Prompt #316 - “Ebriection” and “Dilapidated” - The Devil's Children - NoUseForASammie - Original
Title: The Devil's Children
Fandom: Original
Prompt: #316 - “Ebriection” and “Dilapidated”
Warnings: None
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sometimes people seem different...because they are very different.
He paced back and forth. He would head towards the window, look out briefly, and then swiftly spin around and walk the short distance back to the wall where he would plant one hand on the cool paint and spin around again. His other hand clutched on to a half empty beer that sloshed around with each step. His mouth moved just as much as his feet did. Sarah shook her head, not following a word of what he was chatting about. She just watched him move back and forth from her seat on the fluffy green couch.
Miles was always very eccentric. But, when he drank, he was mildly insane. Sarah knew it was a bad idea to let him slug down the six pack, but he was dead set. He had turned up at her door five minutes after he texted her, declaring a “drinking night”. How could she possibly say no? Especially since he had already brought the beer.
Now she regretted it. Miles was a time bomb, ticking across her floor: tick, tick, tick, turn, tick, tick, tick, turn. She had seen him this way only a handful of times, each time was when he was quite inebriated. He hardly drank because of his uncontrollable manic behavior he slipped in to each time. Which made the six pack that much worse. Sarah didn't know what had prompted the desire to drink, but she figured he came to her for a reason. Not only was she his best friend, but she was the only one he would listen to in this state.
“Sarah? Seriously, I need to know what you think of it.” Miles had finally stopped and leaned forward, staring into her face with a stern look.
Sarah looked back in to his green eyes, his short blonde hair shimmering in the soft light from the lamp beside the couch. She straightened herself up in her seat, placing her own beer in between her legs. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands.
“I.....Have....No....Idea....What....YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!” she yelled.
Miles pulled his head from her hands and stood straight up. “No, I suppose you don't,” he mumbled softly. He paused and then began his pacing again.
“If you could, maybe, just slow down a moment,” Sarah pushed her dark, curly hair from her face and puffed up a couch pillow beside her. “C'mon, sit next to me and explain everything.”
Miles shook his head, but plopped down beside her anyways. Sarah could feel his body vibrating with anxiety. There were beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. Sarah turned her body towards him and smiled.
“Now, tell me what's going on,” she spoke to him softly.
“Let's go for a walk!” Miles jumped up and already had his hand on the door before Sarah could follow him. She scrambled out of the couch and ran across the living room.
“Miles! It's two o'clock in the morning! This is the time people go out to get mugged.” She grabbed his arm with both hands and looked up in to his face. He was shaking and his eyes darted between the door and her. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. Sarah sighed and let his arm go.
“Fine!” He jerked the door open at her consent. “But let me grab a jacket at least!” She exclaimed. Miles froze half way out the door and Sarah quickly ran to the closet. She used the few seconds to take a few steadying breaths. Miles has never acted like this before. He was overly excited about something that seriously worried him. If only she could understand what it was he rambled on and on and on about at a mile a minute. Her shoulders sagged as her only hope was a cool brisk breeze calming his feverish mind. She grabbed a black pea coat and rushed back to the front door. Miles turned and ran down the three flights of stairs, taking two steps at a time. After locking her door, Sarah gripped the banister and fumbled down the stairs to keep up.
Sarah shuddered as she realized she was getting just what she wished for. A persistent rain had fallen the majority of the day and had only let up moments before Miles and Sarah stepped outside of her apartment building. A sharp wind was cutting through the damp, early morning air. Miles didn't seem to notice the drastic temperature change as he set off on a brisk walk, his lean form illuminated under the circles of light cast by the streetlamps lining the sidewalk. Sarah stretched her stride out to keep up with his walking speed. She shoved her arms in to her coat and wrapped it tightly around her middle, hugging herself to shelter from the cold. Miles shoved his hands in to his jean pockets and lowered his head against the wind. Sarah worried over him leaving the house in only a flannel shirt, but the night air seemed to be improving his mood. He was breathing steadier, the sweat had dried from his skin, and he had finally fallen silent.
“Ok, Miles. You show up at my door with too much cheap beer, you ware a trail in my carpet from walking a mile across my living room and then you drag me out in to Chicago in the middle of night. Explain.”
Miles didn't seem to hear her as he continued along the sidewalk, staring unseeingly down towards his shoes. Sarah reached a hand up to touch his arm, hoping to grab his attention. Before her fingers brushed his shoulder, his turned his face towards her and grabbed both her arms, pulling her to a sudden stop. He held her firmly by her upper arms. She was forced to look up in to his face. Sarah had to resist the urge to pull away when she noticed how dark his normally brilliant green eyes appeared under the dim light. She stood firmly and gave him her undivided attention.
“I.........”Miles paused and his breathing began to quicken again. “Sarah, I don't feel like myself lately.”
Sarah just continued to hold his gaze. She knew there was more to his story. Miles began to increase the pressure on her arms as though he held on to her for his life.
“I used to have dreams; amazing dreams. I was more than just me in those dreams. I had power. And ways to use that power. I could do things no normal person would be dreaming about.” Miles started to take huge, quick gasps of air and he began to tremble. “Sometimes, I......I.........sometimes those dreams are real.” Tears slipped from his unblinking, dark eyes and left wet trickles down his cheeks.
Sarah stood in shock. Had her dearest friend really gone mad at last?
A soft, shuffling noise ripped both of their attentions away and they both whipped their heads around to watch a man in a trench coat and black umbrella in hand crossing the street to avoid walking past them. Miles quickly pulled his hands away from Sarah's arms, finally realizing that he was holding on to her. Sarah took a small step back and ran her hands over her upper arms, feeling quite sure of the hand printed bruises that were going to form by morning. The man disappeared around a corner at the end of the block and they were alone again on the street. Miles slipped his hands back into his pockets and started off on a walk again, this time taking a slow easy pace.
