How'd That Happen?

Chapter 8

It was too quick for anyone to react. There was smoke everywhere. Lani, Lilith, and Akita had met up with the others. They headed straight to the battle field to find survivors. Thankfully, the three had aimed their grenades well. There were many survivors on their side. There were also many angels who survived the blast, but they were already retreating. Corpses lying everywhere, of both angels and demons. Cedric runs straight for Monica, who miraculously is still alive but weak. "Monica! Monica, talk to me." She mumbles a few words that he can't make out. Cedric removes his shirt, bundling it and pressing it on her rib cage to stop the bleeding. "You!" He points to a small group of demons. Go and search for survivors. And you guys!" He points to a few more scattered around. "If you find them, bring them back and start treating them imminently." He shouts. Akita is already by Cedric's side with medical equipment. Lilith digs the bullet out of Monica, while Lani does the same to the bullet in her leg.

"Maria, you need to go help Monica! Before it's too late." Maria looks at Monica, struggling as Lilith is already stiching up her wound. The gore is already too much to bear, and she has the urge to throw up.

"I... well, I should go look for survivors." And to a shock that Lani shouldn't have, Maria runs in the other direction, joining the search upon hundreds of bodies on the ground.

Angered, Lani finishes stitching her leg and wrapping it. She drags herself over to Monica to help bandage her up as soon as Lilith finishes the stitches in her side.

Cedric puts his head to her chest; thankfully, she's breathing, and her heart is still pumping, but she is still passed out. For a moment, everyone can take a moment to let their adrenaline die down. Everyone, except for Lani, who screams in anger at Maria. "She fucking did it again." Lani raises her fish high and slams it against wood, which jump scares everyone as it's a reminder.

"She promised she would make it up to me; she promised she would help when we needed it. And she just fucking left! Again!" Lani wants to rage, but her own screaming quickly turns into panic. Her hands and legs start shaking uncontrollably, not being able to form words. Lilith is quick to get to her side.

"Lani, breath. This is the worst time to be having a panic attack." It's not the best thing Lilith could have said at that moment, but what else was she supposed to say? With a little encouragement, Lani is able to calm down before it becomes too much.

"Is Monica doing okay?" She asks, trying to distract herself. She is still trying to control her breath.

Cedric, looking nervous, says, For now, yes, but she will need more care soon." Everyone lets out a short breath of relief.

Some soldiers come back with more injured people with them and say, "Quick, we don't have much time." One of them says so, and they all rush to get to work.


Many tireless hours of stitching, stapling, and wrapping later, and everyone they could save is finally back on their feet. Everyone except Monica, whom Cedric is deeply worried about, Feeling overstimulated, Cedric is snapping his fingers in a repetitive movement.

Lani sits next to Cedric for comfort, making sure to leave space. "Are you alright?" She asks empathetically. Cedric tries to talk, but he doesn't have the mental capacity to respond. "I see, your nonverbal right now. Do you want to be left alone?" Lani asks. He moves his head in small, yes movements.


.........

"I'm very worried about Cedric." Lani says this to Lilith as they are trying to fix some tents to sleep in. Quite a few sleeping tents were destroyed in the battle, and so everyone is trying to pitch in and squeeze into any tents they can make with spare parts until they can get proper sleeping tents again.

"Yeah, I get why you're worried. Since the beginning, he's been her right hand."

"He's been getting much too overstimulated, and it's probably not good for his health, both mentally and physically."

"Well, let's be honest, everyone's mental health is shit right now; besides, it will be worse later since no one has had any time to process things. Too much adrenaline to have panic attacks or reflect." Lilith puts up a stick for Lani to put a tarp over it.

"There is an idea I want to pitch to Cedric, but I never find a good time to tell him."

"What's the idea?" Maria shows up behind both of them, pitching into the conversation. Lani, still hurt, decides to ignore Maria. Lilith takes a more aggressive approach.

"It's none of your damn business." Lilith says it harshly, emphasizing her tone.

"Lilith!" Lani tries to correct.

"Geez, what's your problem?" Maria asks back, in dismay.

"What's my problem? What's your problem? Making promises you can't keep and being confused when you break people's trust. Don't think I don't know how you treat Lani. She is the sweetest, kindest, and most honest person you will ever meet, and you have the audacity to lie to her like you do. So yeah, Maria, what is your problem?"

"At least I'm not overprotective and possessive to the point where it's unhealthy." While this isn't completely true, it's what Maria could come up with at the moment.

"Oh yeah? At least I actually love her enough to not lie to her about actual important shit."

