Almost immediately, my dad tried to scoop me up, but I had a tight grip on her. He pried my hands free and took me back to our seats. Everyone in the room cried over the great love a young boy had for his mother, but my father was feeling something very different. At the end of the service, everyone left as they laid her into the ground. I couldn’t stop crying, I felt as if my soul was being ripped apart. At ten years old, my world was shattered, and that day only got worse for me.
When I got home, I went to my room and sat on the edge of my bed and stared at a picture of me and my mom on the nightstand. I didn’t think it was possible to shed any more tears, but I cried again. I was filled with such sadness and emptiness all at the same time. As I looked upon the picture, I whispered I love you mom, and then the door to my room flew open. It hit the wall with a loud thud. My dad was there with a look of pure rage upon his face as he charged toward me.
“Why you little good for nothing...” The back of his hand came down across my face and knocked me to the ground. As I fell, the picture of my mom and me hit the ground with me.
I landed on my side so hard that the room seemed to be moving up and down in waves. Broken glass lay next to me from the shattered picture frame.
“I hope you’re happy with yourself, son! You humiliated us both with that little stunt you pulled today! In all my years I have never seen someone carry on like the way you did today, and I have no idea how you can even be my son! How can a sorry little crybaby be my flesh and blood? Doesn’t matter. All that’s about to change. You’re weak, son. I blame your mother for that.”
“Don’t you talk about her like that, you never cared about her.”
He snapped to and stood over me. “Don’t you ever yell at me, or I will give you something actually to cry about. You’re leaving tonight!”
“What? Where are we going?”
“Not we, you. You’re going to learn to be a man! I’m sending you to the very same boarding school my father sent me to. I would have done it sooner, but your mother wouldn’t allow it. Now that she’s gone, you’re going.”
He stomped out of the room and yelled at James to pack my bags and to take me to the school that night.
James picked me up off the floor and looked at the mark on my face. He hugged me and sighed. “I’m so sorry, my boy. I’m going to miss you but look on the bright side of this. You are going to be away from him, and he will not be able to hurt you like this anymore.”
“James, why did God take my mom away? Why did he take away the one person that loves me? Did I do something? Is it because I’m as bad as my dad says I am? Is it my fault?”
“My boy, God did not take away your sweet mother to punish you, or because you did something wrong. God loves you, and he is a good father. Much better than the one you have now. Trust me, God cares for you, and though you may not feel him now or understand why this happened, he will never leave you nor forsake you. I’m so sorry you must go through this but remember that God loves you and I love you too. I think of you as my own flesh and blood and have ever since the first day your parents brought you home from the hospital. I would be proud to claim you as my own any day of the week. I am going to pray you never lose sight of who you are, and that is a sweet, kind, and caring young man. Don’t forget your mother and all of the good things she taught you. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s my boy. Let’s get your things together now. I don’t want to keep your father waiting and give him a reason to lay another hand on you.”
James packed my things as I sat on the edge of my bed. He gently wrapped the photo of my mom and placed it safely between my clothes.
“I don’t know how your father can be so cruel to his only child, but I have something for you.”
Once he made sure no one was coming down the hall, he pulled out a Bible from underneath his suit jacket behind his back.
“This was your mother’s Bible, and she read it every day. Your dad doesn’t know I took it, so let this be our little secret. Now Alec, I want you to read your mom’s Bible and do what it says.”
James placed it in my suitcase underneath more clothes to keep it from being found by my dad.
James walked me to the foyer to find that my dad couldn’t even be bothered to see me off, and I felt a wave of relief followed by rejection. James loaded my bags into the trunk of the car, and once he and I were safely buckled in, we began the long drive to the school. I don’t remember when I fell asleep. I only remembered waking up as James parked the car.
He walked me into the headmaster’s office where he greeted us and then went on about how happy he was that I was there, and how great my dad was. The headmaster showed James and I to my room and then excused himself so I could get settled.
James helped bring in all my things, and before he turned to leave, he tried his best to encourage me one last time. “I have to go now, but remember that Jesus loves you, and he is always with you, and I love you too. I know you’re scared and hurting, but the Lord is here with you, and you’re going to be okay. Remember to read your mother’s Bible for me.”
James gave me a big hug, and then prayed that Jesus would keep and protect me, and then he left. As he drove away, I wondered if things would always be that way.
My thoughts returned to that day and I took a deep breath and wiped tears from my eyes as I regained my composure. I couldn’t help to think that James was right about one thing he said. I was going to be okay.
I smiled to myself and, for a moment, I felt at peace.
Chapter Eleven
The Man Wrapped in Darkness
The Spirit Realm
I STOOD IN THE SPIRIT realm outside Alec’s office window, engulfed in my darkness. He wiped the tears from his face and looked peaceful as he sat there.
“Enjoy it while you can. That peace may not last much longer.”
I always loved that time in the pursuit of my prey. The moment just before I introduced myself and forever changed their world. I hoped he’d hold on to that night, because I knew he might never have another one like it. I always made my introduction into the lives of his family members at the height of their power, because that was the moment when they felt untouchable. I wanted them to know they were not beyond my grasp, and try as they might, they would never escape me.
