by J. Fritschi
Where the hell was Big Pete? Oh shit. What the fuck would happen if he came barging through the door right now? He could fuck everything up. Come on, hurry up Kate. We’ve got to get the hell out of here before things take a turn for the worse.
chapter 76
THE LONGER BIG Pete stood outside the back door of the church with his back pressed up against the wall and his gun drawn, the more apprehensive he became. He looked at the time on his digital watch that was strapped tightly around his thick, hairy wrist. What the hell was taking Mike so long? Why didn’t he signaled for him or chase the Sterling Killer out the door? Everything was too quite for his liking. Why didn’t he hear anything the whole time he was waiting there? Something wasn’t right. Mike should have cleared the room by now. He was starting to get the uneasy feeling that something must have happened to Mike and Kate. Did he wait too long? It was time to make a move.
He took a deep breath as he looked to the darkening blue of the evening sky. He gritted his teeth, crept over and stood in front of the door with his head cocked, listening intently. It was eerily silent. It was now or never.
Reaching down with his left hand, he cautiously clicked down on the door handle until it disengaged. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he readied himself for what was waiting on the other side of the door.
As he yanked the door open, sending it crashing into the wall, he stormed into the sanctuary with his pistol held out in front of him. By the time his eyes adjusted and he figured out who was standing where, it was too late. He saw the flash of the muzzle as he heard the gun shot ring out and then felt an intense, searing pain strike him in the ribs like a bolt of lightning, sending him reeling into a wrought iron candlestick holder, knocking it over as he collapsed to the floor.
Mike dove for cover behind a pew and was waiting anxiously for the next gunshot, when he watched in amazement as the candle ignited the brittle old wood wall of the sanctuary. The flames quickly climbed the wall, the tendrils tickling the wood beam ceiling.
There was another crashing sound as the Sterling Killer knocked over more of the candle holders and Mike watched in disbelief as the other wall of the sanctuary began to crackle in flames. The Sterling Killer was attempting to light the church on fire with everyone still in it. Mike had to find Kate and get to Big Pete before they were all trapped.
Mike sat with his butt on the floor and his legs stretched out in front of him with his back against a pew. Where the hell was his gun?
“Pete?” he called out breathlessly. “Are you alright?”
There was no response, just the roar of the crackling fire. Where the hell are Kate and Father John?
Mike carefully knelt on one knee next to the pew and peered over the top of it as he scanned the perimeter. The Sterling Killer was in there somewhere waiting for his moment to attack. What the hell happened to Kate and Father John? Did the Sterling Killer get them?
“Kate?” Mike shouted above the roar of the blazing fire. “Where are you?”
“I’m over here,” Kate cried out desperately.
Mike bent over and began to creep down the aisle in the direction of her voice under the roiling smoke and flames that were engulfing the church like a bon fire.
“Kate,” Mike shouted again over the crackling fire.
“Right here,” she yelled and as Mike looked in the direction of her frantic voice, he saw her scampering in his direction in a crouch. Mike met her in the middle of the aisle as ash and embers began cascading around them.
“Are you alright?” he asked when he saw the dark smudges on her face from her mascara and the soot. She looked defeated.
Kate nodded her head unconvincingly. “I’ll be alright,” she replied urgently. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Where are Father John and the Sterling Killer?” Mike asked as he tried to formulate an escape plan.
“I don’t know,” Kate said gasping. “I didn’t see what happened after he fired the shot. I just ran.”
“We’ve got to get to Big Pete,” Mike informed her with encouraging eyes. “Follow me. Stay right behind me.”
Kate nodded reluctantly and then Mike crouched down as he hurried down the aisle toward the back door where Big Pete was shot, looking back over his shoulder ever now and again to make sure Kate was still behind him.
He darted across a row of pews and came out on the perimeter next to where the fire started. The flames were surging up the wall. As Mike turned to move down the outside of the pews, he saw with alarm, someone dressed in a dark robe kneeling next to Big Pete’s prone body. He couldn’t see if it was Father John or the Sterling Killer and he didn’t have time to figure it out. They had to get out of there before they became trapped and were engulfed by the raging fire. He would have to deal with whoever it was when he got to Big Pete.
Mike glanced back at Kate who was bent over panting behind him and then scurried towards Big Pete.
When he got to Big Pete’s body he looked down at his chubby face and saw that his eyes were wide open. At first he thought he was dead, but then Big Pete turned his head and looked at Mike with startled blinking eyes.
“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Mike heard the voice next to him shout and as he turned he noticed Father John’s hand covered in blood, pressing firmly on Big Pete’s wound. “We’ve got to get him help immediately,” Father John urged him.
“Where is your brother?” Mike asked with a scowl on his face.
“I don’t know,” Father John replied perplexed. “If he’s smart, he got out of the building.”
“Son of a bitch,” Mike muttered as he looked at Kate and Father John with troubled eyes. How the hell were they going to get Big Pete out of there? He was heavy enough under normal circumstances.
He locked eye contact with Big Pete to make sure he had his attention. “Alright partner,” he yelled intently. “We’re going to drag you out of here by your arms. Are you ready?” He watched worriedly as Big Pete responded with a lazy blink.
