Blink {Featured}

Chapter Forty One

JOHN FINNIE

Belial's huge body crumpled and burned in on itself as John leapt off of it to watch, swaying in the relative calm before him. The other Johns faded to nothing, along with their Sems as John stared at the carnage. He locked eyes with Scarred John, who gave him a nod and floated away on the wind.

'I have it John!' shouted the most beautiful voice he could ever want to hear. He turned to see a ragtag angel bleeding from wounds serious enough to kill a mortal. She made her way through the smoke and dust until their eyes met. The smile on her face gave him all the info he needed.

John ran across the rubble, through the smoke, dodging between huge lumps of tarmac, cars, and the dead. Tears streamed down his face, but the grin he wore faded as a man-sized black orb floated down between them.

'Do not do this John,' Dark John said, his voice seemed distant from inside the sphere.

'It's over,' John said, 'why can't you accept it?' I'm going for the first. I'm going to stop it before it all begins. You should be happy.'

'And yet I am still here John. Strange that I'm here.' Dark John looked around. 'Strange that I'm here still, when all the others have faded. I can stop it John, I can live. All I have to do is kill the angel and destroy the first photo, pretty simple really. Then there is no other path for you.'

Sem grimaced in pain as she drew her sword. 'Step out of the fucking sphere John, let's see who kills who.' She tucked the photo into the sleeve of her suit and moved into a combat stance.

Without even a whisper Death appeared beside John again. He put his hand on John's shoulder and spoke three words. 'You are mortal.'

Dark John's sphere disappeared and he floated to the ground. 'Come then Angel,' Dark John said with a grin, 'kill me if you can.'

A luminous acid green ball appeared in his hand but disappeared as soon as it came, then he screamed. 'What have you done?!' he shouted, turned to John. Blood gushed from the wound across John's wrist, bubbling occasionally, and as he watched Dark John's left hand curled up, gnarled.

John staggered a little. 'It seems you're not as powerful as you thought John, you rely on me to survive!' And with that he stabbed himself through the leg. Dark John screamed again and hit the floor, followed closely by John as he pulled the sword from his leg and grit his teeth against the pain threatening to overwhelm him. With monumental effort John rose to his knees and leant forward with his throat on the sword tip.

'I swear I'll do it.' John grimaced with the pain. His head went light and he moved forward, cutting into his throat. Dark John grasped his throat. 'No!' He croaked. 'Stop! I will go, just stop this madness, or you will kill us both!'

John locked eyes with Dark John. 'No, only I will die. You will cease to have ever been.'

Dark John nodded and a dark orb appeared over him. 'You have not seen the last of me John Finnie!' With one further vengeful look he faded into nothing.

Sem was with him before he could tip fully into unconsciousness. She grabbed him and lay him on the floor with the tenderness of a mother. 'John' --stroked his cheek-- 'you crazy fucker, you were going to kill yourself for me. I could have taken him, no need for all this.'

She looked around at the wrecked city, the stench of the dead hung heavy in the air. Smoke and fire seemed to be all around them, adding to the reek of this hell on earth. The shouting and pleading seemed to get louder as the people realised help might possibly come. Sirens sounded in the distance and helicopters hovered in the air, their propeller blades cutting with sudden and frightening violence.