All By One

"Fear not, my son, for his is the kingdom of Heaven."

Alan was crying.

The steering wheel had crushed the lower part of his ribcage, had
penetrated a good halfway through his body. The bones were bent inward,
puncturing his internal organs. His breath came shallow and not without
pain. But this was not why he cried.

It was the preacher's words that hurt him the most. The preacher, who
had just happened by the accident at the right time, was trying his best
to comfort Alan. In the first few minutes, he was happy to have someone
with him. It meant someone knew that he was hurt, that real help
couldn't be far behind. But through the falling rain, he had seen a
change in the preacher's eyes as he took in Alan's mangled body. He
wasn't trying to comfort Alan, he was trying to prepare him. Prepare him
to die.

As much as he tried, he couldn't believe the preacher's words, couldn't
wrap his mind around a concept so large. Before, he had admired those
kinds of people, those that genuinely believed. Not the thumpers, or the
evangelists, but the simple man, simply believing in God. They don't
know why they believe, they never had to make a choice. They just did.