Chapter 3

Somewhere in Europe, April 5th, 2:03 p.m.

Soft drips of water brought him back to reality. He sat up and stretched, his back cracking loudly. That was good. After his "feast" he decided to return to "his" room. His instincts had told him to, and he had long ago learned to trust him unconditionally because he was never wrong.

Recovered as he hadn't for a long time, he blinked contentedly at the ceiling for a few minutes. The only thing missing now was for him to get out of here. He sat down slowly on the edge of the bed and let his legs dangle. Through the curtain of his long, light (he had been told milky-white) hair, he looked again at his room.

Even now, on closer inspection, he saw nothing that would have revealed anything about his tormentors. Only the symbol couldn't get out of his head. He had to do some research when he was outside. He was probably caught by an organization. Did you set yourself the goal of creating perfection? Or even immortality? He shook his head, grinning mockingly. His loose hair flew in the air around him. Humans had always strived for immortality, some had achieved it. Ironically, these were long dead.

But his good mood faded as quickly as it had appeared. Whoever held him prisoner would be punished. Anger spread inside him. Why did they do this to him? What did these unworthy, ignorant creatures imagine that they wanted to rule him? Why were they so damn curious? Did they never, but really never learn? He was too old for that shit. Hot hatred ran through his veins. Why didn't they notice that there were secrets that were better left unsealed? Or did they notice it and didn't care? He just didn't understand her, he had never done that in his whole long life.

With a small wave of his hand he kicked the table away without touching it. It hit the cupboards with a loud clang and broke several parts. A loud scream escaped his lungs. The papers on the floor swirled around him as if he were standing in the center of a storm, because unconsciously he used his gift. People were so stupid, so short-sighted. What they had done to this world in such a short time was incomprehensible. They were just incomprehensible.

But the anger slowly drained from his mind and he shook his head in frustration. He had to keep his emotions under control. But it wasn't easy after the long time he hadn't been able to let her out. He had to bury the strong feelings deep inside himself and now they wanted out. Emotions had always been people's greatest opponents - but also for him - but they also made them so wonderfully predictable, at least in most cases, sometimes they were extremely obstructive as he had already experienced firsthand.

While he was staring in front of himself, he noticed another living being at the edge of his field of vision. At first he paid no heed to it, it was probably just a rat anyway, but was still deep in his memories. But it was fast approaching. Too fast for a rat. And too big for a rat.

Alarmed, he turned his attention to the intruder - no the intruders! - to. There were three people on the floor above, and they were moving towards the hole in the collapsed ceiling. He wondered feverishly what to do. Fight? no, not the best choice - first of all he didn't know how weak he was from his imprisonment, and secondly he didn't know what kind of weapons they had. He could also kill himself. No, that was not a good idea, then his element of surprise would be lost. Or did they know he was here?

Only remained to hide. He looked around quickly. From his bed he saw a small room behind a closet and the remains of the table. Not the ultimate hiding place, but better than nothing. He already heard her clearly:

"Ey, Katy, this is where it goes down. I think this is where the noise came from, ”said a young man's voice. He spoke English almost fluently, but a slight Spanish accent betrayed his true origins. Damn it, so close. Why hadn't he been able to control himself earlier? In anger, he gritted his teeth at his own stupidity. But it had happened and nothing could be changed.

In a flash he crawled into his improvised hiding place and peered with his ghost out into the hallway in front of his room. The man who had spoken pointed straight at the hole in front of him. Next to him stood a middle-aged woman with the hard face of a long-time soldier and replied, "Let's look at the map." With an Irish slang in her voice. She pulled out a small, round, flat disk and operated it, as her hand movements could tell.

"We're here," she said, pointing in the air above the thing. But there he couldn't see anything and involuntarily narrowed his eyes. What was that again? He cursed silently to himself. It almost seemed to him as if people wanted to make it extra difficult for him.

“Let's go down, that's a shortcut to our destination. Cristiano, you go ahead ”, she spoke to the young Spaniard,“ and you ”, now he also saw the older man behind her, whom he had not noticed before,“ you protect us from behind. ”

The one named Cristiano nodded, but he saw how nervous he was. Was it his first job? Bad luck for the youngster, luck for him. With a little skill, something could be made of this. The three of them tied a rope in the upper hallway and lowered themselves one by one.

