When They Come For Me-Chapter One: Like An Angel
The evening had started off like any other evening. He'd made some tea, turned the TV to House, and curled up on the couch in his pj's. But then Brad called, crying and hysterical.
"What happened?"
There was no answer, just broken sobs.
"I'm coming over, okay? Okay?"
There was a muffled 'okay'. Rob hung up, truly baffled. He'd never heard-or felt- his friend so broken. He grabbed his keys off the table, still in his pj's, and ran for the door. He threw himself into his car and raced down the streets of LA-to one Bradford Delson's house.
Once in the driveway, he pulled his keys from the ignition and searched for the one to Brad's door. His hands were shaking so bad, he dropped them a few times before finding the right key and running up to the door. He let himself inside and closed and locked the door.
"Brad?"
No reply, but he could here muffled sobs coming from the older man's room. He walked the well known hallway and saw his friend, broken and sobbing on the bed. Rob automatically went over and pulled Brad into his arms. The sobs grew louder as he wound his arms around Rob's neck in a chokehold.
"Brad? What happened? What's wrong?"
He tried, really, really tried, to get the story out-to tell Rob what happened, but the clench on his throat wouldn't let him. So, he just buried into Rob's chest and cried.
The younger man-though, still baffled-held him close, letting him cry it out. Whatever it was, Brad would tell him eventually.
>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<
A few hours later, when Brad had calmed down enough, he stuttered out, "They said it wouldn't happen, they said it couldn't happen to me..."
"What? What couldn't happen?"
Brad pulled away from Rob's chest and stared him square in the eye, his big, brown eyes even darker with sorrow. They narrowed in confusion as an anguished cry escaped his lips, "They said I couldn't tell anyone!"
"Who? Who said? You can't tell me what?"
"I want to, I want to tell you..." Brad bit his lip, hard, until it gave way and split. A small trickle of blood swelled around the wound as he released his lip from his teeth. He bowed his head, shielding his eyes, as he added, "But I can't..."
"Brad, please..." But Brad was as defiant as ever, and Rob felt a wave of annoyance-hell, maybe even anger-swell in his chest. "Bradford Phillip Delson, if you don't tell me what's going on-"
But he was cut off by Brad screaming, "I can't! I fucking can't tell you!!
"Why?!" They were both off the bed, staring each other down, neither willing to give in. "You know me, Brad! I won't tell a soul!"
"I know!" He cried, "I know you won't! But I'm not allowed to! They'll find me!"
"WHO?!!?!"
"THEM!" Brad screamed, pointing upward, "My superiors! They're watching, they know."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!!"
Brad covered his face with his hands, "I can't. I'm sorry, I can-" He sudden;y dropped his hands and stared at Rob open mouthed. "They said I can't tell you. But I can show you!"
"Show. Me. What?!"
"Come with me." With that, Brad grabbed Rob's arm and pulled him toward the door.
"Where...?"
"I need a place with enough room."
"Room? Why do you need room?"
"Shh, you'll see..."
"Bradford-"
"Hush your face!" He pulled him into the garage. It was a two car garage, but Brad only had one car, leaving one side completely open.
He left Rob standing by his car and walked to the middle of the open. "Okay, stay back..." Brad stood with his arms spread out and his legs spread apart.
"Brad-"
"Hang on! Let me concentrate."
Rob clamped his mouth shut and watched Brad warily. He seemed to vibrate with tension, like his muscles were suddenly too tight for his body. There was a sudden *pop* and a gust of wind that nearly knocked Rob into the car. His eyes automatically closed, but when heopened them, he gasped aloud.
There stood Bradford Delson, ol' little Braddles, with wings sprouted from his shoulder blades with a span of atleast sixteen feet.
WINGS!!!
They were a beautiful, dark brown with tannish flecks scattered about. Rob sucked a sharp breath through his mouth and stumbled back a couple steps. "B-Brad?..."
"They said I wasn't supposed to get them, that it would pass over me, but a few of my supervisors showed up last night and..." He shrugged.
"Tell me the whole story. The whole. Story."
Brad sighed and motioned at the ground. "You may want to sit for this..."
"Yeah, you probably should of said that before."
Brad's wings fluttered absently and folded behind him as he sat cross-legged on the ground. Rob sat with him and stared at him with a mix of worry and expectancy gracing his features.
"It all started when I was little... My mom told me stories of angels and Heaven and shit like that. And one day she took me to a little meadow thing and showed me... her... wings and said that I may have them too, but that she wasn't for sure.. And now it is sure. I have my wings."
Rob's head was spinning, but he summoned the courage and lifted his hand to touch the downy soft feathers. They fluttered under his touch, like a second heartbeat. He stroked the edge of the wing and looked into Brad's eyes. "Like an angel..."
