1 Chapter 1: Sludge

Prologue: Dawn of Man

A single mistake started it all, a quick movement of a hand that couldn't be taken back. His feet knocked to the ground of the Savannah, long grass traced over the traditional African garments that covered his shaking legs. The world was a blur to his eye as he sucked in air, attempting to escape the woman who charged after him. He could hear drums pounding not far from him, the flicker of flames. If he could make it to the innocent, he could be safe. At least, he hoped. The laughter of the woman was the only other noise he could hear besides the beating of the drums and the roar of blood in his ears.

He shouldn't have possessed a human body, he shouldn't have come to answer the prayers of the innocent people. It wasn't his place, but he felt the tug to help. Now he raced for his life in the heart of Africa.

"You think humans can save you?" The woman cackled, he glanced back at her with blue eyes wide as moons.

Her red hair was like a burning fire, her long, claw-like fingers turned to black near the tip as she ran. A bottle in one hand, the black, thick liquid oozed as if alive inside of the glass. The baobab surrounding him looked ominous in the darkness of the night sky.

That's when it all stopped. He felt a branch snag his foot, just heartbeats before he was going to make it to safety. The light of the fire, he could almost taste it as she landed on his body. He scrambled under her, panic flashed through his system. He'd never been attacked by a demon before, though he was made aware of their presence they often left angels alone. He turned to face the woman, the ice in her gaze sent a rolling chill into his body.

Pain, hot as coal flashed into his body. Her claws dug deep into the cavity of his chest, just below the golden crown shaped Diadem that glowed golden around his neck. He gagged in agony, blood pooling from his mouth as he felt his spirit being tugged downward. She smiled at him, licking her lips. The woman yanked the top off the bottle she held in her hand, holding it up to the light of the full moon he could see the sludge inside rippling with excitement as she dropped the liquid into the others' open chest.

There it was now, in all it's dark glory. The woman stood now in the darkness of the night sky, the moon but a claw slice in the clouds above. It's light shines broken below. If only he hadn't landed on Earth. If he hadn't trusted her, possessed a human body. It was too late now.

Earth had just been created, but already, she could see it's destruction. The man laid before her, he could feel his blood oozing into the ground below. Tugging the Diadem off and clenching the crown shaped necklace in his palms, black blood oozed from his open chest. His pupils pinpricks as he fought to stay alive, yet, it didn't matter. He was dying and he knew it, the wings on his back shuttered as they turned to ash. The bright halo that wrapped around his head flickered in the darkness of the night. The golden necklace screamed as though it knew its time on this Earth was done.

The demonic girl leaned down to him, her feet covered in his tar like blood. Long, unnatural red hair tickled his skin as she get close to him.

"What did you do to me," he gasped with his dying breaths.

She smiled devilishly, he was an angel of the Lord. He wouldn't remember a thing as he was shoved down to hell, but his raw angelic power is what she wanted. His grace.

"A little trick I learned, Lucifer's rise in power will come very soon. Now give me your Diadem," she whispered into his ear. He opened his jaw to speak but a scream escaped his lips instead, in the middle of his chest sat a blob of demonic energy. It was slowly eating the skin, turning his chalky white color to grey.

"You can't use it, my Diadem can only be used by me," he gasped, his body squirming as he attempted to heal the broken human body he possessed.

"I don't need to use it," she cooed, dancing her fingers through his short brown locks.

"It's the final ingredient to create the ultimate darkness, the strongest force ever known to man, demon or angel. The end of times, don't you understand?"

"Faith-- she won't allow this!"

"Oh, my naive angel," she whispered to him, still petting the dying man's head, "Archangel Faith won't have a say in this. She'll be long dead, and I will rule the heavens, hell and Earth, now I just need," she grabbed the hand that clenched the Diadem, digging her nails into his skin causing him to yowl in agony. He dropped the golden trinket, it clicked to the floor with no bounce to it.

"How do you know," he gasped out.

