Special Love

As the trains zoom past the passengers and the rattling sounds revibrate off the station’s lined shing grey panels, no one hears the gut-wrenching screams of agony and despair coming from the once celestial but now earthbound creature, bound below the Angel Underground Station. But when the train rests and no living soul is around, the heavy chains bind the creature to fall away.

The escalators that were brimming with living beings during the day are barren now, as it’s past midnight, rearranging themselves. A small door at the end of the escalator emerges, and a hand; bruised and bloodied, juts out of the gap, followed by the rest of the body which is equally battered.

The humanoid shape stands up and sways; bending down, his empty pupils search for the last remaining shackles that are holding him captive. His hands find the cold metal and he tugs at them, they break. As the chains fall away and disappear, his body heals. Like a miracle, the pathetic-looking creature morphs into a divine being with fair skin, dark hair and blue doe-like eyes. A pair of wings unfurled from his back.

The angel looks around, his eyes alert and searching. A moment later, the metal creeks as the tracks bend and twist, and much like the escalators, rearrange themselves. The ground cracks, and thick dark smoke escapes from it. The angel smiles as his eyes wander over to it. He looks on as the smoke dissipates, and through the dark veils, a shape emerges.

“Sofia…”, a soft sigh escapes the angel’s lips as he ignores the blade and moves towards the tracks.

“You are late.”, the angel states, holding out his hand towards the woman with hazel-coloured almond-shaped eyes, and beautiful wings. Clad from head to toe in a flowing white dress, the woman takes the offered hand and steps out of the thinning mass of smoke.

“Luke!”, she exclaims, wrapping her arms around the angel’s neck.

“I missed you.”, she whispers and looks into the blue ocean-like eyes. Luke beams and leads his lady to the lone bench backed against one of the steel grey panels.

“How have you been?”, the lady asks. The angel nods and replies, “I have been well. I keep an eye on humans as they do about their business; I look out for them and stop them from committing sins. Everything is as it should be. I am happy. They won't let me be in heaven, though. They need me here.”

He intertwines their fingers, “What about you?”

“Luke, heaven is beautiful. I love how everything is so bright and gorgeous and welcoming. I’ve made several friends too. I wish you could take a look.”, a tear escapes Sofia’s eyes and falls on the floor, tainting it red. Somewhere, not very far the chains rattle. Luke pulls away from the woman in his arms, “You need to go now, duty calls. I'll see you tomorrow.”, he promises.

With intertwined fingers, the lovers walk towards the tracks where the angel bids farewell to the woman who had captured his heart. The woman, whom he had lost, when she had killed herself in the spur of the movement after being tainted.

When the reaper had come to harvest Sofia’s soul and take her to Hell, Luke, who once failed to protect his lover, tried to save her. The angel and the reaper had struck a deal. As long as the angel was ready to be locked here, where the woman had killed herself all those centuries ago, lose his wings, and his eyes, be chained and bear the wrath of hell, the woman would be allowed a passage to heaven. And so, Luke lived as promised, bearing the burden, thinking that he was protecting Sofia.

But the angel was wrong to think that. When Sofia wanted to know the reason why the reaper was taking her to Paradise instead of Hell, he revealed the truth. Distraught, Sofia had begged the reaper to show some mercy. The soulless, cold being who had never known love had smiled, “What can you offer?”, he had demanded.

“Anything!” Sofia offered.

“I am sorry, but that's not enough to save him.”, he stated, a hint of amusement colouring his voice.

“It has to be enough for something? Please...”, she begged.

Finally, just to test the feeling that meant nothing to him, he offered, “I can let him out of it for a few minutes in a day, but for that, you will have to suffer all that he is going through as well. Let me sweeten the deal. I will let you meet him when he's out!”

“But it will hurt him if he sees my suffering; if he comes to know what I have done.”, Sofia reasoned.

“I will make sure he never finds out about it.”, the reaper had promised. “So, what do you say?”

“Yes, I’m ready to receive my punishment.” the woman gladly agreed to the reaper for she was ready to do anything for her love.

As the smoke thickens once again and consumes Sofia, she returns to her cage, to bear eternal suffering in return for their precious moments together, day after day.

The passengers though, unaware of the things that go in the Angel Underground Station during the time between midnight and dawn, do know that no evil soul can call this station home. And those who dared to try were captured and sent back to hell soon enough.

Why do you ask? SIMPLE.

The reaper had understood the meaning of love a little too late, and thus as penance, had taken it upon himself to guard the station, making sure that when the lovers meet, they were not disturbed.