By Pommy

Arnika stared at the twisted hunk of metal that was her scooter. It was two months since the accident and finally her scooter had decided to give in. One of her friends had attempted a quick fix of the engine, and subsequently had caused a fire that had melted the entire bike. She stared longingly at it but even after the successful attempt at super-gluing back the engine on, it was most definitely gone forever.

Around her the darkness in the garage vibrated softly, watching. She looked up for a moment, when she was young she had been afraid of the dark. Now although increasingly more terrified by it, she felt almost at home when all the lights went out.

She still couldn’t stop thinking about the angel. There had been something so enchanting about him. It was all beginning to feel like a dream, the bolt of lightening, his glowing eyes, the dark car. She shrugged and made her way back into her room. Whatever it was, it seemed to be over.

Her friends were still milling around uncertainly, one was attempting to change the CD while being tackled by another. Two were on the couch, carefully intertwangled watching the television, the rest were assembled round her kitchen bench, playing drinking games.

She sighed and sat down on her bed sleepily. A young boy broke from the drinking games, bringing over a glass of vodka to Arnika. She smiled and shook her head, "Not tonight Mike."

His eyes dropped for a moment, but the faintly insincere grin returned, and he downed the glass in a single movement. Wincing he kissed her on the forehead briefly, and rejoined the drinking party. She let a brief smile cross across her face but quickly blinked it away. She didn’t feel happy, she didn’t want to smile.

There felt like there was something missing, she couldn’t quite place it. She’d quit her job and her vegetarianism in the same week. It was a rather ironic coincidence really, the week she quit burger king, she’d started eating meat again. But somehow, even the injection of flesh back into her diet had done little to plug the hole that seemed to be enveloping everything.

The music changed, and the failed tackler sat next to her, "Stupid Moulin Rouge music."

The winner was dancing happily around the room, singing along to the music, the loser buried her head on Arnika’s shoulder, "Why…why did you buy the CD Arnika?"

Arnika shrugged, "Sorry Gina, I liked it at the time, I had no idea Tommy would make us listen to it, non-stop for the next six months."

The boyfriend joined in the drinking games, and Gina sighed, "Looks like a drunken boyfriend to deal with tonight."

Arnika nodded, "At least Michael will coma as he usually does."

Gina burst out into laughter, Arnika smiled to herself, looks like Gina won’t be the only one dealing with a drunken partner. It was a strange feeling in the room that Arnika began to sense, it was something that had been bothering her. A strange sense of artificiality, all the drinking, the drugs, even the boyfriend and girlfriends, everything seemed so fake. She felt something fill the gap suddenly, something strange, an anger of sorts.

Michael came back over bearing another glass of vodka. His arms were shaking, Arnika shook her head decisively. Michael grinned wider and went to down the glass when he lost control of his legs and fell to the floor. The vodka spilt all over Arnika’s top, and in an instant she felt the feeling explode into a burning rage.

She stared at him, her eyes flaming, Gina moved slowly away, the couple on the couch also began shifting backwards. He was unconscious, she couldn’t be properly angry at him but her gaze was shifting to the drinkers. Something was rising in her throat, she could feel her arms flowing with something.

Suddenly in a flash the lights in the house exploded and an eerie pitch black set in. Instead of quenching the rising anger, it seemed to empower it. Without even thinking about it she rose her hand, and moved towards the table. Everything had gone quiet, the drinkers were looking at her, it wasn’t pitch black anymore. A pale red light had filled the room, Arnika’s eyes were burning.

Gina stared at her friend, it seemed as if everything had melted into the darkness apart from two fiercely glowing eyes and a strange sense of ultimate power. She smiled to herself, it had finally come, she melted away into the darkness.

Around the drinker’s table silence was met with a sense of complete horror. What had seemed like a fun game now was turning very strange. It was as if no one could move, and just watch the strange glowing lights approach, as they got closer, one clutched their chest and fell to the floor. Each did in slow succession until finally it was only Gina’s boyfriend and the glowing power.

He smiled softly, she had finally done it. Beelzebub melted out of the human guise and reappeared glowing in his black robe, "Calm my child."

The glowing subsided and died in an instant. Arnika suddenly realised who she was again and took in a deep breath, "What…what happened?"

Beelzebub smiled, "You released your anger, do not fear, we have been watching many months for this, it is the first sign of your maturity."

"My…what." Arnika stared at her dead friends, an odd sense of peace had settled over her, "Tommy what is going on?"

Beelzebub grinned again, "We have been protecting you and watching you ever since you were born, ever since the attack of the archangel Michael, we have had step up our protection, your friends Gina and Tommy are possessed by the most powerful beings…"

He had stopped talking. Something was happening behind her, a strange light was glowing from her unconscious boyfriend. Suddenly as if it was the middle of the day, a blaze of light filled the room. A glowing figure stood in the place of Michael. Beelzeub snarled, "They could not resist."

Suddenly she felt faint, her body was melting into the darkness. Everything seemed dark, except a burning pain in front of her. The light was burning, Beelzebub could sense her pain, "Don’t fight it, deny it, light is only the absence of darkness."

The world suddenly seemed to shift slightly, she wasn’t in a room anymore, everything was pitch black around her, only a bright light remained in the centre, still burning but not quite so vehemently. It was moving towards her, trying to destroy the darkness that was herself. She tried to run but it was no use. She could feel it approaching her and then engulf her.

