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Copyright 2012 Katherine Rochholz
Waterloo, IA
Publisher’s Note
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976.  No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise, without first obtaining the permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction.  Any similarity to persons living or dead (unless explicitly noted) is merely coincidental.
Eron and Grace
          This is my hell. If this isn’t hell, then I don’t know what is. From the moment I was told I was the spawn of death to this moment, when I take a young mother who just gave birth to the babies she wanted more than life. She knew carrying these babies to term would kill her, but she did it anyway. Taking souls like this kills me. It makes me want to turn against my duties; it makes me want to not take the life. But I must if I don’t then the soul rots in the body, causing the body to rot, making a demon on earth. I don’t even want to look at the little girl or the little boy, but I am drawn to them. I look at the little girl and I know, I know she will grow up to be my saving grace. Then I hear her name. Her father called her Grace. I left, taking the soul of the mother to her judgment day. Whispering to the little girl before I left “Grace, may the grace of God allow you to forgive me.”
          I couldn’t get the her out of my head, I knew that I would not enter her life again until she was older, and I had a feeling I would be taking her father when I did. He was a good man, I watched him raise the two children. I watched him accept his son when he came out homosexual. I watched him fight for equal rights. I watched him fight for the rights of veterans. I watched him fight for those who needed saving. And I kept watching and waiting for his name to come to me. I waited for the fate to send the message saying to take his soul. I waited, and waited. But my jobs were never done. I didn’t get much time to watch her grow up. But I wanted to make sure she was happy.
          She was so smart; she wanted to be a doctor. I watched as she worked hard in high school. I watched her face fill with excitement and joy when she received a letter stating she had been granted a scholarship. I did that, I wanted to make sure money was never a problem for her, that money would not be the reasons he had to give up on her dreams. I watched her through as she went through college and med school, as she stated her internship. Then I got a name I wasn’t expecting.
          It was her brother… he was going to kill himself. He had been the subject of so much hate. I was hoping his scholarship to that fancy music school in New York City would save him. But there was more hate then love in this world. In a world that most of the time I hated the human race because of that, though I so badly wanted to be part of the human race again. So I always did what I could to help, donating becoming an activist, in so many things. I tried to make the world a better place. But I always seemed to take those that are most worthy of life from this world.
          I wanted so badly to tell her. My Grace would be torn up by this, and I wanted so bad to tell her. But I knew it would only create a demon on Earth in his shell because his soul would rot, if not taken when his string was cut. I did my other jobs throughout the day. I knew when he would take his life, and I wanted to be there when it happened. It does not happen all the time, but sometimes, the soul ends up remaining with the body for a few moments after death. I wanted to be there to take his soul moments before his body died so that way he would not have to feel the pain of death. Death is always painful, always for the body, but if we get there just at the right time we can prevent the soul from feeling it.
          I watched him for most of the night. I knew when it was going to happen and how, but I couldn’t stop it. Grace was going to hate me for not stopping it. I was not worthy of a soul as beautiful as hers. I watched as he said goodbye to his boyfriend, as he told him he loved him all night. I watched as he called his father, and left a message saying ‘forgive me… I love you.” I watched as he called his sister, my Grace, and watched as his eyes filled at tears of how much pain he was going to leave his loved ones in, but he couldn’t face the hate in this world any longer. He almost lost his boyfriend because of intolerance, and the hate had gotten to him. So at twenty seven he was going to take his life. He didn’t want to live in a world that would allow people to hate. I cried with him, though he didn’t know I was there, I held his hand as he lay on his bed, waiting for the pills to take his life. Just seconds before the final pain of death, I took his soul. Then I took him to his judgment, most suicides get put into limbo, until they can be reborn to try again. But I was not going to allow that to happen. It can take centuries to be reborn. I left his soul with the judges, and told them my opinion. The first time I ever have voiced an opinion with judgment. They came back with something that shocked me.
“Eron, you want this soul to have a chance at paradise, or for us to give him his rebirth in the next year, so we give you this chance. Convince your soul mate, Grace, to forgive you, to accept you, to love you, within the next year, then we will give him his rebirth, if not then he will wait his turn.” They then disappeared leaving me to go back to Earth.
