Please Help Me I'm Fallin'

Angels can get drunk, but a hangover is beyond us. Among the Fallen it is said that a drunk who never gets a hangover doesn’t appreciate liquor, but I think that’s just the booze talking. The Earthbound I know believe that Hell is a hangover, and maybe it is. Perhaps that’s why the Devil himself doesn’t drink.

Anyway I was four sheets in the tornado, by the time a group of the Fallen came in. The unnatural set of their shoulders and back caused by the phantom weight of their long gone wings made them easy to spot. There were five of them. Two women. That’s right; two women. Now of course the Bible says we angels are all male, so we go along with all that. But the fallen don’t " and though most fall through sleeping with Earthbound women " a few fall because they want to be one. Or as near as they can get. The women were attractive, but had sullen, sallow faces, like people with a hangover. The males were different somehow, blank-faced, or as though they were wearing masks.

An argument broke out. Azazael shambled over. The group quietened down although the masks shifted a little. I went over.

‘Get you guys a drink?’

The tallest of them eyed me over a Coors bottle.

‘Yeah, sure.’

‘Six Clown’s Cocktails’

One of the girls behind the bar popped her gum and reached for the high-shelf’s corners. Her legs weren’t bad. The six of us were in agreement judging by where we all looked.

The character who’d answered held out a hand,

‘I’m Grigori, that’s Greg, he’s Gregor, those two are Gregory’s Girls.’

He got a slap for his trouble. One of the Fallen Women said,

‘He is Grigori, that is Dan and that’s Zaq.’

She held out her hand too,

‘I’m Tami-Elle and that’s Sari-Elle. We go by Tami and Sari, natch.’

‘I’m Gabe,’ I held up a hand and said ‘no’ before they asked.

Two of the truckers finished their business in the bar and headed out to their semis. If they knew each other it was well enough to do without any kind of goodbye. I wondered if they’d even left a tip.

The Fallen and I drank, until all of them but Tami and I fell down.

‘What’s up?’ I said.

‘You, mostly.’

‘What are they saying?’

‘You’re the latest.’

‘Latest what?’

‘Just the latest.’

‘Latest to look for Lilith?’

‘That too.’

Tami’s eyes rolled and she joined the other Fallen on the floor.

The two bar-girls looked at each other and nodded, one laughed,

‘Least they ain’t gonno hit awn us, to-naht, sugar.’

I went out for some fresh air, unfurled behind a dumpster and lit out for the territory.