The Demon's Angel

Chapter 36

Kurt
      I stumbled to the ground on a dark street. I could feel the adrenaline from my terror begin to fade. I was so tired. My shoulder throbbed with pain. I just wanted to sleep......

    I shook my head, clearing away a tiny bit of the fog. My eyes darted around frantically, searching for somewhere, anywhere, to rest for a few days. My eyes locked on a church with boarded up doors. Graffiti decorated the decimated building.

   I stumbled to my feet and made my way slowly to the steps. A paper sign with running ink faintly read, "Closed for remodeling." By the looks of the graffiti, it had been "closed for remodeling" for a very long time. I sighed as I saw what one said: "Clean the gene pool. Kill mutant scum". "Well, no one would expect a mutant to hide here..." I muttered as I peeked through one of the once beautiful stained glass windows, now filled with holes. Taking a deep breath, I teleported, using the last of my energy. I dragged myself into a shadowy corner, curled up, and was instantly asleep.

   I was awoken by a loud thump. Heart thumping so loudly that I was sure it could be heard, I pushed myself deeper into the corner. I found the source of the noise: a boy. Two more tumbled through the window after the first. Then, the last one reached up and pulled a bottle in. 'Ah,' I thought. 'They're here to drink....' I needed them to leave and stay away. I needed time to heal. I wasn't strong enough to get back to Canada, and people were hunting for me. My shoulder was injured. On top of it all, I didn't remember anything after going to the church after that last performance. I had no clue how long I had been gone, or what I had done, besides attempt to kill the president. I sighed and teleported.

    The boys looked up, startled. Their eyes darted around, searching the shadows. I shrank back on the beam before shouting, "Leave!" The boys jumped. My German had startled them. I teleported to a different location. "I am a demon!" I growled. "Leave now!" One of the boys yelled, "Let's get out of here!" They scrambled away and out of the window, leaving behind the bottle.

    I teleported down to the floor and winced as pain bloomed in my shoulder once more. I picked up the bottle and examined it. Cheap beer. I shrugged and brought it with me to my corner. I slid to the ground slowly and thought through a checklist: "First: inventory." I checked through my pockets. All of my normal items were there, including my rosary, bible, and the picture of my family.
There was also some granola bars that I remembered sticking in there after the accident, as I had been planning to hide out for a few days to calm down. I munched on one as I searched my pockets thoroughly. So, nothing out of the ordinary.

     "Second: my wound." I removed my coat and examined the hole in my shoulder. It had barely bled at all, meaning the bullet was probably stuck in there, blocking the flow. I carefully tried to pinch it to force the bullet out, but I quickly ripped my hand away and stifled a cry as the pain blinded me.  Wiping away the tears streaming down my face, I examined the wound and realized that I had gotten no closer to getting the bullet out. Sighing, I glanced at the beer, and after a moment of hesitation, I opened the bottle and took a swig. I winced. It wasn't very good, but if nothing else, it would help temporarily numb the pain.

   Warmth spread through me. I felt so sleepy. It probably wasn't smart to drink the whole bottle, but it felt so much better, to be numb of the confusion and the pain. In my defense, they had definitely added something stronger to it.... Still, I curled up, not really worried about it. My mind was fuzzy, and for once, it was freeing. My shoulder only throbbed faintly, rather than its normal piercing pain. I wrapped myself up in my coat in my corner. Everything slowly faded more and more, until I was left peacefully in blackness.

    When I woke again, I felt a lot worse than I had before I had drank the beer. "Ugh," I moaned, rolling over, but still careful to avoid my bad shoulder. "I had forgotten what a hangover feels like....."

   When I was finally able to move, I  ate another granola bar and decided to explore the church. Most of the stuff was covered in plastic wrapping. There was a beautiful organ in the balcony. I wished I knew how to play it. I uncovered Jesus' statue and lit a candle with some matches that I had found. I bowed my head. "Lord God, please, help me. I don't know what happened, and I don't know if my family is safe. Protect them, please, until I can find a way back to them. Help me please, as well. I... did something terrible. I tried to kill a man.... I didn't want to but... it was like I had no control over my body. I got hurt, too.... I don't know if I deserved it or not, but please, please, if only for the sake of my family, help me heal. I need to get back to them." Tears welled in my eyes. "I... I've never been this confused... or alone... at least the last time I was away from my family, I had Lizzie to help.... now.... now I'm all alone....." I let out a small sob and clenched my hands. "Is this a test?!" I shouted. "Why?! What did I do to deserve this?!" I.... I couldn't remember anything before that night at the circus. I walked into the church, began to pray, and then.... I was in the White House, trying to kill the President of the United States. It hurt, this confusion, this pain, this.... this helplessness.... I took a deep, shaky breath and whispered, "I know you have a plan for me, and I know that I am only human. I couldn't possibly understand what you have in store for me. You are a loving, wonderful, God, and I know that you know best. Thank you for protecting me so far. In your name I pray, Amen."