Apocalypse's Horsemen (Devil's Assistant Series - Book 3)

Apocalypse's Horsemen [12]

Lucius and I had made no effort to hide what we were from our group as we left the burning city behind us. It was only when we finally found a mode of transport that our wings went away and so too our glowing blades.

 Fortunately not all areas had been ransacked by the violent hoards and one of our group had some rather helpful but unsettling skills. Before we could run into any more trouble we were on the motorway, riding away in a hotwired minibus we had stolen from a local school. I tried not to feel too guilty about it.

The bridge back to England was strangely clear. 

On the way in there had been a few cars but now there was not even one solitary vehicle. There were no cars, buses nor Lorries trying to flee from the plague infested lands. Stones settled in my stomach as I came to terms with the very painful reality that most of Wales had either been overcome by the plague, turned into blood hungry raiders or had already fled the country in the face of danger.

“This is not good, not good at all.”

My gaze drifted from the windows to look over at Lucius. His attention was steadfast on the road but I could see the tension in him. His fingers were wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel that his knuckles had turned whites and his jaw was clenched tightly. The urge to comfort him surged within me but I could make my body move.

“What do we do now Lucius?” I whispered.

I darted a quick glance over my shoulder. Most of our passengers had already fallen asleep except for the few older men who were forcing their eyes open despite the weariness that clung to them. A few had their sons or daughters huddled at their sides. Even in their sleep the little ones were restless. No doubt the events they had witnessed the night before would haunt them for a long time to come.

“We stick to the plan – we find conquest.”

I opened my mouth to protest but Lucius took his eyes off of the road for a moment to send me a glare.

“It is all we can do. We do not know these enemies. Not truly. The only one who did is now dead.” The man drew in a steadying breath, his attention once more on the road. “Any who may have helped us - the others who helped imprison the horsemen - have long since fled the earth. What other options do we have?”

I didn’t answer because there was no answer I could give. I knew of nothing we could use to defeat these foes. I was born a human. Even now I was still reeling from the fact that the supernatural world existed. 

“So we stick to the plan.”

*

The rest of the drive was uneventful.  Lucius pulled up outside of a house I had never seen before. It sat alone in the middle of a five acre stretch of land. The house itself was nestled on top of a grassy hill. It was a beautiful farmhouse designed to watch over the rolling fields below.  It was a soothing sight for a bus full of weary souls.

“Whose house is that?” I asked as he pulled to a stop of the shingle covered driveway.

Now that we were closer I could see the honeysuckle climbing up the front of the building and the small white picket fence surrounding the flower beds on either side of the front door. The door itself was just varnished wood but it didn’t need to be anything fancy.

“It’s like a little patch of heaven.” I murmured, leaning forward so that I could peer out of the windscreen to see the upper levels.

No faces peered out form the windows, it was completely still and yet the house did not look as though it had been neglected at all.

“Who owns this place?”

Lucius chuckled and popped open his door.

“Who do you think?”

I glanced at the tranquillity and beauty in everything around us and sighed.

“The angels? I should have known.”

“Yes, you should have.”

I was so lost in looking at the surroundings that I was caught off guard when hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me from the vehicle. I hit the tall man in his chest and turned away from him. My lips fought hard not to smile.

Lucius moved past me and opened up the door to the minibus and let the passengers out. Each stepped out of the vehicle with a small bit of wonder in their eyes. I suppose it was a large contrast. I burning city that was only a few steps away from becoming hell on earth to this.

“Welcome to ‘The Keep.’  This will be your home until I can find you more permanent accommodations. They fridge and the pantry are stocked and there are vehicles fuelled and ready for use in the barn.”

I watched as Lucius ran a hand through his dark hair before waving lamely at the building behind.

The group just stood there in dirtied and singed clothes. Their eyes were wary at first as they looked between the building before them and us. They had seen our wings, knew we were different but they did not trust us.

I could see it in their eyes.

Just from looking at their faces and the expressions that each held, it wasn’t hard to figure out that they had only agreed to come with us to escape the hellhole they had been in before.   

 After several long minutes had passed the eldest of the group, an old lady with white hair curled tightly to her head, stepped forward. It was amazing how strong her steps were considering the age shown by the lines on her face and the whiteness of her. Then again, she was either kin to an angel or a demon – who knew how that had affected her.

One by one the bedraggled group entered the house. One of the men, a burly man with more muscle than hair on his head, stood sentry at the door. He held no weapons but it was clear from the way that he held himself that he knew exactly how to handle himself should the need arise.

Lucius made to follow them all inside but I held him back.

“What’s wrong savannah?”

I shrugged my shoulders and rubbed anxiously at my back.

“I don’t know. Nothing makes sense anymore. I just want to go home, where there is you and Danny and even Gary and the other children.”

My teeth bit into my lip as I peered up at the striking figure of Lucius Satani.

“We will go home.”

He must have seen something in my expression as his fingers smoothed out the frown on my forehead and he offered me a small smile.

“Soon. I promise.”

“Okay, but what about those people in there.”

There was a pause.

“I don’t know. We can’t stay here to find out more about them. We have to finish this. I have to trust that they can look after themselves.” His fingers massaged at his temples as he glanced over at the farmhouse. “I don’t know why but I have a feeling that they will play a part in all of this. Not now but later.”

I nodded my head.

Lucius was no psychic but he was the devil. He may not have the gift of foresight but he had lived for millennia. I trusted his instincts on this.

“When do we head out?”

I could feel tiredness clawing at my bones. I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours and it was taking its toll. I may not have been human anymore but it appeared that I was still affected by human weaknesses.

“Tomorrow. We need to regroup but I haven’t heard back from Castiel yet.” He looked away from me but not before I caught that look in his eyes.

It was something that made my knees tremble and my heart race – and it was definitely not in a good way.

Lucius was scared.

Sorry filler chapter for you. I'm still trying to decide where I want to go next with this. Oh decisions,decisions.