Impure Souls

LEIGH

My heart misses a beat, and my respiration becomes more and more panting. The infernal descent begins. My neighbour's arm will not resist. My nails sink into her flesh, she should scream in pain, but no sound comes out of her mouth. I'd like to stop, but I can't, my fear prevails. How can you remain so phlegmatic knowing that under your feet about ten thousand meters separate you from the ground?

"Leigh, you know, you should calm down. It's no use grabbing me like that," my neighbour says with a smile.

"Why didn't you ever mention your fear of flying? We're your best friends!" exclaims the redhead with black eyes.

If I had told you about my fear of flying, you would have decided to cancel the trip, I wanted to retort, but panic took over. Calm me down, Leigh. I close my eyes to calm myself. Think about the trip, all the crazy things you can do with Elise, Phoebe, and Hayun. We had so much trouble convincing our parents to let us go so no phobia will ruin our trip.

"The plane has landed Leigh, you can open your eyes!" says Hayun who gets up from the seat to take the bags.

That girl is always so unpleasant. Even if someone is about to die, she might not save him, it's a good thing we're friends.

"Move it, Leigh!"

So unpleasant. I pull my bag out of the luggage compartment, but he won't come out. Damn it, this is not the time! Suddenly, and also thanks to the irritation, I manage to loosen it. I turn to apologize to the person I just pushed, but I am amazed to meet that person in such a place. I open my mouth and ask him what he's doing here.

"You're really annoying!" exclaims Hayun while pulling me by the arm and before rushing out of the plane with the bag in hand.

Why was he on that plane? Why didn't I see him sooner? What the hell was that situation? It's like a rose water movie scene when the two main characters destined to live together meet and fall in love at first sight. But he's not my lover, he's my childhood friend I haven't seen in centuries.

"Hayun, did you know Josh was inside the plane?"

"Yes, I saw him rather in the boarding area. He was with his wife and little girl."

His wife? How long has he been married? I don't believe it for a second. Last time I saw him, he was dating this weird woman who kept sticking him and telling him how she felt all the time. This story goes back three years, I haven't seen it since I was fourteen.

Reality hits me like when the rain comes crashing to the ground. He married that weird woman. What was I thinking? The hope that he would fall in love with me was getting smaller every day. He would never be interested in a kid like me.

At the exit, Phoebe waves to us next to Elise. Happy to find them, I wave back to them. I can't stay another minute with Hayun. Ever since we got off the plane, she hasn't stopped ruminating incomprehensible words intended for me, all because we arrived last at customs and we have almost all the passengers before us.

"The exhibition starts soon, I don't think we can have time to stop by the hotel."

I nod. Phoebe's right, we can't afford to waste time. Even if we came to Greece to have fun, the main reason we came to the exhibition. According to some researchers, it is the greatest discovery of Man, it exceeds the Seven Wonders, cloning or the Internet. While science tries to explain the belief of the Angels in a rational way, all their research was annihilated when an Angel literally crashed on Earth. The images have been shown on every channel around the world. People could not believe their eyes, he could never have seen an Angel fall from Heaven in their own lifetime.

Greece's special forces deployed and captured him, all followed live by seven billion humans. Researchers have travelled to this country to begin research on this winged creature. Of course, nothing has been revealed to the public. Two months later, an announcement was made in Greece that an exhibition of the Mystical Creature would take place, which is how little by little this angel was named.

My father was one of those researchers who left. He was so excited to discover the secrets of the universe. It is, among other things, thanks to him that I can come here with my friends. If my father hadn't already been here, my mother would never have let me come.

Phoebe guides us through the crowded streets. She is originally from Greece, her mother left Greece to settle in France, where she met her husband. I take a look at Elise, silent since we left.

"Are you sick?"

She jumps at the moment I ask her the question. His gaze looks around as if someone or something is going to attack us.

"No, why are you asking me that?"

"You're usually the most excited and talkative one of us. You're just weird today."

"Really?"

This time, it's me who jumps when she suddenly turns around and grabs my arm, letting Phoebe and Hayun increase the distance between us.

"Leigh, I have a bad feeling about this."

His blue irises shake me, I take a look at our friends.

"Stop talking nonsense. Let's hurry up and catch up with Phoebe and Hayun before we lose sight of them."

"Don't think I'm crazy. You know better than anyone that my senses do not deceive me. Do you remember all those times I was right?"

A shiver runs through my body. She always took us out of difficult situations, like the day she dissuaded us from taking that bus that forced us to walk home, an hour later, we learned that the bus had an accident.

"Please, we have to get out of here."

With the other girls, we promised to always listen to Elise if our lives were in danger. I sigh before I call Phoebe and Hayun.

"What's going on here?"

Screams interrupt our discussion. Elise pulls my sleeve with her finger pointed to the sky. My eyes open, whereas we thought we had seen everything, sparkling balls with wings come down from Heaven.

"That's what I was talking about"

Elise, as pale as a dead man, stares at these armed Angels to the teeth.

"The end of the world."