The Angel's Plight

Sitting in the bushes in the middle of the night is not exactly my idea of a ‘good time’. It doesn’t help when it’s the dead of winter. I couldn’t complain though, I was alive and well, not like I could say that for those people who shuffled past my well hidden spot. I leaned back onto the leaves behind me, using them as a cushion, watching the people move about. Every time someone came near my hiding spot I cringed, praying that none would notice me. Under normal circumstances, I would have never minded, but being noticed now, would lead to my death.

Things had changed so much in the past ten years, it was unbelievable. Humans were once the top dogs in the world. That mentality made it so nobody was prepared for what came; Immortals, creatures of eternal life.

It was fine and dandy at first, since there were initially so few of them in spread across our world, but after a few years, they began to spread. Like wildfire they took over the lands, and eventually the world, killing off the humans that resided there.

The worst of the Immortal races was the Purifiers. They resembled angels in their perfect looks and silky soft wings, but those who saw them in action knew that they were more than that. They were the human hunters, the exterminators of those that the Immortals considered parasites.

All around the world small groups of humans hid from the Purifiers, trying desperately to stay off of their radars and forcing themselves to hide like the prey they had become. Some of these groups were peaceful, staying hidden as much as possible and never partaking in a violent action against the Immortals hunting who were hunting them down unmercifully. Others, like the one I considered my family, saw it as their mission to fight back against the creatures that had taken their world from them.

I never fully agreed with the violent actions that my group took, but I fought alongside them anyways because I wanted to live in a world where I didn’t have to fear for my life and my loved one’s lives at every waking moment.

I was one of few that had my own Purifier, as I referred to him. I had run into him the eve that the Immortals decided to begin the extermination of the human race a mere ten years ago.
At that time, I was only about nine years old, ignorant of death and destruction. At that time, my Purifier was young as well, appearing to be only a few years older than I was. From the perspective of a nine year old girl who thought boys were gross still, he was cute.

The night I met him, I had just burst out of my parent’s room. I had heard them screaming moments before and had rushed to see if they were okay. I had found the room dark and empty, the bed tossed apart and the rest of the furniture trashed. Hesitantly, I set off to search the rest of the house, grabbing a screwdriver that I had found on the floor in their room.

I softly padded down the stairs, stopping briefly at the base. The living room had a strange metallic smell, one I didn’t’ recognize. Slowly and cautiously, I wandered in there, careful not to get my nightgown caught on anything.

Upon arriving in the living room, I found blood. The entryway to the room had a streak on the floor that lead to splatters all over the overturned furniture. I didn’t see my parents at that time, but I had a gut feeling that the blood was theirs. My mind slowly processed the fact that my parents were dead.

I backed into a wall and sunk to the ground with a thud, not caring as much if I was quiet.
Tears poured down my cheeks in a silent sob. My once white nightgown was now stained red from the blood on the floor. I stared at it blankly, not processing much of anything at that moment.

I heard movement to my right, but had no desire to turn my head towards the sound. Soft footsteps approached me cautiously, stopping in the pool of blood in front of me. I could see that whoever it was in front of me was only slightly older than me, and that person bent down, crouching in front of my face.

Soft fingers stroked my cheek, travelling to under my chin and pushing it gently upwards. I looked up blindly, as another hand moved my blonde hair from my eyes.

A boy crouched in front of me, his blue eyes watching me as his hand held my face up. His tan skin looked like it was glowing in the moonlight, or perhaps it was the bright, white wings that were folded perfectly against his back.

Shocked out of my comatose state, I met his eyes. He stared for a few minutes, his eyes growing wide. I reached out, stroking a feather that had fallen from his wings. He watched my movement curiously.

Voices sounded in the hallway, startling him. He pushed me into a corner and blocked me with his wings. I stayed quiet out of fear, knowing instinctively that if this boy feared the voices then I should as well.

“Azreal,” a womans voiced cooed from around the corner. “We finished getting rid of those parasites bodies, let us return home.”

“Yes mother, I shall catch up to you shortly. I want to have a look around to see if we missed anyone,” the boy responded, in a smooth voice. His voice was already relatively deep for such a young age. The voices retreated with the footsteps and I heard the front door shut.

The boy turned to me once more, and I looked at him. “You should not be alive. But I cannot find it in myself to kill you,” he said, confusion written in his expression. “Run, little girl, escape and hide.”

He turned to leave, giving me the chance to escape. “Wait, Azreal,” I said softly, his name feeling strange on my tongue. “I’m Eleanor. Nora for short.” I moved towards the back door for my escape as his eyes followed me. “Thank you,” I said, then threw the door open and ran.

