"A D-?!" Carleigh cried in shock as she stared at the report card in her hand. It was the final day of school and she had just received her last grades-all of them were good, except for two. "A D- In civics and a C in Language!? Oh no, my mom is going to murder Me.." She wailed.
"Could be worse." Heather, her friend, said. "Could have gotten a C- in P.E!" She crumpled her grades up in disgust and tossed them in the garbage.
"We still on for the sleep over?" Carleigh asked.
"Yeah." Heather replied as the final bell rang. "Gotta go!! See ya!" Her face quickly disappeared into the swirling mass of happy students. Carleigh sighed.
"Hey!" Her three best friends out of four came strolling up. All three - Shannon, Jillyan, and Kristen- went to her school. Her other friend, Jesi, was home-schooled.
"Hi." She said back. A bit glumly.
"I gotta fly, I just came by to say have a good summer and call me!" Jillyan flashed a smile and waved.
"Bye." Carleigh returned as Jillyan too, was absorbed into the wave of children.
"Me, too, I really have to go or I’ll miss my bus!" Kristen was assimilated almost instantly into the crowd.
"Bye, Carleigh, miss you already." Shannon hugged her and she, too was gone. Carleigh gathered up her things and let the crowd push her to the door.
"AAAAGGGHHH!" The high Angel shouted, enraged as he clashed unsuccessfully yet again with his demonic foe. The demon sneered evilly.
"So you can’t learn to fight up in those worthless clouds, can you?" He hissed.
The angel pulled back and lifted his sword, it glinted in the hot sun over the battlefield, which was beginning to smell like rotting meat. Dead and wounded lay all around, not looking any different from each other as they were all covered in blood. The only difference was the demons were eating their writhing wounded and scarfing down the dead. The angel brought his sword down again, it made sparks fly from the demon’s dagger as they met.
"Holy Father help me!" The angel shouted as he lunged, and the demons dagger met him right in the gut, spilling his blood and releasing his powers as an angel. The demon snickered and lifted the angel’s sword in his wretched claws. The demon laughed loudly, a shrill, wicked sound. He raised the sword and brought it down.
"Earth," he rasped "Is ours."
The sword stuck fast when it went through the angel’s heart.
"Holy shit!!" Carleigh sat straight up in her sleeping bag. She was drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
"What is it, Carleigh?" Heather asked. It was summer, and Carleigh was sleeping over at Heather’s house Monday night.
"Huh? I must have dozed off..I guess.." She mumbled. They were watching a Disney video - Sleeping beauty - and she had fallen asleep.
"Why? Its only like 12:00." Heather passed her a soda. "There, that’ll wake you up." She said. Carleigh sipped it gingerly. She felt so strange, like she had never fallen asleep at all, and just was seeing a different part of the world right in front of her.
"Heather, I think we should go to sleep now." She yawned.
"Why?" Heather stifled a yawn herself. "Okay, maybe we should." Carleigh snuggled up to her stuffed hippo, Humphrey.
"Goodnight." Carleigh said. Heather flipped the T.V off and got under her covers.
"You too." she said, and fell asleep.
The angel lay on the ground, a soft green and blue light filtering from his heart. He stirred.
"Who’s there?" He asked. There was nobody, except Carleigh. The battlefield was void of life, everyone was dead or dying. Carleigh took a reluctant step foreword. She felt like she had been shoved off a cliff, or through a wall. She was completely in his world now, and there was no turning back.
"Holy shi - er, crap." She whispered. She knelt by his side. He was so perfect. His skin was a soft milky white, and he had large, white wings. He glowed slightly with a heavenly aura she could not define.
"Ah, the human girl." He breathed, relaxing and smiling faintly.
"Aren’t you human?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sort of." He laughed hoarsely. "I’m an angel."
"An Angel? Riiiiiiight." She said cynically. He smiled, reached over with difficulty, and pinched her arm. She gasped and stood quickly. "Am I dead?"
"No, no. I brought you ...I brought you here." He wheezed. "The war, the war, I has spread too far. We need to call on earth." He closed his eyes tightly in pain, then opened them again. " I am giving you my powers to fight with." He reached out his hand.
"War? What war?" She asked. "I ain’t fighting no war man, okay?"
" Ah, but you must. Or all is lost. I had arranged it so you could witness it. But I did not mean for it to go this far. By now we have lost an entire platoon." He coughed, the light from his heart intensified and Carleigh saw its beam begin to wrap around her.
"What are you doing?" She shrieked, frightened by the realness of this bizarre dream .
"Heaven and Hell, we are at war. They have humans pledging allegiance to their world, we need your help. Destroy those humans."
