Lamenting Struggle

The A-men: Furnace

Lamenting Struggle

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 

 

Baltimore Maryland: Present day

Malachi and David hated making this trip. David was especially saddened. Malachi had seen it before but David had just recently seen his first ever incident. It was quite traumatizing to have to see it the first time. Now it was the fifth time and it had happened so soon. Malachi put his hand on David’s shoulder to try and comfort him. Malachi then rang the door bell of the home they were visiting. David could feel the tears swelling up in his eyes as soon as he heard the sound. It felt like an eternity before someone finally answered the door. The woman who came to the door didn’t look any better than David. Actually she looked much worse. Make-up was running down her face. I was clear she had been crying. Her eyes were blood red. Her voice was so weak that she had to repeat herself several times.

“Malachi, please come in.” the woman said. She didn’t even acknowledge David. After she got to the stairs she stopped. “He’s upstairs. I can’t look again.”

“Thank you Ms. Fliggins.” Malachi said. Malachi and David walked up the steps. David was afraid to open the door. He had seen it too frequently in the last two weeks. Malachi saw his distress and didn’t want to make him anymore uncomfortable than he already was. Malachi opened the door slowly and froze in place. Ms. Fliggins’ son was only fourteen and there he was with a rope tightly around his neck. The chair that he had kicked over to hang himself was still in the same spot. When David saw him he almost fainted.

Malachi took out a notebook. He turned past all of the pages of previous cases of suicide until he got to a fresh page. “It looks like subject five hung himself.”

“Subject five?” David asked. “That subject has a name.”

“I know David calm down.” Malachi said.

“No I don’t think I’ll be calming down. This is the fifth death I’ve seen in two weeks. Why is it happening?”

“That is what I am trying to figure out.”

“Well then you need to try harder!” David exclaimed.

Ms. Fliggins ran upstairs. She was starting to panic. “Guys please don’t fight. I realize this is a difficult time but you have to stay composed.”

“How are you staying composed? That is your son hanging from a fan blade!” David said.

“Watch your mouth David.” Malachi said.

“I’m sorry Ms. Fliggins I didn’t mean to over step my balance. It has just been a difficult couple of weeks.”

“How so?” Ms. Fliggins asked.

David thought back and was too distraught to answer. Malachi who noticed his ill state answered for him. “We’ve seen a few cases of this recently. Your son was the fifth of what seems to be an epidemic. We are desperately trying to figure out what is going on that is causing it, especially since it all happened around this area.”

“My son was the fifth? So there are other parents hurting like me?”

“Yes in fact this is one of the reasons we come to visit you face to face. We are putting together somewhat of a comfort group. We want everyone to work together to help them get through these hard times.” Malachi said.

“I am definitely going to need that. I don’t even know why he did it.”

“Was he being bullied or complaining about sadness?” David asked.

“He told me that he was having problems at school. But he said it was no big deal and always laughed it off. He seemed so happy any other time.”

“They often do. Usually the culprits don’t show any signs of trouble until it is too late.” Malachi said.

“What do you mean culprit? Don’t you mean victim?” Ms. Fliggins asked.

“No I mean culprit. You can’t be a victim of suicide. That is something you have to do yourself.” Malachi said.

Ms. Fliggins was clearly hurt. Her eyes turned from that of pain and sadness to anger. She looked away from him. “I think it would be best if you removed yourself.”

“Very well.” Malachi and David walked out. Ms. Fliggins slammed the door shut behind them. David could feel more tears swelling up inside.

“You really need to stop being so blunt with people. Now isn’t the time to be harsh. They need comfort not mean words.” David said.

“I speak the truth David. If they can’t accept that then it is on them.”

Malachi and David walked slowly down the street. David was trying to keep his composure but it wasn’t working. Malachi tried to understand his point of view. It was true that seeing someone die was heartbreaking but how could he feel so bad for someone who took away their own life? To Malachi that was just a sign of weakness and a lack of faith in God. But then again, there were a lot of things that he didn’t understand about human beings. He suddenly thought back to where he was just a few weeks before. He was almost going to allow himself to be killed. It might not have been suicide exactly but the idea was still the same. Malachi borrowed David’s cell phone and called Rex. After Rex finally picked up he told him about the situation. For a moment they tried to speculate what was going on but neither of them could come up with any answers. As far as they knew there was no tragic city wide event. Those who killed themselves were not related in anyway. None of the parents or guardians knew the children or parents of the children.

