Judgment Day

So, this is it, he thought. This is how it ends. He had nothing to do with it, and did nothing to stop it from happening. He watched the earth as it burned in the fires of sin, he watched it as it drove itself mad in chaos. Yet, he watched, and did nothing. Irony, he thought, they suspected me to save them, and I did. They didn’t appreciate it, called me a freak, threatened to burn me, but when they really needed me, I couldn’t help them. I had no desire to. After what they did to me, they deserved it.

He kicked a small pebble high on the mountain top. He watched as fell to the ground, it landed in a pile of rubble where one of the houses used to be. He saw a hand, just under a peace of plywood, rotting. Bugs flew in circles above it, animals taking pieces of flesh and scurrying away. The sun was bright red, vibrant, neon. It cast an orange glow about the city. Beautiful, he thought, beautiful yet tragic. There was no one to share it with, no one to hold, to love, to scream at. No one to betray, and no one to kill.

It was for the better, he thought. He could always start fresh. Surely there were some other people like him. He could find a new planet, mentor them. He couldn’t possibly be alone…

And if he were? What was there to live for? He asked himself this question many times. When the people revolted, when they shouted, “We don’t need you!” when they attacked him on the streets because everything had gone wrong. But in the end, it had gone right, hadn’t it?

The human race was flawed, they were sinful, greedy creatures that did things and thought about it later. They killed, and they were jealous. Jealous of others, jealous of him. Envy is a disgusting thing, he came to realize. All the little boys that looked up to him, wishing they were him, Little boys that grew up to be serial killers, because that’s how they can help the world. They could get rid of scum that are just like them. But they never realized that, no, because that is who they are. They could do no wrong, of course. Even when it came to the point where they harmed someone else. He laughed in spite of himself, why had he come here anyway? To save them? Well, that was a lost cause. He only wishes he knew it beforehand. He only wished he hadn’t wasted a hundred years to save what cannot be saved.

He looked out towards the horizon. Funny what could happen in a day. Stars could fall from the sky; people could burn, die, and kill each other in the fear of death. Because death came knocking to all, but they thought they could survive. Hope, what a waste on a race so flawed. Houses burned, baby’s cried, people died and still, the sun set. Because life goes one, he chuckled at the phrase. Even if life is gone, time would go in a forward motion; there is no turning back, no regrets. What’s done is done. He tried, he failed, but he was okay with that.

He was a hero, a savior. He was looked upon, and beloved. But when things went wrong, he was a villain, a sinner, Satan. He “corrupted” them.

In the end he was an angel. They just weren’t here to see him get his wings. He could walk down the streets and pretend to be loved again. He would say hi to Jimmy, who was a little boy that looked up to him so. He would tip his hat at Martha, who would smile and ask if he was doing anything tonight, even though she was married.

He’d hug young Suzie, whose dog died two weeks ago. He went to its funeral, after much begging on Suzie’s behalf. He cried when she cried, laughed when she laughed. And in that moment he felt wanted, he felt a connection to humans. After all these years, a dead dog would make him appreciate human existence.

Somewhat.

Because they still burned. They screamed in agony. They ran when they had nowhere to go, as fire raged in a circle around them, they prayed to a god that wasn’t there. They sobbed and pleaded and wished I could save them.

But I could not.

He looked up to the sky, vibrant red oranges and yellows. It was beautiful. But he would not miss it one bit

No regrets, he told himself

He flew back home.