Hide and Seek
Dorian Geigel sat in his cell, awaiting the opening of cell doors for inmates with visitors. Dorian never had visitors, in spite of the fact that he'd only been incarcerated for seven months. Usually, it was the inmates who just reached prison that received visitors. Sometimes, the odd family member would come to visit a middle aged convict, but it was usually the younger convicts that received visitors. If the convict was lucky, it was conjugal visits, where often tawdry, buxom women or slightly overweight trailer park trash would march in gaudy high heels to private rooms. Sometimes, the convict's family would come to visit. Disappointment filled the room, as children screamed excitedly for their daddy, as their mother would sigh with a tired expression that they would wait for him. Dorian knew better; no one waits for you while you're in prison. In the early months of incarceration, the visits come regularly, but as time passes, they slowly trickle to the odd appearance. Visitors were like children with new play toys, doting on their toy and promising to always play with it. As time passed, so did the child's interest; letting the toy get smudged, collecting dust on the shelf. Sometimes the child would glance over at the toy, but there wasn't the same joy in the eyes. Finally, the child stopped noticing the toy altogether, leaving it to languish under the bed.
No one has time for a convict. Life is for the living.
It's hard to tell when the line between Dorian and Dr. Zeus blurred. There was always a little of Dr. Zeus in Dorian, though it's doubtful the same could be said for Dorian existing in Dr. Zeus. At some point, Dr. Zeus took control, and never relinquished Dorian's body, mind, and soul. It's difficult to pinpoint when that happened, but it had not happened at this point in his incarceration. The rhymes were sparse, as were the aspirations for revenge. Inside this tiny cell, with a cast of the most disreputable men to exist sat a self aware Dorian, a man convicted for assisting in the suicides of eleven patients.
Dr. Zeus hasn't arrived yet. But he was very close.
Dorian's cell door slid open. Very little surprised Dorian in prison, but this caught him off guard. Actually, both men were rather shocked; usually the guards spoke to Dorian with contempt dripping from every word, but today the guard spoke with an unsure tone.
"Geigel... Geigel, you have a visitor."
Dorian didn't get visitors. Everyone assumed he never would. Still, Dorian wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He hopped off of his cot, and shambled with the guard over to the visitor's room. There was little room in Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center, so the light of the visitors room was blinding. He looked over at the guard, who pointed Dorian over to his booth. There sat an absolutely remarkable woman, patiently sitting on the other side of the glass. She was raven haired, sporting a slinky leather top and skin tight jeans, which fit well with her pale skin. Yet, there seemed to be something different about this woman; she didn't wear makeup. This wasn't like the dolled up tart who was here for a conjugal; she had a stare to her that intended to penetrate through Dorian. Her emerald green eyes could turn men to stone, though they did no such thing to Dorian. All they could do was make Dorian feel unsure of himself. She had a purpose for being here; she wasn't lifeless, and she was going to get exactly what she wanted.
But what did she want from Dorian? Dorian looked at her with a puzzled gaze.
"No, you don't know who I am." The woman finally broke the silence with.
"I'm Chastity."
Dorian took a moment to think this over, before giving this stranger his most comforting smile.
"Chastity? Why, that's a lovely name for-"
"Save it." Interrupted Chastity, with a noticeable bass in her voice.
"I didn't come for that."
Well, this was going to be harder than he thought. Perhaps this was a loved one of his patients? He had targeted patients who felt lonely, but perhaps he made a mistake along the way. Maybe this was a family member, who finally needed closure. Maybe it was a wife; he didn't think any of his patients were married.
Or maybe she was sick, too. Either way, Dr. Zeus had to know what brought this wayward soul to him.
"Very well, then." He said with a soothing tone in his voice.
"Why are you here?
"Why?" Chastity instantly shot back to him. Her stare was unwavering, her voice stoic. This wasn't something Dr. Zeus had seen in a long, long time. Not since the passing of his wife. There was no point in pandering, in toying with the woman. Pushing her buttons now wasn't going to accomplish anything. At least, not yet.
"It was needed. How else can we save the world from... From them."
"And the men and women you hurt along the way? The lives you took?"
Dr. Zeus paused for a second, and closed his eyes. Another one who didn't understand God's design. He let out a sigh, and began to speak;
"To a person like me, a thing like them... Casualties in a larger war."Dr. Zeus allowed for a beat to pass, to see how this affected Chastity. The same stoic stare. He began to speak again.
"Understand this, my child; this is one little planet, in one microscopic universe that's barely out of its diapers. So I invite you to contemplate just how insignificant I find a few lost lives." Chastity looked away, as Dr. Zeus started to smirk again.
"Everyone believes death to be this rogue, who works only for himself, and does his own bidding. They couldn't be more wrong; Death works for God. God sends Death, to find those that must die. Sometimes, God sends Death to take the good, to bring them to eternal paradise. And sometimes, God sends Death to take the wicked, to better the world. Some people need to die, for the good of the world. God knows who must be taken; but he can't always take them himself." The smile began to creep away from Dorian's mouth, and he leaned in closer to the glass, as if he were to tell the world's biggest secret.
"So God and Death have men that work for them. Men that can spot the wicked, and bring them to justice. Sometimes, Death will appoint angels, to bring the wicked before him. I am that angel, Chastity; I am that Angel of Death."
There was a long silence afterwards, in which there wasn't much more that could be said. Dorian looked down, sighed, and added;
"Even angels can have their wicked schemes.
So long as the ends justify the means.
And surely you know His plan isn't flawed.
So tell me; who are you to question God?"
Chastity's emerald eyes hardened. She rubbed her shoulders, almost in a way to soothe herself. She let out a little sigh, and looked down, as well. As she looked up, Dorian noticed a small smirk crawling from the corner of her mouth.
"I needed to make sure you were real." Her smile grew, as she looked at the man in front of her. At last; Dorian knew that not only did Chastity absorb it, but she completely understood.
"I've heard God calling for me."
"And what did he say?"
"That I have a greater calling. That I was sent to save the world."
Dorian was beaming with pride. This woman was clearly a woman of God; one in which can help purge the world of the evil within it. This woman was going to be the shining beacon in an abyss of darkness. And light will always conquer dark.
"My child, God's proud of you for coming here.
The real war is soon to come; it's coming near.
I need for you to carry out God's will.
You are the key to good beating evil."
Dorian would be visited every week, at the exact same time, by Chastity. They would speak of God's will, and how to carry out his will. Chastity referred to these visits as "visions of enlightenment", as they discussed plans for when Dorian was freed.
After all, life was for the living. And no one was more alive than Chastity or Dorian.