“So why is this happening?” Rex asked.

“I wish I knew but nothing is adding up right now. There have been five incidents and none of them seem to be related in anyway. I guess we will just have to keep looking around to see if we find something.” Malachi said.

“Well you might want to look hard and fast. I don’t think I would be able to handle another situation like that. There are too many lives at stake for us to be moving slow like this.” Rex said.

“Maybe if there was some sort of common factor then this wouldn’t be so hard.” Malachi said.

“How did they all die?” Rex asked.

Malachi turned through his pages. He remembered that the first boy they encountered had cut his wrists. The second boy that they saw had jumped off a bridge. The third boy had driven his dad’s car into a wall. The fourth boy swallowed a bottle of pills and the fifth hung himself. Malachi threw his notebook on the ground. “This is ridiculous. We have five cases of suicide and none of them have any significant common factors.” Malachi said.

David heard him and spoke up. “Could it be that you are looking for the wrong thing? Maybe the connection isn’t that big. When there are lives on the line you have to follow whatever leads you can get. What is one thing you can see that they have in common? It doesn’t matter how insignificant it is.”

Malachi looked back through the notebook and the answer was starring him in the face. “It looks like all of the cases involved boys. We haven’t encountered any females who have killed themselves so far. But I still don’t see how that helps.”

“Maybe it doesn’t help at all or maybe it is the most important detail that we are going to come across.” Rex began. “In any case we have to pursue this. I think we should all split up and start gathering information around the area. Find out who is experiencing any sort of problems.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Tell Gabriel and the two of you can start looking around New Hope’s area. David and I will handle this part.”

Rex agreed and then hung up the phone. Malachi and David made a quick plan about what part they would each covered and then swiftly went about their business. David moved significantly faster than Malachi. He was determined to make sure that there was not another death on his watch.

 

Baltimore Maryland: Not far from New Hope

                James sat in his room with tears streaming down his face. He looked at his arm. Every single cut that he had ever given himself held another painful memory. Today would mark another addition to his ‘collection’ as he called it. Some thought he was insane for cutting himself. He actually found it to be liberating. He was proud of all of the injuries he inflicted on himself. It helped him show the world that they were causing him to become a sickened child. He would go through the hallways of his school looking for ways to display his cuts. Some would mock him while others would tell him he wouldn’t do it again. He always proved them wrong when he came back in with another laceration.

                There were rare occasions when some people would try to help him. Teachers would send him down to guidance almost every other day. His parents had him in therapy but it didn’t seem to help. James didn’t allow it to help. He knew that no one really cared about him. His teachers had to say something because they didn’t want the school to have a bad name. His parents were only concerned about their image in the neighborhood. It would make their lives harder if they were known for having the freak of a son. Then there was Felicia Rachel. She was the one who made him want to kill someone. Felicia was so fake that it made him go crazy. Every time she even tried to talk to him he could see her lack of sincerity. She was the school’s student body president and was loved by all. It would make her look so great if she was able to help the troubled children. Felicia didn’t care about James she just wanted her extra credit.

                James took a mental list of all of the people that he believed cared about him at all. He could honestly say that only one person in the entire world ever looked at him with any type of enjoyment. That was his younger brother Timothy. Life was much more enjoyable when he was around. Unfortunately when his parents split up, Timothy went with his father. Now it was just him and his mom. He saw his dad whenever he came to take him to therapy but it didn’t mean anything. He didn’t have a real father. He didn’t have a real life. He was just sort of floating through it because he didn’t have to courage to take the most extreme of measures.

