Eh, getting closer. I bash my head on the keyboard for you. Why won't this story end? Gyah! It will end! I swear it. I know you all want me to hurry up and finish so you can get on with your life.

Chapter 52: Martyr for Mary

Jack stood rigidly as Mary embraced him. Somewhere behind her, Carter was desperately trying to get Mary to flee, but Jack didn't care. The shooting pain through his right arm didn't matter. His scythe fell from his loose left hand and clattered to the stone ground. He held his breath as he spoke, "It's alright Mary. I'm so sorry. You've forgiven me?"

Her eyes grew wide, "No!" Mary suddenly recoiled violently, shoving Jack back through into the blistering rain. "No. I can't. Never. No. Murderer." She stumbled backwards onto Carter. "Stay away from me!" Mary screamed at Jack.

She fell weeping onto Carter's lap. He stroked her hair gently and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "Come on Mary."

Tears streaming down her face, she whispered back, "I love him."

Carter winced, "Goddess... Mary... forgive me." Carter backhanded her as hard as he could. Mary gasped and fell away from him.

Jack lept back through the doorway, snatching his scythe off the ground as he charged Carter, "Don't you dare touch my wife!"

Mary crawled out of the way as Jack's scythe whirled through the air, intent on removing Carter's head from his shoulders. He couldn't escape. The bastard couldn't even move. Jack should have finished him off earlier. But now he would die by Jack's blade like he should have in the first place.

Carter wrenched his wheelchair to one side, shifting his weight in the same direction. It began to tip, but not fast enough. He screamed in his mind as he watched the blade come towards him in slow motion. The entire world seemed to slow down as his death approached.

And then everything dropped away to the side as gravity took control of the wheelchair, pulling it down faster. Carter watched agonizingly as Jack tried to adjust his scythe's path in midswing. With a clank, the blade reflected off the large metal wheels of the wheelchair.

Carter hit the ground with a thud, wheelchair on top of his arm, but he was alive. He breathed deeply when he heard Jack's scythe clatter to the ground.

Then, just as quickly as he had fallen, the wheelchair was righted by Jack. He stood in front of Carter, left hand gripping the chair tightly, rage billowing in his eyes.

Jack grabbed the collar of Carter's priestly robe and lifted him up out of the chair. "Nice trick. You think you can pull it off again?" Jack effortlessly tossed Carter's frail body to one side.

Carter panted heavily, "Jack don't do this. I'm your friend. I'm not a threat to you." He looked behind Jack to where Mary was, holding her head in her hands. Please run Mary. Come to your senses and run away. Save yourself while Jack is distracted.

He stormed towards Carter, clinching his one fist tightly. "You hit my wife you bastard!" Jack screamed at the top of his voice. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, "I think that qualifies you as a threat."

Jack paused, considering something, "You might have noticed that my right arm is quite useless. I don't know what Anna severed, but let me tell you, it hurts like hell. You can't use either of your legs and can't feel them at all." To prove his point, Jack kicked one of Carter's limp legs and watched it flop to the side helplessly, "I think as long as neither of us uses a weapon, that makes this a fair fight."

"Jack, I won't fight you."

"Come on Carter, let's see how the Harvest Goddess backs you. Let's see how the Harvest Goddess's missionary compares with the Shadow's Goddess's avatar."

Carter cringed away from Jack, "What is wrong with you Jack? Please, come on. I won't fight with you."

Jack grinned wickedly, "Then this is going to be pretty easy then."

With a cruel laugh, Jack reached down for Carter and gripped him firmly by the neck. Grunting slightly, he lifted him off of the floor and raised him up till feet left the floor. Muffled choking sounds came from Carter. "Come on! Fight back!" Jack slammed Carter's back into the stone wall. "Fight back you bastard. Fight for your life!"

Carter tried to speak, but couldn't. Jack lowered his grip slightly, pinning him to the wall by his chest instead of his neck. Carter gasped for breath, "I am a priest. I will not fight."

Jack slammed his knee into Carter's groin. He continued to hang unflinchingly. Jack smiled, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You can't feel any pain in your lower body." He shrugged, "Too bad, I guess I'll have to figure out other ways to make you hurt, to make you suffer like I have."

Jack let go of Carter and let him fall to the ground. "It's a shame that I can't use my right arm." He pinned Carter's chest with his knee and punched Carter hard in the face with his left fist, "My right arm is so much stronger." He punched Carter again and felt his nose cave in, "But I guess my left does quite fine."

Carter struggled to remain conscious through the hailstorm of one-handed blows dealt by Jack. The pain didn't matter to him, as long as Mary could get away. He lay as straight as he could, refusing to fight against Jack, ignoring the blood rushing from his face by focusing on Mary. He had to prolong Jacks distraction. Mary could escape if she only would come to her senses. If he lost consciousness, Jack would leave him to go after her. He couldn't let that happen.

"Why won't you fight me? Have you yet resigned to your fate?" Jack laughed wildly. "Beg me to give you mercy. Mercy from the pain I've felt all my life. The pain from them, from everyone hurting me. They all hated me, and the pain runs deep. Now you can feel that pain. You always wanted to help me, well know you are doing it. Feel the pain that I feel inside."

Carter's vision began to blur. Fighting against it didn't slow his descent. He whispered weakly, "Mary…"

A firm, angry voice echoed through the church, "Jack, stop this right now."