A PALE HORSE

The news followed the story of the warehouse fire for weeks, Peter had grown tired of the coverage, the questions, and the interviews. He only wanted to get on with life and to mourn the losses. They were able to save Max from the water only to lose him in the hospital. He wasn’t particularly close to Max, but when you go through what they went through, all of them, well, they were all forever connected. Peter wasn’t sorrowful, though. He was angry, almost to the point of vengeful fury. It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t just or right, either, he thought. Olivier, the master vampire, or whatever he was, had escaped. He had gotten away and Max was dead. Max, who had done so much for so many in their short time together as a family. Family? Yeah, Peter thought. That’s what it feels like… family. Max, Maggie, Margueritte, Naomi, Abe, Joshua… they were all now a part of him, forever. But Max… it just shouldn’t have been Max. The ultimate price paid by the one who least deserved to pay it. Peter paced back and forth in his office, mulling over the events of the night. He remembered Michael telling him to get everyone out. He had witnessed Sam go all Super-Saiyan before rushing from the room. He remembered that Joshua had told him he had planted explosives in the rooms and in the tunnel, and the only thing he can figure is that when Sam finally exploded with power, he took the bombs with him. He hoped they were okay. He hadn’t heard anything from Michael or Sam since then, but angel business was not his business. He was sure they would turn up before too long. It seemed that they, too, were inextricably involved in whatever was going to happen going forward. Momma Rose had told him they were fine, but she hadn’t been herself since they found out about Max. Margueritte’s demeanor was different as well, but not in the same way. She has been throwing all her efforts into helping ARC find out what Lev Avatov has been doing since his only son died. Peter opened the large French door, and stepped out into the sweaty evening to survey Governor Nichols below. The lives of the folks that passed, laughing, drinking, and holding hands had not been indelibly marked or even changed in any way by the events that had taken place recently, and he hated them for it. He wished, more than ever, to be one of the blissfully ignorant partygoers that ambled down Bourbon Street, selfish and unaware of anything but their own debaucherous goals for the night. He sighed and placed his hands on the wrought iron, still warm from the afternoon, and thought. Maggie was on his mind presently. She was so distraught over losing Max that the doctors had to sedate her and keep her for observation the day after he passed in his hospital bed. It was all too much for her, he thought sadly. She had split town a couple of days ago. He knew that she had spoken briefly with Margueritte before leaving town. Her LACE magazine had published an article that she had submitted telling the world of the illegal activities that Lev Avatov had been involved in. She made sure that the world knew of the girls that he had kidnapped and trafficked. The Russian police raided the Avatov compound and found enough evidence to seize his property, but ARC operatives had informed their contingent in New Orleans that the underground lab and all of the genetic testing evidence had been either moved or destroyed. As far as Peter knew, they did not find the naga that Max and Maggie had found, but Max did say that those tunnels stretched for miles. They could literally be anywhere. He had thought about asking Abe if he would fly him up to see Maggie, but he felt that maybe she preferred to be alone now. Peter surveyed the horizon as the sun sank low and melted against the Quarter’s skyline. He sighed heavily, then turned and headed back into his living room, closing the door on the sunset. He felt sure that when she was ready, she would return. ARC needed her for what they were going to be attempting, so he felt that he hadn’t seen the last of her. Especially now, she has just as much skin in this game as anyone. Peter’s phone started singing Where No Man Has Gone Before, what the non-nerd collective knew as the theme to Star Trek, and he jumped. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had forgotten that the world had gone on existing. He walked over and picked up his cell phone from the table. Naomi was calling him. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her, and he excitedly answered, “Hey, Naomi!”

“Peter…”, came Naomi’s voice from the other end of the phone, and she didn’t sound good. She sounded like she had been crying and there was an exhaustion there that made Peter instantly want to comfort her.

“What is it, Naomi? What’s wrong?” he asked, softly. She probably had a fight with Darius and she needs some cheering up, he thought. No, she wouldn’t ever talk to him about something as mundane as guy problems! It has to be something else.

