CHAPTER 13
THIS IS ME
“Knock, knock.” Somebody with an unrecognizable voice stood behind the door. Anouke put his finger to his mouth, telling Lex to stay quiet. He sat up on the couch from lying down comfortably and watched the door with gritted teeth. Anouke slowly walked over to it with inaudible footsteps. The voice spoke again. “I thought…” It was a female. She cut herself off and tried the door knob. Both Lex and Anouke started to panic, eyes wide and pupils enlarged.
They didn’t lock it. They never did. There was no reason to since they lived deep in the forest, avoided of hikers and never had any danger cross by. Also, Lex was fine now, no longer needing to be safely kept inside the house. The door creaked open and a woman poked her head through with a thoughtful frown. She stepped inside the house and cocked her head.
She had ebony hair with matching eyes. Her face was slim and clothes tight. Her eyes were fairly big and she had bangs. Her hair was long, dropping below her shoulders down to her hip. Her shoes were vibrant. The two Angels were crouched down outside. They had each climbed out of the window at the same time, so struggled a little but still made it. They were sitting down on the wet forest ground. Lex had a displeased look cross his face.
Anouke held his hand over Lex’s mouth and also over his nose unintentionally. Lex moved his hand down a little so he could breathe but still didn’t make a sound, knowing he would probably attract the woman inside their home. “What the heck!?” She shouted with annoyance tingeing her voice. “Dayle said that they’d be here and Akuma ordered me to come!” She huffed aloud. She stormed out of the house and started searching outside. She rounded the first corner and saw them sitting there close together.
Lex looked at the floor. The transformation from Demon to Angel really happened. His Angelic feelings were holding him back from fighting. It would pass, but when? How long would it take before Anouke didn’t have to ‘protect’ him because he couldn’t fight for himself?
Anouke heard what Lex had earlier whispered, so knew he already had a protection spell surrounding him. “Don’t worry, Lex. We’ll do this.” He stood in front of Lex whose knees finally buckled and he stayed kneeling on the floor. He seemed to absorb the Demons feeling which he anticipated they had: the hatred, fear, sadness… All because of Akuma. It angered him, but he didn’t know what to do.
Anguish flooded his bones like marrow. Anouke dragged his leg on the floor, bringing a few leaves into a tiny pile. He lifted his arm in the air and then pulled it down forcefully, bringing an uncontrollable, brutal gust of wind which blew them all back. Arya took a single step backwards, nearly unaffected by the blow; the rest of the lot got blown back, staggering and tripping over their own feet.
They all soon got back up, standing behind Arya like organized stocking on shelves. She let out a screech which acted like a signal to rush Anouke and Lex. The Demons trampled over each other in their rush to get approved. It seemed like the one whom worked best on this mission would receive and upgrade in rank.
Anouke sighed, debating in a second whether to use full power or be more careful. His wings burst out of his back, white like snow, and his feathers rustled. He hopped on a single leg and then bounced up into the air. I can’t hold it back… Lex is in danger. And I promised him that none of us would be taken. That we wouldn’t lose.
Anouke looked down. Arya was staring up at him. She held up her hand. He looked at the back of it. ‘Higher 4’ it read. Anouke had a feeling of dread pool in his stomach but didn’t let it distract him as he swooped down and chanted a spell. She gritted her teeth. “Damn Angel. How and why do you know magic, ass? Let alone a fighting spell…” She roared up at him as he struck her with the almost transparent mist. The blade of air he used when he was practicing with Lex. She held up her arm to block it, not expecting it at all.
It cut through her arm partially and blood began to drip slightly on the floor. The leaves curled up as they drank the blood, becoming heavy as they inflated with the bloating of blood they absorbed. She dropped her arm to the side. She grunted. She looked up at Anouke as he drifted over her head and dropped to the floor behind her, staggering on his feet. Her eyes were cruel.
