Just Checking Up Part Sixty-Eight: The Poison of Silence!

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Silks stared numbly at the experiment files, God sending his condolences. Her new wings hung limply, Phylox landing aggressively next to me. Pure rage simmered in her eyes, her silver chain mail dress making her look more casual than usual.  

“Has she talked to you since?” She hissed under her breath, a sad nod on my end answering her question. “That sucks! I should have freaking been there.” Flipping through the files with a blank stare, a quiet horror hid underneath her now quivering eyes. Slamming the files shut in a fit of frustration, a tiny bit of control prevented them from flying everywhere. Excusing herself, she brushed past us briskly. The slam of our bedroom door rattled the home, our older children running past us. Letting them in, cartoons began to play upstairs. Making my way over to the coffee table, a flip through made the worst crimes I witnessed look like children’s play. Swallowing the lump in my throat, anxiety buzzed in my skull. Ash covered the cloudy space, various elementals were crouched in cages. This experiment had been Hell on Earth, I thought bitterly to myself. 

“Right, this was the birth of my former monsters.” Phylox pointed out of the blue, her voice causing me to jump out of my skin. “Call this a dark chapter in Heaven. No one would blame her if she never trusts God again.” Mulling over what I absorbed, such methods were fucking nightmares. Glancing upstairs, the Sins made their way into the room. Soaking in the files, the Elementals popped up behind us, Phylox shooting them a death glare. She best be careful with them, the latest attack putting them on edge.

“Stay behind and guard the shit out of her. All of you! Where the two of us are going, you will most certainly kick the bucket!” She ordered hotly, her wings clicking together in a fast rhythm. “You know, dragon magic and all. Sins, I need you to distract her from any sort of rescue mission. Can I place my trust in you?” Nodding at once, her eyes soaked in my simple black t-shirt and blacked ripped jeans. Prepping a different type of investigation behind us, her fingers gripped my shoulder. Zooming out the closest open window, trees flashed underneath us. Dropping me down to her ankle, fear had me gripping like my life depended on it. Probably because it did, I thought sarcastically to myself. 

“No offense, are you doing this to blow off steam?’ I questioned over the harsh winds fighting her wings, her pissed off expression snapping in my direction. Chills ran up my spine, a low growl rumbling in her throat. Don't you dare direct that bullshit towards me!

“What of it! I happen to have a potential inkling of a damn lab. Let’s get some fresh samples and have Orchid take a crack at it.” She fumed heatedly, her eyes scanning the ground. “Back the fuck off. Don’t tell me that you don’t want to blow a bit of steam as well.” Shooting her a shaky thumbs up, all parts of me knew better than to question her.  

“Can you at least stay alive?” I chastised her honestly, both of us knowing why. “Lord knows that another loss would push her over the edge. No, this isn’t me making her any less of a demon.” Softening her expression, a clearing of her throat summoned her usual armor. Wondering where it was stored, the distraction proved to be nice as long as it lasted. 

Gray stucco stuck out of the tree, an old sign of a time long since passed speaking the opposite of the dull electrical glow in the windows. Exchanging a conversation with looks alone, a kick sent me flipping towards the roof. Forming a disc of air, a gruff groan escaped my lips upon impact. Hopping to the heels of my dress boots, a huffy Phylox shot past me. Catching up to her, a whack with her wings knocked me through a broken window. Elementals of all kinds shivered on rusting beds, the torn mattresses not helping. Some sort of special chains held them down, every tug searing a new scar into their skin. Rolling into the closest bed, rust shot into the air. Sniffing it, dragon magic laced it three times more than any other place my dumb ass had ever experienced. Humming captured my attention, tiny sparkles twinkled just right in the setting orange rays. Hitting the vent with a blast of ice, a rain of metal feathers shattered it to nothing but shards. Releasing another wall of feathers, half the wall crumbled away to air out the room. Keys skidded into my eager palms, excitement bringing life to the various sea of colored eyes. Freeing them without a second thought, the image of Bless’ smile paralyzed me. Phylox sharp eyes clocked how I reacted to them coughing up blood, one cure most likely existing. Struggling to their bare feet, thin beat up nightgowns hung off of their gaunt bodies. Summoning the door home, a few waves ushered the wounded Elementals through the door. Shutting the door down before Silks could discover a way through, she would have to deal with it temporarily. 

“Strange that it is this quiet.” Phylox whispered under her breath, her fingers drummed away on the closest bed frame. “Do you trust me?” Hitting her with a bit of bewilderment, trust had formed a long time ago. However, the distraction title seemed doomed to fall upon me. Reading her lips, my fate became written so. Skidding into the closest hall, Phylox flew off in the opposite direction. Sensing a few heading my way, ice laced silver dragon flames crackled into dual scythes. Inky blackness lined the tips, a mischievous smirk twitching on my lips. Creeping around the corner, fresh needles of their new weapon clinked into vials of the strongest dragon magic. Soaking in the massive metal cart, a quiet rage boiled in my veins. Who the fuck did they get that from?  