She grinned wide at him, leaning in ever closer as his eyes lost their light.

"Because, Faith told me,"

He gasped a few times in an attempt to catch his breath before the halos light died and his head rolled to the side. He was dead.

The Diadem on the ground stopped glowing now as it's owner passed away. She picked up the necklace with a smile, her eyes danced over the gold.

"And this is all I need," she whispered, the dark, sludge-like substance that ate the man's skin bubbled up hungrily. She dropped it into his open chest, the blackness circled the amulet. It sang out in terror as if the Diadem was alive before the golden color turned black. The dark sludge shuttered, it glowed with power now. The only thing left it had needed was the grace of an angel, an angel of love.

She smiled wide as her creation moved and shuttered before sinking into dirt below. It wound through the Earth at a rapid pace, settling itself deep in the crust of the world. There, it would wait. Until the new King would rise. She raced her fingers against the dead angel's cheek, kissing his forehead.

"You've served me great," she whispered, "for that, I'm sending your soul to hell. Where you will remain, until I need you again,"

With that she stood, glancing over the Savannah of Africa. From here, she could hear the sounds of music. The roar of a lion. She walked away from the corpse, a smile on her face as she vanished into the darkness. She'd return. But not until the darkness grew with the power of Angel's grace.

Chapter 1: Sludge

"You gotta be shitting me,"

A long haired male groaned, he stood tall in the warm sunshine of a crisp fall day. With a pale face and narrowed brown eyes he inspected the pair that stood before him. He knew one of them well, an annoyance graced his features.

"Nice to see you too, Nathan,"

The darker skinned man said, tilting his sunglasses down to show off his dark, chocolate brown gaze.

"Jophiel," The taller man snorted, letting his hand drop to his side with a soft smack. Nathan glanced from the darker man to the other beside him and back, what did an angel of God and his lackey want now?

"Are you going to invite us in? Or are we not welcome?" Jophiel asked, arching an eyebrow at Nathan who rolled his eyes, sighing he took a step to the side and allowed the pair in.

The taller of the two gave Nathan a quick glance before hiding his face. Something felt different about him, Nathan noted. Unlike Jophiel, who seemed calm, cool and collected, this angel seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible in Nathan's presence. Shaking off the thought, the brunette shut the door behind them. Guiding the men towards the living room, a small couch sat with a few books littered all around. A large television sat behind a coffee table with a half eaten sandwich sitting on a plate and a beer. Jophiel walked through the books on the ground without care but the blonde attempted to avoid knocking into them. His blue gazes scanned the large bookcases that towered over them.

Jophiel dropped to the couch, not removing his sunglasses as he crossed his hands in front of him. The blonde sat down delicately as though he were fearful of being too loud, he didn't seem to hold any of the others confidence, though this didn't surprise Nathan. He'd known Jophiel for a long while and the angel wasn't exactly known to be anything but confident, mean and a little rude.

The blonde sat a few inches away from his companion, taking a smartphone from the front pocket of his jeans causing Jophiel to roll his eyes at the man.

"We sent you down to live with humans so you would understand and be confident when around them," he growled, slapping the phone from the other's hand, causing the other angel to scramble, grabbing at it in the air before it landed with a soft thunk on the floor.

"Cell phones are part of being human," The angel replied coldly, his voice soft, comforting. Plucking the phone from the floor he leaned back against the cushions.

Nathan stood before them, hands on his hips, looking between the two.

"Are you going to explain why you're here?" Nathan finally asked as the silence dragged on. A small spark of panic flashed through his system, it wasn't normal for an angel to come down from Heaven to do anything let alone talk to the hermit. They weren't exactly the type to come for a nice chat.

Jophiel cleared his throat, nodded towards the blonde, "This is Chamuel,"

He replied, "He's been chosen to be an archangel,"

Nathan waited for a few rapid heartbeats before speaking, "Yeah? And? Why is he here? Is he-- going to watch me or something?"

