Glass bottles are heard clanking against one another in darkness. Someone is trying to move through them but we cannot see who.
December 24th, 2012; 22:56
A light flicks on as we see a scraggly man with dark hair rubbing at his bare chest in the mirror. He looks down at the bottles at his feet. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Jose Cuarvo, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal. It’s been a mighty blurry Christmas Eve for this man. He looks into the mirror when he approaches the vanity of the run down apartment in Chicago, Illinois. The sound of gunfire doesn’t surprise or stir the man.
Man: Who th-fuck’r you lookin’ at, assfuck?
He stumbles closer, nearly tripping over that damned cheap vodka plastic bottle that his feet dragged this far. He catches himself on the sink and groans. His eyes blur, rolling back when he finally focuses again on the mirror.
Man: Yeah I’m talkin’ to you, fuckface. I don’t even recognize ya anymore.
A woman can be heard moaning in the bedroom that touches the bathroom directly. An adolescent voice can be heard on the other side.
David: You like the way I hit that…
The man bangs on the wall with all of his might, putting a hole in the wall.
Man: DAVID GODDAMNIT! Tell that little whore to keep her mouth down!
David: FUCK YOU OLD MAN!
Man: FUCK ME? BOY I WILL DRAG YOU OUT OF THAT ROOM BY THE FUCKING DICK IF YOU DON’T SHOW ME SOME DAMN RESPECT!
Woman: GERALD, WILL YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH AND LET ME GET SOME GODDAMN SLEEP? YOU’LL WAKE ESTHER!
Gerald mumbles under his breath as he kicks the bottle against the wall, causing it to ricochet from the wall and into the bathtub.
Gerald: Ungrateful little fuckers. It’s not like it’s Christmas Eve or something! Not like we should be a family, doing family shit together. Stupid bitch.
Gerald focuses in on his reflection in the mirror and he cackles.
Gerald: I hate each and every one of you fuckers. Including………. You.
Gerald points at the reflection in the mirror and laughs even more sinister. He leans back and headbutts the mirror with everything he’s got in him. “Jingle Bell Rock” plays over the radio as the girl in the next room moans even more loudly. Gerald’s head spins and he falls backward, hitting his head on the edge of the bathtub. His neck goes crack! The lights in the room start to fade. Gerald watches it all go away, and a smile comes over his face as he starts to slip away.
Fade
Gerald’s eyes slowly open and he looks around. The pool of blood where his head once laid is still there, along with the rest of his body. He looks down for a second until it hits him.
Gerald: Holy fucking shit! Am I dead? About fucking time.
Gerald kicks at his lifeless body and he turns to walk away. He sees two choices. Darkness, and light. He rubs his chin as he tries to decide which way to go. He can hear the sounds of his favorite strip club. The smells of his favorite spirits. The jingling of the keys that his coke dealer always had on his waist like he was all important enough to need so many fucking keys. The perfume of his mistress. The sting of his palm from slapping around his family. To most people, this would be hell. A reminder of all the wicked that they’ve done in their life. But for Gerald, this was his heaven. He starts to walk toward the darkness with a grin the size of the Grand Canyon on his wicked face.
Voice: You deserve better than that, Gerald Shepherd.
Gerald: Like hell I do. I grew up in that life. That’s who I am, in life, and outside of it.
Gerald takes another step toward the darkness when the voice booms even louder at him.
Voice: YOU DESERVE BETTER! YOUR FAMILY DESERVES BETTER!
Gerald: My wife is a two timing slut. My son is trying to screw the gay away. The only one who hasn’t been so fucked up by this life is my little girl. But trust me, now that I’m gone, her momma and her brother’s gonna take good care of that.
Voice: Ye of so little faith. So beaten down by the woes of life as a human. You think that there’s no hope, but that is because you are weak.
Gerald sneers and turns around to face the light.
Gerald: Yeah fuck you pal.
But when Gerald sees the blinding flash of white light he stops himself in his tracks. He gasps and his mouth just hangs wide open. He tries to talk but he can’t. He can only get one word to come out right.
Gerald: Beautiful.
Voice: I am what you could be, Gerald. I am the light. I am everything right in this world, so rare that I manifest as a glorious rainbow of light. I am the voice of God, his heralded messenger.
Gerald continues to try to talk but he can’t. He simply falls to his knees and a tear begins to roll down his cheek.
Voice: Come now child. Don’t you cry. In your world, beauty is so rare. Kindness is scarce. Blessings are hidden in every missed opportunity. But the lack of faith causes you to not see it. This life is not over for you, Gerald. Not even close. Your purpose has not yet been fulfilled.
