What the Halo? I ONC2020 I

Chapter 6: Cain

Perhaps I was being punished. Or maybe this was a test, because I couldn't quite figure out in which circle of hell I would be tasked with taking orders from an incompetent angel. Demons were my territory, I could have found the child on my own, but alas, I was cursed with a winged sidekick who smelled of bubble gum and sunshine. Thankfully I hadn't eaten today or the contents of my stomach would be laying in front of this... this, where were we?

I turned and inhaled the putrid air of human children, incessant little creatures covered in drool and syrup, yet the scent of a demon child was absent from the air. The engraved stone above the doorway read: Our Lady of Pompeii. My lip curled in irritation.

"Did your father forget to give you a brain, angel?"

Michaela glowered at me.

"You don't actually think a demon would hide in a catholic school, do you?" Madness was what this was, of all the places in the city, one filled to the brim with holy water would be the last place the child would go...

Michaela shot forward, a stern finger jabbing at my chest. "I'll have you know, angels are far more intelligent than all of your kind put together. I'm sure you hadn't noticed the drop in your IQ when you were kicked out of heaven, but I can assure you holy ground is a perfect place for the demon to hide. No one would think of it, except for me of course."

I rubbed my temples, backing away from her accosting fingers. "An interesting theory considering the child is nowhere to be found."

She smiled, pushing up onto her tiptoes and flicking my nose. "It's just not at this school, smarty pants. We've got about forty to check."

She took my blatant outrage as a queue to start walking in what I was almost certain was a direction she'd chosen at random. Of all the tasks I could have been saddled with, this was by far the most excruciating. She was more of a mosquito than an angel with all her poking and flicking. Was this my thanks for always following orders? Maybe this was some sort of practical joke orchestrated by demons jealous of my position. I knew word had gotten around that I had an aversion to breaking the rules which was easily mistaken for weakness as if that meant I was a "good" demon. But the joke was on them because as law-abiding as I was, it was only to the laws of the underworld.

By five o'clock we'd been to every parochial school in the city, and to no surprise, I had been correct, there was no trace of the child. With the day gone and the sun setting I found my distaste for Michaela growing. She seemed pleased with herself while ordering me around, finding amusement in somehow being granted authority over me. To make matters worse, she didn't seem very worried about finding the child, almost as if she were intentionally leading me on a wild good chase. My suspicions only increased when she led the way into a bar packed wall to wall with drunks and music so loud it was no wonder most humans were practically deaf.

"Vodka soda, please!" She leaned over the bar, her cheeks pink with glee as the bartender winked and slid her the drink.

"Ten bucks, gorgeous," he said through a crooked smile. For the second time in the day she'd rendered a grown man bashful and I wondered if I was the only creature immune to her charm.

Michaela turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "Oops, forgot my wallet." She stirred her drink with her finger and then held it to her lips, her tongue collecting drops of liquor in slow circular motions, eyes glued to mine.

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the warmth that crept up my neck as her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth. Perhaps Eli was right, she'd have been a wonderful demon. She certainly found pleasure in torturing me, but I wasn't about to let her know it.

"Hey! Ten dollars!" The bartender spat, clearly displeased that her eyes hadn't been on him.

"Yeah, yeah," I brushed by her, handing the bartender cash for two drinks and ordering a scotch on the rocks for myself.

As I turned back, I caught the distinct scent of sulfur which could only indicate one thing, there was a demon present. I scanned the crowd looking for the source. As the scent grew more potent I eliminated the chance of it being the child, it was too bitter, clearly far older than me.

"Angel," I whispered, to absolutely no one because Michaela had slunk away into the crowd. I caught sight of her red curls just before she ducked into a hallway. I wondered if perhaps she'd smelled it too because she appeared to be heading in the right direction and in which case she'd have been a fool as angels are no match for an elder demon.

I followed her into the hall where two doors sat opposite one another. On the left was a door to the men's bathroom, and on the right, a door to the women's which slammed in my face as I approached.

"Hurry up!" I barked, annoyed with her and everyone else including my father. If he'd have sent me with even the most dimwitted demon, I'd be home right now, and not waiting outside of a public bathroom for an angel.

Glass shattered behind the door, followed by a shout.

"Michaela!" I tried the door but it was locked.

Another shout, this time in pain. I moved back, my foot coming up and kicking hard, the wood splintered at the handle. As the door gave way my senses were drowned by sulfur, my eyes widening in confusion as I took in the sight of six-foot-four, Grigori, demonic bounty hunter. But what I was most confused about was: exactly what the hell did he think he was doing with my angel?

Michaela dangled three inches off the ground, Grigori's massive hand wrapped around her throat, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Drop her," I growled.

"Cain," Grigori crooned, "it's been a while."

"Drop the girl, Grigori." I pressed.

"When did you start selling to the under-market?" he asked with enthusiasm. "It's one hundred blood coins per angel wing, we can split it."

Michaela let out a small whimper.

In any other situation, I would have turned around and gone about my business. For one, what other demons did was really none of my concern, and two, I didn't sell or buy from the under-market, which was strictly prohibited to elite demons. But, unfortunately for Grigori and me, he was interfering with my orders, which meant I couldn't walk away. I stepped forward my hands clasped behind my back, an attempt at discretion as I summoned the scorching heat of hellfire between my fingers, just in case he wouldn't hear reason.

"Sorry, Grigori, I would, but this angel's already been claimed."

"By who?" he asked, tightening his grip on Michaela. She swiped at his face uselessly, her arms too short to reach. 

"That's classified, but if you let her go now, I won't report this little incident."

Grigori grunted a hateful laugh, "Well shit, Cain. I'd almost forgotten how straightlaced you are for a demon, could never really understand what the dark father saw in you." He grinned, his eyes washing over Michaela who was gasping for air. "I think I'll keep this one." He pulled her closer, the skin on his nose grazing her cheek as he breathed her in. Before he could react, my hand shot out, blue flame leaving my palm, and meeting the side of his head. Grigori stumbled losing his grip on her and she crumbled. I wasted no time, lifting her into my arms and racing from the bar, I wouldn't have long before his confusion turned into rage and he came after me.

I turned into the first alleyway I saw, retreating into the shadows before I shrugged Michaela out of my arms and rounded on her. "You could have been killed! We both could have been killed!"

Her eyes were wide and glistening, her hand clutched protectively over her throat, and my fury melted. God damn her. No, I wasn't going to feel sorry for her, I wasn't going to pretend like she hadn't gotten herself into that situation. She was terrible at being an angel and terrible at this job. We hadn't found the child and she'd led us right to a bounty hunter, and now I'd have Grigori and his cohorts searching for me. She was a pest, an under-qualified toddler with wings, and I wanted to hate her even more than I had at the beginning of the day. But when I looked back at her, her face was apologetic, and I wondered if I should walk back into the bar and let Grigori choke the life from me instead of standing here feeling whatever I was feeling right now for an angel.