A deep, shuddering breath and then, “I called to tell you that my uncle…” She started sobbing on the other end of the phone. Peter was worried now.

“What about your uncle? Naomi, what about Abe? Is he okay? What’s going on?… Naomi, talk to me!” Peter almost screamed into the phone. Naomi hiccupped into the phone as her crying jag subsided some.

“He passed last night. He’s gone, Peter.” Peter almost missed the chair as his legs gave out from under him. He sat down hard, taking the blow just like it were a physical punch to his stomach.

He ran his hand through his hair roughly and in disbelief said, “What? How? He was fine when I talked to him yesterday!” He heard the sniffles through the phone that told him that she was still crying.

“He died in his sleep, Peter. They tell me it was a heart attack, that he was in poor health. That’s bullshit, Peter! You know it is!” she said with a conviction that told Peter that there was more to the story.

“So, what happened, really?” he asked her.

“I found his window open. My uncle would never have left the windows open. He hated the smell of that river at night, and especially not after finding out about those creatures who kidnapped Sarah! The windows into his loft apartment were wide open. When I looked outside the walls had scratches in them. Claw marks, Peter! Those things were in my uncle’s house”, at this, she started crying again “and they killed him!” The thought of having those creatures crawling through Abe’s home was horrible. Peter shivered at the thought of the grunch pawing through his hangar.

“But why? Why your uncle?” Peter asked her.

“I don’t know! A message, maybe? I think that they were trying to send a message,” she said in earnest.

“But how do you know that they did anything to your uncle? Those claw marks could have been from before when they got Sarah.” He wasn’t trying to get her stirred up, but it seemed to Peter as if she was trying to find some hidden meaning behind Abe’s death.

“I’m not crazy, Peter! I know what it seems like- Aw, poor Naomi can’t deal! Those things were in his house! IN HIS DAMN ROOM! I heard the EMT’s talking about how creepy it was, they said the word ‘exsanguination’. Do you know what that means? I had to look it up later, but it means that there was no blood in his body, Peter! They told me heart attack, but it was more like heart failure from lack of blood!” At this point in the conversation, Naomi was hysterical and Peter was at a loss for how to help her. “Peter!” Naomi said snapping him out of his stupor.

“Do you need me to come over or do you want to come over here? Momma Rose may be able to help.” Peter told her.

“I’ll come over there, I don’t think I can be by myself right now. Would you go to my uncle’s with me later?” she asked him.

“Sure,” he said. Silence, then more crying. She eventually calmed and they talked a little more. He laughed weakly and said, “Hey, just sit tight, okay? I’m going to come get you and bring you back here. Pack some things and you can hang out here for a few days. I don’t want you being by yourself.

“Thanks. You’re sweet. I’ll see you in a few,” she said, and hung up. Peter’s emotions were in turmoil and he wasn’t sure how to deal with this new incident. He fidgeted briefly and then stood impatiently. He was upset and was looking for answers. He shoved his hands in his pockets and out of his right pocket he pulled the little golden teardrop that was given to him. He fingered the sigil on front of the teardrop.

“Michael, I don’t need a sword right now. I need a friend. If you are able to hear me, I really need to speak with you.” He waited a few moments and then shoved the teardrop back into his pocket. That’s stupid, he thought. He probably can’t even hear me at this point.

“Of course, I can.” said Michael.

“Stop doing that! You almost gave me a stroke!” Peter sat down hard in his chair, staring at the angel who was his dear friend. Today, Peter noticed, he was wearing flip-flops, a pair of jeans with the knees ripped out, and an anime t-shirt with what looked like an angel with a flaming sword that was as tall as the angel who was holding it.

“If that’s true, then why haven’t you answered me before now?” Peter asked him, the hurt in his voice evident. “There have been many times that I have asked for help and I never saw you once!” Michael smiled and spread his hands out in front of him, gesturing to the young man.

