‘Just don’t get caught,’ he replied solemnly.
‘We don’t plan to.’
‘Here, take a look inside.’ Gideon grabbed the side door to the van and slid it open. Inside were boxes. One contained automatic rifles and handguns, another ammunition for the weapons, and a third was lined with grenades and smoke cannisters.
‘If you’re going to have any chance, you’re going to need all of this,’ Gideon said.
Salty stood for a moment to admire the arsenal. The boost it provided to his resolve made him realise how hopeless his prospects had been before Gideon took them in and his new companions agreed to help him. He’d just been lying to himself in order to keep going.
‘My generosity is motivated by a sense of guilt. I can’t have my community get involved in this because we can ill afford to agitate our already fragile ties with The Children. You understand.’
‘You’ve already done more than enough,’ Salty said.
‘In that case, you’ll be pleased to know I have something else to offer.’
‘What?’
‘Sanctuary. If you get away, you and your friends are welcome to take shelter here. It’s been agreed upon by the council. All we ask is you do not lead them back here,’ Gideon said.
A couple of the residents shared nervous glances, suggesting they weren’t entirely sure about the last part of Gideon’s offer.
‘I promise you, if there is any sign we’re being followed, returning will be off the table.’ Salty met Gideon’s big smile with a firm handshake. ‘The world needs more places like this right now, Gideon,’ he said.
‘I’m pleased you found your way here, Jake. I wish you the best of luck.’
Kaos and Teddy turned to take one last glimpse of the safe haven before jumping into the front compartment of the van.
Salty shook Timo’s hand and commanded Anna to get inside the vehicle.
The gates to the fortified town groaned as they yawned open. Salty drove the van back into the barren wilderness of the Badlands, watching Medora slowly disappear in the rear-view mirror.
6
Edwards slowly exhaled to temper his excitement as he clicked open the latches on the steel carrying case.
Alone in the vestry with just his thoughts and the case that had saved his life and helped him build his army of followers, he wanted to gaze at the Lazarus Serum again.
He lifted the lid and looked upon the remaining vials fixed into the little indentations of the cushioned interior. There were only six left.
Edwards carefully reached in to pick one out and held it up to the light between his thumb and index finger.
He stared through the thin glass into the slightly off-white fluid within.
‘“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from the acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” We are almost there, my Lord. Soon we will see your divine justice brought to every corner of the world. No one will escape your judgement, I promise you that.’
Edwards’s moment with his saviour was rudely interrupted by a knock at the vestry door. Startled, he looked up from the vial and frowned at the noise.
‘I said not to be disturbed.’
‘It’s Anthony, Father. I have returned from the fields with news.’
Less agitated now that he’d realised who it was, Edwards carefully placed the vial back into its moulded holding place and closed the lid to the case.
‘Enter,’ he said.
Anthony opened the door and stepped inside, his head bowed low as a sign of deference to his leader.
‘I’m sorry to disturb.’
‘If you’re going to disturb, at least deliver some positive news,’ Edwards said.
‘Of course. The first trial went very well, Father. In fact, even better than expected.’
As Anthony was talking, he couldn’t prevent his eyes from wandering to the silver case set upon the priest’s desk.
Edwards noticed too, but he quickly deflected any potential questions by asking one of his own.
‘How’s the young man?’
‘He’s currently lying down recovering. It took quite a bit out of him,’ Anthony said.
‘Not too exhausted, I hope.’
‘No, he just perhaps did more than required of him this time around.’
Edwards looked at him quizzically.
‘What do you mean? Why do you look so on edge?’
‘His power, sir, it seems to be stronger than we could have ever imagined. He drew them to him like moths to a flame. Based on what we witnessed, the reach of his abilities is immeasurable.’
A light danced in Edwards’s eyes at this revelation, and he sat to attention in his chair smiling.
‘This is indeed welcome news, Anthony. We shall step up preparations for the attack on Gideon’s camp.’
‘Father, I said he was more powerful than we’d anticipated as a word of caution. Moving a large herd without a great deal of practice could be incredibly dangerous.’
‘As much as I appreciate your concerns, brother, I understand when it is the correct moment to strike and I alone.’
‘Of course. Forgive me for speaking out of turn,’ Anthony said, bowing lower.
‘There is nothing to forgive. Now go and help your brothers get ready for Owen’s welcoming ceremony tonight. We have much to be thankful for.’
‘Thank you. Good afternoon, Father.’ Anthony backed away from the desk and took his leave.
Imbued with a renewed sense of satisfaction, Edwards relaxed into his chair, placing his palm on top of the carrying case, as if he could feel its potency beneath his touch. He closed his eyes and drifted off into an undisturbed sleep.
7
The funeral grey of dusk infected the grass, woodlands, and structures of The Children’s camp and drew all the colour from them.
In the fading light, the disciples began to congregate in front of the church, setting their torches aflame to form a guard of honour for their latest initiate.
The other community members gathered nearby to witness the event. This time, their children were present too.
