The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) (109 page)

             
“This is insanity.” James cut him off mid-sentence and addressed me, “Those people up there will end up killing themselves before we even get the chance.” He turned back to the boy, “I guarantee you,
my spunky friend, that there are plenty of people who can still think for themselves just waiting to overthrow your beloved leaders. You need to prepare for that. You'll find that once they're out of the way, you'll be much better off. Which brings me to
my next question: Besides guns, exactly what defenses do you have?”

             
“Why would I tell you that? Why would I help you?”

             
“Wouldn't you like to live?” James asked calmly.

             
“James, we cannot punish him for what he believes. I am not angered by the things he
said. I am profoundly stunned that people would go along with such stupidity but then, I do understand. They were afraid for their lives. They turned to those who offered them safety in return for blind allegiance. They need to believe in all of this divin
e protection nonsense in order to sleep at night.”

             
“I don't need your defense.” The boy shot at me suddenly.

             
“Darling, I was not defending you. I was simply explaining your delusional ramblings out loud to myself.”

             
“Your father believes. At least
someone in your family of trash believes. I pity him. He tried to lead us but failed. The reason why he failed is because through his seed, he bore children of Satan. That's what Rich told him when he got his lashings.”

             
“My father got lashings?” I pretend
ed to be overjoyed at the idea. Secretly, I was; I never imagined that he would ever suffer physical pain at another's hands the way that he had forced me to suffer and now, I was learning that he had. It was petty and childish to feel that way but then, I
could not question the giddy feeling that rose inside of me as I thought of it.

             
“How could he possibly have known, though, that you all would turn out to be such freaks?” Christian continued as though I had not spoken, “I feel bad for him.”

             
“You shouldn
't. If you'd like to talk about evil and hell, then know this: That man will have a throne right next to the beast you believe has claimed us.”

             
“He has relented. He has received great punishment for his evil ways. That red-headed woman with him received w
orse. And your mother, if she were here, would have learned her place very quickly. She would have received the absolute
worst
of it.”

             
“Well, thank God she didn't make the trip.” James replied, and the tone of his voice provoked a laugh in me.

             
“You think
I don't know who you are?” The boy shot at me. He was desperately trying to needle me into an emotional meltdown. I merely smiled at him and tried not to giggle at his display of what was essentially an overcharged, religion-themed show of team spirit.

             
“I know all about your life on Earth. So, let me ask you this,” He grinned in sadistic glee,

“Did what happened with your father's best friend turn you on to older men? Is that why you're with him?”

             
Consider me needled.

             
Any time that event was brought up
, I immediately felt a surge of bile skyrocketing from my stomach into my throat. I had to stop myself from lurching forward. I had to stop myself from grasping my head as dizziness shredded my brain to string that blew in some cranial breeze. The challeng
e of stopping all of those bodily reactions to the reawakened trauma blinded me to James's ascent from his seat. I had no time to stop him. By the time I had recomposed myself enough to see clearly, he had lunged forward over the table and tackled Christia
n backwards.

             
“James!” I stood up, but it was too late. He was pounding his fists into the boy's face, mumbling obscenities in that animal rage we were slowly becoming accustomed to experiencing. When the screech that preceded sure bloodshed escaped his th
roat, I hurtled over the fallen table and grabbed a hold of him.

             
I possessed not a fraction of his strength. Though I was capable of fighting to the death and winning with ease, I could not match the pure force of James's newly evolved strength. Pulling w
ith all my might only pained me. He jerked forward and ripped into the boy's neck.

             
The scream that filled the room was short-lived, followed by a gurgling sound that forced me to turn away. I closed my eyes, grasping the leg of the overturned table; it wa
s the only thing close that I could use to steady myself. I listened as James's heavy breaths were drawn in and released, waiting for the loud expulsion of murderous fury. Sure enough, a moment later, he roared, and the force of the sound extinguished the
torches, leaving us in darkness.

             
“Is he dead?” I asked the black room.

             
“I lost control.”

             
“That's not what I asked.”
             
A long moment of silence followed my statement. I looked up, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, enabling me to see clearly. James was kn
elt over the boy's twitching body, checking for a pulse.

             
“He's gone.”

             
“That certainly was not what Don had in mind when he asked us to use our powers to gain answers.” I was lighting the torches back up with my lighter.

             
“Well, I don't care what Don thin
ks. Were you not listening?! Did you not hear the things he was saying?”

             
“I heard them. His insults were directed entirely at me. You had no reason to kill him. I understand that you feel it was for my sake...”
             

             
James turned and stormed out of the room.

             
“Get out of my way!” He shouted at Don as he passed.

             
“What happened?” Don asked me as I hurried past him after James.

             
“He lost control.” I repeated James's earlier words; it was the only choice explanation for what had just occurred.

             
“Is he dead?” Don
demanded, “Did you even find out what I asked you to find out?”

