They landed hard on the mezzanine balcony outside, shattered glass cut into John's back.

John heard Sem's exasperated shout in his mind. 'You idiot! You're in close! Throw fucking elbows.' John closed his eyes and threw his elbows towards where he suspected Cornelius' head would be.

The Camden Cannibal had other ideas. He lifted a flailing John up above his head, then slammed him back down into the glass. John gasped as the glass cut deeper into him, his breath and energy escaped him in a second.

While John struggled to pull in air, Cornelius placed the cleaver against the skin of his neck. He straddled John, pinning his arms to the floor. 'I don't know who you are or why you were in my apartment, but I do know you'll be the third!' He leered at John. 'I must say, I thought it would be a while before my next kill!' Drew brought the cleaver up, eyes wide with anticipation.

His face changed when he spotted the reflection of a woman behind him in the cleaver's blade. The first kick took the cleaver from his hand, the second threw five teeth from his mouth and sent Drew flying off John's body.

'What's up fuck trumpet?' Sem growled at Drew. 'Cat got'cha tongue?' She ran towards him, another kick to the guts sending him sprawling down the metal fire escape steps to the street below in a satisfying clatter of clangs.

Cornelius lurched to his feet, stumbling against trash bins and shoving against walls as he ran along. Sem pulled John to his feet just as he managed to catch a lungful of air, then took off like a bullet. 'Come on John,' she shouted, 'he's getting away!' Her white wings merged with the darkness as she flew into the alley and out of sight.

He rested his hands on the balcony railings. 'Oh yeah,' he shouted between deep breaths of air, 'I'll just float on fucking down, two tics Sem, I'll just get my wings out. Oh, that's right. I don't bloody have any!' He was talking to the darkness, he knew Sem was out of ear shot. He took another deep breath, sighed, and shook his head.

With bounding leaps he ran down the steps, using the railing for support, then he was down on the street. He ran up the same alley Sem and Drew had disappeared into not long before, careful to run in the middle to avoid nasty surprises. Midway through there was a commotion to his left, he stopped and peered up the alley branching off from the one he was in where the commotion had come from. He could hear shouting, then he heard 'get fucked.' A squeal and a dull thud. He smiled. It was Sem.

He sprinted towards the voices, stopping just short of view. Under the orange glow of a street lamp stood Sem with four suited men, and an unconscious Cornelius Drew draped at her feet. John ducked and moved forward, keeping to the walls. He shuffled behind some large bins to a more advantageous viewpoint, crouching to peek past the side of the drum.

The four men were strange, all large, all wearing crisp grey and white suites, all bald, and all nearly identical in appearance. John half expected Sem to be kicking the shit out of them, but this was not the case. They were talking.

'Dark John thought you may have need of us Sal-Si,' one of the men said, bowing as he spoke.

She scowled. 'I don't need help from him, we can handle Drew our fucking selves.'

The four men nodded in unison. 'We know,' said the lead man. 'Drew is not the reason for our assistance Sal-Si.'

On cue Drew moaned and sat up. Sem didn't even look as she side-kicked him in the face, slamming his head off the concrete path with a sickening thwack.

'Then what is the fucking reason Fifteen?' She crossed her arms.

As one the suited men turned their heads to look down the alley John had just come from. Paper and crisp packets hushed and tumbled in a rising wind rushing from the darkness in the alley.

'Keep close John,' Sem shouted and turned to face his hiding spot. 'This could get a little fucking tasty.'

John cursed once under his breath and left the safety of the bins, jogging towards the strange group and shaking his head. 'How did you know I was there?'

Sem smiled. 'I'm your guardian angel John, I know where you are at all times.' Fifteen turned to John and Sem. 'You must go now Sal-Si. Blink out John, the Visceral arrive.'

John was about to speak, but Sem covered his mouth and scowled at Fifteen. 'We don't run, and just what the fuck is a Visceral?'

A rip tore through the atmosphere in the alley ahead of them. The wind picked up, sucking everything into the darkness of the tear.

'The Visceral are pure fighters, sons and daughters of O, the warrior devil.' Fifteen sounded reverent but unafraid. 'It is they who trained us Sentinels in all forms of combat.'

