Pt Three-Six

6

Having left the other three people in the sanctuary, Jake and Rick went up the stairs that led to the second level of the church. The second story contained several different rooms that were used for different things but mostly for Sunday school classes and practices for different competitions that the kids went to. The two of them were going to have to check every one in order to soothe their feelings. They opened the first door that laid at the top of the stairs, Rick flipped the light switch on revealing a bare room.

"Well there is one down," Rick said shutting the light back off. "Lets hope its as easy for the rest of them."

"Hey," Jake said pointing down the hall. "That door looks like its open."

"Is that unusual?" Rick asked.

"Well usually they are all closed unless there is someone here."

"Then lets go see what lies behind the curtain."

The two of them approached the door with caution. Rick holding his shotgun close to his body, while Jake grasped the bat with both his hands getting into his hitting stance. As they got to the door, Rick held up his hand to stop Jake and then held up one finger, then two beginning a countdown. Jake guessed they would go at three and he was right because immediately after the third finger went up Rick flipped around the frame of the door shotgun extended ready to blow the brains out of any threat. Jake followed and immediately felt his stomach tighten as he entered the room.

The pastor of the church was spread out on the carpet barely recognizable. He was cut straight down the middle from his throat all the way down to his abdomen, various organs littered the floor. There were also lacerations going down his arms and legs, his eyes were wide open with a look of shock on his face. But that was not the most disturbing part. On the wall sprawled out in the deep red of the pastors blood were three words that caused both sadness and anger to rise up in Jake's body.

GOD IS DEAD

"Well," Rick said putting his finger to the wall to check the writing. "Zombies definitely didn't do this. The blood is dry so it had to have happened last night sometime."

Jake looked down at the man that was lying on the floor. He had not expected to see anyone he knew in such an embarrassing state. He looked over to the desk and saw a coat hanging over the chair. Jake walked over grabbed the coat and threw it over the pastors body trying to give him some decency. He felt a hand on his shoulder as some tears began to fall from his eyes.

"I'm sorry kid," Rick said. "He was a good man. Even though I didn't agree with all this religion stuff he was always there for me. He was always trying to help me even after Megan died and I just blew him off."

This was the first time that Jake had heard Rick talk about Megan since she died. He could hear the hurt and sadness in Rick's voice when he mentioned her name. Poor man, Jake thought to himself, he still hasn't healed. Jake wiped the tears from his eyes, turned around and faced Rick.

"Yes he was. He is in a better place now. We need to find out who did this and right now its pointing to only one person."

"You mean the guy that was already here when we arrived?" Rick asked.

"Exactly. He's the only one that was here, unless someone else is here hiding."

"And that is not likely," Rick said as they left the room and began to walk down the hallway. "Lets hurry up and get this done. I don't trust him down there with the others."

Barely had the words escaped his lips when a scream broke their conversation coming from downstairs. Both men immediately changed direction and hurried downstairs feeling they might already be too late and the person had already struck his next target.

********

Dave and Aaron entered the woman's restroom not knowing what to expect. They hurried around the corner and into the main area, stopping dead in their tracks. There was a man in a policeman's outfit holding Kailee around her waist with one hand and holding a knife up to her throat with the other hand that was also missing two fingers. There was a look in his eyes unlike anything Dave had ever seen. He looked like someone who had lost his mind and didn't have anything left to live for. Dave held up put down the shotgun knowing that it would be useless unless he wanted to hit Kailee in the process and withdrew the 9mm Glock the was stuffed behind his back in his jeans. He held it up trying to aim and get a clear shot at the mans head.

"Let her go," Dave said, "Or so help me I will end you right here and now."

Aaron was silent, choosing to be quiet. He didn't have any weapons, so he was pretty much useless right now. Plus Legion told him to sit and watch so that was what he planned on doing. The door opened behind them, Jake and Rick rushed into the restroom and stopped directly behind Dave who was still holding the gun.

"Danny?" Rick asked recognizing his deputy instantly, "What are you doing son? I thought you were gone."

Danny looked at his boss, insanity in his eyes.

