Like many things, it started with a gunshot. The year was 2016, in a small town in Missouri. A middle-aged man was brewing a fresh cup of coffee before he made his way up a familiar set of stairs. The man walked through the hall at the top and began knocking on a door to his left.
"Hey, Theo, get up!" The man shouted. A younger man's eyes opened as he turned to his side. Theo felt the comfort of his blankets and tried to close his hazel green eyes again. The knocking got louder as the man barged into the room. Theo's eyes suddenly opened again as he looked at his father with annoyance.
"What it's-" He began to say when he looked at his alarm clock. The clock read 4 AM with a dim red glow. "It's four in the morning!" He shouted, eyes widening. "Why the hell are you waking me up?" He asked, throwing a pillow at his dad. His father grabbed Theo's ankle and began dragging him out of bed, coffee still in one hand.
"Because that's when the deer are out." His father said with a comforting grin, through his thin beard.
"Fine," Theo responded in defeat. "Just let me get my clothes and boots on." Theo kicked his dad's hand off his ankle as he fell to the ground.
"You have five minutes or you're going naked." His dad said with a chuckle. Theo rolled his eyes, looking over at his calendar, November 12th. He thought as he put on a black and gray long-sleeve shirt and black camo pants.
"Don't forget your kit!" his dad yelled from downstairs. Theo rolled his eyes, putting on a camo jacket, black combat boots, and a bright orange cap.
"I know!" He yelled, grabbing a small bag and putting it into one of his velcro pockets, and grabbing his glasses. Theo hurried down the stairs as his dad tossed him a .308 caliber hunting rifle. Theo quickly did a safety check on the weapon, checking to see if it was loaded, before swinging it around his shoulder. Before Theo knew it, he was in his father's truck driving down a dirt road in the middle of the woods. The truck rocked back and forth its familiar bleached tan interior with stains from a history only an old car could tell.
"Get enough beauty sleep?" His father asked, keeping his eyes on the road and nudging Theo's shoulder. Theo didn't say anything. Theo thought about the last few months and how awkward they had been. A lack of sleep and hunger has been a state of normalcy these days. "I know you are going through a rough patch, but you need to cheer up." His father said, grinning behind the wheel.
"What's the point?" Theo responded coldly. His father's grin faded slightly.
"You could at least tell me about what happened." He pried.
"They rejected me for my eyesight," Theo responded under his breath.
"What?" His father asked.
"My right eye is practically blind; I can't join up if I don't have 20/20 vision," Theo said, disappointment dripping out of his voice.
"Then just use your left." His dad responded with another grin.
"That's not how it works, Dad." Theo shot back.
"Sorry, I know you have been through a lot since you turned twenty-one." His dad said, periodically glancing over at Theo. "You didn't get in, you lost your job, and didn't get into the college you wanted, but you still have me here." He said, grinning. Theo let out a grin of his own. "We just need to get you a girlfriend and that will fix you right up." His dad said with a hearty chuckle. Theo smiled in amusement.
"Let's focus on finding a deer first," Theo said, looking out the window. Theo closed his eyes and leaned his blonde hair against the door's window as he let the rocking of the truck soothe him.
Theo opened his eyes when he heard the engine shut off and his dad slam the driver's side door shut. He shot up quickly and hopped out of the truck, slinging the rifle around his arm. Theo watched his father take another rifle out of a case in the back of the truck.
"Have you seen anything around here?" Theo asked.
"A buddy of mine spotted a good-sized buck, but missed his shot like an idiot." His dad responded as he loaded the rifle, sticking a bullet in his teeth as he fiddled with the weapon. Finally, he removed the bullet and tossed Theo a small box of ammunition.
"Sounds like good news for us," Theo responded.
"If you can manage to hit it." His father laughed. Theo finished loading his own rifle, tossing the empty box at his father. His dad smiled.
"Let's go grocery shopping." He said, heading into the woodline. Theo looked down at his rifle, running his finger along the stamped lettering before smiling and following his father. Their footsteps were soft as they stalked the forest floor. Theo or his father would periodically step on a branch, causing a bird to fly out of the tree tops in panic. Each time, they would stop moving for a moment and then continue forward.
They eventually came to a clearing about 400 yards away. "This is good." His dad whispered, motioning Theo to take a knee next to him. Theo looked around and then leaned his back against a tree, feeling its damp bark from the morning dew. He leaned his back against it and slid down to wait for a deer. His father stayed kneeling behind a tree stump, keeping an attentive eye out on the clearing. Theo eventually got comfortable as the birds began chirping again. A few hours passed when Theo heard his father whisper at him. "Hey, Goober, get up." Theo slowly moved towards his dad, making sure to step on wet leaves to keep him quiet. He followed his dad's finger to see a large buck standing proudly in the clearing.
