Chapter Four

Chapter Four

            I smiled a smile that only showed sadness and pain, luckily little Lizzy wasn't awake to see the single tear slowly sliding down my cheek. I couldn't help it, I had made a mistake, but so had He. It's His fault for the predicament I am in now. I lifted my hand and wiped the tear, I looked at my hand, the tears were filled with millions upon millions of little stars in it. The tears of an angel were so powerful they could change the weather by a single wish of an angel. They had the power to make or break people.
            Lizzy stirred in her sleep and slowly her eyes looked up at me. "Michael," She said, "I hungry." I nodded and helped her out of the bed. She looked into my eyes and touched my nose. "Michael, why are your eyes black now? They used to be blue." I looked at her as if she were crazy. My eyes have always been blue like the sea. They were the most the purest blue of all in the realm of angels and the last angel that had black eyes was Lucifer when he turned against God completely.
            I walked to the mirror and looked into it. Sure enough my eyes were now black instead of blue. I sighed and walked away, “It doesn’t matter Lizzy.” I told her picking her up, wondering where in the abandoned world we would get food for this child. She nodded and relaxed against my chest, listening to my faint heartbeat. All the while I was thinking, I’m damned if I did, and I was damned if I don’t. The thoughts that were swarming in my head never seemed to cease. What was I to do when I had to go kill something in front of this little girl? Michael, you are a monster as ugly and bad as Lucifer himself.
            I felt the little girls eyes watching me, damn it to hell. I felt as if this little girl, one who could not be any older then seven, could see into my soul. It wasn’t right, it just felt wrong. “What do you want to eat?” I asked her, trying not to show her how uncomfortable she was making me by watching me unflinchingly.
            Her eyes seemed dazed, she kept watching me, god those eyes watching me. “I don’t know Michael. Maybe food?” She asked, it seemed impossible but it seemed when she said my name I remembered her. It was like I went back in time, to three months ago. I remembered her, her mother, her brother, and her grandmother.
            It was the middle of a night; I heard a little girl’s cry and a mother trying to shush her quietly. Looking down into the streets I saw movement; I swiftly swooped down and landed next to them. My eyes were as cold as stone, but what they don’t know that inside it was killing me. I opened my wings; the white feathers catching the little light and making it bounce into the human’s eyes.
            The mother fell to her knees, she was looking up at me, she was silently begging me to let her and her family go. The look of hopelessness was apparent in her eyes, it seemed to be the only damned thing that showed through a mothers hard mask. “Please.” She whispered it so silently I was sure I was the only one to hear it.
            I shook my head, my eyes saying a silent sorry for her. I launched into the sky, my eyes picking a target. The thirteen year old boy seemed to be the best target. I felt my wings tighten closer to my body, then suddenly opening at the last minute, me picking up the boy and flying gracefully upwards as I heard the boys screams for mercy.
            I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get those screams out of my head. Please, please, please. Have mercy! The words of a thirteen year old boy begging me to spare his life and I couldn’t even do that much.
            I looked back at the little girl, tears in my eyes. “Is something wrong Michael?” God damn it man, pull your god damned self together. Or we’re both screwed. Yelled a voice in my head. I mentally shook myself, I already sold my soul and damn it, I’m not letting this little girl down if it’s the last thing I do in this god forsaken place.

            I smiled, and gave the girl a light hug, “No Lizzy, everything is perfect.” I gave her a charming smiled and started to walk out, still holding the little girl protectively.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

            After walking for an hour I finally found a store, Annabelle’s Market. I read it out loud, hoping to the Lord himself that no ‘Angel Hunters’ as we’ve learned to call them, were in there. They could spot an angel a mile away and still be able to hit the angel with a special made bullet with enough force to stop a train in it’s tracks.
            I opened the door cautiously and quietly walked in. The little girls eyes were wide with amazement at all the food that surrounded her. She started fussing, looking at all the food and in the silence I could hear her heart beat increasing rapidly. We both heard her stomach growl, and we both laughed lightly. “Freeze right there.” We heard at once. I turned with lightening speed, and was looking face to face with a rifle in the hand of a red neck hick in the country. I swear, this guy was wearing jeans too big, a loose white shirt with big old stains down the front. He was the classic look for a country bum-kin in the 21^st century.
            “Listen, sir, I just want some food for the girl.” I said trying to persuade him to put the gun down. I felt his eyes drop from me to the girl and back up to me. He was weighing me up and down, I felt like I was under scrutiny of the highest level.
            “What’s yer name, fella?” He asked, dropping the rifle slowly to the ground. Did he just really call me ‘fella?’ I wondered. God this guy was the biggest hick in all of the world now.
            Michael, this guy is crazy. We should just leave. He’ll probably go ape s**t on you if you say the wrong thing. The inner voice inside my head told me, and for some reason this time I didn’t want to obey the bossy little voice in there. “My name is Michael Arie-hangle.” (Arie-hangle is how you pronounce arch angel in Russian). The guy smiled and dropped the gun, for a bum this guy had a perfect smile, and his teeth were as white as my wings once were.
            “Well nice to meet ya Michael. My name’s Brutice.” He extended his hand I shook it, he had a strong a*s grip might I add. His eyes went from me to the girl again and he bent down to her eye level and spoke in such a tender voice I thought impossible for a man his size and strength. Lizzy hid behind my leg, looking curiously at the stranger but at the same time with fear. “Hiya darlin’, my name’s Brutice. What’s yours?” He smiled at her, and I could automatically feel the change in her grip on my jeans.
            She looked up at me and I nodded, “My name is Elizebeth, but everyone calls me Lizzy.” She told him.
            I saw the look in his eyes, something had hit a nerve. “I used to have a daughter named Elizebeth, she’d be just about your age, but then I went to Iraq. . . I never saw her again, but I don’t think she’s dead. I also had a boy, about 14 this year.” He told her, the gentleness still in his voice. The girl nodded, and smiled at him.
            “I used to have a brother, but mommy never told me what happened to him.” She told the man, the man straightened up and looked at me.
            “You’ve got a nice daughter there Michael.”