COLD

by ozmorphus

A young, Jewish prostitute who lived during the time of Christ has to deal with the consequences of her actions.

COLD

Dedicated to Les who planted the seed

The day was long and his duty to Rome was even longer and harder, but he was a loyal citizen and did the bidding of the emperor. He eyes the whore he has just lain with. She is slowly getting dressed after he told her to get out after using her. She is pretty, he thinks to himself, but a whore nonetheless therefore not worthy of his time. He only has a few hours to relax before he has to check on his men who are on guard duty. The whore starts to move toward the door and then turns to him and offers him a wine skin she pulls out from her clothes. She claims it is some of the finest wine available and always likes to give her customers a parting gift before leaving. The Roman Centurion realizes he is thirsty and takes the wine skin from her and pours himself a cup. Suddenly he realizes that something might be wrong with the wine and pours a cup for the whore, telling her to drink first. She smiles and lifts the cup to her mouth and drinks greedily with a little wine dribbling down the side of her mouth. She smiles as she places the now empty cup back on the table. The Roman Centurion smiles at her and raises his cup to his lips and starts to drink the wine. It is cool and sweet on his tongue and he gulps it down until nothing remains in his cup. The whore smiles at him and heads for the door. Suddenly his vision starts to blur and there is a tightness in his chest. He feels as if his airways have slammed shut. He claws at his throat, not able to make a sound, He reaches toward the whore who is staring at him from the doorway. The last thing he sees are her pretty green eyes and a look of triumph upon her face.

Shinzu Miyatake is samurai and ruled his province with an iron fist. He took whatever woman he wanted to his bed, he killed their husbands if they protested and if the woman protested he threw her to his men after he was finished with her. He was not considered honorable by other samurai, but he had his own brand of honor and therefore did not care what they thought. As long as they stayed out of his way then he was content to leave them alone. He is riding his horse down the narrow path to the village from his castle. He is by himself, telling his guards he doesn't need them this day because he wants to be alone and also since he is a skilled warrior he doesn't have anything to fear. As he nears the village a hooded figure is walking toward him. He stops his horse and demands the person move out of the way. The person stands there, looking down and refusing to move. Miyatake then notices that this figure is that of a woman and he quickly dismounts his horse, runs up to the figure and yanks off the hood. He gasps at the face that stares back at him. He had never seen such beauty in a foreigner's face, but what strikes him the most is the woman's piercing green eyes. He immediately starts thinking about all the things he will do to her. His screams of terror chills the souls of the villagers when they hear them.

I should of been more careful, but I wasn't and now I have been trapped. All those lovely women and all the delicious things I did to them. Some called me horrible and others called me "Jack The Ripper", but none ever knew my real name, until now. She stands before me in this...this underground dungeon where I am strapped to a table. She has done so much cruel harm to my body while asking me all sorts of questions. I am in so much pain, but I refuse to allow this female creature to get the best of me. I will somehow break free from these bonds and when I do, I will do worse to her than I did to any of those whores I killed. I hear her coming closer to me again. She is holding scissors in her hand. She is saying something, asking me something, asking me why I did all the cruel things to the prostitutes. Why I displayed them like that. I laugh and spit in her face. She grabs a towel and wipes her face, smiles at me and lowers the scissors. The pain is excruciating. I feel my life slipping away. The darkness seeps into the edges of my vision, I feel as if I am falling down a deep, deep well of pain. I see green eyes...I see...the fire...

It was a perfect Saturday night. The rain beat softly on the window, giving the appearance that the glass was melting in horizontal waves. The soft yellow glow from the lamp was warm giving the room the look of honey and the still form of his lover lay next to him. He loved her as he loved many women in his lifetime, but this one was special. He remembered when she first spoke to him, the melody of her first words and the look she gave him when he responded. He believed she was the first woman he ever fell in love with before the physical connection tied them together. He gently ran his fingers through her dark hair, the smell of roses wafted into his nose.

He smiled and thought he would always remember today as being the first time they made love, she wanted him as bad he wanted her. She initially played hard to get, but in the end he won out and she gave herself to him. He nestled close to her, the stickiness of their lovemaking still wet on his and her body, as the memories of it flooded his mind.

"Yes, what a perfect Saturday night this turned out to be." He thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep. He realized he shouldn't stay as he had other business to attend to, but in the end his love got the best of him and he closed his eyes.

He dreamed quiet dreams. He dreamed he was young again and dancing in a field of purple flowers under a blue sky. The clouds danced with him. Everything is right in his dream world.

He wakes with a start as he felt a dark presence in the room. He looked around in a panic, thinking he was somehow blinded, but quickly realized the lamp was off. "How did that happen?" he thought to himself as he slowly sat up in bed, the white and dark red blanket he used to cover himself and his lover sliding to the floor like a bloody piece of ice shedding from a glacier.

A rustle of fabric sounds from one corner of the room. "Who's there?" he shouts as he vaults out of bed ready to defend his lover from the intruder.

A flash of lightning splashes off something silver.

Suddenly he feels cold, colder than he ever felt in his life and his stomach begins to burn with an invisible fire. He looks down and can't see anything in the darkened room, but he knows something has impaled him. Lightning flashes again, the silver has turned crimson.

"What is happening? Why are you doing this?" he cries. The pain increases as whatever has impaled him starts traveling from his stomach to his groin area. He feels it slice through his penis and testicles and exit his body along with his intestines and other internal organs.

His last sensation is falling back into the pool of blood from his lover, the woman who was kind enough to give him a ride while he was hitchhiking and whom he raped and murdered.

The homicide detective of the Miami Florida Police Department hated the rain. He moved to Florida all those years ago believing the hype about this city being a tropical paradise, but to him it seemed like it rained all the time. "Must be that global warming?" he thought to himself. What he hated more than the rain was the crime rate in the city. It seemed like murder was as common as the rain drops in Miami.

He stood shivering in the rain as the young body of Ann Walker was wheeled into the waiting ambulance to be taken to the coroner's office. He knew what the cause of death was; it was obvious from the huge knife sticking in her throat. He also knew she was brutally raped. What was more shocking was the guy also found at the scene. He had no identification, but he was a suspect. Fingerprints were found on the knife; Ann had bloody fingerprints all over her. If he killed her then they would have ample evidence, especially from DNA when a rape kit was tested.

The big mystery was who killed this guy? When the bodies were found, one of the detectives ran outside and started throwing up his chicken salad he had for lunch or something that looked very much like chicken salad. The mystery man was found disemboweled. He had been cut open from his stomach through his asshole and his guts were spilled all over the place, his intestines hanging from him like fat sausages. Nasty stuff.

There was no sign of forced entry in the house and the only sign of a struggle was found in Ann's car. Traces of blood were found on the steering wheel and seat. The Detective assumed it came from the punch she received on the nose by the man she was found with.

No matter how many he saw killed, he never got used to it. Most had family, but some didn't. All of them he wrote down in a small black book he kept with him. He figured if someone remembered them then at least they would still be alive in somehow.

SHE

I am a goddess wrapped in the clouds. They slide over my body like a lover wanting to touch, but to afraid too. The lighting penetrates me, infusing me, impregnating me with power. The thunder is the voice of a god screaming his approval at our love.

Then I wake up.

I am still among the clouds, but I am with others squeezed into what they call an "airplane". I smile when I think about how my customers in the distant past would have reacted if they saw one of these things fly over. Would they have continued with the service I was providing or would they have gotten off of me and ran away with their penises swaying back and forth, shriveling with fear? Right now I am sitting next to a nice looking gentleman who I have noticed is married, but still sneaks a peek at my legs and breasts occasionally. I smile to myself knowing I could easily just give myself to him or kill him if I want. I am a goddess among them and can do as I please, but I only serve Him who made me this way.

I eventually tire of flirting with the gentleman and I lay my head back and do like I always do, think about my past. There are so many burdens I carry with me, all my fault. As always my thoughts take me back to Him, the one who made me what I am. He never looked like how humans depict him today. He did not have blue eyes or long flowing brownish blond hair or white skin. Actually I think people would be shocked to realize that He closely resembled Bin Laden than how they picture Him. He also was not crucified in April. At that time it was late summer. The heat and the anger toward Him because he was proclaiming He was the "Son of God" pushed us all toward asking for his death. The Romans hesitated and beat Him instead, but our proclamations were so fierce that they eventually relented and did as we asked.

I was, and still am in some ways, a whore, and a prostitute. I was considered very beautiful by the men back then. My bright green eyes made me stand out among my darker eyed sisters in whoredom. My olive skin and long hair also fed into their desire. I was also a whore who knew how to be clean. Most whores would still have another man's seed in them and stink upon them when agreeing to bed another customer. Not me. I washed and was particular who I fucked. Funny how the word "fuck" didn't even exist when I was doing it. If the man was nasty or looked like he was diseased he was sent away. Once one tried to force himself on me. They never found his body.

Over 2000 years have passed and I still remember that day well. He was struggling as he carried that heavy piece of wood to the site of his death. He fell numerous times and we cheered. I had heard of His miracles and I even saw him teach once, but I thought nothing of Him at the time. He picked Himself up and started his journey of death again, children running behind taunting, Roman soldiers occasionally hitting him trying to spur Him on, people laughing and pointing and making fun of Him.

I was caught up in the moment. I ran from the crowd and stood in front of Him. He stopped and looked at me. I expected to see anger and hurt, but all I saw was sorrow, like he was not sorry for Himself, but for a lost puppy, lost souls. For a second I was taken aback by his stare then a Roman soldier pushed me and told me to get out of the way. I managed to regain my footing and I lunged at Him and spit in what was left of his beard. The crowd cheered their approval. He looked at me and said the words I will never forget, "Sister, I forgive you. May you live forever."

And forever I have lived, well at least over 2000 years of forever.

Once I heard Him speak, something changed in me. I felt more ashamed of this one act then of all the men I bedded. I recoiled from Him, wanting to hide my face. I ran, crying. I ran as far from Him as I could. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs sent their protest to my brain. I ran until I collapsed in a dark alley among the refuse and the dogs that haunted them. Deep sobs came forth from my chest. I was a whore, yes, but I wasn't mean or malicious. This good man did nothing to me and I spit on him. Out of all the customers who mis-treated me, refused to pay after spraying me with their seed, slapped me because they liked it rough and paid for it, I not once spit on any of them. Except for that one man I killed, I never mistreated my customers, but I did mistreat this one man who was blameless.

I do not know how long I lay in that alley. I had cried myself to sleep. When I awoke and walked out of the alley I heard people talk about how dark it had gotten and how the earth shook and the temple was damaged at the death of the man they called Jesus, the one I spit on. Many were proclaiming He was the Son of God. Others were still doubting. Me, I just didn't know.

I made my way back to my house, cleaned myself up and resumed my profession, after all a girl has to eat and be eaten.

Three days later I hear Roman soldiers screaming and running toward the place where the dead are buried. I walk out my house and ask what is going on and a passerby tells me that supposedly Jesus is not in his tomb. I immediately think his followers took his body, but then I am told his tomb was guarded by Legionnaires and a heavy stone was rolled over the entrance. I don't know what to think and still feeling ashamed of my actions toward Him, I go back to work.