Sarah walked beside him in silence. What could she say? Her chest tightened as she struggled to understand what Miles wanted her to know. Did he really think he had special powers? Or was he trying to explain the depths of his insanity? She let her eyes wander around at the dark buildings they passed as she thought over the two questions.
She has continued on for several steps before she had realized Miles wasn't beside her anymore. She looked back to see Miles standing rigidly still, staring intently down an alley Sarah had just passed.
“What?” Sarah's voice rang out in the quiet night.
Miles didn't answer. He continued to stare down the dark alley as though she wasn't even there. Sarah moved back to his side and as she peered down the alley, she saw nothing but the dark shape of a dumpster. Sarah shifted from foot to foot, the cold biting at her skin.
“Wha.........?” Sarah began. But Miles had bolted from her side and vanished in to the darkness.
“MILES!?” Sarah instinctively ran after him. She followed his dark mass in front of her, trying to stay in his path through the narrow alleyway or she might trip over the unseen. Miles was quickly pulling away, his powerful legs bringing him further and further from her site. As Sarah neared half way through the dark void, trying hard to focus on Miles visible from the light coming from the other end, Miles made the end of the alley and was gone around the right corner.
“Miles! Stop!” Sarah called. She pulled in deep breaths as she pressed her legs faster. She reached the last few feet when the toe of her left shoe caught something unknown and she fell forward on to the asphalt. Her palms skidded across the rough ground, and the air was knocked from her lungs. She lay face down at the mouth of the alley, willing her chest to draw in air again. When she was finally able to take in a ragged breath, she lifted her face to see a wide, deserted parking lot. Weeds grew through the cracks of the asphalt and trash moved around in the wind. On the far right side of the parking lot, Sarah spotted Miles entering in to the metal door of a dilapidated brick warehouse building.
Sarah jumped to her feet and was running before she even felt the soreness that had already set in from her fall. She slid to a stop in front of the door. Then she paused, putting her hand on the door knob, feeling the gravel that imbedded in to the skin of her palm against the numbing cold of the metal. She put an ear up to the door, but either there were no sounds coming from inside, or the door was too thick to allow any noise to escape. Slowly, Sarah pushed the door inward and stepped inside.
The warehouse was a maze of cluttered floors and huge, looming shelving units that were stacked with boxes and skids. Hundreds of boxes were half-haphazardly left in the aisles. Sarah took slow, quiet steps down the wide walkway leading directly from the door. She leaned her head all the way back to survey the very top of the shelves, estimating them to be about thirty feet high. She stopped and peered in to an open box that lay in her path. Inside were more, smaller boxes. Sarah leaned closer to read the print on the side when a rat slipped out the top of one of the small boxes and ran down the side of the larger cardboard box. Sarah jumped back, covering her mouth to contain the scream that threatened to bubble up as the rodent hit the floor and disappeared under the closest shelf. She quickly stepped around the box, sure that there were more rodent brethren hiding in there, and continued towards the back of the warehouse at a quicker pace.
At the end of the long lines of shelves, Sarah found herself at the shipping and receiving side of the warehouse. Large bay doors for semi trucks were facing her and forklifts were rusting in various positions. Sarah stopped to survey the area. A large clang of metal hitting metal rang through the air and echoed across the walls. Sarah jumped back and covered her ears. She tensed, holding as still as she could while trembling in fright and listened intently. The noise pierced the air around her again and she turned towards the source of the sound. A light flicked on in the direction the sound had come from.
“Hello?” Sarah's small voice quavered.
Nobody answered.
Sarah took in a deep, shaky breath and started to slowly creep towards the light. As she got closer, she could see the light coming from the crack of a door left slightly ajar. She moved as silently as she could behind the door and listened. She could barely make out a male voice speaking rapidly.
“Miles??” Sarah pushed open the door. A lime green metal desk was in the center of a small room and brown metal filing cabinets lined the wall behind it. Miles was sitting in an office chair behind the desk. His eyes were pleading for her, but for what, Sarah didn't know. She rushed forward, so relieved to finally find him. Her own fear had gone completely from her mind as she looked in to his terrified face.
“Sarah, get out,” Miles whispered harshly. As Sarah lunged closer to him she saw his arms were pulled behind the chair. She saw the rope that was bound around his chest, keeping him from leaning forward. Sarah saw all of it as the door slammed shut behind her.
Coming from his hiding place behind the door, a pale, dark featured man took a large step towards Sarah, raised a black club over his head. Sarah's mind went blank as she was struck over the head and she crumbled to the floor.
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Sarah just wanted to go back to sleep. The pulsing in the side of her head was too incessant to ignore. Sarah moaned and tried to raise a hand to assess the pain that pounded inside her skull, but her arms wouldn't obey. She felt her chin pressing into her chest and slowly raised her head up. She opened her eyes. Everything was dim and blurry. She blinked slowly several times and shifted, attempting to pull her arms up again. Her body gradually became aware of what she was touching. She felt the cushion of the chair she sat in. She let the back of her head rest against the soft padding. She felt the rope chaffing the delicate skin of her wrists, tying her arms around the back of the chair.
Sarah's mind jerked awake. Her eyes came into focus and she looked at Miles, still tied to the chair in front of her. She looked around frantically. They were still in the dark ware house. Moon light was shining through the high windows, casting long silver rectangles across the floor. Both of them sat tied to office chairs in the middle of the open area by the bay doors she had passed on her way to the office where she was attacked. Sarah pulled futilely at the tight ropes as she dug her heels in to the floor, wheeling herself closer to Miles.
Miles sat absolutely still. He didn't look at Sarah as she bumped her knees into him.
“Miles??” She whispered.
