"Hah! That never helped the union docs either...I guess it burns around the edges and feels like needles on the inside."
From then on, Vernon did not look up. He cleaned the wound as best he could, then called the woman over. “Alice, this might take some time. Would you mind seeing who else needs attention?”
“Yes, of course,” Mrs. Christie replied politely. She looked suspiciously at the group and asked with a sour tone, “Who’s next?”
“Lisa,” answered Jenny. “We think her arm might be broken. Or maybe Nick. Nick, are you okay? You look like you are going to faint.”
“I-I’m fine,” Nick replied, though his body swayed almost in a complete circle before he caught his balance on the shelf above the furnace. “Just a minor concussion from the crash. I just need to sit down. I’ll go after you girls.”
Vernon finished wiping away the grime and dried blood. Next he began cutting away dead skin and removing interior debris with tweezers. The most recent poke caught a nerve.
“Hot damn! Easy there, Savage-hands!” Eddy exclaimed as he could no longer endure the pain.
“I don’t appreciate the insult. I don’t need to help you, sir, not with that attitude.”
Even Lisa hopped back as Mrs. Christie not-so-delicately braced both sides of her arm with hard plastic pieces and spun dressing around them with questionable tightness. “Gentle!”
Alice’s nostrils flared. “Are all of you this rude? In case you hadn’t noticed, we are trying to help you people.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that it hurts. Do you have anything for the pain?” asked Lisa.
From across the room, Mr. Becklan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we don't.”
Eddy’s upper half sprung up in shock. "Nothing?"
"Nothing that can alter a man's state is allowed in New Jerusalem," Mrs. Christie answered as though reciting a Bible verse.
"I'm guessing that means booze too?"
"That would be obvious. Yes, all alcohol and illicit drugs were collected and removed from the town as decreed by the Preacher."
"The Preacher said we need to be pure when God comes, and I completely agree."
Lisa raised a quizzical eyebrow. "You can't be serious."
"Very serious," Alice replied, tugging the brace around Lisa’s arm. "We don't take kindly to contraband here. No more than three months ago, someone discovered that Mr. Watkins was keeping bottles of alcohol and some marijuana hidden in his room. The Preacher was informed and made the Lawkeeper banish him.”
“What the hell?” Eddy said, flabbergasted. “Someone snitched on this Watkins guy and he was banished? That’s ridiculous! Sending a man out to the infected all because of a little booze and weed?”
Alice had moved on to Jenny, who was reluctant but needed the scrapes and cuts cleaned properly. “It was Mr. Watkins’ second time being caught,” Alice clarified. “First was the alcohol, then was the marijuana. He promised, no swore, that everything was handed over the first time, but it wasn’t...I say good riddance. The man’s sins could cost all of us salvation.”
“Amen,” added Vernon. “We all need to be ready when the Lord comes.”
“Pure of body. Pure of mind. Pure of spirit," Vernon and Alice recited in unison.
Eddy went to comment, but Nick interrupted, preventing an unnecessary argument. "So what's the verdict, Mr. Becklan?"
“Give it to me straight,” Eddy followed, clenching his jaw and inhaling through his nostrils.
"The surrounding tissue doesn’t look great, and I think I cleaned everything out, but to be honest, you were out in the woods for a long time, exposed to a lot...tetanus, infection, anything really.”
“I’ll take an infection as long as it’s not Trinity,” Eddy mumbled.
“What’s Trinity?”
Nick’s eyes darted to Eddy’s. “Nothing. What were you saying?”
Vernon arched an eyebrow. “I will know more tomorrow when I check on it, but until then, I need to set the bone.”
“Oh great, and no pain killers...this is gonna hurt like a sonuvabitch, ain’t it?”
“It won’t feel pleasant, no.”
“Damn, at least tell me you’ve done this before?” Eddy asked, half-serious. But Vernon’s expression was short of comforting. “Youhave done this before? Right?”
