Charlie's scream tore through the diner like a blade, slicing through the thick, suffocating tension that had settled over the group. She lay on the floor, drenched in sweat that pooled beneath her, her body writhing in a tempest of agony. Michael knelt at her side, his hands anchoring her shoulders with a grip that was both firm and impossibly gentle, while Audrey and Sandra pinned her trembling arms. Arlo crouched between her legs, surrounded by pots of steaming water that fogged his glasses and slicked his skin with condensation.
"This is going to be a long night," Arlo muttered under his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. Delivering a baby wasn't exactly covered in depth during medical training videos. Experience? Zero. Stakes? The literal future of humanity.
Audrey stumbled back into the room, another pot of water sloshing in her shaking hands. Her wide eyes flicked to the windows, where spectral lights pulsed in the distance.
"What is that?!" she gasped, her voice cracking.
Michael glanced up with a calmness that belied the urgency burning in his eyes. "He's coming. We have to hurry."
Arlo's fingers tightened reflexively. The words hit like a hammer. Gabriel would be here soon, he could feel it in the crawling sensation at the base of his neck, the buzzing intuition screaming danger. He forced himself to focus.
"Charlie,"Arlo said, his voice steady but urgent. "I need you to push. Hard as you can."
He placed his hand gently on her belly, feeling the contractions ripple through her body like a wave. Charlie clenched her teeth, tears streaming down her face. Her body shook with effort as she pushed, a raw scream tearing from her throat. Blood pooled beneath her, staining the floor. Audrey winced, her knuckles turning white as she held Charlie's arm.
"Just one more,"Arlo urged, sweat trickling down his temple. "One last push."
Outside, Howard, Kyle, Jeep, and Bob stood watch. The horizon was a writhing sea of shadows. An army of grotesque creatures shuffled forward, their ranks stretching into endless darkness. The glow of firelight cast ghastly silhouettes, making their inhuman movements all the more terrifying.
The sound of tearing pain ripped through the air as Charlie let out a final, guttural scream and then, silence.
A moment later, the sharp, piercing cry of a newborn filled the diner. The sound cut through the night like a beacon of life. Audrey's eyes widened as she lifted the child, stunned and elated.
"It's okay... He's okay," she whispered in awe.
Arlo moved quickly, his hands steady now. He took a sterile knife from the makeshift medical kit and cut the umbilical cord with practiced precision. His heart raced as he wrapped the baby in a soft blanket.
"Here," Arlo said softly, placing the child in Charlie's trembling arms. She stared at the tiny face, her eyes a storm of emotion—fear, wonder, and something else entirely.
"I don't... I can't..."Charlie's voice broke as her body trembled.
Audrey looked to Michael, uncertain. "It's okay," she murmured. "The baby's okay."
Michael's gaze remained calm. "Take him," he said gently. "Give her a minute."
Sandra reached out, her hands surprisingly steady, and took the child from Charlie. She paced slowly, murmuring soft words to soothe the infant's cries. "It's okay... Shh... It's okay,"she whispered, her voice a lullaby against the chaos.
Arlo slumped back, exhaustion washing over him like a wave. He could hear the roars of the creatures in the distance, but for one fleeting moment, the cries of new life were louder.
==================================================
Another DRONE OF THE HORN rattled the walls, its menacing tone vibrating through the diner like a death knell. The windows shuddered, and Audrey flinched. Sandra, her nerves frayed, crossed to the counter with jerky movements and flipped on the radio. Static hissed before giving way to the haunting melody of Bing Crosby's "Silent Night," his voice smooth and nostalgic. The juxtaposition was chilling, calm serenity against the storm of horror that loomed.
Michael moved swiftly, helping Charlie clean herself up. Her face contorted with pain and anger, her eyes burning with defiance as she locked onto his calm expression.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered bitterly.
Charlie's words barely registered with Arlo as he knelt beside Link, his mind focused like a laser.
"Link,"he murmured, his voice steady, "stay with Charlie. Protect her and the baby."
