Neither Angels Nor Demons

Neither Angels Nor Demons- Teaser


When Scott saw the child in the water, nearly to the bottom, small and unmoving his first instinct was the dive in and save her. Tabitha's grip on his arm was the only thing keeping him out of the water.

"She's already gone Scott, she was born that way" she spoke softly to him as the others joined them on the dock.

"But I can see her. I didn't expect to be able to see her" he mumbled running his hand roughly through is recently shorn brown hair "Why aren't there reports about her? Anyone seeing a child in the water like that would try and save her"

"You can only see her on the days and nights the moon is full. Any other time the water is opaque enough that you can't see the bottom" Jayden said placing her 'kit' on the dock beside him. "Are you sure you want to do this Scott? Are you ready after-"

"I'm ready!" Scott snapped already worked up from his initial reaction to seeing the girl in the water "I'm ready" he said again calmly "I'm ready to do this"

Jayden eyed him warily but one look from Tabitha had her helping her younger counterpart into the breathing apparatus and checking that his icons were in place. "Remember when you get down to her eye level grab her hands. Do no let her get her hands around your neck, if she does, touch her with an icon. She'll release you"

Scott nodded silently, nervous but not letting it show.

The others gathered behind them in prayer, Scott noticed once again how uncomfortable Jayden seemed when the others laid hands on her. But she bowed her head and he found himself doing the same, taking deep long breaths. When 'Amen' was whispered among them he moved to the edge of the wooden dock. He stood there a moment, looking down into the gently waters that held another monster with the face of an angel. He closed his eyes and stepped off.

When the water Atlantic waters clothes over his head he opened his eyes once again. Breathing as he normally did he allowed the weights attached to the suit to drag him slowly down, closer and closer to her. And to their next clue. As he got deeper he began to go over the information he had on her.

Rachel Craig, 12 years old. Disappeared from her school 4 years ago. Last seen speaking to a boy in her class before she vanished without a trace. She'd been taken by the Church Elder's, blessed and kept in her own seperate hell. Rachel Craig, played the piano, soccer, and loved to swim. She was also the one they believed was responsible for the drowning deaths of 4 children in her town. Since she was taken, tested and found to be soulless, the deaths had stopped. Scott believed she was the one who'd done those terrible things, but seeing a little girl, still as death floating under water, 13 ft from both the surface and sea floor on the night of the full moon, was not an easy thing.

"You okay down there?" Tabitha's voice came to him through the small waterproof two way attached to his equalizer.

"Yeah, I'm almost there" Scott forced himself to sound calm. No fear.

"Remember your training" Tabitha's voice changed, turning soft and sweet "You can do this Scott"

Scott didn't answer as he came eye level with the top of her head.

Rachel Craig, 12 years old. Not human, neither angel nor demon. Just a soulless shell.

Then they were eye to eye. Scott reached for her hands and froze. His fingers centimeters away from her hands, as they lay slack at her sides. Gentle. Serene.

She'd opened her eyes, and they were black.

Scott snapped out of his daze, reaching again for her hands but she'd moved already. Her hands shot up, her dainty fingers wrapping around his neck cutting off his air.

He struggled to breathe, struggled to get away. She was cold, he could feel the warmth of his body leaving from where her fingers touched his wetsuit.

"HER HANDS BOY GRAB HER HANDS!" The sound of Jacob's voice coming through the two way calmed him slightly. He grabbed at her hands, but the grip was too strong. "Scott!" Jayden's voice seemed to bring everything into focus again. He had to get to his icon.

Unfortunately his cross lay against his heart, beneath the wetsuit. Then he remembered. Jayden, always thinking, always planning. Jayden had placed tape on the front of the suit, tape in the shape of a cross.

Rachel ripped the oxygen mask from his mouth, one hand still wrapped around his neck, fingers tightening.

Scott released her hand still at his neck, wrapping his arms around her, pressing them chest to chest.

She went limp.

Quickly he grabbed at his mask, sure to keep her held tightly against him, though knowing he held something so evil made his very flesh crawl.

With the mask firmly pressed against him he adjusted until it was back in proper position on his face. The voices of his team once again able to be heard.

"Scott? Scott? Are you okay?"

Jayden. Clever Jayden.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get her hands. Be ready for her answer"

"You sure boy?" Jacob's reassuring baritone came through "She's seems like a feisty one"

"I got her now" Scott said with more confidence than he felt. He wasn't quite sure who had who.

"Okay. We're waiting on you" Jacob's voice faded into the constant ebb and flow sounds of the water beneath the pier.

Scott made a mental note of where her hands lay. One trapped between them, the other limp under her chin as if she lay at rest. Eyes clothes, head leaned back, drifting slightly with the movements of the water.

Using the hand not wrapped around her he grabbed the hand from under her chin. Securing it against his chest he considered how to capture the one caught between their bodies. Release her and hope to catch the hand before it wrapped around his neck? Or edge the first hand down until both her hands were captured in one of his.

He decided he'd rather not have that hand free. He edge their joined hands down. Moving her back slowly, tilting half her body away from his, making just enough room for his hand. His body tense, he didn't relax his guard a bit until he hand both her hands captured in his.

Once his grip was sure he shoved her away, bringing the hand securing to back to their joined ones, and gripping them together for all he was worth.

Once all contact between the girl and the icon broken, Scott was once again treated to the dead black eyes, like those of a shark. Only this time, he had her secured, and all she could do was stare.

"Where is your brother" Scott bit out as he felt her try to break his hold on her hands.

"He is not here" Rachel spoke calmly, her voice belying the urgency in which she was attempting to release her hands.

"Where is he?" Scott asked again "Where is your brother?"

"He resides where even your Angels fear to tread. Where tree and earth meet sky, and death is the beginning" Rachel stilled, her eyes became unfocused as she seemed to be listening to something he couldn't hear. A smile suddenly crossed her face and she regarded Scott with something akin to glee "Your father says hello"

Scott's fury surprised even him. He planted his feet in her belly, kicked off from her body releasing her hands all at once. Rachel flew back, cutting through the water with such force that the iron chain that bound her ankles made a bell like sound.

Being reminded of her captivity she stopped her motion. Thrusting herself forward, cutting again through the water as if it were air, aiming for Scott's throat. Hands out strechted, face contorted in fury her intent obvious.

Scott was able to pull the icon from his wet suit in time.

Her forward momentum stopped immediately. Rachel curled into a ball, tearing at her ankles, screaming, sucking in water as she hadn't when she'd spoken before, trying to free herself from the irons that held her in her own personal hell. Doomed to float beneath the surface and above the sands, held in place by irons cooled in holy water and bathed in consecrated oils. Unable to kill.

"Thank you" Scott spoke harshly, unable to keep his anger in check "Tell your father I said hello"

With those parting words he tugged at his retrieval line. Signaling his friends to help pull him to the surface.

The trip up seemed 10 times longer than the trip down. He slowly moved further from her, closer to the dock. As his presence left her she began to go limp again, bent over the chain, going from pain filled to the dead weight he'd acknowledged from the pier. Suddenly glad Tabitha had stopped his instinctive dash to save her.

Rachel Craig, 12 years old. Vanished without a trace from her school. Murderer of four young children. The 3rd born daughter of Satan.