The blood oozed from the hole in my chest. The puddle beneath me was growing with every beat of my heart. It wasn’t much long after the bullet tore through my chest that my heart ceased to beat. As I lay there, the earth sucked the remaining heat from my lifeless body. What remained there on the ground was nothing but the husk of my former life. By the time the EMTs arrived on the scene, it was too late. I was pronounced dead at approximately 7:28PM on July 8th. There was nobody to call. The tag that was placed on my toe called me John Doe. I carried no identification and had never allowed my fingerprints to be put into any database. I was a ghost. Never owned a house or a car. I was never issued a credit card or took a loan. There was no record that I had ever lived. Only the record that I had died. My death made the paper, if you consider page seven significant. The paper read, “Man shot in parking lot, police looking for any leads. Contact your local police department if you have any information.” Unfortunately for me, there were no witnesses. There will be no calls to the local police departments about my death. I will remain an unsolved case. But justice will be served...when I return. I guess I should have told you in the beginning that I can’t be killed. Sometime after the state buries me, I will awake. The hardest part is digging myself out.

I haven’t always been this way. There was a time in my life when a cut would leave a scar, a time when breaking my neck would have been the end. A time before I took the oath. I didn’t really know what I was getting involved with until it was too late. Had I known that a life of loneliness was to follow, I might have reconsidered the offer. However, at that time, revenge was all I could think about. All that I had loved was ripped from me. I guess you could say, that was the night I first died. It was that night he approached me. I don’t even know how he got into my apartment. He was just there...sitting on my couch. It was here the offer was made, and here that I accepted. I don’t know what I am. Vampire? Nope. Zombie? Nope. Alien? Nope. I’m sure it’s something more mystical. All I know now is that I don’t die. I’m stronger than I should be, faster and more agile. My body repairs itself and with each repair I get stronger. With each death I come back stronger, faster, more powerful.

I didn’t believe him when he told me how I would become. Would you? A man appears in your house and says, join us and you will become invincible and live forever. Sure buddy. Whatever your on, I would love some right now. I should have asked more questions when I saw the syringe...but I let him inject me. I had nothing to lose, nothing to live for. I used to build things, now I destroy. I wouldn’t call myself the bad guy, by no means do I cause harm to those who don’t deserve it...but if you do deserve it, nothing will stop me from getting to you. Then, I promise, it will hurt.