The Rabid Mind Two

by Bruce Buckshot Hemming

  Beside him, Frank slapped Sandra repeatedly, trying to wake her up, then he got another bucket of water, and poured it on her. The latter woke her up, gasping for air as some of it got in her nose, she looked around, confused.

  “Where…where am I? She asked in confusion, and to nobody.

  “I said, where am I?” She asked, the memory of the dinner came back to her. Her eyes widened with sudden realization and she looked round the room, spotting the twenty people at the table, and the leader, looking at them.

  “We may begin Father.” Frank said, and the leader got up. A cloaked figure, who’d been hidden in the shadows, got up and fell in step beside him, as he walked towards the boys.

  “Sandra, I’m so sorry. I dragged you into this shit.” Matt apologized, struggling with his binds, an effort in futility.

  The leader got to them, and turned to the people seated. They stood now.

  “Let us begin.”

  ***

  Clair was stuck in the house. She cleaned the house. She washed clothes. Anything to stay busy. She kept thinking about Matt. She could not push this or they would toss her out in the street alone to fend for herself.

  In the old world, it would be nothing to steal Matt from Sandra. But Sandra was a good person. She just wanted to feel love to feel that she was alive. It was just one time. Get Matt out of your mind. She scolded herself. Stop it you will end up alone.

  That night she watched the infected walking the street searching for victims. It was creepy. She watched the fence as they walked along the edge. Keep going, she silently prayed. Nothing here. Move on.

  A group of eight had walked by. A loner came by and stop and started right at her. Oh, my God, can he see me? Does their vison improve so they see better at night? Her mind raced. Can he really see me? Don’t move, don’t move. Jesus, he must be able to see me. Why is he staring at the house? Another one joined him starring right at the window she was looking out.

  Oh fuck, they can see me. Clutching the flashlight in her left hand and her Glock in the other she debated whether to go out and shoot both before more gathered.

  Dammit, Matt and Sandra, why the hell did you have to leave me here all alone? Shit, one is climbing the fence. We need more pikes. This one is smart like a predator stalking prey. The second one followed. Damn they are inside the fence. They are inside with me. She looked down the street, more were walking to the fence. The first one started beating on the door. It shook the house.

  Fuck, what the hell should I do. Shoot him and bring more. Damn, I wish we had a crossbow. Silent death.

  ***

  Matt could not believe his ears, he’d heard about apocalypse cults back then when the world was still normal. Even read up on a few but he never thought for one minute he’d run into one. Or even be the subject of one of their rituals. As far as apocalypse cults went, these guys were crazier than most.

  The leader was addressing his members. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a while now. The herald has been waiting also. Now, it has come, we have been provided with two sacrifices. Far more than we requested, and far more than we deserve, but they are marvelous in our sight. Our brother here…” He pointed towards the cloaked figure, who opened the cloak, to reveal a young man, about Matt’s age, “…has been waiting for a while for this. Now, he can undergo the conversion, and join the heralds to bring an end to this vile world and its inhabitants. Now…”

  “Herald? What the hell are you talking about, you crazy old man?” Matt interrupted scornfully, and the leader cast his absent-minded gaze at him, a scowl spread over his face.

  “The heralds of the end, young man. The ones sent to bring this world to its much overdue end.” The leader said, with an air of superiority.

  Matt laughed. “You mean the crazies?” He asked, and a gasp went around the crowd as the members sucked their breath in in unison, at the shock of his brazen question and use of that word.

  “No, no, they mean the locos.” Sandra quipped, laughing. So far, her ropes had managed to loosen a little, but it was still not enough.

  The leader’s gaze hardened more, something Matt would not have previously thought possible.

  “Laugh all you want boy. That laughter will soon be changed to cries of pain when the herald starts with you.” He motioned sharply, and they removed the cloth, to reveal the box underneath. Only, it wasn’t a box, it was a cage, and it held an infected within its confines.

  The infected looked at them through crazed eyes, and growled, foaming at the mouth, fists clenched at his sides. He suddenly rushed and lunged at the cage, and it rocked violently, then he paced round. He must have been a big man before he got infected, he was huge, and menacing looking. Even more so now, with the torn clothing and overall monstrous appearance.

  Sandra was taken aback, but managed to hide her shock, and fear.

  “All I see is a person, infected with a virus, who is no longer in control of himself. Once a man, but now an animal in every right.” Matt said, spitting out the words scornfully.

  “You couldn’t be more wrong boy. I witnessed the first day of the conversion. The beginning of the end. I had front row seats to the day of the choosing. I emerged, unscathed, and the voices told me I’d been chosen for a different mission, I was to assist the end in moving along smoothly. But first I had to gather a following. For a month I wandered from town to town, until I came here. The voice of God told me to stay here, and I did. I always do what he says you see? And I stayed here, while the town went to shit, and its occupants ran away, I stayed, and spread the gospel of the end. I was instructed, and out of the many, a few chosen like me, to spread the one true word of the gospel. The days stretched, and it seemed like we’d been wrong, even the voices abandoned me, and I was for the first time in my life, alone. But this was a test you see? For a few weeks later, Sister Ethel would discover this herald, sent to us, to assist with the conversion. The second part of my mission started.”

