She's… she's as beautiful as the flowers in May… 

 

Her face… 

 

Her eyes… 

 

Her hair… 

 

Everything about her is beautiful; every little detail… 

 

That green bow… the golden hair… and her smile… it's the smile of an angel. 

 

Oliver stared at her, this angel of a creature before him, awestruck. She was breathtaking. 

 

Tears began to stream down her soft face. 

 

That's when Oliver noticed the guy behind her. "You're scared of him, aren't you?" 

 

The guy wrapped his arms around her slowly, and she broke into a scream. 

 

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

 

Oliver shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. Damn these dreams… he thought. He squinted over at his alarm clock. 6:05 am. Early. 

 

He stretched, thinking back to his dream. "As beautiful as the flowers in May?" He repeated. "That sounds so stupid." 

 

He was already wide awake, so Oliver just got up for the day. After a few hours of silence, he stopped. Damn, it sure is quiet without Marilyn here… 

 

"Wait, what am I saying?!" He said to himself. "That old Rank 4 must've hit me in the head harder than I thought…" 

 

"Hey!" 

 

Oliver whipped around in time to catch Marilyn climbing through his window. 

 

"So that's how you always get in!!" 

 

She left the window open behind her. "I tried texting, but you didn't answer! It says you didn't even open my texts!!!" 

 

"I muted you, Marilyn—you would text me like 50,000 times a day, and all night." 

 

"Well… you're my only friend, so I only text you." 

 

"Yeah, but you don't even try to make friends! You only follow 2 people on social media—me, and Cute Puppy Pictures. But you've got 23,402 followers from the squirrel incident. You can make friends!!!" 

 

She rolled her eyes around. "Nah, I'm okay. I only need you, Oliver." 

 

Oliver blushed, looking at her social media again. "Oh yeah, Marilyn? Can I ask why the only picture you have posted is one of me sleeping?!" 

 

She looked at it, then burst into giggles. "I thought you looked so funny!" She continued laughing. 

 

"Yeah, but this has over a thousand likes, and people are asking for my username!" He cried. 

 

"They probably just think you look cute." 

 

"HUH?!" 

 

"I'm just joking!" She laughed to herself. "Oh yeah," she said eventually, "I forgot to tell you." 

 

"...forgot to tell me what?" 

 

"She folded her fingers placidly. "That angels are hunting you down." 

 

"WHAT?! WHY?!!" 

 

"I'm not sure… all I know is they want you dead. There's two in town right now, a male and female, and the female has a green bow in her hair." 

 

"Oh, shit… why are they trying to kill me?? I didn't do anything wrong!" He realized what Marilyn said. "Wait… did you say a green bow?" 

 

"Yeah." 

 

"Is… is the girl angel blonde?" 

 

"Uh… I think so. Why?" She asked. 

 

It all made sense… kinda. "I just had a dream about that girl!" He said. "She had a bow on her head, and it was even green. She had blonde hair, and I said she was as beautiful as flowers in spring… or summer or something." 

 

"Hmm…" she said. "I think you were dreaming about me." 

 

"WHAT?! HELL, NO! THAT WOULDN'T BE A DREAM—IT'D BE A NIGHTMARE!!!" 

 

She wrapped her arms around his. "C'mon, Oliver—you know I'm the girl of your dreams." 

 

"Don't even say that," he groaned. 

 

She let go of him, looking towards the door. "Well, we should try to go find them before they find us," she said, before smiling. "And when we do, we can kill them!" 

 

"Kill them?" 

 

She sighed happily. "Yes. Trust me, Oliver—it's one of the best feelings in the world to kill an angel. Watch, Oliver: you'll love it." 

 

It sounded weird to him… to hear Marilyn be excited about killing other things. Would he really be excited to kill angels, like Marilyn said? No… he couldn't… right? A memory flashed in his head. It was years ago, back when he was a kid, living with his parents. His mom was hugging him after a fight he got into with another kid at school. 

 

"My son will grow up to be a hero, not a killer," she said, holding him tightly. 

 

"No," Oliver said to Marilyn. "We're not gonna kill the angels." 

 

"What?!" She cried out. "Why?! They'll kill us without a hesitation!" 

 

"I just can't kill anyone," Oliver said. He wasn't going to budge on this… he couldn't… 

 

"Why?!" 

