'Let's call it.Time is death, ten forty-three p.m.'� The doctor filled out the death certificate and left the room."

Jude sprang up into sitting position. 'Dead? Who me? I've never felt better.'� He swung his body around to sit on the edge of the operating table, but his legs didn't follow. He turned to the left, staring into his own face. ' Jesus Christ, I am dead!'�

Jude slid off the table onto the floor. He didn't feel the pull of gravity beneath his feet. Where were his feet?

'This has to be a dream. If I'm dead, why am I still down here? Can't I go to heaven or-" He reflected on his life for a moment. 'Never mind, I'll just stay here.'�

Suddenly, a baritone voice echoed through the room. 'I'm sorry, things have been a bit hectic the last few days.'�

Jude felt a warmth surround him as if sun rays penetrated his non-existent body. And in the next instant, he was standing an empty room with milky, white walls. He extended his arms and glanced down at his feet. He looked like someone had traced his body and sprinkled glitter around it. 'I look a kindergarten art project.'�

A bronze face emerged through one of the milky walls. 'Sorry, for the delay.'� Slowly, the rest of it came forth. Its large, ivory wings shimmered, and a silver halo hovered above its head. Jude was transfixed on two translucent, blue eyes.

'An angel.'� He said.

'I'm Apollyon.'� He pulled a scroll out from under his right wing. 'I see you are Jude, twenty-four, handsome, and quite popular with the ladies.'� He continued reading, "you were killed--" He let out a gasp, covering his mouth.

'What? What's wrong?'� Jude drifted over to look at the scroll.

Apollyon quickly wound it back up. 'You mustn't see.'�

'If it's about me, I have a right to know. I don't even know how I died.'�

Apollyon scratched under his halo. 'Hold on a moment.'� He dug under his left wing and brought out a small, thick book. He thumbed through a few pages. 'I can tell you how you died, but you are never allowed to see the scroll. It's a rule.'�

'Okay, so what happened?'�

'You died suddenly, that's why you don't remember. You were shot.'�

'Who'd want to shoot me?'�

'You gave your life to save a little boy during a bank robbery.'�

'I died a hero? That should get me into heaven.'�

'Jude, you don't understand. All those silly ideas you humans believe are wrong. Heaven and hell are not what you imagine.'�

'Shew ! So, there's no chance of me burning for eternity?'�

Apollyon laughed. 'No, never. You are an entity, a force. I must give you a task and when it's completed you will become one of my special angels.'�

'What's that?'�

'Sort of like a guardian angel. Everyone on Earth is assigned one.'�

'And where was mine a few hours ago?'�

'Angels have rules to follow, Jude, and one of those rules is to step back and allow one life to be given in place or another. It's hard sometimes to do nothing while your assignment perishes, but in your case it was you or the boy, and you valiantly stepped in.'�

"So why all the dramatic gasping?"

"You see, Jude, everyone has a destiny, every event in life happens for a reason. Although an unselfish act on your part, you did interfere with fate."

"Are you trying to tell me that cute, little boy with those big, innocent, brown eyes was meant to die? Why?"

"Evil dwells within him, but it's lying dormant, for now. Your task will be to penetrate the body, destroy it, so the soul can be set free before it is corrupted."

'You expect me to murder a child? No way, I'd rather-"

'Be careful with your words, we take them quite literally here.'� Apollyon opened his scroll. "Think of it this way, your only releasing a soul, discarding the vessel. Once released it will dwell in heaven, safely for eternity."

"Well, when you explain like that...?"

"First there are some rules. You have exactly twenty-four hours from the time you intervened to complete the task. Also, you must be careful, do not dispose of the body in such a way that would allow another human to trade their life again."

"What happens if I mess this up?"

"Your soul will be trapped, sharing one body, fighting for control."

"I can't believe...are you sure I'm not dreaming?"

"Quite sure. Are you ready? It's already been six hours since you've saved him."

"All right, let's do this."


Jude awoke with a stuffed dinosaur tucked under his arm, wearing Sponge Bob pajamas, and staring at a ceiling plastered with plastic glowing stars and planets. He rolled out of bed and shuffled over to a mirror, staring back at him was the little rusty haired, freckled face boy from the bank. How could evil be hiding behind that innocent face?

A soft voice wafted down the hall."Ben, breakfast is ready."

