~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In all of his twenty five years of living, he has only truly regretted one thing. Being born. The life of a street hood is not an easy one, especially for someone like Eric Bitters. For this street hood has something that no one in this chosen profession would ever dare possess, a conscience. on this night- not unlike most others, it is dark and bitterly cold. The rain has been a constant presence here for as long as he can remember; no seasons changing to speak of, no summer or winter. The only constant seemed to be the endless drizzle of cold lifeless liquid; that seemed to cascade slowly down the flat surfaces of the towering buildings around him. He has spent his entire life here in this dark cold and dreary existence. Concrete and steel walls that form the canyons of the city that is his lifelong prison, it is called Kings Harbor. On this night one of his closest friends a young man by the name of Ian Specter has convinced him; that this would be the best night to prey on a small neighborhood market that they have been casing.
He is waiting in the rain for the small black compact to pull up that Ian drives. It is almost dark outside when it pulls up to the curb where he has been waiting for the past twenty minutes. When Specter’s tall 6ft plus frame emerges from the vehicle; he can feel it almost instantly, something isn’t right. He has brought only one gun for the proposed robbery, for himself.
Ian being the larger of the two will enter the market last, for he will bring with him the most suspicion from the cashier and whatever small number of patrons might be present. Eric Bitters will enter first and spray paint over the lenses of the security cameras so they won’t be captured on film. Then the rest will be in the hands of fate, and will largely depend on how many in the market will be smart enough to survive beyond this night.
The Brave will die first, Ian is counting on it. They pull up in front of the building that stands next to the market and step out into the cold rainy night. Eric enters the market and sprays the camera lenses, followed immediately by Ian; who upon entering draws his weapon and points it at the cashier.
The Money!! NOW!!” he commands.
The cashier is a small man who looks and sounds to be Arabic; He backs away slowly holding his hands above his head. When he does not respond to Specter’s commands, without hesitation he fires his weapon at the head of the cashier. The bullet strikes him between the eyes killing him instantly. A woman lets out a scream, startled, they both turn towards the sound and there standing in front of the dairy section is a young black woman. She is pregnant, Ian turns the gun towards her, and again without hesitation, he fires the weapon. this is when fate steps in.
Eric Bitters makes a fateful decision he steps in front of the woman at the precise moment that the weapon is discharged; and he can feel it as the bullet rips through his upper torso. He looks up at Ian in only slight disbelief, Ian is smiling at him. Right before he fires a second bullet into Eric Bitters, just before fleeing and leaving him to die. He staggers out the door of the market with both hands clutching at his wounds and collapses onto the cold rain soaked concrete side walk, the sounds of approaching sirens echo through the canyon’s of his steel and concrete prison. faintly at first, then they are slowly becoming louder. But he doesn’t hear the sounds now, he is on his hands and knees, watching as the red liquid from his fatal wounds slowly merge with the small puddles of rain that have fallen from the sky. He closes his eyes. Now there is nothing.
REDEMPTION..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He is now surrounded by his emptiness, in a world completely void of sight and sound, nothing to fear, not love, not pain, nor loneliness. Now there is nothing.
“Time to wake up Eric.”
His eyes are closed tightly.
“No- I’m.. not ready.”
“Open your eyes Eric.”
“I- I can’t.”
“There is no more fear Eric. Don’t you remember us telling you that?”
He is slowly beginning to feel something just at his fingertips, he is still on his hands and knees, only he doesn’t feel the rain anymore. The surface that he is touching is smooth like glass; only cold and almost damp, like granite or marble.
He has slowly opened his eyes and a reflection begins to seep into what has now become his consciousness. There is a person staring up at him from the floor that he does not recognize, he has long black hair and eyes that are equally as black, his skin is as white as snow, this reflection carry’s with it the scent of death, and as he lifts his fingers to touch his own face, Eric Bitters realizes. The reflection is his own.
“Do you know where you are Eric?” At first he doesn’t answer.