Her sadistic smile and wicked eyes were enough to kill. She grumbled before turning around to face Anouke. So did the other Demons. They all surrounded him, some in the trees and the others in a wide circle around him. Arya stalked up to the circle of Demons, pushed a few out of the way and stood in front of Anouke.
Lex was still toppled over on his knees, breathing heavily.
She hastily ran around him. Anouke’s eyes darted around the surroundings, trying to keep track of her movements – he couldn’t. She jumped up and kicked him in the back, just below the shoulder blade. He fell forward and his face crashed against the floor. A rock pierced the skin on his shoulder, the fabric from his clothes ripped. He took in a prompt breath.
Arya turned Anouke over and sat on top of him. Her hands slipped around his neck and she mercilessly smiled. She tyrannically used force to squeeze the air out of his lungs and so he couldn’t gasp a single drop of oxygen. He grabbed her wrist and tried to pry free of her grip. He couldn’t. She pushed harder and harder, bruising his neck. He began to croak, loosing strength as he tried with all of his weakening might to wrestle against this Demon.
So this is the strength of a higher rank… He began to lose his trail of thought. I… what..?
Arya’s body tumbled off Anouke. His eyes slowly opened. He stared up at the sun, blurred light encapsulating his vision. She slumped down beside him. Lex was standing over her. Anouke turned to the side. “Lex…” He whispered.
Lex towered over her, his shadow looming over the blood splattered around the Demon’s circle. The other members of The Angels Antagonism gasped. They started to whisper to one another. A chaos of sound entered Lex’s head and he covered his ears. His talons looked like horns on his head. His eyes were flaming, creased with crave.
“I thought he was an Angel.”
“What even is it?”
“Why would anybody want to be with something like that?”
He heard consistent whispers about him. He gritted his teeth and curled his fingers up. The monochrome words were hurtful. And that angered him. His tail stabbed the ground like a shovel. His fangs jutted out. “Bastards.” He breathed. “You’re all sick.” He growled. He dropped his hands to his sides now, fingers twitching. He inhaled deeply, grateful for the quiet. Only the pounding of his remorseful heart was heard.
He whispered three spells. Treh. Fregh. Invase.
The Demons looked around, confused of the sudden explosion of colours they experienced. They started to stagger around but then stopped, feeling like they were hitting walls of a cage – the effect of invase. Some covered their eyes, others yelled and others whimpered. Demons which were in the trees dropped out like a descending rocket in the sky.
They whined. Anouke sat up, rubbing his marked neck. His shoulder stung, but he didn’t mind it. Lex used a reverse spell upon Anouke. Like going into the past or like pressing reverse on a television remote, he began to rewind. Since Arya was dead, Anouke just looked like he was fighting off an invisible force as he began to backtrack. Until he was standing up just before Arya attacked, Lex stopped the spell. The hand mark was still there.
Lex struck the Demons which surrounded them, colours still flashing in their eyes. His hand drilled through their chests, stabbing their hearts. As his hand teetered out, immense blood slinked to the ground. Lex was reminded of his massacre of Anouke’s brothers. His lips quirked up. He trotted from Demon to Demon, tail swishing like a jubilant puppy. He licked his hand, tasting the Demons blood.
His face illustrated satisfaction.
His mouth twisted into a smile, looking like he was wearing lipstick with the blood which coated his lips. His tail fluctuated towards the Demons throats, puncturing the Demon’s jugulars and prodigious blood splashed onto the floor like boundless rain. He looked around. Everybody was dead. Anouke had used quick spells which had the Demons swiftly fall to an endless sleep of nothingness. He clasped his hands together, feeling sympathetic for them after what Lex had told him about what Akuma had done to him before. He guessed he did that to the other Demons too.
He looked at Lex with dismal eyes. He stared at Anouke. His eyes were pessimistic and wistful. It was like he didn’t want to be a Demon, but couldn’t help it. His woebegone face quickly returned blank. It was like the Angel in him was trying to break out of the Demon which overpowered him.
