RESURRECTION

It’s late at night in the skies of Chicago. 12:00am to be exact. Rats scurry around to find the newest scrap of food. Bums are sleeping in their boxes. And the ground around the grave of Lajon Aliss is moving. The Crow swoops down and lands on the tombstone. It caws as if telling the newly dead to arise. It caws once again to awaken Aliss from a deadly slumber. A hand manages to climb through the maggot-infested dirt. Aliss climbs out of his earthen grave and falls onto the ground. Very much exhausted and out of breath. He looks up at the engraving and sees: Lajon Aliss 1964-1994 A loving Husband and a caring friend. He looks at the crow and remembers his death. His eyes find a picture that was placed there, quite possibly by the funeral director. It is a picture of Lajon and Francesca at their wedding. She is wearing the necklace that Lajon gave her for her birthday. At the bottom of it, near her cleavage, is an amulet. He touches the picture and remembers their wedding. A very small wedding with Lajon's co-workers and Lajon’s boss and secretary as witnesses and guests. Another fast memory of Lajon and Francesca saying "I do". Another flashback of the priest saying, "You can now kiss the bride". All these images, previous and new collide back and forth causing Lajon much pain. He curls up in the fetus position for several moments while waiting for them to pass. Suddenly, one big burst of pain hits him and he claws at his own face, screaming out loud. Moments pass and he looks back up. His face was bleeding black blood and it slowly painted a design upon his face, one that vaguely is reminiscent of the amulet his wife wore. The Crow flies from the tombstone down to the ground and a voice comes from within it.

The Crow says, “You done with your mood swings, boy?""

Lajon looks at the crow, puzzled at the bird.

The Crow says, “Hey, I'm talkin to you!"

Lajon looks around.

Lajon says, “Me?"
The Crow, “Yes you.... Shit...I gotta deal with you? I wonder if there’s a job available in purgatory...."
Lajon, “Have I passed over?"
The Crow replies, “Stop being a wiseass. Forget about formalities. Do you know what your here for?"
Lajon says, “I see... John Lee O'Conner."
The Crow says, “What do we have for him Johnny? Pick door number one and wreak vengeance on your killers? Or pick door number two and stay forever in your own private little hell on earth?"

Lajon faces morphs from one of consideration to one of total understanding, with a very vicious grin waking up.

Lajon says, “Death is my game now. It must be savored until the last taste."
The Crow says, “At least you’re in the mood for it."
Lajon says, “So what’s the plan?"
The Crow says, “Well, if you ever want to see you’re loving wife again, we find O'Conner and pay him back."

Lajon pauses for a second and then responds to the crow.

Lajon says, “Time to go back home...."
The Crow says, “Well, I guess we can spare some time."

The Crow and Lajon head off to his former home.