When angels deserve to die

[northerain]

parte kosme....copia dihghma me ligo apo SOAD.

 

 

When Angels Deserve To Die

 

 

The smell was awful, and seemed to spread all over town. Maybe that was because of the heat, and the fact that there was hardly any wind these days. The smell (as numerous residents insisted on) was stronger around the old cemetery.At some point; this detail reached the ears of the local sheriff, who sent a team to ''investigate''. Around the cemetery a large number of residents had gathered, all wearing home-made masks so they could bear the horrible smell. The police squad arrived at the scene, and proceeded to search the cemetery. The two police officers were shortly followed by a small number of brave residents carrying shotguns and shovels. They searched the cemetery from one end to another. And sure enough; they came upon the source of the smell. An old tomb had been recently re-opened to the public as it seemed. Inside, a mass of bodies. Two girls, a lot of animals. They were in an advanced state of decomposition .The brave residents turned away and emptied their stomachs. One of the officers fainted. Everyone else backed up hastily. They hadn't hoped in this kind of results. The news spread quickly. In a few minutes, every resident in town had agreed in taking part in a manhunt that would last until the murderer was found. The fact that except those two girls, there were a very large number of animals in the tomb didn't seem to intrigue anyone as to the nature of the killer. One of these determined men had more reasons to take part in this manhunt: his daughter had not returned home the night before. The mob was pretty thick for a ghost town. It even included me. A stranger among the honorable town residents. No one seemed to mind though. After a short discussion among the leaders, it was decided that the search would begin in the woods. Maybe they did think about the nature of the killer after all. Not that I knew something you understand. It’s just that I didn't think any human could kill all those birds and small animals.

''We, the honorable citizens of Ashville have gathered once again to protect or town and our families. A murderer is on the loose, and it's our duty to find him before he harms more innocent people. We will split into parties of four, and spread in the woods, where the murderer has surely found refuge. Let’s find him.''

The leader of the mob had made his encouraging and rightful speech. Everyone was assigned a party and a leader and we begun the hunt. It so happened that I was in the same party as the father of the disappeared girl. I would have to restrain him if it was I who found the killer.

 

The hunt proceeded uneventful until nightfall. We were tired, and very very dirty. Every time we decided to rest for a while, the girl's father threatened to continue the search himself, so we were pressed to follow him, and keep on walking. And then, I heard the sound everyone was waiting for. A distant cry, and a scream: ''I found him! I found the motherfucker!''. We started running towards the man who yelled. The cry came from close by. I knew we were going to reach him first. The missing girl's father was running beside me. Following the voice, we came upon a clearing in the woods, and the man who had brought us there. He was aiming a shotgun towards a man in black, who held in his arms the dead body of the missing girl. Flashlights started to center on his and the girl's face. The man wore a black suit stained with blood, and seemed to have been crying. He still was. The girl’s father, who was until now standing dumbfounded beside me, jumped at the man and started hitting him with his fists, all the while screaming a lot of things no one could understand. The stranger did not try to protect himself, and did not even seem to take notice. His face still had the same shameful, sad expression. Some of the men tried to stop the father, the rest just stood looking. At last, four men succeeded in dragging him away. The stranger just crawled towards the girl again. Tears were running down his cheeks. Two men lifted him from the ground and started dragging him towards town. Only then did he awake from his near catatonic state and started fighting back. He didn't want to leave the girl. The two men were joined by two more that helped them drag him away. I had time to look at the girl. Even in death, she was beautiful. There weren't any obvious marks on her body, just a blood stain on her chest, and the red earth around her. Her eyes were closed. She looked as if she was sleeping. But her paleness told you otherwise. Then they covered her with a blanket. I almost protested.’ Why did they cover her?'' a part of me kept asking all the way to town.’ Why?''.

The police hadn't interfered till now, and I thought they wouldn't interfere at all. The crowd was raging. It had turned into a mob. They did not take him to the town officials. They took him to the town square instead. Like the old days. The man in black was still crying. That seemed to anger the crowd even more somehow. I looked around at the people gathered. I saw hate on their eyes. Hate and other more dark and sinister thoughts. I understood. They were not going to hand him over to the police. They were going to deal with the matter like the people of old did. They still remembered the punishment administered to murderers in times of old. They created a circle around him. He did not seem to notice. The first stone that him, made him stagger and then fall to his knees. The father of one of the dead girls was the one who threw the first stone. I did not know if he was without sin. Then, stones started falling on him from everywhere. The punishment had begun. I looked away. I could not watch someone of my kind being put to death. When at some point they thought they achieved their goal, they stopped. He tried to stand up. When he did, he reached his hands towards the people. All this time, he did not speak or scream. He only cried silently.

A resident, most likely a father of another dead girl approached him, his fist clenching.

''Why are you crying? Why in gods name are you crying? You killed them. Why are you crying?''

The man finally spoke.A high, crisp voice. Despite his wounds, he stood proud. Blood was running from his mouth, down his throat. He spat blood.

''I cry when angels deserve to die.'' he simply said.

''Deserve? Deserve? Oh you mother-''

He started hitting him. Soon, others joined him. They finished what they had started.

They didn't understand. Only I understood. He was looking at me when he said those words.

 

 

He was here to create another myth of a monster. When humans were murdered in strange ways and no murderer was ever found, there was always someone that would claim it was the work of some monster. He had to end their lives and disappear unnoticed. It was easy for him. It is easy for all of Us. We are the harbringers of death. But...so many eons among you...each time we find it more difficult. He could not go on ending lives, leading their souls away. He had carried his pain for so long. It was enough. It was enough for me. I silently prayed for him.

 

 

She knew there was no escape. She had been running for quite a while now, tree branches slapping her face, scarring her. Her hunter was following her easily, but every time he got close enough for her to feel his breath, he withdrew. However, sooner or later he would reach out and grab her. Put an end to this chase. She almost yearned for it. The end to this nightmare. She was tired, and frightened. She ran. He reached out.

Edited November 26, 2004 by northerain

[Elsanor]

Ωραίος για ακόμα μία φορά...

[Nihilio]

πολύ καλός.

[RObiN-HoOD]

Nice writing ...