“I got this,” Nick said in response to the uncertain Mr. Becklan. After a balance check, Nick walked to the kitchen in search of something. “It’s been a few years, but I have set bones before...here bite down on this.”
Eddy stared at the wooden spoon, disheartened, for he could only imagine the onslaught of pain he was about to endure. He shoved the handle back to his molars and gripped the sofa with both hands. “Let’s get it over with.”
“Alright, on three,” Nick began.
But in true doctor fashion, there was no count. Nick had sanitized his hands, then positioned his fingers over the cloth and went for it. There were a series of quick sounds ranging from twigs cracking to sandpaper grinding against itself.
While a lesser man would have surely gone unconscious, Eddy reacted in an opposite fashion, screaming, cursing and moaning, but mostly cursing.
Appalled, Alice grabbed the metal cross around her neck. It took a moment for her slack mouth to form the comment, “Excuse you! Words like that have no place here.”
To that, Eddy snorted and went back to moaning and doing everything in his power to not think about the pain.
“Eddy, the splint needs to be tight,” Nick continued. “It’s essential for the bone to be supported firmly. Mr. Becklan, if you don’t mind finishing, I just need to sit down.”
Vernon finished wrapping Eddy’s leg, then began collecting his things. “If that is everything, we will get going. We will be back to check on your leg tomorrow, but for now let it heal. Try not to get up or put any pressure on it."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Eddy said, sweating. He punched the pillow behind his back and roughly adjusted the one under his head. "Sorry, guys, no church for me tonight."
"Oh, we can arrange a wheelchair or some crutches,” Alice insisted.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine here.”
“Very well then, have a good night.”
Nick waited until Alice and Vernon left the room before saying, "Something is going on here. It doesn't feel right. This whole town seems off.”
“You’re telling me,” Eddy followed, upset. “No medications of any kind? And what’s that story about kicking a guy out for having some stress relievers?"
Lisa had to swivel her head to follow the conversation. "I agree, but maybe that's just how they do it here? My aunt was a pretty big Christian. She didn’t allow alcohol in the house, and grounded my cousin for swearing. Maybe it’s just that strict?”
"Maybe,” Nick said, closing his eyes and gently massaging his tear ducts.
“What’s up with the Preacher?” Jenny asked. “He didn’t believe us about the Trinity Virus, and he actually believes it’s the end of the world and that he’s been chosen to lead these people?”
Nick opened and closed his eyes multiple times as though there was something wrong with his vision. “The people seem to believe him. We heard LT. This Preacher’s convinced everyone here that the infected are demons."
Eddy shrugged. "What do you suggest, Nick?"
"We get out of here."
"Hey, I’m all for leaving. After what they did to Kelly, especially how they justified it...accident my ass,” growled Eddy. Glowering at the door, his forehead creased with anger and his hands tightened into fists. “But Steve is out cold, literally, and my leg is busted. Even the girls are pretty banged up. We aren’t in any condition to get back on the road. Plus there’s infected all around these parts. There’s no way we’d make it to Donner. Not on foot, not like this."
"You're right, but I don't think we should get too comfortable.”
1700 hours
The sun had begun its descent over the western mountain peaks
, painting the sky an orange hue. Another set of plump rainclouds moved in from the East, looking as though they were bullying the sun away.
On the hour, the bell on the church’s steeple beat from side to side. Everyone stopped what they were doing, even if they were working, and prepared for the upcoming service.
The most prompt of the parishioners were already dressed in clean formal clothing. They greeted and socialized with the later arrivals out front until the bell rang a second time.
Nick, Lisa, and Jenny followed the tardiest townspeople toward the church. Jenny was walking on her own, but grabbed Lisa’s hand when a crow flew by and landed on the cross section of an oil lantern.
"This place gives me the creeps."
The crow squawked twice and eyeballed the passersby.
Lisa nodded. “Me too. Hey Nick, are you feeling any better?”
“A little. Just need some sleep and I’ll be back to new,” he said, tenderly caressing the bump on his head.
