Vengeance is Mine Saith the Lord

The man in the white coat seemed pleased with himself. Guess he thinks he did something miraculous. At least my time away was well spent. The world was a better place because two pieces of human trash were now frying their asses off in hell.

You're probably wondering what I was talking about. All I did was take advantage of a situation and kept a promise. The promise? Kill the men who murdered my daughter. The situation? My death. It may have only been temporary, but I didn't know that at the time. Most people don't come back after an incredible beating and taking three bullets to the chest.

I'd been tracking the two bastards for months. Ever since they were let loose on a technicality because of an incompetent prosecutor. Mr. District Attorney will probably piss himself silly as soon as he reads the report on who the two dead men in the alley were. He's gonna wet his pants because I promised him I'd kill him as soon as I got the other two first.

I'm not worried about the judge. He's already half dead and has already reserved his place in hell for what he's been doing.

There's nothing to tell about my daughter's murder. They took her, did terrible things and killed her. She wasn't their first, but she would be their last.

When things unraveled in court, I voiced my displeasure in a clear and convincing manner. Thirty days in jail for contempt only cemented my conviction to the cause. They would all die. However, it had to be done in a way so I wouldn't end up in jail before I got them all.

Going old school and using a shotgun sounded like fun, so did a nice acid bath. But there were too many problems with each method of execution. I had to keep my head and just get the job done. Nothing fancy, just kill'em and move on to the next. But how?

That problem was solved in an unexpected manner. I'd been following the fuckers for two days waiting for the right opportunity to get my revenge. But I got careless and they caught me unaware in an alley. They had as much mercy for me as they had for my daughter. After beating the fuck out of me, one pulled his gun and put three in my chest.

I was divided on my expected death. Being with my daughter again would be fine with me, but not keeping my promise to her and the other girls hurt my soul. With my last conscious thought, I asked for justice and vengeance. Blackness took me and the pain stopped.

The next thing I knew I was standing in front of a young man who was sitting behind a very old desk. He was reading through pages of a folder stopping occasionally to look up at me. He didn't say a word until he closed the folder. "So you want justice huh? You intended to murder two men. Killers don't usually deserve justice. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Who are you and where am I?"

"For the moment, you're in a receiving room. Where you go from here is up to me. I'm your judge, jury and executioner. Again, why should a murderer be given justice?"

"OK, if that's how you want to play it. Technically, I'm not a murderer. I was killed before I committed the act. And, don't you believe my daughter and the other girls deserve justice? Who really cares how justice is served?"

The man said nothing but pointed up. I knew who he was referring to.

I asked, "Doesn't he care? Is he going to do it himself? If you ask me, he should, then people like me wouldn't have to."

All of a sudden the man began to smile. "Who said he doesn't? Remember, 'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.' Besides, you're exactly the type of man he uses in situations like this."

Giving him a look, "What do you mean, a man like me?"

"A dead man. You do realize that you are dead, right?"

That didn't surprise me. I knew that was going to happen. "Ok, I'm dead. How does that get justice for my daughter?"

"Simple really. You're not a physical being anymore. But you still have the ability to do what you asked for. Go do what needs done and we'll talk after."

I didn't need to be told twice. I already knew all I needed to know to get the job done. The thought was made and I was whisked back to the alley. It was weird looking down at my body, but I had a task to take care of and there was no rest for the wicked.

Time must work differently when you're dead. When I rematerialized, the fuck with the gun had just fired his last shot into my chest. He barely had time to lower the gun and glance toward fuck number two. Both started laughing right up until they noticed me standing in front of them. It was hard to tell if their laughing stopped because of the look on my face or was it that there were two of me? One dead on the ground and one standing looking at them with a deadly calm. Either way, it was a good start.

Fucker with the gun raised it and started shooting. Each bullet passed right through, impacting the wall behind me. He kept pulling the trigger even after the magazine was emptied. I just stood there with the same expression.

Fuck number one started pissing himself while Fuck number two muttered some nonsense like, "God save me."

I spoke my first words since coming back, "I'm afraid God is sitting this one out."

Right after his eyes registered the meaning of my words, I picked up a piece of wood from a broken pallet off the ground. My first few swings took their knees. I couldn't have them run away before I finished, could I?

Their excessive screaming was starting to get on my nerves. To solve the problem I tore some material from the shirt off my dead body and shoved it in their mouths. Not too much though. I did enjoy hearing their pain, just a little.

When the piece of wood in my hands was worn down to a nub, I figured it was time to put a little personal touch to their earthly punishment. Besides, the thought in my head told me it was time to end things.

Punching those two pieces of shit felt good. There was just enough consciousness left in them that they felt every ounce of pain delivered. Each strike came with me reminding them this is how their victims felt.

Both were unrecognizable. It would take DNA records to identify them.

I wasn't physically tired after delivering justice upon those two worthless men. I was exhausted, however. Exhausted from the pain of having to identify my precious daughter's battered body. Exhausted of having to live life without her. Exhausted from...just everything. Like the two on the ground at my feet who were asking for the beating to stop, I myself asked for the torment to end.

I heard, "Let it be so." Before being pulled out of the alley, I watched the spirits of Fuck One and Fuck Two drop through an opening in the ground. The heat and smell of sulfur was overpowering.

I was standing in front of the young man again. He was still sitting behind his desk reading through another folder. Looking up at me, he asked, "How do you feel after killing those men?"

I told him, "It needed to be done. They needed to feel what my daughter and the other girls felt. They needed the agony, the terror...and the helplessness. But if you're asking me, 'do I feel good for doing it,' the answer to your question is, maybe a little." He gave a slight smile.