As an eternal being, I had a beginning, but no end.
I particularly enjoyed the memory of the moments just before I made my grand introduction into Maxwell’s life. He had berated his son, Alec, over the phone and threatened to fire him before he hung up on him. The smug look on his face sickened me. I could feel the sense of pride Maxwell relished in over telling his son that he was a horrific failure and would always be. Even I considered that to be cold, which made the moment so much more satisfying when I stepped out of the spirit and into the natural realm in front of Maxwell’s very eyes. I thought the old man was going to have a heart attack at the mere sight of me, but he didn’t, and I would have stopped it even if he had. I wasn’t going to let him off that easy. I would have reached into his chest and restarted his heart by the power of my right hand.
Oh, the look on Maxwell’s face when he first laid eyes upon me. He was bewildered to say the least, much like a cornered wild rabbit, unable to comprehend the rapidly approaching danger.
He stuttered and couldn’t get a word out after I formally introduced myself.
“What’s the matter?” I replied. “Cat got your tongue?”
It was so cliché, but I still laughed when the memory of it came to mind.
The next time I showed up, Maxwell, tried to bargain with me for more time on my question. Then he demanded I give him more information as to what the question pertained, but the best reaction he had was when he tried to physically attack me on the night of his passing.
On Maxwell’s final night on the earth, the air outside was particularly humid as I walked upon the clouds to his home, accompanied by my darkness, which stayed closer
to me than the brother I had in my previous life. As I approached Maxwell, I began to display the full brutal force of my power as the heavens shook and quaked with my every step. My power emanated from my being in continuous blue bolts of lightning, which ensured no angel or demon would come anywhere near the Williams estate. My ascent appeared to the untrained eye to be nothing more than a severe thunder storm, but Maxwell knew better.
When I was ready to make my appearance, I slashed open the heavens and stepped into Maxwell’s office where he sat at his desk. I wanted him to be ready. I had told him I was coming for his answer to my question on that exact evening, and he ensured me he would be prepared to answer. He looked so confident that night, so sure of himself, and for a brief moment I thought he might have figured out the correct response, and thus save his life. Oh, how wrong I was. How wrong he was as well for thinking he could escape the inevitable.
I looked Maxwell in the eyes from the opposite end of the room as he sat at his desk. “Hello there. My oh my, don’t you look like a happy one? I have come for my answer.”
To this day, I have never seen any human being so confident and bold upon my arrival. Usually they quiver in fear and stutter endlessly, hoping for me to take pity on them and release them from the obligation of their answer. I had never, nor would I ever grant one a reprieve, but Maxwell’s freedom and life all hinged on his answer.
In a way, he would live or die by his own hand.
He smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, but before we get to your question, I have one I would like to ask you.”
“Fine, what’s your question?”
“I assume you are a spirit being of some sorts, are you not?”
“I am.” I humored him in the moment, because I wanted to see where he would go with the question.
He kept smiling as he nodded. He looked so proud of himself as if he was the smartest man in the room. He had no idea of how foolish he truly was. Besides, anyone who looked upon me could tell my residence wasn’t located on the earth. Even a child could make that distinction at first glance.
Maxwell took a deep and somewhat satisfying breath. “Obviously, and with that being said, I have had significant experience with your types. I’m aware you can traverse between the physical and the spirit plane you came from, and I know the source of your power flows from that realm.”
“What’s your point, Maxwell?”
“My point is I know it takes tremendous amount of power and effort on your part for you to materialize in physical form, and if my hypothesis is correct, and I’m willing to bet a substantial amount of my vast fortune that I am, you’re vulnerable in your current state. You can be hurt and even killed.”
“Really? Is that so? Tell me, Maxwell, how did you come to this conclusion?”
With each passing second Maxwell became more puffed up with arrogance. “I have had many dealings with spirit beings over the years, but there was one encounter which sticks out in my mind. There was a day when Lucifer and one of his demonic underlings showed up at one of our yearly planning meetings for the company. He showed up occasionally to tell us what new and prosperous ventures he wanted to add, and how we could conceal it to keep the authorities and any nosy individuals from finding out the truth of our operation. But on that day, the demon that came with Lucifer made the terrible mistake of interrupting him with a question while he was in mid-sentence. The demon should have known better, and everyone there that day shuddered when he spoke out. Keep in mind the demon he brought was over nine feet tall and the most muscular being I’d ever seen.”
Maxwell paused to sit back and tent his fingers in front of his face as if his story was entertaining me and would go on a while. “But when it opened its mouth at the wrong time, Lucifer became enraged and grabbed the demon by the throat and lifted it off the ground with ease. He shouted in its face about how that would be the last time he would ever dare to interrupt him. Then Lucifer ripped out its tongue and tossed it in the middle of the desk for all to look at. Some people got sick instantly, but I found it amusing as it tried to scream out in pain but couldn’t because...” Maxwell chuckled. “Obvious reasons. That thing spewed out a tar-like substance all over itself and the floor. The whole carpet had to be replaced not only due to the stain, but the horrific stench it gave off. If you never knew what death smelled like, all you needed to do was get a whiff of a demon with an open wound, it’s quite eye-opening.”