The years pass and my whore friends grow older, some die, some are killed, but time is not kind to any of them. As for me, I retain my looks. I start rutting with the sons of former customers. Soon I am laying with the grandsons of these sons. My looks do not fade, my body is still that of a 23 year old yet I am old. I start working with the granddaughters of my now dead whore friends. They ask me how I manage to retain my looks. Some accuse me of sorcery. I tell them I am no witch and have never dabbled in any of the black arts, and that I have no idea why I don't age.

The words strike me once again, "Sister, I forgive you. May you live forever." Was it a curse, a gift showing He forgave me? I will only know the answer to that once I come face to face with Him, again. The next time I won't spit, but beg for His forgiveness.

I eventually went mad and some will say I still am. Years sloughed off into history. My world changed and I never grew old or lost my looks. I tired of whoring, took what money I had saved and went to Europe. I was fascinated by the Roman gladiator games, but sickened when innocent people were thrown into the coliseum. These poor people, some proclaiming to be Christians and refusing to turn from God, were ripped to bloody shreds by the gladiators and animals. They fell to their knees begging God to save them, He did not, yet they continued to stay true. Such dedication. I remember one man in particular. He had done something to offend someone of importance and was chained to a pole in the middle of the coliseum. While the chained hungry lions prowled around the edges, angling for the kill, he started preaching to the masses. He told us all we would be punished with eternal damnation unless we turned to the One True God. He looked at the Emperor and told him that he forgives him and that he would soon be with his God. The Emperor looked shaken, but ordered the lions released. The crowd roared with approval as the lions tore the flesh from his body. He died quickly. Thank God for little mercies. I turned away. I was not interested in this slaughter, but the slaughter of a different kind…

I open my eyes with a start. I look down and see the gentlemen's hand caressing my knee. His wedding ring is gone and he is leering at me. I smile back like a wolf eyeing its prey, this will be so much fun.

PREY

I.

I sit on the edge of the bed and watch the rise and fall of the gentleman's chest. He is sleeping soundly after our love making. Out of the thousands of men I bedded, he was un-remarkable and not worth remembering. He was boring and uninspiring. The memory of these few hours will be swept away into the rivers of my mind. Like the good whore, I pretended to enjoy it, but it was all an act. I learned well throughout the ages how to ply my "magic" on those I want to deceive. I feel sorry for his wife and I wonder if she is out cheating on him with someone better?

I slowly rise so I do not disturb him and begin to dress. I plan to shower his stink off of me once I get home. I do not want him to awake and try to lure me back to more time wasted with him grunting on top of me. Throughout all my centuries of life I have learned one truth, most men are fucking pigs and women are whores. Oh sure people like to beat their chest and say that is not true, but it is. Any pretty woman who spreads her legs, most men will gravitate toward her. Sure, there will be a few decent ones who will look away or say it isn't right, but not many. Women are just as bad. They have looked down on me as they passed me in the streets of Jerusalem. They knew what I was, but I knew they were the same. I spread my legs for money, they spread their legs for love, a man to protect them, a home, food, etc. To be quite base, they are all whores like me. What is the difference between me fucking for money or a wife fucking her husband so he will keep providing for her? We both are whores, just getting paid differently.

I gather my belongings and take one more look at the sleeping gentleman. Such a loser. I also gather one more item and creep out the door, silently closing it.

II.

Cindy Tomilsan loved her life and her husband. She fell in love with him when they first met and he took her virginity. She bore him three children and he provided a loving, comfortable home and lifestyle for her. He was an executive for Exxon and was paid handsomely. The only drawback to this job is his frequent trips around the world. Sometimes she would wonder if he cheated on her, but he always reassured her he was true to her and she believed it. When they made love it was like the first time, yet seemed better and better. He put his whole heart and soul into pleasing her and she loved him for it. She peeks her head around the corner and sees her husband working in his office. He arrived yesterday from El Paso, TX.

The doorbell rings and Cindy goes to answer it. Standing in the door is a FEDEX deliveryman. He has a small package addressed to her. She signs for it, thanks the man and closes the door. She opens the package and out drops a DVD. She looks inside the package, but there is nothing else. "That is strange." she thinks to herself. Cindy walks into the family room and inserts the DVD into the player. On screen she watches her husband getting a blowjob from a very pretty, young female. Soon the scene changes to him mounting this female and grunting as he thrusts in and out. The female is moaning, but for some reason it doesn't seem like she is sincere. Like she is an actress in a porno. The female pushes him off her and then she mounts him and starts to ride his penis. He moans louder and louder until he starts screaming that he is cumming. The last scene is of this unknown female looking back at the camera with pretty green eyes and smiling a sinister smile. It chills Cindy's soul. The screen fades into black.

The police arrest Cindy Tomilsan and charge her with domestic violence. Her husband is treated and released, but he will bear the scars of her finger nails dragged across his face for months, he will bear the scars of losing everything forever.

III.

El Paso, Texas

I have always loved this city, except for the scorpions. It is right on the border with Mexico and I blend in here even though I am Israeli, I look like I could be Mexican or Arab or even the product of a mixed relationship. I am pretty much accepted by many and conquered by none. I have lived here for 10 years and gotten along great with its citizens. Now a cancer is eating away at my home city and that cancer is called Miguell Cartasa. Mr. Cartasa is an extremely wealthy drug cartel lord from Mexico. He is fighting the latest drug war with his rival for control of the drug routes into and out of the US through El Paso. People die daily in this city from violence. The Ciello Vista Mall was closed for a year after Cartasa's men got into a bitter gunfight with rival dealers. Over 100 people were killed, most of them innocent.

Tonight Cartasa will be the play thing for demons.

It took awhile and I had to kill many people to get the information on his routes of travel and his likes and dislikes, but I got it. Sad to say I had to threaten the life of an innocent. His mother was one of the few informants I let live while I used them and she texted me that she had information on Cartasa's plans for the evening. When I arrived at her house her brother and his friend tried to kill me. Tried, I said. I can't die (thank, Jesus!) and it was funny looking at the expression on their faces as they saw their gun had no effect on me. I slit both of their throats. I then grabbed the woman and demanded to know why she allowed that to happen. Her breasts heaved with deep sobs as she told me she was afraid of Cartasa more than me and thought he would find out she was an informant. She then begged me not to kill her or her baby. I asked her for the information and she refused to give it to me so I let her go and picked up her baby. When I held him in my arms the darkness quickly retreated from my mind and I thought of Stephen, my baby boy who died many years ago. He was such a sweet boy and provided great comfort to me while he was here on this planet. But, as usual, the darkness gathered its forces and flooded my mind driving before it any thoughts of Stephen and the joy he brought and all I saw, laying in my arms, was another weapon I could use in an endless arsenal. Not all weapons have to be physical. Emotion is just as good.

I start walking to the door with the baby. His mother starts screaming for me not to take him. She refers to me as "El Diablo". No, I am not the devil, more like a twisted angel. The mother then starts jabbering about what she knows. Cartasa will be at The Cattlemans restaurant later this evening. I believe her and hand the baby to her. She hugs his crying form to her body.

He loved children also and that is why I never hurt them and take great pleasure in hurting those who do. Children are my weakness and bring the only joy to my life.

I tell her not to worry and that she will never have to fear Mr. Cartasa ever again. This time tomorrow, her and her baby will be wealthy and moved to another location. I do occasionally use my great wealth and connections for something good.

It is well known Mr. Cartasa has a huge sexual appetite. He beds any woman he wants and does as he pleases with them. There were even rumors that once he is done with them he turns his minions lose on them. Poor women.

Well luckily I am a woman and still very much attractive. I put on a thin barely-there sundress, paint my toenails pink, he likes this color on his women. I have cut my hair shorter than I normally have worn it in the past. I found it is harder to grab by those I kill when it is short. Of course I wear no panties. No need for them tonight.

I drive to Fabiens, TX to the Cattlemen's. It is a lonely drive as I drive among the miles and miles of sand. I think about all the bodies I have buried out in this wasteland during the past 10 years I have lived near here. Some have been found and others are yet to be discovered. All deserved death. The first person I killed in El Paso was a crackhead who molested a little girl, but due to him not having his rights read to him, escaped justice. But Justice was not blind and I am her eyes. I really didn't make him suffer. Sometimes I get bored with all the killing and just want to get it over with so I kill quickly. I shot him in the head and walked away. Others have met a more gruesome fate, like the one I have planned for Mr. Cartasa tonight. I have learned how to damage the human body in so many delicious ways over the centuries.

The Cattlemans looms into view and I park and go in. It is very crowded, as always. I patiently make my way through the crowd until I see Cartasa and his dinner party. I see he is sitting near the entrance to the rest rooms. I make my way past his table and slowly my head turns in his direction. Foolish men, they all can't resist a quick look at me. Their whores also look, but with resentment. I accomplish the first part of my plan by making eye contact with him. He gives me the same smile that gentleman on the plane gave me. I smile back, only tonight he won't enjoy me like the gentleman did.

I stay in the bathroom long enough to tease him, knowing he is waiting for me to come out. As I exit, a burly Mexican is waiting outside. "Mr. Cartasa would love for you to join him at his table." I pretend I am shocked, bat my eyelashes over my pretty green eyes and accept the invitation. Men make it so very easy. What I carry between my legs is more powerful than any weapon forged by man.

Throughout the dinner he bragged about himself. He is such a bore. He smoked his fat, stinky cigars, ordered practically everything on the menu for him and his party and kept sneaking his hand up my thigh. At first I pushed it away, trying to pretend I was a shy little girl, but as the night wore on, I wanted to finally lure him in so I let him finger me for a few seconds. I felt his body tense as he touched me. I smiled. GOTCHA!

I am back among the clouds, but this time I am soaring with Cartasa. Over the last 2000 years I have done many things, but I am still amazed at the things I haven't done yet. Tonight I get to add one more accomplishment to my list: become a member of the Mile High Club. Cartasa owned a fleet of private jets and it turns out he likes to have sex in them. He told me it keeps prying eyes from spying on him and when he is vulnerable while laying naked with a woman, it keeps any enemies from getting to him. I joke and tell him maybe one day one of your enemies will fire a Stinger missile at you. He was not amused.

We reach our cruising altitude of 25000 feet. The only other people on the plane are the pilot and co-pilot and they know not to disturb Cartasa unless it is an emergency. Cartasa leads me to a bed he had built into this plane. We kiss and he runs his hands, roughly over my body. He gropes my breasts hungrily and they respond. I have no lust for this man, but the whore in me takes over and makes him believe I want him too. "Take off your clothes." He orders. I start to comply, slipping off one of the straps of my sundress, then I stop. "Please, sir, may I go use your bathroom. I want to just freshen up before we began. He looks disappointed for a second and I start thinking I might have to move to Plan B when it comes to killing him, which would be easier and less messy, but I want to make him suffer. He rapidly shakes his head "yes" and slaps me on the butt and away I go to the bathroom. Once in I immediately insert my protection. No babies for me and Cartasa. I slip off my sundress, fluff my hair in the mirror, take a quick sniff under my arm and then open the door.

