Fury from Above

Romans 12:19

"Alright, we have him cornered now. He's got nowhere to run to," Emilio whispered to the group of men standing beside him. He pointed into the woods where a lone figure could be seen reading a book beside a campfire. They all nodded with excitement and a low murmur broke out among them. Emilio stood at the front of the group with his back to the forest and outstretched hands, "This man has come into our homes and killed our children. He has taken what we love and made a mockery of our family names. His tyranny and cruel judgment ends tonight. Tonight we fight back!"

The crowd nodded in agreement and readied their weapons, listening closely to whatever plan Emilio had in mind.

 "I need you good folks to circle the perimeter and make sure that if he tries to escape, he'll run into you first. After I see everyone in position, I will make my entrance and deliver the finishing blow," Emilio's eyes turned blood red and his voice lowered to a growl. "And if any of you think of taking this blood from me, then I will make sure that you and your whole family cease to inherit the Earth."

The townsfolk took a step back out of fear and remained frozen in their tracks until Emilio signaled for them to circle the forest. The group snapped out of their terror and made silent haste to surround the figure, who still quietly read by the fire.

Emilio eagerly watched his plan finally unfold after years of waiting. He had been tracking this man ever since he killed his father and vengeance would finally be his tonight.

Emilio remembers his father very clearly: a man with a smile sewed onto his lips, who didn't mind wasting time on a good laugh. He remembers helping restock shelves at his father's general store and being interrupted by groups of men who would enter and head directly to his father to exchange hushed words. It became an unspoken routine. Emilio's father would direct the men towards the backroom of the store and leave Emilio behind with a reassuring wink and the responsibility of watching over the family business. Emilio was kept in the dark about the nature of these deals between his father and the town folk. He concentrated instead on making his father proud, as any regular twelve-year-old would. If that meant running the store while his father was preoccupied, then so be it.

Rather than dealing business in the backroom, Emilio's father was busy placing a new shipment of hair cream onto the shelves. Emilio had a clear view of his father dying that day. Before that fateful moment, the bell that signaled a customer entering the store rang. Emilio looked over at the stranger, not knowing that this very stranger would consume his every thought from this day forward.

The man wore a priest's outfit with a large brimmed hat. In his left hand the stranger held a Bible and kept it close to his side. The man entered the store slowly, making sure the door didn't slam shut behind him. He looked at Emilio's father, who continued on with his task. The stranger asked to know the name of the store owner so his father replied with a simple, "Name's Carson." Emilio knew this was a lie but he didn't understand why his father would take such measures. His dad always went by the name Dario. It was a family name and Emilio knew his dad was proud of his family and his name. Something was different about this stranger, different enough for his dad to conceal his identity.

The stranger slowly walked around the store taking in the various items of the store and began to ask a series of questions. His voice was dry as if he had a mouth full of gravel.

"So how long have you been running this store?"

"I've been running it for ten years now, going on eleven in two months," Dario replied.

"You must be familiar with the town and have a lot of friends all about these parts then."

"Yes. Yes, the townsfolk were very welcoming to my family and I when we first came here. We've always been thankful for the warm hospitality we were shown."