John looked at the large men again and whispered in Sem's ear. 'What are Sentinels?'

Sem slapped Fifteen on the back and looked back to John. 'They used to be Hell's servants, but not anymore.' She smiled and winked, her gold tooth sparkling in the light.

Sem spat on the floor. 'I don't run from a fight.' She summoned God's Justice, the colossal angelic sword a future John had gifted her. 'Ever.' The beautiful armour across her shoulders and arms glinted in the lamp-lit street. The Sentinels moved in a protective formation around Sem and John.

Out of the rift stepped a man dressed in a one-shouldered robe similar to a Buddhist monk's, except black and silken. His brows were wrinkled, but his skin was free of the splotches age often cursed men with. His smooth head caught the lamplight, and his dark eyes glowed with something sinister. He looked around the dirty back street and smiled. That smile chilled John.

The Visceral's gaze dropped to the Sentinels before him. 'Ah children,' he said in a low, soft voice. 'You are all far from home. Come back to us. We can forgive your slights and start anew.'

John wasn't sure what to make of this man with his hands folded before him, speaking humbly to the Sentinels. Was he really a threat? He seemed mild, still there was that horrific chill John felt crawling across his skin whenever he looked at the man's eyes.

Fifteen spoke. 'We are not your children any more Visceral scum, our fate is in our own hands now. Twelve has shown us the way.'

The Visceral nodded, but the acquiescence had left his eyes. 'As you wish. Had you the sight anymore you would know that this is your death day.'

Fifteen nodded. 'If it is, then it is God's will, not yours.'

The Visceral locked eyes with the Angel and advanced with measured steps, his hands still folded before him. Sem studied the Visceral's gait. He was graceful and balanced.

She shook her head and muttered, 'This is gonna get fucking fruity John, get ready to Blink out.' She rolled her shoulders and sliced the sword through the air, it hummed in anticipation.

John brought his hand over to his jacket pocket, the familiar feel of the album wasn't there. 'Shit!' He searched his other pockets frantically.

The Visceral broke into a run, he stretched out his right hand and a staff materialised in it. The four Sentinels stepped forward as one, and attacked as one. The Visceral dodged every blow and kick, at times almost bending double to avoid the strikes.

John was mesmerised by the Visceral's movements. With poise and grace he deftly avoided all strikes, throwing the Sentinels all over the alley as they attacked again and again. Its eyes weren't even on the fight, they were locked on Sem.

With rising horror John realised the Visceral wasn't attacking. No blood had been spilled. His staff had not even scraped any of the Sentinels' skin. Was he toying with them? In desperation a Sentinel launched itself over the others, grabbing the Visceral in a headlock. Both crashed to the floor, and the Sentinel wrapped his arm around the Visceral's neck while groping the staff and struggling against the Visceral's keen jab.

John heard a sickening crack, and the Sentinel was thrown away like a piece of rubbish. What had happened? He glanced at the staff, but it was free of blood. The Visceral flicked to his feet. 'I will begin now,' he said as he jogged towards Semila.

A double roundhouse kick sent two Sentinels smashing against the walls of the alley. By the way they fell, John knew they wouldn't be rising again any time soon. Wearing a determined expression, Fifteen stepped in the path of the Visceral, between him and Semila, and attacked in a fury of kicks and blows. The Visceral dodged Fifteen's attack in a blur of movement John struggled to follow. The Visceral hit Fifteen again and again, the Sentinel's attack slowing with each score. Less than a minute had passed, and already blood flowed from Fifteen's face. Fifteen crumpled to his knees.

The Visceral grabbed Fifteen's tie, pulling the face of the Sentinel up. 'Death day Sentinel.' He brought his fist up high.

Sem cleared her throat. 'Hey, fuckwad. Fancy a shot at the title?'

The Visceral slammed his fist into the Sentinel's jaw, crumpling him to the pavement. The other Sentinels were strewn in the alley like the rubbish around them, groaning, two unmoving.

The Visceral turned to face Sem and straightened out his clothing. 'Ah,' he said, 'Daughter of Gabriel, slayer of Molech and protector of the Odiati.' He bowed. 'I do not want your title, just your head and your heart. I know someone who very much wants it.'

