Mass of black snaked towards the city gate and a few torches fought desperately against the rain and wind to stay alight. The flickered and wavered but still burned, however weak. The Song of Freedom pervaded every step, every breath was filled with its chorus.

Kino led the way through the open gates of the unsuspecting town. Lanterns and torches burned in the windows of the two story plaster houses. A single fire burned in the guardhouse and light glinted off of the highly polished conquistador helmets of the sleeping men.

The single sentry leaned heavily on his spear and snored softly. The guards had grown complacent, like the rest of the Spaniards in the town. Kino ghosted over to the dozing sentry and quickly jabbed at the man's heart with his knife. Kino caught the spear and lowered the body to the ground, so as not to wake the other guards. He silently went about making their sleep permanent as the mob permeated throughout the town.

Carts of hay and market stalls lined the roads and the torch bearers quickly set them alight. The flames easily consumed thatch that had been dry for months but the wood itself was more stubborn. Doors began to fly off their hinges and the villagers began to set the inside of the houses alight.

Kino paid no mind the horrors around him, the screaming of children, the cries of women as their husbands were cut down. Kino only looked ahead at the doctor's home.

The Song of Evil played in his ears, but it wasn't coming from the house. It was coming from everywhere, but nowhere. The thought of where it came from left his mind as the saw the mark he had left on the door days ago, though it seemed like eons. The blood had been washed off by the rain.

But the mark brought back memories. Memories of the perfect morning. Until the scorpion stung Coyotito, that is. Juana had sucked the poison out, but Coyotito was her life. She had insisted that they go to the doctor. But he had refused them, with the ploy of being out with another patient.

Then Juana had prayed to find a pearl of great value to pay the doctor, and the gods, with their twisted sense of humor, had granted her that wish. But with the pearl came death, and destruction, and loss.

Kino slung the rifle off his shoulder and kicked down the heavy wooden door. It banged against the wall and he heard a shriek of terror from one of the maidservants as she ran to a back room. He ran up the polished wooden stairs, two, three steps at a time. As he ran through the house, he knocked over any decorations or paintings and furniture that he saw.

The upstairs consisted of two rooms, a study and the doctor's bedroom. Kino ran into the study, which had a warming fire going. He knocked the flaming logs onto the silk rug and it quickly caught on fire, the flames licking at the fibers of its weave.

The bedroom door was locked and Kino kicked the door clean off of its hinges. No sound came from inside. As Kino ran into the room, he felt a sharp pain against the back of his shoulders. Kino sank to his knees and the rifle clattered to the ground beside him.

The assailant proceeded to reign blow after blow onto Kino, in every spot he could think of. Kino fell to the soft rug in agony as cries of pain escaped his lips with every crack of the weapon on his body. The attacker nudged him onto his back and Kino starred into the fat hammocks of the doctor's eyes. They held the eyes of a child squashing ants with a stick.

The doctor smiled and he looked down upon Kino. Now Kino was cowering before him, like the weak, foolish animal he was. The doctor took the silver platter he had used to beat Kino and began to press the edge against his throat. Kino gasped and sputtered, trying to get air into his lungs, but the doctor's full weight was on him.

The doctor leaned in closer, grinning wildly as he took in the fleeting, desperate expression on Kino's face. But that was just enough for Kino. He quickly punched the doctor in the nose and a crack echoed around the bedroom. The doctor wailed in pain and rolled back, clutching his broken nose.

Slowly, the bruised and battered Kino rose to his feet. One hand held the broken ribs on his left side. Kino stooped and picked up the rifle. He took the horn of gun powder and poured some into the barrel. The he plopped a lead ball into the gun and jammed it in place with the ramrod.

He took his had from his injured ribs and steadied the rifle, aiming at the huddled form of the doctor nursing his broken nose. The Song of Evil played in Kino's head as he stared down the sights of the deceitful, pompous pig cowering before him. Like before, the song seemed to come from everywhere, but nowhere. Then Kino realized where it was coming from. It was him.

His brother's words danced in his head, what will you become? Kino's hard stare softened a little, but it flashed back in an instant. This man was the reason Juana had prayed for that pearl. That pearl had killed Coyotito and Juana. And now he would pay with his arrogant, worthless life.

Kino's finger slowly squeezed on the trigger, but Juana's innocent face flashed before his eyes as his brother's words roamed in his head. But still he squeezed even more on the trigger.

Kino's grip tightened on the gun, and he prepared to fire.

. . .

Kino sat on the beach, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his arms folded around them. He gazed into the ocean, where he knew the pearl sat, in its bed of evil. He gazed at the rising sun and the wind blew the smell of the burning town behind him to his nostrils The bright sky, free of any clouds, danced on Kino's eyes. The sunlight reflected off of the water, casting shimmering, wavering light.

Kino heard the sound of the damp sand crunching underfoot as someone approached. He didn't bother to look, for he already knew who it was. Juan Thomas sat next to Kino, not looking at him, but instead at the wonderful sunrise.

"Can you live with your decision?"

Kino did not look at his brother. "Yes," he said after some thought. Juan Thomas nodded and put his arm around his brother, looking off into the dazzling sun.