                James thought about his school day. Today was worst than most of his days had ever been. As soon as he left the house he was immediately harassed by a group of twelfth grade girls. They made fun of his clothes and his height. They made fun of all of the zits on his face and they made fun of his place at the school. He was unpopular and they loved to remind him. Then the worst part occurred. One of the girls stood up for him. She thought that they were being way too hard on him and that they should lay off. Then she offered to walk him to school. He should have turned the other way and ran. But he was blinded by a small array of hope. The girl was pretty with green eyes and rainbow hair. Her look was strange but James found it amusing. He accepted her offer and walked with her. When they got to the school she took him out to the baseball field. There she told him to close his eyes so she could kiss him. James almost lost his mind. He had never had a decent conversation with a girl let alone kissed one before. Once he closed his eyes all hell was unleashed. The girl pushed him down and held him in place with her arms. Soon the girls that had been making fun of him came out of nowhere with two trash cans and spray paint. They covered him in both and then took plenty of pictures. By the time second period started he was the laughing stock of the entire school. Right before lunch he was locked in a locker in complete darkness. The kids kept passing by saying things like ‘No one likes you.’ ‘Life would be better if you were gone.’ James started to entertain this idea. He would love to kill himself to make everyone else feel better but he didn’t have the courage. So he would just sit on his bed and cry. He looked over on his desk. There sat a sharp jagged rock that he had used many times before. It was stained red from the other occasions where he had spilled his blood on it. He used it to give himself another cut on his lower left arm. The pain would have made him cry but the satisfaction was so good that it made him smile.

                ‘This is what you all want right? You all want me to die well now I am one step closer.’ James thought to himself. Then something unusual happened. He heard a low, dull, slow voice in his head.

                ‘James my dear James you don’t have to deal with this anymore. There is no reason to keep hurting yourself this way.’

                James didn’t question the voice. He thought it was just him creating random thoughts. He entertained himself for the sake of some type of amusement. ‘I would love to end all of this pain but I’m too afraid.’

                ‘There is no reason to be afraid. You can save yourself all of this suffering. All of the people you know despise and hate you. Cutting your arms only prolongs the agony. So cut your wrists instead. It will hurt but at least it will be over soon.’

                James paused for a moment. The voice that he was hearing in his head was making sense. The idea of short term pain for long term gain sounded wonderful. All he would have to do would be to endure the cutting of his wrists but then it would all be over. Since he didn’t believe in life after death he knew there wasn’t anything to worry about. But then another thought came into his head. ‘What about my brother, won’t he miss me?’

                ‘Think about it James. If your brother cared that much about you then he would not have abandoned you the way he did. He doesn’t love you. No one loves you. Just end the pain James; end the pain once and for all.’

                James starred at the rock he held in his hand. His life was completely in his hands. All he had to do was choose to do it right now. He took a few moments to make sure he was sure. Once he did it there would be absolutely no going back. After six minutes of thinking he was still lost for reasons to stay in this world. ‘I’m going to do it. I’m going to end the pain.’ James put the rock on his wrist and took a deep breath. Soon he wouldn’t breathe anymore. He wanted to savor it.

                ‘Wait James this isn’t enough. Why would you do this in the isolation of your own room? Your mother is downstairs. Make sure she sees it so she will know that it is her fault that you are doing this. Make sure she knows that she failed!’ The voice said.

                James knew it was a good idea. It would be his way of getting his revenge before he left this world. Doing it would allow him to depart without any regrets. He opened the door to his room and stood at the top of the steps.

                “Mom I have something to show you.” James said.

 

Baltimore Maryland: Not far from James’ house

                Rex and Gabriel had scoured the surrounding area for forty five minutes. They would simply choose a house and check to see if there was anything wrong. Some families found it offensive and promptly slammed the door in their face. Other families found it helpful and the two would step in for a moment to listen. While they felt good to be helping those families they realized that they weren’t getting where they wanted to. They needed to find where the truly troubled children were and so far they hadn’t found anyone that they believed was in real imminent danger. That was until Gabriel knocked on one door and a woman answered. She looked worried as if she had just seen a ghost. Gabriel could tell something was wrong based on the way she tried to swiftly close the door.

                “Don’t worry everything is fine.” She said while trying to close the door.

                Gabriel had been around human beings long enough. Most of them weren’t good at suppressing their feelings. When something was wrong, their body language usually showed it. Of course there were exceptions to this rule but the woman currently trying to shut them out was not one of them. Gabriel placed his foot in the way of the door so it wouldn’t close.

                “Ma’am my partner and I are here to perform a public service. It is our job to make sure that everything is alright.” Gabriel said.

                The woman persisted. “I already told you that nothing is wrong.”

                “Ma’am it is also our job to know when someone isn’t being truthful in such matters. In this particular case it is quite clear that you are lying.” Gabriel reported.

                The look on the woman’s face showed how truly correct they were. She hesitated too long and eased up on trying to shut the door for a brief moment. However she quickly returned to denial and trying to send them away.

