Fallen Angel: Loneliness Itself

This place is a prison, Malik Aurelius thought to himself as he walked through the crowded hallways of the Carleton University Center, heading out. Mid-April and the City of Ottawa, Ontario, was still cold as can be, although, thank heavens for small favors, there was no more snow. The tall, brawny young African rolled his eyes as a white male student stared at him with undisguised fascination, and a short, round little Asian woman cast a furtive glance in his direction. A tall, hijab-wearing young Arab woman narrowed her eyes when she met his gaze, before looking away. Squaring his shoulders, he made his way through the Atrium and then down the stairs. At last, he was finally outside.

In spite of the cold weather, Malik felt fine wearing his long-sleeved gray T-shirt featuring a large red skull and blue jeans. The cold weather didn't bother him as much as it bothered them. He remembered the way they looked at him as he left the library to go to the food court, walking through the falling snow with a short-sleeved T-shirt and pants. He always left his coat and backpack at his desk in the library when he went out to lunch. Got to mark your territory, he reminded himself, lest someone simply take his seat from him, thinking it was vacant.

Malik walked toward the bus stop, running into a tall, dark-skinned young woman he knew from one of his classes. What was her name? Stacey or Tracy, she was from Calgary, studying criminology at Carleton U. He smiled at her and did a little wave, and was met with a blank stare. The young Black woman pursed her lips, scoffed and then walked past him without saying anything. In spite of himself, he couldn't help turning around to look at her as she went into the same building he just left. All the hot chicks got an attitude problem, he mused, shaking his head. Oh, well. He turned around to see the number four bus, bound for Hurdman Station, leaving without him. Oh, shit. It was four o'clock already and if he didn't catch that bus he wouldn't make it to Kanata in time for his six o'clock shift for the security company.

Got to hustle, Malik told himself. With that, he made a mad dash for the next bus stop. If anyone were to look at Malik Aurelius in that instant, the young man would have looked a bit blurry, like an old photo at the back of an old album. In truth, he was super-speeding across campus. A single leap launched him from the bus stop near the Minto Building to the staircase leading to the tunnel under the train tracks across the way. The forty-meter leap would have stunned anyone who saw it, but fortunately for him, he was moving too fast to be seen by mortal eyes. He didn't stop running until he made it to the bus stop near the path leading to the Field House. There were only four people there, two skinny, blonde-haired white chicks, a tall and muscular, bearded Hindu guy and a short young Black woman. All four of them looked at him as he basically materialized next to them. Hey there, Malik said with a sheepish grin as the bus approached.

Taking out his U-Pass, he lined up behind the others as the bus pulled to a stop. He chivalrously offered to one of the blonde chicks to go before him but she shook her head. Shrugging, Malik stepped onto the bus, showed his pass to the old white dude driving it and then sat down in the middle of the bus. The person sitting next to him, a plump white chick with freckles and a baseball cap stared hard at him as he sat down and when his eyes met hers, she flashed him a fake smile and went back to reading her V.C. Andrews novel. Malik shook his head and took out his Blackberry. It was ten after four. In spite of his best efforts, he might be late to his shift in Kanata after all. Great. Just to be on the safe side, Malik called the security company's headquarters in Toronto to warn them that he might be a couple of minutes late to his six o'clock shift.

The person working dispatch at the other end of the line sounded bored, young and female. She asked him how late he might be, and Malik cheerfully told her he'd be on site by six ten at the latest. The dispatcher hung up shortly after, and Malik looked at the phone for a minute before going back to browsing his Facebook page on his Blackberry. Malik smiled as he read the comments posted on his page about the ten or so pictures of women's tennis champion Serena Williams on the beach with two female friends in a bikini. Booty shots included, of course.

This ought to be interesting, he said to himself as he checked out the comments. His friend Alisha Crowley, the unrepentant biracial feminist from Cornwall, predictably called him a chauvinist. His buddy Omar, the Somali dude from Mississauga liked all ten pictures of Serena Williams and commented on the one of her bending over, exposing her legendary derriere, which the green bikini barely covered. Malik laughed out loud while reading the comments. "Man cannot thank Allah enough for creating woman", that's what Omar wrote. Amen, Malik typed out before clicking off. His service provider, FIDO, charged him murderously on his data plan.

