Let Me Sleep

Falling Into Darkness

Iggy

She stops singing, clamping her jaw shut and closing her eyes. Her hands fly up to cover her ears, and she won't respond to anything I do or say.

"Kendra!" I call, shaking her shoulders. She hardly even moves. My brothers leap into the van behind me, worried. I can tell they're worried. They always seem to be concerned for the welfare of others. Mostly humans.

"What's wrong with her?" Gabriel asks.

"I don't know!" I wail in a panic.

"Was it her?" Michael asks, entirely calm. "Was she singing?" I nod. His face hardens and his expression is stone cold. "Get rid of her. Immediately."

"What?" Anna says, dumbfounded. I'm certain my face mirrors hers. What is he talking about?

"Why?" Gabriel asks.

"She's been branded since conception. Our marks have no effect upon her now." Michael says. "They've been tracking her for her whole life. All she is now is a danger to us. We can't keep her with us."

So first he tells us we have to keep her safe, and now he's saying that we have to get rid of her.

"What exactly do you mean by 'get rid of her'?" Anna asks cautiously.

"Kill her." Michael says quickly. "As soon as possible. She's summoning Lucifer to us."

"No." I say quietly, hardly realizing I've said anything at all.

"What was that?" Michael asks, though he knows full well what I said. He narrows his eyes.

"I said, 'no'." I growl. There's rage boiling in my stomach, threatening to explode. I struggle to stay calm. Michael smirks, and I know he knows I'm losing control.

"And what, little brother, are you going to do?" Michael asks smugly. "Can you stand against the powers of heaven all on your own just to save a pathetic vessel? Would you truly cast away your grace to defend a human?"

"He's not alone." Anna says, standing from her crouched position. There's murder in her eyes, and any sane person would be terrified. Michael is unfazed.

"And what say you, Gabriel?" Michael turns toward our dark-eyed brother, sleepless and exhausted, but ready to fight.

"You'll get no help from me, Michael." Gabriel states. "It is not within our boundary to kill a human, much less in the kingdom of peace. Stand down, brother. You'll not harm her."

Michael's smug grin turns suddenly psychotic, and he starts laughing maniacally and clawing at his face.

"And so it comes to this!" He cries. "And so it comes to this, dear brothers! The end shall begin and the darkness which has been held at bay shall overtake the light, and all shall be cast into the depths! You have rebelled, brothers and sisters, and your punishment awaits you at the foot of the throne!" All of us take an uneasy step back. No angel has gone so wrong in such a short order of time.

Michael is down on his knees, his eyes rolled back into his skull. A blue light shines from his mouth and his eyes. Gabriel scoops up the stiff, motionless girl and runs out of the van as fast as his legs will take him.

"Where are you going?" Michael asks, his voice grating and deep, and his glowing eyes fixed upon the receding form of my brother and my friend. The blue light is starting to dull, but I know that that is the opposite of a good thing.

"Anna, get out of here!" I scream, shoving her toward the door. She staggers a bit and then starts running. I know I can't take my brother, but I can at least save my other siblings. I turn to face Michael, whose wings are showing now. They're losing their feathers rapidly, and he shrieks, a high, keening noise. I cover my ears.