                Rex could see that she wasn’t going to let up so he thought it best to just tell her everything. Maybe it would send her into hysterics or maybe it would help save whoever was in trouble. “Ma’am we have been experiencing an epidemic around the surrounding area. There have been five cases of suicide in the last two weeks. They have all been boys and we have just been going around trying to see who has sons. We are trying to find a common link so we can see what is causing this problem.

                The woman’s resistance instantly diminished. The door flew open and she looked Gabriel in the eye. “Please come in. I need to talk to you about my son James.”

 

Baltimore Maryland: The County

                Malachi was panicking. There was no common link between all of the cases except for the fact that they were all boys. They didn’t even kill themselves the same way. He was so stressed out because he thought for sure he would never find the link. “How are these people freaking related?”

                David walked up behind him. “This is definitely disheartening. Something needs to be done soon before we fail again.”

                Malachi suddenly had an epiphany. He thought back to when he was with SOUL. It just occurred to him that a situation similar to this had occurred before. However the last time it happened they were only cases of females. But he remembered that the deaths were all occurring in a pattern. He turned to David. “Give me your phone right now. I know exactly what is going on!”

                “What is it?” David asked.

                “The master of everything somber and depressing. He is better known as Dishearten. Give me the phone now. Gabriel needs to know this now.”

                David handed him the phone. Malachi had never dialed so quickly in his life. Every time the phone rang it felt like an eternity in between. Malachi could feel his heart racing. If he didn’t get an answer soon he might just die from anxiety. Finally after four never ending rings, he heard Gabriel’s voice.

                “Yeah Malachi what did you need?”

                “Have you found anything yet?” Malachi asked.

                “Yes I have. We are talking to someone now. Her son is threatening suicide. He locked himself in his room when she tried to stop him. Rex is trying to talk him out.”

                “How does e plan on doing it?” Malachi asked.

                “I believe she said that he has been cutting himself.”

Malachi instantly confirmed his theory. The sixth case was starting the pattern over. If he was correct then the boy was planning on slicing his wrists. “I found out what is causing our dilemma. It is Dishearten. It looks like he is back in action and we need to do something about it quickly.” Malachi said.

“Well like I said I am actually talking to a mother right now who has a son who is trying to kill himself. Do you think Dishearten is behind it?”

“Definitely. He is probably preying on whatever it is that is making them feel their depression. No wonder so many happened so frequently. Dishearten’s powers are extremely concentrated.” Malachi said.

Gabriel hung up the phone. “Then he needs to be dealt with.” Gabriel excused himself. Gabriel then left the house and transferred over to the spiritual realm. As soon as he crossed over he could tell that Malachi’s theory was correct. The overall feeling of the area was much gloomier than before. “I guess Malachi was right. Then I don’t have much time.” He ran back into the house but this time he was invisible to the human eye. He ran right past James’ mother and flew up the stairs. Rex who was still talking to Jams also did not see him phase through the door. Once he entered he was horrified by what he saw. A huge grey skinned creature was wrapped around James’ body. His fingers appeared as roots that were planted deeply in James’ skull. Once Gabriel entered, Dishearten could sense the light. He looked up in a hurry.

“So talking to him wasn’t enough huh?” Dishearten asked. His voice was so soft but it was heartbreaking. Gabriel could feel tears coming to his eyes just by listening.

“Obviously you have infected his mind too much for talk. The only way to stop this is through action.” Gabriel drew an arrow. He aimed at Dishearten’s forehead. “Once I land this it will all be over.”

Dishearten didn’t smile in confidence like other villains would. His facial expression remained as solemn as ever. “Are you sure you can Gabriel? I remember you. You are the angel with the superb archery skills. I used to fear you because I was sure you could kill me easily. Now I am not afraid. I can see that you are nothing special.”

Gabriel wasn’t about to allow this creep’s mind games to throw him off. He was only a few feet away. There was no way he was going to miss. He took aim and after a few seconds of delay, released his arrow. Since he had been given unnatural skill he was almost dumbfounded when he watched the arrow fly right past Dishearten.

“I knew it. You are hopeless. There is no special skill about you. I just think all of your past victories have been lucky.” Dishearten said.

Gabriel drew another arrow and let it fly. It missed as well. He drew another one and the same thing happened. When he got to the fourth he took extra time to ensure that his shot was on point. Then he let it fly. He missed again.

“What’s wrong Gabriel, are you lacking confidence?” Dishearten asked.

