Chapter 1 #2
Just as the panic threatens to overwhelm me, I finally find what I am looking for.
Relief floods me as I feel the familiar sleek body of the firearm stashed in the altar’s secret compartment.
My mind empties, my thoughts secondary to muscle memory.
The sensation of holding a gun in my hand is the only thing that matters, and I am grateful for that because it brings me clarity and calmness.
The why-s and the how-s aren’t important right now, surviving whatever this is comes first.
I breathe in deeply, inhaling the crisp night air mixed with dust and wood particles, and I shove the man behind the altar as five hooded figures enter the church through the gaping hole in its left side.
God, this is definitely not how I expected tonight to go. I should have stayed away from this man, I knew it the moment I let him get in my car. But I am a priest—it’s my duty to help others, even if I can catch the stench of trouble oozing from them from miles away.
Fuck. It’s too late for regrets now.
I squeeze the Uzi. This was supposed to be all in my past. I took every precaution. No one knows I’m alive… I glare at the blond man. No one besides him.
How the fuck did he find me?
The young thing looks way too excited considering the predicament we are in.
In fact, he’s vibrating, his eyes shimmering and his smile not dropping, like he’s just gotten a dopamine rush.
Oh, for fuck’s sake! Is he one of those danger junkies?
I look to the sky and mutter a curse under my breath.
At least he’s not freaking out… I can work with not freaking out.
I blow air out of my nose. “Young people these days…”
“Surrender the man, Father, and no one has to get hurt!” one of the hooded intruders shouts in accented English.
It’s a lie, of course, or they wouldn’t have blown a hole in my church. Also, it doesn’t sound like he knows who I really am, but even if they didn’t kill me immediately after I handed over this guy, they would the moment they recognized me.
I look up to the sky again, visible as another beam and the roof tiles it was supporting fall to their death.
Haven’t I been doing my best to atone for my sins all these years?
Why is this happening to me? And right before an important service, too.
I click my tongue. Yes, I’m not exactly a religious man, but I’ve been doing a hell of a good job pretending to be.
And now it’s all going to hell, even though I haven’t the slightest idea why.
Oh well, what’s done is done. Maybe being a fake priest is a capital offense or something. Part of me always feared this might happen, that my past might catch up to me one way or another. I guess this is it. Good thing I kept some guns lying around.
I dig deep into the darkest recesses of my soul and find the truth. Bad men like me, who did evil things, just don’t get fresh starts. I had a good run, a decade of peace and service in a community where nobody knew or feared me. I guess it’s time for the wake-up call.
I tighten my hold on the Uzi. Ah, it feels so familiar, so nostalgic, like riding a bike after many years. I know every curve, how every piece slots, how the mechanisms work together to make this little object into a deadly weapon.
Inhaling deeply, I focus on that feeling, on the control I have.
Anticipation bubbles up in my chest. I’ll ask the questions later.
For now, I just need to survive by all means necessary so I can interrogate my doe-eyed-soon-to-be hostage.
Or victim, depending on what the man has to say about this mess.
First things first though, I could use some help.
“Do you see that door? To the left,” I say, whipping my head in its direction.
The man nods. “Yes.”
“I’ll count to three. You run as fast as you can.
My office is at the end of the hallway. There is a keypad-controlled door behind the desk.
The passcode is 4-1-2-6-8-0. In my bedroom, you’ll find a fake panel inside the wardrobe.
Take the dark blue bag and come back. We’ll make a run for it and then you will tell me everything.
” I level a warning look at the still smiling guy. “And I mean everything. Got it?”
“Okay, yeah. I got it. Fuck.” The guy bites on his lip again, and honest-to-god, my dick jerks in interest. “I didn’t think it was that bad!”
I cock the gun, taking aim while dust and soot still dance around us.
A rush of excitement, of dark euphoria, surges through me.
Did I miss this? I’m vibrating, ready for action, my fingers twitching to press the trigger, my legs ready to kick or run or break things.
God, I did, didn’t I? I thought I could be normal, that I could lead a life of simple things focused on helping people and making amends.
And for a while, I even managed to do that.
But it was all fake, all pretend, and thanks to this infuriating stranger, this farce is coming to its end. Now, it’s time for me to reclaim my place back in the real world, away from this fantasy I’ve been living out for the past ten years.
“Yeah, well. It is. And it will only get worse.” I crack a smile of my own, can’t really help it as a familiar rush of adrenaline lights me on fire for the first time in forever. “Welcome to Hell. I hope you are ready.”