Just Checking Up! Part Seventy-One: Flight on Shattered Nightmares!

Silks:

Donning Rip’s t-shirt, his scent prevented the Dark Angels from noticing me observing their schedule. The cover of the night worked together with the songs of the deep Bayou, trees and alligators twisting their way about a well lit hut at the end of a makeshift dock. Landing softly on my bare feet, each soft footfall, memories of Dark Angels slaughtering Rip and Electrox a million different ways flashed in my head. Shutting them down, that outcome wasn’t happening today. Sticky humidity clung to my face, a hot fever burning my cheeks. Hoisting myself through a window, wooden floors failed to creak underneath each footfall. Such quiet was a treat for my ears, relief finding itself in my features. Crossing into the kitchen, caged humans hooked up to blood bags confused me. Gone was my relief, a new level of rage finding it. Who was pulling off this madness? More importantly, why?

Blossoming a field of fire lilies, a kick whisked them back to a certain magic shop. Hovering in the shadows, panicked dark angels flooded in. A kick to an exposed pipe flooded the space, a scurry up the wall granting me safety from what was about to come. Summoning my curved blades, angry orange flames roared to life. Black lightning crackled to life at the tip, all eyes darting up to me as the doors sealed shut with thick fiery vines. 

“Time for you to cook before you destroy everything I hold dear.” I commanded through gritted teeth, their silver metal boots splashing water onto their silver metal armor. “Boil while you're at it.” Dropping both blades into the rising water, a cover with my arm prevented a migraine. The lights died down, ash floated on the surface of the water. Sniffing the air, the leader remained once more. Why were they always like damn cockroaches? Lowering myself in the living room, tattered black feathers fluttered aimlessly around the room. Summoning a couple more blades by cutting on my palms on the closest shards of words, this bastard wasn’t getting close to my family. No way in Hell! Flipping my blades over my fingers, orange flaming lily petals glowing with black lightning formed into a dome. Crouching down, sharpened feathers bounced off the edge. Well played but this movie played out before. A few escaped through the holes, cuts lining my exposed skin.  

“So the great Silks lives up to her name.” He mused darkly, his silver sword bouncing off of his leg. “Sneaking in to kill all my men makes you a clever little rabbit. What is it that God wants exactly? Do you like him?” Cocking my brow, my opinion of God was neither here nor there. Presenting my blades in the attack position, a bit of adventure twinkled in our eyes.  

“No one comes close to my family. Not one negative soul!” I shot back hotly, my eyebrow lowering. “Not to mention stealing human blood is well beyond the normal level of creepy, Mr. Fox. If I am the rabbit, you must be sly like the fox. The question is what do you need it for? Are we weaker than shit without it?” Slamming the tip of his blade into the floor, thousands of feathers tore my wings to shreds. Grinning ear to ear, pride wrote itself all over his features. 

“Cute, they heal eventually. Besides, this little rabbit was running before she could fly.” I teased him menacingly, a couple taps of my feet blossoming jet black lightning lilies. Leaping back twenty feet to stay safe, his head cocked to the left. Charging at him, his weak points had to be somewhere. That eight foot frame meant nothing to me, all cells in me ready to release some steam in this madness. His gloves hit the floor, a skeletal hand wiggling away. Horror rounded my eyes, the power of death claiming his simple but sleek blade.  

“Forgot to tell you. The curse of death claimed my body years ago. Let’s see how it goes against you, Little Rabbit!” He laughed maniacally, his muscular body crashing towards me. Skidding underneath his swing, a blow narrowly missed my neck. Hissing at the close call, a quiver washed over my muscles. How does one kill death itself? 

An idea came to mind, a closer examination of his armor revealing a dead heart. If Frankenstein could wake up with a bit of electricity, this rabbit could hop to it. Flipping over him, a flip of my wrist landed my blade into his heart. Bewilderment contorted his features, a devilish grin spreading across my twitching lips. 

“Heal! Wake up what was long dead!” I called out to Heaven, a bright golden glow pinning him in place. One thump, two thump, hope glistening in my eyes. A steady drum reversed his curse, his ace card dissolving to nothing. A frustrated growl rumbled in his throat, his blade crumbling to ash. Panic widened those eyes, his own hatred turning on him. Bringing my last blade behind my head, a toss buried the tip of my blade in his rotting heart. 