Raine strained her eyes in order to see what was happening.
O.B. also found a place where he could get a view of the proceedings, but Foster was too weary and fearful to do the same. She sat with her back to it all in the knowledge that if they came for them, her two cellmates would alert her soon enough.
Raine scanned the crowd to locate Ethan, and it wasn’t long before she found him standing between his two guards.
Edwards arrived shortly after with Owen in tow. The young man was dressed in the robes of his fellow disciples and looked in better shape than he had when he was burning up from a fever, although he was still unsteady on his feet.
Edwards led him to one end of the guard of honour and then took his place at the opposite end.
‘Brothers and sisters, we gather tonight in celebration. Another brave soul faced the greatest trial. He was judged by the Almighty and came through on the other side as a disciple of our faith, sworn to protect all who follow our cause and able to walk among the dead unharmed. Owen, please come forward to receive your final blessing and be marked with the hand of righteous souls.’ Edwards held out his hands to usher the initiate forwards.
Owen stepped inside the tunnel created by the other disciples, immediately feeling the heat from their torches on his face. Bowed low, he made his way through the fire to the other side.
Edwards welcomed him with a smile, and the young man fell to his knees in front of his leader.
The priest wet his fingers with holy water and laid his hand on top of Owen’s freshly shaven head.
‘I anoint you so that you may go forth and build a new world in the image of our Lord.’ Edwards nodded to a woman waiting on the sidelines, and she almost glided over to them.
Unlike the other followers, she wore something much more extravagant than the dull brown robes. Her dress was pure white, layered with floating fabrics, giving her an ethereal quality. She resembled a new-age mystic. The only aspect missing from her attire to complete the look was a crown of flowers.
The woman knelt in front of Owen and lifted the delicate crafting brush she was holding, stroking it in a careful and deliberate motion over the patch of skin between his brow.
Once the mark had been made, she got to her feet and glided back to join the rest of the throng.
A reverent smile broke across Edwards’s leathery face.
‘Arise, Brother Owen. You have been made anew.’
Owen smiled back. Barely containing his tears of joy, he stood to face Edwards.
A loud crashing sound and the whining of metal carried across the camp and raised an audible gasp from the congregation.
They all turned their heads in the direction of the campsite, and beyond that, the perimeter fence.
As soon as the noise stopped, Crane appeared at Edwards’s side, awaiting instruction.
‘Take two of your brothers. Find out what happened,’ Edwards ordered.
Crane gestured to two other disciples, and they followed him towards the back of their compound.
‘Do not fret, my children. Whatever it is, our disciples will deal with it,’ Edwards said, addressing his worried-looking followers.
‘What the hell was that?’ Foster asked, moving to the side of the barn to try and see outside.
‘Don’t know. Sounded like something major,’ Raine said. ‘Be ready.’
‘Ready for what?’ Foster said.
‘Anything,’ O.B. replied.
After Crane and the two disciples got past the church and were out of sight, they started to run through the campsite to get to the fence.
Even from a distance, they could see the extent of the damage and what had caused it.
A large hemlock tree had fallen just outside the perimeter, smashing onto a section of the fence and partially bringing it down. The weight of the trunk bent the fence inwards, splitting one of the supports down the middle.
The density of the leaves on the overhanging branches made it difficult to appreciate the full extent of the damage. It was certainly going to take a considerable amount of time and bodies to rescue the offending article and mend the breach.
‘We’re going to need everybody for this,’ one of the disciples said.
Crane stepped up and carefully balanced on the fallen trunk that had strayed to their side of the fence, climbing along it to obtain a more elevated viewpoint.
‘Crane? What is it?’ the other disciple asked.
Crane didn’t speak. He just stared into the deepening dark of the woods. He then followed the length of the trunk with his eyes, right up to the point where it had broken.
‘Go back to Father,’ he said. ‘Get him to the church and lock him in the vestry under guard.’
‘What are you talking about?’
Crane turned and stared at the disciple.
‘I won’t ask a second time, brother,’ he said.
Afraid of his wrath, the first disciple began to head back.
‘Is there trouble, Crane?’ the second one asked.
‘Go with him. Break out the weapons,’ Crane replied.
The second disciple ran to catch up to his brother.
‘Please, my children, try to remain calm. Crane will return soon enough, and we will deal with this,’ Edwards said.
‘Shouldn’t we go inside, Father? Are we under attack?’ The words of the female follower stirred even more unrest in the crowd, and they frantically glanced around for signs of danger.
Edwards happened to catch sight of Ethan through the moving bodies, still under the careful eye of a disciple. He stood swaying in the evening breeze in a trance-like state, identical to one of the dead when engaged with the rest of its herd.
The priest rushed over to him, suddenly more concerned than before.
‘What is it?’ Edwards asked.
Ethan’s eyes were open, but he looked straight through him.
Despite his congregation watching, Edwards lifted his right hand and slapped Ethan across the cheek. It had the desired effect, and Ethan was broken from whatever spell held him. His eyes focussed on Edwards.
