Purged

Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

-The Present-

     The girl bids her friends goodbye, still red from the party. She shrugs on a hoodie and steps away from the lit porch, turning back to wave as she walked down the driveway. Still smiling from something one of her friends had said, she draws further away from the house and sets off for her own. Alone.

     My instincts have me itching to follow her. I’m still strong, flushed with energy from preventing a child from falling to her death and another from rape. I can do this.

     My wings rustle softly as I spread them and gently fall to the ground, having jumped from my tree. I keep myself concealed, preventing the energy from leaking out and revealing my form to any onlookers.

     This girl is ignorant, I can tell. She walks calmly into the darkness alone, wearing skimpy clothing and no noticeable weapon. The malevolence is so thick in the air, I feel as if I could reach out and choke it.

I run to catch up with the girl, settling into a comfortable pace next to her. I keep my wings unfurled, relaxed, and my breathing calm.

She turns around and looks at me, but more like through me. An unfocused, glazed look. She narrows her eyes and shakes her head, looking back ahead. I smile slightly. Ignorance. So beautiful.

I can still feel the malevolence, sneaking little tendrils forward, recoiling when they touch me. Weak Fallen, strong Angel.

The girl continues her little journey, completely unaware of me, though perhaps not of the calm. She rarely looks behind her or around her, keeps her eyes fixed in front. She only looks around when I shake my wings and curve one behind her, though she doesn’t look panicked. Merely bemused.

I studied her as we walked. Skinny. About my age. Brown hair and freckles. Someone who had a happy life.

I don’t grudge her. I couldn’t.

I merely protect her from what happened to me.

The moon is hidden tonight by clouds. I can see the trees, skeletal branches fringed with brown leaves, bordering the street. Beyond them, dark windows and closed doors mark the rest of the neighborhood. A typical suburb.

I tuck my wings in, slight jolts of dread shaking me. I keep calm though; the Fallen I have dealt with, the demons locked in Hell.

After a while, the darkness seems to press in closer to me and the girl, penetrating the serenity. A car rolls over from behind a corner and lazily creeps toward us, the windows rolled down. The girl stops and wrings her hands, obvious alarm in her eyes.

Someone leans out of the driver’s seat, a thickset man with a predatory gaze. I step between the car and the girl, ready to intervene.

“How much for a night?” The man drawls, bringing the car to a stop. The girl looks away from him and continues walking. Her shoulders are rigid, her back curled over.

The man, irritated, opens the door.

“I said, how much, bitch?” He growls, advancing towards her. I stand between them, but my attention is elsewhere.

It’s silent. Absolutely silent but for the man and girl. The air feels oppressive, digging at my senses. It seems…

Deadly.

“I’m not a prostitute,” The girl whispers.

“Eh?”

There’s a Fallen around her. A powerful one. I clench my fists, looking wildly around me. Where…?