Chapter 4

Brianna stared up into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and kindness in them. It was almost more than she could take. With a small cry, she took a step backward, her hand going to her forehead as a wave of dizziness spilled over her.

Matt reached out, grabbing her arm and hearing her cry of pain. "What is it, Bria?"

"N-nothing, really. I'm just a bit dizzy," she managed to say, wishing she could melt against him.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked, looking into her wan features.

She managed to chuckle, food hadn't been top priority for her recently. Meals had been barely picked at as the worries of what awaited her in sleep tore through her. "I haven't been very hungry the past few days," she said as he led her to another of those benches that lined the paths through the campus.

"Well, it's catching up with you." Matt sat down next to her, lightly holding her hand. "How strong are you going to be if there's something you have to fight?"

"Y-You believe me?" Bria asked, her eyes flashing to his.

He sighed. "I believe what you tell me, I know there is something going on. Demons and angels sound a little corny but..."

"Oh thank you," she cried, throwing her arms around him.

The burning sensation was instantaneous and unmistakable. Brianna pushed away from him as quickly as she'd grabbed him.

Matt grabbed her hand, pushing up her sleeve to stare in horror at the bumpy red rash that covered the skin of her arms. "What is this?" he asked.

"His warning," Brianna answered sadly. "I can't touch anyone, well anyone but my roommate and I think she's on his side." She pulled her arm away from him, watching as the red blotches faded as soon as he quit touching her.

"See," she said, holding up her arm so he could see the now blemish free skin except for the horrible bruises around her wrists and the burns from the bindings he used against her.

"Can you get up?" he asked, careful not to touch her again.

"Why?" she demanded somewhat angrily. It wasn't Matt she was angry with, it was this Cairn.

"We could head down to the basement of the student union. The kitchen's still open and food is free at this time of night."

"Free? How do you know that?" she asked as she pushed herself off the bench and stood still waiting to see if she'd be dizzy again.

"Hey, growing boy here, we find anyway to keep the food pumping in." He made a muscle and she laughed as he wanted her too. He regarded her a little warily, his hands out but not touching her, just making sure if she was going to faint, he'd be able to cushion her fall. "Cool, let's go."

They made their way to the big building that not only housed all the deans' offices but was also where the Student Union, the bookstore and the cafeteria were. The first time Brianna had been here, Jeff had been at her side and they were making all kinds of plans about their future. He'd been her first love, her true love. He was the reason she'd gone to Eastern.

"Hey," Matt said gently, waving his hand in front of her face. "Where did you go?"

"Oh," she flushed a bright red and put her hands up against her cheeks. "I was thinking about the first time I came here."

"With Jeff, right?"

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Jeff was a great guy, Bria. It was ... It was a shame what happened."

"You knew Jeff?"

"He was in half my core classes my first year here. We played some hoop together between cram sessions." He ducked his head as they reached the bank of elevators that would take them to the basement. "The first time I saw you was with him. I thought the guy had all the luck."

"Then that drunk driver..." she said, her eyes turned up to Matt's when the elevator door opened.

"Yeah," he said, holding the door for her.

He followed her in, touching the "B" button for basement and leaning against the back of the car. Just as the doors began to close, an arm reached between and they bounced open. A man dressed in black walked inside, the doors almost catching on his heel.

"Wow, they aren't supposed to close like that," Matt said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, son."

Bria looked up at the familiar sound of the man's voice. "Father Joseph? What are you doing here this late?"

"I've been looking for you, Bria. Your roommate called me. She's frantic with worry. She said that you believe she's working with Cain."

"She was there, Father. She was in my dreams, doing his bidding."

"Brianna, you know of Cain's power. You know of his ability to get to you in your dreams. You have to believe he can manipulate those dreams to make you think terrible things of the other people in your life."

"Does that include you, Father?"

Matt asked the question as he stared around the elevator car, his hand gesturing to the seams where a bright red glow could be seen. It grew hotter inside the car, the seams beginning to melt away. Bria screamed when the car gave a sudden lurch, the sides falling away. They were stuck in the middle of a gorge, trapped upon an elevator sized piece of rock.

"Ah, Josiah, I had thought that my warning would be enough to have you leave well enough alone," a voice called.

"It's him," Bria almost screamed, reaching her hand out to grab Matt's arm. "It's him, he's out of my dreams."

"Yeah," Cain said. "Ain't life grand?"

"You two stand back," Joseph said, taking the two steps to the edge of the platform. "He can't hurt you, Bria, if you don't let him."

"No, but I can and will kill the little human she's with," Cain growled, standing up from the huge chair of bones he'd been sitting upon. It was built like a throne carved from human bones, skulls placed on the ends of each arm rest for him to put his hands on. Now his hands were held together in front of him, a red glowing and spinning orb forming between them.

"No Cain. I won't let you hurt these children."

"One of those children will be pregnant with my child before this night is done and you'll be dead, Josiah."

"You can't kill me, Cain. You know that."

"You haven't been home in a while, have you?"

"What do you mean by that, Cain? What do you know of my home?"

"Heaven isn't what it used to be Josiah. There's unrest and upheaval, two of my favorite things. God's powers are being questioned by too many mortals. He isn't the all mighty that he used to be without the belief of his little flock of humans."

"You're lying again, Cain. I would know, I would feel it, in here," he said, planting a fist against his chest.

"Would you? Would you really? Maybe you just need to take your true form to feel it?" Cain smiled, his face looking angelic even in the red glow of the spinning ball.

With a shouted oath, Cain threw the fiery orb. Joseph stood his ground, firmly planted in front of Bria and Matt. The orb flew the distance between the two, hitting the priest directly in the chest. Fire spread over him, consuming his clothing. When it went out, where Father Joseph had stood, was now an angel, his wings spread wide. His hair, once dark, was now a golden blonde, his eyes the blue of the sky on a clear spring day. He seemed to be lit from within, a bright white pureness that glowed around them, leaving Matt and Bria in his warmth and goodness.

"Father Joseph?" Bria gasped, remembering how she'd propositioned him when she thought him a man. "Oh, I'm so going to hell."

"My real name is Josiah," the angel said, turning his head to smile back at the two kids. "I was flattered, Bria."

"Flattered by what?" Matt asked, looking between the two.

"Nothing," Bria said quickly, then screamed.

Cain appeared between Josiah and the two college students, a fiery sword in his hand.

"The sword of judgment, Josiah," Cane shouted, twirling the blade once above his head before thrusting it at the angel. "The only thing that can truly kill one of your kind."

Josiah jumped backwards, almost knocking the two kids off the rock. "How did you get it?" he growled. "That sword belongs to the Him."

"I told you, Josiah, things are changing up there. You have to know I speak the truth since I do have the sword." He slashed it through the air, leaving a trail of flames that was impressive to watch. Then he attacked the angel once more, thrusting and slicing while Josiah tried to stay out of the way. He was nicked, the sword slicing through the golden aura that surrounded him.

Josiah went down to one knee, his breathing ragged, his eyes filled with pain. "I won't let you have her, Cain. She is an innocent."

Cain scoffed, shaking his head. "No woman is innocent, not since Eve gave Adam the apple in the garden that He made especially for them has a woman held innocence in her soul. This one is as fouled as the rest."

"Then why choose her for having your child?" Josiah asked, his voice growing weaker.