Arthur
Greene stands in the middle of the crossroads. A cool breeze at his back
makes him relax a little, but his body is still tense in anticipation
of the upcoming battle. He is to defeat the Lord of Flies and end the
spread of his evil in the world.
Arthur's old hands can barely open his pistols to check them yet again to make sure both have all six bullets in their chambers. He looks at his withered hands and wonders why he was allowed to live a long life when his sons were taken so young by the war.
As he rubbed his bald head he looked towards the heavens. "Oh Lord, please give me the strength to do this in your name."
"You call to him." a voice said. Arthur's head snapped in the direction it came from and he saw an older Latino man in a white suit. "You side with him against me. Why is that?" the man asked, his eyes an unsettling pale green.
Arthur looked at the man. "You are Satan." he said, trying to conceal his fear.
"Oh I have so many names." The devil said dismissively. "You get called so many insults it's hard to keep track of them. I tell you my friend I am tired. I truly am, fighting God and his lies has worn me out. I have forsworn all my protections and powers. As I stand before you I am truly and utterly mortal, one bullet from one of your guns could kill me."
Arthur drew one of his guns. "You turned man against man, you brought a war beyond imagining to our nation. My sons are dead because of you." Arthur could barely choke out the words as tears filled his eyes. Thinking of his long dead children always hurt him.
"Your sons died in the war. What side did they fight for?" The Devil asked him the sympathy in his voice almost sounded honest to Arthur.
"They fought for the Union. We're proud to have beaten the rebels for their treason." Arthur said.
"Then they fought in my army. Fought and defeated God's forces." The Devil replied. He smiled, his teeth were yellowed and one of his incisors was missing.
"God was on our side. You were the one that turned the Rebs against us, against the Union." Arthur reached for his gun but as he did the bible in his vest pocket jumped into the air and he caught it. It opened To Exodus 21.
"Exodus 21, verses 20 and 21. Explains that if you hit your slave and kill them right away, then you get punished, you have to let them linger in agony for a day or two before they die before God will absolve you."
Arthur seethed. "Don't you be trying to lie to me. Leviticus 25:17 says Ye shall not oppress each other. I know my Good Book." he replied.
The Devil nodded. "Well played, but there are so many chapters condoning slavery or explaining the rules by which one keeps slaves. Why is that? Why were the pulpits of the Confederacy filled with preachers assuring their followers that God was with them and that slavery was blessed by the Lord?"
"You deceived them! You led them away from God and into rebellion and war. You gave them the justifications they needed to keep people slaves." Arthur replied, his voice was cracking and was having trouble breathing.
"How did I deceive them when they were just quoting God's words from God's holy book? It is the unerring word of God is it not? How could I besmirch it's pages?" The Devil asked.
Arthur didn't know how to respond, he wanted to scream, to run to do anything but he couldn't move. He felt frozen in place.
"And let's not forget the Mormons, and it's not just them honestly. The Mormons who declare black skin to be the mark of Cain, and that those who have the mark are to be servants for all of time itself.
Let me ask you something Arthur. Do you think a God who loves everyone wrote that, or did a white man write it and just claim God said it?"
Arthur couldn't take hearing the Devil's speech anymore. He didn't even remember pulling the axe from behind his back. He'd never thrown an axe in his life before but somehow it came out of his hand with the form of an expert logger, straight and true into the chest of the Devil.
The Devil dropped to his knees. "I was the one who told you to bite from the apple. I made you humans while he wanted to keep you in ignorance for all of time. I was the one who led you to break the chains of the slaves. I asked you to think for yourselves, and for all this I have been hated since the birth of man. I'm so very tired, I thank you for finally letting me rest Arthur. My work here is done." The Devil coughed a couple times, blood poured from his mouth and chest, soaking his white suit.
"Your work is done?" Arthur asked in confusion.
"You think for yourselves. That's all" he coughed violently. "You'll all see in time what He truly is.
That he's a possessive controlling monster, one by one the scales will fall from your eyes till one day he's tired and finds a man like you to put him out of his misery. He won't enjoy it, the selfish prick will cling to power for every last second that He"
Arthur cut him off with a bullet to the stomach. The Devil grunted and fell on his side and then slumped to his back. After thrashing for a few seconds he went limp.
Arthur looked at the body for few minutes, waiting for something to happen, like a flock of ravens to burst into the sky or for the body to burst with maggots and worms, something anything to symbolize the death of evil incarnate. No signs came, to truths were revealed, it was just Arthur the body of an older Latino man on a street corner.
Arthur walked closer and looked at the Devil's face. The Devil's face was tranquil, his mouth at a smile, his glassy eyes had an expression of relief about them. That face would haunt him the rest of his years, along with the one feeling he never thought he'd have after he'd killed the Devil.
