Fallen Angels chpt 26

Blurring Light

"How much longer do I have to keep this 'victim' act up for anyway?" Grimm heard Ronnie whisper from just a way up ahead. The rocking of the Earth had forced them all to the floor. He could just barely make out Ronnie's outline in the gloom.
"Who killed the lights?" Seth growled.
"Something tells me that I really don't want to know." Grimm replied, crawling onto his knees in order to stand. "Whatever it was that just happened… It must be an unimaginable evil… To have turned back the Earth's clock like this!" He sighed to stop himself from trembling. "Come on; this way." He nudged Ronnie's shoulder.
"You're… not really going to kill me, are you?" Ronnie asked nervously.
"Of course not! You've trusted me this far, haven't you?" Grimm replied. Ronnie shrugged and put his head down. "Just when we're seen look like you don't have a clue what's going on."
"…But I don't have a clue what's going on."
"Then it should be pretty easy for you, then."
Seth nodded in the darkness. He took hold of the corner of Grimm's cape, and the Doctor held his other hand, and they led each other down the walkway in a chain.
Monks were desperately lighting candles and anything else they could in an effort to see. Few noticed the rag-tag group slipping between them. They were in a feverous panic. "It's kind of nice not to believe anymore." Grimm smiled as he watched them cowering and rushing away. Ronnie raised an eyebrow. "It must feel terrible to think your God has just abandoned you."
"You don't sympathise with them at all?" Ronnie frowned. "They were your friends, weren't they?"
Grimm gave a snort of contempt. "Nope. Then again… I doubt sometimes if I ever did."
The younger monk who had confronted Grimm on the battlements suddenly crashed into him. Ronnie squirmed away quickly before the embers from his hurriedly-lit torch burned him. Grimm halted violently. Seth and the Doctor huddled behind. The young monk blinked in surprise. "Grimm, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
"What are you doing? I thought…"
"I've got something to take to the Elders." He shook Ronnie's shoulder. Ronnie did his best to look downtrodden, but it wasn't as if anyone could see anyway. The young monk had to hold his light right up to Grimm's face in order to recognise him.
"The Elders and the High Priest have gone back down into the private rooms; down below. But it's suicide to go in after them! You won't get out alive!"
"Why not?"
The young monk was gasping between words, he was so frightened. "Because the angels are in the building!" He hissed. Ronnie gulped. The Doctor and Seth exchanged glances. "The grounds are on fire now as we speak! They broke in through one of the windows on the fifth floor!"
To his shock, Grimm wasn't surprised. "Oh aye. Which window, out of curiosity?"
"Well… the second one on the west side… That doesn't matter though, does it?"
Grimm gave a chuckle. "No. Not really. I just knew he'd pick that window."
"Sir?"
"Never mind."
"You don't understand, they're killing everything!!" The young monk gasped again. "No one's safe!! You have to get out now, while you can!"
Grimm nodded… well, grimly… and waved a hand. "Then go. Do what you need to do, and I'll do the same." The young monk bowed gratefully, and then ran off into the darkness.
Ronnie shivered. "You think they'll tell us apart?" He asked Seth and the Doctor cautiously. The colour was gone from their faces.
"How could anyone in this light? Unless they've got a special vision for it." The Doctor said, then absentmindedly added, "it would be very interesting for medical science to dissect one and see…"
"How can you even think that?!" Seth exclaimed.
Grimm sighed and released his grip on Ronnie. He pulled each of them around him with his arms. "I have to thank you for your co-operation. Now you've accompanied me as far as you can go. It's here we have to say goodbye." The others looked at each other. None of them wanted to say it, but in the short space of time that they'd known each other they'd become quite fond of this little group, including Grimm; the monk they never thought in a million years they'd have a grudging like for. "Take the turning on the right. It should lead you to the back of the building, and you can get out that way. If you're quick, the angels won't catch you." He looked directly at Ronnie. "I have to apologise to you. I got you into this mess in the first place, and I'm sorry."
"But where are you going?" Ronnie replied.
"Left." He broke away from the circle and backed away. "There's one last thing I have to see to. Goodbye!" He waved, and like the others, he disappeared.
"Come on!" Seth took Ronnie's hand in his free palm, and they ran right. There was a steady stream of bodies running the same path. Whereas in previous times the monks would have spotted the three renegade Outcasts immediately, now they didn't seem to care. As Grimm said they would, they reached the back door. The fire hadn't quite spread to that part of the gardens yet, and they fled amongst the trees, keeping together.