"What the hell ..." the young man gasped when the crushed corpses came into view. A tremor ran through him and he leaned to one side and vomited, choking.

“Don't make such a noise. Who knows who else is listening ”, hissed the woman, apparently the leader, at the vomiting soldier.

“Well, Katy. Think back to our first missions. Weren't we scared too much? I remember shitting in my pants with fear. Literally ”, he grinned old soldier and patted his colleague reassuringly on the shoulder. Judging by his pronunciation, he was Swiss

"Go on," ordered the leader in an annoyed voice. "Our goal is the top priority for Ms. Jönsson." They stomped loudly towards his room. He tensed his muscles, ready to flee if necessary.

“Do I always have to get the newborns slipped? As if I were the girl for everything, ”she grumbled so quietly that her human colleagues couldn't hear her, but he could. He caught himself grinning. He shook his head, he had to stay focused, he called himself to order.

The three entered his room. The woman stopped short and stared at the empty bed. Only their loud breathing could be heard in the almost perfect silence of the room. After a few moments of silence, the young soldier became restless:

"What's happening? Is there any problem? Shouldn't we call in reinforcements? "

The soldier turned around and gave him a look that actually made the Spaniard lie on his back, twitching. He liked the woman, she was exactly to his taste. The hunger showed itself gently in his stomach again, but he pushed it aside. Not now, maybe later ...

“Frau Jönsson?” Asked the Irish woman in the air. Who was she talking to? Neither of the two men apparently felt addressed. He frowned in confusion. Was that the same principle as between the two women when he was still in a coma?

“Yes, it will be carried out. Looking for a tablet or something like that! We need all the data we can find! ”She ordered her colleagues and they immediately started looking in the chaos of paper on the floor. For a while the rustle of paper filled the air.

"Hey, I think I found something!", The excited voice of the newbie broke the silence. He got up from his crouch with a flat, smooth rectangle in one hand. Was that a, what did they call it? Tablet? Curiously, he leaned forward a little to see more with his own eyes. The spirit sight never completely replaced "right" seeing.

"Show me," demanded the soldier and held out her hand. After some hesitation, the finder pushed the part into her hand. The Swiss looked over the shoulder of his leader as she started typing and swiping on the thing. Did she wipe some dust? The thought struck him as absurd at the same moment. You were here to find something. A nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach told him they were looking for him. Nervous at this thought, he looked at the door. He had to get out of here.

“I don't feel comfortable here. Let it be good and let us go! ”The young Spaniard urged his colleagues.

"No. We have to find him ”, the Swiss replied without looking up. Okay, now it was clear who they were talking about. He swallowed depressed. Once again he would not let himself be caught.

“And what do we have to look for? Can someone tell me that? ”The young man protested. His voice was slightly shrill. By fear?

Let's see if it would work for him:

Hello Cristiano . he whispered softly around his head, dancing with his ghost. The Spaniard winced. Great, it worked.

"What was that?" He asked his colleague tense.

"Hm? What? ", He replied uninterestedly and continued to look at the" tablet ".

I can seeeeeeehen you .

"What is that?" He asked more urgently.

“What do you have now? There's nothing here and I don't hear anything. Don’t go crazy and I’m sure you’d better go out, ”the woman answered harshly.

The young soldier nodded, trembling, and positioned himself at the exit. Shit, it wasn't planned that way. The Spaniard was so close now that he could practically touch him. Damn it. After a while of silence, as he noticed, the heartbeat of the young person in front of him calms down. Finally he walked coolly over to the other two who were still bent over the thing.

"Look over there! Reported deaths since arrival 105. Wow! Fortunately he's gone, because somehow I don't feel like meeting this son of a bitch, ”the Swiss said almost appreciatively.

"Brought away or run away?" The woman asked only softly. The two men looked at her, startled.

"So you think he ... is still here?" Asked the older soldier, dismayed. She just nodded slowly.

“What are you talking about? Tell me the truth at last! ", The young man growled in between in a testosterone-laden voice.

"You don't have to know more than that he is an extremely dangerous terrorist," the woman tried to evade.

"But…"

"No, shut up at last!" Ordered the woman harshly. The young Spaniard closed his open mouth, but you could clearly see him grinding his teeth in anger and humiliation.

