The Wrath Walker (The Wrath Series Book 1)

by Matthew Newson

  “Look, Wrath, all my friends were cops, and they all turned their backs on me after the fallout with Ron. Lizzie hates me, and the only other person I had was my dad, but he passed years ago. Even when I had friends, I’m positive none of them were Satanists.”

  “Think harder, detective, who else did you meet with since I entered your life? Who else speaks to you on a friendly basis?”

  “Besides the ones you killed, Phillip Martin, but he’s a pastor of The Holy Anointed Church. There’s no way he could be the head of some evil organization ruling the city and using the mob as a front to keep the spotlight off of him.”

  “Are you really that blind? You were one of the best detectives the city had ever seen. Have you learned nothing since our first encounter?” Wrath’s voice raised with frustration as he walked about the room in front of me. “Come now, Brandon, you really must come out of your willing ignorance, and see things how they really are, and not how you want them to be. Remember what I told you on the night we met? Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

  “Oh God, no, it’s all been a front this entire time.”

  “Ding. Ding. Ding. You got it, and not a moment too soon.”

  The truth of the matter pressed down on my shoulders so hard I felt like my soul was being crushed under the weight of it. “It all makes sense now. The best place for the enemy to hide is in plain sight. It’s a page right out of Satan’s playbook to put on a holy and righteous façade for all to look to and believe in, while being rotten to the core inside. But why me, why am I supposed to help you stop this guy?”

  “Because the spirit realm is rapidly invading the realm of man again, much like it was in the times of the Bible, and both sides are working to win over the human race. But our enemy wants to not only dominate, but to completely destroy the earth. Also, this city is your home. God picked you to try and save it. Phillip trusts you and doesn’t believe you know anything about his real agenda since you have been in his church so many times and never suspected a thing.”

  “There’s only one thing left to do then, Wrath.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “We have to go confront and stop Phillip and his friends right now.”

  A satisfied smile filled Wrath’s face. “Good. Shall we be leaving then?” He motioned to the stairs.

  We stepped out the door at the top into the crisp air, and for the first time I took a deep freeing breath that convinced me everything was going to be okay. As I looked around to get my bearings, I found myself on the side of the Black Castle.

  “That must have been the Amaras private entrance, so they could come and go without anyone knowing what they were up to. Wait, what are we going to do about Frankie and Skeeter’s bodies down there? We can’t just leave them, and my DNA is all over the place. There’s no way the police are going to believe I had nothing to do with their deaths.”

  Wrath looked up at the night sky and was intently focused in on something I couldn’t see.

  “I don’t want you to worry about their bodies or the police,” Wrath said, deep in thought.

  “What do you want me to do about them then? We have to tell the police what happened. They kidnapped me and tried to kill me, but you came in and saved me.”

  “Leave them for now, this city doesn’t have much time left.”

  “I thought this whole thing was to get me to see the truth so I could help you stop the wickedness in the city. We know it’s Phillip now, and we are going to go stop him and save this city.”

  “That was part of it,” Wrath said without looking away from the sky.

  “Then how could we almost be out of time?”

  Wrath checked his watch and frowned. “This isn’t good. We are going to be cutting it very close.”

  Wrath averted my attention and pointed out to me what looked like a group of red stars in the far-off distant night sky.

  “What does a group of stars have to do with this?”

  “Don’t be so naïve, those are not stars, my friend. They are my brothers, and they are coming here to destroy the city.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Brandon Farmer

  The City of Black Castle

  “I MUST LEAVE NOW. MY brothers are calling me to come and prepare myself for the destruction that is to come.” Wrath handed me a set of keys and my phone.

  “Wait. You can’t go. We just figured out who we need to go after next. Can’t they wait and see if we can at least stop Phillip and the others who are helping him?”

  “I have to go, Brandon.”

  “But I thought the whole point of this was for me to help you stop the destruction of the city, and now you and your brothers are going to destroy it anyway! What am I supposed to do with these keys?”

  “Those are the keys to Enzo’s car which is parked behind the building. I want you to take it and get to The Holy Anointed Church and stop Phillip. Whatever he’s planning is going to happen tonight, but there is still some time left. My watch has been counting down to it, and if you don’t stop him, my brothers and I are going to completely destroy this city. It’s up to you now, Brandon.”

  After Wrath finished talking to me, he disappeared in a bright blinding red light, and an ominous feeling replaced the ones of assurance I had just moments before. I didn’t have time to be scared or conduct the endless internal arguments of how unworthy or unprepared I was to do what Wrath said needed to be done. I had to stop whatever Phillip had planned to do and save the city from whatever evil machinations he desired to unleash.

