Gasps. He breathes deep as air seems to be depleting inside his body. He's panting as his heart races to the beat of two hundred a minute.
Panting more... His body's soaked with sweats as he perspired from his thrusts.
Gasps even deeper... he begins to open his eyes, pupil's dilating from a narrowed state. Another eerie dream has put a disturbia on him from his deep hibernation.
"Garry." Janet calls tapping her husband on the face. "Garry." she calls as he seems to be displaying a blank stare, pupils of his eyes fixating to the ceiling.
"Garry, look at me." she continues tapping and calling.
Her voice has pulled him back to reality - he has awakened from a nightmare. His eyes roll to Janet on his side.
"Garry." she sighs wondering if he's ok.
"Janet?" he asks confused of the sudden shifts in time and place on his mind.
"You've been having a nightmare." she explains as she puts his hands on her face to make him feel her warmth, orienting him to reality.
As Garry is picking up his senses together, Janet displays a baffled face unexpectedly.
"What?"
"Your nose..." she points out.
He pulls his hand from her face and feels the fluid matter that drips down his nostrils. He looks at his finger and sees specs of blood.
They are done eating. It's the perfect time for her to ask the things bugging her least she thought.
"So... How was the burger?" she throws the first question breaking the ice between them.
"Good. Tastes like human food." Gabriel describes.
"Pretty much to you I guess... hmmmm…so…” she pauses.
"There's something about that hmmmm that troubles me. Ask me what you want to know and I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge." Gabriel tells her knowing what Anna is trying put up, in her talk to him.
"I-I don't know where to start. There's so many questions firing in my mind right now each finding their own escape routes."
"Then ask the very first question that's in your mind now Anna."
“Ok.” she sighs.
"What's your purpose behind all this Gab?
"Anna..." Gabriel attempts to speak.
"You said the first time we met that you were there to protect me. But reading Eric's journal I found out that you have long met by brother and had protected him likewise to fulfill his destiny. But why did you have to leave him alone? - miserable." she adds as more questions are trying to get out of her mind waiting for answers.
"Anna let me explain it to you if you will please listen to me now" Gabriel asks her without trying to compel her; simply asking her like an ordinary person he is trying to be in front of Anna.
"Anna."
"I’m listening Gab."
"My purpose why I've been created was to serve mankind, to be their steward and serve them the best possible way. It was how angels were created, to serve mankind who were created. But the fall of man has altered the course of time and the angel's duty upon them.”
Anna keeps on listening.
"Many of those angels who remained faithful tried to save mankind from their fall by going down to earth and live with them hoping to change things on their stay. But they end up lost and fell even more for they have experienced something even more tempting - to live like humans. But they can never be. Many rebelled and fell down being jealous of humans as they appeared being favored."
"The temptation is there all the time Anna. Even at the time I stepped down from heaven to try and save your brother and make him understand his destiny. But I have to go back and be purified again for I don’t wanna end up like my brothers and sisters who failed on their mission because they have forgotten to look back on their very purpose."
"The emotions the Father has given to humans radiates to the angel's that walks the earth amplifying their dormant feelings. I knew I had to go back someday but I can't afford to be lost in the process. That's why I had to leave your brother Anna."
She sighs and has gone silent, doesn't seem to know what to say as she is trying to reflect on Gabriel's answer.
"And what are these seals he keeps on mentioning on his journal. I am one of the seals. What does that mean?"
"Seals are individuals endowed with heavenly powers - randomly chosen by fate to be the bearer of the key to start the apocalypse. Their death is the key in opening the chambers of hell to release the beast that will bring on Armageddon."
"So this means the apocalypse is about to start within the next few years when all seals will be dead?"
"No, apocalypse is not supposed to happen on this earthly time. Someone broke the compact - one of our brothers. "
"What do you mean?"
"The angels are supposed to maintain the balance. Seals are triggers of unleashing the apocalypse on an earlier time period. That is, if the angels will give up on their duty over humans, a trigger can be set forth to action to cast damnation among mankind. Now they are using the rule of dagger to hunt down all the seals that will catalyze the process."
"What's this rule of the dagger?"
