THE SEVEN HEAVENLY CHILDREN

7TH ACT: GHOULS

"A NEPHILIM?" She repeated. The word was unfamiliar to her, but something inside of her triggered at the mere mention of it.

Where have I heard it before?

The guy let out an intense sigh snatching Briel from her thoughts. "I told you no more questions. We'll take about that later." He frowned. "Right now, I need you to follow all of my instructions."

"Are you sure you're in any condition to fight?" She asked. He had almost died earlier. Is he crazy?

"I told you already, didn't I?" The guy gave him a stern look. "I am fine. Besides, I'm not some mere human like you."

A mere human.

Briel sighed. "Fine. Fine." She said dismissively. She wanted to ask more, but she held her queries back. The had to priorities safety first. Inquests will come after once they had survived this ordeal.

"Now, just a quick plan. Where exactly is your mom?" He asked.

"She's on the eighth floor of the building. Room 808."

"And what floor are we?"

"Second."

The guy seemed to have pondered something for a while.

"Six floors then. Good thing, this hospital has emergency power. It'll be hard for you since you can't see very well in the dark."

Good of him to notice that. Whatever this guy was, she was sure no human was capable of doing such things. Briel was glad that he had thought of her.

"Here's what we will do. We will need to use emergency stairs until we reach the eighth floor."

"Will it be easier using the elevator?" She asked.

"We can't take our chances. Using it is fast but it's too dangerous. It'll make more sound than necessary. Worse, we might get trapped there or get ambushed by the time we reach the right floor."

That is true. Briel thought of something. "We can use it as a decoy, though."

The guy agreed. "Yes. We will use the emergency stairs." He looked at her and gently put one hand on his head. "If we're unlucky, it will be the run of your life.

"I know this is all strange and scary to you, but those beliefs you had before about this world or what's beyond this realm, I need you to disregard them. You can get killed here and worst, the demon will gain possession of your body after your soul falls into depravity towards the depths of the Forbidden Plane."

"What?"

The guy rolled his eyes. "In your terms, it's called Hell, however as you can see I can't explain everything at once." He looked at the ceiling. Probably imagining the creatures outside.

It had gone a bit quiet now. The screams and growls had sounded far. Briel feared that creatures had gone up and was killing everyone upstairs.

"Then at least, tell me what else I need to know to prepare myself."

The guy slowly shook his head. "I believe that not even a lifetime of preparation will help." A hint of sadness flashed crossed his eyes for a split second.

It stunned her into silence.

"A human like you isn't supposed to see this, but one thing is for sure. I'll get you out of here and everything will go back to normal."

Something about his words felt wrong. Whatever that is, Briel had to save it for later.

"You promise?" She had to ask him. She was hugging herself so tight just to keep her body from trembling but it didn't help.

The man held her face as he looked into her eyes. Briel's heart momentarily skipped a beat. "Once we get out of this room, I want you to expect the worse. Okay?" He told her as he looked at the door. Anticipating something to burst it open at any moment.

"This place is now infested with demons. I can't tell how many of them are here, but based on the rapid spread of infestation, I will be dealing with more or less thirty of them now." He said with gritted teeth. "More of them will come here as those demons kill more of your kind. The more they kill, the more bodies they possess. Soon this hospital will be full of ghouls."

She couldn't follow him. All this information was being bombarded to her all at the same time. "Ghouls?"

The guy shrugged. "Walking corpse that fed on human flesh. Like what I've told you earlier. If you get attacked by a demon, your depraved soul gets pulled down to the Forbidden plane and the demon takes over your empty body. That's how a ghoul is created.

An evil creature who will walk the earth as your replacement Killing every person on its wake."

Briel shivered at the thought. "You mean, " she swallowed before speaking. "Like zombies?"

"Yes. More or less. Those creatures that attacked me earlier, they were ghouls. And you know what's worse? They will stop at nothing until they kill their target."

Briel's eyes widened at his words. The reason that the man in front of her was throwing a fit at her before. It was because he didn't want her to be in danger. She was the stupid one who interfered and endangered everyone in the hospital. Briel slumped on the floor.

Her knees turned to jelly. She couldn't believe the dire consequences of her actions.

