I Have Friends In Both Places
Nineteen

This is it, Atlas thought as he stared at the people around him getting ready for battle. Hundreds upon hundreds of demons surrounded them, each equipped with their own armor and weapon. Only a few seemed to be using magic while everyone else held sword, daggers, and bows. A select few had guns with angel-killing bullets, but both sides hated the weapons immensely, preferring hand-to-hand over anything.

Alijah stood beside Atlas, his hand brushing against the boy’s as they walked, both finding comfort in the other especially after the night before. Flanking them were Lele and Galen on Atlas’s side with Malia and Nolan on Alijah’s. Behind them were the Gabe, Danny, and Aaron, and a few others that he didn’t recognize. They were the highest-ranking amongst everyone in the room, and it made Atlas feel powerful being surrounded by them.

That morning, everyone had gathered for breakfast, a breakfast filled with anxious chatter and pointless jokes from Lele who seemed to try and brighten the mood, but everyone was too stressed to laugh. Even Alijah had shown signs of apprehension that everyone tried to ignore. He had to be strong. He was their leader.

Galen and Atlas had a heart-to-heart discussion before they stepped into the room where all the warriors were to gather, and now, Atlas believed it was all up to fate. He had said his goodbyes to the people around him, even if it was just in his head. He was prepared for anything, or at least, that’s what he liked to tell himself. Truthfully, he was more like a blubbering mess inside.

Atlas wanted to reach out and grab Alijah’s hand and intertwine their fingers like the night before, but he refrained, not wanting to do something he wasn’t supposed to in the eyes of the demons surrounding him. Alijah walked toward a stand at the front of the room that was surrounded by people. The crowd seemed to part effortlessly for them, all moving to where no part of them would touch the others.

Alijah easily climbed onto the stand in front of the crowd, and everyone followed in suit. Atlas anxiously looked around the crowd. Unfamiliar eyes from the people below seemed to follow his every movement. Atlas moved from foot to foot to try and ignore the looks.

Alijah cleared his throat and stared out into the crowd, watching as they fell silent, all watching him. Alijah squared his shoulders and held himself to confidently that Atlas wouldn’t have noticed he was nervous besides the quiet tapping of his foot on the flooring, so quiet that it was barely there.

“Today is the day that we take what is ours. The angels – they’ve had it too good up there, especially when they treat people so bad. We all know the ones sent down here for reasons they shouldn’t be. We’ve seen the angels who’ve fallen for no reason besides the head’s want for power.” Alijah’s voice boomed across the room, and every demon stood scarily still. “We’ve trained for this. We have God’s word on our side. We’re going to take down Heaven and all the angels as well. We’re going to win!” The demons surrounding them cheered excitedly, hitting their weapons against the floor to create booming noises that hurt Atlas’s ears. “We will not surrender! We will fight to the death!”

And with that, they were off. Galen stamped his foot loudly, and a portal opened, a portal that landed them just on the outskirts of Heaven to where they couldn’t be seen unless they wanted to be. Galen tapped his back, and Atlas turned and hugged the boy tightly, enjoying the warmth the human provided. “Make sure you’re safe,” Atlas mumbled into the boy’s shoulder. “I can’t lose you, May. I can’t.”

“I will. Now go out there and get ’em. Literally.”

Atlas chuckled a bit and walked over to the two demons disguised as angels. Lele and a black-haired girl that he didn’t recognize. He didn’t know a lot of people, it seemed. Lele and the girl stood proudly, wings protruding from their backs, no horns on their head. It was a strange sight to see Lele with wings considering he was nothing like an angel; it was almost comical.

Lele grinned when he saw Atlas and wrapped his arm around him. “You ready, dude?”

“Not at all.”

“That’s the spirit,” Lele cheered. “Now, let’s get out there, buddy!”

Atlas rolled his eyes but nodded, putting his hands behind his back so they could put the fake cuffs on his wrists. He could easily break them if he pulled his wrists apart.