“Dude, I’m always available and I will always be here for you, but it may not be in person. You have to understand that. I may not always be present, Peter, but I always sent you help,” Michael told him. “You asked for help with the grunch- we sent you Joshua. You asked for help with Tammy and… well, you really didn’t need me then.” Michael laughed and said, “And speaking of Sam, what did you think when you saw him taking on Olivier, huh? That was really something!”

“It was something, all right. We’ll get back to that…”

Michael continued, “You asked for help in the warehouse and we sent the host to help you. We have always been there for you, even if you can’t see it. Brother, I told you when you were a kid and it’s still true today- you and I are in this together… I’m not leaving you. None of us are.”

Peter, mollified, relaxed for a minute. He took a deep breath and finally asked what was really on his mind. “Why did they have to die?”

Michael looked sad and said, “I know, man… I’m sad, too. Abe was… unexpected. He was supposed to go later.” Peter looked at Michael, feeling his grief, and Michael reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, “It is not a loss, Peter. He will be with us. He has been placed in another job for now.” Then Michael surprised Peter by saying, “Who is they? Abe is gone from this world but he’ll be on assignment for us. Did someone else die?”

“You don’t know? How is that possible?” Peter began, then blurted out, “Max. Michael, he died in the hospital. Why did he have to die, too?” Michael smiled, his blond eyebrows raised in surprise, saying, “Max isn’t dead. Would I lie? Totally not dead, Peter. He is, however… um… changed.” Michael said cryptically. “Nope,” Michael held up a hand forestalling any further questions, “I can’t tell you anything further. What was done was done for a reason and, although it hurts to see your friends go, know that they had a purpose. Now there is still work to be done, my man. You will get a chance to help us work to rid the world of those who should not be in it. Are you still willing to help?” Michael waited while Peter mulled over his response.

“I am willing to do whatever it takes to help out ARC, Michael, but I’m not sure that I accomplished the task you originally gave me. I haven’t seen Sam since he blew up the warehouse.”

Michael barked a laugh, “Yeah, he sort of imploded, didn’t he? He was MAD!” He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and laid a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I tasked you with getting Sam to remember who he was. He needed to remember, and I was not allowed to tell him. He had to choose to remember everything and accept that his actions, while well intentioned, were not in accordance with the Master’s will for him. Sam has chosen to fight against the very thing he tried to protect for so long. His redemption is just one step in the right direction.”

“I’m not sure I understand?” Peter felt like there was a bigger picture that he was not seeing.

“Our job is not done, but you will be trained, and you will help us on our continuing mission,” Michael told him. “Someone from ARC will come for you soon, Pete. You will be trained and equipped, then you will continue to help us gather our army together. Are you ready for that?” Peter looked at Michael with a smile, resolute and hopeful, and uttered only two words.

“I am.”

EPILOGUE

Abe found himself wandering in a lush, vast forest . The terrain was familiar, and he realized he was in Gardendale. Wait, no, he thought to himself. This is different. All the landmarks and terrain were the same, but this was teeming, full of life. Fragrant and vividly colored flowers crowded long, sinewy vines leading up into towering trees. Monkeys called to him from branches far above his head and he heard the birdsong loud and clear. As he walked, he ran his hands over the tall brush and verdant leaves. He wondered where he was. The last thing he remembered was pressure on his chest and a searing pain in his arms and neck. He didn’t remember anything after that, only that he was here now and, although it bore a resemblance to someplace he would rather not go back to, it was quite peaceful and beautiful. Abe thought he saw a clearing up ahead of him so he kept walking. He wondered how he was going to get out of here later, but it really didn’t concern him too much. He had been camping since he was a boy, and he was not alarmed at the idea of having to stay a night, or many nights, in this place. He remembered his first camping trip with his grandfather Lionel… the memory came back to him so suddenly, it surprised him. I couldn’t have been more than six or seven! A scrawny kid this tall. He held out a hand to mimic what was going through his mind, but the hand he saw didn’t look like his worn aged hands. He stopped walking and thrust his hands out in front of him to confirm. These hands were young and strong. Turning and staring at both hands, he marveled at their youthful appearance. He wished that he held a mirror because he really wanted to see a youthful face staring back at him. Abe stepped into the clearing and noticed that he was not alone. There was another man sitting in the clearing. He was sitting on a large stump and had his eyes closed as if he were listening to something. The rapturous expression on his face told Abe that whatever he was experiencing was quite magical. Abe cleared his throat and the man’s eyes opened.

