James Swithinski: Enabler of Death

With a deep breath, James Swithinski left the wall he had been leaning on. It was dark outside, and James reached up to take his cigarette from his mouth. That was one of the few lights that shone in the alleyway the young man stood in.

James wasn't worried about anyone showing up in the alley, because a pistol was holstered right next to his right hand, which held his cigarette. James wore his faded and patched black jacket, and his jeans were hastily stuffed into his boots. He'd been called a little under an hour ago by someone he didn't know. The someone that James didn't know did know, however, that James was good at destroying bad things. This person had asked to meet James behind a deli shop on Bendem road and 3rd street, and James had agreed.

The young man had been asleep, but now James took a few pacing steps to the other side of the alley, feeling impatient. No far off, a siren came to life in the night, making James look up. He shook his head, putting his cigarette back in his mouth. If a police car pulled up to the mouth or ass of the alley and asked James what he was doing, James would tell them the truth.

He was waiting on a complete stranger to bring him some kind of mysterious object so he could destroy it.

It would sound like a load of shit, but in New Jack City, the police had bigger things to worry about than James. There was the on-going gang war between the Back Door Devils and the New Cathinit's, and the police couldn't catch their breath with that. On top of that was the over population problem of the City, where families of eight were living in two bedroom apartments, and other people were living on the streets.

An over abundance of cameras and spying plagued New Jack City, and the government that ruled the over eight-hundred thousand people wanted it to stay that way.

James clicked his tongue then, and sighed. He took an inhale from his cigarette, then turned fully around as he heard a trashcan come crashing down. He pulled his gun out and up, and watched the darkness that was all around him.

There wasn't anyone there, but as James looked at the faded bricks that made up the alley, he did see an overturned trashcan. From behind the trashcan appeared a grey cat, the feline hissing at James and it guarded it's newly found wealth of stale food and thrown away take-out containers.

"Always more cats," James said to himself.

The man lowered his gun then, and took another puff from his cigarette. It was close to the butt by then, and James dropped it to the wet and muddy ground. It had rained earlier in the day, and now the streets were wet.

The sirens James had heard earlier were getting closer, and the man turned around, holding his gun as he looked away from the cats. There were just hungry, and almost outnumbered how many people were living in the City.

With a sniffle, James coughed up a wad of flehm, and spit it out onto the nearby wall. The man coughed, then heard another sound that was to his side. He turned his head, and saw someone walking down the alleyway, where the cats had knocked over the trashcans. James left his gun in his hand as he turned himself all the way around, watching the person come closer. A single light overhead threw some of the shadows on the person away, and James saw an older man. Grey and white beard, tired eyes and a worn out, leathery looking face. He had on a longer coat than James did, and a hat was perched on his head.

James watched the man come closer, and he looked at James. He stopped, then raised up a hand. It turned into a fist, and the man coughed into it. He sounded like he was dying, and James' face turned into one of dislike.

The old man started to get a hold of himself, and resumed his steady walk to where James was standing.

"Are you.." the old man coughed lightly, "the guy that I called?"

"You called about that thing that needs to go away?" James asked.

"Yes!" the old man looked up at James, his eyes shinning, "it needs to be fucking destroyed!"

"Alright calm down," James waved a hand at the man, "lets see it."

The old man almost looked afraid to do even that. His eyes widened some, but he moved his hands to reach into his long coat. James heard the rustle of some loose change, and the old man withdrew something from his coat. It was wrapped up in a faded brown shirt, and James reacched out to take it.

The old man pulled it back. James looked at the man, meeting his eyes. The old man swallowed then, and whispered,

"It talks to me. Tells me really bad things."

James shifted his pace then, wrapping his fingers around his gun a little tighter.

"It's occult?" asked James.

"I don't know that," the old man shook his head, "I've keep it locked in my basement, in a trunk. I can hear it as soon as I walk inside my house, this fucking...." he trailed off, holding onto the object, "terrible things it tells me. It wants me to kill, and rape, and hurt people I love."

"let me see it," James said.

The old man scoffed, his gnarled hands gripping the object he held. He stretched it out to James though, and the man took it in his free hand. It wasn't heavy, but it had weight to it.

Moving his other hand James unwrapped the shirt, and looked at what he'd been brought. It was an amulet, the chain made up of small links and brass in color. The pendant of the piece was made of gold, and had a heart-shaped red gem in the middle.