             
“He was never going to tell us what their defenses were.”

             
“Why did James kill him? What did he do?”

             
“He made some personal slights against me. We found out about their way of life, but that
's...

             
“Their way of life?!” Don repeated in incredulous anger, “What good will that do us? Knowing about their way of life isn't going to...”

             
“I am sick of being yelled at by weak-minded men.” I snapped, both in conversation and in feeling.

             
With that, I
pushed past him. As I walked past, a door swung open beside me. Adam walked out calmly, wiping blood from his mouth and licking his fangs. I was simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by that man whose swagger and charisma never failed him, not even after
he had just taken a life.

             
“Your interrogation ended on a very similar high note, did it not? Oh, the look on young Jonathon's face when he saw that it was none other than me coming to question him...” He smiled evilly and leaned against the wall.

             
I groa
ned in disgust loudly before storming away. Now, I felt guilty not only over the death of the devout boy but over Jonathon, too. I should have gone with my instincts. The decision to live at Don's commune was wrong. Sure, we had been happy. We had felt sec
ure, however briefly. But now, we were going to be forced to fight. I had two sisters that were my sole responsibility. I had a brother who, despite his temper, was also mine to look after and I had a boyfriend whose rage, once unleashed, yielded terrible
results. I pondered momentarily the childlike hope I had allowed to set in not only when we landed on Pangea but also when we moved into Don's house. Now, I knew it had all been a dream. Dreams so often turn to nightmares before the person asleep can stop
the harsh and sudden change. I understood that now.

             
Don's hand wrapped around my wrist. I almost gasped in pain when his grip tightened. When he spun me around to face him, I saw the beast for the second time that evening but this time, the madness was ev
en more intense. Don Abba was suddenly appearing to me in his truest form; he was a monster who thrived on chaos and catastrophe. With that crazed energy, he could command his subjects to do his brutal bidding and they would not ask questions. They would g
o along with his plans out of fear, but also by their own will. He would make them believe their rampage was justified, in need of being carried out to protect their freedom. It would be all too easy for him.

             
“He will pay a great price for what he has don
e and you should, too! You were there! You're an
accomplice!” He pushed me against the wall hard. I commanded myself not to grimace in pain and my body obeyed. I even managed a smile of aggravated disbelief.

             
“Don't you smirk at me!” He punched the wall
right next to my face. I jumped only slightly.

             
“Get your hands off of me.” I ordered calmly, my smile growing with my dangerously insidious fury. Both then and now, I knew and know, respectively, that if that man had not released his grip on me in ten sec
onds, I would have destroyed him. I would have torn the limbs from his body and stomped on the remains until there was nothing left but a pool of blood and some shredded skin. In doing that, I would have shown him never to accost me so aggressively while s
imultaneously doing the world a favor by erasing him from it.
             

             
“I asked one simple thing of you! I needed to know what their defenses were! Now, we're going in blind! You can thank yourself when I send your brother in first! He'll be the first to die.”

             
N
ow, I grabbed him. I pushed him backwards, my long, pointed fangs shooting out. I held him against the wall and hissed in his face.

             
“I am your leader! Let go of me
now
!”

             
“You will not touch any of the people I love, Don Abba! If you want to die, then mak
e your move! You will be dead before you can take two steps towards them! You do not want me as your enemy!” He struggled against my grip and I locked my hands on him even more tightly. He did grimace in pain and was unable to stifle a gasp.

             
“I carry at l
east a little of every power. So tell me,” I squeezed him harder, feeling my fingernails ready to rip into his skin. He yelled out in pain, “does this hurt? Would you like me to utilize them all at once? That is coming next!”

             
“Let go! Let go!” Don begged
as he tried to pry my fingers from his skin before my nails pushed through.

             
“I will let go if you shut up and listen!”
             
For the first time, I was in control of the situation. For the first time, I was going to lead the way. I remembered how helpless and h
opeless I had felt for so many years. All of that suffering, all of that self-loathing... They were being rectified right then. I was going to handle the situation with the Bachums myself. I was going to end the war and win our freedom. Don would be nothin
g but a fly buzzing in my ear. I could not deny that he was valuable; I needed any able-bodied men and women who were able to fight. Additionally, Don had the rage and power I needed to convince others to join us. He had the ability to cause great destruct
ion with the power he had mastered. I did need him.

             
“We are going north. We are going to take down the Bachums. We need only one strike.”

             
“They have all the guns! They have all the weapons your father brought!”

             
“Well, then, we had better learn to duck
and cover.” I replied with a small grin.

             
Adam chuckled. I scowled at him before turning my attention back to Don.

             
“Your people are angry, Don. We have lived our lives in peace, giving without a fight what you have deemed is a fair share. But people do no
t believe it is all that fair. Adam, how much food does he supply you with?”