The Violinist

by Barry Slater

  “Father Bryan,” Dwayne said. “There is a finished basement downstairs. There is a small bedroom beside the utility room. You can use that for your quarters if you'd like.”

  “Thank you,” Father Bryan said.

  “We'll be going to town tomorrow for supplies,” Dwayne said. “I'd appreciate you coming with us.”

  “I'd be glad to,” the preacher said.

  #

  “So,” Captain Jack said. “What do you think about Father Bryan?”

  It was later that same evening. Doc Martin, Captain Jack, Kim and Dwayne had congregated on the rooftop balcony. Father Bryan had gone downstairs and spread a blanket across the lower bunk. He laid his sword, his 'Sword of God's Wrath,' gently on the upper bunk then laid down on the lower bunk.

  “I think we'll know more about him tomorrow,” Dwayne replied.

  “I'm thinking this preacher may not be a preacher at all,” Captain Jack said. “What if he's an ax murderer?”

  “He said this was a revelation,” Doc Martin said half-jokingly.

  “He's a nut case,” Captain Jack said. “That's what I hate about these religious fanatics. They always have a slick answer to everything; 'God works in mysterious ways, it's a revelation, it's all a part of God's plan.' He could be a member of some Christian sect of gay preachers. He was talking about 'accessing' the flock.”

  “Oh,” Kim said. “I don't know about that, Captain Jack.”

  “An ax murderer could make a good living in these days and times,” Dwayne said in an attempt to lighten the conversation. “And it wouldn't be a sin.”

  “And I don't know that I like what he said,” Captain Jack said. “Marcie was a good person. Jean and Linda were good people.”

  “He was right,” Doc Martin said. “I never told anyone that Linda cheated on me.”

  “I don't want to hear this,” Captain Jack complained.

  “You need to hear this Captain,” Doc Martin pressed. “I take the blame. I know the bible and I believe in God. The bible says those who tempt others to sin has the greater sin. I kept her boozed up because I thought that was the only way I could keep her.”

  “You don't have to do this Doc,” Dwayne said thinking of the time Jean tried to overdose with sleeping pills to end her depression.

  “I think I do,” Doc Martin replied solemnly. “I feel much better now that I've said it. Is it a sin for doing something caused by toxoplasma? Are bacterial parasites instruments used by God to direct the actions of such men as Judas or Herod or Pilate? We could be nothing more than bodily extensions of the large colonies of bacteria that dwell inside us, on us and all around us, or maybe even nothing more than their excrement.”

  “We can confess our sins to Father Bryan,” Dwayne said trying to end the subject of one's sins. “We'll each talk to him individually to see where his mind is. In the mean time I'd like for you to keep an eye on him Captain Jack.”

  “I've been saving up for that,” Captain Jack said.

  “Doc,” Dwayne said. “Can you take a night off from watch but still help Captain Jack keep an eye on Father Bryan?”

  “I can do that,” Doc Martin answered.

  “Captain Jack,” Dwayne said. “You and I will do four hour shifts. I'll take the first shift. You get some rest.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Kim,” Dwayne said continuing with instructions. “You use the master bedroom so you can have some privacy.”

  #

  Kim tossed and turned. Her stomach churned and for the next four hours her skin felt like it was being pricked by needles. She was in full panic attack mode, something she had never experienced before. She had been by herself before but now, even with four other people in the house with her, she was alone. Her family, the only thing she had ever known, was gone. The intense anxiety caused her legs fold and extend repeatedly. Her head rolled back and forth across the pillow.

  Breathe Kim incited herself evoking the pranayama breathing technique from her yoga instructor training. Breathe.

  At the end of his four hour shift, Dwayne came down from the rooftop balcony and looked in on Kim.

  Kim froze. Dwayne closed the door then started downstairs.

  Realizing it was Dwayne; Kim jumped out of bed and bolted toward the door.

  “Dwayne,” Kim whispered urgently.

  “Kim?” Dwayne responded.

  Kim rushed to Dwayne in the darkness and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Please hold me,” Kim said. “I need you to hold me.”

