"One to go." said St. John as he walked away from the gas station,
leaving the flaming corpse, of the man, that caused his home to burn,
behind. A solitary black feather drifted to the ground and landed besides
the corpse but, did not burn.
Soon, Christopher St. John would be able to return to his family. One more
to kill and his work this night would be done and he would finally be able
to rest.
"CAW!" the crow signaled that the small house in front of them was the
place. The house looked no different then any of the others in the
sub-burb. One story, the blue paint on it's outside was old and beginning to
chip. A blue glow came from one of the windows as St. John's target sat and
watched the television.
A doorbell rang.
"What the hell?" questioned the man as he looked to the clock as saw it
was 3 in the morning. He walked to the door and opened it, "This better be
da.." the sight at the door stopped his words. A black crow was standing
outside the door.
"CAW!", said the bird as it flew away.
A puzzled look came to the man's face as he slowly closed the door.
Then a voice behind him said, "BOO!"
The man nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around to find St.
John standing behind him.
"Who the hell are you?!" the man shouted.
Before St. John could answer a small boy entered the room.
"Mr? You're not going to hurt my dad are you?" Questioned the child. A
tear and a flood of memories came to St. John. Memories of his son. Not
much older then the boy that stood before him. The two even looked similar.
Could, St. John kill this man now? He had a family to provide for and take
care of. To kill him would be no different then what he had done to St.
John and his family.
"No." St. John spoke quietly. "Your father and I are just going to...talk.
Now, run along. Your dad will be fine."
The child looked to his father who gave a silent nod and the child left.
"I was going to kill you." St. John said to the man. "You played your role
in taking everything I ever held dear, everything that gave me happiness
and reason to carry on each day, and destroying it! You killed my family. MY
family. Yet, you have a family of your own. Do you love them?"
The man shook with fear and nodded yes.
"Then how could you, someone that has a family, do what you did to another
family? HOW COULD YOU!?"
St. John didn't give the man a chance to answer, not that the man would of
found the words to answer with. "I came here to kill you but, I cannot do
that now. I can't destroy a family but," He trailed off and pulled back his
arm and punch the man, knocking him out.
Some time later the man woke up. Carved into his chest was an image of a
crow.
"This is a reminder.",said St. John, "You get to live as long as you take
care of your family and find a new way, a LEGAL way to provide for them. If
you don't, you don't deserve your family and I will be more then happy to
take you away from them. Do you understand?"
The man nodded and looked down at his chest. When he looked back up, a
second later, St. John was gone.
Minutes later.
The cemetery.
St. John kneeled in front of the headstone on his beloved wife's grave.
Tears flowed easily and fell to the ground like small rain drops. "I've
failed, my love. Now, my mission lies incomplete and I'll never get to see
you and Jason again. I'm so sorry. I hope that you and Jason can forgive
me. I...I just couldn't do to another family what was done to us."
A hand gently grips Christopher's shoulder. He turns around and sees his
wife. A smile lights up his face as he stares at his beautiful wife,
dressed in a long, flowing, white dress. His son runs up to his him and
gives him a hug. Cindy held out her hand and helped her husband up.
Christopher smiled and stood. He kissed his wife and picked up his son.
Together again, now and forever, the three walked off into the light as the
crow sat, perched on a headstone and watched. He cawed once and Christopher
turned around and waved.
The crow watched until the light whisked the family away and then flew off
into the night. He was needed. Elsewhere, another soul was robbed the
chance for vengeance and, it was the crow's job to give him a second one.
