~~Young~~

Chapter Eleven

   “But lots of humans have wings like that,” he tried to rationalize, “it’s a thing with human girls, usually the most promiscuous of them at that. White, black, pink, purple, blue, I’ve seen them in all colors and sizes. On backs, wrists, necks, ankles…”

   “But a full set like hers?” Death asked skeptically, “I know I don’t need to tell you how life-like those ones are. As if at any moment she could pull them off her back and fly away.”

   “I know Death,” he gritted through his teeth, “believe me I fucking know, the question for me is why she has them.”

   “So then ask her, oh,” her face went blank for a moment before she focused back on Gage with a grimace, “sorry sweetie but I gotta go, I wasn’t expecting any dead on impact.”

   “It’s alright,” Gage waved off her apology, “at least one of us isn’t rethinking their job description.”

   “Aww, I love that you’re starting to understand remorse,” she gave him a sad smile, “but just remember, she’s going to die one way or another. And soon, her soul is not meant long for this earth.”

   “What if I walked away from her, right now, you think I could avoid dealing her death blow?”

   “No,” she shook her head, “you know it’s too late for that because it would still be your fault whether by your hands or not. She is marked and you know this, and your avoidance of the task only ensures someone else’s involvement.”

   “Yeah,” Gage sighed and scrubbed at his face again, “yeah I know.”

   “Do it Gage, at least you know by your hands she won’t suffer. You can make it quick for her, painless. And I’ll come running back too, make sure none of those feathered idiots, no offense, escorts her to heaven.”

   “Heaven?” Gage perked up, “so she’s not weighed?”

   “A little,” she said slowly, “but I’ve seen worse make it to heaven, she was never headed to your neck of the woods,” now Death looked confused, “I thought that’s why you were upset, because you knew you couldn’t be with her once she died.”

   Oh well now there was something he hadn’t contemplated.

   “But Michael said-”

   “Later sweetie,” Death held up her hands, “I gotta go,” she gave him an icy peck on his cheek “but we’ll talk about this some more later.”

   A frigid wind blew through the cabin and like that she was gone.

   Gage began pacing in the hallway, running through the afternoon in the church with Michael over and over again as that horrible anxiety built in his chest again. Seriously, he was going to rub his flesh straight off if this didn’t quit.

   Did Michael lie to him? He had never known him or any other angel to lie. Didn’t think they were capable of lying. Deceit lived in hell after all, and since God was the one to banish her there he figured lying wasn’t something he would tolerate amongst his servants.  

   But did he lie? He said Sera was weighed, and she was. Death had confirmed as much. That she would pass into heaven given enough time…but what was time to Michael, years, days, seconds? He said she would save many lives if left to live, but never that they would still be damned if she died. He never confirmed a damned thing Gage had asked him!

   But it was that lack of answer that was the worst wasn’t it, when he asked if she was of the innocent, he just let Gage assume she wasn’t…