"They are talking to me," Danny said pressing the knife harder against Kailee's throat a small trickle of blood dripped down her throat, "They saved me Rick. They saved me from hell. I have to thank them for the gift they have given me."

"Whoa," Rick said holding a hand up, "Take it easy there Dan. She is just a girl, she hasn't done anything to deserve this. Let her go."

Danny looked at all of them then all around the room and then locked eyes with Aaron a wicked smile on his face.

"I must make way for the one who comes," Danny said. "The one's who serve the master will be saved, the rest will perish. You are all going to die, they are all around you."

"He's lost it." Jake said aloud. "He must be close to turning or something he obviously has been bitten."

Aaron knew that the man was telling the truth but of course he couldn't say anything. He could see the things that were attached to the man and wondered if that was what was all around him at this very minute. There were several small creatures all over the man, they were all black with spikes protruding from their backs and sharp claws on their hands. They held all the mans limbs, controlling his actions and they were all looking directly at Aaron.

"All of you must pay." Danny said, "There is no room for unbelievers. God is dead and stays silent."

The words hit Rick and Jake like a ton of bricks. Danny was the one that mutilated the body upstairs and desecrated the room. Rick looked at Jake who obviously was on the verge of rushing Danny and beating him to death with the baseball bat not caring about the girls safety.

"Easy champ," Rick whispered, "Lets get the girl first then he will get whats coming to him."

Jake nodded continuing to glare at Danny with anger in his eyes.

"Sounds good to me."

Aaron continued to watch as the creatures tightened their grip on the man. He knew it wouldn't be long until Kailee was just another corpse and he didn't feel sorry. In fact there was not one single emotional thought in his body right now. He could care less what happened to her, if the master wanted her dead than she had to die regardless. He turned around to walk out of the restroom.

"Where do you think your going?" Dave said.

"It's pointless to deal with him. He is not going to let her go." Aaron replied.

"You don't know that."

"Either way I am tired of standing here. I am going to wait for you guys in the other room."

Aaron continued to walk and exited the room with no arguing from Jake or Rick. They didn't care what he did now they found who they were looking for.

"It's time," Danny said lifting the knife just a few inches from Kailee's throat. "The beginning of the end is here. I am a messenger of the one who comes. He will reign forever, all others will be cast down and thrown into the fire."

"Last chance buddy." Dave said, "I am going to count to three."

"No need." Danny said as he brought the knife down towards the girls jugular. Dave pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Kailee in the shoulder sending her back into her captor causing him to release his grip the knife missing by inches. Jake rushed Danny instantly, pulling Kailee out of the way and began to beat Danny with the bat. First he went for the kneecaps, he heard them crack as the bat hit them, shattering from the impact. Danny screamed in pain as Jake continued to crush the bones in his legs. He wasn't going easy on him, who knew what kind of torture and pain his friend had to endure last night. After several minutes he let up his pounding, Danny looked up at him still alive but unable to move almost every bone is his body shattered blood was coming from his mouth as he spoke.

"He called out to God the whole time I was cutting him," Danny smiled. "Each time he did I cut deeper and deeper, removing one organ at a time."

"I hope you enjoy where you are going." Jake said lifting the bat one final time. "Tell your master I am not going to rest until I kill as many of his creatures as I can. He can send as many as he wants, I will be there to stop him even if it means I die in the process."

Jake brought the bat down as hard as he could as he had several times in the past twelve hours. This being the first time on an actual human being though it felt no different then killing a zombie. Danny's face was unnoticeable after a minute, Jake finally stopped and turned to Rick who was just watching. Dave was on the ground with Kailee, he had found some rags in a closet and was applying pressure to her gunshot wound, she had lost a lot of blood already though.

"I am sorry," Dave was saying to her. "It was the only thing I could do."

"I know," Kailee said looking up at him with a smile on her face. "I am not mad. You did what you had to do."

Jake walked past them to Rick who put a hand on his shoulder. They did not exchange words, choosing instead just to look at each other. Both of them knew that it had to be done, but now they were left with more questions. Why hadn't Danny turned into a zombie? Had something or someone did something to hold the sickness back? If so were there others who had been bitten or infected who were under the influence of this thing. Only time would tell and one thing was for certain, they had a lot of work to do.