William of Archonia: Redemption Read online

  It must have rained while I was down in the mine, he thought absently.

  The images came back as if also reflected in the water, all of the sleepless nights spent hoping that his father would be too drunk that night to beat him. He pictured the puddles of his tears on the floor reflecting in the moonlight as he cried alone. His father was an evil man. William was too young to testify in court, but he would forever remember the night his father drank himself belligerent and beat his mother to death. When he sobered up he realized what he had done, and to save his own skin, had jabbed and cut his own body with a knife so he could claim self-defence. William didn’t know how it worked, but he had never stopped blaming himself.

  He ambled down the street, catching sight of a woman standing on the sidewalk. He was immediately struck by how beautiful she was. She was dressed conservatively, in all white clothing, and looked extraordinarily out of place amongst the grime and dilapidation.

  The vagabonds passed by, jeering and whistling crudely. As William stepped up onto the sidewalk she turned and approached.

  “Hello, my name is Angelica,” she said, holding her hand out in a gesture of greeting.

  He looked her over. She was just slightly shorter than him, although he tended to slouch. Her hair was long, dark, and perfectly straight, shimmering even in the dark night. Her caramel colored eyes burned with an enthusiasm William had never seen before.

  Her smile and enthusiasm annoyed him. “What do you want?” he growled.

  She smiled, responding kindly and softly, “I do not know where you are off to tonight, sir, but I was wondering if I could speak to you about Jesus Christ?” Her smile stretched, touching both eyes.

  William chuckled and responded, “And why would I want to know more about that son of a bitch?”

  Angelica didn’t flinch, and smiled again, showing a flash of brilliant, white teeth.

  “Because he is the light and through him all things are possible.”

  “Listen lady,” William said impatiently. “Your blessed lord has never shown his face in my life, and I’m sure he’s not going to start anytime soon!” William pushed past her, a warm shiver moving up his spine.

  The woman shouted after him, “He can help you! I can help you!”

  These people always showed up down here wanting the lowlifes to see the light. They only did it for their own gratification. If they could help poor people then they felt better about living their own wonderful lives. Williams’s life had been devoid of light. And yet, something she said made him pause.

  “You can’t help me lady,” he said, turning slowly, and then turned and walked away.

  William continued down the street until he approached his favorite dive. It was the kind of place where the girls were cheap and the liquor was even cheaper. The Dirty Water was an obvious metaphor for the cheap, gut rot beverages they sold. Tom Ryan, the elderly bar owner, greeted him with a smile when pushed through the door.

  “What will it be, Billy, my boy?” White hair surrounded his head leaving plenty of space for a shiny bald patch in the center.

  “The usual, Tom, and keep it coming.”

  Two men blocked William’s path as he moved to sit. He knew they were from the mine without looking at them .William stared into the closest man’s dark brown eyes.

  “You’re going to pay for what you did today, you piece of shit,” the dark-eyed man said, spittle flying from his lips.

  “I’m sure I already have,” William said, glancing over at Tom. The old man was holding a twelve gauge shotgun tightly to his chest.

  “Now boys,” Tom said in his familiar Irish accent, “you cut that shite out right now. Everyone is welcome to two things in my bar - a tall drink, and no trouble.”

  William smiled coyly at the two men, before shoving roughly past them. They were just hollow words anyway. There was too much fear in their eyes. He let it go and sat in his usual spot.

  He downed drink after drink, and before he knew it, he was looking at the bottom of a bottle, and everything became blurry. Then the dreams came. The very ones he had tried to drown in liquor every night.

  He was a young man, and he was facing another. Sweat dripped down his brow as he gasped, his bare chest heaving. The other boy lunged for him, and William performed a takedown. He heard the crack as the boy’s head hit the concrete, and the cheers of the onlookers in the dimly lit alley. Then he felt the sting of his knuckles cracking against the boy’s face again and again.

  He flashed forward and felt the rush of adrenaline and fear bloom in his heart as bullets whizzed around him. He jumped from cover, returning fire, and saw bullets pepper the body of a boy no older than twelve. The gunfire rattled and cracked around him, but he was frozen, staring at the lifeless corpse of the youth he had just slaughtered. He felt an invisible force hit him hard, followed by a ripping sensation as a hot piece of metal tore through him.

  William awoke suddenly, yelling. He felt a dull throb where the bullet pierced his body so many years ago. He looked around in a haze. He was still groggy from drinking. There was nobody left in the bar, except for the bartender who was cleaning tables.

  “Well there, thought you were going to sleep through the night,” Tom said with a chuckle.

  “I’m sorry, Tom, I’ll get out of your hair,” William mumbled.

  “It is alright, Billy my boy. Gregory was down here earlier. He told me he threw you out. I figured I could let you stay here one night.” Tom walked over and locked the door.

  William was a bit delirious. The booze in his blood was preventing his brain from properly communicating with the rest of his body.

  “No. No, Tom I got stuff to do,” William said, and stumbled towards the door.

  “Oh yeah, real important shit, I imagine. Alright, you fool.” Tom tried to steady him as he wobbled. “Come Sunday you get your ass to church if you know what’s good for you, son.”