“Who goes there!” A deep male voice thundered powerfully, a laugh rising from the cartoon style of speaking. Sneaking to the closest corner, a fluttering of gold and black feathers struck a deeper fright into my chest. Nope, this wasn't great. Not that anything was going according to plan.

“Plotting revenge without me?” Silks hissed furiously into my ear, her hand spinning me around to face her. “Dumping a bunch of injured elementals isn’t exactly subtle.” Dusting off her frilly leather jacket dress, her matching boots tapped away incessantly. Approaching flames cast shadows across her new mask, the outfit change threw me off further. Wondering if she escaped or bribed someone, a boom shattered my meandering train of thought. Phlox blasted through the floor, her panicked expression meeting Silks’ fuming one. Snatching her by her wings, her eyebrow twitched in pure annoyance.  

“Requests for me not to be reckless hit my ears all the fucking time. How about you behave that way for your mate?” She snapped loud enough only for us to hear, Phylox dangling in the air. “Bless meant a hell of a lot to me. Her loss broke my soul into shards. Losing you would put me in a worse mental state. Phylox, your relationship matters to me. Hell, I need your dark humor to get me through this most wretched period of time. I fucking love you like a sister, damn it!” The raise in her voice alerted them to our position, a steady stream of curse words slipping off her tongue. Throwing Phylox from where she came from, a leap had her disappearing after her. Choosing life over death, a jump landed me behind them. Phylox’s feverish apologies bounced off a cloudy lab’s walls, Silks’ hand raising silencing her.  

“Forgiveness is yours. Don’t do it again, okay?” She pleaded gently, Phylox’s stress melting away. “Does this place have a pool of sorts?” Shooting her an odd look, neither of us understood the plan. Twisting her hair into a messy bun, her throat cleared a couple of times.  Curiosity twinkled in Phylox’s eyes, my lips pressing into a thin line due to stress.

“To put it simply, we are going to create an electrical pool.” She continued a bit too calmly, her eyes darting between the hole and us. “Does it make sense now? Time to go!” Motioning for Phylox to lead the way, a blast of her fire lilies created a thick cover. Pondering how much time had been bought, many more thoughts raced through my mind. Snatching my hand, Silks’ dragging me after Phylox ripped me back into reality.  

Rushing around corners, a large pool came into view. Green slimy water had long since pooled around the drain, a ribbon of inky water swirling to life around my body. Aiming my water into the sea of broken tiles, our protests fell on deaf ears as Silks brushed past me urgently. A stern look back ordered me to keep filling up the damn pool. Phylox zoomed past me, my hair blowing back. When was someone going to freaking listen to me!  

Finishing up my current task with a huff, chaos erupting behind me sent chills up my spine. Praying that they were okay, the two of them flipping between pitch black arrows answered that. Leaping off of each other’s back, a loud order to duck had me flattening my body to the floor. About fifty dark angels flew over my head, all but one splashing into the water. Orange fire lilies blossomed in the water, the stems curling around their body. Spikes exploded from the vines, tissues pinning them in place. Wiggling in protest, a tired but sly shimmer failed to liven up Silks’ eyes. Dropping her summoned blades, black lightning blinded me. Burning flesh sickened me, a cloud of dull gray ash burst into the air. Bubbling water died down, one final energy remaining. Armor clanked in the distance, a tuckered out Silks floated to the cracked vinyl floor groggily. Popping to my feet, Phylox stepped in front of her. Dark emotions tainted her aura, trauma sinking her claws into her veins.

“Please don’t do that!” Silks pleaded desperately, true terror ripping her apart from the inside. “Run before I get you killed, please.” Clinging onto her, every yank back failed. Breaking down into incoherent sobs, Phylox spun on her heels to face her. Cupping her cheeks, her thumbs wiped away her tears. Gripping her hands like her life depended on it, a tremble claimed Silks’ body. Guilt flashed in Phylox’s eyes, determination remaining in her frightened smirk. 

“Family stands up for each other, especially when the other one is nearly to their limit. Besides, this lady and I have a bit of beef to cook.” She comforted her, Silks shaking her head in protest as she walked her over to me. “Hold her back. Today may hurt but revenge will taste so divine. Seleve, get your ass out of your hiding spot.” Silks mumbled a spell under her breath, golden feathers and flames forging into a golden straight blade with a sleek feather shaped hilt. 

“Such a weak bitch, Phylox. You dare fight your cousin. For what! A mixed brat! She practically killed Bless!” Seleve roared thunderously, her bitter tone poisoning the moment further as Silks pressed the blade into Phyox’s clammy palms. “How cute! Your new master gave you a new toy. Too bad it will br-” Passing out in my arms, Silks’ limits stole her into a rough slumber. Opportunity had presented itself, Seleve darting past Phylox. Shouting run, a pop to the heels of my boots into a sprint was the best I could manage. Metal feathers tore her black angel wings to shreds, metal armor clattering announcing her collapse. Sparks danced behind me, her body getting dragged closer to Phylox. Silks snapped awake, her boot smashing me into the wall. Sliding down with a gruff groan, the intensity of her strength nearly paralyzed me. Using the wall to get back to a standing position, a clumsy run towards her threatened to wake up my heart in the worst way.

