Eutopia - Apocalypse

Chapter 14

‘William, what happened to William?’

‘Samael didn’t take him, but he couldn’t kill him either because William is Nephilim.’

‘What is that?’ Eutopia asked with a frown, her fingers twisting against the silky bronze bedspread.

‘They’re so like human men in their physicality yet so un-human in their emotions... a race of beings created by the union of fallen angels and human women. They look exactly like a human male, even take on certain features of their mothers such as hair colour, eye colour and skin tone. They grow at the usual rate, age like a normal man and have a similar life span but they inherit the darker side of their angelic fathers. The fallen angels are embittered, twisted and utterly selfish because of their fate which is a trait they pass on to their offspring, who grow up with an inherent sense of anger and an ‘I see, I want’ attitude. The Nephilim are predators, they deliberately seek out prey to sate whatever twisted desire they have at that time. Luckily, despite their angelic parentage, they have all the usual weaknesses of a human male. They prey on your kind quite often, but are no match for their ancestors.’

Eutopia shook her head vehemently.

‘My brother isn’t like that,’ she said as she stood up and crossed to where the bookcase was, trailing her fingers lightly over the spines of the books, tomes of forbidden knowledge that she would never be able to understand. She was agitated. ‘He was never angry or selfish.’

‘You knew him for a very short time. You were what, four or five when he left you alone? Nowhere near old enough to fend for yourself, or to think of taking shelter during the night curfew. What loving brother does that?’

‘He was coming back for me; he said he was coming back!’ Eutopia burst out, her lower lip trembling as she whirled in anger, sounding very much like the uncertain child she had been back then. ‘He was looking for food for us.’ Jinn eyed her with curiosity, his lips a thin white line as he drew a breath.

‘He is Nephilim. You can’t change that with your anger.’ His tone was gentle. Almost.

‘I’m not angry!’ Eutopia growled, tendrils of her unruly hair tumbling around her flushed face as she stamped her foot.

‘Come downstairs when you’re ready and I will find you something to eat.’

Eutopia resolutely turned her back on him and stared out of the window at the dying light. She didn’t see the little grin on Jinn’s lips as he left the room.

Mike searched the bright, white dining hall for the thin frame of his mother. The plate of rich, thick stew heavy with chunks of meat lay untouched before him on the scrubbed table that he shared with five other men. The women’s tables were arranged in clear, neat rows, as were the men’s, on the opposite side of the room. The white plates had already been laid on each table, six a piece with a small spoon, as the two lines of silent people had been led in by their angel guardians. The stew had been served up from two big urns that were wheeled amongst the rows once everyone had sat down.