At the present my shoulder was cramping painfully. I rolled both back, trying to stretch slightly without causing the bushes to rustle too much. Sitting here for so long had caused my limbs to stiffen up, which, were I found by one of the creatures roaming before me, would lead to my death. The blades strapped to my back hit each other as I moved, creating a soft clanging noise. I froze completely, my heart thudding loudly in my chest and my muscles tensing up.

My eyes wide, I watched through the leaves to see if any of the immortals around me had heard my blades hitting each other. All those I could see moved around normally, showing no signs that they heard me. I let out an inaudible sign as I realized this, and let my muscles relax.

Looking through the leaves once more, I could see the clouds parting and the moon shining through. The light relaxed me, since I often spent many nights just gazing up and laying in its wake. Judging by its position in the sky, I figured it was approaching midnight, time for me to head back to the cave I called home.

Moving swiftly and quietly, I gathered my supplies and starting to trek through the bushes, crouching low as I did. I didn’t want to rustle the leaves any, so I moved as an agonizingly slow pace.

Some ways behind my hiding spot was the woods that I needed to get to. The only thing separating me from those woods was a large road. Normally this would seem menial, but in this day and age, this one road could lead to death.

I paused at the edge of the bushes, surveying the area around me on the ground. The tree line I wanted to get to was dark, but safe. It was an area I knew well since it was part of my home. The street was deserted and eerily quiet. I watched for a couple of minutes, and then looked to the sky as the light faded.

The clouds had covered the moon again, leaving me in the dark. This scared me slightly, but I knew it was only a minor inconvenience. I watched the sky for a few moments, in case one of the Immortals was hiding in the clouds. Closing my eyes, I listened for their tell tale wing beats. The only sounds I could head were my quiet breathing and frantic heart.

Breathing slowly and deeply, I tensed and relaxed my muscles, preparing them for the sprint I was about to make. Taking a runners stance, I bounced, once, twice, and a third time, before I pushed from the ground into a full on sprint to the other side.

Halfway across the deserted street, I heard the one thing that sent my heart sailing into my throat. Wing beats. Strong wing beats at that. I pushed myself harder, trying to run faster than I could to get to those trees before I was caught by the creature that I knew was pursuing me.

The sounds grew steadily closer and my heart started to beat erratically out of fear. A surge of adrenaline flowed through me and I moved faster. The street seemed longer than it had looked, but I was right in front of the tree line now. Closing my eyes tightly I braced myself for contact with the low, scraggly branches.

That contact never came. I hit something solid, bouncing back roughly, but didn’t fall.
Strong hands held my shoulders, keeping me completely upright and winded. I peeked my eyes opened, wanting to see my would be killer. I wanted to know the face before I resigned myself to the inevitable death.

Blue eyes met my grey ones, confusion coursing through them. They looked familiar to me and I opened my eyes completely. Gasping I struggled to back up with no avail. This was Azreal, this was my Purifier. He looked about my age, and as dangerous as beautiful.

Frantic now, I fought his grip on my shoulders, knowing that since the last time I saw him, he had become one of the highest ranked Purifiers there were. His wings folded from their outstretched stance to his back.

I tried to reach for my blades, but one of his hands knocked mine away, detaching the sheaths from my back at the same time. I gasped once more, knowing that without those blades I stood even less of a chance. I stood little of one to begin with.

“Eleanor,” his deep voice said, sending unpleasant fear down my spine. “Calm down.” I
stopped moving, his voice compelling me to. Looking up to meet his eyes once more I saw no rage, no malice. Then I realized something shocking, he remembered my name still.
“You should not be out and about, Eleanor. It is unsafe for a human,” he continued on to say, his face becoming a mask to his emotions.

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked quietly. Looking down in fear of the yes I believed was coming. Mentally I was beating myself up, knowing that if I got killed there would be one less person able to protect my family. They needed me as much as I needed them. I didn’t want to die, but this man could snap me in two without a second thought.

“No, little Nora. I’m not going to kill you,” he chuckled, shocking me completely. Stroking my hair back once, he released me gently. “Go. This may be the last time I’m able to let you escape. Use your freedom wisely Eleanor.”

Turning from me he spread his majestic wings and flapped once, propelling himself into the air. Within seconds he was out of sight, disappearing completely into the cloud covering above.

I sat frozen for a few moments, and then realized that he had given me another chance to live. Not wanting to risk him changing his mind I forced my muscles to cooperate and bust through the tree line, making a beeline for the cave I called home. To my family.