Miles shook his head minutely, keeping his eyes trained to the ceiling. Sarah followed his gaze. At first, Sarah only saw the long beams high above them. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer. A slight movement caught her attention and she peered closer. There were several small movements above them. “What is it?” Sarah whispered under her breath.
Miles clenched his jaw and shook his head again.
“What the fuck is going on?” Sarah said in a louder voice.
Hundreds of shining, glowing eyes turned to look down on them from the rafters. Sarah gasped and froze. Dozens of black rats were glaring down on Miles and Sarah.
“Oh shit,” Miles breathed.
The sound of hundreds of tiny nails scraping metal rained down on them and rats began to fall all around them. Their small black bodies hit the floor and scurried to assemble into a circle around Miles and Sarah. Sarah screamed and pressed her chair against the one Miles was strapped to. Once they formed the tight circle around them, the rats stopped.
“What do you want?” Miles spoke clearly into the silence.
Sarah shot Miles an incredulous look. Was he seriously talking to the rats?
The rats all moved at once again and Sarah jumped, terror taking her beyond reason as she yanked at the ropes binding her arms.
The rats formed in to three separate piles, climbing on top of each other until the piles of writhing black fur were standing above them. Then, the rats seemed to melt in to each other, each pile becoming one black shape. White faces emerged from the masses. Sarah watched in horror as three pale men now stood in front of her. Pale men, with black hair and long black jackets. The throbbing in the side of her head reminded of her last encounter with one of them.
The men had identical long, angular faces. They had pure black eyes that bore in to Sarah as she sat immobilized by her panic. Her heart beat into her throat, making it impossible for her to swallow. She could hear Miles breathing hard beside her, his muscles quivering against her. The middle man sneered an ugly smile and Sarah saw his jagged, sharp teeth lining his mouth.
“So,” he spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. “What are we going to do with the human, then?”
The man to the right spoke in a harsher, gravelly voice. “It's her own fault she followed him here. Can't we just eat the one?”
“No,” the left hand creature boomed. His voice was deep and commanding. “We were sent only to find more of us. We can't let anyone know we are here.”
“They won't even notice!” the middle one argued. “She's so small and insignificant.”
“I think the younger humans taste fresher,” the right man growled, licking his lips.
Miles straightened up in the chair and his chin tilted forward. “Who are you?”
“We've come to take you back, Miles,” the left one stepped closer in to a patch of moonlight. The skin of his face was smooth and radiant under the pale light. His black eyes twinkled.
“Back?” Miles could think of no other response.
“Who ever sired you left you in a poor state.” The creature sighed. “We keep finding more and more of you left in the human world, forgotten by the fathers who fled this miserable place to return to our home.”
“Where is that?” Miles lifted his chin forward again, gaining confidence as the monster seemed to mean him no harm.
“Hell, Miles. We are demons who have come to bring our brothers back to join the army. We need more numbers if we are to ever control the humans.”
Miles shook his had. “I don't know what you mean.”
“Oh, come now!” the softer voice of the middle man called out. “Let me guess your predicament. You were raised by only a mother who could never really tell you who your father was. You have just turned 20 years of age and suddenly you have the gifts that were left to you. Let me know if this rings bell,” the man lifted a dark, thin eyebrow and smiled wickedly, his teeth white against the darkness around him.
Miles remained silent. Sarah studied his face. She thought back to his birthday they had celebrated together only last month. And the lost look on his face told her that the man was absolutely right. Miles didn't know who his father was. And didn't he try to tell her only hours before about what had been frightening him? The powers he thought he had?
The left man spoke again, “So typical of our kind to pleasure themselves with out remembering the consequences. And how easily seduced so many women of this world are. Miles, we do not know who your father is either, but we know he was one of you. Now, you are one of us. You can come and join us, or you will die.”
Miles shook his head very slowly. He didn't know what exactly these demons really were, but he knew he didn't want to go with them. Not if that meant leaving Sarah.
“Well, we better take him anyway,” the middle man said, turning to the left, who was now obviously the spokeman and leader. “Lucifer won't be pleased if we kill him with out him being able to take a look at him.”
“What about this one?” the right hand man finally spoke, leaning in towards Sarah gently touching her brown curls. “We can't just let her go, knowing what we are doing.”
“Who is going to believe her?” the leader said. “She'll just sound insane. Honestly, you'll look for any excuse for human flesh.”
The grin that spread across the man-eater's face made Sarah pull away involuntarily.
“Well, be quick about it. Dawn is coming soon, and we'd better be underground by then.” The other two men turned to walk away and leave the man-eater to his meal.
Sarah started to whimper, her fear clenching her chest. Tears began to streak down her face.
The monster struck out a hand, his arm moving as fast as a snake strike. He gripped Sarah's hair and wrenched back her head. He slid the sharp fingernails of his other hand down the skin of her exposed neck, savoring the warm feel of the blood rushing through her veins.
“Do you want me to save you some?” the demon said to Miles and he laughed.
Miles started to shake so violently, his chair was rattling against the floor. The demon paused and eyed him suspiciously. Miles glared at him with dark eyes, his whole body shaking with rage. The demon smiled again, and lowered his sharp teeth to Sarah's throat.
Miles roared and suddenly he burst in to a cloud of shrieking feathers. A great multitude of black birds swarmed on to the demon, forcing him to release his grip on Sarah. Sarah shoved her chair back away from the attack and ran the wheels in to the loose ropes of what had once bound her friend. Her whole chair tipped and she landed on her side, slamming her ribs against the hard cement floor. She pulled and yanked at the ropes still on her wrists. A few birds flew from the hoard that continued to attack the demon who starting yelling for his partners. The two birds swooped behind Sarah and she felt them pulling at her ropes with their sharp beaks. Suddenly the ropes went slack, the birds releasing her, and she threw her arms in front of her. Her shoulders resisted the movement painfully, having being bound to the chair for hours. Sarah jumped to her feet and started running down the main walk way through the shelving units, towards the only exit she knew, leaving the chaos behind her.
