Pt Three-Seven

7

The next couple of days seemed to go by fast. The group kind of just recuperated, sitting around getting to know each other. Kailee got stronger and stronger as each day passed recovering slowly but surely from the gunshot wound that had saved her life. The bullet had not made a clean wound luckily Rick and Jake had both been in the military and had to remove them before. Rick had taken a knife that he carried, sterilized it and proceeded to remove the bullet. Kailee had of course screamed in pain as he was doing it, but it was quickly over and they patched up the wound, stopped the bleeding and all that was left was the recovery.

Jake had gone out several times scouring the surrounding area for supplies as he liked to call it but the group knew what he was really up to. He was killing zombies, even though he would come back with different items that he found his bat would always be marked with the tellings of zombie slaying. They left him alone, knowing that it was helping in this dark times. Jake had not found one single survivor in his trips to the outside, he had looked within a 1/2 mile radius including most of the suburbs that were close to the church. All he found were zombies, lots and lots of zombies. Even if he wanted to take them all on there was no way he could do it without losing his life and that was something he didn't plan on doing.

Dave had noticed Aaron was being very peculiar of late. He was not being his usual, cheery and chippy self choosing instead to sit away from the rest of them. Dave chose to ignore it, thinking that he probably just needed time to digest the things that were going on. Kailee was sleeping a lot so Dave had been spending time with Jake and Rick talking and learning from them. They showed him several things including how to properly dress a wound, hold a gun the right way and even a knife. Jake had found a machete on one of his adventures and was showing Dave how to hold it.

"It's good to grip it with both hands so you can get some power behind your swing," Jake was demonstrating, "But it's also good to have some mobility, which you have more of if you only use one hand." Jake switched the machete to his right hand and swung it around in an arc with lightning quick speed stopped and then handed the machete to Dave. "Your turn."

"Alright lets hope I don't cut one of my fingers off," Dave said taking the machete.

"Just do it the exact way I showed you and everything will be fine."

Rick chose to sit against the back wall watching the two men, interjecting with his wise old words when he felt things weren't being done right.

"Make sure your feet are set properly," Rick said. "Otherwise you are going to trip and decapitate yourself and fingers will be the least of your worries."

"The old man is just jealous of your mad skills," Jake said smiling, "He can't move like this anymore since his arthritis set in."

"Ha ha very funny," Rick said in a sarcastic voice, "Don't you have an adventure to go on Pippi Longstocking? Your about overdue for an excursion."

"I thought I would stay in and chill with you guys today." Jake answered. "We got enough things for now to last awhile I don't need to go out and risk myself needlessly."

"God wouldn't like that would he?" Rick asked.

"Besides the point that I have free will to do what I want, no he probably would prefer that I didn't go out and risk myself just to kill a few zombies."

This was one of several times that God had been brought up in the last few days. Jake seriously trying to show his side of the story and Rick making arguments to why he thought if there was a God, he was cold and merciless. Dave was fascinated with the discussion having never heard anything about God before. He had been raised far away from any sort of religion and had no friends that were religious. His mom's side was completely LDS, but she had left the church at an early age, separating herself from her family in the process. She had been a severe alcoholic during her life, dying at an early age not long after Dave was born. Dave's dad went off the deep end and Dave ended up being raised by various different family members until he was eighteen and had just recently gotten an apartment to himself, since he had graduated and was ready to face the world. Now there was not much world to face.

"So you mean to tell me," Rick began on one of the conversations that took place, "After everything you have seen happen in the last couple of days, you still believe that God loves everyone yet he would let something as terrible as this happen?"

"I believe everything happens for a reason." Jake answered. The two of them went on for hours it seemed sometimes. Neither one of them giving in to the other or gaining ground in the discussion, though Jake always kept his cool and Rick took a lot of it personal. Dave could tell that Rick had a reason why he believed the stuff he was saying right now and that whatever it was it had hurt him deeply. Dave could see both sides to the argument, but then again he knew nothing about God or his so called purpose in life. But still something inside of him stirred when they started talking about it and something told him that there was something behind the argument.

The second night at the church after everyone had fallen asleep Dave got up from where he had been laying and walked over to a still wide awake Jake who was sitting on a counter in the kitchen reading his bible. His eyes were closed and it looked like his lips were moving.

"I am not interrupting anything am I?" Dave asked.

"Of course not man," Jake said opening his eyes with a smile on his face, "Is there something wrong?"

Dave thought for several seconds not really being able to think of why he had gotten up and came into the kitchen to talk. It was almost like something wok him up and urged him into the kitchen to confront this man he didn't even know.

"So I was just curious about the qualifications for your little club?" Dave asked, "You don't have to be a saint or anything right? Totally perfect without spot or wrinkle or anything like that?"

Jake sat there looking at this young man for a moment. Here, even now in this world and the state it was in, there was still hope for salvation. Jake was amazed at how God worked, bringing the right people together for just a time as this, so that even just one person could possibly come to know him.

"You know if that were true," Jake started, "Then I would not have a chance to be qualified. I have done a lot of things that I am not proud of."