She started crying. "Oh, no. What have I done?" Briel covered her face as unstoppable waves of tears flooded her eyes.

She felt the young man approaching her but she didn't care. She can't believe how stupid she was. She felt him touch her hands and gently pulled them away from her face.

"I..I..." Briel started to stutter. "I didn't...I never..."

The guy reached out a hand and pinched her nose. "That's why I told you to leave me alone." He sighed. "Don't blame yourself. This was all my fault. So stop crying you, ugly girl. We don't have time for this. We've got to save your mom and perhaps, other survivors too. I can hear some of them still alive. We have to help them too."

"Hear them?" She looked up at him. The guy slowly nodded. No longer giving more explanation. He was still an ass but Briel had an idea a soft-hearted Prince was hiding behind that cold exterior.

"Yes." He replied.

She frowned. "Are you Superman?"

She wasn't sure if had imagined it but she felt him caress her face gently. "No, I'm not. Idiot." He then pinched her nose.

She sobbed. "Ouch."

"Stop crying. I'm here to protect you." The guy grunted.

Soon as she heard those words, Briel's tears had flooded her eyes once more. Only this time, she immediately wiped it off. She had no choice but to be strong. No matter what the guy said, she was at fault for it too. She has to take responsibility and be of help somehow.

Whatever was out there, it was killing everyone it sees. She was worried it might reach her mom and do the worse to her poor defenseless mother.

Briel couldn't imagine a life without her mom. Just thinking about it triggered her tears but she stopped them.

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

The guy beamed. It was only for a split second, though. Yet the sight of it calmed her down. "Good. You've calmed down." He stood up and offered his hand to help her. Her knees wobbled a but Briel had more strength now. She was determined not to let the fear overwhelmed her too much.

"Briel, it's okay to be scared." Her mom once told her. "But never let that fear paralyze you and your potentials."

Briel closed her eyes as she prayed. "Father, protect mother for me. Please?"

Briel jolted the moment she heard a loud crash. When she turned around, she saw how the man had slashed the bed in half. He swung his weapon once more and afterward, he handed her a sharpened metal from the bed he just massacred.

"They're coming." He announced. "I will do my best to protect you, but I need to make sure that you are also capable of protecting yourself."

Briel shivered at the thought of fighting something she hasn't seen before but if need be, she'll fight her way to her mom. Yelena had trained her to fight and protect herself. She didn't have any idea that she would use what she had learned from all those harsh training this way.

"Hey, can you cut this in half?" She asked. The rod was too long for her. Besides, she preferred to fight with two weapons on each of her hands. She was still trembling. Briel knew sheer determination isn't enough. She had to keep her mind focused.

The guy nodded and granted her request. "Aim for their necks. Decapitation is the best method for sending them back to Hell."

"Decapitation?" She confirmed. Is he expecting her to behead whatever was out there? Was not even sure what do those creatures look like? And he did mention that ghouls resembled humans.

The man executed a slashing gesture toward his neck. It sent chills throughout her body. "Yes. Behead them. Another way of dealing with them is to kill the Primary Demon."

"Primary demon?" Briel conjectured. "Like their boss?"

"Yes." The man verified. "If I kill the Primary Demon, I'll kill the rest of them. It's not going to be easy though, but I'm sure he is here somewhere. Probably thinking he'll outsmart me." He pondered for a bit with a smirk on his face. "But before that time comes, make sure their claws don't scratch you. It contains demon venom. It will kill your kind in minutes."

She swallowed the huge lump in her throat. "O-okay."

He gave her a head pat. He sure does like to do that. "As I said, I'll do most of the fighting. I'll get you out of here unharmed." He said in a calming voice. Then he flicked his finger against her forehead. "So, you better listen to me, little girl."

Briel rolled her eyes. "Can you stop calling me 'little girl', I have a name."

"Oh?" He sounded so disinterested. Even if under this intense pressure the guy is still insufferable. It was unbelievably unnerving for Briel.

"Briel." She volunteered. "Call me, Briel. Not 'Little girl', not 'ugly girl' and especially not 'stupid girl'. Besides, I'm already seventeen years old!"

Yes, she looked like three years younger than others her age. She was petite, lacked figure, and had a babyface. No one can be blamed for treating her like a fourteen-year-old girl.

