[ IP ] A test of Faith

He could only hear his breathing. Ahead of him were 500, no 600, no almost 1000 screaming people. Behind him were 200 of the most well trained police force on the earth, equipped with riot sheilds, assault rifles, and full body armor. He was in no man's land. 
 
 He could only hear his breathing. He tried talking to crowd, telling them to lay down the Molotov cocktails and bats. He tried talking to the police, telling them that if only they could protest, it would be peaceful, but nothing had worked. So he was content with standing here, arms up, eyes closed, focused only on the wind around his face. He was no man's land. 
 
 He could only hear his breathing. Then he saw it. One bottle, one rag, all alight flying over his head. He turned, eyes wide. The crowd stampeded around him. The air lit up with bullets. He snapped back to reality. He dropped the cross as the hundreds of angry civillians crashed into him and he watched as the police charged, batons and barrels raised. 
 
 He could no longer hear his breathing. He was hit once in the chest, then twice. He could no longer hear anything at all. 
 
 Three months later, a teenager found his picture on the internet. 
 
 `` Dad, what is he doing?'' 
 
 `` Trying to test our faith'' 
 
 `` What happened?'' 
 
 `` We did n't pass''
