The End was the Beginning. Adapt and conquer, or die.
Sixteen-year-old Andrea Collins survives by the skin of her teeth: always on the move, and trusting no one. Until the one day, the truth hits her - and he has wings.
Taking advatage of Creation'...
Unlike our beginning, the remainder of our upward trek is filled with silence. I can't say why the angels are quiet, other than they're probably talking amongst themselves. I can say that my mind is filled with questions; a jumble of swirling, chaotic questions. What did the vampire mean when he said humans are bottom of the food chain?
"Evolution is taking its next step," Daniel murmurs as he falls into step beside me. "What you call The End, was actually the Beginning."
"I can't take any more riddles, why can't you just tell me what's going on?" The leash snaps on my temper. I'm beyond tired - I'm soul weary - hungry, dirty, confused, and most of all, I'm scared.
I slide my eyes toward him, and catch him staring at me. Chills race across my skin, a cold breeze sweeps off the searing heat. The sensation is wonderful, a reprieve from the never-ending desert heat. I almost relax. Almost. It takes a few seconds for me to think clear enough to understand.
"What are you doing?" I stop walking and turn to face him. "Stop manipulating me. I don't need to be petted and shielded from anything. I need the truth. I need to understand why I'm in the middle of all this. I don't need you or anyone else to take care of me. I can take care of myself."
His eyes morph from that exquisite uranian blue into a deep abyss of stormy midnight. And quick as lightening, he grabs me around the waist, sandwiching our bodies together. His mouth hovers above mine, those eerie eyes boring into mine until I am sure he sees my soul.
"Listen very carefully," he warns, his voice low with restrained anger. "I've felt your strength; I know you don't need anyone. I was only trying to help, in whatever small way I can. You bear a monumental task, and you've decided you're going to do it on your own. Fine. I've backed off, kept to myself, give you the space you think you want."
Placing my palms against his chest, I try to shove from his embrace. I can't understand what his touch is doing to me. I feel every emotion at once: anger, fear, anticipation, happiness, fulfillment, panic. It's too much for one person to experience; my heart hammers in my chest. I need space, I need room to breathe, but mostly I need more than his arms around me. I need him like I need the air in my lungs. It scares the hell out of me.
"Let me go." Any attempt at authority shatters under the breathy panic. I can't think straight, the flurry of sensations knock me off my game.
"No," he swats my demand like a gnat. "Not until you understand. The Beginning is what we call the Rapture, or Apocalypse."
"The Rapture? The Second Coming? The Rapture, Rapture?" It sounds ridiculous. If I remember my Sunday school lessons, the Book of Revelation foretells the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. All the faithful would be called home, and the wicked would be cursed to roam the earth for a thousand years, and then Satan would be set loose upon them. Of course, all this would happen after the seals were broken and trumpets sounded, and I draw a blank.
I hadn't believed any of that as a child, I sure don't believe it now. Organized religion is nothing more than a way to control the masses. That's what my dad used to say, but my mom believed enough for the both of them and made sure we all went to services every Wednesday and Sunday.
I took a more practical approach to the stories and lessons, imagining them as characters in a really dramatic book.
Then zombies took over and an angel saves my life. So, in reality, I don't know what I believe anymore.
Daniel loosens his arms and I slip from his embrace. He catches my elbow when I stumble, but quickly withdraws his support after I shoot him an angry glare.
But before I begin to even process the list of things I need to process, a familiar sensation showers my mind with fog, and once again, I'm drawn into a world that I'm not sure ever existed.
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A/N: I need some feedback. Are the pieces clicking together? Or have I just confused the hell out of everyone?
I'm writing this by the seat of my pants. I have a general idea of where I'm going, but most of it is creative freedom.
