It woke me from the most beautiful dream. I'm certain that is why I was so brutal tonight. The only reason to sleep is for the chance that I will dream and it will be of her. She was radiant and just dreaming of her filled me with such joy. It was the closest I'd come to the warmth of home in the many years since I had been banished. It came through the police band which I monitor at all times of course. A seven year old girl, missing from her bed in the middle of the night. It was unknown for how long and I had to move swiftly. Shaking the image of her, of us from my mind, I opened the glass door to my 15th floor balcony and jumped.
The freefall is the most enjoyable part of taking flight. It is a bit ironic that I've grown to love the fall so intensely; more often than not I let it last as long as I can just for the sheer exhilaration of it. Sometimes I fall to nearly 20 meters above the ground before turning skyward. Tonight though, I ended the fun prematurely and rose on an updraft high above the city. There is something so beautiful about cities from this vantage point; far enough away to not notice the depressing details of its inhabitants and events, but just close enough to appreciate the collective sheep bringing the city to life. There was only one that I was interested in finding and that was the bastard that stole the innocent from her bed.
I should have found him sooner but I was hopelessly distracted. All day I had felt an inexplicable uneasiness that I could not shake. I wandered the city for most if it, observing the naive as they busied themselves with nonsense such as working, and shopping; loving and hating. I knew something was coming and for a moment from this height, I thought this was it, but I'm sure it was something bigger than just another abduction. This was the second one in just a week. The police found the last one before I did though. He was an amateur. It seems he stole a car and hadn't noticed the satellite navigation system which had the police in pursuit before he even grabbed the child. Whats the use of a brain if you're not going to use it?
I felt this one suddenly. His fear I could sense, and his adrenaline I could almost taste. I flew near the source and looked closely, hovering silently above the world. The Chevy Cobalt that just made a turn on Jefferson is him. My instincts were sharp and my senses accurate. I was sure of it.
It wasn't clear whether he was most surprised that I had landed on the hood of the vehicle or that I was essentially surfing on it; perfectly balanced as he tried to shake me off. Needless to say it didn't take long for the shock and the fear of what he was seeing to force him to jump from the driver's door without stopping the vehicle first. I had precious little time to act because the Cobalt was speeding toward the wall of a corner store with its precious cargo crouched in the back seat. I used most of my strength and generated enough negative energy to slow the car enough so the force of impact was such that she was not harmed. Seeing her safe for the moment I pursued her abductor who had fled of course, into a dark side alley.
The rest is really a blur. I was furious at being pulled from such a wonderful dream, and a bit upset by the fact that he was so easy to apprehend. I like to have a little more fun with the chase when I'm pissed off. I took my time with him once I got him though. Really let loose much of the rage that had been building inside of me lately. He never had a chance, especially after my fist first made contact with his face. Instantly, his life flashed before my eyes, and believe it or not it wasn't a pretty one. Rape, theft, abuse, the list goes on. There was no saving this one.
It appeared there was only one option left. The humane one some would say. The Reset. Yes this one was most in need of a good old fashioned Resetting. Sometimes there just is no salvation for the wicked. I threw him into the side of a green dumpster near the back door of a restaurant. The impact seemed to have knocked the wind out of him and from what I could tell he never had a chance to catch it back. He had taken his last breath before I grabbed him by the sides of his head and lifted him from the damp pavement. I focused all of my energy and it grew as I was treated to more insight into the life of this scum frantically searching for the ground with his feet. I let loose, directing most of the energy directly into him, ending his pathetic existence instantaneously. It was the least I could do, he couldn't possibly atone for the things he had done in this lifetime, hopefully he'll have better luck in the next one.
FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT READ: SALVATION:
THE DIARY OF MARIA
