Apocalypse's Horsemen (Devil's Assistant Series - Book 3)

Apocalypse's Horsemen [32]

Chapter 32

Panic. Chaos.

There was no clear way to define what happened next.  War had only just finished her speech before the crowd was once more in a panic. People fled, running as far and as fast as their feet would carry them away. I found myself knocked back a step as people pushed and shoved past me in an attempt to get away faster. I planted my feet and held my ground even as people bounced off of my wings.

There was so much confusion in those moments. My lack of height meant that I couldn’t see what was happening, couldn’t see what had everyone so panicked. I was forced to just stand there and try to fight the tide of people rushing towards us. I had to trust that the others would be able to stop this new threat. I could feel little hands brushing the inside of my wings, stroking the feathers gently. It was soothing and I wanted nothing more than to stand there and enjoy the feel of it.

Gunfire rent through the air so I clenching my jaw as I tried my best to ignore the sensation. Instead I kept my attention on War. The red head had allowed her body to age, looking fiercer and more like a warrior than her previous visage. She was sat on the edge of the stage, her eyes roving over the mania unfolding before her with childish glee. It was the first time that I actually thought that her smile was genuine. It was terrifying.

She was so involved in her entertainment that the horseman never noticed the arrival of two others on the stage. First I just saw the dark hair bobbing above the edge of the far side. The head looked left and right before the body made an appearance.  Gabriel held Binah’s hand as they climbed up on to the raised platform. Both kept as small as their bodies would allow as they edged carefully along the stage.  

My stomach churned. Even from this distance I could see that both of them had been hurt. Binah had claw marks across her face, her face already swelling underneath the bloody wounds, and yet she remained standing. There was an underlying weariness that still consumed her body but there was strength there too. Her eyes were focused on her kin. There was a rage unlike anything I had ever witnessed burning within them as she as focused on War.

Trouble was definitely brewing and part of me longed to uncurl my wings and join in the battle. I kept still.

My eyes saw the moment that Binah became trapped in another vision. Gabriel wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees before sweeping her off of her feet.  They two of them disappeared behind the abandoned drum kit, the instrument offering them little in the way of shelter. If War was to turn her head, they would be caught.

My mouth went dry and my hands felt clammy. Nerves welled within me. I wanted nothing more than to keep watching the events unfolding on the stage. Fear for my friends was first and foremost in my mind but I knew that they could handle whatever was thrown their way.

With reluctance, I turned and looked out over the square. The crowd had finally cleared enough that I could see what was happening on our level. My heart thudded in my chest as I saw it. No more than twenty feet from me there were approximately twenty masked men. The masks themselves were unsettling. Each wore a hockey mask which hid their features from view but it was the faux paint splatter that decorated each of them which made them truly chilling. I hoped it was paint splatter because the alternative told me that more than one person had lost their life.

Just this group of men in masks would have been a terrifying sight on a normal day but today, it was the weapons in their hands that caused the greatest panic.

Several held automatic weapons in their capable grasp while they stared down the crowd through the masks. A large heavy set man rested his weapon against his shoulder, his attention roving over the crowds almost apathetically. I gulped. He had damned bazooka – I didn’t have to be a expert in weaponry to know one when I saw it.