When darkness falls, p.1
When Darkness Falls, page 1
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS
B. BENFORD
Copyright © 2023 by B. Benford - When Darkness Falls
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, place, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2023 B. Benford
Cover by © Haelah Rice Covers
Formatter: Haelah Rice Covers
Printed in United States of America
First Edition
To both first loves of my life,
I love you both with all of me.
You both give me strength to keep moving when I am at my lowest.
Thank you for wrapping me in your love and staying with me.
Thank you, my sweet Miguel for giving me strength I never knew I needed. You will
always always be in my heart. And Mommy loves you deeply, endlessly.
Thank you, darling love of mine, for never letting go of my hand and for affirming that true love does, in fact, exist for us.
CONTENTS
Part I
Prologue
Chapter 1
SINCLAIR
***
Chapter 2
EPHRAIM
SINCLAIR
EPHRAIM
Chapter 3
DEAN
MONA
ALEXANDER
Chapter 4
SINCLAIR
Chapter 5
EPHRAIM
Chapter 6
EPHRAIM
Chapter 7
SINCLAIR
Chapter 8
EPHRAIM
Chapter 9
IN HEAVEN
Chapter 10
EPHRAIM
End of Part One
Part II
Prologue Part II
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
ALEXANDER
Chapter 13
SIX MONTHS LATER…
EPHRAIM
Chapter 14
SINCLAIR
EPHRAIM
DEAN
End of Part Two
Part III
Chapter 15
FIVE YEARS LATER.
HEAVEN
JUAH
Chapter 16
JUAH
Heaven
***
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
EPHRAIM
SINCLAIR
Chapter 19
SINCLAIR
Chapter 20
ON EARTH
Chapter 21
EPHRAIM & SINCLAIR
End of Part Three
Part IIII
Chapter 22
TOLD THROUGH GOD’S VOICE
IN HELL
Chapter 23
JUAH
JUAH
Chapter 24
ON EARTH
SEVERAL YEARS LATER…
SINCLAIR
EPHRAIM
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
IN HEAVEN
SINCLAIR
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by B. Benford
A Thank you from B.
Find and Follow Me
PART I
The Beginning.
She was born from fire. From the deepest depths of Hell itself. She was a fire child and a child of Satan—a child who would one day grow up to be a woman.
A warrior.
Someone who would make volcanoes tremble and the forest shake. Someone who could cause warriors and other nations to bow down in fear. Someone who would break her mother's heart and her father's spirit. Someone who would strike fear into the hearts of any man who tried to love her.
Sinclair was gorgeous. Smooth, soft cinnamon, brown skin, large eyes, hazel irises, long, black hair several shades darker than her skin tone, and a tall stature for a woman. She stood five feet, nine inches.
She was just a girl when her story began, but beyond that, she was much more. So much more than her parents taught her or her teachers guided her toward discovering.
She was a warring angel.
A dark angel sent to destroy the nations of the Earth.
But somewhere beyond the Earthly realm, he was born- her adversary.
He, on the other hand, was vastly different. He was born of the Light, Of the deepest, purest light and golden flames. He wasn't like her. Wrapped in love and warmth, he was. Wrapped in peace and joy. He, too, was an angel but birthed out of God's love and sent to the Earth to destroy her. Sent to the Earth to save it and returned to God and the other angels. His name was a deep, dark name meaning 'lustful passion.’ He was a beautiful creation, one whom God Himself had marveled upon. The sky opened in the quietest region of the world, and the sea stopped crashing along the shore when Alexander was born. He shined brighter than any star, even though he was one. His hair was long, dark black. His skin was tanned. His eyes were dark caramel. His hands were smooth yet rough enough to tell the next angel or mortal he encountered that he wasn't one to be messed with.
"Alexander..."
He turned toward the sound of another angel calling one behind him. Miles and miles away, Alexander, God's youngest, sharpest angel hybrid, stood at the ready, for whatever was to come.
One Earth, the sun had just risen, and Alexander, and two other angels- Juah and Maverick, all stood waiting. Waiting for the Almighty Himself and His Son to appear along the golden bridge of Splendor.
Alexander wanted to be known among the hosts of angels, not cast away.
