Fury (2 of 4)

Like a retired runner starting late in a public race, Dante's old jaguar slid effortlessly through the traffic.

"What was that thing?" the woman - Emily Olsen - said for the third or fourth time. She was still frantically scanning the sky, but at least seemed to be getting over her initial fright.

"I think you know." Dante said distractedly - his attention mostly taken by trying to keep all four wheels on the ground. "You certainly got a better look at him then I did"

"I thought it was just a man - some guy who was stalking me. But he had wings! Like an angel..."

"Bingo!" Dante swerved around a truck, and took a sharp right to avoid a slow moving beetle. "He belongs to an order called the Piaculum."

"The what? 'Sacrifice'?"

"Close," said Dante, slightly impressed "but no. It's more 'atonement'."

"But how does attacking me make up for anything?" Emily screamed as Dante moved onto the other side of the road.

"No no no" he swerved from left and right around the oncoming traffic. "The Piaculum are responsible for purifying souls so they can enter heaven. They're the ones who brought Noah's flood, destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and who guard purgatory. He's not atoning."

"I can't see him any more. I think we've lost him..." she said, avoiding the conclusion Dante had not made and resuming her watch.

"Nah" said Dante as they shot past a couple of vacant lots and a small Seven-11. "Watch"

Emily turned in time to see a man appear at the edge of the roof overlooking the vacant lots. White wings spread out from his back as he dived forward, glided over the Seven-11 and scrambled onto the roof of the next skyscraper.

"He can't fly - not really anyway - but he can glide. That's how he's fast enough to keep up. But he'd have a hard time getting altitude and maneuvering between the buildings. So we're safe down here - as long as we keep moving."

The car in front suddenly decided not to run the orange light. Dante wrestled the jaguar into a narrow alley, but then had to slam on the brakes anyway - their path was blocked by a pair of dumpsters. Taking a deep breath for the series of expletives that he was about to erupt with, Dante glanced in the rear-view mirror. Directly opposite the alley was the entrance to an underground garage - it's imposing grill open to let a black SUV trundle out.

Turning quickly around in his seat, Dante slammed the stick into reverse and pushed the accelerator to the floor. The jaguar's tires screamed as it tore from the alley, shot across the street and leaped down the ramp as the grill clattered closed.

Dante carefully pulled into the closest spot, turned off the ignition and then remembered to breathe out.