ELIJAH
There is a certain right by which we many deprive a man of life, but none by which we deprive him of death; this is mere cruelty
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Watching the dust kick up from the tires of my brother's truck, I laughed. Shoulders still shaking with my mirth, I crossed the room to sit on the bed next to Eve.
If Jacob hadn't panicked he would have noticed her pulse was still feather light, her nose drawing in enough air to add oxygen to her veins. I hadn’t been sure it would work, wasn't positive he wouldn't see past the hoax that the beautiful woman had died, which was why I had to interrupt so quickly in order to refuse him the time to calm down.
"Is she..."
Eve's brother stood behind me, worry a wrinkle over his brow. "She's fine," I answered. "A little beat up. A little worse for the wear, but she's alive. God saw to it that we reached her in time and she will be rewarded for the part she played in helping our army."
Joshua's eyes lit with pride. "My sister was always strong."
Turning to him, I angled my chin toward the closet. "See what you can find for her to wear. We need to protect her modesty while taking her home. She should wake up within a few hours. We'll hide her in the woods until that time."
While he abided the request, Clemson lowered his gun, his hand gripping the stock with the butt of the rifle balanced on the floor. He reached up to brush the blond hair from his face, his brown eyes locked to mine. "What next, Elijah? What do you need me to do?"
"I want you to help Joshua carry his sister as far out as possible. The police will be swarming soon and we can't let them find her. Once she's able to walk again, you two head back to the compound. Richard and I will stay here to deal with Eunice and secure the parish."
He nodded as Joshua brought me clothes to use for Eve. After dressing her limp body, I planted a tender kiss on her chilled cheek. It was remarkable how well the mixture of herbs had worked. To any person not in their right mind, she appeared dead.
"Take care of her," I reminded her brother. "She is my wife, after all."
"Of course."
Lifting her in his arms, he carried her out with Clemson trailing behind them.
I gave the men a half hour to move deep into the woods before pushing up to my feet from the bed. Crossing the room, I pulled open a drawer to find a clerical collar. Lifting it from the confines of the dresser, I snapped it in place, my head shaking slightly at how easy the ruse had been.
There was only one task left to be accomplished.
While Joshua and Clemson headed left to backtrack into the woods, I turned right to where I knew Richard and Eunice were waiting. My stroll through the shadows of the yard hadn't taken too long, but I paused as I approached the location where I knew I would find them.
They weren't in easy view, and the noises filtering through the wind beneath the rumble of thunder told me Richard had taken that last taste while nobody was watching. I laughed at how the man was no better than a rabid dog.
First, I had to wait for Jacob to finish off Eve, and now I waited for Richard to finish off Eunice. I was starting to feel like a damn pimp minus the silver handled cane and flashy purple, velvet jacket.
Richard's breathing was rough and steadily building in speed. I didn't hear a sound out of Eunice, but I figured he was smart enough to cover her mouth or shove her face in the dirt. After a grunt filtered through the approaching storm, I figured he was done, but waited a minute or two for him to make himself decent.
Leaning my back against a tree, I called out, "Is it safe to approach?" Laughter bled into my voice.
His head poked around a tree and he smiled. "What's wrong? You growing squeamish?"
"Nope. Just wasn't in the mood to watch your ass bouncing. Bring her down here, will you?"
Flashing me a quick smile, he pulled Eunice from around the tree. Her expression was flat, her will to live gone. I guess it didn't take much for her to realize that God had stopped listening.
"You ready to go home, pretty girl? Because your maker is calling."
Tears sprang from her eyes. "Please," she begged.
I laughed. "There you go with that word again. Haven't you learned by now it doesn't do you a lick of good? Come on, sweetheart. You have to be smarter than that."
She finally looked up at me, her eyes rounding with surprise. "Father Hayle?" There was a note of hope in her voice I took pleasure in destroying.
"That's what everybody will believe in a few hours. It's too bad you won't be around to watch."
Jerking my head toward the parish, I barked out, "Let's go, Richard, let's get this chore over with."
Staying to the shadows wasn't hard, and we were fortunate for the storm blowing in. It kept the townsfolk inside the safety of their houses, far away from the parish where this last task would take place.
Breathing in the air thick with moisture and the electric buzz of lightning, I smiled like a lunatic. After today, my plans would be in place, the beginning of the end would have begun. Within a month's time, Hell on Earth would exist within a small, mountain town that the rest of the world had forgotten.
We made it inside the building just before the skies opened with pouring rain. Lightning flashed in the distance, its brilliance echoing through the large stained glass windows behind the pulpit.
"Where do you want her?" Richard asked, ignoring the way Eunice cried.
"Doesn't matter much to me," I glanced back and winked. "I've been in rectory all day, remember?"
Richard grinned. "This pew will do."
Shoving a large hand on the small woman's shoulder, he forced her into a seat. Not one to waste time, he reached behind his body to pull a hunting knife from the sheath tucked into the waistband of his pants.
Eunice found what fight remained inside her when light flashed off the gleam of the large blade. Taking a place in front of her, but far enough that the spurt of arterial spray wouldn't touch my clothes, I locked my eyes to her face. It was too bad what fight she had left wasn't enough to get away from Richard.
"Any last words?"
Her red rimmed eyes looked up at me, pleading for me to step in and do something.
My lip twitched with humor. "Did you need me to give you Last Rites?"
"You're not a priest, you bastard!"
My grin tilted higher. "That's too bad, my dear, because you're no longer alive."
The knife slid easily across her throat, blood spurting from the artery as air gurgled up her trachea. Richard stepped back to avoid the puddle forming on the seat of the pew and the floor. The strong son of a bitch had damn near decapitated her.
Her head fell back and I could see the bones of her spine pushing out, the muscle beneath like meat shredded across the bone. It was too bad she had to die, Richard had thoroughly enjoyed her.
Once she was good and dead and her body no longer twitched against the seat, I lifted my eyes to the man that stood above her.
"You should make yourself scarce, Richard. The police will be here in an hour from when I call them. Take the woods back to the compound and keep an eye on Eve. Let the family know I'll be staying here for a while."
He nodded his head before slowly lumbering out of the sanctuary. I listened as the large door swung open and closed, the wind slamming it hard against the wood frame.
Biding my time, I took a tour of my kingdom, the parish that would be the center of our holy war. After an hour passed, I walked the halls of the small building. Once in Jacob's former office, I seated myself in his chair, kicked my feet up onto the surface of the desk and lifted the phone's receiver from its cradle.
My voice sounded terrified despite that fact that I didn't care.
"Hello, yes, this is Father Hayle at Our Lady of Serenity. You need to get down here fast. I found a body in the sanctuary."
It only took a half hour to hear sirens blazing down the road.