Sarah was half way there when a group of rats came scurrying from under the shelves in front of her. They swarmed together and one of the Demons appeared before her. He brought back an arm and backhanded Sarah's across the face, knocking her from her feet. She fell on to her back, closing her eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain. When she opened them again the Demon was reaching for her.
The swarm of black birds appeared overhead and they dove down on to the Demon. Sarah got up to her knees and watched the birds start to circle her, creating a shield around her. The birds flew closer and closer, tightening the shield around her until she felt Miles' arms around her. He formed against her, holding her tightly. He was panting heavily in her ear. Blood was trickling from a gash on his forehead, a wound he must have sustained while in bird form.
The other two Demon's flanked the attacker. The three looked down on Miles and Sarah.
“Don't come any closer,” Miles spoke as he raised one hand towards them to warn them off.
“Or what?” the gravelly voice of the man-eater jeered. The Demon stepped forward.
Miles sucked in a deep breath and breathed out a blinding ball of flame. It hurled forward, swallowing the three Demons. Their screams filled the warehouse and echoed off the ceiling. Sarah clamped her hands over her ears and Miles squeezed her tight. The Demons were falling apart, becoming small squeaking, burning rats. The rats dispersed in every direction, lighting up the shelving aisles with the flames that still licked their fur.
Once they had all disappeared to die their separate rodent deaths, Miles stood up, pulling Sarah with him. She weakly stood on her own feet.
“Can you walk?” Miles asked.
Sarah nodded and they headed out the metal door they had entered the warehouse through.
Sarah made it part way across the forgotten parking lot before her legs gave out beneath her. She suddenly as though her body had turned to rubber. She slumped against Miles who slowly lowered her in to lap as he sat on the asphalt. He held her tightly.
A booming voice drifted through the night air around them. Deep, slow laughter filled their ears. Miles pulled Sarah to a sitting position and slipped an arm around her waist. He rolled forward on his knees and searched their surroundings for the source of the voice.
A dark mist began pouring through the alley way. It moved in one large cloud, heading straight towards where Sarah and Miles crouched. Miles planted one foot in front of him and moved his arm from around her waist and stretched it out in front of her, taking a protective stance. Sarah clutched at the back of his flannel shirt.
The mist stopped it's movement and swirled around before them. Slowly, it began to condense, forming a gray shape. The shape became that of a large, muscular naked man, still retaining the gray color. He looked as though he were made of ash. He opened his eyes to reveal large red orbs that studied the crouched pair silently.
“Miles, is it?” The voice spoke in a smooth, cultured voice.
Miles nodded once, poised to move if they were attacked.
“Miles. Hmmmm. Not a name I would have chosen for a son. I have heard you refuse to join my army. Not exactly a boy to be proud of, are you?” The gray head tilted and the glowing red eyes narrowed.
Sarah was thinking quickly. His army? But the demons mentioned it being Lucifer's army. And this thing spoke as if he had a special interest in Miles. Sarah pulled on the fist of flannel she had clutched in her hands and leaned closer to look over Miles' shoulder.
“You are Lucifer. And Miles is your son?” Sarah's voice was shaky, but loud.
“I don't know if I could call him a son, little girl. Perhaps we should simply refer to him as my offspring. But I am the only Demon who can use the power of fire,” Lucifer laughed softly. “You do look much more like your mother, I think. But, it's not a matter we should worry about. I'm more concerned with letting you live.” Lucifer sucked in a deep breath.
Miles' chest rose as he prepared to do the same. Sarah panicked. She lurched to her feet. The flames were starting to spread past their lips. She jumped in between the two fire balls. She threw her hands over her head as the heat rolled around her. But the fire that contacted with her turned a brilliant blue. She felt it brush against the skin of her hands, but it was as though soft feathers were blown against her
“How dare you use such magic against me!?” Lucifer roared.
“Stop!” Sarah yelled. She stood between Lucifer and Miles, her hands outstretched to face both of them. “You can not kill this man. I love him!”
Miles was riveted with shock and simply stared at Sarah. She turned her head towards Lucifer who crossed his arms.
“So,” he spoke more calmly now. “You don't use magic. You 'love' him, you say? Well, I must admit defeat. That is something I can not win against. But, if I remember it correctly, that would not have been enough to stop our powers from devouring you. Unless, my dear little boy might share the same sentiments.”
Miles got to his feet and crossed his arms to mirror Lucifer. “It's true. I do love her.”
Sarah looked between the men, seeing the striking resemblances. There was no denying how like Miles this gray monster appeared.
Lucifer took a step back and nodded. “I also seem to remember that love doesn't always last. I am very old, and very patient, Miles. I'll be back when you have no more use for this little human.” And he dissolved in to the gray mist that evaporated with in seconds.
Sarah collapsed to the ground. Her body was useless and her mind felt broken and fragile. She felt herself slipping towards a dark, cavernous sleep.
Miles scrambled to her side and pulled her torso in to his lap. Her eyes looked up at him but didn't seem to see him. She was going in to shock.
“Sarah, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I didn't know what I was,” he whispered in to her ear.
Sarah sat silently for a long moment. Words would not form in her mind. She could not understand what she had just gone through. Her body ached horribly, her head throbbed and yet none of the pain compared to the ache she felt for her friend. Miles. Her sweet, eccentric, loving, dear Miles. Miles squeezed her against his chest and rested his chin in her hair. His warmth slowly brought her back to where she was.
“It doesn't matter,” Sarah whispered.
Miles let her go slightly so her could look in to her face. “It doesn't matter,” she said more clearly. “I still.....I still love you, Miles.”
His eyes seemed to turn a lighter green and a small smile slipped on to his face. Miles looked intently at Sarah, seeking an answer to a question he never realized he had. Miles studied her beautiful face and bent his head, pressing his lips against hers.
