Collin couldn’t hear the anguished growl that he could feel rumbling in his throat. The blast of the gun was still ringing in his ears. He scrambled up, making it to his feet at the same time as Davies. Collin went after Pendell who was thrashing wildly trying to fight off two Eagles.
He walked over to where Pendell’s head was poking out from the pile. Without a word, Collin pressed his boot onto the throat of the pretender lying on the ground. Pastor Pendell tensed up, his eyes swiveling to look at Collin while his head was pinned in place.
“You fucked up, pastor.” Collin pulled his Colt M45 from his thigh holster and pointed it down the pastor’s head. “Pick him up.”
When the two Eagles had his hands and arms bound and secured, Collin moved his foot and the two men forced Pastor Pendell to stand.
The pastor must have felt a new wave of defiance come over him because he started screaming about how they were all heathens and they’d face judgment. He kept repeating, “Only the saved will be saved.”
Collin just stared at him like the idiot he was. Pendell must have felt the disgust in Collin’s gaze. He spit in Collin’s face.
Bad move.
Collin punched the pastor in the face with two quick jabs. Then he clubbed him over the head with the butt of his Colt. Pastor Pendell crumpled and the two men had to adjust their grip to keep him standing.
“Get him out of here,” he said, wiping the saliva from his face. “Lock him up and keep two guards on him at all times.”
“You,” he said, pointing to a young woman, an Eagle. She stood on the bridge among the carpenters and others that had been working on the wall, all of them witnesses to what happened in the field. “Go get help for Anna. Hurry!”
She blinked a couple of times in surprise at being called out. She quickly turned and pushed her way through the crowd to carry out the order.
Collin walked over and knelt beside Anna. He felt her neck for a pulse. Nothing.
Her chest wasn’t moving with breath and he couldn’t feel any air escaping her nose or opened mouth. He closed her eyes and stood up. Collin stayed behind with Anna’s body and the bag that contained Major Logan’s head. An Eagle stayed with him while they waited for others to arrive and help them move her body.
“Keep an eye out for that kid,” Collin said. “Or any other Vipers.”
The man nodded at him, took position on the far side of Anna’s body, as if shielding her from the darkness and turned to face the field.
Several Eagles emerged from the crowd and ran over. They carried a large green cloth stretcher, essentially a heavy-duty green canvas rectangle with thick handle straps sewn onto the corners and the midpoint.
“Come on. Let’s go,” Collin said waving them over.
The single gunshot must have drawn the crowd. He could see light emanating from beyond the bridge which suggested dozens and dozens of people. From the last few battles with the Vipers, Goshenites had fled to the safety of their homes. He wondered if the wall emboldened people to gather around the bridge.
Two of them spread the carrier on the ground. The rest of them gently lifted Anna and placed her body on the cloth. Then each of them grabbed a handle, with Collin in the middle.
“Three, two, one, lift,” he said. They stood up in unison and began to carry Anna toward the bridge.
Before they reached the bridge, Collin spotted Dr. Julie Horner and Kobyashi standing together, watching them approach. Their presence wasn’t a surprise. Julie was always the go-to person for medical assistance. But this was for Anna and Anna was already gone from this life. Dr. Horner wasn’t needed for that.
Koby looked around at the group, down at the stretcher and then fixed his gaze on Collin, concern apparent in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, Collin met Koby’s gaze, then looked quickly at Julie, confirming Koby’s fears. Koby gave a slight nod and slowly raised his arm to her shoulders. This way he was prepared to offer her support if she fell, or comfort if she began to sob. She must not have thought it was odd because it looked like she shifted slightly to lean into his embrace.
Collin’s chest felt hollow. He only knew Anna for a short time, but he’d liked her. He also liked her mom, quite a bit. They were strong, smart and kind women. Wonderful people to know.
“Group, halt,” Collin said. He wanted to give Dr. Horner some warning before she saw her daughter’s bloody corpse being carried up to her. The Eagles slowed to a halt and Collin released his hold and jogged the last twenty meters or so to the bridge.
