God's Gone AWOL

[9] A Moment of Sanctuary

The wildfire of mayhem was spreading rapidly.

Bombs were still raining down from the sky, colliding with the earth at random intervals and annihilating anything they came in contact with. The city had become washed by a furious sea of red and orange, the tidal waves of fire crashing over rooftops and flooding between the streets and alleys. Like the modern Christian Hellfire or a scene out of The Book of Revelation, it was all just so... horrible. It was a perfect example of humanity's obsessive, destructive nature.

But in the air, everything was finally quiet. Those seemingly never-ending waxing and waning syrens had been cut off, replaced only by the chilling echo of the constant explosions. There were no shouts or screams from the people below, and even the wails of the emergency vehicles had gone quiet. Now there was just the horrible silence —the tense moments of nothingness immediately followed by the thundering drumbeat of death.

Amidst the burning rubble, there was plenty of action on the ground, although not much of it was human action. While the mortals were all hiding in their shelters and underground train stations, angels and demons were up on the surface, waltzing among the wretched inferno. Flashes of white spells shot left and right, highlighting the rectangular gridline of London's endless streets. Damaris' grip on Bentley's hand never once faltered as they pulled her ever onwards. The group of angels stalked after like a pack of wolves on the hunt, always following just a few steps behind. The cluster of demons, led by Xander, also followed closely. Blood had blurred every entity's vision, blinding them to anything except for acts of violence.

A constant stream of attacking spells fired off between the three parties. Demons attacked the angels. Those at the rear of the pack shot spells back at the demons while those at the front tried to attack Bentley. Damaris would counter the spell, and fire off a spell in return. The barrage was as constant as the bombing overhead, and nobody was getting anywhere in their attacks. Xander's team of demons lost a member somehow, and three of the angels were gradually knocked down. Whether they were killed properly or just separated from the rest of the group, it did not matter. The air of fury was too strong, and the chase had to continue no matter what the cost.

And it continued like this for almost an hour. Beneath the stinging smoke and singeing heat, the crumbled debris of thousands of everyday lives and the blackened, ash-filled sky, everyone was gradually starting to feel the weight of the disaster. But despite the burning in their lungs, their bruised and bloodied bodies, the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion, none of them could back down at a time like this. Everything had already escalated to this point. So they would press onwards until their own definition of victory had been achieved.

This was the mentality of both the pursuing angels and demons, but it was not the mentality of Bentley Hellbourne. After some time, she decided that really could not stand the hot pursuit. No matter how fast they ran and no matter how unpredictable they made their movements, the pair of them just would not be able to shake the angels this time. So in a final act of desperation, Bentley raised a hand and suddenly an entire city block exploded at her will, flooding the streets with bricks, wood, glass, and dust so thick that not even an angel could break through it.

Under the cover of the explosion, Bentley dragged Damaris somewhere sheltered and out of sight. Both were looking very worn. Ash, grime, and blood was sprayed across both sets of divine features. Their clothes were torn, and their breaths were equally as ragged. Neither looked at all like humanity's holy depictions of angels and demons. Instead, the pair better resembled a pair of wild animals, crouched in a corner, hidden away for just a moment of restless quiet.

"Damaris," Bentley said seriously, "Thank you, but that is enough. Leave now before I ruin your reputation even more,"

"My reputation can die. You cannot," Damaris replied.