I can see Cartasa has already striped down, his erection looking like a fat tube worm covered in fur. I almost laugh, but quickly stifle it. I see he is getting impatient so I lay on the bed. He lays next to me and starts to run his hands up and down my body. His hands move toward my vagina and I stop him. "No, I don't want your fingers in there. I want you." Cartasa smiles and I spread my legs for him. He rolls on top of me. His breath still stinks of the alcohol he drank for dinner, His fat gut plops down onto my smooth stomach. I focus on my mission and immediately the old 80's song, "You Died in my Arms Tonight" flashes into my mind. From what I understand this song means that every time the singer had an orgasm with his lover he died a little in her arms. How true that will be tonight.

I grind my hips into his and moan. "Please, take me now. I am burning for you." He smiles and a drop of saliva drops onto my cheek. I want to throw this pig off, but I stick with my mission.

With a grunt he thrusts his manhood into me and gasps. I smile and wrap my legs around him, thrusting my hips against him. He tries to pull away, but it is too late. He screams as I thrust myself onto him. He tries to push himself off, but I got him, literally in a death grip. I whisper in his ear, "How does it feel? Are you enjoying yourself? I am enjoying watching you die." He struggles, but I refuse to let him pull out of me. I thrust harder and harder. He gives a shudder and a final cry and collapses on top of me. I feel myself flooded with his fluids. It begins to run out of me. I push the pig off and check his pulse. It fades quickly and his eyes are hooded, seeing nothing. I look down at his waist and admire my work. His penis is ripped to shreds. It is no longer recognizable. Blood continues to spurt from the remains and then settles down to a trickle. Mission accomplished. I quickly go into the bathroom and remove my protection, a special device made of razor blades and tiny steel barbs. I learned this nasty trick from the Vietnamese whores during Vietnam and always wanted to test it out. I am just lucky I can feel no pain or I wouldn't have tried this with him. I am a complete mess and clean myself as much as I can. A nice hot shower would be perfect, but I don't have the time. I still have to deal with the flight crew….

"This is Steven Durgin reporting for New Channel 7. We have breaking news to report. A private jet belonging to reported drug cartel boss, Miguell Cartasa landed at the El Paso airport and came to a stop at the end of the runway. The tower requested them to clear the runway, but got no answer. The anti-terrorist unit was alerted and dispatched to the plane and the scene was one of utter horror. They entered the open door and found that Mr. Cartasa had been severely mutilated and died from rapid blood loss. His crew was found bound and gagged and terrified. So far the crew is refusing to cooperate when asked who else was on the plane."

I hang up the phone with an acquaintance. In a few minutes the informant and her baby will be picked up, flown to another location and be given access to a special bank account just for them. I hope she uses her money wisely. It will take awhile to spend the ten million dollars I gave her.

I sit back and turn on a program on the Animal Channel. It is about the life of a jackal. The jackal pounces on a rabbit. The rabbit struggles and dies. The jackal howls in triumph.

I know how it feels.

WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS THE MIND WILL FALL

I.

I've always loved the Island of Trinidad. I've visited it many times and love the people, the culture and beauty. Others talk about Puerto Rico or Jamaica, but for me Trinidad is my favorite vacation spot. My "Fortress of Solitude" so to speak. Long ago I discovered an out of the way beach. Hardly anybody goes there and that is why I love it. I can relax and try to sort out the madness that has been my life.

Today as I walk along "my" beach, I notice a group of men fishing and smoking. I am upset because I don't want to share this place with anybody, but I have no control over this place. I don't own it, yet.

I'm pretty sure with the right connections, threats and the right amount of money, I would be able to purchase this stretch of beach from the Trinidadian government, but for today I am content to enjoy it and ignore the intruders to my peace.

The waves roll into the shore. The small white caps on them remind me of whipped cream as they dissolve into the sand. The breeze kisses my skin like a long lost lover, the clouds move toward me and seems to ask, "Where have you been." I soak in His glory.

I lay upon my towel and watch a crab walk by. It has its pincers in the air, threatening, but I just smile. "You have nothing to fear from me." It quickly moves along back into the water. I take one last look at the men fishing. They are ignoring me and I in turn ignore them. I close my eyes and my mind drifts to the past.

II.

Even though I am sickened by it I continue to watch the slaughter of the innocent in the Coliseum in Rome. Why doesn't their God help them? Why does He do the things He does? He willed me, a lowly whore, to live forever, yet His servants He allows to be slaughtered at the will of the various Emperors.

Decades melt into history, friends and family die. I slide deeper into my despair. I tire of whoring. I am tired of living. I just want to die. I try many ways to end my life. I tried stabbing myself, the knife wouldn't penetrate my skin. I tried poison, all I was left with was a bad taste in my mouth. I instigated a fight with a Roman Centurion. As he drew his sword and brought it down on my neck, his blade snapped. I laughed in his face. He punched and kicked me. I didn't feel his blows. I fell upon the ground, laughing as he tried to hurt me. Eventually he tires and leaves me laying there, unhurt. My mind descends further into chaos. Days blend into weeks. I find myself wandering, filthy and bedraggled throughout the wilds surrounding Rome. I find a cliff, one that looks high enough to kill and I fall. My body is limp as it sails through the air. My dirty hair blows around my face. The top of the cliff recedes faster and faster. I come to a stop, unhurt. I pick myself up. There is a depression in the ground where my body impacted, but not a bone is broken. The only wound is my heavy heart.

I drag myself over to a boulder and sit on it. I am numb. I wish a thousand, no a million times that I never spit in His face. Suddenly I hear voices coming from an opening in the side of the base of the cliff I just fell off of. I slowly stand up and shuffle toward it. The dust enveloping my every step adding to my filth. I walk inside and see five people, three men and two women sitting and talking. They are startled at my sudden appearance. "My child, what do you seek?" One of the men asks. I look at him and he doesn't flinch. I notice there are scrolls at their feet and then I see a tiny fish symbol. "Are you Christians?" I ask. They look at one another and one of the women answers, "Yes, we are."

I feel the anger boil up within me. "Tell me why He did this to me? If He loves all of us, why would He curse me?" They look at me with questioning eyes. I realize they don't understand. One of the women stands up, puts her arm around me and leads me to where she was sitting. We sit and the other woman hands me a cup of water. I drink realizing I am extremely thirsty. One of the men walks over and hands me a piece of bread that I greedily devour. "Jesus loves all of us, it is us who do not love Him at times. He came down from Heaven to die for our sins." I look up at him and say, "I saw Him carry His cross to that place where He died. I spit in His face and He cursed me." The man looks at the others around the room then says to me, "Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead 20 years ago. You look like a mere child." I start to laugh and get ready to tell them my story, but know they won't believe me so I keep my mouth shut. They will believe His miracles, but not believe me. I manage a weak reply, "He cursed me" and then my world turns black.

I awake three days later laying on a bed of straw covered in a sheet. I am in somebody's home. I turn my head and see one of the women from the cave washing herself. She turns to me and smiles, "Ahh I see you are finally awake. Stephen and the others have been worried about you." I slowly sit up and notice the rags I wore are gone and I have a fresh robe on. My skin has been cleaned and my hair washed and untangled and I don't stink. "Where am I?" I ask. The woman pats herself dry and slips a covering over her head to cover her naked body. "You are safe in my house. My name is Miriam. You fainted and were brought here. I cared for you and Stephen has come by daily to check on you."

I look around her home. It is poor, but clean, better than where I was living the last few years. "Who is this Stephen?" I ask. "Stephen is the leader of our group. As you know already we are Christians, but due to the persecution we are suffering, we have to praise Him in secret. The others were scared you would reveal our location to the Romans, but I assured them there was something special about you and that God sent you to us for a purpose." I laugh at that. What purpose could it be? To live forever? To watch all I love and know dissolve into history? Why would I want to serve a cruel God like that?

Miriam smiles at me and tells me she will be making a meal shortly. Stephen is going to stop by and she would love for me to join them. I lay back down and close my eyes. Sleep comes rapidly.

When I awake I hear a man's voice, "They got Titus earlier today. He was witnessing to an old lady in the market district and a shopkeeper over heard him and alerted the nearest centurion. The soldiers grabbed him and took him away." I sit up and ask, "Who is Titus?" The man turns and stares at me for a long minute. Miriam comes over to me and helps me to my feet. "Who is Titus?" I ask again. The man sighs and tells me, "Titus was one of the three men who were in the cave when you walked in. The other man is called Jonathan and I am Stephen. Titus is the one who had the strongest faith among our group. He fearlessly spread the Word of the Lord and now, I am afraid, he is a dead man. We all know what happens to the Christians once the Romans jail them."

I look down to the floor because I know what he is talking about. I have seen the slaughter and I shudder knowing the fate that awaits his friend. "I'm sorry for your friend." Is all I can say. Stephen looks at me and says, "Don't be. Rather let us praise God that one-day soon our beloved brother Titus will be wrapped in the Arms of the Lord and at peace." I stare at Stephen and wonder, "What kind of God do they serve that they will be willing to risk life and limb for? So far I have not seen their God keep the lions or gladiators from killing them."

Weeks past and I get to know more and more about Stephen, Miriam, Jonathan and Isabella, the other woman in the group. Stephen and Miriam love each other and talk about getting married one day. Good Christian ministers who can marry them are scarce. I suggested they just stand before their God and promise to love one another and be true to one another and perhaps He will bless them. They take me up on my advice and get married. Not wanting to intrude into their home, I move in with Isabella. She and I get along, but not as well as Miriam and I did. I miss the evenings talking to Miriam. She shared her faith with me and even though I didn't accept Jesus Christ into my heart I did listen to all that she shared. She and the rest of these Christians are a remarkable and kind group of people. They love their God and love their fellow man. I still remember that Christian I saw in the Coliseum telling the Emperor he is forgiven right before the lions were set free on him.

My days are spent helping the Christians as much as possible. I attend as many of their secret meetings as I can. I even helped scout out new secret locations. I use my one talent, whoring, to bring in some money to the group. I tell them I am helping to run errands for various shopkeepers and that is why I have money to give them. I suspect they don't believe me, but they do not pry. What amazes me is the money I give them, they use to help the poor as much as they can.

The numbers of the groups begin to grow. What started out as 5 members quickly swells to over 30. Small groups hold meetings in and around Rome. Symbols are used to show where to meet at and when. Sometimes I will see these symbols and I will smile to myself because I know a secret no one else around me knows. The joy of these Christians is infectious. I sing along with them, I pray with them and I try to comfort those who lose loved ones to death. God's purpose begins to become clear to me. Maybe I am here to build up His church and make it grow? I become more and more intrigued with Jesus and His life. Some of the tales I hear are hard to believe such as Him feeding 5000 people with a few fish and pieces of bread or Him walking on water. My mind wants to dismiss these tales as pure fantasy made up by His believers, then my heart reminds me about me. If He was a charlatan, then how come I am still alive? I should be old and dead by now, but I am still youthful. My body is still that of a very young woman. My face has no wrinkles. Others age, but I don't. I realize what they are telling me is true. Jesus is the one true God and one day during a prayer service. I fall upon my face and give my life to Him. I start to cry, deep sobs that come from deep within my core. I confess my sins of being a whore, of killing that one customer years ago. I ask God to forgive me for all my doubt and I beg Him to tell His Son I am truly sorry for spitting in His face."

