Judgment (Game of Lords Book 3), page 21
“Hello?” she said.
“Tanya, it’s James.”
“Hi, James.”
“Can you come over tonight?”
There was silence. James’ brow lowered. She had been acting very peculiar lately. James feared she might be abandoning him.
After an uncomfortable hesitation, she replied, “Yes, I can. But James, don’t pay me. I just want to spend time with you.”
James was silent for a moment. Her words rattled him, as if someone had demanded something from him that he was unwilling to give. “Look, someone just walked in. Let me call you back. I might be tied up for a while.”
He hung up, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The memories of his father striking his mother raced through his mind. His fear of being close to anyone surfaced, and he closed his eyes.
Just then, his intercom rang. It was his secretary, Teddi. “James, are we done for the day? I’ve got somewhere to go.”
“Yes, go. I will lock up.”
~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later, James left the office and walked out onto the main street. A car screeched to a stop at the curb, and two men jumped out and ran at him, grabbing him by the arms.
James cried out, “Wait, what are you doing! Wait!” But it was already too late. They dragged him to the car and forced him into the backseat, leaving his briefcase on the sidewalk as they sped off.
Inside the large limo were three men. They punched James in the face repeatedly to soften him up, then tied his hands and placed a black hood over his head.
James screamed from under the hood, “Please let me go. Look, you’ve got the wrong person.”
One of them laughed. “No, lawyer boy, we got the right person.”
From under the black hood, James’ eyes widened. He heard the serious tone in their voices, and he realized he was probably dealing with Baxter’s men. James had never considered they would take revenge on him. He was only the lawyer, not a real member of the warring crime families.
“Stop, please let me go. Please!”
“Shut up!” one of the men shouted, punching James in the side of the head.
Under his hood, James cringed. “Please… I didn’t… ” He felt a horrendous thud this time, and everything went black.
James’ barely conscious mind watched as hundreds of lights flickered by. Finally, he felt the motion slow and the car come to a stop. James began to wake, but another jarring thud to the head knocked him out again.
Chapter 7
James shivered and felt the wind on his naked body as he came to. He looked around, seeing nothing but the dark shimmer of moonlight on the surface of the water. He was on the deck of a good sized boat and it was moving swiftly, already far away from the distant lights of the shore. He turned his face away from the cold sea air and instinctively put his hands around his body to warm himself, looking down at his shriveled penis and shaking knees. His feet felt funny, and it only took one more second for him to realize what was happening. “Holy shit! Holy Shit!!”
His vision adjusted and his eyes could now see what he felt. He had been fitted with a block of cement halfway up his shins that locked both his feet in solid. He panicked and tried to wriggle out, but he could not even fall down. The cement was too far up his shins. The boat slowed to a stop and four men came up from below deck. One of them was Steve Baxter, head of the Baxter crime family and the brother of Larry Baxter. They surrounded him, laughing.
James knew what this meant. He personally knew of at least seven men whose skeletons were probably still sticking out of cement blocks at the bottom of the sea not far from the Long Island Shoreline.
He begged for his life. “Mr. Baxter, please don’t!”
Steve Baxter didn’t reply but stared at James, smiling, sizing him up. “Thought you could get away with all your lies, did you?” he said, grimacing, in a tone that shook James. “You’re gonna pay for the death of my brother. And so is that little shit Bobby Massiano!”
“Wait,” James cried. “Please, wait! Please. I have information… it… it… will help you to take down Bobby… and… I know where his money is… I can get it for you… over a million dollars… by tomorrow!” James knew about more money than that, but a million was all he was willing to part with.
Steve Baxter stood silently pondering what to do with the request of the sniveling man in front of him. After a long while of complete and utter silence, Baxter turned to his men and asked, “What do you think, boys? Should we give Mr. Lawyer here a chance to redeem himself?”
As soon as he heard it, James breathed a heavy sigh of relief. They bought it. Thank God.
There were several more moments of ‘all at stake’ silence. Baxter’s men looked back and forth at each other. James was already plotting, working out in his mind how to recover the money he was going to have to hand over to Baxter, as well as how to get the hell out of town. He had wisely played his only ace and he was feeling the old thrill of victory.
One of Baxter’s men ended the silence and shouted, “Hell no!”
Another followed suit. “I say throw the bastard over.”
James' eyes widened. Oh, my God! He’ll never pass on a million dollars. No, Baxter won’t… he won’t.