Mike glanced at Kate. “Keep your eyes open for the Sterling Killer,” he admonished her. “He could be waiting to attack us as we try to get out of here.” Kate nodded with a look of distress.
Mike glared at Father John with steady eyes. “Get on the other side of him Father,” he instructed him as he stood behind Big Pete’s right shoulder. “Grab him by the shoulder, under the arm like this,” Mike demonstrated as he lifted one side of him up and to his surprise and relief, Father John did the same on the other side. “Ready? 1, 2, 3.” Both men began to pull him towards the back door like a large burlap sack of sand. The flames were roaring up the walls around them like mad snakes searching for a way out.
Kate followed the three men with the crook of her arm over her mouth and nose, coughing as she advanced determinedly, all the while keeping watch for the Sterling Killer.
Mike kept glancing over his shoulder through the roiling smoke at the nearing flames that were fluttering around the dual back doors, wondering if they would make it out before the fire enveloped the exit. His throat was singed and he began to cough as he struggled with all of his might to tug Big Pete’s dead weight to safety.
Where the hell was the Sterling Killer? Was he waiting outside the door to attack them or did he escaped and lock them inside the sanctuary so they would burn to death? It was hot as a motherfucker and Mike knew he had to get out of there before it was too late and Big Pete bled to death and the Sterling Killer got away.
chapter 77
MIKE GLANCED AT Father John as they trudged on, dragging Big Pete laboriously by his underarms. Father John’s face was smeared with soot and his hair was matted with sweat. He looked like a coalminer. They were only a few feet from the exit. Mike’s lungs were burning and his heart was pounding.
Kate followed behind at the feet of Big Pete’s body as she skittishly surveyed the surroundings looking for the Sterling Killer, preoccupied with whether they were going to make it out alive or if they were going to burn to death.<
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“Kate!” Mike yelled frantically. Kate looked at Mike with shell-shocked eyes of despair. “I’m going to need you to open the door for us,” he instructed her as they neared the flame blocked exit.
Kate scurried around them and reluctantly maneuvered between the slivers of space between the walls of flames that led to the dual doors. She didn’t think there was any chance they were going to be able to make it through the flames and out the door. Hesitantly she stepped around the flames as their tendrils flicked hotly in her ears and singed her hair. She felt as though she was going to spontaneously ignite if she didn’t open the door.
She reached out cautiously for the push handle on the left side door worrying that it would be too hot to hold. As she placed her hand on the metal of the push handle, it seared the skin on the palms of her hand with stinging pain as she pushed on it. The handle moved forward, but the door stayed firm. She began to rattle the handle in and out hoping the door would budge as the flames danced menacingly around her. Her hands screamed like the skin was melting from her bones, but the door stood unyielding.
“Please don’t let me die like this,” she pleaded terrifyingly to herself as she let go of the handle and moved over to the other door. “Please let this be unlocked,” she prayed desperately as she reached for the handle. She grimaced as a jolt of electrifying pain shot through her hand as she pushed the handle. Again, it moved forward, but the door was as solid as a wall. That was it. The Sterling Killer must have locked them all inside and they were all going to burn to death.
Kate panicked and started thrashing back and forth on the handle and as she screamed with frustration, the flames began to engulf her. Suddenly, the door burst open and she was awash in a wave of raging fire that hurdled her out the door with a voracious eruption.
Mike watched in disbelief as Kate was engulfed in a ball of fire that violently catapulted her out the door. Mike’s heart ached with despair. There was no way anyone could survive such a horrendous explosion. The ball of fire retreated into a wall of flames that now blocked the doorway.
“Let’s get out of here,” he hollered over the howl of the fire.
Father John nodded affirmatively and then with no regard for the raging flames that stood between them and their escape, they pulled Big Pete’s slackened body as quickly as their fatigued muscles would let them into the depths of the blazing fire.
Mike held his breath and closed his eyes as he backed into the surging wall of flames that engulfed his body, making his skin scream as if it was liquefying. He had to keep moving or he was going to burn to death. He was already planning on dropping and rolling on the ground if they made it through. Where the hell was the exit out of the building? He kept pulling on Big Pete’s underarm hoping that they were near their only chance of escape.
Kate was sitting on her knees trembling as she cried hysterically in shock from the trauma that was caused to her head by the explosion. She stared at the fire shooting violently from the opening in the doors. Her ears were ringing and her hearing was muffled by the pressure in her concussed head. There was no way they were going to be able to pull Big Pete’s body through the raging wave of fire.
And then suddenly, as if witnessing a mirage, the flames parted and Kate watched in stunned silence as Father John and Mike backed their way out of the inferno untouched, bent over as they dragged Big Pete out with quick little steps.
Once they were through the wall of fire and Mike was certain they were safely away from the blazing building, in one swift motion, he lay Big Pete down on the grass and dropped onto his back and began to roll around like a runaway bulldozer making sure that he smothered the fire that was eating his flesh like millions of red ants.
