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The sound of feet pounding heavily into the pavement pierced through the silent night like a hot knife through butter. He kept glancing back over his shoulder, seeing nothing but fast shadows quickly closing in on him. He pushed himself harder and faster, taking a sudden sharp turn in hopes to dislodge the ones who were hot pursuit of him.

His shoes scraped painfully against the asphalt as he came to a screeching halt; he came to a dead end. He whirled around, wondering if he had enough time to run back the way he came and continue on his straight path. When he could no longer hear the following footsteps and the harsh breathing that came with it, he decided to take small steps back towards the way he came.

All of a sudden, an object of something or someone immediately swooped down from above, landing right in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight of the person that just fell from the sky and landed right in front of him; he was knelt down on one knee before him, his left arm held high up in the air while his right hand was clenched into a fist, pressing into the ground below him. The being peered up from where he knelt, and slowly rose up from the ground. The boy’s eyes widened in awe as he now found himself staring back at a tall, brawny man; what really captivated him were the pair of large wings that peeked out from behind his shoulders.

Before the boy could say a word, the mysterious man’s wings suddenly fluttered out, fully exposing the long, large feathered wings. He was literally blown back by the light wind force the wings seemed to produce whenever it flapped gently.

“Wh-who are you?” the boy stuttered out as he stumbled backwards. “Wha-what do you want from me?”

The tall man that stood before him had short, jet black hair and dark brown eyes. A steel armored plate laid upon his bare broad chest, complimented with light brown khaki pants. Two gauntlets covered his forearms while a simple gold band ran across his forehead. “My name is Darren, and I’m here to help you.” the man spoke in a deep tone.

The boy shook his head, “N-n-n-no! You’re the one that was chasing me! And now you here… with fucking wings?!”

Darren sighed, “I am not what was chasing you. I was assigned to watch over you and come to your aid when you needed my help.”

“Fuck you!” the boy spat. “This is fucking crazy, you’re nothing but a dude dressed up in a stupid costume. Now, are you gonna let me pass or do I have to scream for help, because I will!”

“I will grant you as you wish… but just know you will come to regret your grave decision.”

“Yeah?” the boy challenged, “Well, I’d rather take my chances fending for myself than to sit here and listen to some guy dressed like an angel.” and with that he started walking off into the darkness, going back the way he came.

Darren could only stand there and watch as the adolescent stalked off into the night, knowing he couldn’t stop him and make him believe, but knew he’d be ready to intervene if he were to end up in trouble. Meanwhile, the young boy continued on his way, not looking back. He couldn’t believe it… some crazy guy with… wings tried to tell him that he was protecting him. But, he couldn’t help than to think… how exactly was he able to fly down and land right in front of him so perfectly?

“Psst, hey kid!”

The boy immediately stopped, looking off into the darkness where he heard the voice come from, “Look crazy fucker, leave me alone!”

“Ooh, so you seen that crazy guy too?” the voice asked.

The boy squinted his eyes as a small, hunched figure emerged from the shadows. He looked to be not much older than him, and he wore brand name clothes. This older boy stuck out like a sore thumb in this alleyway with what he was wearing and how he looked… he looked to be financially well off, yet here he was, lugging around nothing but a backpack.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked the stranger.

“The name’s Devon.” the stranger said as he held his hand out to the younger boy.

The boy simply stared down at the hand, before he eventually reached out to shake it, “Shaun.”

Devon smiled as he hitched his backpack up higher on his shoulder. “Nice to meet you kid. So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing out here all by yourself?”

Shaun shrugged as he and Devon began walking out of the alleyway. “I ran away from home. Long story short, I’m dealing with a mom who’s always in my shit and a man who’s trying too hard to be my father. I live a lifestyle they don’t approve of.”

Devon’s eyebrow quirked up in interest, “Oh really? What kind of lifestyle is that?”

“Dealing.” was Shaun’s simple reply. “What about you, why are you out here?”

Devon chuckled, “Funny you should mention and ask, because I’m a dealer too.”

Shaun came to a halt, staring at Devon in disbelief, “You? A dealer?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Devon asked as he came to a stop too. “Do you see these clothes that I’m wearing? How do you think I got it?”

Shaun chuckled and shrugged, “That must be some good shit you’re dealing to people to get you that kind of money!”

