The Strange Marking

Few days later, after school hour towards evening, Jimmy decided to take a walk to clear his head. After a stone throw from his house, he witnessed the most inhumane thing he had ever seen in his life, a man he sighted from a distance was tied to a stake and burnt alive and men and women all in white cloaks surrounding the scene. This was a street resident Jimmy had known all his life, who was casually addressed as Mr. Edwin, who had a wife and two kids, whom however witnessed the event forcefully. The woman and her first child crying being held back by these men and women in cloaks from intervening or doing something contrary to the ritual, whereas the last born who was barely old enough to understand what was going on just stared at the fire, gazing into the open flames as it were he found peace in the ongoing event, even on seeing his father scream in antagonising pain and agony. "Look! Look!", shouted one of the men in white cloaks who seemingly looked like their leader pointing at the last born, "young but not ignorant, he knows it for the greater good of us all, we want nothing more than to please the Father so that the good may prevail in the eternal fight for the souls of men!." Soon the sirens went off from the police cars which were quickly approaching the scene whom Jimmy had earlier called on witnessing the event, but with his two eyes and to his greatest surprise all the men and women in cloaks had somehow fled the scene, each and every one of them.

" Get the body down at once!" said the chief police officer to the other policemen, the chief police officer walks up to the last born who was stilled gazing at his father's burning corpse, "are you alright kid?" he asked the boy, the boy replies as it were he was possessed "he has fulfilled his obligations to the Father, he is at peace now, look! though his body burns but his soul rejoices", his mother hearing these words being so astonished makes advances to hit the child, before an officer held her back. Jimmy was just right the corner during the whole scene trying to make logical explanations to what he had just witnessed.

After the event Jimmy headed back home, when the most mysterious thing happened to him, a marking of an 'X' appears on his right hand just across his wrist which looked like a tattoo, he tried to get it off by all means he could think of but the mark didn't even fade off a bit, worried and tensed up he stayed up the whole night making research on ways to get it off or what it could mean, he immediately learnt that the situation had gone out of hands when he tried scraping it off even to the point of bleeding out but the mark simply just resurfaced back over the blisters and wounds. "Calm down Jimmy! The scientist online said one out of a million people in the world experience spontaneous growth of birth marks on their bodies, so everything's gonna be fine, just breathe!" Jimmy said to himself taking a deep breath in and out as he lay in his bed to get some sleep.

"Wow! I think you're some sort of chosen one bro! you know, with super powers and stuff" said Jeff to Jimmy jokingly when he had revealed to them what happened the previous night, "there's no such thing as powers, magic, chosen one, none of that bullshit!" James insinuated "there's an obvious logical explanation for it", "just saying bro! he might be the chosen one sent to prevent the evil dark powers from consuming the earth" Jeff continued in his gesture, "Idiot" Jimmy said to Jeff, as they all continued laughing, "hope y'all aren't forgetting the J's hangout we're having this evening?" Jeff asked, "that's today?" Jimmy answering the question with a question, "yeah, even I and my busy tech wiz ass knew that" James replied, "I'm sorry guys, don't think I can make it today with all the crazy stuff that's been going on lately" Jimmy soberly concluded, "that's not gonna happen!" Jeff exclaims "that's the more reason you should come, you need this hangout more than any of us, to you know... clear your head and cool off with us instead of drowning in sorrow all alone in your bed screaming and wondering why the world has been so unfair to you, and besides we've kicked off with this tradition ever since we were kids, we ain't stopping now!", "wow, you just let it all out, never knew you had it in you" James said being intrigued by how Jeff had spoken clapping slowly in an abstract manner, "alright! I'm in!" Jimmy adherently exclaimed with a more liberating and stirred-up spirit, "yesss!!!" Jeff and James shouts together in accord, "It still puzzles me though, I mean no one in the neighborhood reacted to the incident except Jimmy who called the cops??" James asked confusedly, "c'mon bro! we'll bother about that later, for now let's just focus on having fun tonight bro!!!" Jeff replied in excitement.

Later that day, during the Evening hours they all gathered at one of the most popular bars in town called the "Infinity Bar", this was a place that was opened the same day they celebrated their 10th "J's squad" anniversary. Ten being a unique number of significance therefore made the bar a special place for the "J's" (catchy name they call themselves since their first names all coincidentally began with the letter "J") to commence their monthly "J's Hangout".

"What's good boys, here for your usuals as usual?" the waiter asked them on their usual table they sat, "never gets old, yes! we'll be having our usual" Jeff replies, "Cool! On the way Bro!" the waiter says while walking back to the kitchen to get their order, Jimmy already at the Bartender's desk orders... "I'll take the Whiskey please, to table..." "Ten, I know" the Bartender completes his sentence before he could finish, "We're on it" the Bartender said.

Jimmy returns back to their table, as they started their casual discussions, "I see the way you look at Jessica James, it's obvious you like her, and frankly I think she likes you too, but you both are just too scared to approach each other" Jimmy said making jest of James, as he seats down back with them at their table, "No I'm not, I'm still just planning out the perfect moment when it's right" James said, "But you forgetting that time is ticking and we only got one life" Jeff imposes.

Coincidentally Jessica walks into the bar as well with her group of friends, "Speak of the devil..." Jeff says looking at James awkwardly after seeing Jessica, "c'mon bro! You got this!", Jimmy cheers at James to make a move, "Naahh guys, not ready" James remarks. That same second their orders were served on their table, "Okay guys! Order's here" James continued, "Looks whose happy our orders came right in time to bail his ass" Jeff said making fun of the situation, as he stretched to unwrap the order while Jimmy pours out the Whiskey in each glass. As time went on that Evening, Jimmy who was feeling down initially bounced back with a cheerful spirit, as they laughed, drank and made toast to better days to come.

"Wow! I don't think I've seen James this drunk before" Jeff said seeing James in a drunken states, laughs, suddenly James gets up and starts walking towards Jessica's table, "don't you think we should stop him?" Jimmy asked Jeff, "Nah, this is gonna be interesting" Jeff replies as he pulls out his phone to video James at the scene with Jessica, "Hey babe, you look beautiful tonight, and you know... My friends over there say I'm too shy to approach the girl I like, so... I wanted to prove them wrong and ask if you wanna you know... Hang?" James said to Jessica looking at her crazy leaning on the wall by her table, "Jessica? Can't you see he's drunk?" her friend said to Jessica fettishly looking and frowning at James, "Nah, I'd love to hangout sometime James" Jessica replies James, as she slips a paper containing her number into his pocket, before she and her crew gets up and exists the bar.

James waddling back to their table where Jimmy and Jeff sat laughing, eventually seats down, "way to go bro! We proud of you" Jimmy says, "can't wait to show him the video when he conscious again" Jeff continues, "I always knew she liked him too, despite him being drunk she still accepted going on a date with him" Jimmy imposed, "comm'n guys! It's getting late, we should probably get James drunk ass home before he starts doing all the things we said he couldn't do because he's shy" Jeff intruded, "(laughs) yeah! We should do that" Jimmy said in concord. Little did they know that the events of the night had only began.