  As I ran toward Enzo’s car, I wanted nothing more than to pull apart Phillip for being the evil force behind the Amaras. I and many others had suffered and lost so much because of the Amaras, and Phillip was their ringleader who called all the shots. He was also the reason Wrath and his brothers were going to destroy the town. I wondered how hard he laughed at me behind my back all the times I had come to him about the problems the Amaras had caused me. He had portrayed the part of a wholesome, decent, and respectable man of God for a long time, and I was going to put an end to all the lies that night. I had been wrong about people before because I refused to see the truth of who they really were when it was right in front of me, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake with Phillip that I had with Ron. I trusted Wrath was telling me the truth about everything, including himself. An entire city was about to be destroyed, and I was going to do everything I could to stop it.

  I got to Enzo’s car and saw the long scrapes and damage I caused when I side-swiped him. I could not help laughing to myself. It was a luxury car, and it couldn’t have screamed I’m mobbed up any louder than it did with its solid black paint job, custom wheels, and darker than normal tint. I knew I had to be careful with my speed while I drove that car so I wouldn’t give the cops a reason to stop me. I jumped in adjusted the mirrors, pressed the brake, and hit the starter. The car roared to life. I dropped it in gear and my heart pumped as fast as the car as it tore through the empty parking lot, and out on the road to The Holy Anointed Church. That car had a lot of power, which made it harder for me to not speed even though I wanted to so badly. The clock on the digital screen in the dash read eight-thirty, so the chances were good Phillip would still be at the church, and hopefully I could confront him alone. I’d rather not be run out of there by multiple angry people in his congregation that might not know who Phillip really was and would do anything they could to protect their beloved pastor. I wouldn’t allow myself to be stopped if someone did get in my way.

  As I made my way across town, I remembered Wrath gave me my cellphone. I pulled it from my pocket while I passed a box truck that was moving too slow for the lane it was taking up. I unlocked it and scrolled down to Lizzie’s number and pressed send. I hadn’t called her in years, and I didn’t know if it was still her number. She’d probably changed it or blocked me. After we broke up, I had called her several times in futile att
empts to win her back. I called her using all the pathetic excuses a guy uses when they try not to appear desperate. The pocket dial, the drunk dial, the not-saying-anything-except-for-crying-into-the-phone dial, and always popular, let-me-confess-my-undying-love-for-you dial.

  I really thought all that might work at the time.

  I was wrong. All the chick flicks I’d been forced to watch over the years had lied to me. I’d been pathetic.

  I tried my best to calm myself before she picked up, but I couldn’t get my pulse to stop racing as fast as I drove. But if she could tell I was panicked, she might not believe me and hang up, or worse yet, she might bring a ton of cops with her and arrest me because she believed I killed Ron, Joey, and Frankie. Even if she brought me in only to question me, that would still ruin my chances of stopping Phillip and saving the entire city. Wrath had been clear. If I didn’t put an end to whatever Phillip was up to, the city was going to be destroyed. It was as simple as that, and every life in the city was dependent upon me.

  As I expected, she sounded annoyed when she picked up on her end, and she didn’t try to hide it. “What do you want, Brandon? This better be about the case and nothing else. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, I got that.”

  “You know, I figured you were going to call me soon.”

  I imagined the smug look on her face. “Why is that?”

  “We found what was left of Frankie in that burned-out warehouse. Are you calling to try and get ahead of the investigation, or do you want to confess now your part in all of this? You know I’m not dumb. I know you’re connected to all of this, and sooner or later, I’ll get the evidence I need. Why don’t you do us both a huge favor and just come clean.”

  “Look, Lizzie...”

  “It’s Elizabeth to you. You got that? It will always be Elizabeth,” she snapped.

  “Right. I’m sorry, but I am calling you about the case. I have strong reason to believe that Phillip Martin is involved in some pretty bad and illegal things that involved the Amaras and possibly the dark arts,” I said as I tried to hide the anxiousness in my voice.

  “Phillip Martin? Have you been drinking? He’s a pastor, who is, by the way, one of the most well-respected and beloved members of this city. He’s the last person that would be engaged in illegal activity with the mob and whatever else you think he might be into. I mean, what evidence do you have to support your outlandish claim?”

  “No, you know I don’t drink anymore, and I don’t have any real evidence right now other than hearsay.”

  “Here we go...”

  “Please listen. I have it on good authority it’s all true.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “Skeeter Amara. Well, he heavily implied it.”

  “Skeeter Amara. When? At your weekly poker game or something?”

  “No, he and Enzo came and talked to me because they thought I had killed Ron, Joey, and Frankie, and I told them I had nothing to do with their deaths. While we were talking, Skeeter let it slip about there being someone over him who is really calling the shots.”

  “Wait you’re telling me Skeeter and Enzo had a talk with you about killing their friends, and you’re still alive? Did Skeeter say Phillip’s name specifically in your group chat?”

  “Please, I know all of it sounds crazy, but I’m telling you the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you, Elizabeth. All I’m asking for is for you to trust me this one time.”

  She sighed deeply on the other end of the phone and was quiet for a moment. “Okay, Brandon, what do you want me to do?”

  “Will you meet me at The Holy Anointed Church?”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “Like right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do I need to have some officers meet us there?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that, and I think if a bunch of cops show up, we won’t get anything out of him.”