Meanwhile, Grimm had stopped running. He let the others pass him without comment. There was a heavy inevitability in his step. He didn't disturb the fleeing refugees around him, although many felt it wise to try to disturb him.
"Don't go that way, brother! It's too dangerous!!"
"If you keep going that way then you'll never get out!"
"Turn around, you idiot!"
"Wait! The angels are down there!!"
Grimm paused, smiled and casually replied, "What? This way?"
"Yes!" His next lifeguard exclaimed. "They're coming up through the corridors; they're spreading! Can you not feel that heat?" Grimm paused. It was getting unusually hot in the close darkness.
"And that was this way, you say?"
"YES!!!"
"Right-o. Thanks." He gave a wave… and continued to walk that way anyway. The monk shook his head in disbelief.
"Fine. It's your funeral." He said as he escaped.

Grimm turned the corner. There was light in this corridor. Outside the garden was raging orange and it lit up the walls opposite the open and shattered windows. He started to see fewer and fewer people, until he got so far as to see none at all. The rooms had the same feel as an abandoned ghost ship. He turned onto the next corridor, which just happened to be the same corridor that Andy's bedroom was on, and stood still for a moment. He watched the wall at the far end. He watched it turning more and more yellow.
He was composed and breathing steadily. He'd sorted everything out now. He'd got Ronnie out of the prison and now just one more thing remained. The only way he thought he could fully atone for his life spent lying. He folded his arms as he saw an alien shadow dancing in the glow.

He was assured in the knowledge that this was a big privilege – if you were going to die, then you might as well decide when, where and how. And he had decided. It was going to be now. It was going to be in this corridor. And it was going to be by an angel.

His eyes followed as his potential Grim Reaper stepped into the corridor; black wings trailing behind him. It wasn't an angel he'd seen before, but then he had only seen two close up.

Jinxx stared at him, the whites of his eyes shining out from the centre of those black diamonds. He stopped directly in line with Grimm. Grimm waited. Jinxx didn't move for a long time. A fist clenched.

"Well? Come on, then." Grimm sighed, folding his arms. Jinxx cocked his head to one side. Then he paced closer. "So I wonder which one you are? The Deviant, perhaps? The Destroyer? What other names do they give you?" Grimm tried suppress the urge to run, because for his eyes only, Jinxx began to change. As he walked he grew taller, his face altered. His skin changed colour and became scaly. His wings remained but turned red. Grimm suddenly found himself face to face with a terrifying dragon the same height as the walls. The blue eyes were blazing and his head reared up to the ceiling. Grimm gulped. "I guess you're the Mystic, then." He muttered, back bending to see the Jinxx-dragon's head.

Jinxx snarled. He had two rows of knife-like ivory teeth.

"Oh I'm not criticizing you for it; I'm not picky." Grimm stammered. "I mean if I could chose, I don't know which one of you I would rather have the pleasure of killing me. The Destroyer sounds quite painful. The Mourner… hmm, maybe… Lord knows what the Deviant would do… And the Prophet…" he paused. His eyes drifted to the side. Jinxx frowned. "I think I'd pick him. An eye for an eye."

Jinxx gave a loud roar.

Grimm jumped. He realised he'd been chattering out of nerves. He dug his fingernails into the back of his hand. "No, you're quite right. Sorry I'm holding you up. Carry on. Do it. Sorry." He scrunched his eyes tight. Jinxx raised his head, and struck down with the fearsome teeth.
Grimm felt something hit him in the chest and he fell backwards. His back smacked against the floor, and he cautiously opened an eye. The dragon was gone, which he supposed was a good thing, but now there was something on top of him and pinning him down. He couldn't see their face. All he saw was the tangle of wild black hair resting just at his neck, and the horrific leather wings raised above his head. He panicked and shut his eyes again. What was happening – was it going to bite his neck? Drink his blood? Did fallen angels do that? His heart was thudding in his ears. Nothing happened. He allowed himself to look again. Jinxx was peering over from the corner of his vision, obviously surprised, and back in his normal form. Grimm looked down to the arms that held him. They were gangly and long. And he knew them.

