Thousand Year Switch

Chapter 29

Something woke me, maybe Aden, who was curled in my arms breathing quietly. We had slowly graduated to this. Propped up, my back against the pillows on my bed, the quilt over our legs. Aden's head lay on my chest, and her eyes were shut, her lashes long and dark on her cheeks. I could see her face in the pale sliver of moonlight that fell on her through the crack in the curtains. The light was silver on her face, making her beauty seem unreal, untouchable. 

Suddenly it didn't seem so far-fetched to think of her as an angel, even one of death. I reached one hand up, moving slowly so I wouldn't disturb her, stroking my fingertips across her cheek. She was strength and fragility together, fierce and breakable. I remembered her hesitant confession and it made me smile. Aden's hand was resting on my knee and I placed mine on top of it, curling my fingers around hers. She murmured, and shifted slightly in her sleep, her hair tickling my arm. The spell was broken by a loud thump from over head. Aden jerked awake and looked around in blurry confusion.

"What..?"

I was about to make some reassuring joke about bats in the attic when there was a louder thump right above our heads, making us both jump. I clutched Aden's hand, "What the hell is that?"

She turned to look up at me, eyes wide, a finger over her lips. I nodded and we both looked up at the dark ceiling. There were scuffling sounds, a few more thuds and then silence.

"It's the person on watch in the widows walk," Aden said in a hushed voice, "they may be trying to warn us."

We tensed as footsteps thundered down the hallway and Aden was suddenly curled like a spring in my arms, ready to jump up any second. My door flew open and a disheveled, pissed off looking Morgan stood in the doorway dressed in her red sweater and a pair of black silk pajama pants.

"They're here," she said flatly.

Aden sprang up and I yelped in surprise as she grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. Studying her fragile beauty in the moonlight had obviously addled my brain and made me forget she was strong enough to beat the ever-living shit out of me if she wanted to.

"Let's go," Morgan turned abruptly, her curls swinging down her back, "Follow me and do exactly as I say."

Aden looked like she was going to argue for a second, but Morgan was already starting down the hall.

"Right." Aden grabbed my hand. "Come on, clearly she knows something I don't."

We followed Morgan down the stairs and into the main section of the church. Everyone was already there, aside from Beefcake. The Malake ha-Mawet were all crouched behind pews, all staring at the wide wooden side door, tense and ready.

"What-" A huge crash from outside cut me off, and the wooden door bent in its frame. Nothing should be able to warp solid oak like that. Nothing natural. Someone called for us to be "steady" and the others braced themselves, ready for battle. My knees were shaking, actually shaking. My companions were wearing kevlar vests and brandishing pistols over the tops of the pews. I wondered if they'd slept in those vests.

Morgan turned to Aden as the door shook and bent inwards with each heavy crash. "When they get through, take him to the third confessional on the right. Push the knob under the priest's seat. It will lead you out into the vineyard," She dug into her pocket and handed Aden a tiny silver tube. "Use the flashlight, and whatever you do, don't look back, just run. Hide there until the switch."