Gabriel drew his final arrow. Tears were streaming down his face. Dishearten was definitely getting inside of his head. He just could not figure out why. Then he thought about James. He thought about how much he was counting on his ability to make a shot. Gabriel knew he couldn’t fail or another life would be lost. “Come on you can handle it. Land the shot now!” Gabriel fired his final arrow. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He watched it soar and a smile crept across his face. Then terror took over as he watched his last arrow miss its target. Gabriel couldn’t believe that he had missed such an easy mark so many times. He took a few steps toward Dishearten, for whatever reason his aim wasn’t currently working. But that wouldn’t stop him from close combat. With his bow he swung repeatedly at Dishearten. Somehow Dishearten was able to avoid every single one of his swings. “What is wrong with me? Why is this happening?”

Before Gabriel had time to react, Dishearten changed and expanded until he was wrapped around the angel the way he was wrapped around James. Gabriel felt the enemy’s long chilling fingers start to attach to his head. It wouldn’t be long before Dishearten would be infecting him the way he was infecting the boy.

“I would fry your mind right now. I could drive you to do exactly what James is about to do. However I enjoy watching your kind squirm. I want you to see this. I want you to revel in your failure the way I will.” Dishearten turned Gabriel’s head toward James. Gabriel struggled to break free but it wasn’t doing him any good. He saw James place the rock on his wrist again. Then he was forced to watch as James ended everything. The body dropped to the floor and blood was spilled. Gabriel could hear Rex’s increasing worry as he realized what had just happened. James’ mother’s cries could be heard loud and clear. She hadn’t even seen it to confirm but she already knew. Then Dishearten, who was satisfied with his work, released Gabriel and disappeared.

 

New Hope Baptist: Three hours later    

                If there has ever been a moment in your life when you have dreaded a conversation, then you know exactly how Gabriel must have felt as he waited in the church. He knew that David would be beyond angry about James. David was the kind of person who valued life more than someone could imagine. Every time he saw another dead person, he felt like he himself would die. How was Gabriel going to explain his failure? Would David forgive him; would he even speak to him? Rex sat down beside him. He placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him. Gabriel could honestly say that it wasn’t helping at all. He had just witnessed a child no older than fifteen commit suicide. While Rex was trying to make him feel better, the dreaded moment arrived. He heard the door open and then heard it promptly slam shut. There was nothing else in the world that could have been louder than this fury filled entrance.

                “You know right before we came back we heard about another suicide. Some guy jumped off a bridge. That’s odd seeing as how this Dishearten character was with you. So Gabriel is there something you want to tell me?” David waited for a moment but Gabriel didn’t respond. “You didn’t stop him did you?”

                Gabriel took another moment before answering. “No I didn’t. I tried but I couldn’t.”

                David almost lost his mind. “What do you mean you couldn’t? I watched you put an arrow in the brain of a demon that you weren’t even looking at. Are you trying to tell me that you couldn’t find some way to bring Dishearten down?”

                “His powers are very strange. He found some kind of way to throw me off. I don’t know how it happened.”

                David didn’t even want to look at Gabriel. “Why are you telling me? I’m not the one you let down. You should go tell James. Oh yeah that’s right; he’s six feet under!”

                Rex had heard all that he could stand. He shot up out of his chair and moved close to David. “That is enough David. We tried our best we just couldn’t win this time.”

                “I definitely don’t want to hear your input. I know what happened. You stood behind a locked door trying to talk him out but it didn’t work. There was a life on the line you didn’t do all that you should have, to hell with talking. You should have just busted the damn door down!”

                “You will watch your tongue when you speak to your teammates.” A voice from behind said.

                David turned around ready to give a piece of his mind until he saw who it was. “Kimora, what are you doing here?”

                “I came to give you all a helping hand. I happened to be dealing with a case similar to this, a father who has been showing recent signs of a desire to kill himself. I chased Dishearten away and then noticed that he came to this area. I don’t know what his purpose is but I know that he wasn’t done with the father. I was with him when I heard about James. Then he suddenly started showing signs again. Dishearten moved fast and it will be up to us to stop him.” Kimora looked over at David. “Now I know you are upset and angry that the last mission was not a success but we can’t allow pervious failures to deter us. Getting angry and yelling and cursing isn’t going to bring victory. Only by staying focused can we hope to defeat Dishearten. It is true that we will never be able to bring back those that Dishearten has taken away but we can stop him from harming anyone else.”