Devon nodded, “I’ll let you in on it… under one condition.”

Shaun cocked his head to the side as he stared at Devon in puzzlement, “I’m listening.”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about that man you met back that way.”

“The crazy man with the fucking wings?” Shaun reconfirmed, to which Devon simply nodded. “Well, you said you seen that crazy man for yourself, there’s really not much more to say about him, other than he’s out of his fucking mind!”

Devon shrugged as they continued walking, “Yeah, I know… but I mean, what was his name and what did he say that he wanted?”

“He said his name was Darren or something. As for what he wanted, he mentioned some stupid shit about being appointed to watch me and has to help me if I get into trouble or some crazy shit like that. I was like yeah, I’m gonna believe a fucking guy in a Halloween costume?! Yeah right!”

“He didn’t want anything from you? Didn‘t make you follow him?”

Shaun shook his head, “Nope… he let me go willingly, but it was all still fucking weird nonetheless.”

Devon scoffed, “He’s a fucking idiot. Anyway, are you ready to see what I have?” he asked as he brought them to a halt again.

Shaun eagerly nodded. “There’s no turning back once you accept this, alright?” Devon warned.

Shaun froze for a moment, truly thinking over what Devon had just told him. No turning back? Before he could question him, Devon shot out and grabbed his arm, yanking and positioned it in front of him.

“Wha-what are you doing?!” Shaun stuttered, his voice wavering in fear as he watched Devon reach into his back pocket and pull out a syringe. “Yo-you’re not gonna shoot me up with THAT, are you?!”

Devon ripped the cap off with his teeth and spat it to the side, “You need to know what you’re dealing with. Just relax… you’ll feel good in a few seconds!”

Shaun eased a bit, but still tried to dislodge his arm out of Devon’s grasp. “You’re hurting me dude!”

Devon quickly plunged the needle down into his arm, causing Shaun to yelp out and try to yank his arm back. “You belong to us now.” Devon growled in a low, unrecognizable voice as he continued to push the unknown substance through the syringe and into Shaun’s now freely bleeding vein.

All of a sudden, Devon was flown backwards by an unseen force. Shaun stumbled back, his hand quickly covering his wounded arm, trying to stop the blood that was now running down his arm from the punctured vein.

Disoriented, Devon rose up from the ground and saw a harsh blue light that seemed to surround Shaun’s hunched figure. He shielded his eyes from the blinding blue light, only to see an armored man with enormous feathered wings standing behind the boy.

“Abdiel!” Darren roared in a booming, authority-like voice.

Shaun quickly whirled around the find Darren, the mysterious man he ran into earlier, standing behind him. He immediately squinted at the harsh blue light that seemed to surround the man and illuminate the once dark alleyway. He quickly backed away from the sight, fear settling deep into the pit of his stomach. Once he felt his back hit the wall, his legs buckled and he let himself crumble to the ground, scared of all that was unfolding before him.

Devon lowered his eyes, “Michael.” he growled in a low tone. He rushed towards the larger being, ready to take him down.

Darren prepared himself, and with the help of his wings, dove and flown his way towards Devon, grabbing the smaller man. He quickly whirled Devon around, so that his back was facing him now, and his arm wrapped tightly across Devon’s chest, holding him firmly against him.

“Let him go!” Shaun begged. Even though Devon shot him up with an unknown drug and was the reason why he’s now bleeding, he did not wanting this strange man to hurt him.

Darren reached behind him and pulled out a long, sharp sword. Before Shaun could protest, Darren quickly thrust his sword into Devon’s awaiting back, piercing right through and coming out of his chest.

Shaun’s eyes widened… he just witnessed a murder. “NOOOO!!!!”

Devon immediately screamed out in pain as he tried desperately to remove the foreign object that was now lodged into his body. His screams suddenly turned to evil laughter, which certainly caught the attention of Shaun. Before Darren could remove his sword, Devon began transforming right before them, the sound of flesh tearing piercing through the night air. Large, bat-like wings grew out from Devon’s back, as his skin continued to tear and fall away, revealing a beast-like creature.

