Soul So Pure

The fire crackled brightly in contrast to the dark night around it. Firetrucks finally came screaming down the road as Daniel watched from within the horrified crowd. The firefighters began pumping water into the flaming strip club, but it was already too late. Everyone inside is surely dead, thought Daniel as he turned away.

                Suddenly the building collapsed in on itself, causing him to jump and grip his wooden cross strongly. Finger his lighter, Daniel felt the deep itching to continue the arson. Just one flick of the lighter, just one more building, and then the whole city will soon be brought down in holy flames. Daniel's face twisted into a a great smile, only to once more droop as he shook his head. No, no, I must only cleanse that which is obviously corrupt. I must not harm other without warrant. Not without his consent.

                Walking down the street, he turned a corner and slipped between the thickening flood of onlookers, bumping into tall pink haired beauties, large balding men, and wide eyed elementary children a like. There were so many people, Daniel wondered how he'd ever find his angel in the mass. But Daniel trusted in God, and new He would lead Daniel down the right path. Just as He had led him to that strip club.

                Making his way briskly across town, Daniel once more found peace in the usual humdrum of the city. Walking into a coffee shop, Daniel was knocked down by a man bursting through the door, grasping a large bag and weapon in his hands.

                "Hey! Someone stop him!" A man, most likely the manager, wailed as he ran outside and stared at the escaping perpetrator.

                Daniel jumped to his feet, running full speed after the robber. Taking sharp turns through the maze of city alleyways, Daniel's long strides allowed him to close the gap between himself and the man within minutes. Making a lunge as the man slowed by a gray car and fumbled with the door, Daniel tackled him to the ground and swiftly jabbed the man in the throat, then grabbing the gun as the man clutched his throat.

                "Get up, hand's in the air." Daniel commanded in his smooth, resonating voice. A small crowd had once more gathered, but was much further back. As the man stood shakily to his feet and complied, Daniel grasped the man with one arm and slammed his face into the hood of the car. Holstering the gun in his coat, Daniel produced a zip-tie and tied the man's large arms behind his back.

                "We'll take it from here" said a voice behind Daniel as two cops shouldered past, one taking the gun from Daniel as the other pulled the thief away.

                Before any questions could be asked, Daniel slipped away, back into the crowd. Fingering his lighter, Daniel suddenly felt a firm hand on his shoulder just as he was about to get away. Daniel turned himself around to find the first cop, a woman about his height with short brown hair and sharp green eyes, held out her hand.

                "Thank you for your help in apprehending that thief, Mr?" She let the question hang in the air.

                Daniel should her hand firmly, giving her a bright grin as he spoke. "Frillo. Daniel Frillo."

                She returned the smile. "Julia Burns. This may sound like a weird question, but could I treat you to a cup of cup of coffee or something? I just got off my shift as of five minutes ago, and I'd really like to reward you for your help.

                "Oh, um, sure." Daniel let his hand fall back into his pocket. Internally he was taken aback to have been approached so directly. Irritated, Daniel continued to wear the mask of calm politeness on his face. Feeling his lighter nervously, Daniel pressed forward with the officer in tow, back towards the recently robbed coffee shop.

                "Oh officer, thank you so much for stopping that man." The manager came out and quickly embraced Julia, taking her aback as she tried to explain that Daniel was in fact the true hero.

                "If he hadn't caught that thief when he did, who knows if we would have caught him in time." Julia waved her hand to the now awkward looking Daniel. He with his long coat and tidy hair, looking increasingly uncomfortable with each new praise.

                "Oh, thank you so much sir, you really are an upstanding man. Please come in and order anything, on the house!" The manager near dragged the pair into the shop, shouting the word all around the store of their heroics.

                "This is not what I had in mind when you offered me coffee." Daniel hissed at Julia.

                "Sorry!" She said said behind the bright fake smile she was showing the applauding crowd.

                The manager stepped back behind the counter, allowing Daniel some peace as the store died down. Julia order a peppermint mocha. Daniel became indecisive when asked what he himself wanted, and panic, asking for the first thing he saw on the menu.

                "One peppermint mocha and, um, one soy latte, coming right up."

                Julia covered her mouth, muffling a high pitched giggle as Daniel stood, indigent.

                "Seriously?" She mocked.

                "I wasn't thinking, okay!" Daniel cried defensively as they now walked out of the store, drinks in hand. Daniel clenched his nose against the odor. "Who would even order something like this?"

                "You, apparently." She smiled at him as she drank her mocha, making loud sounds of content. Daniel stirred his drink absent mindedly now, looking down into its thick and unappealingly murky liquid.

"Hey." He started, nudging her arm.

"Mm?" She raised an eyebrow, refusing to pull away from the drink still.

"What will happen to that guy you arrested back there?"

Julia slurped down the last of the drink, then began stirring the straw thoughtfully. "Eh, for a blatant robbery like that? A few months in jail, tops. Maybe a fine if he's got a bad lawyer." She smiles to herself, but it disappears as she turns to see Daniel's cold stare looking straight ahead. "Hey, you okay?"

"Such a petty punishment for a crime like that. Armed robbery, easy life in prison for a few months? He'll just go out and do it again. There's no rehabilitation, no way of making sure he won't try it again. You just look him up with food and a bed, then let him out with a slap on the wrist." Daniel shakes his head, dumping his soy bean slush into a trash can.

Julia looks down now. "Yeah, I guess so, huh? And what if he kills someone next time? We were lucky you were there to stop him, our station was right done the road, yet it took us too long to catch up."

They walked on in silence for a moment, before Julia suddenly perked up. "Hey, you know what, we should go out tonight!" She rummaged around in her pocket for a piece of paper as she pulled a black pen from her shirt pocket.

"Wait, what?" Daniel's stare fades instantly, replace with confusion and slight alarm as Julia gives up on the paper and suddenly begins writing on his arm. "Hey, what're you doing?"

"Giving. You. My, number." She said, finishing the last number with a bit of a showy twirl. "There." She smiles triumphantly as Daniel looks down at the slightly unsteady mess of numbers. "Hey, um-" Daniel looks back up to find Julia already entering the police car they'd apparently come upon during their walk.

"Talk to you tonight, Daniel!" She calls through the window as she drives off abruptly, leaving Daniel standing awkwardly on the sidewalk with an empty cup and a confused look on his face.