Angel Chronicles - Book 1: Fallen Angel[lgbt]

Chapter Six

 I wasn't sure entirely sure where I was, but I knew that I needed to get out, no matter what. I had managed to get to my feet, but that man, whoever he was, must have drugged me or poisoned me, or something. I was so weak I could barely manage to stay on my feet at all, let alone stumble around the room, looking for an exit.

 As I stumbled against a wall and, using it for support, leaned against it, breathing hard, I looked around, willing my eyes to spot something that might be helpful. But it was just empty, unyielding darkness.

 "Hello?" A quiet voice called, weak and barely loud enough to hear. "Is anyone there?"

 I looked around, eyes narrowing against the dark. "Yes," I called out, my voice barely louder than hers. "Where are you?"

 I heard a faint laugh, before she said "over here. Just follow my voice." She paused. "It might be easier if you close your eyes and focus. It won't echo so much, then."

 I nodded, forgetting no one would be able to see it, and closed my eyes. I started forward with an awkward, lurching gait, while the woman continued rambling on about nothing of really any importance, though it surprised me what she knew about Angels, and how much of it was actually on the dot.

 As I stumbled to a hasty stop and barely avoided falling onto my face the voice stopped and I stared down at a woman who couldn't be much older than twenty. She looked somewhat familiar, though I knew I had never seen her before in my life. She had gentle features; soft blue eyes and light brown hair.

 Her eyes narrowed. "You're one of them. You are, aren't you?" Her voice was just a narrow whisper, and I could see she was fighting the urge to cry. "But, then, why are you down here with us? They only keep us humans down here."

 "You humans?" I asked, becoming more confused by the moment. "What do you mean? I don't really understand."

 "Oh, yeah, she's definitely one of them. And new, by the look of it," another voice said.

 I turned my head the direction the voice had come from. "How many of you are down here?"

 "Seven, I think," the first voice answered. "By the way, I'm Ashlin. My sister Daylin is down here somewhere. That's Kate, who just spoke. Ezra is probably somewhere around me. There's Cairo, who is probably next to Kate. Then there are the twins, Sari and Toni. I'm not sure if they're down here or not."

 "Well, how many of the fallen are here? Wherever here is, I mean."

 Ashlin glanced around. "I know exactly how many there are. I can tell you their numbers by name," she said, voice harsh and angry.

 I crouched down next to her, lurching forward as my vision blurred and spun. She held out her hands to catch me, easing me down onto the floor next to her. "Are you alright? They got it into you, didn't they?" She swore under her breath. "They did. I can see the signs."

 I nodded, barely managing the movement. "Just tell me their names."

 "You're in no shape to be hearing our problems and what we're up against." She sighed. "But I can see you're not going to do anything about it now, so I'll tell you." She lowered her voice, leaning closer to me so she could speak into my ear. "Cearbhall is the leader, then the others are Necrosis-damn bitch-Ansley, Torin, Arren, Callen, Cadwallen, Cairstonia, Lyall, Maitland, Marjie, Sile-jackass-Eiric, and Ever."

 I chuckled at her little side comments, even as my vision was fading in and out, spinning and sliding all over the place. "How long will this last? Whatever they gave me?"

 Ashlin shrugged. "It really just depends on the person. But, you're not a human, are you? You're an angel, right?"

 "Yes," I said. "My name is Echo. I doubt you know who I am, though."