Fandom: Original
Prompt: #316 - “Ebriection” and “Dilapidated”
Warnings: None
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sometimes people seem different...because they are very different.
He paced back and forth. He would head towards the window, look out briefly, and then swiftly spin around and walk the short distance back to the wall where he would plant one hand on the cool paint and spin around again. His other hand clutched on to a half empty beer that sloshed around with each step. His mouth moved just as much as his feet did. Sarah shook her head, not following a word of what he was chatting about. She just watched him move back and forth from her seat on the fluffy green couch.
Miles was always very eccentric. But, when he drank, he was mildly insane. Sarah knew it was a bad idea to let him slug down the six pack, but he was dead set. He had turned up at her door five minutes after he texted her, declaring a “drinking night”. How could she possibly say no? Especially since he had already brought the beer.
Now she regretted it. Miles was a time bomb, ticking across her floor: tick, tick, tick, turn, tick, tick, tick, turn. She had seen him this way only a handful of times, each time was when he was quite inebriated. He hardly drank because of his uncontrollable manic behavior he slipped in to each time. Which made the six pack that much worse. Sarah didn't know what had prompted the desire to drink, but she figured he came to her for a reason. Not only was she his best friend, but she was the only one he would listen to in this state.
“Sarah? Seriously, I need to know what you think of it.” Miles had finally stopped and leaned forward, staring into her face with a stern look.
Sarah looked back in to his green eyes, his short blonde hair shimmering in the soft light from the lamp beside the couch. She straightened herself up in her seat, placing her own beer in between her legs. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands.
“I.....Have....No....Idea....What....YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!” she yelled.
Miles pulled his head from her hands and stood straight up. “No, I suppose you don't,” he mumbled softly. He paused and then began his pacing again.
“If you could, maybe, just slow down a moment,” Sarah pushed her dark, curly hair from her face and puffed up a couch pillow beside her. “C'mon, sit next to me and explain everything.”
Miles shook his head, but plopped down beside her anyways. Sarah could feel his body vibrating with anxiety. There were beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. Sarah turned her body towards him and smiled.
“Now, tell me what's going on,” she spoke to him softly.
“Let's go for a walk!” Miles jumped up and already had his hand on the door before Sarah could follow him. She scrambled out of the couch and ran across the living room.
“Miles! It's two o'clock in the morning! This is the time people go out to get mugged.” She grabbed his arm with both hands and looked up in to his face. He was shaking and his eyes darted between the door and her. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. Sarah sighed and let his arm go.
“Fine!” He jerked the door open at her consent. “But let me grab a jacket at least!” She exclaimed. Miles froze half way out the door and Sarah quickly ran to the closet. She used the few seconds to take a few steadying breaths. Miles has never acted like this before. He was overly excited about something that seriously worried him. If only she could understand what it was he rambled on and on and on about at a mile a minute. Her shoulders sagged as her only hope was a cool brisk breeze calming his feverish mind. She grabbed a black pea coat and rushed back to the front door. Miles turned and ran down the three flights of stairs, taking two steps at a time. After locking her door, Sarah gripped the banister and fumbled down the stairs to keep up.
Sarah shuddered as she realized she was getting just what she wished for. A persistent rain had fallen the majority of the day and had only let up moments before Miles and Sarah stepped outside of her apartment building. A sharp wind was cutting through the damp, early morning air. Miles didn't seem to notice the drastic temperature change as he set off on a brisk walk, his lean form illuminated under the circles of light cast by the streetlamps lining the sidewalk. Sarah stretched her stride out to keep up with his walking speed. She shoved her arms in to her coat and wrapped it tightly around her middle, hugging herself to shelter from the cold. Miles shoved his hands in to his jean pockets and lowered his head against the wind. Sarah worried over him leaving the house in only a flannel shirt, but the night air seemed to be improving his mood. He was breathing steadier, the sweat had dried from his skin, and he had finally fallen silent.
“Ok, Miles. You show up at my door with too much cheap beer, you ware a trail in my carpet from walking a mile across my living room and then you drag me out in to Chicago in the middle of night. Explain.”
Miles didn't seem to hear her as he continued along the sidewalk, staring unseeingly down towards his shoes. Sarah reached a hand up to touch his arm, hoping to grab his attention. Before her fingers brushed his shoulder, his turned his face towards her and grabbed both her arms, pulling her to a sudden stop. He held her firmly by her upper arms. She was forced to look up in to his face. Sarah had to resist the urge to pull away when she noticed how dark his normally brilliant green eyes appeared under the dim light. She stood firmly and gave him her undivided attention.
“I.........”Miles paused and his breathing began to quicken again. “Sarah, I don't feel like myself lately.”
Sarah just continued to hold his gaze. She knew there was more to his story. Miles began to increase the pressure on her arms as though he held on to her for his life.
“I used to have dreams; amazing dreams. I was more than just me in those dreams. I had power. And ways to use that power. I could do things no normal person would be dreaming about.” Miles started to take huge, quick gasps of air and he began to tremble. “Sometimes, I......I.........sometimes those dreams are real.” Tears slipped from his unblinking, dark eyes and left wet trickles down his cheeks.
Sarah stood in shock. Had her dearest friend really gone mad at last?
A soft, shuffling noise ripped both of their attentions away and they both whipped their heads around to watch a man in a trench coat and black umbrella in hand crossing the street to avoid walking past them. Miles quickly pulled his hands away from Sarah's arms, finally realizing that he was holding on to her. Sarah took a small step back and ran her hands over her upper arms, feeling quite sure of the hand printed bruises that were going to form by morning. The man disappeared around a corner at the end of the block and they were alone again on the street. Miles slipped his hands back into his pockets and started off on a walk again, this time taking a slow easy pace.
