Sons Of War || Andy Biersack

Chapter 24

You felt faint with relief and a renewed feeling of helplessness. You had located the angels. What now? Waltz in and take them? You got the distinct feeling that that would not go smoothly at all.
Andy was so overwhelmed with very similar feelings that he simply stared at Angelo with a expression on his face that was something between relief and shock.
"What now?" You were the first to break the fragile silence that had ensued.
"John has everything ready for us," Angelo smiled. "Unfortunately this is rather a suicide mission, so we won't have backup for going in-"
"What?!" You exclaimed loudly. You weren't quite sure what you had expected. You had been so hell bent on finding the angels that you had completely forgotten to think ahead about any of this going forth. Of course you wouldn't have backup for going inside! You, Andy, John and Angelo were the only ones that were supposed to know of this business. If Angelo's entire agency found out about the angels, it would just be a war for who gets to take them. John and Angelo, you kept forgetting, were completely going against their country and government by keeping this quiet.
"Angelo how do we"--Andy said, gesturing vehemently to himself and you, then to Angelo--"break into a highly secret facility, get the guys, and get out without being caught, killed or kept for scientists to poke with needles? There are only three of us."
"Good question, dear boy!" Angelo took a deep breath and you and Andy both buckled in for a long speech. "I am going to spend the next day while we are here putting all of my hacking skills to the test and trying to gain access to their data. If I can obtain a layout of said facility, then I should also be able to locate the weak spots where we can sneak in. I may even be able to find the exact location that the angels are being kept. Then, once we have the boys back, we'll sneak out the same way we came in. I'll resupply you with a firearm, Y/n, for this is going to be excessively dangerous and I do believe you can handle yourself white well with a hand gun. Speaking of shooting things, my dear, I really must get a phone back. John, you'll never believe it! I saw the most amazing bird when we landed at the landing point! Unfortunately I had no camera with me, for my phone, as I've said, has been misplaced-"
"Angelo, you're getting a little off track, buddy," John interrupted, seeing as no one else volunteered to do so. Angelo sniffed and nodded. "Right, right! That's my bad-"
"Anyway," John continued with a sigh. "I'll print you out a map to the location on the radar. Angelo, you know where to stay. Make your guests feel comfortable. And say hi to the monsters; they've missed you like hell."
You got no time to ask what this meant. Angelo's face lite up like Christmas and he was suddenly in a rush to leave. "Right! See you tomorrow, John," he said hurriedly, grabbing you and Andy by one arm each and pulling you behind him as he left the room with quickened steps.
You had to practically jog to keep up with him as he left the lab and came back to the door you had entered through. It didn't require you to unlock it if you were leaving, so he simply flung it opened and dashed up the dark stairway. You furrowed your brow as you tried to think of what could possibly have made Angelo so excited. You were beginning to feel out of breath when you finally made it to the top of the stairs. Andy was behind you, not out of breath, and you two shared a baffled glance as Angelo tapped the button that was on the sliding secret door and then waited.
Ms. Laurence had to open the door, for if there were civilians in the post office and the hidden door suddenly came open . . . well, it would no longer be a hidden door.
Evidently there were no people in the office, for the wall moved almost a second after Angelo had hit the button to let her know that you needed to be let out.
"Hello again, Ms. Laurence!" Was all the greeting Angelo gave. He hardly glanced at her as he headed straight for the door. Ms. Laurence didn't look up at him, or you or Andy. She just closed the secret door and quietly sat back down.
The sunlight and fresh air felt amazing after being cooped up underground for a few hours. Angelo led you straight for the biggest building in town. The one you had noticed earlier with the sign on the front that said "Mary's Children."
You squinted your eyes in confusion as Angelo opened the door and stepped in only a few steps so that you and Andy could come in as well.
The little lobby that lay before your eyes had eleven children in it, all sitting around a large circular wooden table. The kids ranged from ages three to maybe fifteen. The little ones were coloring and the older ones were paying attention to their phones. No one looked up when you came into the building.
"What, is no one going to come say hello?" Angelo demanded loudly, a look of utterly false disappointment on his face.
