Fire and Smoke

Rock Never Dies

Carpenteria, California

The high rolling skyline of Los Angeles lay below her, the array of colored lights hazy in the morning fog. A crisp breeze whistled through the trees, fresh from the mountains, rustling the stripped vanes of Alex's broken wings. She slammed the door of her silver Honda shut, tossing the keys over her shoulder as she stepped away from the car. If she was lucky, she could reach the city proper by midday. Lucifer's words rattled around in her brain even as the thin thread of his grace drew her onwards, growing stronger with each step. Bellaqua Hotel.

That had to be where she should head for first, right? Alex's eyes narrowed, and in that moment of contemplation, the gravel crackled under her feet, sending her skidding a foot down the steep path. Her wings flared out, and she reeled back to catch her balance even as her eyes darted down to the paved road. The hill hadn't been ideal, but it had been the only place to stash a stolen Civic that hadn't been in one of the shallow ditches. With a huff, Alex started back down towards the road, skirting a water-logged pothole.

She could thumb her way downtown and start looking from there.

The city was already disappearing from view, the rise of trees higher than the distant horizon, and with a sigh, Alex doubled her pace, skidding down the hill until she reached the four-lane road. The roar of cars was distant, but the road was wide enough that traffic had to pass by often enough.

Her salvation had come in a Volkswagen EuroVan, the cloth seats packed tight with street evangelists. Their faces shown brightly — holy people, no doubt. Their leader, a dark-skinned man with a checkered shirt, had gushed over her at first, first concerned about her torn clothes and then about what exactly she had been doing alone on this road: she was lucky they had come upon her when they had.

What followed in the next two hours of the ride was a barrage of questions. Was it her first time in the city? Yes. Was she here to see a friend? Yes again. His name? Vince. No, no last name. Was she a believer? That one had Alex stumbling, wings flittering in surprise. Yes, she had finally admitted; hard not to be when you'd seen God face to face less than two weeks ago — she had kept that last thought to herself. From there, she has hurried to ask her own questions, and soon the conversation shifted away from her and onto the long-winded history to the group's ministry.

By the time she was dropped off in front of the doors of The Bellaqua Hotel, the fog had dissipated and the chill in the air had disappeared, replaced with a warmth that bordered on discomfort. Lucifer's grace had swelled within her, a ball of ice that sat against her diaphragm, and Alex took a moment to look up at the massive building that loomed before her. Wow. After years of living out of second-rate motels, it was hard to remember that buildings of this caliber existed.

The lobby only enforced that thought with its high-vaulted ceilings and white checkered floors. So focused was Alex upon it, with its arched balconies and ionic-style columns, that she didn't notice the front desk clerk until he cleared his throat. "Can I help you?"

"Huh?" Alex turned, wings flicking as she looked the stranger up and down. "Oh, uh, I'm looking for someone. Vince Vincente," she hurried to add. "He said this is where he was staying." She tugged on Lucifer's grace as she spoke, and it reacted, pushing back against her touch. "Can you look up his room number for me?"

"I'm sorry, it's hotel policy not to give out personal information —"

"Alex." Lucifer's voice came from behind her, and she turned. For the first time, the span of his crimson wings didn't seem to fill the room they occupied, but the orange light only deepened their shimmering color. "Glad to see you're here." He crossed the room to stand at her side, and only then did he seem to notice the concierge. "Is there a problem?" A hand snaked around Alex's waist, drawing her near, and for a moment, the lobby disappeared beneath a blanket of crimson before the wings fell away.