Shaun’s eyes widened upon the sight of the hideous creature that emerged from Devon’s human shell. He was now staring at a winged demon; his flesh was dark, coarse and hairy, his feet and hands turned into claws. His head seemed to have became enlarged itself, his once human eyes had now became large, hallow black orbs. His features became extremely grotesque, as huge, long horns curled out from his skull and spiraled about.

Suddenly, the new beast shot up into the sky, taking flight. Since Darren was still holding on to his sword that was still lodged into the demon’s body, he flew up with the demon as well, both of them flying high into the night sky. Shaun continued to sob at the frightening scene he was witnessing, and just as he was about to push himself up from the ground to run away, two figures fell back down from the sky, landing painfully onto the ground.

Shaun shielded himself from the debris of the concrete ground that shot out from the impact. He looked up to find Darren now laying on the ground, and the demon on top of him. The demon’s claw-like foot was gripped tightly around Darren’s neck, squeezing tightly around his throat, causing Darren to choke out and wheeze for air.

“When will you learn that you still serve for the weak Michael?” the demon snarled as he leaned down towards Darren, his snake-like tongue slithering out as he spoke. “Why do you help souls that are meant to be damned? This is our territory, our souls to collect!” the demon rose a bit and slowly pulled the sword that was still lodged in his back and chest. When he finally pulled it out, he held it high before he tossed it to the ground beside Darren. “Perhaps I’ll let you live to tell your God that we will rise and overtake His throne!”

All of a sudden, the demon was thrown back off of Darren, and was thrown into the wall of the alleyway by an unseen force. Shaun stared amazed at a man who emerged from the darkness, his hand rose as if he were the one that threw the demon off of Darren telekinetically. Behind him walked up two other people, a male and a female. The three of them had different color lights that seemed to have surrounded them. The man who appeared to have telekinetic powers had a dazzling purple light that glowed around him. The female glowed with a pure white light while the other man was embraced by a striking green colored aura.

Darren quickly rose up from the ground and composed himself as best he could. He grabbed his sword and made his way towards the demon, who was recollecting himself. Darren immediately shot his hand out, grabbing the demon by it’s horns and yanking it closer to him. “Perhaps I’ll behead you and send your head down to Lucifer. Maybe he’ll get our message that way.” And with that, he swung his sword, slicing clean through the demon’s neck, beheading him as he said he would.

Shaun gagged as he watched the demon’s head roll on the ground and his grotesque body crumble. Darren simply walked away towards his apparent comrades as the demon’s body burst into flames and quickly disintegrated into nothing but ashes.

“Are you alright?” the woman asked as she began to look Darren over.

Darren simply nodded as he gingerly touched his neck, feeling that his flesh was torn from the demon’s claws. “I’ll be fine.”

“Want me to take a look at that?” one of the men asked as he tried to inch closer to inspect the wound.

Darren shook his head, “No… perhaps you can check on the boy.”

Shaun stared at the group of four people in awe. They all had an enormous pair of feathered wings, and were dressed similar in a warrior-like attire. The woman looked to be a little shorter than him, and wore a gladiator looking dress, with her forearms sporting gauntlets. She seemed to be of Mexican descent, and her short bobbed brown hair made her features stand out beautifully.

The other two men were dressed similar to Darren, both sporting armored chest plates, khaki pants and gauntlets; and the four of them all had a gold band that ran across their forehead. The man that had a green aura seemed to be the tallest of the four, a bit lanky but still well built. He had long, flowing blonde hair that hit the top of his shoulder and blew freely in the wind. The other man that had a purple aura was a little shorter than Darren, but not by much. He seemed to be the burliest one of them all, and had black hair that was spiked up.

When Shaun finally noticed the group of four were now staring straight at him, he began to scramble up from the ground unsuccessfully, collapsing back down when he realized his injured arm was too weak to support his weight. “P-p-please… don’t hurt me!”

The tall, blond man held his hands out, in hopes to calm the scared teen a bit. “We’re not gonna hurt you. We want to help you.”

Finally, Shaun was able to push himself up from the ground with his good arm and quickly covered his now slow bleeding arm. He wanted to run away, but couldn’t bring his body to do what his mind commanded him to do. He felt extremely weak all of a sudden. “I… I don’t want your…” he slurred out as he felt his knees buckle and his legs give way.