At the sound of his voice, all eleven heads shot up; their faces glowing with surprise and joy. All the kids immediately dropped what they were doing as the room suddenly became full of shouts of "Angwie! Angiwo!" From the little ones.
Angelo knelt down on the ground and spread his arms open as at least six little kids ran to hug him. The older ones, of which there were four, waited patiently for him to stand back up before throwing their arms around him. You hadn't notice yourself inch closer to Andy, but you found yourself cowering behind him. Eleven kids suddenly running your way had a quite a terrifying effect.
Once the excitement and screaming died down, Angelo turned to you and Andy, a particularly small little girl on his waist, and introduced you to each child in turn. The little one whom he was holding was the youngest, Lily, a three year old. The oldest was a male of sixteen by the name Logan. The second oldest was a girl named Jenny who was fourteen years old, but when Angelo said this she indignantly added, "fourteen and a half!"
"Right, my dear, I'm sorry! Fourteen and a half," Angelo corrected himself with a fond look at the girl, who stared back at him with the brightest smile.
Once everyone was properly introduced, a Lily squinted her eyes at Andy and pointed. "Wut iz dat?" She demanded.
Andy looked alarmed.
"What is what?" Angelo asked the girl. "That's Andy, Lily."
Lily shook her head. "Dat!" She pointed again and you turned to look at what she was pointing to. Behind Andy's head, a ginger tail protruded from the hood of his jacket. You bit your lip to cover up a smile and reached behind Andy to grab his disinterested cat. As soon as you pulled her out into view, Lily gasped and giggled gleefully. "Kitty!" She clapped her hands together in an absurdly cute fashion. Andy grinned at the child and took the cat from your hands, offering her to the enticed little girl.
"Do you want to pet her?" He asked.
Lily looked from Andy to the cat, a big smile adorning her small face and scrunching up her round cheeks. She extended her hand hesitantly and pat Ginger's head a few times before bursting into a fit of laughter and throwing her arms around Angelo's neck.
Everyone wanted a turn petting the cat, so Andy handed her off to Jenny, who gave him a dazzling smile. You watched with a small sigh as Jenny batted her eyelashes and bit her bottom lip.
Andy didn't pick up on the fact that the young female was obviously already in love, so you decided not to say anything.
It was a few hours later that an older woman, maybe fifty or sixty, walked into the room with a small smile. Her eyes sought Angelo and she gestured for him to come hug her.
Angelo walked over and gave her a bug hug, Lily still in his arms.
"How have you been healing, Angelo?" The woman inquired. "You've been eating well? And getting lots of fresh air? And sleeping well? And what happened here on your head? Where did that bruise come fro-"
"It's simply wonderful to see you, Miss Mary!" He interrupted her motherly inquiries, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
It only then struck you what this place was. This was an orphanage.
And Angelo was an orphan.
The pieces all fit perfectly. He hadn't had any photos of his family when you had been in his house; only birds. The house had been slightly empty, and now you understood why. It was because he didn't have many possessions to begin with. He'd lived here at the orphanage before his accident in which he gained that disturbing scar on his neck; raised from a baby to grow up into a government agent. It hadn't been his choice. After he'd been injured and it was clear that he was no good as a field agent but excellent in other ways, he was free to live where he wanted while he recovered. So he went to New York, and picked out a nice large house out in the country, away from flashy lights and hoards of humans telling him what to do.
You could have cried. He had clearly missed his 'monsters', as John had described the children.
You grabbed Andy's hand and pulled him away with you to let Angelo have some time with what he must consider his family.
When you turned to look at him, Andy saw your eyes slightly watery and cocked an eyebrow at you. "What's going on? What's wrong?" He asked you, concerned.
"Nothing. . . It's just. . . Did you suspect Angelo was an orphan?" You asked emotionally.
Andy's look of confusion grew deeper. "A what?"
After briefly explaining your deductions and the concept of orphaned children, Andy understood much better. He didn't look like he was going to cry, not even close, but he did have a distinct look of empathy behind his eyes. "Wow, that. . . That must have been hard growing up that way," he said.
You nodded and glanced in Angelo's direction. His face was alight with laughter as he listened to what a little boy, no older than five, was telling him. He always seemed to spring back from things so quickly.
