The Fowls of the Air, The Beasts of the Field

"The fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground."

It is a passage from Ezekiel 38:20. Such is how I felt when I saw the rundown mess that is the Plural Heights mall. This is where we were supposed to take this Mike person and have him meet his friend.

"Do you think this will work, Father Anatoly?" The timid voice of a man rang beside me as I looked at the things inside of the van: a bag of cement, three huge containers filled with water, and a small metal pail.

"What do you mean, Mike?" I said to the timid man who's fidgeting before me.

Mike clenched the collar of his polo shirt as he sighed. "I just feel like... Someone like me who doesn't even deserve to live should be on a mission like this... There's absolutely no reason for me to be alive, but..."

"No reason to be alive? Child, I..." I then turned my head and gazed at him with a troubled expression. I didn't know what to say to him as I gently closed the door of the van. From a distance, I saw countless crows cawing and flying on top of the Plural Heights mall at the far off distance. I then smiled as I tapped Mike's shoulder. "Look at those birds, Mike." I then moved his body to make him gaze at the energetic murder of crows. "Were they not put here in this world by the same God who made you?"

"I..." Mike said with a stutter. "Of course, they are. The same God made them."

"Do you believe in God, Mike?" I said as I looked at him with my arms around his shoulder.

"I think so." He said with the same weak tone.

"Do you really think God will find joy in seeing one of his perfect creations think of himself as nothing less than a masterpiece?" I then waved my hands and pointed it towards the flying crows above the mall. "Look at them, Mike. They all do all that they can to survive in this cruel world." I then dropped my hands as I tightened my grip around Mike. "I am sure you've seen a lot of cruel things if you're my mother's employee, and I'm sure it must have broken your spirit, but always believe that God will be there for you no matter what, Mike, no matter what. If those birds whom a lot of people consider as naught but pests and bad omen deserve to live, why can't you? A wonderful person like you deserves to keep such a beautiful soul, Mike." I then released him from the tight grip of my hands as I smiled at him with a nod. "Always remember that."

Mike then sighed with an assured smile. "Thanks, Father Anatoly."  

I then walked towards my mom as I yelled, "Talk to me if you feel like that again, okay?"

"Sure!" Mike said with a determined smile as he sat on a bench outside of the 7-11.

I then leaned on a wall beside my mom, who's sitting on a foldable chair she took somewhere in the kitchen. Her black wide brim hat flowed along with the wind as I spoke, "So how did you find that guy, anyway, mom?"

"Eh. Don't remember anymore." Mom scoffed as she wore her sunglasses on with a bored expression. "Must have been another nutjob thinking of changing their lives for the better... or something similar to that." She said as she placed her hand on her lap while patiently observing her employee.

"So, what exactly is his role in this thing?" I whispered as I squat beside mom. If someone found a priest wearing his black cassock squatting on a dirty corner beside a rundown mall with an old woman, they would probably think that some cosplay event is happening somewhere.

"Veronica asked for our help kindly because she found out that one of my employees is a friend of one of her targets." She then pointed at Mike with his chin. "That's the employee." She then sighed with a puzzled look on her face as she continued, "I would have been reluctant to give him to Veronica if she was an excellent employee."

"I assume he isn't, then?" I said with a chuckle while I tapped on my knees.

"Why do you think I allow the twins to whip him?" She said with a grunt as she slowly rearranged her hat neatly on her smooth-flowing ashen hair. "Of course, he's a terrible employee. I'm happy Veronica is taking him away."

I nodded with a shrug before asking, "But what's the catch?"

"The catch? Well..." She then clicked her tongue while tapping her feet twice. "If Veronica thinks his help is no longer needed, then we will be the one responsible for 'dealing' with him if you know what I mean."

"Sounds tough." I then yawned after replying.

"Indeed, which is why he needs to do a great job here." She then leaned her body forward to look at a car pulling up in front of the 7-11. She then stood up when she saw who came out of the vehicle. "Oh. Looks like the target is here."

When the target left the vehicle, he quickly went to Mike's side right away with a bright grin. He then sat on the bench with him and started talking about God-knows-what.

"What are they talking about?" I said with a whisper while looking at the two of them converse.

"I don't know, son." Mom said as she put a walkie-talkie on her mouth. "But we need to find out." She then pushed a button and started speaking on the receiver. "George, it's your turn."

When mom said this, I saw George came out of the 7-11 and quickly scanned the surroundings to find Mike and the target. After a few seconds, he locked eyes on Mike and slowly walked towards them. He put his white baseball cap on as he sat beside the target.

"Good. Just stay there and listen to what they're talking about. Wait for further instructions."

We then looked at the response of Mike and the target. From afar, I could easily guess that Mike had a sudden shift in his behavior when he saw George. He looked like he was panicking as he started spouting something to the target. Since the target was facing his back on us, we can't quite see his reactions.

"Don't you think he's fidgeting a little too much, mom?" I asked while tapping her soldiers with my forefinger.