Jo shook his head, putting a hand up to stop the other from speaking, "This is going to be hard to swallow — Chamuel has been sent to live with humans, nearly ten years ago," Nathan tried to not show his impatience, it was just like Jophiel to be as dramatic as he possibly could.

"And I've been human for almost forty years, and?"

Jophiel ignored the others sarcastic comment as he continued, "He was sent down to be human because there's a war coming, and without him, we will not survive," Jophiel noted the look on Nathan's face before continuing, "But he can't do it alone he--"

"That's where I'm going to stop you, I can't help," Nathan replied with a small shrug, glancing at Chamuel who refused to make eye contact with him.

"This isn't how it looks Nate, it's not you we need, but we will need your help."

"Can you just spit it out," Nathan shook his head, digging into his pocket for his old flip phone and checking the time as if he were in some sort of rush.

"You're reading--" Jophiel started, closing the open book that was sitting beside the man's lunch, "Campbell's monster survival guide and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Where exactly do you have to go in such a hurry?"

Nathan hesitated, glaring daggers at the other, "Maybe I just don't like dramatic angels,"

"Look," The angel got to his feet, "This directly affects you,"

Nathan looked between the two men, feeling a flash of anxiety in his gut

"What is it?" His voice came out more curious than he wanted it to, causing the angel to give the man a small grin.

"Your brother, Gilbert Lancaster, had a son. That son, we believe, is destined to fulfill a long forgotten prophecy."

That was it! That was the part Nathan knew was going to be hard to swallow. He opened his jaw to speak but nothing seemed to come out, Gil's son? The words echoed in the hermit's skull as he traced Jophiel's face for any hints that the angel was possibly lying, or had said the wrong thing.

"Gils son?" He finally choked out, "Do you mean my son? The...one I had with Marcy?" Confusion lit like a Christmas tree over his features as he awaited an answer.

"I mean Gil's son, Abel Lancaster."

Jophiel snapped his fingers at Chamuel, who nearly dropped the phone once more before typing a few things into the screen, handing it to the other who snatched it angrily from the blonde.

"I need your help to train him, teach him," Jophiel said, holding the phone towards Nate to see the image on screen. On the front of the phone was a social media platform, "Abel Lancaster" written on the top in a scratchy font. Nathan took the phone lightly from Jophiel, looking at it with shock as he scrolled down the feed on the phone. Stopping on a picture of Abel, his hair was shaggy, messy, dark, his skin almost ashy to the look. His sharp features, his choice in eighties fashion that made him look as if he were trapped in the Breakfast Club, it was as if he was looking directly at a picture of Gilbert. Speechless Nate continued to scroll downward, his mouth agape.

"How" Nate breathed,

"You went to sex Ed, that's how."

"But he never mentioned a son! Gilbert wasn't exactly able to keep a secret."

"We need your help," The angel's voice held a bit of irritation at the change of subject, "You're the only one who can train him, teach him. You and your brother were the best in the business, plus, he's your blood."

Nathan was shocked as he glanced over the pictures again. Shaking his head to loosen the anxiety that gnawed behind his eyes he handed the phone back to Chamuel. The blonde rapidly took it, leaning back into the couch yet again.

"Well," Jophiel asked, arching an eyebrow, "Are you going to help us?"

***

Only an hour ago Nathans's entire world seemed to change, Gil Had a child he had never heard of, a war was coming, and once again he was being dragged out of his house to fight things he had long let go of.

Nathan glanced over at Chamuel who sat beside him in silence. Jophiel had decided to meet the two at Abels home and vanished. Leaving Nate and Chamuel to drive a good five hours to an unknown location in the middle of nowhere Kansas.

"So uh," Nathan started, looking from Chamuel to the Map on the GPS that was settled into the air grates of the Chevrolet Corvette, a gift he had bought for his brother upon first entering the monster Slayer game. It was a brilliant red, the entire inside was customized and the trunk had been fitted with an assortment of weapons. His brother had been over the moon to get it, Gil's love for Corvettes was unmatched! But now Nathan found himself with the car, he didn't exactly like driving it but it reminded him of his long dead brother.