All eyes now turned to Baxter. He stared at James, stone-faced, not allowing his expression to reveal his thoughts. He had the final say and everyone, including James, knew it.
“Well now, Mr. Fancy Lawyer,” Baxter said, pausing, then nodding. “I guess you have your answer.”
He stepped forward, glared into James’s eyes, and shouted, “Do it!”
“No, please,” James screamed.
Baxter’s men grabbed him as he desperately tried to wriggle free of the cement. “No, no, please!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
James went over the side and hit the water headfirst. Instantly, his cement-laden feet swung around, yanking him downward in the pitch-black water. James' mind exploded in panic as he plummeted deeper and deeper, too fast for his mind to fathom what to do. He frantically reached downward, attempting to pull his feet loose from the cement as he continued his rapid descent.
Unable to wait any longer, he gasped for his first breath of air. A horrible jolt of reality shocked his psyche as nothing but the cold dark ocean water poured in to fill his panic-stricken lungs. He instinctively opened his mouth again, hoping for air, but only more water poured in. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the dark ocean water stopped flowing in. His lungs were already full.
James closed his eyes in horror as he plummeted further to the bottom of the sea. After several short minutes, his mind-wrenching struggle ended, and he felt his mind go black for the third time that night.
~ ~ ~ ~
The yacht overhead turned and headed back to the dock as James' lifeless body floated like an underwater buoy on the bottom of the ocean. But James' mind awakened and his eyes opened. He felt himself rising out of the now illuminated water. He could see below him what looked like his body with lifeless arms extended, willowing back and forth in the ocean current, anchored in the cement block on the floor of the ocean. He felt strange in a way he had never before felt, and he wondered where he was. He broke through the surface of the water and heard the roar of an engine, and even though it was dark, he could see Baxter’s boat speeding away in the distance.
A hand grabbed his elbow and continued to pull him up into the air. Something, someone was saving him. James looked up at his savior and saw the face of an Angel.
“Who are you?” James said as they flew higher into the sky.
The Angel looked at him for a long moment, then looked away, shaking his head. James could see his disappointment, and he was bothered by the snub he perceived he had just received from the Angel.
James yelled, “Hey, stop. I demand an answer! Who are you?”
The Angel stopped in midair and held James out in front of him so they were face to face. “James, your life on Earth is over. You have wasted many gifts in the pursuit of power, pleasure, and riches. Your soul is greatly damaged. I am taking you to your judgment. It may not go well for you, James.”
The Angel was surprised not to see the customary look of dismay such an announcement would bring to a person. He shook his head slightly and continued, “But on the other hand, the Lords have been known to be merciful. We shall see.” The Angel now took him by the arm and continued to fly.
James felt immensely relieved. So, there is an afterlife. It looks like I made it. He snickered to himself, thinking about his mother’s old parish priest, who was always after him to get back to Church. For James, this was old thinking, the thinking that belonged to poor immigrants, not too educated, not powerful men like himself.
The Angel interrupted his thoughts. “James, do not think so smugly about yourself or your ‘instincts.’ Your sins in life were very serious. You hurt many people. It is only God’s mercy that can save you from what you deserve. And it may not. I can see you clearly on the borderline.”
“The borderline?” James asked.
The Angel stopped again and pulled James in front of him. “James, a lot of people in your situation don’t make it.” He paused and continued, “I had hoped I would have more time with you. Unfortunately, I did not.”
James heard the opening he needed. He was used to listening for them and pouncing on them. “Oh, so it’s your fault… well, I am not…”
The Angel raised his hand, and James was suddenly unable to speak. His eyes widened. For the first time since coming out of the water, he felt powerless.
The Angel said, “There is a special judgment session in progress concerning you. You will find out your fate after they are finished. If you are lucky, you will be taken to a place of reform. If not, you will be taken to a place you will not want to go to. Trust me.”
James raised his hand, pointing to his mouth, nodding, trying to convey he needed to say one more thing. The Angel lowered his hand, and James exhaled, then exclaimed, “Place of reform! Why would I need that?”
The Angel looked sternly into his face. “James, don’t you get it? It may be over for you. Does Hell ring any bells?”
For the first time since being pulled out of the water, James now felt fear. Baxter’s final words to him, ‘Do it’ and their certainty, when he thought he was off the hook, came rushing back to his mind. He now realized the Angel might be doing the same thing, telling him something that was inevitable.
