End Days Super Boxset (137 page)

“We should have a memorial service as soon as possible. Tell everyone that Ryan died a hero, trying to get the supplies we need,” David said.

“First, we need to get the medicine to the right people. We almost lost a child today,” the Sheriff said.

The group gasped.

“Who was it?” Carlie asked.

“Reba’s boy, Tommy. His fever was over a hundred degrees. Margie was able to get him back down to normal.”

“Thank God he’s okay. Looks like we got here just in time,” she said.

“There’s many things we have to consider now,” the Sheriff said.

“You told me that they held you at gunpoint and that you’re certain they were going to kill you.”

“Without a doubt,” David said. “I tackled their leader when he told one of his guys to take us in another room.”

The Sheriff ran both his hands nervously through his silver hair. “I just don’t understand it. Why would they do such a thing?

“Because they’re fucking crazy,” Rob added.

“We know that, Rob,” David said. “Whether they’re crazy or not, they have weapons, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come here trying to start trouble. After everything, they came away empty-handed, and they’re probably plenty pissed.”

“Good. I say bring it on,” Carlie added.

“What are they going to do, attack us? They’d have to be out of their minds to try something like that,” Rob said.

“We need to talk with that woman. What’s her name? Sister Bonnie. We take a vehicle over there, offer a truce, and try to find a way around this,” the Sheriff said.

“They belong in prison. This is still a nation of laws, am I correct?” David said.

“Frankly, I don’t know what kind of nation it is anymore. We just need to contain this before it gets out of hand,” the Sheriff said.

The door to the room creaked open, revealing Paul. He felt uncomfortable showing his face near them but apologetic at the same time. Rob peeked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at Paul’s presence.

“You doing okay?” the Sheriff asked him.

“Yeah. I just wanted to tell everyone that I’m sorry that I overreacted. I think we’ve all been through a lot and—”

“It’s cool, Paul,” David said. “Have a seat and join the discussion.”

Paul made his way over to the table, pulled up a chair, and sat.

“Are we good?” he asked Rob.

Rob took a moment, but answered.

“Yeah man. I think we’re all going a little crazy here like you said.”

“Just to let you in on the news,” the Sheriff said, “I plan to talk with the town council and arrange a trip to the church. We can try to work this thing out.”

“And what if they don’t go for it?” Paul asked. “They were prepared to kill us over some medicine.”

“If they agree to a truce, good. If they don’t, we’ll have to build up our defenses and be ready.”

A silence came over the room. The Sheriff continued.

“We’ll bury Ryan tomorrow and make sure his family is comforted. Then we try to squash this thing immediately.”

It was early morning when the members of the Seventh Order filled the church following a summons to hear Sister Bonnie’s latest sermon. Walter did his best to keep the news under wraps and implored Harold and Terry to keep their mouths shut, even when confronted by Joey’s family asking them about their son. Walter took them aside and told them that they would receive all the answers they needed soon. It wasn’t good enough, so they hounded Walter. He brought them to Sister Bonnie, who had looked refreshed from her earlier state that evening.

She talked with Joey’s mother and father for ten minutes then led them into the church as they wiped their eyes of tears. It appeared she had told them the news. Sister Bonnie led them to the front pew and asked that they sit. She felt for her notes in the pocket of her brown one-piece dress. Its bottom touched the floor and dragged along the carpet as she walked. She took a sip from her bottle of water and then took the podium. A packed room of her devoted followers hungered for words and guidance. Walter watched from the back of the room, uncertain if the path toward peace was a wise one. He had grumbled to Harold and Terry about what Sister Bonnie was going to propose, and they agreed that they might have to exact revenge on New Haven without the approval of their leader. Insolence was in the air.

The room went quiet as she stepped to the podium. She pulled her folded notes from her pocket and prepared to speak. She usually started her services with a brief prayer. That morning was no exception.

“Let us pray,” she said.

The heads in the audience drooped down as Sister Bonnie said a prayer about gaining the will and the way of their decisions.

“Amen,” she said.

The congregation repeated her in unison. She then moved on to the pressing matter before them.

“Good morning, wonderful followers of the Seventh Order.”

They repeated “good morning, Sister Bonnie” in unison as she glanced to her notes and then back to her audience.

“We are a family. Our time here living within limited means has been a difficult and challenging period. None of you have complained. None of you have asked for more than required. We have all worked together to live, to survive, and to reach our fulfilled destiny. You have allowed me to be your divine messenger as I’ve been given the answers of what we must do. And when I spoke of the coming apocalypse, many people thought I spoke without reason or knowledge. Many of them left. But you remained. And then, as you remained, as we set up a place where we can live among each other away from the evils of the world, we have discovered that millions of people have in fact perished in man’s inevitable destruction. This is a necessary course for the renewal, much in the way Noah received warning of the coming flood and a new age that followed. I never doubted the divine word in the way you never doubted me as your leader.”

Sister Bonnie looked up from her notes. The packed room was silent and hanging on her every word.

“I wish I could stand here and tell you that the worst is over, and that our challenges are a thing of the past. But it seems that new challenges face us in ways we can no longer ignore. There is a danger we face from outside. We understand that the world, as it exists today, still holds such danger that has yet to be eliminated. We understand perfectly that thieves, murderers, liars, adulterers, and their most staunch supporters still cling onto life like cockroaches under cover of darkness. It is no surprise that we have to be vigilant to protect ourselves against those who have managed to outlast their own destruction. This is what we know and understand. Brothers and sisters, I have called you here today to witness the revelation of a new message passed down to me.”