"Lilith, that's enough!" Lani steps between them as Lilith growls under her breath.

"Maria, we can talk about this later, but you should go for now."

"But!"

"Go!" Lani snaps back furiously. Once Maria steps away, that's when Lani takes a breath.

"I can't stand how she treats you."

"Lilith, it's not that bad. Who knows, she may have some very good reasons for the promises that we just don't realize."

"That, or she says all the things to make her seem like a good friend in the moment, then later goes back on her word because she's a pussycat."

Lani sighs, "Just...we can figure it out later. It's late, and people are going to bed." Lani and Lilith enter a tent that doesn't seem to be very crowded. Because of the battle, many tens were lost, and so they used the resources they did have to create sleeping spaces. Although there were more people than there was space,.




Lani was asleep, but not fast asleep. She was sleeping well and on alert. It's like, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. She heard quiet noises, noises of gunshots, and bullets flying. The sounds of bombshells and sinners screaming. It takes her back to the day she fled Lilith's home; she heard bombs, and the screams kept getting louder and louder and louder until her eyes flew open with a gasp through her breath and silence. There were no bombs, no screams, and everyone was fast asleep. That is, everyone except for Lilith, who was staring at the ceiling, picking at her nails. "You're still up?" Lani whispers so as not to wake the others.

"Yeah, how is anyone supposed to sleep right now anyway?"

"Yeah, your right. I just had a bad dream. Lani recalls the memories that rush through her head. They make her chest feel heavy.

"I bet everyone in this tent is having the same dream that we had angels, but I promise we're all okay. Armed weapons are ready for us if we need them, and night watch is out tonight."

"But that's the thing, Lilith! No one is okay. We are all traumatized in one way or another. We have all seen things that no one else could even dream of."

"My angel, everyone here has something to fight for. What's yours?" She places her hand gently on Lani's forarm.

Lani thought for a moment, knowing her answer: "I want the demons who are undeserving of damnation to have a better life. Not only that, I want the angels of heaven to experience true freedom without the control of the cruel system; that is why I fight in this war."

Lilith smiles at Lani's answer. "That's a damn good reason, love."

"What about you?"

"Same thing; I want to save demons who don't deserve to be burned. But I also want to help humans; after all, any religious book is still just a book. I want humans to be able to follow their own beliefs instead of blindly following how someone should act with a system. And I don't know if it will help. But maybe such a big change down here will make a small change up there. I think someone should be judged based on their life choices and morals, not by some code with a very slim window, and if they don't fit that standard because they went against someone else, That's what I want changed anyway."

Lani turns away from Lilith to the celling. "We all have different reasons to be here, and they are all valid, but how do we know if we are really on the right side?"

"There really isn't a right or wrong side in war. Some of us fight for freedom. But maybe they fight to protect their home; they may not know our intentions. It's all about balance. The only true enemy is the system itself." Lilith moves her arm to cup Lilith's cheek. "But something I can promise is that as long as we are fighting, I will always fight alongside you."

Lani smiles and slides her face deeper into Lilith's hand. She cups her hand in Lilith's, only to feel a warm wetness from it. "Lilith! Your bleeding." She pulls her hand away quickly.

"No, no, it's alright."

"You've been picking at your nails too much."

"It's nothing serious, I promise you." But Lani is already up to find some spare bandages. There is a small pack under her pillow, along with a cloth that she dips in a bucket of water. "Lani, I promise I'm fine."

"Please, Lilith, let me help you. After everything you've done for me, allow me to help you." As much as Lilith doesn't want to accept the help, she reluctantly puts both her hands out for Lani to treat. "I know you try to hide it, but you've been so anxious about everything."

"Please, Lani, I'm okay," Lilith says, trying to smile. However, Lani isn't buying it. She places a soft kiss on the back of Lilith's hand before continuing to wrap it."

She starts, on the other hand, by putting the cold cloth over Lilith's hand. After a moment of drying, she gently places some bandages over the cuticles of her fingers. Lilith blushes; it's cute to her that Lani is so naturally nurturing and caring towards not only her but others too. The demon looks around to make sure everyone else is asleep before speaking. "T-thank you," she says shyly, shifting her eyes away.

"Of course," Lani says, placing her warm palm on Lilith's red cheek. "My love, we are partners, and as your girlfriend, I'm always here to take care of you whenever you need it." Lani moves closer to Lilith, "no matter the circumstances. All you have to do is say my name, and I'm here whenever you need me."

"It's hard, you know? I've never had anyone I could really rely on. Ever since I was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, Nero was the only one I could trust. But even then, no one has treated me the way you do, and no one makes me feel things like you do. I just... I love you so much, Lani." Lilith pulls her into a large embrace.

