Forced Change

Johan knew that in the hours ahead that day, his character would be tested.

Martin Luther King an American civil rights legend had once said, "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Johan played the words of Martin Luther King in his mind repeatedly, hoping to get courage from them.

"I have to pick my poison," Johan muttered. "I kill a murderer, or they kill my parents. I've experienced what happens if I do not."

A sense of urgency and anxiety overwhelmed him and he decided to skip the rest of the day of school to watch his house for the murderer. He couldn't let his parents be taken by surprise. He couldn't loose them again.

Johan walked out of the school towards his home, with Gadra following him.

"How will I know how the murderer looks?," asked Johan glancing at Gadra.

"I'll tell you," said Gadra. "I am that kinda girl."

Johan frowned, Gadra didn't seem to care about what could happen. She was taking something that was a big deal to him, very lightly. But, he understood how a goddess wouldn't see much importance in a mere human's life.

"This ends," muttered Johan. "... Today. I am the master of my own faith."

-- Ø --

Johan arrived outside his house and saw that his father's car was not in the driveway.

He hid behind some bushes across the street from his house with Gadra and waited for the murderers.

Gadra began humming a cheery folk tune.

"I was thinking," said Gadra. "I have been in seclusion for so long. It is such a nice change to see how the world has changed from a human perspective."

Johan raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.

"I am human now," said Gadra. "It is a cost I paid for resetting the timeline. Writing myself into your reality. I cannot draw on anything divine, until I am recharged. I thought it would be a nag, but I am actually enjoying it."

"Then you must want something big from me," said Johan.

"You can say that," said Gadra smiling.

Johan stared at Gadra curiously, and then got back to looking across the street.

"A moment's distraction can cost my parents their lives," said Johan. "I need to focus. I am going to go in and get something to defend myself in case things escalate."

Johan walked to his garage, opened it, and got a steele hammer from his father's toolbox. Then he closed it and walked back to Gadra and sat beside her.

Then Johan waited.

Quietly.

Anxiously.

Much time passed and nothing happened.

Finally, his parents eventually returned home in their car, parked and went inside.

"The killers are coming," said Gadra.

The street void of cars and people and a lone van pulled up in front of Johan's house.

One of the men got out of the van passenger seat and began to suck on a lolipop that he took out of his trench coat pocket.

"This it Bobby, this is where they live," said the man sucking a lolipop.

"I swear to god," said Bobby getting out of the driver's seat. "Look at how this hussy lives.

... A beautiful house and car, married, while we lost everything. Lost our youths. Our careers.

... on her total bullshit ... Three years of suffering. Five if you count the constant questioning of our character. Three years searching for her. Now, we found her. Now we can take from her what she took from us. Revenge. Lets go Athyne."

"I feel like I am starving and am gonna eat a piece of whole wheat carrot cake," squealed Athyne. "So excited. Yum ... yum ..."

The voice seemed unsuited for the large and menacing build of the man that had it. It was almost comical.

"What are you sucking on Athyne?," said Bobby looking at the lolipop Athyne had in his mouth.

Athyne took it out and said, "A vege-pop. My own invention. One hundred percent natural. One hundred percent healthy ... no animal additives ..."

"You gotta let me try one after all this is over," said Bobby. "Make sure you knife is alright."

"You gotta give me a minute," said Athyne. "I wanna finish this thing its good."

Athyne popped the lolipop back in his mouth and began to intently stare at Johan's front door.

Simultaneously, Bobby and Athyne pulled flip-knives from their pockets.

Seeing this, Johan was certain of what was happening. These were his parents killers.

Johan got up from behind the bushes and walked towards the men nervously. He hid the hammer behind his back. The men were staring at the house so intently, that they didn't hear Johan coming up behind them.

Memories flooded Johan's head of his father lying dead on the flood and his mother collapsing as blood spurted out of her neck. How Gadra said that he had to do something, otherwise, he parents would end up dead. This pushed him to walk forward with purpose, to push feelings of doubt and fear from his mind.

Johan raised his hammer and slammed it down on Bobby's temple as Bobby stared at his parent's house. Bobby didn't even see the hammer coming.

"CRACK!"

The hammer ripped through Bobby's flesh and bone, and Bobby collapsed to the floor unconscios without even knowing what had hit him.

Hearing the noise, Athyne turned around confused.

Johan stood there, staring back at a surprised Athyne.

"Bobby," said Athyne. "Where did you go? Where'd you come from kid?"

In that instant, Johan rushed a surprised Athyne with the hammer that he'd used to kill Bobby, still dripping with blood and slammed it down toward's Athyne's head.

Athyne instinctively swayed back and raised his hand blocking the hammer.

"CRACK!"

Bones in Athyne's hand shattered from the impact of the hammer.

"ARUGGGG!!!!," screamed Athyne in pain holding his hand.

He made an attempt to crawl away from Johan.

Johan in a daze jumped towards him, continuously bringing the hammer down on him.

"CRACK!"

"CRACK!"

"CRACK!"

...

Johan continued to hit Athyne until he was left a bloody mess and unconscious.

Athyne had dropped the knife that he was going to use to kill.

Johan picked it up and slit Athyne and Bobby's throat, to make sure that they were dead.

"You did it," said Gadra. "You saved your parents and killed their murderers. You have changed faith."

Johan looked behind him and saw Gadra.

Johan then looked at the dead bodies lying on the ground and then up and down the street. Making sure that no one had seen.

The street was still barren.

"We should go," said Gadra. "Give me the hammer and knife. Don't want to be found with the murder weapons near two dead bodies."

Johan nodded in a daze standing in front of two lifeless bodies. He gave her the murder weapons.

The magnitude of what he'd just done hit him.

He'd done something he never thought that he was capable of. He had KILLED.

Now he didn't know what to do.

So he listened to Gadra and followed her.