"That's the point." Mom then pushed a button on the walkie-talkie again and said, "Okay, George. Tell me what they're talking about there."

From a distance, I saw George standing up slowly as he walked into the store again. After a while, we heard his voice in the walkie-talkie. "Mike is proceeding as planned."

"Good." Mom said to the receiver with a nod. "Go there with Jeffrey now. Corner the target from each side. Don't let the target get away and keep reminding Mike that he needs to take him into the mall. One of Veronica's affiliates is already inside, and we can't fuck this up for us. Understand?"

"Yes, auntie." George's determined voice echoed out of the walkie-talkie.

"Good. Now go back there, hurry." Mom said as she slowly pulled her sunglasses and peeked out of it with a half-wide grin.

However, when George and Jeffrey left the store and immediately went towards the direction of Mike and the target, both of them stood up from the table, and the target was particularly on alert as he hurriedly went into the middle of the road with Mike. He took his bag quickly before Jeffrey could even sit on his right side.

"He's a smart one, alright." Mom said with a click of his tongue as her grin swiftly disappeared. She then talked into the walkie-talkie again. "George, Jeffrey, both of you stay there outside of the store. Don't move."

"Understood." I heard George's voice in the walkie-talkie while my mom swiftly stood at the edge of the sidewalk with a stern expression. I then walked towards her. As I finally beside her, she grabbed my arm gently; I expected her to be nervous since the operation might fail, but she looks calmer than I expected.

"Are you okay, mom?" I asked while we observed how Mike and the target talked to each other in the middle of the road.

"Sure. We're not the one in the wrong here. Mike did exactly as he was told, but the target this time is just too cunning." She then sighed while taking her sunglasses off, revealing a tired-looking gaze that showed how much she wishes to go home and drink tea instead of doing this. "This is Veronica's problem now. She would probably take Mike away from us, which is good."

"But wasn't Mike supposed to take the target into the mall?" I said as I looked at the target leaving.

"That is, indeed, the plan."

I then slowly narrowed my eyes as a smile started to creep up on my face. "Then, we can safely say that Mike failed us, right?"

Mom then looked at me with a chuckle. "Well, she didn't fail in Veronica's eyes. That's the only thing important to me."

"I see." I then tried my best to conceal my laughter as I saw the target turning around. Thus, the target saw all of our faces before he left ultimately. "He saw us."

"Indeed, he did." Mom said as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Then, it's perfectly fine for me to perform some... disciplinary procedures, right?" I said as the shadow on my face started to heighten while I looked at Mike, who was still standing in the middle of the road.

"Mom then looked at me with a yawn as she slowly walked towards the van. "Do whatever you want."

"Sure," I said as I felt different forms of darkness running in my head all at once as I beckoned the twins to approach me. Meanwhile, Mike was still standing in the middle of the road like the damn moron that he is.

"What is it, Toly bro?" Jeffrey uttered with a confused look on his face as I put some cement and water on the pail that I had asked them to bring for me.

"Do you guys want to play a game!?" I said excitedly towards the twins as I looked at the unmixed combination of water and concrete dust on the pail.

"Sure!" They both said in unison as their fat tummies flapped like unkempt wings as they ran towards me like featherless chickens.

"Okay!" I said with the same excited tone on my voice as I dragged the enormous blue bucket inside of the van, which contained the rest of the unused water. "I want you guys to mix that cement and water on that metal pail for me, will ya!? The person who mixes the fastest will get to buy as much as they want in that 7-11 store! Do you like that!"

"We sure do!" They both said while kneeling in front of the pail on the ground.

"Then start mixing, my dear cousins!" I then looked at the two of them with excitement, but both of them didn't move. "Go on now! Mix, mix, mix!" I said like a clown for a child's birthday party.

"Well, don't we need a small shovel to do that, Cousin Toly?" George said with her forefinger on his chubby cheeks. Jeffrey stood beside him, nodding with the same amount of confusion on their faces.

"Oh... err... really? I mean, OF COURSE, I KNOW THAT!" I then laughed heartily with my hands on my stomach. "Silly! For this game, you need to use uhh... YOUR HANDS! That's right! Mix, mix, mix with your hands, my cousins!"

"I see! Then I won't lose!" George said as he dropped his hands onto the pail.

"Ahh! Cheater! Me too!" Jeffrey said with a panicked expression before plunging his hands deep into the pail too.

Without further ado, they started burying their arms inside of the cement with joy, flailing their arms inside of the pail for me until it turned into a mushy mixture that doesn't look quite as I expected.

"Hmm... It's not really mixing up well, eh?" I said while gazing at the boys with a worried look on my face.

"Of course, it wouldn't Cousin Toly!" George assured with a wide grin on his face while still mixing the cement on the pail. "You also need sand and gravel if you want to mix this damn thing!"

"Err... Well, this is embarrassing." I said with a chuckle as I scratched the back of my head. "Here I thought I could finally see someone with a cement face... You know what, boys! Why don't you wash your hands on that bucket there, and I will go there with Mike, so we can judge who's the winner, eh?"