“Burn! Burn away!” I wheezed desperately, fresh blood pooling in my throat. “Die!’ Black lightning laced orange flames cooked him from the inside out, the cloud of ash covering me in an inch of it. Sinking to my knees, the air reeked of death, others fast approaching. My one downfall resting on the escape plan, silent fear staining my cheeks. Stepping into the early dawn, my own death seemed fast approaching. Whisking myself away in a flurry of petals, my pathetic being landed in the cemetery. Sitting behind the tallest tombstone, my claws extended from my fingernails. Scratching away, a most horrible fate had been avoided. 

“How dare you take away my curse holder?” A gravelly voice demanded hotly, a cloaked figure called out from the shadows. “Don’t you think you have taken things too far?” Hollow skeletal eyes met mine, a yellowed skeleton in a cloak pausing in front of me. Holding his blade awkwardly, my hand raised. Shooting him a shadow of a smile, that responsibility didn’t rest on my shoulders. 

“No thank you. Can’t you see that I have enough on my plate?” I pointed out stiffly, his teeth clattering in annoyance. “Do your own damn job and I will do mine. Trusting a bastard like him was rather cruel and you fucking knew that. Fuck off because I denied you your freaking fate. Have you not taken enough from me? Have I not done enough for this ugly world?” Bringing his blade behind his head in response, another flurry of my fiery lily petals whisked me away. Tossing me onto decaying cobblestone, the rotten scent of Hell taunted me.  

“Death won’t find me today, damn it!” I growled into the cobblestone, a coughing fit doing little to ease the pressure in my throat. Hot blood pooled around my cheek, every cell in my body protesting any ounce of movement. Hoisting myself into the sitting position, a yellowed skeleton nearly grazed my cleaner cheek. Scrambling back, a clumsy pop to my feet permitted to sprint away from him. Tripping over a fallen column, my broken wings caught the fall. Shattering further, pure agony burst from my lips. Crawling away from him, a cloud of ash exploded behind me, a blunt force stealing me into an undesired darkness.  

Stirring awake, alarm met panic in my features at the lack of healing. Silver armor glinted in my blurring vision, the rock of dread sinking into my stomach. Flashbacks of that horrible week of medical tests had me quivering in a curled up ball. A loud bang ripped me out of it, a weak point presenting itself. One problem existed, my jacked up wings would take up too much space. Reaching for my wings, every break sunk my fangs deeper into my bottom lip. Inky sorrow danced into my blood, the final snap nearly paralyzing me. Praying for good luck, something had to give.  

Army crawling through the weak point of the rusting cage, the scent of an Elemental realm sank my soul deeper into a gripping despair. Coughing up enough blood to feed a vampire, a ghostly reflection teased me in the glare of an ivory marble road. Streaks of onyx didn’t aid my appearance, this latest warning drawing me here. Digging my claws into the closest crumbling wall, my legs might as well have been jello on the way onto my feet. Barely making it into the shadows, any breath abandoned my lungs upon my legs giving out. Hiding in the shadows, every nerve seemed to be firing off. Sliding down the wall, quiet sobs wracked my body.  

“Silks!” Bless’ voice whispered just out of ear shot, all of me wondering if I was going insane. “Shit, let me approach you.” A golden dove hopped into view, the glowing feathers waking up an angry sorrow. Wiping away the physical evidence, my lips parted several times. Climbing onto my lap, a frustrated stomp on her end woke up a shadow of my genuine smile.

“There we go.” She laughed blithely, the end of wings fluttering. “Here’s the deal, kiddo. I knew about my death. God made a game out of it by challenging me from escaping our sea of blackness. The prize seems to be reincarnation somehow but I do lose our current memories.” Another wave of grief threatened to drown me whole, a sad drab filled silence hanging in the air. Where was this reincarnation going to occur? Opening my mouth to speak, a raise of her wing prevented me from interrogating her.  

“If I go within your child, healing powers will be granted to them. Another factor is that you can heal enough to move, my dear.” She offered sincerely, a bittersweet note biting her tone. “Faith is your issue. Angelic powers work when and only when the user has faith in themselves.” Stewing over her offer with a fuming expression, the whole plan sounded insane. A shower of mixed emotions splashed onto my lap, every breath growing more labored.

“Fine.” I hissed hotly, her features visibly brightening. “Before you forget, I love you and will miss you.” Snuggling into my quaking palm, her form began to glitch. Kissing the top of her head, her energy shot into my womb. Staring numbly into the sky, most of the damage reversed itself. Lifting myself to my feet, only a mere amount of my magic remained. Steadying my breathing, a bit of my composure returned. The key to this madness had to be somewhere, the distraction feeling welcome. A golden feather hummed to life, a few more creating a path. Curiosity drove me to follow them, twists and turns around decaying brick homes blurring into one.  

