The sirens kept blaring long before the plane started its decent and they kept going long after Mr. Hugo made his announcement.

  Gab thought Rafa would’ve snapped back to his old ways of thinking and start immediately melting at the sight of their hands together but instead he was staring deeply at the pair of hands.

  Seeing Rafa like this reminded Gab about how he found her that one night. When her world had been lit on fire by a single letter from her brother that read ‘I love you but this is goodbye.’ To her it felt like everything beneath her feet was collapsing. The flames raged through her life taking her apartment and job. Living had lost its meaning over a misunderstanding. And then there was Rafa, whose blinding smile kept the smoke from suffocating her.

  That’s when Gab noticed Zadkiel out of the corner of her eye. He was lazily holding his hand up over his mouth partially blocking the soft laughter that rolled off his tongue. His gaze pierced a hole through her normal defenses and hit her square in the heart.

  “Gab…” The words came out shaken from the trembling man. But that simple whisper stole every bit of Gab’s attention. She leaned in closer so her ear was next to Rafa’s mouth.

  “Yes Rafa?” Gab said patiently. Before today she would’ve expected a long speech from Rafa about how he was going to turn things around. How he would’ve used this as fuel for his dream of saving the world one smile at a time, but now she had no idea what to expect.

  “Oh Gab…” Rafa cried as he rested his heavy head on her shoulder.

  Before Gab could do anything the plane’s hatch had opened up. “Alright! Let’s move!” Mr. Hugo yelled as he got up.

  The sudden shift forced Rafa back behind his mask once more. “We will make it through this.” Rafa said with a smile as his hand fell from hers.

  When Rafa started to make his way toward the hatch that’s when Gab saw it for the first time. The red moon peeking over Rafa’s shoulder, staring straight through her just like how Zadkiel was moments ago.

  “Isn’t this the part where you chase after him?” Zadkiel said as his body seemed to float into view until it blocked the red moon’s gaze.

  “What? Why do you think that?” Gab asked trying to walk past the towering figure but couldn’t find the room to do so.

  Zadkiel hummed loudly, staring deep into Gab’s eyes. “What would make one want to do something like that?” The way Zadkiel spoke made it feel like he knew the answer. He just wanted Gab to think about it now.

  Gab took a deep breath in and pushed the angel to the side. “We should get going.” She said and then started to jog after Rafa.

  This was when Gab realized the cargo plane had landed on a large grassy field next to a high school. ‘Home of the Black Bears.’ A faded sign read.

  Rows of long abandoned houses outlined the field, red moss almost consuming them. Cars left in strange angles littered the streets. And for just a moment Gab realized there were no bugs buzzing around or any birds singing any of their songs.

  Gab wasn’t sure if she was just imagining it, but the ground moved ever so slightly up and down, as if it were breathing.

  Everyone from the cargo plane started to gather around Mr. Hugo. His hands were folded neatly behind his back as he stared off in the direction opposite the plane.

  That was when Gab realized how many people that were forced here by the draft. There was Rafa, the two angels that came with him, Gab, Scarlet and two other men she didn’t recognize.

  Gab looked to see what Mr. Hugo was staring at so intently. The red moon hung over the horizon, breathing mist into the sky. Towering red vines snapped through the air around it as if they were trying to grab at the moon but kept missing.

  “You see that men! That’s believed to be the source of this corruption we know as the red zone!” Mr. Hugo said pointing at the red moon. Gab could feel the blood coursing through her veins turn to ice as it stared back at the group.

  “We will go over the exact mission details later, but to keep it short for now I wanted you lot to get a clean look at our objective…” Mr. Hugo paused for a moment until he saw every pair of eyes look at the moon.

  “You mean you want us to get a good look at our executioner!” Scarlet shouted back at Mr. Hugo. Her arms were wrapped around her body to try and hide the fact that she was shaking.

  Gab only knew Scarlet in passing. She had only learned on the car ride over that Scarlet ran a business that made websites for other companies.

  One of the other draftees stepped forward. “You know I’ve heard rumors of what’s actually in the red zone.” The short man said.

  Mr. Hugo raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I believe your name is Levi Cooper, isn’t that correct? Why don’t you share with all of us what’s in there then?” He said turning around and backing up to stand in the crowd next to Gab and gestured for Levi to step forward and take his spot.

  Levi hesitated at first but after he took a deep breath he took the stage that was offered to him. What Levi lacked in height he made up for in muscle which made him look intimidating after he had the red moon hovering above him.

  “Don’t bother.” A voice cut Levi off before he could even open his mouth.

