DEATH (The Justice Cycle Book 1) by J Kiefer (best classic books to read TXT) 📗

“Really?” Jared’s nightmare black eyes flicked open. “Only a monster would murder a teenager.”

Taken aback by the vehemence of Jared’s words, Jeremy did not immediately respond. Only moments before, he had watched Jared kill the young robber, and he could not lie to himself that it hadn’t bothered him. Even though the act had seemed to be cold-blooded, however, he knew that was not necessarily the case. The boy had murdered the store clerk, and even though what Jared had done still troubled him, from what Jeremy saw, the young man was unrepentant of his crimes.

Of course, the boy was most likely scared at having been caught and simply reacted to the obstacle in his way. In truth, however, what Jared had done, harsh as it was, could be construed as justice. Even though he knew this to be true in his head, Jeremy could not shake the sense of revulsion causing his stomach to churn.

Jared took Jeremy’s silence as an affirmation of his conclusion. He grimaced bitterly. “Now I understand why you asked me earlier if I wanted to kill you. Perhaps you should be concerned.”

Jeremy swallowed hard. “I figure if you were going to kill me, you would have done it already,” he said with a confidence that he didn’t feel. “Look, I can’t imagine what you are going through, but I have known one other like you and he was not a monster. Dangerous, yes, but not a monster.”

Jared leaned back against the wall. “The clerk had two kids,” he said after a few minutes of silence. “She was a single mom working two jobs to support her family. Her husband had been killed in a drunk-driving accident a few years ago, leaving her alone to raise her two children. I don’t know how I know that; I just do. It’s like I can see everything.

“I cannot really put into words what I mean by that, though. It’s something far more complex than just seeing with my eyes. When I look at you, I see this moment we are currently experiencing, but I also see every sinful act you ever committed in your past. I am right now watching you commit sins in the past, while you also talk with me here in the present. For me, you are both in your past and here in the present; there is no distinguishing between the two. They are both just as real to me as if they are happening right now.”

Jeremy chewed that over. “I can see now why the others had no sense of humor.”

Jared went on, brushing off his comment. “Even now the clerk—her name was Jane, by the way—her life is playing out before my eyes, giving weight and justification to the anger burning within me at the injustice of her death. All I felt when I took the young man’s life was satisfaction. It was not hatred for the boy or a desire for vengeance, but rather a deep and overwhelming need to give her justice.”

“Perhaps it was,” Jeremy murmured.

Jared grimaced. “How could killing a kid be Justice?”

Jeremy shrugged. “He was a murderer, wasn’t he?”

Jared contemplated that. “Yes, yes, he was.”

“To us humans, justice is a fluid concept. We temper it with our own views of morality and what we feel is right and wrong, but Justice, in its essence, is not fluid but set in stone. It is black and white and absolute. For most of us, taking someone’s life as a punishment for murder is unmerciful and harsh. Particularly that of someone so young. That’s why most states have abolished the death penalty. But in truth, a life for a life could be seen as the very essence of Justice.”

He stopped for a second, then rolled his eyes.

“Oh, and God wants me to remind you that His mercy far outweighs His wrath. Anything else You want to chime in about?” He aimed this question at the ceiling.

Jared chuckled and temporarily forgot his melancholy. The respite, however, was not long. “So, is this what my life is now? Am I simply the universe’s executioner? An instrument of death?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I do know that God says you don’t need to worry, you are not being punished.” Jared started to say something, but Jeremy interrupted him. “Oh, and you’re not going to go to hell, either.”

He just stared at Jeremy, his mouth open in shock. “How...”

“How did I know you were going to ask me about hell? Like I’ve been telling you, God talks to me and He knew you were going to ask that. Look, man, I don’t have any answers for you about what’s happened, but what I do know is that you’re not evil and you’re not just some executioner. The sword may have a mind of its own, but there is a reason God pairs it with a human soul. What that reason is I don’t know, but I have to believe that it is for good and not for evil.”

Both men fell silent. Seeing that Jared was lost in thought, Jeremy decided to close his eyes for a few minutes. But sleep found him quickly and before long he was snoring. Jared sat in silence, not wanting to disturb his new friend.

Strangely he did not feel tired at all. Perhaps he did not need sleep. It was a strange concept for him, and he wondered if he would ever sleep again. One of the great things about sleeping was that it gave you a temporary reprieve from the problems that life brought. It kept a person sane. Would he stay sane?

“No, not in the mortal sense,” came the voice in his head. The voice was somehow not as intrusive as before, so Jared didn’t fight it. “You will, however, eventually decay.”

“What do you mean?”

“No mortal can be Justice forever. Their soul cannot bear the burden.”

Jared grimaced. “Great.”

“You cannot truly sleep, as you are not truly alive, but I can help you rest, if you like.”

Jared shifted to relieve