PART 6

CHAPTER 5

The noise of the footsteps became louder and clearer each and every second: whoever was walking around outside was coming closer to the small cave. Monica held Andrew tightly and closed her eyes, silently praying for protection. She felt Andrew squeezing her hand against his heart and knew that he too was quietly asking the Father to take care of them.

The intense lightening, followed by a loud thunder, allowed the blond angel to see through the entrance: there were many creatures outside, equal to the one that had captured Monica. A split second later, the 2 angels heard a familiar evil voice echoing through the woods.

“Look very carefully, she must be here somewhere!” Monique was in command of the evil beings, just a few meters from them. “She knows she can’t escape from here; to even her dear angelic friend will be able to save her!”

The blond angel gulped at those words: the demon already knew he was there - they had to get away form that place as soon as possible.

A long minute later, he and Monica heard them moving away from that place and the little Irish angel finally opened her eyes. She raised her head and tried to make his face out but the total darkness blocked her vision. Andrew, however, seemed to sense her glance and, placing the palm of his hand upon her cheek, he brushed a gentle and reassuring kiss on her forehead; that tiny gesture managed to put his heart at ease as he wanted. Only nearly 5 minutes later, did the blond angel spoke again, though it was more like a whisper, “Are you ok, my angel?”

“Yes...” she replied, also in a very low voice.

“Can you stay here for a moment? I’ll go up to the entrance of the cave to see if they really went away. If they’re gone, then we’ll leave this place and go back to the road I used to get here...”

He felt her tightening her hold on him, as if begging him to stay right there by her side, terrified to be torn apart from her dearest friend once again. But, as much as it broke his heart, Andrew kissed the top of her head and gently pulled away from her embrace, “It’ll be just a second.”

He walked over to the narrow opening and carefully looked at his surroundings. For precaution, he didn’t use the gas lamp and hid himself in the shadows of the eternal night. The lightening allowed him to check his surroundings for a few seconds and the blond angel heaved a sigh of relief realising there wasn’t anybody around. Quickly, he came back to inside the cave, “Monica, we have to go now, they’re gone,” he said, lightening the gas lamp.

“Ok...” she tried to stand up with some difficulty due to her aching body. Andrew was quick to help her up and before they left the cave, he kissed the back of her hand, “Remember I won’t let you go, my angel. I’ll be holding your hand all the time, ok?”

“I know. I trust you my very existence, Andrew.” she replied, looking at him with her eyes full of love and trust. And that look caused his heart to skip a beat. Carefully, he wrapped his arm around her small shoulders, bringing her closer to him in a kind embrace. Monica held him back and rested her head on his shoulder for some moments.

“With the Father’s help, we’ll get out of here, Monica, I promise you. I love you angel. Very much and deeply, with all my heart. And when we get Home, I’ll also stay right by your side, all the time, until you heal; and even after that!”

A slight smile appeared on her face and she pulled away just a few inches to brush a tender kiss on his cheek, “I know that and I’d love that. So let’s go, cause I can’t wait for that!”

Chuckling at her wording, he took her hand again and both left the cave, going back to the dark and sinister woods.

*

Sitting on an armchair, inside the small house, Erika watched David’s restless sleep for a long time. The medicine Monique had given her was so strong that the guy didn’t even have time to move to the bed, and ended up sleeping on the couch. The young demon seemed to be absorbed in deep thought and stared steadily at him, as if trying to imagine what would be the next step of that diabolic plan and most importantly, wondering what his life would be from that moment on.

Joy remained by the kitchen door, quietly observing Erika and David, and also with a hint of sadness in her dark slanting eyes.

*

In another part of that same neighbourhood, Tess steered her Cadillac in a low speed, trying to find the little puppy that she, Monica and Andrew loved so much. But, beside the small animal’s disappearance, she was terribly worried about her 2 angelic friends due to the terrible dangers they would be facing at that moment.

“Father, you know I’ll do whatever You ask me wholeheartedly, I know You have a plan in Your mind, but please, take care of my two babies... Protect them from the evil that’s been around on this night...” the supervisor prayed

“He’s taking care of Monica and Andrew, Tess. You and I know that He’s protecting His 2 angels right now,” Rafael said, sitting on the passenger’s seat.

“Yes, I know that, baby, but not having any news about them breaks my heart and worries me deeply! And I’m sure you feel just the same!”