  “Yes. I definitely will,” William sputtered. Of course he was lying.

  William managed to get only a few steps from the bar before tripping and falling to the ground. Hard. The concrete smelled of the sewers, and there was an acrid smell to the air, like the world had been bathed in toxic waste. The liquor wasn’t nearly strong enough to drown it all out.

  William positioned himself against a brick wall, just out of the street lamps’ light. He looked down. His clothes were tattered and he was covered in filth, so he looked. The street was all but empty. The night was growing old and the underworld of the city was retiring.

  After a few deep breaths William got up and took a few, heavy footsteps away from the wall. He stopped when he realized he didn’t know where to go. He had no home, and after assaulting his fellow workers, he likely didn’t have a job either. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his filthy, ripped jeans just as he. He felt a churning in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t just hungry. There was something else pulling at his insides. Maybe it was anger, or the frustration, or simply a life full of regrets catching up with him. William silently found himself wishing for death. And yet, death would be too easy.

  He felt at home in the Army. He thought he found what he was going to do for the rest of his life. Being a soldier gave him focus, but beyond that, status. One moment, on one fateful day, a single bullet changed everything. The military discarded him, and he had been scraping by ever since.

  William reflexively thought of the woman in white. Angelica, she said her name was. She had such beautiful eyes. Maybe he could take refuge in her church for the night, then in the morning he could do volunteer work in exchange for food. It would get him by until he could move on, and find a new plan.

  Someone screamed nearby, almost knocking William off of his unsteady legs. The shriek was nearly as sobering as the cold concrete he had felt against his face moments earlier. He whirled around, searching for the source of the cry.

  It could be anything in this neighborhood, he told himself. He began to walk away, but something tugged at his heart as
another scream split the silence. It didn’t sound like a pimp beating an unruly prostitute. It sounded like someone wrapped in fear, and pain.

  The screams died away as he broke into a stumbling run, moving in what he hoped was the right direction. The screaming resumed just ahead, and grew louder. As he drew nearer, William heard a commotion, accompanied by the catcalling of several men. William rounded the corner of an alleyway and teetered to a stop before a horrific scene. Four men loomed over a prone figure in all white.

  William’s stomach lurched as he connected the pieces in his mind.

  There were dark lines across her face, most likely her own blood. It fell away from her body and pooled onto the street below. For a moment he thought he saw her mouth moving slowly like she was muttering something. The men laughed and spat on her. Then one of them knelt down and began to rip her clothes off.

  William had an easy choice before him. Nobody in his life had ever offered to help him. This woman had. He had to help this woman. He had been too young to help his mother when she was in need. He had vowed from that day forward that he would never let anything like that happen again if he could help it.

  Hatred and rage pulsed through his veins, seeping into him like a drug. He was outnumbered, and drunk. The four men would likely beat the hell out of him. Maybe even kill him, but perhaps he could give this poor woman enough time to get away.

  William burst forward into a sprint. He reached the men in a heartbeat, his foot catching the man kneeling over the woman in the jaw with a crack. The second man recoiled with a grunt, catching William’s left fist straight to the face. The man’s soft nose gave way to his hardened knuckles.

  The third man attempted to grapple William from behind, but some leverage and skill allowed him to toss the man easily to the ground. The pavement caught the man in much the same way it had William only minutes earlier, and he gasped for air.

  Three down and William hadn’t even broken a sweat. The fourth man turned to William brandishing a pistol and with no hesitation took aim. William heard a deafening pop and thought he felt warmth begin to spread across his chest, but he didn’t care. He was in a combat situation and his mind kept pushing him forward.

  He lurched forward, knocking the man to the ground, jerking the gun away. Another shot was discharged in the process, and William heard one of the other men cry in pain. His vision started to blur. He whirled around, the gun tight in his hand, but his arm felt weak. He felt so horribly weak. One of the thugs lifted something and there was another loud pop, and a flash of bright light. William felt his body falling, and then he was on the ground.

  Silence filled the alleyway, and William suddenly heard a soft voice whispering. He saw the woman. Angelica. She was speaking to someone. Everything slowly went dark and William could feel his muscles using the last of the oxygenated blood to cling to life, but soon, with a sigh, his last breath left his lungs and everything went dark.

  * * *

  When William opened his eyes a short while later it wasn’t to the pain and cold concrete he remembered. Everything seemed different, though he couldn’t immediately put his finger on how. He picked himself up off of the ground and looked around. The four men were lying motionless in the alley.

  He turned on the spot, taking in the scene, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. The space between buildings was black and white, as if all the color had been drained away.

  Was he in shock? His ears popped and he was a little disoriented, almost like a flash bang had gone off next to him.

  Black smoke appeared suddenly, seeping out of the bodies of the four men. William knelt down for a closer look. The smoke forced its way out of their bodies, like it was alive. Stunned, he turned to Angelica who was kneeling above somebody as if she was embracing him. He realized she was weeping.

  “It’s okay now,” William said softly.

