Entry Eleven: Fighting to survive

It has been two weeks...two weeks since Mikey and I ran away from Hell...fourteen painful days since I last saw Frank's face. I have to believe that he is still alive, because if I don't, then I will fall apart.

Just when I was about to lose all hope, a miracle happened...but let me backtrack a bit...

Things weren't easy for Mikey and I, even with Frank's locations and supplies, we struggled to avoid the demons who were tracking us. Because Mikey was still a class C demon, he couldn't turn invisible, so flying was impossible during the day, and we were forced to walk most of the way while the ones chasing us didn't have the same limitations.

Exhausted and hungry, we hid in an empty farmhouse in the middle of a dying corn field, even though I wanted to keep going, Mikey was close to collapsing. He fell asleep instantly on the only bed, but I couldn't close my eyes.

I sensed a demon coming closer to us, he had been tailing us all day, but I had kept his presence to myself. Mikey didn't need another worry to burden him right now, and there was nothing we could do about it - besides run.

I had tried my hardest to outdistance him, but I was pushing my brother to his breaking point as it was, we simply could not go any further today, and now the slim lead we had maintained on our pursuer was whittling away...he would be here within the next five minutes.

Silently, I exited the farmhouse, pressing my back against the wooden door as I searched the sky for any sign of our pursuer. I didn't know what I would do when he got here, only an angel could kill a demon, but hopefully I could wound him badly enough that Mikey and I would have time to escape.

My poor brother...all this running was taking its toll on him, and I was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer, but we didn't have any other choice...

Finally, I caught sight of a pair of skeletal wings, and I elongated my claws in preparation. If I could rip out his heart, or remove his head, it would take him precious hours to fully regenerate, and by then, Mikey and I would be long gone.

My heart fluttered like a trapped bird against my ribcage, and my breath came in short gasps. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to overpower this demon, if I failed, we would be returned to Lucifer and tortured for eternity. I could not lose this fight, too much was at stake.

In a puff of dust, the demon landed directly in front of me, and I hissed out a warning. I didn't recognize him, but that was no surprise, besides Bob, I had avoided everyone in Hell to the best of my abilities.

No words were exchanged as we stared each other down, waiting to see who would make the first move. Opting for surprise, I ducked down low, then sprang back up, raking the demon's face with my claws.

He roared in fury as blood flowed freely down his face, and I felt the familiar bloodlust cloud my vision. No longer was I afraid or frightened, power flowed through my veins, and all I knew was the desire to rip this demon to shreds.

Faster than he could follow, I flipped over the demon's back and sliced at the spot where his wings met his spine. His bellow of agony was music to my ears, and I began to tear the ruined bones away from his body. With his other wing, he threw me off, before retracting both appendages and removing my main advantage in this fight.

Undeterred, I attempted to get behind him again, he was still bleeding profusely from his back, and if I could widen the wound, I might have a chance, but I underestimated his strength; ignoring his pain, he managed to grab a hold of my arm and pin me underneath his bulky frame.

Writhing in panic, I tried my best to throw him off, but he outweighed me by at least sixty pounds, and I was well and truly trapped. A sinister grin split his face in two as he drew his talon across my exposed midsection, pressing down just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood.

"Lucifer said to bring you back in one piece...but he never said I couldn't have a bit of fun first," the demon cackled.

Fear flowed back into me now...but not for myself, for Mikey. I was such a failure, I couldn't even protect him from one fucking demon. What the hell was I thinking risking his safety like this!

I squeezed my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to hold back the flood of tears I felt welling to the surface. The demon pressed harder on my stomach, and I choked back my cry of agony, I couldn't wake Mikey up. Maybe this demon would be too stupid to remember to look for him now that he had me to torment.

"Frank...please save Mikey." I mentally sent out my last request. If there was any grace in this world, then I would be granted this one thing. I would gladly trade away my life if it meant that Mikey got to walk free.

"Look at me you filthy runaway." the demon smacked me across the face, and my eyes flew open.

"Okay - you win, just take me back to Hell..." I groaned out. If I could get us out of here before Mikey awoke, then I could attempt to fight back later, but right now, I couldn't risk making any more noise than we already had.

"Are you so eager to see Lucifer? Because if I were you, I would be begging to be kept here as long as possible. He will make what I am going to do to you look like a fucking trip through a field of flowers."

