Angelus The Fallen

Prologue

(Prologue)

THE PRESENT DAY...

I breathed heavily. I couldn't believe I had resorted to this. I had to go through with it. The police might have turned up any minute. The last thing I ever wanted is to be caught again. I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, while I watched her blue eyes pierce me, like two rounded bullets. Her stare wounded me. If only she looked at me like she used to...if only she remembered."...I've had enough of chasing you down," I said at last. "I'll have to take you now. I'll have to take you to one of them and they'll make you listen. Please understand me, I can't leave you like this, so lost and confused. You were my friend and you helped me through a lot. I am only returning the favour!"

"OH. GOD. You." She was frightened but her face said she was trying to fight it. Trying to show me she was not as panicked as she might have been. "You really are crazy! Look it's alright." 

I flinched at her reaction to me. 

Her lip quivered. "- Hey I'm sorry. I din't mean to call you crazy. Look. I'll let you off this time. Please leave now, go on or else the police will have to be called. My husband will be here any second too." I approached her gradually closing in the space between us but I grasped how disturbing I must have looked coming towards her, so I waved my hands in the air in an innocent sign of surrender. 

"That's not true."

She frowned. "I know that isn't true, because I know your husband is dead. Brain tumour. I read all the condolences on Facebook about it."

"Get out of my house." Her voice was stern. Her eyes told a different story, I had struck a nerve. Or more likely just having a strange man in her home was enough to send her into catatonia. Who could blame her. I'd been tracking her down and following her - not stalking, not intentionally - for at least a year. Planning. Planning this. 

The idea was to grab her and go.

My heart skipped a beat when I watched her pull out a long kitchen knife and throw it straight at me, like she was playing darts. And I was the bulls-eye. I was half impressed with her aim and half scared to death. Things had gone south far too quickly. She ran, luckily I dodged the point of the knife as it deflected off the wall. I hitched my knees up and jumped over the sofa, landing in her path. I grabbed her shoulders and she sure as hell put up a fuss about it. If only she remembered. I was surprised, and somewhat irritated, when she threw her head at my eye line. Thrown off balance by the forcefulness of her head butt. I knew I had to be quick. If taking her with me was to be an effective plan. I had to figure out a way to knock her out and get her out of the apartment and into my trunk.I swiped the table and chairs across the room in an effort to stall her pathway, as she scurried to the bathroom. I leaped at her, my whole body weight pulling her to the ground as I kept a good grip on her ankle. We both fell to the floor. She caught me on the shoulder and I notice her quickly reaching for the knives and forks that fell off the kitchen counter, I placed my knees on each of her thighs. Keeping her completely pinned down against the hard marble floor, I held her arms above her head while she stared up with terror in her eyes. Almost paralyzed."Let's hope they're easier to get hold of than you, Mia!" She struggled against my grasp. "Stop struggling please... or I'll have to-" I grabbed her roughly as an attempt to silence her but promptly the tears started to fill her eyes. Panicked. I kissed her in a valiant attempt to make her lost memories resurface but nothing was as simple as Snow White with a prince charming to bring her corpse back to life and I have never been Hermia Rudd's prince charming.

She bit my lip viciously. I could taste the metallic blood on my tounge.

"Ow!" I winced. "God Mia, you're the one acting crazy you know!"

"GET OFF ME!" Hermia's breathing came out quick and shallow. " Help! Help!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. Suddenly my heart felt like it was being squeezed. We'd known each other since we were twelve years old. Now she acted like I was a psychopath. "Help me! Please!" Her voice was a gurgle of tears, primal fear and survival instinct as my grip only tightened. "You fucking piece of shit - rapist!"

If I had replied to that, my voice would have been full of heartbreak.

I needed her to be quiet. 

Time was running out.

"Shut up! You shut have to shut up now! You'll get me in serious trouble when you shout stuff like that!" I reached into my pocket for the rag and tiny green bottle of chloroform. 

When she saw the rag she inhaled a shaky breath and froze.  

I saw the colour drain from her red cheeks. Her forehead was slick with sweat. 

She used all her remaining strength to throw me off, with a rapid expulsion of air that felt warm on my face. Her attempt failed. However, she did knock the bottle out of my hand. It smashed to the ground. A horror of mesmerizing beauty. It felt like the breaking glass could be heard right down the street, perhaps as far as the church. Leaving the liquid leaking onto the wooden floor.

"Get off of me! I don't know you. Can't you understand that! I don't want to know you, please leave me alone!" Mia yelled at the top of her lungs. "There will be a girl out there somewhere for you-not me, not me- help! Rape! Rape!" she shrieked. A quick exit was the only thing fueling his efforts to save her.

I whispered, barely audible for even her ears to hear, "I'm sorry for this." Then I held my breathe as I punched her hard in the face. Mia collapsed limply to the floor. I hurriedly tidied up and washed the droplets of chloroform up with soapy water. As I wiped my fingerprints from the furniture and all surfaces I had previously touched in the struggle, I put the knife back in its original place. I mumbled to myself, as I surveyed her house once last time. "Who to look for..." I mused as I bounded her wrists together. "There's enough of them out there. But where? Who to start with first? Nathan or Kedwnn... or what about that bloody annoying Eden? Spoilt for choice." I grimaced. "Not." I scoffed as I carried her, over my shoulder and out of the house.