November 25, 2024, 5:28am. Day 361 of the apocalypse.
Since fall is here, the nights are longer. We arrived at the new hideout, still a bit dark. According to the phone on the dashboard of the truck, sunrise will be in a few minutes. Around quarter to 6 in the morning, I guess. All of us got out of the truck, then I stopped as I watched Elliot and Azriel run up the small hill the driveway was made. Merikh was standing beside me, “let’s go?” he asked as he held my hand.
“Why don’t you go in? I need to get my duffel and none of you can get anything in there anymore,” I reminded him and I smiled at him. He smiled and nodded, then he kissed my forehead before heading inside. I closed the door, walked over to the back of the truck, and sat on the bumper bracket.
Collin closed the driver’s side door. He walked towards me and leaned on the back of the truck, “you okay?” he asked as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.
I looked up at him, “yeah. I’m, uh, I’m fine.”
I knew he didn’t believe a word I said, then he sat on the step on the bumper. “I know you, Mia. What’s bothering you?”
I sighed, “I, uhm, I don’t feel like I did much.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I feel like I haven’t done much as a hunter.”
“What are you talking about? You killed Beleth. You killed Lucifer, too. Azriel might’ve helped the second time, but still, you killed the Devil himself. Then you killed Bernael, we helped you do it, but you still defeated the bitch,” he chuckled, “we should be in there celebrating with them! You should be celebrating! Whatever you think you didn’t do, forget about it. You’ve done so much, not only for me, but for Azriel and Merikh as well. You got us out when we thought we couldn’t. You were there to set us straight when we’re all being assholes.”
I smirked. “But seriously, Mia. Thank you. I’m really happy I met you,” he said then he puts a hand over mine and I placed my free hand on top of his.
“Thank you, too, for always having my back. For always being there, whether I need you or not.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what I am here for remember?” 
“Yeah,” I nodded and smiled.
“Come on, they’re probably waiting in there. Besides, Rory’s probably worried about you.”
We both stood up together and walked inside. We were greeted by Rory and Aunt Russo, who was crying as they saw me enter the house. Aunt Russo decided to make a big breakfast for all of us, even if she knew well that the three guys doesn’t need to eat. But after spending months with these three, I know all too well that they want food. Their love for food, and coffee, surpasses their love for teasing each other. 
We all sat together and talked about what had happened. They were glad that none of us really did end up dead. “We actually contacted some spirits if they even found your soul,” Aunt Russo said to me, “but all of them came back negative. I had to reassure Rory here that you are safe.”
We were having some merry conversation when there was a knock on the door. Rory opened it and Elliot was in his human form, wearing a green plaid shirt and denim. “Hey,” he started as he came in, “I just want to thank you for saving my life. I, uhm, I still can’t believe you did that. Anyway, uhm, there’s someone outside who wanted to see you but he didn’t want to go inside the house. He, uh, he wanted the four of you to go out there.”
When he left, the four of us looked at each other and went outside with Rory and Aunt Russo right behind us.
We found a tall man, about 6 foot 4, with blonde hair standing there, looking over the lake. “Hey,” I said, “you wanted to see us?”
The man turns around and he looked like my mom. Only he has short blonde hair and duh, he’s a man. He was wearing some kind of armor, like in the Medieval era. Then both Merikh and Azriel stood up straighter, placing their right hand up. “Sir,” Azriel said, his hand in salute. 
“At ease, Captain,” he replied. Azriel and Merikh put their hands down, then the man noticed the looks on our faces, “oh sorry about the outfit. My vessel was in the middle of a role-playing thing, uhm, LARPing I think?” he said as he looked down at his choice of outfit.
“I’m sorry,” I said, still a bit bewildered, “but may I ask who are you?”
“I’m Michael.”
My eyes widened, “Michael? The Archangel?”
“In the flesh. And you must be Mia,” he walked closer to me, “you look like your mother. You’re the same as her. Beautiful, both inside and out. I’m not saying that just because she’s my sister. It’s the truth.”
He smiled at me then he looked at Merikh, “I heard you got your grace back. Why aren’t you using it?”
“Well, uhm, I kind of thought I don’t deserve it. Not anymore. Sir.”
“Saving Mia. Helping out at capturing those three maggots. Helping Azriel and Collin. I have a lot more to say but that’s going to pretty much cover how much you deserve your grace back,” he paused, he was stern and his deep voice made it scarier, “where is it?”
Merikh took a cloth out of his pocket. Azriel furrowed his eyebrows, “that’s still there? You got beaten up more times than I can count since you got it back and it’s still in your back pocket? And it never even break?”
Merikh just glared at Azriel. “Oh sorry,” he suddenly said when he realized Michael was staring at him, “sir.”
Michael sighed, “these two still don’t know when to shut up, huh?” he looked at me then he chuckled.
Merikh handed his grace to Michael. He took the cloth and opened it, then he looked at Merikh, “come forward. The light of your grace might burn their eyes.”
He stepped forward and face us, “close your eyes. All of you.”
We all did what we were asked and then I heard a glass break. A bright light flashed through and it disappeared as abruptly as it appeared. 