Sem smiled. 'Well it's right here, come and get it if you think you're fucking good enough.'

The Visceral ran towards Sem and threw out a few kicks and punches. John realised they were more to gauge her fighting prowess than to cause any damage.

She dodged and blocked every blow. 'My turn.' She attacked. Sem's blows were no gauge, they were designed to rob the Visceral of it's life. The Visceral dodged, parried, and span out of the way. Sem's attack finished with the two circling each other.

'You do not disappoint Semila, daughter of Gabriel. Yours is a head I will be honoured to take.'

'It's right here fuck monkey. All you have to do is take it,' she replied.

He shot forward. John had never seen such a deadly dance: kicks, punches, blows, parries, and counter hits thrown with blinding speed. Again the two separated, each looking for a weakness in the other. Then the Visceral twisted his ebony staff, and it separated into two. John heard a shing and two blades appeared out of the ends of the staffs.

Sem didn't seem phased, she drew a line in the road with God's Justice. 'Dare you to cross it, fucker.'

She spat at him and the Visceral attacked. Sem grunted, using all her skill to keep the Visceral from scoring a vital blow. Four times the blades glanced off her armour, each blow nearly knocked her from her feet. The Visceral grinned and started spinning the weapons in his hands. The hum coming from them made Sem back away with caution.

John looked away from the fight and scrabbled along the alley, desperately searching for the album. He could hear the fight getting louder, grunts and howls of pain coming from both combatants. Sem had stopped swearing--that was never a good sign. Behind the bins where he had hidden a few moments ago he saw the little black album and sighed. As he picked it up he heard Sem scream out in pain.

John wanted to sprint back to her, but he wasn't sure he should. Would she be pissed off if he intervened and Blinked them out? He stood in the shadows just past the bins, wavering. He had no real fighting skills, so running out there now was plain suicide. He had to think of something, though, before the Visceral got the chance to kill Sem. He glanced at Sem. She was limping bad, her leg hardly supporting her, and she bled from quite a few places.

The Visceral backed off again, bleeding from many wounds himself. 'There is no shame in losing to a Visceral, Semila,' he huffed. 'Your fight was a good one, but I am a Visceral, you are merely a guardian angel. It is no match.'

Sem grimaced as she tried to stand straight. From where John was standing he could see a large wound across the back of her leg. 'I fucking told you once, the title is mine. Come and get it you fucking half-breed.'

The Visceral seemed enraged and attacked hard. Sem countered the multiple blows well, but her leg gave out on her. With a yelp of anguish God's Justice was flung from her hands, skidding across the alley floor as she fell, then the Visceral's blades crossed at her throat.

'Come out Odiati, you and you alone can save the Angel's life. Come out John Finnie, my masters would like your audience.'

John walked forward, his hand inside his jacket pocket.

'Your ability won't save the Angel Odiati, only yourself. I know about the small album and I know what you can do,' said the Visceral with smile. 'You have to hold her to Blink out.'

He kept walking closer. 'It's true,' John said, trying hard to keep calm. 'I do have to hold her, but I don't want to Blink out right now.'

'Then you surrender?' asked the Visceral.

'Fuck no!' said John, he drew the gun and shot the Visceral in the face in one swift motion. The look of shock he wore as he crumped was worth having finally fired the gun. John ran to Sem and put his arm around her waist.

'You're full of fucking surprises John Finnie,' she said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

'We really need to talk Sem.' He put the gun back in its holster, removed the album, and Blinked out.

#

A shimmer appeared in the alley. Dark John stepped out. He looked at the Sentinels. 'Hmm,' he mumbled. 'Two can be salvaged.' He summoned a globe and picked them up with the energy the globe contained. It appeared as though the lax-bodied Sentinels floated into a dark, unnaturally circular cloud of energy. He cocked his head and thought on how strange bodies looked once they had been sucked into the sphere. Then he sent it through the shimmering portal.

The Visceral stirred from the floor, slowly getting to its feet. 'You will pay for that Odiati.'

Dark John smirked. 'I don't think so half breed. I am not your Odiati.'

The Visceral, bleeding at one temple and from his chest wound, ran at Dark John and was turned to dust at the second step. Without looking back Dark John disappeared back through the portal.