‘What do you see?’ Edwards asked.
‘You should get your people to shelter,’ Ethan replied.
Over Ethan’s shoulder, Edwards saw the two disciples approaching from the back of the camp at speed.
‘Father, Crane has bid that you retreat to the vestry under guard, and he’s asked for the guns,’ one of them shouted.
When an object struck the ground and rolled into the space between the agitated crowd and the church, barely anyone noticed.
Most of the congregation were too busy surrounding their leader to express their misgivings about the previous incident.
One man followed the trajectory of the cylindrical object until it came to rest.
He scarcely had time to open his mouth before the object exploded, the blast propelling him and a few others back towards the main crowd.
Every person who hadn’t been knocked down dropped to the ground and tried to cover themselves as they were hit by a shower of dirt. A silence followed the explosion.
Edwards open his eyes and saw the dust in the air just about to clear. He felt a great weight on top of him and realised Owen, the new recruit he’d been welcoming into the fold, had smothered him in an attempt to protect him from the blast.
A few moments later, the congregation was forced to shield themselves again from another explosion, this time even closer than the last.
As Owen and another disciple helped their leader to his feet, Edwards spied a different foreign device had been tossed over their walls.
A smoke cannister lay twisting and hissing on the ground, pumping out a thick white blanket that soon made it impossible to see the church or the camp behind it.
This prompted a stampede, people running and screaming in every direction, confused by the artificial fog that had descended and the blasts from the grenades ringing in their ears.
Thankfully for Edwards, the disciples protecting him had calmer heads, guiding him towards the church.
Although it was hard to see anyone unless they passed less than a few feet away, Edwards shouted to his other disciples. ‘Protect The Shepherd at all costs. Get him to the church.’
‘Come on, Father,’ Owen said. ‘Let’s get you to safety.’
‘No!’ Edwards said, shoving him away. He reached into his pocket and handed Owen a set of keys. ‘Go to the weapons locker in my vestry. Hand out the guns to your brothers. I must stay here until I know The Shepherd has been secured.’
Owen took the keys. He wasn’t about to disobey a direct order after just being initiated, and the other disciple had no intention of leaving his master’s side. Owen ran in what he believed to be the direction of the church, dodging panicked followers as he navigated the smoke.
Back at the barn, all three prisoners flinched at the sound of another grenade going off.
Try as she might, Raine couldn’t see anything through the fog other than obscure silhouettes of figures running and covering their heads.
‘This is an organised attack,’ O.B. said.
‘It could be the other group Edwards talked about in his sermon. Sounds like their settlement got tired of waiting for them to make the first move,’ Raine said.
‘I think we’re far enough away that we might be able to ride this out,’ O.B. said.
‘If they’re enemies of these lunatics, it has to be a good thing for us, right?’ Foster asked.
‘I wouldn’t bank on that,’ Raine said.
Suddenly another eye appeared on the other side of the gap in the boards, blinking and staring right into Raine’s, an inch or so away.
Raine shifted he
r stance and pulled back. At first, she thought it was the guard, but then the owner of the eye spoke.
‘I’m here to break you out of there,’ the male voice said.
‘Are you the ones attacking the camp?’ Raine asked.
‘It’s just a distraction. You’re what we came for.’
‘Who are you?’ Foster asked.
‘A friend of a friend. Make sure you stand clear of the door. I’m going to shoot out the lock.’
The prisoners remained in the corner and covered their ears.
Three gunshots later, the door’s lock hung from the wood around it, and Kaos kicked it open and hurried inside. He removed a hunting knife from his duster jacket, and they stretched out their hands and feet so he could sever their bindings.
‘Just the three of you?’
‘No,’ Foster said. ‘There’s another, but he’s out there.’
Kaos curled his lip.
‘I ain’t sure what we can do about that right now. We have to go. That smokescreen won’t last much longer,’ he said.
Outside, it was hard to see a route through the fog. More gunshots rang out and they all ducked, pressing closely to the side of the barn.
The firing was close by, coming from inside the camp.
‘They’re fighting back,’ O.B. said. ‘I hope your friends know what they’re doing.’
‘They’re safe enough,’ Kaos said. ‘I cut a hole in the fence to the west. It still looks clear enough for us to make a run for it.’
Once out in the open, O.B. got a good look at their rescuer for the first time, and the boy’s face jogged something deep in his memory.
‘You. I know you,’ he said.
Kaos examined the young man’s shaven head and slimmer, harsher features.
‘Nah, I don’t think so, bud.’
‘Your name is Kaos. We met on the highway months ago. I was with someone else, an older woman. We were scavenging for supplies,’ O.B. said.
Kaos’s eyes lit up when he realised who O.B. was.
‘You’re that punk kid. The old lady pulled a gun on me. No shit!’
‘This is all very touching, but can we reminisce some other time?’ Raine said, one eye on the attack at the camp and the rapidly dispersing smoke.
Everything Dies | Season 3 Page 21