“Hello,” he said, “are you here for the orchestra, too?” he asked Abe. Abe looked around perplexed.

“Uh, I only see woods, man. No orchestra here.” Abe told him, searching the treeline all around for an unseen band. His voice was younger, too!

“Oh, no, my friend! The orchestra is just there!” he told him, pointing to a large group of birds sitting on fallen tree some twenty feet away from them. “Aren’t they magnificent?!” The large man began to sway as he closed his eyes once again. “Chopin has always been a favorite of mine,” he told Abe. He gestured to another stump sitting next to his. “Have a seat, my friend. My name is…” He looked stumped for a moment, until a young girl with a clipboard appeared and interrupted his thought process. She was tall, maybe twenty years old. Pretty, with ashy brown hair and pleasant features, chief among them was a thin, stark white streak of hair that proceeded from the crown of her high forehead to the terminus of the ponytail that she wore. She fretted as she walked and Abe immediately felt for her… he knew she was troubled by something.

“Miss, can I-“, he started but she seemed oblivious as she approached them.

“Oh, no! I am so behind! You!” she pointed at the man on the stump, “You were supposed to be out of here… before… you,” she looked down, consulting her notes while she pointed to Abe, “got here. I think I’m in trouble. They are not gonna like this.”

“Who are you?” Abe asked her.

“Oh! I’m June. I only arrived here myself a week ago and I’m behind in my first assignment.” She looked like she wanted to cry.

Abe took pity on her and said, “No harm done. I’ll wait for you to get back from wherever you need to go.” Abe took a seat on the stump by the young man. He looked vaguely familiar to Abe, but he couldn’t place him.

The young man opened his eyes again and asked June, “Where are we going?”

“Well, you were summoned by Uriel. He needs to speak to you.” June told him. She held out her hand to him and, as he was reaching for her hand, she saw the mark on his palm. “You are a guardian!? Why didn’t you say so? This makes so much more sense now!” She scribbled something furiously on her clipboard and looked from the young man to Abe. “You they want to speak with as well, so I guess there is no time like the present. Come with me.” She walked across the clearing and the two men looked at each other, then back at June.

“Uh, which one of us?” asked Abe.

“Oh, I wondered why you weren’t following! Both of you. Please.” she added, rolling her eyes slightly. The two men looked at each other again, unsure of what awaited. June tapped her foot lightly and looked at her non-existent watch, as if she had been waiting forever. The picture made Abe smile and he stood up. The young man stood as well, and the duo moved to follow the young girl from the clearing.

“Uh, can I ask where we are?” Abe asked her as they walked.

“You are in Eden”, the young woman stated grandly, spreading her arms and spinning slightly as if to take it all in at once. She turned to both men, smiling widely, “You may not know this- well, certainly you DON’T know it since you’ve never been here before…it is the holding area here on Earth.” She stated this fact proudly, as if she herself had thought of the idea to use it. She continued, “For a select number of people, when we die, we are sent here to be used for another purpose.” This announcement made Abe stop in surprise. The other two kept walking and soon Abe realized that he needed to move or be left behind. He ran to catch up to the other two just as he heard June say, “Guardians are special, and you should be really proud to be one.” The young man just nodded and shared a smile with the young girl.