Sister Bonnie shuffled through her notes then found a page nearly illegible with mad scribbling from the night before. She looked down at the page, tried to read it, then tossed it aside. She proceeded to deviate from her written words and talk directly to the audience.

“Yesterday, two members of our congregation were attacked while gathering much-needed supplies for our community. These selfless and often thankless tasks are perhaps the most honorable service in the line of the Seventh Order. These men act as providers, and in doing so they ensure our survival. They were ambushed by outsiders during their mission. Our surviving members, Walter, Harold, and Terry, brought word back to camp of a bloodthirsty group of men lost to their own savagery. Our surviving members barely escaped with their lives, and they told a story of a heroic battle where our brothers, Chris and Joey, sacrificed themselves so that the rest of us could live. The outsiders killed our men then stole the supplies we so greatly needed.”

Collective gasps of shock flowed throughout the crowd like a contagion. Joey’s parents burst into tears and heavy sobbing from their seats in the front pew. The crowd grew louder in their outrage. Sister Bonnie attempted to calm them.

“There is no need for panic. We must be strong. Take heed that this is not the end and that it’s another test of our will. Listen to me, and hear my word,” Sister Bonnie said while raising her authoritative voice.

The crowd grew silent and she continued.

“We are not violent people. We are not like the rest of them. We are of a higher order. We are gentle and peaceful, as is our guidance.”

From his position in the back of the church, Walter could feel disappointment growing in him. He had feared that Sister Bonnie was going to suggest a passive path. Then something happened in her eyes, and Walter saw a spark of anger he hadn’t seen in her before.

“But when you poke the beast,” she said. “When you provoke the sleeping giant, we are left with no choice but to defend ourselves, and defend ourselves we must.”

The motivated crowd clapped and cheered in lively support.

“When we are faced with no other option than to finish the work that has started, that is what we must do. No longer will these cockroaches hide under cover and wait their time out. We will ensure that they join the others of their kind as we send them to the great below.”

The crowd erupted in a standing ovation. Sister Bonnie had grown more passionate and lively with each moment. She had reached her highest point of zest when she suddenly shifted her abrasive tone to one of calmness.

“This is our test. And it is a test we have not asked for. We do not want the wanton and senseless murder of life, even those who wish us harm, because we are fair people, loving people, and righteous people. Because we are all of these things, we will give our enemies a choice. They can swear allegiance to the Seventh Order, join us, provide us the ones who committed these heinous acts so that we may see them punished, and then they shall live.”

The confused crowd went silent again and sat back down in their seats.

“But if they do not accept our offer, then we are left with no choice but to take action. Loyal members of the Seventh Order, last night I was given a message that says we will have a new home. Some of you know it as New Haven. This is a community that will keep us safe. For you see, it was members from New Haven who killed our brothers.”

The crowd gasped again.

“And yes, they do know where we are, and yes, they are a threat. But we also know where
they
are, and we shall give them the option of joining us or perishing. Then we will take New Haven for our own!”

The crowd stood and cheered in another standing ovation. Sister Bonnie raised her arms into the air and spoke inaudibly to the ceiling as though she was looking into the heavens. Walter shook his head from the back of the room. He felt that her plan let New Haven off too easily. Plus he feared she might discover his exaggerated and false report of what had happened. He had to ensure she never found out before it was too late. Suddenly, Ralph, the ponytailed guard, stormed into the church in a fury. He pushed his way through people and stopped in the center of the pews.

“They’re here!” he shouted. “The outsiders are here!”

Sister Bonnie froze and looked to him. The crowd stopped clapping with surprise and panic stricken on their faces.

“Who is here?” Sister Bonnie asked carefully.

“The New Haven group. There’s over twenty people out there. They came in two trucks. I tried to keep them from entering, but that sheriff guy insisted on talking with you.”

The crowd shook in fear. People called out in a panic. Children started crying. Walter put his hat on, tapped Harold and Terry, and signaled that they go outside. They slipped out while the crowd cried in protest to New Haven’s arrival.

“Stay calm,” Sister Bonnie demanded.

The crowd quieted and looked to her for support.

“I only want a small group to accompany me and the remainder of you to wait in here.”

Sister Bonnie called out for Walter, but he was nowhere to be seen. She left the podium and made her way through the crowd.

“Where’s Walter?” she asked.

“I think he went outside,” a man standing by the door told her. Sister Bonnie looked to the commotion of the crowd in the pews.

“Give me ten people, now. We mustn’t stall any longer.”

Sister Bonnie left the church with ten men and women at her side, ready to address their uninvited guests.

At a safe distance from the church, a group of twenty people from New Haven stood by two parked pickup trucks. The Sheriff was at the front of the pack. He forbade Paul, Rob, Carlie, and David from coming to avoid any unnecessary trouble. He brought fresh faces with him, though they were all heavily armed and ready. Jordan was one of the people in the group. He had reluctantly joined the Sheriff’s call for a “few good men” to accompany him to the church. It had been a long, early, and somber morning at New Haven. Jordan knew very little, and for a man with a background in military intelligence, not knowing all the details was bothersome. Paul was acting strange. The Sheriff was tight-lipped. Everything was speculative. Ryan’s wife was informed of his loss and took it very harshly, as expected. She broke down into hysterics, took her two children inside their home, and didn’t come out, even for his burial.

After Ryan’s service, the Sheriff explained to the perplexed townspeople what he knew to be going on.