Victor had never been inside the confession room before . People always walked out looking happy, but he was extremely nervous. He hadn ’t seen Father Shepherd in a while. He couldn ’t remember how long it ha d bee n, only that he ’d never finished his last assignment , and for that he felt horrible. He only hoped that the human in need was safe or got what she needed.
Shifting his weight to the right, his heart hammered erratically. He knew Father Shepherd would understand and forgive him, but that was not what bothered him the most. He had disappointed Father Shepherd. Victor was a role model. Father Shepherd would tell the other Earth angel s what he had done and used examples of his accomplishment s to motivate the others. Now, he would be looked at differently.
When the man in front stepped in, he thought about leaving , t hen he remembered Avalon ’s words. He didn ’t die that day for a good reason. He had a purpose in life, to do something good. He just had to embrace it. When the man came out of the confessional , he had a look of peace. His shoulder s w ere pulled back and his dem eanor was different compare d to when he ’d walked in. He must feel as if a ton of bricks was lifted , Victor thought.
When the man held the door, Victor t ook in a deep breath, nod ded to thank him , and enter ed . The space was small, like the space of a Potter Potty . But then again, it wasn ’t a place to do anything else besides confess. After kneeling down, Victor clasp ed his hands together and sa id , “Forgive me , for I have sinned.”
“Victor, ” Father Shepherd mutter ed excitedly at first , then he open ed the little window and calm ed his tone. He couldn ’t let his personal emotion s get in the way. He was most overjoyed to see his protege , and had been extremely worried when he hadn ’t heard from him. “It ’s good to hear from you. I was worried something might have happened to you. Your last mission was not accomplished so I had to send another. Had I—”
“I ’m so sorry.” Victor blurted. His lips trembled , fighting back his tears. His head hung low, feeling ashamed. “I went astray. I almost did something bad, but I didn ’t.” Envisioning how he almost got killed , he shook the thought away. “I ’ve come to ask for forgiveness , and I would like to continue the missions. I promise I ’ve learn ed my lesson.”
“Being an Earth angel is not an easy task. You live among human s, and the temptation s of wanting to live like them are very tempting. I underst an d . Even I struggle. But we must remember who we are and focus on God ’s beloveds. We mustn ’t let them destroy themselves , or the re will be no Earth to call home.”
Father Shepherd had no clue what Victor had been through lately , nor did he gather he was one of the Ang el us Pugnator . “I understand, Father Shepherd, but you see, my sins go beyond that. I was part of Angelus Pugnator .”
Father Shepherd let out a short gasp in shock , then quickly recovered . “I see.” His tone was calm and neutral.
Sensing Father Shepherd’s disapproval, Victor jumped in. “Please…I have not killed or hurt our kind. I ’ve only thought about it and almost tried.” Victor told almost the whole truth. “I know my purpose in life. If you give me a chance, I promise I will prove worthy.”
Father Shepherd gathered his thoughts and let out a worried sigh. Through Victor ’s words and tone, he could tell how sorry he was. Mostly, he felt it in his heart and soul. Executors had a special gift ; b eing ab le to tell if one was telling the truth was one of them. “I feel your pain and know how much you have suffered. You are forgiven , my child. I welcome you back home. Do understand , though, that should you abandon your mission again, you will not be welcomed back. It saddens me to say this to you, but I need to know I can count on you to carry out your duty. Do you understand ?” he said firmly.
“Yes, I do.” With that, Victor felt a peace run through him. He ’d never felt so sure about anything as he felt it now. “I do, Father Shepherd, ” he said solemnly with all h is heart.
“Then , for your penance, you must say the prayer, Our Father, five times.”
“Excuse me?” Victor was surprised. After the confession, the priest tells the confessor to say a certain number of prayers, but he wasn ’t a human.
Father Shepherd cleared his throat in discontent.
Victor knew the meaning behind the sound. “I mean , y es , of course. Five times.”
