Repentance

Chapter 1 "Brought to a Halt"

    On the evening of November 21st, in the year 2020, a prison bus drove, quietly down a dusty, solitary road. It belonged to the Wellhurst Maximum Security Prison, outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. On the bus, were two guards, a pastor, a driver, and three criminals sentenced to prison; life for all of them. Each man was convicted of multiple murders, and vicious acts against their fellow human. The man who sat in front of the bus, was named Stanley Veckons. He brutally raped and murdered five women before being caught and convicted. Each woman he "stayed" with had been sliced open at the stomach, and had their reproductive organs removed with surgical precision. Three seats behind Stanley, sat William Finch, a man convicted for the murder of two families who each owned smaller casinos. William had held a grudge against the two families because they "forced" him to spend his entire life savings. So he killed the children of each family in front of their bound parents and then shot the parents one-by-one, in the back of their heads.

    In the furthest seat back, may have been the most heinous of the three in the eyes of the state. A man by the name of Michael Greer. Greer had been sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences, and a strong recommendation for solitary confinement for the first. Michael had been convicted for over a hundred murders, twenty of which were in the state of Nevada alone. It was known that Michael had had a history with the Marines and served six years in special operations. The man was in all accounts, a killing machine. He himself was a lethal weapon. He used his skills from the military to maim and kill person after person, all of whom were, for the most part, unrelated. These people ranged from politicians, to businessman, and bartenders to city workers. Even fellow soldiers were targetted. Michael being so dangerous, received special treatment during transport, as he was bound from head to toe. His body was nearly, totally secure. He could only move his neck, toes, and fingers. He sat, patiently awaiting his arrival to Wellhurst with a grim look upon his face.

    The pastor, who had been spending the past thirty minutes polishing his gold watch, slowly arose from his seat and walked his way back to Michael. He was very interested in this particular inmate. A man who seemed to not have a soul could surely use saving! He approached Michael, and sat in the seat directly in front of him. He cleared his throat, "So, Michael, they tell me you lack any form of a soul." Michael stared blankly into the pastor's eyes. "The news aired several exposés about 'The Killer with no Motive' ever since you were apprehended. The way you held yourself in court; so cold, so unapologetic. You feel no remorse for your actions, don't you? Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I am Reginald Pickens. An odd name, I know, but my friends and family call me Reggie. I'm a pastor with our church, St. Mary's Baptist Church of Las Vegas. Now I know Vegas is Sin City as they call it but I do like to have hope and faith in the community." Michael continued staring, "Right, well, I'll keep this short and sweet then. I was wondering if you had accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. The lord almighty knows that you of all people could use some form of repentance." The pastor chuckled, and realized that Michael had not stopped staring into his eyes, without a word. "Now, son, I know your current predicament could lead you to believe that God does not love all of his children, but I assure you, with enough prayers and penance, even you could become saved in the eyes of the lord. It may not seem very appealing given the circumstances, you'll still be spending the remainder of your life in prison. But at least you'd have a chance to not burn in eternal damnation for all eternity."

    Michael stared for just a moment more, and then shifted slightly to loosen his muscles a bit. He leaned in as much as his restraints would allow and spoke quietly, "Pastor," He winced. It was obvious Michael was uncomfortable, "Whatever Christ you may believe in, has no room in heaven for the likes of me." He exhaled sharply. "If there is a God, he has surely damned this world, and me along with it."

    Pastor Reggie was startled by Michael's comment. "Now see here son, the world is a mess. For the lord to allow the likes of you and other murderers and miscreants is an atrocity to mankind, but-"