"It is how seals should die. If the seals die other than the rule of the dagger, their destiny of bearing the key to the apocalypse will be endowed to another new born child. The enemies’ way of tracking seals is based on the rule of the dagger where the dagger is laid on the user's palm. The user will speak of an ancient Latin enchantment allowing the dagger to levitate for about a few inches. It will spin like a compass to search for the seals. To where the head of the dagger points out, leads the way to the nearest seal who is no longer protected by their birth rune that hides the seals from the dagger until they reach eighteen years old. On the 18th birthday of the seal, they will manifest a seal energy that will leave a track to all the daggers. This manifestation will defer the rune's concealment power enabling the daggers to capture the nature of the seal's energy. After the energy is released, the seal will no longer be able to hide from the daggers. What can keep them of the radar after the manifestation is the use of runes or simply living without using their ability. The dagger must be pierced to the seals heart to complete the sacrifice.
"But why would the angels do that?
"The rise of the new order."
"New order?"
"Many of the angels including Archs have given up with humans. They believe that humans are no longer worthy of redemption. Killing your brother and his kind will seal the answer to mankind's redemption.
"What about these charms, runes he mentioned on his book, shouldn't they be of help to keep him off the radar?"
Charms, like the pendant he gave to you may vary. There are charms that help humans heal, give them supernatural powers, protects them from possessions and the like in short, they reflect their Master's true power. I am an angel of amelioration. I heal without using my powers and I can heal others too. Whereas; runes are the ones that keep humans or things off sight. They are made from stones that are carved from the holy ground. If imbued with an angel’s blood, they can hide the human that possesses the rune from all other angels and demons except to the sight of the angel who made a compact of his blood to the rune.
"Means you should be able to track him right?"
"That was the plan. Yes. But as the rune gets more exposed to other angelic or demonic presence, its power is fading which I believe has completely faded out in your brother's case."
"A-And God, your God is letting all these things to happen? I mean, where is He in all of this?"
As Anna’s trying to elicit responses from Gabriel, people from their back starts to stare on them, deciphering what’s making her uneasy on their conversation. She pauses as she starts to notice the crowd laying their eyes on them.
"Even angels have free will Anna - the reason why fallen exists. I believe my brothers and sisters are about to make a chaos that will change everything that’s in order. And I'm not gonna let that happen." Gabriel continues to explain softly.
"Do you think they found him out?" Anna asks in a whisper tone trying to keep her cool.
"'Hard to tell for someone who can see his future before it happens. He's got everything he needs to survive Anna - everything.
Donovan arrives to his office after responding from another case of death in their local.
"The body that was identified as Aaron Scott was originally Eric Johnsons as it was determined by his finger printing studies." Finch reports sitting in front of Donovan
Phil paused for a while as he tries to analyze the stimulus that was suddenly inputted on him by Finch, an investigator from North Carolina who's been following the case of Aaron Scott.
"Ya. I-I'm sorry. I've been thinking with a lot of things lately." explains Phil.
"I guess this case about Aaron Scott is a dead end for me. But could Anna Groban be hiding something? Could this be all a cult act? The guy from the arson case and the guy that fell down the cliff - they have identical tattoos on their arms."
Donovan is trying to stitch out things together but all that he hears at the back of his head is the voice of Gabriel and his compulsion on him.
Forget about looking into Anna and believe she's innocent. If something or someone reminds you about her, just say that the case is over.
Should you find any information about Eric, act like the usual in front of other people but report to us the information you got.
"Anna's clean. She was in fact the victim.." he taps Finch's shoulder as he is about to leave. "Thank you for this information" he adds.
As Phil leaves way passed him, he is left to think of how Phil had acted so lax on their conversation like nothing is unusual.
He gazes on the mirror of their bathroom. He sees himself. He begins touching his face, feeling its contours. Fine beards grow along the side of his cheeks. His hazelnut eyes stares still as he makes a smirk to the person he sees in front of him.
"I'll prepare us breakfast!" his wife Janet tells him as she stands up in bed tightening her robe, fixing herself.
"Alright hon, I'll be right up."
Blood still makes a track on his left nostril. He picks up a tissue and makes a small roll of it just enough to fit it inside the bleeding area and absorb the remainder blood and likewise add pressure on the ruptured capillaries inside.
He can't help it. He can't stop smiling. He looks at his right hand and sees a golden ring on his finger.
"I'm sorry Janet.” he speaks softly to his self.
They were in the middle of their conversation when Bonnie walks the ramp towards them. As she’s getting closer, Anna has ceased to ask more of her questions to maintain their privacy in as much as possible.
"Anything you want to add with your orders?" the waitress asks Anna.
Anna stares on Gabriel, waiting for him to react but he just shakes his head.
"I guess none for today Bonnie."
"Alright." Says Bonnie and leaves the two of them.
"Do you wanna go somewhere else?" Anna asks Gabriel as the Diner seems to be not the right place for them to talk of supernatural things. "Your choice now."