 

"Because, Marilyn! I just… don't want to have any blood on my hands…" 

 

"Ah, so you're a chicken," she teased. 

 

"Call me what you want, Marilyn, whatever! I don't care! But I'm the leader now, so you have to listen to me, and I say no killing!" 

 

She paused. "Oh shit… I forgot you're the leader now." She frowned grudgingly. "You win this time, Oliver. Now let's just get going. We have the whole city that we have to look through!" 

 

Oliver was glad he was able to get her to listen, but still couldn't believe that. "The whole town?! That'll take all day!!" 

 

"Yup! Now let's go!" 

 

They searched through the whole city, looking for a blonde girl and guy. Oliver saw new parts of his town he'd never seen before. And he was right—it did take all day. By 5:30, his legs were exhausted. 

 

"Now, where haven't we looked…" Marilyn muttered as Oliver trudged behind.

 

"Marilyn." 

 

"The park! We haven't checked the park yet! C'mon, Oliver!" 

 

"Marilyn!" He cried, "Let's just go home. Who knows, maybe you were wrong, and maybe there are no angels hunting me." 

 

"No, Oliver—I know I wasn't wrong. Now, after we check the park, we can go home. Let's go!!" 

 

He groaned as she dragged him towards the park. 

 

The sky started to turn shades of pink by the time they got there. 

 

"Okay," she said, you go that way, I'll go this way, and whoever finds them calls the other. Alright? Okay. See you Oliver!" She ran off to her side of the park, hair and skirt bounding behind her. 

 

"C'mon, Marilyn! I'm tired! I don't wanna search the whole park!" 

 

She definitely wasn't far enough to not hear him, but she kept running. 

 

"Shit…" 

 

Oliver dragged his feet, looking around the park. The trees cast long shadows across the grass as a setting sun lit Oliver's view from behind him. It was a nice day, at least. He looked around for any blinde girls with green bows. 

 

Meanwhile, a dark haired guy led a shorter girl from the shadows of a nearby building. They were facing the park. 

 

"Okay," he growled, "this is the only place we haven't checked yet. They've gotta be here… we've looked everywhere for those ugly-ass demons.

 

"We'll split the grounds in half—you survey the West side, I'll take the East. If you find them, kill him. And don't disappoint me." 

 

She stood, the words caught in her throat. 

 

"DID YOU HEAR ME?!?" 

 

She yelped. "Oh! Um… sorry… yeah, understood." 

 

He stood coldly over her. She could feel the anger coursing through the air, seeping from his cold eyes. 

 

"Alright then. Go, before you make me mad. Unless you're in the mood to be taught another lesson. 

 

"Y-y-yes, sir!" 

 

She scurried away from him, cowering. She let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding, and looked around. She was in the center of the park… it was calm. 

 

She liked it. 

 

She walked around, enjoying the stillness of the setting sky. 

 

"Shit!" Oliver cried out from where he was. "Why am I still listening to Marilyn! I'm her leader now! She should be doing what I say, not the other way around…" 

 

He thought about it. Yeah, but today didn't feel like work, it just felt like hanging out with a friend… 

 

He was lost in thought as he walked, as was the person walking in front of him. So neither one noticed each other before they collided on the path. 

 

"Hey, buddy! Watch your—oh," he said. Oh shit, it's just a girl. He apologized. 

 

A… human? She thought. 

 

"Here, let me help you up." Oliver bent down, taking her hands gently. He lifted her to her feet, dusting off her shoulders. 

 

He's… a nice human, she thought. 

 

Realization hit Oliver as he looked at her again. Oh shit! She's got blonde hair AND a green bow… and she looks just like the girl from my dream… this has to be the angel! He looked at her as she fixed the skirt of her dress timidly. 

 

Wait, so… THIS is the angel who's trying to kill me? She looked completely harmless to him. Wait, if she knew who I was, wouldn't she attack me? 

 

"Um, th-thank you," she said, looking down at her feet. 

 

"Yeah… no problem…" Is this the same girl? It can't be… its probably just a coincidence. She's not even trying to attack me. I better keep looking for the real angel, he thought. 

 

May blushed. She couldn't remember the last time someone had been kind to her… not like this. This boy, whoever he was… there was something about him. 