He was suddenly overcome by emotion, which he fought back with great effort. His eyes stung and his throat felt thick. He cleared his throat and scowled to hold off the tide of emotion that threatened to burst through his armor.
“Dr. Horner...Julie.” Collin took a deep breath and looked up at her. She turned her head, looking at him sideways, not sure what to expect but obviously unsettled by his behavior.
She must have passed the runner he sent to get help for Anna. Had the soldier thought it best not to be the one to inform her mother? He let out the breath and the words just tumbled out. “I’m so sorry, Julie. I regret- um...Anna was shot. She died instantly. My Eagles are bringing her back into Goshen.”
Dr. Horner gasped and slumped, but Koby held her up. “No, no. It can’t be...My baby, my poor baby,” she moaned. She looked shocked as tears slipped from her eyes, down her slender features and dripped off her chin.
The crowd began to murmur and stare at Collin with a mix of anger and mistrust. They must have seen Pastor Pendell being taken to jail, or if he’d woken up, maybe they’d heard his demented raving.
Sensing the need to regain the initiative from the crowd before it turned into a mob, he climbed up on the railing of the bridge, and laid a hand on the wall for support. He raised his gun in the air and when the crowd failed to quiet down, he fired a shot into the air. Silence fell upon them so quickly that Collin could hear the shell casing clatter on the wood below him.
From his perch above the crowd, he could see Dr. Horner and Koby following the Eagles that carried Anna’s body toward the hospital. He hoped that Dr. Horner had enough strength, because the town would need her and her skills in the coming days.
“Citizens of Goshen, tonight has been a tragic one for us. Two of our citizens, each one a leader in their own right, are dead,” Collin said. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. “Major Logan is dead, viciously murdered by the Vipers. They sent Anna back to us with proof. She was sent to negotiate with us for medicine and a special medication that her mother, Dr. Horner, has been working on.”
Collin met the curious gazes of the onlookers with his own sorrow plain on his face. “She was shot dead before our very eyes.”
Confusion swept through the crowd. “Who would want to kill Anna?” a woman asked.
“Who shot her?” a man yelled.
Collin held his hands up to stave off the torrent of questions. “Pastor Pendell,” he said, pausing for a beat to let it sink in. “Pastor Pendell shot and killed Anna Horner.”
“It’s true. I saw it happen and so did all of the work crew. We were all here when Anna returned to us,” a man said.
It was the carpenter that he spoke to earlier; Collin nodded his thanks to the man.
A stunned silence fell upon the crowd again, so he took the opportunity to plow on. “As acting Commander of the Eagles, I have ordered Pastor Pendell to be arrested and detained for the crime of murder. Anna returned with news about Major Logan, the pastor accused her of terrible things and tried to have an Eagle execute her. When he was stymied, he took it into his hands to punish her on his own without a trial. This is not behavior that we can tolerate in Goshen. We may be the last fragment of humanity left over from our great nation. Justice by trial is one tradition we should carry on.”
Collin took a breath and bowed his head for a moment. There was more bad news, bad because it wasn’t good. “As for the Eagles that accompanied Major Logan, we don’t have any definitive information regarding th
eir whereabouts. We will consider them as missing in action. They will not be forgotten.”
He looked at the citizens gathered around him. All of them looked back at him, expectantly.
“We have turmoil here that needs to be settled, no doubt about it. But don’t forget for one second that the real enemy is out there,” he said, pointing out beyond the fields. “The Vipers want each and every one of us dead. They want what is rightfully ours. We cannot let that happen just because we have some house cleaning to do. Make no mistake, Goshen is at war.”
“We are at war: not about land, food, or medication, but our very existence. The Vipers will be coming for us and we must prepare. Steel your mind against fear, for there’s a very real possibility that each and every one of you will be needed to defend our homes. We must crush their assault. We will end the Vipers once and for all.”
