The Four Faces of Rath
"A Vengeful Angel"
Chapter 8
VIII
Michael paid the cab driver then turned and walked in the direction of Hank's trailer. He still remembered every rock; every step he took drew him back to the past. As he drew nearer to the trailer, he heard noises. It sounded like something hitting the side of the trailer from the inside. And yelling. He heard Hank's voice.
"You think you can make a fool out of me, boy, and get away with it? Huh? Do ya? Is that what you think?"
Michael heard a sound that he recognized painfully. the sound of the back of Hank's hand hitting a face. a child's face. Michael quickened his pace.
"Why don'tcha cry? Go on! Cry, I said! I wanna see ya cry! You always just sit there like that. smirking at me inside. Don't think I don't know it. You're a freak, Michael! You won't cry. not even when I rap you on the mouth. You don't even blink. You ain't normal! You're a f*'ing freak!"
There was no reply from the boy, who sat shaking but silent, blood streaming from a badly split lip onto his dirty T-shirt. Hank picked up a half-empty bottle of vodka and took a couple more long swigs then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'll show you! I'm gonna teach you to cry. right now you're gonna learn."
Hank raised the bottle over his head and turned toward the boy. Suddenly, the bottle exploded in Hank's hand, as the door to the trailer burst open. In the door stood the shape of a man. but not a man. This figure was glowing with an aura. Michael didn't even know that he had the ability to glow. It was the rage that he felt at what Hank was doing. was about to do. Hank was already half drunk, having consumed most of the bottle of vodka and, apparently, a few beers, too, judging from the empty cans. He stood there, staring at the glowing apparition in the doorway.
"What the hell are you? Some kind of guard. guardian angel or somethin'?"
Michael said nothing, but the intensity of the glow increased. Things began to explode all around Hank in the trailer. Hank tried to dodge.
"Come on! I didn't hurt no one! He had to be punishsh. punished. The boy's a freak! He don't even cry when I bust 'im in the mouth."
More items exploded. the lights in the lamp, on the ceiling, in the bedroom. Hank's oven blew open behind him, and several six-packs of beer he had stashed in the oven began to explode, one bottle at a time.
"Awwww. not the beers!" Hank howled. "You can't be real! I don't believe in you! There ain't no God. If there ain't no God there cain't be no angels."
Michael silently raised his hand, and Hank flew backwards, crashing into the oven. He staggered to his feet again, holding onto the oven door for support. Michael flashed a bolt of energy that looked very much like a lightning bolt at Hank's feet, setting both his shoes on fire. Hank howled and dropped to the floor, struggling to get the burning shoes off his feet quickly.
"Okay. okay! So you're a guardian angel. or the devil. or something. What do you want with me? What'd I do to you?"
Michael finally spoke. "Not to me. to Michael. You mistreated him."
I'll treat 'im good! I promise! Look!"
Hank hobbled over to the wide-eyed boy, who sat staring in awe at his "guardian angel," and wiped the blood off his lip and chin with a napkin, being far more gentle than he was accustomed to being.
"Go. go sit down at the table, boy. I'll get you something to eat."
"His name isn't [i]boy[/i]," Michael said. "It's [i]Michael[/i]."
"Michael," Hank nodded.
"I'm watching you," Michael said ominously to Hank. "I'm going to be watching you all the time. If you mistreat that boy again, a couple of burning shoes will be the least of your problems. Tell me you understand what I'm saying."
Hank nodded. Somehow, he had sobered up considerably since Michael had arrived.
"I was drunk. It's the bottle. I didn't mean to hurt the boy."
"But you did."
"I won't hurt 'im ag'in. I swear it. I'll change."
Michael nodded. "And I'll be watching to be sure that you do."
Michael turned and walked out of the trailer. The little boy sat at the table, awe-stricken, looking back with his hand on the back of the chair, as he watched his guardian angel depart. He smiled slightly and raised his hand almost timidly to wave goodbye.
Outside the trailer, Michael closed his eyes and pursed his lips momentarily, allowing the tension that had built up in him to dissipate. Then he walked back toward the road. As he walked, a hand touched him from behind. Michael swung around to see Max standing there.