“Good. Search your heart and soul , and really think hard about what you did and what you will do to become the Earth angel you were meant to be.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Before you leave, I need to give you your assignment.”
Victor gave a huge smile , and if his smile could have li t up, everyone in the church would have seen the light coming out of the confession room, glowing like the sun.
“You need to go to General Hospital , room 711. There is a patient name d Gary Noble. He has kidney cancer. He must not lose hope ! He must turn over a new leaf and believe in the power of mirac les . If he does, he will live a few more years. He can spend that time with his family , and help ing others like himself. If he doesn ’t, he will die shortly after your visit. This will be like a rippl e effect. If he dies too soon, he will miss the chance of touching the lives of those who need his guidance and support. It is very imperative that you succeed. Do whatever it takes to make him believe in the power of good.”
It was too much to take all at once. He had never had to do such a mission , where he had to make someone believe. But at this point, he had no choice.
“You can do it, Victor. I believe in you, it’s the reason I chose you. Go in peace, my child , and let your heart and soul guide you.”
Not wanting to fail and disappoint Father Shepherd, he told himself he could do such an important mission. Many human lives were at stake. Once a mission was given, it could not be taken back. There was no punishment if one failed , because the feeling of guilt was bad enough. With that in mind, he turned the knob and walked out the door, only to face a woman waiting in line. She looked irritated and in a hurry. She practically pushed him out of the way , making a comment. “That many , huh?”
Victor laughed inwardly. “Humans, ” he mumbled and walk ed toward the alt a r.
The Beta team, led b y Elissa , headed to a small town near Rave called Springfield. She was proud to be the leader of the Beta team. Though she was sad to have left the Alpha team , it was better than being left behind. Being left behind on the first run was very disappointing, but being a leader was amazing .
First, they checked out the Rave, only to find it empty, which was very odd this time of day. Half-full glasses and eaten chips on the table indicated that customers had been t here not too long ago. When they did not spot any unusual activit y , they moved inward to the heart of the town.
It was nearing dusk. The sky was stricken with pink and violet hues and the clouds weaved in and out. The ten of them held their bows tightly as they swiftly paced along the unpaved road. As the distant sun slowly des cend ed to end the day, t heir shadows were getting smaller and thicker , and would disappear within minutes.
A ‘Welcome to Springfield ’ sign swung back and forth from the force of the wind, making a sound that c a me from metal rubbing against metal . Since there were no cars moving along the road, the venators strode cautiously down the center, looking and listening for any sign of human life.
“It looks so…empty, ” o ne said as he examined the stores aligned to the left and right. Hardware, grocery, barbershop and other store doors were shut. There was no indication if they were closed or open. As the night crept in, darkness engulfed them . The only light th at shone was the dim street lamps and their bows.
The venators felt evil lurking, giving them chills down their spine s , but they had to be brave and move on. “Do you hear that?” Elissa halted, looking toward the left. It was a huge hardware store, a lot bigger than the one they ’d s een several blocks back .
“Should we go back home?” o ne said as her body shuddered. “It ’s really creepy. I don ’t think any good is living her
e. Since I ’m the reporter, perhaps I should go .”
“Shhh…it will be okay.” Elissa move d toward the window to peek in , and the rest follow ed .
She placed her bow flat against the glass. It gave enough light to see what was just beyond.
It happened so fast she didn’t have time to react. The d emon slam med its fist r ight through the window . It gripp ed her hair , and yanked her in. Thankfully she wore her protective gear ; the shattered glass bounced off her instead of piercing through her skin. If that wasn ’t surprising enough, t he other demons pulled in the venators that peered through the glass beside Elissa. One venator purposely smashed through the window, firin g, trying to release the demons ’ hold s on his friends. Elissa stomp ed on the demon ’s f oot, and jab bed her bow into it s guts. Immediately she turn ed , knowing others were pulled in , and sho t .
