Walking into the camping supply area, Mike wanted to grab some sleeping bags and a hydro-pack, since there was no way to know where a person would find themselves at the end of any given day. Picking up a couple of grayish sleeping bags and the much-sought-after hydro-pack, Mike eventually found his way over to the woman’s clothing area.
A few aisles away Julian and his people were grabbing canned food and water when something caught Mike’s eye. He stopped and stared hard; he could have sworn he saw something move. Julian’s men stopped loading their carts when they noticed Mike’s sudden and intense interest in something behind them.
“What did you see?” Davis asked quietly, turning to look in the direction Mike was staring.
“Not sure, looked like something was standing just a few feet down the aisle from you, but then it was gone. Maybe a shadow or a bird or something, they get birds inside these places all the time.” Mike wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
“Nothing there now. Aggeles, find Julian and get everyone back to the vehicles. We need to locate Garcia’s family and get back to the bunker,” Davis instructed.
Mike looked around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. When he was sure nothing was out of place he started back for Marlee. Before his foot took its second step voices could be heard coming somewhere from the center of the store. It sounded like a television. The thought that stilled every step was the simple fact that there was no power to the store.
“Who the fuck turned on a television?” Eric asked.
The only person unaccounted for was Julian. What had gotten into the man, Mike wondered? Why would he be so careless and jeopardize their safety just to watch some television? If they were headed back to the bunker anyways, why not wait for a news update? And how had he gotten it to work?
Walking single file, they threaded their way through the jewelry and furniture section on their way to Electronics. Stoically standing in front of what must have been an eighty-inch television, Julian was engrossed in a news report flashing across the screen.
Mike was irritated. “Julian, what are you doing?”
“I’m trying to figure out how a television in a store with no power turned itself on. Odd, don’t you think?”
Mike walked up to another television and pressed the power button. It immediately flared to life. Surveying the immediate area, Mike walked up to a row of portable stereos sitting across from the camera display and flipped the power button on the first unit he reached. Static started to hiss from the speakers.
“Well that is some weird shit. I think someone went around and turned everything off in the store. Why in the hell would someone do that?” Mike asked, confused by the oddity of the situation.
“Because it’s a trap, Mike. The shelves are stocked, and the store is clear of the Changed except for the freaky guppy in the back. We’ve been baited into the perfect trap,” Eric said.
Shocked silence prevailed at that moment.
“What now?” Reid asked.
“Let’s get the hell outta here before the people that set this trap get here to claim their prize,” Mike said nervously.
He grabbed the items he’d pilfered as well as Marlee’s hand and started fast-walking toward the front entrance. Like clockwork, the others fell in place behind him.
Mayhem erupted.
A crash reverberated from the back of the store followed by the all-too-familiar guttural groans of the Changed. The sounds of toenails and bare feet slapping and sliding on the concrete filled Mike’s ears as the Changed made their desperate way toward the promise of fresh prey. The trap had been sprung and they all knew it.
As they poured out from the front entrance, it was now obvious to everyone that Eric had been right. They found themselves staring down the barrels of hundreds of rifles, handguns, and even a few crossbows. They stopped about twenty feet away from the door, fearful the Changed chasing them would overrun them but not wanting to run up on the armed new arrivals.
With precision movements, a small contingent of men broke off from the gathered crowd, circled behind Mike’s group, and then quickly went about the business of locking and chaining the doors shut. Within seconds the Changed were slamming themselves against the shatterproof glass.
Someone yelled, “Go around back and get them locked away before they make a big mess inside.”
A new group of heavily armed men took off down the side of the building headed toward the loading docks at the rear of the building. Definitely an operation that had been performed many times prior to today. Mike shook his head; he’d missed the obvious signs staring them right in the face. If this had been hostile territory in another country they would have steered clear of such an obvious setup. He’d let his guard down and they walked right into it like sheep to the slaughter.
Scrutinizing the crowd in front of him, Mike didn’t understand how so many vehicles and people managed to get this close with tipping them off. As he scanned the crowd, he spotted two men breaking free from the rest. One, a very tall muscular African American, and the other short, plump, and white. The shorter guy looked redneck and sported a cap with the John Deere logo stitched onto it.
