Beyond (6 page)

Before Caspian parted his lips to ask him when,
the rush of wind from Michael’s departure knocked him off his feet , and he landed flat on his bottom in the snow.
“
What the hell ?
It ’
s nice to meet you too.
”
Cas pian regained his footing and dust ed the remain ing snow from his clothes. The only trace left of Michael was a single , white feather twirling to the ground.

Almost instinctively,
Caspian grabbed the feather before it landed , only to shove it in his pocket before heading back down the trail.
“
Maybe I could use it to make a voodoo doll of Michael, ”
he joked out loud to himself.

Chapter 3

The stain
ed—
glass windows that were once magnificent paintings of angels were shattered beyond recogni tion . Wooden pews were damaged and pulled out in th e back and the debris scattered on the floor. In front, a huge cr oss dangled from the ceiling above the center of a g ray , marble altar.
To the left of the altar was a statue of the Virgin Mary, her palms clasped together . Countless candles were lit on the donation table , flickering and swaying with the light breeze.
What was once a beautiful church was now abandon ed , only to become a shelter for stray animals and evil beings.

A helpless girl lay unconscious
on top of t he altar. Her hands were bound above her head , and her legs were spread apart and tied to the altar’s base .
Sandy—
blonde , disheveled hair spread above a porcelain complexion that only belonged to the faces of God’s first angels and their descend a nts.

Little did
the girl on the table kno w that a being had been following her for weeks. He ’d seized the opportunity to capture her at the right time , the day of Good Friday —also known as Black Friday.
Black Friday was the day of the crucifix ion—the day of darkness. It was the one day out of the whole year that God turned his back on his beloved humans. N
o prayers could be heard or answered.
It was the only time of the year when the dark shadows could be summoned , by sacrificing s omeone with a H
oly S
pirit ’s soul —so meone who was a virgin .

This poor, innocent girl had no idea why she had been captured.
She didn ’
t know angels and demons walked upon her world, let alone that she had a special soul.
When she had got ten out of her car upon arriving at home , she was startled by the sight of a stranger. He stood in front of her, eyes narrowed like those of a lion observing its prey . Using his angelic power, he compelled her to fall asleep, and took her the abandoned church.

As
she blinked her eyes open , her vision cleared to flick er ing candle lights. At fi rst she thought she was dreaming , but when she couldn ’
t move her arms and legs, smelled the burning flames , and gazed up to see a man she didn ’
t recognize, she knew she wasn ’
t.

Icy coldness
suddenly raced across her spine with bone chilling fingers .
Frozen from fear, her h eart pounded so fast she thought it would burst.
A black cape slightly covered the being ’
s head , but she could see his eyes, the eyes that were marked with death. They were uncaring, filled with anger and revenge.
His lips were scarlet red , as if they were stain ed with blood.
Th e strange r was tall with broad shoulders , and his long fingers were thin and boney.

When he turned his back
, she tried to wiggle out of her bonds , desperately trying to find a way to escape.
Unable to break free , her p an ic increased a thousand fold. Knowing she might only have a few minutes to make a difference in whether she lived or died , she screamed, “
Help!
”
But her voice was hoar se and hardly audible .

“
Don ’
t be frighte ned , my child, ”
he said, breathing in the scent of flowers from her perfume and stroking her hair back as if he could calm her.
“
I promise i t will only hurt a second , and then you won ’
t feel a thing , ”
he whispered in her ear .

“
Please…please let me go. I didn ’
t do anything.
”
Her tone was desperate.

“
Oh, my dear, of course you didn ’
t, ”
he replied .
“
Unfortunately, your father did , and now you have to face the consequences of his action s ; however, it worked toward my advantage.
”

“
What do you mean? My father is a doctor.
Look…we have money. Just call him and he ’
ll give you lots of it.
”

He laughed out loud.
“
Silly girl. Money is not my desire.
”
He straightened her turquoise dress, running his hand down her long , smooth -shaven legs.
“
Too bad you have to be a virgin.
”
His smile was wicked with lustful thoughts , and the way he looked at her body made her skin crawl . She grimaced and jolted sideways from his touch.

“
Then what do you want ? Name your price. I promise you ’
ll get anything you want. Please...let me go, ”
she sobbed.

He didn
’
t reply , focusing instead on his task.
He paced to the other side of the alt a r , making her feel nervous as she tried to watch his every move.
Guiding her head to turn, he brushed the nape of her small neck.

“
What are you doing?
”
she cried, but he did not answer her. Instead he continued, o utlining her birthmark, the Omega sign that looked like an upside down horse shoe .
When he turned away from her , s he sca nned the gloomy, ruin ed church, looking for a way out—anything. But when she saw the stranger holding a dagger he didn ’
t have a second before , she knew her life would end today , and there was no hope .

Trembling
and scared out of her mind , she begged for mercy.
It was the only thing she could do.
“
Please ...please...I ’
ll do anything you say. Let me go, ”
she pleaded, pulling and tugging the rope that held her captive . It scraped and p roduced a burning sensation on her skin.

When every ounce
of hope disappeared , all she could do was weep , knowing that she would never see her family and friends again . The life she ’d dream t of —to meet the man of her dreams and have a family she could call her own —had vanished too quickly. Kidnapping was something one hear d about in the news. Never had it cross ed her mind that it could happen to her.
Why me ?
she thought.
What did I ever do to deserve this ? K
nowing that today was her last da y on Earth , she closed her eyes and prayed for forgiveness and redemption .

Th
e being showed no compassion for her sobbing ; instead , he restlessly looked at his watch. It was a minute before midnight.
His eyes focused on her chest in the area above her heart , seeming to measure the distance.
Without any time to waste, he raised his hands up to Heaven, looked up to the cross in front and said, “
Beyond Heaven and Earth, where the souls of Earth angels lie. Take thy lamb and release the dark shado ws unto the night.
”