                David approached Kimora. “I’m sorry Kimora. I was acting out of turn. It seems like the old me likes to show his teeth every now and again.”

                “I will not fault you for it.” Kimora said. “Now let us get our rematch.”

                Rex was getting excited. “Does this mean you are one of us again?”

                Kimora’s face stayed straight. “I am here to complete the mission and I will do whatever it takes to do so. However I am not one of the A-men, I am but a humble servant. Now as for Dishearten. The name of the man I was dealing with is Mr. Sasha Blair. Like the other cases he is a male. He is the husband of a Mrs. Jeanette Blair and the father of a Ms. Keara Blair. If we don’t succeed then he will be leaving a widow and a fatherless child behind. However that doesn’t matter because we are not going to fail. A-men, it is time to Christ-up!”

 

Baltimore Maryland: Same day

                Dishearten was feeling pretty good right about now. Sasha was in his car heading toward a bridge that was high above water. In about ten minutes he would crash his car through the bridge and plummet. There would be no surviving it. Sasha was going to be his first victim when he started his assault but the wretched Wisdom Woman got in his way. He was forced to move on in order to get away from her. He always knew that he would eventually come back and today was the day he made that dream a reality. He looked down at Sasha. He knew Sasha wouldn’t look back because he couldn’t see him. The only thing he was aware of was the constant voice in his head driving him to take his life, though he would never blame that on a powerful invisible monster from Hell.

                “Oh Sasha, you’re kind is so easy to manipulate. It always has been. I remember when I got into Judas’ head. He hung himself. Now that was pleasant. Back then you all didn’t have technology. There weren’t that many creative ways to kill someone. Now you have a myriad of ways. I’m glad you discovered how to make them more painful and bloody. I find a certain joy in trying to see how much blood I can produce. Of course there won’t be that much for you. It is possible that the impact alone will crush your lungs. In fact it is rather likely. But fear not. I promise that my next target will be able to fill a pool with his blood.”

                “There won’t be any next target Dishearten.” Wisdom Woman said.

                Dishearten looked up in a hurry. “Well well it seems you have come back old friend.” Then he saw Malachi, Gabriel, Arc-Stone, and Devil Chaser behind her. “And you brought friends. I guess they have recovered from their last failure. Haven’t you Gabriel?”

                Arc-Stone lost his temper. He lunged at Dishearten and started throwing punches. Dishearten was not able to avoid them. He took three punches to the stomach and then a massive uppercut that sent him hurtling toward the sky.  His grip on Sasha was broken temporarily. If Dishearten wasn’t able to fly, this might have ended right there. Unfortunately he could fly and he steadied himself. Then he flew back toward his target and gained control of Sasha again. He was also able to get his fingers around Arc-Stone. Devil Chaser saw it and attacked as well. Dishearten was ready this time. He bobbed and weaved and made the Devil Chaser look and feel dumb.

                “Would you stop moving?” Chaser demanded.

                “No that would require that I submit to pain and I would rather not do that.”

                Malachi looked over at Wisdom Woman who was still floating in place. He was starting to worry as the bridge would be arriving soon. “Hey Wisdom do you have a plan?”

                “Of course I have a plan and it is being executed perfectly. I am going to need a distraction if we are going to be able to stop Dishearten.” Wisdom reached for her satchel of items. She pulled a bottle of liquid labeled elated. “I need to get this in his head. It will stop him for sure. Now Gabriel this is what I need you to do.”

                Devil Chaser continued fighting with Dishearten. He finally got some fortune when he managed to kick Dishearten away from Arc-Stone. Then he tackled Dishearten and let loose on his face. The advantage didn’t last long as Dishearten soon wrapped himself around Devil Chaser. Arc-Stone attempted to free him but he was captured as well.

                “You two are such fools. Did you really think any of you would be able to defeat me? I am not a simple demon. I am an embodiment. I am very similar to Wisdom Woman. You will never be able to defeat me with sheer brute strength. Soon you will have to watch me win again. You will watch Sasha Blair crash and burn!”