"Let's get reinforcements," advised the elderly. “I don't think he's still here. I mean, he won't just walk in there. "

The whole time he had been tempted to play a prank on people, although it was infinitely stupid and he would probably curse himself for it later, he couldn't resist. But that's how it was sometimes. Time for his grand entrance. He stepped out of hiding without a sound and crept behind her. They didn't see him as busy as they were.

"Gentlemen!" He addressed her in slightly dusty English. The three of them turned around in horror.

"Milady," he greeted the woman. He bowed elegantly and took the Irish woman's hand and gave her an old-fashioned kiss. As confused as she was, she let everything happen in a frozen state.

"May I introduce myself: Azrael, also called patient M." He looked Cristiano in the eye with a smile. Pointed teeth flashed from behind his full, feminine lips.

Hello Cristiano . his mind whispered to the paralyzed soldier. He turned pale and looked away.

"You are Katy, you Cristiano", his gaze touched the young man again, who winced slightly when he heard the voice of Azrael.

“Only her name is unknown to me. would you have the kindness to enlighten me? ”he asked the older soldier politely.

"What ... where ..." he stuttered. Azrael captivated the man's gray-blue eyes with his blood-red ones, as he was told. Handy that he looked like an albino.

"No, just your name please."

"My name, my name ..." he stammered on. The other two awoke from their stupor and turned their guns on him. Azrael just ignored them. How pointless.

"My name is Gian," the Swiss finally choked out.

"You see, it wasn't that bad," said Azrael, patting the frightened man's cheek gently. Still smiling, he turned to the others.

"You, come with me," the woman ordered coldly. Azrael frowned and tilted his head slightly, as if looking at a strange insect.

"I would prefer it if you showed me the way out and I could go myself," he replied calmly.

“No, that's not how it works here. You come with us or you will catch a bullet in the knee! ", The Swiss said emphatically tough, which only underlined his nervousness, and pointed his rifle at patient M's face. Only Azrael noticed the slight tremor of the barrel.

“Could you please stick to a certain basic level of courtesy? Then we can handle it all like adult, civilized ... beings, "he replied gently," And could you please stop waving this ... thing in front of my nose? That is more of a hindrance to a peaceful conversation. "

Silence fell on the strange scene. The 'freshman', as they aptly called him, took a step closer:

"How long have you been - I mean have you been here?" He corrected himself after a scowl from Azrael.

"Very long. Too long. In 1901 they convinced me to go here, ”he evaded. The young soldier just snorted in disbelief:

"You're welcome! Next time come up with something more believable. Nobody lives that long. ”Azrael just looked friendly. The truth was the better lie.

"Stop that shit!" His colleague said over his mouth and aimed the barrel of his rifle at Azrael's face: "Put your hands where I can see them and then come with you!" long in the eyes.

You disappoint me Cristiano. What should your mother think of you? She taught you so much that you should always be polite to strangers . he just advised straightforwardly. The man's face turned dark and he had to turn away from his intense, rigid gaze. His lower lip trembled. Direct hit.

You were always such a good boy. Aren't you ashamed of disappointing her so much? The expression on my face was just priceless.

"What now ... Azrael?", Asked the soldier like a business, "Are you coming with me or do we have to drag you out?"

"Neither of the two," he said with a smile after an eternity.

"Well, then we would just have to do it the unpleasant way," said the woman and he saw in her eyes what was about to follow. Bullets - silver of course, why always silver ??? - we flew towards him in slow motion. He spread his arms elegantly and stood there like a statue from bygone times.

His gift worked not only in one direction, but also in the other. He could only move things by thought, but he could also stop. In his mind's eye he created a semicircular wall of bluish flickering energy and looked the woman straight in the eye. He loved that flickering in them, a flicker of uncertainty and fear of what these beings could never understand, when the first bullets got stuck in his shield. He also automatically spread his huge wings (it was an old habit of his) but of course the room was too small to be able to fully unfold them.

"What ...", the Swiss man was able to choke out before Azrael let the ceiling collapse, grumbling loudly over the three people, with a graceful movement of his hand. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Debris, some as big as one of the stupid people among them, tumbled down and the mouths were formed into perfect little O's, but no scream got through to him.

No, he didn't kill them, didn't hurt them, as the reader might think now. Because just before they were crushed he had a better idea: why not play a little? He hadn't had it in so long. A cold grin crossed his face.

