Angel Wings

The Sniper

On the day Ubel breaks Hell, Kade learns that being immortal doesn't mean being invulnerable. Or strong. Or fast. Or enough.

Being immortal doesn't mean dying hurts any less, doesn't mean that the screams of a billion, trillion souls gets any quieter. That your life flashes before your eyes mom dad leah any slower.

On the day Ubel breaks down the pillars holding up Hell, Kade learns that he won't always make the shot. That he won't always take the shot, even if it's been one hundred and forty-six thousand, two hundred and thirty-eight days. Because sometimes, being immortal means being in love forever. 

And sometimes being in love forever means that your fingers shake. That you look away. That your heart races. That all you think of is the late nights and flowers and Ubel. 

And then you forget to care. And you forget to look, too, and listen.

But you don't forget to feel. So when the ceiling crashes down on your head god what no and the fire and cement and metal and death and hell and souls and everything wrong with this world falls over you, falls into you, you feel. 

You feel and you know because sometimes, being immortal means being hurt. And trapped. And unable to move.

Being immortal means that you bleed. That you can't scream. That everything is numb and there's a ringing in your ears and the whole world is just flying debris.

Being immortal means that you cannot die.

But sometimes, it means that you can be killed.

(An Angel from the wrong side of Heaven, black eyes, skeleton fingers, broken scythe at his feet. 

Kade is sixteen. "Hello."

Pause. Blink.

Smile. "Hi.")