On Wings of White

Daniel has murdered again, and now seeks heavenly peace from his favorite priest.

Daniel paced in front of the hospital for some time, trying to figure out what he was missing. He had his car keys, his wallet, his thin black beany and long brown coat. What is there that he's missing? Of course, my gloves! But as Daniel turned to once more face the hospital, he instantly repeated the pivot to again face away. No no, thought Daniel, my gloves are in my pants pocket. Donning his fingerless white gloves, he started walking at a brisk pace down the road. 

Turning at a street corner, Daniel slipped into the thick masses lining the sidewalk. Even at night, the city was alive with tourists and con men. Slipping between thin gaps in the crowd, he briskly threaded his way along, unnoticed, away from the dark hospital. No one would find the body till morning, but Daniel had to be sure there was as much distance between himself and the scene as immediately as possible. Nothing was forgotten, and Daniel was on his way to his car, parked evenly between two other cars, in a parking lot a ways away from the hospital entrance.

 Daniel eyed the people around him as they marched on side by side by side. All sinners, all criminals against God, thought Daniel. Every woman bore the face of a lover to many men in his eyes, and every man the horns of a wicked devil. Daniel rubbed the cross hanging around his neck, hidden under his dark brown coat; a simple cross of smooth wood he had crafted the night he was converted.

Finally reaching his car, he drove off down the road at a reasonable speed, stopping at every light, and slowing at every stop sign. Twice, Daniel saved lives by paying attention to the road, narrowly stopping in front of pedestrians crossing in the middle of the road without warning. Thank God he was a careful driver.

Daniel hated driving. He dreamed only of the day he could soar on his bright white wings, among the other angels in Heaven. Oh what a glorious- Daniel stopped as a squirrel ran into the road. He honked his horn a single time, lasting exactly two and a half seconds. The squirrel passed, and Daniel drove on. Oh what a glorious day it will be to fly.

Daniel pulled up onto the dirt lot next to a small rickety Church painted a peeling white. He got out of his car, hitting the lock button twice, and started off towards the Church's entrance.

Opening the well oiled doors, Daniel slipped inside silently. Removing his cross, he dipped it in the bowl of blessed water at the entrance, and returned it to its place around his neck.

A priest was bowed in prayer at the far end of the small room, joined by two other men and one woman. The Father was dressed all in white, and no older than late in his fifties. Daniel approached the altar they prayed to, recognizing Florence and Richard as the two men dressed in dark blue and brown coats, respectively. Mallerie, in a nice blue dress this evening, had her head bowed with them, her thin hands pressed together, revealing thinner arms so bare the bones stuck out.

Daniel stopped as they all quickly turned in unison to face him, grim expressions on their faces. Hidden in the shadows, Daniel made a big show of revealing only the markings on his knuckles under the light of the candles. Three thin lines were tattooed running three inches each up from the spaces between his knuckles. The middle of the three was crossed with lines going horizontally all the way up, while the other two outer lines were zigzagged reflections of eachother. The implied mark of a feather.

"Ah, Daniel." The Father said as he stepped closer to embrace the tall dark man. "How good of you to join us, my Child. We were just in prayer for your young lady friend."

Daniel spoke in a low, resonating voice. "I am sorry Father, but she has already passed on. I have cleansed her in the hopes her soul may still rise to Heaven."

The Father cast his sullen eyes down, seeming to become even sadder. "Oh my. This is terrible news indeed, my Son. I will begin praying for the safety of her soul in ascension at once. Come, sit with the others as I pray."

Daniel joined the circle as the Father knelled once more, clasping his hands tightly together and whispering under his breathe.

Far enough away to speak quietly, Mallerie was the first to pipe up.

"Oh dearest Daniel, was she not the one to lay your heart to rest? Was she not the beautiful angel you wished to ascend with?"

Daniel sighed. "She was not, dearest Sister. She was merely a devil with wings of black. I have done all I can to cleanse her soul, but I know not what I will do now that she has passed, leaving me once more alone with no angel to elope with."

Mallerie took his face in her hands. "You are a pure and gentle man. You will find the right one in time. But for now, you must trust in God's plan, for He has put yet another lost soul in your path for you to aide. Be at peace knowing you have done His will."

"We've all been in your position countless times, Daniel." Whispered Florence. "I know it is hard, but you will come to accept your actions in due time."

Richard pulled out his knife delicately, letting the few lights in the room cause a shimmer to glean off the clean blade. He tediously and habitually began wiping at it with a fine cloth rag. "See this knife, Daniel? I've slain hundreds of sinners with it in my time, cleansing each and every corpse of its fouled blood." The blade begins to make a high pitched squeaking noise as he continues wiping it down.

Daniel, obviously irritated by the noise, takes out his lighter and holds it alight to the knife's sharpened edge. Richard instantly drops it as the metal grows hot, clenching his hand.

"Son of a-"

"How many times have I told you to stop doing that, Dick? It gets on my nerves every freaken time you start polishing that knife and making it literally squeaky clean."

"Oh shut up, you know I hate being called that! It's Richard!"

"Well why don't you try listening to me, and I'll heed your little pleas. Hm?"

Daniel hands Richard back his knife, who pockets it once more within the many folds of his coat.

"I'm sorry, but I believe I have stayed here too long. I must go out and search for my lovely angel once more. Good bye for now, my brothers and sister. Good bye, dearest Father."

The Father rises from his prayer. "Good bye for now my Son. Remember we will be awaiting the day of your beautiful death with your holy-bound other."

Daniel steps out, closing the door with the utmost care behind him. He kisses his cross, which hangs lightly around his neck, tasting the holy water as his lips are pressed against its warm wood. It tastes just like blood.

Author's Note

Ch.2! I finally got around to writing this. Here's some of that boring story I wanted to avoid with the first, so dodging it no longer, I introduce you to more of what Daniel is. A lovely Church-goer. Please note depending on feedback for this part, I'll consider getting a little more serious in really making this story blossom.