With those words, he made another incision vertically down my chest, and I couldn't hold in my tortured scream this time. His nails were sharper than any razor, they split through my skin as if it was made of butter. My entire body was on fire, and I was lying in a pool of my own blood at this point. Blinking furiously to try and clear my vision, I resisted the urge to cry out again as he continued to drag his claws over my torso.

"That's right - I want to hear you scream. I always hated you. Lucifer's favorite demon...you never deserved his affection, and he is going to make you pay."

"It must sting huh? A new little demon getting so much attention. How long have you been in Hell? I bet Lucifer still doesn't even know your name." I knew I would regret this, but it wasn't like me to give in without a fight, plus, it distracted me from the blazing pain for a moment.

"Shut your mouth you little bitch! When I bring you back, he will beg me to join his elite demons, and then I can torment you as much as I please."

"Keep dreaming," I gasped out. Fury filled his face, and he punched me square in the jaw. I gave him my best grin, and spit a mouthful of blood straight in his eyes.

"You are going to regret that fucker." And I did...as he tore into me with his wicked claws, I wondered what had possessed me to aggravate him even further. Each cut burned as if he nails were coated in acid, and my throat was raw from my endless cries.

Minutes passed...but to me they seemed like hours before he stopped his relentless assault. I was happy that I couldn't lift my head to see myself, because I am sure it wasn't pretty. The demon lifted his weight off of my broken body and pulled a pair of black handcuffs out of a small pack he had strapped to his thigh. My eyes drifted behind him to the farmhouse, and I saw Mikey's pale face peeking out the door. Using all the strength I had left, I shook my head at him urgently.

"No..." I mouthed at him, praying that he would let me go.

"Ready for the trip?" My attention snapped back to my attacker, who had uncoiled a spool of rope now as well.

"Was that all you had for me?" I rasped faintly.

A wracking cough tore out of my body, and I shuddered violently. The agony was indescribable, and I had no idea how I was still able to form coherent words. Every nerve ending in my body was crying out, and I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to stay conscious.

"Well that was just the intermission. If I cut you up anymore, I would have to wait for you to heal before I could transport you, and I am not a patient man." He began binding my body with the rope, and I let out a pathetic whimper as it rubbed against my open wounds. I could no longer see over the demon's broad shoulders, which meant I had no idea if Mikey had heeded my plea or not.

"Now give me your hands and we can be on our way." Defiant until the end, I dug my fingers into the dirt and refused to offer them up for him to chain.

Just then, I heard a strangled cry emit from behind us, and the demon sprang out of his crouch to face his new foe. Mikey had jumped onto his back with a long knife in hand, and he was attempting to remove his head from his body. He made a massive cut across the demon's neck, but it wasn't enough to incapacitate him completely.

Emitting a gurgling roar, the demon snatched Mikey from his precarious perch, throwing him over his shoulder like a rag doll. He landed on the ground with a sickening crunch and lay still.

"Mikey - no!" I screamed out. Drawing on an inner strength I didn't know that I possessed, I dragged my tattered body over to where my stunned brother lay, retrieving the knife from his limp hands.

"Still have some fight in you runaway? Well I didn't give you enough credit...but it won't do you any good in the end."

"Take me...just leave him." I heaved out while painfully regaining my footing. My wounds created a lattice of pure agony, and I knew I wasn't going to stay on my feet for much longer. I tried to will my body to heal faster, but it didn't feel like the incisions had closed at all.

"Now why would I do that? You can't stop me. See this?" He held out his claws so they were directly in front of my face, and I noticed that they were coated in some sort of black substance, which I had assumed had just been a natural discoloration.

"This is something only old demons know of. It's a secret mixture, which stops your healing abilities from working. Of course, it wears off eventually, but by then, you will be back in Hell, so it won't matter."

Well that explained why my body wasn't repairing itself, but I refused to give up. I pulled myself to my full height and hefted the knife in my shaking hand, trying not to slip in the blood that was pouring from my body.

"You will not touch him," I snarled.

Aiming for the fresh neck wound Mikey had left me, I lunged forward with as much strength as I could muster, shoving through the resistance of his meaty nape. As the blade cleaved deep, he brought up his wicked talons and slammed them into my chest, bringing my attack up short.

With a strangled groan, I thrust myself against his hand, driving the sharp tips of his claws even deeper into my body, but just when the pain became too intense, I felt the knife cut clean through his spine, and with a wet plop, his head fell to the earth.

