the fall back

Chapter 4

Amy tried her best not to roll her eyes.

She would call it a usual day at the office but she could tell it was different. Her boss wasn't around to constantly send her subtle sexual harassments and she miraculously finished a stack of paper works earlier than expected. By four, she was heading out the tall building of Crown Corp. and saw a beautiful man waiting like a celebrity at the lobby.

Whispers of admiration reached Amy's ears, seeing her other work mates ogled at Gabriel like a bunch of teenagers.

With a sigh, she slowed her steps. Gabriel took it as a cue to leave when he saw Amore Lyn heading to the exit.

"You don't have to wait for me here," she said softly, determined to exit the building.

As they reached the side street, chaos seemed to welcome them, different honks and talks and yells polluted their surroundings.

"Your brother asked for you to have a guardian angel, you know," Gabe replied as he walked beside her.

Amy looked up at him, unable to tell if he was serious about it. "Do our prayers really reached heaven? I mean..." She shrugged her shoulder. None of her prayers got an answer.

No sign it was heard. No little clue why she was getting denied.

"He hears them all at the same time. No matter how far you are in this world, no matter how you look, He hears them."

She said nothing.

But Gabe felt her inner emotions. He looked at her, observing her silence. "Don't think that, Amy. The King knows your pain better than anyone. Better than you."

They halted before the pedestrian crossing, waiting for their turn to cross. Since the archangel appeared before her eyes, she began to seek answers to that. Maybe that was what someone would get if they attempted suicide and failed.

But hers was different. The other angel, whose name was Morte, saved her, literally pulling her up back on the roof top. Shortly after that, Gabriel, the one archangel she knew in her existence, somehow became her shadow.

"Gabriel," she called out. He slightly turned his head to her, but his eyes remained fixed opposite the street. "Why are you here?"

He took a deep breath. "What do you mean?"

They started to walk and crossed the street, both of them seemed unsure where to go.

"Why are you here with me?" she asked, more clearly this time. "You aren't here to just be my guardian angel. That's not your role. That's not you."

"I'm here because this is where I am supposed to be." His answer was vague for her but she accepted it, knowing that it was lack of faith to question such happenings.

And currently, Amy was lacking in faith.

They rode the bus together, fighting their way to get in since a thick crowd started to form in the terminal. When they sat near the back, Gabriel watched as humans began to get impatient. They all chased time and it seemed that time was constantly running from them.

He wasn't used to it, to be honest. Back in his home, they didn't pay attention to it. Never, even once. Even in the beginning.

"This place changed a lot," he commented, unable to stop himself. "This isn't what it looks like in the very beginning. This place is dying."

Amy angled her head to him. "But this isn't as bad as Hell, right?"

Gabriel smiled a little. "Morte can answer that for you."

She frowned, remembering the odd angel. "This might sound, a little out of place, but has he ever been there? Morte?"

"It's not my story to tell," he replied. "But you wouldn't want to really know, Amy. That place will destroy you. An endless torment of the soul. Imagine praying for a final death but you will be denied of that peace. Fires and stones and lava will be your ground, demons will be a daily sight, making sure you never woke up from that nightmare."

With that, Amy felt a cold shiver in the pit of her stomach, goose bumps running down her neck. She saw herself again jumping from the roof top and felt like she just fell sharply, her leg kicked at the thought.

Gabriel held her hand. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Slowly, as if his touch hunted away her fears, her chest started to beat normal, calming her mind, erasing what she had conjured in her head.

"I really am thankful that you guys saved me," she said, almost out of breath.

The archangel shook his head.

Death saved her life.

How contradicting was that?

***

"Well, you are not so bad yourself," Aya commented, smiling at Morte.

Gabe felt a pulse of annoyance at the sight of them hanging out. He slowed down, trying to read what was happening between them. It seemed Aya was caught in Morte's charm as well.

And Gabriel didn't like it one bit.

As if on cue, Aya turned in his direction and instantly waved a hand. "Hey Gabe," she called out.

Morte crossed his arms over his chest. "How's Amore Lyn? How is she holding up?"

"Just fine," Gabriel answered. He saw a crystal dagger on his new brother's hand, signifying he was killing lost demons lurking on Earth. "What does it feel?"

Morte cocked his head on the side, awaiting for more.

Gabriel's face was serious. "What does it feel killing your kind?"

A mischievous smile crossed Morte's lips, his eyes momentarily glinted. "Enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed fucking up with bunch of angels back in the day."

Aya's eyes grew wide, not expecting his response. Gabriel, on the other hand, felt like he had proved something by his answer.

"What do humans say?" He looked over at his friend Aya before returning his glare at Morte. "Once a devil, always a devil."

"Oho!" he exclaimed, finding the scene amusing. "And what do humans say as well? Ah, haters gonna hate. So, you can glare at me all you want until your eyes melt down from your head but that won't change things, Gabe. And again, as what humans say, you just have to suck it up, baby brother."

He stepped forward, invading Morte's personal space, putting Aya in an awkward position.

"Gabe," the angel tried to push him back, forcing herself in the middle of them. "Stop."

"I guess you really can't stop being yourself, can you?"

Morte didn't flinch, not even affected by their close distance. "Not at all. Not when you are around to remind me of who I used to be."

Aya hushed both of them but none listened. Looking around, some angels from other ranks watched them, as if waiting for Morte to release his anger.

"You shouldn't be provoking me then," Gabriel uttered, voice tough and rough.

Morte stared at his clear eyes. "You're forgetting it used to be my job. And I'm damn good at it."

With that, he walked away, leaving Gabriel looking after him.

"What is your problem?" Aya raised her eyebrow. "This isn't you, Gabe."

"Obviously, you're caught in his charm," he replied, breathing out heavily. "Don't you see? He's trying to get everyone's trust, that he is capable of really changing, as if killing his demon brother will make us forget everything they did."

"The King accepted him here," she muttered in a low voice. "I'll take that as equal to forgiving him. You didn't know what you're saying, Gabe."

"Yeah, maybe I don't," he said, nodding his head, disappointed that Aya couldn't see what he was trying to point out. "But unlike you or Michael or everyone in here, I don't trust easily. I chased him long enough that I still smell his foul intention. Don't be fooled. Father is just testing us."