So he had stopped the deadly projectiles in the air and let them slide away to the side so that the people were completely unharmed. Dust darkened the air and took away people's vision, but not them. Everything was blurry, but Azrael could see more than enough. Without making a single sound, he scurried out of the room. It was going to be a lot of fun now.

Somewhere in Europe, April 5th, 2:28 p.m.

Through the eyes of his mind he watched as the three people got up and left the room.

"Here Katy, I ask for reinforcements. We're in Sector A, Station 5. It, I mean, he got away from us, ”said the leader in the air, one hand to her ear, her voice still trembling with the adrenaline. Who was she talking to? Neither of the two men reacted in any visible way to her words, she had to - however possible - speak to someone outside.

Reinforcement was really bad. Why hadn't he thought of it beforehand? As valuable as it appeared to be, they must have sent more than three out to get it. He crouched nervously behind the pile of rubble and corpses in his hallway where it was pitch black. Now he had to go.

"Shit, damn it ...", the Swiss swore juicy with several expressions, the creativity of which even earned him respect. You don't hear that every day.

"On the Lord's day, I was gripped by the Spirit and heard a voice behind me, loud as a trumpet," Azrael began to recite the revelation. The three of them turned around in shock, but of course couldn't see him behind the wall of dead and rubble.

"Come on! You, it, ... no matter, this whatever must not escape us. But the commander wants it alive! So just stun! ", The soldier gave her colleagues the orders and they stormed off. He quickly got away and snuggled into the entrance of a nearby room. He had to separate them, then he would have an advantage. And the young Spaniard would help him ...

Concentrated, he searched for Cristiano's ghost in the darkness, which was only broken through from time to time by the beams of light from the soldiers' flashlights.

See Cristiano what you did. What will you do . he said almost tenderly to the young man.

It whirled around as if stung by a tarantula to the place where Azrael had just stood. Of course he had meanwhile moved on and disappeared into the next corridor. Then Azrael hit him with all the force of the flood of images he had seen in his long life:

Blood, sticky and hot, everywhere, screaming mouths, dead, dead everywhere, torn, trampled, torn, cut, crushed, the cold white of bones, the grin of skulls, still half covered with remains of flesh, the stench of rotting intestines , Screams from the dying, women, children, men, breaking looks, pleading looks, insane looks, the feeling when a neck has been cut. And above all, Azrael's eyes, smiling, hating, gentle.

That put the rest of the boy's psyche, which had always been quite unstable, and he let out a bright scream, close to the pain threshold. It would have finished off pretty much anyone, so it was his secret weapon. Unfortunately it only worked for already weak people. But it was just so convenient. The young Spaniard threw away his weapon and ran headless into a nearby dark corridor. His bad luck that it was exactly where Azrael was hiding.

He gave the man a hard blow on the temple that made him slump in the middle of the run. He quickly caught the unconscious body and pulled it into an empty room. Hopefully he didn't wake up until he was done with the others. He still needed him.

“CRISTIANO! Come back! Yelled the Swiss and hurried after his comrade.

"No, not! GIAN! ", The woman called, but it was too late and the darkness swallowed the old person," Damn it, come back! We must not part! It just wants that! ". Impressive, thought Azrael, at least she wasn't a hollow nut. He would kill her last.

In the darkness he had a clear advantage with his special eyes, because he saw the people clearly, whereas those with the lights on the guns only increased the darkness instead of driving it away. In the meantime he had withdrawn deeper and deeper into the darkness of the corridor and came upon an open door at the end. Perfect.

“I turned around because I wanted to see who was talking to me. When I turned around, I saw seven golden candlesticks and in the middle of the candlesticks one who looked like a human being, ”he continued quoting the Revelation. The Swiss man was close in front of him and accordingly jumped violently when he heard Azrael's voice in his ear. He pointed the gun barrel at him, but of course he was no longer there, but had crept around him so that the soldier was standing with his back to him.

Little more than an arm's length separated them. Azrael felt the human heart playing faster and faster rhythms and each beat delighted him more than the previous one.

"Where are you?! Show yourself! ”Demanded the soldier in a voice shrill with fear.

"As you wish, Mr. Gian"; he whispered in his ear. The soldier's loud footsteps broke the silence. But now fast.