“Are you going to get to the point any time soon?”
Still, with a smile he continued. “Touchy, touchy, touchy. What’s the matter? Is our conversation annoying you? As you have been annoying me over the past several weeks with your sporadic appearances and your tedious question you keep demanding I answer? I’ve had to listen to you several times over now, the least you could do is hear me out.”
“Fine. Make your point.”
“Thank you, and yes I’m getting to the point. What happened next to that demon is how I know you can be not only hurt, but killed in your current state. You see, Lucifer didn’t stop at ripping the demon’s tongue out, but he proceeded to gouge out its eyes, rip out its throat, and crush its skull with his bare hands right in front of everyone. Then he dropped the demon’s lifeless body to the floor where it dissolved into a mass of black smoke which was pulled down through the floor by some unseen force. Lucifer told us the demon returned to its spirit form and was cast back to Hell to await immediate discipline upon his return.”
“So, if I understand you correctly, you’re going to rip out my tongue, pluck out my eyes, and tear out my throat?”
“Damn right I am. But seeing that you’re a being of extraordinary talents and abilities, it would be a waste to end your life, so I’m going to extend the offer one last time.”
“Please refresh my memory. What offer is that again?”
“Don’t mock me, boy. My patience has its limits. Now, come work for me, or you can die!”
I chuckled. “I would rather die again than work for you.”
“So be it. I’m going to pull your carcass from that dark cloud you hide in and mount your head as a trophy on my wall!”
Then Maxwell raised a pistol he had placed in his lap and proceeded to empty the magazine in my direction. The fool never realized I knew all along he had a gun the whole time. He must have thought I couldn’t see through the desk or smell the distinct odor of the gun oil he used. I released a deafening scream as Maxwell emptied the magazine of its bullets, and they drove their way into my darkness.
Maxwell jumped to his feet and let out a victorious laugh. “Aha! I knew you could be hurt in this state. You’re just like any other man that walks this earth. You’re not so cocky now, are you? Do you want to know where you made your fatal mistake you...you man wrapped in darkness?”
I grunted from the midst of my swirling cover. “Shut up.”
“Oh, so it can feel pain. I wonder how many of those bullets hit you? It doesn’t matter, really. All that matters is that enough of them found their mark, and thus has placed you firmly in the clutches of my mercy. But before I kill you, the fatal mistake you made was the day you appeared in this room going on with your idiotic question, coupled with your scare tactics. Now it has cost you your life. No one threatens me, and lives to get away with it.”
“Well before you kill me,” I said through clenched teeth, “I have a parting gift to give you.”
Maxwell dropped the empty magazine and quickly reloaded the gun and pointed it in my direction. “And what is that?”
I commanded a strand of my darkness to extend out toward him and gently place every bullet he fired at me back on his desk—much to his surprise. His eyes widened, and his smile slid to a smirk as he stared at the pile on his desk.
I laughed with a little mockery myself. “Well then, do you have any other theories on how to destroy me? Anything you’d like to try?”
He stuttered again.
“You’re really dumb, Maxwell, you know that? You can’t kill me! You can keep t
rying, but I’ll just keep coming. You can continue trying to delay the inevitable, or you can save yourself the embarrassment and answer my question.”
Maxwell stood, clearly irritated, but still ready for a fight. “I have only just begun.” He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a long, sharp dagger. “I don’t know how much of your power you had to use to stop all of those rounds, but I’m sure you don’t have enough to stop this.”
He came from behind his desk and pointed it at me. He wildly slashed the knife at my darkness but had no idea where I truly stood in the midst of my covering. As the blade pierced my darkness, it melted like cheap wax. I saw Maxwell’s confidence fade. He stared at the handle in disbelief and then looked at me. I met his gaze with my fist to his chest and sent him stumbling back toward his desk. My patience had run its course by that point as I steadily marched toward him. “I’ve had enough of these petty games.”
Maxwell rubbed his chest as he choked. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why can’t I kill you?”
He was paralyzed by fear as I reached out from my darkness and grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him off the floor. “You can’t kill me, you dolt, because I’m already dead, and now I live forevermore. Now, give me your answer!”
“This can’t be. Wait a second. Just wait, please!”
“Your time has come. Give me your answer.”
Maxwell started to sob and made a scene like a small child. “Please, I’m sorry. Just put me down and I’ll answer your question.”
I lowered him until his feet reached the floor, and I relaxed my grip and brought my arms back into my darkness. I always hated the part when a grown man broke down into a mass of hysteria and tears.
Maxwell took a moment, caught his breath, and regained his composure. “I can see now that there’s no escaping this.”
“That all depends on your answer.”
“Yes, my answer to your tedious question I still don’t understand, but it doesn’t matter.”
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