"Max? What the. Cripes! Where did you come from?"
"I was checking to see how my best friend is doing," Max said. "That was pretty cool. what you did for that little boy. Do you think Hank will treat him better now?"
Michael shrugged. "For a while. I don't expect him to keep being a 'good guy' forever, though. Realistically, maybe a few days. maybe a week. till he puts on another borrachera."
"A what?"
"You know, get's stinkin' drunk."
"You've been around Maria too much, Michael."
"No way, Max. Not possible." Michael shook his head and smiled. Max grinned understandingly and nodded his agreement.
"Did you do it for that little boy. or was it for you? He is you, you know."
Michael stopped walking and thought for a moment. "I know he's me. but I guess I wasn't really thinking about that. All I could think of was Hank hurting him." Michael stopped and thought again then added, ".the way he used to hurt me."
Max nodded. "That's what I thought. You always took Hank's abuse. When you couldn't take it anymore, you got emancipated. You didn't follow Hank back here today to avenge yourself. You came here for that little boy."
"Yeah. I guess I did," Michael admitted. "So what does that mean? .I'm some kind of good guy or something?"
Max smiled. "You're a guardian angel, Michael. And I didn't even know you believed in God."
"I never said that," Michael replied, looking at Max. "Well, I never said I did or didn't. Maria does. and I've always trusted Maria a lot. Liz does, too," he added, glancing over at Max. "I just said I never celebrated Christmas or anything when I was growing up. with Hank. You're the one who didn't believe God was real, Max."
"Did I say that?" Max shrugged. "I don't remember. I could've said that, I guess."
"Yep. You did."
Max was silent for a few moments. "Well," he said at end, "I've seen a lot of things that can be explained. and some that can't. Let's just say I'm not closing my mind to any possibilities anymore and leave it at that."
"I know this, though," Max continued, stopping again to look at Michael, "Somewhere out there, there's something greater than me. and there's a drunk and a wide-eyed little boy in that trailer back there who [b]really[/b] believe in guardian angels now."
Michael nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I guess they do."
tbc Coming next: "Party Favors and Real Prizes"
"A Vengeful Angel"
Chapter 8
VIII
Michael paid the cab driver then turned and walked in the direction of Hank's trailer. He still remembered every rock; every step he took drew him back to the past. As he drew nearer to the trailer, he heard noises. It sounded like something hitting the side of the trailer from the inside. And yelling. He heard Hank's voice.
"You think you can make a fool out of me, boy, and get away with it? Huh? Do ya? Is that what you think?"
Michael heard a sound that he recognized painfully. the sound of the back of Hank's hand hitting a face. a child's face. Michael quickened his pace.
"Why don'tcha cry? Go on! Cry, I said! I wanna see ya cry! You always just sit there like that. smirking at me inside. Don't think I don't know it. You're a freak, Michael! You won't cry. not even when I rap you on the mouth. You don't even blink. You ain't normal! You're a f*'ing freak!"
There was no reply from the boy, who sat shaking but silent, blood streaming from a badly split lip onto his dirty T-shirt. Hank picked up a half-empty bottle of vodka and took a couple more long swigs then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'll show you! I'm gonna teach you to cry. right now you're gonna learn."
Hank raised the bottle over his head and turned toward the boy. Suddenly, the bottle exploded in Hank's hand, as the door to the trailer burst open. In the door stood the shape of a man. but not a man. This figure was glowing with an aura. Michael didn't even know that he had the ability to glow. It was the rage that he felt at what Hank was doing. was about to do. Hank was already half drunk, having consumed most of the bottle of vodka and, apparently, a few beers, too, judging from the empty cans. He stood there, staring at the glowing apparition in the doorway.
"What the hell are you? Some kind of guard. guardian angel or somethin'?"
Michael said nothing, but the intensity of the glow increased. Things began to explode all around Hank in the trailer. Hank tried to dodge.
"Come on! I didn't hurt no one! He had to be punishsh. punished. The boy's a freak! He don't even cry when I bust 'im in the mouth."
More items exploded. the lights in the lamp, on the ceiling, in the bedroom. Hank's oven blew open behind him, and several six-packs of beer he had stashed in the oven began to explode, one bottle at a time.