The Angel could see his mind turning. He was glad that normal fear had taken its rightful place. Perhaps it would yield some remorse, remorse he knew James desperately needed right now.
“Take your sleep now, James. I will wake you when the judgment is completed.”
The Angel waved his hand in front of James’ eyes. James tried to speak, but his eyes grew heavy and closed as he drifted off for a long sleep.
Chapter 8
James blinked, then squinted, trying to see through the darkness. He could feel that he was sitting on a cold, damp, wooden surface. He reached out his hands in front of him. He felt nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing. The air smelled stale as if he were in a musty cellar. He remembered being on the seafloor, with water-filled lungs. Then he remembered the Angel, then the special judgment session. He began to panic, suddenly realizing he might be in Hell.
“Help!” he yelled, his voice echoing in the darkness.
A voice replied from somewhere nearby, “James Boulton?”
James turned toward the voice. “Yes, I am James Boulton.”
“James, I am Mercio. I am an Angel in the 1st Heavenly Realm under the command of the Archangel Splendora.”
“You’re who? Never mind. Where am I?” James asked, adding, “And what did you say your name was?”
“My name is Mercio. You are at the place of judgment.”
“I already told the other guy. I don’t need any judgment, or reform for that matter.” James was quickly becoming his old cocky self.
Mercio was a tall, broad-shouldered Angel with long black hair held back by a golden band across his forehead. He stepped closer and put his hand on James’ shoulder, then picked James up with one hand and stood him on his feet.
“James, you wasted your life on Earth. But the Lords have shown you mercy. I am to take you to the place where you will begin your time of repentance and reform. We are going to the 4th Land of Reform.
As his eyes adjusted, James could now vaguely see in the darkness. His hands touched his own body, and he realized he was still naked. Knowing he had avoided Hell, just as he had anticipated, he began to take control of the situation. “Eventually, you say? How long exactly do I have to stay there?”
“I’m afraid it will seem like a very long time to you,” replied Mercio. “But be grateful, James. You are being given a second chance.”
A creaking door swung open, letting light into the room. James could see a small table on which were some clothes and shoes. Mercio pointed and nodded, signaling for James to get dressed.
James put on the clothes and laced up the shoes. The clothes felt stiff and scratchy, not like the smooth silk suits he was used to wearing. Mercio then pointed to the door and signaled for James to walk through.
James stuck his neck out and peered through the doorway. Outside he saw a gray landscape covered in a fog of misty, cloudy air. It was chilly. James saw people milling about in the distance. Mercio nudged him forward as James stepped out of the waiting room and onto the cold, wet pavement.
“Follow me,” Mercio said. They walked for a while, with people a short distance in front of them, and others behind them. A small wooden sign, crookedly staked in the ground and painted with uneven white letters read, “1st Land of Reform Dock.” Underneath the words was an arrow pointing to the right, where an adjoining path trailed off into the mist. As James passed the adjoining path, he could hear the sound of waves, or water, lapping against something. He and Mercio kept walking straight ahead. A while later, James saw a few people in front of him turn off onto another path. Soon he saw the sign, just as small and unofficial looking as the first one. It read, “2nd Land of Reform Dock.” An arrow was drawn underneath, also pointing to the right.
Further on, as they continued walking, they approached a third sign, which read, “3rd Land of Reform Dock.” James started to turn onto this path, but Mercio grabbed him by the arm and shook his head, pulling him back and pointing ahead, signaling they needed to keep going. James watched a few people disappear into the mist down this path, and for some reason he did not understand, he wished he was going with them.
Now the number of people on the pathway thinned and slowed, as it seemed any enthusiasm amongst the remaining path goers for the journey was all but gone. Ahead of him, James saw a woman bolt to the right, down a path. Immediately several Angels ran after her, grabbing her. She screamed, begging them to let her go, but they dragged her off the path and continued with her, dragging her writhing body straight down the pathway, passing the turn she had tried to go down.
Now James saw the sign at the turnoff. It read, “4th Land of Reform Dock.”
James' voice quivered with trepidation as he asked, “Where… where did they take that woman?”
Mercio frowned and lowered his eyes. “Never mind, James. Her life and her destiny are none of your business. We turn off here. Let’s go.”
