The Day of Judgment is upon us. Every man, woman, and child has received their letter, an inescapable summons detailing the date and time an angelic advocate will come to meet them. Every soul, man, woman, child, will stand before the scales of their own actions. I am neither the judge nor the jury. I am but one of many angels sent by God, tasked with bearing witness and offering advocacy for mankind. I am the angel David, and what follows are my stories. Hey, sis. I'm just sitting here watching the content on my TV, and somehow on my laptop, too. How about you? Same thing, huh? Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's God, right? Yeah, well, God apparently knows how to hack every device I own. I kind of wish he'd help me with my taxes instead. I know, I know. I'm just playing. Have you looked out your window? What a shit show. People are going wild, though. Damn. I love that bar. Nothing. So, sister, you promised me this is going to be painless. Bullshit. Well, then there has to be way out of this. Mike? I don't believe anything Mike says. And you do? Well, I think I'm just gonna sock this angel dude in the face as soon as I open the door. Yeah, yeah, I'm kidding. Yes, I care about my soul. So when's your date? Any second now. You're kidding me. That's what mine is. Yeah, me too. Okay, sister, I'll talk to you in a bit. Love you too. Yeah, yeah, coming, coming. So, you're the angel. Yes, my name is David. I guess you have to judge the right person, huh? I'm not here to judge you, but just talk to you about your life. May I come in? What if I say no? I guess you can see the future in my whole life. I can only catch certain glimpses. Definitely not the future. And if I were you in your shoes, I'd definitely have me come in. Then by all means, come on in. Please, take a seat. Thank you. Where do we start? Your full name is Vincent Ryan Santini? Yes. Have you ever gone to the wrong person's house before? That would be hilarious. No. Oh, okay. What if someone lives under a tree? I'll find them. So, is this going to be painful? It depends on you. If you belong in his arms, you'll be taken to him at the speed of light. But for those who don't, a darker force opposite of myself will drag you below. The unbelievers, the unfaithful, they'll be left behind. If your soul is at peace, the door opens to light. If not, another knock will come, and it won't be me. Wow. Okay. Then where do we start? How was your arrival into the building? It's been chaos around here ever since. And the homeless crisis is insane right now. They're everywhere. They're like ghosts. And you step out your door and it's tents and needles. I mean, they're so disgusting. I mean, you want to help, sure, but how much can one man do? Hmm. It sounds like you have a deep anger toward them. They pay no taxes. They're a blight on our society. Everyone should be rounded up and thrown on a deserted island so the rest of us can live in peace without having to see them. Or smell them. But I've seen you give them money several times. Actually, 80 times over the years. I don't know. Maybe I did it so they could have a drink on me. Maybe they had a bad day, like I did. I mean, what else is there to do when you're homeless? I mean... Do you think they still have rights as American citizens? Fuck I don know Excuse my language I mean I guess they still citizens but they don pay taxes Why should they get the same luxury as I do Every time they buy something, like a candy bar or a beer, they pay taxes, don't they? But they lie and they defecate wherever they want. It's disgusting. I mean, heaven, if there is one, do they have homeless there? I think not. I mean, you get what I'm saying, right? They're just people, Vincent. They might not look like you or drive a fancy car like you. They're just people. And at this point, if you think I'm here to sell you a vacuum, you're dearly mistaken. Look, Mr. Angel. It's David. Okay, David. I just think they shouldn't be able to live and shit and do nothing to help further this society. Have you done anything to ensure that they had a place to sleep? Food. In their stomachs. How could I? I mean, how was that on me? What could one man do? You have enough money in your bank account right now to buy a building for every homeless person you've given cash to so you wouldn't have to see them on the streets every day on your way home from work. That's my money. I work day and night for it. Why should I give it to them? 72 times. What does that mean? It was 72 times that you almost lost it all. No job, no car, no money. Me homeless. Sure. How? You could have easily become an alcoholic. Who knows what would have happened when you hit rock bottom. There's no damn way. I'm sorry, but I disagree. I mean, my sister would have taken me in. She would have, until she couldn't. You don't exactly get along with her husband, Robert. Then you would have ended up on the streets, struggling. Every day. Homeless. When? Tell me at least one time this could have happened to me. The company you work for up until recently has been evading taxes for years and has attempted a dozen failed murders. One day, you could have easily walked into the office and found no one there, just a complete ghost town. Electric off, no plumbing. That can't be true. My boss would have told me. I would have known. I just can't believe that. Not to mention your boss has attempted suicide three times. And at any one of these three times, you would have lost it all. No. Again, I would have known. My boss loves me like a brother, and I love him too. You love him like you did Jessica. More than Jessica. Jessica? I haven't thought about her in a long time. She had the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen. I still think about her from time to time. What about her? Did you truly love her? I think so. Yes. She was the love of my life, I'd have to say. Why did your relationship end? I can't remember what happened. It's been so long. I remember we got into a bit of an argument over God knows what. I mean, no pun intended. Did she like you taking the job you have now? No, actually. I think it was because I wanted to take this job. Why was she wrong? Was she? Yeah. She said something about long hours and that I would have had to leave quickly for training. How quickly? That day. I'm sure she wanted you to have the job with such good pay. It paid great. It would have put both of us at another level. And it did. I told her to hold on. Then what was the problem? Okay, okay. I remember now. Yes, she was. She was going through something. And that was... She lost both of her parents in a head-on car collision. I'm sure it was weeks or even months before or after you took that job, right? It was two days after. But I had no choice. I would have called her every day. Every second I could. But that wasn't good enough. She needed you more than that job ever did. Well, if you put it like that. Look, she seemed fine. And we both were broke and we needed the money. We would have been on the streets, together. Who