They walked through the forest until they came upon another clearing. Abe sucked in a breath and stared skyward; the space itself was immense but he was utterly stopped in his tracks by the sheer beauty of the clearing. Central to the vista that he was seeing stood a large waterfall, impossibly tall and disappearing into mists and clouds much higher than any that he had ever seen on Earth before. Thunderous waters tripped over protruding rocks and boulders, and cascaded down into an immense lake at the bottom. On the shore of the lake stood a group of people. They were milling about, talking with one another, and seemed to be in no great hurry. One of the people, a man with a distinctly Nordic look- all blonde and bearded, looked over at the newcomers and smiled. He was brilliantly garbed in a flowery, long sleeve tunic like Abe used to see on vacation in Bali. The shirt was mostly shades of amber and red and yellow, which made him look like he was on fire. The figure also wore a pair of jeans, and a pair of topsiders.

Boat shoes in Eden, he thought. Huh. He looked like he should be out on the water in a sailboat. He walked up to the trio and smiled down at June whose face turned as pink as the button down oxford she was wearing. She moved a pretty, slender hand from the crown where her skunk stripe was to the back of her head, readying herself for… something. Abe was interested to see what would happen next. He hoped that she wasn’t in too much trouble.

“I’m sorry, sir. He…” she pointed to Abe, “arrived before I could bring him,” she hitched her thumb in the young man’s direction, “to you, so I brought them both. I hope that’s okay.” As she was explaining, Uriel’s smile got wider and wider. He held up a hand when she went to explain further.

“It’s okay, June. You’re new, but you’ll get the hang of it.” The girl looked relieved and smoothed her hair again, adjusting the collar of her pink oxford. The angel turned to the young man, “Now, let’s see- you are new, and expected, but Abe here was not expected for quite some time yet.” He looked at the soldier, slightly perplexed, then shook his mane of gold and continued, “It was unfortunate that he was sent early, but now, here he is! We’ll be able to use him, I’m sure, so… no worries, right?”

She bobbed her head and said, “Thank you, Uriel! I’ll just leave them with you, then?”

He inclined his head to June, smiling and said, “All in all, I would say, excellent job! You saved all of us, including yourself, time by bringing Abe along with you.” He turned to some of the folks gathered there on the shore and said by way of announcement, “I like it when people can think on their feet and make smart decisions!” He turned back to the girl, who was now blushing, “Thank you, June, for such excellent discharge of your initial duties!” He bowed slightly, looked and winked. “You may go.” She looked at the two men and with a nod of her head she clutched her clipboard tighter and moved back into the forest.

The young man with Abe spun in a circle and said “Wow! This cathedral is enormous! Are the musicians playing anything else today?” Abe looked from the young man to Uriel, who looked bemused by the other’s exuberance.

“Uh, Uriel is it? What is he talking about? We are in a forest with a waterfall over our shoulders. Why does he keep talking about musicians and a cathedral?” Abe asked. Now it was the young man’s turn to frown and look confused.

Uriel laughed and said, “Eden is different to each person, Abe. Max sees a cathedral and hears musicians because he so enjoyed going to the opera and the theatre as a child with his mother. These are important memories for him. You see the beauty in the outdoors near your childhood home. You were strengthened by them. That is why you chose the woods... it made you who you are. There is great wisdom in that.” Uriel looked very pleased with Abe and it made Abe feel good to be thought of well, especially by an angel.

“Wait, did you say his name is Max? It isn’t Max Avatov, is it?” Abe asked him. Abe did a quick bit of reasoning, realizing that if he, Abe, were now his younger self, or at least appeared to be his younger self, in this place, then why couldn’t the man he knew briefly have reverted to a younger version of HIMSELF upon arriving here? It made sense the more he thought about it.

The young man turned around at his name and said, “Yes! That is my name.. do I know you?”

“It’s Abe!”, the now-excited young soldier said, gesturing to himself. “ABE, man! Abe Sims! Don’t you remember me? The warehouse, the vampires, Sam, Peter… any of this ringing a bell?”

Max looked confused for a moment and said, “Impossible! Abe was an old man! You are around my age!” Abe smiled and embraced his friend, held him back at arm’s length and said, “Cuz, take a look at yourself, because we are BOTH younger than we were a couple of days ago!” Max looked at Abe in surprise, and then looked at Uriel questioningly.