                Devil Chaser and Arc-Stone struggled to escape. Gabriel noticed their attempts and had a brief flash back to when he was in that position. Dishearten’s grip was practically unbreakable. He prepared his arrow. As long as Dishearten didn’t see him, he knew he would be able to hit him. Meanwhile Dishearten was becoming increasingly excited. He knew that once he brought down Arc-Stone and Devil Chaser, it would only get easier from there. What he didn’t expect however, was a golden being interfering. Wisdom Woman grabbed him and threw him off of her teammates. Dishearten got up and tried to get a grip of Wisdom but she was too smart. She knew exactly how he moved so she simply moved in contrast. Arc-Stone used the moment of distraction to get under Dishearten and bring him down. Devil Chaser took advantage of the opportunity and jumped on the enemy. With the two holding him down, Dishearten was now the one struggling to escape. Wisdom Woman pulled out her vial of elation and starred Dishearten down. His eyes filled with fear as he knew exactly what Wisdom Woman was holding.

                “This will stop you once and for all.” Wisdom said. Victory was within her grasp until Devil Chaser’s grip loosened ever so slightly. Dishearten was able to squirm out of his grip entirely. Then he turned the tables on Arc-Stone.

                “Sorry but you have to move faster if you want to stop me.” Dishearten swung at Wisdom’s hand and knocked the yellow liquid away. It spilled and scattered instantly becoming useless. “It looks like I win again.” From behind him came a sharp sword. He dodged it and clipped Malachi. “See all of you have failed.” Dishearten looked up and saw the bridge. In just a few moments Sasha would end his life.

                Wisdom Woman tried to contain herself but she was too happy. She knew that she had nothing to worry about. “You forgot one of us.” She said.

                Dishearten looked up to see an arrow tipped in yellow liquid coming toward him. Gabriel was sure that he caught Dishearten by too much of a surprise to miss. It was such a shame that he was supposed to. Dishearten stretched and bent to make sure he was out of the way. The arrow passed harmlessly by him.

                “Like I said before, you have failed. Gabriel missed!”

                “No he didn’t.” Wisdom Woman said.

                Dishearten looked at the arrow. It passed through Sasha’s head painlessly but the liquid lingered. It sunk into Sasha’s head and expelled Dishearten’s influence. Dishearten’s sense of accomplishment disappeared. He knew he was beaten. “You all were never trying to hit me. It was Sasha who you were after.”

                “That’s right and you fell for it.” Malachi said.

                Wisdom Woman tied Dishearten up with a rope she was carrying. “Don’t try to struggle. This rope is made from a solidified version of the elation we just inflicted. You won’t be going anywhere.”

                In the physical realm of Earth Sasha suddenly came to his senses. He slammed his foot on the breaks and turned sharply. It was too much for the car to handle and it flipped over and crashed. However Sasha wasn’t killed, although he sustained pretty serious injuries.

                “Did he crash and burn?” Arc-Stone asked.

                “He definitely crashed. But there doesn’t seem to be any burn.” Wisdom Woman said. “I’m going to go attend to him. Ananchel should be here by now to help me. You all stay here and watch Dishearten until I return.”

                “Whoa Ananchel is here?” Gabriel asked.

                “Yes I called her in right before we left now excuse me.” Wisdom Woman left.

                Gabriel and the other A-men gathered around Dishearten to ensure that he didn’t attempt to escape. They all felt accomplished. Arc-Stone still felt the sting of the lives they lost while trying to best him but saving this one was a good step on the road to recovery. Devil Chaser was smiling until he noticed something. There was a ring of fire forming behind Gabriel. He reacted too late as a large stream of energy came through and blasted Gabriel in the back. Three more followed and consequently took down Arc-Stone, Malachi, and Devil Chaser. He looked up. His vision was blurry and his hearing was off. All he caught was something along the lines of ‘All according to plan.’ He saw a figure grab Dishearten but then he blacked out.

                Back in the physical realm Kimora was talking with Tracy. They were discussing what they were going to do about Sasha and his family. Kimora agreed that she would follow him to the hospital and spend some time with him in order to help him cope with what happened. Even though she was able to free him from Dishearten’s grip, the after effects would stay for quite some time. It wasn’t going to be an easy fix but it was possible. Then she felt something. It was terrible and she knew the feeling all too well. She excused herself from the angel and ran back into the spiritual realm. When she arrived it was as she feared. The A-men all lay unconscious on the ground and Dishearten was nowhere to be seen. She knew there would be no catching up with him or his liberator.

                “I’m too late.”