend, before letting out:

"You know what fate the Goddess reserves for traitors, sister"

Frowning, Nichelle just takes a step forward and declares:

"You know better than I do that all we went through as children was not okay - hell! we're products that were created to serve a Goddess that shows no mercy and thinks about her only, how can you still be on her side?"

"Oh, you mean, rather than on the side of a total stranger who is literally the bastard of the Goddess and a stupid human?" Kadi spits out, visibly angry at her former friend (or 'sister' as they say)

Nichelle seems hurt by those statements, but she doesn't say anything back. Rather, it is Crystal who advances and says:

"This bastard, as you call her, is the brightest mind, the kindest heart and the most powerful individual ever walking the Earth - I mean, she had to be confined in the depths of Hell by Satan so that she wouldn't overthrow the established order, that's gotta be a testimony about how freakin' powerful she is."

"Uh" a third girl lets out, quite amused, "so this is the medium everybody's talking about? The one that can read right through your past?"

"Yes" Crystal lets out, staring straight at the blonde girl with deep and intense brown eyes facing her, "I know all about the torture you guys endured, and I know all about your 'Goddess' - deep down you know this isn't right."

The blonde bursts into laughter again.

"Jordan..." Nichelle starts.

"No, no, let the Medium speak - this is fucking hilarious!" the angel named Jordan (Nobbs) interrupts her, "Now she's gonna tell me all about how the system is fucked up and that the demons in Hell are victims... I mean, you know nothing, 'cause you're only known this stupid planet you call Earth."

Yet another of the angels in front of Crystal and her friends - the last one of the four - starts looking around nervously.

She then makes a quick sign, as Pernille and Kadi just look at each other.

Then, a flapping of wings occur, and soon Mapi and Ingrid just land in between their fellow angels and their new friends, overprotective.

"Great, even more traitors" Pernille comments, annoyed.

"Well, I never liked you anyway, Per" Mapi spits out, before her eyes turn red.

Before anyone can say anything, the two angels jump (or rather, fly) at each other's throat, starting to fight in the air, while Ingrid also deploys her wings, but rather to protect her friends from the three others who were walking toward her. Nichelle steps up as well, her wings also serving as shield, while Tierna just closes her eyes.

Soon, the vegetation around them starts moving, and when Mapi is propelled away from Pernille and breaks one of the walls of The Circle in the process, trees and roots immediately surround the flying angel, causing her to fall on the ground accompanied with the vegetation, that start strangling her but not too much - so that she'd be kept alive. Quite immediately, Jordan and Kadi get their wings out in sync and immediately attack Tierna. While Sam gets in the way and receives the blow in her lover's place, Kristie's eyes suddenly become even more blue, almost like if they were white but glowing in the dark in plain daylight.

A groan comes out of her body, and when her wings deploy for the first time, everybody stop breathing: they were as black as the night, and their extremities were as cutting as knives: her teeth had grown into sharp weapons as well, as she elevates herself from the ground, shadows following immediately. Nichelle's eyes go wide, as Ingrid, instead of attacking Pernille and the others, immediately attack Kristie.

"Ingrid, what the hell-" Crystal starts, but it is too late.

She soon understands why she attacked Kristie: the latter had just lost her mind, and when she grabs Ingrid's neck with both her hands, her sharp wings go through Ingrid's body, who drops on the ground, not dead yet. Mapi, who had witnessed the scene from afar, powerfully yells as her best friend was down, and she and Nichelle immediately try to counter attack, but Kristie just turned into a shadow and disappeared. 

In the meantime, Pernille escaped from the plants and watched, in awe, commenting:

"You fools... You created the Angel of Death..."

With that said, she and her friends just fly away, scared to death.

Crystal turns toward Mapi, who was now on the ground alongside Nichelle, trying to contain Ingrid's bleeding with their powers. 

When the blonde looks up, terrified, Crystal doesn't have to ask for the Spanish to respond to her confused eyes:

"Kristie has just lost her soul - she traditionally is said to be a servant of Satan, but I think we just set her free..."

"No, Kristie..." Sam bursts into tears, on her knees.

"... and where the Angel of Death goes, death does indeed follow" Nichelle finishes Mapi's sentence.

Not very far from them, however, was a sudden and loud noise, as the dome breaks into pieces all at once, piece as cutting as glass falling on the ground - thankfully, the group of friends and angels managed to protect themselves, which wasn't the case of everybody.

Tobin, a few blocks away, had just been hit by a peak as big as her, spiking her head, leaving her no chance...

And, landing Westside High's roof, were the Goddess and her evil wife, as well as a bunch of thirsty angels only waiting to kill everybody in Sunnyvale...

This is when the final countdown has begun.