Chapter Four: Have Mercy
Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.
Sara had had an incredibly long and exhausting day. She was out since 8AM going to various offices looking for a job to help her boyfriend (Chad) pay for things like rent and utilities. She knew it wasn't her fault she was laid off because of downsizing merely months after beginning to go out with him. She kicked off her high heels, which had been causing her pain all day, when suddenly she remembered Chad would be home any minute, and she was so busy running errands she never had time to make dinner or pick something up. She picked up the phone and dialed Pizza Hut to order a medium pizza, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry. She didn't enjoy being around Chad when he was angry, but she knew she depended on his financial support for survival. Chad didn't arrive home until thirty minutes after the pizza was delivered.
"Hi hon", she said.
"Yea, what's up?", Chad said. "What're ya makin' us for dinner? I sure's hell don't smell nothin."
"Chad, I was out all day, and I just didn't have time, so I..."
"Didn't have time? Didn't have fuckin' time? What the fuck are you talkin' about 'didn't have time'? Are you gonna make us somethin or not!"
"I...I ordered pizza, it was getting cold, so I kept it in the oven for y--"
Chad nearly ripped the oven door off its hinges, and glared down at the luke-warm pizza. "You expect me to eat this piece of shit? And what the fuck you got the oven on for? You ain't payin to keep this shit runnin!"
Sara turned around to face away, but thought she could still hear him whispering to himself, "Goddammed dumb bitch." She worked up the courage to face him, and said, "Chad, I'm really sorry. I'll heat it up some more, and tomorrow I'll make your favorite Lasagna, I promi---"
But her promise was never made, for Chad had slapped her square across the face, where a red hand print left its mark. He spread his arms and curled his hand in to a fist and hit her hard on the side of the shoulder with the side of his palm.
Sara began to cry, as he slapped her once more - this time closer to her eye, and grabbed a hold of both her wrists with ruthless tenacity.
"You're right that you're sorry", he said. "And you damn fuckin' right that there'll be something -good- to eat tomorrow!"
She nodded between heavy sets of sobs.
Chad began to laugh. "Just a shame darlin'", he said. Then as he began to walk upstairs, with a sinister grin on his face, he said, "Just a shame you keep fallin' down those stairs."
---
A mixture of sounds greeted the boy early in the morning. Bird chirping, car horns beeping, and his alarm blaring all woke him up at about 7:15AM. He looked through his bedroom door to the kitchen table, where a neatly folded newsletter awaited him.
"Young Woman Killed In Domestic Dispute"
"Sara Morris, 22, was found dead yesterday afternoon at approximately 6:30PM, two miles away in the woods near her apartment. The cause of death was several gunshot wounds discovered in her back, as well as laceration marks found around her neck and wrists. Officials are still investigating the case, but believe the main suspect to be her boyfriend Chad Hoover, who has yet to return to his workplace of ACE Auto Repairs. If you have any information which may lead to the capture or arrest of Mr. Hoover, you are encouraged to call...." but the boy stopped reading.
"Another dangerous mission", he told himself. The truth was, he didn't very much care for putting his life on the line in situations like this. He would protect whoever he was meant to protect, but when it meant he might have to die, he was a hundred times more afraid. From the sound of the article, whoever he was trying to go up against was both armed and dangerous. He himself didn't have a gun, so he didn't know what he was going to do. He also didn't like the idea of using violence against others, even if it was to save a human life. "That's what some call War", he said to himself. "But I call it wrong."
He looked up Morris in the address book, but there were no matches. He looked up Hoover as well, but there were no Chad Hoover listings. His only clue at this point was ACE Auto Repairs - where Chad allegedly worked. Since he had no where else to turn, he figured he would try his luck there.
---
He arrived at the auto repair shop and asked for the manager. A burly man came out with an "ACE" hat on, and a cup for his chew.
"What can I do ya for kid?", he asked.
"I want to know about Chad Hoover, well, I need to know where he lives, you see I---"
The man gave out a hearty laugh. "Dern kid, you think I can just go out givin' ya stuff like that? Kinda strange though, Chad was s'pose ter come in today but I ain't seen him yet."
"Please", said the boy, "I need to know where it is Chad lives. It's very important."
