"Ah, Michael." Brandon gets up from his seat to greet us, his face eager for our arrival. The walls of his office were almost glistening with cleanliness, his shelves minimalistic and orderly as he gestures for us to take a seat. "I'm glad you have arrived. There's something I need you to do for me." He places a briefcase up on the glass table and starts opening it with practiced motions. From within, he pulls out vials of small liquids of varying colors. At the bottom was a parchment, addressed to Eve. "I believe you know where I'm going with this Evelynn."
Eve simply nods and proceeds to close the briefcase. I am now confused, and my face definitely showed it when Brandon started briefing me about the circumstance I was currently in the dark about. "I have assigned Eve to take charge of an ongoing research we've been having trouble with." He walks towards the many case filings and proceeds to extract one, a grey folder with empty covers. Brandon passes them onto me and I take them, opening them quickly. "P710: Project Doomsday, that is its temporary codename."
I open the file to be met with hundreds of terminologies I could not wrap my head around. Sin. Child. Unborn. Apocalypse. These, among many others, stood out to me as I look at Brandon sharply. "What's the meaning of this?"
"We are currently expecting a code red event to partake within the year Michael, maybe less if we're unlucky." He runs his hand through his hair and points at the briefcase that was now in the hands of Eve. "That right there, could possibly be the DNA of a Nephilim."
Nephilim? The inbreeding of both Human and Angel, a being that is capable of possessing supernatural abilities while being visibly human. However, the last instance of a Nephilim sighting could only be found in ancient texts and even then, descriptions were vague. "How could we be so sure that this is in fact, a Nephilim? We don't even know how to spot one, let alone destroy one."
"You are correct in assuming so Michael, and even I am at a loss. However, we cannot take anything for granted regarding this." His eyes meet ours as he emphasizes the gravity of our situation. "I am relying on you too to confirm this. Michael, there is a location that I need you to investigate, a possible sighting of our perpetrator."
I look at Eve who has worry plastered all over her face. "Will I be going alone?" I ask, wondering how he expects me to undertake such a dangerous task on my own.
"No. I will be coming with you." He replies, donning on his coat as he gestures us out of the door.
The scenery around me freezes and I find myself stuck in time. Cracks appear in the air, like reality was made out of paper, being torn apart and I sink into the floor. My throat aches as I scream for Eve and Brandon but no words come out, instead I am suddenly plummeted to the ground. I am now outside in the night, Brandon breathing heavily in front of me as my body weighs heavy. My arms are barely able to support me as I find blood streaming down my forehead, my body burning with pain as I feel numerous cuts on it. The rain was pouring as a hooded figure walked slowly to where we are. "Mortals, you do not know the limit of your feeble bodies." It spoke in a broken voice, its way of speaking barely understandable. "My offspring will succumb this world into darkness, and I will be its new maker. My father has forsaken you, absent in recent days as he watches you fall into your greed." He extends a hand towards the two of us, and thunder booms above. "I will earn my forgiveness by erasing his mistakes."
I'm dying. My body was screaming for respite as I watch Brandon run towards me, grabbing me by the collar as we sprint with all we had, swaying in the pouring drizzle. I don't look back as I feel the fear of imminent death looming behind me. He's close! He'll catch up and we'll both die! I am terrified. "Brandon, run!"
The pain suddenly disappears as I fall on the ground, the scenery in front of me was now our house. For some reason, I knew Eve was in there, I had to save her. Before I could pick myself up, a fiery explosion propels me backwards. Despair sinks into my gut as I run towards our burning home. Please, not again! Again? Why does this look so familiar? "Eve!" I scream as I hear her cries in the next room. The door won't budge, its metallic burnt my hand as I ram myself into door. Desperation overcomes me as I break the door open, my entire body aching from the impact.
Evelynn was lying there on the ground, barely breathing as the same hooded figure looms over her. The figure dissipates into the air as I look at Eve clutching her stomach. "Mike…"
"Shh, save your breath. I'm going to get us out of here okay? Just hang in there." I plead, tears now streaming on my face as I watch her struggle to breathe in my arms. Her skin was burnt everywhere, her eyes fixated on her stomach.
"Mike… I'm pregnant." My heart sinks, unable to comprehend fully what she had just told me. "Our baby…" She cries, her hands clutching on to me and I see her legs twisted in ways they shouldn't have been. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."
"No, be quiet. We'll be okay…" I cry out, convincing myself that there was a way out of here. There is none. Rubble falls from the ceiling as I clutch her tightly in my arms. "I'm here. I won't leave you alone." I close my eyes as I brace myself for the roof caving in. Eve now lies motionless in my arms, her eyes blank as I cry my heart out. The impact doesn't come however, the flames dying down around me as the same hooded figure stands in front of us. You couldn't save her.