The Favoured Son of Heaven

Beginning

Some individuals are born with silver spoons in their mouth; access to more than they could ever ask for and more than they could ever need. Some though, have to bite at dirt and toil, working their hands to the bone for low lives of poverty and hunger, not knowing where the next meal is going to come from.

For ages, countless people have all speculated and thought of these questions, some more than others; Why are some more privileged than others? Why are others born to live miserable life? What is the cause of all the difference between others? Luck? Fate? God?

All these thoughts flashed in the head of Memphis as he lay sprawled out in a rat infested alley. Blood was rapidly leaking from a wound in his chest and it dyed his faded black T–shirt violet.

Life had never taken it easy on Memphis. His mother died from over exhaustion when he was six and his father was given life imprisonment when he was 12. His father's sentence forced him to drop school to cater for his siblings. With a little brother and sickly little sister, Memphis had no one to look to for help and he alongside his siblings were kicked out of the rented apartment of their parents because the landlord didn't want underage tenants who could not pay. The three kids took to life on the streets, indulging in petty thievery and pickpocketing.

Soon enough, they found out that their growing bodies needed more food than stolen money could buy. Thus, Memphis was forced to make a hard decision to join a local gang. Not long after joining the gang though, his sister died. Memphis was devastated. It was as if he was the world's enemy and it continued to send him through countless pain and trouble. As if that was not enough, four years after his sister's death, his younger brother was smashed into bits by a speeding car while he was crossing the road. The driver didn't even stop to check on the poor boy whom he had hit with his posh car and drove away as if nothing had happened.

Memphis was now depressed. He felt that life was not worth living anymore and was seriously considering suicide. After all, once he dies, everything will be over. Unfortunately or fortunately, he lacked the courage to do that and threw himself into drug abuse. The money he got from the gang's robbing missions were all being used to get himself cigarette packs and a bottle of hard liquor. Perhaps the only time he was clear headed was when the gang had gone out on a mission to rob the neighbourhood.

It was during one of these missions that Memphis met his demise. The gang had decided to go a bit extreme and rob the local bank. Guns and weapons had been procured from nearby gangs and gun dealers. After weeks of casting the place and checking everything out to make sure nothing went wrong, the gang decided to strike. Saturdays had always been slow days for banks where the guards were lax and the entry easier than other weekdays, or so they thought.

The robbery went on so smoothly that they managed to load a lot of cash into the gym bags and were exiting the bank comfortably when to their dismay, they found out that police had long encircled the area, sitting and waiting patiently for them to come out with the money.

Apparently one of their gang members had snitched to the local police earlier and the authorities decided that it would be a good time to deal with that local gang once and for all. Thus they had informed the bank and security workers there to comply with everything the robbers asked them to do while they waited to nab them when they came out.

"Police! Nobody moves! Hands in the air punks!" the police Commander yelled with his megaphone. Immediately, the gang members started to flee while the bold ones opened fire on the police. The police also engaged them and started nabbing the fleeing gang members one by one. Memphis was one of those who ran when the police came, unlike those who were caught, he was agile and able to evade the waiting officers but he was unlucky to be hit by a stray bullet as he fled. He managed to make it into a dark alley and finally collapsed from the intense pain. The blood was leaking out of his chest and dyeing his dirty black T-shirt. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he lay there with his life flashing before his eyes. "So this is how it ends," thought Memphis as his breathing became shallow and finally he breathed his last.