City of Dark Angels

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, and hide behind the closest building that I can find. My heart rapidly beating inside my chest, I turn around to try and see if I am still being followed. When I realize no one is there anymore I slump down to settle my breathing. Closing my eyes for a second I try to keep my heart from breaking through my chest.

I call out into the void, "Travis!"

He had been right behind me nearly the entire time we were running but suddenly disappeared into the shadows. I get to my feet and begin the search for him in the deafening darkness.

Realizing I am alone, with only the trees and torn apart buildings to keep me company. The moon in the sky leaving a small path of light to ignite my way through the deserted city grounds I am soaked with the never ending downpour that descends from the sky; it is cold and leaves behind a sensation of fear.

I've never felt fear come from rain before, yet this rain fills me with all senses of dread I've never known to exist before. I hear a branch snap from behind me and I turn around, I take a deep breath in of relief when I realize it's Travis.

"Where did you go?" I ask him breathlessly, scared from his disappearance.

"I thought I seen you running down another path, so I turned to follow you but I then realized it wasn't you at all." He explains looking fearful from the whole experience. "The person who it really was, turned around and gave me the coldest stare imaginable. Their eyes went to the darkest black I've ever seen."

"That sounds terrifying..." I say, looking around us, hoping to spot any possible danger.

"You have no idea..." He says, and starts walking ahead of me, I follow with hesitation behind him.

"Follow me!" A voice from the shadows calls out to Travis and I. I recollect my vision and focus on the figure in front of me as the angel girl from the gas station.

"I...can see her!" Travis exclaims as we both take off after the girl through the winding trails of the city.

"That's the girl I seen at the gas station!" I tell him.

We follow the girl throughout the city for sometime, avoiding all the mysterious entities surrounding us.

After what feels like hours of running we finally end up at a small little shack. She carefully pushes the door open and let's us inside. We are led to a flight of stairs leading down into a cellar. The cold air giving me the shakes as we descend down.

I hear voices speaking in hushed tones the closer we get to the bottom of the stairs. The girl takes out a key from the pocket of her black jeans and turns it into the lock on the door. She takes a step back before turning to us and saying, "we are the survivors, the ones who made the first round of Raviaras plan. He has no clue of this hide out so please, keep it a secret the best you can."

The door opens and we make our way in the large room, I see about 10 other individuals sitting on a torn up couch, or just around the room chatting among themselves. Travis and I shuffle inside awkwardly as everyone abruptly halts their conversations to glance up at our arrival.

"Guys, this is Travis and Delilah... They're here to help, and they are human." She says introducing us to the group.

"How do you know our names?" Travis asks out of curiosity.

"I know more than you realize." She says sitting down on a chair by a small fireplace.

"So what is Ravieras plan?" I ask her watching the others in the room go back to their hushed conversations.

"To turn this place and all the people in it into dark angels, breaking into the real world causing destruction to the world as we know it."

I gulp in fear at this explanation, and have another question I have been meaning to ask form inside my mind.

"What was this place like before Raviera took over?"

She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment, envisioning the times when everything was alright in this dark and lonely world.

"It was a serene beautiful place, like walking into the great unknown and knowing you're home. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and the trees were greener than anything I've ever seen. Even being dead I never ever felt so alive, I got my wings and was carefree and the most happy I've ever been. I never imagined even with the life that I lived that I would be allowed in such a place, but I quickly learned that your life before this never mattered and every bad thing that ever happened to you was erased, prepared to start over when you were ready to. When I first arrived many years ago, I was so scared and didn't know anyone but after meeting many new people and getting adapted to my surroundings I made so many friends here and had the best of times. Then just a few months ago, this man shows up claiming to be the one and only brother of death. The rules changed, everyone changed. He gave us our bad memories back, and the pain we felt when we were alive came back ten times worse. It wasn't what it was when everything started, people kept disappearing one by one into the abyss. When they returned they weren't themselves, like Raviara was making an army of darkened angels, it started to storm everyday and the living who came here to find themselves... Lost themselves, became someone who they would never become. He closed the gate to lets us leave, everyone that enters here becomes trapped never able to leave and becoming a slave to his every demand. There was once thousands of us that were still safe from his wrath, just hiding out waiting for him to find us. But he came for us one by one and we kept having to move places to keep safe from him. It's only a matter of time before he finds us here."

We all listen intently to her story, even those around the fire place lifted their heads up to hear the tale they always knew.

I had no words but only felt so much sorrow for the fallen, I just wanted to do anything I could to help and make things right again.

"What's your name?" I ask her, wanting to know more about this girl and learn more about this place that surrounds us.

"Erika, and this is Peter." She says starting to introduce the rest of the group to us starting with a young boy hiding in a corner. "And, Casey, Diana, Yivone, Tiana, Robert, Liam, Rachelle, Josh, Mike, Taylor, Francis, Chantel, and Jeffrey."

Suddenly my vision gets fuzzy and the world starts to spin around me. I feel dizzy and nauseous, I glance at Travis who looks at me and I see his eyes turning black again. Just as before but when I blink it takes longer than before for them to go back to normal.

"What's happening?" I ponder sitting down on the ground still feeling the nauseous sensation overwhelm me, it calms down for a moment but quickly returns with vengeance.

"They are here but, I can't pinpoint their exact location." Raviera mutters to my father connecting his words to my thoughts. I can see their surroundings but not them, I can also see the black wings feathered to my father's back. He has become one of them, and the evil in his eyes enlightens strongly.

"What's wrong with her?" One of the girls sitting on the couch asks pointing at me. Her voice has gotten far away and sounds fuzzy in my ears.

"She'll come out of it like she always does." Travis says kneeling down beside and grabbing my chin looking up into my eyes, I look into his brown eyes hoping they don't turn into that frightening black I had seen before.

I can hear the door to the cabin slowly opening and someone walking in, everyone gets up and looks fearfully in its direction. Fear of the unknown that is descending towards us.

Erika gets up and goes to the door and slowly makes her way up the stairs, fearless of whatever awaits her. The sensation stops and I suddenly let out a sharp scream when a sudden realization comes inside my mind out of no where.

I get up and run lightening speed up the stairs Travis tries to stop me but I escape from his grasp and reach the top to see Erika and Cecilia standing at the door talking. Cecilia is drenched from the rain, and looking frightened like something was chasing her.

"That's not Cecilia!" I shout out towards her, and as I say she looks into my direction and her eyes turn black and dark wings slide out from her sides.

It's too late.