She could not fathom what woke her up all of a sudden. Her eyes opened, blinking unfocusedly.  Her gaze recognized the interior of the bus. With a groan, her hand rose to touch her forehead. She could feel the start of a headache as she leaned her head on the window glass. Her gaze darted outside.

Chae Won frowned when she noticed that the bus is not moving. As her vision cleared, she could see the people outside standing like statues. Her frown deepened as she tried to peer more closely on the glass being covered by the fog. Something is not right.

Her eyes went back infront of her and observed her surroundings. The young man sitting beside her was reading a book. There were only few passengers left on the bus. But as she observed closely, she noticed that the other passengers are not moving. With widening eyes, Chae Won realized that these people are not moving at all!

She stood up so suddenly that her head bumped the low ceiling.  She groaned as she supported her head.

“Watch your head,” a voice said beside her.

Chae Won’s gaze darted to her seatmate who continued to read the book on his lap. Shaking inwardly, she said, “I-I’m sorry.”  She sat down once again but this time her eyes went to the stranger. 

“You experienced something like this before?” the man asked without looking at her.

“E-experience what?” she asked distractedly as she peered outside once again.

“You know. When time stops,” came his response.

Chae Won stiffened. Her eyes went back to his. This time, the man stopped reading as he gazed back at her.

A tense moment passed when she finally found her voice. “You are an angel,” she whispered hoarsely.

A smile formed on his lips as he raised his brows. “I think it’s really time for you to get used to us communicating with you. We don’t have any other means you know.”

She shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. “But, when I was contacted by Bom, this-” she cut off, as her hand emphasized her surroundings. “-this didn’t happen.”

He nodded as if he understood. “That’s because we are not alone that time,” he said.

With his words, Chae Won felt herself grew very still. They are not alone that time.

“What do you mean we are not alone that time?” she asked.

Propping his feet infront of him, he turned to her. “I am TOP, one of the guardians here. I am here to deliver a message.”

She dreaded the message, whatever it was. But she heaved a sigh and waited.

“Bom thought that one of us angels must be using a medium when she communicated with you yesterday, so she didn’t see it strange that time. But, none of us were there that time.”

She felt her heart stopped.

“A demon,” she whispered.  The sound echoed within the vehicle.

He shook his head. “Not demon,” he stated. “Demons.”

Chae Won’s eyes widened. “W-What?”

TOP regarded his feet and reaching for his handkerchief, he began to dab the dirt that he found on his boot. All the while, he said, “They are known as the Dark Covenant. We didn’t expect them to have found you immediately. You need to be more careful Chae Won. That is the message I was sent to deliver to you.”

She shook her head, trying to deny what she just learned. But no matter how much she tries, her heart knew that what he is saying is true. Yesterday, she felt being watched while waiting for the bus. Now she knew why. She shivered.

“What is the Dark Covenant?” she asked.

“They are an elite group of demons, hand chosen by the devil himself to perform unspeakable acts and impossible tasks. Maybe they are given a task to track you.”

“So if they are there, why didn’t they do anything to me?” she dared ask.

He looked back at her. “We don’t know what they are planning, Chae Won. Maybe they are observing you.”

“H-How did you know that these particular demons of the dark covenant are present yesterday?” she demanded.

“When we noticed that time did not suspend, we started to observe any mediums being used that time. Then we realized that there’s no medium during that time.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He heaved a sigh. “The Dark Covenant has this special ability to enter this dimension without using any mediums. They could enter here in their own forms.”

Chae Won exhaled sharply. She shook her head. “And this dark covenant is after me?”

She was shaking inwardly. But she doesn’t want to show how afraid she was. She could still remember what Bom told her yesterday that she can make it. That she could survive this.  She looked back at TOP.

“T-Thank you,” she said, smiling a bit. “Does that mean that we are safe now? I mean, Bora told me before that when an angel uses a medium, time will stop just like now. But when Bom communicated with me yesterday, time did not stop because of the presence of the d-demons.” She felt herself shivered once again. “But right now, we are alone. That’s why you think it’s safe to communicate with me. Otherwise if you think it is not safe then you won’t be here. Right?” she asked, seeking reassurance.

It took him a moment to answer. “Yes,” he said.

Chae Won had the awful feeling that he is not telling the truth. But he is an angel. And aren’t angels bound on the Ten Commandments also? Which includes the telling of truth?

