Wrath Of God

Chapter 21: 'Death and life and death'

I woke up disorientated and in pain. My head was swimming and I struggled to see out of my right eye. The past few weeks were hell, prison was not fun.

In my illustrious career as Za'aphiel I had made quite a bit of enemies and because I was responsible for The Gentleman's death, I had even more enemies.

I also had more "friends". There were quite a bit of people that were actually very happy that The Gentleman was dead. It was because of these friends that I was still alive but even when you have people watching your back your enemies will still come for you. Yesterday one of those enemies had tried to kill me. He was an idiotic dim-witted individual bent on revenge. He was the cousin of Gareth "The Gazza" Bedingfield, one of my victims. Although he was low on brain cells, Gareth's cousin Nico was large and well built. He worked out every day in the prison yard getting bigger and stronger for the day he was released and could find me to get revenge for his cousin's death. He was thrilled when I was put in the same prison as him before his release. Nico had attacked me in the yard. He rushed at me with a steel shiv he had acquired. I easily blocked his attack and disarmed him. At that point I could have used the weapon against him or killed him in a hundred different ways but I was done with death. I dropped the blade and walked away. He then attacked me from behind and rained down punches on me until guards pulled him off. I deserved the pain.

Father had come to visit me frequently. He prayed for me while I closed my eyes out of respect and said amen at the end. This brought a smile to his face.

He kept me updated on the Whittake Dreammaker Foundation.

Some of Amy's artworks were displayed in a local art show where a private art collector had taken a special interest in her work.

Father had also found another young and talented female, a violinist by the name of Josie Toure. The Whittake Dreammaker Foundation was funding her studies at a prestigious music college. Alison would have been so happy if she saw what was being done. Alison. I had been thinking a lot about her in the weeks I had been in prison and the closer it came to the end the more I was convinced that I truly was doing the right thing.

Father was responsible for killing mother, The Gentleman was responsible for manipulating me and turning me into a professional killer, but I was responsible for Alison's death. I had blamed The Gentleman for his deceit and The Bishop for setting the stage that showed Alison the monster I was, but in the end I was a monster.

I am not the person she loved and I had hid what I truly was from her.

I made her fall in love with me and get close to me without thinking of the repercussions. The cold hard truth was that Alison's death was my fault. The other truth I had accepted was that I was Za'aphiel. Many times I had not lived up to the name but many times I had. I had rid the world of despicable men including one very evil man that ruled a criminal empire and manipulated me and others into building him that empire. I had chosen the name and it had defined my life.

If I was the saving angel and it was my duty to save the world from evil then I had to die. It was the logical thing to do.

The time had come, this was the end. I knew it was going to happen, I had planned for it to happen. When I was planning The Gentleman's demise I knew how I wanted it to end.

I had told Dimitar to phone the police. I had confessed to my crimes and given myself up to be judged. I had been found guilty and sentenced to the death penalty.

I was to die by means of the lethal injection. I was strapped down to a bed and connected to machines that monitored my heart rate. A priest read out the lord's prayer while the doctors made sure everything was in place for my death.

The prayer reminded me of my father. He had prayed this same prayer once before during one of his visits. He was here in the audience watching and murmuring his own prayers for me now. I still found it hard to believe that he was the same man who was a drunken rage-filled monster that killed mother. He was now a man of God and I was the monster ready to die for my sins.

I thought of Alison. How I had sworn not to love her but was unable to keep that promise. I loved her, I loved her so much. It was because of her, because I had caused her death that I was here now by choice.

I then thought of mother. My loving sweet wonderful mother that was taken from me too soon. she was the driving force behind most of my decisions in life.

I was Za'aphiel in honor of her. It had been a lifetime since I had seen her smile and heard her tell me it was all going to be alright but I could hear it now. I could hear her telling me not to be afraid. I smiled as I felt the darkness taking over my body.

I would be with mother soon. The last thing I saw before darkness overtook me completely was a bright beautiful light. It might have just been the bright fluorescent lights but I believed it to be mother. I believed she had come to fetch me.

I am Kyle Palmer. Son of Warren Arthur Palmer and Roselyn Macy. I was also known as Za'aphiel, the wrath of God, the saving angel, savior of the innocent and punisher of the wicked. I have saved lives and I have ended lives.

I have loved and I have lost and in a life filled with death I have lived.

With my death I have completed my purpose of being the saving angel.

This is life through the eyes of a bad guy.

The End