  “And what part would that be?” Matt asked, genuinely curious to hear this to the end. This man was crazy, and had succeeded in finding like-minded screwballs to follow him. And they’d formed this cult, this organization of madness that defied logic. One had to be crazy to understand his teachings. One simply had to be out of their mind.

  “The part of conversion.” The leader answered solemnly, closing his eyes, when he opened it, his eyes were misty with unshed tears, and he motioned for his wife, she came and stood beside him, facing the boys like he did.

  “My daughter was the first to be converted. The voices demanded it. Just like God demanded Isaac of Abraham, and demanded Samuel from Hanna, and even sent his own son down here to this mistake of a world. She took the blood like a true believer, the first step. And by the night of the first day, when the righteous anger was at its infancy, and all thoughts apart from the one geared towards the mauling of the inhabitants of the world could pass through her mind, we sent her off. Her job was to continue the work and join her fellow heralds. Since then we’d converted five members to herald-hood, and tonight, after the herald has feasted on you two, we will convert a sixth.” He finished, and his wife nodded in accord.

  Sandra had hardly heard everything the leader had said. Her mind had latched onto one part, and filtered off the rest. “My daughter was the first to be converted……she took the blood like a true believer.”

  “You infected your own daughter?? On purpose?? What kind of sick person are you? All of you, are you insane? You all must be cuckoo, whacky, unhinged, complete psychopaths. What kind of parents would infect their own child?” She asked, incredulously. Beside her, Matt just stared at the man, mouth agape, unable to process this level of lunacy.

  “Not ‘infected’…We ‘converted’. Converted her to the truest calling, to participate in the greatest act since the great flood.” The woman said, on her husband’s behalf.

  “I don’t k
now what Bible you read ma’am. But as far as I can remember, God regretted the great flood, and promised never to do that again. ‘That,’ being the attempt to destroy the earth and mankind. So, if, as you say, this is the end of mankind, it hasn’t been endorsed by God, that’s for sure.” Matt said, still working his binds slowly.

  “You’re damned right God has endorsed our plan. He told me.” The leader said with a smirk.

  Sandra had also been working away at her binds, and she felt them give a little. For the mean time, though, she just needed to keep them talking and delay the sacrifice they’d been talking about.

  “You know that crazy is just going to tear through you guys if he has the chance, ‘chosen’ or not.” He said, frantically working.

  “Well, that’d just be hastening the process, now wouldn’t it?” The leader replied in a monotone. “Okay, enough talk. Let’s begin.”

  “Wait, wait, wait.” Matt said, and they all turned towards him, “Wait. I mean. I, I believe. I’m a believer. I want to join your cause. Teach me.”

  After a brief silence, the leader replied.

  “We all have our roles to play Matt. Yours, as well as your friend’s, has already been selected. You will be sacrificed, and afterwards, we will inject our brother with the blood of the herald, and he will begin his holy journey.” He turned towards the door, the doors flew open, and two men with AR-15 rifles stepped in, a hush fell across the room.

  Matt worked his ropes, he just needed a few more seconds now.

  ***

  The men got to the building. It looked like a church of sorts, and voices could be heard from inside. They edged towards the door, and listened as the various exchanges went on inside.

  “This shit is crazy, we should just leave. They’ll do our job for us.” The driver said.

  “Leave? No. Those two are mine. These crazy people need to find someone else to sacrifice.”

  They heard people begin to walk towards the door, and they burst in. The second man caught sight of Matt, Ah, the bastard driver who shot my brothers on the road. He thought with renewed anger. He turned to the crowd and addressed them.

  “Okay, okay. We don’t want no trouble. We came for them.” He indicated Matt and Sandra. “Give them to us, and we’ll be on our way.”

  “You cannot have them.” The leader said. “They have been chosen for a higher purpose. One which your feeble mind cannot fathom, you would do well to be on your way.”

  “Blah, blah, blah. We heard about your higher calling through the door buddy. Y’all are a bunch of crazy cultist, pure and simple. Now give us those two, or I start ridding the world of some wackos”

  “You will not take them.” Came the reply, with a note of finality.

  Suddenly, a woman broke out of the group knife in hand she ran towards the men, shrieking. The driver raised his gun and riddled her with bullets, stopping her in her tracks. She collapsed on the floor, a bloody mess.

  With a small smile, the second man limped forward, and said again, “Well. The world is now minus one cult member. Anyone else interested in helping the world out by dying? Just give us those two. No one else has to die.”

  Two things happened then, simultaneously. Sandra got free of her binds, and made a run for the altar, towards the guns and Frank pulled a gun and shot at the roadside gang members. Chaos followed.

  Frank’s shot went wide, and the driver retaliated, shooting randomly, mowing down the members as some dove for whatever cover they could find, hiding behind columns. A few of them produced guns and fired back at the two men, who took cover behind two columns close to the door. The leader ran for cover behind his big chair as Sandra retrieved the guns and was quickly back with Matt, she undid his binds and handed him his gun. The second man from the roadside gang started towards them, his limp made more apparent by his haste. Frank took a shot at the man. But he didn’t go down. Instead, he opened fire wildly trying to kill as many of the cult as he could. One of the shots went wide, and struck the lock on the cage. The infected quickly ran out and started attacking the members closest to him.

