by Thomas Baker
In that moment she felt vulnerable and defeated. It was almost as though he sensed it as he slowly placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head to keep looking at him. Hannah closed her eyes as he did so and opened them to him coming in to kiss her. Hannah shoved him away, shocked at his advance.
"Sorry if I misread our moment of connection Hannah. I didn't intend to make you uncomfortable in any way."
"No. It's just, it's just that I didn't expect a man like you to do that sort of thing. Not that I didn't want you to or anything. I’m all mixed up and confused right now. I should be the one apologizing."
"Nonsense Hannah. Let me help you relax and relieve some of your tension."
She looked at him in confusion as he refilled her glass. After she had finished the second glass he leaned forward and kissed her again. Hannah pulled away again when she felt one of his hands behind her head holding her in place. Passionately he continued to kiss her. Hannah felt a new struggle inside of her. For one she couldn't believe she was letting this man kiss her at this time and another that opened her mouth wider and returning his kiss, longing for more. The wine glass dropped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
Things were heating up quickly as they laid back on the bed. Reverend Albright was on top of Hannah kissing her over and over. Switching from her mouth to her neck back and forth. She became so lost in the moment she didn't even realize he had was unbuttoning the flannel shirt she was wearing. Her body quivered as he took her now exposed breasts into his mouth. She wanted him to stop as much as she didn't want him to stop.
She hadn't been with a guy since before the Outbreak. Her and JT had come close more than once. There was always something. That made her last time having sex was with her lab partner from school, when they decided to drink instead of doing homework. Hannah's thought was interrupted as Albright broke their embrace and got up on his knees.
He methodically unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off as he returned to her partially exposed body. Hannah could barely resist the warmth of his skin on hers, she was enamored of the shape he was in. He slowly made his way back to her mouth and she immediately had second thoughts as she felt his hard bulge pressing against her as he pulled back enough to undo his belt.
"Maybe we should stop," she suggested.
"Maybe we shouldn't," he replied.
Hannah gave a half hearted push away as he fiddled with her jeans, trying to pulling them down.
"Can we just slow down a little?" She nervously asked
Reverend Albright slid back up and looked Hannah in the eye, gave her a smile and said "God brought us together for a reason Hannah. Let us consummate our imminent union and please each other in his name."
Hannah didn't have time to say anything as he grabbed her hands and held them above her head with one hand as he continued to kiss her and work her jeans down with the other. She could feel her last defenses slipping away as she felt her underwear leave her hips. She felt she wanted this.
Hannah was breathing heavy when he stood up beside the bed and let his black slacks fall to the floor. He placed his thumbs inside his boxers preparing to pull them down. With a bang Gus barged through the door.
"What in the holy hell is going on here Reverend?!" Gus shouted.
"Gus!" Hannah exclaimed as she shot up in the bed, pulling her shirt close and half hiding under a blanket, searching for her jeans.
"That damn man right there is a fraud! He tried to kill Linda and me. He would have shot me where I stood had it not been for Linda saving my hide. If this guy is a Reverend, I’m the Pope of France."
Hannah looked to Albright in disbelief. He had finished putting his pants back on and tightening his belt as he turned to Gus. Her head swam and it felt like she had woken up from twenty hours of deep sleep. She couldn’t seem to make any coherent thoughts.
"Raise your hand sinner!" Albright shouted. "Raise your hand and show us your mark of the beast that has resurrected you from the dead! For I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts, and I looked and behold a pale horse and his name was death!"
Gus looked shocked by this sudden tirade. He didn't have time to react as Albright charged him, knocking him to the ground. Gus fell with a hard thud, the two pistols in his hands skidding away. Albright towered over him, repeatedly kicking him. Hannah jumped from the bed and shoved him away from Gus. She worked up her jeans and the buttons on her shirt as quick as she could. Albright stood watching and laughing. As he approached Gus again they were all distracted by the sudden outburst of noise from outside the church. The Reverend looked out the window and yelled once again.