  Dwayne was taken by surprise. He hesitated then wrapped his arms around her.

  “It's OK,” Dwayne said. “I'm here for you.”

  Kim took Dwayne's hand and led him into the bedroom.

  “I'm cold,” Kim whispered. “We can keep each other warm.”

  Kim got into bed and pulled Dwayne in behind her. She pushed her bottom gently into Dwayne's abdomen.

  Dwayne awkwardly placed his arm around her then held her tight.

  Kim grabbed hold of his arm then, exhausted, fell asleep.

  #

  Kim woke up alone.

  Already up, Dwayne hardly slept. He felt guilty. In his heart he still belonged to Jean, but how could he say no to Kim? Dwayne justified they had done nothing wrong, only to keep each other warm on a cold December night.

  And if they had done something wrong, would it really be wrong? They were both widowed. There was no longer a marriage vow to be honored. It was that Dwayne missed Jean so in the depths of his soul.

  Outside, Kim watched through the bedroom window as Dwayne and Captain Jack loaded the generator, cables and the plastic drums into the back of Dwayne's truck.

  Downstairs, Father Bryan took down the Coke can Doc Martin tied across the bunk room door with a piece of string as an alarm.

  “All doors open to the inside,” Father Bryan said.

  “Oh yeah,” Doc Martin replied. “That's right. There were no doors in Vietnam. After seeing so much blood and guts you kinda forget those things. Sorry not to trust you Father, but in our current situation we can't afford to trust anyone.”

  “Don't worry Doctor Martin; I'm on God's side.”

  “That's what worries me,” Doc Martin said. “God can be pretty scary sometimes.”

  Father Bryan and Doc Martin joined Dwayne and Captain Jack outside.

  “Father,” Dwayne said. “We're going to town for supplies.”

  “How can I help?”

  “Be an extra set of eyes for us,” Captain Jack said. “Tell us which direction the zombies are coming from.”

  “I can do that,” Father Bryan said.

  “This could get nasty,” Dwayne said.

  “I know,” Father Bryan said as he laid his sword in back of the truck and got in.

  #

  The drive down to Round Hill took several minutes.

  “Captain Jack will run the pump,” Dwayne explained to Father Bryan. “He'll wear the thermal suit we made. It blocks our thermal image so the zombies can't see us. They'll be drawn by the sound of the generator. I'll lead them away with the music.”

  The gas station lot was occupied by a small group of dead. The zombies watched the truck's heat signature as Dwayne made a wide left turn into the parking lot then pulled up beside the fuel pumps.

  Unexpectedly, Father Bryan was the first to get out of the truck. He took his sword out of the back then approached the zombies staggering between the store front and the fuel pumps.

  Captain Jack got out and quickly started the generator then attached the power cable to the premium high-octane pump.

  Dwayne opened the rear cab door and took his violin from its case.

  “Father Bryan,” Dwayne said. “Let us know if—”

  Dwayne stopped at the ring of Father Bryan's sword being pulled and the swish of it cutting through the cold air.

  “I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” Father Bryan recited with the sound of ringing metal
and the thud of the first zombie's head falling to the pavement.

  Dwayne and Captain Jack regarded Father Bryan as he decapitated a second zombie.

  “For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,” Father Bryan quoted from scripture. “and by His sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many.”

  Dwayne looked at Captain Jack and smiled.

  “Let's get this done!” Dwayne said.

  Captain Jack nodded then began pumping fuel into the plastic barrels. Dwayne positioned himself between the truck and the roadway then pulled his bow across his violin. The music diverted most of the dead toward him and kept Captain Jack and Father Bryan from being overrun.

  Like a trained swordsman, the powerful preacher decapitated the zombies smoothly and effectively. Father Bryan quoted scripture with each zombie he “baptized,” taking his time and conserving his energy by letting them come to him. With quick, one handed swings, the chunk and ringing sound of the Sword of God's Wrath and the thud of their heads hitting the asphalt and their bodies collapsing beside them, the dead began piling up at his feet.

  “It's full,” Captain Jack shouted over the shrilling zombinees. “Let's go!”