The head to the side of his Adam's apple moved to reveal two icy blue eyes. "Hello, Grimm." Andy went to release him, but Grimm suddenly clamped on. Andy's wings flapped in irritation. "Grimm; let go!"

"I don't want to. I missed you!"
"But Jinxx is looking…"
"Kill him, Andy."
"Oh what are you harping on at me for now, you old bat?!" Andy suddenly snapped to his right shoulder. Grimm blinked in surprise.
"I said KILL HIM." The Bride snipped.
"I will not! He's my dad!"
"You don't need him anymore. You've got me." She hissed. "Get rid of him."
"You know what, I've never told you this, but here's what I actually think." Andy said, standing up off Grimm and turning fully to yell at the invisible character at his side. Grimm looked for Jinxx's reaction. Jinxx however was equally, if not more confused. He was struggling to understand why Andy had stopped him in the first place. "It's all very well you being this great goddess-thing, but just hold your horses for a minute and take a bloody rain-check! You might be throwing orders around but it's me you need to do that! It's my body, and it's my voice, and I'm in here too! Right?! And that part of me you can't control! If I want him to live, then he'll bloody well live!!! Stop moaning and DEAL WITH IT ALREADY!!"
Jinxx and Grimm's eyes connected in confusion.
"How dare you speak to your mother like that!!" She shrieked.
"Oh yeah? Call it my rebel love song."

She bit her tongue. If it had been anyone else talking to her that way, they wouldn't have lived much past the first couple of sentences.

"Bloody women." Andy hissed.
"Don't swear." Grimm replied instinctively. Andy beamed. Jinxx shook his head in disbelief. Grimm's eyes suddenly widened. "A… Andy? What are those things on your back?"
"They're wings, silly." He laughed.
Grimm nodded slowly, but didn't ask anything else. He was suddenly quite faint.
There were footsteps behind them. Andy turned his head sharply, but it was only Jake, Ashley and C.C. C.C was covered in red. Grimm tried to think of it as paint. Jake sprinted towards them, but stopped. He rolled his eyes when he saw Grimm. "Oh Goddess I remember you." He muttered.
"Who's the old guy?" Ashley asked with all his powers of tact.
Grimm, despite himself, put his hands to his hips indignantly. "I'm not so old, thanks very much!"
"This is Grimm. He took care of me. He's my dad."  
"Dude, that's confusing." C.C scratched his head.
Grimm massaged his forehead.
"Grimm, where are the Elders. We need to… speak with them."
Grimm glanced up warily. Andy stared back, eyes fluttering. It was hard to believe the demonic wings behind him and the eyes like that were all part of the same person. "They've gone to the High Priest's rooms…" Andy stood up. "Wait! Andy; don't go down there!" He gripped onto Andy's leg. The blue eyes stared at him blankly. Jake folded his arms. "If you go down there, you'll die. They'll kill you."
The other angels looked to Andy. Andy smirked. Gently he bent and eased open the maturing fingers from his skin. He patted the back of the palm. "It'll be alright. We have to do this. We have to stop his heart before he spirals out of control." Grimm frowned; confused. Andy straightened up again. "Pick a room. Go lie down. LOCK THE DOOR. Don't come out for anything. Stay there, and I'll come for you when we're done."

Grimm slowly nodded, a strong sense of nausea rippling up through his body.

Andy nodded. Ashley gave a giggle and ran out of the corridor. Slowly, the others followed. Jake hovered at the end of the passage. Andy remained standing beside Grimm, and Jinxx waited between them; keeping his ever careful gaze on Andy's back.

Andy smiled. He whispered, "Anyways, it's not like I'm defenceless anymore."