 

"Well, I gotta get going," he said. "Have a nice day." Oliver turned and walked away as May watched. 

 

Ask him. Ask him for his name. 

 

She couldn't deny herself. "Wait!" 

 

Oliver turned around. 

 

"Um… w-what’s your name?" 

 

"My name?" He asked. 

 

She nodded. 

 

"Oliver," he said. "Oliver Rojas." 

 

She gasped, cupping her mouth with her hand. Oliver! That's… that's the name of the demon Marco said to kill. But… but this is a human… right? 

 

"Hello?" 

 

"Huh?" May asked, snapping to attention. 

 

"I asked what your name is," Oliver said. 

 

Is… is this the demon? "M-M-May." 

 

"May?" 

 

"Um, y-yeah…" 

 

Why does that sound familiar… Oliver thought. "Wait!" He looked at her. "You're as beautiful as the flowers in May! That's it!" 

 

That shocked her. She blushed furiously. "R-really?" She said quietly. 

 

He realized his screw up. Oh shit… I didn't mean to say that outloud… and I can't just say no, I'll be a douche if I do that… 

 

Meanwhile, May was trying to wrap her head around the conflicting thoughts she had. I've… I haven't gotten a compliment like that since my parents betrothed me to Marco… she looked up at Oliver. And this human… He can't be a demon. He's too nice. 

 

"Um… th-th-thank y-you…" she said. 

 

"Uh, yeah," he said back, embarrassed. 

 

Just then, his phone started vibrating. He slid it out of his pocket, and saw that it was Marilyn. 

 

"Hang on a sec, I gotta take this call." 

 

"Oh, um… okay…" 

 

He answered. "Hello?" He could hear some sort of commotion in the background. 

 

"Oliver!" She yelled distractedly, "I found one of the angels—you gotta get over here now!!!" Something crashed. 

 

"Are you sure it's an angel??" 

 

Another crash, followed by yells. "I'm positive!" She screamed. "He keeps going on about murdering a demon named Oliver. Errr… I'm gonna rip his head off real quick, I'll be right back!" 

 

"NO MARILYN, STOP! Don't do ANYTHING until I get there!!!!" 

 

He could hear voices in his ear. "Nuh-uh, Oliver, he just called me an ugly-ass whore—I'm gonna kill him!!" 

 

"WAIT NO—!!!"

 

The phone clicked off. 

 

"MARILYN? MARILYN?! Shit, that idiot!!!" He had to go find her, and stop her from killing anyone. 

 

May watched Oliver curiously, feeling fearful when he started to get mad. He caught her eyes. "Oh, uh, I gotta go, I think my friend is in trouble." 

 

"Your friend?" 

 

"Yeah, I gotta go, sorry, it was nice meeting you!" He turned around in the direction of Marilyn's half of the park, running as fast as he could. 

 

She watched him run. 

 

Are you really gonna let him go, just like that? A voice in her head asked. He could change your life. 

 

"Change my life? How?" She asked, a feeling of desperation beginning to overcome her. 

 

I mean, he made you feel different, didn't he? 

 

"Y-yeah… He did…" 

 

And you loved what he told you, didn't you?

 

She got hot and tingly all over just thinking about it. "Y-yeah…" 

 

Well, then listen! If you want to feel that way everyday, then you've gotta make him yours!

 

A flurry of emotions poured into May's head. She struggled to breathe. Worry and Risk pulled at her heart, fighting over what she should do… 

 

But all she knew was that she couldn't live like she was anymore. 

 

"I… I need him… I-I want him to be mine!" She yelled. She turned, running in his direction. "OLIVER! OLIVER!" She screamed after him. 

 

He turned around from a distance as May ran to catch up to him. 

 

"What?!" He said hurriedly. 

 

She had to fight her timidity back in order to get what she wanted. "C-can I go w-with you?" 

 

"Go with me?" 

 

"Um, yeah. I-I could help!" She said. 

 

Help? He thought. What the hell could she do?? 

 

"Uhh, I dunno, I don't think you should—" 

 

"Please!" She cried out. 

 

He looked her in the eyes. They were golden, like the setting sun in the background. 