"Look, kid, I told yer once, I can't go on givin' stuff like that away ter strangers! Hell, you'd have to be some kinder policeman or somethin' to get that kinda info."
The boy looked at the man straight in the eyes. The manager felt a small presence of rage coming from the boy's eyes, but also a sense of desparation.
"Please", the boy pleaded once more, "This is to save someone's life."
The manager looked at him one last time, at those fiery eyes which seemed to burn a hole right through him. "Ahright, Ahright. Tell yer what kid. His files is over there in them cabinets. But you go on and dig through 'em by yoself. I ain't gettin in ter no trouble for releasin' that stuff."
The boy quickly retrieved the information. He checked his watch, to see it was 12:30PM. He didn't have much time left.
"Thank you", he said on his way out.
As he was driving away, the manager turned to one of his co-workers and said, "Dat kid there just ain't right. Somethin' about the eyes if yous ask me. Just ain't right..."
---
The boy arrived at the address (which turned out to be an overly dingy apartment complex) and was sitting in his car, pondering his next move. "Shit", he said to himself. "I've really got myself in to it this time." The boy quickly surveyed his dilemma. He couldn't run in and get the woman because he probably couldn't convince her to come with him, and even if he did he'd have to return her sooner or later. He had no weapons to protect her with, and even if he did he couldn't do anything until her boyfriend acted. His only other alternative was to wait until her boyfriend arrived, which he guessed would be in about one hour, and go from there. This risked watching him kill her right in front of his eyes. Not wanting to think of the gruesome topic any more, he began to pray to God for the safety of the woman.
One hour had passed, and the boy had prayed the entire time. It was 2:00PM and the boy knew Chad would be by any minute. The boy didn't know what was going on with this relationship, or why it had fallen apart. He didn't know what this woman had done to deserve to be killed. He had not one scrap of detail concerning the convictions of his actions. All he knew was that killing is an evil that no human should commit, even against their worst enemies. He saw a car pull up to the apartment complex that he has noticed was Chad's, and a man got out of the car, and rushed in to the house. "That's got to be him", he said to himself. He sat in the car, praying that the man would return to his car with the woman. He would have a better chance of taking him off guard somewhere else, although he still had no idea how. He thought of calling the police right now, but then the man might kill not only the woman but also himself out of desparation. The boy sat in his car, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed. "Please God, let her be okay. Let her be alive. Please let him come back out with her through that front door. Please God let her be alive." Two minutes had passed, when suddenly the man burst out of the front door. Trailing behind him was a young woman, struggling to break free from his grip. She was abused, roughed up, and crying. But she was alive.
"Thank you God. Thank you. Thank you", the boy said over and over. The man pulled his car out of the parking lot, and began to take off down the street. He followed the car on to some back trail paths, which he thought weren't even for vehicles. Finally the man stopped his car, and the boy drove past as he saw the man take the woman out of the passenger side. "I can't just stop here and take him on", the boy thought. "He'd kill me along with her for sure". He kept driving, to make himself appear inconspicuous.
---
"Please, Chad! What are you doing?", Sara managed to weep out in between sobs. "I was only making your dinner, like I promised. I was just at home I swear, I never..."
"WHORE!!!", Chad screamed. "Don't you go on lyin' to me woman. I know you've been sneakin' 'round my back like some kinda whore! You ain't been lookin' fer a new job at all! You've just been gettin' yerself screwed for cash haven't yeh!"
"No!! I would never, no, please. I wouldn't, no, never...", she managed to mumble out.
"Bitch you ain't never been nothin' but a burden to me", Chad continued. "You ain't never helped me pay one goddamn bill!
Hell, you can't even get good food on the table, what else is you good for? 'Cause I don' fuckin' know. Fuck, you can't even fuck me every night like a good fuckin' bitch!"
"Chad, please, I've been spending long days looking for work, but I haven't found any, please, Chad, plea...", but the rest was lost in streams of tears.
"Tell you what bitch. Since you ain't no good to noone, specially not me, I'm gonna do us both a favor, and just put you outta yer misery, 'kay? Turn round and spread them legs apart. Maybe I'll force myself upon yehs one last time 'fore I blow your brains out."