The blond man quickly shot out and caught the young boy before he crumbled back down to the ground. “Oh man.” he sighed as he slowly eased Shaun to lay down on the ground of the alley. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“But you can still heal him, right?” the woman asked as she walked up and knelt beside them.

“I can try… but he’s already lost a lot of blood. I think I can get the punctured vein to stop bleeding and heal it, but he’ll definitely need a transfusion.”

Darren nodded as he made his way towards them, “Do what you must Josh.”

Just as the blond man, named Josh, placed his hands over Shaun’s injured arm, prepared to heal, he was suddenly flown backwards. The three of them looked back at Josh, who was picking himself up from the ground, then focused their attention back on Shaun, who’s eyes were rolled back into his head and was now convulsing.

“Logan, check on Josh. Gabriella, I need you to help me hold him down.” Darren instructed.

Logan nodded and jogged over towards Josh, who was hunched over a bit. “Hey, you alright?”

Josh simply nodded as he straightened himself up. “Yeah… there’s a negative energy within him that’s trying to get out and consume him. I have to expel it before I can try to heal him.”

“Josh, hurry!” Gabriella shouted as both she and Darren struggled with holding the now thrashing boy down.

Josh and Logan quickly made their way back over towards them. “There is an entity within him… I have to expel it before I can heal him.”

“Do whatever you need to do, just hurry!” Darren gritted out.

Logan moved in to help Darren and Gabriella hold Shaun’s body down while Josh resumed his position. He examined Shaun’s injured arm, noticing that there was a black line that seemed to course through his vein, which meant the entity was close to possessing the young boy. Josh closed his eyes and placed both of his hands over the wound, allowing himself to surrender and calling forth St. Raphael the Archangel to enter his body and help expel the evil entity.

Darren, Gabriella and Logan loosened their hold a bit on Shaun when they noticed that he had stopped thrashing about and slowly seemed to calm down. When Josh opened his eyes, his orbs seemed to glow a fierce emerald green, signs that an angelic being had dwelled within him. Within seconds, his green eyes dissipated, revealing his natural blue colored eyes once more. He was relieved to find that the black line that was coursing through the vein slowly began to disappear.

“Now I can heal him.” Josh voiced as he placed his hand over the wound again. Between his hand and Shaun’s arm was a faint green glow that slowly intensified. When he removed his hand, sparkles of green light seemed to flutter about, and they all sighed in relief when they no longer saw a puncture wound on his arm… he was healed.

“He’ll need a blood transfusion though.” Josh reminded as they all rose up from the ground.

Darren nodded, “I’ll call him help. As of right now though, we have more pressing manners on our hands.”

“Like the fact that we just learned that these monsters can possess people however now?” Logan asked.

Darren sighed, knowing Logan was partially right. These demons were now trying to possess humans by any means necessary. They were violating God’s law of allowing humans free will… no longer was Lucifer and his demons using trickery and their manipulative ways to lure in vulnerable souls, but they were forcing themselves upon them, easily possessing souls any way they could. Lucifer was steadily trying to increase his army. “We need to hurry… we don’t have much time.”

“What do you suppose we do?” Gabriella questioned. “We haven’t found, nor were we informed of suitable candidates.”

Logan shook his head, “That’s not true. I had a vision of four successors. That’s definitely a sign that we’re close to finding our four suitors.”

“What else can you tell us about these four?” Josh asked curiously.

Logan shrugged, “Not much honestly… I just have this deep connection with my successor. He’s a male, one who specializes in what Uriel is considered the Archangel of… poetry and music. He’s definitely got this fire about him, especially an eternal flame within his soul. He’s made many dark mistakes in his past, ones that could have claimed his life, but through self retribution, he was able to correct his path.”

“Self retribution?” Josh repeated. “We’re not dealing with someone who mutilates themselves with every committed sin, are we?”

Logan shook his head, “No, not that type of retribution. I’m currently unsure of what the means are, but it’s something he continues to do to help him find his way once more when he strays.”

Darren nodded, “We need to find these four… and quickly.”

Chapter End Notes:

I appreciate the feedback, encouragement and interests I have received from people thus far! I myself am truly excited to see where this story goes! Thank you all for taking the time to read this story and review. And for those who haven't reviewed yet... well, you know, feedback, as always, are welcomed, appreciated and loved! :)