Entry #165
Title - Purgatory by Random Andrews
Genre - Adult: Science Fiction
Query - An armed robbery critically
injures Clayton Stockton and takes the life of his six-year-old brother,
Joey. Clayton struggles to find meaning in life while dealing with the
loss of his brother and absence of a father, who he lost earlier to
cancer. He is a self-proclaimed agnostic but struggles to find closure
regarding his little brother’s ill-timed death. Meanwhile, Joey’s soul begins the long process of reincarnation that
is well hidden from today’s society. There is only one God. He cannot
keep up with the ever-increasing population rate while still attempting
to manage the evil that has plagued our world. He has created a system
that can automatically recycle souls, erase their previous life, and
assign a new host and destination for their next life on Earth.
Clayton, only eighteen years old, succumbs to the early stages of
depression. He turns to drugs and alcohol for immediate ecstasy but
constantly longs for the bond his family once had. Only after
discovering signs from a hidden afterlife, he notices the family he
yearns for can be recreated with his girlfriend, Brittney. Clayton
purposely impregnates her, destroying her future in the process.God’s system is supposedly impeccable, but an erratic malfunction
occurs. Joey’s soul is accidentally sent into the body of Clayton’s
newborn son. This mistake will affect the entire world and only Clayton
has the power to stop it, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
The First 250 -
“Joey! Get your
fucking ass over here right now!”
Our mother, Sharon, screamed at my attention deficit disordered, six
year old brother. “Don’t make me tell
you again.”
It was Black Friday at Greenwood Park Mall and to say it was
a bit over-crowded was an understatement.
Everyone has packed together like a cheap can of sardines, scavenging
the mall for any type of sale or discount.
Our mother, who is never afraid to speak her mind, was scared she was
going to lose Joey again, just like she did two years ago at the State Fair. Memories of that chaotic scene played out in
her head as she impatiently waited for Joey to return to her clammy, terrifying
grip.
“Joey-- I am going to count to three. If you are not next to me, I am going to
spank your ass so hard–you won’t be able to sit on Santa’s lap until next year!”
she yelled towards his direction.
Shocked shoppers, upset by our mother’s filthy mouth, stare
off in disgust. But Sharon’s cold eyes
over-powered their judging attitudes, like an un-even battle in
tug-of-war. By now, Joey knew she was
not playing. This was exactly what happened
to him when she finally found him two years ago. He got his ass beat, welted, right in
front of everyone. However, Joey simply
couldn’t help it. The countless amounts
of Christmas lights and holiday decor had caught his attention a little bit better
than the lotions and candles our mom was shopping for at Bath and Body Works.