Fledgling: Book 1 (Afterlife) (29 page)

“Sounds like someone’s been listening during our training,” Orange complements. “And they say that you’re a rebel.”
 

I can’t help smirking at his comment.
 

“Everyone agree?” Ben asks.

“Absolutely,” Orange shows off his straight white teeth.

Cindy nods.
 

“Okay, let’s get this over with.” I turn around and drop my level to hover above the ground. I can hear the strokes of their wings behind me not far away. When I reach just above the dead’s reaching height, I hover and begin to move slowly toward the outside of the clearing. It is hard to hide my smile as I watch approximately a quarter of the people follow me outwards. Turning around, I look to see if the others are having the same success — they are. My plan is working.
 

Something touches my boot. I look down to see that one of the possessed narrowly missed grabbing my foot when they jumped for it. This reminds me that I cannot underestimate them. Pulling my knees up, I stroke my wings to raise my position and continue to the outside.

The process is slow, and my nerves are getting twitchy. I want this to be over. Looking ahead, I see that the outer edges are not far away. A familiar cackle fills my ears. At the furthest point ahead of me, I see the old man’s one eye studying me with interest. I must keep a better eye on him. I do not know what his capabilities are. He looks like a cripple, but I am not sure anymore.
 

I push forward, then pause, turning around to see how the others have progressed. I am pleased to see a large open gap near the post in the middle, where they tied Orange. Ben, Orange and Cindy were hovering close to the possessed taunting and teasing them. They all turn ready for our plan of attack.
 

My energy is almost restored, and I am ready to go. The others were all waiting for one of us to make a move. With big strokes of my wings, I rise, imitated by the other three. We charge forward in unison, spinning around, so our backs face each other and land in the centre. Immediately I stand with my hands raised in front and feet shoulder width and sturdy. I’m ready. After training with Archangel Michael, I am sure the others are doing the same.
 

My eyes scan the progressing horizon. Watching eyes, hungry for angel blood are advancing, encased in their rotting bodies controlled by demons. This is going to be interesting. If mildly possessed people keep coming back after severe injury, what are these going to be like.
 

A few of the attackers heading my way begin to run. Weird gargling sounds are coming from their mouths. One moves slightly in front of the others, and I move forward to meet him. I run. Just before we are about to connect, I turn sideways, jump and kick my leg out with a bladed foot aiming straight for his stomach. It connects. I sense his skin giving away a little under my heel. The force pushes him backward, he stumbles off balance and crashes into several other attackers behind him.
 

Without a moment to lose, I turn and grab the extended arm of the next attacker, ready to grab me in a vice grip. Securing the wrist solidly with one hand, I feel the cold, clammy skin. Twisting under the raised arm I snap the elbow over my shoulder. The bones crunch next to my ear. The attacker does not cry out in agony as they reach out with their other hand to grab me; this is not right. Usually, the receiver of a broken elbow would be too busy concentrating on their injury, but this is not a normal situation. As their open palm hits me, I feel the energy leave my body.

Reaching up, I grab the hand, securing it with my two hands and pressing my thumbs in between the bones on the back surface. I feel the skin give, and my thumbs dig into the flesh. The foul odour suddenly grows stronger causing my stomach to turn. It is such a repulsive smell that I want to let go. Instead, I slam my foot down on his knee causing him to drop to the ground.
 

By now there are several hands reaching out to grab me. I spin and kick out backward. My foot connects with one in the lower stomach area. I spin back in time to watch it tumble forcefully into several of the other attackers. They fall like dominos as I move on to the next in line.
 

The possessed are not fighting; rather they are more interested in grabbing. I have no idea what their intentions are, but I am not stopping to find out. I lash out with my feet, kicking more away from my immediate area, only to find they are replaced instantly with more attackers.
 

Despite my efforts, I am becoming surrounded. Arms are grabbing me everywhere, and energy is slipping away. I spin and kick, managing to knock them away, often breaking bones and even dismembering bodies. Being surrounded by so many dead bodies, the smell is overwhelming and repulsive. I need fresh air.
 

The fighting is taxing although I am far from being too exhausted to fight, even with the mystery sapping of energy every time they touch me. Still, there must be another way. I crouch and twist my body. I push off the ground in a spin, before the tiny space above me is taken over, knocking off all the grabbing arms. This manoeuvre has allowed me to rise high enough above my attackers to spread my wings and hover above them.
 

Breathing in the slightly fresher air, I study my surroundings. They surround each of the fledglings, exactly as I was. They are all putting up a good fight. I watch each one individually for a moment trying to work out what the possessed have planned once they grab us.
 

Surrounded, Ben and Cindy are still fighting strong. They seem to be keeping the attackers far enough away from them. I turn to look at Orange and see that he has been grabbed by several of the possessed. His strength seems to be buckling. If he doesn’t remove the hands quickly, he may be taken again. I cross my fingers for him, but it doesn’t do any good. Anxiety overwhelms me as I watch him crumble to the ground overshadowed by at least ten of the rotting corpses. At the same time, I hear Cindy call out. It is not a cry of agony, rather a disappointed moan. I look in her direction, and she has fallen to one knee and struggles to get up.

Something wells within me. I don’t know what it is, but it is strong, and it is taking hold of my body while looking at my fellow trainees and friends being taken over.

I look in Ben’s direction. He is still positioned with his hands ready for the fight and kicking anyone that comes near him. My insides scrunch up as I see several hands reach out and grab him through his defences and lay an open hand on him. His energy crumbles to half the amount in a matter of seconds.
 

