Fourteen Years Later

Fourteen years later.

In the rainy city of Riftmoor, a television distorted heavily by static flickered to life in an electronics shop window. The employee who turned it on drearily started opening the rest of their store.

The outside of the store was illuminated by a neon light, reflecting off the wet concrete. The light was obscured slightly by a thick fog that was also present. Both combined to slightly shroud a dark figure watching the television programs from the outside of the shop. The figure stood with a black hood on and covered their face with a cloth mask.

On the television, a news channel was playing. A handsome man and a beautiful woman jovially bounced topics back and forth before becoming suddenly grim.

Seeing their expressions, the young man got slightly closer to the television, reading the subtitles, and trying his hardest to hear them speak from inside the shop. After a moment of receiving information from their earpieces and getting slipped some papers, they spoke up.

"Tonight, we have breaking news that Nate Thompson was found murdered in his home in downtown Riftmoor. As you may know, Nate Thompson was the CEO and founder of West Creek Munitions, a weapons company working hand-in-hand with the government to prepare for the potential end of the ceasefire between demons and angels."

"Viewer discretion is advised for this segment, so if you're sensitive or your children are in the room, you've been warned. We've received a police statement which tells us that his throat was slit, and he was hung from his ceiling by his feet, draining much of his blood. His heart was also crudely excavated from his chest. Police say another statement will come later after more investigation, expect that later today."

They showed a heavily censored image of the crime scene.

The young man, tired of standing in the rain, entered the store and went to a television in the back. He walked with his head down and avoided the main counter, instead choosing to walk around the back.

He reached the television section and stood near a large, high-definition television. The audio was much easier to hear this time around.

"-ollows the pattern of the recent high-profile killings in Riftmoor. Two other high-profile government officials as well as another civilian working with the government were found dead in the same way. Three angels have also been found dead this way as well."

The other newscaster started speaking, "The crimes, due to their nature, are suspected to be done by demon hit squads, although that isn't confirmed at this time. If it is not demon hit squads, there is almost certainly a serial killer loose in our fine city. Please stay safe out there."

The person watching the television furrowed their brows slightly.

"Ah! Hello sir. I didn't notice you come in. Are you finding everything alright, or do you need some help?" An employee wearing a red shirt walked up to the young man watching the television.

"No thank you. I was just coming in from the rain for a moment." The young man said without turning to the employee.

"Oh, alright. Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know!" They said with fake cheer before walking back to their counter. They eyed the suspicious individual from the counter, not once taking their eyes off them.

The news segment came to an end and the young man turned and started leaving the store. The employee watched them the entire time but didn't know if they had shoplifted anything. The young man glanced slightly towards the employee as he left. The employee hesitated slightly, but just let the figure leave.

Stepping back into the dark rain the figure quickly started walking. They turned into an alley and disappeared as quick as they came.

Later, a man and a woman got out of a limousine and dozens of cameras started illuminating the now night sky which had stopped raining. They entered a large mansion where dozens of expensive cars were being parked. The couple walked along the red carpet, occasionally waving to the cameras. They eventually entered the building and saw many people whispering amongst themselves. Most of them had serious faces adorned.

The inside of the building was extremely lavish. There was intricate woodworking embellishing everything and an extravagant carpet was spread across the floor. The décor was very ornate and fit well with the gothic architecture. The lights across the walls as well as hanging from the chandelier were very warm, giving the room a soft orange vibe.

The couple eventually found their seating and started talking to those at the table. The subject of conversation amongst everyone was the various murders around the city.

"Whoever it is, I'm gonna fuckin' bury them. If it's a human, I'll crush their entire fuckin' family." A very muscular man dressed in a nice suit said, he wore multiple golden rings and necklaces. He had a golden watch on with diamonds covering it.

A greasy overweight man whose thinning hair was slicked back countered, "And if they're a demon, or a demon hit squad? What if it's the angels? What will you do then?"

The muscular man stared at the greasy person sitting across from him and answered, "Demons and angels aren't excluded. It's just that those bastards won't allow for anything further than the perpetrators themselves."

The overweight man sneered but ignored the person sitting next to him, instead focusing on his food. The couple who had arrived just moments before sat silently just listening in to the hushed conversations around them.

They looked around at the other tables trying to find the guest of the evening and the person responsible for bringing everyone here. Eventually they spotted a table with a person wearing a white suit covered in many tiny thorns, which also were white. The nearby greenery seemed extra vibrant when they were around him. He was a person who looked no older than twenty-five, and they didn't have a single blemish on their face. In fact, it looked as perfect as could be, as if molded by a god themselves.

They sat with a few other people, all of them looking extremely strong. They talked amongst themselves without a care in the world. The table was composed exclusively of angels, the only ones at the party. The chatter at the table easily overpowered the hushed whispers nearby.

"The graduation of the 13th apostle." An old man, nearing his nineties said when he saw the couple looking around, "I didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime." He chuckled and was speaking in a normal voice, as if he didn't care if he was heard.

The couple stared at him before the woman spoke softly, "You really believe that stuff those angels spout?"

"I am old, and I am dying. Let me believe in something Selina, I'll go mad if I don't…" The old man slightly swirled his wine in his glass with a bitter smile and laugh.

The woman clicked her tongue and left him alone.

Eventually another guest entered the party. A tall and well-toned pale man with parted pitch-black hair, wearing a perfectly fitting black suit walked in the room. He was as pale as the moon and had dark bags under his eyes. Like the angel from before, he also had an extremely nice face. On his hands were black rings and tattoos slightly peaked out from under his suit. He was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette.

