The sun beats down on the cracked asphalt of a Mexican highway. Heat waves ripple off the ground. Ostentus walks down the center of the road. He does not fly. He wants to feel the ground beneath him. He wants to be seen.
A metal beast roars in the distance. Ostentus stops. He tilts his head.
A rusted pickup truck speeds toward him. The driver is a woman. Her eyes are wide with panic. She screams something in Spanish, but she does not slow down. She slams her foot on the accelerator. She intends to crush the nightmare standing in her path.
Ostentus spreads his arms. He welcomes the impact.
CRUNCH!!
The truck slams into the Bone Angel. It does not send him flying. Instead, the vehicle crumples around him like tin foil. The engine block shatters against his shins. The windshield explodes into a million diamonds. The rear wheels lift off the ground, and the truck comes to a violent, smoking halt.
Ostentus stands unharmed amidst the wreckage. He looks down at the hood of the truck, which is now wrapped around his waist.
"Impressive," he rumbles.
He rips the driver's side door off its hinges and tosses it aside. The woman is trapped by the steering wheel. She is bleeding, coughing, and praying.
Ostentus reaches in. He grabs the steering column with one hand and tears it free. The woman gasps, thinking he is saving her.
"You have spirit," Ostentus says. "You wield this iron beast with courage. It is a fine weapon."
The woman sobs. "Por favor... Dios mío..."
"God will not help," Ostentus whispers. "But allow me."
He feeds. It is quick. It is messy. He leaves the husk of the truck and its driver on the burning asphalt. He wipes the blood from his bone-white chin. He faces north. The border is close. The hunger pulls him toward a land of excess, the United States.
"Come on! Hurry up!" Jake grunts as he hoists a heavy crate of canned goods. "We have to get back to the store. You heard that trumpet, something is coming soon!"
Tanner struggles with two large jugs of water and a bag of medical supplies. Last-second supplies after the trumpet's sounding, beginning the unimaginable. He is sweating profusely. They have gone on a quick supply run to a nearby stash. "I'm trying, man! This stuff is heavy, and my hands are shaking."
They are running down an alleyway, using the shadows to stay hidden. The streets are empty, but the air feels heavy. It feels like static electricity is building up before a storm.
"Just keep moving," Jake says. "We're almost there. The team is probably freaking out that we even left."
They turn the corner, and the sky goes dark.
BOOM!
A shockwave knocks Tanner to the ground. The water jugs burst. Jake stumbles and drops the crate. Cans roll across the dirty concrete. Dust swirls around them. A massive shadow looms over them.
Ostentus stands before them. He folds his wings. The sound of grinding bone fills the silence. He towers over the two men. He smells their fear. It is delicious. "Hello, little mice," Ostentus purrs.
Jake and Tanner freeze. They look up at the faceless skull. They look at the armor made of ribs and spines. They know exactly what this is. It is death.
Ostentus takes a step forward. He prepares to skewer them with his wing-claws. But then he stops. He leans down. He focuses on their foreheads. To a human, there is nothing there. But to Ostentus, a glowing, divine mark burns on their skin.
The Seal of God.
Ostentus straightens up. He chuckles. The sound is like stones tumbling down a well. "Ah. Forbidden fruit."
Jake scrambles backward, dragging Tanner with him. "Stay back!"
Ostentus ignores the command. He knows the rules. He knows he is not allowed to touch them. But he has been locked away for thousands of years. He is hungry. He is the General of the Bone. Who is going to stop him? "I wonder," Ostentus muses. "I wonder if the Father is watching closely today."
He reaches out. His clawed hand hovers inches from Tanner's face. The temptation is too great. He wants to taste the defiance. He wants to break the rules. "Just a taste," Ostentus whispers.
The air above them rips open. There is no sound of flight. There is only a sudden, blinding flash of gold.
CRACK BOOM!
A figure slams into Ostentus from the sky. The impact is so violent it creates a crater in the sidewalk. The Bone Angel is driven flat into the concrete.
Jake and Tanner shield their eyes. When they look back, they see a man. He is not a monster. He is perfection. He wears armor that shines like the sun. His wings are brilliant white. One golden boot is buried in the center of Ostentus's chest, pinning the Bone Angel to the earth.
Ostentus flails. His bone wings flap in vain. He claws at the boot, but he cannot move. The weight of the Archangel is absolute.
Michael looks down at the squirming monster. His voice is calm, but it carries the weight of a mountain. "You forget your place, filth."
Michael looks up. He sees Jake and Tanner staring with their mouths open. The Archangel gives the awestruck men a quick wink.
He turns his attention back to the creature under his boot. He reaches down and grabs Ostentus by the throat. He lifts the massive Bone Angel into the air as if he weighs nothing. "Back on your leash, dog," Michael says. He pulls his fist back.
POW!
Michael punches Ostentus in the face. The sound is deafening. The Bone Angel flies backward across the street. He crashes through the brick wall of a rundown business. Debris explodes outward. Ostentus disappears into the darkness of the building. Dust settles in the street.
Michael brushes a speck of dust from his armor. He looks at Jake and Tanner. "Run along now."