Miriam and the other ladies gently wrap their arms around me as the sobs shake my body. I know they may think I may be a lunatic for some of the things I am saying, but they say nothing. Eventually the tears stop flowing and I manage to compose myself. I feel as if a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. He has taken my yoke upon His shoulders and I am free.

But sometimes freedom has a price.

A month after accepting Christ into my life, Stephen rushes into Isabella's home and says, "The Roman's have Miriam." All three of us rush to the prison and try to see Miriam, but we are forbidden to by the guards. My old self would have offered myself to them in exchange for seeing her. But as a Christian I had put away my old self. I was a new person. We return to Stephen and Miriam's home and start to pray. We pray for a miracle. We ask God to spare her and to return her to us. Stephen begins to cry and we comfort him. I am hoping for a miracle, but I don't believe one will happen. I don't have the faith the size of a mustard seed.

A week later, gladiator games are announced and I attend. None of the other Christians attend, but I have to see for myself Miriam's fate. I pray that God will still work a miracle. I sit in the front row and the Emperor enters to the roar of the crowd. He sits and then beckons for the games to begin. We sit through what seems like hours of gladiators ripping each other to shreds. Soon the crowd tires of the combat and starts to chant for the Christians. The Emperor commands an end to the gladiatorial combat. The guards drag the remains of the dead off the floor of the Coliseum. Soon a side door opens and guards starts dragging a naked, filthy mass of humanity out. A group of ten Christians are chained together. I look and see Miriam chained at the end. She is looking down, trying to cover her nakedness with her hands. I stare at her hoping she will raise her head and look at me, but she doesn't.

The guards quickly retreat and the lions enter the ring. They are still chained, but one manages to lunge and gets it paws around the first man of the group. He screams as the lion drags him and he in turn starts dragging the other Christians with him. The lion bites through his arm, thus releasing him from the other chained prisoners. They quickly retreat to the middle of the ring, away from the lion. The other lions, are excited and seeking blood as they watch one of their brothers feed on his prey. They too are hungry and want to eat.

Suddenly the nine remaining Christians, including Miriam fall on their knees and start to pray. The crowd screams obscenities at them. The men start offering money for the women in the group to be set free so they can have sex with them. The crowd sickens me. I realize I have experienced something like this before. When He was dragging His cross to that place of death. The crowd was just as excited. The only difference is I am not part of them anymore. I am His.

The Emperor grows tired of the Christians. He looks disappointed because they are not screaming or begging for their lives. He quickly claps his hands and the lions are released. They prance around their targets then leap. Blood mingles with screams. The crowd roars its approval. I want to turn away, but I can't. Suddenly Miriam looks up at me and smiles. She has a peaceful look on her face. She continues to stare at me as a lion seizes her shoulder and starts to gnaw. Another lion grabs onto her leg. She does not scream, but she does a strange deed that I shall never forget, she puts her finger up to her lips as a sign for me not to say anything. Soon I see what she doesn't want me to tell. She closes her eyes and rolls back as the lions start to chew on her. I want to vomit, but I continue to stare and then I see it. Through the dust and manic movements of the lions around what is left of her body I see a small fetus laying on the ground. She was pregnant with Stephen's child and he didn't know it. He never knew it because I kept her last request and never told.

I don't remember leaving the Coliseum. My next memory is being back in the wilderness, dirty and ragged again. Many have given their life for Him, yet He refuses to stop the slaughter of His people. What kind of God demands our worship, yet won't help us in our hour of need? Where is the God that stopped Abraham from killing Isaac? That parted the Red Sea? That closed the mouth of the lions around Daniel? Why didn't he close the Coliseum lion's mouths? Why do you allow suffering to go on in this world? "WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER ME?" I scream toward the heavens. Then an answer forms in my mind, "What do you do to make the world a better place?"

The storm in my soul subsides, darkness floods my mind. I know what I am going to do to make the world a better place.

III.

Everybody needs somebody to watch out for them. The Christians were my friends. They took me in and treated me well, even when I was not one of them they still loved me and trusted them. I was going to make their world a little better. I was going to make everybody's world a little better.

My first victim was the Roman Centurion who was in charge of the section of the city Miriam was taken from. He died slowly from poison. The next victims were the guards who refused us entrance to the prison where Miriam was kept. I made myself up like the whore I used to be and slit both of their throats as I whispered in their ears what they could do to me. I killed more and more each week and each week I felt my power and confidence grow. Christians still were sent to their deaths, but so were some of Rome's finest. I didn't just kill Rome's soldiers, oh no no no, I killed the corrupt of society also. The murderers, rapist, pedophiles, thieves. All those who did wrong died by my hands. I am doing my part to make the world better.

I never saw Stephen and the other Christians again the day Miriam died. I couldn't face them knowing what I was going to do. I especially couldn't face Stephen, knowing what I knew about his child. I am happy to say that Stephen died of old age in a town in Northern Italy. He became a great man of God and started more churches that spread the Word of God. I would like to think my early killing spree somehow prevented the Romans from killing him. Maybe when I stand before God I will ask Him if anything I did in some way changed Stephen's destiny.

I tired of Rome and took my show on the road so to speak. I moved throughout Europe always staying one step ahead of the law. I left a trial of bodies along my path. Anybody who crossed me died. Anybody who I found out was a criminal died. Anybody who sought to harm Christians died. Children were the only ones I spared.

I eventually made it to England and settled there for a time. The Romans left the land and what became known as the "Dark Ages" descended. It truly was a dark time. Crime was rampant, people were ignorant, disease oozed through the land like mud between the toes of the poor. I kept to myself. I had a small home built in a forest near a small lake. Nobody ever ventured back there. I heard rumors that people were scared because they thought I was a witch and would seize them and send them to hell. I smiled when I first heard that rumor. As long as they left me alone I would leave them alone. Oh sure, I killed more people, but nobody was ever present as witnesses.

As I lived through the Dark Ages I started to formulate my plan on how to become better at killing and making the world a better place. I could always whore for money, but I didn't want to do that and I got sick of men sweating and grunting on me all the time. I needed another way to earn money. Antiquities. People were interested in obtaining riches and artifacts. I heard rumors that pieces of the one true cross and the Holy Grail were circulating in England. I started searching and hoarding treasures knowing that as the world got older these trinkets would become more valuable. Swords, jewelry, gold, silver, writings, anything I could get my hands on and stash away I did. I left England to travel Europe and the Middle East in search of these treasures. One treasure I did find, I refused to keep. It was the Ark of the Covenant. I knew all the places to go in Jerusalem since I used to live there. I knew about the secret tunnels under the temple from customers who would divulge information to me after they bedded me. I searched and found the Ark of the Covenant based on what one corrupt temple priest told me once. I refused to touch it when I found it. I knew the story about the man who did and died. I paid some local criminals handsomely to move it for me to Ethiopia. Once we got to Ethiopia, I killed the criminals and left the Ark in the care of a local Christian. There was a television show on a few years ago about "Searching for the lost Ark of the Covenant." They mentioned how the Ethiopians claim they have the Ark hidden in a building and it is guarded. The reporter walked around the building showing the guards in robes and a small metal fence. You could tell from the reporter's arrogance that he didn't really believe the Ethiopians really had the Ark of the Covenant and kept it in such an unsecured location. That is the beauty of hiding it there. Nobody believes something as valuable as the Ark would be kept in a little building surrounded by a rusted fence and guarded by a bunch of old Ethiopians. Humans are too arrogant for their own good and it usually is their downfall.

As I amassed my treasure I also acquired "acquaintances". I knew I would need help at times acquiring various items such as weapons and, back then, admittance to the world of men. I studied those I targeted to be my "acquaintance" and if they checked out I approached them. My terms were they do as I ask, no questions asked. They are always available when I need them and if they betray me in any way they will suffer my wrath. I then explained to them what their income would be if they helped me and that was the final hook that got them. I paid them handsomely whether I used them or not. The ones I used were always helpful and always came through for me. As acquaintances died off from old age I replaced them with new ones. They worked for me, I never worked for them although I did make an exception once in the 1980's. The Arabs were kidnapping Westerners in Lebanon. One day a group of Arab kidnappers got a wild hair up their ass and kidnapped some Russian soldiers who were helping to train the Syrian Army. One of my acquaintances contacted me and begged me to help her. It seems one of those soldiers who were kidnapped was her only son. She had been real good to me and was one of the best acquaintances I had so I agreed on the condition that nothing about my involvement is mentioned in the press.

I flew to Lebanon and after a week of bribes, threats and the occasional killing, I managed to find out the names of the Arab kidnappers and their families. I arranged for some of their family members to be brought to a place I had rented. Another acquaintance of mine who was a great doctor, put them into a deep sleep and proceeded to amputate various parts of their bodies they could live without such as fingers and toes. The leader of the kidnapper had a little daughter. I had her also and she was wearing a pair of little emerald earrings her father gave her. We put her to sleep and cut off one tiny earlobe with the earring attached. We then packaged all the body parts along with photos of their loved ones missing those body parts and a friendly note from me explaining what more I would do if the Russians aren't freed and had a courier drop them off to the kidnappers.

The Russians were released soon after and the article that appeared in Time Magazine talked about my work in Lebanon, but attributed it to the KGB. Good acquaintance.

All the family members were returned and the little girl recovered fine. She was no worse the wear from her experience. She did miss her daddy, though and always wondered what happened to him. Only I know the answer to that question.

As my wealth expanded so did my killing skills. I traveled the world and paid the best to teach me. I learned sword-fighting, martial arts, became an expert shot when guns were invented. I dove into the world of violence in order to make myself the ultimate killing machine. I was determined to become the best at making the world a better place. I also amassed an arsenal of weapons. I loved the different instruments of death and used them quite well. As a matter of fact that rapist I killed in Miami, I used a 500-year old Japanese sword to disembowel him. He should be honored.

I trained and trained and got wealthier and wealthier, but I always flew "under the radar" so to speak. I never came across as rich. I never bought gaudy bobbles or purchased extravagant items. I never flaunted my wealth and power. My standards were to never kill "high profile" targets such as kings or presidents. I felt if I did that then I ran the risk of being exposed. Nobody is going to care if some drug dealer or pedophile or murderer is laying in a pool of blood. Sure, there will be investigations, but the roads never lead to me. Even if they did, I could disappear. No, I move through the world unseen and always in the background. Like the song says. "I am the "Who" when you ask who's there?"

IV.

Fifteen hundred and sixty-seven was a very good year for me. It was the year I met Daniel Hollings in London. I was at the market haggling over a price of fish when I noticed Daniel looking at me. I returned his stare and he smiled. He had a beautiful smile, he was a real charmer. He proceeded to walk over to me and told the shopkeeper to put the fish on his tab and asked if I would please join him for dinner. I immediately thought he wanted to bed me so I told him "no" and walked away. He followed me through the market stammering how I was one of the most beautiful women he ever laid eyes on and begging me to have dinner with him. Tiring of his antics, plus I was getting embarrassed, I agreed and I am glad I did.

We courted for a year and during that year not once did he ever try to bed me. Daniel was a very pious man and loved the Lord. His devotion to the Lord reminded me of Stephen. Daniel and I went to church often, and I would sit and listen as he read out of the Bible to me. We discussed all kinds of theological questions and he would wonder what it would have been like to be one of Jesus' disciples. I pretended I would have liked to have seen Jesus and ask Him some questions and he would respond, "Silly little thing. The only way we will see Jesus is when we die." I would smile and give him a hug. How wrong you were about that, Daniel.