 

Shit, I'm wasting time!! "Fine!" He took her hand, both of them blushing. "Let's go!" They ran off towards Marilyn, May keeping her pace more easily than Oliver assumed. She looked at her hand in his. 

 

Why does this human make me feel so differently? She thought. 

 

Meanwhile, Oliver was having different thoughts. Shit… I can't bring this girl with me—who knows how crazy it's gonna get? I've gotta lose her somehow… 

 

Eventually, Oliver spotted Marilyn’s blue hair about half a mile away. He was gonna have to sprint, so he stopped to catch his breath. "Hang on one second, May," he panted. 

 

She wasn't out of breath at all, though, so she just waited patiently. Something pink caught her eye. She turned, seeing a small patch of flowers growing nearby. 

 

"A-are those… camellias?" She asked herself. She loved flowers. 

 

Oliver noticed that she wasn't paying attention to him anymore. Now's my chance! 

 

When her head was turned completely away from him, he bolted in Marilyn's direction, flying off the grass. 

 

May flipped around and saw Oliver, hundreds of feet away. H-he left??? "WAIT!! OLIVER!!!" She cried, running after him. It didn't matter, though—all of Oliver’s night runs had paid off. She couldn't catch up to him. 

 

"OLIVER!!!" Tears ran down her face. Why did he leave??? 

 

He sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him, the wind flying into his face. He could hear May scream his name behind him. I'm sorry, May… I just can't let you near what's about to happen. 

 

"W-wait! Oliver!!!" She cried, gasping as she tried to run still. She collapsed onto the grass, sobbing uncontrollably. 

 

He turned back and saw her crumpled on the floor sobbing. Shit… just forget about her! You've gotta go find Marilyn… He was conflicted. He had to go stop Marilyn, and possibly help her… but he couldn't just leave this girl crying on the floor. 

 

"Hey," he said, running over. "Don't cry, I'm here." 

 

Still sobbing and gasping, she looked up at him. "Y-y-you were-were g-gon-na leave m-me?" 

 

"I'm sorry! I'm just in a hurry!!" 

 

"B-but I c-can he-help!!!" 

 

Oliver didn't know what to say, but he had to stop her crying so he could help Marilyn. "Hey, you gotta stop crying," he tried to sat nicely. 

 

She hiccuped, still crying. "I can't!" 

 

Oh shit… what the hell am I gonna do?! He kicked himself for being too soft… he should've just left her. But he couldn't. He was gonna have to improvise. What'll make her stop crying?? A compliment? He looked at her. Shit, I'm probably gonna have to say some sappy crap… 

 

"Hey, c'mon, angel," he cringed, "a girl as sweet as you shouldn't cry." 

 

He got her attention.  

 

"A-angel?" She sniffed. 

 

His face burned red. "Yeah. A pretty angel like you shouldn't cry. C'mon, stand up." 

 

He… does he know? She sniffled, standing up. "Pretty?" She asked. 

 

"Y-y-yes, you're very pretty. Now, give me a smile, beautiful." 

 

She laughed shyly, smiling through her puffy eyes. 

 

"See? That's better," he said, squirming from embarrassment. 

 

She hugged him, making him blush harder. "Th-thanks, Oliver." 

 

"No problem, let's go," he rushed, taking her hand again and sprinting to Marilyn. 

 

Shit… on top of everything, she'll find out I'm a demon… whatever, she seems nice enough to keep a secret. 

 

As they ran, Oliver saw a flash of light in the purple sky. Found them. They ran, and he saw Marilyn fighting some guy in a clearing of the park. "There she is!" 

 

"Oh no! Marco!" May yelled. If this is Oliver's friend that Marco’s fighting, then… 

 

"Oliver! What took so long!!" Marilyn yelled, fighting him back. 

 

"Wait, Oliver??" Marco yelled. Their eyes connected. "You!" He was ready to rip him apart. But hiding behind Oliver's, he saw May. Marco clenched his fist. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM!!" 

 

"B-but he's just a human!" She yelled. 

 

"YOU IDIOT, THAT'S OUR TARGET!!!!" He screamed. 

 

What the hell?!? So, she is the angel!!! And she didn't kill me because she thought I was a human??? "Oh, shit," Oliver said. 

 

Marco got closer to May, absolutely seething. "What the hell are you doing hanging out with this shit-faced, dirty-ass demon?" 