"I love you too, Lilith, and I will always love you until the end of time." They share a long, passionate kiss. Lani's fingers are running through Lilith's soft, black, and purple hair. "I will do whatever it takes to make this a free world for the both of us, and that is a promise." She squeezes in that last line before being pulled into one last kiss. "We should get some sleep, love; we have a busy day tomorrow." Lani pulls away gently from the other person's mouth.

"You're the right angel. Mind coming over and sleeping on my mattress," Lilith asks mindfully. In return, the caring, angelic being gives her a big smile.

"I would love that." Lani crawls over to Lilith's mattress, and together they cuddle close, and even though they are sleeping in harsh conditions with other people around, neither of them has ever felt more comfortable.


........

A loud bell can be heard from outside. Lani slowly opens her eyes to the noise and steps out of the tent, along with Lilith and a few others who are starting to wake up. Cedric is out, standing in what used to be the same spot Monica was at before she got shot. "Alright guys, we are trying this again. It's discouraging to hear, but we must stand down. This entire war with heaven is not one we will be able to win. We do not have enough resources and are running out of soldiers."

"Cedric!" Lani calls out. All the attention is turned to her. Eyes everywhere stared at her as if she were the holy grail of solutions. People shuffle out of the way, making a path for her to get through. She steps up on the stage slowly. "There are other gods and goddesses who are part of our world. We can build alliances; ask for their help." Before she could keep speaking, Cedric cut in.

"We cannot bring other gods into our war. We must be able to defend ourselves and hold ourselves off while simultaneously helping those who should have the choice of what to do."

"But why can't we? Tell me?" Lani turns her attention from Cedric to the crowd once again: "We can't expect to help people and then not ask for help ourselves. How can we free the damned without putting our pride aside for just a moment? We can't! We go against what we are permeating, what we are fighting for! You have to ask yourself how far you are willing to go and how much you are willing to put aside. If you don't want to fight in this war, you are under no obligation to do so. But no one can sit here and order someone to stop because we are not willing to ask for help. Tell me! Do you want to fight?" The crowd roars and cheers with excitement and passion. "Who is willing to die for what you stand for?" The screams grow louder. "We have absolutely fought together, died together, and survived together. Everyone here has a connection to everyone else that no one in this universe will understand. The comrades we have lost, the laughs and cries we have shared! We will not let all of it be in vain. So, who is willing to take a stand against those who have wronged you? Show them we are not weak, and we are stronger together! We will never give up! They take our freedom; they can take our souls and control. But they will never take our passionate flame to fight for what we believe in!" The crowd cheers and screams; you could feel the motivation rising in each and every one of them.

"Everyone please!" Cedric tries to shout over the crowd, trying to get their attention. "Monica has made our final choice for all of us, and she's not even here to approve this. There is no guarantee that the other gods will agree to help us. While I appreciate everyone's inthusiasm, we cannot change our minds without her here." There is a quiet chatter of disappearance, and for a moment, Lani's face drops. That is, until Cedric sees Akita raise their hand from his present vision. When Cedric gives a motion for Akita to walk up, they do.

"I would like to start off by saying that as an assistant general. I fully support Lani's decision and back it up completely." Cedric raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Second," they sign again before turning to Cedric, "as general assistants, it is described as our job to make and amend choices on our generals behalf if they do not have the capacity to do so. It's in the rules that we helped create, remember?" Akita signs to Cedric with a smile. "You know you want to do this, Cedric, even if you know Monica won't like it. But she can't be here to say otherwise, and I think we have a chance! Please?" By this point, Akita is practically making puppy eyes at Cedric, and he just couldn't resist.

With a deep sigh and a smile, he signs and says, "Alright, as of today, we now have a new plan to continue fighting and work to recruit any gods or goddesses who are willing to help us." With those final signals, the crowd cheers once again.

Lani's runs into Lilith's arms with tears of happiness, giving her a large and loving hug and kiss. "We did it, Lilith!"

"No, angel, you did. This was your movement that you took action on, and for that, I couldn't be more proud." She knew Lani could do it, and as much as she hates to admit it, Lani taught her almost as many things as she taught Lani. And she couldn't be more grateful for the being with the beautiful feathered wings, who was able to push herself forward and grow as a being.

"Ya know, Monica won't be happy about this," Cedric signs to Akita, half jokingly.

"We will figure it out with her; we always do, like Lani said, together." They reach out and grip his hand tight. The two smile, a small shade of pink coating their faces, and they go to celebrate with the rest of the crowd.