Everything seemed to move too fast. People always said that when something important or life-endangering was happening, time would slow down and let you take in every mistake you made – the look on everyone’s face. Instead, everything seemed to move too fast. Atlas was dragged – yes, getting dragged was part of the role – towards the gates of Heaven where Lele and the girl fell into parts easily. Atlas could barely focus on his awe of Lele’s acting – the boy could easily have passed as a higher-ranking angel with how he acted – before he was dragged into the familiar white halls with a passing “We’ll inform the council.” He didn’t have time to take in the familiar white walls, nothing decorating them besides the overhead lights. It made him realize just how much more he loved Hell. He barely had time to acknowledge Lele and the girl flinching at the bright lights, easily playing off an excuse of having been roaming Earth for the elders for too long.

He didn’t have time to acknowledge him getting thrown headfirst into the colosseum that had once led to his demise before he was there, facing the council with wide eyes, his only thought being of the role he had to play. Any small mess-up could ruin everything, and it would be all Atlas’s fault. The sneering faces of two out of three of the council made his heart jumpstart, and his mind reel back into the present.

“What a lovely surprise. Atlas Axel.” Dominic’s voice was as annoying as he remembered it being.

Atlas looked up at them, trying not to sneer in anger at the two. The familiar words that he had repeated over and over in training fell from his lips effortlessly. “I’m here to ask for forgiveness. My time on Earth- though it may have been short- has given me a new sense of what it means to be an angel.”

Gabriella sneered, her child hands hitting the table twice. “So, what is it we hear that you were coercing with demons?” Atlas tensed, an action they took notice to. This was definitely not part of the plan. “Honestly, Atlas. You bring demons into our sacred space. You try and destroy us. Have you lost your mind?”

Shouts were heard behind Atlas, and he turned his head to see Lele and the girl from before get thrown beside him before a blade was pushed against his throat.

“You honestly didn’t think we would notice? We’re not complete idiots, honey.”

Sofia, the second, looked at Atlas with worried eyes. “We were hoping you wouldn’t fulfill your destiny, but you tried in such a miserable way. Only two demons? What were you planning to accomplish?”

Atlas pitied Sofia. The man was completely different from the other two. He was kind, a true match for a high role of Heaven.

The blithering laugh of Gabriella sounded, and he slammed her hands on her table again. “He’s an incompetent fool.” The once quiet angels surrounding them laughed along with her, though her shrill scream of a laugh overpowered theirs.

Once the laughter died down, Atlas spoke quietly, knowing they could hear him, but afraid that if he talked louder, the knife would cut into him. “I have a few tricks up my sleeves.”

“What--“ Atlas whistled long and loud as he stared up at Dominic, a menacing look in his eyes.

“You’re not the only one who wins these games, Dominic.” The sound of hundreds of feet running echoed around the room as the doors behind them opened and demons entered, filling the entire floor with people still sliding in. The angel with a knife against Atlas’s throat was easily knocked away and thrown across the room.

The room fell quiet again as the demons stared around at the angels and the council. Atlas turned as easy steps made their way to him. Demons parted easily to let the person through, and it was soon revealed to be a smirking Alijah. His armor glinted brightly in the light, and as he stood next to Atlas, his horns seemed to glow, and his wings appeared, stretching above them all, so large that they almost touched the second story roof.

“Alijah Hood,” Dominic’s voice rang out, a snarl in his voice as the angels surrounding them began muttering, all focusing on the form that was Alijah. “Trying to take the throne again? Haven’t you learned the past few times? You can’t beat us.”

Alijah surprised Atlas and wrapped his arm around the younger boy, his fingers tapping the covered skin of his waist in a way to calm himself. It was also a way to make sure that the boy was really there as Atlas had done it to Galen many times before.

Alijah’s voice was smooth as he spoke, a slight smirk on his lips as he looked up at them. “We’ve got a little more on our side this time, don’t you think, Dominic? I mean, we have the word of God.”

“The word of God? God hates you, you fool. You’re the outcast. The unwanted and fallen angel that we took pity on and didn’t kill.”

Alijah’s grip tightened on Atlas and stared up at Dominic with a defying look. “Then, why are you so scared? Just hand over the title if you don’t wish to fight, or stand up and fight us. Either way, I will be taking Heaven, and there’s no stopping me this time.” The demons let out a loud huff and hit the ground with their weapons before moving to a fighting stance.

“If you’re so confident, then your wish is our command. Today, we fight!”

The roaring of angels sounded before they jumped from their stands, flying down and attacking the demons.

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