Chapter 1
Let me start of by being perfectly clear no matter what will be said in the following pages, Eliza and Zachary truly were in love. Passionate, obsessive, crazy love. The kind that only a first love can be. It didn’t happen right away, of course. Love at first sight rarely ever happens anymore. At first, they had to infuriate each other and overcome otherworldly obstacles before they found their path. And even after they found their love story they had to defy heaven, hell and everything in between just to keep it.
But it was a perfect love for them. You see, Zachary never thought he would find someone he could be honest with, that understood him completely and who, for the first time in 200 years, had made him genuinely happy.
Maybe it was her youth or her inexperience but if Eliza had a soul she would have loved Zachary right down to the very bottom of it and all the way back. Being him made her feel content, made her want to be better. It‘s a shame that one of them had to die.
Oops.
Did I just give away the ending? Now you’re probably wondering which one gets the ax? Is it the angel or the demon? I can’t reveal that to you just yet. I have a story to tell here and you wouldn’t need to read it if I gave everything away in the first few paragraphs. To be fair, you need to know the whole story. The good and the bad. The beginning and the middle before you can truly appreciate the end.
So let’s not rush things. No more spoilers from me and I’ll try not to interfere too much. Let’s just take our time and start from the very beginning. It’s been said to be s a very good place to start.
New York City – 1993
For a city that didn’t sleep the streets were curiously empty for a Friday night. The frosty winter weather must have been keeping its residents at bay, everyone retreating indoors to their takeout menus and television sets. Not that Zachary minded the solitude. It was a nice change from the everyday chaos. When he first arrived all those years ago he saw the city as one giant comic book with salvation and sin around every turn of a corner. An island of lost souls exposed within its electric colored panels.
To him it seemed like one giant comic book crammed inside of its thirty-three square miles. A place where even someone like him could become a hero. There was a time when he saw his immortality as an opportunity, a way for him to do some good in the world. For so long he had thought that the only thing those souls needed was a little help and all he ever wanted to do was help, to protect them from harm and keep them out of trouble. But he soon learned seldom was there anyone who truly deserved saving. Human’s caused their own trouble and they undoubtedly deserved what they got.
This new world he was once attracted to had made him weary. He could barely remember what year it was anymore, always checking the newspaper just to be sure. Not that it mattered much. Nothing ever changed except the numbers on the calendar. It was still 1993 and though it had been another uneventful year to add to the countless others, he was glad to see it was coming to an end. Zachary didn’t know then that just by stepping outside his apartment that freezing Friday night would change his uneventful life.
No matter how disillusioned he’d become he still kept a routine. He needed that in his life. Some things in his head just wouldn’t lay down and die. Though he had felt uneasy all evening, like cobwebs were clinging to his skin. He scrubbed at his face trying to wipe the feeling away but it persisted, growing even stronger as he walked closer to the park.
0000
Somewhere on the upper East side Eliza Parker-Ellis was already having a pretty bad night but it would get much worse before it ended/she crawled into/made her way to bed. Her bestie, Addison Kirkner was everything she was not. Blonde, beautiful and pretty much perfect in every way she was not. Yes, her parents were those Kirkners. The ones that you’d see as you lined your litterbox with the cheap pages of The Enquirer or Star magazine. D list celebrities that tipped off the paparazzi for mundane things like trips to the grocery store all to feed their own self-important, celebrity egos.
But Addison was different. She was the bubbly to Eliza’s well sharpened straight/safety pin. The sweet to her sour, the positive to her negative. And that night the social butterfly wanted to go to a party that her crush of the hour, Nora Neustadt would be making an appearance at.
Now contrary to Addison, Eliza hated parties and people and well most things really but none of that was her fault either. Most of the kids that went to her school had last names you’d recognize in a heartbeat. Kids of business moguls and celebrities, there was even a lesser royal or two thrown in the mix for good measure, all known just for being formed from the proper sperm and egg combo.
Real upper crust kind of shit. But Eliza was in the minority, a party crasher at the elite Fenton Academy. There was no house staff to keep her three bedroom apartment immaculate or trust funds waiting for her or her little brother. Not that she cared about those things. Addison had all of those things and the therapy bills to prove it.
