Chapter
39: A Books Worth of Revelations
Ben
senses the indignation in him blistering his gut. He clutches the arms of the
wooden chair that hold his husky frame. He is ready to leap from his seated
position and fall upon manipulative twofaced Sin Preacher. How would he explain
to his wife and children that he’d beaten a woman senseless? Right now Ben
didn’t give a shit they’d forgive him. “Lady …” Ben thrusts up from the chair his
arms quaking. “You’re a fucking nut and I’m …” He hears the hammer cock before
he sees the silver revolver in Miriam’s hand. “You’re going to do what Mr.
James?” She scoffs flipping her frizzy hair back. “You know what you’re going
to do Benjamin?” She asks a sneer drawing across her lips. “You will relent to
my demands ….. You will agree to give me the heathen and the fatherless child.”
She moves around the corner of the desk. “If you don’t agree to my terms your
family will be cast down into the pit. Where they will used as fodder to feed
the Unclean and keep the rest of us alive.” Ben swallows hard locking his eyes
on the Sin Preacher. He falls back limp into the aging wooden chair which groans
in protest. His mind races he attempts to suppress the images of his family’s
demise. The idea of his children being devoured by zombies brings a glob of
vomit to the back of his throat. “You and that mouthy soldier girl Sara will
have to be put down as well.” She keeps just out of reach of the big man.
Miriam’s hand clutching the pistol doesn’t waiver. Ben watches the barrel leveled
at his head but it is the least of his concern. “I will ask you again Mr.
James.” The Sin Preacher speaks through gritted teeth. She was not the same
person who picked them up in that field what seems like a lifetime ago. “Will
you give me the two members of your party I demand as repayment or will you
condemn them all?”
“Why?!”
Ben croaks. “You never told us there was such a price to pay for your
assistance.” He slams a fist down onto her desk but she doesn’t flinch. “Why
help us at all? Huh Miriam it appears you had this in mind all along.” The meek
woman with the gun shakes her head “No” vigorously. “Look you were in no
position to refuse me Benjamin.” The Sin Preacher jabs the pistol in his
direction. “My God commands that I help those who cannot help themselves. I
wanted you and your people to be a part of what we have here.” She rubs her
free hand across her mouth wiping away froth from the corners of her lips. “I
simply can’t have that Son of Lot you brought with you in my house of God.” It
was Ben’s turn to chuckle. “My wife was right.” He shakes his head giggling
softly to himself. “Your ‘House of God” isn’t that an oxymoron?” “Careful Mr.
James choose your words very carefully.” The Sin Preacher chides the man before
her. “You pretend to speak for God yet you don’t know the true meaning of his
words. You don’t know what grace and mercy are. You simply take a gaggle of
slack jawed yokels and play on their fears and ignorance.” Ben wonders to himself
if she possesses the moxy to do her own dirty work. “What will you do with
Jamal and Cammy?” Ben probes sizing the woman up watching her body language. He
knows full well he doesn’t want to know what her plans are. “What do you mean
when you say ‘fodder’ Miriam?” Miriam breaks eye contact with Ben like a mortified
child. She composes herself before speaking. “Your son and companion have
already found out by now what I am about to share with you. As they have
accompanied Brother Gustavo out on his rounds this morning.” When her eyes find
Ben’s again they are as empty as the zombie’s they’ve been fighting the last
few days. “I have found a way to distract the ravenous highly intelligent
Unclean that hunt during the night. I have Brother Gustavo hang pieces of human
meat in various places around the church. This keeps the Unclean preoccupied
and fed at night. This way they don’t go roving about thus reducing the risk of
them discovering us hidden in here. “You crazy bitch …” Ben blurts beside
himself. “You let me send my boy out with that lunatic to feed zombies?!” He
screams standing to his feet. “Yes I did Mr. James.” She says coldly. “By the
way how did you sleep last night? Were your wife, your kids and your friends
safe?” Ben is disgusted at the thought of having paid for his people’s safety
with the life of another. “As you can imagine Mr. James this process has a high
price and not everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater
good.” She smiles. “But in this Post Rapture Apocalyptic world Mr. James. There
are a few souls who are brave enough. The others … well …” She rolls her eyes.