He jerked the person around and relieved him of the obligation to scream with a sharp blow in the throat. With an almost dance-like twist he dragged the wriggling person into the half-open door and slammed it behind him. Strangely, he seemed to have forgotten how to use the rifle in his hands.

"GIAN!" He heard the soldier cry out. He bit the thin skin between his shoulder and neck brutally. The Swiss let out a loud rattle. The woman ran closer and closer. Azrael shot the blood from the torn main artery almost to his mouth. How he'd missed that. But he didn't have the right time to enjoy his meal, because the leader was waiting outside for her death, she just didn't know it yet.

He supported the steady pulsation of the blood by sucking. The man's writhing and struggling against his iron grip - he had perfected it a very long time ago - visibly paralyzed and finally the body went slack. Carelessly he let it fall to the ground and enjoyed the last tingling of the red juice of life in his mouth. He had to buy time to escape and build a new trap.

In a flash he looked around. The room was as good as empty, just a few empty boxes lying around. Damn. His gaze brushed the aimlessly upward staring corpse at his feet.

“Come out with both hands in the air! GO! ", Katy shouted in front of the ... glass door? Why hadn't that turned out earlier ?! He grabbed the corpse and took a good swing.

"Come out of there now, but a little quick!" The woman yelled impatiently.

At that moment he let go of the dead body and it flew precisely through the pane of glass and buried the terrified, squeaking human woman under himself. He himself took advantage of the distraction and jumped out of the hole in the door with his feet outstretched and skillfully rolled over when he arrived next to the ball of people.

The Irish woman was still struggling with the reluctant dead man. Strengthened by the meal he had taken, he jumped against the wall. His sharp fingernails dug into the thick plaster and enabled him to crawl up the wall like an insect. The ceiling was full of cracks and the edges of fallen parts. Half the hall was down a little way from him.

He swung elegantly up to the next floor and crouched on the edge. Relaxed and satisfied, he watched what happened next. The woman had finally made it out from under her comrade and knelt in disbelief next to what was left of Gian.

"Headquarters? It killed Gian and Cristiano disappeared. I need reinforcements immediately and I ... ", she said with an effort, back into the air. No, it wouldn't, it couldn't come anymore, thought Azrael seriously.

"His head and hair were white as white wool, bright white as snow, and his eyes like flames of fire, his legs shone like gold ore that glows in the furnace, and his voice was like the rush of water," he continued to recite from the Bible.

The soldier's head jerked up at him together with the beam of light from her lamp. He smiled softly down at her. Her colleague's blood shone all over him, his hair was sticky with red wetness. This deliberately staged bloodbath did not fail to have an effect. She staggered back, pale with shock. Now!

He let himself fall and cushioned himself in leap with half-spread wings. He landed right in front of her and easily broke her neck by taking her head between his hands and twisting it around with all his destructive force. He had underestimated his strength, however, because instead of just breaking the neck, he half tore off her head. Splashes of blood fell over him, this time turning him completely red. What a mess. He looked down coldly at the corpse. So much food wasted but you didn't eat off the ground, as every child knew. At that moment a strange male voice rang out:

“Headquarters here, where are you?” When there was no answer she asked again: “Katy? Can you hear me? Headquarters here, where are you? "

Intrigued, he crouched next to the cold corpse of the human woman and examined the source of the noise. They came from a tiny round device in her ear. What was that? Carefully, so as not to break anything, he took it in hand and examined it more closely. How did the people manage to get a voice in?

"Hello? Hello katy Reply! Are you hurt?"

“Injured is the wrong word here, I think. It's more dead, ”Azrael replied sarcastically to the device and immediately felt a bit ridiculous.

"Who's there? Where are they? Make yourself known ”, the voice prompted him. At the same moment he heard faint, unsteady steps coming towards him from the corridor. Damn it, he totally blocked that out! A beam of light fell on him and Cristiano stood there, eyes wide with madness, trembling with madness. Azrael rose slowly. The device in his fist was almost forgotten.

"In his right hand he held seven stars and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth and his face shone like the powerfully shining sun," Azrael whispered in the dead silence of the darkness. The soldier's light revealed his horrific fresh paintwork and literally made the red of the blood glow. The young man stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the remains of his comrades, as Azrael walked up to him.

"When I saw him, I fell down as if dead at his feet." As if paralyzed, the Spaniard fell on his knees in front of him. What an irony.