Skidding to stop in front of a pristine brick mansion, a distinct energy thumped in the basement. Racing towards it, the zombie-like state of the dark angels threw me off. Slowing down, a walk past them didn’t wake them up. Grumbling under my breath, a shattered window would be my entrance. Sliding through the narrow entrance, my breath hitched at a skeletal elemental laughing evilly in a makeshift tomb. Nodding his head to the left, bone arrows whistled by my face. Wonderful, I thought bitterly to myself.  

“Come to play, Miss Silks! I killed the dark angels myself for I am Death itself!” The wheezy male voice coughed ominously, a chill freezing me in my spot. Lies, the bastard was telling lies. Summoning a field of orange fire lilies, another nod sent another barrage of bone arrows. Scanning the space for the source of his power, a branch up to the next floor woke up my devilish grin. Kicking up a few of my flowers, a flurry of petals obscured me sprinting up to the next floor. 

A glowing opal in the center of a skeletal tree gave me pause, horror rounding my eyes. An unopened dragon magic grenade rolled to my feet, a wall of more grenades behind it unsettling me further. Knowing what I had to do next, a tear off the top had it hissing to life. Tossing it behind me, time slowed down as I crashed down random halls. Tripping into the kitchen, an empty metal cabinet captured my attention. Jumping into the person height space, a slam shut behind me sealed me to an airtight bit of safety. Grenade after grenade popped off, more hissing announcing my kryptonite pouring down the hall. The floor rattled underneath me, a couple of stomps sending me zooming into some sort of laundry room. A flash of gold glinted in the corner of my eyes, the howls of the evil elemental piercing my ear drums. Jet black streams cascaded down my jawline, a few drops hitting a pile of dirty sheets before me. 

“Need help?” Electrox sang before crouching down to my level, his wings fluttering a few times. “Do you have a second to chat? Rip is pacing a hole in her carpet right now and I need a break from his panicking.” Groaning into the mess I created, a long sigh drew from my lips. 

“She knew she was going to die. Bless deceived us both.” I confessed openly, his tired smile faltering for a second before returning. “Or did you already know that as well?” Hesitating while scooping me up, his expression spoke of a previous knowledge. Chewing on my bottom lip, raw fury boiled in my veins for a few seconds before I calmed down enough to let him explain himself. 

“That may have been the reason for the chat. God confessed it all during our last meeting, that bastard nearly receiving my fist. He can fuck off for now.” He shouted over the dimension breaking down, a gust chucking us into the sandy wastelands of Purgatory. “Found your faith in yourself yet?” Sitting up across from me, his wrists rested on his knees. Curious as to how he had faith in himself in such difficult times, his fingers snapped. 

“Think of it as if you are shutting down the filter in your brain. Let your wit flow freely. That is your faith.” He taught me adorably, his finger tapping his chin. “Or think about saving someone else for the time being. Tell me what drives you. What really drives you?” Thinking intensely for a second, images of everyone and their family running around freely played out like a movie. A golden glow hummed to life around my skin, feathers and bones clicking back into place. Pride shimmered in my eyes, relief crashing through my muscles. Settling down, his fingers drummed away on his knees. Guilt ate at me, my lips pressing into a thin line. 

“Sorry for this but I have something to chat about myself. Her soul came back down and she is now being reincarnated or something like that in my child.” I choked out awkwardly, a sad smile haunting his lips. “Please don’t think of me as a horrible monster. Sorry for being so s-” Waving his hands to shut me down, a bear hug felt like a thick blanket on a cold winter day. Releasing me, his palms lingered on my shoulders. 

“I figured she would pull some of that shit. Bless doesn’t like to take things lying down. Busting out of that prison is so her thing.” He chuckled under his breath, golden grief dancing down his cheek. “Promise me that you will give her a magical childhood. Ours was dog shit if one must be honest.” Snorting at the same time, neither of us had desirable childhoods. Similar trauma brought us here, our bond strengthening further.  

“Do you want to be this little one’s Godfather?” I asked graciously, his real smile trembling with his wet eyes. Leaping into my barely open arms, his arms draped around my shoulders in a desperate embrace. Resting his chin on my head, pent up emotions soaked the top of my head. Taking that as a yes, this kiddo was going to be so blessed. Hugging him back, a rough slumber stole him away. Laying him down next to me, Rip’s voice calling out to me perked me up. Crashing into my open arms, his words went in one ear and out the other. His lips kissed mine feverishly, his face beginning to blur. Praying to the big guy upstairs before a bit too magic usage, a rough slumber stole me away.