Sin and Salvation

Chapter 1Hushed as the night, a shadowy form moved quietly through the darkness until the sound of a breaking twig shattered the silence. Hearing the sound, a man turned and saw what looked like a distortion of light, a human form cut from the colors of the night, and moved to follow him. When the silhouette realized he’d been seen, he hurriedly darted between the trees, rustling the leaves, and then as quickly as he appeared, he left without leaving so much as a foot print in the mud. The man knew it was probably some low-life scum waiting to mug him—or worse, so with cautious movements, he sneaked his hand into the pocket of his jacket and wrapped his fingers around the cold steel of the revolver he always had with him, and a small, pocket-sized Bible. While fondling it, a prayer lingered on his lips as he pushed his way through shrubs and bushes, remembering to be careful since this was New York City, the home of muggers, thieves and gangs just waiting to take everything a man had. Suddenly he heard the crunching of gravel behind him and came to an abrupt halt. He stood there for a moment, waiting to feel the cold barrel of a gun, or the sharp blade of a knife pressing against his neck. After seconds ticked by and still nothing, he whirled around, ready to blow the scum away. But what he saw took his breath away. There, standing in a patch of soft moonlight was a stranger with a dripping blade in his hand. “Help,” the stranger begged weakly as he dropped the bloody blade, and wilted to the ground. “Oh, my God,” the man mumbled as he quickly put his gun away and ran to help him. “What happened?” he asked softly while loosening the stranger’s clothes that were covered with blood. Receiving no answer, he moved swiftly, dug out his cell phone, and punched in 911. “I need help here. I found a man that has apparently slit his wrists. He’s lost a lot of blood.” “I have you on Fifth and Overland. Is it a residence?” Nathan looked around. “No, it’s like a park setting they have scattered around town. They’re in the middle of busy streets going both ways. I think they call them islands. Some of them have trees, benches, that kind of thing. Please hurry. I can feel a faint pulse, but I don’t know how long he can hang on.” “Someone’s on their way, but I’ll need you to stay with him until they arrive, Mr.…” “West. Nathan West. Yes, I will, but please hurry.” The man quickly began digging in the stranger’s pockets to find his ID, but he didn’t even find a wallet. Finally his gaze moved upward to his darkly bronzed face, now softly illuminated by not only the moon, but by the dim glow of sputtering neon lights that lined the lonely streets. He couldn’t help noticing how young he was. His dazed eyes that seemed to be looking up at him were stone-cold and full of sadness. His swarthy skin had an enviable smoothness to it, without the tell-tale lines of old age. His luminous dark hair that hung long and unkempt looked as if it might be growing out of a stylish cut. He seemed fairly tall, with a face and body every bit as striking as a runway model. He wore a shabby jacket with badly frayed cuffs that looked to be a couple of sizes too small. His natural assumption was that the kid was down on his luck, but since these were the kinds of clothes kids wear today he couldn’t be sure. He could be homeless—or he might be a freakin’ millionaire. “Leave me alone. Let me die,” the guy mumbled. “Sorry, dude, can’t do it. Hell of a way to meet each other, but my name is Nathan West, and I’m here to help you.” “It’s too late…” “Hey, creep,” he said, grabbing his collar. “Don’t you dare die on me. If you do, I’ll dive down into Hell and grab you out of Satan’s grasp so fast you won’t know what hit you. Got that?” As soon as he had the words out of his mouth, he heard the screeching of an ambulance and a police cruiser as they bumped upon the asphalt. Almost at the same time two paramedics jumped out lugging a stretcher with them and ran over to him. “Okay, what’s the story here? Are you the one who found him?” “Yeah. I searched him. I hope that was okay.” “Did you find anything?” “Only the knife he cut himself with, but nothing else, not even a wallet. I was walking along minding my own business when I saw him come stumbling out of the shadows covered in blood. He said something about helping him, then just kind of wilted to the ground.” “So he’s a stranger you found on the street, right?” “Yeah, pretty much. I thought the guy was going to mug me until I saw what shape he was in.” “He’s still alive,” the paramedic shouted out to the others. “Let’s get him moving.” Nathan watched the way they handled him, and yelled out, “Hey, careful there. You’re being a little rough, aren’t you?” “Believe me, man, he can’t feel a thing.” “If he’s not dead, he must be able to feel something.” “Look, how about getting out of the way so we can do our job, okay?” Nathan backed away, uncertain. “I…hey, uh…maybe I should go with him. I mean, I found him, and…you know…feel responsible. It’s okay, isn’t it?” “I guess so, but if he was going to mug you, why would you want to?” “I might have been wrong about that. All I know is, he’ll be scared to death and might even try it again. He’ll need someone with him. I’d just like to make sure he gets through this okay.” “Fine. Hop in, but stay out of the way.” “Okay, thanks.”