Odd couple
, Mike thought.
The welcoming committee was on its way and Mike already didn’t like the feel of the situation. Maybe they were just being cautious, but the red flags were waving inside his head like a New Year’s tickertape parade. They were all dressed identically: blue jeans, boots, and white shirts. This was disconcerting to him because there was an obvious attempt to maintain a uniform appearance and they weren’t police, fire, or military. Mike immediately suspected they had run afoul of the church group he’d seen signs of the past couple of days. Marlee, who was clinging to his arm, was looking directly at him when he glanced at her. He was relieved to see she still had the presence of mind to keep her eye color natural. No need to cause a stir with these people, whatever they wanted.
The taller man spoke first. “Name’s Marcus and my friend here goes by JB. We’re fellows of the Brattleboro New Rapture Church of Christ. I apologize for the appearance we must be presenting.” He was smiling warmly and gesturing back at the heavily armed parishioners standing behind him. “Never know what you may come across these days, zombies, murderers, and some really strange creatures seem to be the norm nowadays. Thankfully, with the Lord’s grace, the unclean and non-believers will be culled during the Holy Rapture called down by God himself.”
“That was quite the mouthful, Marcus, and it sounds like you are doing the Lord proud.” Marcus and JB bristled with pride at this remark. “My name is Julian, and my companions and I, like you, are simply trying to survive.” Julian then went through a short series of introductions. Mike noticed the man introduced as JB was intently staring at each one of them in turn.
What’s he so interested in?
Mike thought, but acted as if he hadn’t noticed the eyeballing they were receiving.
“Do you follow the Lord’s teachings?” Marcus asked with an intensity that didn’t do anything to help Mike put away the red flags still waving wildly inside his head. He suddenly felt like they were in more danger right now than they had been at any time since the world went to shit.
Not missing a beat, Julian responded to Marcus’s probing question, “Some more so than others. I have been teaching them the word of Christ and they’re progressing quickly. We’ve survived on His Grace more so than for any other reason. The Second Coming will soon be upon us if I’ve read the signs right.”
Mike was shocked at how smoothly Julian had managed to deliver that lie. Marcus now seemed even more interested in their group, while JB was staring at Marlee with a look that would have landed him on the ground bloodied had it not been for the guns staring them down.
“It’s always good to meet other true believers. The Lord’s plan to use the Risen and bring about a quicker end to the non-believers has been very effective. The Risen are consuming the non-believers, and when they return to dust we’ll rebuild our world under God’s watchful eye.” Marcus had reached a fevered pitch and was starting to lose himself in the glory he was envisioning as he spoke. JB, on the other hand, was still leering at Marlee.
“I feel with the Lord’s guidance we’ve found our rightful places by your side and will be proud to call you brother. I have trained fighters with the courage of lions and we would be honored to join with you on this, the holiest of holy callings.” Julian’s mouth kept spewing bat-shit-crazy talk, but his voice had taken on an odd inflection. Marcus caught it immediately and Mike looked at Julian. For a fleeting moment, Mike swore he saw red shine through Julian’s eyes as he looked directly at Marcus.
Marcus’s reaction was instantaneous and palpable. He reeled back and then immediately knelt before Julian. In Mike’s mind this just got weirder than shit, and he didn’t know if this was a good sign or not. He saw the same confusion plastered all over Eric’s face. Aggeles and Daniels looked just as confused as Mike, but Davis was stoic as he watched the proceedings. Mike’s gut told him they were still in grave danger and he needed to find a way out of this situation before it got any more fucked-up. There was just the minor issue of the truckloads of men with guns pointed their way and the two men standing before them. JB was almost licking his lips at Marlee now; he seemed to be anticipating something Mike didn’t have the nerve to consider.
JB’s perverted redneck assholism set the entire thing off. He started to advance toward Marlee and Mike stepped in front of the dirty redneck, launching a blow so hard into JB’s face he heard the man’s jaw crack. JB hit the ground howling in agony.
