Page 118 of Clipped

He giggled.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing. Get the fuck out of here and don’t come back without them. And I’m talking the good stuff. You bring back some Advil or Tylenol, and I’ll make you wish you weren’t immortal.”

Kinzer grabbed his wallet and headed for the door. As he opened it, he flashed a glance back at Maggie.

Her head fell into her folded arms. Her blonde locks trembled at her shoulders as her body convulsed, as if she had a fever. Sniffles and sobs filled the room.

“Why?” she muttered, seemingly to a deity that Kinzer knew couldn’t hear her.

He stepped through the doorway and closed the door, granting her the privacy she deserved.

Footsteps caught his attention. Treycore was coming from his room down the hall, a determined glare in his eyes.

“Where are you going?” Kinzer asked.

Treycore dashed past him, tossing a duffel bag over his shoulder and continuing to the door. “You know where I’m going!”

Kinzer slipped past him and jumped in his path.

“Get out of my fucking way.” Treycore shoved Kinzer against the wall.

“Treycore, we need your help. We have to stop the Christ and keep Veylo from reaching the actual Antichrist.”

The door creaked open as Treycore started out. “You are more than capable of handling this shit,” he muttered.

“Treycore, please!”

Kinzer’s plea stopped Treycore. He stepped back into the hall, allowing the door to close. “Right now, Kid’s with that sick cunt.”

“She’s probably already killed him.”

“If I thought that was true, I’d be relieved. But you know he’s not because you know her. You know what she’ll do to him. I have to get to Hell and stop—”

“You really think an angel is just going to be able to slip into Hell unnoticed?”

“I’ve done it before.”

They stared each other down.

“Before all this,” Treycore continued, “if you’d known Janka was trapped in Heaven, what would you have done?”

Kinzer reflected on Treycore’s hypothetical, and try as he might to convince himself that he would’ve given up, he knew better. He stepped to Treycore and set his hand on his shoulder. “I understand. If you save him—”

“WhenI save him,” Treycore said, “I’ll bring him back and we’ll take out these bastards together.”

Kinzer wrapped his arms around Treycore.

“Now,” Treycore said, “you get that fiery bitch well and track those motherfuckers down.”

Kinzer smirked. “Yes, sir.”

They walked side-by-side to the door. Kinzer let Treycore out.

“You gonna be okay?” Treycore asked.

“Of course,” Kinzer said with a smile.

“Take care.” Treycore’s face was etched with concern.

Funny remark, Kinzer thought,for the higherling who’s on his way to Hell.

“You, too.”

Treycore dashed to the sidewalk, hurrying toward his new quest.

Across the street, a condemned gas station captured Kinzer’s attention. An ‘Open’ sign slanted across the graffiti-covered entrance. Behind the gas station, kudzu draped around a wooded area. Beyond that, the sun set in a sea of red and purple.

Kinzer’s eyes filled with tears. He leaned against the doorframe, sliding to his knees as his thoughts drifted back to the creatures he’d loved. He imagined Dedrus’s chuckle when they’d nearly collapsed in the motel shower. It took him back to their playful years in Heaven and Hell, when they’d loved and laughed together. His thoughts shifted to Janka—to those sincere, blue eyes. He’d trusted him more than any other, yet Janka was the one who’d betrayed him the most. Musing on these creatures, who had once filled him with such joy and ecstasy, could now only bring him sadness and pain.

TO BE CONTINUED…