          I did not know how I was going to achieve this; she was a new intern who just found out her brother had died. Her twin had died. I watched her tell her father. I watched her plan the funeral, watched her fight with the Catholic Church to give him a Catholic funeral. He deserves a Catholic funeral; he was a good kid that was driven to take his life, because of the hate and pathetic people of this Earth. I joined her fight. I was timed it to be there when she came in to fight the priest for her brother’s funeral. I pretended to overhear the fight, and I joined her.
          “You said his note was that he could no longer take the hate of this world?” I asked.
          “Yes, his note stated that the attack on his boyfriend, and the fighting for equal rights was getting so hard on him. He was saddened by hatred in this world. Now the Catholic Church is refusing to treat him as an equal even in death!” Grace was angry, and I couldn’t blame her.
          “Let me guess if I were to offer a big donation to the church you would treat him as an equal?” I said with a sneer, I was not a fan of organized religion.
          “How big were you thinking?” The priest stated with greed in his eyes.
          “I have one hundred thousand dollars that says that this boy and all others like him get equal rights in this church.” I stated, writing out the check, a hundred thousand was like going to get a cup of coffee for me.
          “Deal.” The priest stated and turned to Grace.
          “Well Miss Grace Casey, your brother Benjamin will have a Catholic funeral.” He said bringing out an appointment book. “I have this Thursday open. Is that okay?”
          Grace had a look of shock on her face. “Yes that is fine.” The priest then left them alone.
          Grace turned to look at me. “Thank you. My name is Grace Casey. Did you know my brother?”
          I looked into her eyes, losing myself in their gold brownish color. “Yes, I knew Benjamin.”
          “Are you…” She didn’t know how to ask her question.
          “If you are wondering if I am gay, I am not. I just believe in equal rights. And that the hate and ignorance of people really needs to be put to a stop. My name is Eron Johnson.”
          “Oh… So you knew my brother how?”
          “I will tell you at another time. Let’s just focus on making sure he is put to rest. It is a shame he had to be taken so young. Your poor father, he must be destroyed.”
          “Dad was always afraid of AIDS, not this, never did we think suicide. I mean, we knew he had issues, but he was getting better. He was fighting for marriage rights in New York; he was going to marry his boyfriend. Poor Lester, he is so tore up about this, he feels he should have known. But he was in the hospital he was almost killed, just for being gay. It is sick.”
          We sat and talked for the rest of the day, and over the next few months I helped her deal with the loss of her twin. Our talking turned into dating, and soon I was coming up on my deadline. I was going to have to tell her the truth. One night I was going to take her out to a nice restaurant then come home and tell her all the truths about myself. But I came home and she was crying.
          “Honey what is wrong?” I went up and pulled her into my arms.
          “Someone told me that you are lying. That you are living a double life. That all your traveling is because you have many girlfriends in all over the country.” She said sobbing.
          “I only love you, I have no other girlfriends. No other person holds my heart and soul only you. But I do have a secret. Please hear me out.”   So I told her everything. From the moment I took her mother’s soul. My first words to her, my watching her grow up. My scholarships; because her family deserved them; and I told her the worst secret of them all. How I knew her brother. I told her everything, where I was when his name came up, how I stayed with him. How I took his soul so he would feel no pain. Only thing I didn’t tell her was the condition on his soul being reborn. Just that I fought for him. “I am a reaper.”
          She said nothing for a long time. She looked at me; I could tell she was working everything out in her head. “So you are how old?”
          “Eight hundred thirty six years old. And never once in my life have I ever loved anyone like I love you.”
          “So you took my brother’s soul to judgment, you took his soul, and fought for him. Because of me?”
          “And him, he had a hard life, and because of the hate in this world his promising life was cut short.   He was a good person.”
          “And you took my mom. You were there when I was born? Did my mom go to heaven?”
          “Your mother was sentenced to five years in purgatory, limbo, and then she could enter paradise.”
          “And my brother?”
          “That depends on my actions regarding you.”
          “How so?”
          “I cannot tell you, until I have an answer on if you still love me, if you can forgive me.”
          “Why would I have to forgive you? You had no control over your fate. And I am glad you were there with my brother, that he had someone there to hold his hand.” She turned and kissed me. “I love you, and there is nothing to forgive you for, I love you.”
          I felt my soul become complete; it was like my heart starting beating again. I knew I would no longer get the messages from the fates; I would no longer have to take the souls of those who deserved life more than most of the humans that live in this world. “You complete me, my saving Grace.”

