(666) Call of Duty, page 1

The time we had been waiting for had come, and Carrie and I stood at the ready. In full battle dress of sparkling golden armor and swords bearing the inscription of the Lord, we waited impatiently in an impromtu assembly of more than a thousand of the strongest and most willing. Michael stood above the masses, glittering and beautiful with his shield and helm. He addressed us in a calm, but thundering voice.
"The child was born upon the rising of the sun," he said. "And as we have all feared, upon his birth the doorway was opened." He paused, as if searching for the words to continue. The air was heavy with silence, and yet it was louder than anything I had ever experienced. "You have all been called here to lead the front lines in what is to be the greatest war since the fall of Lucifer," he continued. "Already his minions are loose upon the earth, their numbers in the millions. Already they lay seige to the hearts and minds of men as the human world looks on oblivious."
I was anxious, and from the look on Carrie's face, so was she. There had been talk of war for some time. The Lord was mysterious to us, even now, and spoke only with His greatest heirarchy on affairs of the Host. We all felt His unending passion and love for us all, just as we could feel it for His human children, but still we never saw Him. I did not want to assume that He did not see this coming, but then, so little was ever made clear to us until the end. Michael went on.
"The battle will be vicious," he said, and his tenor took on a more remorseful tone. "I do not know how many of you will return here with me, but be assured that this war is already won, and that all of you will return to your place by His side in but short time. Go now, and do His will. I am proud of you all. To arms!"
With that, a towering cry broke out above our heads as a thousand warrior angels lifted their arms and screamed to victory. In a moment, they began to take flight, with great myriads of feathers and armor momentarily blocking the view of the sky as the wind was kicked up.
"Are you ready?" I asked my wife, taking her hand. She smiled and kissed me roughly, then winked before taking off in a tempest that pushed me back a step. I was not about to let her take all the action. Spreading my powerful wings to their full breadth, I kneeled down low and fired myself into the air as though from a cannon. It did not take long to catch up to the others. We raced towards the earth with a venomous speed, tearing through the clouds and sky in all our glorious intent. I saw Carrie off to my right, her eyes full of the trance of battle and the fever of impending action. Michael was far ahead, leading the charge. Below us the minions of Lucifer had gathered en masse, drawing together in a wicked collective as if they had known we were coming. It would not matter. This way was actually more convienient, as we would not have to search for them all. My eyes narrowed and I gritted my teeth. Drawing my sword, I drew myself ever tighter and gained momentum as the armies of Hell raced closer. I could almost see their faces, those dead and empty eyes that housed nothing of a soul. It was sickening.
The clash that followed was lethal. Time seemed to slow for a moment as celestial metals and dominating wills collided with all that the lower regions of Earth could offer. In a spray of demonic gore, I brought my blade down upon the head of foe after foe-righteous destruction in the name of God. I darted about the troops of gathered demons, decapitating some, spearing others. They grasped at my wings and legs, struggling to pull me down into their mindless arms, to what purpose I could not know. At some point I felt a sting in my left wing, realizing only too late that it had taken the edge of a spear through the center. I tumbled awkwardly the rest of the way to the earth and landed quite unceremoniously in a heap of golden dress. I quickly stood, but they had already begun to gather about me.
The demons advanced in wicked number, snarling and jabbing with rusted weapons and clawed, skeletal hands. My wing too badly scored to take flight, I roared a vehement war cry and erupted upon them in vicious strokes of my sword. The numbers only seemed to grow with each downed minion, and soon I began to grow tired. It was just as I felt I could lift my arm no more against the waves of attackers that Carrie landed beside me like a gift from Heaven.
"Tired already?" she asked with a malicious grin. "You've gotten lazy in your old age!"
Her words gave me a strength I did not realize I still had, and together we readied ourselves for the next onslaught.
"At three hundred fifty, I'm just barely older than you, so I wouldn't talk about age." I replied, slapping her butt with the flat of my sword.
"Yeah, but I've still got it."
And she proved it, firing herself back into the fray with a violent backswing that took down at least four of the enemy. I shortly followed.
We stood together, battling the overwhelming groups of creatures with all the tenacity and vigorousness that we could put forth. All around and above us the war raged on. Angels fell now and again, and some fought not far from where we made our own stand. The hisses and growls of the demon armies seemed to grow louder the longer the battle continued. At some point the bellow of Michael's horn could be heard high over the fray, the signal for retreat. It was ending then; we were being pushed back.
"Should we go?" Carrie asked, as if she wanted nothing more than to stay and fight. Her posture seemed weakened by strain and weariness, but here spirit was not yet demoralized. I, however, felt differently. How could the greatest army of Heaven be thwarted? Sheer number was the only answer I could come up with. We just could not have anticipated them all.
"The horn has sounded," I replied, and she nodded, reaching out her hand for mine. I came close and pulled her to me, slashing out against our continuing attackers with my free arm. Carrie came low, readying herself to push off into the air, and then the world shattered and fell down around me.
A lone spear pierced her chest and she cried out in agony. I screamed and lashed out at her attacker, taking off his head even as Carrie's eyes pleaded with me to stay with her. We collapsed upon the ground as the enemy gathered closer. The end came blissfully quick.