Fiction Short Stories

Angel Bits

There was a ringing in her ears that wouldn't go away, it sounded like a thousand church bells and her head hurt so badly. Lena slowly turned her head to the right and her world began to spin but, she could make out some shapes around her. She was lying on the road, and beside her an upside down flaming car slowly came into focus. She couldn't remember what happened or how she'd ended up on the road, but the noise was growing steadily louder and she couldn't focus on what she was looking at. Suddenly, the sound broke through the barrier in her head and it became a clear, loud voice.

" Wake up!" Boomed the voice.

Lena was shocked to realize that a boy her age was standing over her, yelling at her over the noise of the flaming car. He seemed to register her movement and got up from atop of her. Taking Lena by the hands, he slowly pulled her into a sitting position. The boy crouched in front of her and Lena finally got a good look at him.

He had unruly, curly, strawberry blond hair that was cut just under his ears. His eyes were blue,  his body was lean, muscular and he wore a loose blue t-shirt and ripped jeans. The shocking part about him, were the huge ghostly wings that glowed silver in the night behind him, like the wings of a great bird.

"Don't be afraid. My name is Gabriel I'm here to help you." He said and his face wrinkled in concern as he examined her slowly. Nothing was registering right in her head. She started to get up slowly and Gabriel helped to steady her.  Pieces of glass fell to the ground as she stood up and looked around the area. She was in the middle of a highway, in the middle of open fields of grass. Apart from the burning car, the road was littered with shattered glass and blood, her own clothes were torn and blood stained from the accident. Lena reached a hand to the back of her aching head, and it came away bloody.

She turned to Gabriel, " What happened? What are you?" Lena asked him, it had suddenly dawned on her that it wasn't normal to see strangers with wings, in the middle of nowhere. Gabriel had his hands in his pockets and he looked hesitate to answer her.

Reluctantly, he said," You were driving down the road, and a deer jumped in front of you. The car spun off into the ditch; the crash caused the car to flip, I pulled you out before it exploded. Then you woke up a couple minutes ago." He finished and stared at her as if she was the strange one, not him.

" I remember that much. But, who are you?" Lena asked again, a little annoyed at the vague answers he was giving her. He stepped a little closer to her, staring her straight in the eyes, as if he were trying to convey a secret message to her through his eyes.

" I'm your guardian angel, Lena." He said.

" What? Wait, how do you know my name? I never told you my name!" Lena shouted at him, she sounded on the verge of hysteria and she slowly started backing away from Gabriel. Her breaths quickened and she felt panic rise in her chest, threatening to burst open her lungs.

" I am your angel. I know everything about you, and I'm not here to hurt you." Gabriel said, in a calm voice.

" No, but that means... that I'm... I can't be!" Lena said, her heart was beating fast and she found it hard to breath, she ran her hands over and over through her hair. She couldn't believe what was happening.

" Your not dead, Lena!" Gabriel said forcefully.

" Than what's going on! Because I'm pretty sure people only see angels, when their dead!" Lena yelled, she turned to face Gabriel. He grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, and instantly a calm, serenity fell over her as soon as he touched her.

" You're in a state between life and death. Your at a crossroad, Lena" He stared at her completely serious, trying to make her understand.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

" It means, you have a choice to make between life and death." Gabriel said flatly.

Lena couldn't believe this was happening to her, she couldn't believe that an angel was standing in front of her, and telling her she had a choice to make.

A sudden wave of exhaustion took over her body, and she closed her eyes. Her body felt like it had been ravaged by fire, and angry tears flooded her eyes. Lena pulled away from Gabriel's grip. She took a few steps back toward the open fields and screamed in frustration into the night, a hollow scream, that seemed to echo into the empty fields. She fell to her knees crushing shards of glass underneath her, sitting in the middle of the road pieces of her life flashed before her.

Lena saw her birth, and she saw her mothers face light up with joy to hold her in her arms. She saw the broken pieces of her heart, as she watched the love of her life walk away from her. She felt the horrible, crushing feeling of loss after her sisters death, like a rock on her chest. And she felt the happiness of her 18th birthday settle over her like a new day. She saw everything in her life flash like a bolt of lighting in front of her eyes and she felt like it was enough, that she had endured her struggles long enough. She had given everything to a cruel world that always wanted more from her. And she was done, Lena was tried of living.

" I give up." Lena sobbed, she didn't know why she was crying but it felt good. She stood up to face Gabriel, his wings seemed to glow more brightly silver than before, and Lena had to blink to let her eyes adjust. Gabriel looked at her sorrowfully, but he nodded his head anyway and said,  "Ok".

Gabriel opened his arms to her, and it took Lena a moment to understand what he was asking for. Once she understood, Lena ran into his arms, relishing in the safety of his warm embrace. She felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her, and she felt the wind on her face, as Gabriel pumped his wings and soared into the sky. Lena felt at peace with herself and suddenly she was blinded by a white light.

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