“You didn’t have to come. We could just fill you in later?”
“Thank you, but I want to see more about this Preacher.”
Nick was the first to enter through the church doors.
Like the crow, dozens of townsfolk stared at the outsiders, and continued to stare as they filed into the last row.
“Psst. Hey guys,” Landon whispered, hand half-cupped around his mouth. He set aside a copy of the Bible to welcome the newcomers. “Sit here.”
Nick shook his hand and politely accepted the invitation. “Evening, LT.”
"Evening Nick, girls," Landon said to each as they sat down.
"Welcome, my children," The Preacher said, walking out from the back room. He was dressed in a long white robe that dragged on the carpet. His arms were wide open and the yellowness of his smile was amplified by the candle light around the room. "Praise God and glory be His name."
Almost altogether, the wooden pews squeaked as the parishioners straightened their posture. "Glory be His name," the townspeople repeated in unison.
“As is custom, let us begin with our Prayer of Salvation…”
And following the Preacher’s words, the townspeople began to recite, “God as our witness, we promise to be pure of body, pure of mind and pure of spirit. To wait in patience, to be obedient and follow instructions until the day we are called to Heaven. Amen.”
"Hey, there's the kid Nick saved," Jenny whispered, pointing across the aisle.
Neil turned his head backward. The bowl-cut hair moved with the motion before the brown strands settled back into place. Neil managed a smile and half-wave before the lanky man beside him swatted Neil’s hand downward and uttered harsh words of future punishment.
"With a father like that, I can see why he snuck out," Lisa giggled.
Two rows ahead, though, one of the townspeople, an elderly woman with short, curly hair, held a stern finger over her lips. "Shh!"
"Shh back! We can't hear the Preacher," replied Jenny facetiously.
Taken aback, the woman whispered bitter comments to her husband.
"By now, I am certain all of you have noticed our new guests in the back row,” the Preacher began. “They have been rescued by our Lord and added to our flock. After tonight's service, I hope that you will welcome them in the same manner as the Lord will welcome us into His Kingdom."
The congregation turned and many nodded their heads, silently welcoming the newcomers, while others, like the curly haired woman, were more standoffish and distant.
“As good Christians, of course we will,” one man near the front said after a slow rise. “But Preacher, if I may be so bold, I thought we were to expect no more?”
“Rest assured, Benjamin, your question is not taken as insubordination or a lack of faith. And, on the contrary, I am glad you inquired. I am certain many of you are curious or perhaps confused, and I aim to appease your concerns,” the Preacher replied, pacing the length of both pews. “While I have had the opportunity to speak with some of you about their arrival, I intended to wait until all were present before I fully explained…”
Suddenly, the Preacher spun around and held his index finger high in the air.
"For last night I was visited by a messenger of the Lord Almighty..."
While Lisa read the Preacher’s lips, Jenny and Nick listened as the Preacher repeated, though with more, vivid detail, what was explained to Lawkeeper Binky earlier in the day. He revealed more about the sheep traveling among wolves and how he interpreted the vision to be a foretelling of the group’s arrival.
The townspeople were enthralled almost to the point of enchantment; but they were not alone. At one point, Lisa observed both Nick and Jenny’s attention-consumed gaze as the Preacher spoke with conviction and passion; his story and descriptions weaved in and out of every ear.
"The Angel of the Lord communicated in such a way that transcended normal speech,” the Preacher continued. “For it was beautiful, inspiring, and as much as I would like to repeat the message, I am unable, but it is my understanding that these poor souls were led to New Jerusalem. Led to us to be a part of our flock. It would appear that they were chosen by God, led here by Him through the darkness outside these walls...”
The Preacher paused and began wagging his finger.
“Now, I know what many of you are thinking. I remember my words, ‘no more shall there be life where I have given’ and I imagine that you might think there are more good souls outside our walls...An assumption many of you would be led to believe. It would appear logical, would it not?"
“Preacher, are you saying more of the Chosen might be wandering out there?” one member of the congregation asked. Many others nodded, waiting both patiently and anxiously for the answer.