Grimm blinked in wonder as Andy backed away from him, grinning as he turned to sprint. The three of them disappeared together. Grimm sat in the centre of the passage for a couple of moments, gathering his thoughts. He felt like the rug had been pulled from beneath him. He was so certain that he'd have been ended by now. That fact, coupled with the terror of the new angels, Andy's new wings and the impending doom they were now running into, swirled around his mind until he felt even worse. Flames had begun to lick the corridor floor behind him. He staggered up to his feet, and made his way crawling along the wall to the nearest exit. There was one outhouse in the gardens that fire hadn't destroyed. He made his shaky legs walk over to it, which was a task in itself.
The Outcasts hadn't come into the grounds with their angels, as though even with their new power it was a place they dared not to tread. They were still outside the gates though; fighting with the Invasion and pulling what was left of the defences to pieces. Grimm had heard once that the Invasion would rather kill themselves than be killed. He could spot some such kamikaze victims slumped against the gate. It sickened him and he had to turn away.
He got to the outhouse. He shut the door. The space inside was warm and dark.

He fainted.

---------------------------------------------

A long distance away, in the destroyed streets of Heaven, Carolyn shuddered. An awful feeling dread had placed its hand on her shoulder. She stopped in her tracks. She'd been trying to find her father, but maybe she'd been running the wrong way. Maybe it wasn't her father that needed her anymore. Maybe that's why he left in the first place… because he knew something else had taken his place…

She turned towards the Temple.

--------------------------------------------


DOWN…

Down…

down…

They had left the rest of the Temple up above their wingtips. Andy walked ahead, hand outstretched into the darkness. There weren't any torches. The only light they had come from the balls of flame Ashley cupped in his hands.
"It's very quiet down here." C.C observed, standing in the opposite place of Andy. It was strange for him to have moments of gravitas, so Jake stopped in front of him and paused, watching the firelight play over his features. He looked even more like a carved grave-marker now than ever before. "We should have run into something by now."
"Like what?"
"… Like a trap."
"We're near the heartbeat."  Andy murmured.
"Um, I hope I don't sound dull with this question, but once we get to this 'heart', what exactly are you wanting to do with it?" Ashley whispered.
"Destroy it, of course. Shred it. Burn it. Anything. Just end its infernal beating. Break his heart like he broke mine."  
"Most people would just stuff themselves with chocolate and listen to break-up songs." He hissed. Jinxx smirked.
"I am NOT most people. I am not technically a PERSON, Ashley; you forget."
"Yes Mom."
"Stop a second!" C.C spat. "I think I hear something!"

Andy froze still as he sensed something in the air. He parted his lips slightly to breathe it in. An odd scent tickled his nose. He licked his lips. It smelt and tasted… sweet. At first it wasn't so bad, then it started to verge on sickly. He put a hand to his face to shield it. "Can you smell that?"

"Yeah…" Jinxx whispered.
Ashley gave a groan. "I feel funny…" He swayed slightly. "Really… funny…" His eyes shut and his legs buckled. He tumbled onto the floor.

THUMP.

The flames went out.

"Oh no…" Andy heard Jake mutter, but he didn't say anything else.

THUMP.

He felt his legs tremble and he leaned against the nearest wall. His breath was heavy. Jinxx's wings brushed against his arm as he slumped forward.

THUMP.

"C.C…?"

"I… knew… it…"

THUMP.

"C?"

Nothing.

Andy searched his eyes around the darkness. His feet had started to slip from beneath him. The brickwork was burning at the edges of his wings. The wall felt like it was moving further away. He realised that he was sliding down it. To the floor. He struggled to hold onto his consciousness; he gripped it with tenacious fingers, but it was still sliding away.
"Oh bollocks."
"Andy!" The Bride's voice cut in. "What's happening to you? What's going on?"
"I don't know… My body's… stopping…"
"Andy, hold on! Stay with me! Andy! ANDY!!"
Her shouting did nothing. Andy's eyes closed and his head rock to the side. His back slipped sideward until Jinxx broke his fall. His head rested on the soft feathery outside of his wings. Ashley had collapsed close to his feet. C.C lay sprawled in the corridor behind. Jake looked like he was simply sitting against the wall. Only his closed eyes gave his lack of consciousness away.

A light breeze whistled up towards them. It ruffled their feathers and teased the ends of Andy's hair.

A red rectangle opened up in the wall ahead. And a bent, crippled old shadow blocked it.