Reimaged The Chronicles of Battle and Volume 1 will be released on kindle and paperback soon!  It is a set of 3 short stories! All Rights Reserved Katherine Rochholz

A Guardian’s Life Series Celtic Knot Cover All Rights Reserved Katherine Rochholz

Copyright 2012 Katherine Rochholz
Waterloo, IA
Publisher’s Note
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise, without first obtaining the permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons living or dead (unless explicitly noted) is merely coincidental.

Dylan and Suzanna
I am Death. I mean whoever hears those words outside of a play, or now in this future most only dreamed of in 1515, movies. NO ONE! Well that is what I thought as well until I came back to my home and found a man who was about five seven or five eight with a dark tan and graying brown hair and the bluest eyes in the world sitting with my black green eye cat in my chair. My mistake was asking him who he was. Man do I regret that question. His answer was just that. “I am Death.” And to make matters worse it was followed by “and I am your father.” And that it was time for me to come home. That is how I ended up here. And where is here? Good question. Here is about five hundred years after that fateful date and I am waiting for this drunk to get into his car. I thought this day would be a total bust, after all I had twenty souls to collect that day and I was only on number five. That was until I saw his daughter. Then those human feelings I left behind five hundred years ago came rushing back. And I knew she was the one who could save my soul. But how do I convince this angel from heaven itself, when I just took her father’s life force? This is my journey to salvation, join me if you dare.
Maybe I should explain, when you are a child of death, you became a reaper yourself. It is not as cool as you think. Father was quite the ladies’ man, so to say. I have about a thousand half brothers and sisters all over the world doing the same thing. Now we are not evil or good. We are neither. We are neutral. We walk this Earth, taking the souls of the dead to judgment. But we never are judged. Each reaper has one soul that can save theirs. Our souls are in a limbo state, we could go either way. Good or bad, or stay neutral. Most of us stay reapers forever, I mean forever! There are reapers that have been here since the dawn of humans. Before there were six plus billion humans, it was just my father. He was the angel chosen to be death. It was decided by both God and Lucifer, so that way the angel would be neutral.
Well it was like that until about five thousand years ago, then my ‘father’, to use the term loosely, was tempted by Lucifer with a ‘fair maiden’ well my father fell. She had a child and when the child came of age that child became a reaper. To punish my father and to make sure he remained neutral, God came down with a punishment. That my father would never see heaven again unless his true soul mate saves his soul, the same punishment was dished out to his children. He has yet to find his soul mate. When he does a new death is chosen from the reapers who have not been saved. Which to date is all but five.
A reaper was given a gift though, to know when their soul mate enters their life. Just great that I had to be collecting her father’s soul at the time I meet her. Well not meet her but see her. For my soul to be saved I have to tell her I am a reaper and she has to accept that. That is why only five of my half siblings have been saved and allowed to live a normal life and death. People have issues dealing with the fact we are the ones who take the souls of their loved ones. How we do it would take more time then I have to explain, but basically it works like this: everybody has a certain amount of time on earth, they have to fulfill their goal, which they may not know, and they die. For example an infant, they are put on this earth to remind people how fragile life is, or for other reasons. God is not very good at giving reasons. Or a father may be taken early so that his children can go on to meet their goal. Sometimes I feel that the humans we take are God’s pawns in the war against Lucifer.
Before I thought I would just keep on reaping until the end of time and spend my time in limbo for eternity, that would be better then this life. Now I have a choice. Now I can choose to go after this woman.
After a few days of thinking, and waiting for the funeral, I went up to her and introduced myself. “Hello my name is Dylan. So sorry for your loss.”
“Did you know my father? By the way I am Suzanna.”
“In a way I did.”
“What does that mean?”
“I was there for an important event in his life.”
“Oh.” Before she could say more she was swept up by the next round of guests.
I watched her for the whole night and for the following few weeks. Making a point to bump into her when she was getting coffee or at the grocery store, of course I also had to perform my job, so I couldn’t be too much of a stalker. Which was what I was turning into. One day I took the chance to ask her out. “Hi.”
“Hi! Dylan right?” She turned to look at me, as we waited in line for coffee.
“Yes. Suzanna right?” I pretended to ask with a smile.
“Yes.” She smiled right back.
“Would you like to have dinner?” I stopped and waited, holding my breath.
She smiled and said “yes, that would be great!” So we made plans to meet up that night. That was six months ago.
We have been going strong and no I have to tell her who I am. So as we lay there watching her favorite film, I look down at her. “We have to talk.”
“What is wrong?” She looks up with me in worry.
“I have something to tell you.”
“You are breaking up with me aren’t you?”
“No. But you may leave me.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Here what I have to say first.” I move to sit in front of her, to look her in the eye.
“I am a Reaper. That is my job. You asked but I never really told you.”
“What is a Reaper?” She asked.
And I told her. Everything. About my father. How I found out. How the first time I saw her I was claiming her father’s soul. Taking him to his judgment, then making sure his judgment was carried out. It seemed like forever. I spoke and spoke never really listening to my words, just watching her face. Watching her go though hatred, revulsion, sadness, and the final one I could not name. I had never seen that look. “There is everything.” I hung my head and waited for her to leave, waited for my soul to be crushed.
“I understand. I am okay with this. Do you always have to stay a Reaper?”
“No.”
“Well what did you do before you were a Reaper?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was she really accepting me? “I was a carpenter.”
“What do you do for money now?”
“I own a lot of furniture businesses.”
“Okay. I love you. No matter what I love you.”
I just kissed her. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be saved. All of a sudden I saw this flash of light. My father stood inside of it and smiled. I knew that I was released from my curse. I could really have a life with Suzanna. “Suzanna, marry me?”
“Yes.” She smiled. And in that smile I knew heaven.

