Do No Harm

Sally Johnston beamed happily at the street around her on this fine monday morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, everything in God's creation was going right. Well, except the abortions she was protesting. She readjusted her grip on the sign with one hand and offered free bibles with the other. She felt it was part of her religious duty to stop the evils against god, and to spread the good word. And part of spreading the good word started with a good attitude. She noticed the cute young man she saw some days coming out of his ground floor apartment onto the little balcony. He was slim, in a rumpled up black and purple suit that was untucked, unbuttoned and carefree. His black hair was much too untidy for her tastes, yet she couldn't help feeling a bit of an attraction for this man. He looked very grumpy, scowling around at everything he could see, so she decided to cheer him up a bit. “Morning Mister!” she called out from the other side of the street.

He glanced up at hearing her mild southern drawl and chipper voice, and after a second of squinting in the sunlight spotted her. He looked her up and down for a moment and she felt offended at the implied lust in his heart she was sure was there, but then said simply, “Morning.”

Since there was no one else actually awake yet, and she was the chatty sort, she decided to walk over and spread the good word to this man. As she approached he gave her a quizzical look but said nothing until she stopped and leaned on his balcony railing. She beamed happily at him. “You're up early.” She said, thinking it an inoffensive conversation starter.

He snorted. “No, late.” He squinted in the light of the sunrise and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and took a long drag, setting back against the wall and watching the smoke slowly rising up to the sky.

He didn't seem inclined to keep talking much, but Sally was frankly bored and always liked to chat. “Those are bad for you, you know.” She said, still with a big smile on her face. If she couldn't save this man's soul, maybe she could at least save his life.

He rolled his eyes so hard she thought they might pop out. “So is everything. Every second you're alive, you're dying. Every breath you take, the oxygen is speeding up the process of dying. Every pulse of your heart is one pulse closer to death. Every bit of food has tiny bits of poison killing you by inches. To  be alive at all is to die.” He grinned at her, and she felt herself blush, in spite of the off-putting things he had just said. “Some good morning cheer for you.”

Sally was horrified. How could someone be so incredibly negative? He blew a stream of smoke out and smiled genuinely for the first time. It was a little, feeble smile, but it was real. “So let me enjoy my time before death?”

She decided not to press that issue. Instead she changed topic. “it was on a related note I wanted to talk to you, actually. Have you accepted the Lord Our God as your savior?” She tentatively handed him a bible, not sure why he intimidated her so much but feeling mildly afraid, despite his charming smile.

“Nope.” he said simply, taking another long drag and not looking at her, instead watching a bird chirping nearby with a look of disapproval.

“well, have you considered it? There are many--” but he cut her off before she continued.

“Considered it. Rejected it.” He said in the same flat, vaguely dangerous tone.

Sally blinked. “Rejected it?” She was confused. Hesitantly, she pressed, “But why?”

She was surprised to see the look he gave her, which suggested she had just asked him “but why don't you eat your own toes?” He studied her for a moment, then said abruptly, “Well, a great many reasons, miss...?”

“Oh, goodness I'm sorry. Call me Sally,” She said, with a wide friendly smile on her young face. She stuck out her hand to shake, forgetting there was still a bible in it. He gave it a look of disgust and pointedly did not move to shake her hand until the bible had been put back in her pack and her hand was empty. He shook her hand and then went back to looking at the bird, but continued talking. “I was raised catholic, but around age 6 or so I started to suspect it was fucking stupid.”

She winced at his cursing but did not comment upon it. “Why did you think that?” She asked, her smile fading.

“Well, because the answer I got for pretty much everything was 'because god says so, shut up' but science and even other religions would say 'actually, here's our answer and some proof and theories to back it up.' So, eventually, after getting sick of endless hypocrisy and forced worship and forced hierarchy and being told women and other races and gays and other ideas were all lower in the eyes of god, who was supposedly a fair and loving god, I got sick of it and left.” He spat at the ground and scowled at the bird. “If there is a god, and it has a personality—which I doubt—It is either a complete and utter prankster asshole, or truly all loving equally but lets us make our own choices, or, more likely, just so incredibly different its the height of arrogance to even think we could know what it is thinking.”