"Don't take this the wrong way," He started, biting his lip a bit before turning attention towards the blonde,

"Why are you so...nervous? No offense, but every angel I've met has been, well," He chuckled lightly to himself, "A dick."

Chamuel glanced over at him, tilting his head slightly before fiddling with the soft blue cardigan that covered his tall frame. Seeming to take his time to answer,

"Well, I'm…" He hesitated a bit, "I was sent down here to adapt and live with people." He started, "And all their emotions and trauma just became a little much I guess."

"Why were you sent down here? Especially such a long time ago,"

"I'm not sure, my creator just... told me this is where I needed to be. So, I'm here, I guess."

The awkward silence continued. Nate couldn't believe what Jophiel said. Even if this was Gil's son, how would he save the world? Train him? Was he even a Slayer? Then Chamuel — how was he going to help? Nate shook his head, He looked like he'd jump at his own shadow at this point. He mused to himself as Chamuel typed something onto his phone with eyes dancing across the blue screen, his smile soft.

"Why didn't you just zap yourself there?" Nathan asked, breaking the tension that had started to form. "You know, I've seen angels just-" He snapped his fingers "poof! into nothing and show up somewhere else in seconds,"

"Well I--" He shook his head, "I try to avoid using my powers when I can," he answered, turning his eyes from his phone to the world outside.

"Just seems like it might be easier,"

"It's not," Chamuel replied bluntly, causing Nate's next sentence to die in his throat. He knew Chamuel wasn't going to go into depth at this point, it was as if he was talking to an incredibly anxious brick wall. The Slayer leaned forward, flicking the music on as if to conclude the conversation. Chamuel hesitated a bit, glancing back at Nate with bright blue eyes,

"I'm scared," He admitted, "I was a low level angel, and they decided to bump me to archangel and since then I haven't felt anything but fear,"

Nate was a little shocked at the sudden rush of information, he wasn't sure how to comfort the other, he hardly knew him after all. But part of the man understood the fear.

"Being told you're going to save the world isn't a cake walk," He replied dryly, recalling when the angels had given him and his brother a similar prophecy.

"But if Abel's anything like Gil, I don't think you'll have to worry,"

"Why?"

"Because if anyone could save the world it was Gil,"

Nathan felt a sharp pain in his chest as he remembered his brother, how he'd always make him feel better in the worst times just by his presence. The man seemed like a mountain when the world was collapsing around him, and with that, Nathan was able to push aside his own fears, anxieties, even drugs to save everyone when it mattered most.

"And if he's anything like Gil, you'll be his friend by the end of the night,"

***

"We have new reports coming in, this mysterious sludge has been spotted around animals. If you see your dog eating it, take them to the ve--" The words of the reporter were cut off as the channel changed.

"Look out!! It's coming!" A woman now screamed on the television, the picture was in black and white as a teenager and her boyfriend raced away from a demonic little girl who laughed loudly into the air.

"Demon!" The teenage woman shouted as the little girl leapt at them, roaring dramatically filling the screen with fake blood.

"She's being possessed!" The man shouted out, screams followed.

"Hah! Stupid bitch, you just let that little girl jump on you!" He snorted, the man laid on a small, oil stained couch in the middle of his small garage. A bed was shoved into a corner with a mini fridge hooked up beside it. The garage had a few cars inside it, some with no wheels, others with an opened hood. The small room was covered in smoke as Abel took a drag of the strongly smelling joint between his fingers.

The sounds on the TV were second to the thoughts running through Abels head, tugging off his shirt the man tossed it onto the floor before rolling to his feet. Trampling his way towards the small fridge, he pulled it open, snatched up a soda and made back towards his spot on the couch. The scream on the TV didn't capture his attention as he fell into the cushions, his high causing him to sail above the world. His body tingled lightly from the drugs racing through his system that caused his head to float off his shoulders.

