The dim light flickered hesitantly as the wick strained to hold its flame from the wind’s grasp. My breath was heavy and slurred as words escaped my chapped lips, blood creeping from the corner of my mouth. The air felt hot and the tainted scent of decay lingered as I collapsed to the floor. Feeling my body begin to seize movement, I gasped desperately, recalling everything that had happened.

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you,” Zachary quoted, a thoughtful look upon his face, “What a powerful quote to say before you end somebody’s life. I wonder how powerful you’d feel to say that to someone you already have quaking in their shoes.”

I chuckled nervously as I locked eyes with him, my breath shallow and quickened as my heartbeat picked up speed. I agreed that Pulp Fiction was a great movie, but never had I thought to actually perform any of the acts within the film. Yet as Zach’s words raced through my mind I could play the brilliantly detailed scene of holding a Beretta p22 to the face of the person I hated most, a girl who believed she was the center of attention, a girl who believed she was everyone’s role model. A girl too god d--- blind to see that her decisions only tear the people who once cared, to shreds left for the wolves. I could feel my lips release the powerful words as I watched her eyes grow wide, tears streaming down her face and washing away the pound of makeup caked upon her cheeks. A cruel devious smile crossed my lips as my finger slowly applied pressure to the sensitive trigger. A quick rush of adrenaline seized my heart as the bullet went flying through her skull, only leaving a thin trail of blood dripping down the frame of her nose.

I shivered as I shook the image from my head, a grim feeling enveloped my mind as I realized Zach was staring at me with a confused expression.

“Are you alright Jason?” he asked, his voice high pitch and cracked from worry. I felt no words form within my thoughts as I simply nodded my head in response. I sighed, air escaping my lungs as I pulled myself from Zachary’s couch, my heart suddenly heavy as the image replayed itself once again. This time the thought of killing that girl was distant and seemed almost fuzzy. I tried to focus on it as I began to stride towards the front door.

“Jason. Are you sure you’re alright? You seem kind of off,” I heard him mutter. I turned my head to find a sight that took me off guard. Zach had his head down and his arms rested upon his lap, a look of stress and concern in the movement of his disturbed sways. I felt a tinge of sympathy for my dear friend, it was not normal for him to act so perturbed. I shot him a soft gentle smile, feeling the muscles in my face relax as I lost my strained and stressed expression.
“Look, Zach. I’m fine, I’m just tired as h--- so I’m going to head home and get some sleep. It’s late anyways. So I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

“Alright,” he exhaled with a relieved smile, “See you tomorrow Jason.” He got up and held his fist out, as expected mine met his in a friendly goodbye before I threw the door open and walked out to the street. The air was cool and comforting, drawing a genuine smile from me as I paced down the sidewalk glancing around me at the peaceful environment. Suddenly, I felt my vision blur and whirl into the form of a dark and decrepit street with an odd and unwelcoming scent in the air.

I tried to shake my vision clear but it refused to fade. A harsh voice split the air, washing a wave of heat over me.

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.”

Hearing these words once again, something had seemed to of dawned upon me. Maybe these words, that scene of holding the gun the head of the woman I hated most, was just a vision of what ‘should be’. With a great surge of energy I found my legs moving as though under control of a machine. I was making my way to her house which was only a few strides ahead of me.

Without having any true conscience, I watched as though I had been removed from my body, unable to control my actions. My fist pounded harshly against the stern wood as I awaited the door to be answered, no true plan actually developed as I stared blankly. I heard a soft twist of the lock and glared into the eyes of a young girl who slowly opened the door.

“Jason?” her voice said in soft confusion, “What are you doing here?” I kept the dull expressionless look upon my face as I slammed my body against the door, sending it crashing against her body with a sudden burst of strength. I heard a surprised shriek escape her as she fell against the wall. Unaware of what she was doing, I scanned the clearing in search for anywhere her father may hide a gun. I spotted a closet all of but two feet away, as I strode towards it I could hear her scrambling to her feet.

“Jason, what the h--- is wrong with you?!” She cried in a voice that crackled with fear and anger. I ignored her as I tore into the closet. I dug into the back, tossing numerous objects out onto the floor as I searched desperately for the gun, my senses slowly returning to me. I felt my heart pound rapidly, aching as it bashed itself against its bone prison. What am I doing?! Sense slapped me hard in the face as I suddenly paused. I heard the girl rush towards me and then I realized it is too late to stop now. It was time to finish it.
With a deep inhale of air I found my hand running over a shoe box, throwing the lid from it I had found something that once again sent my subconscious from my body. It was the gun from my vision. A Beretta p22, lying there, the cold black metal glistening in the dim light that filtered into the closet. My hand shakily wrapped itself around the gun, my pointer finger gingerly placed against the trigger as I swung it up and aimed it at the face of the serpent in human skin. Her eyes opened wide as they began to well with tears.

“J-Jason?!” She whimpered, her voice hardly louder than a whispered as she backed up and tripped over herself, falling to the floor as she attempted to crawl backwards. A dark grin crossed my face as I lifted the gun and rose to my feet, taking slow menacing steps towards her.

“Shhh, it’s ok Natasha, it’s alright,” I whispered in a soft and grim tone, I aimed the gun at the ceiling for a second, admiring its thick black coat, so cold to touch, yet so hot with power. The adrenaline seizing my figure as my dark smile softened to a cruel grin. Her tears finally began to stream down her cheeks as she blubbered, stumbling too much over her own words to speak. I c***ed the gun and pointed it at her forehead.

The sight of her face made my stomach churn, her makeup now ran down her cheeks, staining them with black streaks, her face was red and blotchy from panic and her body seized slightly with every breath she inhaled. The true sight of fear itself was upon her. I once more returned to my expressionless face as I inhaled one last deep breath before quoting.

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.”  Suddenly a loud burst of sound filled the air as my vision faded to white for a few seconds, when everything had returned to me the events of what just happened dawned upon me. Hot thick blood welled from my neck as I choked desperately, my eyes wide and my heart racing too fast. A searing white pain devoured me as I collapsed, glaring at a candle as I began to seize movement. She had panicked at tried to move the gun, the barrel aimed at me as I pulled the trigger. I had, shot myself...