  A moment ago, Levi had been alone at the front of the group. Then, as if everyone noticed him at the same time, another man stood behind him.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Hey! Who are…” Levi tried to protest to the upstaging but when he turned around to face this newcomer a massive hand covered his face completely.

  “Get back with the rest of them.” The towering red haired man said as he raised Levi effortlessly into the air by his head and threw him towards the others. He tumbled and rolled until he ended up in a sitting position at Mr. Hugo’s feet.

  “It’s good to see you again Yuri.” Mr. Hugo said. He walked around Levi and patted Yuri on the shoulder while shaking his hand.

  “Hugo.” Yuri said simply with the faintest hint of a smile.

  Gab noticed that Mr. Hugo and Yuri wore the same uniform except the patch that indicated Yuri’s rank was a complex symbol that she had never seen before. And after seeing a thick red mustache on Yuri she thought that mustaches must’ve been apart of the uniform.

  “We’re still people! You can’t treat us like this!” Levi yelled as he crawled to his feet and charged at Yuri with his fist raised high.

  Gab’s stomach began to twist as she knew that this conflict wouldn’t solve easily.

  Yuri squatted down to the floor and grabbed Levi by his ankles and held him out in front of him like he was some fish he just caught and was ready to get his picture taken.

  Levi was so taken back at what just happened that all words escaped his vocabulary. “I’m sorry but you’re not people anymore. You’re soldiers now.” Yuri said before letting Levi drop to the floor.

  “Now this leads us to our next subject. We will be practicing your combat abilities to better your chances of survival in the red zone.” Yuri said and turned around to start making his way towards the school.

  “We were just kidnapped from our homes and now you’re not giving us a moment of rest before putting us to work?!” Scarlet yelled. This made Yuri stop in his tracks. He turned his head slightly until he could see her out of the corner of his eyes.

  “That’s what they did to me so that’s what I’ll do to you.” He put simply before continuing his march.

  “You’ll get time to rest later, for now let’s go.” Mr. Hugo said, his words only sounding halfway sympathetic.

  As Gab and the others dragged their feet right behind Mr. Hugo she realized all the lights in the school were on and people could be seen moving around inside. The cargo plane that they had all arrived in had taken off, signaling there is no more going back.

  Gab was beginning to lose hope in the impossible promise Rafa had given her after they had landed but part of her still wanted to believe him. “Mr. Hugo? What is this place? What’s going to happen to us?” Rafa’s voice was hushed as he was trying to make a scene but everyone’s eyes were drawn to him now.

  Mr. Hugo forced a polite smile. “This is a school of course. If you would like me to be more exact it’s a school that the church bought after the red zone grew closer to this region. Here it is the church’s job to make sure you know what threats to look out for in the red zone and the military’s job to make sure you have enough training to help you survive the red zone.” He said as they all arrived at the front doors to the school where several soldiers with big guns greeted them with salutes.

  Inside the building it was cold and dimly lit. Posters and flyers left by the previous occupants of the building reminded Gab of a simpler time. Bloodied bodies lined both sides of the hallways no mater which way you looked.

  Some of the bodies were missing legs or arms and every body was covered in red moss that seemed to have a heartbeat of its own. “What happened?” Gab gasped.

  “We don’t know. We just woke up one day and found these poor souls at the door.” Mr. Hugo said. That’s when Gab noticed each one of them were wearing a different style and color uniform.

  “But they’re not your troops… Have you tried reaching out to their countries?” Scarlet asked. Yuri began walking away and everyone followed him silently.

  “Here in the red zone we are all allies. It is all of us against that abomination.” Yuri put simply. He had stopped just before some double doors before he took a deep breath, as if he was holding something back.

  “There would be no use reaching out to their countries or families. Once you have been sent to the red zone your families are secretly issued a death certificate.” Mr. Hugo’s voice grew cold as he seemed to finish Yuri’s thought.

  Yuri threw open the doors he stood before revealing a gymnasium that was barely lit up by flickering lights and flood lights at each corner of the room. “We will start with sparring to get a benchmark of where you’re at. Break off into pairs.” He said before going to one of the corners being completely concealed in shadows. A faint and familiar light that only Gab recognized as a cigarette could be seen from the corner now.

  Gab’s first instinct was to choose Rafa as a partner but Michael had already lifted him off the ground and was carrying him like a bag to find a good spot to spar. She then turned to Scarlet who was trying to be talked up by Levi. She turned to the last member of their squad who she still didn’t know his name but Mr. Hugo was already talking with him, it seemed like the two knew each other by the way Mr. Hugo held onto the stranger’s shoulder.

  That’s when a towering figure peered over Gab’s shoulder. “It would seem like we will be partners.” Zadkiel laughed softly. Gab sighed. Of all the people here, he was the last one she wanted to be alone with.

