When Heaven And Hell Aligned

Chapter One

~ Twenty Five Years Later ~

Carter stepped silently down the narrow street, the soles of his worn trainers squeaking on the damp, unkempt pavement. He kept his blue eyes glaring two inches in front of his toes, watching his stride; left, right, left, right, while his long fingers curled around the house keys in his hand.

  Carter was tall, with wide shoulders marking of a strong build. His long, bony face was bordered by long curls of black hair that almost reached his shoulders, but didn't hide his glittering blue eyes, so bursting with colour that it seemed they almost glowed. His nose was acutely straight with a strong triangular form, his lips were slim and tucked into his face in a near-permanent gruff expression, and his skin was a dusky tanned colour.
 
  He began to twirl the keys in his hand more impatiently. He was drawing nearer to his destination; a small, squat apartment near the end of the poorly lit street. He had moved in earlier that month spotting opportunity at the low price of rent in the area, ignoring the correlation it had with the steady rate of crime. He did not consider the place a home; it was simply a space of residence before he found the next location, which would no doubt be equally squalid.

  As he walked, he became aware of a short woman dressed in ripped, worn-looking clothing that might once have been expensive standing on the side of the street ahead of him, holding on tightly to a bottle of rum with one hand, attempting to support herself on a lamp post with the other. The woman's thick mascara ran from her dreary eyes, and she wore a miserable gaze. Carter felt an ebb of pity, but remained indifferent. He'd encountered many people in this state since he'd moved; most of them were harmless and he dismissed her as such. He continued to walk on his way, passing her silently.

  "This is all your fault," She slurred quietly, lifting her eyes to pin him in a glare even as her eyelids drooped with intoxication. The words made Carter halt his steps, but he resolved to ignore her and carry on.

  Before he could start walking again, she propelled herself away from the lamp post with her hand and seized his forearm. "It's your fault!" She shouted into his face, sending a cloud of her rum-stained breath at him.

  The sudden contact made Carter jump, but she held his arm tightly. "What the Hell are you talking about?" He barked back, more out of startled aggression than genuine curiosity into her ramblings.

  "You did this to me," She growled, her voice suddenly low again, holding up the bottle of alcohol. "You made me into this!" With the last word, she hurled the bottle against the wall behind her, smashing it and dousing the street in rum.

  "I didn't do anything," Carter hissed, ripping his hand away. "I don't even know you."

  A harsh giggle sounded from the woman's parted, snarling lips. "No," She said, "But I know you. Working with God to punish people like me, I know who you are. I know your kind." She spat out her words like venom from a snake's fangs, her rabid eyes tearing into his as she reached out to grab his arm again. "Angel!" She cried out harshly, like the word would burn any it touched.

  Carter leapt away as she did so, keeping a barrier of distance up. She's crazy, he thought to himself, looking at the vicious hunger in her eyes. Still watching her, Carter swiftly strode up the street to his apartment, refusing to run.

  Neither he nor the woman broke eye contact until he got inside and shut the door; ice and fire crackled along the path of their locked vision, and Carter felt a chill travel down his spine as he looked into her burning gaze. Once inside, he shook himself off like a dog with fleas and locked the door instantly, almost tempted to drag a table in front of it. Angel, he thought sullenly. What the Hell is that supposed to mean?