Sarah walked beside him in silence. What could she say? Her chest tightened as she struggled to understand what Miles wanted her to know. Did he really think he had special powers? Or was he trying to explain the depths of his insanity? She let her eyes wander around at the dark buildings they passed as she thought over the two questions.
She has continued on for several steps before she had realized Miles wasn't beside her anymore. She looked back to see Miles standing rigidly still, staring intently down an alley Sarah had just passed.
“What?” Sarah's voice rang out in the quiet night.
Miles didn't answer. He continued to stare down the dark alley as though she wasn't even there. Sarah moved back to his side and as she peered down the alley, she saw nothing but the dark shape of a dumpster. Sarah shifted from foot to foot, the cold biting at her skin.
“Wha.........?” Sarah began. But Miles had bolted from her side and vanished in to the darkness.
“MILES!?” Sarah instinctively ran after him. She followed his dark mass in front of her, trying to stay in his path through the narrow alleyway or she might trip over the unseen. Miles was quickly pulling away, his powerful legs bringing him further and further from her site. As Sarah neared half way through the dark void, trying hard to focus on Miles visible from the light coming from the other end, Miles made the end of the alley and was gone around the right corner.
“Miles! Stop!” Sarah called. She pulled in deep breaths as she pressed her legs faster. She reached the last few feet when the toe of her left shoe caught something unknown and she fell forward on to the asphalt. Her palms skidded across the rough ground, and the air was knocked from her lungs. She lay face down at the mouth of the alley, willing her chest to draw in air again. When she was finally able to take in a ragged breath, she lifted her face to see a wide, deserted parking lot. Weeds grew through the cracks of the asphalt and trash moved around in the wind. On the far right side of the parking lot, Sarah spotted Miles entering in to the metal door of a dilapidated brick warehouse building.
Sarah jumped to her feet and was running before she even felt the soreness that had already set in from her fall. She slid to a stop in front of the door. Then she paused, putting her hand on the door knob, feeling the gravel that imbedded in to the skin of her palm against the numbing cold of the metal. She put an ear up to the door, but either there were no sounds coming from inside, or the door was too thick to allow any noise to escape. Slowly, Sarah pushed the door inward and stepped inside.
The warehouse was a maze of cluttered floors and huge, looming shelving units that were stacked with boxes and skids. Hundreds of boxes were half-haphazardly left in the aisles. Sarah took slow, quiet steps down the wide walkway leading directly from the door. She leaned her head all the way back to survey the very top of the shelves, estimating them to be about thirty feet high. She stopped and peered in to an open box that lay in her path. Inside were more, smaller boxes. Sarah leaned closer to read the print on the side when a rat slipped out the top of one of the small boxes and ran down the side of the larger cardboard box. Sarah jumped back, covering her mouth to contain the scream that threatened to bubble up as the rodent hit the floor and disappeared under the closest shelf. She quickly stepped around the box, sure that there were more rodent brethren hiding in there, and continued towards the back of the warehouse at a quicker pace.
At the end of the long lines of shelves, Sarah found herself at the shipping and receiving side of the warehouse. Large bay doors for semi trucks were facing her and forklifts were rusting in various positions. Sarah stopped to survey the area. A large clang of metal hitting metal rang through the air and echoed across the walls. Sarah jumped back and covered her ears. She tensed, holding as still as she could while trembling in fright and listened intently. The noise pierced the air around her again and she turned towards the source of the sound. A light flicked on in the direction the sound had come from.
“Hello?” Sarah's small voice quavered.
Nobody answered.
Sarah took in a deep, shaky breath and started to slowly creep towards the light. As she got closer, she could see the light coming from the crack of a door left slightly ajar. She moved as silently as she could behind the door and listened. She could barely make out a male voice speaking rapidly.
“Miles??” Sarah pushed open the door. A lime green metal desk was in the center of a small room and brown metal filing cabinets lined the wall behind it. Miles was sitting in an office chair behind the desk. His eyes were pleading for her, but for what, Sarah didn't know. She rushed forward, so relieved to finally find him. Her own fear had gone completely from her mind as she looked in to his terrified face.
“Sarah, get out,” Miles whispered harshly. As Sarah lunged closer to him she saw his arms were pulled behind the chair. She saw the rope that was bound around his chest, keeping him from leaning forward. Sarah saw all of it as the door slammed shut behind her.
Coming from his hiding place behind the door, a pale, dark featured man took a large step towards Sarah, raised a black club over his head. Sarah's mind went blank as she was struck over the head and she crumbled to the floor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah just wanted to go back to sleep. The pulsing in the side of her head was too incessant to ignore. Sarah moaned and tried to raise a hand to assess the pain that pounded inside her skull, but her arms wouldn't obey. She felt her chin pressing into her chest and slowly raised her head up. She opened her eyes. Everything was dim and blurry. She blinked slowly several times and shifted, attempting to pull her arms up again. Her body gradually became aware of what she was touching. She felt the cushion of the chair she sat in. She let the back of her head rest against the soft padding. She felt the rope chaffing the delicate skin of her wrists, tying her arms around the back of the chair.
Sarah's mind jerked awake. Her eyes came into focus and she looked at Miles, still tied to the chair in front of her. She looked around frantically. They were still in the dark ware house. Moon light was shining through the high windows, casting long silver rectangles across the floor. Both of them sat tied to office chairs in the middle of the open area by the bay doors she had passed on her way to the office where she was attacked. Sarah pulled futilely at the tight ropes as she dug her heels in to the floor, wheeling herself closer to Miles.
Miles sat absolutely still. He didn't look at Sarah as she bumped her knees into him.
“Miles??” She whispered.
Miles shook his head minutely, keeping his eyes trained to the ceiling. Sarah followed his gaze. At first, Sarah only saw the long beams high above them. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer. A slight movement caught her attention and she peered closer. There were several small movements above them. “What is it?” Sarah whispered under her breath.
