Chapter Two

Chapter Two

            The little girl looked up at me as if I were an angel sent from heaven, which I kind of was, but in this new dawn of light I was the last thing from an angel. I was more like the devils apprentice. It was kind of odd, of all the angels God sent to go kill humans there was one who never did get sent to kill, Azreal, the angel of death. Most would think he would be the first one to be sent out to kill, but for some reason no one knew why. Not even him.
            “My name is Lizzy by the way.” The little girl looked up at me, her eyes shining, “What’s yours?”

“Michael.” I told her looking down, she had a grip on my hand, and her eyes were filled with faith. A faith I did not rightly understand. As the angel that always fought for faith, most would expect me to know what I was fighting for, but most of the time I went with my gut instinct; once in a while I did make a few mistakes and those are the mistakes that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
            “I want some McDonalds.” She said, looking around. “Can we get McDonalds please?” This girl, she had some of the most well manners I’ve seen in a long while. I didn’t get a chance to answer though, because when I opened my mouth she looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. “You’re bleeding!” Tears were flowing down her cheeks, “You’re going to leave me too.” She sat on the floor and started sobbing. I looked at her and wondered what she was talking about and I realized where my wings had once been were now bleeding.
            Although it was impossible for an angel to die, she didn’t know that I was an angel. So of course, she thought I was dying. I crouched next to her and made her look up at me. “Lizzy, I promise you, by the name of God himself, that I won’t leave you.” I picked her up and held her in my arms. I could see the bags under her eyes, she probably hasn’t had a decent nights sleep in a year and it was most likely because of my kind.
            She linked looked up at me through the tears and wiped them away, her eyes shining as bright as they had before. It was almost like the most beautiful stars were seen in her eyes. I opened my mouth and started to sing to her an old Jewish lullaby I once learned long ago.

“In dem bays hamikdosh,
In a vinkl chayder
Zitzt di almone bas Tziyon aley.
Ir ben yochidl Yidele vigt si k'seyder.
Numi, numi yaldati,
Numi, numi, nim.
Numi, numi k'tanati,
Numi, numi, nim.”

            Which meant, “In the room of the temple/ In a cozy corner/ There sits a widow all alone/ With her only little child she rocks gently/Sleep, sleep, my little girl/Sleep, sleep/Sleep, sleep, my little one/Sleep, sleep.” I kept repeating the verse over and over again, quietly looking around for a place where I could set her down and find her a place to sleep.
            “Where did you learn that song?” She asked, I only looked at her.
            “I learned it a long time ago my little girl.” I said moving her hair out of her face. It was true, it was so long ago that I learned that song; I learned it in ancient Islam. The man who taught me it was named Damen, he was a strong man, with a beautiful wife, and a gorgeous daughter. What I wouldn’t have given to trade places with him, especially at this time. He was the man most wished they could be, strong, loving, caring, and never a push over but would do whatever he could to make his wife and daughter happy.
            I remember the day, clear as crystal when him and I were walking around the fields at night, and I heard him softly crying while sing that very song. “What is wrong?” I had asked.
            He looked at me with such faith and hurtfulness in his eyes that I could tell something very wrong was going on. “Michael, my wife, Levana, she is sick. Sick with something I have never seen before.” I heard him crying, sobbing actually. “Last night she stayed up singing to my daughter, she has the most beautiful voice… But last night, after Hannah had fallen asleep Levana told me she was dying.” He sat by the tree, all I could think was, Why did Azreal have to take such innocent people?

            That was the last time I saw Damen, he was such a good guy, but his tears hurt me so much, he could have been a saint if he wanted to but he always said ‘Why be something if I know I’d fail.’ That saying always stuck with me. Why be something if I know I’d fail. It repeated over and over again in my head, why was I protecting this child? Finding her food, a place to sleep, trying to make her live, I was going to fail. I fail a lot, it seems.
            I looked at the child that was asleep in my arms and sighed, you are so stupid! You’re going to ruin her life, we both know that. I thought to myself. I sang the song once more, and shut up after finding a motel. Although it was a roach motel, it was a motel none the less. I grabbed a keys, ever since judgment day everything was a low price of nothing, and walked to the room. I checked the room and saw that it had two bed. I set the little girl on the bed and looked in the shower. For a roach motel, it had a pretty nice bedroom and bathroom. Plus it still had hot water.
            I went to check on Lizzy and when I saw she was asleep, I decided to go take a shower. I jumped in the bathroom and took off my shirt. I looked at my back in the mirror, my wings were ripped out, a scar went down my back where the demons scratched me. “Damn…” I said quietly, looking down. I turned on the hot water, not making any contact with the mirror anymore, what I had seen was too terrible. My blonde hair was a mess, my normally perfectly white body was torn and scarred, my eyes looked broken, I felt broken, and I broke a little more when I looked at myself…