“H- Hell?”
“No Eric. Not exactly.”
He continues to stare at his own reflection in disbelief on the floor beneath him.
“Surely. Not heaven.” he answers.
“No Eric. You are not ready for those places. Your true fate has as of yet to be determined, only then will you continue down your path towards your final destination.”
“Purgatory?”
He raises his eyes. They squint against the blackness around them, to try to see the forms of the voices that seem to know everything about him, he sees nothing.
“How will my fate be determined if I’m already dead?”
“ Eric. Do you recall the last minute before he shot you? Think about that Eric. Up to that point you were almost lost. Your fate had already been determined, don’t you remember Eric? one simple little act completely changed your course.”
He thinks for a moment. But it doesn’t come to him at first..
“The woman Eric. The pregnant woman is alive because you stepped in front of that bullet to save her. In that instant you changed your destiny. With that single act of selflessness you have bought yourself a second chance at redemption. You will be sent back to Kings Harbor in your present state, to save three innocents from the very fate that you almost made for yourself. You will save them Eric, you will save them if you have any hope of saving yourself from the damnation that you so fear. Three souls for one Eric.. that’s the deal. Save them to save yourself. you will go home Eric. Again.”
Return to Kings Harbor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He once again closes his eyes, only this time when he opens them up he once again finds himself in the hell hole called Kings Harbor. He is not on the ground however, but finds himself perched above the city on top of one of its many abandoned buildings. He is forty two stories in the air over looking tenth street not far from where his life had originally ended. it is still as he remembers it. Raining heavily, dark. Ominous. The feeding grounds of the human refuse that prey on those who have no will to -or simply cannot fight back. Here his new destiny will begin, he sits outside, his bare feet pressed against the facade of his very own cathedral, he knows that the rain brings with it the almost unbearable cold but he doesn’t feel it anymore, he can’t, for Eric Bitters is dead. And dead men don’t feel, even those with a purpose.Annie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He is hanging over the edge of the smooth surface of the wall of one of the tenements of the Reinstroke section of east German town. A district of Kings Harbor so named because the thugs that inhabit it are so bad; Not even the Nazis would never think of going in there after dark . But Eric Bitters is no ordinary man, on this night he is restless. Something pulls at him from unseen directions forcing him to haunt the rain filled night. The raw feelings of a helpless innocent has pulled him to this place, he has heard from his rooftop perch the whimpers of this victim. Even though he is not as of yet certain if this will be the first of the Three or not; he knows he can not stand idly by and do nothing to ease their suffering whatever it should turn out to be. He hears the voices more clearly now and as he turns his head away from the falling rain, he can hear three distinctly different voices total.
They all belong to males, two appear to be young street thugs and the third is an older fellow, perhaps a homeless man. As he cocks his head to the side, he can hear the distinct sound of metal clicking against metal; as the hammer of pistol is pulled back into its firing position. He knows that he has very little time and he steps off the ledge of the rooftop and follows the rain to the man made canyon floor below. He lands in between the gunman and the innocent, his black eyes stare at them through the falling rain. At first they simply look at him in disbelief but the one with the weapon will not be so easily deterred; he points the gun at Eric Bitters and fires. when the bullet hits him and does nothing, the gunman and his accomplice know that they are staring into the eyes of death. They become afraid, the gun falls to the ground and they flee. He turns to the homeless man and helps him to his feet.
He now knows that this is not one of the three souls. He is certain that no further threat or harm will come to this man tonight. So he returns to the cathedral on the corner of Center Street and Tenth Avenue, where he waits patiently in the dark skies above Kings Harbor for the sign of the first soul . He doesn’t have to wait long, she is yet another deserted child of the streets, that has fallen through the cracks of an inadequate system; that cannot seem to properly identify the young girls problems. They have seen her in and out of child services, all in all ten times before the age of fourteen. It seems to be all the excuse that they require for her abandonment. She is left to her own young demons here in the valley of the downtrodden and the homeless. Nothing more than a street urchin left to fend for herself through whatever means she finds necessary. much to Annie Harlow’s credit, she has not yet resorted to prostitution. There is hope for thirteen year old Annie Harlow, which means there is hope for Eric Bitters.