Sally didn't know what to say to that, and after a moment of stammering the man continued talking, pointing at an ant. “You see that? Its in this city. It can look around and see this city was clearly designed and built and has a purpose. But its not for the ant. The ant is just here. I'm nice enough to not step on the ant, most of the time, but I won't save it either, really.” He squished the ant with his shoe and lit another cigarette. “What utter arrogance to think the universe was made for us. We're just here if god is omnipotent, he certainly knows we're here, but I honestly doubt he gives much of a fuck. There are billions and billions of planets in this galaxy, and billions and billions of galaxies, and billions, probably infinite universes. Why would he give a fuck about you and your little book?” He gestured to her backpack full of bibles with the cigarette, then snorted with laughter. “Besides, pretty much all of that isn't even original. Its been altered and tweaked and changed by various racist misogynistic homophobic monks over thousands of years to be this nice little package of hate and lies used to spread fear of damnation to instill obedience in the masses.” He spat again. “And judging by the last few hundred years of civilization? Its worked beyond their wildest expectations.”

Sally was stunned. She had never heard so much negativity about her faith from anyone before. Hands on her hips, she decided to defend herself. “Hey! I defy you to name just 5 things that are 'oh so bad' about the wonderful church. It is a fantastic organization that helps all people and worships a good and loving god!” She demanded, leaning towards him.

He raised and eyebrow at her, then looked away again. “Okay.... Crusades, inquisition, witch burnings, rapist missionaries, and the oppression and stamping out of all other cultures and religions you could get your slimy hands on.” He paused for a drag, then continued, “Furthermore, stealing parts of other religions and either adding them to your own or branding them as evil.” She gaped at him, speechless. “Or how about demanding money from parishioners while your pope sits on a fucking gold throne? I've been to Vatican city. Melt that place down and you could solve world hunger and disease for all time. Yet no: child-raping homosexual yet homophobic old men have to have their golden staves and jeweled robes. Maybe being rich helps them get closer to their god? The god who told them to ignore personal riches and care for the sick and poor instead?” He raised one middle finger in her face with slow grace. “Fuck the church.”

Sally took a step back. “How dare you!” She spluttered. He grabbed his suit jacket and held it up for her to see the dirt and tears. “You see this? I saved a gay couple's lives tonight from a gang of loving christians who were trying to BEAT THEM TO DEATH.” he screamed the last words in her face. Then, with a strange laugh and smile he held out his hand. “So, will your church pay for those damages? I need some bandages, painkillers and a new suit.”  He leaned in close to her face over the railing. “Or can you admit that your organization is disgusting FILTH and stop hurting other people by trying to force them into your cult?”

Sally backed away much further and he leaned back against the wall again. She was blinking back tears, and didn't know what to do. As she opened her mouth to say something, she saw his face suddenly look horrified and he started to shout something.

WHAM

The next thing she knew, she was tumbling over a car's hood, smashing the windshield and spattering her own blood all over it. She could see part of her bone sticking out of her arm, and she wailed in pain and shock.

A moment later the very mean young man was at her side, a look of terrible concern on his face. “Are you okay?” He asked, then he saw her arm, and all the blood. “Oh shit you are so not okay.” He pulled out his phone and made a frantic ambulance call, then checked on the driver of the car. After a moment he came back out with a funny look on his face. “You won't believe this.” He said, as he wrapped his pocket square around her arm to help stop the blood loss. “What?” She gasped, kicking her feet at the pain and praying over and over again in her head. “Your crucifix thing went right through her head. Killed the driver.” He looked her over, pulling some tissues from a pocket to help with more of the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. “I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure you'll be okay. Your spine seems fine, you're talking, and this is messy but nothing vital was hit.” he gently fondled her chest and torso. When he saw the look of horror on her face, he rolled his eyes. “No I'm not molesting you, I'm checking for broken ribs or bits of glass in you or something.”

She watched him carefully as she held on to her mangled arm with her good one. He was now coated in her blood and the blood of the driver, his fancy silk cloth was ruined, and he was trying to keep her alive. And yet a moment ago he had said how much he hated her. “I... I thought you hated me.” She said, starting to cry.

He glanced at her face as he checked her legs for damage. “Sorta. I hate what you believe. You yourself seem pleasant enough, if terribly misguided.” He stopped when he saw her expression. “Ah,” He said, light dawning on him. “You're wondering why I'm not just leaving you to die.” She nodded. “You're still a person. Life is precious. Your opinions can change, or not. And while I hate you for your culture and your beliefs, I care about you as a living thing that I see in pain and needs my help.” He stroked her hair kindly, smearing her blood in with the blonde strands. “So of course I will help. Its what all good people should do, whatever their other beliefs. Do no harm, and help fix harm. Any good person can follow that, right?”