Protecter

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Later on that night I researched Purgatory. It said it was a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to Heaven. Why do Protectors have to go to Purgatory we serve Heaven. We fight for Heaven and the Earth. It just didn't make sense why Protectors had to go to a place where people forget their sins.

A couple minutes later I went to sleep. I woke up to find that it was morning and that I didnt dream that night like I have every other night. I went downstairs to find my mom sitting at the table on the phone. When she gasped and started to tear up a bit I went over to her. When she hung up she told me to sit down.

“Ashton something terrible has happened.” All she did was look at me like she was waiting for something.

“What happened?” I asked her.

“It’s Kevin...they found his body in his room...dead.” she explained.

I just looked at her for a minute then I got sad. I couldn't believe my best friend was dead. How? I asked my self, he wouldn't kill himself.

“You can stay home from school today Ash.” she told me.

Then it hit me I know who killed him. I went straight to the front door, my mom followed me asking where I was going. I couldn't believe I was about to do this in front of my mom but I did it anyway. I started running then I jumped and my wings spread out behind me. I heard my mom scream from the ground but I had to get to the warehouse.    When I got there I stormed in the door. Hannah immediately turned around and threw a blade at my chest. I moved out of the way in time for it to hit the wall.

“Ashton, what are you doing out of school?” she asked me then she actually looked at  me.

“What happened?” she asked me.

“Kevin died today.” I told her she just looked at me so I continued.

“Gadreel did it.” I finished.

“Oh Ashton…” she said.

“I dont want your pity...I just..” I didn't know if I could finish because I started tearing up.

“I just..Just want...revenge against Gadreel.” I finished starting to cry.

“O Ash...you’ll get it when you kill him and send him to Purgatory.” she said. Hannah sent me home after that and said I didnt have to come back for training today. So I flew home when I got there I was about to in the front door when I remembered what I did so I flew up to my room. I went in through the window and sat down on my bed.

I layed down and as soon as I did I heard my phone ringing.

“Hello.” I said.

“ Hi Ash.” I then knew who called me.

“Hi Ellie.” I said after a minute.

“I’m so sorry…” she said then I cried for the second time today.

“I’ll come over after school.” she told me then I said okay and hung up. I layed down again and closed my eyes.

                            *                                    *                                          *

I ended up in a forest. I looked around but there were just trees everywhere I turned. So I started walking but I couldn't find anything. Then I tripped on what looked like a twig but when I looked up I found a chair with red cushion. There was also a girl in she was hugging herself.

She had long straight black hair that went down to her feet. She looked like she was naked but I couldn't tell because of her hair. Then she looked up at me and it looked like there was a mask covering her face or she just didn't have a nose, eyes, eyebrows, or a mouth. I was pretty sure she was crying but I couldn't tell because it got really. Like a ringing in my ears.

I covered my ears and fell to the ground. When It stopped I looked up and the faceless girl was gone. Infact I wasn’t even by the faceless girl I was in what looked like my church. I was on the stage but no one else was here. Then a man appeared he looked really normal except the big gash in his stomach.

He had brown short hair with a strand of  white cloth around it and a beard that went all the way around this lips. He didn't have a shirt on but he had what looked like a white skirt with some blood on the top of it from his gash. He didn't say anything he just stood there in the isle of the church. Then I remembered Hannah’s story about Cato and how he killed himself by stabbing his stomach and that he was now the guardian of Purgatory.

“Are you Cato?” I asked him. He didn't say anything he just nodded his head slowly.

“What am I doing here?” I asked him. After a minute of starring at the ceiling he said,

“Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Vanity.”

“Excuse me?” I asked him not understanding what he was talking about.

“The seven deadly sins.” was all he said. I still didn't understand what he was talking about.  

“I was sent here because i’m made up of five of the seven of them. Lust, Greed, Wrath, Envy, and Vanity.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked him.

“This place is made of of sins, as people say but its not. People don't come here because they have done a sin and want to redeem themselves that what confession is for. The only people here are the monsters as people qualify them as.” he said.

“Them why do I come here.” I asked him

“Because people see you as a monster.”he told me.

“But I just look like an angel.” I said to him.

“But you fight things and you have different colored eyes then everyone else does. So that qualifies you as a monster. “ he told me. I knew that what he was telling me as true but I didn't want to believe it.

But then I thought of how my mom screamed when I flew into the air.

“You cried wolf, the tears they soaked your fur, the blood dripped from fangs. You said what have i done. You loved that lamb, with every sinful bone and there you wept alone. Your heart was so contrite.

You said Jesus please forgive me of my crime. Sanctify this withered heart...of mine, stay with me until my life is through. And on that day...please take me home with you.” he sang to me. I have no idea why he said that, I didn't even know what to make of that.

“Why am I here now?” I asked him. He didn't answer me because I woke up and  heard my name being called from downstairs.

I went down and saw that Ellie was standing in my living room looking around.

“Ash where is everyone?” she asked me. I looked around to see that my house looked as it had when I had to exorcise my mom. I then ran around my whole house calling mom, Gia hoping that one of them would all back.

“First Kevin now my mom and my sister, what does gadreel want?” I asked my self.

“Do you really think Gadreel did both of those things?” Ellie asked me.

“Oh...I know he did these things.” I told her. Then I remembered the dream I had and the thing Gadreel told me.

“Do you know what, You cried wolf, the tears they soaked your fur, the blood dripped from fangs. You said what have i done.

You loved that lamb, with every sinful bone and there you wept alone. Your heart was so contrite. You said Jesus please forgive me of my crime. Sanctify this withered heart...of mine, stay with me until my life is through. And on that day...please take me home with you means?” I asked her.

“You know what I do. When the people who sinned just the tiniest bit the angels would sing that song to them to rid them of that sin.” she said.

“So Hannah did lie to me.” I said to her.

“I cant believe this.” I finished.