Miles clenched his jaw and shook his head again.
“What the fuck is going on?” Sarah said in a louder voice.
Hundreds of shining, glowing eyes turned to look down on them from the rafters. Sarah gasped and froze. Dozens of black rats were glaring down on Miles and Sarah.
“Oh shit,” Miles breathed.
The sound of hundreds of tiny nails scraping metal rained down on them and rats began to fall all around them. Their small black bodies hit the floor and scurried to assemble into a circle around Miles and Sarah. Sarah screamed and pressed her chair against the one Miles was strapped to. Once they formed the tight circle around them, the rats stopped.
“What do you want?” Miles spoke clearly into the silence.
Sarah shot Miles an incredulous look. Was he seriously talking to the rats?
The rats all moved at once again and Sarah jumped, terror taking her beyond reason as she yanked at the ropes binding her arms.
The rats formed in to three separate piles, climbing on top of each other until the piles of writhing black fur were standing above them. Then, the rats seemed to melt in to each other, each pile becoming one black shape. White faces emerged from the masses. Sarah watched in horror as three pale men now stood in front of her. Pale men, with black hair and long black jackets. The throbbing in the side of her head reminded of her last encounter with one of them.
The men had identical long, angular faces. They had pure black eyes that bore in to Sarah as she sat immobilized by her panic. Her heart beat into her throat, making it impossible for her to swallow. She could hear Miles breathing hard beside her, his muscles quivering against her. The middle man sneered an ugly smile and Sarah saw his jagged, sharp teeth lining his mouth.
“So,” he spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. “What are we going to do with the human, then?”
The man to the right spoke in a harsher, gravelly voice. “It's her own fault she followed him here. Can't we just eat the one?”
“No,” the left hand creature boomed. His voice was deep and commanding. “We were sent only to find more of us. We can't let anyone know we are here.”
“They won't even notice!” the middle one argued. “She's so small and insignificant.”
“I think the younger humans taste fresher,” the right man growled, licking his lips.
Miles straightened up in the chair and his chin tilted forward. “Who are you?”
“We've come to take you back, Miles,” the left one stepped closer in to a patch of moonlight. The skin of his face was smooth and radiant under the pale light. His black eyes twinkled.
“Back?” Miles could think of no other response.
“Who ever sired you left you in a poor state.” The creature sighed. “We keep finding more and more of you left in the human world, forgotten by the fathers who fled this miserable place to return to our home.”
“Where is that?” Miles lifted his chin forward again, gaining confidence as the monster seemed to mean him no harm.
“Hell, Miles. We are demons who have come to bring our brothers back to join the army. We need more numbers if we are to ever control the humans.”
Miles shook his had. “I don't know what you mean.”
“Oh, come now!” the softer voice of the middle man called out. “Let me guess your predicament. You were raised by only a mother who could never really tell you who your father was. You have just turned 20 years of age and suddenly you have the gifts that were left to you. Let me know if this rings bell,” the man lifted a dark, thin eyebrow and smiled wickedly, his teeth white against the darkness around him.
Miles remained silent. Sarah studied his face. She thought back to his birthday they had celebrated together only last month. And the lost look on his face told her that the man was absolutely right. Miles didn't know who his father was. And didn't he try to tell her only hours before about what had been frightening him? The powers he thought he had?
The left man spoke again, “So typical of our kind to pleasure themselves with out remembering the consequences. And how easily seduced so many women of this world are. Miles, we do not know who your father is either, but we know he was one of you. Now, you are one of us. You can come and join us, or you will die.”
Miles shook his head very slowly. He didn't know what exactly these demons really were, but he knew he didn't want to go with them. Not if that meant leaving Sarah.
“Well, we better take him anyway,” the middle man said, turning to the left, who was now obviously the spokeman and leader. “Lucifer won't be pleased if we kill him with out him being able to take a look at him.”
“What about this one?” the right hand man finally spoke, leaning in towards Sarah gently touching her brown curls. “We can't just let her go, knowing what we are doing.”
“Who is going to believe her?” the leader said. “She'll just sound insane. Honestly, you'll look for any excuse for human flesh.”
The grin that spread across the man-eater's face made Sarah pull away involuntarily.
“Well, be quick about it. Dawn is coming soon, and we'd better be underground by then.” The other two men turned to walk away and leave the man-eater to his meal.
Sarah started to whimper, her fear clenching her chest. Tears began to streak down her face.
The monster struck out a hand, his arm moving as fast as a snake strike. He gripped Sarah's hair and wrenched back her head. He slid the sharp fingernails of his other hand down the skin of her exposed neck, savoring the warm feel of the blood rushing through her veins.
“Do you want me to save you some?” the demon said to Miles and he laughed.
Miles started to shake so violently, his chair was rattling against the floor. The demon paused and eyed him suspiciously. Miles glared at him with dark eyes, his whole body shaking with rage. The demon smiled again, and lowered his sharp teeth to Sarah's throat.
Miles roared and suddenly he burst in to a cloud of shrieking feathers. A great multitude of black birds swarmed on to the demon, forcing him to release his grip on Sarah. Sarah shoved her chair back away from the attack and ran the wheels in to the loose ropes of what had once bound her friend. Her whole chair tipped and she landed on her side, slamming her ribs against the hard cement floor. She pulled and yanked at the ropes still on her wrists. A few birds flew from the hoard that continued to attack the demon who starting yelling for his partners. The two birds swooped behind Sarah and she felt them pulling at her ropes with their sharp beaks. Suddenly the ropes went slack, the birds releasing her, and she threw her arms in front of her. Her shoulders resisted the movement painfully, having being bound to the chair for hours. Sarah jumped to her feet and started running down the main walk way through the shelving units, towards the only exit she knew, leaving the chaos behind her.
