Falling From Grace

I awoke the following morning in that familiar green-walled bedroom. Huh, I thought groggily to myself as I sat up, somebody must have carried me up here. I was still wearing my all-black outfit from the day before, so just stumbled to my feet and sleepily dragged myself downstairs, to find The Destroyer and The Deviant sat in the living room, discussing some sort of important-sounding matter, though I was still half-asleep and couldn't be bothered to listen in on what it was specifically. The Deviant must have heard me rummaging around in the fridge for something to consume to soothe my growling stomach, as I heard a cheerful chuckle from the living room. "Good morning, sunshine!" I rolled my eyes and smiled slightly, closing the fridge as I picked up a juicy, rosy-red apple. I walked into the living room and slumped down on the nearest couch, beside The Destroyer, as I munched on a mouthful of apple.
"Mornin'..." I mumbled around the deliciously sweet fruit, the juices continually tantilising my tastebuds. It had been about nine days since I had arrived in the human world, which I had discovered was known as 'Earth', so I had mostly adjusted to my new living conditions, though The Mourner was still nowhere to be found.

The Destoryer, The Deviant and I all sat together, discussing this and that, whatever subjects happened to come up. We spent most of the time talking about new things about this world that I still did not know of. One thing that fascinated me about this world was that there was a far wider range of instruments than there were up in Heaven, and The Deviant, The Destroyer and The Mystic all played their own unique instruments of choice - though, in The Mystic's case, he played multiple instruments rather than just the one. They had each shown me how they sounded, what they look like, and how they work, and I found it to be incredible beyond words; they all sounded so much better than the boring, rusty harps back in Heaven. The music that these instruments produced was intense, loud, and just catchy overall, and it sounded even more incredible when the instruments played simultaneously!
The Deviant played an instrument known as 'bass guitar', which had a sort of deep, smooth sound that rang out as far as the player desired, and the pitch of the sound would vary depending on how you placed your fingers on the strings.
The Mystic played a similar instrument, though it was just called a 'guitar' - it had a louder sound, sounding a bit more high-pitched in general, and the louder, long notes could ring out and cause a whole room to vibrate, sending adrenaline through your body. He also played some other instruments, and I think they were called 'piano' and 'violin' or something like that. They were known as 'classical' instruments, and sounded more like the music found in Heaven, though they still had their own unique sounds.
Finally, The Destroyer played an instrument known as 'drums', and I must admit that the first time I saw the instrument I could tell that it suited The Destroyer's personality perfectly; there were no strings, just many hollow cylindrical shapes of various sizes held together alongside a few metal plate-like things, and so I knew that it had to be hit in order to produce sound of any kind, which was perfect for The Destroyer. Admittedly, when I had first seen him play it, I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it looked - he was flailing his arms around, a wooden stick in each hand which he used to hit the cylinders, whacking the objects all around him. The music was beyond impressive though, I must admit, so I was in no place to criticise.

We were chatting casually on the couch for what seemed like hours, when we were silenced by a deafening BOOM! from outside, followed a few seconds later by a shockwave that made everything in the house rattle in place, and as we looked outside we could see a cloud of ash bursting into the sky alongside whisps of smoke slithering in the air. There was also an amber glow upon the horizon, showing that there was a fire. We all knew what it was. I bolted off the couch, grabbing my black leather jacket and carelessly shoving my arms into it as I pelted out the door, closely pursued by The Deviant and The Destroyer.

* * * * *

We ran on and on for what felt like forever, though I didn't let the exhaustion burning in my limbs deteriorate me from getting to the crash site. I needed to get there, I needed to know that my friend was okay.
I finally skidded to a halt near the edge of a large ditch in the ground, staring wide-eyed at the leaping flames between me and the crater in which The Mourner lay. I stood there, my chest rapidly rising and falling as I tried to catch my breath. The Destroyer and The Deviant soon arrived behind me, and I heard The Deviant speak.
"Don't... Don't go in there... We can't have you... getting hurt again!" he panted urgently, as I could feel his gaze burning into the back of my skull. I didn't reply.
"Pro... Prophet..." The Destroyer gasped, putting a hand on my shoulder as he, too, tried to collect himself. "I'll go in, I'm strong enough to get him out of there." I simultaneously clenched my fists and jaw, my breathing now steady and even.
"So am I," I said bluntly, before rushing forwards into the glowing flames that licked at the air. I couldn't help but cry out in pain as I felt the searing heat burn through my shirt and jeans, burning my flesh, yet I didn't stop. I could hear my friends screaming my name in panic, and I noticed that The Mystic's voice was now among them. I finally reached the edge of the crater and dived into it without a moment's hesitation. I hit the ground and rolled forwards, quickly regaining my footing, and I was soon stood beside his battered and bleeding body. Pains of sympathy and guilt gripped through my heart as I saw The Mourner weakly open his eyes, his gaze finding my own, as he tried to sit up but fell back down weakly, letting out a yelp of pain in the process.
"The... P-Prophet?" he whispered meekly. I nodded and crouched down, carefully lifting him into my arms. I grimaced as I could feel the blood leaking through the back of his shirt against my arm from the wounds of his now-missing wings. I sighed softly to myself as I saw the look of agony on his face. This must be like what The Destroyer saw when he found me... I realised, a shiver quivering down my spine. I shook away the thought and started to climb out of the crater, using my leather jacket to shield The Mourner from the hungry inferno that surrounded the edge.

* * * * *

I sat at the foot of the bed, my head in my hands, in complete silence. I tangled my fingers in my hair, the overwhelming feeling of worry making my gut churn. The Mourner lay unconscious in the bed behind me, and I was determined to wait there, so that I was the first one to see him when he regained consciousness. Why is this happening to us? I wondered, glancing over my shoulder at The Mourner's bandage-covered form. We don't deserve this... The Mourner grumbled lightly, pulling the covers of the bed closer to him, and I couldn't help but smile slightly. At least we're all okay. Shit, this whole thing could bring the group back together. Heh, I guess it's not all bad after all. I looked back down at the ground, continuing to wait for him to wake up.

I swiftly raised my head and stood up, turning around, as I heard a small groan from behind me. I saw The Mourner sit up, rubbing his eyes. He looked briefly at me, before gazing blankly around the room.
"Where... Where the fuck are we?" he grumbled. I couldn't help but find myself grinning like I've never grinned before, launching myself at The Mourner and bringing him into a tight hug, though I was careful of his wounds. He hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me in return. I could feel the vibration as he chuckled slightly.
"You're... You're okay," I breathed, half to myself. "We're all okay." I felt tears of joy threatening my eyes, and I couldn't help but chuckle; I hadn't realised until now how much I cared about those guys.

Notes