"What happened?"
There was no answer, just broken sobs.
"I'm coming over, okay? Okay?"
There was a muffled 'okay'. Rob hung up, truly baffled. He'd never heard-or felt- his friend so broken. He grabbed his keys off the table, still in his pj's, and ran for the door. He threw himself into his car and raced down the streets of LA-to one Bradford Delson's house.
Once in the driveway, he pulled his keys from the ignition and searched for the one to Brad's door. His hands were shaking so bad, he dropped them a few times before finding the right key and running up to the door. He let himself inside and closed and locked the door.
"Brad?"
No reply, but he could here muffled sobs coming from the older man's room. He walked the well known hallway and saw his friend, broken and sobbing on the bed. Rob automatically went over and pulled Brad into his arms. The sobs grew louder as he wound his arms around Rob's neck in a chokehold.
"Brad? What happened? What's wrong?"
He tried, really, really tried, to get the story out-to tell Rob what happened, but the clench on his throat wouldn't let him. So, he just buried into Rob's chest and cried.
The younger man-though, still baffled-held him close, letting him cry it out. Whatever it was, Brad would tell him eventually.
>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<
A few hours later, when Brad had calmed down enough, he stuttered out, "They said it wouldn't happen, they said it couldn't happen to me..."
"What? What couldn't happen?"
Brad pulled away from Rob's chest and stared him square in the eye, his big, brown eyes even darker with sorrow. They narrowed in confusion as an anguished cry escaped his lips, "They said I couldn't tell anyone!"
"Who? Who said? You can't tell me what?"
"I want to, I want to tell you..." Brad bit his lip, hard, until it gave way and split. A small trickle of blood swelled around the wound as he released his lip from his teeth. He bowed his head, shielding his eyes, as he added, "But I can't..."
"Brad, please..." But Brad was as defiant as ever, and Rob felt a wave of annoyance-hell, maybe even anger-swell in his chest. "Bradford Phillip Delson, if you don't tell me what's going on-"
But he was cut off by Brad screaming, "I can't! I fucking can't tell you!!
"Why?!" They were both off the bed, staring each other down, neither willing to give in. "You know me, Brad! I won't tell a soul!"
"I know!" He cried, "I know you won't! But I'm not allowed to! They'll find me!"
"WHO?!!?!"
"THEM!" Brad screamed, pointing upward, "My superiors! They're watching, they know."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!!"
Brad covered his face with his hands, "I can't. I'm sorry, I can-" He sudden;y dropped his hands and stared at Rob open mouthed. "They said I can't tell you. But I can show you!"
"Show. Me. What?!"
"Come with me." With that, Brad grabbed Rob's arm and pulled him toward the door.
"Where...?"
"I need a place with enough room."
"Room? Why do you need room?"
"Shh, you'll see..."
"Bradford-"
"Hush your face!" He pulled him into the garage. It was a two car garage, but Brad only had one car, leaving one side completely open.
He left Rob standing by his car and walked to the middle of the open. "Okay, stay back..." Brad stood with his arms spread out and his legs spread apart.
"Brad-"
"Hang on! Let me concentrate."
Rob clamped his mouth shut and watched Brad warily. He seemed to vibrate with tension, like his muscles were suddenly too tight for his body. There was a sudden *pop* and a gust of wind that nearly knocked Rob into the car. His eyes automatically closed, but when heopened them, he gasped aloud.
There stood Bradford Delson, ol' little Braddles, with wings sprouted from his shoulder blades with a span of atleast sixteen feet.
WINGS!!!
They were a beautiful, dark brown with tannish flecks scattered about. Rob sucked a sharp breath through his mouth and stumbled back a couple steps. "B-Brad?..."
"They said I wasn't supposed to get them, that it would pass over me, but a few of my supervisors showed up last night and..." He shrugged.
"Tell me the whole story. The whole. Story."
Brad sighed and motioned at the ground. "You may want to sit for this..."
"Yeah, you probably should of said that before."
Brad's wings fluttered absently and folded behind him as he sat cross-legged on the ground. Rob sat with him and stared at him with a mix of worry and expectancy gracing his features.
"It all started when I was little... My mom told me stories of angels and Heaven and shit like that. And one day she took me to a little meadow thing and showed me... her... wings and said that I may have them too, but that she wasn't for sure.. And now it is sure. I have my wings."
Rob's head was spinning, but he summoned the courage and lifted his hand to touch the downy soft feathers. They fluttered under his touch, like a second heartbeat. He stroked the edge of the wing and looked into Brad's eyes. "Like an angel..."