..........

Hours later, everyone is still cheering and laughing. Of course, they are all devastated by the lives lost in this war, but Lani has turned this around; she has given them new hope. I hope that they can fight and win. And Maria couldn't be more proud. She runs up to Lani with pride and excitement, wanting to say how amazing her best friend is. "Lani! You did an amazing job!" But Lani doesn't meet her gaze; she only averts her eyes in betrayal. Maria slows down in front of her. "Lani?" Her face turned to a frown.

"You lied again." She's right, and her face says it all. "You always do this. Why? Do you have any idea how much it hurts me? I can't count on you, my best friend. I've always been there for you, and you say everything that gives me hope. But it's all shattered the moment there is action." The two are on the verge of tears. Lani is already trying to walk away, but Maria grabs her wrist, keeping her from leaving.

"Please Lani I'm sorry."

"Maria, let go..."

"No! I'm not perfect, but I want to be better. I don't know why I back out of what I say, but I truly mean it when I say I'm trying to get better."

"Maria.."

"Please, Lani, I love you. I don't know how to show it, but I do! You were promised to me, and I want to make it up to you, as you are the one I was supposed to end up with!" Please! I-" A stinging, hard slap hits Maria's hand, causing her to let go. Her hand was a bright red shade with a lingering burn.

"You better not touch her like that again. If she doesn't want to talk to you, that's her choice. And you certainly don't get to keep her and say she was "promised" like an object. If I catch you doing this again, I swear I will rip your hand off and shove it up your ass. Do I make myself crystal clear?" Lilith's eyes burn with fury. Maria can tell a demon as powerful as she is more than willing to go through with that promise, no matter how many times Maria backs out of hers.

"Yes," Maria responds, tears streaming down her face from the regret. She didn't mean to say it like that. So why did she? A million thoughts ran through her head, questioning what forced her to make that move, especially when she knew they were not in a promised land anymore and her future with Lani was anything but secured.

"You're selfish, ya know. You always have been, and as much as I care about you, I can't take this from you anymore. I wouldn't even be mad if you said you genuinely didn't want to. But you had to go and give me false hope when you knew you were never going to follow through with what you said." Lani finishes as Lilith puts her hand on Lani's shoulder, which just burns Maria even more. Now that she's on the ground crying, Lani is overflowing with guilt, almost wanting to lift her up and take back everything she said. Before she bends down to Maria's level, Lilith keeps her from doing so. After some encouragement, she decides to leave. Just as the two are walking away,.

Just before the two of them are about to enter their tent, Cedric catches them just in time. "Lani! There you are! Come on! Monica woke up. She and Akita are waiting for you to discuss the next plans."

"Me, really?" She looks surprised, but not in a bad way. In fact, she is honored that they are including her in the new plans. "Come on, Lilith!" She exclaims in delight. But Lilith doesn't move; with a smile, she draws Lani in closer to her.

"Angel, you have been doing so much and have grown. You're climbing up the latter, and I want to watch you thrive. But you can do this next part by yourself.

She stares at Lilith for just a moment. "You have been with me all the way; you were their guide through the time I've been out of heaven." Lilith pulls her in for a soft but firm kiss.
"I understand that, love, but it's time for you to move up on your own. I'm here to support you, but like a butterfly, you need to emerge from your chrysalis and take flight."

"Lani smiles with a pink blush covering her face. Lilith is right, and she knows that. So just after one more kiss, she takes a step, then another, and follows Cedric into a separate tent, where she assumes both Akita and Monica await her.


She's sitting crisscross with Akita on her left, Cedric on her right, and Monica directly across from her with a map spread out in the middle. Akita has a notepad and a pen with her, ready to write anything they need. There is an uncomfortable silence in the air, with Monica's deadly eyes glaring right at her. "So." She starts. "Instead of following my instructions, you give a whole damn speech about not giving up without even waiting for me to wake up."

"It's good to know you're feeling better," Lani mumbles under her breath.

"Don't you dare give me any sarcastic bullshit. You took advantage of the fact that I wasn't awake and got everyone riled up to keep going when we couldn't!" As much as Lani wanted to retaliate, all she could do was cower under the wrath queen's glare. She leans back a little with a large sigh. "However, you had a great idea; I'll give you that. Nero and Akita filled me in, which is why you're in here now. Instead of being stranded in the middle of hell, Don't mistake this for kindness. But if we have a genuine chance at winning, then I will take it." Monica states that she is trying to keep herself from smiling. Of course, Lani notices and gives herself a genuine smile. "So tell me, who do you think we can go to to ask for aid?"

