"Forgive Me Father..." part 2

Story and Script by: Richard Gutierrez

The Punisher TM and copyright Marvel Entertainment Group 1998

NEW YORK CITY

A quiet summer’s day. A young couple and their two kids are having the picture perfect picnic. A light breeze is blowing through the little girl’s hair. The little boy and his father are playing catch. The mother is just placing the hot apple pie on the checkered tablecloth that she’s spread on the warm grass. It’s a sight that can stay in your memory forever. For Frank Castle, A.K.A. the Punisher, it’s the last good memory he has.

Frank: Maria that pie smells almost as good as you do.

Maria: Frank, are you trying to work that smooth act of yours on me?

Frank: That depends…is it working?

Frank Jr.: Daddy… Daddy… Look I found a frog.

Maria: That’s YOUR son.

CLICK CLICK

Frank: What was...?

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Frank (covered in blood): Nooo...nooo not my family. Why not me? Why not...

Frank (sitting up in bed): ...me!?! Ah. It’s was just a dream. Yet, everything felt so real. I can still see the light in my daughter’s eye. The way the sun danced around my wife’s, Maria, head. The smile on my little boys face as we flew a kite. It just felt so...real.

Frank gets up from his bed and slowly walks over to a makeshift sink and tries to wash the sleep from his eyes.

Micro (from radio): Frank are you awake? Frank?

Frank: Yea, Micro I’m up. Did you find you anything about the "Sin Eater"?

Micro: Not much. We know that he has a connection to the priests he’s been killing. From what you were telling me, it seems that the priests molested him and several other boys about 15 year’s ago.*

*This all happened in Issue #1*

Frank: There are only two left, Fathers Mitchell and Annuli. I’m going to take the battlevan and pay a visit to Father Annuli this evening. I need to punish those who need to be punished.

Micro: Who’s that going to be?

Frank (loading up his van): I don’t know. Micro, I just don’t know.

Micro has seen Frank this way several times before. He gets this way when he is torn between two viewpoints. Micro can see that Frank wants to punish Sin Eater before his personal war spills over an harms an innocent, but he can also see that Frank wants to punish the priest for what they did 15 years ago. Frank had a son that would have been the Sin Eater’s age then. It’s tearing him up. Micro decides to do some more checking to see if there are any other charges against the priests.

A large figure wearing a black trenchcoat is addressing his men.

Figure: All is in readiness. The Urich woman is ours. The weapons are making their way to the low-level street thugs. My plan for this backwater sphere is nearing completion.

Just then, Ben Urich, a reporter from the Daily Bugle, burst into the warehouse...

Ben (running at man): What have you done with her? Where’s my wife?

Man (low gravely voice): Your wife will be fine. Calm yourself. (under his breath) You humans have always been so sensitive about their mates.*

Father Annuli(sleeping):ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZ Z ZZZZZZ

Sin Eater (whispering): Father....Father.

Father Annuli (waking up): ZZZ...Whaaat?

Sin Eater: Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 3 days since my last confession.

Father Annuli (dazed): What...who are you? Why have you violated my home? Get out or I’ll call the police.

Sin Eater (louder): Violated your home? Violated your HOME?! You didn’t seem to have trouble violating me 15 years ago.

Father Annuli (snapped awake by the feel of a .44 under his chin): It can’t be you. I had heard of the others but didn’t think you’d come for me. Please have mercy.

Sin Eater (tightly squeezing the trigger): Mercy? HAHAHAHAHAHA! I’ll give you the same mercy that you showed the other boys and me on that trip all those years ago. I hunger father, and only your sins can sate it.

BLAM! BLAM!

Sin Eater puts two bullets into Father Annuli’s head.

Sin Eater (leaving through the bedroom window): My mission is almost done only one is left. Father Mitchell you will soon feed my hunger. I hope wherever you are, you are making peace with your God.

Sin Eater jumps into his car and drives away. After he turns the corner...

KA-BOOM!!!!