Beelzebub watched helplessly, where the one angel stood, four burned their flames, the four archangels, a more powerful force than anything he had ever witnessed. Suddenly something ripped the light away, he looked towards the dark force attempting to combat the blinding light and felt something move inside him.

It was her, angels cannot love in the way humans can, but something had happened. A male and female fallen angel had possessed two humans who loved each other, somehow something had passed on. He could feel something burning inside him, something more than anything he’d felt. He saw that she was going to be completely engulfed. He knew there was only one thing to do.

He blinked away what was really happening and returned to reality. Four angels were surrounding Gina, who was writhing in pain on the floor. He looked at each in turn and saw the face he was looking for. It was Gabriel, the most powerful angel present. There was one thing that the light angels still did not understand about earth, death. In the heavenly planes, the light or darkness would engulf, but on earth, a person could still destroy another person. For an angel, not in soul but in body and without a body in the earthly plane, the divine soul dies.

Beelzebub picked up a piece of the broken vase, and in a swift movement slashed Gabriel’s throat. Gabriel burned brightly for a moment, attempting to engulf Beelzebub but died just as quickly. Beelzebub smiled, the other three angels were turning their attention on Beelzebub but in as equally a swift movement he slashed two of the others who dropped silently to the floor.

Gina was not moving. He looked at her, and felt something rise in him. The last light stared at the crying fallen angel and smiled. Silently imitating Beelzebub’s actions to the last, he grabbed a piece of glass and stabbed it into the demon. Beelzebub suddenly realised what was happening and stared at the angel in horror. For a second he struggled, but he was already distraught inside the thrust simply ended the fight. The world seemed to glow brightly for a second and then died away.

Michael smiled and turned towards Arnika, "Three archangels defeated, I feared as much, these demons have cunning methods."

Arnika stared at the glowing angel, a mix of pure horror, hate, and something else was rising in her, "You were the bolt of lightening."

"I was." He smiled, and moved towards her, "You are the darkness that will engulf the world."

Arnika looked at the angel and then looked at her hands. They were no longer human, she was part of the darkness, "I am…"

"You have to understand, you have to die." The angel said, his eyes glowing in radiance beyond what she could understand.

"I do."

Michael was standing next to her now, his burning bright slowly encroaching on the darkness, "I am sorry, but it has to be done."

She kneeled, trapped under the angel’s spell, his grin subsided for a moment, he lifted her chin "Goodbye sweet demon."

Her eyes and his locked for a moment. She felt like falling into the light, leaving her life, the darkness behind. Accepting the reality that he would give her. They both began twisting, turning, the blinding light slowly waking the unresisting darkness. Suddenly, the world snapped back into reality, he looked at her and felt something stab him, he couldn’t. He couldn’t destroy her.

They both stared into each other’s eyes, she saw it, the something she had been missing. He saw something that he could never comprehend. For a second both stared, and then Arnika let her eyes trail, falling on her dead friend Gina. She looked at it again, and the blinding light began to drop away. The fire slowly beginning to burn again.

"You killed my friend." She said accusingly, her voice snapping angrily.

"I had to, it is my purpose to destroy them." He said defensively, attempting to catch her eyes.

Beelzebub’s advice floated back into her mind, "Don’t fight it, deny it, light is only the absence of darkness."

Her eyes began to burn again and she turned on the angel. He turned his eyes towards her, her heart ached for a moment but she ignored the feeling. She felt the darkness melt around her, and felt his light begin to wave into her. Michael felt a wave of sadness pass over him but shrugged it away. It had to happen eventually, she was the darkness so had to die. Arnika grinned widely, the darkness was finally spreading.

In the plane of light, a three dimensional battle occurs. It is as if one is attempting to fill a room with light, except in this instance the darkness resists. And it was resisting except not only resisting. To his horror Michael felt his power shrink in front of the darkness.

He snapped back, grabbing a piece of glass. Arnika kept smiling, "The thing is Mike, I’ve found it."

She rose her hand, the piece of glass shattered in his hand. He clutched at his pained hand in agony, she walked towards him smiling, "This thing I’ve been searching for."

In a swift move she moved her hand forward, and his body was thrown against the wall, "And to think all this time I thought it was you."

She whipped her fingers upwards, his body was wrenched up, hanging limp in front of her, "Goodbye sweet angel."

Michael attempted a scream, but the world was already phasing out. He saw the darkness approaching, the chilling reality of what he was facing. The light began to phase out around him, soon all he could see was the pitch black reality of Arnika’s soul. In a moment of acceptance, his light disappeared and the darkness felt satisfied filling the room with the pitch-black aura of her spirit.

Arnika lay silently next to her boyfriend’s motionless body. She could have seen the angel in his eyes if she’d only looked. Around her the darkness began to drift away as morning approached. As the light flooded into the room, she felt a sudden wave of tiredness. The dead bodies could wait, she thought absentmindedly as she let her eyes drift shut and her mind slow into unconsciousness.

In the shadows, a lean figure leant back thoughtfully against the wall. The battle was complete… she had found her legs, but was she ready? He shrugged, she would never be ready for the true tests she’d have to face, but the time was nigh. He melted away into the darkness as the light began to spread through the room.

A breeze picked up, and even deep in her sleep, she could feel the sound of ancient laughter, floating away in the wind.