  “We need to get inside,” Dwayne shouted in between notes. “We may not have another chance. We need to take whatever is left; another thermal blanket, anything that we can use.”

  “I'll go!” Captain Jack shut off the generator and disconnected the power cable. “Clear a path for me.”

  Dwayne moved around the back of the truck to the front of the store to be in the line of sound with the zombies there.

  Father Bryan moved toward the front door for clear ground to stand on as he hacked at the gathering crowd.

  Captain Jack made his way through the pile of decapitated bodies as the zombies gravitated from Father Bryan to Dwayne. He blasted the glass out of the door with a quick shot from his 9mm.

  “Hurry,” Dwayne shouted as Captain Jack crawled through the shattered glass. “There's more coming!”

  Father Bryan worked the incoming crowd as Captain Jack searched inside the store for anything of value.

  Raiding the front counter, Captain Jack pocketed several packs of cigarette lighters and AA batteries displayed beside the lottery ticket dispenser. He stuffed a fresh roll of ten-dollar scratch-off tickets in his pocket.

  “I'm coming out,” Captain Jack shouted. “Make a hole!”

  Dwayne drew his crowd back away from the store front. Father Bryan cleared the crowd at the front door as Captain Jack blasted out a path to the truck with well-aimed rounds into the zombie's heads.

  “Pull the truck out of the parking lot,” Dwayne shouted. “I'll catch up to you.”

  Father Bryan climbed into the bed of Dwayne's truck as Captain Jack drove out onto the Highway. Dwayne stopped playing the Stradivarius then ran out to them.

  Captain Jack shifted into reverse then backed the truck to shorten the distance between them and Dwayne. Father Bryan decapitated one of the undead stragglers as they passed by then picked Dwayne up and lifted him by his shoulders into the back of the truck with his sheer brute strength.

  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me,” Father Bryan said as he starred into Dwayne's eyes.

  Catching his breath, Captain Jack stopped at the intersection of Highway 50 and the access road to Dwayne's house. Dwayne and Father Bryan climbed inside the truck with Captain Jack.

  “Jesus Christ!” Captain Jack was breathing hard. “We should become Superheroes: Violin Man, Thermal Man and The Preacher Man.”

  “It's Father Bryan,” the preacher said.

  “OK then,” Captain Jack said. “Father Bryan Man.”

  “You looked like Samson out there,” Dwayne said. “Slaying the Philistines.”

  “You read the Bible?” Father Bryan inquired.

  “I have before,” Dwayne replied. “It's an interesting story but a little hard to believe at times.”

  “Believing is the key,” Father Bryan said. “It helps you to sleep better at night.”

  #

  That night, everyone gathered on the rooftop balcony to discuss the day's events. Captain Jack divided the roll of lottery tickets among the group except for Father Bryan who passed on his share. Captain Jack divided Father Bryan's tickets among the rest of the group.

  “Dwayne, do you have a coin I can borrow?” Kim asked, not having anything to scratch the numbers with.

  “I don't have any coins,” Dwayne said then fished around in his pockets and pulled out his truck keys. “Here, use one of these.”

  Captain Jack used his pocket knife to scratch the tickets. Doc Martin used the tiny shaping file on his fingernail clippers.

  Seeing that she was enjoying scratching the tickets, Dwayne gave Kim his share.

  “Hey,” Doc Martin exclaimed. “I won a free ticket!”

  Father Bryan shook his head.

  “Don't believe in the lottery Father Bryan?” Captain Jack asked.

  “You should not waste your time on games of chance,” Father Bryan replied.

  “I once won two dollars on a scratch-off ticket,” Captain Jack said. “I had friends coming out of the floorboards wanting to borrow money. Family I didn't know I had showed up wanting their share of that two dollars.”

  Doc Martin chuckled. “Captain Jack did well, Father Bryan. This is a perfect distraction from our present situation.”

  “Besides,” Captain Jack said. “There has to be a winner in here somewhere, so it's not a complete waste of time.”

  “How will you collect your bounty if you win?” Father Bryan asked.

  “What would you have us do,” Doc Martin pressed. “Just sit around and be miserable?”