I have decided to publish the I Am Death Series of Short Stories on here and will be editing and publishing them soon!  I will probably put them all together perhaps with the Keeper Series and publish them as paperback!  So until I get them all polished here is the cover I made for the series!

Copyright 2016 Katherine Rochholz

Waterloo, IA

Publisher’s Note

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise, without first obtaining the permission of the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons living or dead (unless explicitly noted) is merely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-329-82613-7

The man standing in the mask growled. “I am no hero; I am just trying not to be the villain.” He stated as he left the woman and kid he just saved at police department and disappeared into the night. He left the woman and kid staring into the dark as the police came out to find a tied up mugger would be rapist and his would be victim and kid. A man who never thought he would have this life.

Ronald McBride sneered as he walked into his little house. He could not stand this world. But they needed him, rather he liked it or not. He was just looking for redemption from all the things he has done in his thirty one years. He sat at his desk and looked at the file in front of him. He sighed. People are in essence lazy. Those who aren’t are seen as ambitious, greedy, or even evil. He was seen as evil. Pure evil. He pushed the boundaries in his work. He just wanted to cure those things that took people from their loved ones. Those that people have deemed the work of the devil himself. Cancer was a big one. He closed his eyes as an image of his kid sister lying wasting away as the cancer ate at her six year old body. He pushed to become a medical researcher. He would cure cancer one day. He used the military to pay for his college but killing as he did his ledger still was bleeding red and always would. But this. This saving people thing would help while he fought to not lose himself in his work. His work with stem cells, with cloning, with killing, with annihilating cancer, because sometimes he could understand why people called him evil. Because in the end humans in essence are lazy. Those who aren’t are seen as ambitious, greedy or evil. And sometimes evil is just to greatly misunderstood for that evil to do anything but evil things… but sometimes… just sometimes… rare in fact… from that evil a hero is born. And as Ronald watched the video of his last failed experiment to annihilating cancer, as the person died in pain, he hoped that he could become that hero as he remembered a promise to his light in this darkness.

