The black bird flew, silhouetted by the moonlight. His eyes searched the
ground looking for one person.
On the ground. A door swings open and the man is thrown from the club. He
laughs as he hits the pavement. The punk attempts to get up on his knees
and falls down a few times. The bouncer stands and shakes his head as the
man finally gets to his knees and "walks" over to the bouncer, laughing and
begging to come back in. the bouncer bellows and his words ring off the
other buildings.
Soon the man staggers off into an alley and the hunt begins.
"CAW!" comes the shrill scream from the crow.
"What the hell?" the man slurred as he looked skywards.
While in the dark. A true smile graces the face of St. John as, the
flashback hits.
Hours earlier.
"Dad!" shrieks young Jason, his voice full of life and joy, as he runs up
and hugs his father. "Missed ya."
Christopher smiles. "I missed you too, son.", he said as he closed the door
and walked to the kitchen where his wife was finishing up supper. He walked
over and gave her a kiss.
"Hey there, handsome!" She smiled at him. "Jason, go get washed up for dinner."
"Ok, mom!" The boy ran off.
"So," Cindy started, "How was your.." but, was cut off by the doorbell.
"I'll get it." Christopher sighed.
At the door stood the man and several "associates." The smell of
alcohol, amongst other things, hung heavy on them.
"Good evening sir." Spoke one of them. "Are you aware of how unsafe a
neighborhood you live in? Why, just the other day the home of the people
just down the street was broken into and trashed. Even worse, their teenage
daughter was horribly beaten and raped several times."
"Yeah man!" whispered one of the thugs to another as they exchanged an
unnoticed hi-5. The two chuckled to each other as the first man spoke.
"Sir, this is just no place to raise a family.....unless, you have
some...security." A crooked smile crossed the man's face.
"Get the hell out of here before I call the police!" ordered Christopher.
"Woah, man! Chill! We just trying to help ya. You don't want it, your choice
but, you're making a mistake. A big mistake." He turned to the rest of the
men. "Gentlemen, our services are not desired here. Time to move on." He
looked back over his shoulder at St. John. "Let's just hope that nothing
happens to these nice people." The group chuckled and laughed as they left.
The present.
The man continued to stagger down the alley, oblivious to the fate that
awaited him. As a voice came, seemingly from no where, speaking in a
sing-song manner.
"Don't look. Don't look! The shadows breathe."
"Huh?" questioned the man.
"Nothing you can ever say."
"Who are you?!" shouted the man, fear edging his voice.
"Nothing you can ever do."
"What do you want?!" said the man as he started to run.
"It doesn't matter how you hide. We'll find you if we're wanting to."
The man trips and skids down the alley as a figure emerges from the
shadow. His face a mask of irony. His eyes empty. His smile sends shivers
up the man's spine.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" The man cried.
"You don't remember me?" Spoke St. John. "You don't remember the man who's
family you destroyed but a night ago? For shame. Don't worry, though, he
remembers you."
St. John picks the man off the ground and lifts him until they are face to
face. "And how you and your friends destroyed him. His family and his life."
"I didn't do anything!" the man protested. His hear racing and the color
leaving his skin.
"Let me refresh your memory. Last night. A quiet neighborhood. A nice
family. A man, his wife and child." Anger began to fill St. John's voice.
"And you and your friends DESTROYED IT ALL!!!" He slammed the man into a
wall. "And for what? Why did you destroy this family?"
"We...we..just wanted to te..teach them a lesson." the man sobbed as tears
ran from his eyes and urine running down his leg. "They wouldn't pay!"
"Money?!" St. John said as he slammed the man into another wall. "This was
all over money!?"
"I'm sooooorrrry!!!" cried the man. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Well, sorry isn't good enough. Sorry won't bring back the man, his family
and won't out back the pieces of his shattered life will it?" St. John
threw the man into the side of a dumpster and then picked him up and
slammed him into a wall again. "WILL IT!!"
"No." sobbed the man.
"So, now you will pay the price."
A crack echoes throughout the alleyways as the man slumps to the ground
motionless.
"CAW!" crowed the bird as it perched on St. John's shoulder.
"Thank you." replied St. John as he walked out of the alley, leaving the man
behind, slumped on the ground, holding a black feather in his hand.
Questions or Comments?
