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over his body, he fell face first onto the kitchen tile.
The last thing Alan remembered seeing was a pair of feet wearing slippers
walking away.

11
Present Day
    There was a beep and then another and
another and another. Alan opened his eyes, saved from a nightmare he couldn’t
remember. He was lying in his bed. To his left a heart rate monitor beeped
along at a steady pace.
    At once the events leading up to his
unconsciousness overwhelmed him. He sat straight up in bed immediately
regretting the decision. His face and upper body felt like they had been put through
a meat grinder. Alan grunted and fell back into his pillows as blinding pain
exploded in his head.
    The heart rate monitor spiked at
Alan’s actions and the beeping sped up in tempo. Alan closed his eyes trying to
take in deep breaths, hoping that would calm the monitor and pain. It didn’t.
    As he was staring at the ceiling, he
heard his door open. Alan craned his neck forward despite the pain. Danielle
walked towards him with a frown. “How are you feeling?”
    Anger rose in Alan’s chest. He didn’t
know why, but he blamed Danielle for what happened to him. “How am I feeling? I
feel like some psychotic chef broke into my place and beat the snot out of me
while wearing my slippers.”
    Danielle’s eyes widened behind her
glasses, “Okay then, not sure I deserved that one but you’ve been through a
lot. I get it—misdirected anger.”
    Alan stared at her already regretting
his snarky remark. “What happened to me? Who was that guy?”
    “I got here as soon as I heard the
conversation over the phone, smooth move calling me by the way. From the
muffled voices I guess I was in your pocket?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Nice. By your description of the man
who did this to you, it was probably Dominic Drencher. Everyone calls him
Drench.”
    “Who was he? What did he want with
me?”
    “He’s part of our rival
organization—“
    Alan couldn’t take all the talk of “organizations”
anymore. Not when Danielle had already told him they were dealing with angels.
“Enough with the organization talk. I can’t believe I’m saying this—we’re
talking about angels and demons, right?”
    Half of Alan already knew the answer; the
other half wished that this was all some kind of sick, twisted dream. He wasn’t
so lucky.
    “Yes, however there is so much you
don’t yet know.”
    “Then tell me!” Alan hadn’t meant to
yell, still his frustration demanded he do so.
    Danielle gently began removing the heart
monitor from Alan’s chest. Sticky pads gently released their adhesive grip on
his fair skin. “I’m going to take you to speak with someone who wants to meet
you. He’ll explain everything. I promise. I also want to show you something now
to start preparing you for the conversation you’re going to have.”
    Alan looked at her, confusion written across
his face. “I don’t think I’m in any kind of condition to travel anywhere right
now.”
    “I would agree,” Danielle said. “You
know how you have the gift of speed?”
    Alan nodded wondering if she was going
to say that she had the same gift and was going to carry him somewhere.
    “Well, I also have my own set of
gifts. One of them is healing. I wanted you awake for this so you would believe
me. You don’t strike me as the type to take things on faith. Hold still.”
    Alan couldn’t believe his ears. He
felt his body flinch as Danielle put her hands on his left bicep.
    “Don’t worry this won’t hurt.”
    Alan felt far from reassured. Bare
chested, Alan looked down on his torso for the first time. Mean looking bruises
of green and black fought for real estate against his skin. His body was a
canvas of dark splotches and pain.
    Goosebumps rose as Danielle closed her
eyes and took in a deep breath. At first Alan felt nothing. His body ached just
like it had since he woke and his head throbbed like someone was beating on it
with a hammer.
    Then things started to change. Alan
felt warmth