doesn't need money, right? Well, you obviously don't. You'll never get what we humans go through. I've been human 14 times. The last time was about 10 years ago, when I was made an angel. Okay, so you get it. You have to understand what I'm saying. Make me understand, Vincent. When your house payment is up, it's up. You pay it. When your car your electric bill your phone and on and on when that is due you have to pay Or guess what They shut you off or they take it back That it She didn understand that She had to have. How close were you to your parents? My parents? Man, they were the best. They taught me everything. And they taught me that when there's an opportunity, you take it. Right then and there. When you lost your parents, I'm sure you handled that perfectly. Went to work every day, handled it like a man would. Like they taught you. Am I right? No. Well, I went on this drinking bid for like two weeks, I think. I almost lost my job, but my boss gave me another chance. Was there another reason Jessica didn't want you to take that job? I don't know. Think, Vincent. I'm not sure. Maybe. Do you remember that hiring party? Yeah, I still don't believe it. I still don't think he could be capable of such a thing. What did she say, Vincent? She saw him grabbing himself like, well, looking at a young boy in the distance. So she says. You didn't believe her? She told me, I just didn't see it. And in all those years of working side by side with your boss, you never saw such a thing. I was working late one night. I was trying to fix this huge mistake. I forgot to turn in a report for one of our biggest partners. So I snuck onto his computer. I mean, I watched him type in his password a thousand times. So I got in and I made the change. But... I'm sure it was the typical work files on your boss's computer. Well, it wasn't. I found... things I can never unsee. But I have to believe it was just spam, or his computer just got corrupted. I mean, it happens, right? No doubt. That happens. But do you really think that's what happened here? No. I guess not. She knew, didn't she? She tried to warn me. And I left her when she lost both of her parents. What did I do? She was the best thing that ever happened to me. But I would have lost everything if I hadn't taken that job. Wouldn't I have? I am strong-willed, but I want the best for people. I've never left anyone behind. If someone knocks on my door or calls me, I answer. If they need me, I help. You didn't answer your phone or your door. for your cousin Scott, did you? Scott? No. That guy's a whole other story. It's a bad apple, that one. Didn't you lean on him when your parents died? Wasn't he the one that drank with you day in and day out just to be there for you? He was already an alcoholic. You know, you or God can't put that on me. You have to be in charge of your own life, like I am. You didn't introduce him to pain pills and whiskey. Oh, stop. No. Well... You didn't give him his first, second, third, and fourth line of it? You didn't call him a little girl for not taking the fifth line? I don't know. I'm not sure I can remember. No, but that couldn't have been his first start at drugs. It just couldn't. And his wife didn't leave him at that time. He called you. He begged you to answer, but you refused to help him or be there for him. Why? I could barely be there for myself. How am I supposed to help a grown-ass man with drug issues? Vincent. She didn't leave him because of drugs. She left him because their son got hurt and they both couldn't cope with it. That kid was fine. She had no business leaving him for that. How would you know? You never tried to help them. You never tried to help your own cousin, did you? How dare you? He turned into a raging alcoholic and a drug addict. That is not on me, sir. This is bullshit. It's all bullshit. My sister took him in, and he took some of her jewelry. He was wrong for that, no doubt. But he pawned it to hire a lawyer trying to get visitation of his own kid. Before he did, he called you again, begging to borrow money. And you had plenty, didn't you? At that time, you bought two new cars, a motorcycle, a boat you never used, and another property for a girl you only use for sex. She used me, too. It was mutual. Hey, listen. Man or angel, are you done interrogating me about the things I couldn't control in my life? Your cousin's son wasn't sick. He was molested. How am I supposed to know such a thing? How was that in any way on me? The woman you called the love of your life was against your boss because she saw something in that man. But you left her for what that evil man could give you That man that very man molested your cousin son How When? You took them to your work event. You were mingling with your cousin, and then the kid says he needs to go to the restroom. Your boss replies, I'm on my way there now. I'll take him. You watched him go with your boss. You looked away because deep down you already knew. And you still let him go with him, didn't you? I didn't know. I didn't know. You did. And you just put it in the furthest part of your mind to forget about it. And that's how you sleep at night. If I knew 100%, I would take care of my cousin and his son. I think I'm done here, Vincent. Wait, please tell me, where is my cousin now? Him and his son are in God's arms. He was doing okay, right? He was homeless. He's been in a part of town that you would never drive past in your life. No. No. And where's Jessica now? She clung to memory like it was a blanket. But grief has no warmth. Only weight. You stop talking like a Bible. Bible. Jessica, she too has been homeless from the second week you left her over your job. That can't be. No way. She was bright. She had everything going for her. There is no way. She took it hard when she not only lost her parents and lost you, she had nowhere to go. She would climb, then fall. She turned to alcohol and men. They both used her and spit her back out. I don't believe that. This is a trick of some kind. Just a few blocks from here, a couple years ago, a barely recognizable Jessica, whose life had been so unkind to her face and body, approached you. She didn't recognize you at first, but soon after, she begged you for spare change. After five minutes, you threw it on the ground like she was an animal, like she was nothing. I didn't know. I didn't know. What we bury in silence blooms in darkness, and darkness feeds on denial. Wait. Before you go, is she alive? She took her life a year ago. Vincent, I must say goodbye. What will happen to me? Before the end, there's always a moment. Brief as breath, where truth asks to be heard. You just answered late. Pick up, sis. Pick up. Big sister, oh my god. I'm so glad you're still there. Your guy just left too? Was it as horrific as mine was? Sis Hello? Evelyn Hello No No, please Don't leave me alone down here There's no fire in hell Greater than the burn of what might have been And no heaven more distant Than the one we walk past On earth Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
