“Wait, so let me get this straight...you want me to live here? With you?”
Ten minutes later, a freshly awakened Gadreel wiped away the acid on his face with an unlucky towel as he asked in disbelief. Also...who in the world treats the drunk with acid to the face? Shouldn’t you bring me a cup of cold water or something?
“Yep.”
“And you know I’m being hunted,” Gadreel asked again.
“I’m counting on it.”
“But...why?” The Angel knew he promised not to be surprised by Katie anymore, not after what he saw her do, but… “I mean...I do know that you have some healing powers, partially because you took a hit from me and then literally drank acid just now and are still standing here, but my people are a lot more than the handful of Angels you killed back in that factory. In fact, the Angels chasing me back there were mostly exhausted of their powers, making them extremely weak and fragile. My people will not back down, and the next time they strike, it will be with a dedicated force...are you even listening?”
“Uh...yes!” Katie, who had gradually sunk into her sofa as Gadreel rambled on, did her best to sit back up and act serious. “Acid. Powerful. Dedicated. Listening. I got all the major points.”
Gadreel was obviously not convinced, so Katie decided to let him know a little about her personality. She turned and pointed at the wall, where that screaming face was once again trying to climb out. It was relentless, if nothing else.
“Why am I saving you? It’s the same reason I live in this apartment. Also...you do see what’s up with this apartment complex, right?”
“Oh yeah.” Gadreel nodded. He had a drinking issue, but that didn't make him blind. “The situation here is actually really unique, and it has the potential to become really dangerous. You are powerful, but one wrong move, one careless error, and you’ll be dead.”
“Yep. And still, I chose to live here. Why?” Katie tossed her arms up. Her patented grin was on her face. “Cause it’s fun! The fact that any moment a wraith can come out of nowhere and scare me...it’s exciting and thrilling!”
“So...you want to chase the adrenaline? That’s why you saved me in that factory and that’s why you want to keep me here?” The Angel finally had a slight clue of who Katie was. “So the Angels can come over...and maybe kill you? Because you think it’ll be fun?”
“Yep!”
“That’s…” Gadreel was speechless. What sort of motivation was that? He has been alive for a long time, and throughout his life, he had seen a lot of different types of people. He had seen ambitious warlords who would massacre their own family for power. He had seen psychopaths who murdered the innocent without a shred of regret. He had even seen those who would turn against the world for love. But...but he had never seen anyone like Katie. How the hell is she even still alive by now with this attitude?
Then again, he was an Angel, but he was no saint. He had already lost everything. His purpose. His homeworld. Even his own people. The only thing that he had left was his drink, and if this girl insisted on chasing the grim reaper, then he saw no reason in refusing.
As for the danger of this apartment...Gadreel had some confidence he would be able to keep himself in one piece, and if things really went wrong, he could always do what he did best and leave.
And thus, Gadreel the Angel moved into the Sunny Apartment Complex.
The next day in a different part of the city, Katie and Gadreel hopped off Katie’s black SUV.
Another benefit of having Gadreel with her was that Katie now had an insider of the Los Angeles supernatural world by her side. Ultimately, she was a newcomer to the city, and unlike when she was back in the curse, supernatural beings and events wouldn’t just pop up all around her. She needed to actively go after them, and the few people she knew didn't help with that.
Thankfully, she now had an Angel who had spent years in the city to be her guide.
The pair walked out of the parking lot and out into the crowded street. It was a sunny day, and pedestrians were everywhere. As the two made their way toward a certain location, Gadreel snapped to the brunette beside him.
“Are you sure about this, Katie? I mean...you may as well be storming the bases of operations of the local Angel garrisons! In fact, I can take you to a few of those bases that may be a lot safer than where we’re heading now.”
“Wait…” Katie raised her eyebrows and stopped herself. She just came to a rather interesting realization. “You know where their bases are? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?”