Marcus, pulled from his bizarre worship of Julian, looked at Mike with malicious intent. “You’ll suffer for that. The Lord will exact every ounce of pain he can from your broken body and then he will ravish your soul.”
Mike didn’t like the sound of that, so he frantically began to look for some kind of escape. “We need to make a run for it,” he said, desperate to find an exit from the situation.
“STOP!” Julian yelled in a voice impossibly loud that reverberated inside Mike’s head.
Marlee screamed and hit the ground, clutching at her temples.
Everything went still and every eye was now trained on Julian; even JB had stopped squirming and was staring at him, his attention unwavering, his crushed jaw forgotten. Walking to a position between Mike, his companions, and the men that had followed Marcus, Julian stopped and faced both groups.
“I come to you now with joyous news, brothers and sisters; very soon Christ will take my earthly form and will once again walk upon the earth with an army of true believers at his side, cleansing the world of the unclean and unholy. The Tribulation has begun, and for the next seven years we shall provide judgment and discipline as the Lord has commanded. We must be ready, brothers and sisters, to make the final Ascension and accept God’s final glory.”
When he paused to take a breath, Julian began to disrobe down to a plain white loincloth. He was covered from head to toe with tattoos that appeared to be biblical scripture
.
The Apocalypse was only a couple of weeks old and we have already run smack into its main crazy
, Mike couldn’t help but think.
What were the chances.
Julian, or whoever this fucknut really was, raised his arms to the heavens and started to speak again in that booming tone, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done, so says the Book of Matthew, rejoice.”
Reid looked at Mike and whispered, “This mother fucker is coo-coo for cocoa puffs. What do we do now?”
Mike stared back at him and said, “I have no idea.”
Then it got worse.
Marcus and every one of his followers had fallen to their knees while Julian was doing his crazy speech. Davis had also taken a knee; Aggeles and Daniels looked as confused as Mike. The realization they’d been manipulated by Julian was hitting Mike hard. What was going on, and what did this mean for Marlee and his friends was all Mike kept asking himself.
Julian looked over at Mike and his group then back at the churchmen and stated, “My name is Judge, and together we will bring about the New Age. All religions are now one, and true believers will be accepted if pure of heart. The Son of Man is coming with great glory; capitulate or be culled will be our message, and we shall sweep these lands free of scourge.”
Mike’s world was on fire at this point and Reid was right, Julian, or Judge as he wanted to be called, was off his fucking rocker, and the longer he spoke the worse the news seemed to be getting. Mike noticed Marlee had stood up again. Perhaps due to the constant mental barrage Judge was pounding out, she had temporally lost the ability to control her
Change
and her eyes were now burning a bright red. Mike had never seen them this intense before.
Marcus also noticed Marlee’s unnatural eye color and was pointing at her, attempting to stutter something to Judge. “J-J-Judg-Judge,” he finally choked out. “Look, she bears the sign, how can this be?”
“Behold God’s blessing for my devotion. During Tribulation I have been blessed with a bride to share my burden and stand by my side; this he has done for me, done for us. His Glory understands no bounds,” Judge proclaimed loudly to the entire assembly. The members of the church group began sending their thanks to heaven for this unexpected glory.
Mike’s blood ran cold and his stomach started to twist and turn. Now he understood Julian’s interest in Marlee. This had been his plan from the beginning; it explained why they traveled the roads they had and ended up in this place. His instincts had warned him to be cautious the night he spoke with Julian during the C5 flight. This man, Judge, was insane, calculating, and of obvious means, He wondered if he was really a billionaire executive or just a cunning lunatic.
Comprehension of the situation hit Mike like a punch to the gut. The entire operation had been in the works for some time. Julian had sent the Coast Guard out to retrieve Marlee from the Sunset Rose because he had been searching for someone like her; what he needed her for filled Mike with dread.
“On your knees, hands behind your back. We’re going for a little ride.” Mike glanced back to see Davis’s assault rifle staring back at him.
“Why?” Mike asked him.
“It’s not your place to question anymore, and don’t worry, what Judge has planned for you for defiling his wife will make even the Changed cringe.” A sudden flash, then stars and finally darkness immediately followed those dreadful words.