chapter 4
Darrton
The vacant lot behind the food store was empty when I reached it. My body convulsed once more before I fell to the hard rocks below me. My ring had glowed. It had seared me. They’re here. A gust of wind hit my face and I knew it to be true. Which one was it? Could it be War? Was he firing up rebels against one another? Or was it countries against other countries? Families against families? His mission was to make people slay one another. He felt no mercy. I could imagine the Red around him, a blazing, deathly red. When I closed my eyes, I could see him. His part was to start wars. The thought of him made me miss my brothers.
Another ache shot through my hand. Famine’s face appeared in my mind, I could see the Black in his eyes. Even in my vision, I could feel the eagerness that radiated off of him. Famine. It could be he that was starving the people of a country, or killing off anything edible. His mission was to starve the people before him, that not one soul should have nourishment, and not one soul should continue. He would look unto the world around him and create hunger, thirst, and heartache. Famine was closest to me, and I could only wait with impatience to see him. He was the strongest.
A severe pain slashed my side. My wound was bleeding and all I could see was White. Not a pure white. A ghastly white that would scare anyone that had the nerve to look. It would blind their eyes with ghostly essence. He was sent to Conquer and he wouldn’t stop until we ruled the Earth.
Then my ring shot energy through me one last time. This time it differed. This time it did not burn me. This time it sizzled through me like ice through my veins. This time it soothed me. I pushed up off of the hard ground and looked around the empty alley. War was leaning up against the side of the brick wall. “Darrton, Brother, it’s nice to see you.”
I smiled. “Nice to see you, too, Warren.”
Warren walked toward me. He had cut his hair and was dressed modernly. He shook my hand. The contact sent electric bolts through my body. Our rings touched and I felt a connection with him that no one on Earth would ever have with one another. A brotherly bond that would put any other blood-bonded brothers to shame.
“We’ve tried to connect with you, Brother, and you haven’t answered.”
His words seemed to snake around me. I lifted my arm and pointed toward my wound.
Warren nodded. “You’ve been wounded, but I see that it hasn’t stopped you from getting out. You still fly. We can all feel when you do,” Warren said.
“I cannot help it, Brother. I’ve been...distracted. I’ve been trying to get better, I was too weak.”
Warren narrowed his red-tinted eyes, and a smile rose to his lips. His face was far more feminine than the rest of us. “Oh, Brother. I believe I understand what you call your distraction. I believe her name is Lizzie, is it not?”
Anger surged into my throat and I snarled, “I care nothing about that child. She has given me shelter and promised me food. How dare you say she has distracted me?”
Warren threw his head back and laughed. “Brother, Brother, how defensive you get.” He looked down at my side. “You have to be well to perform the ritual. Satan wants you in the best physical shape you can be. I will give you until you are healed to kill off the girl. She knows too much, and she is distracting you from what we were damned for. Get away from the house and away from her. Since she has helped you, it would be easier to leave, let her guard go down, and then come back to kill her. She won’t see it coming. Be ready, Darrton. The time is coming.”
Warren didn’t say anything else. He turned, broke his wings from his back, and lifted himself up. He was gone before I could process everything.
My wings were begging to rip through my back so I set them free. My shadow covered half the walkway. I let my feet lift from the ground.
The only one that was left was me. The only one that was left was a pale blue Death.
There were only two things I had left to do. First was to heal. I had to be ready for the ritual. Secondly, I had to bring death upon her. I had to make sure no one found out. I had to do what I was given to do—kill.