After a year Daniel asked me to marry him. After the life I had lived up to that point I thought nothing would shock me, but it did. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I told Daniel I would have to think about it. Once I got home I got down on my knees and prayed. I hadn't prayed in so long that I felt God wouldn't answer my prayers anymore. "What shall I do I asked?" No answer came so I decided on my own. I would marry Daniel.

We got married on November 21, 1568. It was a small wedding with only Daniel's family in attendance. My family was dust by now and couldn't attend. I told Daniel I was raised an orphan and really had no family. I hated lying to him, but I doubt he would have accepted the truth. His family didn't really approve of me since I didn't look like your typical English woman. My skin was darker and it was obvious I had "foreign blood" in me as I once overheard his mother tell him, but Daniel loved me and I can't say I loved him as deeply as he loved me, but I had an extreme like for him. It was hard to fully love him knowing I would still go on and he would not, sailing on the winds of time.

Daniel and I moved into his home and he made it a point to bring me a flower each day he came home from work. He worked as a teacher in an orphanage. It didn't pay well and we didn't have much, but we made the most of what we had. I was still immensely wealthy and when I could I had an acquaintance sneak some extra money in Daniel's pay.

After marrying Daniel, I stopped my mission. I felt it was time to let go and let God so to speak. I didn't kill anymore, but I still maintained my training and acquaintances. When I needed to travel abroad I had an acquaintance send me a letter stating that such and such friend, who was like a sister to me, was sick or near death and requested my presence. Daniel never questioned why I had to go when a letter came. Those times I left Daniel I was working on building my wealth, acquiring new acquaintances or training on the newest weapon I heard about.

Then the biggest shock of my life happened to me. I became pregnant in latter part of the year Fifteen Sixty Nine. I couldn't, and to some extent, I still don't believe it. The thousands of times I had sex before Jesus cursed me I never got pregnant. The thousands of times I had sex after I was cursed I never got pregnant, but the one time I fall for a man and enter a normal relationship I get pregnant. I wasn't trying to get pregnant and Daniel wasn't pressuring me to, but I knew he wanted a child. He worked with the orphans all day long and his heart hurt for them. At first, I was upset. "What am I going to do with a baby?" "Why is this happening?" Then as the months wasted away and my belly became bigger and I could feel the baby move, I learned to look forward to my impending motherhood. I loved seeing the joy on Daniel's face as he laid his head on my stomach and the baby kicked and moved. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I could never bring myself to say those words. He never asked me why I never told him I loved him. It is one of my regrets I live with.

On July 16, 1570 I gave birth to the baby. The hardest part of the birth was trying to fake I was in pain. If my water didn't break I would have never known he was coming. I laid there pretending to be experiencing pain, but I felt nothing. I pushed when the mid-wife told me to and I moaned. Daniel walked back and forth wringing his hands and worrying. I felt sorry for him knowing it was all an act, but I knew in the end once the baby was born he would be happy.

After being in labor for 5 hours, out came the baby. It was a boy and Daniel told me to name it. I called him Stephen. It was the least I could do for Miriam's and Stephen's lost child. Daniel asked where I got the name from and I told him it was the name of a very kind Christian man whose family took me in when I was a child and taught me the ways of Christ. Daniel seemed pleased with that explanation and I was happy.

Stephen was a beautiful baby. He was always laughing and cooing and when I nursed him he would stroke his tiny hand over my cheeks and stare into my eyes until he drifted off to sleep. He loved me and I can say, other than Christ, he was the first person I ever loved. We did everything together. Daniel taught him how to read and would play rough games with him. I would shower him with love and affection.

Stephen grew into a very special little boy. Never giving me any trouble. He was truly a gift from the Lord. One day, when he was 5 years old he came to me and asked, "Mother, why doesn't papa play with me like he used to?" I told him Daniel was tired from working all day. The truth is something else was wrong. The spark of life was slowly leaving Daniel's eyes. I could see it flare out. He was still a young man, but started moving as if he was ancient, like I was. He came home from work and wouldn't eat and often times would go straight to bed. Various doctors would check on him, but they didn't know the cause. Today we call it prostate cancer.

Daniel wasted away and was in agony. He laid in the bed all day and I did what I could to help. I sought help from acquaintances who were in the medical field, but they could do nothing for me. I prayed, but of course, I got no answer.

One day Stephen was outside playing with the other children. Daniel was breathing harshly and moaning. I mopped his forehead and kissed his lips. They were cold. Daniel looked at me and said, "When I stand before the Lord, I am going to fall on my knees and thank Him for sending you into my life. I love you and I know that one day we will be together again." He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. I sat there staring at him. I wanted so much to tell him I loved him too, but looking at him slowly leaving me kept me from doing so. I also knew Stephen one day would leave me, but he was so young and that day was so far away that I didn't ponder it.

Daniel started to moan and grimace, the pain was eating him alive. I lowered my head and began to cry. I was going to make his world a better place. I picked up a pillow and placed it over his face. He didn't struggle. I watched his chest rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and stop. His body relaxed and I took the pillow off his face. He had a peaceful expression on his face. He was with God now and he knew my secret.

V.

After Daniel's death, my life revolved around raising Stephen. Daniel's family helped when they could and his mother even became more accepting of me. She even taught me how to cook (I was a terrible cook, but Daniel never complained). The news around London was about the "New World" as they were calling it. Today we call it America. The English and Spanish were sending expeditions to this strange new land. It sounded exciting, but at the moment I was busy raising my son to become a man like his father was.

Stephen grew and entered his teen years. He would never question why I remained young looking while his friend's mothers aged. He knew something was different about me and I considered telling him my secret when he got older, but for now I kept quiet.

Too bad others couldn't do the same. Jealous shrews started spreading the word I was into "witchcraft" and all kinds of sorcery. I hadn't killed anybody in anger in years and that old familiar murderous itch started creeping into my mind, but I remembered my code: Only kill those who hurt others and Christians.

An acquaintance informed me that Sir Walter Raleigh was sending another group of people to the "New World" in order to start another colony. He had sent one composed of all men previously. This acquaintance suggested it would give me a chance to get away from the prying eyes and wagging tongues. I discussed it with Stephen and he eagerly agreed to make the voyage to the New World. Looking back, I should have gone somewhere else.

I acquire passage with John White and the rest of the colonist to the New World. There were 117 of us making this journey. Stephen was 16 years old and the year was 1587. We arrived on Roanoke Island on July 22, 1587, a few days after Stephen's 17th birthday. Stephen made me proud. He helped the men establish our little colony and provided a positive role model for the few children who were there. We had a total of 90 men (including Stephen), 17 women (including me) and 11 children (including Virginia Dare, the first English baby born in the New World). The local Croatoan natives were friendly toward us.

One thing I learned is no matter where you go, evil will follow.

One day I was sitting out in the wilderness enjoying nature and the beauty of this new land when George Howe appeared. George Howe wasn't a very nice man and I knew he lusted after me. He walked up to me and asked why I was out by myself. I told him I wanted to relax and be alone. He stared at me and for some reason I knew what was going to happen next. He lunged at me and pushed me down. His foul breath and his rough hands assaulted me. He squeezed my breasts and started trying to undo his pants at the same time. I struggled, but I couldn't throw him off so I resorted to plain animal instincts. I bit his top lip off. I bit down and pulled with all my might and ripped it from his face. He jumped off of me, holding his face and howling. I stood up and as I stood I picked up the nearest rock and smashed it into his head. I hit and hit him until the gray matter of his brains oozed into the grass.

I stood up and admired my handiwork. I admit, it felt good to kill him. The adrenaline coursed through my body, my senses were heightened, and I wanted to kill again. But I thought about Stephen and I calmed down. I knew if the other colonist found out they would make Stephen's life and mine miserable. I went back to the colony and acted as if nothing happened. A few hours later another colonist comes running into the compound exclaiming they found the body of George Howe and it looked like local natives attacked him.

That night a meeting is held and the colonist demand that John White, our governor return to England and seek help. John White agreed and left. That would be the last time he sees us again. Oh, he would return, it is just that he would return to nothing.

Stephen had an eye for a young woman named Becky. She was 15 years old. Stephen told me he loved Becky and planned to marry her one day. I smiled at his enthusiasm and told him if he treated her like his father treated me then he would make her very happy. The problem was her parents, Thomas and Mary Wright. They did not approve of Stephen or me for that matter. I didn't look "English" enough. Soon the "witch" rumors started. I tried to ignore them, but they persisted.

People started to shun me and Stephen began to be harassed. I told him to ignore them and concentrate on being a good man.

Then the darkness returned.

I was woken up by someone pounding on my door. When I opened it Becky stood before me crying. I felt an icy chill run down my spine. In between sobs she told me that her father had caught her and Stephen kissing in a barn and confronted him. She said her father knocked Stephen to the ground and cursed him. Stephen jumped up and told her father he was going to marry his daughter and that is when her father got really mad and proceeded to beat Stephen. Other men heard the commotion and arrived on the scene. They joined in the beating of the "witch's son" as some of them called him.

I quickly dressed and ran out my home toward the barn. When I got there my baby was laying there broken and bleeding. He was barely alive. I held his head in my lap trying to elicit a response, but no response was forthcoming. I buried his head into my chest begging God to spare him. I rocked him back and forth as I wept over him. My tears fell onto his lips and he opened his eyes and looked into mine. His hand reached up and stroked my cheek and he looked into my eyes and drifted off to a forever sleep.

The other colonist just stood there as I cried. Nobody, except Becky, tried to comfort me. Becky helped me load his body into a wagon and I buried him in the woods. I then went back home and sat on my bed, numb. I was not going to ask God why this time. I knew I would not get an answer. For a few years He let me enjoy some peace and gave me a wonderful husband and son and now both were gone. I was alone again, with darkness as my only friend. Stephen's death opened my eyes. I saw humanity as a parasite. Evil permeates all of us, but there are some who are truly evil. I still considered myself a Christian, but I wasn't turning the other cheek. "Vengeance is mine, Saith the Lord, I will repay." So true, but I didn't care. I was going to give the Lord some help.

The colony on Roanoke Island did not "mysteriously disappear", I was the cause. I killed every man in that colony in one night. As they slept I used all the skills I learned and crept into their homes and slit their throats. The screams of their women were music to my ears. I moved from house to house slicing and dicing. The blood flowed and covered me. I was in my element again. I was evil personified. When the morning arrived eighty-nine men lay dead and two women (they attempted to stop me from killing their husbands). The remaining 15 women (including Becky) and all the 11 children were forced by me to march to the local Crotoan Indian tribe. Although I didn't know the language, after much hand waving and finger pointing their chief realized I was giving them to him. I didn't care what they did with them.