“Well let’s just say that everyone you met in that room across the hall had to
offer up a sacrifice to stay here.” Ben’s consciousness darkens at the corners
he feels light headed as he fights not to faint. “I will sacrifice that heathen
and the baby as well Mr. James if you must know.” The Sin Preacher sighs deeply
then fills her lungs with a breath of fresh air. “Either you give me the
penance you owe. Then leave here never to return or you and Sara will suffer
their fate as well. I’m sure the Olmstead boy will take you all in again or so
you can hope.” The Sin Preacher grasp the handle of the revolver with both
hands. She steadies her aim taking a shooter’s stance. “Now stop stalling and
answer the fucking question.” She shouts shivering with self-righteous outrage.
Ben’s lips quiver as he starts to speak. “I ….. I can’t …. I won’t.” As he
whispers a single tear pools up in his right eye spilling slowly down his
cheek. “In this new world Mr. James cowardice is lethal.” The Sin Preacher and
Benjamin stare one another down. “I knew you lacked the conviction to make the
right choice Ben.” She shakes her head as she speaks. “Colonel …” She yells out
never taking her eyes or the gun barrel off Ben. The door burst open the big
brute known as Colonel leads the way. He is dragging Private Lockett roughly
into the room. Ben stands to his feet without hesitation turning to face
Colonel. “Now Mr. James I assure you that remaining calm is in your best
interest. He gazes back over his shoulder eyes dripping hatred but he doesn’t
move. Sara fights in protest the whole way but the man is almost three times
her size and her hands are zip tied behind her back. He flings her to the dusty
floor all the while smiling in Ben’s general direction. Sara looks up from the
floor in her brown eyes is a look of sorrow. Ben had never seen her so humbled
and unsure of herself. The swelling under her right eye spoke volumes she
didn’t have to say a word. “Morning Mr. James.” Colonel winks from across the
room pointing a large pistol down at Lockett’s face. Behind them BC and Jim
Hosstrum drag Jamal into the room and pin him down like police officers.
Following everyone Silas Proctor waddles in clutching a screaming baby Cammy to
his doughy chest. He looked to be having more trouble with his load than anyone
else. Ben reels from a blow to the back of his head. He wobbles a bit before
falling to his knees. The Sin Preacher steps up close to finish beating Ben
into submission. Miriam does this with an arching blow to the base of his skull
with the butt of the revolver. A man who had been gathered around the church
members in the basement earlier reaches in a closes the door to the Preacher’s
office. Ben fades quickly into unconsciousness.
Chip scans the floor finding his hammer a
few inches in front of where he had come to rest. His eyes fall upon large heap
laying in front of a shabby desk. “Dad?” He ask raising up on his hands in a
panic. “Dad!” Chip screams pulling his body over to his father his mostly lame
legs trail him like a lizard’s tail. Silas steps in blocking his path looming
over the boy who can only crawl. “Not so funny now are you boy?” Silas looks
down grinning his yellow teeth looking like old fence slats. “Where’s all ya
jokes now that I gotcha crawlin’ round the floor cripple?” He places a booted
foot down painfully on Chip’s hand. Causing the boy to cry out and roll over
onto his back. Chip watches as a bloodied but defiant Private Carson is lifted
to his feet by the men. His hands are tied behind his back with a thick length
of tightly braided rope. They prop Carson against the wall two of the men lean
into his back jamming him in place. The movement in the corner of his eye
startles Chip. On his left Sara sits Indian style her face swollen on one side.