"Please!! Don't!! Chad!!", she screamed. Then silently to herself, she prayed: "God help me...", and was knocked unconscious when Chad hit her in the back of the head with the butt of his handgun.
When Sara woke up, Chad was unconscious next to a nearby tree, and bleeding from his head. Next to him was a rock the size of her head, with blood smeared all over it.
"Don't worry", came a voice behind her. "He isn't dead, and the police will be here to arrest him shortly."Sara turned around, and a boy was sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, staring down at her.
"Who....are you?", she asked.
"Y'know, alot of people have been asking me that question, but I can't really say I've got a name anymore. Hell, my boss doesn't even know what to call me, although most the time it's just "Sick Kid".
"But, How, Where, What exactly happened here?", she said, as she was still very confused.
"I was driving by, and I saw that man harassing you. I knew I couldn't take him on, so I drove by and decided to wait. After he knocked you unconscious he was starting to tape your wrists and ankles together with duct tape. As he was doing this, I snuck up behind him, and well...", he pointed to Chad.
"But how did you know, why did you, no, what exactly is going on here?", she asked, still completely puzzled as to the nature of the appearance of this boy.
"Sara", the boy began (she was startled he knew her name, but did not ask him how he knew, for she would soon find out) "There are many evil people in this world, and sometimes those evil people do harmful things to others. But if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is for one person to reach out a hand with the intent to hurt another human being. This is not the way that people live, this is not the way that people grow. It is not the vision our God has for us to continue to harm each other like this. I bet for you, the road has probably been tough. Even tougher when you have someone like this dirtbag pushing you around. Yet despite the hopelessness, and despite how you feel alone without him, it is not okay to allow yourself to submit to him. It is never okay for a person to be stripped of their courage and their voice. These are gifts given to us for simply being human beings, and when another takes them away, we must sometimes fight to get them back. But Sara, we must never, ever, allow such demons to rule us like this man. The next time you feel hopeless and lonely, the next time that you feel the only one you have left is someone who does you harm, I want you to look to the sky. Look to the heavens, where a merciful God sits, watching over you. It is not his Will to see his children suffer, but he cannot help us by a divine intervention. The only miracles that take place Sara, are those within your heart. The decisions that you make, and the path that you now choose, are all up to you. But the courage to go through with this path, and the self-motivation to move beyond this despair, will come to you from up above."
The boy jumped down from the tree, and walked towards Sara. Sara, sprawled on the ground, could only look up at this boy with her mouth half open. There was something about this boy. There was no glowing aura, no halo, no wings, but she for sure thought he was some kind of angel sent by God to protect her.
"A-are you an a-angel?", she said.
The boy laughed. "Nah, I'm just the "Sick Kid".
He spread his arms wide, and Sara cringed. It had become an automatic mechanism of her's now, to cower back in fear at the site of dominance. The boy got closer and closer, and she was nearly crying by the time he was touching her. He put both arms gently around her neck and shoulders, and gave her a hug. The woman hadn't felt the sensation of such an embrace in quite some time. Chad had hardly ever seemed to embrace her like this, atleast not anymore. She wanted that moment to last forever, for she knew in that small window of time, she was both protected and loved, and that was all she wished for in life.
The boy let go after a minute, and bent down again to talk to her.
"The police will be here any minute to pick up him over there", he said as he pointed over to Chad. "I want you to tell them everything he's ever done to you. I've already told them that I knocked the assailant unconscious over the phone. But Sara, I never want you to forget. You are always loved, even if not by other people. No one has the right to touch you in such a way as this man has. No woman should have to physically submit to a man. May God protect you", he finished with a smile. The boy began to walk back down the road to where he had temporarily parked his car.
"Hey!", she shouted. The boy turned back around to look at her.
"Where do I go from here?", she shouted.
"Follow your heart!", he shouted back. "I bet there's something in there that'll help you!"
The boy kept on walking to his car. "She's going to have it really rough", he thought to himself. "She will probably have to live with some friends or go on Welfare for a while. I wish I could help her out more from here, but that is not my place, as I have now learned. Her life now lies in her own decisions and actions. The path she takes from here will be the result of her will to live and love, and the infinite mercy of God.
