The Angel of Death

The following story was created for Mackenzie’s Ekphrastic Challenge.

I was assigned the above photo which was taken by Gerard DiLeo, then asked to write a story between 350- 750 words.

Here it is.

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The wind howled and rain began to pour on the streets of Warren, Rhode Island.

Trick-or-treaters had long since escaped the cold and were tucked safely in their beds.

At St. Mary of the Bay Church, an old man knelt before the alter, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned-“

The double doors of the entrance burst open with a bang that reverberated off the walls and echoed into the rafters.

The old man rose to his feet on shaking legs, “Who are you?” He called in a startled voice as he squinted through the dim candlelight, at the dark figure that stood in the entryway.

The man was dressed all in black, he wicked away the rain droplets that threatened to soak through his knee-length trench coat. Then tipped the edge of his wide-brimmed hat up and flicked away a few stray drops of rain that impeded his vision.

As he laid eyes on the old man he smiled and his eyes shone with an eery blackness that consumed the entirety of them.

An audible gasp escaped the old man’s lips, “You’re kind is not welcome here.” He expressed with a slight quiver in his voice. “You- can’t enter, th-this is hallow ground.” He added as he braced himself against the altar.

“I’m not like the others, old man.” The man in black muttered with a sinister smile as he slowly lifted a foot and stepped inside.

“My God.” The old man whispered as he leaned even more heavily against the altar.

“He won’t save you.” The man in black stated as he opened the side of his drenched trench coat, to reveal a long double-edged sword in its sheath upon his hip. He grabbed the long black handle and pulled it out deliberately, taking his time to make a show of it as he admired the blade for a moment. Then turned his hungry gaze back to the old man and a menacing chill cut through the air.

But just as he began to walk toward the old man the silence of the church was broken by the shattering of glass from above them as the stained glass window in the steeple burst into millions of pieces. Many colours of glass showered over the man in black, as another man suddenly appeared in the aisle between the old man and him.

He was dressed in a grey well-fitted full-piece suit that clung to his body as he slowly stood up from a kneeling position. “You have no right to be here.” He spoke in a voice so deep it barely sounded like more than a low growl.

“I had a feeling you’d show up.” The man in black mumbled with an excited smirk.

“You aren’t welcome here, leave.” The man in grey commanded, as he raised his chin and fixed his hazy grey gaze upon the man in black.

The man in black chuckled to himself, “You have no power over me.” He commented, “If you want the old man, you’ll have to take him from me.”

“So be it.” The man in grey growled as he revealed a marbled white hilt within his suit jacket. Then slowly drew out the sickle-like weapon as a deep sigh escaped his lips.

Then in the blink of an eye, the two entities had come together. Sparks flew from the clashing of their swords coming together. Clanks and crashes filled the air as the pair of them fought for the upper hand, neither one seemed to have the edge over the other. Until a wet chunk split the air and the two entities were suddenly still, a blade protruded out of the man in black’s back. Then with a squelch it was drawn back through the way it came.

The man in black crumpled to the floor and a stunned silence hung in the air.

“Thank you, sir,” the old man began as he walked towards the man in grey.

But once he was within reach, “I didn’t come to save you,” he began, as he thrust the blade into the old man’s abdomen. “I came to collect.” He explained, then pulled it out abruptly.

The old man crumpled to the floor alongside the man in black and in the blink of an eye, the man in grey was gone.

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Author’s Note:

When I was looking for inspiration for this story I found a note from Gerard, saying “stained glass repair at St. Mary of the Bay Church” and I thought this would be a great story to explain why they had to replace the window.

I also did a little research to find out where the church was located and have the actual town name in the story too.

Thank you for reading,

Donna Fox (HKB)