"Whoever the unjust soul is that has brought this plague down upon my people will perish in the depths of purgatory!" He quickly raced across the room. He unlocked a large wooden armoire and retrieved a shotgun from it.
He pumped shells into the weapon as he continued. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. For you are with me."
Albright threw on a plain white shirt and strapped a vest on over it. Rows of shotgun shells covered the front.
Hannah cowered in the corner with Gus, not sure what Albright was going to do next. He turned and smiled his hundred watt smile at them, all the while also pointing his shotgun right at their heads as he spoke.
"Gus, I don't know why you returned. We can deal with your apparent resurrection and intrusion later. For now, won't you be a saint and wait here with my Hannah until I return? We can deal with what are sure to be your many lies and fabrications then."
Still grinning, Albright hoisted the shotgun up on this shoulder and marched out of the room. He spun and knelt down beside Gus. "You won't be in need of these any longer." Albright said reaching out and unbuckled Gus's gun belt, pulling it from around his waist before exiting the room.
Hannah looked to Gus. "Please forgive me," she whispered. Gus wasn’t the only one she was begging forgiveness from.
Albright strode from the room, adjusting his pants with one hand and carrying the shotgun in the other. He attempted to stamp down the fear he felt rising inside of him. He spouted all that biblical nonsense to work himself up and to keep the two of them off center.
He replaced his growing fear with rage instead. He wasn't going to let that prick JT take away everything he had built here. He was done with Hannah too. She was good looking, but no piece of ass was worth all of this hassle. When JT was dealt with and dead, he would be sending Hannah up the tree. His people would be fighting over which one could tie on the rope. He was already thinking of how he would spin the story as Hannah the jezebel, the snake in their garden.
People were running in circles like imbeciles in his chapel, screaming needlessly. Albright had been so wrapped up with Hannah, he didn't even realize a panic was going on in his church. God damn! Was all this commotion from Gus?
Albright paused to look out the front window. His eyes narrowed. Idiots, the zombies are all still outside. Albright stopped one of the men, Cody, with a hand on the chest. "Have you seen Charlie?" Cody stood there, eyes darting and blinking. Cody’s eyes seemed to lock on the shotgun Albright was holding. That seemed to settle the man.
"Last I saw he was getting some people together and they were going to head out on the front steps," Cody said, flustered.
Albright held his hand on the Cody’s chest a moment longer, trying to decide if he would send this man to guard Hannah and Gus. He dropped his hand and let him go, figuring sending him would be a waste of time. Instead Albright decided he would take over for Charlie and let Charlie guard the two. He didn't trust himself right now.
Albright burst through the front door. Twelve sets of panicked eyes turned to him. Charlie's eyes however were cold and dead serious. From the flashlight everyone was holding, Albright could see two undead bodies at the bottom of the steps.
Must have been runners. From where? Albright had a sinking feeling Gus showing up right before the zombies did wasn't a coincidence. How did that old jackass get
in anyway?
Albright motioned Charlie over to join him. He spoke to Charlie in whispered tones. "There are two traitors in my chamber. Make sure they don't go anywhere. Now go," Albright commanded. "If they try anything, you have my permission to kill them both."
To his credit, Charlie went inside without question. I need more people like him. Albright turned his attention to the five people in front of him.
"God's people," Albright spoke loudly, outstretching his hands. "You will now become God's warriors. Like we defend the spiritual attacks on our souls, we must now defend the physical attacks on God's children. Remember these are not people, these are demons. We must keep them out, drive them back. Let us defend this holy place. They shall not soil our church!"
Albright could see panic turn to steely resolve as he finished speaking. He felt juiced up, jazzed up again. These were his people and those fucks out there weren't going to take everything he worked for away.
The sound of running feet and gun fire was the signal JT was hoping for.
"You know this place better than me, get me upstairs, get me to where you think Hannah and Gus might be, and get me to Albright. Let's just hope Gus hasn't done anything too stupid."