Link's ears perked up, and he let out a determined bark. Arlo rubbed the Pokémon's head affectionately.
"Good boy,"he whispered before rising to his feet and slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. His movements were quick and methodical.
Kyle, Jeep, Howard, and Bob exchanged confused glances as they watched Arlo rummage through the bag. Jeep tilted his head. "What are you doing, man?"
"Something big is coming,"Arlo replied flatly, his danger intuition screaming in his mind like a siren. He pulled out a (20) C-4 charges, each block neatly wired. He didn't wait for further questions as he moved with purpose, planting the explosives at key points around the diner.
"Hey, wait a second," Bob said, stepping forward, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Are those... C-4?"
"Yeah,"Arlo confirmed without pausing, expertly placing the charges. "We need to be ready to evacuate. If my gut is right and it usually is—we're going to blow this place sky-high along with every last one of those possessed freaks."
Jeep's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?!"
"Dead serious." Arlo didn't bother looking up as he set the final charge and unspooled the detonator wire.
He held up the device and waved it slightly. "So, who's going to be the one to push the button?"
A heavy silence fell. Michael watched without expression, while Kyle, Howard, and Jeep glanced nervously at one another.
Finally, Bob stepped forward, his face lined with determination. "I'll do it."
Arlo nodded, handing the detonator to him. "If anything goes sideways, you push it. Everyone else gets out, no matter what."
Bob clenched the detonator tightly, a sad smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "This diner's been my life. If it means going down with it, I'll be the captain of my ship."
Jeep looked horrified. "Dad, no—"
"It's fine," Bob interrupted firmly. "We do what we have to."
Satisfied, Arlo adjusted his coat and stepped outside. He looked at the gaps in the barricade, the heavy creak swallowed by the keening cries of the baby echoing from within. His eyes, sharp and unflinching, surveyed the darkness outside. His heart beat steadily, but his danger intuition surged with a warning pulse. The creatures—those mindless, dark puppets—were shifting in the distance, shadows writhing against the faint, flickering glow of the diner's neon sign.
"Come on, then," he muttered under his breath, adjusting his grip on the Pit Viper. His voice was low, a quiet dare cast into the abyss.
The baby's wails continued, sharp as shards of broken glass, each note fraying the nerves of their assailants. The possessed twitched and flinched, recoiling from the sound. Arlo watched with calculating eyes as they stumbled backward, their skeletal forms hesitating on the edge of darkness like wolves debating a retreat.
One particularly grotesque figure, its mouth agape in a voiceless scream, took a hesitant step forward. Its cracked hands clawed at the air. Then the cry intensified, and with a whimpering screech, it collapsed to its knees, clutching its head as if the sound itself was splitting its mind apart.
The desert horizon stretched infinite, barren save for a scattering of blinking lights in the distance. The landscape was a vast, indifferent sea of black sand. Above it, the heavens were heavy with shadows, save for three brilliant stars hanging low like celestial sentinels. Their cold light cast a pale glow on the trembling creatures, painting their forms in hues of spectral silver.
Arlo's gaze flicked up, his eyes catching movement. He tensed. The air shifted—a flutter, a rush of displaced wind. The sound of wings.
A shiver raced down his spine. He knew what it was before he saw it. A low, insidious thrum grew, resonating through the marrow of his bones. Gabriel was near.
"Any minute now," Arlo whispered, his facial expression is neutral with a grim smile. His fingers twitched at his sides, brushing against the tarots tucked into his coat, each card a blade in waiting. He could feel the tension pulling taut, the inevitable conflict a breath away.
From below, he heard Bob's voice, steady and resolute, issuing orders to secure the last of the barricades. Jeep's nervous pacing echoed faintly. Sandra's soft murmurs as she tried to calm the child. And over it all, Michael's silence—a weight heavier than any sound.
Far off, the truck stop was a flickering oasis of light in the dark expanse, almost like a stable in a forgotten desert town from millennia past. Above it, three stars burned low and bright, casting a somber glow.
