The Apocalypse of the Damned

Chapter Six: Family

A/N: Two chapters in one day?? Wow. Y'all are special 🥰

No one was sure what to do. No one but Francis, who tried to get Princess Ellette to pet him. Normally, she would but she was still in shock from what had happened. It took a few minutes of silence until she finally broke down, fully realizing everything that happened. She tried to keep her composure the best she could. Despite the fact she was technically not a princess anymore, she still viewed herself as one and made sure to live up to the standards of one.

Though Zion felt bad for the fae, all his attention was on his mate. He nearly lost his angel today and that scared the demon. "Are you okay?" he whispered softly. The taller being was leaning down so their foreheads could touch. Both of them needed to be as close as possible after what happened.

Malak looked his demon in the eyes while he muttered a quick no. He knew Zion could tell he wasn't okay, even before he answered him. His face was always easy to read, especially to the demon who always seemed to know how he felt and what he needed.

The angel wasn't sure exactly what he felt but he wasn't okay. Almost being killed wasn't exactly helpful to him while he was still trying to mentally heal from what his guardian did. He wasn't sure what he did wrong to deserve everything that kept happening to him. Was it because his parents were demons? Is that why he was such a screw-up? Why he could never do anything right? What was wrong with him? He needed to know. He needed to fix it if he could.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zion wasn't the best at giving advice and helping people. Angels never really got emotional and only tended to help humans. Even when he was an angel though, he often got annoyed with humans when helping them. Demons were a bit different. Most tended to stick to themselves or in small groups. However, since demons had more freedom than angels, some demons did have emotional problems that needed to be dealt with. Lucifer knew this and assigned highly trained demons to help them through it. But Zion never went and never planned ongoing. The demon was never good at dealing with his emotions nor anyone else's. But he had to be. His mate needed him, and he'd do his best to help him.

"No. But thank you, Zye," the angel replied. He still didn't understand nicknames but he quite liked when his demon used them. So, he decided he should start calling him by his nickname too. And judging from the soft smile on his demon's lips, his mate enjoyed his nickname also.

Zion thought his mate should talk about his problems however, he understood why he didn't want to. Not only were they not alone but in order to talk about it, he'd have to remember what happened. It was still hard for his angel to think about. All he wanted to do was forget about all the pain that he lived through. However, he knew if his angel had a chance to forget all of his bad memories, his angel wouldn't take it. His angel knew that what he lived through made him who he was, and he would never change that.

The demon pecked his lips and said quietly, "We'll talk about it later, Angel. When we are finally alone."

Both of them just wanted to go to their apartment. Malak needed to heal which meant he had to sleep- the perfect opportunity to cuddle his mate- and Zion just wanted to be done with all this social interaction. Frankly, he was a bit disgusted with how much he interacted with others that weren't his mate.

His "We're going to go now," Zion bluntly stated. They were no longer needed there so there was no reason to stay there. Of course, his angel thought the same thing, but he also thought Zion should've said it nicer. The fae was going through a hard time right now. He didn't want to make it worse.

Malak gave the fae a small smile and softly told her, "It was a pleasure meeting you but we both are in need of some sleep."

A frown appeared on Ellette's face for a few seconds before she masked it with a weak smile. She didn't want to be alone right now; however, asking them to stay would be rude and she didn't want to impose. "Of course, what will you two do now that Fabien is... dead?" She inquired, hoping to cover her emotions.

The angel didn't feel like talking anymore; he was afraid that he would start trusting her. So, he looked up at his demon for help. Zion sighed, "Sleep, then find the next one."

"Do you need any help?" She questioned. Ellette hoped they'd say yes, but knew it was unlikely since neither of them seemed to like her. Though she wasn't sure if it was because of something she did or if they just aren't people persons.

The demon frowned and turned to his angel, who was fidgeting with the demon's shirt. Malak didn't want her to help them. He didn't want to get the chance to get close to her. Zion, on the other hand, just didn't want to spend more time socializing. But he noticed the hesitation and fear in his angel's eyes when the fae asked. He knew that letting her come would be the only way he'd get better. Sure, the demon didn't like her, but he trusted her.

"Sure," he hesitantly answered. He was probably going to regret this later but if she helped his mate, it'd be worth it. "You can follow us to our apartment and sleep on the couch."

The fae's eyes brightened slightly as a real smile took over her face. Even though Malak didn't want her to help them, he was proud of his mate for making the fae feel better. The angel stepped back from his mate, took his hand, and gave him a bright smile. The demon bent down and quickly pecked his mate's lips, not wanting to embarrass the angel in front of someone else.

After Ellette made sure Francis would be okay alone, the three beings went to the apartment. Zion quickly set up a bed for her while Malak laid on their bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind was full of things, most of which were negative. He couldn't help but be pessimistic after everything that'd happened to him. The poor angel hated being so down. He really needed to cuddle with his demon.

Thankfully, Zion didn't take too long and immediately went to their bedroom. The moment he saw his angel on the bed, he pulled him into his arms, allowing the small angel to snuggle into his chest. He could tell his mate was bothered by something, though it wasn't the right time to talk about it. Maybe they could in the morning but not right now.

"I love you, Angel," Zion tiredly mumbled.

Malak smiled with his eyes closed, "I love you too."

***

The trio was at the library, trying to look for anything that will tell them where the next horseman was. Zion was reading informational books about Christianity and the horsemen of the apocalypse; however, it wasn't very useful. He did manage to learn about the powers they'd gain if they fully transition and what was needed to kill them once that happened. But nothing he read told him where to find the black horseman, famine.

Ellette was looking online for anything she could. She wasn't the best at using modern technology, but she managed. There were a few articles that caught her eye like a few different towns that couldn't seem to grow crops. Though she wasn't sure which town was the one where the black horseman was.

The angel couldn't do much to help. He didn't have much time to learn to read so he still struggled. But he did enjoy being at the library. There were still many picture books that he hadn't looked at. He knew they weren't going to help them with the horsemen chase, nevertheless, he still enjoyed reading them.

Though Malak was interested in his book, two girls talking caused his focus to shift. He wasn't sure why he thought what they were saying was important. He just had a gut feeling about them.

"You won't believe what I just heard from that woman over there!" The blonde girl said, pointing at an older woman. Malak stared at the lady she pointed at. She had a paper covering most of her face; however, the angel noticed her strange eyes. Eyes that looked exactly like the devil's.

"What'd she say?" The other girl inquired.

"Apparently, she's from Mesopotamia and came here to buy some crops!"

"Really? Why?"

"According to her, all their crops are dying. No one can grow anything over there."

The other girl looked shocked. Mesopotamia Township usually grew the best crops every year. In fact, many people from the town would drive there to get crops since it was less than an hour drive. "That's terrible!" She exclaimed, after a few seconds of silence. "All those poor farmers and workers aren't going to make anything this year. I hope they figure something out."

The angel tuned them out. That was where the next horseman was. He was sure of it. Those girls talked about the town they were looking for right in front of him. It seemed like such a perfect coincidence. But he knew, looking at the lady with the paper, it wasn't a coincidence. It was the luck of the devil.