We ran as fast as we could down the hallway that Abbadon and Giana had dragged Arashi and me through earlier. I could feel the demons chasing us, just like they had in my nightmares for months. Part of me wished this was just a nightmare and that I would wake up safe and sound in my bed. But this time it wasn't just a nightmare. And we were either going to get caught and spend eternity trapped in Hell or we were going to get out of here.
It was slow-going because Izzy was injured, but we were making it to the door. I had to think of a way to get out of here entirely, not just out of this dimension. I focused my attention on creating a portal to the area where I'd left my bike before entering the first dimension. I thought of nothing else, trying to ignore the demons cackling behind us and gaining ground.
The portal materialized and I could see sunlight on the other side. I picked up my speed, practically dragging Izzy with me. Arashi was right on my heels as we neared the portal...
My feet landed on hard ground and I could feel the warmth of the sunlight on my face. We'd made it. I heard Arashi yelp as he hit the ground beside me, shielding his eyes. I closed the portal quickly and just sat there with Izzy in my arms, breathing heavily. We'd made it out alive. All three of us. Izzy was banged up and bruised, crying against my chest, but I had her back and she was alive. I held her tight against me, stroking her hair gently. "I'm sorry I got you into this," I said. "It's my fault."
Izzy pulled herself away from me, her eyes red and puffy from crying, but focused on my face. "He was going to kill me to get to you. My life was on the line. I was there for weeks and..."
"You were only gone for half a day when I came to get you. In fact, I'm pretty sure the both of us have only been missing for about three days tops. Time moves differently in Hell."
"Michael? The angel dude with the huge wings and the sword? He's your..?"
"My real dad, yeah. I'm going to have to have a talk with my mom about that. I have a lot of questions for her."
Izzy was silent for a moment. Then she said very quietly, "You risked your own life to come after me." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact. "You could've died, and yet you still came after me."
"I couldn't leave you there."
"Why? Why did you risk your own life to save mine?"
I looked her dead in the eyes. "Because I love you," I said. Then I kissed her.
A portal opened in front of us, and Michael stepped out. His wings disappeared and he stood before us in the guise of a normal human being. "Lucifer has been thwarted this time. His demon army is depleted for now. He won't come after you, Izzy, or Arashi."
"What makes you think he'll keep his word?" I asked.
"He will. Otherwise he'll lose something more than that army of his," Michael stated. He turned to Arashi. "If I get one word that you're attacking human beings in this world, I will ship you back to the first dimension of Hell myself, demon. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," Arashi stated. He'd pulled the fox-demon guise back in and stood before us dressed almost identically to how I had been dressed that first morning when I'd arrived in Hell.
Michael turned back to me. "Good work, Lochlan," he said, smiling. He ruffled my hair, which kind of annoyed me. "I'm proud to say you're my son." He glanced upward toward the sky. "Well, I'm being summoned. I must go. Take care of yourself," he said.
"I will," I said.
And like that, he was gone.
I turned to Izzy and Arashi. I wrapped my arm around Izzy's shoulders. "Let's go home," I said. Arashi grabbed the bike I had abandoned a few days ago, and together the three of us headed back home.
