The Upstream Writer: Flash Fiction Friday: "Flashes of Inspiration" No. 18

Picture Prompt

#17 "Angel in The Woods"

Stephen watched his surroundings carefully as he traipsed through the Bell Mountain wilderness. He held his rifle lightly, the carry strap pressing on his shoulder as his hand rested over the trigger guard. Just ahead of him, Justice the chocolate Labrador sniffed and scanned the trail. The cool autumn breeze bit at Stephen's cheeks, and he could almost see his breath in the setting sun as day began the transition into night, but he paid no mind. He had heard there would be fowl and deer alike in these woods--he just needed to bag something, and they could call it a day.

Justice abruptly doubled back and stood in the path, all of his attention fixed on something beyond Stephen's sight. He let out a small, soft bark.

"What is it, boy?" Stephen whispered. Justice had been trained by his father before Stephen was born, and the quiet bark was meant to alert the hunter that Justice had scented something, without creating a sound loud enough to spook whatever animal it was.

Justice woofed again, and took off in a direction perpendicular to the established trail. The dog could pick its way easily through the branches and undergrowth, but for a full-grown human male, it was slightly more complicated.

"Justy, hold up!" Stephen muttered, picking his way down the cluttered slope of the mountainside. The dog cut down through the trees until he reached a length of clear trail, and Stephen could keep up with him as he trotted after whatever it might be. Stephen followed, his grip adjusting on his gun for ease at flicking the safety if the need arose, but as soon as Justice rounded a bend, Stephen heard him bark three times, and by the time the young man reached the bend, the dog ran far ahead of him on the path.

Stephen shook his head and set off at a light jog. Every so often, he whistled and called Justice's name, and Justice would bark in response, guiding Stephen to him.

At the end of the trail, the young hunter discovered a wide, grassy clearing in the midst of the forest, with a singularly large tree growing at the edge of it. Justice clawed at the base of this tree, barking and digging with his paws as if trying to unbury something inside the tree.

"Justice," Stephen ordered. "Come!"

The Labrador turned back and whined at his master. Justice barked and tried again to claw his way into the tree, but Stephen repeated the command, "Come, Justice!" He took a step forward to grab his dog by the ruff, if need be.

The instant his foot landed, Stephen's world exploded. A bright flash of light blinded him, and a thunderous boom deadened all the sound entering his ears for a full sixty seconds. The concussive force seemed to jerk the ground out from underneath him, and Stephen felt himself flying backward through the air, spinning and flipping as his boots caught on tufts of grass along the way. He landed in a green bush full of short, stabbing branches. He winced and yawned as his sight returned, fighting to end the high-pitched squeal resounding in his ears. His hearing returned gradually, and Stephen found the will to stagger to his feet.

His dog... what had happened to his dog?

As if in answer to his thoughts, Justice bounded back to his side, sniffing, licking, and inspecting Stephen's legs and hands. Stephen rubbed his dog behind the ears to let him know he was okay, and the pair of them made their way back to the clearing.

The landscape had changed--but not in the way Stephen expected. Where there was an explosion of that magnitude, by all rights there should have been a crater, but instead, Stephen had to shield his eyes against a large round object, glowing brightly and having the faintest suggestion of a feather-like texture about it. Justice stayed glued to his side. The glow faded, but the whiteness remained, confirming that whatever this creature was, it did indeed possess large wings, larger than any bird of prey Stephen had ever seen.

The wings shifted, and moved aside. Stephen gasped and froze in mid-step. There was a person attached to those wings! A young woman, it seemed. She had pale skin, and striking red hair--her hands obscured her face, as if she had flung her arms over her head to protect herself. Stephen glanced over the strange white dress and the thin-strapped sandals she wore; where did this winged woman come from?

Her hands fell to her lap, and she finally looked straight at him as Stephen stood where he was, dumbfounded. Her eyes seemed to waver between deep blue and violet. She pulled her feet underneath her, shifting into a crouching position, as her wings spread wide--and that's when Stephen noticed that one of them hung slightly off-kilter. She stood up straight--but winced and stumbled slightly in the direction of the misaligned wing. Stephen suspected it might be broken.

Justice gave a small whimper, and began barking at something--not the winged lady, though, but something else behind Stephen. The lady noticed, and her blue-violet eyes widened in terror.

Stephen smelled a horrible stench like rotten eggs. Something behind him gave a low, guttural growl. Stephen adjusted the grip on his gun as he turned to face this new threat--and immediately wished he hadn't.

Their eyes were no more than shiny black beads in their heads. Wide mouths full of jagged, stained teeth leered at him, and twisted, bent horns out of his worst nightmares. Three hulking black bodies sauntered out of the forest, converging toward him.

First an angel, now demons! Stephen thought--but his chivalrous instinct kicked in, and he knew exactly what he ought to do in this situation. He planted his feet, readied his gun, lined up the shot, and fired directly at the foremost demon.

The creature's head snapped back with a spray of viscous, black liquid, and it emitted an ear-shattering shriek--but when it righted itself to stare at Stephen once more, its face bore not even the slightest mark.

Justice flew into a frenzy. He launched himself at another demon, barking and biting anything he could get his mouth on. Stephen took the opportunity to turn back to the angel, who had not doubt sensed his urgency, because she now stood with her wings tucked tightly against her back.

"Run!" Stephen screamed, leading her deeper into the forest, away from the fiendish predators.

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