“Of course I know!” Gadreel held his hands out in defense. “I have been with them for years!”
“But I thought they would move these compromised locations…” Katie defended herself. Isn’t that what they do in the movies? Once an agent has been compromised, remove all personnel that the agent was in touch with and get rid of all the locations associated with that agent?
“Compromised...Katie, the Angels are not undercover or something! In Los Angeles, we are the authority!” Gadreel tapped his forehead. Why did he even ask that question… “Yes...there are a lot of entities in the city that we are ignoring, mostly because we don’t have the energy to waste on purging the entire Los Angeles, but if anyone attacks us, they will be easily deflected. So...”
Katie hissed in frustration as she looked around. Oh...she was in such a good mood when she came here! And now, it was all ruined! Either way...it’s nothing! She wasn't going to let something this insignificant stop her! She told herself as she pointed at the way they were heading.
“Nope. We’re still going to the cinema you told me about. Your Angel friends aren’t going anywhere.”
“That cinema isn’t going anywhere either. It has been there for years…”
“Gadreel, just lead the way!”
Katie’s voice was so loud that it caught a few of the pedestrians by surprise. Gadreel, as an Angel, was passively cloaked to most mortals unless he actively showed himself. He could cloak Katie if he wanted, but he didn't want to waste that energy. In other words, the pedestrians just saw Katie screaming into thin air.
Some of them shook their heads. Such a shame for a girl this pretty to have schizophrenia…so do we call 911 for this or is there a specific mental health hotline?
“What are you shaking your head at…” Katie looked around and saw the sympathetic look on the faces of the bystanders. Even she couldn’t just draw her Knife and kill them for something this small, so all she could do was turn to the Angel. “Grrrr...lead the damn way, Gadreel!”
“Oh, Ok,” Gadreel nodded with a small grin, disappointed that the show was over so soon.
Finally, the two reached their destination. In front of them was a cinema, which by itself wasn’t that weird. Los Angeles was known for its movie and tv industry. It was said that everyone in Los Angeles had the dream to become a movie star. The number of cinemas like this in the city was in the thousands.
Although…
“This movie theatre doesn’t seem to be doing too well.” Katie commented after a while. She was no financial analyst, and she didn't quite come to that conclusion with a careful examination of the financial statements and balance sheets. She only said that because she didn't see a single person walking in or out of the cinema, and it was broad daylight!
“Depends on your perspective.” The caution on Gadreel’s face was clear as he gestured at the side, where Katie saw a woman wearing a baseball cap and a blue jacket standing out on the sidewalk with a stack of pamphlets in her hand. Unlike what was expected of her profession, she didn't give them out freely. Instead, she examined the passersby carefully. A meaningful look was in her eyes.
“This cinema has been here since my people arrived in Los Angeles. It has been here for a few years at least.” The Angel finally started explaining. “Throughout those years, hundreds, if not thousands, have walked into the cinema. Not a single one of those people walked out. A large number of the missing person’s cases in the city can be attributed to this building before you.”
“Yes!” Katie’s excitement was obvious. She almost sounded like one of those idiot protagonists in horror movies who would chase after danger, except she was all too aware of what she was doing. “So what’s inside? A Demon? A pack of rogue Angels? Maybe it’s the home of a swarm of wraiths? Oooooh...I know! Vampires?”
“No one knows.” Gadreel bit his lips. Even his voice was slightly lowered as he explained. “A few Angels have disappeared around this neighborhood, and Castillos, in response, sent a strike team into the cinema in an attempt to punish it for its defiance. That team never reported back either. After that, Castillos forbid us to even get close to here.”
It wasn’t that the Angels couldn’t take this cinema down. They could, but so what? How did killing a random supernatural predator help their cause? In fact, it couldn’t even serve to warn the other predators in the city to steer clear of the Angels, considering most of those predators had little to no minds of their own.
The Angels just weren’t the almighty champions they were centuries ago. They couldn’t afford to purge this city of all its sins.