"But he put his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid!" Azrael decided to play along and put a blood-smeared hand lovingly on the young person's cheek and leaned down to him.

You know how to go on, don't you Cristiano? he whispered in his head, smiling gently, and stroked the soldier's face. Red streaks were visible on the Spaniard's pale cheek. He nodded trembling. He started to say something, but was interrupted by the small device in Azrael's hand:

“Cristiano? Here is the headquarters. Reinforcement is on the way, tell us your position. And gain some distance from the target object, it is too dangerous to be alone! "

Azrael bowed his head slightly and displeasure was reflected in his features. Trembling with fear, the young person took a breath and said:

“My mother told me that there are angels, but I didn't want to hear, I didn't want to hear… Now I'm being punished by God for my sins. Jesus sends you, Angel Azrael, Angel of Death Azrael, to punish me as a sinner… ”The rest of the senseless babbling was lost in the deep sobs of the madman and he clapped his hands over his face, crying.

“Cristiano, please! Give us your coordinates. Reinforcements are on their way to you, ”the device tried again.

“Cristiano, that's the devil's alluring voice. Do not succumb to it again, my son. Be steadfast ”, Azrael whispered to his human and crushed the filigree thing in his fist. Safe was safe.

“Yes Lord, I'll do anything, Lord. I will be steadfast, I will not disappoint you, sir ”, Cristiano replied quickly, with a fanatical twinkle in his eyes looking up at the supposed angel. Azrael's mind again encompassed that of the man, and he continued to quote:

“I am the first and the last and the living. I was dead, but now I live forever, and I have the keys to death and the underworld. ”But at the same time he began to shape the Spaniard's weak spirit according to his will:

All your SINS, remember them Cristiano. Convert yourself and SERVE me, this is the only way I can save you. Show me the way out and your HEART will be as CLEAN as that of his baby on the day of his birth. Eternal DAMN is waiting for you for your sins, don't you understand? This is your only chance to save yourself for your FAMILY. Don't you want to see your mother again? You have to take it FOR HER, Cristiano. Way out with the way. Jesus died for YOUR sins, pay this ETERNAL DEBT now and you will be able to live forever with him, the RICH GOD, that may come .

Something broke deep in the young man's eyes. It was lovely to see. Azrael kissed him on the forehead. The human rose, trembling, and stalked ahead. He put a hand on his shoulder. Cristiano winced, but kept walking obediently when Azrael pressed something. In deep silence, the two made for the exit. A faint breeze carried distant whispers to Azrael's ear. He stopped immediately and turned his head in the direction from which the sound had come.

"Sir?" Asked the Spaniard cautiously, but a hiss and a sharp look from the "angel" let him fall silent again. There was another low whisper.

"How many reinforcements should come?" He wanted to know his new servant. "I don't know for sure, sir, but I guess thirty," he replied assiduously. Azrael just nodded as if he had already suspected that.

"Is there another way out, sinner?" He asked Cristiano coldly and the young man let out a little sob:

"I don't know sir, I ..."

“No excuses! You are talking to a servant of God. I can make sure that you are redeemed from your sins, but if you load more on yourself, the sacrifice of Jesus has been in vain for you. Imagine, Cristiano: the sacrificial death, completely useless. Do you want it? Are you so ungrateful? ”He interrupted in a voice like ice. That went like clockwork. Now he just had to get out of here without causing a stir.

“No, Lord, I will do whatever you command, Lord. I am a poor sinner, Lord, please forgive me! ”Stammered the young Spaniard and fell to his knees in front of Azrael's leg, clutching him.

“Then say,” Azrael went on flatly, “Is there another way out? And speak quickly, because angels don't have all the time in the world either. ”Now he could already feel the slowly approaching hearts of people pounding. But now quickly.

"Yes, sir, all you want sir, you are so kind sir ...", his lackey replied relieved, but one look from Azrael was enough to prevent him from further pummeling. Why did this person have to be so lame?

"There is only this exit," the man said carefully and raised his arms protectively in front of his face when Azrael's expression darkened. As if that would be of any use.

"But I heard in the camp that there are ventilation shafts and pipes that reach to the surface," the Spaniard gushed shakily. Surface? So you were underground?

"Then lead me," Azrael simply ordered and his new slave nodded eagerly and spoke forward.

