Angel or Demon

"W-what?"

She didn’t know why she was bothering asking him, because his eyes said it all. They were boring into her, glossed with intensity and feeling… and love. He didn’t blink, didn’t dare to. He just gazed at her, hoping that, somehow, she’d understand where he was coming from.

He’d held it all back for so long, he just didn’t know how she would react to it. Her reaction, however, wasn’t quite what he had expected…

"Why?" she asked, her eyes beginning to tear up.

"What do you mean ‘why’? I’m… I’m telling you I love you right now! I mean, what else do you want me to say? I- I just--" He struggled to find the words he wanted to say, the words that were lingering on the tip of his tongue but couldn‘t quite make it past there.

He wished he could take the last forty seconds or so back. He wished he hadn’t said anything, hadn’t fallen in love with her. But he had.
He had said it all, he had spilt his guts to her, told her the one thing he clinged onto and didn’t want her to know: he had told her he loved her, and that was something he couldn’t take back, no matter what he did.

There was a sudden loud thud, coming from out in the apartment hallway, that made Gerard whip his head round towards the front door of Lindsey‘s apartment, his eyes wide with fear.

"Shit, they’re coming," was all he said.

"Who’s coming? Gerard, what’s going on?" Lindsey asked, her voice wavering slightly. She felt fear form in the pit of her stomach, twisting and squeezing and making her feel nauseous.

"I don’t have time to explain, you just gotta trust me."

She nodded quickly and bit her lip, holding the tears of frustration and confusion back. Her heart told her she was doing the wrong thing by not letting him in, not telling him that she felt the exact same way he did. He was a demon, after all. Girls like her just didn’t fall in love with demons like him, and demons like him just didn’t fall in love with girls like her. It didn’t add up, it wasn’t normal.

Gerard took her hand and pulled her in the direction of her bedroom window. He kicked the glass of the window, sending sharp shards across the floor, and climbed out onto the balcony ledge, before turning back to help Lindsey. He took her hand and helped her through the jagged space in the window, making sure she didn’t cut herself on the remaining pieces of glass still intact. As she emerged onto the balcony, he snaked an arm around her waist and closed the gap between them, holding her close to him.

"Listen, we haven’t got much time…," he whispered against her cheek, "but they’re coming for me, for us."

"Who’s ‘they’? Gerard… I’m scared," she breathed.

"Shh, I know, I know," he said as he tenderly stroked her face with the back of his hand and pressed his forehead against hers. "I just want you to know that I’m here, I’m not going to let them hurt you. I promise you."

Lindsey felt her bottom lip tremble as she cupped his face with her hand, pulling him into a soft kiss.

"I’m not going to let them hurt you either," she whispered against his lips. "I lo--"

Lindsey didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as the apartment block behind them rumbled and exploded, sending glass and bricks and wood splints hurtling towards them.

She clutched onto Gerard tightly as she felt the metal of the balcony move from beneath her feet. She couldn’t tell if she was falling or not, as she was blinded by sharp spears of light, shining on her face with such intensity that even squinting was painful. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her free hand, hoping that by doing so would protect her from the rubble flying towards them.

But somehow she knew there wasn’t any rubble or glass or various large objects headed their way. There was no noise, no atmosphere - nothing. She couldn’t feel her body; she felt limp, lifeless.

Was that it? Was she dead?

"Lindsey? Lindsey, you okay?"

She blinked (a good sign - she wasn’t dead) to regain her vision and looked up to see Gerard above her, a concerned frown set in his brow as he leant over her. Realising she was on cold, damp asphalt, she slowly rose to her feet with the help of Gerard, and brushed down her clothes.

"What… What the fuck just happened? Seriously."

Gerard let out a light laugh, but didn’t answer her question. Lindsey glanced around, realising that she wasn’t at her apartment building anymore. In fact, she wasn’t even in the city.

This place was much darker, with thick clouds hovering and swirling above them in strong greys and blacks. It didn’t feel like she was even in a certain place - there were no buildings, no cars, no people: just the two of them, and darkness.

It sent shivers up and down her spine, tingling in an eerie sensation that made her want to vomit for some reason. She swallowed and turned to face Gerard, who was standing with a grin spread on his face.

"Where are we?" she asked curiously, letting herself frown as she tucked a stray clump of hair behind her ear.

"This," Gerard said, spreading his arms out, "is the Underworld."