Sin Eater’s car explodes in a ball of flame. High above the explosion, the Punisher is standing on a nearby water tower. The detonator falls from his hand. He silently climbs down the tower and calmly gets in his battlevan.

Punisher (to self): One more loose end to tie up.

The Punisher drives by the flaming wreckage without a second glance. If he had turned, he might have seen the burnt and twisted metal begin to move and shift. He might have seen a hand rise above the flames.

Father Mitchell is knelling at the altar saying his prayers, as if his life depended on it. He’s right.

Father Mitchell: Our Father who art in Heaven...

Punisher (standing behind Father Mitchell): Father Mitchell, I’m here to forgive you Father for you have sinned. It has been several years since YOUR last confession.

Father Mitchell:What are you…

Punisher: Don’t try and by games with me, Father. You know why I’m here.

Father Mitchell: Please it was so many years ago. I had all but forgotten the events of that evening.

Punisher (grabbing the priest and dragging him into a confessional): Well, I’m here to remind you.

SLAM!

The Punisher throws the priest into one of the confessionals.

Punisher: I’m waiting Father.

Father Mitchell (sobbing): Please don’t make me go through with these.

CLICK CLICK

Punisher (cocking his gun): Maybe you shouldn’t have gone through with it 15 years ago. Now tell me…what happened.

Father Mitchell: It was at a conference 15 years ago. Several other clergy and myself where in town to figure out a way to boost the number of parishioners. There were guest speakers and festivities. It was a glorious weekend.

Punisher: Get on with it. My finger is getting tired of being around this trigger.

Father Mitchell: There was a boy’s choir that truly charmed the attending clergy members. Their voices seemed to fill the air with love and hope. They weren’t little boys, they where angels. My son, have you ever known a feeling…like…you see something so beautiful that you must see more of it, must touch it, must KNOW it? That’s how we felt. We invited the angel’s back to where they held a Sunday school class. We all played games. Took pictures. A grand time was had by all. The way that their little faces lit up as I..we.. touched...talked to them about the glories of God. How they felt...wanted to know more. How they tasted...hungered for...BLAM!

The Punisher fires one shot into the confessional, killing Father Mitchell. The Punisher sits in the confessional for several silent minutes. He watches as the blood rolls out of the hole in Father Mitchell’s head. He sees his son, who was a member of the choir, telling him that he was sick and couldn’t go to the conference to perform that day 15 years ago.

Punisher: Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has been...to long since my last confession. I've seen things in my life that no man or woman should ever see. I’ve seen my family murdered while we were on a picnic all those years ago. Seen grown men blown to pieces while I was in Vietnam. I’ve seen and done so much. I swore I wouldn’t let another innocent be harmed, but am I making a difference.? Does anything I do count?

Sin Eater: Not a Damn bit!

The Punisher jumps from the confessional as the Sin Eater hurls a grenade at him.

BOOM!

Punisher: How did you survive the car?

Sin Eater: Hunger! Hunger for revenge against those who wronged me all those years ago. You have robbed me of my revenge. My hunger for their sins was mine and mine alone! Die!

Sin Eater begins to shoot at the Punisher. The Punisher dodges and starts to shoot back.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Punisher: The ones who did what they did to you are dead. You’re free.

Sin Eater: FREE?!?! They were mine...not yours...MINE! Now you will have to die for what you cost me.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The Punisher leaps from behind the altar and fires a series for blasts that strike Sin Eater and causes him to crash through a stain-glassed window. Impaling him on a shard of glass.

Sin Eater(gurgling on blood): You ....can kill...me. I’m a force of....nature! You can’t...

BLAM! BLAM!

The Punisher fires a bullet into each eye socket killing Sin Eater.

Punisher (turning and leaving the church): I can kill you. I can make a difference, no matter how small. You are a force of nature. I have the force of WILL and that will prevail!

After the Punisher leaves, a strange mist surrounds the now dead Sin Eater. A form seems to leave the body. Could this be his soul?

Soul: HAHAHA! Punisher you have no idea of what you’ve gotten yourself into. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!