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Remy pushed himself against the raging elements, rushing toward the kneeling figure. Israfil appeared deep in concentration, his mind set upon the most deadly of tasks.
Remy experienced a sudden wave of panic as he came to the disturbing realization that Nathanuel was no longer beside the Death Angel. He was hidden somewhere in the storm, but still Remy pushed on.
What choice did he have?
The remaining Seraphim made a move in Remy's direction, but Francis would have none of that.
He opened fire with his pistol, using up bullets that cost him close to a thousand bucks apiece as if they were nothing more than dime-store caps. He thought about all the jobs that he'd taken, besides his responsibilities of guarding the gateway between Hell and Earth, all the creeps he had to put down for the count, in order to make that kind of money.
It was money that he'd been setting aside for a rainy day.
And Francis couldn't imagine it raining any harder than this.
The bullets did their job, the projectiles tearing into the flesh of the divine beings with devastating results.
It stopped them from chasing Remy, turning their attention to Francis.
"If you were looking to capture their attention, I believe you've done it," said a voice standing beside him.
Francis turned to see that the Grigori had left their places on the old shore to join him, each of them brandishing the guns, knives, and swords that he had provided, and which he hoped would be returned to his personal collection once everything had settled.
Sariel admired the ancient blade. It didn't glow any more than Francis' had, but would still hack off a limb if necessary.
"It's been quite some time since I've participated in battle," the Grigori leader said to the fallen Guardian, watching as the Black Choir began to stalk toward them.
"It's just like riding a bike," Francis said, charging to meet their enemies halfway. "Only a lot more bloody."
And he felt the bloodlust upon him; his thoughts returning to the day that he had fought at the side of the Morningstar, for a cause that he was foolish enough to believe was right.
The Black Choir had retrieved their own weapons from the ground, lurching at him and the Grigori soldiers, the first line of defense between them, the Seraphim, and the end of the world.
Even more frantic than before, the Choir came at them, blackened abominations roaring in rage, their weapons raised to cut them down. Francis moved among them, firing his pistol and lashing out with his sword.
Cutting a Choir member in half that had attempted to brain him with a spiked mace, Francis chanced a quick glance around to see how the Grigori were faring. Their leader's words about their inactivity in the combat area had worried him a bit at first, but seeing them in action now, Francis realized that his concerns were unfounded.
The Grigori were taking to violence like a ducks to water. But that didn't mean the battle was won yet.
The Choir were frantic, sensing a threat to their absolution. Francis had to laugh as he fired his pistol into the face of one of the pathetic creatures, obliterating its head in an explosion of blackened skull. He found it a riot that they actually believed that God would look favorably upon them for their contributions to the end of the world.
Almost as amusing as the brief idea he'd had tickling his mind that maybe he'd make some points with the big guy upstairs for helping to avert this catastrophe of such enormous proportions.
Yeah, and someday soon my fucking hair will grow back.
Francis looked around him, through the storm and creeping black fog. It was like a scene plucked from the pits he was forced to police, a little slice of Hell here on Earth.
The Choir were locked in vicious combat with the Grigori; shrieks of rage and terror filled the air, mingling with the scent of angels' blood.
Whether it be of the fallen or not, once it was spilled, it all smelled the same.
He loaded the last of his special bullets from his coat pocket into the revolver, just as three Choirs loped out from a cloud of black. Not to waste any more valuable ammunition, he stuck the gun in the waistband of his slacks and decided to deal with the abominations old school. He brought the blade down upon the shoulder of one, nearly cutting the former angel in two from collar to groin. Drawing back the weapon, he parried a blow by another of the beasts, and pulling the dagger from the inside coat pocket of his suit coat, plunged it deep between its charcoal-black eyes.
The final member of the three sized him up. It switched a short sword from one hand to the other as it eyed him, a charred lip raised in a snarl to reveal teeth like blackened corn. Finding that he had a limited reserve of patience, Francis simply pulled the gun from his waistband and shot the creature in the face, satisfied to waste the bullet if only to move things along.
Squinting against the driving rains, he searched for signs of the remaining Seraphim soldiers. He was certain that he'd hit at least one of them. Lifting his nose to the air, he sniffed for a hint of their scent, but it was no use; the stink of spilled angel blood was everywhere — Grigori, Black Choir, and Seraphim, all mixing together in a nauseating miasma that tainted the air.
In the distance, but far closer than moments ago, the mounts belonging to the Four Horsemen pawed at the earth impatiently, sending tremors through the ground that caused him to stumble.
"Shit," Francis hissed, caught off balance.
It was then that the Seraphim chose to make their move, descending out of the sky, wings spread as they glided down to attack him. Francis spun around, aiming his weapon, but Zophiel's movements were a blur, his Heavenly blade slicing through the flesh and bone of his wrist.
"Son of a bitch," the Guardian cursed as he watched his hand, still holding the pistol, sail through air.
The angels dropped in front of him, both holding weapons that cut the gloom with their unearthly fire.
Clutching his bleeding wrist tightly to his chest, Francis eyed one and then the other.
"Well, now that we're about even, what's say we get this bullshit over with?"
Remy Chandler was dying.
With each step he took closer to the Angel of Death, he felt more of his humanity being stripped away.
An aura of death hung around the kneeling Israfil as he picked up the fourth scroll, and, holding it out before him, broke the seal. Again there came a flash, and the deafening sounds of the Horsemen as they moved closer filled the air.
The winds howled and moaned, snatching at his clothes as if trying to hold him back, but Remy fought against it, falling to his hands and knees, crawling toward the kneeling angel through the muddy sand.
"Israfil, listen to me," he begged, yelling to be heard.
"Yes, there's pain and sadness and misery here… But there's also happiness and wonder… and the strength to fight through the misery."
But Israfil ignored his words, reaching for the fifth and final scroll.
"Is this what Casey would have wanted?" Remy continued. "Would she have wanted to see it all end because you weren't strong enough to deal with her loss?"
Israfil's fingers seemed to hesitate over the final scroll, the Almighty's permission to unleash the Horsemen and bring about the end of the world. He looked toward Remy, tears ru
"Remiel," he whispered. "How do they do it?… How do you do it?" he asked, his voice a dry croak. "It hurts so much. I thought it would be a lark… something to break up the never-ending monotony of my existence, but it ended up as so much more."
Israfil paused, lowering his head.
"So much more."
"Don't do this," Remy said, inching closer. "Natha-nuel is insane, jealous of God's love for His complicated, and, yes, seriously flawed children."