The guy looked at her. His face is devoid of any expression. "Really?"

"You're rude, don't you know that?" She was slowly getting over her fear but not her irritation towards him.

"What? Did you expect me to give my name to a stranger?" He asked. "Idiot."

She was about to give him a sassy retort but a sudden dreadful feeling filled the room. The guy immediately went in front of her. He was prepared to protect her.

Strangely, Briel felt safe. Instinctively, she held the back of his clothes.

The guy's hand move and grabbed on of her hand. He held it tight.

"Calm down. I promised to protect you, didn't I?"

She nodded as she looked at the creatures in front of them. She looked at their veins, it covered every part of their skin that even from afar she can see very clearly. She can also see that they were bleeding from both eyes, ears, and nose. Briel trembled as she saw blood-infused saliva dripping from each of their mouths. They were crouched like rabid animals about to pounce on them.

"T-These are..."

"Yes." The guy confirmed before she even finished her sentence. "Ghouls. Stay back, this will only be quick." With a swift gesture, he let go of her hand and bolted towards the ghouls. The creatures didn't stand a chance as all four of them were beheaded in one powerful swing of his double-bladed sphere. Briel's eyes widened in shock.

Blood splattered all over the walls and the floor and its potent metallic smell made her stomach churn. Then, she saw as severed heads and bodies caught fire and burned into ashes.

The guy went to get her and grabbed her hand. "Come on. More of them will come!" He shouted as they both ran outsides. "I'd like

to avoid them as much as possible. I have to save energy."

Briel looked at his hand which was holding her like she was something very previous. He was running a little fast, though. Briel's leg was burning yet she continued running.

They were almost at the hospital lobby when she saw a bunch of ghouls blocking their way.

"Don't stop running. I'll clear the path." He went ahead before her and effortlessly swing his sphere and kicking their enemies down. Burning bodies provided her way with more light. "They are still a bit sluggish, probably still not used to controlling their hosts."

When they reached the emergency door, he went in first and she followed. He immediately locked the door.

"Wait." He said as he made a gesture with his hand. It was as if he was writing something in the air and before she knew it, glowing characters flickered and burned themselves into the door.

"What is that?"

"A seal," he answered shortly. "Keep running."

Briel can hear the loud banging from the other side of the door. Whatever he wrote on the door, it seemed to had worked.

"Hurry." He demanded as they went upstairs. He was holding her hand again as he pulled her up. Briel was silently thankful for it.

The horrors she was seeing were enough to make her knees wobble. Without the man, she wouldn't be able to even stand.

He kept writing symbols into the air with his hand, sealing every door after them. They were already past the fifth floor when the door above them busted open.

"Don't stop running!", the guy shouted as he went first. He was skilled at fighting. He swung his seemingly heavy weapon effortlessly so that the ghouls stood no chance against him.

Briel watched him in awe when he shouted. "f**k! Watch out!"

One ghoul had managed to evade his attack and was about to pounce on her. Briel's training kicked in as she swiftly went out of harm's way. She quickly stabbed one of her weapons to its eye. The ghoul roared in pain as it fell.

It was about to launch itself back when the guy swiftly went in between them. He used the stair's handle to propel himself and kick the ghoul at the face, sending it further down. The guy jumped and quickly decapitated the monster. He pulled the metal rod from its eye before the ghoul disappeared into ashes.

"Great reflex.", he told her as he ran upstairs. He held out the weapon to her and once again held her hand

"T-thanks.", she choked out of fear. That ghoul was so close to ripping her face.

"Come on!" The guy sealed the door again as they continue to ascend the seemingly unending stairs. "We're almost there."

Briel's heart was beating so fast. She was close to her mother. The moment they open the exit door, the whole hallway was eerily quiet. Briel saw him put another seal on the exit door. It glowed and burned itself on the door's surface.

"I can't hear anyone close by." He told her as he let her lead him the way. "Something is odd." He eyed their surrounding very suspiciously. They went door after door, careful not to make unnecessary noise.

"We're here," Briel announced as they finally stood in front of her mom's room. Her heart was pounding loudly and she was very eager to see her mom.