An additional surge builds within me. This cannot happen. I cannot allow for any of my friends to fall, especially Ben. A cry sounds out. I look to find the owner and see Orange has completely fallen. His orangey-brown eyes are imploring me.

A strength surges in my body so strong that my back arches. A burning begins in my stomach and spreads outward to my most external limbs.
 

A moan of distress sounds from Ben. That is the final trigger. A strong force is completely taking over me, and I react out of instincts.
 

With a couple of pushes of my wings, my body begins to rise and spin like a spinning top. My wings encase around me, and I begin to drop. I have a sudden urge to release this built up strength straight into the surrounding earth. Slamming my body on the dirt in a small gap between the possessed, I land in a squatting position, and I thrust my palm onto the ground. A sonic wave expels from the connection and a white light expands and ripples out like a nuclear bomb.
 

I see the bodies fall to the surrounding ground, lifeless and unmoving. Worried about my friends my eyes instantly search the area. There are dead bodies scattered everywhere. My eyes scan over each one until I see a rich colour of Blue, and they stop. Taking a deep breath and holding it, I focus my eyes.
 

Relief passes over me when I see Ben stand, dust himself off and look at me. His face is bewildered, yet grateful. Not giving into emotion or reasoning I continue to look for Cindy and Orange. I breathe out a large sigh of relief when I see Cindy sitting in the middle of her now lifeless attackers. My eyes scan further, ecstatic to see Orange slowly breaking through the pile of bodies piled on top of him.
 

With their eyes scanning for the cause of their release, they focus on me. I didn’t realise, until that moment, I was still in my awkward landing position, squatting on the ground with my palm firmly planted on the ground in front.
 

A little shocked myself over what I did, I pick up my palm and wipe it on my pants hearing the small stones and dirt fall to the ground. I stand dazed as I study the area in front of me. All the bodies are motionless and lying on the ground.
 

I see a movement in the furthest distance. Turning in that direction, I see the old man scurry out the door. I hope that this is a good sign, and that we were able to leave this confinement.
 

From behind me, an aggravated scream filled my ears. I turned in time to see Cindy running toward an ugly, sun-aged man that is moving in our direction. I don’t even know how he emerged.
 

His dark skin sucks over his frail body. His eyes are wide, and mouth is open. Draped over his shoulders and body is pale fragments of material that have a similar appearance to a sarong. His feet are bare and knobby. From the distance, I study him. He is hobbling and appears to be struggling with an injury, but he is still moving. I do not understand how all the other bodies have fallen immobile to the ground, and he is still approaching us.

His black eyes turn from Cindy and look at me. Instantly I feel like evil touches me. On cue, he reaches for me with his long and gnarly hand. He is too far away to be able to touch me, but a sensation of evil grips my body. My feet are welded to the ground, stunned. My eyes move up to his head. At the closer distance, I can see he has two small, twirled horns poking through his curly black hair.
 

In the corner of my vision, I can still see Cindy rapidly approaching him. Her vision follows the direction of his hand and land on me.
 

“Aurora move!” She screams. It is all happening so fast.
 

A flash of blue rushes at me and knocks me to the ground. While I am falling, I see a streak of black, leave the man’s hand in a pulse and travel through the spot I was standing only a moment before.
 

Covered in dirt, I turn to see it was Ben who knocked me to the ground, saving me from whatever was within that black streak. I scramble to my feet ready for the next pulse and Ben does the same. We must stop this man. I brace myself for a fight, turning ready to attack when I see Cindy is already upon him and fighting against him. She is sending blows to his stomach, knees and head. He flinches with each one, but does not appear to be getting hurt. Ben, Orange and I are almost by her side when I see the man turn, grabbing her with an unimaginable strength and place his hand on her stomach. Her eyes open wide as she struggles with all her strength to fight off his unyielding grip.
 

I call out, “Cindy!”
 

Fear fills me like I have never experienced before, her eyes turn to me watching as we rapidly approach. My body almost halts as a large black pulse leaves the man’s gnarly hand and enters her body.
 

Her body shakes violently, and her eyes close as he throws her to the ground.

- Chapter Twenty-Eight -

My feet stop. Inside I am screaming. What has this man done? Something deep inside of me wells, he can’t do this to my friends. Vaguely I see a streak of blue and orange still heading in the man’s direction as I gaze at the motionless body of Cindy. A burning begins to rise from the pit of my stomach. At first I think it is anger I feel, but I am not so sure. It is a sensation like I have never felt before even different to the last unusual experience, and it burns with the intensity of the sun.
 

Welded to the spot, I am barely aware of the commotion not far away from me. Even though I want to avenge Cindy, I am motionless, unable to move. The burning increases. A bright light is surrounding my vision. I begin to wonder if the sun was growing stronger, but in my peripheral vision I am mindful of Ben and Orange fighting unaffected by the heat. I don’t know what to make of this sensation.

Faintly, I hear voices. “Aurora, move!” It sounds like Ben, but distorted.
 

I turn my head to look in the direction of the fighting. Ben and Orange are casting curious glances at me in between attacking the man. A black pulse comes flying in my direction. I still cannot move, I can only watch. Strangely, this does not send me into a panic. As I watch, it appears to hit me then bounce off.
 

Ben stands momentarily stunned, and I see the man turning toward him. Something in me tweaks. The force that was holding me firm jolts me with energy, and passion for ending this before someone else I love gets hurt. I run forward, the last few metres to this man, which I am beginning to think may be a demon. His attention focuses on Ben. Ben is fighting well, avoiding the direct contact with the hands. He gets hit in the leg and crumbles slightly, long enough for the man demon to target his hand to release a pulse.