Wesley Snipes - Talon of God

Her first thought was of billowing smoke, but as she watched the stuff move, she realized the cloud was actually made up of swarming creatures . Distance made them look no bigger than gnats, but Lauryn was certain the flying specks had to be at least as big as her, if not bigger, and there were thousands of them. No, millions . So many that their locust-like swarm darkened even the night sky. She was still staring at them in horror when she heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow behind her.

Before she could even think about it, Lauryn spun around, raising Talon’s sword, which she’d only just now realized she was still clutching in her hand. But as she turned to face the new threat, she realized it wasn’t one of the winged black things she’d seen overhead. It wasn’t even someone she knew who’d died (which, considering where she was, Lauryn had been half expecting). It was someone entirely new, someone Lauryn—who wasn’t sure of much at this point—was positive she had never met if only because there was no chance she would ever forget meeting a man like this.

He was ridiculously tall, easily the tallest person Lauryn had ever seen, and yet, despite this, he was perfectly proportioned, his strong body the athlete’s ideal beneath his cloud-gray suit and white winter coat. His face was ageless and hard as stone, a sharp contrast to his deep brown eyes and dark skin, which were almost glowing with strength and vitality, though that might have been a reflection from the enormous golden wings that rose from his back, framing his shaved head in an aura of glory.

“Hello, Lauryn,” he said, his inhumanly deep voice vibrating through her chest. “My name is Akarra. It is my pleasure to finally meet the Savior of Chicago face-to-face.”

“Uh, same?” Lauryn replied awkwardly, unsure what else to say. She got nervous when moderately famous people came into her ER; an angel was completely outside her comfort zone, which was why she didn’t process the rest of what he’d said until several seconds later. “Wait, savior of what ?”

“The Savior of Chicago,” Akarra repeated. “The person who shall rise to stop that .” He pointed up, his glowing eyes locked on the nightmarish figure floating high above their heads.

Lauryn swallowed. “And what is that, exactly?”

“They call it Castle Delusion,” the angel replied, returning his arm to his side. “A stronghold of the enemy. Normally, it is bound within their realm, but tonight the demon wearing the face of the man who was once Christopher St. Luke has used the corruption of thousands of souls to drag it all the way to the edge of the mortal realm. Now it hovers on the threshold of death itself, and even that final barrier is weakening. If nothing is done, the building pressure will sunder the veil that protects the world of the living from the worlds beyond, and the army of the enemy will spill forth.”

By the time he finished, Lauryn felt like she’d swallowed a brick. At least now she understood why St. Luke had been so confident. Even the near-zombie-like outbreak Z3X had caused was nothing compared to bringing that… that thing into Chicago. “How do we stop it?”

“That is up to you,” Akarra said.

“Me?” Lauryn said, wincing when she heard the panic in her voice. “Why me? I don’t know what to do! I’m a doctor, not a soldier. What am I supposed to do against something like that—diagnose it?”

“That is up to you,” Akarra repeated firmly. “It is not our place to question the will of God. If you were chosen, it was for a reason. Trust in that.”

With every calm word, Lauryn’s frustration grew. “That’s it?” she cried. “ That’s your angelic advice? I get that this is all part of God’s plan, but I really don’t see how I’m going to stop a giant flying hell fortress.” She especially didn’t see why, out of everyone in Chicago, God had apparently picked her to do… whatever it was she was supposed to do. Or why he’d waited until now . That thing was practically on top of them, and then there was the part where she was already dead .

“I know you have doubts,” Akarra said gently. “All mortals do. That is how God created you. It is your nature to doubt and question, but it is your faith that shall see you through.”

That answer was so like her dad and Talon and every freaking holy man she’d ever met, Lauryn couldn’t help herself. “But that’s so unfair!” she cried. “Why would God do this to us? If he loves us as much as you say, why does he leave us in doubt? Why did he leave us alone ? If people knew God was real, they wouldn’t get into half the trouble they do.”

“I am a warrior,” Akarra replied stiffly. “Not a sage or a prophet. Still, it seems to me that you have just answered your own question. The true measure of a person isn’t how they conduct themselves when they are being watched, but how they act when they believe they are alone.” He looked up at the sky. “God knows the heart of every living thing. He knows our evils before we do them, and yet he withholds his judgment until the act is done, because until that moment, there is always the chance to turn back.”

Angry as she was, Lauryn had to admit that made sense. “No punishment before the crime, is that what you mean?”

The angel nodded. “God is just. But even after the sin has been committed, he does not turn his face away. His arms are always open to those who are truly sorry and truly repent. Fairness would dictate that those who commit crimes should be punished, and yet God is not fair. No matter how great the crime, he always chooses mercy, and for this we give him thanks.”

“But why do I have to do it?” she asked again. “I didn’t even believe in this stuff before tonight, and that was only after I got more proof of the divine than any actual faithful person should need. I’m a terrible Christian! I don’t go to church, I—”

“Do you think God grades on attendance?” Akarra asked, his deep voice surprisingly angry. “Foolish child. God’s favor is not bounded by your rules. He cares nothing for the strictures set down in holy books by old men. How you treat others less fortunate than yourself, the mercy and kindness in your soul, the courage of your deeds even when you do not think you will be rewarded— these are what God judges, and these are the things you have done that have made you worthy in his sight. He has read your heart, Lauryn Jefferson. He has seen your deeds, not your religion. It is what you have done that has made you worthy in his sight, and it is for that that he has chosen you to stand against the enemy’s tide.”

“So just me?” Lauryn said, her eyes going back to the sky. “Against that ?”

“It is a terrifying task, and a difficult one,” the angel agreed. “But he would not have given it to you if you could not do it.”

Looking at that fortress, Lauryn wasn’t so sure. “But how?” she asked again, trying to make the question sound pragmatic and not like she was freaking out. “I mean, leaving aside the obvious impossibilities of one me versus thousands of them, I’m still, you know, dead .”

Akarra looked at her like she was stupid. “Has not God already proven time and time again that death is no barrier to him?”

“Okay, fair point,” she admitted. “But if I’m supposed to do this, why are you here? Are you going to help me shoot that hell castle out of the sky or something?” Because that would be awesome .

The angel considered the question for a moment, and then he shook his head. “I don’t believe I could. God is limitless, but I am not God. I am an angel, and as such I am bound by my nature just as mortals are bound by theirs. This place—” he gestured around at the silent winter night “—is your creation, the threshold of your death. It is a stillness where you can take time to decide, but the fact that Castle Delusion is visible even here is a sign of just how close the enemy is to breaking through.”