By Matt Eckert

The Messiah

"We found him." The soldier had both arms deep in his pockets and a grimace on his face.

"Where?" Jack stared at him with huge expectant eyes.

"He was in..." The soldier looked around at the other personnel for help.

"What is it, boy?" Jack knew an awful joke was coming and he fought off the urge to stand back.

"In his father's house."

"What in God's name are you trying to pull, boy! You think this is funny?"

Jack wanted to tear the tendons out of the man's neck.

"No, Sir!"

"What the Sam Hell are you trying to pull, then?"

"He...he really was at his father's house."

"You mean a church?"

"No, he's adopted and his parents split. He was at his..."

"I see, I see. Where is he?"

"We have him in the transport."

"Let me see him."

"Are you the Son of God?" Jack screamed into the boy's face.

"I am my father's son."

"NO! Are you the Son of God?"

"I am the Messiah of the prophecy and I have come at long last."

"Goddamn it, boy! Answer the goddamn question!" Jack was growing tired of the boy.

"I am the Son of God."

"How fucking hard was that?" Jack asked himself.

"Okay, son. Now if you believe that, please tell your people to stop this mess and come to their senses, do you have any idea how much damage your little movement has caused? I have fifty marines out there wounded or dead because your parents decided to tell you you're the messiah! Do you have any idea what the implications of a statement like that are to a bunch of drunken hillbillies out in the desert?"

"I do not have any control over what these men do."

"The hell you don't! I could give a flying rat's ass what you are, until it becomes a goddamn massacre that I have to come and clean up."

"I didn't intend to..."

"No, you didn't. You're the most irresponsible messiah I have ever seen. Damn it, can we get a line into the compound so this little shit can tell them to stop their four horsemen shit?"

"I will not tell them to abandon the compound, if that's what you want."

"Jumping Jesus and Reece's Pieces, what the hell did you just say?"

"I will not tell them to abandon the compound."

"The hell you won't! I'm going to crucify you again if you don't get on the goddamn telephone and tell those good ole' boys to abandon all hope!"

"But, the end is near, you should be in there praying."

"Christ!"

"Yes?"

"Goddamn it, cut that shit out!"

"What would you like me to do, I can't obey you and my God at the same time. Maybe if you meditate, you will find that I am right."

"Well, Whoop-de-fucking-do, the boy fancies himself a new age Jesus. Well, queer bait, I got an idea. Rudolf! Giaccomi!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Yes, sir?"

"We're going to start pulling little Jesus' fingernails out for every minute that passes without a phone call in to the crazies."

The boy looked up at him and then down at his hands.

"Uh...sir, wouldn't that make us demons? I ...I found Christ two years ago and it changed my life, I don't drink or smoke anymore or have sex with fourteen-year-old Asian prostitutes..."

"What in the name of holy hell are you babbling about? Do you believe this boy, Officer Rudolf?"

"Well, no, but I mean...did you see his hands?" the boy's hands were marked on the inside and outside of the palm.

"Rudolf, give me your sidearm!" Rudolf surrendered his weapon. "Now git the fuck out of my Marine Corps!"

"Sir?"

Jack pointed the piece at Rudolf. "Did I stutter?"

"Are you threatening me with a loaded revolver, Sir? Because that's against the rules, 'cause once I saw this movie and there was this one guy who was threatening...wait, no it was a Corporal and h...he wasn't really a Corporal, he was an acrobat and he was trying to escape a bondsman, but he didn't, anyway..."

Jack began to laugh and he turned his head away from the officer only to whip the revolver around and smack the young soldier in the face with it.

"Giaccomi, you gonna give me the same trouble?"

Rudolf was carried out.

"NO, Sir!" Giaccomi picked the boy off the floor of the transport and shuttled him off into the nearest tent.

"Now, for God Sakes, get me some grain." Jack wiped his mouth and moved out towards the tent.

"Mother fucker! Mother Fucker!" Jack changed.

The boy lay on the ground with his hands balled into fists colored red.

"What shall we do now, Sir?"

"Those fellas in there have a nuclear warhead and they're waiting for the Four Horsemen and this kid still wants to play God. Son, do you know what will happen when that warhead goes off?"

"Yes, sir."

"Really? Shoot him."

"Sir?"

"I have had enough of this sick little monkey, shoot him!"

Giaccomi fired four times into the boy.

Jack walked over and kicked the body. "Damn Messiahs never work."

"What are we gonna do now?" Giaccomi was scared and he kept looking at the body of the boy, waiting for him to rise.

"I guess we pray."

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