When the Angels Fell

Chapter 24

The first breath that Abigail sucked down was cold and stung the back of her throat, but she didn't care. She was alive, against every odd, and something as trivial as cold air meant less than nothing. Feeling cold metal against her back, she realised that she was lying down and wearing nothing but a thin white gown. Her sense of euphoria at being alive quickly faded. A horrible thought crossed her mind, and she sat bolt upright with a gasp. Lowering herself gently to the floor, she groped blindly until her hand connected with a wall, ignoring the cold that surrounded her. Feeling her way along the wall, her fingers found a light switch.

She pressed it and was forced to close her eyes as blinding white lights flickered on. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, blinking away black spots, and began to take notice of her surroundings. The metal surface she had been lying on was a gurney, left on a raised platform in the middle of the room. The floor and walls were made of clean white tile; cleaned recently, if the strong smell of chemicals in the air was anything to go by. A row of identical metal gurneys rested against the far wall behind her, all empty and scoured clean. Taking a deep breath, Abigail rested her head against the cold wall. Unsurprisingly, her suspicions were correct. She was in the morgue.

Shivering under her thin gown, Abigail decided to find better clothing. Padding over to the door, she pushed and winced as it swung against the wall with an echoing thud. The corridor beyond was mercifully empty, lit by neon strip lights hanging from the ceiling. Doors lined each wall, marching in ordered succession up to the closed double doors at the end of the corridor. Trying each door as she passed, Abigail found one that was unlocked and carefully pushed it open. It led to a small office, with most of the shelves and desk hidden under mounds of paper and files. The occupant had left their coat behind, carelessly thrown over the desk chair and accidentally abandoned for the night. Abigail slipped it on gratefully, ignoring the fact that it hung to her knees.

Leaving the office, she pushed open the double doors. They were unlocked and swung open noiselessly. Hit with the familiar smells and sounds of the city's nightlife, Abigail was again reminded that she was alive. Unable to keep a grin from her face, she stepped out onto the car park. Ignoring the cold burn in her feet, she was halfway across the empty tarmac before she realised she wasn't alone.

She turned at the sound of booted footsteps falling heavily behind her. Expecting more monsters, she was relieved to see two very human males coming up on her. They were both tall, bulky and obviously intent on causing trouble, but they seemed laughably tame after everything else that had been thrown at her.

'Hey there, doll,' one of them leered, exposing a row of rotting, yellowed teeth. His rancid breath, a combination of alcohol, tobacco and meat, washed over her and she resisted the urge to step away. 'You look a little lost'

'Yeah,' the second chipped in, stepping in close to her left. His teeth were equally yellow and rotted, and his eyes were wide and bloodshot. 'You should come with us'

'What's so funny?' the first demanded, noting the wide grin that Abigail was still wearing. 'Don't you know what we're gonna do to you?'

'It's just...' Abigail started, unable to stop smiling at the ridiculousness of the situation. She had just been resurrected, and here she was being threatened by a pair of drugged up lowlifes. 'You two are just so pathetic'

Their attitudes changed instantly. They had been almost passably friendly before, but now they were murderous. They both drew identical knives from the pockets of their jackets and went to stab her. She took a quick step backwards and raised her arm, intending on disarming them. Instead, a blaze of purple fire shot from her fingertips. It curled around the arm of the first man, melting his knife and scorching his skin. He roared in pain and frantically batted at the flames, the charred hilt of the knife dropped and forgotten. His roars became panicked shrieks as the flames crept higher, now circling around his neck. The other man turned to Abigail, eyes wide in panicked disbelief.