James shuddered as he turned onto the path, looking over his shoulder at the faint image of the woman in the distant mist, being dragged to a place she did not want to go to. The sound of her voice, desperately pleading, begging for mercy, rattled him to the core. Mercio took him by the arm and pulled him along, saying, “Forget about her. She is in God’s hands now.”
James thought it strange Mercio would say that, as if going to Hell put her in God’s hands, but it was all too much to bear and he closed his mind to it. They continued walking down the adjacent path. As they walked, they were surrounded by mist for a long time, and James began to hear the sound of waves. Finally, the mist cleared, and James saw an immense ship filled with people.
“You will board that ship, James, and I will see you at the 4th Land of Reform. I have some other clients to attend to.”
“How… how long is the trip?”
“It’s about three hours, and I am sorry to say it will not pass quickly.”
“Look, I am not… ” James' eyes widened as his mouth kept moving, with no sound coming out.
Mercio smiled. “James, for reasons we have deemed important with people going to the 4th Land of Reform, you will be unable to speak until you arrive. Go now, and I will see you before long.”
James gritted his teeth and looked up into the cloudy sky, then turned and went up the gangplank. A friendly looking female Angel greeted him at the top and pointed to a spot on the deck where James was to sit. There were hundreds of people on board, men and women, but more men than women. The men were all wearing plain clothing as James was, jeans, plain shirts, and simple tennis shoes. The women mostly wore longer tunics of differing shades of gray with tennis shoes. Some had on jeans, like the men, but only a few.
James sat down where he was assigned, and a woman looked over at him with a sad expression. James gave her a half-smile, then looked to the other side, where an older man sat. His face was resolute, staring into the distance, but James could see a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
The ship lurched ahead, and they were off.
Chapter 9
The ship approached an immense tract of land, and everyone on board got up and crowded along the rails to see. It was only mid-afternoon, and the land looked gloomy. Clouds of various shades of gray covered the entire sky and the wind began blowing, kicking up the murky waters of the sea.
The ship sailed toward a large structure that looked like an ocean-going gate. As they neared a horn sounded and the gate parted in the middle, swinging open to each side, allowing the ship to pass through into a large harbor. There was another ship docked, but no sooner had James’ ship entered than the other ship pulled out and passed them, heading out through the gates, obviously returning to pick up another batch of “passengers.”
“Tanya, it’s James.”
“Hi, James.”
“Can you come over tonight?”
There was silence. James’ brow lowered. She had been acting very peculiar lately. James feared she might be abandoning him.
After an uncomfortable hesitation, she replied, “Yes, I can. But James, don’t pay me. I just want to spend time with you.”
James was silent for a moment. Her words rattled him, as if someone had demanded something from him that he was unwilling to give. “Look, someone just walked in. Let me call you back. I might be tied up for a while.”
He hung up, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The memories of his father striking his mother raced through his mind. His fear of being close to anyone surfaced, and he closed his eyes.
Just then, his intercom rang. It was his secretary, Teddi. “James, are we done for the day? I’ve got somewhere to go.”
“Yes, go. I will lock up.”
~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later, James left the office and walked out onto the main street. A car screeched to a stop at the curb, and two men jumped out and ran at him, grabbing him by the arms.
James cried out, “Wait, what are you doing! Wait!” But it was already too late. They dragged him to the car and forced him into the backseat, leaving his briefcase on the sidewalk as they sped off.
Inside the large limo were three men. They punched James in the face repeatedly to soften him up, then tied his hands and placed a black hood over his head.
James screamed from under the hood, “Please let me go. Look, you’ve got the wrong person.”
One of them laughed. “No, lawyer boy, we got the right person.”
From under the black hood, James’ eyes widened. He heard the serious tone in their voices, and he realized he was probably dealing with Baxter’s men. James had never considered they would take revenge on him. He was only the lawyer, not a real member of the warring crime families.
“Stop, please let me go. Please!”
“Shut up!” one of the men shouted, punching James in the side of the head.
Under his hood, James cringed. “Please… I didn’t… ” He felt a horrendous thud this time, and everything went black.
James’ barely conscious mind watched as hundreds of lights flickered by. Finally, he felt the motion slow and the car come to a stop. James began to wake, but another jarring thud to the head knocked him out again.