James looked up at the old man, who had taken a step back. James dropped the shirt onto the ground, holding the amulet in his bare hand. No sooner did he hold it did James feel a chill run down his spine.

He gripped his gun tighter, and heard a whisper. A woman's voice, with very sweet words, filled his head.

"You kill for money," it told James, "but it brings you no pleasure. You could kill him right now."

James shook his head, putting his gun-hand to his head.

"Your a killer," the amulet had more to say, "your good at it, and you hate it!"

"Shut up!" James stepped away, the amulet wrapped around his fingers.

"You see!" the old man pointed at James, "I told you, that fucking thing is evil!"

"Kill him!" the amulet was commanding James now.

"Destroy it already!" the old man shouted, his voice cutting into the air.

"Stop!" James voice cracked.

He swung his gun hand out, aiming it at the amulet in his other hand.

"KILL!" the amulet screamed in James head then.

The words reverberated like James was in an empty grain silo, and he fired his gun. But not at the amulet. He was aiming at it one second, and as James watched his gun go off, the bullet buried itself in the old mans chest with a flash of the muzzle in the darkness.

James blinked, and opened his mouth with a cry of,

"No!"

The old man fell into the alleyway, but James dropped the amulet, the object falling from his hand to clatter onto the ground. James reached out catch the old man, taking his head in his free hand. James dropped his gun from his other hand, gripping the old man's arm.

He held his chest where blood leaked onto the ground, mixing with the dirt to form a swirl of red and muddy black and brown.

The old man gasped, his lips forming words that James couldn't hear.

"Forgive me," James whispered, his face leaning to the mans lips.

He only moaned as his withered hand pressed onto his chest, the flow of blood spilling like a knife had ripped open a bag of thick red water. The old man mumbled something in James ear, but it was nonsense, the old man already dying.

James looked up then, taking in the alleyway he was in. There were cameras all around, and James knew it would look like a murder to them. An old man gave him something, and James robbed and killed the man to have it for himself. The police would see it that way.

"Police," James muttered the world aloud then.

With a huff James looked at the amulet on the ground. The red ruby heart shone in the darkness, like a light of it's own. The amulet had light, and what little light had been in the old man's eyes was fading. He was dead.

James swallowed then, letting go of the old man to gently rest him on the ground.

"Go in Grace," James whispered.

Standing up James picked up his gun, and shook his head. The amulet was still where James had dropped it, and the man took a step over to where it lay. He heard a wail of a siren cut on not a second later, and that confirmed James needed to leave.

"Church," James said to himself, "Gotta get this to the Church."

Looking at the amulet as James talked to himself, he picked up a booted foot, and brought it down on the amulet. He heard a crunch, and as lifted his foot James saw the gold around the ruby had cracked and scattered out some. The ruby itself had a piece falling away already, and James picked up his foot again.

He brought it down as hard as he could, sending a jolt that went all the way up his leg. James looked at the amulet, and saw something amidst the red pieces of the gem.

Leaning down James picked up a small computer chip. It was just big enough to be hidden inside the ruby, and would have been hard to see. James turned the bit of tech over in his hand, and saw a tiny, now bent antenna that wrapped around the chip.

"Transmitting from somewhere," James told himself what he was thinking.

With a hard scowl, James tucked the small chip away into a breast pocket on his jacket, fastening the pocket to secure the small piece of technology. Words were a weapon with the abundance of technology in New Jack City, and James knew it as well as everyone else. That was why James, along with the Church of New Light, worked to help the miserable city to fight back against the control that had everyone's eyes shut tight.

The sirens were getting louder, getting closer. James shook his head as he stooped to take his gun, shoving it back into the holster on his hip. A badge caught the light of the alley's light then, showing a pair of hands that seemed to welcome down a beam of light from a cloud.

James stepped backwards then, turning away from the dead old man in the street. James wondered for a second if he would face repercussions from this, but put it out of his mind. The Church would vouch for James, he was sure of that.

Now James walked away from the scene, heading down one end of the alley to get to where he had parked his car.

Any number of people could have been behind the amulet's foul nature, and James was going to find out. All because James could discern from a technological ploy, and an occult nature that he had been victim to before.

He would make sure he found out who was behind this. It was, after all, what he did.