Jake continued, telling Dave of his past, how he had grown up in the church, but it had been under a whole different mindset then he had now. He fell away at the age of eighteen turning to drugs, specifically marijuana and alcohol to fill the hole that he felt was missing from his life. He joined the military at twenty one thinking it would give him a new outlook on life but it had only made things worse. The politics that ran the military had driven Jake into a deeper hole he continued to spiral deeper and deeper and then he hit bottom. The military had no use for drunks so they kicked him out and he ended up back home in Idaho wallowing in his own self pity. At the beginning when he first got home nothing changed, he was at the bar every night doing the same thing he always did until one Sunday he decided to go back to church.

"It was different then it use to be," Jake continued, "I was greeted with open arms and love at the door unlike anything I had ever felt before. These people didn't know me, all they knew was that I was in need of something and that I had come there to find it. The preacher that morning spoke on God's grace and love, that he cared for us so much he sent his Son to die for us on a cross. John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life. You ask and you shall receive."

Dave stood there speechless not knowing what to say to what he had just heard. He had been though a lot in his life, and made decisions that he was not proud of. Here this man was offering him something he had never heard before. A chance at a new life, a new beginning and a way to start over. Dave suddenly felt a wave of emotion come over him and he fell to the floor tears pouring from his eyes, Jake hopped off the counter and came to his new found friend putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What do I have to do?" Dave asked in between sobs.

"Admit you are a sinner," Jake began, "And that you are powerless without his help. Ask him to be the Lord of your life and let his grace wash you clean."

Right there on the kitchen floor of an abandoned church in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, a new person entered the kingdom adding another blow to the Enemy's campaign.

*********

Aaron laid on the chair in the sanctuary listening to the sobs coming from the kitchen. He felt a strong anger and hate rise within him like nothing he had felt before. Suddenly beside him a shape emerged from the shadows unseen by everyone else in the building.

Well, Legion whispered, you seem to be enjoying yourself.

"I am doing what I was told," Aaron spoke quietly to his master being careful not to wake up Rick or Kailee. "I feel totally worthless actually just sitting here watching these people prance around and talk about Jesus all day."

Legion cringed a bit at the mention of the name. Aaron could tell that it was painful for it to hear and actually it made Aaron a bit sick even saying it. He had never been into the Christian thing, his grandma had been into it but Aaron had always fought going and luckily his parents were not the church type. His mom was actually a pagan, and his dad, well he wasn't exactly sure who his dad was. His mom had rebelled as a teenager going the opposite way of her mother getting deeply involved with some oculist's at her school. There were many rituals that they believed in including some sexual ones and Aaron was born as a result of one of those rituals. The leader of the group had claimed him of course but there was no way to be sure with all the practitioners that had been involved. It didn't matter of course because he abandoned the both of them three years after Aaron was born, leaving his mother in a mess of heroin and jack Daniel's. She bounced in and out of several rehabs leaving Aaron with his grandmother while she was in. She never gave up on her beliefs and they had led her to her grave as a result of one of the rituals going wrong. That had been two years ago, Aaron had pretty much been couch surfing since then, choosing to have a random life then deal with his grandma's religious lifestyle. And now here he was, in a church the place he never wanted to be with a demon on his shoulder telling him what to do. Well he had been born into it so what was he suppose to expect?

Let's try to keep the mention of that name to a minimum shall we? Legion asked, It's not very pleasant to my ears, especially since Him and us have a little bit of history.

"Oh really?" Aaron asked pretending to be interested.

Yes but soon that will not matter. We are in the process of ruining everything He holds dear and you are one of the keys to do that. Your time is drawing close.

"So my time of sitting here having to deal with all this crap is almost over?"

Yes. Tomorrow, after everyone is asleep you are leaving.

"Really?" Aaron tried to not sound excited. "Where am I going?"

You are going to go east. You will meet up with a woman about three hundred miles from here.

"You expect me to walk the whole way?"

There will be transportation eventually but yes you are going to have to walk awhile.

"Okay then. Finally I can get away from these people, they are driving me crazy."

One more thing.

"What is that?"

Legion looked at the boy with a smile on their face. When you leave, They began, you will leave whichever door you go out of open.

For some reason the words that left the creatures mouth did not make Aaron upset. He felt like something inside that had been holding him back was removed and that he was finally doing what he was meant to do.

"Yes master. Whatever you want."

No hesitation. I like that and trust me you will be rewarded. Feel free to take care of the girl before you leave.

"I have no idea what you mean." Aaron said trying to hide the smile on his face. It was true though, he had been trying hard to stuff the urge of suffocating the girl while she was sleeping. He knew that Dave would be heartbroken if you died and something about that idea made Aaron happy inside.

Sure, Legion said with an evil grin, whatever you decide it doesn't matter she will die either way. Just make sure the door is left open.

Legion disappeared into the shadows leaving Aaron laying on the chairs looking up at the ceiling. He just had to endure one more day of this group and then he would disappear in the night and walk into his destiny.