"How about a joyride with your car?"
"To where?"
"Just cross the border or probably out of the city."
"I never had that."
"Everything has a first time."
"Hmmm. What the hell? Why not?"
They stand up on their table ready to go out.
"Not gonna say goodbye to your Dad?" Gabriel asks to Anna.
"Max is not my dad nor my boy friend. He is just a friend. No reason for you to be jealous sweetheart."
"Oh jealous. What a powerful word for something I never felt nor wanting to feel my entire existence."
"I'm trolling obviously and Max will surely understand it."
As they head out of the door, Max goes out from the kitchen and gives scrutinizing gaze on their table seeing two glasses of water -one half empty, the other full.
They head out of the bar and went to the parking area. As they approach her Honda Civic, Anna seems to notice how Gabriel’s eyes seem to stare intriguingly with her car.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“I have driven nothing and no one but myself and those I carry with my bare hands.”
“OK. Means I’m dri…”
“But I really would like to try if you have the time to teach me of its how to’s.”
“I trust you’ll be a fast learner; angel weirdness. So I guess… you got yourself a driving lesson.” Anna explains as she tosses the key to Gabriel.
Gabriel smirks as he catches the key from Anna.
“It’s beautiful in here” Anna utters seeing the sun about to set behind the canyons of LA’s dessert valleys as they make a stop somewhere near the city border.
“You like the sunset?”
“I like the sunrise more. The sunset tells me the end of things but sunrise means hope to me of anything.”
“Good thinking.”
“Something I learned from life.”
“Human life.”
“Uhmm… Silly question. If you were given the chance to be reborn as human, would you choose being human?”
“I wish I got a clear cut answer to that Anna.”
"Hmmm. I hope you’ll find your answer to that. I mean don't get me wrong, I hate it when things are not going the way I want like..."
"I know what you mean."
“And so like demons, you possess that body too?”
“Hmm. No. We get our real image the moment we step to earth. If we die other than the means of a dagger, our angelic soul gets detached to our physical bodies and goes back to heaven to be purified again and be recreated, imbued to another body. But if we become fallen or a demon from deadly sins, when we die our souls can never go back thus we possess bodies to walk the earth again.
"Like those demons that we had encountered."
“Yes. At some time we visit the earth as spectral beings - invisible to humans.”
“Purification takes a lot of time. And so why show up your self this time and how is a spectral being any different from having a body?”
“Up there, time is hundreds of time slower Anna. It might take forever sometimes for an angel to be purified in your earthly time and to answer your question, being a spectre, we are not affected by human emotions. Paying earth a visit is one of the tasks of an angel. The reason why I have to be on this body now is due to the fact that demons are possessing bodies and hunters are walking the earth with skins on them. A spectre can't touch them unless it walks with flesh and blood.
"So all angels are capable of compelling humans?"
"Only high ranking angels are capable of doing that like us Archs, Seraphims. We must put our will with our words for humans to obey us. Unless the original compeller dies, the person under the compulsion will not be freed from the puppeter’s orders."
"Guess Eric wasn't under your compulsion to stay on ground, otherwise he'd be easy to find."
"Nope. I have not completely obliterated his freedom like what I did to you."
"And we were given the free will and yet can be compelled."
"Being a fixer is one of our duty - to tie the loose ends. We can't let humans know about our true nature and our existence. There's a big difference between fixing things and making puppets."
"Wouldn't it be better if humans know angels really exist? It could bring them close to God."
"Putting faith doesn't work that way. Faith has to be found, faith has to be build up and it should not depend on the reason of putting faith or having faith coz' such things exists like angels."
"If I had been born as an angel, I may not have suffered this tragic life. I might have been a superwoman."
"You are the most precious creation of my Father. The Father adores you above all creations and angels are your stewards. And one more thing you have to know about angels, we are all not power in this form. If we use too much of our powers, it will eventually drain us out. "
"Drain like what? Like being weakened?"
"Any harm that can cause death or injury to humans can likewise kill or hurt us."
"Kill your body but not your spirit."
"Yes."
In the middle of their talk, Gabriel’s phone rings.
"So you do have a phone? And is it another angel calling or one hot babe you hooked up with?"
Gabriel pulls out the phone on his pocket and looks on the name on the screen of his phone.
“I know about phones and internet. They are not so hard to learn and it’s Phil.”
“Hello?” Gabriel answers his phone.
He listens to Phil’s voice as Phil is reporting him the details of Eric’s case.