Chapter 7
James shivered and felt the wind on his naked body as he came to. He looked around, seeing nothing but the dark shimmer of moonlight on the surface of the water. He was on the deck of a good sized boat and it was moving swiftly, already far away from the distant lights of the shore. He turned his face away from the cold sea air and instinctively put his hands around his body to warm himself, looking down at his shriveled penis and shaking knees. His feet felt funny, and it only took one more second for him to realize what was happening. “Holy shit! Holy Shit!!”
His vision adjusted and his eyes could now see what he felt. He had been fitted with a block of cement halfway up his shins that locked both his feet in solid. He panicked and tried to wriggle out, but he could not even fall down. The cement was too far up his shins. The boat slowed to a stop and four men came up from below deck. One of them was Steve Baxter, head of the Baxter crime family and the brother of Larry Baxter. They surrounded him, laughing.
James knew what this meant. He personally knew of at least seven men whose skeletons were probably still sticking out of cement blocks at the bottom of the sea not far from the Long Island Shoreline.
He begged for his life. “Mr. Baxter, please don’t!”
Steve Baxter didn’t reply but stared at James, smiling, sizing him up. “Thought you could get away with all your lies, did you?” he said, grimacing, in a tone that shook James. “You’re gonna pay for the death of my brother. And so is that little shit Bobby Massiano!”
“Wait,” James cried. “Please, wait! Please. I have information… it… it… will help you to take down Bobby… and… I know where his money is… I can get it for you… over a million dollars… by tomorrow!” James knew about more money than that, but a million was all he was willing to part with.
Steve Baxter stood silently pondering what to do with the request of the sniveling man in front of him. After a long while of complete and utter silence, Baxter turned to his men and asked, “What do you think, boys? Should we give Mr. Lawyer here a chance to redeem himself?”
As soon as he heard it, James breathed a heavy sigh of relief. They bought it. Thank God.
There were several more moments of ‘all at stake’ silence. Baxter’s men looked back and forth at each other. James was already plotting, working out in his mind how to recover the money he was going to have to hand over to Baxter, as well as how to get the hell out of town. He had wisely played his only ace and he was feeling the old thrill of victory.
One of Baxter’s men ended the silence and shouted, “Hell no!”
Another followed suit. “I say throw the bastard over.”
James' eyes widened. Oh, my God! He’ll never pass on a million dollars. No, Baxter won’t… he won’t.
All eyes now turned to Baxter. He stared at James, stone-faced, not allowing his expression to reveal his thoughts. He had the final say and everyone, including James, knew it.
“Well now, Mr. Fancy Lawyer,” Baxter said, pausing, then nodding. “I guess you have your answer.”
He stepped forward, glared into James’s eyes, and shouted, “Do it!”
“No, please,” James screamed.
Baxter’s men grabbed him as he desperately tried to wriggle free of the cement. “No, no, please!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
James went over the side and hit the water headfirst. Instantly, his cement-laden feet swung around, yanking him downward in the pitch-black water. James' mind exploded in panic as he plummeted deeper and deeper, too fast for his mind to fathom what to do. He frantically reached downward, attempting to pull his feet loose from the cement as he continued his rapid descent.
Unable to wait any longer, he gasped for his first breath of air. A horrible jolt of reality shocked his psyche as nothing but the cold dark ocean water poured in to fill his panic-stricken lungs. He instinctively opened his mouth again, hoping for air, but only more water poured in. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the dark ocean water stopped flowing in. His lungs were already full.
James closed his eyes in horror as he plummeted further to the bottom of the sea. After several short minutes, his mind-wrenching struggle ended, and he felt his mind go black for the third time that night.
~ ~ ~ ~
The yacht overhead turned and headed back to the dock as James' lifeless body floated like an underwater buoy on the bottom of the ocean. But James' mind awakened and his eyes opened. He felt himself rising out of the now illuminated water. He could see below him what looked like his body with lifeless arms extended, willowing back and forth in the ocean current, anchored in the cement block on the floor of the ocean. He felt strange in a way he had never before felt, and he wondered where he was. He broke through the surface of the water and heard the roar of an engine, and even though it was dark, he could see Baxter’s boat speeding away in the distance.
A hand grabbed his elbow and continued to pull him up into the air. Something, someone was saving him. James looked up at his savior and saw the face of an Angel.
“Who are you?” James said as they flew higher into the sky.
The Angel looked at him for a long moment, then looked away, shaking his head. James could see his disappointment, and he was bothered by the snub he perceived he had just received from the Angel.
James yelled, “Hey, stop. I demand an answer! Who are you?”