Heads nodded in agreement.
“I recommend we all pray for each other. Hell, while you’re at it, pray for the Vipers as well. Pray that if there is a God, he forgives us,” Collin said. He looked around at the Eagles, pointed to a few of them, and shouted, “Eagles strike!”
“Vipers die!”
He felt proud of their strength and resolve. “Eagles strike,” he shouted again.
“Vipers die!” The town shouted back. Their rallying cry echoed through the valley.
Collin looked at the church. He knew he had to go confront Pastor Pendell about his actions. He began to climb down from the railing. Sensing that the action was over, the crowd began to disperse.
He walked over to the bag that held Major Logan’s head and lifted it up. He felt tense, not worried, but anxious at the coming battle that he could feel brewing. Collin handed the sack to Davies and told him to deliver it to the morgue and under no circumstances should he allow anyone other than medical staff open the bag.
“You understand, Davies?”
Davies blinked a few times and accepted the bag. His face looked pale. “Yes, sir.”
“Just don’t look at it okay. Get it to the hospital and then get back to your duties,” he said. “Stay alert.”
“Stay alive, sir.” Davies nodded and started walking toward the hospital.
Collin watched him go and then turned to stare into the darkness beyond the wall.
He couldn’t deny the seed of fear that roiled in his gut.
“Whatever the future holds,” he muttered to himself. “We will prevail.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Collin approached the church and walked around to the side door that lead down to the basement.
The old detention center in the police station had been destroyed at some point before Collin’s awakening. The one the town had built to replace it had been destroyed in the Eagle’s Bar attack. Lacking any other suitable locations, the pastor insisted on an improvised detention cell in the basement of the church.
Collin felt it was a strange location. Pastor Pendell had told him a story about an archbishop in medieval England, who also had his own prisons. He was certain that Pastor Pendell never imagined himself in one of the cells.
Lighting was dim in the basement, it wasn’t a modern space, that was for sure. A cord ran along the upper corner where the ceiling and wall met. A pair of work lights lit up the hallway. On one side of the hall were two detention cells with crude bars welded together. Over the bars, they welded sheet metal that looked like it was salvaged from old cars and trucks.
One small slot about two feet off the floor, was left open to pass food through. A square was left open at eye level. Unlike the slot, the square had bars on the inside and outside. That way whoever stood in the hallway could easily communicate with the person in the cell. The two cells were well built, even if they looked like a patchwork.
On either side of the door stood an Eagle, armed with a pistol and baton. Given the tight confines of the hallway, it wasn’t practical to carry rifles.
It was virtually silent inside, save for the swish of Collin’s clothing and the slosh of the small bottle of water he brought with him. His gun thumped slightly against his thigh. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts and formulated a plan for confronting the pastor.
Collin smirked at the savage appearance of the space, but quickly composed himself before the Eagles could notice. He didn’t want them to get the wrong impression about his intentions. This was not a power play on his part; he never intended to take a leadership role. It just happened.
A strong sense of justice ran through Collin’s veins. He did intend to make sure that justice was served. Detaining the pastor also presented a unique opportunity to get to the root of the corruption problem in Goshen. With the revelation that Major Logan was a part of HAGS, there was no telling what other secrets and conspiracies had festered over the years.
“Wait in the room for me. Stay alert in case a mob forms,” Collin said, holding out his hand for the key to the cell.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison. The woman handed him the key to the cell. They walked away.
Collin stepped up to the door and looked inside. A small amount of light came from inside the cell. Koby installed strips of LED lights on the ceiling, high above where most detainees could reach. Roughhewn rock walls cast jagged shadows on the bare concrete floor. The cell featured a short plastic chair that would look more at home in a daycare center, and a thin sleeping pad with one military blanket. A metal toilet and sink combo unit, from the police station was bolted to the wall. Given the state of post-fever life, it was a rather impressive cell.
