Rapture Falls (32 page)

             
“What the
hell
?” was as far as Baine got before another blow struck him heavily from behind he staggered forwards onto his chest he looked up to see the gloomy light eclipsed by all of the remaining group members
now all wearing black eyes and evil intentions. H
ands and feet rained down with unbelievable
strength from the frail pensioner bodies
as his world faded out and he fell into the
dark
ness.

PRIDE AND FALLS

“
Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel in strength,
that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word
”
.

Psalm 103:20

The four figures stood facing each other for the first time in a very long time, the location was a neutral and deserted one, the beach at Barafundle was a shallow cove accessible only by hiking the steep coastal path distance from Stackpole around a mile away, the meeting place was chosen specifically for its isolation away from prying eyes. The small beach was empty save for the soft lashings of the approaching blue tide and the curious seagulls, the men stood, one facing two, six eyes trained for signs of observation from the cliff top greenery, neither side truly trusting the other, the single man was agitated and anxious whilst his two companions appeared serene in their stance.

             
“Are you sure that you were not followed?” asked Michael, his eyes darted about the horizon

             
“You know that I would not be” came Azazel’s reply laced with a casual scorn

             
“You never were careful enough for my liking Azazel, nor you Samyaza, you have no idea as to the ravenous depths to which Gabriel would sink if he discovered me here, unlike you with your leader Lucifer, I have to be perfectly vigilant”

             
“That shows just what little you understand Michael” Samyaza spoke with a tired edge to his voice that troubled Raphael greatly,

“Unfortunately our meeting here today is a direct result of Gabriel’s fall from grace, he cannot be trusted anymore to act in the best interests of himself or the Order”

             
“Well, well, the great and the good has slipped from his mighty perch atop the rest of us mere peons” Samyaza laughed with great heart at the news, “That’s why you want to meet us, priceless, what do you want?, our help, is that what this is, you believe that I would be interested in an alliance with you and the Order, I should slit your pitiful throat now that you are weakened”

             
“Both orders are dead” Michael’s unchallengeable pronouncement stopped Samyaza dead in his triumph mid flow

             
“Y
ou dare to talk to me like one of these meat suits, you dare to pontificate on the future of the Grigori, I would bathe in your desecration
” Samyaza spat with venom

             
Raphael sensed the situation teetering on the edge of unwanted violence and spoke quickly to calm his notoriously volatile brethren,

“It was not at our hands that
t
he
y
will fall
brother, not at our hands, it
will be the
half breed”

             
“Baine” asked Samyaza incredulously

             
“It would appear that
both Lucifer and Gabriel have their
own agenda
s
that lay in direct opposition to our own,
they
ha
ve
decided to take matters into his own hands and dispose of our beliefs, it would also appear that Mr Baine is somewhat more resourceful than we first thought, perhaps he is to be considered a genuine player in all of our destinies than we would have been first informed”

             
The four archangels
faced the encroaching oceans lapping waves held in deep thought; they felt no particular pain at the
impending
loss of
the orders, only a need to fill the vacuum of leadership

Sam
yaza was the first to speak

“So what
becomes of us now
?”

             
“We want you to join us, to come back to the word, to return to our true destiny, to rejoin us as brothers and take our place as the rightful rulers of this world” Michael had begun to preach with passion, only the subtle placing of Raphael’s hand allowed him a measure of self control

             
“And what exactly to we stand to gain from this union? I mean just why exactly should we not tread our own path and gut you like a pig where you stand”

             
“Because there is a new world coming Samyaza, a new world where you can sit as a king or grovel in the filth with the rest of humanity, Gabriel has lost his faith much like Lucifer, they have been corrupted by the stinking flesh bags of the world and now no longer deserve to walk amongst our ranks, but for you there is still time, join us” Michael gripped his shoulders with powerful fingers that dug into the fragile flesh,

“St
and with us, stand with us as
brother
s
Samyaza,
Azazel
take your rightful place
s
and together we will combine the Order and the Grigori and watch as humanity kneels and trembles before our feet”

             
“And what of Baine” asked Azazel, “If he is truly is as dangerous as you presume then we need to eliminate his presence from the board”

             
“As we speak the half-breed has already been boxed and packaged and lies waiting to be either destroyed or to be wiped clean of independent thought to be used as a weapon at our
disposal, I have his book and I will soon have the cube
” answered Michael. 
             

Samyaza faced
his
ancient
brothers slowly in turn, “We
will stand beside you and we will take our place”

             
The
four
beamed as the newly formed alliance brought them together again after all of the centuries of petty conflict had driven wedges between them, the uneasy
union’s
implications hung heavily in the air as an inevitable air of distrust permeated the moment, they all knew that this moment was as fragile as the combination that
they had reformed.

             
McCullum drove through his small home town with a bitter taste foaming in his mouth; the grey streets were not helped by the turgid weather only adding to the heavy depression that seemed to have settled across his broad shoulders. He had spent the night at a new Travelodge in Pembroke Dock, it appeared a spurious attempt at attracting prosperity to the town but the new building sat lost and lonely amongst its derelict counterparts. The town was typical of many across the
UK
, with a lack of industry and heavy reliance on the summer tourism trade winters were dire times especially when experienced in the wet weather. McCullum knew that his feelings for the place were obviously soured by his recent parental revelations, he had risen heavily from a restless sleep, his dreams were dark and strange, and images of his father angry and disappointed haunted his mind as the feeling of potential failure scared him deeply. He knew that time was already running preciously short, the betrayer Baine had already managed to elude the authorities as he had made his way west across the country, further evidence as far as McCullum was concerned of the mans wickedness. Gabriel had spoken to him as he slept, urging him onward for the cause, telling him to allow nothing and no-one to stand between him and his prey, he had been blessed with a divine ability to chase down the betrayer and the fate of mankind was ultimately at stake. If the Grigori ever managed to gain control of the Cube then all would be lost and the world would be plunged deep into chaos and despair, the armies of darkness would sweep across the earths realm laying waste to humanity, his father had told him sadly that he may have to sacrifice the few to save the many and McCullum had agreed. He had risen this morning and after ingesting a tasteless breakfast consumed solely for its energy he had exited his soulless accommodation with the full intention of joining the cause with boundless vigor and yet he found himself inexplicably parked outside of his mothers house. The curtains were open even at this early hour, the windows however were obscured by screaming white net curtains with edges ironed so sharply that they could slice you to the bone, despite his mothers advancing age she would never dream of allowing the small front garden to go unkempt. He remembered his childhood in this house as one surrounded by hard working
neighbours
who lived in the street and took pride in their properties, now however the houses were looking decidedly shabby, gates hung rustily framing overgrown lawns that were slowly swallowing discarded children’s toys. The paint work on most of the houses was peeling pitifully as wood splintered and rotted unchecked, his mothers house was one of only a handful on the street that looked remotely cared for and the only one that stood proudly above its jealous peers. McCullum was sure that he would turn away and leave any second, continue along with his infinitely more important duties with which he had been entrusted, he was sure of this up until he found himself startled by the clanging bell tone that rang out, he looked down incomprehensively to find his finger on the door bell and the shuffling feet of his mother approaching the door. The small woman’s shape blurred by the frosted glass in the front door reached the entrance and began to fiddle with the lock, the metallic mechanism released its secure grip and the door swung open.