Somewhere in Europe, April 5th, 5:48 p.m.

“Here it is, master”, said Cristiano and pointed to a locked metal door, “but unfortunately the lock cannot be released again due to the power failure. I could ask the boys if ... "

“You can be silent”, Azrael interrupted him rudely without taking his eyes off the door. “Your lack of trust in God disappoints me very much, Cristiano. I would have expected more from you, ”he scolded him in a soft voice, but hard eyes, which only made the addressee pale even more.

"But sir, I would never ...", the young man began to defend himself, but fell silent when the blood-red gaze of Azrael touched him again.

"Stand aside, unworthy one."

The supposed angel sank deeply into his spirit and felt the all-pervading life energy that flowed through everything - including him. He breathed in and out deeply. Resolutely, he grabbed it and directed it to the gap between the door and the frame. He hit exactly.

The door bent with a loud screeching, and on the second attempt it went off its hinges in a high arc. Relaxed, he took a step aside so that the battered scraps of metal wouldn't hit him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his lackey pressing himself against the wall in fear and his lips moving in silent prayer. Slowly the dust subsided and a room with again nothing but smooth flat surfaces on the walls became visible.

"Go ahead," he ordered his slave. This obediently set in motion and he mumbled:

"God has sent us a heavenly miracle." Azrael had to grin. He had been called God once before. It hadn't turned out well for everyone involved ...

"Mr? Mr. Cristiano's voice tore him from his thoughts. For a moment, disoriented, Azrael just stood staring at him. What year was it? Where was he? who was he? What was he Confused, he shook his head and his thoughts cleared from one moment to the next. He had been trapped and was now on the verge of being free again. And now I had to leave as soon as possible.

He entered the room with his head held high. Overturned chairs and cupboards piled up into imposing piles of junk and he saw a hand peeking out from under a heavy, overturned metal box. What were the people doing in here?

"What kind of room is that, servant?", He turned to the young Spaniard, who quickly looked away when he noticed that Azrael had noticed Cristiano eying him.

"A control room sir." A few seconds of silence passed. The man nervously brushed his hair back from his face. Azrael rolled her eyes in annoyance. Did you have to pull everything out of his nose one by one?

"And? What is that? ”He asked with an impatient gesture.

"From here you could monitor everything ... temperature, ventilation, who came in and out, everything." Azrael nodded as a sign of his satisfaction with his lackey. His new fan let out a breath of relief. A new idea flooded Azrael's mind. Maybe he knew who held him prisoner?

“Cristiano, for the just punishment of sinners to God, who dared to hold a servant of Jesus captive like a vile criminal, only you can provide. You are the key to it. Everything is in your hands, and as a faithful servant you will do the right thing. So tell me ... ", he stepped very close to the young man, their faces almost touched," Who built all of this here? ", Azrael pointed around in a grand gesture," Why did you keep me prisoner? Who are you?"

With burning eyes he looked Cristiano in the eye. He shivered slightly and started speaking a few times, but couldn't get a sound out.

"I ... I ... I," he began, but broke off again. Azrael's face hardened a tiny bit and had an immediate effect:

“I don't know sir. Only Katy, our team leader, knew where we are and why. Forgive me Lord. "

A low growl escaped Azrael's throat and the human tried to move backwards, but tripped over a fallen lamp and crawled on his back away from him until a wall prevented his further escape.

"But I know, sir ..." Tense, Azrael let his arm, raised for a blow, drop a little.

"Yes, what do you know?" He asked with a hiss and crouched down in front of the Spaniard.

"I know that ... it's some science organization in the EU."

"What is this EU?" Asked Azrael.

"The European Union. A federation of all states in Europe, so to speak, in order to work together and to represent each other to the outside world. "

"Interesting," he just mumbled, got up and stepped away from the trembling heap of misery on the wall. That didn't really help him, but it was always better than nothing.

But what if he knew more, just couldn't remember? In a flash he was back at Cristiano and clasped his head in his hands.

"What are you doing there, master?" He shouted, startled, but Azrael did not even appreciate an answer, rather he dug his mind deep into the head of the person. His shrill cries of pain were only marginally noticed. He didn't particularly care if he was being honest.

