by Thomas Baker
"How many times have I told you my name is’t man, it's Sheriff Randall. Now move your ass."
JT moved to the bars. "Why does Albright want to see him?" he asked.
"I don't know. It's none of your business anyway."
"Shouldn't it be your business though Sheriff. He is one of your citizens, your people. You said you're here to protect the town and everyone in it. What if Albright assaults him or murders him?"
JT saw Randall's mouth twitch under his mustache. JT felt like ever since their little heart to heart he was getting through to him. He needed to press on. He had to convince Randall to let them go. Charlie stepped forward, interrupting the next thing JT was going to say.
"The Reverend would never do such a thing. Killing is against God's law. It's written in the Ten Commandments. He only wants to help Jay, by praying his sins away."
"Is that how my friend Tyrone got a bruised face, by prayer?" JT countered. JT saw Randall rapidly moves his eyes between him and Charlie. "How about all those bruises all over me and the lump on the back of my head? Those people hanging from trees? God's work?"
"How much longer is Albright expecting me to hold these other two?" Randall asked, sounding agitated. "It has already been weeks. Longer than I’ve ever had to before. I want to help the town, but there was such a thing as law and due process. I'm also tired of listening to their sorry asses."
"Let's go Sheriff. Albright is waiting," Charlie said, impatiently. He ignored what the Sheriff had asked. "Besides this is church business, not town business. It's none of your concern."
"Townspeople are my concern. I'm going to have to have a talk with Albright, tomorrow. Either these people go up to the church with him or I’m setting them free. Make sure to tell him that."
"Sure," Charlie said. "When we bring Jay up, I'll let Albright know again. With all that’s been going on lately, he’s been a very busy man."
Randall hesitated. He jingled the keys in his hands and his mustache drooped as he frowned. Just when JT though he might defy Charlie, he unlocked Jelly's cell and put him in handcuffs. He pushed Jelly out and handed him over to Charlie.
"I would say later dudes, but I'm splitting this town first chance I get. You won't be seeing me again," Jelly called over his shoulder.
Sheriff Randall scowled at the door after they left for a long while. Randall seemed in his own world. Like JT and Tyrone weren't even there. He left the cell block without a word, slamming the door on his way out.
"Linda, sweetie pie is that you I hear making all that racket over yonder?" Gus asked aloud as he sat up, pulled himself to a standing position, and shuffled his way towards the curtain. "I hope you're putting on something racy and lacy" Gus joked carelessly as he pulled back the curtain. His demeanor quickly changed when he found Charlie standing in the corner going through a cabinet of pill bottles.
"Well I would like to retract my previous statement young man. I hope to never see you in anything racy or lacy."
"What are you doing up moving around without permission? Where is Linda?" Charlie was clearly not amused by Gus's wit.
"Easy now big fella. I don’t know where Linda is but while you're here I gotta question. What's an old fart like me got to do to get a meet up with the rev?"
"It's Reverend Albright Gus," Charlie said, still not amused. Not for the first time Gus wondered how people could live with no sense of humor.
Albright himself stepped forward out of the deep shadows. "I was coming to see you and check upon your well being. I’m happy to see my good friend Charlie here has been keeping you company."
Gus hoped his jaw wasn't as close to the floor as it felt. He couldn't believe how Albright appeared out of thin air.
"Well he sure isn't as pretty as Nurse Linda but I hear he is the best in the business at scrubbing bed pans."
Albright let out a laugh at Gus's joke. Gus in turn didn't know how to follow his own comment up so he jumped with the first thing that came to his mind.
"Reverend Albright, I was asking old Charlie here how I could have some of your time. See I have been reading that Bible by my bed and everything I have read makes me realize I have no explanation for any of this except that God brought me here and you and your congregation saved my life."
Albright stood there staring at Gus with a flat lined smile across his face. He looked to Charlie and back to Gus.