  “Let’s just through this.” Gab said walking past the angel to an open spot in the room. She turned to face the angel once more, that’s when she realized he was gone.

  “Here I come.” Zadkiel said seemingly trying to give Gab a warning. His whisper seemed to come from behind her but she could clearly see his body lift off the floor a few feet in front of her.

  Gab raised her arms, thinking back to when she and her brother would wrestle since that was the closest moment of experience she had to this.

  “Oh… put those fists down. That’s not how us angels fight.” Zadkiel laughed.

  Gab was confused by the angels statement until an invisible force slammed against her chest causing her off her feet and back a few feet.

  “You know I may be in a weakened state but I still have divine power. I can enter everyone’s mind in this room… but you keep your mind so guarded that even I can’t enter it.” The angel mused as he floated over Gab and raised his hand until it was over her face.

  Gab could feel tremendous force being applied to her mind like there was an invisible hand trying to scoop out everything that made her who she was. She fought against it the best she could until she realized it was no use.

  “In the plane I asked you something. That question originated because when you were with Rafael Morales you had let your guard down enough for me to get a peak inside.” Gab knew exactly where Zadkiel’s accusation was going. She used every ounce of her strength to slap the angels hand away and break his concentration.

  “You’re a creep. You can’t just read peoples minds like that!” Gab said as she rubbed her head as it felt like it was in two now. She didn’t want to believe something like Zadkiel was real but since the red zone was born anything was possible now.

  The woman with walls so strong that even angels couldn’t break them, charged at the angle. She was intent on finishing this sparring match to be done with him.

  Before Gab could reach Zadkiel, he had disappeared and was replaced with three identical copies before her eyes. “Withholding information is a form of a sin you know? Why don’t you express how you truly feel to him?” Zadkiel’s voice grew more serious.

  One of the copies of the angel raised its hand towards Rafa and he began to lift in the air and was being dragged towards them slowly. That was until Michael snatched him from the air. “He’s mine!” Michael screamed not in anger, but in instinct like a lion grabbing its cub.

  Seeing how a physical fight was out of the question Gab took a deep breath and decided to use her words. “Not every emotion you feel must be expressed! There’s beauty in the unsaid.” She shouted at the angel.

  When tear’s began to fill Gab’s eyes, that’s when Zadkiel knew he had her. All three of his copies circled her. “Humans aren’t born with that mind set, let’s see what caused this so I can fix it for you.” Zadkiel’s voice softened.

  As he began to freely wonder Gab’s mind that’s when he saw nothing but flames and the letter from her brother. Someone she had trusted with her world, her own family had betrayed her. Zadkiel’s hand was placed over his own heart as that sight was all to familiar to him. “Lucifer…” Escaped his lips as tears ran freely down his face.

  Gab saw this as an opportunity to punch one of the copies in the stomach. She didn’t expect it to do much but her fist flew through the copy leaving only two left.

  “That’s it. You are afraid to trust someone again like that.” The two Zadkiel’s remained still.

  Gab grinned knowing the angel saw what she wanted him to see. “That’s not it.” She said punching through and causing another copy to vanish.

  “A feeling like love shouldn’t be taken lightly. I know if I were to confess my feelings to him that he would drop everything and make me his world.” Gab was careful to not mention Rafa’s name since he was still somewhere in the same room.

  She raised her fist and was ready to send it through the angel on e more but this Zadkiel had evaporated just like the rest. A hand from behind grabbed Gab’s wrist. “Isn’t that what you want?” Zadkiel said as she spun around and sunk her other fist into his chest.

  The fist planted firmly against the angels chest making it feel like Gab had just punched a thick wooden door. “I do… but I want him to focus on himself first. I’ll still stand by his side and help him how I can until then.” She whispered.

  Zadkiel couldn’t wrap his head around her logic but knew she wouldn’t budge. “And please… could you please refer to him as Rafa?” The request was simple but so technical the angel didn’t see a point.

  Seeing the angels confused face Gab knew she had to spell it out for him. “Rafael Morales is the star, he’s the one that hides how he truly feels and does everything he can to make everyone smile. Rafa is the sweet little boy who is still learning that it’s ok not to be happy all the time.” Silent tears trailed down her cheeks.

  This sight was all too familiar to Zadkiel. “I will tell you this, the Rafa I first met a few days ago compared to this current Rafa, he has grown quite a lot. He is healing.” The angel knew this was a lie because Rafa had only shown a few signs of emotional growth. Those few moment’s weren’t enough that Zadkiel could say for certain that he was healing he knew he had just lied and that he would pay for it later but he lied for Gab.