holy

xiv

"well, now that i'm better, i guess this is goodbye."

the angel and the demon stood solemnly in the middle of an empty park, the park eddy had escaped to after he'd regrettably choked brett.

eddy could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat. he never really thought about the fact that they'd go their separate ways after brett got better, and now that the time had come, he wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"um, i guess so," eddy said, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"thank you, eddy." brett's voice was lined with that honey-like sincerity that eddy had grown used to.

eddy didn't say anything for fear of getting choked up, and just watched brett unfurl his small, white angel wings and take off into the overcast sky.

he decided to walk home.

•

brett landed in the slightly overgrown yard in front of his small cabin, excited to be back in his home away from home, where he could get back to playing violin and relaxing, safe and far away from any demons.

he unlocked the door, eagerly stepping into the darkness of the front hallway.

the first thing he noticed wasn't the broken glass on the floor, or the upturned tables and chairs, it was the thick smell of death that penetrated the room. it smelled like something had been left to rot in the cabin, and it made brett want to gag. he stumbled further in, speechless as he looked at the mess that had been made. there were cushions strewn across the floor, mud tracked in from boots, and all the drawers in the kitchen were flung open.

what hit him hardest, though, were the two white doves, bloodied and mangled on the kitchen tiles. brett fell to his knees, a strangled sob escaping from the base of his throat. the closer he got, the worse it smelled, but intense sorrow and pain overtook him and it felt as if he no longer had control over his own body.

after mourning the death of the beautiful birds for a short moment, brett walked carefully to his bedroom, hoping that it was left untouched by whatever sick monster had done this to his home.

but he wasn't so lucky. after turning the door handle he was greeted by the sight of blood smeared across his once-pristine white walls. there was a message, deep red, scrawled messily in what smelled like human blood.

"your sin will send you to hell, brett."

the use of his name sent chills down his spine. he stepped closer to the message, hearing a snap under his foot as he did.

it was a piece of chipped wood.

he took another step.

and another piece,

and another.

and there his violin was, smashed to pieces on the wooden floor. splinters were everywhere, the neck of the violin bent off the body, the strings pulled out and his bow snapped in half.

he fell to the floor as hard, unforgiving sobs wracked his small frame and tears raced down his cheeks. he was gasping for air, but each breath felt more suffocating than the last, his chest tightening with each inhale. his hands were stained with the blood that coated his violin, and it felt like it was burning him. he gagged at the overpowering smell, salty tears dripping onto his lips.

the angel was alone. he had no one to tell, no one to help him, no one to turn to.

•••

eddy walked into his apartment, a feeling as if a heavy weight hung from his chest. remnants of the angel's dark grey feathers still rested on the couch, his scent still heavily embedded into the room. eddy picked up a feather, twirling it between his fingers before letting it float to the ground.