“Are you with Green Peace?”
“Are you with Texans Against Environmental Destruction?”
“Aren’t you Megan Dalene, the niece of the woman who died in the gas leak accident?”
“It wasn’t an accident. Prescott Oil is to blame for my aunt’s death!” Megan cried over the thunder and wind. Her hair blew wildly, hitting against her face. “My little cousin was severely burned. She’s only four years old.”
“You’re going to have to leave.” A security guard grabbed her arm and hauled her away from the growing crowd of reporters.
“Leave her alone,” Chuy growled, blocking the guard. “She has every right to be here.”
“Step back,” the security officer warned. He took out a walkie-talkie and called for police assistance.
“Take it, Chuy!”
He reached out to Megan’s outstretched hand and took what looked like a USB flash drive. He then turned towards the stage.
The moment Chuy placed his foot on the step leading onto the stage, Naomi felt a surge of terror.
“Don’t, Chuy!” Naomi ran to him, knowing he couldn’t hear her but praying that maybe, just maybe he could sense her.
Then everything seemed to happen all at once.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucifer nod in her direction. She felt a jolt hit against her back, and she fell to the ground. Quickly, she flipped over, just as one of the evil twins was about to strike. She flicked out her wings and took off up into the sky, with the dark angel chasing after her.
There was another loud crack of thunder, and a stinging rain poured down. She was flying as fast as she could go, trying to out-maneuver the dark angel, when his twin appeared.
She stopped and hovered above the audience, who were scrambling to get out of the rain. With one dark angel on her right and the other to her left, she had no choice but to fight.
The dark angel to her left gave her a wicked smile. Just as he was about to attack, there was a loud crash, and he spiraled down to the ground with Jeremy on top of him.
Naomi quickly turned around, and the other dark angel slammed into her, placing an arm around her neck. She twisted and clawed his arm, trying to pull him off her.
She heard a scream in the crowd below. When she looked down, people were dropping to the ground. And that’s when she saw Sal pull out a gun. He was aiming it at Chuy.
“No!” She wailed and bit into the dark angel’s arm as hard as she could.
He screeched and released his hold, shouting a stream of obscenities.
Quickly, she flew down toward the stage. “Run, Chuy!”
Just as she was about to reach him, she felt a searing pain on her wing as the dark angel grabbed onto it. She watched helplessly as the dark angel jerked her back. She could see every single detail between Chuy and the senator as if it were all in slow motion.
The senator pushed her wet hair off her forehead and turned to Chuy, a look of recognition flashing across her face. She gazed down at his outstretched hand and was about to reach out to it when there was a loud crack.
She turned in the direction of the sound, her blue eyes widening at the sight of the gun. Her head turned, and her red lips formed a silent “No,” as she looked to Chuy.
In one swoop, she pushed him away and fell back as the bullet lodged into her own chest.
“You fool!” Naomi heard Lucifer roar as he ran onto the stage.
“Chuy!” Naomi screamed, jerking herself forward.
A loud cackle of laughter from the dark angel was cut off by a loud bang, and she was suddenly free. She turned to face a grinning Uri.
“Go! I’ll take care of Mr. Clean,” he said.
Just then, Rachel emerged from the clouds with Raphael close behind her. His face was full of a rage she had never seen before and never thought possible from him.
He lifted his hand, and a fierce ray of light streaked down, striking Lucifer in the chest. His body flew back and landed on the edge of the stage. His suit was torn to shreds, exposing severe burns all over his body as he convulsed, rolling down the steps. When he landed on the bottom, his body fell limp, his eyes open and blank.
The dark twins and Sal stared down at the motionless body. Within seconds, they disappeared.
“Let’s go,” Jeremy said as he flew toward the stage.
Naomi and the others landed on the stage. “He’s alright,” she said with relief as she looked Chuy over. “He’s not hurt.”
She watched as Chuy rolled over and crawled to the senator. Blood blossomed on her suit.
“Senator. Hold on. I’ll get you some help.”
She grabbed his hand. “Tell...tell your grandmother...”
“Don’t talk, Senator. Save your energy. Let’s get an ambulance over here!” Chuy yelled.
“Tell your grandmother...she was right,” she wheezed. She closed her eyes and winced. Rain slid down her pale face.
“Right about what? Senator? Senator?”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and Naomi felt a pang in her chest as she watched the Senator’s tears mix with the rain on her face. She didn’t look like the powerful woman the world knew. She looked like a little girl, innocent, and pure. It was the Jane that Lash must’ve seen.
“How beautiful! He’s so beautiful,” Jane said.
Naomi turned, surprised that she was looking directly at Uri. “Rachel and I have this one, Jeremy. Go with Naomi and get Lash. Raphael will show you the way.”
“Where are the others? Where are the rest of the angels?” Naomi cried to Raphael.
“There is no army for this.” Raphael gazed sadly at her. “All who came here did so of their own will.”
20
“This is it? Are you sure?” Naomi gazed at the familiar clear stream that ran through the lush landscape and the towering snow-capped mountains in the background. “This doesn’t look like Hell. It looks like home.”
“Lucifer purposely made it look like the home where the fallen came from,” Raphael said as he stopped in front of a waterfall. “It makes it easier to sway those who are displeased with their work. It is not until after they join him that they realize the truth.”
“Lash is in there?” She pointed to the cave hidden behind the rushing water.
“Yes.”
“What are we waiting for?” Naomi rushed past Jeremy.
“Wait!” Raphael grabbed her arm. “This is no ordinary place.”
“I know. Rachel told me about the Lake of Fire.” She shivered at the image of Uri being held captive. Lash was there now. There was no time to waste. “Let’s go.”
Raphael tightened his hold on her. “This is not something to be taken lightly. Let me go first.” He put his hand into the water. It splashed onto his hand, and he withdrew it, wincing.
“What is it?” Jeremy drew her behind him.
Raphael turned to them, a serious look in his eyes. “All that you see here―the water, the cave, even the air―is made to weaken you, body and soul. The closer you get to the lake, the more your powers will be stripped from you. Do not let the lava touch you. It will burn.”
“I know that,” she said. She didn’t care what happened to her. She just wanted to get to Lash. “I’m ready.”
“We must be careful, but we must also be swift. Lucifer can return at any time.”
“What? But I saw you kill him,” she said.
“You saw me destroy his human body, but his soul remains. We may have only moments before his soul is revived, and he’ll head straight here to destroy us all.”
With a deep breath, he turned and went through the water.
Naomi followed after him. When the water hit her back and wings, a searing pain hit the core of her being, and she threw a hand over her mouth, muffling her screams.
“Naomi!” Jeremy ran through the water, gritting his teeth as he went through.