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

Chapter Nine

The trip back to earth wasn’t as miserable as the trip out. I had the sneaky suspicion that someone – namely Aeriel – had rendered me unconscious, solely for her benefit of course.

All I know is that moments ago, I’d held my pack, filled with the original contents plus a few extra things Joe thought I would need.

Then he’d brought me this really gnarly-looking short sword, its shining, silver blade covered in some sort of foreign symbols. When I reached to take it from him, the hilt melded to my hand like a well-worn glove. All in all, the entire weapon wasn’t any longer than my arm from my wrist to my shoulder. Joe had advised me to keep it hidden at all times, unless of course I needed it for survival.

Aeriel and Daniel were with me as bodyguards and should either one of them fail to protect me, then I had permission to pull the magical blade – which I’d dubbed Ember in tribute to the solitary yellow-orange stone embedded in the pommel. The cross-guard, the small metallic piece separating the hilt from the blade, I’d learned, was a pair of stout, perfectly detailed angel wings.

When I’d asked what the stone represented, Joe had merely smiled and shrugged his beefy shoulders.

“That’s for you to figure out,” he’d informed me and then quietly walked away, leaving me alone with Tweedle-sexy and Tweedle-bitch.

Aeriel had smirked at me before producing a rather plain-looking scabbard to carry Ember in.
Shrugging my nonchalance, I’d slid the beautiful weapon into the ugly case and then wrestled my arms through the holes, successfully fitting the entire piece snugly to my back.

I’m not going to lie; I felt pretty badass with a Heavenly Sword strapped to my back; eager and conveniently at my disposal.

Without another second to waste, both Aeriel and Daniel closed in on me and all I saw was blackness.

When I finally woke up, I could tell by the way the air felt heavier, that we were back on Earth, but I wasn’t sure exactly where. My head ached like the one time I’d drank an entire bottle of Wild Turkey. Yeah, I’d never done that again. It had been a miracle I’d survived those two, miserable days as the Turkey made it’s reappearance via my vomit and my head felt like I’d been beamed with a two-by-four.

“Where are we?” I asked, not the least bit surprised when my voice sounded raspy and my skunk-breath wafted up toward my nostrils. “And for the love of God, can I please get something to drink that doesn’t taste like ass?”

I heard a chuckle and assumed it was Aeriel; however it was Daniel who handed me a perfectly chilled bottle of spring water.

“Drink slowly,” he’d cautioned and twisted the cap off before letting me have at it.

I wanted to gulp it, but I had no idea how long I’d been out, so I sipped as he’d suggested. The cool, clean liquid felt like heaven sliding across my tongue and dripping down my throat. It was the best tasting water I’d ever drank.

“Where are we?” I asked again, and was proud of the demanding tone I managed to convey through a still-parched throat.

“Southern Mesopotamia,” Aeriel offered. “Or Iraq as you Humans now call it.”

“Iraq!” I screeched and lunged from the ground where I’d been laying. “Why in the hell are we in the Middle East?”

Daniel tentatively reached forward and took the now empty water bottle from me and replaced the cap with great care. It didn’t take much to realize he was trying to figure out the best way to explain what was going on.

“There are many human scholars who’ve postulated the physical location of the Garden of Eden,” he began. “Once upon a time, it was here on Earth, but after Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, God placed an Angel at the entrance to make sure man never found it again.”

“Which is a total exaggeration,” Aeriel broke in. “The truth is that God moved the entire garden back to the heavenly realm, which was why no man could ever enter it again until the whole crucifixion business. It simply wasn’t here anymore.”

“So, I ask again, why are we here?” This time my voice was a tad on the angry side. I hadn’t heard any world news since shortly after the whole outbreak began, so I wasn’t sure what condition Europe and her brethren were in. Technically I knew it couldn’t be any better than the U. S.

“We were told to search where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the sea, and The Armenian Highlands to begin with,” Daniel answered simply. “So, that’s what we’re doing. We waited until you regained consciousness, but now we have to recede from our corporeal states lest another human sees us.” And with that, they both began to fadr from sight. I didn’t miss the little kiss Aeriel blew in my direction as she faded a tad slower than Daniel.

“Bitch,” I muttered.

Which immediately brought them both back, in the flesh.

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