That is, until he heard the noise of a car driving up to his parking lot. The gravel road crunched under the wheels of the Corvette as it came to a halt. The dark haired male sat up, glancing at his phone, it lit up bright.

"Nine thirty, who the hell," He grumbled, taking a swig of his drink. Grabbing the baseball bat beside his couch, the man swayed towards the front of the garage and towards a small door that led outside into the cold. Glancing out of the peephole, Abel watched as the old school car parked itself just in front of his closed garage. The lights shone bright from the vehicle, causing him to wince against them before they shut off. Standing in front of the door were three men, though he couldn't make them out well through the mail slot. He rocked back on his heels, rapidly becoming sober as adrenaline kicked into gear. Who could be at his door this late?

Gripping the bat he swung the door open, the cold air immediately bit at his exposed skin. The three men looked shocked as he stood before them. Fiery green eyes glaring at them,

"What do you want?" Abel snarled, his voice echoed in the air around them, it held a higher pitch that Nathan was expecting, Gil had a decently deep voice but then again, he wasn't sure who the mother could have been.

Jophiel scoffed, standing tall, but before he could speak Chamuel spoke up,

"This is how you talk to your customers?" his voice was small as he held up a hand, "Our car just needed to be looked at,"

Jophiel seemed surprised at Chamuel as he spoke but said nothing. Abel glanced between the three, then pointed the baseball bat to Chamuel who stood behind the others, holding his hands as he did so.

"What's wrong with it?"

Cham bit his lip, stepping up so he was standing in the light that filtered from inside the garage. Noting the smell of marajuana but not mentioning it as he spoke,

"Not sure, we thought maybe we can come in and explain?"

"Why should I let you in?"

"Because you're freezing," Chamuel offered, giving a small smile as he stepped closer to the other. He towered over Abel but the smaller man didn't seem worried about this. Not backing down, holding the baseball bat firm. Chamuel was convinced that one swing would be enough to kill the body he possessed and possibly any friendship they could obtain when working together. They locked eyes for a few heartbeats, something happened between them. Nathan couldn't explain it, but he saw it.

At the other's words Abels anger seemed to fade, a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Man, I am freezin," He laughed, "Alright, come on,"

Maybe it was the weed, maybe it was the cold, but something about Chamuel, the nervousness in his features, his soft voice, brought an almost calmness to Abel. He didn't feel as if this old man dressing, blonde haired, anxious guy would be any threat to him. Though he made a note to keep an eye on the other two silently.

The three men followed Abel into the warm room. The small space had a thick smoke filling it as if Abel had been sitting in the smoke for hours, adding to it as the time went on. Abel stood hardly to Chamuels chest as he guided the three towards the small couch. Nathan eyed the man, his walk, movements, it was as if he was staring at a smaller Gil. The only thing that bothered him were a few neatly placed scars on his chest. Right below his nipples as if deliberate.

"So what's wrong with the car?" Abel asked as Chamuel took a seat, his eyes more focused on the blonde than the other two. Already deciding he trusted him more.

"Nothing," Jophiel growled out, closing the door behind him as he entered. If Abel was shocked it didn't show it, instead Chamuel noticed a flash of anger in the man's fiery gaze.

"Nothing?" He repeated,

"Abel Lancaster," Jophiel continued, ignoring the smaller man's confusion, "Son of Gilbert Lancaster," Jophiel slapped a large file on the coffee table that sat in front of the tv. Pushing aside a few soda cans, he opened it up.

"You have a file on me?"

"Mother is unknown, she only put Gil down as your father," Jophiel glanced up to be sure they were listening, "Born a woman, you jumped from house to house till you were nineteen, decided to drop out of college, be a mechanic." He flipped open to a picture of a young woman, short, sharp features, same hair and eyes.

"Yeah, and? Is that illegal?"