"That thing's massive," Theo whispered. His dad nodded at him and raised his rifle. Theo raised the rifle to his left eye, seeing the deer in his sights.
"I'll take the shot if I miss, you take one." His dad whispered. A few seconds later, he heard the rifle crack through the forest. Theo saw the muzzle flash and then saw the Buck still standing in the clearing, now looking directly at the two. "Shoot!" His dad shouted. Theo suddenly aimed and fired the rifle, striking the buck directly in the heart, dropping it instantly.
"I-I got it!" Theo shouted with excitement and surprise.
"Good shit, bucko!" His dad shouted, wrapping a proud arm around Theo. The two began to walk over to their trophy.
"You missed on purpose, didn't you?" Theo asked with a grin.
"And let you gloat about me missing a 10-pointer at 400 yards, hell no." His dad responded with a cheeky smirk. They reached the deer and looked down at their successful kill. "That's odd." His father said with a confused look.
"What?" Theo responded, looking down at the deer. As his eyes scanned the carcass, he immediately saw why his dad was so confused. The deer's blood was a glowing gold color. It was like the deer's blood was the liquid found in a glowstick. "What the hell?" Theo said in confusion.
"Is it radioactive or something?" His dad suggested. Theo looked at the deer's blood and knelt down to touch it. "Don't touch that." His dad said with concern. Theo ignored his father, entranced by the golden liquid.
"What is this stuff?" He asked rhetorically, running the blood through his fingers. Suddenly, the glow from the blood grew brighter and brighter, blinding him. This caused Theo to close his eyes.
When Theo opened his eyes again, he was standing in a large room with light gray walls surrounding him, its appearance uniform and neat.
"What the hell is this? Where am I?" Theo questioned, glancing around the empty room.
"You are in purgatory." A thundering voice echoed through his mind.
"What?" Theo said out loud, his expression was calm but confused.
"You have committed one of the greatest sins... Killing an angel." The voice said accusingly.
"I-I, did what?" Theo said quietly in utter shock.
"The deer you shot was actually an angel, and you shot it in the heart, killing it. Now you must suffer the consequences for your actions." The voice said with demanding authority.
"An Angel..." Theo whispered, still as confused as the moment he saw that golden blood. "What does killing a deer have to do with an angel?"
"The deer you killed was an angel sent to help the forest grow, and you... You shot it like a fool." The voice said, the mood shifting to one more satirical.
"Is this some kind of messed-up prank?" Theo said, his eyes glancing around the empty room.
"No, it's not." The voice said from behind him. Theo turned around to see a man wearing a white robe and tucked white wings tucked behind their back. Theo stumbled backward, his back slamming against the wall.
"What the hell?" Theo said.
"Hell is not the right word for it... Though it is where you're going." The angel said, taking two steps towards Theo.
"I don't even believe in this shit. Why should I take anything you say seriously?" Theo asked defensively.
"An atheist, huh?" The angel said, not impressed. Suddenly, a slight smile began to play on the angel's lips as he took another step forward. "Heaven and Hell are very much real, Theo, and you killed an Angel. It may not have been your intention, but there are still consequences for mistakes." The angel said, his smile growing too big for his face.
"That's not fair, I-I didn't even think something like this could have happened," Theo said in rejection.
"God's rules do not discriminate between knowledge or understanding... right is right, and wrong... is... wrong." The angel said, his grin growing into a jagged mess.
"So what? I just get tortured forever for a single mistake?" Theo said in outrage; his courage impressed the angel. To Theo, this wasn't courage; it was rage, everything he had been through just to end up damned for eternity; it was the definition of unacceptable.
"Fine... You amuse me, human." The angel said as his face reverted back to normal. Theo's face changed from rage to confusion again.
"What..."
"I'll offer you something that no human has been offered since ancient times." The Angel said as his hand began to glow. "You have one chance in hell to get out."
"You're still sending me to hell?" Theo asked, his voice weak.
"Yes, but I'll grant you the ability to escape." The angel's grin became jagged again. "Your task is simple..." The angel said his voice became raspy and corrupted. "Kill the seven deadly sins." The angel placed his hand on Theo's shoulder as Theo saw a bright light, causing him to close his eyes again. When Theo opened his eyes, he looked around to see what looked like the corridor of an office building, but the walls looked cracked, and what looked like grease stained the edges of the carpet. Theo walked towards a window, looking out to see a large city stained red by the light of a red moon looming in the sky.
"What the fuck?"