Angela ran through the forest breathing hard. She had been running for non stop for an hour and it wearied her, but she couldn't stop, no - not now. She paused in order to catch her breath.
This few hours had been extremely tough for Angela. She just couldn't fathom how all this had happened to her. Why her? Of all the people in the world. Her life had been perfect before all this happened.
Angela grew up in a respectable and religious home. Her father Mr. Marcus was a man who didn't play with his God and luckily for him, he found a lady with the same beliefs.
Their union was blessed with two children Angela and Sarah.
Angela grew up with the beliefs of her parents, while Sarah was the black sheep of the family.
Mr. Marcus was proud of Angela, and he prayed for Sarah.
Despite the difference in characters, Angela was able to maintain a healthy relationships with her younger sister. They were best of friends and this made her sister rely on her.
It all started a month ago, Angela was chosen by the Church to go on a retreat which would take place in an unexplored mountain.
The fact that the mountain was unexplored made the head Pastor try to stake a claim on it before anyone else.
The family were proud of Angela because only the best were chosen for such program.
On the day she was to leave, after arranging her things, Sarah entered her room without prior notice.
Angela was startled by her barging into the room.
“So you are leaving?” She asked Angela.
“Its only for a month.” Angela replied.
“Please don't, I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Its just a retreat, sis.” Angela replied. “Its not like I'm going to the battlefield.” She patted Sarah. “I will be back before you even know it.” They hugged and she left afterwards.
Isla ran through the forest of Paradise trying to escape from the Sons of The Author. In his hand was the object which made him a fugitive to his brothers. This object was a very powerful and dangerous object which could annihilate any of the Author's creation.
Isla reached a cliff which was a border between Paradise and Earth.
“Isla, please don't do this.” A voice came from behind.
Isla looked back and found one of his brothers standing there.
“I have to.” He replied.
“No, you don't.” The brother replied.
“You don't get it, Jimmy.” Isla told him.
“That thing with you can destroy the humans.”
“Thats the reason why I am throwing it down to them.”
“Father will not like this.”
“Father doesn't care!” Isla replied. “If he does, why would he distance himself from us?”
“We are not meant to question things he does.”
“Are we?” He asked rhetorically. “Maybe if I do this, he will face us instead of this petty humans.”
“That creature you are about to release will come for us after it's done with the Earth.”
“That is just a myth. Nothing is more powerful than the sons of The Author.” He threw the object down the cliff despite protest from Jimmy.
Jimmy jumped on him and started punching his face.
“Hit me! Hit me all you want! But it can't stop the destruction about to enter Earth.” Isah said with a bleeding nose while laughing.
Jimmy left him there and walked away. He was going to report to his Superiors.
The Church bus was noisy due to the crowd in it. Angela tried to concentrate on the book she was reading but the noisy atmosphere stopped her from doing so . So she dropped the book and started looking round her.
“Is that a Meteor?” Someone sitting some rows away from Angela asked when he saw a fiery object that just entered the Earth's atmosphere.
“Its heading for us!” The boy yelled and everyone started panicking. They called on he driver to stop the bus but before he could do that, it was already too late.
The meteor crashed into the bus and tore it to pieces killing some people.
Jimmy walked through the golden passageway to get to the judgement room in order to watch judgement passed on Isla.
The hall was filled and with all The sons except the Author himself whose seat was empty.
The seat was always empty, the Author never deemed them worthy to entertain his presence. Maybe Isla was right, the Author never loved them.
Jake the voice of the Senior sons who also refused to show up stood up and spoke.
“You are guilty of disobedience, Isla.” He continued. “Are you willing to accept your punishment?”
“Its all going to end, those worthless beings he called his precious Creations.” Then he laughed out loud.
Jake snapped his fingers and Isla melted to liquid sulphur.
Jake was not a powerful son but his closeness to the source of the Sons power made him powerful enough to kill another Son by just snapping his fingers.
“I have a message from the Author.” Jake told the other sons present there.
There was silence as they were all eager to hear what the Author wishes to say.
“He says that whosoever destroys the Loophole and saves the humans shall be promoted in ranks.”
The Sons loved this reward and thus everyone of them decided do the task.
Angela got up. She was wounded and it seemed to her that she was the only survivor of the car crash. Angela tried to walk but she couldn't due to the pain coming from her broken leg. Knowing there was nothing more she could do, she just sat there crying.
Angela was in the middle of nowhere. She was lost, broken and helpless. She prayed to the Author for help but none came.
Something glowing in the distance attracted her.
The glowing object had the figure of a girl. It had no flesh nor a face for everything was covered with glass.
“Who are you?” Angela asked
The creature looked up at Angela and jumped into her.
Angela felt something forming in her. It was a feeling she didn't understand.
“It is in you, already.” A voice spoke from behind.
Angela saw three men with huge wings standing there.
“Who are you?” She asked them.
“I am larru.” Said the man in the middle. Then he pointed to the two beside him. “And these are my Brothers. We are the Author's Sons.”
Angela was relieved hearing this. She thought she was safe with them. She thought The Author had sent her help.
“The Author sent you to help me, didn't he?” She asked them.
The Sons laughed out loud and then larru spoke.
“We are not here to help you, or to help any other human.” He said.
Angela took a step backwards. “If you are not here to help, then why are you here?”