Sarah was half way there when a group of rats came scurrying from under the shelves in front of her. They swarmed together and one of the Demons appeared before her. He brought back an arm and backhanded Sarah's across the face, knocking her from her feet. She fell on to her back, closing her eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain. When she opened them again the Demon was reaching for her.
The swarm of black birds appeared overhead and they dove down on to the Demon. Sarah got up to her knees and watched the birds start to circle her, creating a shield around her. The birds flew closer and closer, tightening the shield around her until she felt Miles' arms around her. He formed against her, holding her tightly. He was panting heavily in her ear. Blood was trickling from a gash on his forehead, a wound he must have sustained while in bird form.
The other two Demon's flanked the attacker. The three looked down on Miles and Sarah.
“Don't come any closer,” Miles spoke as he raised one hand towards them to warn them off.
“Or what?” the gravelly voice of the man-eater jeered. The Demon stepped forward.
Miles sucked in a deep breath and breathed out a blinding ball of flame. It hurled forward, swallowing the three Demons. Their screams filled the warehouse and echoed off the ceiling. Sarah clamped her hands over her ears and Miles squeezed her tight. The Demons were falling apart, becoming small squeaking, burning rats. The rats dispersed in every direction, lighting up the shelving aisles with the flames that still licked their fur.
Once they had all disappeared to die their separate rodent deaths, Miles stood up, pulling Sarah with him. She weakly stood on her own feet.
“Can you walk?” Miles asked.
Sarah nodded and they headed out the metal door they had entered the warehouse through.
Sarah made it part way across the forgotten parking lot before her legs gave out beneath her. She suddenly as though her body had turned to rubber. She slumped against Miles who slowly lowered her in to lap as he sat on the asphalt. He held her tightly.
A booming voice drifted through the night air around them. Deep, slow laughter filled their ears. Miles pulled Sarah to a sitting position and slipped an arm around her waist. He rolled forward on his knees and searched their surroundings for the source of the voice.
A dark mist began pouring through the alley way. It moved in one large cloud, heading straight towards where Sarah and Miles crouched. Miles planted one foot in front of him and moved his arm from around her waist and stretched it out in front of her, taking a protective stance. Sarah clutched at the back of his flannel shirt.
The mist stopped it's movement and swirled around before them. Slowly, it began to condense, forming a gray shape. The shape became that of a large, muscular naked man, still retaining the gray color. He looked as though he were made of ash. He opened his eyes to reveal large red orbs that studied the crouched pair silently.
“Miles, is it?” The voice spoke in a smooth, cultured voice.
Miles nodded once, poised to move if they were attacked.
“Miles. Hmmmm. Not a name I would have chosen for a son. I have heard you refuse to join my army. Not exactly a boy to be proud of, are you?” The gray head tilted and the glowing red eyes narrowed.
Sarah was thinking quickly. His army? But the demons mentioned it being Lucifer's army. And this thing spoke as if he had a special interest in Miles. Sarah pulled on the fist of flannel she had clutched in her hands and leaned closer to look over Miles' shoulder.
“You are Lucifer. And Miles is your son?” Sarah's voice was shaky, but loud.
“I don't know if I could call him a son, little girl. Perhaps we should simply refer to him as my offspring. But I am the only Demon who can use the power of fire,” Lucifer laughed softly. “You do look much more like your mother, I think. But, it's not a matter we should worry about. I'm more concerned with letting you live.” Lucifer sucked in a deep breath.
Miles' chest rose as he prepared to do the same. Sarah panicked. She lurched to her feet. The flames were starting to spread past their lips. She jumped in between the two fire balls. She threw her hands over her head as the heat rolled around her. But the fire that contacted with her turned a brilliant blue. She felt it brush against the skin of her hands, but it was as though soft feathers were blown against her
“How dare you use such magic against me!?” Lucifer roared.
“Stop!” Sarah yelled. She stood between Lucifer and Miles, her hands outstretched to face both of them. “You can not kill this man. I love him!”
Miles was riveted with shock and simply stared at Sarah. She turned her head towards Lucifer who crossed his arms.
“So,” he spoke more calmly now. “You don't use magic. You 'love' him, you say? Well, I must admit defeat. That is something I can not win against. But, if I remember it correctly, that would not have been enough to stop our powers from devouring you. Unless, my dear little boy might share the same sentiments.”
Miles got to his feet and crossed his arms to mirror Lucifer. “It's true. I do love her.”
Sarah looked between the men, seeing the striking resemblances. There was no denying how like Miles this gray monster appeared.
Lucifer took a step back and nodded. “I also seem to remember that love doesn't always last. I am very old, and very patient, Miles. I'll be back when you have no more use for this little human.” And he dissolved in to the gray mist that evaporated with in seconds.
Sarah collapsed to the ground. Her body was useless and her mind felt broken and fragile. She felt herself slipping towards a dark, cavernous sleep.
Miles scrambled to her side and pulled her torso in to his lap. Her eyes looked up at him but didn't seem to see him. She was going in to shock.
“Sarah, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I didn't know what I was,” he whispered in to her ear.
Sarah sat silently for a long moment. Words would not form in her mind. She could not understand what she had just gone through. Her body ached horribly, her head throbbed and yet none of the pain compared to the ache she felt for her friend. Miles. Her sweet, eccentric, loving, dear Miles. Miles squeezed her against his chest and rested his chin in her hair. His warmth slowly brought her back to where she was.
“It doesn't matter,” Sarah whispered.
Miles let her go slightly so her could look in to her face. “It doesn't matter,” she said more clearly. “I still.....I still love you, Miles.”
His eyes seemed to turn a lighter green and a small smile slipped on to his face. Miles looked intently at Sarah, seeking an answer to a question he never realized he had. Miles studied her beautiful face and bent his head, pressing his lips against hers.