"Born Alice Lancaster, went to college for baseball. Got pretty far too! Until you changed your gender,"

Nodding slowly, "Yeah thanks, I always wanted someone to narrate my life to me,"

Jophiel ignored him,

"Than you dropped out and now you live here, that correct"

A woman? Nate looked over Abel for a few heartbeats. Nothing about him seemed like a woman. He was strong, muscular, he could tell he hit the gym, face dotted with stubble. How could he have ever been a woman?

"Take a picture, Goliath, it will last longer," Abel snapped at Nathan, glancing back at Jophiel.

"What is this? An audition for the Three stooges?"

"This is the end of the world"

This seemed to cause Abel to shut his mouth, eyes dragging from Jophiel back to Chamuel, then to Nathan.

"What are you guys high on? Cause I'd love some," He asked, a note of fear in his voice as he spoke.

"Take a seat, we have a lot to talk about,"

Jophiel insisted, motioning towards the old beaten couch that Chamuel was sitting on. Abel glanced between the men again, feeling like a child as he dropped down beside the blonde. Not caring if he brushed against the stranger or not, it was his house after all!

"My name is Jophiel, I'm an Angel of the Lord, this next to you is Chamuel,"

"Is he God's nervous cousin?"

"He's an archangel,"

Abel scoffed, "No offense but you look like a math teacher,"

Chamuel shot him a look but said nothing,

"And I'm Nathan," the man interrupted, "Nathan Lancaster,"

Abel paused his thoughts.

"Lancaster?"

"Yeah, as in, I'm…" He swallowed, "Your uncle,"

***

Abel paced back and forth now, bringing a lit cigarette to his lips as he listened to Jophiel's explanation. The angel goes into detail about the world around them, mentioning devils, angels, demons, cryptids and ghosts before diving into the small bits of information Jophiel felt was important about the others family.

"Your father and uncle were born into a family of paranormal investigators turned fighters. The Paranormal has gotten stronger as the years progress. The pair were destined to save the world, fighting their way into the heart of hell with archangel Michael to stop a demon known as Asmodeus from destroying the world. In the end Gil and Michael sacrificed themselves to save the planet,"

"And now we are here, ten years later" Jophiel continued, "You and Chamuel have been chosen by God themself to defend the world from the evils that are coming at it."

"Hold on," Abel raced his fingers through his hair, flicking ash to the floor, "You're telling me that I failed to be a baseball player because God wanted it?" He asked

"Yes"

"And that I'm some dead prophets kid or something,"

Nathan looked slightly surprised at the wording, "Something like that," Nathan said with a soft snort to his laugh.

"Prophet might be too strong a word," he grumbled,

"And I'm going to save the world with him?" Abel motioned to Chamuel, whose eyes flickered from the text on his screen when the other gestured.

"Unfortunately our creator works in mysterious ways,"

Chamuel flinched at this but said nothing as he moved his eyes back to the phone screen. Abel bit his lip, glancing back to the floor as he tried to come to terms with the information that was suddenly laid upon him. He felt as though he had been tossed in a tub of ice water.

"Hey can I talk to you," Nathan whispered to Jophiel.

Abel sat back down on the seat next to Chamuel as he watched the two men whisper to one another, before turning to head outside.

"We're going to be right back," Nathan called over his shoulder, trying to make his voice sound reassuring though it came off more anxious than he meant it to. The door shut behind them, leaving Chamuel and Abel alone in the quiet room. The faint smell of smoke still lingered in the air as Abel leaned back into the cushions.

"No offense, man," he groaned, "Nothing on you it's just, I'm kind of freaking out,"

Chamuel shook his head lightly, "I don't blame you, I am too," he replied softly. "Don't worry about it, I'm not offended, besides you weren't completely wrong," he laughed,

"I was trying to be a therapist,"

"An Angel for a therapist? Like, on earth or in heaven?"

"Earth, Heavens a little too…" he trailed off, scratching his face as he attempted to find the right words but they never seemed to come.