Twenty Years Before

Ronald looked at the white hospital bed. He was a fourteen year old genius. But nobody needed to be a genius to see what was happening. His sister. His light in the darkness was dying. His father was an abusive bastard and ran off when his sister was only three. His mother was addicted to pain pills and booze. So for his sister he pushed through. For his sister he went to school and worked odd jobs. For his sister and now she was dying. And there was nothing he could do. The cancer to advance. An evil in the world that bred evil. The darkness he knew he had inside of him was aching to break free. To make the doctors pay for not saving his light. To make his parents pay for making him feel this pain. To make them pay for not protecting his light. He stood in this hospital room in Iowa City, hours from his home in the middle of nowhere Iowa; and vowed that even if he had to become a greater evil than cancer he would destroy this evil that had been unleashed upon the world and took his light. He moved and took his sister’s hand. “My light. Helen, don’t hold on to the pain. Go home. Go to heaven and I promise you my light in the darkness that I will destroy this evil. Even if I have to become a greater one. I love you my Light. My sister. My Helen. I love you.”

The little girl on the bed. “I will always be with you, my king. My savior. My hero. Show the world that hero. Nothing you do will ever make me love you less.”

Ronald cried into her hand. “To wise beyond your years my sweet sister. I will always hold you close to my heart. My soul. My light. Even if the world is expecting the worst I will show them the best. I swear to you.”

“I love you my king. My brother.” Helen stated as she closed her eyes.

Ronald stayed with her. He knew she wouldn’t last the night. He knew that she even knew that soon she would be an angel. He wasn’t sure if he believed in God but he was sure there had to be something for Helen’s soul to find peace in when she was taken so early in life. It was unfair that she didn’t get to live and he, who though smart, was going down a bad path, even if he loved her and tried to not go down the worst path. He avoided the gangs and the drugs. But the violence and the delinquent behavior had gotten him with a Juvie rapt sheet. He looked at his angel. His sister, his tears blurred his vision. He stayed and held her hand and cried. It was the early morning hours when the alarms went off. He stayed with her as she took her last breaths. He had gotten his mother to sign a DNR for Helen. The pain too much and he never wanted his sister in pain. Never. He closed his eyes in pain as the doctor declared her death. January 1st 1999 0115 hours. It was the day the light that kept his darkness back flickered and always went out. Instead it dimmed and went to the back of his soul for when it was needed. Until then the light seemed to know the boy, the young man, needed to work out his grief with the darkness.

Ronald McBride stared at the small grave. It had been two years since he held his sister as she died. Helen Anna McBride May 16th 1992 to January 1st 1999. Beloved Sister. A Light In The Darkness. He was sixteen now and just got permission to join the Marines. He had graduated high school and even had a college degree now. Medical school was almost done, but his biochemistry and organic chemistry doctorates were next. He would destroy the evil that took his light. But for now he would do his duty to his country and the Marines were going to help him pay his college loans. And they allowed him to work out his darkness.

Ronald came back to the present. He shook his head as he made his notes. He couldn’t allow himself to get lost in the past. Too much of the present depended on him to be lost in the past. He stood and stopped the video after he had made his notes. The last formula had been a disaster. It not only did not work. It killed the test subject. He should feel some remorse for killing the man but the man knew the risks. And he was dying from the work of the devil anyways. Ronald poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat down in front of the television. He hit the on button to some sports channel. He allowed himself to be lost in the college basketball game as calculations churned in the back of his mind. The next formula would have to work. And he would have to work harder on making his amends. After all he had too much blood dripping from his ledger. He was about to turn off the television when the news started. He was intrigued when he heard his research company’s name.

“Today it was announced by The Helen Anna Foundation that the owner and main research Dr. Ronald McBride was stepping down as CEO and focusing solely on research. Dr. McBride is known for his controversial treatments of cancer and other deceases that have nicknamed the man the Harbinger of Death.” The blonde news reported started.

Ronald snorted and turned off the television. When he cured cancer he would be hailed as a hero. All his medical advancements he had been part of, from finding a way to head off the flu to making a better drug cocktail for AIDS were all hated and got him the title of ‘Evil’ from the media and general public until he perfected the formulas and then suddenly he was a hero and winning prizes. But the news reporter was right about one thing. He stepped down and allowed his board to take over. He just could not stand the day to day running of the research company. He belonged in his lab. And he may be ‘evil’ but this evil was created to keep anybody else from losing their light in the darkness of a hard life.