Your gaze moved to Andy's thoughtful countenance. Angelo wasn't the only one in pain. You had, understandably, not been paying much attention to the details and emotional ticks and cues of those around you lately, but right now, as you looked fixedly at Andy's face and eyes, you could see clearly how much strain he was feeling. His sapphire blue orbs looked tired and pained. Under them, dark circles resided. But he had a steady spark of strength burning within him that he worked tirelessly to keep aflame. He couldn't break. Not while so much was on the line.
Andy glanced down at you and noticed that you were now staring at him, rather than Angelo, or the small girl who was tugging at that gentlemen's sleeve. You looked so worried and caring. He realized suddenly how grateful he was that you were there for him when he smashed into the earth's surface and began bleeding out. You didn't have to save him then, and you didn't have to save him now. But you wanted to. It never crossed your mind that you should discard him and the others, by default discarding all the problems and struggles that came with them. No one would have blamed you. Yet, you never even had the thought cross your mind.
You easily got under his skin, but he didn't mind it. Not terribly. Okay, sometime it was a bit aggravating. Alright, sometimes it was really aggravating. Damn it, sometimes you could be such a pain in the a-
"Andy! Y/n! Come on, I'll show you to the rooms we shall be taking residency in tonight," Angelo called out, kissing Lily on her forehead and passing her off to Logan. She began crying immediately and Angelo had to give her the cat and assure her at some length that he would be back before she finally stopped her small muffled sobs. You smiled at the scene and followed him to a wide staircase with brightly stained wooden steps. The place was very well lite, and the children who lived here were obviously adequately happy to be here. As happy as an orphaned child could be, you supposed, absently wondering if all of these kids were destined to be government agents as well.
The upstairs was nothing but a long hallway with doors on each side. The sleeping chambers, if you will. Angelo led you down the hall to the door at the very end, then pointed to the first doors on either side of it.
"We'll sleep in these three rooms tonight and get an early start tomorrow," Angelo said cheerfully. "I still have matters I urgently need to discuss with John, so I must leave you both. I trust you can fair just fine on your own here, but I advise that you don't leave the building so that I may find you quickly if something comes up. Not that I suspect that something will come up, but you can never be to careful when in difficult situations such as this one. Oh, and I've come up with a splendid solution to our feline issue! We'll leave her here for the kids to tend to whilst we risk life and limb rescuing the others! If we don't make it back this would be a perfect home for her, and she seems fond of the children-"
"Alright, Angelo. Sounds great," you stated loudly, not wanting to think about not coming back. Angelo sniffed slightly and smiled at you. You feebly attempted to return the smile. However, Angelo appreciated the effort and leaned down to plant a brotherly kiss on your cheek.
"I'll be back later this evening," he said dismissively. "I trust I probably wont be back by the time you decide to retire, so I bid you both a good night. Get lots of rest! We will be up early tomorrow getting arrangements underway-"
"Goodnight, Angelo," you patted him on the shoulder, not in the mood for a every detail about said arrangements. He left you and Andy alone in the hall staring after him.
"Well," you said hesitantly, turning to Andy. "I guess we should try and get some sleep?"
Andy nodded. "Goodnight, Y/n."
"Goodnight, Andy."
You stepped in through the threshold of your room and flicked on the light. It was a cozy little room with a bed neatly made, bright hardwood floors, a dresser, a lamp on the bedside table and a little bookshelf. Though slightly empty and devoid of the personal touch that humans tend to leave behind in their place of residence, you thought it would do quite nicely for the night.
You were unsure of what to do with yourself, so you decided to just get in bed and turn off the light.
Sleep, as was usual these days, didn't come easy to you. In the darkness, alone with your thoughts and nothing else to distract you, you began to think about things that made your head hurt. The most forthright in your thoughts was the curious dream you had had the night you stayed at Angelo's place. It was such an odd and maze-like structure you had seen; so cold and unwelcoming. You had an uneasy feeling in your gut that you would soon be seeing the place through your own eyes, very much conscious and awake. But another part of you thought that that would be impossible. It was just a dream, you kept rethinking to yourself as you absently bit your fingernails.