The man they all called “Colonel” has a watchful eye on her. To his right he
observes Jamal his face streaked with tears and blood. Jamal’s face is a
pitiful portrait blood flows from his spilt bottom lip. His left eye is only a
slit having swollen most of the way shut. “Hey up here boy.” Silas taps his toe
against Chip’s shoulder. “Not so high and mighty now without all ya back up.
Well looks like ‘Captain Chubby’ got the last laugh.” Silas looks back at The
Sin Preacher hoping she won’t cut his fun short. “Tell me boy how does it feel
to have to crawl ‘round like some kinda animal on the floor?” He throws his
head back laughing so hard his portly body shakes with glee. “You tell me …”
Chip mutters in a flash he grabs the mallet from floor. He strikes so fast
Silas is wailing before he knows his kneecap has been dislocated by a vicious
blow from the hammer. The room is still as Silas topples down on his damaged
knee bringing fresh howls of agony. Baby Cammy takes this time to start crying
as babies do when someone around them cries. Having reduced to blabbering idiot
to his level Chip doesn’t hesitate. His next blow drives the rubber mallets
head into Silas Proctors jaw. Amid the blood spray half a dozen of the man’s
teeth clatter to the floor like dice. Proctor falls to the floor senseless mere
feet from Ben. Chip watches a man blot from his right not waiting he pivots on
his hands. Chip brings the hammer down on the man’s foot before he can react to
the pain in his foot. Chip punches out with his empty hand connecting with the
man’s testicles. “For Christ sake.” Colonel yelps in frustration jamming his
pistol into his waistband. “He a got damn feeble!” The Colonel moves in to
bring Chip’s irritating rebellion to an end. He pays no mind to Private
Lockett. That is until he feels the savage kick to his exposed kidney from the
steel toed boot. Sara rocks the man with a second kick to the back before leaping
into the air driving her knees down hard as she lands on the old soldier.
Carson aware of his captor’s distraction uses one of his muscular legs to push
off against the wall. He drives the two smaller men backwards with his shoulder
smashing them into a wall. They all hit the wall unleashing a shower of glass
from a full length mirror. “Enough!” The Sin Preacher announces. The room falls
silent at once as she walks into the center of the fray. She holds the chrome
pistol menacingly close to the infant’s temple. “Cease this non sense this
instant.” She demands. “With God as my witness if either of you three move I
will start with this child and finish with Mr. James on the floor over there.”
She looks around the room at her battered and bewildered forces. “You men of
First New Faith I thought you could handle such a simple task. They are but
children secure them this instant.” The men scurry about with their heads hung
low. “Colonel remain here with me.” She uses the gun to control the flow of
traffic like a symphony director. “You all take the infirmed boy, his
wheelchair and the big one back there.” The Sin Preacher points in Carson’s
general direction. “Cast them down in the pit with the unworthy and the rest of
their companions.” The men set about doing as they were instructed. “What of
Brother Proctor Madam Sin Preacher?” The remaining man guarding Jamal asks.
“Drag him out of my office and have the women tend to him.” She rolls her eyes
as if talking to the man is causing her physical pain. “Brother Gustavo assist
Brother Green in hauling Brother Proctor away.” She fixes him with a hard
stare. Brother Gustavo relents moving over slowly taking the obese man by his
ankles. He treats the still living Silas no different than one of the corpses
he handles. He drags the man away moaning softly while spitting up wads of
mucus infused blood. As the bit characters exit the room they close the door.
The Sin Preacher and Colonel are left with their chosen prisoners from the
James clan.
First off an apology for the delay in posting the new chapter. Real life has a way of complicating the fun we have navigating our favorite survivors through the zombie apocalypse from time to time.
Now moving on we are back in the First New Faith Baptist Church and we thought that Brother Gustavo's behaviors were odd. We and the James clan have found out how truly insidious The Sin Preacher's motives are. Ben has refused to give up Baby Cammy Jamal and it now appears he's sealed his fate and Private Lockett's as well.
We'll see you all back here for an explosive Chapter 40 the week of September 22nd.
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The Living Dark
