Genesis 2.0 (Monster Apocalypse Survival) Sci-Fi/DarkFan/Horror

Chapter Eight

Joe deposited me back in my bedroom after the Garden tour. Instead of giving me the creeps this time, I found the familiar surroundings comforting. It didn’t matter that it was a mirage; I had more pressing things to stress over.

“As if a Zombie Apocalypse wasn’t enough, now I have to run errands for Angels,” I muttered and paced across the oblong purple rug. I remember when Mom had brought it home. I’d thought it was the ugliest thing I’d ever seen. I’d thrown a hellacious fit when she told me that it was going in my room. Now, I’d give anything to see her one last time.

“Jophiel tasked you with the quest?” Aeriel asked after she’d manifested on my bed. A quick glance at her and I was only mildly peeved that her perfect body lounged across my pink comforter like she owned it.

“You know he did,” I snapped and continued to pace. So many emotions whirled around inside my chest that I was having a hard time deciphering one from the other.

Disgust at learning the Zombies were foreseen and nothing had been done to prevent it, grief at knowing I’d lost everyone I’d ever loved, for nothing, and finally anger. Yeah, I was good and pissed that I – of every possible survivor - was given this task of finding the Tree of Life.

“Why did He hide it on Earth?” I asked.

“To keep it safe,” Aeriel answered.

“Do we have any idea of a general location?” I snarked.

Aeriel smiled smugly and shrugged her shoulders like I’d just asked her what boy she was taking to the prom.

“We know it’s not in Hot Springs, Arkansas,” she mused and my hand balled into a fist all on its own. I swear. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Then the beautiful Angel Barbie-doll had the nerve to laugh. Not just one of those little “haa haa, you’re so adorable when you pout like that,” laughs but that full, throaty one that involves stomach muscles. If she’d been jolly old Saint Nick, her big belly would’ve bounced like a bowlful of jell-o.

I’d never wanted to hit someone so badly in all my life. But in that moment, I could’ve jacked her jaw and never thought twice. The only thing that saved her from just that fate was Daniel suddenly materializing directly between us. In the blink of an eye, he’d erected the perfect, impenetrable wall – himself, and I crashed into his chest like a raging bull into a red flag.

“Whoa there,” he cooed and placed those big, strong hands on my shoulders. I struggled for a moment or two, just enough to show them both how seriously pissed I was and then I shoved his hands off me and paced to the other side of the room.

“You think this is some joke,” I accused. “You’re both immortal, right? Well, understand this. I’m not. I don’t have an indefinite amount of time left. I want to live. Why do you think I’ve kept going, even after my family was killed?” I stopped short and turned to face them and had it not been for the absence of emotion on both their perfect faces, I probably would’ve been fine to leave it at that. But the lack of anything remotely resembling understanding, compassion, or hell, even pity, would’ve kept me from losing it.

“You expect me to risk my life to save yours?” I screeched. “That’s what it boils down to, isn’t it? You Angels with your perfect lives, you need a pathetic human to save you.”

And apparently that sparked a nerve because Aeriel came off the bed like I’d set a match to her wings.

“That’s enough,” she roared and her beautiful face contorted into the ugliest, grotesque feature I’d ever seen. Her mouth opened so wide, she could have swallowed a Volvo, and the only way I can describe her eyes, is that they came alive. Fire blazed from them, sharp blobs of lava literally shooting out in my direction.

I shrieked and jumped back so hard that my back hit the wall. Standing there, in open-mouthed shock- I watched the Angel morph into the Demon. Teeth elongated into fangs so sharp that the Bowie knife Company would’ve wept with jealousy. Her skin faded from that porcelain perfection into the gray pallor of death and don’t get me started on the odor.

In that moment, I realized why Doctor Who was so afraid of Angels. They really were Harbingers of Death.

“Aeriel!” Daniel’s voice boomed through the room and I winced before slapping my hands over both ears, in some effort to save what little hearing I could. “That’s enough.”

And like a snap of the fingers, the monster was gone and Barbie stood in its place once again.

“Wow,” I breathed. “Remind me not to piss you off again.”

She gave me the glare of death and turned to flop back onto my bed.

“It would be wise not to poke the bear,” Daniel murmured as he turned to face me. “I believe that is a popular saying on Earth?”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “Something like that.”

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