"But I’m just a kid!" She said desperately.
"Exactly, they will never suspect you. I am giving you my power over the element of earth. In time you will learn to use it well." He shuddered. "The other elements will, will join you in time." He said painfully. The light wrapped tighter until she could not see through it, it sunk into her skin.
"Damn it! What’s happening to me?!" She screamed in one last attempt to wake from this horrible nightmare. The light stung and burned and ached, she couldn’t breath.
"Call out ‘Earth element power’ to become the warrior of earth. Lead the other three, destroy hell’s warriors. Heaven be with you!" He gasped, then Carleigh’s vision blurred with red, and went entirely black altogether. After a few minutes, Carleigh felt the pain recede. When she opened her eyes a shocking surprise met her. She was in a large field, with wheat and wrist-high grass. She stood alone. A gold medallion in the shape of an earth hung around her neck.
"What is this?’ She whispered, holding it up. It dazzled her as it caught the sunlight, and she had to look away. "This is no dream." she realized slowly, "This, is for real."
Carleigh opened her eyes, she was back in Amanda’s living room, Amanda lay on the couch, sleeping (and drooling) peacefully. Carleigh stood. The medallion was still there.
"What the?" She murmured. The held it in her palm. Suddenly, she remembered her dream, and a strange, intangible force opened her mouth. "Earth element POWER!" She called, holding it up. The green light wrapped around her once again, and oddly enough, it didn’t hurt this time. It dissipated and she blinked. "Uhm..." She looked down at her pajamas. Now she wore an entire futuristic body suit. It was flexible but tight and thick, like armor .It felt to be a cross between metal and rubber. The suit was blue with the green continents all over it. In the center of the chest sat the medallion. The suit went all the way to her feet and covered them, and it covered her hands, too. "Shit.." She rushed to the bathroom and stared at the mirror. Her hair was blue with two green streaks on either side of her face. Her eye shadow was blue, her eyelashes were green, her upper lip was blue, and the bottom was green. They shone like they were coated with lip gloss. She kissed the mirror. Not even a tiny mark of lipstick. "Damn, talk about not kissing off!" She said in wonder. She was so totally freaking out she didn’t notice the strange lights flashing in the street.
"Aiigghhh!" A voice comes from outside. Carleigh rushes out the font door, only to find a demon in the street, choking a young girl.
"Pledge your life to Satan’s realm!" He growled. The demon was hideous, with bloody fangs and rotting flesh. The girl shook her head and struggled against his strong grip.
"Damn.." Carleigh whispered. She searched frantically for a vantage point as the warm breeze ruffled her hair.
" Swear! Now or I’ll break your puny human neck!" The demon howled.
"You leave that girl alone!" Carleigh shouted, scrambling into a nearby pickup truck, she stood atop the roof, pointing a finger at the menace. "Jesus is the only way to find eternal life! So only swear it to him! Your life of flesh and blood here might be short so find love to carry with you! Live in the Holy Spirit and let it guide your heart to your one true love! And always go to church! Amen!" She says triumphantly.
"And you would be, princess?" The demon sneers, releasing the girl and moving towards Carleigh.
"I..um.. oh, yeah! For Jesus and the lord! In earth’s and Heaven’s name I banish all evil! I will justify and protect all innocent hearts in God’s mighty name! I am the nighttime princess of the element, I am Warrior Earth!" She shouts. She is feeling pretty good about herself until she hears some movement behind her. She spins as she feels a slight breeze through her hair. The truck moves as somebody lands beside her.
"And I fight for Jesus and the Lord as well! I am Soldier magic!" A tall figure with a masculine voice says.
"Huh?" Carleigh backs away, a bit frightened.
"In the name of the angels, the Cherubim of the vision of the prophet Ezekeiel! I banish you back to Lucifer!" The man says, stepping out of the shadows. He is of a muscular build, with the same armor, only it is black with purple flecks. He has no medallion. He has a velvet cape, black with a purple satin underside, and it blows in the wind. His Violet eyes and jet-black, messy hair with two violet streaks send a shiver through her. But she dismisses it and regains her composure.
"Mm-hm." She nods, suddenly and without realizing it, she found herself smiling at him. "Back to Satan’s realm!" She agrees.
"Carleigh." Another, more familiar, voice says from inside her. "Use your power over the earth."
"What?"
"Channel your love, your power." The voice says, fading. "For earth…and the Holy spirit..."
"You’re mine!" The demon hisses, rushing foreword towards the truck.
"Shit, here goes nothing....Er..ah...For earth! And the Holy spirit! Love defeats all hatred! I destroy you in the name of the Lord!" She says, leaping of the truck and landing across the street. "Damn. That was a long way."