Jinx
~~~~~~
Here in this scarred city, crime is rampant, though a fair amount can be contributed to lowly street thugs. Most can be traced back to one feared name, he is known simply as Jinx; and he runs the biggest crime syndicate in Kings Harbor. His soldiers are everywhere shaking down small business’s in every corner of the city; squeezing them for protection money. Those who do not comply are burnt out of business. Eric Bitters is quite familiar with Jinx’s minions, he has had dealings with them in the past, but has never feared them the way others do. Annie Harlow has also heard the name Jinx, usually spoken in frightened whispers by destitute street people who live in fear of the crime lords soldiers. Soldiers, who seem to be everywhere they turn. This night she has shoplifted some small portions of food from one of the local merchants; this time she wasn’t caught, tonight she will have food in her belly. Equally Important to her, she will have food to give to her older homeless friend Endora,
But even as Annie Harlow makes her way along the sidewalks of Center Street, she has no idea what lye’s in store for her just three blocks ahead. There is a man standing on the cold empty street corner, his name is Maurice Salazaar; moments ago Maurice was on the pay phone four blocks from Summit Street, striking up a deal with his now former employer Jinx. Maurice has in his possession one of ten different ledgers; that contains names and numbers involved in every major fencing operation in the city. A ledger that he has stolen from Jinx while under his employ. he has told Jinx over the phone that he will return the Ledger for the price of three million dollars, to which Jinx almost too easily agrees. They agree to meet at a location that is mutually exclusive to both party’s involved, again Jinx agrees to meet with him personally to ensure the safe return of his property.
Maurice names a corner on Center Street and Columbus Avenue to where It would be safe for him. Maurice Salazaar has made a deal with the devil and has taken him at his word. Jinx tells him over the phone that he is on his way with the money and will arrive shortly. As he hangs up the phone and heads for the corner of Center and Columbus, Maurice straitens his tie confidently, unaware that his and young Annie Harlow’s lives are about to intersect. And as he walks along, Maurice begins to think about how he will soon be living on easy street. But his greed has clouded his judgment, and what Maurice fails to realize is that he will be lucky if he lives through this night. Eric Bitters watches and waits. For he knows Annie Harlow must not become a part of this.
The first stone
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He watch’s as Annie makes her way along the deserted sidewalk, the rain has briefly stopped. but the air still carry’s a severe chill with it, she is thinking about her friend Endora. One of the few friends that she has. As her young mind wanders, she is completely unaware that she is no more than one and a half blocks away from a path changing event. She doesn’t even notice the sleek black sedan as it slowly rolls by her on its way to the corner of Columbus Avenue and Center Street. Eric Bitters however, has been watching the whole time. He sits up on the fire escape of one of the corner buildings, peering through his own frosty billows of breath as each passes through his black cold dead lips. He is watching for Annie now, he now has that luxury. He'd gotten ahead of her just ten minutes ago, so he could wait to steer her from harms path. now he plays a slight waiting game, for he still isn’t sure if she is the first of the three souls, but it isn’t about that now, now for him at least, it is about the young girls safety.