We looked back at the two of them. “Welcome back,” Michael held out a hand for Merikh to shake, “General.”
Merikh smiled and shook his brother’s hand. “Now, can I talk to Mia? Alone?” he asked them and they all nodded. They left me with Michael who watched them leave before looking back to me. “I know you have a lot of questions,” he walked towards me and we both sat down at the tall stump beside the house.
“I only have one, actually,” I replied.
“Okay. Go on, ask away.”
“Balthazar told us that you guys were tired of begging for us to live another day. What did he mean by that?”
“He meant exactly that. A lot of angels have been questioning us because you and Collin have experienced death more than once, but you always ended up resurrecting. They, uh, they wanted to know why. So I told them that your respective businesses are not yet finished. But the truth is Balthazar and I have been begging God to revive the both of you, more times than anyone. I wanted you to live, and who knows, maybe one day you’ll be living some place with a white fence and a little family of your own. That’s what I wanted for you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, then he took out a necklace with a crystal key. “Before I forget. Here,” he hands over the necklace to me, placing it on the middle of my palm.
“What’s this?”
“That’s a key to Heaven. That was your mother’s. She handed it over to me a few nights before she died. She kind of knew that her end was near. She just wasn’t sure when it was.”
He paused for a little while. Taking a deep breath. 
“I know this is going to sound like a dumb question but what am I going to do with this key?”
He smiled, “that’s not a dumb question. Anyway, that key will lead you to the Staircase to Heaven. With that, you can turn any door into a portal. All you got to do is put the key in the keyhole, turn it clockwise twice, and open the door. That’s it.”
I looked at it then to him, “and this is mine now?”
He nodded then he stood up. “I gave you that key so you can visit Heaven any time you feel like it,” he said with his back facing me. Then he glanced back at me, “and I am sure your father would love it if he could see you again. I know how proud he is of you. He’s been telling other souls in Heaven about his brave little girl,” he sighed.
I was teary-eyed. I looked back at the key then to Michael and then back to the key. I stood up and walked towards him, giving him a hug. He turns around to face me, then he knelt down and hugged me back.
“Your mother is proud of you. We all are,” he whispered to me. I tightened my hug to him. 
When we parted, Michael shifted his gaze behind me. I looked back to see Collin, Azriel, and Merikh walking towards us. He stood up straighter as the three of them stood beside me. “Well, I better get going. Thank you, again, for keeping my niece safe.”
The three of them just nodded. He was about to turn to leave when he looked back at Azriel and Merikh, “by the way, since both of you can come back up there, we have a meeting next week. 8am, your time. Don’t be late.”
Azriel and Merikh awkwardly smiled and we watched their brother disappear.
When we got back inside, I showed them the key. Azriel said only Archangels have those keys, and even if the owner loses it, it still comes back. Like magic. “Only the owner can use it”, he also said. 
We were all having a nice conversation then the phone on the table near the fireplace suddenly rang. All of us got startled that an actual phone still worked. Collin walked towards it and answered the phone, “hello?” he said.
“That thing actually works?!” I asked. Collin puts his index finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet.
“Uhm, yeah, this is he. Yes, they’re here too. May I ask who this is? Oh. Good morning, sir. Yes. Uh-huh. O-kay. Uhm, how about I get back to you on that? I’ll talk to them about it. Alright. Yes, thank you, sir. I understand. Alright. Bye.”
He hangs up the phone and walked back to his seat. “Well?” Merikh was waiting for Collin to say something.
“So, how do you guys feel about going to Chicago? In Aurora, to be exact.”
“Chicago? Why? What’s there?” Azriel asked.
“Well, uhm, the man on the phone was General Ernest Cole.”
“General Ernest Cole? Of the US Army?” I blurted out.
“Yes. He needs our help.”
“How did he found out about us?” Merikh asked.
“Let’s just say, I owe him,” Collin confessed. “So are you guys in? Because I think we got some major players in Chicago right now that needs some smiting. I told them that we’re gonna need a unanimous decision.”
Azriel and I looked at each other then to Collin, who looks at Merikh. Then he looked at me and Azriel. Then he realized that the three of us wanted to go, “oh no! No!”
“Oh come on!” Azriel whined.
“No! God, no! Come on! We just got here! I just got reinstated! I just got my wings and grace back!” Merikh was forcing us not to go, “can’t we just get a break for a while?”
“We can if the apocalypse took a break too,” Collin replied.
Merikh groaned, “fine. Fine!”
The three of us ran to our respective rooms and got a few things that we’re going to need. We all know we can just teleport ourselves to places but a road trip with them would be nice. Merikh was the only one who wasn’t excited about the whole thing.
When we were all finished, we brought our bags and weapons to the back of the truck, with me being the only one who can access it. Rory couldn’t believe that we were leaving again after we had just gotten back but she and her aunt have provided us tons of food and drinks for the road. Collin handed over one of my shotguns that I left in the house. I tossed it to the back compartment and closed it.
I turned to the boys, “let’s get going. We still got work to do.”