Vespers (Fields of the Nephilim: Interlude)

Chapter 18

It’s been nights and days I had stayed with Lune. He didn’t bother telling me about Gehenna anymore. He was always by my side though oftentimes his own bed was left empty as he seemed to roam alone at night as I was blanketed in my own dreams.

In my dreams, I saw the seal was broken around the sleeping girl. The shattered ice were scattered all around and she was walking naked with only her necklace adorning her. There were blood on her hands and that her face was smeared with it as well. There were tears on her face and I could see that she was scared. She was walking blindly in the dark.

I woke up suddenly and saw that it was dark outside. The lamps were all turned off as well and I could only see the burning cigarette of Lune. He motioned me to stay quiet.

“They’re here” he said, and then I smelled them as sleep slowly washed out off me.

“And thanks to you they’d be hunting me down as well!” I hissed as I stood beside him by the window. He chuckled.

“Still trying to wash your hands clean, huh?”

“Okay, so here you are trying to get your hands around Gehenna and yet you run away from them” I couldn’t help but mock him again.

“So you are indeed suggesting me to get my hands dirty”

“Like it wasn’t already dirty”

“Oh damn you’re right, why not? But I don’t think so” and as he said this I felt their presence all over the room and it was then that Lune grabbed me from the shoulders and pushed me right through the glass wall and as it shattered we were already falling outside from the twelfth floor of the building. I was too surprised to even let my wings appear but he was holding me nonetheless as he started flapping his own and to my astonishment the top of the building blew up and I couldn’t help but curse his name once again.

“You don’t think so huh? And what of the people out there? Bastard!”

“Well it was your idea wasn’t it?”

“Damn you!” and I couldn’t even find the right curse to give him for using me in breaking the glass. I could feel the pain starting to build up in me as shards were deliciously eaten by my bare skin.

“Jeez, you’re quite heavy you know that?” upon saying this he let go of my hand which again caught me off guard. When I finally recovered from my slight shock, I let my wings out and flew back up to where he was. The angels were coming I knew and without second thoughts we flew away as they chased us.

I was removing the shards in my face as we flew. The pain was agonizing and it is maddening that Lune’s face was still flawless.

“Were done with this and I’d really skin you alive!”

“I believe you. I know you’d love that!”

They were almost behind us now and sensing that we couldn’t fly any longer without getting to face them any way, Lune motioned for our descend. We finally got our feet down the ground and I wasn’t able to get the chance to appreciate the tall grasses and the lake for no longer than a minute they were already in front us. There were four of them, all unfamiliar faces except for Merriel.

“So you finally found him” she said softly directly to me, yet her eyes were focused on Lune who was just leaning on a tree like he doesn’t care about what could possibly happen.

“Funny though but it was him who found me” I answered.

“We’re taking him from here then. Step aside and don’t meddle”

“And why not? I told you I’d kill him and why should I not meddle like it was none of my business when it has always been?”

“Don’t be a fool Cien, have you been poisoned by him as well?” there was no hint of irritation or anger in her voice but it was clear that she was adamant on not letting me meddle with the situation. And Lune is truly a sick bastard to even have the guts of sitting down comfortably under the tree as he appear to doze off with his hands supporting the back of his head like we were not talking about many ways to cook him in a burning cauldron!