Ronald went into his bedroom and ran his hand over the last picture he had of his sister. “Soon sister. Soon my little light I will make you proud. Until then I will be an unknown ‘hero’ while I work on this true evil of the world.” Anybody that would have been listening would have to be a complete idiot to miss the sarcasm in the word hero. He stripped and got into bed and by the time his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

The next morning he was in his lab working with enzymes and other things to battle his demon. He was reading an article about a Swedish doctor who was injecting cancer cells with heroin. It was destroying the cells and ‘curing’ the cancer. Something was not adding up totally though and the heroin addiction would be just as bad as the cancer and soon healthy cells would kill each other because of the addiction. But injecting cells… now that doctor may be on to something there. Hmmm… he put on his music load. He smirked. He loved music. It was something from his old life and his life as a Marine and research that stayed. He turned it up and started bouncing around as he worked on his huge dry erase boards and chalk boards. He kept them for sentimental reasons. When he told his sister his dream she had looked at him with awe and said ‘You totally have to have huge room long chalk boards! Like the scientists in the old movies!’ Ronald had laughed and promised her, he always would.

He got into his grove as he bounced form board to board. “You I need. You I don’t.” He talked to himself as he worked. It was how he worked best. Talking it out to the light that always stayed with him; that one that never left him and kept him from becoming the evil the world viewed him as. He crossed out a large equation. “You are just annoying!” He went and added a few more equations to the board and looked at the particles. It was after many hours, many songs, many cups of coffee and computer reminders to eat that he left his lab. He threw on the ski mask, hooded jacket, and black pants. He was going for a walk. He might be able to protect another tonight. Help clear out that blood in his ledger.

Ronald walked the streets and stopped a few drug dealers from dealing to kids. Scared the kids and delivered the dealers to the cops. He also stopped a few more muggings and attacks. Nothing every really large. But who knows what life would be saved by the smallest actions on his behalf. He liked to think he saved them at least the pain. He did this every night. It saved him from going crazy and becoming to obsessed with his greatest ambition. After all those who are ambitious are views as abnormal in this world. He shook his head. One day. One day for all the evil he had done he would rid this world of a devil. For his light. For her memory. So another person won’t ever know what it is like to see their light in their darkness snuffed out way to early.

This was his life. His penance. After Helen died he straightened up just enough to graduate school. He had long ago got his GED and had been taking college classes though the fighting and the arrests were sealed now he still knew of them. Then he got into a bad situation. Bad. He needed money to pay for some classes and he finally allowed a gang member to tempt him into the money. It was his first and only run for the man. And he was arrested. He was sixteen. His life would have been over. But the judge had taken pity on him. Told him to join the military and learn some discipline and he would wipe this incident off his record. He joined the Marines. He was good at what he did. They helped pay off the college loans. Then 9/11 happened and things changed. Suddenly he was fighting a war. He was killing people. Innocent or not. He never wanted that. But it was killed or be killed and his darkness took over just a bit more so that he did not lose himself to the things he was forced to do to keep his country safe. To make sure he made it out of the war alive. He moved up the ranks quickly the six years he was in the Marines. He left as a Gunnery Sargent. He refused to become an officer just become he had a college degree. He was an enlisted Marine. But he had made some calls. Took lives. And that… that weighed on his mind. And on that light that kept burning in the back of his mind so he never lost himself to his darkness.

So he left the Marines and started his research company. He hadn’t many expenses in the Marines and with his degrees he first got grants. The business grew quickly. And soon many things were coming out to help the sick. But the media labeled him evil. He went beyond what they called humane and moral. But then praised him when it was all said and done. Always the villain, always evil. People forgot that advancement came at a price. But then he always thought humans were lazy. As a whole. Humanity has become lazy and anybody with ambitions as great as his were labeled wrong. Evil. He has faced many trails to get where he was. Paid many fines for his trails. Watched many lives lost. But in the end everything would be worth it. In the end more lives would be saved. Because failing wasn’t an option to Ronald McBride. He would not, could not fail in this; because then he might never gain that redemption he needs to see his sister once more when his time comes that God or whatever higher being takes him home to her.

Ronald snapped out of his thoughts of the past when he heard a scream. He ran to find a gang circling a couple of teen girls. He growled. “I would leave boys.”

“What can one man do to us! We have guns!” The supposed leader yelled.

