Purgatory Chapter One - Angels & Demons

The city of Gehenna hummed with the buzz of technology and people.

Labyrinths of derelict streets were illuminated by the city’s unique orange glow; the homes, rats and their augmentations burning under the intangible but ever-present fire. It tainted the city’s beauty. The bright neon lights and the sleek cars blurred under the contrast to the neglected structures, painted in graffiti and blood. Even the few specimens of plant life weeding out from the cracks wafted a smoky odour. If you happened to lay a finger on one, it crumbled to ashes and became one with the manufactured ruins. Enormous holographic figures loomed over the constructs, satanically preaching the latest upgrades, the hottest weapons to those who wallowed below in these conditions. 

A fair percentage of Gehenna’s citizens at this late hour could usually be found huddled inside, indulging in pleasures of peace and vices. Others would gather in the sublime light of Lucifer Broadcasting, under their monumental screens in the city’s centre.

In the less desired cases, they were lined up against the walls outside. Some leant coolly against them, bodies thrusted outwards to passers-by, scantily dressed to draw attention to the mangled majesty of their cybernetic parts. Others were collapsed near them in fits of anxiety riddled bliss. They wriggled on the concrete, moaning in agonised pleasure, butterflies deprived of their nectar. Some clawed at the feet of the sober ones. They screamed for a dose of the sweet syrup. Those under the influence smiled as their thoughts disintegrated into falling petals. It provoked envy from the cyber beauties who lost their petals long ago. If one person got too frustrated with the other, then the weapons were drawn. Cyber enhancements, knives, guns, mental powers, no mercy.

Faida was fascinated by all of it.

She trudged behind her companion through a street connected to the edge of Cifer Central. Her steel eyes constantly shifted focus over her surroundings. The innocence of her curiosity was reflected in the appearance she gave herself. She was almost an angel; a combination of sensible and striking. Silver glasses and silver pins holding up a neat teal bun, topped with a kind smile. Her pale glow radiated a halo of pure wonder. Silver slits at the back of her dark blue jacket told otherwise to this impression. Their placement was reminiscent of amputated wings. As she shuffled along her white sneaker became absentmindedly caked in mud, blood and ‘syrup’. She paid it no mind. She could just replace them. Again.

Despite the haze of the evening, Faida’s thoughts were breezy. Not quite clear, as she muddled the cityscape in with the setting of a sci-fi shooter game she’d been playing only an hour ago. That is, before she’d been forcibly dragged from the comfort of her controller out of the house by the whirling fire that was her housemate.

Faida was snapped out of her breezy stupor by the halting of rushed feet on 

gravel, followed up by the grunt of her companion.

“Hey!”

His abruptness caused the blue angel to stop just short of him, eye to eye with his ember irises. A goofy grin stretched out unashamedly across her face.

“Sorry Al, promise I’ll catch up” Faida spoke melodically. A hint of a Nordic accent crept through.

Al’s dark cheeks flushed red. His face scrunched into confused frustration. Swiftly his face was covered by a black hood, two devilish horns poking in defence from it. They poked against the bottom of Faida’s neck. She did not flinch. Rather, she chuckled in amusement.

“W-well hurry up or we’re not going to make it in time. I’m itching for a fight here!” Al stammered, his thick Indian accent cracking under a failed attempt to seem intimidating. With a flourish, Al spun on his heel to turn away from Faida. However, he did not move. Faida seemed perplexed.

“Al-”

“Walk next to me…so, uh, I can make sure you’re keeping up” He interrupted, a little defensively.

It didn’t take asking twice for her to bounce up beside him. Al’s tech-infused gloves brushed against her exposed slender fingers. He flinched, inhaling a sharp breath and continuing onwards, cautiously flicking his vision back towards Faida to see if she noticed. Luckily, she’d gone back to sightseeing, as per usual. The childlike wonder she exuded was intoxicating to the young man; his own form of a drug in these ruins. Al decided to temporarily let down his guard. Inhaling the aroma of smoke, his mind cleared and he picked up the pace. Faida felt a tug on her jacket sleeve. Whilst he was focused on moving, she peeked at the socially awkward demon besides her. This black clad punk lad, almost always dressed in jeans, boots and his trademark hoodie. He was rarely without the gloves either, at least in Gehenna. Since Al was currently acting petty it wasn’t on display, however she’d always loved his hair the most. That shaggy black hair with the orange stripe down the middle. When she looked at him, many thoughts and nicknames came to mind.

She’d always wondered why he chose the name Alabaster instead.

Such thoughts were fleeting though as the time slipped by. The demon and the angel move onwards, feet almost gliding as they drifted closer to their destination. At their pace, it wasn’t long until they found themselves arriving at their destination.

Stood still besides one another, they bathed in the dazzling light of the club’s grandiose sign. The word ‘Supernova’ glowed invitingly in neon above the entrance. Ahead of them two dark blue doors awaited, one cracked slightly open. To each side of the doors was a single golden stand, velvet rope hanging lazily from them as though abandoned in a hurry. Faida shifted her feet as she inspected the scene. She felt and heard the vibrations of the bass emanating from within the premises. Each time it beat, her heart beat faster in pure excitement. Resisting the urge to giggle, she turned to her companion to catch his attention. Al’s expression didn’t share the same pleasure. His nose wrinkled at the amalgamated stench of alcohol, drugs and vomit seeped into the floor, wafting out from the crack of the door. The harsh beats of the music only served to make him grit his teeth harder. With impatient aggression Al removed his hood, a flick of orange falling between his eyes. Faida was mildly amused by his low growling as his irritation grew stronger.

“I guess DJazz gave up on hiring bouncers. I’m not that surprised really…” she mumbled absentmindedly. In response Al cocked his head towards her. As he did so there was a noticeable crack from his neck.

“Damn, and here I was aching for a practice round!” he continued to growl, his voice deeper with each sound that he made. To emphasise his point, Al flashed an evil grin at his angelic friend, punching one of his hands into the other in as violent a manner he could muster. His knuckles cracked just like his neck. He breathed heavily in a poor attempt to keep composed.

Faida simply laughed, unable to contain herself by this point. Gently, with some semblance of caution, she placed her hand on his forearm, still giggling as she spoke reassuring words to him.

“Oh, come on, calm down, you should still have time for a proper fight. If you overload yourself now you’ll get a disadvantage to all your stats, fumble your attacks and get a game over. You’ll black out, lose your money and wake up at a medical centre. Trust me, that is super frustrating!”

“Fai…”

“Yes?”

Al’s heavy breathing seemed to settle itself within seconds. He relaxed his jaw, moved his hands to his side then spoke again without the growl. If anything, he began chuckling much the same as Faida.

“If that’s a gaming reference you know I don’t have a clue what the fuck you’re talking about”

Al felt the fingers slip from his arm as Faida shrugged her shoulders, grinning awkwardly.

“I don’t know what you mean” she attempted to say normally but could not hide the delight behind her words. The both of them burst into raucous laughter, almost rivalling the heavy music barely contained by the walls of the club. This continued for a few brilliant minutes, until the angel was able to compose herself long enough to catch the demon’s attention, pointing towards the door of the club.

“Shouldn’t we just…you know?” she managed to sputter out in her giggling fit. Al wiped away a fake tear as he promptly calmed down.

“Oh yeah! Yeah, let’s just go in”

Al strode ahead of Faida to the entrance, now boasting a smile she was happily familiar with. Her cares now free from worry, she bumbled along behind. The demon prepared to crash in, the angel at his back to hold him up.