His fingers stopped moving, blood slowly dripping onto the already soaked terrain. It was like there was a flood of blood. The Demons still bodies surrounded the cabin. Anouke mournfully whispered spells to rid of the bodies. But the blood would not go.
Lex cruised up to Anouke. “This is me.” He grumbled.
“I know. But because of that, you saved my life.” Anouke grabbed Lex’s hand and dragged him into the cabin with him, the blood on Lex’s hands also rubbing onto Anouke’s hands. It reminded Lex of when Anouke and he had first met. It drew a reminiscing frown upon his face. It was as if Anouke had sensed his anamnesis as he also wore a sad smile.
“That’s not it…” Lex pulled his hand out of Anouke’s grasp. Both inside now, Lex’s fangs retracted. He pressed his fingertips onto Anouke’s chest, careful to not hurt him with his talons, feeling his heartbeat throb. He began to walk forward and Anouke walked backwards. Lex pushed him into a wall, pinning him. He covered Anouke’s body with his own and hit the wall with his fist, just above Anouke’s head.
His claws played with Anouke’s clean but also scruffy hair. Anouke’s eyes quivered from the shock but he didn’t oppose, confident that Lex wouldn’t hurt him.
“Aren’t you scared?”
Anouke cocked his head. “Huh? No, I’m not.” He replied inevitability.
“You saw me outside. Are you not scared of me?” He asked, completely dumbfounded.
“I mean… Should I be scared?”
“Huh..? I could kill you right now. Are you not scared of me at all?”
“But, you’ve been so good to me recently.” Anouke responded. He thought back to when Lex became kinder and kinder, helping Anouke out and even practicing magic with him despite his new self. “You may not have given it much thought, but I certainly acknowledged it. You changed Lex. You were amiable.”
Lex’s tail swished and he moved his foot forward, sliding between Anouke’s two feet.
“How innocent.” He smirked villainously. He trailed his talon carefully down Anoukes chest to his belly.
“Mmm…” Anouke groaned, confused and flustered. He halted, pulling his hand back languidly. What am I doing?
“Why aren’t you resisting?” Lex said dejectedly.
“I believe in you; you won’t hurt me.” He answered with sanguine.
“Whatever…” Lex murmured and started to walk away with heated cheeks.
Anouke looked down, hiding his flushed cheeks. “I-I’ll go and get some fire wood.” He mentioned and trotted out of the cabin. Lex collapsed on the sofa and sighed. He closed his eyes, thinking.
He just wanted to sleep. He turned his head to the empty fireplace, feeling hollow inside. His vision faded to darkness.
Anouke returned, calm now. He slowly walked inside, the floorboards creaking. He shut the door with his arm, making sure he didn’t drop any wood. He placed the firewood into the fireplace, walked back over to the door, locked it, walked back over to the fireplace, and began to rub two sturdy twigs together The friction caused a fire to blaze and he chucked them into the fireplace. He looked over at Lex, then to the door. He inhaled.
Rain began to pour, blistering the glass as if a drunken person was trying to break into a house. It washed the leaves clean, making a stream of blood flow throughout the forest, dipping into little ditches.
He stepped forwards. Crushing leaves and snapping twigs. He blocked the small current of blood which cascaded down the ground. It splashed against his feet. He crouched down and sniffed the small stream, smelling the aroma of blood as if it was perfume. The stench was strong, although a human would not be able to smell it at all. He began to follow the trace of the blood, rain hammering down on his skin.
He dropped his jacket onto the floor. The leather stationed the stream, as if paralyzing it to move no more. “That should let you know you’re not alone.” He smiled, premolars overlapping his grey lips.
Lex’s eyes snapped open, feeling an intense and sudden feeling of dread. But as soon as he awoke, he didn’t feel anything. And soon after, he disembarked into another dream.
(HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I HOPE YOU HAVE A GRAT TIME!)
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