SONDER : Prologue

0.2 : ALPHA - AZRAEL, Leader of Fallen Souls

The scent was gone. That rich, earthy smell of fresh rain. The echoes of laughter and squeals of delight faded, as a metallic, iron smell replaced it all, along with an incessant ringing in his ears. Azrael tried to get up, to move his hands under him, but they were bound. Slowly he realized he was laying in a metallic, warm ooze, as reality came crawling back along with each of his frantic heartbeats.

Mikey. Luke. The beast.

It flooded back in a rush. He tested the bindings on his wrists, gingerly cracking open the one eye not laying in his own blood. The searing light had his eye squeezing shut again as he stifled a groan, afraid to move, in case he was being watched. He tried again, slower, letting his vision adjust.

He was outside, away from the battle. The sun was high in the sky, baking the blood to the side of his face. He didn't see anyone. On one side was a dense, copse of trees and on the other some kind of open field, stretching grassy fingers out to the horizon.

He felt something move next to him and he turned his head just slightly, spotting a boot. The boot shifted and its owner groaned, "Az?" He remained quiet. "I know you're awake, they're not even watching us, O Tactical One."

Luke's voice. Without a second more he was pushing himself up. It was a struggle with his hands bound and fastened to some sort of stake in the ground behind him, but he managed. One arm wasn't responsive. His brow furrowed, "are you alright?"

A guffaw replied, "alright? Me? How about you?"

"Fine. Peachy, actually. Where are we?"

"I don't know."

"That... Thing?"

"Killed it," came the smug reply.

"Seriously?"

"Easy."

"Fuck off."

Luke chuckled quietly. As they talked, Azrael's eyes were darting and he was twisting his head to look behind him. He spotted a tent near his six, with shadowed movement inside.

"You were out," Luke answered the question he almost didn't want to ask. "I didn't see them behind me. Woke up to your snoring."

"I don't snore," he replied absently. "What— What was it?" Azrael tested the ropes, straining at the bonds. He couldn't break it, not with one limp arm.

"Shit, Az, you don't think I tried that?"

"Stop bitching."

"I don't know what it was. Wasn't normal. But we finally found something uglier than you."

Azrael snorted, "I thought it was your sister."

They stopped talking as they picked up sounds from the tent. Azrael strained his hearing, dimly realizing that with all the blood caked on the one side of his face he could only hear from one ear. He tried to catch the voices, but it sounded like he was underwater.

"Sounds like code."

"You can hear them?"

"You can't?"

Azrael slid up the stake until he could get his knees under him, "my boot, can you reach it? Is my knife there?"

"You bloody bastard!" Luke scrambled, twisting himself. He strained, and after a minute, he pulled it free. "Yes, the morons!"

Azrael grinned as Luke worked the knife, cutting his own bonds, then dealing with his, "quick, before they notice!" A snap, and he was free, taking his knife back from Luke. "Get to the forest, there!" Luke nodded.