When Angels Fall

Chapter 3

The ladder continues down for a long time, the faint light from the opening the only proof that I'm moving at all. I finally put my foot down for the next rung, and feel a solid dirt floor beneath me. I tilt my head back and look up. The silhouette of the opening is now the size of a small marble.

I turn when I hear a noise behind me, and see Kuzo. He's leaning heavily against the wall, the flashlight in his hand. "Come on." he says softly, and heads off down the corridor, which I now see is made of cut limestone.

I once again consider turning back. But a grinding sound fills the tunnel, and I look up again to see the alter swinging itself back over the hole, cutting off any light from above. Only one way to go now.

I turn and follow Kuzo, staying somewhat close. One of his hands trails against the wall for support. His steps are less sure now, but he keeps walking. The tunnel continues to slope downward, but the walls are perfectly dry and clean.

After a few minutes, there's a light up ahead, and Kuzo switches his flashlight off. The end of the tunnel comes into view: a solid, iron door that looks like it hasn't been opened in a million years. Kuzo grasps the rusted handle and looks back at me. "Cover your eyes. This is going to be bright."

I do as he says and squeeze my eyes shut. A huge creak fills the area, and we're both bathed in light. It takes me a moment for my eyes to adjust, but, when they do, my jaw drops.

The door opens into a foyer, of all things. It's a small, comfy room with lush red carpet and paintings on the walls. Kuzo heads in and gestures for me to follow.

"You have got to be kidding me," I breathe, stepping inside and staring around. Kuzo pulls the door shut behind us, and I hear pins clicking loudly into place as it locks itself. "Where are we?"

"The Nexis," Kuzo answers simply, as if I'm supposed to know what that is. There's another door here, a simple, wooden door with a brass doorknob. Kuzo opens it, and my jaw hits the floor this time.

The room before us is huge, as big as the ground floor of my old high school. The hallway straight ahead is lit by chandeliers and candelabras that twinkle. On either side of the door are two wide, stone staircases that lead up to a second level. The main corridor is decorated with statues and tapestries, even suits of armor.

I realize I'm staring when I hear Kuzo grunt again behind me, and I turn and manage to catch him before he collapses. "What now?" I ask, worried. He points to a side door in the main corridor.

"Med bay," he mutters. I nod, and carefully lead him that way. I push the door open to see a wide room filled with hospital cots. A long counter off to the side holds medical supplies, and I carefully deposit Kuzo on the closest bed. He sighs as he sits down and starts taking his shirts off.

"Can you hand me that first aid kit, please?" he asks calmly, pointing to a kit on the counter as he gently takes off his tshirt. I nod and grab the kit, then turn back. My eyes widen slightly at the sight.

Kuzo is incredibly slim and muscular, but that's not what I'm looking at. He has scars covering his chest and torso. Slices and bullet wounds and claw marks and burns that have all healed. There's even a scar on his shoulder that looks like he was bitten by a huge dog.

"What the hell happened to you?" I ask, staring, as I hand him the kit. He turns and sets it beside him on the bed, then opens it and pulls out a pair of surgical tweezers.

"A lot," he replies with a sigh. I watch in awestruck horror as he uses the tweezers to slowly pull the slugs from his own body, dropping the bloody pieces of metal into a tin inside the kit.

"Doesn't that hurt?" I breathe. Kuzo glances up and nods.

"Yeah, but I need to bullets out, I'm not going to a hospital, and I'm not going to ask you to do it for me."

"Oh, I'm touched," I say snarkily. Kuzo just smirks as he grabs some alcohol wipes. He winces as he cleans the wounds, carefully wiping the blood off his chest. They've stopped bleeding, which is a surprise.

When he's done, he tosses the bloody wipes into a small trash can nearby, then starts bandaging his chest. I look casually around the room, finally beginning to relax. Like, yeah, there's a huge castle hidden underneath Boston. Someone just tried to kill me and now there's a guy fixing his own bullet wounds. No biggie.

"I'm afraid that I need to do something now," Kuzo says, breaking the silence. I look back at him. He's finished bandaging himself, the gauze neatly taped over the wounds. And Kuzo looks apologetic for some reason. "Please don't scream," he says softly, then straightens his back.

I open my mouth to ask why I would scream, then take a stunned step backward. Enormous, black wings have taken form on Kuzo's back, so wide that, being fully spread, they reach halfway across the room. They're monstrous, with bits of light caught in the feathers, almost like tiny stars.

Kuzo lets out a sigh of relief, briefly closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. He then carefully folds his wings against his back, the feathers draping elegantly across the bed. He opens his eyes and looks at me, then gives a small smile. "You didn't scream."

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's still a possibility. What the hell are you?"

Kuzo smirks and stands slowly, grabbing his tshirt off the floor and tugging it on. I watch, amazed, as it easily phases right through the base of his wings.

"I'm an angel," he replies. "Your guardian angel, to be exact."