Excerpt: Reaver

Broken glass crunched beneath Gabriel's feet and sent tiny shocks through is bones as he walked along the dirt track of the favela, Brazil's version of the barrio or ghetto. He didn't need to walk, didn't need feet or bones. As an angel, he could've completed his task in any form he chose. A pillar of fire. A ball of light. A wheel within a wheel. But Trinity loved humanity above all Their other creations, loved them so much They had blessed them with free will, so it was only fitting that for his inaugural act of rebellion, Gabriel would clothe himself in a meat suit and walk the earth as one of them.

He hated it. He hated the way the sun beat down on his newly minted skin, hated the way sweat seeped from his pores and sealed the strange fabric of his clothing to him. The too-bright light hurt his eyes, and his stomach churned from the assault of smells that encircled him. Unwashed skin, cooking food, offal. Babies shrieked inside darkened rooms and children screamed at each other as they kicked balls and threw rocks down the street. Men cursed at women, and the women cursed back. Music from a thousand different cultures blared from blown speakers and clashed against each other. The weight of humanity pressed on Gabriel and suffocated him.

He stopped and leaned against the wall of a shack to catch his breath. The body he had created for himself was young and strong by human standards, but to Gabriel it felt weak and useless. As hard as he pushed it, it could travel only so fast. It quickly grew tired and betrayed him, demanded food and water, shade and rest. What a useless and fragile creation humanity was. How flawed in its design and execution. How could Trinity love it so?

Gabriel mimicked the humans around him and wiped away the sweat that trickled down his cheeks and peppered the skin above his lips. He hated the salty taste that prickled his tongue, hated the smell that rose from his skin. The sooner he completed his task, the sooner he could shed this meat suit. Lucifer was here somewhere, and as soon as Gabriel found him, they could escape this plane and spend eternity with him wrapped in Gabriel's wings. He took a deep breath and continued on.