Samuel
He didn’t consider it murder, but neither was it art to him. It was release, it was freedom from the struggle, from the pain, from all the things those he freed (others would call them ‘victims’, this was a narrow-minded perspective) were seeking liberation from. Marcus was no monster, he was a savior; he brought to his subjects the thing they wanted most, and though the world (and indeed many of his subjects) didn’t understand, he knew he was doing it for the betterment of man. Some would call it an act of God, but Marcus knew that God was just a concept, God was power, and Marcus was all powerful.
There had been twelve so far, twelve beautiful subjects, all of whom had begged him to put an end to their suffering. He pitied them for their struggle, and in the end they loved him for his mercy. Each of his beautiful twelve had been rotting from the inside out, sick in body, mind, or simply in spirit, but all of them had such an overwhelming desire to be gone from this world but lacked the courage to do it themselves.
His most recent, Samuel, had been his favorite so far. He wondered if it would ever be as beautiful as it was with that one. Samuel had been handsome, wickedly smart, and surrounded by those who cared, but not enough to notice his pain. This was a familiar tale to Marcus, who took Samuel’s hand gingerly and promised to stay with him until the end. The men Marcus had freed before Samuel had all desired grand acts, a finale to be remembered: shotguns, hangings, and once a firm shove off the top of an impossibly high skyscraper. But Marcus knew that Samuel was too sincere for that, too romantic. Marcus chose a more aesthetic end for Samuel.
He offered him a drink, which Samuel of course accepted, and the drugs Marcus spiked it with had an almost immediate effect. Samuel went slack, and a euphoric smile pulled his indifferent lips upward. Marcus watched him serenely, lovingly, and felt nothing but compassion as the shiny little piece of lethal steel slid down his handsome young friends arm. Samuel’s smile grew as the sensation spread from his left arm to his right, and Marcus watched with hands smeared in warm, rich crimson as all the pain and suffering that had plagued Samuel began to drain from him, and the sense of euphoria, of happiness, spread. He sat in a brittle wooden chair, across from the comfortable recliner he’d offered Samuel a seat in, his sleeves rolled up as not to dirty them, his elbows resting on his knees, and his keen green eyes watching to make sure Samuel was comfortable. His head lolled from side to side and bobbed occasionally, and the sound of blood crashing and gathering on the carpet was slimy, but soothing to Marcus and knew it was to Samuel as well.
Then there was a unique moment of clarity, the moment that made Samuel so beautiful, so unforgettable to Marcus. Samuel’s head tilted up, and his eyes soberly landed on Marcus. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out save for a labored, wheezy breath. Before his eyes closed, and his body finally embraced what had been done to it, Samuel’s eyes, wide and penetrating had gazed into Marcus as none had before. At the time Marcus thought he’d seen panic, or regret, but he now knew that this was impossible. After thinking about it carefully, Marcus realized now that it was gratitude that had flashed in Samuel’s eyes in that instant. And it was Samuel’s gratitude that sent him searching for a new soul to free.
There had been twelve so far, twelve beautiful subjects, all of whom had begged him to put an end to their suffering. He pitied them for their struggle, and in the end they loved him for his mercy. Each of his beautiful twelve had been rotting from the inside out, sick in body, mind, or simply in spirit, but all of them had such an overwhelming desire to be gone from this world but lacked the courage to do it themselves.
His most recent, Samuel, had been his favorite so far. He wondered if it would ever be as beautiful as it was with that one. Samuel had been handsome, wickedly smart, and surrounded by those who cared, but not enough to notice his pain. This was a familiar tale to Marcus, who took Samuel’s hand gingerly and promised to stay with him until the end. The men Marcus had freed before Samuel had all desired grand acts, a finale to be remembered: shotguns, hangings, and once a firm shove off the top of an impossibly high skyscraper. But Marcus knew that Samuel was too sincere for that, too romantic. Marcus chose a more aesthetic end for Samuel.
He offered him a drink, which Samuel of course accepted, and the drugs Marcus spiked it with had an almost immediate effect. Samuel went slack, and a euphoric smile pulled his indifferent lips upward. Marcus watched him serenely, lovingly, and felt nothing but compassion as the shiny little piece of lethal steel slid down his handsome young friends arm. Samuel’s smile grew as the sensation spread from his left arm to his right, and Marcus watched with hands smeared in warm, rich crimson as all the pain and suffering that had plagued Samuel began to drain from him, and the sense of euphoria, of happiness, spread. He sat in a brittle wooden chair, across from the comfortable recliner he’d offered Samuel a seat in, his sleeves rolled up as not to dirty them, his elbows resting on his knees, and his keen green eyes watching to make sure Samuel was comfortable. His head lolled from side to side and bobbed occasionally, and the sound of blood crashing and gathering on the carpet was slimy, but soothing to Marcus and knew it was to Samuel as well.
Then there was a unique moment of clarity, the moment that made Samuel so beautiful, so unforgettable to Marcus. Samuel’s head tilted up, and his eyes soberly landed on Marcus. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out save for a labored, wheezy breath. Before his eyes closed, and his body finally embraced what had been done to it, Samuel’s eyes, wide and penetrating had gazed into Marcus as none had before. At the time Marcus thought he’d seen panic, or regret, but he now knew that this was impossible. After thinking about it carefully, Marcus realized now that it was gratitude that had flashed in Samuel’s eyes in that instant. And it was Samuel’s gratitude that sent him searching for a new soul to free.