The Demon's Angel

Chapter 37

Jean Grey
Storm concentrated, and a gust of wind blew open the boarded up doors. "These are the coordinates," I said quietly. Storm was staring at some of the graffiti, hands clenched into fists. Thunder began to rumble outside. "They'll never let us live our lives," she muttered angrily. I peered at it. It said, "Kill the mutants." I sighed sadly, and we continued up the aisles. A statue of Jesus loomed in front of us. One of the small prayer candles was lit, and an old bible sat open beside it. A voice whispered from behind the altar, "Gehen sie raus...." I peered at the candle: it flickered, as if hit by a breeze. The voice came again, except from the balcony. "Ich bin ein bote des Teufels!" it growled. We turned, following the sound. Storm said gently, "We're not here to hurt you. We just want to talk." The voice came once again, except from the rafters. We look and see a dark figure climbing above us. "Ich bin die ausgeburt des bösen!"

    I raised my eyebrows. "He's a teleporter. Must be why the Professor had a hard time locking onto him." "Ich bin ein Däemon!" he shouted. I rolled my eyes before looking to Storm. "Are you bored yet?" She grinned. "Oh yeah." Storm's eyes turned white, and clouds coiled around the ceiling. Lightning struck, shattering the wooden beams. Bamf! The man tried to disappear in a cloud of smoke, but I had already gotten a hold on him. He reappeared and dropped until I stopped him at eye level, upside down. I flipped him over carefully.

    Storm raised her eyebrows. His deep blue skin blended well in the dim church, but his wide yellow eyes, without pupils, contrasted sharply, almost glowing in the darkness. Those strange eyes darted between Storm and I. A long pointed tail curled around him, twitching as if it too were trying to escape. She turned to me. "You have him?" she asked warily. The man closed his eyes, his chest heaving, but all he managed was a weak puff of smoke. He was obviously terrified, and I had a feeling he had good reason to be afraid of people. "He's not going anywhere," I said grimly. "Please don't kill me!" he gasped. "I never intended to harm anyvone!" Storm rolled her eyes. "I wonder how anyone got that impression." He let out a small whimper, but he didn't deny anything.

   We stared curiously at him. What had he meant, he hadn't intended to harm anyone? I could feel him struggling fiercely against my hold on him, wriggling around in the air like a trapped bug. 'Check him. We can't free him if he has bad intentions.' I gave Storm a small nod. 

   I slipped into his mind as carefully as I could, so that he couldn't feel me enter. The jumbled thoughts and emotions hit me like a truck. I jumped. 'Why can't I move!? I'm trapped! No! No cages, no more prisons! Wait, they're going to kill me, aren't they!? No no no! I can't die! I.... I have to get home, but... Lizzie...? Why can't I remember.....'

    Suddenly, I felt everything in him tense. The color drained from his face, and his eyes widened farther than I thought they could.  'Someone else is here..... who.... NO! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I DON'T WANT ANY MORE PEOPLE MESSING WITH MY MIND! NO MORE VOICES! NO MOre....' A sharp pain ripped through my own mind. I gasped in unison with the man. 'I don't believe he means any harm, and there's a bullet in his shoulder.' Storm nodded solemnly.

     "We're not going to hurt you," she said gently. "We just want to help." He shook his head stubbornly, and a stray thought hit me. 'Can't trust them.... I want to, but....' He closed his eyes and chuckled tiredly. "I do not have much of a choice, do I? I have to trust ju, or I am trapped here." "What's your name?" asked Storm quietly. He stared at us nervously. Silence.... then, "Vagner..... Kurt Vagner...."