Sliding to a rough stop, horror rounded my eyes as she rushed towards what had to be an almost fatal blow for Phylox. Tearing off her mask, a throw blocked an arrow from striking her heart. Struggling to breathe instantly, her body hit the floor. Painting the floor with inky blackness, panic laced fear had me stumbling towards the scene. 

“Finish your story Phy!” She wheezed between coughing fits, every attempt to get onto her knees failing horribly. “My faith lies with you.” Crawling over to the closest wall, a devilish grin curled ear to ear across Phy’s quivering lips. Pushing off the floor, a couple of flips had her above the head of her worst enemy. Bringing her blade behind her head, a wet wet splash announced the end of a potentially dark chapter. Muddy blood became ash, the water becoming more disgusting as time ticked by. Phy stumbled over to her, her arms scooping her up. Flying straight up, feverish apologies escaped her lips until I couldn’t hear them. Forming a disc of dull gray air underneath my boots a couple of taps, rotting air wafting up my nostrils. Hovering off the floor, a kick sent me shooting into a more current lab. Hopping off, an empty box captured my attention. Gathering any samples and papers, a tap on my shoulder prevented me from numbing out.  

“Get what you need, backup is heading our way.” Phylox informed urgently, a silent nod answering her. Hoisting the box underneath her arm, her other arm placed me on her back. Sorrow wrote itself all over her features, my shaking fingers announcing an impending panic attack. A harsh silence poisoned the air, musty air slapping my cheeks the second she took off. Grabbing Silks on the way out, trees flashed beneath us. Slowing my breathing to settle my fraying nerves, her wet voice shattered me.  

“How could I be so freaking stupid!” She wept dejectedly, a mental panic waking up in my breaking mind. “What if she died! After all she did for me!” Every attempt to calm her down failed, a golden glow silenced her. Silks yawned awake, her kind gaze meeting Phylox’s wet eyes.  

“Quit that bullshit! Madness consumes the best of us.” She assured her in a sisterly tone, her eyes flitting over to mine. “Thank you for accompanying her. Phy means the world to me.” Flashing a shadow of her real smile, Bless dying had stolen quite a bit of her light. Reaching home before her lips parted several times, Phylox placed us on the roof next to each other. Clanking away to her love, Silks shook her wings a couple of times. Feathers drifted like snow, inky grief staining her cheeks.  

“The mirror hasn’t been so kind to me as of late.” She confessed sadly, her claws extending from her fingernails. “Scars, a hideous black eye, and a damn metal leg must make me look disgusting to you. These wings bear a reminder of badly I fucking failed.” Chewing on her claws, a new nervous habit had been formed. Crawling over to her, her body flew into my arms. Sobbing into my shoulder, her fear would always prove to be unfounded. Lifting up her chin, her breathing began to grow shallow. What do I say to make her feel better? Where was Death when you needed her?  

“Nothing could steal your beauty, my queen. Such a trait swells everyday within my heart. Those wings encapsulate your compassion. As far I understand, her death was rather unplanned.” I comforted her tenderly, my lips hovering her forehead. “Please find forgiveness within your soul. Bless wouldn’t desire for you to cling onto her ghost.” Pressing her forehead into my lips, her claws receded as a sign of calming down.  

“I suppose. I feel like you are lying. Then again you always stood by me no matter what, my king.” She uttered brokenly, her hands cupping mine. “Every move feels wrong, tragedy following my every footfall. All I desire is for the nightmare side of things to end. Sometimes a fast forward button would be really fucking great but life doesn’t have that button. I’m tired. I’m sad. All I want to do is curl into a ball and cry for a century. Does that make me pathetic?” Kissing her tears away, such emotions were valid. Smiling lovingly in her direction, all of us had a touch of that special friend called depression. Yet that depression could never destroy the found family we had built.  

“How could you not? Shit has been tossed your way non-stop.” I returned gently, a silent understanding passed between us. “One thing holds us together. Silks, none of our paths would have crossed without your hand. Doesn’t that count for something? Hell, you will always be my freaking lantern. Life bites down hard and apologizes when it does hurt you a little bit too much. Time for me to be yours. That is if you let me. Although bad luck hangs over my head as of late. Sorry about all the bad l-” Smashing her lips into mine passionately, time melted away. Releasing me from her spell, her hands guided mine to her flat stomach. Hope shimmered in her eyes, her lips curling into the first real smile in a long time. No words needed to be exchanged, her aura lightening to a soft gold. Staring up at the storm clouds, a prayer rested in my mind. Big Guy, grant us the blessing to survive this damn battle.