"This stuff can't be real, right?" Abel asked, closing his eyes to stop the spinning that seemed to go on forever in his mind, "Angels? Devils? I Heard about that weird black sludge but I assumed it was a hoax..." He trailed off, dropping the cigarette that had been in his hand to the table. Chamuel watched the cigarette for a few seconds, pondering what the smaller man had said.

"Trust me, I know it seems crazy, but well, it's as real as it real gets," Chamuel replied simply.

Abel watched him for a few more heartbeats before a soft crash alerted the shorter man, he jumped up from his seat. Another soft crash. Chamuel scrambled to his feet, following Abels eyes towards the door that settled in the middle of the room beside the couch. It led outside, towards the back of the garage.

"What is that?" Chamuel asked, curiosity sparked in his voice though a small anxious thought screamed at him not to check. Abel narrowed his gaze, pulling a silver baseball bat from the side of the couch. It was old, dinged up but seemed strong and sturdy.

"Dead is what it's about to be," Abel replied calmly, holding the bat firm in his hands as he slowly made his way towards the backdoor. Cham followed in step behind him, staying close but not too close. He didn't want the other to swing back with the bat and hit him with it. Another crash, this time louder than the last, caused Abel to jump to the door and swing it open without a second thought. Holding his baseball bat at the ready for whatever it could possibly be; only for him to let the head of the bat drop onto the ground with a soft clunk.

"What is it?" Chamuel whispered, glancing over the man's shoulder.

A startled group of raccoons looked up at them in one snappy movement of their heads. They settled around a knocked over trash can.

"Come on! Get outta here, man!" He shouted at them, waving his arms. The animals quickly scrambled from their spots into the safety of the open forest behind them. Abel chuckled, shaking his head

"You all have me going crazy over here," he laughed, glancing up at the angel, "It can't be true, yet I'm jumpin' outta my damn skin,"

As if on cue a loud screech ripped the air apart between them, Abel hoisted his bat up with a grin. The forest around them fell completely silent, the only noise was the soft breathing of the two as they glanced around the dark cleaning they stood in. Chamuel took a slow step back, causing the noise to explode out of the woods once more.

"Don't move," Abel whispered, narrowing his eyes against the darkness. He took a few rapid steps forward before glancing back at Chamuel with a look of irritation,

"You said don't move!" Chamuel whispered after him "But you're moving," Chamuel retorted as he scrambled to keep up with the other.

"I meant for you not to move, if I need someone to ask about feelings I'll find you first," he hissed at the other, feeling fear cloud his usually cool demeanor.

"I'm an angel," He shot back, "And you're the size of a third grader, I think I can help you,"

Abel turned on his heels, rage taking over the fear that had clouded his mind, "What did you just say about me?"

"That you're the size of a third grader," Chamuel snorted, finally getting frustrated. "Or is that too tall? Would you rather be a second grader?"

Abel glared daggers at Chamuel, clenching his teeth, "What are you? The angel of anxiety? At least be badass! And I'm not short, you bitch, I'm the perfect size to beat you in the crotch," He spat,

A soft groan caused both men to freeze in their tracks, glancing away from each other and back to the darkness. A hard wheezing now emitted into the chilly air, slowly Cham turned so his back was to Abel, Abel backed up until he touched the other. Both glancing into the woods, waiting, on high alert. Suddenly the crunching of leaves filled the air, the scream came once. It was closer, moving fast towards them.

"Is that a demon?"

"If it is, he's got a real breathing problem" Cham replied quietly as the woods parted in front of them, a large raccoon exploded from its depths. Eyes completely black, its teeth sharp, long, its body seemed to tremble with whatever was inside of it, controlling it, black blood oozed out of the multiple small cuts on the creature. Black blood fell from its jaw as it let loose another scream of pure anger.

"Those things have been sludged!" Abe shouted to Cham, who looked at the monster with horror etched into his features.

