The cave tunnels were dim and ominous, echoing dully with Sean's boot steps. It pained him to leave the angels, but knew he was doing the best thing he could. Cam was in here somewhere and Sean had a feeling he needed him.

He rounded a narrow tunnel and saw a demon farther down, the back of its human form half hidden in shadows. Sean raised his shotgun as the demon turned to him. He unloaded a shot that burst over it, pellets scattering, and then pumped the next shell and blasted it in the head. The demon flew back and crumpled on the ground in a smoking heap. Sean was told that they could recover from such wounds, but he had never stuck around long enough to see it.

He kept moving down the tunnel, reloading his shells as he ran.

The tunnel opened up around the next corner, with metal panels on the ground and small lamps hanging on the ceiling, casting the area in a gloomy yellow light. Pounding footfalls shook the tunnel and Sean tensed. Ahead, a large beast charged towards him, coming out from the shadows beyond the lamp light. The demon still wore its human clothes, stretched tight over its immense frame.

Sean planted his feet and readied the shotgun, which trembled a little in his hands. The closer the demon was the more effective the gun would be. Huge arms swung with its great strides, its twisted head huffing and growling, red eyes glaring. When it came within a few feet, Sean unloaded his first shot and quickly pumped the next shell. The huge beast roared and came to him. Sean dropped and raised the shotgun, blasting as it flew over him. He twisted and kept the gun on the demon as it crashed down and slid across the metal, and then pushed himself up and stepped to it. Another blast tore into the beast's head, spewing out a burst of blood. A huge claw swung out for Sean's legs, but he brought his boot down onto the wrist. He pumped the next shell and shot the hand, which exploded in a spray of dark blood. Finishing it with another blast in its head, Sean turned and continued down the tunnel without looking back, his hands reloading on instinct. If he didn't stop to think of the danger he was in, and the odds against him, he would do just fine, he told himself.

Near the end of the tunnel he found a series of alcoves on both sides, with bars covering the dark openings. His heart jumped when he found Cam in a cell near the end of the tunnel. Cam sat there with his arms held up, heavy cuffs chaining him to the rock wall. Sean shot the lock on the bars, the blast ringing down the corridor, and pushed his way into the room. He fell onto his knees beside Cam.

"Time to get you out of here, buddy," he said to Cam.

The angel remained still, his bare torso half in shadow and half in the yellow light.

"Cam," Sean said. He moved to him and then paused, seeing the wound on Cam's shoulder. A dark patch of veiny skin spread out from the fleshy hole below his shoulder. Sean's throat tightened and a horrifying shiver ran through him.

***

"It's too late," Cam said. "For me." He kept his eyes down, unable to look at Sean.

"No. No, Cam. We'll get you out of here. I'll grab Lahabiel and we'll get out and heal you."

Lahabiel was with them....? So she survived the hideout attack. It was a comfort to Cam, but didn't ease his mind much.

Cam slowly met Sean's eyes. "I'm sorry, Sean. I failed you all. I... this was always meant to happen. I was always meant to become one of them."

Sean glared at him, surprised at first but then angry. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's the next natural step for me," Cam said quietly. "I... I fell in love with a woman who had demon genes inside her, and I have a son who is part demon." A dull, hollow chuckle left him, and he grimaced. "The family will be complete once I turn."

"No, Cam," Sean said with heavy breaths. "Listen to me. This is that demon's shit inside you talking. You're an angel! You're the definition of what's good in this world. The Cam I knew would never give up or stop trying to help the world. How many times have you guys told me that the Light is stronger if people continue to believe in it? The demons can only win if we give up."

Cam looked away. His mind had swam with such chaotic and conflicting thoughts, he just felt numb now.

"Humans are flawed," Sean went on. "But it makes us stronger for it. You've said this enough times yourself, that it takes more than just pure light or pure darkness, but a combination of both."

A pang of guilt struck Cam, tightening his chest. "We have been forgotten about," he whispered. "I'm sorry. The chaos has become too much for me. I can stop the pain, become numb to it, if I embrace it."

"Cam!" Sean suddenly cried out. He trembled with emotion, his voice shaking. "There is no great plan, no reason for anything that happens. Things just happen, and it's all shit. I didn't ask for my wife and boy and girl to be killed, and I didn't want to become the man I am now. But I believe I was meant to help you and your brethren. That's my choice now. It's how I deal with the pain, by making it work for me. Do you know how easy it felt to just give up and end it all, because it was just too hard?"

"I understand..." Cam said, finding it hard to speak. "I know that everything that has happened was meant to happen. But it is not as simple as a great and omnipotent force looking over us all. The chaos of free will allows for a variance in the linear path of existence – the way that humans experience time."

"Come on, Cam, you're not even sounding like yourself anymore. It's that chaos that gives makes us stronger. It should be embraced, and used to channel our will. Cam, look at me. Cam!"

Cam snapped his head up, as if waking from a dream. But he was still in his nightmare.

Sean grabbed the back of Cam's sweaty neck and leaned close to him. "Tap into the darkness in you. Use it. I've used my anger to push me into doing the right thing, what I've felt was right, for a long time. Use it to strengthen your Light." Sean dropped his head, his shoulders heaving. When he looked up, tears glistened down his cheeks. "I can't lose you too, Cam. I just can't."

Sean released Cam and looked away, defeated for a moment. Then he raised his head and stared at him, willing him to come around.

Use the darkness to strengthen the light. Cam had spoken of such things for years, but had never really considered the real possibility of it. The angels needed humanity in them in order to exist in the world, which would not hold all of their combined holy power otherwise. It was that humanity they used in order to fight the demons, using emotions to fuel them, while maintaining their holy origins as best they could.

Bath-Kol's voice whispered in his mind. A child has two parents. The words had been scribbled on Balthiour's notebook, something that had occurred to her. Two parents, like a mother and father. And also, like light and dark. A child made up of both light and dark. The dark and light that flowed through Cam. Balthiour had tried to do the same, Cam realised, but he had gone too far and lost sight of the light, becoming consumed by the darkness.

Cam met Sean's eyes, and felt the fire in him. Use the darkness to strengthen the light. It was his only hope left. His pulse quickened, rising steadily, as anger rushed through Cam. Anger at the deaths of his loved ones, for bringing his brethren into the stronghold, and for being unable to protect them all. The demons had felt stronger than them for a long time, but now it was Cam's turn to use that strength against them.

Cam nodded. Sean perked up, his eyes wide, frozen.

"Okay, Sean," Cam said. "Let's do it the human way."

He tensed and pulled against the chains. They shook but held in place, grinding against the rock, before breaking free in a cloud of dust and grit.

"Good man, yourself," Sean said, grinning.

Cam took his hand and they rose up. His legs shook and faltered, but he steadied himself. It felt like he had been there for years, and he had to adjust to moving again.

He placed a hand on Sean's shoulder. The metal cuffs remained on Cam's wrists, rattling the broken chains as he moved.

"Thank you, Sean," Cam said, sincerely.

"Thank me once we're all out of here." Sean picked up his shotgun and gestured towards the tunnel.

Cam nodded and left the alcove. A demon lay ahead of them in the tunnel, on its knees and slowly rising. Heavy blood poured from the stub of one of its hands and its face was a bloodied mess.

The sight of the demon caused the anger to rush through Cam, pushing him on. He channelled his light, unconcerned with the darkness flowing through it, and met the growling demon. He lashed out and cut through the beast in two furious strikes, and kept moving.

Sean led the way back to the others.

[Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment and click the Like star. I'd love to hear what you think of the story. Thanks!]