Have You Ever Met the Devil?

God watched Day run to Ronowski and burst through the door like Superman. From God’s position he couldn’t see what was going on inside, but he knew Seasel was shot and needed medical attention. Day had EMT training and his brother was a trauma surgeon, so God assumed that’s why he ran in after them.

God stayed low and focused on the bullets still flying around in the hangar. It was probably only a couple minutes, but it seemed longer until all of Hansen’s army were overpowered and taken down.

God rose slowly along with the other officers, but stayed alert.

“Day, what’s your position goddammit?” God growled, angry that Day had run off. God waited a couple seconds but didn’t receive an answer.

God removed the mic from his shoulder and yelled directly into the speaker. “Day, come back… what’s your twenty?”

God looked at the now closed door Day had barged through and spun around to his captain.

God faintly heard the door across the hangar open before registering the look of complete horror on his captain’s face as he stared past God.

God closed his eyes, turned around in slow motion, and opened them knowing what he was going to see. Before him stood the love of his life with a 9mm pressed against his right temple and a very angry drug lord peering carefully around him.

God watched Hansen take a quick look behind him before speaking.

“I will blow his goddamn brains all over this floor if you don’t back up!” Hansen’s thick Southern accent echoed in the large building.

God vibrated with rage as he stared into his partner’s eyes. Day was telling him to stay calm. God felt his vest being pulled from behind and he took a few steps backward before stopping.

“Easy, Hansen. You don’t want to do this.” The SWAT leader’s voice was clipped but calm. “Put the gun down and step away from the officer.”

“Shut up,” Hansen screamed. “I want a car at the side door driven by one of my guys within three minutes or I kill him.”

“Hansen, stay calm. Don’t do anything that’s going to get you killed. If you shoot him, one of these many officers is going to fire on you.” The leader reasoned. “So think about whether you want to live or die. You pull that trigger; your life ends now, but if you surrender you can have one of your high-powered attorneys make sure you get your day in court.”

“Don’t try to con a con man, officer. I know all your tricks, and you’re talking this man's fucking time away!” Hansen yelled.

God saw Hansen tighten his chokehold on Day until his lover was fighting to breathe. Day’s ears and neck were bright red. His lips were darkening as his body was deprived of oxygen. Hansen pressed the barrel in deeper.

“Two minutes and fifteen seconds before I provide the great state of Georgia the luxury of one less narc,” Hansen yelled.

God’s mind exploded at the thought of living in a world without Day. He looked into his partner’s glistening eyes; seeing him turning blue and nearing the point where he would faint. Day was still looking into God’s green eyes.

No, no, no! He’s saying good-bye.

God closed his eyes and released a loud, gut-wrenching growl, cutting off the SWAT leader’s negotiations.

“Godfrey, get yourself under control,” his captain said, trying to hold onto him.

God jerked himself out of the hold and stepped forward, his angry eyes boring into Hansen’s. Hansen stared at him as if God were crazy. Little did he know, at that moment God was a little crazed.

“Godfrey, get back here and stand down. That’s an order, Detective!” his captain barked.

God’s large hands clenched at his sides, fighting his instinct to pull out his weapons. He ground his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

“Do you have any idea of the shit storm you’re about to bring down on your life?” God snarled menacingly while his large frame shook with fury. “In your arms you hold the only thing in this world that means anything to me. The man you are pointing a gun at is my sole purpose for living. You are threating to kill the one person in this world that gives a fuck about me.”

God took two more steps toward Hansen and was vaguely aware of the silence surrounding him. Hansen’s finger hovered shakily over the trigger as he took two large steps back, Day still tight against his chest.

God growled again and he saw a shadow of fear ghost over Hansen’s sweaty face.

“If you kill that man, I swear on everything that is holy, I will track you to the ends of the earth, killing and destroying everything you hold dear. I will take everything from you and leave you alive to suffer through it. I will bestow upon you the same misery that you inflicted on me.”

Hansen shook his head and inched closer to the door behind him.

“Stay back,” he yelled again, but this time the demand lacked the bravado he'd exhibited before.

“You kill that man, and you have no idea the monster you will create. Have you ever met a man with no heart… no conscience… no soul… no purpose?” God rumbled, his voice octaves lower than his already deep baritone.

God yanked his Desert Eagle from his holster in a flash and cocked the hammer back, chambering the first round. Hansen stumbled back again, his eyes gone wide with fear.

God instinctively tensed every muscle in his body and it felt like the large vein in his neck might rupture. His body burned as it had at the height of his pneumonia and he knew his wrath had him turning a brilliant shade of red.

“I’m asking you a goddamn question, Hansen! No soul! No conscience! I’m asking you if you've ever met the devil!” God’s thunderous voice practically rattled the glass in the hangar windows.

“If you kill the man I love, you better make your peace with God, because I’m gonna meet your soul in hell.” His voice boomed.

God slowly raised his gun and aimed it at that bastard’s forehead, but God knew he wasn’t going to have to take the shot.

Hansen took one final step backward and as soon as his heel landed, a single loud pop rang out in the silence. A split second later Hansen’s head jerked back from the impact of the bullet lodged in his skull.

God had talked him back far enough that he was within visibility of the sharp shooters.

God caught Day’s falling body before he was able to hit the floor. He dropped to his knees with his lover in his arms and held him close.

“Breathe, Leo.” God coaxed while rubbing Day’s cheek. He felt Day take in a few quick breaths before he opened his eyes and stared up at him.

God closed his eyes and pressed their foreheads together, not wanting to see what Day was saying.

“If he had killed you, I would’ve swallowed my own gun. There’s no life without you,” God whispered just for Day to hear. He felt Day grab onto his neck, holding him close.

“Let the paramedics take a look at him, Detective Godfrey.”

God raised his head at his captain’s order and slowly lowered Day’s head while he moved back to let them tend to his partner. God watched them closely while they took a few quick vitals before placing him on the stretcher. One of them turned to look at God and his captain. God stepped forward.

“His blood pressure’s high and pulse is erratic, so we're going to take him to the hospital to be monitored. He’ll be at St. Mary’s.”

“I’m riding with him,” God demanded.

“I’m sorry sir, but regulations don’t allow that.” The thin guy answered him as the other paramedic wheeled his man away.

God bared his teeth right before he felt a hand come down hard on his shoulder.

“Let them do their jobs, because you still have one to do too, Detective. Is that going to be a problem?” His captain leveled a hard stare on him.

God paused for a second, then gave a quick jerk of his head and turned in the opposite direction that his love had gone. God walked through the hangar aware of the many eyes that were on him. He just wanted to finish his job so he could go home.