Before Malik knew it, the bus pulled into Hurdman Station and he rushed to catch bus number ninety six heading to Kanata. Surprisingly for this time of day, it was almost empty. Malik leaned back in his seat, allowing himself to relax a bit, for it had been a long day. Taking four classes at Carleton University while working as a security guard at night wasn't easy. He thought about recent events, and the toll they'd taken on him. His breakup with June Fils-Aime, that one hit him particularly hard. Being who and what he was, in a world full of people who would hate and fear him if they knew about him, that wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

Malik remembered how he met her, completely at random. He was at the movies, alone and usual, and he saw her in line. They started talking, and ended up going to see the same movie. After the movie, they rode the bus together and when he asked her for her number, she declined and took his instead. He figured he'd never hear from her again, except he did, a few days later. Before long, they were meeting at malls, restaurants and movie theaters. He found her quirky, funny and truly unique. An oddball housed in the body of a tall, curvy young Haitian-Canadian woman. June was an injection of life into his otherwise dull, dreary existence. He grew to care for her a lot, surprising himself in many ways by the depth of his feelings for her, a mortal. He never let anyone get close to him and somehow, she did.

Malik winced, as he often did when he thought about The Fall. According to the most sacred texts of Judeo-Christianity, Fallen Angels came to Earth after the War in Heaven. The Holy books mentioned that these Angels were cast out by God, but made very little mention of what their lives were actually like. Thousands of Fallen Angels came to Earth, barely escaping from the wrath of God's Army led by the Archangel Michael as he rounded them up and hurled them into the fiery pit of Hell. The humans have never known that the First, as all Angels, both Fallen and Loyalist, collectively call themselves, lived amongst them. Fallen Angels have walked the Earth for tens of thousands of years. Ever since the existence of modern humans, in fact.

Of course the humans didn't know squat about Fallen Angels. How could they? Angels are typically an unapproachable lot, in any case. Immortal beings with vast powers far beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals. Shape-shifting, flight, superhuman strength, invisibility, telekinesis, all Angels possess these abilities. Whenever Malik picks up a comic book, the story usually revolves around a person with special powers trying to help others in a mundane world. If only his tale were as uncomplicated. He wasn't a hero, nor a villain. Just a guy trying to stay alive. The Army of Light has a special Cadre of Hunters to track down and eradicate Fallen Angels living on Earth. Apparently, they're illegal here on Earth.

Malik survived all this time because he was careful, and also because he stayed out of trouble. Throughout time, Angels have played a hand in key human events. They've been kings, princes and generals in many places from the mighty Kush civilization ( present-day Sudan ) to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ethiopia, China, Persia, India, Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire. What could he say? The Fallen princes of Heaven love power, even while on Earth and they're responsible for many sociological and technological advances for which mortals credit themselves. Heaven isn't pleased with what many of us have done, setting themselves up as Lords of the planet Earth and they've gone to great lengths to destroy the smartest and most ambitious among us.

For the most part, Malik had flown under the radar, content to live in the shadows. He went about in mortal disguise for the most part, living as simple a life as possible. He'd been a healer, a librarian, a soldier, a cook, a sea captain and a postman. He's lived all over the globe. Always in the guise of a tall and burly, dark-skinned twenty-something African man. For a time he lived among the Aboriginals of Australia, in pre-colonial times. He was a healer among them, and found them the most wonderful and welcoming people on Earth.

Always he declined leadership positions among humans, not wanting to call attention to himself. The other Fallen Angels always covet power, wealth and influence but he didn't. The Army of Light typically looks for kings, princes, generals, cult leaders and 'suspicious' prophets when hunting down the more dangerous Fallen Angels. Malik stayed alive so long because he didn't follow the modus operandi of most Fallen Angels. In the Kingdom of Heaven, he wasn't a luminary. He was an ordinary member of the Virtues, the most elemental of Angels.

Malik fell from Heaven for a truly unique reason. When Lucifer Morningstar began his rebellion and one out of three Angels decided to follow him, the remainder sided with Yahweh. Malik left Heaven voluntarily because he couldn't stand the sight of Angels fighting other Angels. He walked away from the War because he was disgusted by all of it. He came to the planet Earth long before any Angel, Loyalist or Fallen, ever realized the potential of the place. He lived among primitive humans, and came to treasure humanity, though at times their prejudices irked him. He'd seen enough of racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia to last him ten lifetimes. Fortunately, he also saw humanity's capacity for good, and met remarkable men and women throughout his long existence. Those encounters gave him the courage to go on.

