Hell is a Beach Chapter one: First Brush

What if a fallen angel worked for Witness Protection?

  

  Meet Bran Winn, a fallen angel living in Miami. 

  

  Thinking himself retired from human affairs this immortal gets caught in a power struggle between old gods and other  insufferable immortals; his exes.

Enjoy Chapter one. Comment below if you like it! More popular it is I'll update more frequently.

         "Evening."

 

Bright green eyes coasted over. I forced a smile, the eyes fixated on it. She brushed long black hair away from her face as she stared. The blank look said it all.

Who are you?                                                                                   
She folded her arms. Even being inside the middle of the police station I don't mind her being guarded. Especially from a random man considering how her day went.

I let out a sigh. "Look."
As I sat down in the seat next to her my voice lowered. "I'm here as a favor for the gentleman over there that interviewed you. I'm just going to watch you for a few days until we get this mess figured out." Reluctantly I extended a hand toward her.
"Bran."
She leaned back and gathered her things.
"Charmed."
Sargent Gregory Lants shook his head. Downing another sip of the cold coffee from his desk. "Why'd you call blondie for this one? Girl's a kook."
Lants set his coffee down. "I called Bran to get his two cents. Once he heard what was allegedly chasing her he was nearly here by the time I finished the sentence."
Detective Bow adjusted the strap to his gun holster. "You really think she was about to be sacrificed by some freaks dressed like demons?"

The Sargent stiffened. "That's the part he got enthralled about. Except she told me they weren't dressed as demons." He turned to give him a look that raised the hairs on the back of Bow's neck. "They were demons." 2

*****

"Make yourself comfortable."

My car keys clattered against the tabletop. A small bundle of white and orange rocketed past my ankles toward the stranger. Excited meows echoing.

"You have a cat." A small smile cracked on my face. It was the first thing she said since we left the station. Not a single word in my car. Nor walking up the flights of stairs to my apartment. Even after all this time in the field I always hated ahkward silences. The fluffy creature snuggled by my feet watching the intruder to his territory. 2

"More like Mittens has me. Runs the place while I'm gone. Fostered her since she was a newborn."

She gritted her teeth. "Mittens?"

I laughed. "Trust me when I say I tried every other name possible to get her to respond to me." Mittens retreated to the counter top to watch. Yellow eyes darting between the girl and myself.

"So."

I pulled out a gallon of sweet tea from the fridge. "You have met me, my cat." I gestured towards the feline with the Publix sweet tea container. "And are now under my protection. Is it fair to ask for your name? My friend didn't give too many details over the phone." 2

The girl set her purse down on the couch. Her eyes began to explore the living room and focused on the artwork I had collected.
"Dani."
I handed her a glass of the heavenly brown liquid. Ice clinked as she clutched it with two shaky hands. "Never heard of a cop that lives alone with a cat." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the displays that lined the walls. She tilted her head as she cased the towering wooden structure. "Or has this many books."

I nodded. "Definitely weird. Since I am not a cop." She sipped and migrated to the couch.

"P.I?"

"God no."

The image of me trailing people to take pictures flooded my brain. Along with the idea of me with the sappy office that had a glass door with my name on it. 'Bran. Private Investigator.'

"I consult. Sometimes I coordinate bodyguard assignments for celebrities visiting Miami through the Miami P.D, act as a translator for them and acquire delicate information discretely."



"Like a P.I?"

The smile stretching from the corner of her lip made me smile too.

"Touche."

I set my sweet tea down on the coffee table. She ran a finger around the edge of her glass. The lull in the conversation started to eat away at her. She knew what I was asking. Without even saying a word. "You want to know why they think I'm crazy."

Mittens curled up on the cushion between us. She gave a nod and tugged on her ponytail. "There's this graveyard that is near my college. Have to pass it everyday."

She gripped tighter as she cleared her throat. A few minutes went by before she continued. "One night I was heading home when I tripped over some uneven sidewalk. Tore my palm up so badly it stung for the next few days. Trees shook, wind howled and something. God knows I dont want to know what began to move. I got out before I could see whatever it was. So hours later I'm taking the long path around to avoid that graveyard when my hand starts to burn. These guys approach me from the shadows and something goes over my face and I black out. When I come to I'm at the police station and they're telling me that I was found next to some bar passed out on the ground."

"That's all you remember?" I scratched Mittens head. Purring like an engine turning over.

She squirmed in her seat and pointed to the hallway. "Am I sleeping in there?"

I nearly choked on my tea. "Sorry, yes. I'll show you."

As I stood vibrations went down my leg. "You go ahead and check it out for yourself I got to get this."

She vanished around the corner. " An electronic voice whispered into my ear. She seem crazy to you?"

My sigh crackled into the speaker as it echoed. I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder. Rubbing my temples with my free hand.

"She's purposely holding back. Liars fill every detail to try and balance out the story. Could be a coincidence. But she's terrified. Did she look roughed up or disoriented when she came in?"

My friend cackled between bites of a donut "She wouldn't even let us take her shoes off. So the only signs of a struggle we had were her hands and face and they looked fine to me."
Something shattered in my room. I fought back a groan and shouted down the hallway. "You okay?"
"Lants I'm going to call you back apparently she's breaking my stuff. Bad enough I have to sleep on the couch in my own home."

The old cop sighed sarcastically. "Oh the poor life of a bachelor to have some college girl stay at his place for a few days. Just keep her safe man. Hope she was wrong."

I laughed as I ended the call.

"So how do you like it?"

I had taken exactly one step when an ungodly crunching sound erupted from the bathroom. I sprinted through the hall and opened up the door to see something out of a nightmare.
This brown creature made of vines and throns was attacking Dani. Long tendrils shot towards me. Jaws slithered from its chest snapping at the air. Blood splattered my bathroom as the vines tore into her skin. She squealed as the things tentacles tightened around her throat.
A long ancient word rumbled from my throat my hands gripping the vines. I mumbled as the thing screeched and began to grow more violently shaking Dani's arm spraying the room with specks of blood. The fear in her eyes became so potent my stomach squirmed.
The vine's sprouted thorns that were curved and black like dinosaur claws they flayed my chest as I tried desperately to keep them off of her.
My hand glowed with light the pillar of fire in my hands hacking off the mouths. Vines ripped across my face as I slashed again.
Fire curling in my hands as I slashed. Faster and harder, blood and viney body parts flew across my bathroom. Finally the remains of the plant began to turn to ash. Dani was curled in the corner eyes as big as dinner plates.
I holstered the fiery sword in my pocket. Where it returned to its normal form. A rusty quarter.

Her elbow was caked in blood she squirmed in pain. My eyes followed to the mirror that was inches from the doorframe. She must have smashed it when she was turning away to leave. I looked to the ashy remains of the creature.
Immediately recognizing my dearly departed wooden hairbrush. A gag gift from Lants. It was splattered with blood drops.
"Now do you think I'm still crazy?"

I checked my back in the broken mirror. The vines had eviscerated my clothing. Leaving it shredded and blood stained. I began to tug at the fabric which tore in my hands.
The ripped remains of my t-shirt fell to the ground. Black wings began to stretch behind me into the shower.
Her jaw dropped. I turned to her. Body covered in blood as it slowly began to heal the lacerations with glowing white light.
"You haven't even seen crazy yet."