CONDEMNED TO HELL, COULD HE FIND THE "BACKDOOR TO HEAVEN"

A man is judged by his heart and morals, or so William H. Bonney always believed. Sure he killed people, but only to avenge murdered friends or to preserve his own life - never for gain or cruelty. As he stands outside heaven's gates, he learns that his actions also mattered, and Billy the Kid lived a life of violence and those actions condemn him to the depths and darkness of hell. Tormented in hell, Billy hears a rumor of a backdoor into heaven where penitent souls are sometimes admitted. The rumor intrigues Billy, and he determines to find this legendary backdoor. But when he arrives there at last, Billy is refused entry. Instead he is offered another chance at life - and the hope of earning his way into heaven. Life on earth in the year 2000 isn't what Billy remembers, and fate seems determined to tempt him back onto the road to crime and violence. Only three things hold out hope for Billy - his friendship with Father Paul of St. Catherine's Church, his growing involvement with the woman Marie, and his own belief that his heart is pure and he doesn't belong in hell. Vicki McElfresh works as a computer technician. Her work has appeared in "Dragonlaugh," "Vision" and "The Mid Rivers Review. Her short story, "Silent No More" won second place in the Liar's Ink writing competition.