"Outstanding!" He exclaimed. "Dear Gus! You’re beginning to see the light! I beg you to keep reading, keep preparing your place in The Golden Kingdom. For I had come to ask you if you had given thought to what your next step would be. Would you be staying here with Hannah or were we going to have to send you out into this cruel world."
Albright strode over to Gus and grabbed both of his hands. Gus kept his poker face in place, careful not to reveal the revulsion he felt at Albright's touch. He was convinced for sure by this act that the man was up to no good. Damn you for playing with Hannah’s emotions. I can’t explain how else she can’t see your phony bologna.
“I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere but by Hannah’s side. Here in the kingdom of God.”
"Excellent Gus, excellent! Such wonderful news! Hannah will be happy to hear that as well. I’d love to talk to you more about your discoveries but first I have business of which I must attend to. Charlie was the package from our friend The Sheriff delivered yet?"
"Oh yes Reverend, it certainly was." Charlie's reply was so cold it gave Gus goosebumps. That lump of muscle was one to watch out for Gus decided.
"Well then Charlie, let us take care of our obligations and leave Gus to further his biblical education. The way you’re getting up and around, I better find you a place upstairs in the men’s section."
Albright smiled and waved at Gus as they turned to leave. Gus did his best to listen to their conversation as they exited but their voices were too muffled to make out. He wondered what Charlie and Albright were up to down here. Gus was feeling better but he wasn’t up for being Scooby Doo just yet. Sighing, Gus walked back to his bedside and looked at The Bible on the side table.
Well old timer you dodged that bullet. Further my biblical education my ass, I don't need to read anything to see who the devil in disguise is in this story.
At least he bought himself more time to try to come up with a plan. He knew it would be risky and a lot to ask but maybe he could get Linda to take him down into town. If he could get JT and Tyrone out of those cells, the rev and his followers would be in for one hell of a fight.
Another day dragged past as JT and Tyrone whittled away their time in the cells. JT couldn't remember a time when he felt more alone. More powerless. We might just die here, in these cells. What a way to go, after all we have survived.
Tyrone was as cheerless as ever. JT tried to engage with him about his mother at first. A rude be quiet was all JT got. Attempts to talk about anything else with Tyrone were also met with silence. Not for the first time he thought about sharing Hannah's visit with Tyrone, but couldn't decide if it would help or make things even worse. All that talk about family must have upset him. I did the best I could Tyrone, but who the hell am I, really.
Strangely Randall had come back into the cell block once early that morning. He stood there, looking at the two of them. Drumming his hand on his gun belt.Every attempt he made to get Sheriff Randall's attention was met with silence. Randall turned and left. Everyone's glum and gloomy attitudes were wearing thin on him. All this silence was making him feel like he was buried alive.
JT spent the next several hours pacing his cell, fuming over being put in this situation. He never asked to be a leader, sure as hell never asked to be responsible for people's lives. Honestly he couldn't even figure out why the group ended up looking to him in the first place. Or why he took it upon himself to be that guy. I guess if Dusty hadn't been so abrasive, it would have been him they trusted in, not me. I wonder how differently things would have turned out.
His train of thought was broken by the slamming of the f
ront door. Sheriff Randall came storming into the cellblock, out of breath. He pulled his keys from his belt with shaking hands, fidgeting through the cluster.
"How could I have been such a blind damn fool?" He was muttering to himself as he first unlocked JT's cell, then Tyrone's.
"What's going on here?" Tyrone asked, panicked.
"I'll tell you more when we get out of here. Right now, let's just say you were more right than I am willing to admit JT," Randall said through a clenched jaw.
They were all out in the hallway. JT heard the sound of the front door opening and shutting again. They all froze. Randall gave JT a looked. It seemed to say get ready. Randall gave them a hand motion to turn and around. JT could see Randall was trying to stand casually, but he had his hand near his gun, like he anticipated trouble. Charlie and Daryll walked in.
"What's going on? Why are the prisoners out?" Charlie asked. He brought his rifle up and leaned it on his shoulder. The other man looked unarmed.
"I was taking them out for a little walk around the yard. Thought they could use a breath of fresh air and a change of scenery." Randall answered, cool and collected.