Jude looked around the room. Toys were scattered all over the floor, dresser drawers hung open, and the closet was oozing clutter. He rummaged through the drawers until he found a pair of jeans and a tee shirt to wear, then scurried down the hall.

"It's about time you got up, sleepy head." A lovely lady with auburn hair hovered over him, a plate of pancakes in hand. She gently kissed him on top of his head as she sat the plate on the table.

"Guess where I am taking you today?"

"Where?" Jude asked with a mouthful of pancakes.

"The zoo. We'll spend all day there, if you'd like."

Jude grinned, it felt great to be a kid again.

"I'll clean up in here, while you go grab a jacket. Hurry up, now." She softly swatted his bottom.

Jude scurried down the hall into the bedroom. He dug through the mess in the closet until he found a jean jacket to wear. Ben's mom was waiting by the door as he came back down the hall. She took his tiny hand in hers, leading him out to the car.


At the zoo, Ben's mother held tight to the little boy's hand.

"Can I go over there and see the monkeys?" Jude pointed.

"No way mister, your staying right here beside me. We'll go together."

They spent the entire day at the zoo, and then the park. Ben's mother didn't let Jude out of her sight.

That night he watched the green, luminous hands on the clock in Ben's room. It had been twenty-four hours; he had exactly twenty-four more to complete his task. After spending the day with Ben's mother, it was apparent he had to come up with a plan, or he'd never get ten feet away from her.

The next morning before getting out of bed, he came up with an idea. He had to be killed in some sort of accident, and kids get hit by cars quite often. So, Maybe while playing, he'd chase a runaway ball into the street. That 's what he'd do, run out in front of a car and hope to die.

Jude got up and dressed himself. He shuffled down the hall to the kitchen. Ben's mother was making breakfast.

"Oh Ben, you startled me. What kind of cereal would you like this morning?"

"Uh...Cheerios, I guess."

Ben's mother fixed Jude a bowl of cereal.

"Mom, after breakfast can I go out and play?"

"May I?"

"Um...may I go out and play?"

"Yes, you may, but stay right out back where I can see you, okay?"

Jude went out in the yard and watched the street. He pretended to play basketball while watching for a speeding car. Finally, about an hour later, he saw a green and brown station wagon, racing his way. He took a deep breath, rolled the ball into the street, and ran right in front of the car. Tires screeched. An old lady screamed. Ben's mother came running to his side.

As the body lay their dying, he could hear Ben's mother sobbing. She slumped over him, her tears mixing with the blood running down his face.

Jude's soul rose up from the body. Ben's soul emerged and was immediately whisked away. Jude hovered above the scene, watching the mother hang on to the empty vessel until a strong suction pulled him away.

He fell into a room with walls that resembled melting wax; the heat was unbearable.

Apollyon emerged, a smirk on his face.

"You lied to me." Jude said.

"Not exactly, little Ben will dwell in the heavens just as I said. One soul for them and one soul for me.

"You said the boy was evil."

"Not exactly, I said he had evil within him. Good and evil exist in all humans, they choose their own path."

"You said I was going to be an angel."

"One of my fallen angels. You'll guard the souls of sinners, like yours. I had you, Jude, until you pulled that stunt or jumping in front of a bullet. That almost saved you, but you failed the test."

"Because you tricked me."

"You should have read your Bible, Jude. God created a beautiful angel, Lucifer, and cast him out. I am that magnificent creature, the fallen angel. And if you had been a good little tyke and studied hard in Sunday School, you might have known that Apollyon is Greek for destroyer. "

"You are the devil."

"I am known by many names, but it's humans that make fools of themselves, conjuring up all sorts of grotesque pictures of me. You were deceived because you thought I would be red and have horns? A pitchfork? What use would a pitchfork be to an angel?"

"But, it is hot down here, and you said I wouldn't burn for eternity."

"It's only hot because we dwell so close to the core of the earth. You'll get used to it, and I promise you won't be tortured. You will be a guardian of evil souls, keeping them corrupt until their time to die, and a reaper to all."

"It's not fair, you lied, you pretended to be something you're not. I should get another chance."

"No, it's not my fault you were deceived. Your ignorance of things other than the world around you is to blame, not I."

"I don't understand, why Ben?"

"His time was up. You halted his fate, so it was only fitting that I send you to be his reaper. And job well done, I might add."

Apollyon waved his hands and a black cape with a large hood covered Jude. A fallen angel he would be for eternity.

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