The Angel stopped in midair and held James out in front of him so they were face to face. “James, your life on Earth is over. You have wasted many gifts in the pursuit of power, pleasure, and riches. Your soul is greatly damaged. I am taking you to your judgment. It may not go well for you, James.”
The Angel was surprised not to see the customary look of dismay such an announcement would bring to a person. He shook his head slightly and continued, “But on the other hand, the Lords have been known to be merciful. We shall see.” The Angel now took him by the arm and continued to fly.
James felt immensely relieved. So, there is an afterlife. It looks like I made it. He snickered to himself, thinking about his mother’s old parish priest, who was always after him to get back to Church. For James, this was old thinking, the thinking that belonged to poor immigrants, not too educated, not powerful men like himself.
The Angel interrupted his thoughts. “James, do not think so smugly about yourself or your ‘instincts.’ Your sins in life were very serious. You hurt many people. It is only God’s mercy that can save you from what you deserve. And it may not. I can see you clearly on the borderline.”
“The borderline?” James asked.
The Angel stopped again and pulled James in front of him. “James, a lot of people in your situation don’t make it.” He paused and continued, “I had hoped I would have more time with you. Unfortunately, I did not.”
James heard the opening he needed. He was used to listening for them and pouncing on them. “Oh, so it’s your fault… well, I am not…”
The Angel raised his hand, and James was suddenly unable to speak. His eyes widened. For the first time since coming out of the water, he felt powerless.
The Angel said, “There is a special judgment session in progress concerning you. You will find out your fate after they are finished. If you are lucky, you will be taken to a place of reform. If not, you will be taken to a place you will not want to go to. Trust me.”
James raised his hand, pointing to his mouth, nodding, trying to convey he needed to say one more thing. The Angel lowered his hand, and James exhaled, then exclaimed, “Place of reform! Why would I need that?”
The Angel looked sternly into his face. “James, don’t you get it? It may be over for you. Does Hell ring any bells?”
For the first time since being pulled out of the water, James now felt fear. Baxter’s final words to him, ‘Do it’ and their certainty, when he thought he was off the hook, came rushing back to his mind. He now realized the Angel might be doing the same thing, telling him something that was inevitable.
The Angel could see his mind turning. He was glad that normal fear had taken its rightful place. Perhaps it would yield some remorse, remorse he knew James desperately needed right now.
“Take your sleep now, James. I will wake you when the judgment is completed.”
The Angel waved his hand in front of James’ eyes. James tried to speak, but his eyes grew heavy and closed as he drifted off for a long sleep.
Chapter 8
James blinked, then squinted, trying to see through the darkness. He could feel that he was sitting on a cold, damp, wooden surface. He reached out his hands in front of him. He felt nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing. The air smelled stale as if he were in a musty cellar. He remembered being on the seafloor, with water-filled lungs. Then he remembered the Angel, then the special judgment session. He began to panic, suddenly realizing he might be in Hell.
“Help!” he yelled, his voice echoing in the darkness.
A voice replied from somewhere nearby, “James Boulton?”
James turned toward the voice. “Yes, I am James Boulton.”
“James, I am Mercio. I am an Angel in the 1st Heavenly Realm under the command of the Archangel Splendora.”
“You’re who? Never mind. Where am I?” James asked, adding, “And what did you say your name was?”
“My name is Mercio. You are at the place of judgment.”
“I already told the other guy. I don’t need any judgment, or reform for that matter.” James was quickly becoming his old cocky self.
Mercio was a tall, broad-shouldered Angel with long black hair held back by a golden band across his forehead. He stepped closer and put his hand on James’ shoulder, then picked James up with one hand and stood him on his feet.
“James, you wasted your life on Earth. But the Lords have shown you mercy. I am to take you to the place where you will begin your time of repentance and reform. We are going to the 4th Land of Reform.
As his eyes adjusted, James could now vaguely see in the darkness. His hands touched his own body, and he realized he was still naked. Knowing he had avoided Hell, just as he had anticipated, he began to take control of the situation. “Eventually, you say? How long exactly do I have to stay there?”
“I’m afraid it will seem like a very long time to you,” replied Mercio. “But be grateful, James. You are being given a second chance.”
A creaking door swung open, letting light into the room. James could see a small table on which were some clothes and shoes. Mercio pointed and nodded, signaling for James to get dressed.
