Fallen

Chapter Four: Azrael's pov

Waking up in a bed with another's hands on me had startled me as much as it frightened me. I have never been in another bed besides my own, never let another be at my side while I slept. Sleeping left you the most vulnerable, the most exposed. Unless you were very well trained you would never see an attack coming for you. At first, I wondered how I didn’t feel the human woman’s presence, but when she told me she found me after I fell, everything came crashing back.

I had fallen, I was no longer a part of heaven and its armies. But I knew the plans, I knew what was going to happen. But I had no way to warn my brothers, no way to tell them there was an uprising against them. I hadn’t fallen on purpose, I was thrown, much like Lucifer, but since no sin was committed, I hit earth instead of hell. The angels responsible were still at large and after the other archangels. They wanted to take our place. How they managed to get the upper hand on me was still unknown, but I would find out. Somehow. I was no longer allowed in heaven, probably being hunted by my brothers for a wrong doing I never committed. Hiding would be almost impossible.

Plus, I was still injured. Which brought me back to the human woman. Why would she try and help? Especially knowing I would wake up and potentially attack her. Did she just have no sense of self-preservation? Was she hoping for something in return? Humans didn’t just help another for no reason. Humans no longer cared for their fellow brethren just to help. They were corrupted, selfish, and greedy. They wanted nothing more than to rise to the top in this world no matter the consequences it has on others. Shame really, my father’s creation was once beautiful. Something all the angels envied. Now we just watched them with pity and anger as we let them fend for themselves, they were no longer worth protecting.

And yet, this human dragged me from where I had fallen, patched and bandaged me. She had fed me and given me her bed, willing to sleep somewhere else just so she could accommodate my size. When I had tried to move, she pushed me back, insisting that I stay still so I would not harm myself further. She even went as far as to make sure I wouldn’t lose my wing and brought my food in bed so I would not break the stitching she had done. I wonder what her end game was? I did not have time to think too hard on it as exhaustion seeped in on me and I was swept away by darkness. Or what I hoped had been darkness.

I found myself back in heaven, my brothers leaving for a mission I was not a part of. It was my duty to stay behind and keep an eye on things, keep things peaceful. They had not been gone long when a group of angels approached, feigning injury to get my attention. I do not know how they got the angel to hurt himself to keep me occupied but they had. I of course healed the angel, happily. I did not like seeing my peers harmed. But little did I know at that point it was all set up to throw me out of heaven.

While I was busy healing the angel, the others approached me from behind. A searing pain hit me as one slashed their sword down my back, almost severing my wing. The pain was so great they easily overwhelmed me as the entire group took their aggression out on my already broken body. I was in no shape to fight as they threw me, all I could do was accept what was happening.

The fall by itself was painful. The intensity of the wind as I fell felt as if it would break my body apart. The fear that swarmed me as the ground approached faster and faster with no way for me to stop it. Then the pain of the impact. I thought I had felt pain before. My entire existence was battle and fighting, so I knew pain. That felt as if every injury I had ever endured was child's play. Unconsciousness took me almost instantly to protect and heal itself. I knew my wing would not heal, not without it being reattached first.

The dream shifted to waking up to that woman, Belle. The fear that took over those forest green eyes, the pain from where I had grasped her wrist. There were black circles under her eyes, the color standing starkly out against her milky white skin. Her body moved sluggishly, her shoulders drooping in exhaustion. And yet I watched as she smiled and made breakfast for me, the sternness in her expression as she pushed me back onto my back when I tried to sit up on my own. It was quickly replaced by compassion as she helped me to sit up. She had stayed up all night just to watch me, to make sure I made it through the night. Little did she know a fall would not kill me. Not in the physical sense.

A scream woke me from my sleep. I searched the room for trouble before extending my senses to check the rest of the residence. But I felt nothing. It wasn’t until I heard her heavy breathing did, I realize what happened. A nightmare. I focused my hearing on where she was, her heart beat like humming birds’ wings as she struggled to even out her breathing.

“I’m okay.” She whispered to herself. “He’s not here. I can protect myself now, he can’t hurt me again,”

She chanted this over and over to herself until she could eventually breathe again. I wonder who hurt her so badly and what he’d done. It was odd as I felt anger at whomever it was. This woman was tiny, barely standing above five foot tall. She was petite, and looked vulnerable, like she shouldn’t be alone.

“Stupid.” I heard her mumble as she shuffled around. “So damn stupid. I hate people. Each and every one of them. Evil, vile, good for nothing waste of space.” She hissed. I heard as she threw herself back onto her bed. “How can people be so evil? God, how could people be so cruel and remorseless? It doesn’t matter, I got this RV so I didn’t have to be around them anymore.”

She stood and her door opened. She paid me no attention as she grabbed a bow and arrow, her aura swirling with anger as she stormed outside. The only thing I heard after that was the sound of arrow after arrow whooshing through the hitting its target. I wonder how good she is. Her rantings made it seem like she knew what she was doing, like she built herself up to be able to better watch over herself. I also found it odd she thought of her fellow human so negatively. She was right of course, but other people rarely if ever saw the truth of those around them. Which means this woman is more observant than I originally thought or gave her credit for. Maybe this human woman wasn’t as bad as the others, maybe she was the exception. But what were the odds I just happened to land right where she was? After a while the door opened and Belle came back in. Her aura was calmer, her features more serene than before. She gently put her equipment down and made her way towards me.

“Good morning, Azrael.” She smiled. “How do you feel?” She asked, sitting in a chair across the room. Was she still afraid of me?

“Much better. Angels heal rather quickly; I will be out of your way in a few days.”

“There is no rush.” She waved me off. “Though I think we will have to leave soon. People will start coming and asking questions about the crater. They can’t know about you. People are evil and they wouldn’t understand. If I hadn’t been the one to find you, you’d probably be locked up somewhere.” She shook her head, a look of anger crossing her features. “They’d treat you like a possession or a science experiment. So, it would be best to not be here when someone comes to investigate.”

“You are a strange human.” I told her.

She laughed. “So, I’ve been told. I am going to go make breakfast, I’ll be back soon.”

And with that she walked out, leaving me to wonder if there are still some humans left with compassion. Some still remained that cared and would help those around them without wanting anything in return. Because not only is this human helping me heal, but is protecting me from her fellow humans. I wanted to get to know this human, she intrigued me. Maybe with her help I could get back to heaven before my brothers were thrown. Only a pure soul could help an angel to rise to heaven once again. The problem was there were no pure souls left, or so we thought. I would have to get to know her, concentrate on her aura more. But there was hope, and that is what mattered.