The Shepherd X

"For our God is a consuming fire."

— Hebrews 12:29

Part I – The Wound That Won't Heal

Lucas Kane stared out the hospital window from his bed. Outside, the city slept beneath a pale moon. Inside, he kept asking himself why he had survived.

The beating had been brutal. His ribs still ached. His casted arm was a constant reminder that he wasn't chasing ordinary criminals any more. He was hunting something darker. Something more dangerous.

"Does it hurt?" asked a familiar voice.

Lucas turned. It was Rebecca Hart, with her black notebook and that gaze that always seemed to see beyond words.

"All of it hurts," he replied. "But it won't stop me."

She sat beside the bed.

"You shouldn't do this alone. I'm looking for answers too."

Lucas studied her carefully.

"And what makes you think you can trust me?"

"Because we both know The Pastor isn't just a rumor," she said. "He's real. And he's out there."

A long silence followed.

"Then we work together," Lucas said finally. "But this isn't a normal investigation. This is war."

Part II – A Pact in Truth

Hours later, after being released from the hospital, Lucas and Rebecca walked down the main street. The streetlights flickered like they were tired.

"What do you think motivates that man?" Rebecca asked.

"It's not money," Lucas answered. "Or fame. He does this for something deeper. Something personal."

"Vengeance?"

Lucas nodded slowly.

"Or maybe justice. Only, no one should have that much power over life and death."

Rebecca held his gaze.

"Do you think he believes he's doing the right thing?"

"I'm sure of it," he said. "And that makes him worse than a criminal. Because he believes he's right."

They stopped in front of a closed café.

"We have to find him before he kills again," Rebecca said.

Lucas nodded.

"We will. Together."

Part III – Confession and Death

It was 3:00 AM.

Samuel walked through an abandoned warehouse at the docks. The air smelled of salt and rust. On a chair, bound and trembling, sat Julio Rivas , one of Lorenzo Marquez's top contacts — responsible for drug distribution in poor neighborhoods. A man who never prayed… until now.

"Confess Jesus Christ as your Savior," Samuel ordered. "You have until the clock strikes 3:10."

"I do!" Julio screamed. "Jesus is my Lord!"

Samuel stared at him.

"Then receive your judgment."

He pulled out a knife and, with precise movements, began cutting off each finger, one by one.

Julio screamed. Bled. Begged for mercy.

"Do you know how many children died because of your pills?" Samuel asked, emotionless. "How many mothers cried for them?"

He drove the blade into Julio's thigh. Then into his stomach.

Julio bled heavily. His breath came in short gasps.

"Forgive me… forgive me…"

Samuel looked at him with sadness.

"There's no time left for regret."

He fired.

Then, carefully, he wiped the blood from his Bible. Marked the verse for the day.

"The soul who sins shall die."

— Ezekiel 18:4

And then he vanished into the night.

Part IV – The Fire That Burns Within

At San Carlos Orphanage , Mateo couldn't sleep.

He hadn't spoken much in days. Since that night. His friends noticed the change. He was quieter. More thoughtful. More serious.

He rose in the middle of the night. Took his worn-out Bible and sat at a broken wooden table. Lit a candle and began to read.

Page after page. Verse after verse.

Until he found one that made him stop:

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

— Exodus 21:24

His lips moved as he read it again. And again.

It wasn't the only one. He found more.

"For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."

— Exodus 20:5

"I will punish their sin with the rod of men."

— 2 Samuel 7:14

Mateo felt something new inside him. Not fear. Not admiration. Understanding.

"He's not evil," he whispered. "He's just doing what others won't."

He closed the Bible. Extinguished the candle. Put on his jacket.

And stepped outside.

Determined to return to his pastor's side.

Part V – The Path You Shouldn't Take

The next day, in the church, Samuel received an unexpected visitor.

Mateo entered without a sound. With steady steps. Without fear.

"I'm back," he simply said.

Samuel looked at him sharply.

"You shouldn't have come."

"I saw everything," Mateo replied. "And I didn't come to report you. I came to understand. To help. To learn."

Samuel felt a chill.

"There's no turning back, son. If you choose this path… you won't be able to leave it."

Mateo met his eyes with determination.

"If God uses whoever He wants to use… then I want to be used by Him."

Samuel didn't answer right away.

Finally, he extended his hand.

"Then… prepare yourself. Because this is not a ministry of peace. It is a ministry of fire."

Mateo took his hand.

And so, a disciple was born.

"For the Son of Man is coming in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."

— Matthew 16:27