Sara had had an incredibly long and exhausting day. She was out since 8AM going to various offices looking for a job to help her boyfriend (Chad) pay for things like rent and utilities. She knew it wasn't her fault she was laid off because of downsizing merely months after beginning to go out with him. She kicked off her high heels, which had been causing her pain all day, when suddenly she remembered Chad would be home any minute, and she was so busy running errands she never had time to make dinner or pick something up. She picked up the phone and dialed Pizza Hut to order a medium pizza, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry. She didn't enjoy being around Chad when he was angry, but she knew she depended on his financial support for survival. Chad didn't arrive home until thirty minutes after the pizza was delivered.
"Hi hon", she said.
"Yea, what's up?", Chad said. "What're ya makin' us for dinner? I sure's hell don't smell nothin."
"Chad, I was out all day, and I just didn't have time, so I..."
"Didn't have time? Didn't have fuckin' time? What the fuck are you talkin' about 'didn't have time'? Are you gonna make us somethin or not!"
"I...I ordered pizza, it was getting cold, so I kept it in the oven for y--"
Chad nearly ripped the oven door off its hinges, and glared down at the luke-warm pizza. "You expect me to eat this piece of shit? And what the fuck you got the oven on for? You ain't payin to keep this shit runnin!"
Sara turned around to face away, but thought she could still hear him whispering to himself, "Goddammed dumb bitch." She worked up the courage to face him, and said, "Chad, I'm really sorry. I'll heat it up some more, and tomorrow I'll make your favorite Lasagna, I promi---"
But her promise was never made, for Chad had slapped her square across the face, where a red hand print left its mark. He spread his arms and curled his hand in to a fist and hit her hard on the side of the shoulder with the side of his palm.
Sara began to cry, as he slapped her once more - this time closer to her eye, and grabbed a hold of both her wrists with ruthless tenacity.
"You're right that you're sorry", he said. "And you damn fuckin' right that there'll be something -good- to eat tomorrow!"
She nodded between heavy sets of sobs.
Chad began to laugh. "Just a shame darlin'", he said. Then as he began to walk upstairs, with a sinister grin on his face, he said, "Just a shame you keep fallin' down those stairs."
---
A mixture of sounds greeted the boy early in the morning. Bird chirping, car horns beeping, and his alarm blaring all woke him up at about 7:15AM. He looked through his bedroom door to the kitchen table, where a neatly folded newsletter awaited him.
"Young Woman Killed In Domestic Dispute"
"Sara Morris, 22, was found dead yesterday afternoon at approximately 6:30PM, two miles away in the woods near her apartment. The cause of death was several gunshot wounds discovered in her back, as well as laceration marks found around her neck and wrists. Officials are still investigating the case, but believe the main suspect to be her boyfriend Chad Hoover, who has yet to return to his workplace of ACE Auto Repairs. If you have any information which may lead to the capture or arrest of Mr. Hoover, you are encouraged to call...." but the boy stopped reading.
"Another dangerous mission", he told himself. The truth was, he didn't very much care for putting his life on the line in situations like this. He would protect whoever he was meant to protect, but when it meant he might have to die, he was a hundred times more afraid. From the sound of the article, whoever he was trying to go up against was both armed and dangerous. He himself didn't have a gun, so he didn't know what he was going to do. He also didn't like the idea of using violence against others, even if it was to save a human life. "That's what some call War", he said to himself. "But I call it wrong."
He looked up Morris in the address book, but there were no matches. He looked up Hoover as well, but there were no Chad Hoover listings. His only clue at this point was ACE Auto Repairs - where Chad allegedly worked. Since he had no where else to turn, he figured he would try his luck there.
---
He arrived at the auto repair shop and asked for the manager. A burly man came out with an "ACE" hat on, and a cup for his chew.
"What can I do ya for kid?", he asked.
"I want to know about Chad Hoover, well, I need to know where he lives, you see I---"
The man gave out a hearty laugh. "Dern kid, you think I can just go out givin' ya stuff like that? Kinda strange though, Chad was s'pose ter come in today but I ain't seen him yet."
"Please", said the boy, "I need to know where it is Chad lives. It's very important."