He would talk to The Almighty, and try to make Him see his point of view.
But before Alexander could open his mouth, he was cast down to Earth with only one set of instructions.
Find Sinclair, a dark angel, and when you do, kill her.
It would take much work, he soon discovered. It would take centuries to find her, but he would keep his word.
No matter the cost.
SINCLAIR
I bit my nail until the skin started to bleed. I didn't want to, but something deep within me made me smack the living daylights, along with the night lights, out of Mona Jones. She was just so irritating. Asking the same question repeatedly, I always wanted more from my response. Most people weren't happy when I told them the truth about themselves. But I was starting to believe it wasn't just me Mona was irritated with. I was convinced that with every step I took along the hallways of Kirkland Moore High, everyone had it out for Mona Jones.
Who wouldn't? She was beautiful. A blonde bombshell with curves in all the right places who stood almost five-foot, nine inches compared to my five-foot-three. Piercing blue eyes reminded me of the most transparent sky, which turned gray when she was mad. She was a senior to my sophomore, but that didn't matter. I hated her just as much as the next person—the next girl.
All the guys loved her, though, and I don't know why. But I would find out eventually when her name started being passed around the hallway, in whispers. Boys would gravitate toward her for some unknown reason, then once they 'got her', she would leave them. Dupe them and leave them high and dry. One guy claimed that she wasn't the 'worst lay he ever had.’ Whatever that meant.
When the talk got too uncomfortable, I shut down, retreated deep within myself and didn't say another word. Not because I couldn't speak about what they were talking about, but because I didn't want to give my opinion. I later found out they were talking about her 'sex life'. Or lack thereof.
Go at her again. Whatever that meant.
Her sex life wasn't my concern, but how she had me pinned up against a locker, with her stormy gray eyes blazing into my hazel irises... That was my concern. My hands shook, and I huffed out so much air I thought she would topple over. But she remained steady, unmoving, and I was left to try and figure out another way for her to back away from me. Her breath on my skin was causing my blood to boil, and I was seconds away from knocking her clean out.
But my mind went to my little brother. Aaron didn't need to see me fighting. He didn't need to worry about me when I was the one who should have been concerned about him, protecting him, looking out for him. And I was, but he didn't need the added pressure. I knew what it was like being a freshman in high school, green with wide eyes and nowhere to go.
I knew what that felt like and didn't need any more drama getting in the way of my brother trying to enjoy the beginning of his high school journey. His high school life. I knew that was just the beginning for both of us.
And as Mona's right hand descended toward my face, I grabbed her arm. I couldn't resist. My bawled fist connected to her cheek, smashing into her jaw. I couldn't stop wailing on her. Over and over, my fists smashed into her face. Her eyes. Her chest. Her perfect D-cup breasts. She was lucky Malcolm, my best guy friend, stepped in and tried to pull me away from her.
I heard her screams long before she lunged at me, and that was all it took for me to go at her again. But
I thought Malcolm was standing by, watching me. But as soon as her hands wrapped around my throat, he jumped in and started pounding her in the back of my skull.
There was silence all around me, and I wondered why no one was saying anything. I asked why we were the only three in the hallway that seemed to care. But then the other people who should have been around us or weren't around us didn't matter. With a blow to my cheek, I coughed and spat up blood.
Mona was lucky I was dressed in that ugly blue and white checkered plaid uniform. I wasn't going to waste my good clothes on her.
Out of nowhere, everything stopped, as the hallway grew dark. Even still, my heart stopped with it.
"Sinclair!" my brother's voice called out to me. "STOP!"
And just like that, my hand fell to my side, and before I could even blink, Mona's fist connected with my eye. And I blinked as the air around me became harder to breathe, and my vision blurred.
Eventually, everything faded to black.
Gasping for breath, I looked around. Where the hell was I, and why was I here? The pounding pain that pulsed up through the back of my neck and into my skull was a reminder. Oh, right.
Mona. I had knocked Mona Jones out and ended up with a sucker punch to my face. She thought she had won; I was sure of that. But little did she know, with Principal Groves being my uncle, I was in the clear. I was sure I wouldn't hear the end of it from my aunt when I got home. But I was prepared for that. I was almost prepared for every scolding she gave me. They were all the same now, and I could tell when her voice rose just a centimeter what she would get on my case about.