James put on the clothes and laced up the shoes. The clothes felt stiff and scratchy, not like the smooth silk suits he was used to wearing. Mercio then pointed to the door and signaled for James to walk through.
James stuck his neck out and peered through the doorway. Outside he saw a gray landscape covered in a fog of misty, cloudy air. It was chilly. James saw people milling about in the distance. Mercio nudged him forward as James stepped out of the waiting room and onto the cold, wet pavement.
“Follow me,” Mercio said. They walked for a while, with people a short distance in front of them, and others behind them. A small wooden sign, crookedly staked in the ground and painted with uneven white letters read, “1st Land of Reform Dock.” Underneath the words was an arrow pointing to the right, where an adjoining path trailed off into the mist. As James passed the adjoining path, he could hear the sound of waves, or water, lapping against something. He and Mercio kept walking straight ahead. A while later, James saw a few people in front of him turn off onto another path. Soon he saw the sign, just as small and unofficial looking as the first one. It read, “2nd Land of Reform Dock.” An arrow was drawn underneath, also pointing to the right.
Further on, as they continued walking, they approached a third sign, which read, “3rd Land of Reform Dock.” James started to turn onto this path, but Mercio grabbed him by the arm and shook his head, pulling him back and pointing ahead, signaling they needed to keep going. James watched a few people disappear into the mist down this path, and for some reason he did not understand, he wished he was going with them.
Now the number of people on the pathway thinned and slowed, as it seemed any enthusiasm amongst the remaining path goers for the journey was all but gone. Ahead of him, James saw a woman bolt to the right, down a path. Immediately several Angels ran after her, grabbing her. She screamed, begging them to let her go, but they dragged her off the path and continued with her, dragging her writhing body straight down the pathway, passing the turn she had tried to go down.
Now James saw the sign at the turnoff. It read, “4th Land of Reform Dock.”
James' voice quivered with trepidation as he asked, “Where… where did they take that woman?”
Mercio frowned and lowered his eyes. “Never mind, James. Her life and her destiny are none of your business. We turn off here. Let’s go.”
James shuddered as he turned onto the path, looking over his shoulder at the faint image of the woman in the distant mist, being dragged to a place she did not want to go to. The sound of her voice, desperately pleading, begging for mercy, rattled him to the core. Mercio took him by the arm and pulled him along, saying, “Forget about her. She is in God’s hands now.”
James thought it strange Mercio would say that, as if going to Hell put her in God’s hands, but it was all too much to bear and he closed his mind to it. They continued walking down the adjacent path. As they walked, they were surrounded by mist for a long time, and James began to hear the sound of waves. Finally, the mist cleared, and James saw an immense ship filled with people.
“You will board that ship, James, and I will see you at the 4th Land of Reform. I have some other clients to attend to.”
“How… how long is the trip?”
“It’s about three hours, and I am sorry to say it will not pass quickly.”
“Look, I am not… ” James' eyes widened as his mouth kept moving, with no sound coming out.
Mercio smiled. “James, for reasons we have deemed important with people going to the 4th Land of Reform, you will be unable to speak until you arrive. Go now, and I will see you before long.”
James gritted his teeth and looked up into the cloudy sky, then turned and went up the gangplank. A friendly looking female Angel greeted him at the top and pointed to a spot on the deck where James was to sit. There were hundreds of people on board, men and women, but more men than women. The men were all wearing plain clothing as James was, jeans, plain shirts, and simple tennis shoes. The women mostly wore longer tunics of differing shades of gray with tennis shoes. Some had on jeans, like the men, but only a few.
James sat down where he was assigned, and a woman looked over at him with a sad expression. James gave her a half-smile, then looked to the other side, where an older man sat. His face was resolute, staring into the distance, but James could see a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
The ship lurched ahead, and they were off.
Chapter 9
The ship approached an immense tract of land, and everyone on board got up and crowded along the rails to see. It was only mid-afternoon, and the land looked gloomy. Clouds of various shades of gray covered the entire sky and the wind began blowing, kicking up the murky waters of the sea.
The ship sailed toward a large structure that looked like an ocean-going gate. As they neared a horn sounded and the gate parted in the middle, swinging open to each side, allowing the ship to pass through into a large harbor. There was another ship docked, but no sooner had James’ ship entered than the other ship pulled out and passed them, heading out through the gates, obviously returning to pick up another batch of “passengers.”