As he entered, all eyes were drawn to him.

The muscular man adorned in gold mumbled, "What's that fucker doing here?"

The so-called 13th apostle, the angel who was covered in thorns, got up from their chair and walked over to the man. Upon reaching the man, the two figures contrasted each other in just about every way. But they ignored their differences and shook each other hands.

They both started heading towards a table with three chairs. The apostle left the group he sat with and joined the new guest in sitting at the table.

The couple watched this scene play out, but the husband couldn't help but ask, "Who's the new guy?"

The old man and the muscular man laughed out of their noses but didn't answer. The greasy, overweight man from before did instead, wearing a mocking grin on his face, "That, my friend, is the lightning demon, John Doe."

"Why is a demon here?"

"The demons say they don't have anything to do with the murders, as do the angels. So, the angels got the new apostle and the demons got John and sent them both over here. I wonder if the war will ever start at this rate." The greasy man chuckled as if even he didn't believe what he was saying.

Selina just rolled her eyes.

The apostle and the lightning demon both sat in their chairs talking quietly to each other for some time. Eventually everyone had arrived and was settled, save for the single empty chair between the two.

"I must say, he's got some balls standing the two of us up." The apostle said with an annoyed voice.

"I wonder if that's the only thing we'll ever agree on… Probably!" The lightning demon laughed while flicking the ash off of his cigarette.

After a couple more minutes they both got up. When they did the eyes of everyone at the party darted to the two. They were, without a doubt, the strongest individuals here. One of them alone could most likely kill everyone here and get away with it.

But luckily for the guests they just called over an attendant. After speaking for several moments, the attendant quickly walked away talking into a microphone in their sleeve.

Although it was a large mansion, it wasn't that big considering it was in a city. Thus, when a scream was heard across the mansion, nearly everyone freaked out.

A blood-curdling scream rang out from the mansion's library. The apostle and John were the first to start running towards the screaming, but eventually the rest did as well. As they all entered the library, they saw someone trembling on the floor.

Before they went to check on them, their eyes were drawn to a dark liquid pooling onto the carpet. As droplets continued falling from above, their eyes and head naturally lifted themselves.

Above them was a man with his throat slit, his head bludgeoned in, and his knees broken. His legs were both being held by a thick rope from the second story railing of the library. His chest looked pried open.

Some guests threw up, some looked away, but many were completely undisturbed. But two men were completely perplexed. The lightning demon and the apostle both looked at each other.

When their gazes met, they both shrugged and slightly shook their heads.

"Wasn't me."

"Wasn't me."

The apostle took a knife out from his suit and threw it at the rope, causing the man to fall into a puddle of his own blood. The two men started inspecting the corpse. Very quickly the two found out that the body was missing its heart, much like the other murders.

The party eventually was cancelled, and the police soon arrived.

John, the lightning demon, spoke to the apostle, "Well, I've got other things to do, so I'll be on my way."

He stuck out his hand and continued, "Hopefully I'll be the one to get to kill you."

The apostle shook his hand and simply replied with a genuine smile, "Likewise."

After which they both parted ways.

Leaving the mansion John opened his phone and called a number. It barely rang before someone answered it.

"Hey, meet me at the bar we went to last time we went here."

"…"

"Yeah, that one."

"…"

"No shit?! It closed? But their food was the best!"

"…"

"Oh. Ew, never mind. Uhhh… meet me at the diner we ate at time."

"…"

"That closed down too?! Okay, now I feel like you're lying to me."

"…"

"Okay, meet me at the other, other diner then. Oh, and bring the rest."

"…"

"Alright, see you there."

John closed his phone, lit another cigarette and started casually walking along the road, but it started quickly raining again. Annoyed, John whistled at a taxi as it drove by, when it pulled over, he hopped in.

Selina and her husband on the other hand got into their limousine and their driver took them home. Selina's husband was queasy the entire ride and had to roll down the window to puke.

"It's just a dead body, why are you like this?" She questioned with an annoyed face.

"It's not the body I care about, it's what it looked like. And the smell, ugh, the smell! God, how do you stand it?"

Selina just shrugged.

Upon entering their mansion that was outside of the city, they quickly separated. Selina went to take a shower and her husband went to eat something after emptying his stomach.

Their mansion was incredibly modern. Everything was as refined and sleek as could be. The lights were blindingly bright due to everything being white or painted white.

Nearing the time Selina was getting out of the shower, the door creaked open. Selina, hearing this, quickly shut off the shower. She and opened up the foggy glass door. She peeked out slightly but didn't see anyone.

She opened the door entirely and saw someone standing by the doorway.

The person slowly walked in, and Selina calmed herself down when she saw the person. She was noticeably paranoid due to the murders.

Her husband walked in slightly drunk and plopped down onto the toilet. She breathed a breath of fresh air and hopped back into the shower to finish rinsing herself off.

As she was finishing up, a smell drifted into her nose.

"Honey? What the fuck did you eat? Ugh, that smells horrible."

She saw a figure standing outside of the foggy glass when she finished up. She opened the door and saw someone who was slightly taller than her and completely obscured by their clothing, besides their eyes. But she collapsed instantly after getting hit in the temple by something hard.

She collapsed into the shower and noticed her husband sitting on the toilet. He had barf all over his front, and his neck was dripping with crimson blood. He stared lifelessly at nothing, and Selina herself quickly fell unconscious.