With a nod Linda took off up the stairs. Inside the church was chaos. People were running here and there. It seemed like no one was in charge. A few more people ran down the hall towards them. After passing a couple of doors, two people burst out of the next one. They carried guns and raced up the hallway ahead of them. None of them paid any attention to the two of them. JT could hear the sound of gunfire erupting. It sounded like it was coming from outside the front of the church. At least something is working according to plan.
"Now where?" JT called over the racket.
"If I had to guess, she would either be in the women's quarters or in his office area. Let's try his office first, across the worship center," Linda offered.
No one else tried to stop them on the way. After crossing down the aisle past empty pews and under a garish cross, they arrived outside the ornate wooden door at the end of a hall without incident.
"Get ready," JT told Linda, reaching for the door handle.
He turned it and shoved hard, racing inside as he ducked down. They both scuttled to Albright's desk. The room was empty. There was a door on the right hand side of the room behind the desk. JT thought he heard voices coming from behind it. JT pointed at it and waved to Linda. It made him think of Dusty and he smiled a little. Son of a bitch was annoying, but I sure could use him right now. Tyrone as well. The thought made the rage build and bubble up inside of JT anew. If Albright was behind this door, JT felt he would kill him. No hesitation.
JT turned the knob and shoved hard. The door connected against something with a loud thud and a groan. JT and Linda rushed in to find Gus on the ground, Hannah standing over him, and Charlie with a rifle pointed at them. Charlie was standing in front of a bed. The sheets on it were a tangled mess. JT's mind automatically jumped to conclusions he wished it hadn't.
"My prayers have been answered, look who it is," Charlie snickered.
JT tensed up to lunge at Charlie, bat tight in his grip. All other thoughts vanished.
"No, no big guy," Charlie said, waving his gun between the four of them. "Don't even think about it. You try anything and I will not only shoot you, but I will put a bullet in each of your friends as you watch helplessly."
"Doesn't sound very Christian of you," Linda sneered.
Charlie ignored the jab. "All of you, over there in the corner. And pick up the old man."
JT, beyond frustration, dropped the bat and helped Gus up. "Damn it Gus, you were supposed to stay behind what the hell are you doing here? You are in no shape-"
"Shut up," Charlie demanded. "We will have nothing but the sound of silence until the Reverend gets back. When he does oh, will he be so happy with me. Now do as you're told boy."
The four of them stood against the wall. Hannah suddenly took a step towards Charlie.
"You get back, like I told you," Charlie said, jabbing the gun towards her.
"You better not shoot me Charlie," Hannah said in a soft voice. "Think about how angry it would make Albright, if you damaged me."
She took another step in his direction.
"I think Albright is all but done with you," Charlie said, waving his gun again towards her. "You were to be his juicy little pet and you were falling right for it. If Gus hadn't shown up, Albright would have been deep into you."
JT took a chance. He dove at his bat and scooped it up. Charlie turned his gun to JT. In one swift movement, Hannah pivoted and kicked but Charlie saw it coming and caught Hannah with an elbow to the chin, knocking her hard. With a stagger Hannah fell backwards, hitting the bed frame and falling over it onto the bed. JT rushed at Charlie, Hannah’s attack giving him the time he needed to close the distance. He wasn’t fast enough. He wasn’t Tyrone. Charlie brought his rifle up. The barrel was only inches away and trained right between JT's eyes.
"Drop it tough guy." Charlie's words were cold.
JT threw the bat down at Charlie's feet and glanced over to Hannah who still on the bed, holding her chin.
"Awe, isn't that sweet? You're worried about your little heifer," Charlie mocked.
JT shifted his eyes to stare into Charlie's.
"Fuck you. You think you're tough? That you're any less expendable than any of us to your false idol out there? People like you are hollow, filled with empty promises. You like the power. Your savior Albright? He's fake, a phony... a goddamn liar. You're just small town white trash."
Charlie dug the barrel of his rifle into the bridge of JT's nose and threw his shoulder into the stock. JT could feel his skin split open. The warmth of the blood seeped out and trickled down onto his lips.
