Suffering

Chapter 5 Death, Death, Death

Chapter 5

Death, Death, Death

Life for Max, Princess, and Alex was pretty bumpy. Life, though, was running smoothly for them after their little talk. Alex spent more time with them and went back to church. Like always though, life takes a turn. The bills were piling up and Alex had a hard time paying them. Max, who was seventeen, picked up a part-time job. Princess, who was seven, would sell cookies every Saturday. Alex had to make a tough decision, but it was a smart one. They sold their mansion, and moved into a tiny apartment. It had two bedrooms and one bath. Max and Princess shared a room. They lived in a rough neighborhood. Every room was broken into, and there would be drug deals behind the building. About three weeks after moving out, Alex lost his job. Someone turned him in for smoking drugs, which was a complete lie. Of course he did smoke when he was a teenager, but he quit smoking after graduation. Could life get any worst?

A year later and tragedy struck badly. Max and Princess were away at school when the house was broken into. Alex was at home, taking a nap. When he heard the door collapse, he rushed into the room to find six guys in masks. One of the men had Joy’s repaired necklace. Alex yanked the necklace out of his hands and shoved the guy down. He did the best he could to fight the crooks off, but he failed. When he turned around, he was shoot dead. The masked men left the building and left Alex in a puddle of his own blood.

The first person to arrive at the apartment was Max. When Max saw the only man he trusted in a pool of blood, he blacked out. He woke up to little voice screaming his name. He opened his eyes wider and came face to face with the dead. He stood up and pulled Princess away. He stared at the body and noticed the necklace. He grabbed the necklace and walked over to Princess. When he glanced at the door, he saw a man in a mask, which was the same man who was going to steal the necklace. Max threw a punch, picked Princess up, and ran away. He ran in the cold, winter snow.

Princess and Max ran for hours. They found themselves under an old bridge. The two of them leaned against a column. Max pulled out the necklace from his pocket. When he opened the locket, he saw the picture. This was the first picture he saw of his dad. Princess shivered her way towards Max. “Who’s that?” Her voice shivered.

“That’s Joy and our father. This was Joy’s locket. I remember seeing her wear it, when I was in the hospital.” Max closed the locket and placed the necklace around Princess’s neck. “Here, this is for you. I know my sister would love for you to have it.”

“Wow! Thank you!” She hugged him tightly. “What was Grandpa like?”

“My father?” She nodded. “I never got to know him. He died in a car accident before I was born. Your mother always told me that if I look in the mirror, I would see him.” Princess smiled, but her smile quickly changed when she started to cough up blood. “Your sick. Take my jacket.” He wrapped her up. They spent weeks under the cold bridge.

The two of them were weakening. One night, the wind was wild and the snow was falling excessively. Max was cuddling with Princess when his heartbeat was decreasing. Soon, there was no heartbeat. The surrounding was bright white. He saw Alex’s father, Alex himself, and Joy. He also saw his mother and for the first time, he saw his father. Then what took him by surprise was a tall man. He was a holy man. He was the Creator. He was face to face with God himself. Even though Max wanted to stay, God told him his time has not yet come. When his soul returned to his shivering body, he stood up with smile. Max knew that there was indeed a God. He was no longer second-guessing Him.

Max and Princess would pray every day for peace and a home. Weeks went by and the bridge was covered with homeless kids. Some were rebels, but their loved ones abandoned most of them. One night, while Max was sleeping, one of the rebels stabbed Max. The kid thought he was hiding food, but instead Max was hiding the only girl he ever loved. Max decided to head back home, hoping he would find someone their. When he returned to the town, his mouth hit the deck. There were bodies everywhere. Blood was scattered all over the windows and doors. Princess was coughing up more blood and her skin was paler than the snow. Max’s heart dropped when he saw a familiar figure. It was the masked man. He held Princess with a firm grip and sprinted as fast as he could. Every time Max ran, his wound would expand. He was stabbed on the right side of his stomach. He took Princess into the church they use to attend. Max placed Princess in front of the podium and covered her with his body. The masked man came up from behind and pointed the massive gun at Max. The masked man pulled the trigger, making the world stop. The bullet went through, not only Max, but also Princess. The man moved Max’s body to the side, revealing Princess’s body. The man just stood there. His heartbeat was increasing. He saw the necklace around her neck. He opened the locket and then quickly closed his eyes. He picked up the bodies and went outside. The police surrounded the man. He placed the bodies down gently and dropped his weapons. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

10 years after the death of Max and Princess, the man was released from prison. The man went backed to the apartment Alex lived in. The apartment building was trashed. He walked in the bloody room. The blood was still on the floor. He walked into the first bedroom and found a picture of Alex and Joy. He took the picture and went into the next room. He saw a picture of Alex, Princess, and Max. He took that too. He walked towards the beds and saw a teddy bear. On the back of the bear, it had words. To: Princess Joy Row. From: Grandpa Row. He took that and left the building.

The man arrived at the graveyard and spent hours searching. When he found what he was looking for, he knelt down. He placed the picture of Joy and Alex between their graves. He placed the other picture between Princess’s and Max’s grave. He placed the teddy bear on Princess’s grave. Before he left, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the necklace. He placed the locket around the bear’s neck. The rain started to fall. “I killed three of Your angels God. I’ll make things right with You. Today’s a new day. I pray for forgiveness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.” The man turned to his right to find a woman weeping. “Did you know him?”

The woman wiped her eyes. “I did. I treated him poorly. I wish I could talk to him one more time.” Her voice was shaky.

The man stared at the ground. “I feel like you should know that I killed him. But please don’t harm me. I made my mistakes, and I’m fixing them. I did my time in jail; when I was there, I found God.” He looked up to see her tearful eyes. “When was the last time you and Alex talk?”

“It’s been years. I drove miles just to visit his grave.” She looked at the picture. “I’m surprise he married her.”

She broke down in tears. The man rubbed her back with care. “I never got your name.”

She stared at the graves. “Sasha. Sasha Knight.” She looked at the man. “What’s your name?”

He stared at her eyes. “Tommy Frost.”

He walked Sasha back to her car. “How do we ask for forgiveness from God?” She asked as she gazed at the dark sky.

He grinned at her and looked up at the sky. “We pray. We pray for forgiveness.” He looked at Sasha. “God knows if we are truly sorry. He knows are feelings. He knows what we want. He knows what we need. God knows all.” Sasha smiled and gave him her number. As she drove off, she prayed. The man, who killed the angels, did the same. God has two new angels. It took four dead angels for them to find Him.