"Look, kid, I told yer once, I can't go on givin' stuff like that away ter strangers! Hell, you'd have to be some kinder policeman or somethin' to get that kinda info."
The boy looked at the man straight in the eyes. The manager felt a small presence of rage coming from the boy's eyes, but also a sense of desparation.
"Please", the boy pleaded once more, "This is to save someone's life."
The manager looked at him one last time, at those fiery eyes which seemed to burn a hole right through him. "Ahright, Ahright. Tell yer what kid. His files is over there in them cabinets. But you go on and dig through 'em by yoself. I ain't gettin in ter no trouble for releasin' that stuff."
The boy quickly retrieved the information. He checked his watch, to see it was 12:30PM. He didn't have much time left.
"Thank you", he said on his way out.
As he was driving away, the manager turned to one of his co-workers and said, "Dat kid there just ain't right. Somethin' about the eyes if yous ask me. Just ain't right..."
---
The boy arrived at the address (which turned out to be an overly dingy apartment complex) and was sitting in his car, pondering his next move. "Shit", he said to himself. "I've really got myself in to it this time." The boy quickly surveyed his dilemma. He couldn't run in and get the woman because he probably couldn't convince her to come with him, and even if he did he'd have to return her sooner or later. He had no weapons to protect her with, and even if he did he couldn't do anything until her boyfriend acted. His only other alternative was to wait until her boyfriend arrived, which he guessed would be in about one hour, and go from there. This risked watching him kill her right in front of his eyes. Not wanting to think of the gruesome topic any more, he began to pray to God for the safety of the woman.
One hour had passed, and the boy had prayed the entire time. It was 2:00PM and the boy knew Chad would be by any minute. The boy didn't know what was going on with this relationship, or why it had fallen apart. He didn't know what this woman had done to deserve to be killed. He had not one scrap of detail concerning the convictions of his actions. All he knew was that killing is an evil that no human should commit, even against their worst enemies. He saw a car pull up to the apartment complex that he has noticed was Chad's, and a man got out of the car, and rushed in to the house. "That's got to be him", he said to himself. He sat in the car, praying that the man would return to his car with the woman. He would have a better chance of taking him off guard somewhere else, although he still had no idea how. He thought of calling the police right now, but then the man might kill not only the woman but also himself out of desparation. The boy sat in his car, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed. "Please God, let her be okay. Let her be alive. Please let him come back out with her through that front door. Please God let her be alive." Two minutes had passed, when suddenly the man burst out of the front door. Trailing behind him was a young woman, struggling to break free from his grip. She was abused, roughed up, and crying. But she was alive.
"Thank you God. Thank you. Thank you", the boy said over and over. The man pulled his car out of the parking lot, and began to take off down the street. He followed the car on to some back trail paths, which he thought weren't even for vehicles. Finally the man stopped his car, and the boy drove past as he saw the man take the woman out of the passenger side. "I can't just stop here and take him on", the boy thought. "He'd kill me along with her for sure". He kept driving, to make himself appear inconspicuous.
---
"Please, Chad! What are you doing?", Sara managed to weep out in between sobs. "I was only making your dinner, like I promised. I was just at home I swear, I never..."
"WHORE!!!", Chad screamed. "Don't you go on lyin' to me woman. I know you've been sneakin' 'round my back like some kinda whore! You ain't been lookin' fer a new job at all! You've just been gettin' yerself screwed for cash haven't yeh!"
"No!! I would never, no, please. I wouldn't, no, never...", she managed to mumble out.
"Bitch you ain't never been nothin' but a burden to me", Chad continued. "You ain't never helped me pay one goddamn bill!
Hell, you can't even get good food on the table, what else is you good for? 'Cause I don' fuckin' know. Fuck, you can't even fuck me every night like a good fuckin' bitch!"
"Chad, please, I've been spending long days looking for work, but I haven't found any, please, Chad, plea...", but the rest was lost in streams of tears.
"Tell you what bitch. Since you ain't no good to noone, specially not me, I'm gonna do us both a favor, and just put you outta yer misery, 'kay? Turn round and spread them legs apart. Maybe I'll force myself upon yehs one last time 'fore I blow your brains out."