"Feisty are we?" The demon is on top of her in a second
"AAAAHH!" Carleigh shrieks. The demon has it’s razor sharp claws to her throat. "Unh...Earth....unh..damn it!" she grunts.
"Earth!" Soldier Magic yells. "Stop! You’ll get hurt!" He leaps off the truck as the demon grabs her, but he is nothing compared to the huge strength of the demon, who bats him away with his arm. Magic lays still on the asphalt for a moment.
"Swear it!" The Demon screams hideously. "Swear yourself to Satan!"
"N..never!" She gasps. "Go to hell!" She shouts, spitting in his face. The demon tightens his grip around her throat. "Lord....Help me!!!" She screams. A long katana appears in her hands, the blade flashes in the cold moonlight. She almost drops it when the demon practically shoves it into her stomach, but she catches it before it does. She struggles against his grip, trying to break free. She is too close to the demon to move the stick. Suddenly, a loud voice booms over the street. Carleigh catches a glimpse of Magic, head bowed, crouched like he is praying.
"I call upon the powers of Magic and Illusion, to vanquish you in the name of God!" Soldier Magic shouts, a large purple and black ball of energy forming at his clasped hands. "Lord’s Light beam!!" He yells, the ball shoots out and hits the demon in the face. The demon is knocked into the street on his back.
"Holy shit!" Carleigh shouts to Magic, a little shaken. She trembles as she stands but regains her strength. "I’ll take it from here! In the name of Jesus, who died for us, I destroy those who try and turn others against him! High Angel’s Impale!!" She rushes to the enemy and manages to stab the blade in the demons heart. Immediately black sludge and an awful smell seep through to ooze around the hilt. A bright green light emerges from her hands and flows around the katana and into the howling demon. He writhes in pain and agony. The demon grabs the weapon, but he is to weak, and he is totally encased by the green light. Carleigh falls back into Soldier Magic’s arms as the demon is lifted into the air, screaming and making horrible, terrible noises. He is totally engulfed in the light, which shrinks, and disappears. "Unbelievable." She says to herself, then turns to Soldier Magic, who had been watching her.
"Wow! Beauty and brawn! Got brains, too?" He asks a boyish smile erupting on his handsome face.
"You don’t look so bad, yourself, you know." She returns.
" Just part of my scheme to get into your pants." He winks.
"Thanks for the help." She grinned.
"Don’t forget, I will always be here to fight beside you." He adds softly, then he disappears into the shadows of the night.
"Praise God." She whispers.
Carleigh burst into the junior high room at Christian Fellowship Church on Wednesday night, out of breath but very happy.
"Hey girl, what’s up?" Her good friend, Jesi, looked up from the songs they were practicing for worship on Sunday. She appeared to be the only person in the back, and there were only three or four in the main room. Carleigh shrugged it off and smiled.
"Nothing. You?" She asked, getting up on the small stage, dodging a nearby Microphone, and hugging Jesi warmly. Jesi hugged her back.
"Not much." She replied. "Nice necklace." She commented of the gold medallion around Carleigh’s neck. "Where did you get it?" Carleigh blushed and quickly put it inside her shirt.
"A..uh, friend gave it to me." She answered.
"Really, which one? Could she tell me where she got it?" Jesi persisted.
"Uh..no, he lives far away, and he just left to go home." She shook her head and laughed nervously.
"Well, that’s too bad." She said sympathetically.
"Hey girls, what are you up to?" Their praise leader, Glenn, walked in.
"Hey Glenn." They chorused. Carleigh got down off the stage and hugged him.
"Where is everyone? Are you the only ones here?" He asked, a bit confused.
"Yeah, I think." Jesi said. "I actually don’t know where everyone went."
"Oh, well, which one of you wants to pray before we practice today?"
"Not me." Carleigh said quickly. She hopped back up on the stage and hugged Jesi from behind.
"I will." Jesi volunteered, turning her head to smile at Carleigh, who grinned back and moved to stand beside her friend.
"Okay, Jesi." Glenn stepped up onto the stage with them and bowed his head. They, in turn, did the same.
"Dear Heavenly father, I hope we sing and worship you well today. Please bless everyone here. Please give us good voices and let us be serious today so all we think about is you, Lord. and please grant everyone a safe-" Suddenly, Jesi's voice was cut off. A strange sliding noise was heard, and then a door slammed, and then there was silence. Carleigh’s eyes snapped open. Jesi was gone without a trace.
"Jesi?!" She called loudly. "Jesi?!!" She was beginning to panic.