Ronald was glad for his time in the Marines and soon took all five of the boys down and called the cops. He waited in the shadows as the cops came and arrested the boys and comforted and got the girls’ statements. He left before they could even think to say thank you. Shock is great for escaping the situations one does not want to be in. He left after the cops did and headed home.

Over the months he saw this ‘vigilante’ being hailed as a hero. He snorted. Oh he knew of heroes. Police Officers. Fire Fighters. Soldiers. Marines. Sailors. Doctors. But he wasn’t one them. No matter what anybody stated. Oh many saw him as such. Just as many that called him evil. He threw the newspaper down. How had this gotten out of hand? He went down to his lab. He had work he must do. He had to get this done. Something was telling him his time would be over soon. He just hoped he could gain his peace.

Months went on, and every night he tried to keep people safe, while he worked all day trying to save people from a true evil of the world. Months in which the news was calling his nighttime persona a hero and his public persona the villain. He was both the villain of the story and the hero of the story. He sometimes smirked at that. The irony.

Years went by of this. Soon he was feeling he was close. So close. The final tests were set and soon he would have beaten the evil that killed his sister. He looked at the chalk boards. The final equations on them. He smiled. This would work. He set up the whole thing that night. And then the trails started in the morning. The weeks went by and he watched as the patients were injected right into the cancerous cells with his new drug. No addiction. No attacking healthy cells. It was working. The news was hailing him a hero, when he was once a villain. And that night. That night he went out and did his duty to the public. To help clear the blood that would never be cleared. His ledger would always be in the red. Even with this new ‘cure’, but he could try. And hope that God was merciful and allowed him to see his sister before he was sent to hell for his punishment.

He ran when he heard a screen of a child. A little girl with blonde curls was screaming over the body of her mother as her brother tried to protect them. It reminded him so much of his life. The ‘father’ was beating on them. He didn’t think of the consequences when he thought of the knife and tackled the man. The fight was fierce but the man was in his thirties and Ronald was now a man in his late sixties. But Ronald wouldn’t allow these children to live the life he had. He wouldn’t. He fought. He felt the knife as it entered his chest; just as he got his arms around the neck of the man. He twisted. Killing the man and then fell to the ground. He was bleeding out. Help wasn’t going to make it. He could hear the teenage boy calling the cops. He took shallow breaths. He looked over when he felt his mask taken off. The little girl looking into his eyes. The little girl had crystal blue eyes. He was so reminded of Helen. “What… is… your… name?” He got out.

“My name is Anna. Anna Helen Willams.”

“That… is a lovely… name.” Ronald smiled. “My sister was named Helen Anna… she was my soul.”

Anna smiled and took his hand. “You are going to go be with her?”

“I hope…”

“You are a hero!” Anna smiled.

“I am no hero… just a man trying not to become the villain…” He whispered.

“But you are my hero. You saved my mom, my brother and myself.”

“Just a man…” Ronald gasped.

The little girl looked at him as he took his last breaths. “Your sister will tell you the truth when you see her again. Thank you my hero.” The little girl kissed his check as Ronald took his last breaths.

The sirens were in the background but they would be too late. He had no regrets about the way he died. He saved the little girl. His last living thoughts were he hoped that his sister would still love him after all that he had done. And that he had become. And all that he was. Evil. Ambitious. Driven. A man trying not to be a villain.

“Ronald Ross McBride.” A voice stated.

Ronald blinked at the bright light. Pearly gates? How… cliché. “Yes?”

The man smiled. “I have someone here to meet you. Welcome home.”

Just then a blonde hair girl with crystal blue eyes ran to him. “Ronnie!” She threw herself at him. “You are home!”

Ronald looked down at his sister. “Helen.” He whispered. “My light.”

“Welcome home, my king. My savior. My protector. My hero.”

“Not a hero… just a man trying not to be a villain.” Ronald stated.

“That is all a hero is Ronnie. Just a man trying to gain redemption and trying not to be a villain. That is all a hero is Ronnie. Now let me show you our heaven.” Helen smiled as she led Ronald through the cliché pearly gates. And Ronald could not help but to smile and for the first time in many of years he felt peace.

Copyright 2015 Katherine Rochholz All Rights Reserved
Dear Diary… Coming Soon!