When the rest of the venators followed, more demons appeared. There were too many, outnumber ing the venators . One after another the demons charg ed , hissing, full of vengeance. When they thought they had killed the last one, more came pouring out.
“We need to retreat !” Eliss a shouted. One by one, the venators escaped out the door.
“What on Earth?” one venator said, looking behind his shoulders. “God help us.”
From a distance, countless demons appeared on the street. The whole town was possessed. The demons stampeded forward. Behind them, the fire blazed as if hell was set loose. The black smoke rose higher and thicker. Upon the burning flames, the smoke took the form of a giant hand , as if it were the hand s of the devil.
“This town is doomed, ” El iss a said , with fear in her eyes. Never had she imag in ed this scenario ; a t least , she ’d hoped it wouldn ’t happen in her lifetime. “Apocalypse , ” she whispered. Then they were gone.
Chapter 28
Instead of hav ing everyone meet at Nubilus City as planned, they decided to split up. Austin headed alone to Katherine , and the rest were to wait at Island of Eden until further notice. This way, Katherine wouldn ’t ask many questions about Michael and Claudia. Austin didn ’t care for Michael, but he did care for Claudia. When he found out she didn ’t take the apple to Callum, he wondered what she had done with it .
This thought broke off when Katherine entered her office. She was startled to see Austin sitting on her leather chair, behind the desk, swerving it a round like a little boy . Fond memories of Austin ’s ch ildhood flushed Katheri ne ’s mind. How quickly time had passed, yet she could still remember it like it happened yesterday.
“Austin, what brings you here? Don ’t tell me you are the reporter ; and where is your team?”
Austin stopped spinning when she asked him questions. His hands were clasped together, looking straight at her, unable to speak. He didn ’t know wh ere to start.
“Austin? Are you okay?” Her tone was tender. It was a long time since his mother spoke to him with a sweet tone. Katherine was always in a rush, giving him orders and acting more like an authoritative figure than a mother. She was also worried that Austin was getting too close to Claudia. Looking into his eyes, she knew how much he cared for Claudia , and hope d that he would come to his senses on his own.
“Ummm…I ’m fine, ” he finally said. “Actually, you might want to sit down for this.”
Austin got up and walked to the other side of the desk, but Katherine stubbornly remained standing , with a demanding look on her face . “What happened?”
“It ’s Callum. He ’s not himself.”
“What do you mean ‘not himself ’?”
“He has evil in him. His soul has been compromised.”
“How do you know? Are you sure?”
“I ’ve seen him with my own eyes. He isn ’t missing . Actually…it ’s more like his soul is missing.”
Katherine wasn’t listening to Austin ’s words. She was deep in thought , and had a distant look in her eyes. Before he got a chance to ask her what she was thinking , she placed her hand on his shoulder. “I need to talk to Samuel.”
“Okay….” Austin said, wondering why she needed to speak to Samuel, but he didn ’t ask. Instead , he was mo re interested in what the other team found. “Did any team s report back?”
“I sent the Beta team to another town. The first town was hopeless. Only the reporter came back from the Delta team. I ’m afraid he was the only survivor. Many teams came back , and I sent them ou t to search the other cities .” Kather ine looked distressed . “I need answers. I have a hunch Samuel is withholding information that is critical. I need to draw it out of him.”
Left with only the breeze from the speed of his mother ’s take off, Austin stood there alone.
With a r ush of wind, Katherine reached the cell. Samuel felt the draft and knew he had a visito r, but he didn ’t care. He remained in the same crouched position and sat with his wings expanded half way as he gazed straight at her.
“My , my , aren ’t we in a bit of a rush, ” Samuel smirk ed .
“You ’re lucky you ’re behind bars . I could kill you with my own hands.” Her tone was calm, but her eyes were not.
Samuel paced toward her and looked squarely into her eyes. He had aged, showing more defined wrinkles than before. “You could start a fire with the look on your face. Hmmm…th at look tells me I did something right , a nd everything is moving according to the plan.”
“What plan?” she asked.