"Awwww. not the beers!" Hank howled. "You can't be real! I don't believe in you! There ain't no God. If there ain't no God there cain't be no angels."
Michael silently raised his hand, and Hank flew backwards, crashing into the oven. He staggered to his feet again, holding onto the oven door for support. Michael flashed a bolt of energy that looked very much like a lightning bolt at Hank's feet, setting both his shoes on fire. Hank howled and dropped to the floor, struggling to get the burning shoes off his feet quickly.
"Okay. okay! So you're a guardian angel. or the devil. or something. What do you want with me? What'd I do to you?"
Michael finally spoke. "Not to me. to Michael. You mistreated him."
I'll treat 'im good! I promise! Look!"
Hank hobbled over to the wide-eyed boy, who sat staring in awe at his "guardian angel," and wiped the blood off his lip and chin with a napkin, being far more gentle than he was accustomed to being.
"Go. go sit down at the table, boy. I'll get you something to eat."
"His name isn't [i]boy[/i]," Michael said. "It's [i]Michael[/i]."
"Michael," Hank nodded.
"I'm watching you," Michael said ominously to Hank. "I'm going to be watching you all the time. If you mistreat that boy again, a couple of burning shoes will be the least of your problems. Tell me you understand what I'm saying."
Hank nodded. Somehow, he had sobered up considerably since Michael had arrived.
"I was drunk. It's the bottle. I didn't mean to hurt the boy."
"But you did."
"I won't hurt 'im ag'in. I swear it. I'll change."
Michael nodded. "And I'll be watching to be sure that you do."
Michael turned and walked out of the trailer. The little boy sat at the table, awe-stricken, looking back with his hand on the back of the chair, as he watched his guardian angel depart. He smiled slightly and raised his hand almost timidly to wave goodbye.
Outside the trailer, Michael closed his eyes and pursed his lips momentarily, allowing the tension that had built up in him to dissipate. Then he walked back toward the road. As he walked, a hand touched him from behind. Michael swung around to see Max standing there.
"Max? What the. Cripes! Where did you come from?"
"I was checking to see how my best friend is doing," Max said. "That was pretty cool. what you did for that little boy. Do you think Hank will treat him better now?"
Michael shrugged. "For a while. I don't expect him to keep being a 'good guy' forever, though. Realistically, maybe a few days. maybe a week. till he puts on another borrachera."
"A what?"
"You know, get's stinkin' drunk."
"You've been around Maria too much, Michael."
"No way, Max. Not possible." Michael shook his head and smiled. Max grinned understandingly and nodded his agreement.
"Did you do it for that little boy. or was it for you? He is you, you know."
Michael stopped walking and thought for a moment. "I know he's me. but I guess I wasn't really thinking about that. All I could think of was Hank hurting him." Michael stopped and thought again then added, ".the way he used to hurt me."
Max nodded. "That's what I thought. You always took Hank's abuse. When you couldn't take it anymore, you got emancipated. You didn't follow Hank back here today to avenge yourself. You came here for that little boy."
"Yeah. I guess I did," Michael admitted. "So what does that mean? .I'm some kind of good guy or something?"
Max smiled. "You're a guardian angel, Michael. And I didn't even know you believed in God."
"I never said that," Michael replied, looking at Max. "Well, I never said I did or didn't. Maria does. and I've always trusted Maria a lot. Liz does, too," he added, glancing over at Max. "I just said I never celebrated Christmas or anything when I was growing up. with Hank. You're the one who didn't believe God was real, Max."
"Did I say that?" Max shrugged. "I don't remember. I could've said that, I guess."
"Yep. You did."
Max was silent for a few moments. "Well," he said at end, "I've seen a lot of things that can be explained. and some that can't. Let's just say I'm not closing my mind to any possibilities anymore and leave it at that."
"I know this, though," Max continued, stopping again to look at Michael, "Somewhere out there, there's something greater than me. and there's a drunk and a wide-eyed little boy in that trailer back there who [b]really[/b] believe in guardian angels now."
Michael nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I guess they do."
tbc Coming next: "Party Favors and Real Prizes"