• [Ch2<<-]Chapter 3:
    Goodnight and Good luck.

    The inside of the barn was to be expected from the examples of the train and the mansion. It was lavishly decorated in a dark blue with gold penguin silhouette patterns in diamonds on the walls and redwood flooring. The whole barn was a big empty room, with the door on the east wall, and window facing it directly across on the west. The North and South walls were adorned with windows closer to the west wall and on the floor, a cross positioned in the middle.

    The barn, as it was so lightly called, was divided into three levels- the floor level, which acted as a giant foyer, was where Klaus and Varse had carried Frances in. Klaus had stayed with the now sleeping Frances, while Varse checked each floor for anymore ‘visitors’.
    “If they can get past the gates, then they can get in the barn.” Varse spoke, cautiously walking up toward the spiral stairs, which lead to the second floor. They were situated around the cross embedded in the floor and grew towards an open-concept upstairs. Though it was extremely revamped, it still kept pieces and the overall design of a barn
    .
    “Coast is clear... Bring her up here and then we’ll tend to her wounds.” He called from the upstairs, which looked over towards the door. Klaus picked up Frances and noticed how light she was. Though they were about the same height, she weighed significantly less. Her dark red hair, tangled with bone fragments, dropped down as he lifted her, shaking out the pieces leaving a tinkling noise like glass to linoleum. Frances’ eyes opened through the cracks and looked at Klaus as he carried her to the stairs.
    “You’re not like him... are you?” She croaked in a tiny voice.
    “No... At least- I don’t think so. I’m not sure myself.” Klaus pondered slightly, not leaving much for reassurance. Frances closed her eyes and began to rest again, though her body seemed to tense up more.

    Klaus arrived on the top floor, where Varse was rummaging through a first aid kit. The upstairs was designed the same as the downstairs, but rather than a bare space, there were beds and dressers, which opposed the rich theme of the inside of the barn and matched closer to the rustic outside of it. There were 14 beds laid in rows, seven on one side, seven on the other. The stairs were adjacent to nothing- there was no wall or fence or gate to keep you from falling off of the second floor onto the first floor.
    “I guess this is where they used to keep the hay?” Klaus spoke, reaching the last step with ease. He laid Frances on the closest bed to the stairs and she winced slightly.
    “She’s lucky she blocked in time and they only hit her arms. It would have killed her probably if she hadn’t. But she should be alright. It’s not the injury that I’m worried about though...” Varse pulled out a pair of tweezers from the first aid kit and began plucking the bone from her arms. He applied alcohol to the wound, but Frances didn’t seem to notice in her slumber.
    “It’s me you’re worried about, isn’t it?” Klaus said looking down in disgust, not with Varse, but with the cursed tattoo on his chest.
    “I’m a pretty open guy and I can hold my own against flying shrapnel, so right now you’re still okay in my books. “ Varse smirked, keeping his attention to the medical tasks at hand.
    “I don’t understand what’s going on at all. I mean... I don’t even remember a lot of things that happened before this past month.” His voice became wavy as blank pages of memories went through his head.
    “I can answer that. Me and Frances found you in the Mansion, just standing there naked... sort of like the freak we just saw. ‘Cept you didn’t blow up.” His words became slightly acidic. “But it was still different also. You seemed to be staring at the cross in the chapel. When we pulled you away from it, your eyes seemed to light up with life. When we asked you anything, all you could say was ‘I don’t know’. But you bared the cross just like us, so we brought you to Malcolm.” Varse picked the last piece of bone out and then bandaged up Frances arm. He put the bone fragments in a baggy and tied it up. “Speaking of which, he’d love to see this.” He stashed it in his leather jacket and turned to Klaus. “Everything after that is probably what you remember. That’s pretty much all I can give you. The rest you’ll have to ask sleeping beauty, when she wakes. She was the one that wanted to keep you in the first place.”

    The day had turned to night and the only light came from the giant chandelier which hung from the roof, illuminating the first and second floor. Klaus had tried to rest in one of the beds, but was having a hard time with all the thoughts running through his head. Where did he come from? Is he the same as that freak? Why is Varse so calm? The questions didn’t stop, until he couldn’t take it anymore.

    “Why are you so okay with this?” Klaus yelled at Varse, who was laying the bed next to his, across from Frances. He seemed to be in his own world staring at the roof, ignoring Klaus’s cry. Klaus waited until he couldn’t take it and then got up and began to descend the stairs.
    “I’ve seen them before.” Varse finally spoke. “People like him. I’ve seen them. Three years ago, I was off in Belgium, doing a séance for a soul. After I had finished, I saw a kid almost identical to the one we saw. He said the same thing and it’s burnt into my skull. ‘The will is final. You created the monster and you shall hear its roar. For your sins you shall be punished. This is the will.’” Varse’s monotonous tone threw chills down Klaus’s spine “...And then boom. His head went kapow. A teammate of mine shielded me and was hit with skull matter all on his back. He still has the scars, though they look like crosses now.”
    “But... then how come I didn’t...”Klaus stuttered, choking the words out.
    “I have no idea. You’re different though. Unlike him, you also have the tattoo on your neck. Not just your chest. I think that’s what separates you from them. And I’m not the only one who’s witnessed them before either. They’ve been spotted all over since then. They’re Arc Angels of the Fallen God. They send out his message to everyone. A person is only supposed to see an Arc Angel once in their life too.” Varse began to waver in tone, almost as if he were crying.
    “You saw him though. What does that mean?” Klaus was frozen in place. Sweat began to p***k the back of his neck and it seemed his tattoo protruded more than usual, as the bead ran across the grooves.
    “I DON’T KNOW.” Varse yelled; his brow furrowing. He closed his eyes and relaxed his face again. “It can’t be anything good though. It can’t...” He tried to continue but his mind wouldn’t let him. He let out a dry swallow and began to breathe slightly more rampant. “Get some rest. The Registry will be arriving early tomorrow.


