Justice Never Dies

Justice Never Dies

Right and wrong. Good and evil. We've all heard of it. Two sides of the same coin. They'll both always be around, if only a bit unbalanced. There are so many ways to portray this constant struggle between Heaven and Hell. Another that you often here is light and dark, but that's the odd one out.

A man I once knew gave me something. The one thing that stuck with him for the rest of his life. With it, he also gave these words: "This power comes from a dark place. But, it's not who you are. It doesn't make you evil. You can use it to do good." What was his gift? His power...the Ghost Rider.

His name was Johnny Blaze. He signed a deal with the Devil, and was possessed by a demon. It was an angel gone mad, but he found the angel and brought it back. But despite having an angel within, he was still only human.

Just like all humans, he could still get sick. The angel within could do nothing about the cancer that had planted itself in him. He was doomed to die like his father had. Although I'd never known him well, I still went to him in his dying hour; I was the only one that stood by his deathbed.

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---November 7, 2017---

"He doesn't have long," the doctor told me. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Thank you." I walked into the room. There lay Johnny Blaze, losing his battle against cancer. "Hey John."

"Hey Trevor," he said in a hushed tone. "It's good to know at least one person showed up," he finished with a slight smile.

"Well, your fan base kinda died down after the Rider came round."

"Yeah...good judgement was not with me that day."

"Has it ever been with you?"

"Fair point..."

We both shared a small laugh, but my smile quickly faded. "They said you needed to talk to me. Is it about the Rider?"

"Yes...obviously, I'm dying, but the Rider needs to be passed on. If I die without him going to someone else...who knows what'll happen."

"But who else could he go to?"

"Think about the phone call you got from the hospital."

They called me because he needed to talk to...me. "Wait...me?"

"Yes. You're one of the few people I still talk to, and the only other one, aside from two others, that knows about the Rider. Anyone else would've called me crazy."

"And probably be right."

"Not wrong there."

"But...why me?"

"Because you may be able to understand it better than others. You saw a flaming skeleton, but you weren't afraid. You knew that it wasn't a monster. You understood it when it saved you that night."

I thought back to a night four years ago. I was just walking around the block when I got jumped by a few thugs. They were about to kill me, but the Rider showed up. Since then, I've stayed in contact with him. "Anyone that saw someone saving them would understand."

"Most don't react well to a flaming skeleton that sucks out people's souls."

"...Fair point."

"Listen...I'm trusting you with it. This power comes from a dark place. But, it's not who you are. It doesn't make you evil. You can use it to do good."

"I'll...I'll try," I said in resignation. I knew how stubborn he was; he wouldn't choose anyone else. I was about to start arguing, but what would be the point? He would only give it to me.

He held out his thin, bony hand. It set fire, a small blue flame enveloping it. "Take my hand."

I thought on it for a second. "Before I do this...tell me what exactly the Rider is."

His hand went back to normal for a moment. "This alcoholic priest named Moreau told me that his name was Zarathos. He was a Spirit of Justice...but he was dragged down to Hell...and corrupted...becoming a Spirit of Vengeance. But, he's closer to his old self now. He won't be as bad as he was when I first got him."

His hand caught on fire once more, and he reached out for mine. "Will this hurt?"

"No. Maybe. Probably. Actually, I'm interested to find out."

I closed my eyes. "Here goes nothing." I took the skeletal hand of Johnny Blaze, and freed him from the Ghost Rider. In that same minute, he died. Luckily, he did get to figure out if it hurt; it was f****** agony.

My name is Trevor Alley, and I'm the new Ghost Rider.