 

She cowered behind Oliver, clenching his hoodie tightly. It clicked for Marco. 

 

"Oh, I see what's going on here," he said, walking over. 

 

"Hey, your fight is with me!!!" Marilyn yelled. He whipped around. 

 

"YOU KEEP YOUR FUCKING MOUTH SHUT, PIG-VOMIT, BEFORE I RIP YOUR BITCH-ASS A NEW ONE!" 

 

Her eyes flared. "Oh, you're so fu—" 

 

In an instant he bolted over, slamming his fist into her chest. She crashed into a huge tree behind her, hitting her skull on the wood. 

 

"H-HEY!" Oliver yelled. 

 

Marco turned back around, zooming up to Oliver and slamming a right hook to his jaw. He sailed a few meters back, crashing to the floor. "Was I talking to YOU, fuckface?"

 

"Shit… He hits hard," Oliver said to himself. 

 

Marco turned to May, a crazed look in his eyes. She trembled as he towered over her, grabbing her chin. 

 

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HANGING AROUND A SHIT HEAD DEMON LIKE THAT, HUH?!? I'M ENOUGH FOR YOU—YOU UNDERSTAND?!?" 

 

She was shaking, trying to speak, but no words would come out. 

 

He grabbed her face harder, hard enough to make her cry. "Now, I'm gonna go kill your little bitch over there, and show you who the real fucking man is—" 

 

"No!" She cried, struggling. 

 

Back-talk wasn't a thing he accepted. He slapped her across the face and lifted her closer to him. "WHAT WAS THAT?" 

 

She couldn't speak—her gulping sobs consumed her. 

 

He scoffed. "I'm fucking DONE, May—I'm getting SICK OF THIS SHIT!!!" 

 

Oliver struggled to get up in the distance as Marco beat May remorselessly. Her screams echoed through the park. 

 

Over and over he slapped her across the face. "WHEN ARE YOU GONNA FUCKING LEARN, MAY?!" 

 

She blocked him with her hands, shielding her face. "I-I don't care if you hit me anymore, Marco! You… you'll have to kill me before I let you hurt Oliver!" 

 

Marco froze. For a split second, he was stunned. But unbridled fury took over quickly. He hit her again, over and over. 

 

"How the FUCK could you do this May? How, how, HOW?!?" He stopped. Tears were running down his face. "How could you do this to me?! How could you hurt me like this?! After everything I've done for you, you ungrateful little—" 

 

"Hurt you?" She said weakly, "You're the one who hurts me. I… I tried to love you. I wanted to. But you never did—you never even wanted to try. You said it was stupid. And when I caught you that one time with that other angel, you told me that you'd murder my parents if I ever told anyone that you cheated on me. How have I hurt you?" 

 

Silence. 

 

I loved you as a kid, Marco. But, after everything you've put me through… we can never have any kind of love. There's nothing you could do.

 

His face scrunched up. "Stop LYING TO YOURSELF, MAY." He hit her again. 

 

I-I never lied to myself. I was the one being lied to this whole time. The angels have always said that demons are cold, heartless, and evil. That they have no feelings. But Oliver is the kindest person I've ever met… 

 

She looked over at Oliver, who was still trying to get up. As Marco beat her, she smiled through the pain. 

 

Even if I die… I'll die happy. I'm so glad to have met you, Oliver. 

 

May closed her eyes, and the pain started to fade away. She smiled, until a blast of energy rippled through the air above her. She opened her eyes to see Oliver blasting a charged arm at Marco, who went soaring through the sky. 

 

He looked panicked, crouching down to May's level. "Are you okay?" He asked. 

 

She nodded. "Are… are you really a demon, Oliver?" 

 

"Yeah, I am. Sorry I didn't tell you before." 

 

"No, it's … it's better that you didn't tell me," she said. 

 

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Marco yelled, getting up to fight. 

 

Oliver looked at her. "Don't worry, May—I'll fight him for you. He's not gonna hurt you anymore." 

 

She stared into his eyes. Everything about how he looked at her convinced her… She knew that she could trust him. 

 

She hugged him, ignoring her aching body. He hugged her back… 

 

He knew she deserved it. 

 

Oliver stood up and looked at Marco, ready to fight. 

 

End of chapter 10