The Falling (Book I)

Adsecula

William

A small part of me did not want to kill her. I could not help but think of how she looked when she first asked me why I, a creator of life, could kill something. In my head, I tried to reason it was not the same. Demons needed to die!

I barely felt her nails dig into my hand as she tried to escape. A coyote would chew its leg off if it was caught. A demon should do the same; they were nothing more than wild animals. She continued to claw at me in vain, her efforts starting to weaken with each passing second. It appeared gnawing her own hand off didn't even cross her mind. Our eyes met and I saw a plea. A plea to let her go like last time. It was a plea I could not answer. Maybe it would be different if it was just me dealing with her, but Luke would never consider letting her go.

God, I wished she wouldn't take so long to die. I could not break her neck—that would only stun her—and tearing her head off seemed too barbaric. My free hand quaked. I struggled not to think that I was killing something with my bare hands.

Her hand dropped from mine and I closed my eyes in relief. Luke noticed something was amiss before I did. He yelled, "Will, let her go!"

I looked back at her. The colors of her eyes were inverted; they were red with black pupils. She smirked, despite my grip around her throat. My body suddenly tingled with pain and I threw her back.

She landed on her feet and brought a hand up to her throat. The bruise was gone. Removing her hand, she stared at her extremity as though seeing it for the first time. Her hair was as white as Luke's, much to my surprise.

"It has been a while since I have been allowed to come out and play," she hummed, her voice different. Each time I had heard the demon speak, her voice was low and hoarse. This time, it was higher pitched. Even the pungent smell of her fear was dissipating.

"What is happening?" I asked Luke. He was a little more than two thousand years older than me, old enough to be considered an expert on demons.

My brother's one good eye didn't leave the demon. "She has released her Adsecula."

"'Adsecula?'"

"Demons have two sides: their 'original' personality and a split if you will. Eventually, the split merges with the original, forming a complete demon. She must be young, given that she has yet to merge with her Adsecula." He replied.

She stared at us, her head tilted slightly to the side. With her doe-like eyes, she looked like a child staring curiously at a stranger. "I am not in league with you two even now. Had she and I been fully merged, perhaps I could kill you."

She turned her back on us. "Ah, I found the portal."

She disappeared. Luke and I sprung into action, our wings ripping out of our backs. Through the grimace of pain, we took to the sky, just high enough to be above the trees, while we followed her. Given the head start we unintentionally granted her, she hadn't gotten far.

"I will go ahead and intercept her," Luke said. He sped up and dove when he had an opening.

I landed and ran toward the portal. The strong smell of blood filled my nose as I drew near and I faintly worried if it was Luke's blood. When I got to the site of the portal, I saw my fear was unfounded.

Luke had gotten to her in time, the scythe dripping with blood. The demon was on one knee, clutching her shoulder. She had a fresher cut; she would be lucky to keep that arm if she somehow managed to get away. She was breathing heavily, glaring at Luke with rage.

"You angels are certainly quick," her voice rasped.

"It is our duty to execute any of the Damned Ones who dare step into the realm of the humans," Luke stated, approaching her.

She was back on her feet, skirting away from the swipe. "You will not get me thrice."

She bolted for the portal. I stopped in front of her, ready to grab her. She placed her good hand on my shoulder and vaulted herself over me, leaving a bloodied handprint on my clean tunic. I gaped at her as she cleared my head. Luke shot past me, his scythe poised to strike.

"I won't let you escape!" he bellowed and swung his scythe.

The demon cried and collapsed face first, her Achilles Tendons sliced. She turned to look at us. Her eyes were no longer red, and her hair darkened until it was black again. Her eyes misted over, the lack of fear from before came back tenfold. She attempted to crawl toward the portal, but Luke stepped on her back, grinding her into the ground. My stomach convulsed. "Luke, I am not sure-"

He silenced me with a glare. The demon coughed. He aimed his scythe for the back of her neck. The demon's body seemed to tense. I looked away when I heard her whimper.

"Any last words, demon?" Luke sneered.

"I am not going to beg for my life if that is what you are hoping for," she growled.

A black blur shot at Luke. He was knocked away from the demon and landed heavily on his back. I spun around and stared in horror at his wound before turning to snarl at the newcomer.