The darkness of the room got denser and denser until you felt yourself becoming slightly claustrophobic. You were relieved when you heard the unmistakable soft but springy steps of Angelo coming down the hall passed your room, entering the one he was staying in.
Wait, Angelo? How late was it?
1:04. Perfect. You hadn't slept one wink as of yet. But just as you began to think this rather irritable thought, a strong warm breeze swept through the room and washed over you. Your mind, suddenly at ease, quieted as your eyelids became heavy. You fell asleep so fast you didn't even have time to consider the fact that you had no windows open, nor a door.
A breeze so strong coming through the room was a scientifically impossibly.

~~~~~~~

It was around three in morning when you heard a tap on your door, so slight that under normal circumstances, you would not been woken by it. You had no idea why you had woken up this time, but you figured it was because your nerves were so high lately; your body was simply more alert. When you opened your eyes, you were surprised at how refreshed and alert you felt. You figured it must almost be morning or something, for you felt like you'd had a good nine hours of solidly peaceful sleep, but when you glanced at your clock and found it was only three, you grew slightly confused. It couldn't be Angelo at the door waking you up for the morning, for it wasn't yet morning.
"Come in," you called out softly, sitting up and pulling your blanket up with you to keep the chilly night air from biting your soft warm body.
The door opened hesitantly and none other than Andy stood in the doorway. It was rather difficult to see him in the dark, but you could make out his outline, and that was enough to let you know that something was wrong. He was shirtless, as he usually slept, and the light from the moon that crept in through the window illuminated the cold sweat that covered his angelic skin. His face was drawn with hints of fear marking every corner.
"Andy, what's wrong?" You asked, growing worried. "What happened? Is everything alright?" You slide out of the covers to go over to him. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, breathing shakily.
"Nothing happened," he said quietly, his voice unsteady. "I--I just . . ." Words abandoned him as he suddenly couldn't think of what he wanted to say. You crossed the room silently on bare feet until you stood before him, gazing up into his eyes, now paled by the dark hue of the room.
"Are you okay?" You asked calmly, your voice low and quiet. He looked up so as to not meet your gaze and shook his head slightly. "I just. . . I didn't want to be. . ." His voice trailed off as he looked at anything in the room but your inquisitive stare. He was incredibly vulnerable, and you somehow knew exactly why. Finally, he said weakly, "alone. I didn't want to be alone."
"You had a nightmare, didn't you." You said evenly, taking both his hands in yours. It wasn't really a question, so he felt no need to answer. His palms were clammy; a clear sign of nervousness. You had suspected he'd been having disturbing nightmares lately, but right now, you simply knew the cause of his discontentment, as sure as if he had told you a day in advance.
Yow slowly moved closer to him, as though you were afraid you would startle him if you moved to quickly, and wrapped your arms around his torso, resting your head on his muscular chest. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around you as well, accepting your comfort.
You stood like that for a moment before you pulled away from him and quietly lead him to the bed, lying down next to him with your chest resting against his and your head against his shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?" You whispered gently. You felt him shake his head. "No. I'm sorry about-"
"Don't apologize. Get some sleep," you said soothingly. He stared at the ceiling for a moment in thought. Your heavy warm weight against him was a comforting feeling, so he focused on that as he closed his eyes and tried not to think anymore.
You somehow had the knowledge almost immediately about what was troubling him, but what remained unknown to you was the fact that he had laid awake tossing and turning for two hours before working up the nerve to reach out for help.
His deteriorating mental state of constant strain was overwhelming, especially considering the fact that he had spent his entire life in paradise. He was naive, and scared. Tomorrow or the next day, depending on Angelo, he would be setting off in the direction of sheer doom, death, or worse. But he had to save the others, even if that meant dying in the process.
His hope--his distant hope--was that maybe if he died redeeming himself, maybe the Lord would spare the others.

Hola, lovelies!!! I just wanted to thank anyone who is reading this story and voting and commenting and stuff, it really, really means a lot to me!! You guys are the best, I adore all my readers! See you next Monday, my dears ❤
-Skye