"I have a change of scenery for them. They can come up to the church with me. The Reverend wants to see them both."
"Why is that?"
"That’s church business, not yours," Charlie said in a condescending tone.
"How about I bring them up, after they have had some time outside? I told you yesterday I either meet with him today or they go free. You’d almost think he’s been stalling me. I have never had to make so many requests in the past."
"I don't think so." said Charlie, taking a step closer to the Sheriff and bringing his rifle down, pointing it at the ground. "I’m following orders, and my orders are to bring them both up now."
"What, he can't wait another thirty minutes?"
"He is a busy man. He has a lot to do. As you know, so many people count on him. He has a schedule and he needs to stick to it."
Randall stood there a moment. His fingers drummed alongside his belt. JT hoped this didn't turn into a shoot out. He and Tyrone were unarmed and vulnerable in the close quarters.
"Alright, I'll help you escort them out to your truck." Randall said, relaxing his hand. He stepped aside and waved them past. "You heard the man. Get to moving. I'll be right behind you. It might be nice to have some real peace and quiet around here until you two get back."
They shuffled outside. JT was confused about what was going on. Randall seemed on the verge of letting them go. Was he really going to hand them over? What did he mean about being wrong?
Charlie motioned them to the back of the pickup truck. Its engine was still running, little puffs of smoke escaped from the tailpipe into the cool fall air. Charlie had gone to the other side of the truck. Daryll was right behind Tyrone. JT was about to jump up on the open tailgate when he heard Randall shout.
"Down!"
JT ducked, and heard two loud cracks of a pistol. Tyrone was beside him, down on one knee. JT turned around and saw Darryl collapsed on the ground. He held a bleeding hole in the leg of his jeans. Darryl screamed incoherent nonsense. Randall stood rigid, gun drawn, eyes darting.
"Toss the rifle in the truck Charlie. I have you dead to rights where you stand. You so much as blink and I won't be aiming for your leg." Randall was stone cold with his words.
Charlie glared at the Sheriff, never looking away. He made a show out of throwing his weapon into the truck.
"Now, raise your hands like the good Christian you claim to be and back away from the vehicle."
Charlie did as he was ordered, never once breaking his stare at Randall.
"You don't want this Randall, you do not want the wrath of the holy coming down on top of you." Charlie spoke very precise and calculated. This sounded like a practiced speech to JT.
"Charlie, spare me your sanctimonious bullshit. Jump up in the damn truck, both of you. What are you, idiots?!" Randall bellowed.
JT looked at Tyrone, whose confused face matched his own. They threw themselves into the back of the truck, lying down on their bellies. JT peeked up into the cab. Sheriff Randall slid across the front seat and mashed down the gearshift. The truck squealed as it shot off. JT turned to look behind him. He saw Charlie kneeling down, checking on Darryl, who was wailing on the ground, holding his leg and rocking back and forth.
"That's right, get down on your knees now bitches. Haha." He heard Tyrone yell out next to him, fist pumping into the air.
Well this was a surprising turn of events. Rapidly Charlie and his friends became little specks disappearing out of sight.
"Next time I see the "Reverend" or Charlie again, I have something for their punk asses," Tyrone said, pacing back and forth rapidly. "While I sing a little We are the Champions."
Tyrone, along with JT and Sheriff Randall, had taken shelter in one of the abandoned houses. Randall told them it was on the side of town farthest from the church. The truck they had ditched in a garage a mile or so over and walked the rest of the way to this hideout.
Apparently this was Randall's own private warehouse. Boxes were stacked up everywhere, along with a fully stocked refrigerator and freezer. Randall said he only ran the generator to cool it every other day. In one of the rooms was a gun rack holding four rifles and a gun cabinet holding another six. There was also two shotguns leaned up against the wall. Eight handguns along with boxes of magazines and bullets were stored in a small cabinet. Randall said he had gathered all this stuff by going door to door after the Outbreak was over.
