Nothing sounds more like death than the zip of a body bag.  Ask anyone who’s watched a corpse being taken away and they’ll tell you the zip of a body bag has a different sound than the zip of luggage preparing for vacation or the zip of a warm down-filled coat to fend against the cold.  A body bag zip is deep. It’s hollow.  And no matter how fast it’s zipped, it’s always slow and dragging.  When they zipped the bag to a close, Aalon recognized the finality of the situation. The paramedics wheeled the body out of the door and loaded it onto the van.  The now ex-girlfriend understandably suffered shock from the sudden death of Sean Logan.  Though only moments ago she screamed for someone to stop him, and to help her, she didn’t want it to end like this. The ambulance carted her away to the hospital only minutes ago. She was still puzzled how, with no warning at all, Sean tripped in his rage and fell four stories over the banister to his death.

         Aalon struggled to do all he could to keep Sean from dying and after his efforts failed, he did all he could to try to bring him back.  There was not a lot of time to respond and there were far more people around than he would have liked. Certainly, this interrupted divine order.  Why did this happen?  On his knees he sat limp like a wilted flower.  His head hung partly in guilt, partly in exhaustion.  To say he did everything in his power was an understatement.  Unlike ever before, questions, thoughts, doubt; they all kept pestering his mind.  The luminous aura that surrounded him with what looked like wings of light began to fade into a shadowy covering, casting what appeared to be a darkened cape behind him.  Though Aalon had not completely lost hope, he certainly lost a little assurance that all was in control. 

          Mistake, he thought to himself.  Certainly not done intentionally, but can something of this magnitude be a mistake?  Aalon predicted an impact beyond measure from this first-time happening.  He knew he needed to tell the council of angels, though it wouldn’t surprise him if they already knew.  They tend to know everything – especially things he and others wished they didn’t. 

          As he looked at his shaking hands, he replayed the event over again in his mind.  His nervous breathing and wandering thoughts made it hard for him to see clearly.  He couldn’t determine where he went wrong or what he could have possibly done differently.  He did everything he should have done.  Or so it seemed.

          “He tried to kill her,” he quietly said to himself as if to calm his own inner convictor.

          There wasn’t anything else he could say that gave him even a distant sense of relief.  The truth of the matter was this was a terrible thing – a thing so terrible, it could most certainly wipe out the faith of all mankind.

          In the past, Aalon did admit to being angry, even furious with his human assignment Sean. He, from time to time, did share his frustration with other angels and through his prayers, but he did not wish for him to die.  Sean was traveling on a fast path to destruction for quite some time.  His risky behavior and violent antics kept his life in danger.  His girlfriend of three years, tried to influence him to do better, but nothing she did seemed to have any lasting impact.  When she decided to leave him to his own vices, he became drunk with rage and decided to teach her a lesson – the permanent kind.  With gun in hand, he aimed and was intent on squeezing the trigger.  Aalon tried to discourage him.  He tried to slow him.  He wanted to stop him.  Though Aalon thought he barely nudged Sean during his sinful rampage, apparently that nudge had more force behind it then he thought.  He didn’t expect him to go sailing over the banister. He could still hear his scream as he fell twisting through the narrow eye of the apartment spiraling stair case. The fractured skull and broken neck that came from the impact of falling four floor levels gave death an easy win – only minor twitches and then permanent stillness.  Aalon wanted to soar down and catch him, but with so many witnesses, there was no way to save him inconspicuously.  Sean landed on the side of his head and then his back.  The eyes and facial expression, though no longer containing life, showed total surprise – and sadness.  As Aalon reflected in silence, a cold stillness fell over the room. 

          “Murder Aalon?” Iblis, the Prince of Darkness rose out of the shadow cast by the grandfather clock in the foyer and whispered with a rasp.  He could see Aalon kneeling over.  He couldn’t tell if he was praying or crying.  Whatever the case, he took pleasure in knowing he would soon interrupt his private moment.  Iblis took a few small steps and quietly knelt beside Aalon.  Not wanting to startle Aalon and ruin the beautiful masterpiece of a saddened angel before him, he hesitated to reach out to him and then as if he were a father consoling his son, he extended his arm and slender, almost bony fingers to softly comb through Aalon’s hair.  He said, as compassionately as possible, “There’s nothing you can do now.  He’s gone.  You’re welcome to stay with me.”

          Aalon neither cried nor prayed.  Instead he silently sat in a meditative state –  almost dazed –  still pondering the untimely death, when the evil Iblis’ presence finally registered.

          “Leave,” Aalon said faintly.  While on his knees at the site of the fall, his stare still focused on the spot where Sean landed.  Iblis ignored the request.  He wasn’t quite sure if Aalon was talking to him or suggesting to himself what he should do next. 

          “LEAVE!” he yelled again, as he flung Iblis’ hand off and stood up in a rage ready to charge.  His tightly held fists shook for violence. He took one step, and then hesitated to take another.  His fists released their tense state. He realized he might be making another mistake – this time in anger.  Iblis threw his hands up in a cowering fashion as if to show fear.  He so wanted Aalon to take the bait. Only a few seconds transpired between their stares, then in a soundless flicker Aalon sprung into the air making his way to the rooftop, where he screamed to the heavens in anger.

          “Why!”  He fell to this knees again and sobbed.

         Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to rub salt in Aalon’s wounds, Iblis leaped high into the ceiling and joined him on the roof.  Aalon turned around and before Iblis could say anything, Aalon took off once more.  Iblis gave chase and soon the current and fallen angels hovered over the house, then higher over the neighborhood, beyond the trees, the city skyline and into the clouds.  A flury of wind and bursts of light surrounded the two as they climbed higher and faster than humanly possible.  Though in a spiritual state, the intense speed caused both hair and clothing to flutter in the wind.

          “You’re not welcome there,” Iblis said grabbing Aalon’s ankle. He tried to slow him down but couldn’t.  “You’re a fool to go to heaven.  They’ve no tolerance for imperfection and you and I certainly know you are far from that – especially now.”

          “I will face my judgment,” Aalon turned and said proudly. “That’s the difference between me and you!” He gritted his teeth as he kicked his ankle free and climbed faster and  higher, beyond the blackness and silence of space.  As Aalon’s breathing grew more into gasping, he continued to sprint his way to heaven to deliver the news in person.  He traveled faster still to get away from Iblis.  He hated hearing his laughter and taunts.  Iblis stopped his own ascension just above the Earth’s atmosphere.  His laughter and screaming echoed in Aalon’s mind.

          “There’s no difference between us! You’ve done the unthinkable!  Not only have you hand delivered a soul to me, you’ve done what even I couldn’t imagine.  This news brings the leverage I’ve always sought.  It changes everything – everything!”  His laughter grew more intense, interrupting all of Aalon’s thoughts.  “A guardian angel murders the one he’s assigned to protect!  Thank you, Aalon.  You’ve just handed me the battle and given me victory!”

          Those words penetrated Aalon’s ears, and more tears began to well.  He paused outside the gates of heaven hoping for entry.  Please open, he thought to himself.  Albeit, it took a moment, the gate slowly swung open.  With tears, a sigh and some reluctance, he walked through.