  Angelica looked up, a shocked look on her face. “How is this possible?” she whispered.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. I was in pretty rough shape when I showed up. I thought I got hit on top of that.”

  “You did,” she said, her voice trembling.

  William looked down and patted his chest and stomach. He couldn’t find any holes.

  “We both must have seen it wrong.”

  Angelica shook her head and moved aside, exposing the body previously hidden in her shadow. He stared down at the face, and it took him a moment to recognize the features. He was looking at himself. His eyes were dark and lifeless. His body appeared deflated, hollow, and all wrong, like it was missing something. William staggered backwards, his knees suddenly wobbly.

  He felt like he was going to be sick, his heart racing uncomfortably. His mind tried to rationalize what he saw, while his military training urged him to take action.

  “We have to go,” he said, grabbing Angelica’s arm.

  She trembled and sobbed as he hefted her off the ground. William watched the black smoke resolve into what looked like tall, skinny figures, red dots burning where eyes would be, and knew they needed to leave.

  “Run, Angelica!”

  She didn’t move, however. The smoky figures cackled and converged on them with a grace and fluidity he’d never seen before. William forced his fear back and choked down a mouthful of nothing. He leapt forward and with all his might struck the middle figure with a fist. The smoke creature’s head split asunder, and a tar-like substance spattered everywhere. The other three shadow creatures screeched and swooped onto William with deathly speed, forcing him to the ground. He felt a sharp pain in his flesh where their skin touched his, and smelled their foul, tainted breath. He struggled to break free, but realized it was no use.

  Needle-sharp teeth brushed his neck just as a blinding flash lit the alleyway, driving the wretched smoke creatures away. So bright was the light that it felt like he’d been hit with another grenade. He winced as the creatures writhed in the glow of it.

  It was incredibly white and warm. William felt relief, and his breathing slowed. The creatures regained their wits and turned towards the source of the light. William squinted and was able to make out a shadow in the middle. It took the shape of a fifth figure, only this one was tall and broad.

  The glow softened and in the midst of the commotion there stood a tall and majestic looking figure. The man had flowing, golden hair and was clad head to toe in ornate gold and silver plate armor. In his hand he held an enormous broadsword that was so large it should have taken two men to hold it. His face was an emotionless mask, and yet William could not deny how terribly beautiful he was.

  The creatures converged on the armored man with terrible speed and ferocity. There was a loud snap and an arc of light blinded William yet again. When the light faded, he saw that the creatures were cleaved in half. The beautiful man closed the gap between them in an instant. He lifted Angelica from the ground slowly. She stared into his face in awe and as he spoke his voice filled the air like a chorus of one hundred men.

  “Angelica, my name is Gabe. I have come to take you to your new home.”

  A tear formed in the corner of Angelica’s eye.

  “Praise God,” she said.

  He chuckled, and it sounded as if bells were ringing. He stood while Angelica knelt on the ground, her hands raised in worship. William realized how very far away from them he felt, his fists clenched in anxiety. The figure turned slowly, before walking towards William.

  “What is your name, brave warrior?”

  William looked at Gabe incredulously. He fumbled for the words and only managed, “I’m not a warrior.”

  Gabe looked at him quizzically. “Did you not save her?” he asked, pointing towards Angelica, who watched the exchange.

  “I…” William said, but paused.

  The stranger broke the silence. “Will you come with us?” he gestured towards a light growing near Angelica.

  “Where?” William asked slowly.

  “A new life,” Gabe said.

  William pondered for
what felt like an eternity. This life had held nothing for him. Not love, nor friendship – only sorrow and pain. Gabe extended a hand to William, and he slowly took it. He felt the heat spilling off the armored man as soon as their hands touched, and in the next moment William was consumed in light.

  Chapter Two

  Death

  There was a sudden flash of light and William was airborne. His limbs were numb and his throat felt parched. He tried to breathe, but choked, and for a moment, felt as if he was suffocating. He felt his body accelerate, like he was a bullet shot out of a gun. His stomach dropped, and his heart strained to keep pace. It only took a moment, or it could have been an hour, before the chaos around him started to clear.

  Then things settled out and were still. He floated, weightless in a white nothingness. He was helpless to move, and couldn’t seem to regain all of his senses. William wondered if he would ever feel anything again. Off in the distance he could see the figures of Gabe and Angelica. He tried to call out to them, but no sound came out of his mouth.

  Without warning, William started spiraling out of control. It felt like he was falling. He looked down and flinched, as a massive plane of white loomed directly beneath him. It moved towards him suddenly, and he hit hard. William staggered, jarred by the tremendous force and was left breathless.

  Getting up slowly, he realized it was no longer nighttime. There was a brilliant light radiating from the sky and warming the air. His eyes finally adjusted, and he looked around, discovering that he was in a field of long, white grass. It looked like a scene straight out of a safari, except there wasn’t a single tree in sight. Instead, he saw endless rolling hills covered with white grass, moving almost magically in the wind.

  A crystal clear sky spanned above him, a giant yellow sun drifting lazily amidst the cloudless blue. The sun looked much too large, and William discovered that he could stare at it without squinting or his eyes watering.