Lani sits up a little straighter this time. Finally, I was able to speak. "I believe some of our most obvious choices would be Athena and Demeter."

"Why?" Monica replies sternly, wanting to make sure Lani knows exactly what she is talking about when jumping into this.

She pauses for a moment before responding. "Well, Demeter is the goddess of harvest. She could provide us with food that will strengthen us. To many, she is seen as Mother Nature; she may have a way to manipulate the plants in the ground. In that case, we would have the living plants of the earth on our side. Zeus is the god of the sky. We would have a huge advantage over the warrior angels if we got him on our side.

"Mhm," Monica replies with an unreadable expression, which intimidates Lani.

"And Athena is the goddess of war and strategy. She would be our most valuable ally, giving us pointers, training us better, and supplying us with high-quality weapons."

"Are you saying the weapons and training we have are not good enough?" Monica raises her voice and clenches her fist.

"Well, we don't exactly have enough; these weapons could last us longer."

"And what do we do when they say no?" She asks in the same harsh tone.

"If they say no......then I don't know." Monica slams her fist, giving her a loud thud. "

"You don't know? Do you think the enemy is going to care when we tell them we have no idea what to do next? Bullshit!"

Lani is on the verge of tears, blinking them back, afraid that if she rubs her eyes, it will show Monica just how hurt she is. Monica gets up from her spot, walks over to Lani, and circles her in slow movements. "When you were in heaven, you thought you knew everything, didn't you?"

"No! I-"

"Don't you fucking dare interrupt me!"

"Monica! Calm down," Cedric cuts in, but she does nothing to acknowledge him. All she does is put her palm on his face."

"And when you escaped heaven and Lilith found you, you thought you had learned everything about the world. But you don't know shit. You have no idea the kind of bloodshed I've seen. You never really know the true impact your choice will make until you see the blood of your best friends spilling through the ground as they vcry for their mother while their guts spill from their bodies. You know nothing." She raises her hand high in the air over Lani's head, ready to swing with all her force. Akita is just ready to grab Monica's hand before it makes contact, but before they can reach her hand, Lani gets to it first.

Using her left hand to protect her head and her right hand gripping tightly on the fallen angel's wrist, she cut off the blood circulation.

"I know that I don't know everything. But I want to learn and expand my knowledge in this universe." She jerks her hand out of the angel's grip and promptly sits back down. "But you, of all people, have to realize just how important it is to keep fighting. To ensure their deaths were not in vain! They are all still here fighting beside us; the energy that resides in the air, Monica, that's all them. How can we give up when they are here watching us? Guiding our choices. We can't! That's why we need to ask for help." There is a long silence. Lani sees Monica smile. She stands from her spot, lifting her hand once again, but not in a form of violence. She stretches her hand for Lani to take.

She gladly does as she lifts herself from the ground. Cedric and Akita are doing the same. "I don't know which makes me more proud," she starts again, "the fact that you have the strength to keep going, even when your captain believes all hope is lost. Or that you had the audacity to fight back against me. Not many people are brave enough to fight back against that abuse. I'm proud of you, Lani." She puts her hand on Lani's shoulder. "Grab your crew. You leave at sunrise tomorrow for Mount Olympus. Do not fuck this up, Lani." She gives a non-audible gulp but ultimately nods her head yes.

Her heart is beating once she gets out of the tent. Lilith is right there to congratulate her. "How'd it go, angel?" Lani runs up and exclaims as she bounces into Lilith's arms. She lifts Lani into the air and spins her as if they were in a cheesy romance book.

"I did it!"

"I knew you could, angel! I'm so proud of you!" Words that Lani has always wanted to hear from someone. The words that she has worked so hard to hear. She finally gets to hear them and is proud of it. But, not from what she thought, no. She always thought she would hear them from her father. But Lilith saying them feels so much more genuine and sweet than any praise she could ever get from any of the arch angels.

"Grab Nero, Cedric, Akita, and Maria. We leave at first light tomorrow."

" Lilith smiles and says, "I would expect nothing less from you, angel." She leans in and plants a soft kiss on her demonic lover's lips. So gentle, like a feather. Yet it has the meaning of so much love.


They hear some mumbling in the tent, and Monica rushes out, with Cedric and Akita following after her. "Hey, are you alright?" Akita signs.

"Yeah, I'm alright, just startled." They nod in good fortune before they keep going.

"What did they mean?" Lilith raises an eyebrow.

"Well, Monica wasn't exactly the kindest during the conference." She replies with a shy laugh, looking towards the wrath queen.

"What the fuck did she do?"