The Sons didn't reply, instead they brought out their sword from its sheath. Angela got the message and was about running for her life when five police cars arrived at the scene. Eight armed policemen came out of the cars.
“Drop your weapons!” They ordered the Sons.
Angela sighed thinking it she was finally safe but little did she know that they were no match for The Sons.
Larru snapped his left hand fingers and all the policemen fell into a deep sleep. Then he turned to face Angela but she was nowhere to be found for she fled into the maize farm at the roadside.
The Sons flew overhead the farm but they still were not able to catch her.
Larru knew he had to do something, so he gently rotated his palm clockwise and the farm mysteriously caught fire. It began burning rapidly.
Angela couldn't breathe as a result of the smoke caused by the fire. She tried to escape but her vision was blurred by the smoke. Her life was gradually fading and she could feel it.
Angela fell to the ground and passed out.
Larru landed on the spot where Angela laid. He raised his sword high intending to kill Angela with it.
“Stop!” A voice roared. “Do not harm the girl.”
Larru turned and saw another of the Author's son standing there.
“We both heard the orders from the Seniors.”
“If you do not wish to die today, you will do as I say.”
Larru knew fighting with this Son would only end up in his blood. Everyone knew this Son to be very powerful. Even with his brothers, he wouldn't stand a chance. So he put back his sword and flew away.
Angela found herself on a bed when she opened her eyes. She was lost regarding where she was. Her head ached but at least she wasn't dead. Her hand went to her protruding stomach and she yelled. How did she come to be pregnant.
A black muscular man entered the room holding a tray on which there was fruits. He was happy seeing Angela awake.
“Careful, its time is almost due.” He said to her.
“It?” Angela asked. “What am I carrying inside me?”
The man dropped the tray and motioned Angela to sit down.
“You are carrying the Doom.” He told her.
“And what is the Doom?”She asked.
“When The Author created the world, he also created it's end.”
“And this Doom is the end?”
“Not exactly, it is destined to bring the end.”
“Why should I believe you? cause you sound crazy to me.”
“And it shall come to pass in the days of wisdom and knowledge that a virtuous woman shall conceive and bring forth the destruction.” He quoted from the Holy Writings of The Author.
Angela was familiar with that passage. It was a mystery found in the book of the Dooms found in the Holy Writings.
“So this Doom is coming through me?” She asked.
The Stranger nodded. “It is.”
Angela felt her life was gone. Why her of all people? Was it a bad thing to keep herself? She had just had it. She yelled at The Author upstairs. “YOU ARE SEEING THIS, AREN'T YOU? DO YOU EVEN CARE? I WAS FAITHFUL! WHY ME?”
The Stranger was irritated at her actions. “Do not speak of him on such way.”
Angela now knew his identity.
“You are one of the Sons, aren't you?”
“I am Jimmy, Proudly a Son of the Author.”
“You siblings are out for me but you saved me, why?”
“Because faithful people like you are few in this world so killing you will be a loss.”
“Tell that to your brothers.”
“They won't listen, they think they are acting under The Author's orders.”
“Wait, The Author ordered my death.”
“I am not sure; we receive orders from up above.”
“So you are saying that maybe one of your Seniors could be responsible for this.”
Three Sons appeared in the room, each fully armed with their swords drawn.
“Hello, Jimmy.” A familiar voice greeted.
Jim recognized the voice, it was that of Isla whom he saw the Senior liquidate.
“Isla?” He was surprised. “I saw you turn to liquid sulphur.”
“You saw what The Seniors wanted you to see.”
“The Seniors tricked us?”
“For a reason that I will not tell you.” Isla replied. “Now, hand over the girl.”
Isla looked at the girl and looked at his brothers. Then he disappeared.
Isla was shocked at his brother's cowardice but nevertheless it made things easier for him.
He faced Angela. “Seems my brother is more of a coward than I thought.”
A swirling vortex appeared out of nowhere and swallowed the Sons leaving only Angela.
Jim appeared looking weak for the vortex had drained him.
“What was that?” Angela asked him.
Jim wiped the sweat off his burrows. “I am weak.”
Jim knew he would die but he had one last thing to do. He took a step closer to Angela.
“I am sorry that you were involved in all this.” He touched her protruding stomach. A bright light from his palm entered Angela.
“What did you do?” She asked him.
Jim fell down coughing blood. He tried to speak but he couldn't as the cough kept on getting stronger. Then he gradually dissipated. All that was left of him was powdery sulphur.
Angela just watched a Son die, it was all strange to her. Everything she had encountered was strange. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her tummy. Her water broke meaning the baby was coming down. She tried all she could to hold on but the being in her wanted to be released.
After much pushing and energy wasted, the child finally came down but Angela was not alive to see it. The pains were to much for her thus she passed on.
The child grew instantly grew in size, from a day old child to a twelve year old girl. She was naked so she stripped Angela's lifeless body of her clothes and walked out.
She walked on the roadside heading to the nearest city.
A kind hearted man saw her and stopped.
“Where to, young lady?” He asked her.
“The nearest city,” She replied.
“Well, hop in. Lemme give you a lift.”
The man rode an old trailer which had a fading red color and a fowl stench.
She entered . “Thank you,” She told the man.
“I am just helping out.” He replied.“What's your name?”
She didn't have any, so she looked round for anything she could read and she saw a little mermaid toy with Ariel written on it laying close to the front glass.
“Ariel,” She replied. “My name's Ariel.”