"SURE!" They said as they stood up with excited faces, whisking cement all over the ground.

Well, that didn't go as I had planned it to be, but whatever. This is just for show anyway! I was planning on making cement somehow and then pouring it on top of Mike, so I could finally see what statues look like if you use real people as a literal base of it, but oh well... WHATEVER! Well, now that I had thought about it, maybe it wouldn't work too because there's not enough cement here...? ARGH! WHATEVER!

I then took the metal pail and walked towards Mike. I then dropped the pail in front of him with a wide grin on my face.

"Oh... I... Hey, Father Anatoly, I'm sorry if it didn't go as planned, but I..."

"Kneel." I uttered with a commanding tone while a gentle and broad smile remained on my face.

"What... do you mean?" Mike said, while looking at the pail on the ground.

"You want to confess your sins, right?" I then pointed to the ground with the same gentle and broad smile on my face. "Go on then, Mike. Kneel."

"I... I see..." He then slowly fell onto his knees with his fingers clasped together while his arms shook. He looked straight onto the cement inside of the pail as he started talking again while being on his knees. "Forgive me, father, for I have..." Mike uttered as he gradually raised his head to look up at me, but his voice stopped when he saw my left leg raised straight into the air above his head. "Wha--BLEGHRK!"

Before he could realize what would happen to him, my feet had already dropped onto his head, plunging his face deep into the cement.

"APOLOGIZE!" I screamed as I grounded my soles onto Mike's head tightly.

Mike then started speaking muffled words with his face in the pail as he began to flail his hands and feet around. "GRAMHGH SWORGHY! GRAMHGH SWORGHY! GRAMHGH SWORGHY!" Mike struggled to say with his face deep into the mixture of water and cement inside of the metal petal.

"STOP STRUGGLING NOW, BOY, OR ELSE GOOOOD WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOUR STUPID ASS, I TELL YA!" I yelled again as I continued to drop the entire weight of my body onto my feet. Luckily, this place is almost deserted, so there are no bystanders that would stop me from doing this necessary correcting measure on my mom's employee... which is all according to my plan, by the way. Definitely!

Mike then stopped moving, but he remained speaking muffled breaths while I buried my face on the pail. His chest started to heave up and down quickly, making me laugh at the thought that he's somehow breathing whatever mistake is inside of that pail. The initial plan is that I will bury his face on the cement till it hardens and pull his skin out of it and somehow heal him with whatever death-defying mechanisms they have out there in the Organization. Alas, what I have instead is this... cement juice thingie. Oh, whatever. WHATEVER! I don't care anyway; this can be fun too.

"Good!" I said as I loosened the strength around my feet, but I still kept the contact of my soles on Mike's head. "Smack your right hand on the ground if you're sorry!

He complied without any further qualms.

"Smack your right hand on the ground twice if you won't do it again!"

He did so again without causing more trouble for me.

"Good, boy, good! Now do that again with both of your hands this time if you don't want the cement to harden on your face."

He complied like a good little boy immediately; he did so well that he started smacking the ground so much that his arms palms started to redden like it was about to bleed.

I then pulled my legs away from Mike's head. When I did so, Mike lifted his face, showing a few improperly mixed cement on his falling on his skin.

"Ew." I said as I looked at him with a squirm. "Go wash your face there in the bucket near the van, will ya?"

When I said so, Mike immediately staggered towards the huge blue plastic bucket outside of the van and willingly plunged his whole head deep into it.

"What are you doing, Mike! You shouldn't put your face there if you want to judge us!" Jeffrey said with a laugh.

Mike was then about to raise his head from the bucket when George pushed it deep in there again. "Op, op, op!" He then began shaking Mike's head furiously into the water. "You should wash your face properly, Mike! Maybe you missed some spot, eh?"

"HEY, GUYS!" I then yelled at the two of them from afar as I looked at Mike's glasses inside of the pail along with cement. "Can you believe it? Mike said, you're both winners! Go there now and buy whatever you want! My treat!" I said with a fake excited voice while pointing at the 7-11.

"Yay!" They both then cheerfully ran towards the 7-11, leaving Mike on his lonesome for once. The poor guy then pulled his head out of the water before his body shook so hard that he fell onto the floor, crying.

"Aww!" I said as I quickly approached him with my hands open wide. "Come here."

Mike almost flinched and moved his body away from me, but he's too exhausted to do so. I then laid his head on my chest as I patted his back gently, feeling him shake uncontrollably in my arms.

"Shh... It's gonna be okay now. Shh..." I said as I gently cradled Mike's body on my gentle touch.

As I did so, I realized that a few crows started to circle above us, cawing loudly, making their presence known as some of their feathers fell onto my head like darkened confetti from the sky. I then looked at my cousins inside the convenience store as I cradled Mike's trembling body in my arms.

That's right.

The fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble at My presence.