Shoulder Pain

Shoulder Pain

A Tale of Foolish Bravery and Unseen Heroics

By: Ian M. McNear

Today was like any other day; young Derek Jordan age 20 was walking to his next class, he was a junior who attended his state university for a year and a half, after transferring from a tech school. Derek worked out three times a week, is an Economics major and for the most part he kept to himself and didn’t get himself into or involve himself with others trouble. Also he enjoyed learning the skill of throwing knives, of which he kept one on his person at all times. As for his faith, he stopped professing Christianity at the start of university life. God didn’t care what he did, and he didn’t care what God did. They had a mutual understanding.

However, I have lied to you.
Today was not like any other day. Of course being a smart reader, you would guess as much, because a tale with no conflict is not much of a tale indeed.

On this day, as Derek was walking to his next class like normal, and as he walked through the heart of campus. A scene made him stop, despite his willingness to reach his class in time for their quiz.

Now normally, scenes, no matter what was happening, never drew his attention. He once stood within a quarter mile of the President, and he didn’t stop or blink an eye.

Still, something drew him to the edge of the road, where a scene was most definitely taking place. In the center of the road argued a couple, both were young, fellow students. Next to the loud couple sat an idling car, the driver’s side door was open.

As the couple argument intensified, it attracted more students who couldn’t help their curiosity. The couple didn’t seem to mind the attention they were attracting; they were single-mindedly focused on their task of shredding each other.

From what Derek gathered, the boy had cheated in their relationship, and the girl had been none too kind when she found out, exposing his unfaithfulness to the entire university. While some just laughed, others had taken to the news and the boy’s credibility for a part was ruined. So what became of this was his unfaithfulness vs. her insult to his name. The car was the boys, he had been hunting her.

Derek grew tired of the bickering, already being late to his class, he turned to leave. As he started to push his way out of the crowd he caught the next part out of the corner of his eye.

The girl in a rage turned and tried to walk away. The boy, just as angry grabbed her arm and yanked her back to his face. The girl countered by backhanding the boy. Unhurt, the boy pulled his fist back, and hit the girl, not once, or twice, but three times in the face and head, before he let the girl fall weeping to the ground.

Adrenaline pumped into Derek’s veins, and his knees trembled.

Then the boy turned and gazed at the crowd around him. The silence that followed was deafening, no one spoke, no one moved.

“What?” The boy yelled! “You think it’s funny don’t you?” He said pointing at the crowd around him, wherever he did the crowd recoiled. “You laugh at me, because I’m the jerk who left this girl.”

Derek remembered the posters around campus, that held bore his face, name and obscenities involving such.

“I will not be laughed at by the likes of her, or any of you.” Turning to the girl, the boy hauled her up by her throat, then punching her again; he threw her into the middle of the road. “Never should have messed with me Karen!”

Derek assumed that was the girl’s name.

The boy turned, and stepped into his vehicle shouting. “You messed me up, now I’m going to mess you up.” The boy slammed his door shut, and the engine roared as the vehicle went into reverse and jumped backwards. A couple students were nearly hit.

The girl still did not move.

The car stopped and revved, edging forward slightly.

The boy meant to run the girl over.

Derek didn’t have time to think, or hardly process what was about to happen, but something changed. His legs stopped trembling and his body sprang.

The car jumped forward, speeding towards its target.

Adrenaline pumping hard into his body, he didn’t even have time to think about what he was doing, he met the speeding car in the road, close to where the girl lay. Then he sprang, and covered the last couple feet, and his body collided with the side of the car.

Then his mind and senses woke up for the first time.

~

That hadn’t gone as he thought it would. What were you thinking Derek Jordan, couldn’t mind your own business. However I couldn’t let that just happen! Could I? Where am I, did I die? Agony sliced through his body, reminding him that he was very much alive. Derek opened his eyes, and tried to survey his surroundings. His vision was dark and blurry but it slowly changed to blue. The sky? He tried to shift his head but the sharp pain warned him. Feels like my entire right side has been crushed, yeah, I did hit that car. This time Derek forced his neck to turn, despite the pain.

Eyes wide, the people on the edge of a crowd stood motionless and quiet. They stared at the boy, and then back at something else to Derek’s left.

Derek strained the other way and found it much less painful. He was lying sprawled out in the road, and to his right a few feet away, laid the girl. Then farther down, the car, embedded in a light pole.

Good, I would hate to think that I did that for nothing. I wonder if the girl will want to go out after this is over, she is pretty. He groaned. What in the world am I thinking, since when do I care.