It went beyond cleaning my room and washing the dishes these days. Now, she was on my case about me leaving the house at all hours of the night and how I had better watch myself, because people were crazy.
Then, she started talking strangely one day- about how we weren't the only beings on this Earth and how there were evil forces sent here to destroy us. That one day, we would be so caught off guard by it that the only thing we would do was willingly tumble down the rabbit hole that was allowing these dark forces to have complete and total self-control over us. That we would abandon our 'God given free will.'
That one thing alone made me cringe and always kept my eyes in front of me and all around. Everywhere I went. I didn't need someone... or something... taking away my choices and decisions. I didn't need someone... or something... coming into my life and flipping it upside down.
But aren't you doing that every time you see Mona's face in the hallway? The thought crossed my mind as I ducked into a local coffee shop.
I hoped no one noticed me, even with the bandages around my head and fingers. I hoped everyone left me alone. People watching on rainy days like this was my thing. I loved it. Watching the subtleties of people, how they responded to another person when they thought no one was watching and in fact everyone was watching. How the soft brush of a fingertip along the bridge of a nose... or how a smile appeared out of nowhere, triggered by something someone had said. How angry a scowl could appear. How high a voice could get when the person was angry.
Everything. I noticed everything; the small moments no one seemed to notice, I noticed them. I just wished I had noticed Mona in the hallway that Monday morning.
I pulled my hood over my head, turning my music up. I didn't want to be bothered. I just wanted to be invisible for a little while. I didn't want to hear my Aunt Julia's nagging, condescending tone. I didn't want my Uncle Pat to start yelling and drinking away whatever he was dealing with. I bet the folks at school would love to know that their 'outstanding' principal was a closet lush. They would have a field day, and Uncle Pat would be fired.
Secretly, I was hoping it would come out. I hoped they would get some dirt on him, and he would leave. Once that happened, if that happened, I felt like I would be able to breathe again.
"Aren't you being mysterious today," a soft voice made me look up, snapping toward the owner, turning my music down.
"Look, kid, I just-..."
The words died on my lips as I noticed who was standing before me. His black hair, blue eyes, and smooth skin called to me. I scoffed, even though I found Kyle Austin extremely attractive. I shouldn't have, considering he was one of Mona's best friends. That made him my enemy, and I knew he wasn't talking to me or trying to talk to me, just for the sake of doing so. He wanted something. They all did. Wanted my time, attempted to get my body, and wanted my money.
But I wasn't that girl. I wasn't the one who would lay down with just every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Larry, and let him have his way with me. Didn’t they understand that the scowl on my face was there for a reason? That it served as a warning for them to 'get the hell away from me and piss off?" They hadn't because, like Kyle was doing now, they all flocked to me.
Not because I was the most beautiful girl in school. Mona was striking, and even my best girlfriend Christina was more put together than I was. But they flocked to me because I wouldn't bend to their will.
"What do you want, Kyle?"
He smirked, smirked so much that I could see his dimple forming. Jerk. Idiot. Pyscho. Rumors were floating around the school that he had killed both of them. Burned the house down while they slept and never looked back. A part of me believed that rumor. A part of me wanted to muster up the courage to ask him if it was true or not.
But I didn’t because right now didn't seem like the perfect time to do so.
"What do you want, Kyle?" I asked him again, the pen in my hand tapping against the coffee table I was sitting behind.
The shop smelled of peppermint and cocoa, and the front door opened. A gust of wind, along with a blast of snow, followed. I loved and hated Winter all at the same time. I loved the comfort of being wrapped in a warm blanket, with gloves on, but I hated getting up and going out in it.
The fact that the girls had an event going on, at school, not too far from the ice-skating rink had given me the right chance to strike against Mona.
So, I did, and from the look on Kyle's face, he knew. And he was out for blood.
My blood.
"You better watch your back, Sinclair. Mona's in the hospital because of you, but she's going to sick the hell hounds after you.... Just watch."
Kyle was crazy. Certified crazy.
"Did that fire you started fry your brain? Or was it the smoke from the flames you inhaled that fried it?" I sneered, not fearing his words one bit.