Uriel looked from one to the other and said, “Well, now that we are all caught up, allow me to explain. You, Max, were killed in an explosion at the warehouse. As the warehouse crumbled, you were struck from behind by a piece of the wall before you plummeted into the water. Luckily for you, I marked you as mine when I took the flaming sword from you.”

“I’m dead?” Max asked in disbelief.

“Yes,”was all the response he received before Uriel turned to Abe. “You weren’t meant to be here for another few years, but it seems our enemies wished to send us a message. The grunch snuck into your home and killed you as you slept. The coroner is a vampire in the city and, as such, recorded your death erroneously as a heart attack.”

“I wondered why the last thing I remember is my chest feeling tight and a pain in my arm!” Abe told him.

“They drained your blood from your arm and neck,” Uriel told him. “I realize that this is shocking to you both, but we have need of you and you are here to decide- Do you wish to continue helping us in our mission?”

“I’m in, for sure! My old body won’t slow me down anymore and I have a powerful need to see some justice take place!” Abe told him without hesitation, turning to do a bit of shadow boxing like he did in his youth. It felt good to have a body that was responsive and strong again! He stopped to think for a moment about what he was leaving behind, but knew that, if anyone could handle everything that was to come without him, it would be his niece.

Uriel looked at Abe and said, “Great! You will stay here in Eden, then, Abraham. We need someone with your tactical knowledge to help us in our war room.”

Abe beheld the angel and humbly said, “It would be an honor.”

Uriel turned to Max and said, “You have been marked as a guardian, Max.” Max held up his hand and looked at the small sigil in his palm. It was circular with crosses and what looked to be triangles or pyramids in the four corners.

“What does that mean, exactly? I thought only angels could be guardians?” he asked, rubbing his thumb across his palm.

“I’m glad you asked. Rarely, mortals are chosen as guardians based on displayed characteristics in dire situations. Being a guardian means that you…erm… guard something, or in this case, someone.” Uriel raised an eyebrow as if asking without words if he was understood.

“Who or what would I be guarding?” Max asked.

“People, pets, animals, oceans, trees, bugs… I could go on?” Uriel told him. “Anything important to the mission or the Master. Let’s leave that open for now, okay? I could continue to explain… you look perplexed.”, Uriel offered.

Max shook his head and raised a hand, “No need. I get it.” He pondered for a moment and said, “I get to go back into the population? How will that work if I am dead?”

“Another great question! Two for two. You will be sent back onto the Earth to protect it, but you will no longer be… well, you.” he explained.

“Then who will I be if I am not myself?” he asked Uriel.

“Ah, yes! This is my favorite part! You will not look like you but someone completely different to those who know you. You will still act like you, but no one will know it is you, for security purposes,” Uriel told him. “Do you accept these terms? Will you help us fight the evil that is in the world? Lev Avatov is still very much alive and working with an evil organization. You know how he thinks and how he works. Will you help us rid his evil from the Earth and, in doing so, strike a blow against the nephilim, and those that created them?” Uriel asked him. He seemed worried that the young man would not accept. Max looked from Uriel to Abe who smiled at him in encouragement.

“Don’t you want a little justice for your mom and Maggie?” Abe asked him.

“Maggie…”, Max trailed off. “Will I get to see her? Will she know me? No, you already said that I’d be different.” Max looked down, reasoning with himself. “So, the people I love…”

“Are still here, and still need your help, guardian. You have to look at the end game, Max. Losses are part of war. I don’t know what your future holds once you are back among your living, but if you do your job well, like I believe you will, you will become a reason, a strong reason, that many more losses don’t occur. We need you, Maxim. You are one of the most selfless humans I have ever seen… the way you picked up that weapon, the way you endured the pain to protect. You are valuable to us. I hope you see how rare that is!” Uriel looked at the young man again, expectantly.

Max turned to Abe, and the young soldier smiled broadly, eyebrows raised, “Are you ready to hit Lev Avatov where it hurts?” Abe asked him.

Taking a deep breath, Max looked at his friend, and then at the angel and said, “I am.”