The young angel nodded his head, “Yes, you’re right. I cannot stop thinking about where those two can be now. Just hope Andrew finds her and that they can get out of that place as soon as possible. Besides, I feel terrible about what happened to Joy, you know.”

“Oh baby, we know it wasn’t your fault; that little baby puppy is adorable, of course, but she is and always will be a baby and isn’t aware of the dangers she’s exposed to and the consequences of her actions. Besides, it’s not the first time it happens.”

“Oh no?” Rafael asked, visibly sad about the naughty puppy’s escape.

“No. Joy got lost once, on the beach, while Andrew, Monica and I were on vacations. And she escaped right under Monica and Andrew’s noses. But they ended up finding her.”

“I just hope we can find her too. I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her.”

The supervisor patted his hand, We’ll find her, Rafael. And you’ll give her back to the ones she belongs to.”

*

Andrew and Monica crossed the dark and scary woods as fast as they could, the blond angel holding her hand tightly and detecting all the possible obstacles ahead of them, especially the rocks on the ground.

“Step where I step, angel girl. And don’t let go of my hand.”

“I’m right behind you, Andrew... and please don’t think twice if we have to walk faster, it’s ok with me...”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to get more hurt than you already are!” he replied, bringing an inch of comfort to the Irish angel’s heart: even in such a dreadful and dangerous place, Andrew’s care about her was constant; a proof of the infinite love he felt for her.

They kept on walking through the dead trees and finally arrived at a slope. And, despite the loud crashing of the thunders and the howling wind, it was possible to hear, not far from them, the constant noise of running water: there was a river at the bottom of the slope.

“Is it a river, Andrew?” Monica asked, as he held her by the waist, helping her to go down the inclining ground.

“Yes. The water is dirty and flows fast, but it’s not deep, it goes up to my chest.” He said, feeling the apprehension rising in her heart.

Monica had made some progress concerning her fear of water, she had even faced dangerous situations involving water – one of them to save his own life, but the tension within her soul was still there and it was perfectly justifiable due to the circumstances. But the blond angel elected not to say a word about it, after all he was there and would never let anything bad happen to her.

They kept on walking and finally arrived at the bottom of the slope, on the riverbank. Then, he looked at her, searching for any sign of reluctance in facing the water, but the little Irish angel nodded her head bravely. “we must not waste any time, Andrew!” she spoke, giving him the encouragement to go on.

“Ok. I’ll get into the water first. Hold this for me...” he gave her the gas lamp and gave a few steps into the water, which quickly reached his chest. Then, he stretched his arm and, with extreme care, he grabbed Monica by the waist and helped her to enter the water, which, in her case, stood about her neck.

The blond angel took the gas lamp back to his hand and kept a firm arm around her body. “Monica, hold me tight and whatever happens, don’t let go, ok?”

“Ok.” She replied, and, as she felt the water lashing her body, the little angel couldn’t avoid a low moan of pain.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing... I... the cuts in my arm and on my feet... the contact with the water causes them to hurt a little...”

His heart broke hearing that, as he knew her pretty well to imagine how hurtful it was for her; not to mention the danger of an infection due to the dirty water.

“We’ll get out of here soon, honey. Now come...”

As much as she tried to avoid it, Monica’s heart beat faster each and every second: the strong flow of water was such that, if it wasn’t for Andrew’s firm grip on her, she would be taken away down the river. Besides, she too gripped his T-shirt tightly, as if her very existence depended on it. And she wasn’t far from the truth.

“I guess the water level has risen...” he said, noticing that his dearest friend was struggling to keep her head out of the water. He had to be careful not to let her slip from his arm and at the same time, to keep the gas lamp in his other hand, as it was what guided them through the darkness.

They were in the middle of the river when, suddenly, Monica felt a sharp pain in the sole of her foot, as if a sharp object had entered her skin. “Andrew!” she cried, loosening her hold on him.

“What is it, Monica?” he immediately stopped walking, and was deeply worried.

“Something entered my foot...”

“Oh God...”

“I guess it was a piece of glass...”

“Can you walk?”

“I guess I... Andrew, be careful!!!” Monica suddenly screamed, with terror in her eyes. The streaming water quickly brought a huge tree trunk and, as Andrew had his face turned to the little Irish angel, he didn’t see it coming right behind him.

The large piece of wood hit him in full force and knocked the blond angel on the water. Due to this, and to the force of the flow, he couldn’t keep his hold on Monica, and the furious waters of the dark river took both angels.