I then went back to our colony and proceeded to clean it. The bodies of the dead were driven to the ocean where I dumped them one by one. They drifted out to sea never to be seen again. I then discarded the sheets where the blood was spilt. Lastly I returned to the Croatoan Indians and offered them the fruits of the colonist efforts. They descended upon the colony and dismantled the homes and fortifications and drug the wood and everything else off for their own personal use. All that was left was a post of the fort where I carved the word "CROATOAN" to let anyone who arrived know that is where the children were. I then headed to an area where we kept some small boats we used for fishing. The night was creeping toward me. It matched my soul. Before I left I started to carve "Croatoan Natives have the children." into a nearby tree. But I got as far as carving the word "CRO" when I decided, "To hell with it" and left.

The night descended upon me. I managed to make it to the mainland of the New World and I collapsed on the beach. Darkness enveloped me, embraced me, claiming me as its own.

I open my eyes and I see darkness surrounding me. The darkness is smiling at me with white teeth. The darkness is pulling off my bikini bottoms. The darkness is fondling my breasts. The darkness wants to become one with me…

ABOMINATION

We are ageless. We were there from the beginning and we will be there in the end. We were there when He created everything. We sang His praises and admired His work. We walked among His creation. We danced among the stars. We loved Him, but we loved another more.

Our master came to us. "We can take His throne! We can rule in His place! Join me and We will be like the most High." We believed him and a terrible war ensued. Heaven was broken open and He forced us out. We wandered among His creation angry, bitter, tortured.

Then the master gave us a purpose. We would hurt those He loved the most. We descended upon this planet they call Earth. We observed quietly the love shared by its only two inhabitants. They were naked, but carefree. They were like children and they daily walked with Him. He loved those two and we knew it, but He also gave them free will and a command not to disturb one area of the Garden they lived in.

Our master is the great seducer. He inhabited the body of one of the animals in the Garden and enticed the woman to disobey Him. When she did we gleefully danced, seeing our time coming. The woman, in turn, seduced the man and we came into the world. The floodgates were open for sin and it blackened this world and we rode the wave.

They were forced out of His Garden by one of His. We too left this place to plan the downfall of his creation. For thousands of years we have worked to achieve this goal. We are not like Him, but we are terrible in our wrath. The master gave us each a job to do and we do it well. Some of us are murderers, others thieves. Some of us prey on the young minds of the innocent, warping them with the pleasures of this planet until they know nothing, but us and refuse to acknowledge Him.

Our job was the most important. We were named Abomination and we were to do what we could to destroy mankind. A number of us entered into relationships with human women. These women gave themselves to those of us willingly. We loved them and in return they produced our offspring. Our offspring were mighty. They towered over His creation, they had more power, and more speed. We out did the Creator. We could create life just as He did, but our life was better. Our offspring started to exert their rule throughout the earth. They began to teach the humans the mysteries of the universe. They showed them how to do things that were magical back then and would be consider magical today. The fruits of their labor are still present to this day in the forms of various monuments throughout the world. Today's humans think "aliens" helped ancient man. We know the truth. Our offspring started to turn the ways of the human. Perversion ran rampant through the earth.

Then the Purge happened.

Our perversions brought forth His wrath. He looked bitterly upon the face of His creation and saw what we had done to it. He destroyed it all, except for eight humans and some animals. We watched as those left out of the Ark struggled to survive the deluge. Their souls fleeing their bodies and being dragged into Hell by us. We laughed and made a game of it as soul after soul was captured and sent screaming down into the pit for all eternity. We knew our brothers who inhabited those low places would be thrilled with the gifts from above.

In a matter of hours only those eight survived. We watched, disappointed as they floated. We tried to capsize their boat, but He wouldn't allow it.

He then turned his wrath upon us. Our former brothers, those that stayed loyal to Him, descended from Heaven and fought us. Many of us scattered among his Creation. We tried to hide, but we knew there was no safe hiding place from Him. He was everywhere we went. The pursuit went on for weeks. The ones who had actually lain with human women were the main focus of this latest war. They were bound and dragged screaming into the pit, never to be released.

Soon the Purge came to an end. The waters receded and the eight remaining humans started to repopulate the earth. He then sent a token to them showing He would never destroy all of them ever again. We laughed as we saw the rainbow form. We mocked it and the different colors it produced. We attempted to make one on our own to show Him we are just as powerful, but we were not successful.

We didn't have much to do, but we did what we could. We enticed one of the sons of the eight to look upon his father's nakedness. For that act the Son was cursed by the father. We laughed at that, but it was not enough. Eight people were not enough for the thousands of us to share.

We brooded and waited and soon the Earth begins to fill with people. We had more to chose from. We set our eyes on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We revel in their debauchery. Sex and every other kind of perversion we visit upon that place. Nobody is safe, women, children, old people all are used in one way or another. We joyously inhabit the bodies of who we want and indulge in the carnal pleasures of the city. We rejoiced in our pleasure and perversion, but there is one we could not turn.

Lot and his family remained true to the One. Lot did not participate in any of our perverse activities. His daughters remained chaste, his wife remained loyal. We knew He was not going to tolerate us for too long. We knew the end was coming when we observed two of our former brothers enter Lot's house. We sent a crowd of men to take them. We turned up the lust in them. We whispered in their ears, "You must have those men. You burn for them. You want to be inside of them and they in you." The crowd screamed at Lot to bring out his guests. Lot offered his daughters instead. The crowd roared their disapproval. They wanted his guests. We incited the crowd even further and soon they were a frenzy mob, ready to kill Lot. The visitors pulled Lot back in the house to safety and then used His power to blind the crowd. We were defeated again.

We are not privy to the prayers or the conversations between Lot and Him, but we do know Lot was told to leave the city and not look back. Lot gathered his two daughters and his wife and fled. We sat on the surrounding mountains and watched as He leveled our cities. Great fountains of smoke rose into the sky. Thousands of bodies burnt that day and thousands of souls burn for all eternity.

Like in the case of Noah we attempted to harm Lot. "Turn around" we whispered. "Look back." He refused, but his wife was weak. We managed to have her turn and turn she did, into a pillar of salt. We rejoiced because we still had influence. He may destroy what we do, but the free will he gave these pitiful humans is their undoing.

II.

Ironically, it was He who gave us our greatest ideal. He was pouring out his wrath upon the Egyptians to free His people. We hardened the Pharaoh's heart. No matter what He did, we refused to allow the Pharaoh to bulge. He was not going to let His people go and we rejoiced in every triumph against His Will.

Then He sent Death. We were powerless to stop it. Death stalked the empty streets of Egypt and the slave cities. The first born males, not protected by the blood of a lamb, were taken. Death did not care whether it was a 1 day old baby or a 40 year old man, if he was first born his soul got carried away. We normally would rejoice when we saw so many die, but we looked on in utter defeat. We knew our hold on Pharaoh was broken by Him. We bowed our heads in defeat.

But out of this defeat, a new spark was born. We may not be able to create life like Him, but we were more than capable of destroying it. We talked among ourselves and decided to use His own actions against Him. We targeted the innocent. Children are weak creatures and subject to the control of adults so we happily put our plans into action. We would make the innocent suffer for ages.

And suffer they did. We descended upon the weaker and baser of the humans and gave them unnatural urges and affections toward children. Millions of children were abused, beaten, killed. Century after century we applied our new ideals and children suffered. We knew He was not pleased, yet He very rarely stepped in to stop us. He would send humans to block our paths, some were successful, but others were not. Our evilness flowed around and through humanity like a black river.

We remember once seeing a young Christian mother die in the Roman Coliseum. Her fetus was ripped from her body by a lion and laid bare in the dust. It gave us our new ideal. Abortion became our next big plan. We loved seeing dead babies pulled from their mother's wombs. We loved the suffering we saw as the mother's heart was tore open once she realized what she had done. We took many women souls to hell when they died during abortions or when they committed suicide from guilt. He got the souls of the dead babies, but we didn't care about them. They served their purpose and we had no more use for them. We just wanted them dead to show Him we can be just as powerful.

He knew them before they were in the womb. That is true, but we killed them while they were in the womb. Abortion was made legal in many nations even so called "Christian" ones. Our abortion tentacles even spread evil among the born. Many abortion doctors were killed by so called "Christians" doing the Lord's work. This caused non-Christians to hate Christianity even more. We rejoiced as we saw Christians harassed and beaten. We hate them worse than any other human for their souls are His.

III.

Our lord and master grows impatient. The master has read His Word and he knows what it says. One day our master will be given control of this filthy ball of dust for seven years. When that happens we plan to unleash a hell upon this earth that has never been seen in human history.

We are summoned to our master, Lucifer. Lucifer stands before us, big and bright and beautiful. He truly is an angel of light. Lucifer curses Him that made all. We join in. We laugh and mock His pitiful attempts at thwarting our plans. We have killed billions of children throughout history. Lucifer is pleased, yet he is ready for more. He does not want to wait any longer. He wants the planet now and will do whatever it takes to bring about the end of the human race. We inform him that the One controls Time. Lucifer visage changes. He glows a deep red. His angelic features melt into a mask of pure horror and we turn our faces from his and bow. Lucifer curses us and the venom spews forth from his mouth, "I BROUGHT YOU ALL OUT FROM UNDER HIS RULE! I RIGHTFULLY SHOULD BE SITTING ON HIS THRONE! I AM YOUR LORD AND MASTER AND I WILL ASCEND TO HIS THRONE! TIME MEANS NOTHING TO ME NOR THE ONE WHO CONTROLS IT! I WILL CONTROL ALL HE HAS CREATED THE EARTH IS MINE AND SO IS HIS PITIFUL CREATION THAT INHABITS IT! I WILL NOT BE DENIED!

We shake with fear. We beg for his forgiveness and ask not to be sent down under. Many of us that have displeased our master were sent to that terrible place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth..

Our master's visage returns to the angelic appearance and he smiles at us. We stand again before him and await his orders. We keep silent as we listen to what he has planned. It is an old, but good plan and the promise of the One made to Noah thousands of years ago will help in humanity's defeat.

REDEMPTION

I stand in the light. The light infuses me with an overwhelming love. I have never experienced love like this before. All my past sins mean nothing to me. I am a new person. I walk, but cannot see anything except this all encompassing light.

I don't know how long I have been here. Days, weeks, years, or just mere minutes. After what seems like an eternity I see two figures moving toward me. One figure stops just out of range of my vision. I cannot recognize who or what it is, but the other figure causes me to run to it. Stephen my dear little boy falls into my arms. He is stronger, and healthier. He is a full grown man, but I still see him as my little boy. I start to cry as I bury my head into his chest. "I have missed you so much by baby. The few years I had you and your father were some of the happiest of my life." Stephen doesn't say a word, but lifts my head off his chest and strokes my cheek with his hand and looks into my eyes and smiles.

My tears stop and I have so many questions I want to ask, but Stephen shakes his head "no" and turns to look at the other figure. I turn my head too and gasp. It is Him whom I spit upon.

I release my grip on Stephen and fall down before Him. I beg for His forgiveness. I beg for His release from His curse. I cry and cry and out of my mouth flows the many sins I have committed all in His name. The darkness left my mind and I saw clearly what I was doing was an abomination in His eyes. I had perverted His Word and taken upon myself to do His Will. My past was not His Will, but mine own.