But since Adds would just about die for her, Eliza had no choice but to return the favor. That is a best bud’s duty, after all.
It was very late when the street lights hummed their electric work song and Eliza hurried to get home, mentally preparing herself for the wrath she would incur from her parents’ mere seconds after they heard the front door unlocking.
A strong gust of wind brought her hustle her to a halt, freezing her as she approached the crosswalk conveniently across the street from an entrance to Central Park. She double checked her watch; a cartoon character she didn’t recognize was smiling back at her telling her just how late she was.
The midnight curfew her parents attempted to enforce passed her by long ago and she debated her next move. She was already late so what would a few more minutes really matter in the grand scheme of life and groundings? But taking the path across the park was the quickest route home and damn, she was cold and to be honest quite a little drunk. Through her foggy, Budweiser soaked brain she could hear her mother’s voice all screechy and perky warning her about the dangers of walking alone in a park at night. Eliza couldn’t help but laugh. Was her mother’s paranoia finally rubbing off on her? Can never let that happen. Her mom was a crazy person, full to the brim with all sorts of urban horror stories sensationalized daily by the news, those cautionary tales meant to keep her and her little brother Will safe only aided Eliza’s eyes to roll her. She wrapped her scarf tight to cover her nose, which had been taking the brunt of the miserable chill and marched forth into the parks dark, eerie quiet with the kind of false confidence only one could have at sixteen.
While Eliza was distracted in her paranoid rehashing over how she called Carolina Debussy a coked out, Easy Bake Oven during their brief confrontation. Yes she was an offspring of those Debussy’s, the upstanding pillars of old New York society. Too busy lost in thought, Eliza never noticed the man dressed in a tattered dress coat that had stepped out of the shadows and began to follow her. He was unusually long, all limbs and creases with weathered skin, like a summer peach gone to rot. With his few tufts of white hair in all the wrong places, he’d be mistaken for a mad man if his clothes weren’t so fine. Inside the quiet, darkness of the park he walked with confidence, his eyes planted firmly on the girl ahead of him.
Zachary stepped out of sight, watching with curiosity as the pair passed him by. There was scent of foreboding in the air and though it had been years he knew exactly what he was seeing-- A demon on a hunt. Most people would never give have given it a second glance but Zachary wasn’t exactly people, not really. He was just going through the motions in his flesh and bone shell.
The demon man quickened his pace and Eliza didn’t make it more than thirty steps before it was at her back. And holy shit! Without warning knobby arms were at her back wrapping themselves around her waist, lifting her up off the pavement, Her scream went unheard in the vast black abyss of the park. Her heart pounded double time as her brain went into full on panic mode like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. The reality of her situation sobered her up. She kicked out furiously, twisting and turning in struggle. It was a futile attempt against her unseen assailant to free herself from the tight hold that was held her in place. A leathery hand slid around her face, gripping tight around her mouth to muffle the sound of her terror filled cries and she was dragged further into the darkness.
Now, Girl + Demon always equaled bad news and Zachary knew what needed to be done. It wasn’t a decision he had to think twice about. His brain immediately reacted, forcing his legs into action. Zachary took off down the pavement toward them. He leapt onto the back of the man, catching him off guard, throwing the girl onto the snowy, cold ground. She scrambled to safety, huddling behind a park bench.
Spinning around quickly, the demon man got its first look at his attacker. His head rolled back and he released a growl so loud it shook the trees. His eyes glowed red. He was now aware of what he was up against.
It grinned, "I know what you are."
Zachary smiled back, "That makes the two of us."
The demon swung its fist and it connected with Zachary’s jaw. Just as quickly, Zachary’s fist made contact with the demon’s side. The sound of flesh being battered echoed in the trees. Zachary face received a number of punches and threw several punches of his own. The demon suddenly jerked his leg up, kneeing Zachary in the stomach, knocking him down to his knees.
After a few well-aimed punches from his opponent, Zachary’s face was a bloody, spattered mess. Catching his breath, he managed to sink his fist into the demons stomach, causing it to back away providing Zachary an opportunity to get to his feet. Zachary staggered back and with renewed strength punched the demon in its chest, sending it crashing into a nearby tree, rendering it unconscious.