An inkling of the young man's thoughts emerged in his mind's eye. Because he pushed aside all the trash like childhood memories and his love affairs. How boring. He looked deeper into the newer memories. Stop, there was something! Impatiently he pulled the image back to him that was about to slip past him. The scenery opened up in front of him, slightly distorted ...

A metal door. Laughter from his comrades Hurry up, we don't want to miss the meal. All right, I'll be right there. Tramp. What was that. The horny Katy with her big boobs. Why in the Commander's room? Here and here she said, pointing to something on the table in front of her. A map. A card, of course. The BEW will not make it so easy for us. Her bum, her wonderful bum. Doctor Jansen will probably be there. Anyway, bring it to us alive, we need all we can get. Her dark hair waves as she nods her head. This hair. Come on now, Cris! Right now, Sam. Laughter. And it must not escape, it is a threat to all citizens. Ms. Jönsson is her safe contact, her sister Susann works in the target property. Report to her after the mission is complete. Your contact awaits you in Strasbourg. When they are there ... CRIS ?! YES, I'LL COME YES! That bum, those tits, ahhhhhhh ...

Azrael emerged exhausted from the memories. Now he knew more. That was where his search would begin ... once out of here. He looked impatiently at Cristiano, who was panting on the floor. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. The hunger in the pit of his stomach returned softly. No, not now. Later, he thought with a smile.

Hard, but careful not to break anything, he kicked the man in the side and he woke up groaning and writhing out of his impotence.

"Where does it go out of here?" Azrael asked the young man. He just kept moaning and didn't respond to his question.

“Cristiano! Show me! ", He said at his slave, after all he was an angel, you could be bossy sometimes, thought Azrael, amused.

"Yes, sir", the Spaniard gasped, "Immediately sir", and sat up awkwardly. He crawled up to a metal grate on the wall. With practiced hand movements he separated it out, revealing a long, narrow corridor.

"Now you just have to crawl straight ahead, then you will definitely reach the surface of the earth," said the human being after looking at his round, flat part that served him as a map.

While Cristiano had been working, Azrael had carefully examined the smooth surfaces on the walls. What were they for?

"Ey, Cristiano? What is that? ”He asked over his shoulder and pointed to the area in front of him.

"These are screens."

"And what do you need them for?" Asked Azrael.

"Well, they show data and images from the computer, you can see and edit them through them." Azrael nodded lost in thought. He couldn't see her.

“You have served me well. Now receive your blessing, sinner, ”he said in a raised voice and outstretched arms. He had to control himself very much not to grin. Simple-minded person.

"Come to me, Cristiano."

The Spaniard ran up to him with a distant smile. A little refreshment wouldn't be bad now, he had used up a lot of energy by blowing open the door and walking through Cristiano's head. And he sensed that he would need all his strength on his further escape.

Azrael gently took the man's head in his hands and gave him an intense French kiss. He gently stroked his cheek with his right hand down to his neck. While the soldier was still distracted, Azrael felt for the pulse under his warm skin with his pointed fingernails until he felt the rapid throbbing right under his fingertips. With an incredibly quick movement, he tore open the victim's throat with the nail of his index finger and closed the wound with his lips to catch every drop of the precious liquid.

The young man shrieked and thrashed wildly to escape his fate. But the increasing blood loss made him uncoordinated and his movements became powerless. The most intense tingling since he woke up filled his senses and blocked out all worries. Young people tasted best, but certainly much better than old, tough Swiss.

A final, gurgling sound escaped the youth before life poured out of him and his eyes broke. They were still staring horrified and at the same time puzzled up at the ceiling. Azrael was slowly feeling full too. He dropped the body carelessly and kicked it aside. It was just worthless meat now.

“Cristiano? What happened! Please answer! “, Came the strange male voice. The noises sounded strangely loud in the absolute silence of the room. Now he saw that Cristiano had had such a small device in his ear the entire time as Katy. Damn it, did you hear it all? Then the reinforcement now knew where he was and what he was up to. Cursing, he began to collect scrap metal and pile it intertwined in front of the door. He wouldn't make it that easy for them.

He quickly finished his work and then crawled into the narrow air shaft. In his hectic pace, his left wing tilted painfully against the metal edge of the opening, so that he winced. Impatiently he tried again and pressed the wings very close to his back as close as possible. Flexibly he crawled into the darkness of the corridor. Hopefully the dead man was correct in his directions. Because otherwise he was really screwed.