Fallen

Chapter 1(edited 4/8/19)

You humans have a simple way of looking at the world. Hell, why wouldn't you? Your lives are so short that you can't even begin to scratch the surface of what your reality really is. If you did, you would be so scared that you would go even more bat-shit crazy than you already are. So, if you value you're sanity, you will walk away right now. If you don't, then welcome to the club. Strap in. You're in for one hell of a ride.

It was raining. Everyone around me was huddled under umbrellas and coats trying to escape the pelting droplets of water. People were so rushed they didn't notice me walking by, completely dry without such protection. People were completely clueless sometimes. The only reason I was even out in the rain was the twinge, like an unreachable itch, I felt in my mind. I sniffed the air, catching the trace scent of sulfur that I knew would be there. I took a deep breath and marched ahead, following the wretched smell.

The smell took me down a back alley, like it usually did. Why did anything evil or sordid always take place down a dark alley? I guess it was more realistic than doing it in the middle of Times Square, but still, a little variety would be nice. The smell came from a homeless man, hunched over and clutching his head and whimpering in pain. I walked over to the plagued man. 

"Get out," I said grimly, almost without emotion. The hobo lifted his head, his eyes manic and filled with fear. I waited a few seconds for a response before getting a little more impatient. "Don't make me repeat myself. Get out."

"What?" the homeless man whimpered fearfully. I growled in anger. Why did it always have to be the hard way with these guys? I latched my hand against the hobo's face faster than any human could move. The man struggled against me in fright and out of reflex, but even if he'd been Schwarzenegger on his best day he would've never had been able to break my grip.

"I said, get out," I growled angrily, my hand burning with an intense light. The man cried out in a voice completely inhuman before going completely slack. A dark cloud spilled out from him and began taking a roughly humanoid shape about ten yards further down the alley.  Eventually, the cloud solidified into a tall man with ragged, black wings extending out of his bare back His eyes smoked evilly and a dark cloud leaked from his mouth. The hobo was knocked out. Good, I didn't need him running around and screaming about what was going on.

"A nightmare feeding off a defenseless hobo. You really don't have any dignity left, do you?" I asked plainly. The nightmare didn't reply. It couldn't. Nightmares were a class of demon that could only speak if they got inside your head, and this guy wasn't getting anywhere close to my thoughts. The demon took a menacing step forward. I smiled and waved him on.

"Come on," I taunted the dark creature. The demon hesitated. I shook my head. "All bark and no bite, huh? Ain't that just like a demon."

The demon rushed forward with its wings flared out behind it, its dark power blotting out the dim light of the overcast day. I let him get close. I grinned. I raised my hand and grabbed the damned creature's neck with as little trouble as a grown man picking up a puppy. With a fluid spin, I slammed it down into the wet pavement, cracking the asphalt. The demon struggled futilely against my grip.  I stared into his eyes with an evil smile carved onto my face.

"Sweet dreams," I said in a cute voice, light erupting from my palm in a blinding flash. The light pierced more holes in the nightmare's body than in Swiss cheese as its body was destroyed. A high pitched scream set every dog in mile radius barking before going eerily silent.  The remainder of its body fell onto the ground as a tiny mound of ash mixed with a few ragged black feathers. I sighed in pleasure.

"Ah, that was fun," I said with a smile, wiping the ash from my hands as I stood. I looked down at the unconscious hobo. Poor guy, a life like his with a nightmare squatting on his mind must have been a living hell indeed. I nudged him with my foot. "Hey, buddy, time to wake up."

The man groaned. I nudged him again and his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"The voices, they're gone," were the first words out of his mouth, his eyes widening in surprise. He laughed manically. "They're gone!"

"Yeah, that's right," I replied, standing straight and reaching into my pocket. "You got a place to go?"

The man wasn't listening to me. He was too caught up in his own joy to even notice somebody was standing in front of him until reality kicked in and demanded some answers.  Of course the most predictable question was the first out of his mouth rather than an answer to my question. 

"Who are you?" 

"Nobody important," I answered, keeping my frustration in check with some effort. "Do you have a place to go?"

"Ummm," the hobo looked around him. "I......I used to, but...."

"The voices started," I finished for him. Different day, same old story. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and a tiny medallion bearing the symbol for St. Christopher, as well as a few special runes carved into it.  I offered both to the hobo. "Here, take this and find some food and a place to sleep. Wear the medallion every day and every night. Don't take it off for a while. It'll keep the voices from coming back."

"How's it do that?" the man asked, taking the money and the medallion with an amazed look in his eyes.

"Magic, a holy blessing, whatever you want to believe. Just trust me. Wear it, and you'll never have to worry about them again."

"Thank you." The man slipped the medallion over his unruly hair. 

"Yeah, yeah."  waving away the thanks.  "If you don't have anywhere in mind, go to St. Christopher's on Fourth and Augustine. Ask for Father Nathan. He'll set you up."

"Thank..." the man began again, but I held up a hand to stop the words before they could be said.

"Don't worry about it," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets and looking up at the dark clouds. "Just doing my job. Now get out of here. You'll get sick."

The man climbed to his feet, nodded at me, and then headed out of the alley and down the street. I headed the other direction. I'd done my good deed for the day, now it was up to him to find his way. I looked up at the sky and raised my middle finger to it.

"I hope you're watching," I whispered. "Because it really doesn't feel like you are."