A Warrior's Redemption

I wanted to die. The pain of losing her permeated every part of my being. Each day became more melancholy than the one before it and the thought of enduring this pain seemed to be as far from me as she was. I constantly wondered why she was taken from me and why I was left to bear the burden and shame of not being able to save her from the demon who was hunting me. She was my daughter. It was her that I was supposed to protect, however, in the one moment that I was weak she tried to protect me and paid my ransom with her life.

I was awakened by the phone ringing.

“Hello” I said.

The voice on the other end sounded familiar but I could not make out who it was. “I need your help” they said frantically. “He is coming for me and you’re the only one I could think of!” I could feel the desperation growing intensely.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“I’m down the street near 2nd and Pierce. Hurry Please!!” I could hear the fear of death as the person on the other end of the line screamed.

“Hide!!” I yelled as I rushed out the door. However, there was silence on the other end of the phone now. I jumped in the car and drove like a bat out of hell to 2nd and Pierce. There was a playground there across the street from a small coffee shop that my daughter and I would frequent together. I parked the car but left the engine running as I scanned the area. I had no clue as to what or who I was looking for. Slowly, I got out of the car and made my way to the coffee shop. The lights were off, and the front door was locked so I proceeded to check the alley. I could see the side door was open but before I could turn the corner, I heard another familiar voice call me by name.

“Wolf!” He exclaimed. I turned to see my old friend, Brian running toward me.

“Hey! Somebody called me and said they needed help.” I said.

“Do you know who it was?” He asked.

“No idea. The voice sounded familiar, but I just can’t place it. I gotta find em bro. This is life and death.”

“I’ll help you man.” Brian motioned for us to go into the alley. From there we entered the side door to the coffee shop. I could see someone laying on the floor. I walked over to find Jermaine Johnson knocked out cold. I kneeled down and shook him with my left hand.

“Jermaine!” I called his name as I shook him vigorously. He opened his eyes and jumped when he saw me.

“He was here!!” He cried. “You gotta help me man. The demon that killed your daughter is back!! You gotta help me!” He was trembling as he stood to his feet. “He said he is going to take my wife and daughter if I don’t do what he wants.” I could see desperation in his eyes.

“I’m sorry” I said. “Those days are over for me. I cannot help you.”

Brian gave me a pat on the back as I turned and walked away. He didn’t follow but stayed to attempt to comfort Jermaine. He understood how heavy the price was that I paid to be free of the demon that hunted me. He also understood that the only reason that I was still alive is because I hadn’t built up the nerve to pull the trigger and end my own life. I walked back to the car and got in. It was eerily calm as if there was another presence in the car with me. I looked in the seat to find a bag with a note on it. It read “You’ll need this for your journey.” I opened the bag to find $20,000 in cash and a little black notebook. I opened it to the first page which read:

I have seen your tears you shed in the night

A river that flows from the valley of sight

Your pain is too great to bear all alone

Seek the one on the corner for your journey home.

I thought to myself, “Man this is some BS!” I threw the book in the bag and proceeded to drive back to my apartment. It was then that I saw a man standing on the corner of 1st and Pierce. I immediately thought about the note and the poem in the little black book. I got out of the car with the bag and approached the man who didn’t move or even look in my direction.

“Your daughter wants to see you” he said. His voice sent static chills down my spine. “To speak with the dead requires a sacrifice. What do you offer?”

I tossed the bag on the ground. I was too captivated to walk away. Could I actually talk to my daughter from beyond the grave? My heart raced and my palms grew sweaty as he stood there. Finally, he turned to face me. “Your sacrifice is sufficient… barely” he said with a deep voice. His eyes were red as fire and I could not make out any other details or what he looked like because as he picked up the bag, all of the street lights went out and there was a heavy darkness in the street.

“Daddy” I knew that voice all too well. I was too scared to speak or even move. I could hear footsteps coming from behind me getting closer.

“Daddy” she said again. I turned to see one streetlight in the distance and the silhouette of a female figure moving toward me. Again, I said nothing. I was afraid that if I spoke, it would all go away. This time the figure was within 3 feet of me and another streetlight came on. I could see my daughter’s face, her beautiful brown eyes looking directly into mine.

“Baby” I sobbed immediately. “I’m sorry I could not save you baby. I tried my best to…”

She interrupted me. “It’s not your fault Daddy. I chose to die this way.”

“What do you mean you chose to die this way?” I asked.

“Before we fought the demon that day, I had a conversation with the priest. I was told that the Angel of Death was near and I was given a choice. Either I could go with the Angel of Death then or I could take what little time I had left to battle one more demon. I didn’t believe the priest at first and I left. Then we were ambushed, and I saw that demon get the best of you. You were just laying there….” She began wiping tears from her eyes. “It was at that moment that I realized that what the priest said was true and I made a conscious decision to save you!” We were both crying by this time. “I made the decision because you are the one who can kill this demon. So, I need you not to give up… I need you to live because the demon that killed me is not going to stop. He will continue to take more and more people, but he doesn’t realize that his fate is in your hands. I’ll always live inside of you Dad…” As she was speaking, she began to drift away. I ran down the street attempting to follow her to no avail.

Her words took root in my soul and I was filled with a new sense of purpose. I realized that I had no control over what happened. She was not taken from me however, she chose to stay a little while longer and in doing so, she saved my life. How could I dishonor her by wanting to throw my life away? It was at this moment that I decided I wanted to live. I would hunt and destroy this demon by any means necessary. I would do so because my daughter gave her life believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.