One such remarkable individual was June, the mortal woman he fell in love with. Ah, June. The only woman in all the world who ever figured out that Malik Aurelius, the mild-mannered towering African geek bestriding the Carleton University campus was more than he seemed. Malik couldn't help but smile as he remembered her. Somehow, she knew he wasn't like everyone else. And she pursued him doggedly, seeing right through his latest alias. With her computer skills, she dug up everything she could find out about him. In the end, she figured it out. Malik Aurelius, the man with the meticulously created past which included no living relatives was either a spy, a person on witness protection or an alien from another world. That was her theory about him when she confronted him one day in the library.

Malik looked at June, the tall, gorgeous young dark beauty and sighed. He could use his powers to wipe out her memory, or he could take off and never be seen again. He could simply change the way he looked, shape-shifting was easy enough. He could become someone of another race or even another gender altogether. And yet he didn't. In the thirty thousand years since he walked away from the Kingdom of Heaven, no mortal had ever figured out who or what he was. He was both scared and relieved to have been found out. Smiling, he looked into June's lovely brown eyes and revealed his true identity. He was an Angel of the Lord, or at least he used to be. June was shocked, but she wasn't afraid or disgusted. Instead she smiled at him, gently touched his hand and looked into his eyes. Malik Aurelius hesitantly smiled, and knew that he was no longer alone.

They'd been seeing each other for over a year when she began to change. Suddenly she became pensive, distant and withdrawn. Malik wondered why she started to away from him, but he couldn't fathom why. Reading minds wasn't one of his powers, only the special corps of Messenger Angels, those chosen by God to interact with mankind, could do that. The Angelic entities believed by billions to have been sent by the One True God to speak to Moses the Hebrew in the Egyptian desert, Jesus Christ the Messiah in the garden and the prophet Mohammed in distant Arabia were all Messenger Angels. Malik sighed as he recalled holding June in his arms, stroking her beautiful face and begging her for another chance. She had tears in her eyes when she said no, but she meant every word. Haplessly, he watched her ago.

Malik had seen the human species conquer the planet Earth after their progenitors, Adam and Eve, were cast out of Eden by God's decree. He'd seen various human subspecies wipe out one another in a fierce global competition spanning tens of thousands of years. He'd seen numerous natural disasters, extinction-level events, and more wars than he cared to count. Yet he'd never experienced true pain until June walked away from him that day. The only gal in all the world who knew who he was and accepted him. The one who sought to help him emerge from his world of darkness, and into the light he walked away from, so long ago. Not since leaving the Kingdom of Heaven and feeling the Absence of God in his existence had he felt such despair.

Yeah, all these thoughts drifted in and out of his mind and he barely noticed the bus pulling into Bayshore Station. He was the last person to leave the ninety six bus, and fortunately the number ninety three heading into Kanata North pulled into the station five minutes later. He looked out the window, to see the sky darkening, casting shadows across the landscape. Ontario was truly a beautiful land. It reminded him of the lush forests of Alaska, only slightly different. Finally the bus pulled by the Avalon corporate building and he stepped off. He had a lot of things to do tonight, looking after a building this size by himself.

As Malik arrived, he found the security guard he was replacing, a plump little Asian broad in her early thirties. She introduced herself as Amy something or other, handed him the access card and the paper containing the post orders, then wished him goodnight. He watched her take off across the parking lot to catch the next bus. Smiling, he shook his head then entered the building. He had a long night ahead. Fortunately, he brought a book to read. A Marvel comic book titled Thor : For Asgard by Simone Bianchi and Robert Rodi. He'd fallen in love with comic books ever since they first came around, at the dawn of the twentieth century. Long before movies like Blade, Hancock, Superman, Wolverine, The Crow, Spawn, X-Men and Avengers started coming out virtually every summer. What would he do tonight? He'd read his cook, order pizza and try to look busy while trying hard NOT to think about June Fils-Aime, the woman who stole his heart then shattered it into a million pieces. Isn't life grand?