Fallen Ambitions

by Guy S. Stanton III

  *****

  Victor

  I somersaulted toward the floor below. It was a near thing that I managed to land on the stairway landing and avoid the flight of stairs beyond.

  People in general were flocking about as if they were birds caught within a net. To the security details however it was clear that I constituted an invading force.

  Arriving like this wasn’t what I had planned for, but the key was to go with it. Pulling the trigger repetitively I walked down the stairwell pumping three and half inch magnum buckshot round after round into any security detail officer brave enough to stay around.

  On the thirtieth shotgun round fired I tossed the now useless Russian-made Saga shotgun to the side, as I had no more barrel magazines to load it with, or the time to load it should I find some shells. It had done its purpose though in clearing a way through the initial confrontation.

  I pulled out two large pistols and made my way further into this underground labyrinth that was being decimated by the storm behind me. It had become quite the day.

  I’d gotten thrown into a war in the spirit realm, only to have it then spill over into the physical realm. I kept walking in the direction I felt led to go all the while praying for Desirée’s safety.

  My mind didn’t want to even go into analyzing what they might have done already to Desirée in the brief time that they’d had her, but just the same my mind ran wild with scenarios to foul to even want to contemplate. Those very scenarios now drove me forward quickly and made me shoot anything that moved out of pure dislike for anything or anybody affiliated with such a place as this.

  I heard a familiar voice cry out and I bounded around a corner only to see Desirée cry out not 20 feet away from me as she pointed at an open doorway along the side of the hall further up past some interconnecting hallways in between. Relief at seeing her shot through me and then she looked at me and without hesitation I shot her three times in fast succession.

  Her eyes flashed in surprise before sparks erupted and the whole object of superimposed fakeness after the likeness of living flesh collapsed to the floor.

  Quickly I closed up on the corner of a nearby adjoining hallway that I would have had to cross in front of to reach the imposter of Desirée. I peeked around it and an old professor type dude started blasting away.

  Bullets went everywhere, but directly at me. I didn’t even feel the need to duck my head back around the corner so badly off was the old man’s aim.

  The gun clicked empty and I stepped around the corner and lifted my own gun to take aim.

  “Oh God please no! I….I….I don’t please! I’ll do anything! I have money! I… I can get you out of here! Just don’t shoot me!” The old man wailed pathetically.

  Taking my revolver in hand I shucked out all the magnum powered shells, until only one remained. Approaching the scientist who’d now fallen to his knees arthritically and had lapsed into dribbled pleas for mercy I said, “You and I, let’s play game. You like to play games down here. Games with people’s lives. Let me know if you like new game. It’s a game I play much in my past. I never lose.”

  I spun the cylinder of the 44 Russian Magnum revolver and pressing the barrel to the scientist’s head I pulled the trigger to his insaned plea for me not to.

  Click!

  “Ahh you win round one. Best-of-six wins. Only five more to go.” I encouraged.

  I spun the cylinder again and placed the barrel back against his head. Pleading in desperation, tinged with the cunning that I knew such a man possessed, I heard him say, “You said it was a game! I had my turn now it’s yours!”

  Leaning down I said point blankly into his face, “I don’t play game anymore.” And with that said I pulled the trigger.

  It clicked hollowly again, but the master of torture never heard it, as he had fainted dead away already.

  “Victor you really shouldn’t be like that. It’s not good to be cruel. It doesn’t become who you are now in Jesus Christ.”

  I spun around to see Desirée. The real Desirée!

  My breath had left me as my eyes traced over her looking for injuries or signs of harm. Nothing!

  My God had preserved her just as He had said that He would. Feeling overcome I tried to frame words, but instead I found myself falling to my knees still at a loss for words. She was okay!

  For the first time in my life something was turning out good. She came near and hugged my face to her stomach and I breathed in the familiar smell of her that I had been absent from for far too long.

  I hugged her to me as tightly as I could and I was not ashamed of the tears that her shirt soaked up. Pulling my head up she smiled down into my face and softly said, “You’ve been on quite a journey haven’t you my love.”

  Shaking my head affirmatively I said, “Yes! Your God now my God. I do as He says and I no longer apart from life. I have new life like you, only inside and yet everywhere.”

  Tears falling down her face she said, “I’m so glad to hear that Honey! I’ve prayed so hard for this day for you and now look at you. Your eyes now seem like fire in some way! What have you seen?”