"Where did she-?" Glenn turned around, searching the room for any evidence of Jesi’s departure.
"This is creepy." Carleigh murmured fearfully. "Where is everyone? What’s happened to them?"
"I don’t know. Stay here, I’ll go try and find some help." Glenn instructed, then sprinted across the room and left through the door at the end of it.
"Wait!" She called. She felt a strange feeling, like this was the last time she would see him walk, or breathe.
"What?" He caught the door before it swung closed and pushed it open. Carleigh couldn’t think of anything. Carleigh swallowed thickly
"Uh...m..Take care of yourself, okay?" She said finally, stepping off the stage and giving him a hug. "I don’t want to have to get another poor psycho in here to teach me to worship." She smiled and hugged him again. Then went back to the stage. "Good luck, Glenn." she said quietly and seriously. He was obviously touched, he nodded.
"Okay, thanks." He said, then disappeared through the door.
"Good-bye." She whispered softly after him.
As Glenn sprinted down the hall, he was painfully aware of the absolute silence, usually there were hundreds of people at ground zero, but tonight there were only three.
"Scratch that." he muttered to himself. "Two." He went down a few long corridors before he realized the entire church was completely empty. He was about to go back to check on Carleigh when he heard a sound like a zipper- a rope being pulled on.
"Somebody please...HELP ME!!" Jesi’s voice came through the double doors to the big basketball court that led to the main worship hall. "Let go! Unh, HELP!!"
"Jesi? Jesi! I’m coming!" He called and hurried over to the doors, he tried to open them but they wouldn’t budge. He wrestled with the handle for a minute before deciding to break it open. He took a few steps back and then rushed forward, ramming the door with his elbow. "Ow..." He complained to himself and rubbed his arm. He rammed the door again, with a satisfying creak, they burst open. He rushes into the room, only to see Jesse is at the other end of the huge warehouse-type space. She was hanging about fifteen feet in the air by a rope binding her hands together. The rope wasn’t even connected to the ceiling, it just abruptly came to an end.
"Glenn! Help!" She shrieks.
"Jesi?! Who did this to you?" He said, running across the room towards her.
"The same things who kept the others from coming! Hurry!" She kicked her legs feebly. Glenn was about half way to her when the doors burst open again. "That’s them! Run faster!" She cries, thrashing about violently.
"For Jesus and the lord! In Earth’s and Heaven’s name I banish all evil! I will justify and protect all innocent hearts in God’s precious house! I am the Angel’s soldier, I am Warrior Earth! The things that hung you up there are going down!" Warrior earth shouts from the doorway. "And I’m just the person to show then the way back to where they came from!"
"I don’t give a care who you are just get me down from here!" Jesi shouts.
"All right, all right! Don’t be so pushy, I like my speech!" Warrior earth says defiantly. She leaps up and cuts Jesi down with her Kento stick, and catches her as she falls. She lands her safely on the ground and stands. In one mighty jump, she had done what had taken Glenn ten minutes to do: distance the room. Glenn was still about a third of the way from them when large, worm-like demons started sliding through the door.
"How can demons be in a church?!" Carleigh shrills, panic stricken at the unfairness of the situation, Jesi screamed scrambled over to a corner. The demons were different looking than the ones Carleigh had fought before, they had arms, but no legs, and slithered across the floor at a terrifying speed.
"Glenn! Watch out!" Warrior earth cried, but she was too late, they were on top of him in a second. Because they could not get any pledges in a church as the lord had a protective wing over everyone, the demons had decided to eliminate all the people there. Before Warrior earth could move to defend him, Glenn was overpowered by the dark worm-creatures. The wrestled him to the ground, then taunted him in their strange demon language, slobbering over his face and cutting his arms and stomach. Then the largest one picked him up and threw him across the room, where he landed in the concrete wall. He slid to the floor in a crumpled heap, a large, deep dent where his body had landed in the wall. Both girls rushed over to him. Carleigh felt her a lump rise in her throat and tears burn in her eyes. She fought desperately to hold them back so Jesi would not see and realize who she was. The entire back of Glenn’s skull had been shattered. Blood spilled and puddled, spreading in a scarlet circle around his head faster than it could be contained. Carleigh turned her face away as tears began to trickle away from her eyes. Jesi sat, her mouth a little open, her skin pale. Her eyes were blank yet full of sorrow. Suddenly, she buried her face in her hands in an onslaught of angry tears. Carleigh got up and pounded her fists repeatedly against the wall, each time making a dent in the concrete.
