Between the Cross and the Flame

Chapter 9: Haniel

Haniel coughed and hacked, feeling as if he'd been stabbed through the chest. His abdomen spasmed. He opened the car door, wincing at the pain it caused. He keeled over, gripping his knees where they'd slammed into the dash. Haniel's surgically repaired left knee physically vibrated in protest to the blow. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, though. He was more worried about why his whole body reeled from some sort of blast sensation. He hadn't flown through the windshield, and the hood of the car was only dented a bit, thanks to his last-minute evasive maneuver. His body had no reason to feel so...weird.

"Haniel, get back in the car, now!" Mavet suddenly barked.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, quick!"

Haniel perceived the note of panic in Mavet's voice. His heart skipped a beat as he dove back into the driver's seat and locked the vehicle. Right as he did so, a shadow flashed by, quicker than lightning. Haniel turned to see Mavet watching the same spot.

"Someone's out there," Mavet whispered. "I- I think they're the ones that hit us. I think they did it on purpose."

"Why is someone trying to kill us?" Del hissed.

"I don't know, but my gut tells me that this is about Chaya and I, and it can't be good. At first, I didn't want to admit it, but now I think I'm right: we're being tracked."

"Tracked? How?"

Haniel's eyes widened. "Mavet, watch out!"

Without so much as a scuffle of feet, the figure appeared just outside Mavet's window. Irvin yelped in surprise. The guy's eyes were red. Haniel's heart rate spiked. Mavet may have red eyes every one in a while, but his were protective. These were livid. Haniel pushed down a terrified scream when he noticed the claws that sprouted from the guy's fingers. This wasn't a simple matter of finding Mavet and Chaya anymore; these guys were here to kill!

Mavet connected eyes with Haniel. Even in the dark, Haniel could see the meaning shifting within them.

"Mavet, don't you dare– !"

"Stay here! Help Chaya!"

In a single, swift movement, Mavet exited the car and slammed the door behind him. Haniel clapped his hand to his mouth in horror as the figure instantly pounced on him, then another, then another. Mavet's eyes burned red and his muscles tightened as he fought off all three men. Hisses and growls and horrifying screeches ripped through Haniel's eardrums. He'd never been more terrified in his life.

"Haniel, Chaya's hurt!" Irvin said.

"What? Chaya!" Haniel's heart leapt into his mouth. The blonde had a trail of scarlet dribbling down his temple. He was passed out cold, probably from the impact. "No, no, no, he's hurt! What do I do? What do I do!"

"Go help Mavet, we've got Chaya!" Del ordered. She blanched at a strangled cry from outside. "GO!"

Haniel paused for a moment, not wanting to leave Chaya when he was injured like this. But Del leaned over and opened the car door, then shoved him outside, yelling for him to go. Haniel suddenly mastered his scrambled mind. He tossed Del the keys and scrambled to his feet. He whipped around to assess the opposition.

Three on two, Mavet's stronger, he should take two of them, I've got one–

A heart-wrenching scream nearly caused Haniel to have an anxiety attack. Mavet threw a man off of him, blood seeping through his undershirt. As the man landed several feet down the road, a fiery rage swept through Haniel. His nerves steeled. His mind was set. He marched directly toward the figure.