The Sins We Hide II

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Luis’s voice echoed through the smoke.

Before Paul could react, a giant clawed hand smacked him across the face and sent him flying over a fallen shelf. The older detective’s body landed hard on the ground and rolled to a stop a couple of feet later. He lay there groggy, his vision blurry as he looked toward the ceiling.

The explosion had started a fire that was slowly creeping toward the rafters. Paul never got a chance to move as Luis stepped hard on his chest, pinning him to the floor with incredible demonic strength.

“You think these flames could stop me? ME! A being who’s been plaguing humanity for centuries!” he screamed, stomping his boot down onto Paul’s arm hard.

Luis ground his foot into the arm. Paul let out a muffled scream, his face scrunched up in pain as his vision flickered red. The monster reveled in the screams, leaning down until his burnt face was inches away from Paul’s cheek.

“For a human, no, for a disgusting sinner like you, you put up a decent fight.” Luis leaned back, his ruined face twisting into a sinister grin. “Now you die!”

Paul tried to say words, but they came out garbled and wet. Every new breath brought a fresh pain. He stared up at the creature above him through blurred vision. Maybe I deserve this for not being a better police officer. For not helping people the way I should’ve, the way he did years ago.

Tears formed in his eyes, and the face of his little girl floated through his head. Closing his eyes, he refused to look at the monster’s expression. He straightened his face to deny Luis any more excitement from his pain.

As Paul lay there waiting for the end, the seconds stretched. Suddenly a soft warmth began to spread through his body. It felt like the comforting hug of his mother, filled with love and warmth from years ago, curling around his chest.

Opening his eyes, expecting to see Luis or a burning room, he instead found himself in a vast space full of white light that caught him off guard, on the storage floor. Am I dead… is this where I get judged? Above him, where Luis once stood, was a smiling woman with fair skin, short dark hair, and brown eyes.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Paul?” the woman stated, reaching down and placing her hand gently on his forehead.

A soft white light appeared around Paul’s body for a few seconds before dying down, soothing his pain.

“Life hasn’t treated you kindly, but I have to thank you for keeping your promise to us. My son, he… he turned out great.” Happiness and peace radiated off her every word.

Paul opened his mouth before closing it a couple of times. Every time, the words dwelt on the tip of his tongue as the light faded. “I thought you d-died! I saw your dead body. How are you here?”

The woman let out a small laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. “Always the cop wanting answers. One day I hope you can reconcile with my sister. But for now, the son’s body has grown weak from the strain of this form. Goodbye for now, Pauly.”

“What about—” was all Paul could get out before his body began to feel heavy and sleepy.

As his eyes grew blurry, he took one last look at the woman. His figure faded slightly, revealing Ian standing in the wreckage with his glowing pure white wings of light protruding from his back. The woman was wrapped softly around Ian, hugging him from behind as she guided his power.

Paul couldn’t help but let out a small smile at seeing how happy he got to see her one last time before his vision grew dark.

Paul finally passed out.