Prayer to a Vengeful God

He wakes from an extended coma in a quiet hospital room, disoriented by memories of his wife. Vivid, dreamlike visions of Jennifer intrude on his initial attempts to orient himself to reality. These images plant the seeds of unease that will thread through the rest of his night.

A flashback reveals Jennifer Krause as a talented artist, deeply absorbed in a self-portrait that hints at the life they shared before tragedy changed everything. The scene emphasizes the tenderness of their relationship and the quiet strength she possessed. The memory contrasts with the violence looming over John.

The calm of the apartment is shattered when a doorbell rings and John answers, only to be shoved to the floor. An unseen assailant shoots him, plunging the room into chaos. This brutal moment sets the stage for the police revelation that follows.

A police detective explains that Jennifer was strangled to death during the assault, reframing John’s memory of the night. The revelation deepens his grief and guilt, making it harder to see a path forward. The scene shifts from personal shock to the emotional and legal consequences of the crime.

John visits Jennifer’s grave, confronting his loss in the quiet cemetery. He struggles to resume a normal life, but grief clings to him relentlessly and pushes him toward instability. The moment underscores how deeply the tragedy has altered his world.

Back in his apartment, John attempts to settle into a routine but is overwhelmed by despair. He takes pain pills as a way to numb the pain, only to vomit them up and pass out, surviving a near-fatal overdose. This sequence marks the depth of his turmoil and the fragility of his will to live.

Still-bleeding and exhausted, John stumbles through a local park where a mysterious young woman known as the Urchin shadows him. She seems to guide him through the night, offering a fragile sense of safety amid the chaos. The park becomes a liminal space between despair and possible human connection.

In the park, the Transient thwarts thugs with a swift, unfamiliar martial art, drawing John’s attention. He approaches and shares a pipe of marijuana with the enigmatic fighter, and they exchange a quiet moment of mutual recognition when they notice the scars on their forearms. The encounter hints at an uneasy bond forming in a night of danger.

John returns home to dispose of his pain pills, only to encounter Gabby, a friend of Jennifer, who adds another thread to the night’s tangled narrative. The unexpected reunion threads Jennifer’s past into John’s present and deepens his sense of being trapped. The moment pushes him further toward the unknown.

At a club, John follows the Miscreant into an apartment and they share reckless sex and drugs. He becomes entangled in a volatile sequence, grabbing a machete as the night spirals out of control. The struggle ends with the Miscreant strangled to death as she stabs him with a heroin spoon, and the Bouncer is killed by John with a rear-naked choke.

Dawn breaks as John sits on a rooftop with a gun, contemplating ending his pain. He places the gun in his mouth and squeezes the trigger, but the chamber remains empty, leaving him both shaken and alive. He rises and walks toward the light, the vision of his former self smiling beside him as the world moves on.

A final flashback reveals how John and Jennifer first met on a rainy day in the park, simply exchanging the word 'hi' as the only dialogue. The memory lingers as he faces an uncertain future, anchoring him to the love that bound them. The scene underscores the choice to continue living even after devastating loss.