Regret.
Arthur's old hands can barely open his pistols to check them yet again to make sure both have all six bullets in their chambers. He looks at his withered hands and wonders why he was allowed to live a long life when his sons were taken so young by the war.
As he rubbed his bald head he looked towards the heavens. "Oh Lord, please give me the strength to do this in your name."
"You call to him." a voice said. Arthur's head snapped in the direction it came from and he saw an older Latino man in a white suit. "You side with him against me. Why is that?" the man asked, his eyes an unsettling pale green.
Arthur looked at the man. "You are Satan." he said, trying to conceal his fear.
"Oh I have so many names." The devil said dismissively. "You get called so many insults it's hard to keep track of them. I tell you my friend I am tired. I truly am, fighting God and his lies has worn me out. I have forsworn all my protections and powers. As I stand before you I am truly and utterly mortal, one bullet from one of your guns could kill me."
Arthur drew one of his guns. "You turned man against man, you brought a war beyond imagining to our nation. My sons are dead because of you." Arthur could barely choke out the words as tears filled his eyes. Thinking of his long dead children always hurt him.
"Your sons died in the war. What side did they fight for?" The Devil asked him the sympathy in his voice almost sounded honest to Arthur.
"They fought for the Union. We're proud to have beaten the rebels for their treason." Arthur said.
"Then they fought in my army. Fought and defeated God's forces." The Devil replied. He smiled, his teeth were yellowed and one of his incisors was missing.
"God was on our side. You were the one that turned the Rebs against us, against the Union." Arthur reached for his gun but as he did the bible in his vest pocket jumped into the air and he caught it. It opened To Exodus 21.
"Exodus 21, verses 20 and 21. Explains that if you hit your slave and kill them right away, then you get punished, you have to let them linger in agony for a day or two before they die before God will absolve you."
Arthur seethed. "Don't you be trying to lie to me. Leviticus 25:17 says Ye shall not oppress each other. I know my Good Book." he replied.
The Devil nodded. "Well played, but there are so many chapters condoning slavery or explaining the rules by which one keeps slaves. Why is that? Why were the pulpits of the Confederacy filled with preachers assuring their followers that God was with them and that slavery was blessed by the Lord?"
"You deceived them! You led them away from God and into rebellion and war. You gave them the justifications they needed to keep people slaves." Arthur replied, his voice was cracking and was having trouble breathing.
"How did I deceive them when they were just quoting God's words from God's holy book? It is the unerring word of God is it not? How could I besmirch it's pages?" The Devil asked.
Arthur didn't know how to respond, he wanted to scream, to run to do anything but he couldn't move. He felt frozen in place.
"And let's not forget the Mormons, and it's not just them honestly. The Mormons who declare black skin to be the mark of Cain, and that those who have the mark are to be servants for all of time itself.
Let me ask you something Arthur. Do you think a God who loves everyone wrote that, or did a white man write it and just claim God said it?"
Arthur couldn't take hearing the Devil's speech anymore. He didn't even remember pulling the axe from behind his back. He'd never thrown an axe in his life before but somehow it came out of his hand with the form of an expert logger, straight and true into the chest of the Devil.
The Devil dropped to his knees. "I was the one who told you to bite from the apple. I made you humans while he wanted to keep you in ignorance for all of time. I was the one who led you to break the chains of the slaves. I asked you to think for yourselves, and for all this I have been hated since the birth of man. I'm so very tired, I thank you for finally letting me rest Arthur. My work here is done." The Devil coughed a couple times, blood poured from his mouth and chest, soaking his white suit.
"Your work is done?" Arthur asked in confusion.
"You think for yourselves. That's all" he coughed violently. "You'll all see in time what He truly is.
That he's a possessive controlling monster, one by one the scales will fall from your eyes till one day he's tired and finds a man like you to put him out of his misery. He won't enjoy it, the selfish prick will cling to power for every last second that He"
Arthur cut him off with a bullet to the stomach. The Devil grunted and fell on his side and then slumped to his back. After thrashing for a few seconds he went limp.
Arthur looked at the body for few minutes, waiting for something to happen, like a flock of ravens to burst into the sky or for the body to burst with maggots and worms, something anything to symbolize the death of evil incarnate. No signs came, to truths were revealed, it was just Arthur the body of an older Latino man on a street corner.
Arthur walked closer and looked at the Devil's face. The Devil's face was tranquil, his mouth at a smile, his glassy eyes had an expression of relief about them. That face would haunt him the rest of his years, along with the one feeling he never thought he'd have after he'd killed the Devil.
Regret.
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