“I would love to tell you that, Peter, for I imagine that would be incredibly felicitous news to be heard, but no my child, there are no others. But as you know, I am not the Lord. I do not know what the Lord thinks. I am only his vessel. He has yet to reveal the entirety of His plan to me. He did not lie to me, and I to you. For we all know the Lord does not lie,” the Preacher said, pointing to one woman.
“Amen.” The woman nodded in agreement.
“Amen is right, Mrs. Addington. God is not subject to human law and thinking. He chooses what to reveal when He decides to. So we should not fault Him for what we may perceive as unclear; for all which we do not understand. To understand requires trust, but trust is not so easily engaged in, I know. Let us remember Noah. He did not understand why God compelled him to build an ark in the middle of the desert. Nor Moses, to lead his people from the slavery and oppression of the Egyptians. Yet both men did. They believed in God’s plan despite not knowing the ending. Despite the mocking, ridicule, disapproval and often times aggressive nature of pagans and nonbelievers alike. The Bible is filled with a plethora of examples on why we should trust in God’s plan. And I for one trust God. I trust that he has put us on a righteous path to a grand end. Do you? Do you trust him?”
Almost every head rocked up and down calling out “yes” “praise to God” or “amen.”
“Didn’t he say almost the exact same thing earlier?” asked Jenny.
Nick nodded in agreement, then leaned over Landon and whispered, "Is it me or is the Preacher choosing his words very carefully."
Landon cocked his head to the side. "Never really thought about it before. Kinda? Maybe? I donno?"
"LT,” Nick said, scanning the room. “Where’s the Lawkeeper?"
"He doesn't ever come. He stays on lookout while everyone is here.”
"Are people allowed to not come?"
"Attendance was strongly suggested at first, but most people fell into the routine. I’m sure you noticed, but many of ‘em even come early nowadays."
“But I do have more exciting news, my children,” the Preacher continued. “And that is such. The arrival of these five souls is not just an addition to our numbers, BUT A SIGN! For the angel communicated to me that our time here in this world is almost
at an end! Yes, my sons and daughters, you have heard correctly! We will be entering Heaven’s gates before long!”
Gasps and smiles overtook everyone. The community was ecstatic. Hugs and handshakes were shared among the townspeople.
“We’re going home!”
“Finally!”
“I knew it would be soon!”
“What is going on?” Lisa asked, unable to make out the reason for the celebration.
“The Preacher said they are going to go to Heaven soon,” Jenny answered. “Nick, he can’t be serious, can he?”
“No, he-” Nick paused as the loud claps and chatter appeared to unbalance his equilibrium. “I-I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
The Preacher walked up and down the aisles, shaking hands and blessing those within reach. He allowed the celebration and cheers to continue for some time, before walking back to the front. “Yes, I know, I know. It is a very exciting time indeed! But we are not yet free from the sins of this mortal world. For we must strive to stay pure and focused until the day arrives.”
“Of course, Preacher!”
“And until that day, we must live and act as we have. But please, let us calm down, for we are not in Heaven yet...”
The Preacher smiled, and received smiles and chuckles for the remark.
“Now, before I get on with tonight's sermon, I wanted to ask Ms. Pendergast…Where are you, Ms. Pendergast? Ah, there you are,” he said, pointing to the woman with her hand raised. “How are you feeling?”
Dressed in a conservative, navy-blue satin dress, Ms. Pendergast lifted herself using the front of the wood pew. She turned around and answered to the crowd. “I feel fine. Better than fine. No more infection in my bladder. I can sleep the entire night without waking up to use the restroom. The Preacher did that. He healed me.”
Cheers of praise erupted.
“Thank you, my child, but remember it was God who truly saved you. For I am only His instrument. As I have said many times over to those which cannot be treated by Mr. Becklan and Mrs. Christie, my door is always open. And all you need be is open to the healing powers of our Lord and Savior...”
The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side Page 44