"Reverend Albright is the Lamb Of God. He will take away the sins of the earth. Leave it to the more fitting people, like me. Now sinner, you should pray for your souls. You're about to lose it."
Charlie clicked off the safety and pressed gently against the trigger. JT tensed his body, ready to pounce. He took one last glance at Hannah. If he was going to get shot, it was going to be while fighting.
"That's enough Charlie!" Randall's voice wavered as he shouted, weapon drawn on Charlie. He took one step through the open doorway.
"Well now it's a party! It's my friend Randall!" Charlie shouted back, lips in a snarl.
Charlie turned his attention from JT. He pointed his rifle at the Sheriff, meeting Randall's standoff. Hannah slid out of the bed and crept next to JT. When she reached him, she put her arm around his.
"Gus, would you and your friends here mind giving me and Charlie here some alone time?" Randall was stone cold.
"No one is going anywhere Sheriff. My word is law now!" Charlie bellowed.
Everyone in the room jumped when a ceramic urn exploded on a shelf next to where Charlie stood. Sheriff Randall grinned at the bewildered Charlie.
"Now as I was saying, these people are free to go. This is between you and I Charlie. First though, you will give JT your gun. We will settle this like men, not that I think you have much honor."
Charlie's grin was like a predator. JT thought this was a bad move by Randall. He had Charlie in his sights. He should just shoot the bastard. Charlie dropped the rifle and kicked it.
It skidded and screeched across the wood floor. Instead of into JT's hands, the gun fully went underneath the Reverend's bed.
"Opps," taunted Charlie.
"Take this and leave," Randall said, stretching out his pistol to JT.
JT took it and Randall shooed them out. JT led Hannah and Gus out into Albright's office.
"There. Now that were both unarmed, let's handle this the old fashioned way," Randall said, before JT closed the door and clicked it locked.
All four looked on in anticipation as the lock clicked. They had heard all the commotion from the other side of the bedroom door. It was so thick the scuffle had been well muffled. JT let out a
breath he hadn't realized he was holding when Randall walked out.
"Holy hell Sheriff, I hope this is one of those you should see the other guy scenarios," Gus said.
Randall walked out of the room, clearly in pain, past the four of them. He plopped down with an audible grunt in one of the chairs near the desk. Gus tiptoed to the doorway and snuck a peek inside.
"Dang, maybe you don't want to see the other guy." Gus commentated as he looked upon Charlie's still body. The knife still lodged in his throat, blood soaking his shirt and pooling on the floor around him.
The rest joined Gus at the door. Upon seeing what Gus saw JT decided the time to head for the hills was now. Hannah gave the dead body a wide berth on the way to the bed. She laid flat, reached under it, and grabbed Charlie's rifle. Gus gave her a raised eyebrow.
"What? He won't need it anymore. We will. I’ve a few words for Albright."
"I think the time to go is here, judging by the sounds from outside.” The gunfire had ceased while Randall was beating on Charlie. “Asshole Charlie lying dead on Albright's floor is surprisingly good enough for me," JT said. He wanted to honor Tyrone’s memory and drop the vengeance for once. They were all here, all alive. They could get go. He waved everyone out. "I think we can slip out unnoticed if we go right now."
"I am afraid it is too late for that," came the warm drawl of Albright. He stood in the doorway to his office, covered in gore, his shotgun trained on JT.
Hannah turned her rifle on Albright.
"Really my dear," Albright laughed. "You are one of my flock. God..."
The loud report made JT jump and sent his ears ringing. Albright fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. Blood trickled out between his fingers. A stain of red was growing across his white shirt. His cries of pain fell on unsympathetic ears. Albright sank to his knees. Hannah walked forward and planted the barrel against Albright's temple.
"No wait Hannah, I have a better idea," JT said, rage and revenge flooding his mind. He had wanted to walk away. Now that the opportunity presented itself, it was time for some payback. “After what he’s done to Tyrone, to Jelly, to you, he deserves worse. An eye for an eye, right preacher man?"