  “That might be because he and his church do a lot of fundraising for the police department of the city.”

  “Believe me, I know all of that, and I just want to talk to Phillip with you there. I hope and pray I’m wrong about all of this, and he’s as good as everyone believes him to be. But if he’s not, it would be good for you to be there to arrest him when we catch him in something.”

  “Alright, Brandon, I’ll be there only because I was already planning on going over there tonight anyway. I will meet you as soon as I can.”

  The cold disconnect at the end of the call confirmed there was nothing left between us personally that could be salvaged.

  The only thing that mattered then was saving every single life in the city. At least she agreed to meet me there, but I remembered she said she was already planning on going to the church. Why would she do that? Business? Pre-marital counseling? That last one pinched my insides, and I didn’t think the thought of them getting married would ever stop hurting. Whatever the reason for her going to the church, I had to beat her there and keep her out of danger.

  I would go in first and get Phillip to confess that he was the one in charge of the Amaras, and then I’d let Lizzie arrest him, and we would be heroes. She’d be celebrated all over the city as the cop who ended the corruption that had run down to the deepest levels. Black Castle would be a safer place because of her. My part would only be known by Wrath, and possibly his brothers, as the guy who figured out how to stop their mission of destroying the city and saved all who lived in it. She would go on to have an amazing career in law enforcement, and maybe she’d even be able to enter politics afterward. I had no idea what I would do. Maybe I’d move to another city before Lizzie and Scott got married and put as much distance between her and myself as possible. My dad was dead, Lizzie and I were finished, and I didn’t have any other family in the city, so there was no reason to stay. I only stayed as long as I did after everything fell apart because I hoped Lizzie and I would get back together. If I survived that night, at least I’d still be alive, and I could figure something out from there.

  I arrived at the church about ten minutes after my call with Lizzie, and I pulled into the church parking lot and spotted Phillip’s car in his designated spot. I delighted in the fact I had beaten her to the church since her car was nowhere in sight. I decided to park in the open spot next to Phillip, and not in the shadows away from it, so I wouldn’t raise the suspicion of anyone passing by.

  Since the car belonged to Enzo, I searched it for a weapon just in case things got messy, and I found a snub-nose thirty-eight special in the center console. I wasn’t surprised by the type of gun since mobsters loved revolvers. They never jammed, and usually always fired. The shortened barrel wasn’t the best for accuracy. It worked best when you were up close and personal. Which was exactly what I needed it for. I opened the cylinder and inspected that all six hollow-point rounds were good, and I found a speed loader with an extra six rounds just in case. I expected no less from the primary hit man of the Amaras. I got out of the car and put the gun in my waistband under my shirt, and the extra rounds in my pocket. Everything around me seemed polluted after what Wrath had told me about Phillip. The building, the lights, the welcome sign, and even the slight breeze that flowed across my skin felt like it contained the embodiment of evil itself.

  “Jesus, please protect me and be with me tonight. Whatever happens in there, please bring all of this evil in the city to an end,” I prayed quietly to myself, and waited for an answer. I didn’t hear God’s audible voice, but I felt a reassurance that what I was about to do was the correct choice of action.

  I thought about checking the front main doors, but I assumed those would be locked. I decided to try the side door I used the last time I came to talk to Phillip. I approached the door cautiously and looked all around, but I didn’t see anyone. I gently pulled on the door, but it was locked. I couldn’t pick the lock and breaking in wasn’t a viable option. I was only left with one option to safely gain entry into the building without alerting anyone of my tru
e intent. I rang the doorbell like I did the last time and waited. I stood there for what felt like an hour as my mind raced with all the ways to confront Phillip. Should I come right out and ask him? Or hold him at gunpoint and demand he confess to all he had done? I had virtually no idea of what crimes the man had committed other than what Wrath had accused him of. And then there was the task of obtaining evidence.

  As the door opened and Phillip greeted me with his warm and friendly smile, I figured I’d wing it and see how he responded to my questions and take it from there.

  Phillip stood there in a well-tailored dark blue suit. “Good evening, Brandon, it’s kind of late. Is everything okay?”

  “No, everything is not okay, Phillip, and we need to talk right now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Brandon Farmer

  The Holy Anointed Church

  “OF COURSE, PLEASE COME in, I’ve been expecting you.” Phillip held the door wide for me to walk through.

  I stepped in and quickly turned to face him. “Thank you, but why were you expecting me? Did someone tell you I was coming?”

  His happy expression turned to one of bewilderment as he turned to me and let the door close behind him. “No one told me you were coming. I just meant that after the last time we talked I’ve been expecting you to come back and tell me about what you found in the records department at The Black Castle. You have also just been randomly dropping in, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw you at the door.”

  I said nothing but stared at the man and wondered how he could lie so convincingly to me and his entire congregation. The sight of him sickened me, and I wanted to pull the gun and hold it to his head until he confessed to everything.