"Please!! Don't!! Chad!!", she screamed. Then silently to herself, she prayed: "God help me...", and was knocked unconscious when Chad hit her in the back of the head with the butt of his handgun.
When Sara woke up, Chad was unconscious next to a nearby tree, and bleeding from his head. Next to him was a rock the size of her head, with blood smeared all over it.
"Don't worry", came a voice behind her. "He isn't dead, and the police will be here to arrest him shortly."Sara turned around, and a boy was sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, staring down at her.
"Who....are you?", she asked.
"Y'know, alot of people have been asking me that question, but I can't really say I've got a name anymore. Hell, my boss doesn't even know what to call me, although most the time it's just "Sick Kid".
"But, How, Where, What exactly happened here?", she said, as she was still very confused.
"I was driving by, and I saw that man harassing you. I knew I couldn't take him on, so I drove by and decided to wait. After he knocked you unconscious he was starting to tape your wrists and ankles together with duct tape. As he was doing this, I snuck up behind him, and well...", he pointed to Chad.
"But how did you know, why did you, no, what exactly is going on here?", she asked, still completely puzzled as to the nature of the appearance of this boy.
"Sara", the boy began (she was startled he knew her name, but did not ask him how he knew, for she would soon find out) "There are many evil people in this world, and sometimes those evil people do harmful things to others. But if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is for one person to reach out a hand with the intent to hurt another human being. This is not the way that people live, this is not the way that people grow. It is not the vision our God has for us to continue to harm each other like this. I bet for you, the road has probably been tough. Even tougher when you have someone like this dirtbag pushing you around. Yet despite the hopelessness, and despite how you feel alone without him, it is not okay to allow yourself to submit to him. It is never okay for a person to be stripped of their courage and their voice. These are gifts given to us for simply being human beings, and when another takes them away, we must sometimes fight to get them back. But Sara, we must never, ever, allow such demons to rule us like this man. The next time you feel hopeless and lonely, the next time that you feel the only one you have left is someone who does you harm, I want you to look to the sky. Look to the heavens, where a merciful God sits, watching over you. It is not his Will to see his children suffer, but he cannot help us by a divine intervention. The only miracles that take place Sara, are those within your heart. The decisions that you make, and the path that you now choose, are all up to you. But the courage to go through with this path, and the self-motivation to move beyond this despair, will come to you from up above."
The boy jumped down from the tree, and walked towards Sara. Sara, sprawled on the ground, could only look up at this boy with her mouth half open. There was something about this boy. There was no glowing aura, no halo, no wings, but she for sure thought he was some kind of angel sent by God to protect her.
"A-are you an a-angel?", she said.
The boy laughed. "Nah, I'm just the "Sick Kid".
He spread his arms wide, and Sara cringed. It had become an automatic mechanism of her's now, to cower back in fear at the site of dominance. The boy got closer and closer, and she was nearly crying by the time he was touching her. He put both arms gently around her neck and shoulders, and gave her a hug. The woman hadn't felt the sensation of such an embrace in quite some time. Chad had hardly ever seemed to embrace her like this, atleast not anymore. She wanted that moment to last forever, for she knew in that small window of time, she was both protected and loved, and that was all she wished for in life.
The boy let go after a minute, and bent down again to talk to her.
"The police will be here any minute to pick up him over there", he said as he pointed over to Chad. "I want you to tell them everything he's ever done to you. I've already told them that I knocked the assailant unconscious over the phone. But Sara, I never want you to forget. You are always loved, even if not by other people. No one has the right to touch you in such a way as this man has. No woman should have to physically submit to a man. May God protect you", he finished with a smile. The boy began to walk back down the road to where he had temporarily parked his car.
"Hey!", she shouted. The boy turned back around to look at her.
"Where do I go from here?", she shouted.
"Follow your heart!", he shouted back. "I bet there's something in there that'll help you!"
The boy kept on walking to his car. "She's going to have it really rough", he thought to himself. "She will probably have to live with some friends or go on Welfare for a while. I wish I could help her out more from here, but that is not my place, as I have now learned. Her life now lies in her own decisions and actions. The path she takes from here will be the result of her will to live and love, and the infinite mercy of God.
posted by Stephen @ 10:26 PM
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