  I blinked, as memories of a place out of time and yet connected to my own reality lit up vividly across my mind and recollection.

  “I will tell you, but not here. We must go.”

  I started to rise, but she pressed on my one shoulder, even as her other hand jingled the ring on the necklace about my throat suggestively.

  Reaching for it I broke the necklace from off my neck and fingering the tiny ring I held it poised at her ring finger. Looking up into her eyes I asked, “Would you do me great honor and be mine? I love you! I want you! I need you like plants need sun and grass the rain! I……”

  Her other hand closed ever my lips, as her tears dribbled onto them. She was smiling though, as she said, “Honey you don’t have to say anything else. I will be yours and yours alone. I love you with all my heart and I thank God every day for the man who shot me and yet whose life is now mine to share!”

  I slid the ring on her finger and standing up I twirled her around as from within something joyous and new about life began occurring in a way that promised to never end.

  The corridor shook and the sounds of the place being torn apart broke through the private reverie that we were both having in the moment. I set Desirée down and taking her hand I led her quickly forward.

  Passing the body of the synthetic replication of Desirée I heard her ask in marvelment, “How did you know she wasn’t me?”

  I glanced to her and briefly reaching a finger out I caressed the scar on her forehead, “She not have the scar that I gave you. Your scar maybe save your life.”

  She chuckled and said, “Now that’s irony!”

  I smiled and continued on.

  The place seemed devoid of people and quickly we made for what looked to be a portal to the surface. There would be security of some sort for sure, but I had a means of dealing with that.

  I could already see a warning laser beam, which was only one of several for sure. The others would likely all be invisible. It did not matter though as I had the means to be invisible to them.

  “Don’t let go of my hand, “I said authoritatively and Desirée quickly nodded.

  With my other hand I felt at my waist at the belt that was there. Slipping a finger beneath it I depressed the cloaking pin that would render me and anything biological in nature I happened to be touching entirely invisible.

  Alexi had hoped to escape the life of the hitman by having an asset such as this in his possession, but through an unfortunate event now turned fortunate the belt was now in my possession. A glimmering veil appeared around me and Desirée and with confidence I stepped toward the lasers.

  “Strange thing about implements manufactured for the use of Darkness’s gain.” Called out a familiar voice casually.

  I stopped dead in my tracks, as my gaze switched over to where Denaleal stood within the range of the invisible lasers. He walked unimpede
d through them.

  He gave a smile and a courtly half bow to Desirée, who in cautious stillness watched the representation of my guardian, visible now in the form of a man. Denaleal’s gaze came back to mine with directness as he finalized his previous statement by saying, “They always have a way of completing their creators tasks despite the good intent of others along the way.”

  With that said Denaleal disappeared from view. Immediately I reached down and unsnapped the belt and pulled it from my waist.

  Bringing the belt up to my mouth I spit on it and then I threw it forward toward the hidden lasers with the invisibility mode still actively switched on and my spit acting in my place as the biological agent. The belt was immediately fried and sliced into pieces by the hidden lasers.

  “God I’m sorry! Please forgive me for putting my trust in something other than You to get me out of here.”

  It had never occurred to me how important it was not only to make the right decisions in life and to be wary of the consequences of the wrong ones, but to also be aware of simple commonplace objects and the curses spoken into them unawares. Truly the ways of darkness were deceptive.

  Something else began occurring to me as I stood there staring at the ashes of the belt. Something that was extremely troubling.

  So troubling it was hard to even ask God for verification of what I was beginning to surmise within my spirit. I asked anyway and received the answer that I feared I would.

  “What is it Victor?”

  Opening my eyes I took in Desirée’s concern for me and softly said, “We should go back the way we came.”

  “But the storm?” She said hesitatingly, but I’d already started out and immediately she followed along saying nothing more.

  Denaleal appeared again and glancing to him, as he walked alongside of us, I asked, “Will you help?”

  “It is my purpose in being here my friend.”

  “Even when it’s not in regard to me?” I asked worriedly.

  He laid a hand on my shoulder and with a directness that signaled he already knew of what it was within my mind to do he said, “I will do it.”

  “Thank you!”

  “Thank the Father for He is the Master of us both.”

  “Could I please be let in on what’s going on?” Desirée asked.

  Without hesitation we both said, “No.”

  Desirée blinked, but said no more as we entered the lab where her torments had been enacted in order to divest her of the shielding presence of God’s Spirit about her physical form.