Original Sin

Chapter 26

"We'll do this just as planned."

"We don't have time for this. We need to run."

"Everything is moving in exactly the same direction as predicted. Michael just sped up the timetable."

"I still say we run."

"There's nowhere left to run to! We can't hide forever."

"I beg to disagree."

Hailey rolled her eyes, hardly listening to the angels' conversation from behind the makeshift curtain. Alex had already ordered defenses to the gate. Why was Gabriel even arguing when he already knew he'd lose? She roughly pulled on a tattered pair of jeans and a ripped tank. When things were in chaos, Hailey sometimes thought about ridiculously simple things, like how shabby and old and beat-up her clothes were, and how much she wished for a decent pair of sneakers.

This was it- This would be the battle that defined humanity and their place in the universe. Hailey hoped they would succeed against Michael and his monsters, but the odds were definitely not in their favor. Before pushing aside the curtain, she reached for a jacket, her final barrier against the cold mountain and gusty winds that accompanied their impending journey.

Perhaps it would be nice to have something warm to keep her company in that dark cave too.

The two "boys" were still arguing when Hailey emerged.

"You're an imbecile, Gabriel!"

"And you're an idiot for thinking we have any hope at all right now!"

"You are a fucking coward!"

Hailey calmly, though extremely annoyed, stepped between Gabriel and Alex, hands held up in front of both. "That is enough," she said in her best teacher voice. "We have work to do."

Alex and Gabriel exchanged a final look, then seemed to concede that neither one was fully right nor fully wrong. Gabriel disappeared, most likely to inform the troops that they were heading into a slaughter, without compensation.

As if on cue, Hailey felt Alex's large, warm hand wrap around her's, protective yet soft and gentle. No, she can't let herself get caught up in emotions now.

She sighed and released her hand, then stepped out of the building. The roars, screams, and unholy cries could be heard for miles. But aside from that, there was an overwhelming silence. There weren't even birds. It had been so long since Hailey heard such silence. The desert after Eden, maybe? she thought, trying to remember correctly. 

The air was temperate, salty. The Mediterranean Sea crashed against the shoreline. At least it was sunny and bright. 

What a day to die.

"You ready to go?" Alex asked walking past her toward the pair of dirt bikes that would take them up the mountain. Hailey nodded absentmindedly, though Alex wasn't looking in her direction. He pulled out a pair of keys from his jeans and passed her one, then made sure she was on her bike before swinging a leg over his own beside her. She briefly admired his toned back muscles, the absence of a shirt, the tan lines. Shaking her head back to reality, Hailey turned her key in the ignition. The engine revved and roared to life.

"You better stay behind me," Alex warned her, his voice straining to reach her ears over the deafening noise of the bike. Hailey smirked in response. Yeah, right. She pushed the gas as far as it could go, taking off down the dirt road. Alex would eat her dust today. He caught up, of course, but Hailey was going to have fun with him in any way possible, making the most of these last moments.

The wind rushed through her curls and pelted her face like bullets. But the sting felt so good, a rush of adrenaline that Hailey desperately needed. How else was she to prevent the angel-driven, soul-snatching, totally unpredictable apocalypse from happening? Alex pulled up beside her, making eye contact, revving his engine.