Smog was dense with the flames of war continually burning with no end in sight. He and several others were crouched in hiding behind a large distorted column of rubble. His head inched around rocks that hung loosely, while only small pebbles held them in place. His eyes caught a glimpse of demons overwhelming an angel pinning it to the ground and using some broken form of Crucifixion to send the heavenly soul screaming into the abyss and as the light began to build to a peak, the dust covered man with sweat cutting grooves into a filthy face pressed his finger to his lips and readied his weapon. The light compounded by the blood curdling scream of the angel erupted all at once and in the glory of an angel's fall vision was shattered for an instance while the light faded and erased the celestial body from existence.
A child whimpered in fear but he smiled with a finger still pressed to his lips and consoled the boy by placing a hand on his shoulder and mouthing, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." The group was barely five strong, with Atris at the helm steering them betwixt and between the war-torn streets. It had been nine long years, nine excruciating years that Heaven and Hell warred against each other, neither side flinching at the losses of hundred or thousands of their own at a time. Somehow, more just coming, the lines forever filling the holes left by the fallen. Among all of this, the humans scurried and lived in the rubble like rats, only now...rats lived the sweet life. Until this war, this Apocalypse began we never knew what it was like to not be riding the top of the food chain.
He pulled his hand back as the demon's resumed their movements which gave a momentary break in lines of sight allowing this exhausted group of survivors to make a run for it. It wasn't far where the humans were held up in hiding and he'd done this run more times than he could count so he wasn't worried but for the kid and four others they were petrified, no one lingered above ground, not anymore.
His hand held in the air counting five fingers, then four, his head peaked around the corner again, three, two, his feet adjusted in the rubble as he stood and they followed suit, one. He rounded the corner and aimed down range while throwing his arm in the direction for them to run. In front of them it could be seen, not even one hundred yards, other people armed and ready to fight. Atris watched praying to no God, but to something that everything would run smoo- and a scream cracked the patter of feet and grinding of gravel.
He turned his barrel to see the woman and child ducking out of the way of a 'bat'. The woman fell and hid up under fallen rubble where for the moment she would be safe. However, this 'bat' was about three times the size of a human and sported both legs and arms of its own, it actually was closer to a gargoyle than a 'bat'.
"Bat! Everyone move, move, move!" He pulled the butt of his rifle against his shoulder and fired into the air making precise trigger pulls but never connecting with the body of his target, all this while his feet kicked dust as he moved to act as a shield for the woman an child. They were so close to home that when the firing started multiple others crawled out of the hole and positioned for defense, but Atris, the woman, and the child were separated enough that the outcome looked bleak at best.
"Alright.." The explosions of bullets leaving the barrel in a burst came as an interruption, "...On my count..run, do not stop, do not look back.." The woman nodded but flinched in fear as she stood. "On my grave, you will survive." He aimed his rifle in the air and took a knee. "Three, Two, One!" He counted down loud and as he hit one he unleashed a hail of bullets into the sky.
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