Arlo felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. In the distance, the unmistakable beat of wings cut through the wind like blades. His fingers flexed instinctively around the hilt of his Pit Viper, and his jaw tightened.
"It's starting," he muttered.
Inside, Sandra held the baby close, swaying gently. "It's okay... It's okay... Shhh..." she whispered.
But nothing felt okay. Not yet.
And in the distance, the sound of wings drew closer.
........
The door shuddered under the force of another horn blast. A low, bone-rattling tremor swept through the diner as Kyle, Howard, Jeep, and Bob stumbled inside. Their eyes, wide with urgency, locked onto Michael, who helped Charlie to her feet. Audrey and Sandra paced, cradling the baby tightly in a bundle of bloody blankets.
"Something's happening,"Jeep said breathlessly. "They're backing away!"
Michael's head snapped toward him. His eyes burned with certainty. "The Possessed can't come near the child."
His tone was calm but laden with gravity. "So He sent someone that can. Someone like me."
Bob narrowed his eyes. His hand tightened instinctively on the detonator Arlo had entrusted to him. "Who?"
Michael's response was as steady as a tolling bell. "Gabriel. My lieutenant. He's come to do what I wouldn't."
The weight of realization settled over Jeep like a falling stone. His breath caught. "Your... lieutenant?"
While the words hung in the air, Arlo's focus never wavered. His eyes swept across every dark corner, every flicker of shadow beyond the windows. His danger intuition thrummed like a taut wire moments from snapping. His fingers itched near the Pit Viper holstered at his side.
"There was never meant to be a Second Coming," Michael continued. "But now, because of this child, the future is unwritten. There's hope."
Charlie's trembling hands reached out toward Audrey. With reverence, she took the baby into her arms, her body quivering with a fragile strength. She pressed the infant to her chest, holding on as though her very soul depended on it.
Suddenly, a horn blared, louder and closer than before. The walls shook. Plates toppled from shelves and shattered against the floor. The lights flickered ominously.
The air grew heavier.
From the spectral glow outside, a dark silhouette approached. A man-shaped figure, wings spread wide like the harbinger of ruin.
Arlo's eyes widened. His heart thundered as he took in the sight of the approaching figure.
"This... is bad," he muttered under his breath.
Gabriel stepped through the threshold of the diner. His form was rough-hewn and battle-scarred, more weapon than angel. His wings, neither soft nor feathery, retracted with a mechanical hiss, folding into an intricate array of blades. The armor encasing his form bristled with the efficiency of death.
He moved with precision, the mace in his hand humming with brutal energy. His face, strikingly similar to Michael's, was twisted into a mask of grim purpose.
Gabriel raised the mace high.
Arlo's intuition screamed.
He flung himself backward with a burst of agility, his body folding like a spring.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as the mace slammed into the floor, cracking the ground with seismic force.
"That's my cue,"Arlo muttered, scrambling to his feet as Gabriel's shadow loomed over him again.
"Sonuvabitch!"Bob's voice roared through the chaos. He charged, sub-machine gun ablaze, bullets streaking toward Gabriel's chest.
With a swift unfurling of his wings, Gabriel launched himself into the air. Bullets clattered uselessly against the walls.
"Arlo, move!"Jeep's shout cut through the cacophony.
Arlo pulled the Pit Viper from his coat, firing with precise, methodical shots.
BANG!
Gabriel's wings snapped shut like a fortress, deflecting the bullets with cold efficiency.
BANG! BANG!
Each round ricocheted harmlessly.
"Damn it,"Arlo growled, sliding a fresh clip into place.
Gabriel descended like a storm, his wings slicing the air with deadly precision. Bob's eyes widened as blood seeped from a razor-thin line across his abdomen. His weapon fell from numb fingers.
"NO!"Jeep screamed.
Michael surged forward. His movements were fluid, deadly, as he flung himself into the fray.
"Howard, Kyle!"Arlo barked. "Time to go!"
The group began a desperate retreat, following Charlie as she shielded her baby. Their footsteps thundered like war drums. Behind them, Gabriel's gaze burned with relentless fury.