"Why him?" She whispered to herself, she looked up as tears clouded her vision. "In your house, like this?" She murmured, aiming her questions at God. "Why?" She turned back to Jesi, who was still crying. Carleigh thought she saw flames around Jesi or behind her, but couldn’t be sure because before she could investigate, Earth heard clattering in the hall. She looked away from Jesi for a moment to make sure no more creatures were coming.
"Lord’s light beam!" Soldier Magic’s attack blasted through the doorway and obliterated the creatures in the room. He arrived rushing in at top speed. It was then she recognized the futileness of her predicament. She was being saved, it was all her fault. She suddenly could no longer hold it in and let go into warm, tears.
"Magic." Carleigh whispered, tears cascading over her cheeks, down her chin, onto her uniform. "Magic, he’s dead." She covered her face as another wave of tears and sobbing overwhelmed her. A vent suddenly burst open, and more worms plopped into the room and slithered toward Earth. Magic tackled her and they rolled out of the way just in time. He stood up and helped her to her feet. After a moment, Earth slowly and sadly pulled out her Kento stick and held it up to her own throat. Magic grabbed it and put it down.
"Taking your own life won’t bring back his." He said sternly. Her lip trembled.
"It’s all my fault, if I had only realized it was a trap..I could have saved him.." She murmured, shutting her eyes as tears once again began to fall from them. " And it’s all my fault..." Magic shook his head held her against his chest.
"It’s nobody’s fault, the angels wanted him." He whispered into her hair. "The angels will take care of him from now on." Carleigh could hear his muffled heartbeat sound in time with his words. She pulled her head up and looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you. You are such a good friend..and I…I can’t even help one of my own…" she whispered, her voice breaking. Magic slowly smiled kindly, but turned quickly and shoved her behind him in a gesture of protection as the demons began to slither towards Jesi, who looked up at them with fire in her eyes.
"You...killed...him.." She whispered. "It’s your turn, now!" She stood and let her head fall back as she burst into flames. When they died down, Jesi stood in armor. It was red with orange flames, and the two front strands of her hair were orange. She had red lips and orange eye shadow.
" Fire.." Magic murmured. Earth looked over at Jesi.
"Jesi? Jesi!" She stepped out from behind Magic and dashed over to her.
"I...I am warrior fire." Jesi said, dumbfounded.
"Yes, yes, I know." Carleigh replied.
"What do I do?" Jesi whispered in Carleigh’s ear.
"Just what you said you would, make them pay, for both of us. In the name of Jesi, and Carleigh." She whispered back. Jesi smiled. and nodded.
"I fight for heaven with the eternal flame of the love of God!" She shouts turning to the demons. ‘You’re gonna wish you never had forsaken him. God’s eternal Flame!" She shouts, throwing a ball of flames at each demon, they all are consumed by the fire and burnt to ashes. Jesi smiles triumphantly, turning back to her friends. Carleigh cheers and claps her hands, hugging her friend once more. Magic smiles.
"All right!" He shouts. Carleigh gives Jesi one final squeeze as she lets go of her.
"I’m so proud of you - Jesi!!" She shrieks as suddenly, the rope Jesi had been hanging by earlier swung down wrapped itself around Jesi’s neck. Jesi fell to her knees. The rope moved of it’s own accord, by itself, like a demonic viper.
"Fire!" Carleigh shouted, rushing forward. "Jesi, hang on, I’m coming!"
"No! They’ll get you, too!" Magic yelled, he tackled her, grabbed her waist and pulled her back. She broke free of his grip and ran forward again, Jesi was already on the ground, gasping for air.
"No, Jesi!" She screamed again, she dove forward for her friend’s hand but more ropes whipped down, wrapping themselves around Carleigh’s waist, wrists, and neck, they lifted her up.
"Earth!" Magic ran towards her, but suddenly, more worm-creatures grabbed his arms and legs, and pulled him away. They hissed and smiled up evilly at Carleigh, then slowly faded away into thin air.
"Nooooo!" She screamed. She kicked about wildly. "Magiiiiic! Nooo!!" She froze as she heard a cold chuckle.
"My demons love your soul." A voice hissed. "They feed on your life energy, and they want more." Slowly, a dark figure slid down a nearby rope, until he was directly in front of Warrior Earth. The handsome young man, tan with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He looked like one of the hunky lifeguards she saw at the beach. He wore a black leather jacket with nothing underneath, revealing his tan, hard stomach. He had on tight black leather pants and boots. He stepped off the rope, and floated on the air, as if it were hard ground. He took her chin between his pointer and thumb. "Such a pretty face." He said sympathetically. ‘It’s a shame we have to destroy it."
"Who are you?" She said disgustedly, twisting away from his hand.