You haven’t in a while. The voice came from inside his head, but it was foreign to him.

The driver’s side door swung open.

That will change things. Derek tried to sit up, but he couldn’t will his body to move.

The boy crawled from the car, and staggered to his feet.

Derek rolled over onto his left side, his right side was useless.

The crowd gasped.

Shaking his head, the boy stumbled back onto the vehicle, trying to clear his head.

Derek tried to push himself up. The pain in his shoulder intensified, his mind numbed, and vision blurred. He lay back down, and when the vision cleared, the boy was slowly coming towards them.

Darn it. The boy tried again to get up, but his body still refused.

The boy was getting even closer; a knife was in his hand, and murder in his eyes.

Dear God, if you’ve ever existed, do something. Suddenly, he remembered his throwing knife, tucked on his right side beneath the edge of his jeans. Reaching across with his left hand, he fumbled for it.

The boy was almost upon Karen.

The knife slid from his side, and without hesitation Derek flung the weapon as well as he could in the awkward position.

It hit the boy in his left shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards and dropped the knife.

The crowd gasped again.

Now would be a good time for someone to DO SOMETHING! Derek pushed himself up again, and somehow managed it.

The boy pulled the knife from his shoulder, and clumsily tried to throw it at Derek.

It clattered on the pavement behind him, sliding far out of reach.

Derek struggled to his feet, and raised himself up straight, holding his right arm close to his body.

The boy retrieved his fallen blade and continued moving towards the boy and Karen. He reached Karen and moved past her.

Thank God. Then Derek wondered who was going to save him from the knife wielding madman.

Sneering, the boy came within striking distance. “I’m gonna make you wish you hadn’t done that.”

A strange sense of calm washed over Derek, his lips opened, and formed words. “You’ve preyed upon the weak, and hurt the innocent, come, reap what you have sown.”

Oh, crap.

The fire in the boy’s eyes blazed, and he lunged.

Derek sidestepped the blow, agony sliced into his right side, ignoring it, he kicked the boy in the shin.

Regaining his balance, the boy turned and lunged again at Derek.

Derek dodged the swipe to his face, another slash nicked his shoulder, and dodging back he cursed. Putting his hand to his shoulder, he drew it back, covered with blood.

The boy grinned. “Now we see you, for the liar you are.”

“Come prove it then coward.”

Shut up Derek! What’s wrong with you?

Howling the boy leapt forward.

Dear God.

Sidestepping, Derek threw a left hook to the face.

It connected, sending the boy spiraling to the ground; he tried to stop his fall by putting his hands in front of him.

Thump.

The boy hit the ground hard, facedown with his hands under him.

Derek breathed hard, and waited for the boy to recover. Several seconds passed, and nothing happened, he edged toward his fallen opponent.

The boy groaned, and then Derek saw the blood spilling out from under his form. With a heave, the boy rolled onto his back.

The crowd gasped.

Stuck two inches into his chest, was the knife.

The girl, Karen, screamed.

Suddenly, as if released, people shot forward from the crowd. Several girls gathered up Karen and tore her away from the scene.

A couple guys kneeled next to the boy and tried to slow the bleeding.

Derek stumbled back, and a jock caught him. “Whoa, take it easy man.”

“I’m fine.” Derek mumbled. Taking a step forward his shoulder flared and he stumbled again; another burly college student caught him. Was the whole football team walking through the area?

The pain dulled his senses, and before he knew what was happening, he had been lowered to the ground, and sirens could be heard in the distance. Looking around he saw the jock watching over him.

“That was epic man, I don’t know why I didn’t move to help you, but God told me he had it all taken care of.” The jock said with a glint in his eyes and a smile. “I saw the Light; you had an angel watching over you. You are a hero now.”

The boy, died in the hospital, however, the Jock was with him when he last opened his eyes, and the boy repented before passing from the world.

Karen, continued to attend the University, she started going to church again and turned her life around. Shortly after she graduated, she married a young man who went on to be a great preacher and evangelist. That man was the Jock.

Derek was taken to the hospital and treated for multiple a broken arm and fractured shoulder. Doctors told Derek that it was a miracle that he survived the impact, much less being conscious afterwards. As Derek healed, he continued to attend the University; he made a confession of faith, started reading his Bible, and found a church body. He became good friends with the Jock. After graduating, he went on to become the CEO of a major corporation; it supported Christian morals and values.

Often times, entire lives can be affected because one man chose to act when others didn’t. Half of the people who saw the events of that day, repented, inspired by the incredible act of a single man, with God.