“You awake yet?” Collin said, eyeing the man who lay on the floor.
No response.
Collin didn’t worry about being overpowered by the pastor. In the unlikely event he was, there were two guards in the hallway. So, he unlocked the door, lifted the large bar that reinforced the door, and pulled it open. He stood in the doorway, waiting to see if the pastor would move. He didn’t.
Collin stepped in and nudged him with the toe of his boot. Still nothing.
He didn’t have time for this shit. He grabbed Pendell and rolled him over. Kneeling beside Pendell, he gave him a quick pat down to see what, if anything, the man had on him. Collin found a set of keys, a silver crucifix on a silver chain, and a small pocketknife, all of which he removed and pocketed.
He stood up, flipped open the mouthpiece on the small sports bottle and splashed water on Pendell’s face.
No response.
Collin splashed more water on his face and gave him a slap on the cheek. The pastor’s eyes fluttered, he groaned and turned his head sputtering as water dribbled off his swollen face.
“Wake up,” Collin said, pouring the rest of the water on Pendell.
Spluttering and holding up a hand to block the water, Pendell rolled onto his side and sat up. When he got comfortable, Pendell looked around the room through squinted eyes. He looked up at Collin.
“Is it true?” he mumbled. Collin noticed that one of his teeth was missing and wondered if that was from him or one of the Eagles, not that he cared either way.
“What’s that?”
“Is it true?” he asked again. “About the cure. Is it true?”
“Yes, apparently it is. Anna seemed quite sure although I have yet to hear it from Dr. Horner. I trust what Anna told me,” he said.
Pastor Pendell held out his hands, palms up and looked up at the lights. “Praise to Jesus. Thank you, Lord.”
“Shut your mouth, Pendell.” Collin scowled at him and his fake piety. “The time for your charades has passed.”
Pastor Pendell scrambled to his feet. Collin stepped back to block the door, just in case.
“We must inoculate everyone. Right now. Get out of my way and follow me to the hospital,” Pendell said.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Collin said, holding out his hand to stop him.
Pastor Pendell looked at him confused. “I order you to move. We must inoculate everyone now. There’s no more BT76 coming.”
“What do you mean, no more is coming?”
“They’re never going to deliver more BT76.” Pastor Pendell rushed toward Collin.
Stepping forward quickly, Collin shoved him back. He didn’t use a lot of force, but the man practically flew into the wall.
Pendell growled and leapt forward. “Move, heathen!” he screamed.
Collin landed an uppercut. He enjoyed the clacking sound as the Pastor’s teeth collided.
“This is for Anna,” he said, punching Pendell in the stomach. Then he shoved him back again. Pendell hit the wall and slide down into a seated position, gasping for breath. A trickle of blood streamed down his chin.
“You’ll burn in hell for this,” Pendell said. He leaned over, glaring at Collin as he did so and spit a glob of blood onto the floor.
“Perhaps,” he said. “By the way, what is a ‘pastor’ doing with a pocket knife?” He held it up so it was clearly visible.
“That’s mine. I’ll have your hand for stealing from me.”
Collin cocked an eyebrow at that. He couldn’t help the smirk that spread on his face as he looked down at Pendell.
Pendell stood up. Once he was up, he leaned back against the sink and glowered at Collin. His shoulders hunched forward and his arms hung limp at his sides.
Collin leaned against the frame of the door and just watched Pendell.
“You know, considering the revelation that Major Logan was working for HAGS, I have to wonder if you’re doing the same.”
Pastor Pendell didn’t say a word.
“What do you say to that?” Collin asked. “Is that why you killed Anna? To hide the truth?”
“Only the saved will be saved,” he replied.
“What exactly do you mean by that? I get the feeling it has less to do with God and a whole lot more to do with who you decide to keep around.” Collin crossed his arms and watched his detainee closely.
Pendell smiled. It was a sinister smile. The look in his eye chilled Collin to his core.
Praying for War: The Collin War Chronicles Page 29