He then asked me another question. "What about the district attorney? You made a promise to him as well."

"Yes I did and I intend to keep that promise, if you will grant it. He's the reason those two were walking the streets allowing them to kill again. You know by now, I will do what I can to keep my promises. I will forever be in yours and his," as I pointed up, "debt."

"That's good to hear. It is time for you to repay that debt."

"How?"

"Go back and live a good life."

"No! I want to be with my daughter. And my wife. I've been without both for too long already."

"Sorry, but he had made his decision." He saw the look of utter loss on my face. "Don't worry, he will not let you suffer without them much longer. But, there is more work for you to do. Afterwards, you'll have eternity with your family and eternity is a very long time."

I had to admit that sounded good. "Do you promise I'll be back with them soon?"

"Have we ever lied to you before?"

I didn't even have a chance to reply. The doctor was standing over my hospital bed examining me. "Welcome back to the living Mr. Jones. You're a very lucky man. Matter of fact, I doubt I'll ever see another man with injuries as extensive as yours and live. God must like you, son."

Right then a couple police detectives came in. The doctor reminded them they only had a few minutes. They were investigating the happenings in the alley and wanted to know why I was found lying next to the men who killed my daughter and how they ended up dead and I wasn't.

"I gave the man a look. Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. All that matters to me is that those two bastards are dead and burning in hell. Now I need to rest. Do me a favor and tell the district attorney he's next." I didn't bother with them any longer. I just closed my eyes and went to sleep.

That night in my dreams I was visited by my daughter and my departed wife. I lost Marion years before to cancer. All I had left was my daughter so her murder was even more devastating. Hence my need for justice.

Being with them felt so real. The hug seemed to last forever and no tears were spared. In a way I had some comfort knowing my wife and daughter were together in the next life. When they told me it was time for them to leave, my sadness was overwhelming. Suddenly the young man from before showed up. He reminded me that my time away from them was limited and we'd be together again soon.

It was weeks before I could be released from the hospital. The doctors said my recovery was extraordinary. They expected it would take months for me to heal enough to be discharged.

Every week though, the same two detectives visited me and they'd have the same questions. I always gave them the same answer. During their visits, it always felt like they were hiding something from me. It didn't matter. I had a mission and I wasn't about to let them keep me from it.

Going home was as bad as it had been. With my daughter taken from me, it felt just as dead inside as I did. However, there was little time to waste. After a rough night's sleep I woke and made my way downtown to the courthouse. It was time to remake my acquaintance with the district attorney.

Here, I thought I looked ragged in the mirror this morning. Mr. District Attorney's face appeared pale and death-like. It looked like he may have been a little sleep deprived. What a shame. Maybe the detectives did give him my message after all

He stepped out from the courthouse door flanked by the same detectives that kept visiting me. Guess that tells me who they worked for.

For some reason the news media was there. The reporters were there throwing him a bunch of questions while their microphones and cameras were shoved in his face. The questions being asked were about his alleged corruption in office and his covering up crimes for money.

It was weird when the reporters parted like they were the Red Sea and my ass was Moses, when I made my approach. The reports knew who I was. I made so much noise when the two bastards that killed my daughter were released that several granted me interviews.

No one said anything as I stepped up facing the DA and his pals. What color he had left in his face drained right out his pants. A quick glance told me the cameras didn't miss the yellowish puddle at his feet.

I smiled. "I told you I'd be back. Now it's time for you to die." I walked toward the man knowing nothing was going to keep me from getting the justice my daughter deserved. His two detective pals pulled their weapons and ordered me to stop. I kept going. They ordered me again to stop. I ignored them.

Both men started shooting when I was just ten feet away. The impacts from the bullets were barely felt and didn't slow me down one bit. They emptied their guns and I was still walking. Blood was pouring out of my body and all I did was keep walking.

My focus never waivered. By now the detectives had run away in fright and my target was petrified in place. As my fingers tightened around his throat I felt an exhilaration down to the depths of my soul. I also felt something else...finality. The end of my quest would also be the end of me.

I had nothing to live for and everything to die for. The decision was easy to make. I tightened my grip and delighted as his eyes showed total and absolute fear. In a moment of self preservation he started pulling at my hands trying to free himself. His efforts were in vain.

I felt a surge of energy allowing me to lift him off the ground. His life was ending. I could feel it. Mine was as well and I could feel a sense of peace. Our eyes made one last contact, "Enjoy hell asshole."

With everything I had left I put a twist into my grip and heard his neck snap. His arms fell to his side and he became still. I dropped his body, his face landing in the puddle of urine from moments before.

The men who killed my daughter were now burning in hell. The man who purposely let them out of jail would be joining them. The old judge who allowed it all to happen was being taken care of by a higher power. Vengeance is done.

My promises were kept. Death was quickly coming and I welcomed it. I was so damn tired. I hoped God appreciated the assist. My daughter and all the other girls deserved more from this life than they got. May they all rest in peace.

As I lay dying I could hear the people around me begin to come back to reality. Reporters were talking into their cameras trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.

Even though I had done it before, finding myself standing over my mortal body still shook me some. I felt a presence beside me. The same young man. Without looking at him, "This is still weird, you know that right?"

His smile made me feel good, but his words made me feel better. "It was the same way for me. Don't worry though, you won't have to do this again."

Turning to him, "It's over? Vengeance for him and justice for me?"

"Yes. You have given all the girls eternal peace."

"Thank God. Can I go home now? I miss my family."

He nodded, "Let's go. They're both waiting for you."

The young man was right. Eternity with my wife and daughter was a very long time. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.