When she opened the door and found their room the same as it was before, Briel's eyes were filled with tears. Those creatures did not find her mother. She quickly ran to her mother's side. "Mom, I'm here. I'm back." Briel held her mom's hand and brought it to her cheek. "I'm sorry I left you alone.", she mumbled as she cried.

"Briel." The guy called her as he swung his weapon as if he was preparing himself. "I'm going up."

"What? Are you leaving me?" Briel asked in confusion. She stood up and faced the man. He can't just leave her. Those monsters are out there. "What if-"

"I'm not going to leave you." He cut her off. "No one will be able to come in, I'll seal the door." He assured her. "There are survivors on the other floors, I must help them."

Briel was hesitant at first but she can't be selfish now. Other people's lives are also in great danger. She bit her lip and nodded. "O-Okay."

To her surprise, the guy went to touch her cheek which was wet with tears. "i***t. I had promised to protect you, didn't I?"

She looked up at him. "Y-Yes."

"Good girl. Wait for me here." He ordered as he wrote another character in the air. Warm air filled the air around the room with a split splash of light, momentarily blinding her.

When her eyes had adjusted as the light vanished, she saw a peculiar creature inside the room. It had a head and wings of an eagle yet it had a body of a lion. It let out a powerful caw, Briel thought she was about to go deaf.

Briel's legs wobbled in fear and shock. The guy was quick enough to catch her before she fell.

"He is my friend," The guy introduced. "Ilie, don't scare her."

"He is...he..." She stumbled with her words, unable to find something to say.

"You don't have to be scared. Ilie will protect you while I'm gone.", the guy explained. "He is a griffin. Something not of your world but you can trust him. He only eats demons, so no need to be scared."

He looked at the creature which was sitting comfortably on the floor like a cat. The guy held her hand and raised it in front of the

creature. "I'll help you."

Briel looked at the creature nervously. Afraid the creature might bite her arm off. She looked at it bit teary eyes.

Briel wasn't sure but something twinkled in the creature's eyes. It was as if it found her funny. She gulped before she spoke. "H-Hello."

The creature approached her and leaned its beak toward her hand. It was letting her pet it. A gush of happiness filled her heart. She then approached it carefully and leaned her hand closer, earning a response from the creature. It had leaned its head against her body as if urging her to hug it.

"I think he likes me." She looked at the guy who was obviously unaffected by her reaction.

Killjoy. Briel thought.

"Good." He briefly told her as he patted the creature's head. "I'll leave her to you, bud."

"Uhmm."

"What?" He looked at her. His face was devoid of any emotion.

She smiled at him. "Take care."

Instead of answering back, he shut the door behind him. Not bothering to give her any response.

"That guy has serious attitude problems."

A familiar symbol glowed at the door but unlike before, it didn't burn itself on the door. It remained glowing.

She looked at his pet. "Do you think, he'll be fine?" She asked.

The creature let out a short caw as if telling her yes. Briel sat next to the creature. Something about its presence comforted her. She looked at her mom, who was lying unconsciously in her bed. Gratitude filled her heart as she watched her mother.

"Hey, Ollie." She called the creature. "Thank you for guarding us..." Tiredness soon pulled her into slumber.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Briel wasn't sure how long has was she asleep when growling sounds woke her up. When she opened her eyes, she found the man's pet standing in front of her. It was cooing deeply.

"Ollie?" She called it. The creature looked at her and back in the direction, it was looking before.

She got confused and decided to stand up. Her eyes sought the direction the griffin was looking at. There, Briel found someone sitting on the bed. Tears fell from her eyes as she saw a familiar figure sitting on it. She could barely see her mom due to the dim light, but the silhouette was enough to recognize her.

"M-Mom?" She called, her voice trembling from the barely suppressed tears. Her mom was finally awake. After months of waiting, her mother was finally awake!

She was about to approach her mom when Illie blocked her way. The creature's growl was starting to get louder.

She looked at the creature. "What's wrong, Ollie? She's my mother-",

A sinister laugh echoed around the room. It was coming from her mom's direction. Then, the air inside the room grew thick and cold, followed by a rotting smell.

Something is wrong.

"Mom, it's me. Briel."

"I know who you are.", her mom answered. But her voice sounded weird. It was as if someone was speaking along with her. The voice sounded so low and almost inaudible. "I finally found you, Michael's descendant."