"Sludged?" He yelped out

The raccoon took off towards them, moving like a heat seeking missile with teeth gnashing, claws digging deep into the dirt and ripping apart the grass below. Leaving an eerie black trail behind its mangled body. Abel glared, stepping towards the monster and swinging. The creature hit the metal of the baseball bat and immediately screamed in horror as it was thrown backwards by the strong hit.

"Nice hit!" Cham called,

"Behind you,"

Cham turned his head to see another monstrous raccoon clawing its way towards him, Cham took a few steps back, fear flooded his face as he froze. Closing his eyes, he felt air rush past him as Abel jumped in front of Cham. The monster bit down onto Abels bat, screaming as its teeth met the hard surface of the bat before the creature fell to the ground. The brunette hoisted his foot back kicking the monstrous raccoon backwards with all his might and into the woods.

"Are you okay?"

"Why did you help me?"

"Because you're my partner, Cham, aren't you? God's word an all,"

Cham looked shocked before shaking it off, moving his attention back to where the raccoons had vanished. The wheezing started up once more as more raccoons slowly started to march out of the woods, Cham glanced down at Abel who had bent down to get a better stance.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," He snorted,

Cham turned back to the creatures as they slowly ascended upon the two. Then, a thought came to the man,

"That bat's metal, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, I think so,"

"Whatever comes out of those raccoons, beat them, don't ask questions just kill them," Cham's voice was dark, angry, something he hadn't shown when Abel first saw him.

"Point me in the direction and I'll beat anything you want,"

Cham's hand started to glow a soft pink, which caught Abel by surprise, but he didnt question it. The first raccoon raced up but with a quick movement of the bat, the animal screamed in agony before collapsing to the ground. Covered in a pink light, a large black blob of sludge-like substance came flowing out of the animal, the sludge screamed at Abel, causing him to stumble back, closer to Chamuel.

"What the fuck!" He gasped

Chamuel closed his hand and lifted it, causing the small sludge-like creature to be hoisted into the air. Abel didn't need any instruction, with a sharp smack the blob was thrown into the night sky. Exploding like a wet firework, leaving a small trail of black in the air before vanishing.

"Batter up!" Abel shouted,

The raccoons didn't seem phased by what happened just seconds before, they roared and charged at the team. The Angel rips the sludge from the already deceased bodies of the raccoons and throws it towards the baseball player who smacked them with a satisfying clunk! It seemed never ending with the amount of raccoons that charged at them, Abel could feel it in his arms, the sharp pains of swinging the bat for too long. Ignoring this he continued on with his fight, until finally, none seemed left. Chams hands dropped as the two looked around at the battleground before them. At least fifty raccoons stained the floor and littered the ground, all of which seemed to have died almost immediately when being possessed by the black sludge.

Abel let the head of the bat drop to the floor with a clank; blood, black as night, covering the top of his baseball bat. He and Chamuel were both breathing heavily as they waited for more to come.

"I think we're good," Abel breathed, shooting a lopsided grin at Chamuel.

"I know what we're having for dinner tonight," He joked, poking lightly at the raccoon bodies with his baseball bat.

"Oh, I can only get so turned on, first you take me to a baseball game and now dinner," Cham retorted, a sarcastic hint in his voice. The two took a few more deep breaths, laughing softly to one another.

"We... Made a good team," Abel noted,

"Still don't believe in demons and angels?" Chamuel asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Take that smug look off your face," Abel laughed, "Whatever you are, and whatever those are, they exist," using his sleeve to brush blood from his cheek.

"I don't know what's going on, but--"

"What the hell happened here?" Nathan asked, Abel and Cham turned their attention to the door that led out to the small alleyway. Nathan and Jophiel stood in the blood soaked entrance, Nathan looking shocked but Jophiel acted as if he had been waiting for this to happen.

Jophiel took a few slow steps towards the angel and Slayer, using his clean black shoe to softly kick over the body of a racoon. The animal seemed to heave before blood spilled out of it in a wave, Johpiel's gaze didn't leave Abel as he spoke.

"The start of war,"