Samson materialized silently on the front porch of a suburban home. He straightened his suit, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. A young girl, no more than eight, opened it, her wide eyes scanning the tall, dark man standing before her.
“Mum, Dad, there’s a visitor at the door!” she called out, her gaze still fixed on Samson. “Who are you, sir?”
“My name is Samson,” he replied with a warm smile. “And what’s yours?”
Before she could answer, her mother appeared, her face tense. “Emily, go play with your brother in the living room,” she said, gently nudging the girl away.
Once the child was out of earshot, the woman turned to Samson. “What do you want?”
“You look beautiful as ever, Rachel,” Samson said softly. “I’ve missed you.”
The woman’s face hardened. “My name is not Rachel. You’ve got the wrong person. Please leave.” She slammed the door and he smiled to himself before vanishing into thin air.
Across town, a ragged homeless man was shouting at the top of his lungs, waving a placard that read: “The world is about to end! Say your last prayers!” Most people ignored him, though a few tossed coins his way, assuming him to be just another unfortunate soul lost to madness.
Suddenly, Samson reappeared beside the man, who stopped mid-rant and pointed at him with a trembling finger. “You! Tell them! The universe is about to die! They need to know!”
Samson gave him a long, pitying look, then disappeared once more, leaving the man to his ravings.
Samson materialized deep within the Earth’s core, in a cavern filled with reptilian humanoids. They sat in silent meditation, their scales glistening in the dim light. Samson approached one of them, but the creature ignored him, its eyes closed in deep concentration. Frustrated, Samson turned away, realizing that even here, in the hollow heart of the planet, he was alone.
On a barren moon orbiting the distant planet X-34, a massive figure descended from a starship, its heavy boots crunching into the dry soil. The alien, a hulking giant named Gilgamesh, activated a beacon, sending a signal across the cosmos.
Samson arrived moments later, instantly recognizing his old foe. “What are you doing here, Gilgamesh?”
The giant warrior’s eyes burned with rage. “I am a warrior, Samson. Feared across the galaxy. But even I am powerless to stop the destruction of the universe. Fight me, and give me a warrior’s death.”
Samson sighed, transforming into his battle regalia. His long hair, tied back, glistened in the pale light of the moon. “The universe isn’t dying, Gilgamesh. ALL-FATHER would never allow such a thing.”
Gilgamesh roared, unsheathing a blade hidden in his armor. “Enough lies! Every higher being knows the truth! Fight me now, or be damned!”
With no choice left, Samson engaged Gilgamesh in a fierce battle. Their blows shook the moon, cracking its surface. But as the fight reached its peak, a small blade flashed, slicing through Samson’s hair. Enraged, Samson moved with blinding speed, decapitating Gilgamesh in one swift motion. The giant’s body crumpled to the ground, and Samson screamed in anguish, mourning the loss of yet another warrior.
Samson returned to Earth, appearing in the same suburban home, now covered in blood. He stood before the woman he called Rachel, his eyes filled with sorrow. “I will always love you, Rachel. Always.”
“John, call the police!” the woman screamed, turning to her children. But when she looked back, Samson was gone, already hurtling through space toward the center of a black hole.
As he approached the event horizon, Samson steeled himself. “I will not let this happen. I must stop the destruction, even if I have to face ALL-FATHER himself.”
But as he plunged into the black void, something strange happened. The darkness gave way to blinding white light, and Samson found himself in a place that defied all understanding.
“Where am I?” he muttered. “What is this place?”
“Home,” a deep, resonant voice replied, shaking Samson to his core.
He fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the voice. “Home? What home?”
Suddenly, another Samson emerged from the light, identical in every way. The two looked at each other, confused and wary.
“Who are you?” they both asked at the same time.
“I don’t want my universe to die,” Samson cried out. “Tell me how to save it!”
The other Samson shook his head sadly. “You are the source of its destruction. You’ve become too powerful. If you stay, your universe will cease to exist.”
“That’s a lie!”
“Search your mind, brother. You’ll find the truth. Powerful beings cannot coexist within the universe they dominate. You must leave, or stay and doom it.”
Samson hesitated, thinking of Rachel. “I can’t leave her. She's my world.”
“Then your choice is made,” the other Samson said softly. “Spend your remaining years with her, and when the universe dies, you will be the last to witness its end.”
David woke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. He looked around, disoriented, until he heard voices downstairs. Rebecca was arguing with someone, a man he vaguely remembered.
“David, the kids are being rowdy again! Can you handle them while I cook?” Rebecca called out.
David sighed, getting up and heading to the living room. “Where are my little vampires?” he teased, and his children came running, laughing as they tackled him to the ground.
Suddenly, everything froze, and the ominous voice spoke once more. “You gave up all your power for love. How curious, Samson.”
“Not everything,” David whispered. “I created a new universe, a pocket universe, where I can stay with her. Wherever she is, that’s where I belong.”
“Fascinating,” the voice rumbled. And then, just as suddenly, everything returned to normal. David laughed with his children, oblivious to the fact that he had just sacrificed his godhood for the woman he would love for eternity.
Bio:
Black, male story writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. I love football (soccer), movies and Enya.