Kate began to scream as she watched Mike set Big Pete down like a heavy piece of furniture, flop to the ground and roll around like a broken ice skater spinning off his axis. He must be on fire. She couldn’t see any flames, but smoke was smoldering from his body and he clearly thought he was on fire. They must be invisible flames. She had seen something like this on NASCAR before when one of the pit crew caught on fire and stumbled around as the others tried to extinguish the invisible flames. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have anything to extinguish him with and she remembered being warned not to approach someone who was behaving as if they were on fire even when you couldn’t see the flames. She was helpless and began to sob uncontrollably.
Father John approached Kate and knelt down in front of her, his robe smoking like steam from a hot tub. His face was covered with soot, but other than that, his skin appeared unblemished. Kate looked at him bewildered. How did he make it through the fire without getting burnt?
Father John stared Kate in the eyes sympathetically. “It’s alright,” he assured her. “He’s not on fire, he just thinks he is. Go to him and help him. I’m going to take care of his partner.”
Kate’s fear subsided into an overwhelming sense of tranquility as she subconsciously rose to her feet and in a comatose state, stumbled over to where Mike was now on all fours hacking up his lungs.
Mike was on his hands and knees coughing dryly as he tried to catch his breath. He gasped for air as he choked on his charred throat and lungs. He was just beginning to be able to breathe again when he felt a hand touch him gently on the shoulder. He raised his head and looked up and to his surprise, there was Kate’s angelic face smeared with black ash. She was alive. How was that possible? He didn’t think anyone could have survived that blast.
“Are you alright?” he asked stunned in between raspy coughs.
Kate smiled and nodded her head. “Are you alright?” she asked with caring eyes.
Mike sat up on his knees across from Kate and in a trance like state, slowly examined his arms. He pulled the sleeves of his blackened shirt up to discover that his skin was unblemished. He thought for sure he would be covered with third degree burns. He looked at Kate with a confused furrow of the brow. “You’re not burned either,” he said astonished as he reached out and touched her cheek. “How is that possible?” he asked perplexed.
Kate smiled knowingly with an amused glimmer in her eyes. “It’s divine intervention,” she said peacefully.
“Where are Big Pete and Father John?” he asked in amazement. “Are they alright?”
Kate turned her head and looked over her shoulder. In the distance, set against the back drop of the flaming church, Mike could see the silhouette of Father John kneeling on the ground next to Big Pete’s body. What was Father John doing? Was Big Pete still alive? They needed to get him help. Mike reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone and placed the call for back up that he should have placed long before.
Father John was kneeling on the grass next to Big Pete’s smoking, charred covered body. The gunshot to his chest was bleeding profusely and Father John knew that he had already lost a lot of blood and that there wasn’t much time to waste. He was able to slow the bleeding inside the church by applying pressure, but that was only a temporary fix. Now he needed to stop the bleeding before it was too late. Making sure that no one could see what he was doing, Father John placed his hands on Big Pete’s wound and did his best to heal it.
Father John was deep in retrospective contemplation as he used his powers of divine intervention to heal Big Pete. Is this what everything he learned in his life was supposed to lead him to? He couldn’t believe that he had a twin brother, who was the Sterling Killer. His Father claimed that he left him at the orphanage to protect him from the church, but Father John now wondered if maybe he did it because he believed the story told in the Satanic Codex. Could the story be true? Did Jesus have a twin brother who was the Antichrist, the son of the Devil? Was the Antichrist the sixth son of Joseph of Nazareth? Was Joseph also a sixth son of a sixth son? Is that where the number 666 originated from? And if so, what did that mean to him?
Was he to believe that thousands of years later, the story told in the Satanic Codex was repeating itself? His father was a sixth son, as was his
father before him, which meant that his twin brother was also a sixth son. Did that mean his long lost twin brother, the Sterling Killer, was born under the number of the beast and was the son of the Devil? Did that mean Father John was the son of God, the second coming of the messiah?
Father John devoted his life to learning and teaching God’s word and searching for enlightenment and was endowed with the powers of divine intervention, just like Jesus. His brother was abandoned, just like the Antichrist, only to return to confront Father John just like the Antichrist did to Jesus in Jerusalem. Was the story told in the Satanic Codex becoming a self-fulfilled prophecy or was it the beginning of the epic battle foretold in the Apocalypse?
If he was the son of God, it would explain why he had the power and knowledge that he was blessed with. Was this why he was searching for enlightenment all of these years? Was this God’s plan for him? Was he supposed to confront and kill his twin brother, the Sterling Killer? At first he dismissed the story told in the Satanic Codex but now it was all clear to him. He stood up and began walking determinedly towards the blazing church. This was his destiny.
Mike watched in confused awe as Father John stood up and began to walk towards the fiery church.
“Where are you going?” Mike yelled with alarm. “If you go back in there, you are not coming out alive.”
Father John stopped and turned towards Mike and Kate, his body a dark silhouette against the yellow and orange hue of the fire.
“You take care of your friends,” Father John yelled solemnly. “I will take care of my brother.”
Mike watched in disbelief as Father John approached the flames that were shooting out the back doors. There was no way he could make it through the impenetrable wall of fire. It would consume him in an instant. Father John paused briefly and then stepped into the flames which parted like he was walking through a field of wheat. He was going in to kill his twin brother, the son of the Devil. This was his destiny.
