Dust.

The punching bag swung violently in the air every time he made contact with it. Beads of sweat poured down his forehead and dripped down his neck, several dust particles exploded off the bag with each blow. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard that he tasted blood.

"You keep stopping as soon as you punch the bag. You need to punch through the bag, not whack at it. You waste more energy when you do that."

William King tightened his fists inside his gloves. A vein popped out from his tricep, and he erupted in anger, like a volcano. He was frustrated with himself, and he channeled his emotions to the punching bag.

"You're still not listening. Take a break, we're done for today." Will released tension in his shoulders, which he didn't know he had, and glared at Roxy who was leaning against the back wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

Her medium length red hair was tied back into a tight braid, and she possessed the kind of electric blue eyes where you could read her emotions. Her thick eyebrows furrowed in frustration, and she clenched her jaw so tightly that she could feel it cracking.

Will wasn't angry at her, she was only trying to help, but he was tempted to punch her just so she could feel what the punching bag feels to prove her wrong. Fortunately, he thought against it and stomped out of the training room instead.

It was extremely late in the night, or rather extremely early in the morning. Will refused to check his watch at the moment. To Will, time was only an excuse for the world to rush him to do something he'll later regret.

He made his way to the kitchen, personally his favorite room in the Nest. It was a simple room with only the necessities: a fridge, sink, toaster, microwave, and some counter space with small cabinets to be used as a pantry. It was probably the only normal room that the scent of sewage didn't linger in the air, instead the scent of pumpkin cookies masked the air.

Roxy's younger sister, Luca, always did her best to make the living spaces better. She lit scented candles in the kitchen, and Will noticed a new painting on the walls. He examined her art, it filled the walls and brightened up what would've been a dull use of space. Her signature painting was a flower, with five rose petals, several vines spiraled out of the flower exploding out with passion. He smiled as he traced the vines with his finger, and then swiped his hand across the wall murals that have been drawn over the years.

This was the Nest, what they called their home. Only Will, Roxy, and Luca lived here. Those who could afford a home lived somewhere else. The Nest was an underground cavern, completely invisible to the world. There was only one way in, and the only people who knew about it were the people in Tenshi.

Tenshi is a group of people who are devoted to helping other people in need. When the police are not there to help, then Tenshi is first to come to aid. Founded by Roxy, looking for a way to bring justice to the city of Detroit. She turned to a friend, Will, to be her lieutenant. He was someone who she went to whenever she needed help, her best friend since early childhood.

It was just them two, Roxy found Luca to be too young, so she stayed behind on all of their missions. As time went on, they recruited new members: Dante, Henry, Kim, and Mavis. Mavis was the newest member, they initiated her six months ago.

"I'm not sure what color I should use." A small voice said from behind him. Will turned to see Luca examining the newest flower on the wall. She was a lot shorter than him, she was still a teenager. Her long red hair flowed down her beck, thick pieces tumbled in front of her shoulders. She had light blue eyes and long eyelashes. She was thin, with long ballerina legs and small shoulders. She looked like a younger version of Roxy, she was more innocent, pure, angelic.

Scratching the back of his neck, Will chuckled at her. In many ways, he thought of Luca as his younger sister. "Why aren't you sleeping? It's like two in the morning."

She shrugged, "Not tired."

Will rolled his eyes. She was eighteen years old, yet still acted like a toddler at times. "Use complete sentences if you're not tired."

"Don't wanna."

They gave each other a blank look, both trying to out-stare the other, and soon enough it became a staring contest. Luca furrowed her eyebrows when her eyes became watery. But Will wasn't about to lose to a teenage girl.

"I'm pretty sure that you guys have to be sitting for this staring contest to be official." A voice pointed out. Will and Luca broke their stare and turned to see Roxy, perched on top of the kitchen counter with her arms crossed.

"It wasn't planned," they said in unison.

Roxy jumped off the counter, landing gracefully on her light feet. "Yeah, right... I'm going to sleep. Don't bother me unless you guys are either dead or the Nest is on fire." She said, walking away with a backhand wave. Her fiery red hair wasn't in a braid anymore, and it hung loosely around her hips, swaying with every step she took.