As his body sank to the ground, I joined it, his talons ripping out of my chest with a sickening sound of tearing flesh. Silent tears snaked down my blood caked face, and I battled back the encroaching blackness. Every breath was torment, but I couldn't give up yet; I had gained us some time, but we were a long way from safety. Gritting my teeth against the burst of pain, I shook Mikey's shoulder, trying to revive him.

"Mikes - get up!" I cried. Slowly, his eyes opened, and they widened in shock when he took in the sight of my ruined form.

"Oh my god - Gerard!" He gathered me in his arm, and even though I knew he had good intentions, I couldn't contain my moan of agony.

"We need to get you to a hospital!"

"No...I will heal eventually," I croaked out

But not as fast as the demon...I had to convince Mikey to leave me before it was too late. I couldn't even stand...much less run away, but he could, and that was all that mattered.

"Mikey - listen to me. You have to run. I know you don't want to, but I will never forgive myself if they catch you too. Just go okay?"

"Gerard - I'm not leaving you. If I go - you go, so it looks like I am staying right here." He ripped off his shirt and attempted to bind my profusely bleeding wounds, but it just increased my suffering.

"You don't understand...he won't be out for long...you have to get away. It's too late for me." Each word ripped through my damaged chest, if I hadn't been so sure that demons couldn't die, I would have been convinced that I was. How could I be in so much pain and still be living?

"Fuck you Gerard, don't do this! You are my brother, and I already lost you once. Don't make me go through that again!"

I had no response for that...it's true that what I was asking was unfair. Mikey wouldn't survive on his own, he was too new to his demon self, and he was weak compared to the hunters. Even if he escaped today, he would be afraid, and alone, and it would only be matter of time until he was caught.

I closed my eyes in defeat as the hopelessness of our situation overwhelmed me. Even if Mikey managed to move me, the demon had our scent, and he would just track us wherever we went...was this really how everything was going to end?

"Don't cry Gerard. It's going to be okay." I didn't even realize I was crying until Mikey pointed it out, but he was right. I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face, I wept for Mikey, I wept for myself, but mostly, I wept because I would never see Frank's beautiful face again.

"Gee - do you hear that?" Panic filled my brother's voice, and I strained my ears to pick up on what he was talking about, but all I could hear was my own ragged breathing and the steady drop of blood from my numerous wounds.

"I think another demon is coming..." Mikey's voice trembled.

Now I heard what his sharp ears had singled out, the sound of something flying rapidly toward us filled the quiet twilight...but those weren't just any wing beats...it was the familiar pattern that I had been dying to hear since the first day we ran away. A broad grin split my filthy face, and I attempted to sit up, only to be overwhelmed by a wash of pain.

"It's Frank," I whispered as I sank back down into Mikey's arms and finally gave in to the blessed darkness.

FRANK IS BACK! Hehe I feel like a meanie for cutting it off there, but it seemed like a good place to end the chapter.

I know I have made you guys wait forever for an update again, but this chapter was giving me problems. I originally started writing it from Frank's POV, and I was going to have him kill another angel, but it just wasn't working for me, so I deleted it and had to start all over again. Hopefully it was worth the wait, but you tell me :)

Time for your daily dose of my personal life:

So I think I really really like this guy Jake, and it is a super awesome feeling, but it is also really scary, because I haven't liked anyone in almost three years, and I pretty much gave up on relationships because I always seem to pick the assholes who cheat on me...

But this guy seems different, and I love hanging out with him, and I get butterflies in my stomach and all that good stuff...but at the same time, I am all UGH WHAT ARE THESE FEELINGS? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM!

We have been seeing each other for about a month, and I don't really know what I am to him. He seems to really like me, but he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or anything, and I don't even know if people do that anymore, but I kinda want to be his girlfriend, but I kinda don't want to because I am scared. You feel me? I miss my fictional relationships...so much less stress haha.

I don't know why I am telling you guys all this, but I don't have anyone else to tell this to besides my mom...so thanks for reading my pointless rants :)

OMG THIS STORY HAS ALMOST 700 READS!! Have I told my readers that I love you lately, because I do. I am dedicating this story to Atomic_Mercy because you are awesome and your comments give me the will to keep updating. So thanks for the support, and I really hope you like this chapter!

<3 star