"Happiness is precious. It's hard to come by. When you have it, you don't know you had it until you lose it. It's more valuable than gold. For that reason alone, happiness is worth fighting for." - Unknown.

Shlink!

The cold metal of the magazine sliding into place, followed by the sharp sound of the slide jutting forward. Cha-chink!  Lights by Ellie Goulding playing on a loop in the background. A cloud of smoke rising up. A framed picture of a young woman with jet black hair and blue eyes brighter than the sky on the clearest day sitting on a dresser. 

"I'm sorry Jess...I tried..." Joshua, a young man of 22-years-old said to the picture sitting across from him. He stared long and deep into the eyes of the woman. "I'm coming home..." Joshua put the gun to his head, put his finger on the trigger and as he gave slight pressure to the trigger, Joshua heard a voice boom into his head.

"Joshua  Teller. Heed and listen to my words carefully."

"What the fu-? Who are you? Where are you?" Joshua looked around the room, gun at the ready.

A light then flooded the room and Joshua turned around covering his eyes. The light died down just enough so he could see and before him stood an older man with a long and braided beard, clad in golden armor with white trim. 

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How do you know my name? Why are you here? How did you get into my house more importantly? Talk!" Joshua raised his gun at the man.

"I am the before and the after. I have seen humanity fade in and out of existence. I have come with a message for you Joshua. This is not your time."

"Before and after? Not my time? Just who exactly are you? Cut the cryptic shit and tell me. Today ain't the day." Joshua asked, gun still at the ready, but with shaky and hesitant hands.

"I have gone by many names. Ask yourself, who do you think I am?" The man said, maintaining his stalwart pose. 

"Bright ass lights, before and after, old man, cryptic. Are you supposed to be God?"

"That is one name I've been called over time."

"What did you mean this isn't my time? I thought people were supposed to have free will? That's why there's the whole angels and demons thing going on. If I want to off myself, then I have the ability to do so."

"You do, to an extent. Man is free to do as they please, but if I have a mission or see potential in them, I will intervene."

"So you're telling me, that you 'God' as you've been called before, tells me I'm not ready to die because you have something for me to do? Why didn't you give that chance to her?" Joshua waves his arm to the picture sitting on the dresser. "Why didn't you give Jessica that? She had a whole life ahead of her and you could have stepped in and we wouldn't even be here."

"Because she had you. You were all she had and wanted. She had lived her life, but there was more for you." The man picks up the picture and looks at it. "Such a waste that something so beautiful had to go so soon, but such is the way of life." The man added as he dropped the picture to the floor. Joshua then stumbled to grab and prevent the picture from shattering on the floor.

"What the fuck? Watch it will you? I don't have much left of her." Joshua holds the photo closer to him. "What is it you even want? You're here for something. Just spit it out and stop being cryptic already. What do you want of me?"

"I'm here to show you there is more to life than wallowing in melancholy and whatever all this is." The man waves his arm around to show Joshua's room. A dark room lit with LED lights along the edges, glowing with a light purple hue. The floors are immaculately clean with a computer desk sitting in the corner, in front of it, a computer chair with a motorcycle helmet adorned with gaming, meme, comic book, and workplace stickers.

"Not to mention that incessant noise!" The song Lights was still playing.

"Don't have to hate on a good song like that." Joshua pauses the song.

"There is a purpose for you. I want you to share your story. I want you to lift others up and show them that there are good people in the world. Be the way that you were with her." The man points to the photo. "Be a light shining in darkness."

"What's in it for me if I did this? All I want to do is just see Jessica again." 

"I can make that happen."

"How? You gonna bring her back to life? It's been years. Someone would notice." Joshua places the photo back on the dresser. 

"I have my ways. I can make it to where you will see her again. You only need to fulfill the mission that I will put forth in front of you." The man put a hand on Joshua's shoulder. 

"So what am I supposed to do? Just talk to people and tell them what I've been through?" Joshua felt the man's hand as more of a weight than an appendage. Maybe he is the real deal. Holy shit.

"You are to share your story and you are to lift others in their time of need. Be a helping hand towards other souls in need."

"A light shining in darkness." Joshua reflected on in that moment. 

"Exactly my child. Now you are beginning to see what I am trying to teach you. I will bestow you a gift. One that will aid you in your endeavors. I can grant you physical immortality. No blade, bullet, or force will stop you from your mission. You will still feel the pain and see minor injury, but you will not fall victim."

"I feel like this is more you trying to get me to not off myself again should things get heavy." Joshua added with a hint of cynicism. 

"In a matter of speaking, this will prevent that, but there are dangers about when it comes to being there for those in need and this will surely aid you." The man replied.

"Okay. This feels sketchy you know this right?"

"I understand your concerns, but I bring nothing but good intentions to you and others."

"Alright, I'll accept your gift and your mission, but don't expect me to start reading and quoting bible verses. I can't recall a single one if I'm gonna be honest."

"I do not expect you to. It's not necessary. I only ask of you to complete this mission and learn more about yourself and the world around you."

"I mean, I could have done that without all this divine intervention stuff you know that right?"

"Perhaps, but the question is, would you actually have done that? Your actions leading to now have proven otherwise."

"God I hate that you're right. Pun intended? Fine fine. Let's get this started then?"

The man then holds out his hand and from it appeared a glowing orb. It was gold and cloudy. It had a holy aura about it. Like a Throne before telling you to 'Be not afraid.' It both awed and terrified Joshua.

"Come forth child and accept the gift I place before you. May it serve you to carry out my mission and protect you from the dangers of this world." 

Joshua hesitantly bowed his head as the man placed his hand on Joshua's head and a bright light flooded the room once again. Joshua then fell to the floor and was out cold. 

Some time passes and Joshua wakes up and stands up from the floor. He looks around his room to see nothing has changed and sees his gun on the bed. A gen 5 Glock 19 mos. Highly customizable, optics ready with a Trijicon RMR reflex sight already mounted to it, a threaded barrel and an Agency slide. So much money put into something that seems insignificant, but it was his gun much like his bike, he took great care of them. He put on his Saya 2.0 holster and holstered his gun. He looked out the window and saw it was dark out, he looked at his phone and saw it had just become night time. The night was young and he was ready to start the mission he was given. He looked over at his motorcycle helmet and said "For Jessica." He grabbed it and his backpack and headed out the door, hopped on his bike, a Honda CB1000R made to have a passenger with him, he turned up the volume on the song he was playing, "Lights", and sped his way towards the city, never looking back.