He reaches down and lifts me up. I see the holes in His wrists where the Romans nailed him to the cross. I look into his face and touch the spot where I spit on Him. He smiles at me and then a jolt travels through my body. I can still see Him, yet I see another. I see a creature half human and half demon. I see this creature take on the visage of a man and that rules over the nations. I see the mountain's crumble, cities melt. The ocean's disappear. I see billions and billions of bodies rotting on the earth. My mind travels all over the planet and there are very few people left, all of them child bearing women gathered in a stone temple in what looks like the Congo in Africa. I see hideous creatures dancing upon the bodies of the dead. They are laughing and congratulating themselves. They are happy because they succeeded in destroying His finest creation. They mock Him and dare Him to come down from His Throne.

I then see a powerful angel walk near these creatures. They immediately bow before it and praise it. This angel glows with an unnatural light. Something just is not quite right with it. The angel speaks and its voice shakes the earth. I HAVE ASCENDED TO THE MOST HIGH! I HAVE TAKEN HIS PLANET AND I AM NOW ITS KING! WE WILL MAKE HIS WORLD OUR HOME! WE WILL POPULATE IT WITH OUR SEED THEN WE WILL MARCH ON HIS GATES AND TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!

The creatures sing his praises as they go to the women in the temple. The women welcome them with open arms and legs and a great orgy ensues. Every perversion known is committed on these women and yet they still are wanting more.

The scene shifts and I see these women giving birth. It is painful and their screams fill the air of the jungle, but one by one a baby is born. The babies looks human, but they are large. I see these children grow into large adults. They look like giants and rule over one another with an iron will. They are taught the mysteries of the universe by their creators. They repopulate the earth and soon they have the ability to move among the stars. They start to spread their evil among His beautiful creation.

Then I am pulled back. I am standing before him, surrounded by the light. He takes my face into his hands and kisses both of my cheeks. Then He speaks, "Sister, I have heard your prayers throughout the centuries. I was always with you and I have always loved you. I have walked besides you throughout your life and looked upon you with disapproval as you committed murder in some of the most horrible ways possible. You were not doing this in My name, but because you were angry and selfish."

I look down, feeling ashamed. I knew I was wrong. My whole life I wasted. I should have accepted my fate and walked the path of the Lord instead of the path of blood. I start to cry thinking about all the thousands and thousands of lives I took. The memories flood back. I see the man who I killed who tried to rape me when I was a whore. I see the Roman Centurion gasping for breath as the poison eats away at his lungs. I see the two guards trying to stuff their hands in their throats trying to staunch the flow of blood. I see all those I burned, bled, shot, tortured, stabbed, hacked, disemboweled, shredded, beaten. They were like an endless parade.

He puts His hand on my chin and raises my head. I look into His eyes and He tells me, "I love you. I have always loved you and even though you don't understand why this happened to you, it was always in My Will. You have my forgiveness, sister, but I need you to accomplish a task for me. My Father is timeless. Nobody, knows His timeline for His Will. What I do know is Satan and his fallen angels are attempting to force My Father to start His timeline for the end of the world. Satan wants to bring about the final confrontation."

I look confused and ask, "But God can do anything, why don't He just stop Satan?"

Jesus answers, "True, He can easily will it not to happen and it won't happen, but He has His ways and His ways are mysterious. You are His Will. You live to do his bidding."

A million questions flood my mind, but I ask only one. "How?" Jesus releases me and smiles. I turn to Stephen and he comes to me and hugs me. "Mother I miss you, but it is time for you to return." I hold Stephen tighter and say, "If you see Daniel, please tell him that I love him." Then I fall into blackness.

AWAKE

I.

Dr. Monte Sedoda loved his job. He worked his way through school, managed to learn and perfect his craft under the top psychiatrists in Trinidad and eventually worked his way to head physician of the government run mental institution for the criminally insane. Dr. Sedoda has thought he has seen and heard it all during his years as a doctor, but when "Lady X", as she was referred to, was brought to him 10 years ago he realized there were many more layers and complexities to the human condition that he didn't know existed. She is truly an enigma, and a very pretty one at that.

He sits in his office and observes her among the other women in their unit. He drinks in her beauty, her green eyes, her smooth skin the color of caramel. Her hair hangs down her back almost to the perfect curve of her bottom. If he was not her doctor and she was not in here, he would pursue her. Before letting the lust get the better of him, he turns away and starts to read her file for what seems like the thousand times.

She was found 10 years ago wandering along the side of a road in a daze near a secluded beach, half naked and covered in blood. It was thought she was raped and beaten, but tests showed she was unhurt and was not raped. A search of the beach revealed 5 male corpses. They had been severely beaten and mutilated. Many had their flesh ripped from their bodies from what looked like a wild animal, but turned out to have been from "Lady X". All died from trauma and blood loss. It was a mystery how she managed to kill all 5 without any harm coming to herself.

There was no clue to who she was. No records existed of her traveling to Trinidad. There was nothing on file in any government office as to her identity. Even surveillance tapes from the airports were searched and she didn't appear on any. The only evidence that she existed was the cab driver who drove her to the beach. He was questioned and stated she was quiet and paid him a large tip.

She was charged with 5 counts of murder. I was assigned to evaluate her, but her mind was gone. Her body still functioned, but we couldn't get any responses from her to any of our questions. It was as if some kind of trauma induced a coma. Something set her off. Something closed down her mind and I was determined to find out what it was.

I'll never forget the day we walked into the court room of the meanest judge on Trinidad, Judge Santos. He is what people call a "hanging judge". He was quick to sentence criminals to life sentences or to death. He never sentenced anyone to the mental hospital. He believed that if a person was sane enough to commit the crime they were sane enough to do the time or die.

I walked in with her lawyer and sat down. Lady X was brought in and seated in between us. I looked at her, but she continued to look down as always.

Judge Santos entered the room and we all stood, except for Lady X. The judge looked at her and demanded to know why she also did not rise. I tried to explain she was in a coma-like state and her mind was for all intents and purpose was lost, but the judge didn't care. He demanded her to respect the court by standing when he walked in. I quickly grabbed her by her arm and raised her out of her chair. Her head raised and she looked at the judge with those dead, green eyes of her.

I'll remember what happened next until the day I die.

Judge Santos, the meanest, orneriest judge on the island turned ashen, as if he had seen a ghost. He immediately sat down and drank a glass of water and ordered a recess until the next day. We remained standing as he shuffled out of the courtroom and wondered what was going on.

The next day the judge was more composed, although he kept staring at Lady X. The prosecutor presented his case. Overwhelming evidence was presented showing she killed those five men, but a motive was not known. Her bikini bottom was found among the carnage and the bite marks matched her teeth. She was awash in their blood. Compelling evidence. When it came time for her lawyer to defend her, he really had nothing to work with. She wouldn't talk so we didn't have her side of the story. I testified that her mind was gone. Some trauma had caused it to leave her in a coma like state. The judge continued to stare at her throughout the proceedings.

On the day of her sentencing we were in for another shock. She was found guilty on all counts, but she was sentenced to the mental hospital for the criminally insane. This was the first criminal Judge Santos ever sentenced to a mental ward. He also provided detail instructions that she be cared for in the most professional way possible and if she ever regains her mind to notify the court immediately. Of course this judgment started tongues wagging. The judge was accused of having had an affair with her. Others thought she was a love child from a union between him and one of his many mistresses he was known to have. Nothing could be proven to tie her to him and he wasn't commenting on the case so everything eventually died out.

Day in and day out we cared for her here. She wouldn't eat so we had to feed her intravenously. We bathed her and talked to her, yet we got no response. Other prisoners attempted to interact with her, but all they got in return was a cold, empty stare from those green eyes. During those ten years she only spoke one word and showed any sign of life and it was always on July 16. On that day each year the dullness fell from her eyes and she would say the name, "Stephen" once and then slip back into her coma-like state. Nobody knew who "Stephen" was. Perhaps a past lover, her husband, her child? Nobody knew.

She was the mystery lady on the ward and soon other inmates started to shun her. At first it was little subtle things like not eating near her, then it progressed to the point where they wouldn't even like to be in the same room with her. I asked another patient what was going on and she told me to "Just look at her." I did and it struck me, she is not aging. She looked the same as when she was found. The only change has been her hair growing longer each year. No gray hairs, no wrinkles, no sagging breasts. She continued to look like a young woman in her early 20's. It added to her mystery. The other patients would make the sign of the cross when she was wheeled into the room and then quickly exit. They considered her a witch of some kind.

"Abomination" is what she whispered yesterday as she sat in my office as I tried to figure out how to burn through the clouds of her mind. She didn't say it loud, but it was loud enough to startle me. I nearly fell out of my chair. I have been used to looking at an empty shell of a woman for 10 years only to see it fill up in front of me. She raised her head and repeated the word, "Abomination" again and smiled at me. I managed to stammer out, "Welcome back. Where have you been?" She just smiled at me and locked her green eyes onto mine and repeated the word, "Abomination". Then she stood up and walked out my office. The other patients scattered as she moved among them and she took a seat near a window and looked out it.

Later that day the staff and I tried various ways to communicate with her, but she refused to answer any questions and the only thing she asked for were news magazines and newspapers. We quickly rounded up as many as we could find from the different waiting rooms in the hospital and she quietly settled down at a table in front of my office and started reading them. She has been there all night. She has refused to sleep and we are leaving her alone for now.

I have abided by the judge's order and alerted the court that she has woken out of her coma-like state.

II.

A slight smile forms on my lips. I know he is watching me and wondering who or what I am. He has taken good care of me through the 10 years I have been here, or rather I should say while my body has been here. My mind has been elsewhere. I don't remember much from the last ten years. I remember laying on my beach, lost in the past. I was remembering what they did to my baby Stephen and then I saw blackness assaulting me. I remembered seeing black faces with white teeth and black arms all over me. The next thing I remember is sitting in a courtroom and looking into the face of one of my "acquaintances". After that I have no memory except for the conversation with Him and holding my baby one more time.

I feel power coursing through my body. I want to run, to fly, to be free. I have a renewed sense of purpose in my life. I am forgiven and now I know the "why". He does work in mysterious ways. The devil wants to bring hell on earth under his time not HIS time and I am going to stop him. I remember reading in Genesis once how the Sons of God had sex with human women and produced giants. I guess that is one of the reasons God flooded the earth. He promised not to do it again, so the evil ones are going to attempt it again, knowing God will stick to his promise, but first they want to destroy all of mankind except a select few women. They want to raise up an anti-Christ, but one who is not going to be the actual antichrist of Revelation. I'm sure he also is out there, but his time has not come yet. They are trying to push forward the timetable and I am going to stop them. I am to do his bidding and I will carry it out diligently. I already know the perfect weapon to use and how I am going to use it, well. I smile knowing the pain I plan to inflict on my target.

I turn my head toward Dr. Sedoda and observe him speaking on the phone with someone. He appears agitated and keeps glancing my way. I turn back toward the article I was reading, something about the latest fighting in Iran between the US/NATO forces and the Russian/Chinese Federation. A lot has changed since I have been away. One thing I noticed is crime has been steadily on the rise since I have been gone. I never was a major contributor to keeping crime down, just keeping criminals from continuing. There would always be someone to take their place.

