“So, we’re talking aliens?” This kept getting better and better.

“Alien to you, yes, but yet quite similar as well. If there was to be a flaw in God’s plans of Genesis it would be the self-absorption that infests so many of the beings He created to populate the various worlds.”

Amen! He was preaching to the choir. People sucked all over. “Are there little green men coming?” I didn’t think I had enough tinfoil saved up to protect me from the answer.

He didn’t even crack a smile. “There may well be, but I cannot say for certain. Even to my people, God’s plans and motivations are a mystery. I know only that your universe, as well as my own, are but parts of a larger plot whose purpose we are not meant to fathom.”

“So, y’all are no better off than us, huh?”

Hasstor laughed. His voice was a deep rumble that stirred the fog. “In our relations to God, we are most definitely no more informed.”

It was strangely comforting to know humanity wasn’t the only species getting screwed by the powers that be. Chalk one up for equality.

“Is this an impending doom type of scenario, or will I get to take a nap first?” I could really use one.

It’s hard to believe that just days before I was fighting to save Heaven from rogue archangels, werewolves, and vampires, oh my. The unexpected arrival of my cousin, Scarlett, beat to hell, set it all off. The Nephilim sent to finish the job were only the icing on the crap cake to follow.

After jet-setting around the world — Iran, Saudi Arabia…Hell — in a race to get to Heaven ahead of the supernatural rabble looking to plant their flag, and to escape the deadly storms that scoured the planet as the Tree of Life shared its death throes, I just wasn’t in the mood for any more apocalyptic bullshit.

Abe’s funeral was the culmination of it all. I watched from the trees as friends and family gathered at the grave, but not me. My mentor, my friend, the closest I’ve ever had to a human father, was laid to rest, and I was in the nosebleed seats. Even the cemetery workers got a better view. It was all just too much.