Moving toward the unconscious lump, Zachary reached into his black messenger bag and drew out his dagger, the one he kept on him instinctively but never used and with one quick thrust plunged the dagger straight into its heart. The demon screeched as it melted into the snow, leaving behind nothing except a steaming, glowing puddle of electric colored green goo and the clothing it wore on the ground. Zachary picked up the discarded goo covered garments and searched the pockets. He casually slipped a wad of bills into his back pocket.
He spit blood onto the snow and lightly felt his injured face with his fingers. It was sore to the touch; his eye was already swelling shut. He wouldn’t look pretty but it was lucky for him that his kind tended to heal quickly.
He eyed the cowering girl who was peeking out from behind the wooden slats of the snow covered bench. “You okay down there?”
With eyes wide with fright the girl looked up at the man that towered over her. “Who…who are you?”
His voice shot back at her like a bullet. “I’m the one that just saved your ass.”
Zachary sighed and extended his hand, the girl took it warily, as if she were afraid to touch him. With little effort, he pulled her to her feet; a wave of electricity coursed through his body. It tingled and pinched like his whole body had fallen asleep. But in an instant the feeling was gone. He shook it off. “You uh shouldn’t be out here so late by yourself.”
The girl brushed herself off and picked her bag up off the ground.
“Thanks for the advice,” Her voice was thick with insolence.
He just saved her ass and she was giving him attitude? Next time find someone else to rescue you, little girl. He needed to get the girl out of there and safely back to her home. Besides, it was much too late to interrogate the demon, puddles tended not to be too chatty.
Zachary roughly grabbed her by the arm to keep her moving. “We should keep moving. City’s crawling with crazies. "
"But you... you... stabbed that man. I saw you."
"What man?"
Eliza looked around to where the stabbing went down. Only some green goo remains lightly sizzling in the snowy grass. She was now even more shaken and confused.
Defiantly, Eliza stopped in her tracks. She wanted answers. "Wait wait wait. What just happened here?"
"You were attacked."
"By...?"
He shrugged, "A psycho crack head?"
"Crack heads don’t typically melt into green goo, I’m pretty sure of that. And his... face... his face was all warped and blurry like in a dream. Not a good dream, though."
Zachary looked at her with concern. She shouldn’t know that. He repeated his warning, "Parks no place for a girl like you to be in alone. You need to be careful out here."
"Admittedly not my best plan."
"Not many good plans ever come from the amount of alcohol you’ve imbibed.
"Imbibed? Who uses that word? How old are you? A million?"
Zachary stifles a laugh. If only she knew. "Tonight could’ve ended badly for you if I didn’t come along."
"Yeah, well, everyone’s gotta get mugged sometime, right?"
"Come on, let’s get you home."
The girl didn’t say much on the walk to her apartment building and Zachary was relieved that he didn’t have to answer any more questions that she might have had about why the man who attacked her had just melted into a glowing green puddle. Where would he even begin?
Something didn’t sit right with him. That girl should’ve never be able to see the demon’s true face. He’d be sure to mention this Duncan when he got home. His roommate always seemed to have answers to unexplainable things or at least he made up some good answers.
Eliza stopped walking in front of a brightly lit building complete with a door man tucked warmly inside and gestured with her head toward the glass doors. “This is my stop. Home sweet whatever.”
Compared to his own digs this kid lived in Buckingham Palace. With the bright lights of the building, Zachary could finally see his distressed damsel. She was young, teenage for sure. No more than 17. He supposed she was cute but weren’t all girls cute but her hair was a ferocious mess, the color reminded him of something that had been removed during an autopsy. He noticed a bloody knee poking out of her faded camouflage pants.
He pointed toward her leg. “You’re hurt.”
She looked down and pouted. “Oh come on! Damn it, I loved these pants.”
He rolled his eyes and began to walk away in search of a subway, “You should be more careful. There might not be anyone around to save your ass next time.”
She hollered after him, “I can take care of myself, you know.”
He groaned, the vein in his temple slowly starting to throb. It was official. He added surly teens to the list of things he hated.
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