  Matt and Sandra headed for the back door. One of the raiders caught sight of them and turned to shoot. Nancy, seeing him distracted ran quickly and retrieved the knife off the floor. She jumped on him and clung to his back, stabbing away at his neck repeatedly. Seeing their chance, they ran out through the back door.

  The last raider had had enough of this. He ran after them.

  Matt and Sandra were almost at the house when a figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking their path. It was the young man. The one who the leader had said was next for conversion, he brandished a machete, and looked at them menacingly.

  “You are meant to be sacrificed. You will not deny me of the dignity of my conversion.” He said, his voice breaking with emotion.

  Sandra was taken aback. “What manner of brainwashing is this? Look, we don’t want to hurt you. We are not going to be sacrificed for anything, just step out of our way, and let us go home.”

  “My conversion is going to happen. I have waited too long. It will not be for nothing. It can’t be for nothing.” He said, his hand grasping the hilt of the machete tighter.

  “Just step aside. I don’t know if you didn’t just witness all that. Your small group of end time wackos are either lying dead, or very injured in your church. Your so called “herald” tore through several of them. I saw it myself. Don’t be stupid, just step aside please.” Matt said.

  “THE SACRIFICE MUST HAPPEN!!” He screamed, raised his machete and ran for them. With a resolute sigh, Matt aimed and shot him point blank in the head. He went down beside him, the machete glinted off the moon.

  “You could have shot him in the leg.” Sandra said, as they looked at the dead fanatic.

  “He was too far gone. Let’s go. The sooner we’re out of this town, the better.” Matt replied. Just then, a shot rang out from behind them, stopping them in their tracks.

  “You two ain’t going nowhere, we still have unfinished business.” Came a voice behind them. “That was just a warning shot. Now turn around and throw your guns down.”

  They turned around to look at him. Neither of them knew who he was, and were both wondering “Who the hell are you?” Matt was the first to speak up.

  “Look buddy. We’re just trying to get back home. Maybe you have us confused with someone else. We don’t even know you. Or your partner for that matter. Sorry about him, by the way.”

  “First, I’m not your buddy. Second of all, you do know me. You know me, and my entire gang. You ran us off the road. You shot my brother in the head. You remember, right, the guy in the front seat with the bullet proof vest? They have to be avenged.”

  “Your brother killed my friend, Jet. It’s his own fault. If he would have played possum we would have left him there alive.”

  ***

  The leader looked out from behind the chair. The gunshots had stopped, his entire followership now lay dead all over the floor. A couple of feet away from where he hid, the herald fed on Nancy, savagely tearing away at her and during all this, the voices had grown silent. What do I do? Tell me what I need to do. He asked repeatedly, seeking guidance, shaken by their silence, rattled by the sight of his dead congregation. Speak to me please. How do I get out of here? He asked again, frantically, but still, he got no reply. He saw a gun lying beside the dead body of one of his members and slowly walked towards it, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. Now that the voices had seemingly deserted him, he felt naked, and all too aware of his mortality. He got to the gun and checked it, it was empty, but another lay just in front, but he’d have to move closer to the herald.

  Infected. Crazy. Loco.

  His mind shuffled the words Sandra and Matt had used to describe the herald, a bit more accepting of it now. He shook his head, he was chosen, and this was just a test. He would get out of this, unsc
athed, just like at the airport. He would not fall today. He would live to continue the gospel at another location.

  With the renewed faith, he walked towards the gun, and picked it up. Its owner was not quite dead yet though, and grabbed at his leg and he gasped. The infected paused its activity and turned to him, breathing heavily, hands and mouth stained with blood. He’s not bothering to convert them, he’s feeding. They won’t be converted. This is their end. The realization didn’t go well with him and he raised his gun, yelling at the infected as it got up and walked towards him.

  “This is not how it’s supposed to be. They’re supposed to be converted. With dignity. They were believers. They were chosen.” He said, and raised the gun, pointing it towards the infected who by now, its interest piqued, its rage rising.

  The voices were silent still.

  Why won’t you talk to me? Why have you abandoned me now? He thought desperately, his hands shook as he tried to face off with the imposing infected. His mind went to the tranquilizer gun they’d used to calm the herald down on many occasions, at the behest of the voices of course. He cursed himself for not thinking to go for it sooner. He laughed sombrely. Even with the voices silent at his point of need, and with a loaded gun seeming to be his only way out. He still had the inclination towards preserving the ‘herald’s life. Was his train of thought enough to make the voices come back to him?

  The infected had grown bored of the face off and charged at him, startling him out of his desperately fanatical thoughts. At that moment, out of mere shock, he fired off a round, and hit the infected through its shoulder. That only made it more upset, and before he could fire another round, the infected was on him. They both crashed to the floor, the sheer weight of the man crushing him and making it impossible to struggle free. He reached for the gun which he had lost during the fall, but the infected grabbed his arm, and took a bite at his wrist, severing the veins, spurting out more blood than a person could afford to live without, then it went for his neck.