“The plan where I get out of this cell and take over your rul e . Sounds like a great plan, does it not?”
“Remember, you ’re still in t here.”
“True, but I know a lot is happening out there.”
“Tell me what you know, ” Katherine demanded.
“Now that the ball is rolling…where shall I beg i n ?” he boasted. “The three of you brought me in , so that would make it the four of us ; or perhaps there were five in the room and not four.”
“Stop playing games, ” Katherine said sharply, raising her tone.
“Do you know what happen ed in Spec u s?”
Katherine gave him a puzzled look. “Don ’t change the subject.”
“What you don ’t understand is that th is subject is where it all began.”
Katherine looked bewildered. “Spec u s?”
“Yes, Spec u s. Just before Aliah…k aboom , ” he said, flicking his fingers all at once. “His soul entered my body, which permission was given beforehand .” Katherine gasped in surprise as Samuel continued. “When the two of you were so happy to lock me up, Callum stayed behind to secure the lock. Well…guess what? Aliah ’s soul entered Callum. This was our plan.”
Katherine dug into her mind. She recalled Jeremiah, Callum and herself brin g ing Samuel to his cell. Callum volunteered to stay behind to make sure the lock was secure. There were four of them, not five. Katherine backed away in shock beyond anything she ’d ever imagined. She heard his words, but she couldn ’t reply. What could she say?
“That ’s right, ” Samuel spoke proudly. “Aliah was never gone. Who is the fool now?” he challenged.
“You ’re lying!” she yelled in anger. “I saw him burst into ashes with my own eyes.”
“Oh, indeed he did , but not his soul. One thing about God ’s first angels, their powers go beyond our understanding. Tell me…have you seen Callum lately?”
Katherine looked straight into his eyes without saying a word.
“I guess that means no. But when you do, you ’ll see him withering away, like me ; h is eyes full of darkness, skin so pale as if it had never seen the sunlight , and lips so red as if they’d tasted blood.”
Katherine stood there not wanting to believe, but recalling Austin ’s words, and seeing how Samuel was changing the way an angel would when evil was in them, she believed him now. Knowing Aliah was out of the b etween and into the living terrified her. Possessing Callum ’s body and soul, he could go just about anyw here. Not only that, but as Callum los t control of his own body, Aliah w ould be able to take over a
nd become just as powerful as he once was .
“I know that look in your eye …you believe me, ” Samuel said triumphantly.
Katherine disregarded him. In fact, she walked away. She had to warn others about Callum.
“Aren ’t you going to at least say good bye , or give me a good bye kiss?” Samuel teased happily, knowing how terrified she looked.
Brewing with anger and hatred toward him, Katherine extend ed her right arm and waved her index finger. Willing her power, Samuel was forced to slam against the blazing bars. He squealed in pain from the burning heat as if he was set on fire. She only held him for a split second, but it was enough to have an impact. His face and the parts of his body that collided against the bars sizzled from the tremendous hot temperature. He recoiled to the ground with a loud thump.
“There ’s your goodbye kiss, you pathetic, no good, unholy load of crap, ” she murmured under her huffing breath, seeing Samuel fall from the corner of her eyes. Then she headed toward Crossroads.
Austin stood there alone, wondering how the other venator teams were holding up. As his thoughts wandered, Delilah charge d in.
“Why are you here?” Austin asked, surprised to see her.
“It ’s Claudia. She went to Paradisus by herself looking for Callum.”
“What!” he bellowed . “But…s he ’s with Michael.”
“I don ’t know what happened. I think they got into a fight or something. Hurry !”
With a flap of his wings, he prepared for takeoff. “Where are the others?”
“They ’re on their way.”
With that, he was gone.
Chapter 29
The Curators sat patiently, waiting for Callum to begin their quarterly meeting. They gasped in shock when he appeared wearing a long black robe . The hood of the cape h ung over his head. It was difficult to see any of his facial features, but his height and body structure clearly defined it was Callum.