  “Worship God,” Father Bryan responded. “And be thankful for what you do have.”

  “Speaking of what we have, Father Bryan,” Doc Martin said as he continued to scratch his tickets. “How did you come about your 'Sword of God's Wrath?'”

  “It's been handed down through the generations of priests in my family,” Father Bryan explained. “It served in the Great Crusades and is stained with the blood of what was called at the time the living dead that surrounded Jerusalem, for it was believed that a non-believer surly did not have a soul. It was forged for that purpose in a Galician foundry near Lugo, Spain, Father Salvador's home town. I was bringing it to him for strength.”

  “Maybe this is the rapture I've heard so much about,” Captain Jack suggested. “God is taking these people's souls and their bodies don't know it.”

  “Perhaps,” Father Bryan said. “Anything is possible.”

  “Holy shit, Father!” Captain Jack examined the ticket he had just scratched beneath the glow of the solar night light. “I just won ten grand. How's that for games of chance?”

  “Yay!” Dwayne, Kim and Doc Martin cheered.

  “What would you buy with ten grand Captain?” Doc Martin inquired.

  “I'd buy us each an extra-large Happy Meal,” Captain Jack answered.

  “I could use a Happy Meal right about now,” Doc Martin said.

  Dwayne and Kim laughed. Father Bryan, as always, showed no emotion.

  Captain Jack slowly stood up and walked over to the stone bastions. He looked over the edge then out into the darkness.

  “I would take Marcie for a night out on the town,” he said. “We'd fly to Paris then Rome and then London. We would see all the operas, eat at all the fancy restaurants and then dance in all the ballrooms.”

  “Can you imagine,” Captain Jack said. “I mean, think about it. What if all this was normal, except the power would be on and there would be no cities nuked. Everything went along its daily routine as normal. You get up in the morning, have breakfast and shoot a few zombinees as you walk out to your car then drive to work. You come home, shoot a few zombinees on the way, have dinner then go to bed.”

  “Just a part of life.” Captain Jack looked up at the s
tars. “It's hard to believe there is a god. I can't imagine what god would allow this to happen. I used to believe in everything, now I believe in nothing.”

  “It is a rebel child that questions God,” Father Bryan said. “I was a rebel child. No teacher, no principle and no parent could break me. God finally broke me.”

  “Now I believe there has to be a god,” Father Bryan continued. “Take something as simple as a rock, yet you or I could not create it from nothing. Something cannot be created from nothing on its own nor can something evolve from nothing on its own.

  “Now take a single cell organism. A simple form of life but life nonetheless. Yet neither you nor I could create that life, most importantly, without any building blocks whatsoever to start with.

  “Nothing can create something from nothing. Only a god could do that. I broke from my rebellion against God when I realized this. And in retrospect, it is very comforting to know that God still loved me even when I didn't believe in Him. So remember, something cannot create itself and nothing can come from nothing.”

  “If only there were some kind of proof,” Captain Jack complained. “If only there was some kind of evidence.”

  “I just gave you evidence, Captain Jack.”

  “I'm talking about tangible evidence, like the Ark of the Covenant or Noah's Ark or the Holy Grail or something like that. You know, something we can see and touch. I never feel so alone in the universe as I do when I pray. I try to communicate with God but there is no answer. I’m not even sure I’m leaving a message. Maybe God is simply the energy that holds the universe together, nothing more and nothing less.”

  “The Tree of Life,” Father Bryan said. “The Ark of the Covenant, Noah's Ark and the Holy Grail, all these artifacts are stored in Heaven. Only such unknown artifacts as the Sword of God's Wrath are still on the earth.”

  “But just because it can't be seen doesn't mean it doesn't exist,” Father Bryan continued. “The wind can be heard and felt but it cannot be seen. There are many spectrums of light we cannot see and frequencies of sound we cannot hear. We cannot see genes and chromosomes with our naked eyes but they exist. A gene is an intricate part of a system that just a single celled organism must have to survive. That gene was programmed to become a part of that organism and whatever programmed it has yet to be seen and yet it must exist.