Gabriel stares warily on Anna as he still listens on Phil’s voice talking to him on the phone. Anna is being worried of how Gabriel is gazing on her like something is off beam.
“What is it Gab?” Anna worries.
Gabriel ends the call and looks straight to Anna.
"No time for dilly-dallies. Switch on your radio now Anna!”
Without further ado, Anna turns on the radio of her car.
" .. body was found dead on an apartment early today in Ridge Court. Crime scene investigators could not point out the cause of death of the body identified as Aaron Scott who's a foreign from North Carolina. The body showed no physical injuries or any signs of assaults. However, chief inspector Donovan, described the body to have been mummified. The victim's body will be put into LAPD's custody in coordination with the CDC as more studies will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Neighbors are temporarily quarantined to contain any possible lethal contagious disease. Relatives are being invited to consent the said autopsy but only given 24 hours to respond as the society's welfare is likewise being prioritized." the newscaster reports on the radio.
"Oh my God!" Anna struggles for breath, holding her mouth as the news keeps on.
"Only an angel or demon can cause that kind of death."
She gazes on Gab with her eyes again pooling of beads of waters.
"It's the third time he's reported dead. He can see the future Anna. Hold your horses." Gabriel says to her to keep her calm.
"But..."
"We've got work to do."
How's your nose?
"Bleeding stops." he answers as he continues eating a slice of loaf bread on the table.
"You should see a Doctor hon. I've never seen you on that state in your sleep before. And the blood..."
"I'm fine. I'm fine." he explains with a slight raise of his voice without giving an eye contact on her.
"Alright." she responds as she sips her coffee with a troubled mind.
Door bell rings.
"He's here." Garry utters.
"Who's here?"
He looks at her without giving a response and picks table napkin, wipes his lips and stands on the chair and heads to the door.
"Garry, who's here?"
He unlocks the door's knob and opens it.
"Good morning!" the guy wearing a snappy outfit in the door greets.
"Good morning... Attorney Gilbert" he greets back.
"Drive us to Phil Anna!"
"You don't have to say it." Anna replies to him as she steps on the pedal having it floored.
It's a speed of one eighty. She doesn't give a damn to the phrase calm down as her minds narrows and all she can think about is a probability of seeing her brother lifeless.
"Like I said, he isn't an easy target Anna."
"I don't really care Gab! I just wanna see the body."
Her eyes melts but she's wiping her tears off when they are about to stream down her face.
"It's ok to cry Anna." Gabriel comforts.
"Why is this happening to us Gab? I don't understand."
"Everything happens for a reason."
"Well damn that reason for whatever it is!" she fiercely reacts as she taps hard the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry."
"Save it."
They continue to drive in a fast pace.
They sit on the couch as things are about to be cleared out.
So what's this all about? Janet asks the two men that seem to have been expecting the day's meeting. "Garry?"
"Attorney Gilbert here has something to discuss on us about a very important matter hon."
"That's right Mrs. Nicholas." Gilbert confirms as he starts to unlock his briefcase and pulls out a piece of paper.
"Two hundred million dollars." Gilbert speaks as he hands the paper to Garry.
"As expected." Garry responds in anticipation.
Janet's eyes are expressingly shocked, mystified of what she has heard.
"Wh-whats two hundred million dollars?" she stutters.
Garry smirks on her.
“Two hundred million dollars is the sum of money Aaron Scott has endowed to your husband as inheritance Mrs. Nicholas."
"What? Is this some kind of a sick joke?"
"No hon. He speaks of the truth."
Janet has become speechless.
"This is his last will. He is reported dead today - just two days after he made his last will. It seems like he is anticipating it."
"I'd like to think so too." Garry sidetracks.
"Ok I guess you'll just need to sign these papers for I have to meet up another heir." Gilbert explains she hands the papers to be signed by Garry as his wife stands as witness.
"Another heir?" Janet bewilderly asks.
"The amount of money Mr. Nicholas is about to have which in technical terms, he already does have, is just twenty per cent of the real heirs inheritance."
"Who is he?" she quickly asks.
"She's not a he and by request of Mr. Scott, I have to keep things confidential on her."
"Of course." Garry agrees still calm.
"So I guess I'm done for today." Gilbert says to the couple as he stands from the couch ready for a handshake of congratulations.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask from you Attorney." Garry calls his attention.
"Sure. And what could that be?"
Janet stares in wonder as things seems to be running like a fantasy on her mind.
"I'd like to ask for your assistance to nullify our marriage." he straightforwardly tells Gilbert leaving Janet shocked, petrified on her side.