Malignant | Jack Kline

Chapter Thirteen

We carry on through this storm, tired soliders in this war,
Remember what we're fighting for.
━━━━━ ◦ ✩ ◦ ━━━━━

Both Mali and Jack sat side by side as the dawn of the morning appeared. Over the last few days Jack was proud of himself for managing to get a smile out of the girl. He found that the more he distracted her from her old life the happier he found her to be.

She wasn't stupid however, Mali knew exactly what Jack was trying to do but she didn't complain for it was actually working. The more they focussed on the future the less she thought of her evil past.

Mali had come to terms with helping the humans, getting to know the children and their parents had affected Mali's heart, it almost seemed to make her feel more human, she found herself acting more like them and the emotions she would feel were exhilarating.

Out of the corner of her eye however, Mali caught Mary waking towards them, so her conversation with Jack gently abrupted to a halt as they stood up.

Mary could see how happy both of them were here, how much better human company was than with the angels. Being in the camp had allowed them both to really tap into their human sides, something Mali had compressed from the day she was born out of fear of Micheal.

She was lead to believe it was ugly and the cause of disdain from other angels, when really it was jealousy. Mali could be powerful and emotive, strong but also allow herself to feel vulnerable. She could live forever and stay in the true vessel of a human body until the end of time without burning up.

Mary sighed as she reached them and her eyes met the ground. "You both really like it here don't you." She continued to stare at the dirt.

"These people," Jack began," everyones so brave." He stated without being disrespectful towards Mali, she was so sensitive about what she had done to the humans and it was proof that himself and Mary's presence was rubbing off on her.

"But we can't stay," she announced, and Mali's heart skipped a beat, there was nowhere she'd rather be, nowhere she left like she actually fit in without being looked down on or called names.

Here was where Mali got a new start, and she was willing to protect that.

"It's because of me isn't it?" Mali said sadly, her voice trembling slightly, it was always her fault and now she'd ruined Jacks and Mary's chances at being happy.

"No kid, don't blame yourself because it was on me," Mary sighed, "it's not fair."

Mali found herself getting lightheaded, and every inch of hair on her arms stood up as she took a deep breath. She knew this feeling, and the fear of what was going to happen next made her voice tremble.

    "Angels..." she barely muttered, and then every siren over the camp was blasted loudly.

They'd found them.

"We got incoming!" Bobby shouted as he ran past them, desperate to get to the children, and as Mali turned around one of the angels was heading straight towards her, approaching as a fireball in the sky.

Before they could bomb drop her, Mali felt Jack throw himself at her where he knocked her out of its impact, keeping his arms over her in an effort to protect her as the dirt flew around them. Jack lay on top of her, eyes closed with his arms around her.

As they scrambled onto their feet from the ground they could hear the screams in the ringing of their ears. "Run!" Mary screamed as she urged the nephilim get as far away from them as possible.