Apocalypse Rising Read Online Free

filled parts of the world, but this stop is in a nicer part of town and is exposed to all who drove by.
    I cannot risk one of Albert’s associates driving down this particular road and spotting us, intentionally or otherwise, so we head off the main road looking for a little shelter so we can plan our next move. It is the bitterest irony that the light that gives us hope and chases away the monsters of our mind is the same light that makes it so easy for the mundane monsters of the world to find us. Most villains prefer the night and the cloak of anonymity it provides, but it is rare that they completely shun the light, especially when they are hunting.
    "Come on, Lilly; let’s get off the street before the sun starts coming up." She grumbles, but follows along once I grab her hand and pull her into the neighborhood that rests against the street where the bus stop stands. The third house down the street has a sale sign in the yard and the grass looks unkempt, so I peek in a window. The place is empty. I look around and see no one looking so we sneak into the backyard. I employ a small amount of will upon the back door's lock, popping it open and letting us in.
    The house is completely bare. The musty stink of stagnant air fills it, making me want to sneeze. The thin light of early dawn peeks around the edges of the thick curtains. We move to the front of home so that I can look out of the windows without being seen. Traffic is light, but steady. Car after unremarkable car drifts past the bus stop, but none of them slow down. I know Albert is coming for us and I doubt we are lucky enough for his goons to not notice the taxi company or the cab number. They will be hot on our trail soon enough.
    Lilly leans against the wall, sweat breaks out on her forehead, and her skin is starting to lose its color. I forgot how much of a junky she truly is. I have been amongst addicts for so long that I have grown blind to it and I am still surprised when it comes forward. In the time I have known Lilly I have only ever seen her go without a fix once, and that was because she was late paying her dealer. She was good at getting money and keeping a steady stream of heroin coming her way.
    When I gave up my old life so long ago I had never imagined that I would end up where I was. Grand visions of feeding the poor and making a difference had filled my head. I was tired of being detached, feeling like I made little real difference in the lives of the people I was assigned to help. So I gave up the power and the celestial prestige of my position in order to get my hands dirty amongst the people I wanted to help. The gritty reality of the material world was far different than it seemed when viewed from above.
    A tortured moan from Lilly draws my attention back to the present, pushing away the thoughts of a past that was and a present that will never be. I have made little difference in the lives of the junkies, whores and criminals around me, but I have learned very much about what it means to be human. It is little consolation at this moment and I would give much to have all of my power back in my possession. I need to save this girl more than I needed to save myself and that is going to be difficult.
    We still have some time left before the bus is due so I decide to try a little meditation. When I first fell I had used prayer, though I doubted I was being heard. As time went on my prayers felt hollow and I gained little from them. Meditation seemed a reasonable alternative, though it did no more than the prayers when it came to maintaining the little power I had left. I knew it would happen, but living a life of simple mortality had proven to be more difficult than I had expected. Go figure.
    I feel myself slipping into a place of calm inner refuge, letting my worries slide away. I know the respite is temporary, but I set it all aside, if only for a few minutes. I try something new, searching for the spark within me. I have sensed it before, but