Dont Be a Hero

Unavoidable Retribution

Montecito Heights is an area of Los Angeles that is mostly residential and contains a mixture of middle to upper-middle class homes. The higher you climb, the higher the class.

With the car still cloaked, he drives up the winding roads navigating by instinct. He zeroes in on a beacon inside his mind. It is a pull that would be fruitless to evade even if he had any desire to. His mission is near complete and his eyes crackle sporadically with anticipation.

The car pulls into the driveway of a presumptuous looking home that overlooks the valley. The resident's view of himself is obvious. The owner of this home craves power and considers himself to be "above" everyone else. He is vain and takes what he pleases with no regards as to who gets hurt in the process.

..........

The occupant of the presumptuous house is going to run for governor. After that he will run for president. He will win due to his powerful ability to deceive. Gaining power is all that he has in his vision. He has a need for it that burns inside him and threatens to consume him. Nothing will stand in his way. He wants all of it. Not just the U.S. That isn't where it will end. His enigmatic charisma, intelligence, and greed will bring the world to kneel at his feet. His way will be all there is. Those who choose to try any other way will die. Simple and final.

He has already ordered countless deaths. He didn't filthy his own hands of course. He had people who carried these murders out for him and he was careful, very careful, to make sure there were never any discernible ties between himself and his people, and the crimes committed to serve his purpose. He eliminates competition. He rids himself of anyone who knows too much. He keeps his reputation pristine and protected. He is looked upon as a saint in the community. Most already know his name. Rumors of his intention to run for governor are already spreading. The consensus is pretty much unanimous. Everyone likes him. Everyone is blinded by his warm, flashing smile and words that promise wonderful things. He pays attention to the little people. He often goes out and mixes amongst the lower class denizens in order to endear himself to everyone.

He dislikes doing it. It makes him feel filthy to have anyone touch him who doesn't run in his circles. It disgusts him to talk to them. He is an expert in the art of deceit, however, and he doesn't allow his distaste to show. So genuine is his act that everyone is fooled by it. Not a soul knows who he really is underneath. Not a soul suspects him of his hideous crimes.

..........

Not a soul save one, that is. If he can even be considered a "soul". He has seen the monster's future. He knows it as though it is his own past.

The information is just there, origins unknown. There is no question as to the validity of it. He has seen and known the politician as if the two of them are the same person. He knows the despicable monster must be stopped. Prison will never contain him. There isn't enough physical evidence of his connections to anything illegal. Even if he were arrested, conviction is highly unlikely for someone who possesses the kind of money and power that he does.

Father Time does not need evidence. The proof is right there inside his brain. The justice system doesn't pertain to him. Attorneys and their trickery. Judges. Juries. The press. How many murderous monsters have they set free to walk among the innocents? How many innocent men have been given the death sentence or are still locked away to this day, having been framed or proven guilty through faulty evidence?

Judges, attorneys, jurors. They are all useless. They know nothing of humanity. They know nothing of justice. They have their constitution and its many amendments. In spite of the system they think is infallible, they are wrong as often as half the time.

Father Time knows. There is no question. By touching the skin of another, he knows their past and future as though he was right there with them the whole time. Not just their actions but how they feel about those actions. He knows their thoughts. He knows an evil man from a good one by just one touch.