If Annie Harlow turns the corner, Eric Bitters will become her protector. If not he will be forced to keep searching for the first of three. For Maurice Salazaar there will be no protector; for he is trying to extort money from the devil himself. A very risky endeavor at best. Eric watches as the black sedan slowly rolls to a stop. Maurice Salazaar approaches it and produce’s the ledger; and he is shot dead by an unseen gunman inside of the vehicle for his trouble. He no longer sees Annie Harlow on the sidewalk, and as the man gets out of the vehicle to retrieve the ledger from the dead fingers of Maurice Salazaar, he sees Annie through the open door of the black sedan. Eric knows that they have taken her so she can be eliminated as a possible witness to the murder of Maurice Salazaar. Now his anger begins to surface, and he leaps through the air towards the sedan,
He must strike before they can move it, if he doesn’t, he knows that Annie Harlow will die this night. He lands hard on the hood of the sedan; and sees the now petrified driver through the wind shield of the vehicle. He has produced a weapon and now has it trained on the form of Eric Bitters, he fires, but his target seems unharmed by the direct hit, startled he tries again. A cold white fist has driven itself through the windshield of the vehicle completely shattering it; and now has his gun hand in a ice cold death grip. he can feel his fingers and palm being crushed around the contours of the weapon, he tries to scream, but the pain is ungodly, and the sound freezes in his throat. The driver struggles through the pain with the door handle, it clicks and the door swings open as his left foot finds its way clear of the sedan, his hand has been shattered too, but is no longer in the clutches of the death grip, he is now free. free to run and live to tell this tale.
Of saints and sinners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lone gunman in the back seat has drug Annie from the vehicle at gun point. Now he presses the barrel of the revolver into her temple; as he nervously looks around for the form of Eric Bitters. but he is no where to be seen, not confined by what he sees, the gunman knows he is still being watched by Bitters. He is behind Annie Harlow now, his free arm is around her chest and with his hands full of her long blond locks he holds her close to him. He knows. She is all that stands between him and a cold rainy death tonight.
“Come out where I can see you or I do the girl! right here! right now!” It is right then that he knows. As Eric Bitters knows. He has lost control of the situation. Patience Eric.. He isn’t going to do anything stupid.. She’s all that he has.. He knows.. As Eric Bitters knows. He waves the gun in the air . Slowly making small circles with it, trying every direction at once. Losing control.. One breath at a time. He closes his eyes. The voices return. Patience Eric. Not yet. The rain returns now too, this time he can feel that cold familiar moisture as it touch’s his white face. His eyes close even tighter and now he can feel Annie Harlow’s fear. “hush little baby. Now don’t say a word.. Daddy’s gonna buy you a mocking bird.” Annie takes matters into her own hands. This night. She stops being a victim.
With all of the venom she can muster, she sinks her teeth into his free hand, he screams out in pain and drops the gun, now angered, he strikes her hard with the back of his hand knocking her to the ground. He turns to retrieve the weapon and regain the control of the situation, that he never had from the beginning. He finds only Eric Bitters cold fingers wrapped tightly around his throat, Brave little Annie. She has given him the only opening that he needs. No gun. No more victims. No more pain to deal to those who have long suffered enough. The gunman’s feet slowly rise from the ground as the cold fingers tighten even more around his throat. He can feel his own life slowly slipping away from him, the breath is leaving his body.. Suddenly Bitters slams him into the wet brick wall releasing his grip on the gunman’s throat. he lie’s there in the garbage whimpering and gasping for air in the same exact instant.
He feels Eric Bitters breath in his ear, his words are crisp and as cold as the rain itself.
“It doesn’t take strength to hurt. Not hurting people takes strength. Remember to thank your creator. You will live through yet another night. Repent. Or lose your soul forever.”
He walks over to where Annie Harlow is lying unconscious. His arms cradle her body as he lifts her from the ground he slowly pulls them both into the night sky as he tries to think of what’s next for her. It is then that a memory strikes him. A memory of a church. Not far from his own, memories of a remarkable woman who lived for the soul purpose in life of helping others. A remarkable woman named Sister Mary Coven. He arrives at the back door of the first Baptist Church of Sandoval Street. Sister Mary Coven answers. She doesn’t recognize the young man but she knows that the gift that he has placed in her arms is priceless. She raises her head to thank him but he is gone from sight, she steps slightly out the door and stares momentarily up into the dark rain filled sky.. And sister Mary knows..
Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright© 2006.
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