She smiled despite her doubt. “Thank you once again TOP. But, I want to ask something,” she said.

His brows rose, waiting.

“Where is Bom?” she asked, frowning. “I thought she told me that she would communicate with me? Why did they send another angel? Not that I am ungrateful to you. I am grateful. It’s just that when I asked Bom yesterday about Bora, she said, that Bora cannot communicate with me for a while. And now you’re here.”

“Oh look at the time!” he exclaimed abruptly as he looked at his wristwatch. “I’ve got to go Chae Won. Otherwise I may kill this man if I stay long.”

She frowned but nodded.  She saw his eyes closed. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes again, blinking unfocusedly. His gaze went to her abruptly. He frowned.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said as she tried to sit more properly. She finally observed that the bus is now moving.  The other passengers chatted inanimately on the background. Her gaze darted outside. The crowd before her moved like a blur. TOP had finally left the man’s body.

 She frowned as she contemplated what TOP told her that a group of demons was after her, observing her. They must be there yesterday, watching her interact with Bom. Now that she thought about it, she was too preoccupied with the strange communication with Bom and the tragedy that it didn’t occur to her what Bora told her that time will suspend when an angel used a medium. She could still remember the time while communicating with Bom: the people buzzing on the streets and the times when two persons bought some newspapers. Time did not suspend then. Why didn’t she think of that before?

She refused to let the fear to sink in. What would that achieve?

Her gaze went back outside. She must be on the countryside with the verdant hills and fields.  Maybe she should get out of the bus now. Making up her mind, she stood and excused herself on the young man beside her. He frowned as he let her passed. She nodded several times on his direction before she turned her back on him and started infront to exit.

***

When Dara finally took a glimpse of the angel coming down from the bus, she straightened herself and signaled GDragon. They were on the rooftop of an abandoned building overlooking the almost deserted street. She saw the angel sat down on a vacant bench as she leafed through her bag, trying to find something. As Dara continued observing, she saw the angel pulled out a heavy jacket and donned it on.

“I’ve got to admit, that angel has a nice looking body,” he muttered behind her back.

She rolled her eyes in disgust. “You ert anything that walks,” she said.

She stiffened when she felt his hands rested on her shoulders and began kneading.  “And that includes you?” he asked softly behind her ear.

She felt the goosebumps that started on her arms and she has no doubt that he felt her whole body stiffened from the contact.

“Gotcha,” he said, a smile on his voice.

Whirling around abruptly, her elbow raised to hit his exposed neck but he must have anticipated her action because his right hand blocked the strike.  Her other hand reached for one of the daggers strapped on her thigh and raised it to his face. But his other hand hit her hand, making the dagger flew upwards. She felt him pushed her so suddenly that it took her time to acknowledge what was happening.

She was falling from the roof but before she hit the ground, she braced both her arms. When she felt the ground on her palms, she pushed until she was catapulted on the air. Reaching for another dagger, she threw it at his direction. She smirked then grimaced when he deftly captured the weapon between his fingers.

She was finally on her feet when she glared back at him. He laughed when he saw her expression.

“A medium was used on the bus, let’s kill him with this,” he said before throwing the dagger on her direction, the point of the dagger winked against the sunlight. Whirling herself around, she kicked the dagger, sending it flying to the direction of the bus.

“The bus is that way, you ,” she cursed out loud.

Dara didn’t care where the dagger landed. She was too angry to think clearly. He didn’t seem to have heard her as he continued gazing at the direction of the bus.  Seconds passed before he finally gazed back at her.

He smiled mockingly. “Nice shot,” he said.

She scoffed as she gazed at the bus. True enough; the dagger hit one of the tires. She lifted her right hand, making the dagger return to her.

***

Chae Won heard the screeching tires before the loud explosion. But before she could realize what was happening, she felt herself catapulted in the air.  She winced when she felt something landed hard on her leg. She groaned out loud. She opened her eyes and focused on the dark gray smoke covering the whole street.

She felt stabbing pain on her body as she stood up. But she was too preoccupied on thinking what was happening. Before her, the bus that she had taken a ride a while ago is ablaze. She screamed before she made her way, limping towards the bus.

She was only a yard away from the bus when she heard a whooshing sound before she felt something sharp hit her shoulder blade. She gasped, collapsing on the ground. She winced as her hand reached for her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she realized that a dagger hit her. Wincing, she looked behind her and saw a woman dressed in black standing meters away from her.