As the two were talking, the woman Gadreel previously pointed at suddenly set her eyes on a group of pedestrians, and that was enough to make her smile. The prey she decided to pounce on was a group of four college freshmen. All boys. The woman didn't hesitate to walk up to the students and start chatting with them.
“Look at those poor souls.” Gadreel noted coldly with no intention to intervene. “That woman over there helps the cinema mark its preys. Once she convinces the unsuspecting people to go inside the cinema, and she will convince them eventually, those people are dead. Those boys down there are screwed. Now…”
He turned to Katie, looking a bit more relieved than before.
“I did what you wanted. I led you to the most dangerous place I know. So now, as per our agreement, I’m gonna go back to the apartment. You can do whatever you’re here to do…” He held his hand out. “Can you give me your car keys? I mean...I don’t want to run all the way back to the apartment and taxis make me feel uncomfortable, so...wait! What are you doing?”
Just as Gadreel was talking, Katie tossed him an innocent smile before reaching out and grabbing onto his hand. Under Gadreel’s horrified eyes, she headed straight for the woman, and she was taking Gadreel with her.
Where’s the fun in going in alone when she could, well, not be alone?
“No! Fine! I’ll walk home!” Once he saw what was going on, Gadreel looked horrified. He was tougher than most Angels, but even he didn't want to step into the cinema and confront its dangers, especially when he didn't need to! “Come on Katie! What are you doing? Well...whatever it is, I don’t care, but don’t get me involved! Think about our friendship! We have known each other for so long!”
“We met yesterday.”
“Well...it has been a very long day! Just...let me go! I just bought so much beer! If we die here, they will go bad!”
The Angel did his best to resist, but despite all his attempts to break free, Katie’s grip remained ironclad. Almost desperate, Gadreel showed himself, focused all his power on his fist, and went right for Katie’s face.
Katie reacted quickly. She reached out and grabbed onto Gadreel’s fist with her own palm. That devastating strike from the Angel, backed by his celestial power, crashed into Katie’s hand and broke almost every bone inside upon contact. But that only made Katie faster as she wrapped her arm around Gadreel and held him down, pulling him toward the woman.
At this point, all Gadreel wanted to do was cry.
“No!”
And just like that, the two reached the woman, who was still talking to the four young college students. Three of the four boys were checking out some pamphlets when they saw Katie and Gadreel approach. The woman saw them as well, and her eyes flickered at the unexpected guest.
“Hey there!” Katie said politely as she ‘hugged’ onto Gadreel. “So...my friend and I are here to see a movie. Are you an employee of this movie theatre?” She questioned the woman, as bold and fearless as always. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Maybe the woman could kill her? Quit joking!
The woman scanned Katie from top to bottom. She wasn’t too sure where this girl and her companion came from and what was going on with the two, but she was hardly concerned. After all, even in the supernatural food chain in the city, the cinema was among the top. Whatever the two were here to do, her boss could handle them.
“Yes.” She smiled confidently. “Whatever you and your friend want to see here, we can offer.”
“I don’t want to see anything...hmmm.”
Gadreel, on the side, made one desperate attempt to get out of this in one piece, but Katie was having none of that. She covered his mouth with one hand before continuing.
“What movies do you have...do you have the new Transformer movie?”
“Yep.” The woman’s cold eyes contrasted sharply against her warm tone. “Just go right on in!”
“Thanks!” Katie nodded before yanking Gadreel, pretty much screaming and kicking, into the cinema. A few pedestrians saw this unusual activity, but they subconsciously ignored it the same way the LAPD never even tried to investigate the cinema for all those people that disappeared in its proximity.
As she left, the college students finally made up their minds. Then again, their minds have been made the moment they were approached by the pamphlet woman. One by one, with little concern for what just happened and what they just saw, they marched into the dark halls of the cinema like lambs to the slaughter.
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