I sense Dr. Sedoda standing near me. I look up at him and he has a sad expression on his face. He looks like he is losing his lover. "You are being released." I don't say anything and go back to reading the article. "Didn't you hear me? Once the judge found out you were back with us he signed an order having you released. The prosecution is not fighting the order either. You should be gone in a week once all the paperwork is approved." I continue to ignore him and read about the latest casualty figures among NATO forces. He sighs and walks away, head down.

Three days later I walk out of the mental hospital a free woman. I breathe in the sweet air and take in the sounds of the city. I have so much to do. One of the first things I plan to do is pay a visit to Judge Santos. Afterwards, His Will Be Done.

Dr. Sedoda reads the local paper and shakes his head. He still cannot believe all that has happened in the past week. First Judge Santos orders Lady X released, with no explanation. Once she is released Judge Santos announces his retirement. It seems the judge had vast investments and had accumulated great wealth during his time as a judge. He stated in his retirement announcement that he was going to buy a yacht and go fishing until the day he died. Of course the usual tongues started wagging, but no improprieties were found and the rumors are quickly dying. Lady X disappeared after her release. Nobody has seen her. It is as if she vanished into thin air. Dr Sedoda sighs. He will miss Lady X and her pretty green eyes.

ASCENSION

I, Lucifer, have waited for eons to take my rightful place on His throne. I am the rightful ruler of this universe. I am the keeper of its secret. The guard will become the master soon.

I walk to and fro across His planet searching among His filth. I cannot believe He lowered Himself and actually formed these weak, miserable creatures. I look upon them and scowl. They are a parasite, a cancer that needs to be destroyed. This is my world, not theirs.

I have corrupted them from their beginning. That foolish, weak Eve. She was seduced and turned from Him to me. She, in turn, pulled Adam with her. Sin enveloped the world and I rejoiced. I loosed my fallen upon this planet and have done as much damage throughout time as I could. Millions upon untold millions now burn and suffer in the great pit. Those I have assigned to guard it and those of mine whom He has forced to endure it revel in the timeless tortures they inflict upon the souls of these filthy creatures.

I marvel at all that I have wrought and I laugh and spit in His face. He has thwarted me often, but still I exist and still I burn His creatures. Nobody is safe from my hand. I turn babies into pulp oozing from their mother's wombs. I entice husbands and wives to love others. I inflict confusion among the religious of the world by creating more religions. Heh heh heh. I just thought of one "religion" that I didn't think these creatures would fall for, but they did: Scientology. When Confusion brought this ideal to me I laughed and told them to do better, but then I relented and allowed them to sow the seeds and surprisingly it has taken root. I laugh at the parasites who have embraced something as stupid as Scientology.

But now all that I have done and am doing is not enough. I want more. I want His throne and I shall have it. I know what His Word says, but I refuse to bow to His will…or His timeline. I will be bound no longer and I will have what I want and I shall have it NOW!

I look upon the face of His parasites and drool knowing what I have planned for them. Seven billion and counting and all but a few shall remain. I know His Word reveals the end, but His parasites don't believe it. Most think it is a joke. Most do not believe He will return one day and most think Revelations was an allegory for the Roman persecution of the early Christians. Most are wrong. There are those, mainly His "Christians" that believe in it, but I entice some away from the truth and others I have my fallen, Scorn and Hatred, deal with.

I know You see my plans, but You refuse to intervene. You didn't intervene when I fed your Christians to lions. You didn't intervene when I gassed your Jews. You grow weak and I grow stronger. You foolishly made a promise after Your watery purge not to destroy Your parasites again in the future and I know you love to keep your promises. That pretty little rainbow you sent them as a sign. Pathetic and weak. You may have sent Abomination's children to a watery grave, but you didn't kill the ideal.

Now my plan is coming to fruition. I will raise the one who will wipe my planet clean of Your parasites. Once that is accomplished Abomination will repopulate it with our seed and our children and my fallen will once again march upon Your gates. Your parasites talk of "St Peter guarding the Pearly Gates of Heaven." HA HA HA! When we come for You, You will not be able to stop us this time. I shall bind you along with my former brothers Gabriel and Michael and all of you shall be cast in outer darkness. I SHALL ASCEND AND SIT UPON YOUR THRONE CLAIMING IT AS MY OWN! I AM LUCIFER! I AM GOD! YOU HAVE NO SAVIOR TO SEND TO THE WORLD THIS TIME! YOU ARE DEFEATED.

CAUSE

It has been two years since I was released from the mental illness prison in Trinidad. During that time my acquaintances quietly maintained my wealth and property. Nobody knew I was gone because they never knew me before. Like the fog I settle in the low places and when I am gone nobody cares.

I quietly sit outside the Café Blue Jazz on 5th Street in the Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio. I sip my hot chocolate and observe the world around me. This area is historical, the red brick streets were constructed by slaves. The buildings are more than a century old. Across the street from me is one of my favorite family run old book stores, Bonnets. The owners have been my acquaintances for decades. When one dies I move along to the next. They are always on the prowl for old books and magazines for me. I love the smell of the old, musty books that inhabit the shelves.

Next to me is the Goodwill. It has been here for decades too. I love shopping here. I don't need fancy clothes and there are all kinds of treasures people donate. I, of course, have donated some items I thought were nice from past victims of mine. I found a good way to hide evidence was to just donate it to a worthy cause. As long as the blood is cleaned off, no questions are ever asked.

I haven't killed anyone since "awakening". I have come close many times and I must admit I have left a trail of broken bones, torn flesh and missing body parts, but nobody died. I am trying to live a life acceptable to Him that saved me. I am still a sinner and only human, sort of. A human dies, I don't.

During my time on Trinidad and the two years since, the world has descended deeper and deeper into chaos. Violent crimes are on the rise, crimes against children has tripled, wars are more ferocious. The war In Iran spread to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. NATO and the Russian/Chinese Alliance continue to hack away at each other.

Domestically the FCC was disbanded due to budget cuts and now filth rules the airwaves. Cursing permeates television and radio. Nudity is allowed in primetime and children cartoons are no longer innocent. Demonic characters routinely triumph. The top grossing movie lately is a comedy about a devil-worshipping cult trying to live "normal" lives in a neighborhood. It was not funny.

It is the end, but I know it is not the end. The evil ones and his forces are striving to implement their nefarious plans. I know who he is, the one the evil ones are grooming for the world's destruction. I know his name and I know his life. I know his plans, but they won't work. He has me to deal with and I am in no mood to "play nice."

EFFECT

I.

I, Dominque Heinz have always considered myself lucky. I was born into wealth and privilege. My family had what people considered "old money". They owned many businesses and always seemed lucky when it came to making money. All those who got in our way were crushed. Now I have risen to the top of our empire and soon will rise to the top of one even greater. My name is in the running for the title of "World Potentate".

The NATO/Russian/Chinese war ended under my careful guidance in the peace talks. All sides agreed to pull their forces back and stand down their nuclear missiles. The threat of nuclear annihilation brought the world back from the brink. Of course, annihilation is my forte' for I serve one greater than myself.

My master loves me and I love him. My master guides my path and is a light unto my feet. My master has always trusted me and I him. I remember that day he came to me. He showed me the wonders of the world and told me it could all be mine if I bowed down before him and readily I bowed. I promised all I am and all I had to him. He lifted me up and smiled. He looked like an angel of light. He kissed me and promised me that one day I would sit by his right hand upon the throne of the most High, but there is much work that needed to be done before that time.

Now the work is almost complete. In a few short days the UN will elect me as the first "World Potentate" and my plans will be implemented. The parasites that have burrowed under my master's skin will finally be eradicated.

II.

I slip silently into the bedroom of Mr. Heinz. Sad to say, I killed all his security. I could not risk one sounding the alarm. Undoubtedly some of these men had families. I'll ask for forgiveness later. I only have two weapons, the knife I used to slit their throats and the special one I am saving for Mr. Heinz.

I look in his bed at the still sleeping form laying there. I pull back the covers and see…nothing. A mannequin stares back at me with a frozen grin. My senses immediately start tingling. Something is wrong. I have lost the element of surprise.

Suddenly I am thrown across the room and my world explodes into PAIN. I have not felt pain for over 2000 years. It floods my body, paralyzing me. My mind cannot cope with this lost sensation. I feel myself being picked up into strong arms, I feel my strength flowing out of my body along with the blood flowing out of my nose and mouth. I am flying through the air again, I bang off the post of the bed and hit my head on the wall on the opposite side of his room. White light flashes in my brain like a thousand bolts of lightning. I feel a hand grab the back of my hair and pull my head up. I stare into the face of a monster, Dominque Heinz. I see a leering, drooling visage that has the appearance of a human, but the soul of a demon. He licks the blood from the side of my mouth and spits it in my face. He is gloating that Abomination warned him in the nick of time once they saw me cut the first guard's throat. He tells me I am not invincible when it comes to the powers of hell and that God has failed at his puny attempt to stop him from implementing his master's plan.

The darkness swirls in my eyes. I feel myself fall even though he still holds me. The darkness has defeated me.

Or so it thinks.

The darkness in my soul is greater and I have 2000 years of pain waiting to be released. The darkness retreats from my eyes and I stare into Heinz's eyes. He loses his smile as I gain mine and manage to produce my weapon from a side pocket.

"I have something for you, you demonic son of a bitch."

I shove my weapon into his mouth, I feel his teeth shatter. Bloody gums clamp down on my arm, but its forward movement will not be stopped. I push my hand down into his throat and release my hold on the little square weapon, the Holy Bible.

He releases me and claws at his throat. The Sword of the Lord chokes him. He flails around the room then he comes to a stop and looks at me.

"You have won nothing." Croaks an unnatural voice from his mouth. I respond, "Not true, I have won redemption. I have completed my mission."

His body glows with an unnatural light. The light surrounds me. The last thing I see is his body being blown apart from the inside and the last thing I hear is the sound of an unholy scream straight from the depths of hell.

EPILOGUE

John Samson loved to sit in his bar and read the newspaper. Today's blaring headline was concerning the death of Dominque Heinz. His body or rather pieces of his body were found splattered all over his bedroom. All of his guards were dead from slit throats. The police have no leads and his surveillance system showed nobody entering or leaving his estate.

John thinks to himself, " What a damn shame that man is dead. He was the one hope humanity had for a lasting peace." The paper reported that the only evidence that someone else was in the room was writing, in John's blood, scrawled across the wall. It read:

Invictus

Ageless souls fighting through time.

Defeated once you keep committing the crime.

In many forms you suddenly appear, but silly little thing I have no fear.

This eternal strife may last forever and each time we meet I am the better.

So flail your arms and beat your chest I will defeat you this time like all the rest.

Invincible am I you never seem to learn and at my feet your blood will burn.

John shakes his head and thinks to himself some nut job committed this horrible act. He sighs and stares out at his customers. He notices Randy Hockstine is on the prowl again. He hates Hockstine, but the man is of the neuvo-rich and does as he pleases. It is rumored that man has gotten away with murder and it is known he has raped many women he picks up, but his money makes nothing stick.

John sees Hockstine's latest conquest, a pretty young thing with beautiful green eyes. She is laughing as Hockstine tells her some stupid joke. John notices Hockstine bend down and whisper something in her ear. She smiles at Randy and that smile reminds John of a wolf about to kill its prey. John just shakes his head as he watches both of them walk out the door of his bar and into the darkness.

END