Will and Luca followed soon after, Will turning right to his room, and Luca turning left to the room she shared with her older sister. He left the door slightly ajar, so he could hear outside in the case if there was an emergency, and plopped down on his bed.

His room was the smallest room in the Nest. There was a mattress pushed to the farthest corner on the floor, and a small dresser adjacent to the mattress. There was a small peephole that peaked in the living room, and a sealed window to the outside world that overlooked the withering forest beyond.

On normal nights, this would be his favorite part of the day. The one time where his mind could rest, and he wouldn't let the problems of the world fester in his head. This was the time he would help himself to peace, and not worry so much about anybody else than his own well-being.

But something happened earlier that night.

It replayed over and over in his mind as if time was winding backward on a loop. It faltered his concentration during training, the sheer horror of the situation he witnessed. He tossed over on his mattress, unwilling to blanket himself under the covers, and pressed play.

天使

He knew something was off the moment he heard a twig break when he stepped out of the Nest to get fresh air. The air was muggy and humid, but the lateness of the hour made it seem cooler than it actually was. The moonlight cast a dim shadow above the trees, only bits and pieces were visible.

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The muggy air filled his lungs to the brink, like water filling a cup just to the point where a single droplet extra would send the water overflowing.

He rolled his shoulders in backward circles, his arms were so tired that they felt like ice blocks that would shatter if someone would poke them in the right spot. He ran a shaky hand through his sweat greased hair and opened his eyes, sniffling a bit.

Something glinted in the moonlight, catching his attention. It came from deeper in the forest, disappearing as fast as it had come, looking like a twinkling star. Will brushed it off, excusing this a trick in his imagination, but soon his attention was on high alert when a muffled scream rang in his ears.

He didn't think, he was always the type to jump first without a second thought, he just ran into the forest in the same direction where he pinpointed distress. He swatted aside tree branches that hung low as he ran, and could feel his heartbeat racing. The farther he advanced into the forest, the darker the scenery became around him. His legs were well conditioned to run for miles, but he felt as if they were about to burn to ashes and erode away as dust.

With each step, the struggle for life became louder, more tenacious. Will swatted away tree branches, he leaped over piles of leaves, he felt his stomach drop with each step forward. A burning sensation echoed throughout his lungs, Will leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

'What's wrong with me?' he pondered against himself.

He dug his hands into his hair, scrunching his dark locks. The only thing he could hear now was the rustling of leaves followed by exerted grunts. The struggle stopped, and the rustling was fading away.

He wasn't going to give up. He knew someone was in trouble, and he devoted his entire life to helping those in need. The police weren't here, his group wasn't here, he was alone in this. Being alone would make things more difficult, yes, but he had no other choice.

He kept running, he didn't run in a certain destination, he just ran until he couldn't anymore. His heart pounded, but he knew that he was getting closer.

In the corner of vision, something caught his eye. From a distance, it looked like a beast. It was wide enough to eat two grown people, and the silhouette from the tree branches fabricated large claws that would cut through skin with one swift blow.

Will, however, was smarter than that. He followed the beast until it morphed itself into a full grown man. Will was hidden in the shadows and watched as the man lifted a woman with raven black hair onto his shoulders with almost no effort. Will silently searched his pockets and pulled out his phone to record the man.

The man was tall, roughly six feet tall, and wore a neatly fitted suit. His hair was greased and light in the moonlight, and he didn't show much distress with the added weight. But Will was too far away to gain a clear shot of his face.

After he disappeared, Will ended the recording and jogged back to the Nest. Roxy had been waiting for him for quite some time now, and she wasn't going to be happy when he came returned.

天使

Will jolted up from his mattress, waking himself from his nightmares. Mid-morning sunlight spilled in his small room, but not reaching the farthest corner of the room. Dust particles peacefully floated in the sun hues, waiting to be disrupted by the slightest movement.

Will groggily pulled out his phone and dialed the first number he could trust. The other line picked up after two rings.

"What's going on?" The other voice asked, fully alert and sharp.

Will rubbed his eyes and glared at the wall across from him, as if he was trying to intimidate it. "We have work to do."

天使