Gerald looks away, because it’s the only way that he can bare to utter a single word. He calms and speaks.
Gerald: My purpose is to be another statistic. Another loser found dead in his bathroom surrounded by empty bottles of booze and pill bottles. Found only when my wife decides she needs to take a piss and tries to roll my body out of the bathroom.
Voice: The lack of faith. It is indeed what He’s been looking for. The depraved. The sad. The spiritually sick. That is you. You are the one.
Gerald starts to look up but feels like he has to close his eyes so he stops just short of the angelic face staring at him.
Gerald: Why does it have to be me? Why not somebody else who has more faith?
Voice: Because you are his beloved child. If he can heal you and your family and bring them to believe in his awesome power, then he is truly capable of anything. And he’s chosen you.
Gerald: But it’s so damn hard. The only one I can even reach is Esther because she’s still so young. Mavis and David are too far gone.
Voice: The first step is to go against your hardest challenge. That is the test of your own inner strength. Encourage fidelity from your wife. Rekindle your love, because it is as pure as the snow outside of your window right now. Foster David, he is not done growing physically, mentally, or spiritually. Be strict. Show him that you actually care. Make them examples to Esther. You were meant to lead your family, both immediate, and adopted in faith in Jesus Christ. Do your part, and He will do his.
Gerald looks over at his lifeless body on the ground beside him and he points at it. However, with a loud snap of the fingers, his eyes shoot open and he sits up gasping when “Jingle Bell Rock” reaches it’s climax. He pats at the back of his head, feeling the indentation, and the blood from the skin. The room spins as he stands up. Mavis is in the doorway.
Mavis: Thank god, I gotta piss like a sumbitch.
Gerald grabs her by the hair and she begins pleading under her breath until he plants his lips to hers. She is surprised but falls into it quickly. She starts to hike up her nightgown, but Gerald lowers it back down, holding onto the back of her neck gently. Her eyes wander to spot the blood coming from Gerald’s ear.
Mavis: Fucking shit! You… your… You need to get to a goddamn hospital.
Gerald: Why? I am already healed by His grace.
Mavis: Who’s grace? Who is Grace?!
Gerald looks up at the ceiling as “Do You Hear What I Hear” plays on the radio. Mavis shakes her head as Gerald walks through the house, pulling David out of his room as he pulls his pajama bottoms up. He goes and scoops Esther out of bed, and she protests sleepily as they all walk to the living room. He sets Esther down on the chair and then plugs in the Christmas tree. He picks up the first gift and hands it to David, and then Esther, and then Mavis. They sit there silently as the music plays from David’s room. The teenaged girl buttons up her blouse as she peeks into the living room.
Girl: So that’s it? Not even gonna walk me to the door, David?
Gerald: By God, if you don’t get outta my home right now, you jezebel, I will too feed you to the dogs!
The girl stares at Gerald and then rolls her eyes.
Girl: Whatever. Don’t call me again, David.
Gerald: He will not, whore! Leave!
David is about to speak, but Gerald looks down at the gift in his hand. The three begin to unwrap the gifts, finding at the same time that they are looking at Holy Bibles. They look to one another as the flashback ends.
”Finding yourself through the darkness can be the hardest thing to do. Finding purpose in the doldrum day to day activities is nearly impossible. Thank God you don’t have to do it alone. I am a shining example of what it’s like to hit rock bottom and find your way out of that hole. You can join me too. I have been spreading the message of The Good Shepherds throughout SCU for months now. Of course it is falling on deaf ears. As our numbers are growing, so is our target. My family and my congregation are happy to welcome anyone. Or force them. We are open to both.
“Griffin Hawkins. I get the pleasure of facing a fellow Christian. A man with values. But a man who watches evil happen and does nothing to stop it. That’s you. You’re the man who brought me to Sin City. It was by your recommendation that I showed up in SCW. I owe you that but nothing more. I won’t take it easy on you tonight even as a man of God.
“And on to the man who I don’t respect. The man who I owe nothing to. The man who makes a joke of this world and this sport. Mark “The Dragon” Cross. I know you more than Griffin but I also know where your loyalties lie. Selfish little loyalties stringing along an innocent girl. All for hopes of gold that you aren’t even working for. You’re split. That’s not good for your image in the eyes of God, and it’s not good for your pride. Together with Griffin you’re going to be smited in front of the fans and they will see that the wicked do rest and the righteous will rise.”