    ---
    Wind whipped around Klaus, as he ran down the train tracks. He could see the barn ahead of him, but didn’t seem to get any closer. But he just continued running. He looked down, only to see himself in the leather outfit of the Clerics. His lungs began to hoarse but he couldn’t stop running. What was he running from? He though. Turning around, he saw the extravagant speaker from the mansion, almost floating in an ominous way. It didn’t look like he was moving, but no matter how fast or far Klaus ran, he stayed the same distance away. He turned to his left to see an Arc Angel staring as he ran by- hearing the exploding head as he passed it.
    ---


    “You slept uneasy last night.”
    It was morning. Frances was fixing the bandages on her arm, as Klaus sat up in a panic. His eyes sat heavy as he looked around to gain a sense of familiarity- but nothing. Once again, waking up in a strange place, Klaus figured he’d get used to it, but still hasn’t.
    “When people around me have nightmares, I can feel it. This is the first time you’ve dreamed since we met.” Frances’s tone became a little worried. She seemed to have a maternal feel in the way she spoke.
    “I dreamt... I was being chased, I think...” He rubbed his head, his dark hair messing up even more than it was.
    “You’re okay with me too, you know.” She spoke as if it were regular conversation. “I know you’re not like... them- The Arc Angels. You have a sentience in your eyes that I didn’t see in his. You’re different.” Frances looked Klaus dead in the eye to show her honesty.

    The smell of morning seeped into the barn. Even though they were in the middle of nowhere, Varse and Frances seemed to make the place home. Varse sat on his bed reading a book, while Frances kept circulation flowing in her arm, by exercising it.
    “I’ve never been here, y’know. It’s actually one of the nicer ones.” Varse chatted, without looking up from his book. “You wouldn’t believe some of the dives I’ve been in. At least they had the courtesy to freshen this place up.” He chuckled
    “I was actually kind of scared that we were going to have to sleep on a bale of hay or something!” Frances laughed, looking over to Varse.
    Klaus had sunk down to the main floor and had begun staring off into the window. He didn’t know why, but the grassy scenery, gave him comfort. The skies were a flawless blue which gradient into a white at the top. The few clouds drifted aimlessly in the same direction as the blowing tall grass. Flora had taken over this area, with building debris covered in vines and moss. Though the buildings destruction didn’t seem too recent; the rate at which the plants grew seemed unnatural.

    The sun shone brightly in the sky by the time it was midday. Klaus had spent hours just thinking and drifting off. Even though Varse and Frances reassured him he was different, he could only help but to think he wasn’t. He kept having the thought of leaving, but he didn’t know where to go. But he couldn’t stay close to them, in fear he might explode. Just as he started thinking of a way to leave, an object began to bob up and down in the distance. It looked like a pearl floating on green waves, moving quickly across the grassy sea. It was the Registry.
    “GUYS- THE REGISTRY IS COMING!” Klaus yelled toward the upstairs. He began to get excited and ran outside to wait for it. He looked off into the distance and his heart sank.
    “Slow down Klaus! It’s still got a good 20 minutes before it arrives!” Varse yelled back as he exited outside. Looking toward the horizon, he saw the Registry moving in. But it wasn’t alone. “FRANCES, STAY INSIDE!” Varse screamed.
    “What is it?” Frances replied urgently worried

    A group of over a dozen Arc Angels followed the Registry, tapering its speed slightly. They’re lifeless eyes seemed to reach the barn even from the vast distance. Klaus had petrified in fear, too afraid to move. His eyes began to tear up unwillingly and his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
    “What the hell is going on?” Frances whispered, who had now reached outside. She began to quiver and shake and then slowly began backing up until she turned face and ran inside. “HURRY UP AND GET INSIDE!” She screamed, breaking the eerie silence.
    “They can get inside. “ Varse spoke in an almost defeated tone.
    “What do we do?” Klaus finally piped up. He couldn’t even remove his eyes from the sight of the Arc Angels who were now closing in. They’re blonde hair seemed to stay as lifeless as their eyes, not even moving with the speed they seemed to carry. They wore robes of some sort, though the top was translucent enough to still see their tattoos. In his head, Klaus replayed the exploding skull of the boy, from yesterday. His mind was quickly approaching a breakdown from all the information he had received in such a short amount of time.
    “We do what we can. Get into the basement and grab a weapon.” Varse spoke after a long pause.