Randall was sitting in a plush brown chair, nursing his right arm. When he had drawn on Daryll, he got in a luck cut with his knife on Randall’s upper arm during their escape. He had directed JT around the house to get him some bandages and hydrogen peroxide. He winced as he cleaned the wound and wrapped it up.
"Right and you will get your chance Tyrone," JT said, trying to get his own emotions under control. JT was in a position he had never been before, trying to be the rational one and convince Tyrone not to storm off. "I've seen what he has done to you. Hell I experienced a little of it. Who knows what he has done to Hannah, but we have to plan this out carefully. It's just us three against who knows how many, and only one of us has a gun."
Sheriff Randall perked up. "Now listen here, before we go any further. Let me make something clear. I saved your asses getting you out of there. But that is a far leap of faith you’re making that I would attack the very citizens I am supposed to protect."
"What about that Sheriff," Tyrone whirled on him. "Why the sudden turn? Why help us? I hope this isn't some set up!" Tyrone tightened his hands into fists.
"No, no. Cool your britches. I'm not in league with Albright. Use your head," Randall admonished him. "Truth is, a lot of what you were saying had been bothering me for awhile JT. I just didn't want to deal with or accept it. I would rather things stayed the way they were. Can you blame me for not wanting any more change, after everything we had just been through?"
JT nodded and Sheriff Randall continued.
"So when they took Jay I decided to find out what they were going to do with him. I've done a few stakeouts in my time so following that idiot Charlie undetected was a cake walk. They went up to the church of course and unloaded him out front, under the big tree. Albright was standing there waiting for him. I could see him in the dim light as the sun hadn't fully set yet. Once they had Jay out of the truck and under the tree, Albright made a motion. People came out of the church doorway. Each was carrying a lantern. One of them had to be Betty Rossinger. She’s your typical little old lady, a widower. She would never hurt anybody. I would swear in front of a judge it was her though."
Sheriff Randall paused, picked at the bandage around his arm, and continued on.
"Anyway, I could tell Albright was giving some speech, he was waving his hands all around, but I was too far away to hear what he was saying. I moved in as close as I dared. That’s when I heard Albright declare God should ha
ve mercy on Jay's soul. Then Charlie grabbed him."
JT spoke up. "So he hung him? Reverend Albright told me the tree was full of bad people. People who had attacked the church and had been hung up there as a warning."
"Jay, gone," Tyrone said in disbelief. “The guy was a harmless pothead. I knew the Reverend was full of shit but wow! Nobody deserves that. Know what I mean.”
"Whoa, whoa, there you go, flying off and interrupting me again," Randall said, holding his palms out. "No they didn't hang him. I don't know what they did with him. They made a precession. Albright got in the front, Charlie slid in beside him and Susan brought up the back with Jay. They marched off, down towards the college. Like it was the damn fall parade. I do agree though, I bet Albright killed him."
"Son of a bitch," JT exploded, kicking a box. "We were going to be next, weren't we?"
Randall shrugged his shoulders.
"Jay wasn't necessarily a good kid, but he was harmless, "Sheriff Randall rubbed the side of his face. “He did petty things, drugs mostly. He sure as hell didn't deserve to die by their hand. I was torn on what to do with you two. What I decided would change everything. I knew I couldn't live with myself with your blood on my hands. I was deluding myself otherwise. That's when I came back to get you out. Didn't know those shitheads would be back down to get you two so soon. If only I’d gotten my ass in gear soon."
"Even jumping to conclusions, we know for sure now he’s a scumbag, a liar, and a killer," JT held back the temptation to tell the Sheriff I told you so. “He’s been up there, filling Hannah's mind with who knows what garbage. She's been all alone with him, with no idea what’s really going on."
"He fooled me for awhile, so yeah, he has her fooled too." Randall said, rubbing his eyes. To JT he sounded weary and old now.
JT was grateful they were free and he’d gotten Randall to come around to opening his eyes. Now they need to hurry and make plans to get Hannah and Gus back. Before Albright did something to them, to get back at him and Tyrone.