Revival Part 4

Jane wasn’t sure whether she should be just as terrified of Aaron as she was of the five deacons who had tried to capture her. She had never seen anyone react with the speed and force that Aaron had displayed. He must have had that large knife on him from the time they met but she never saw it until it was on the lead deacon’s throat. This was twice this mysterious man had saved her from certain death and she knew very little about him. She needed answers but didn’t know how to go about asking the right questions.

“You were great back there, Jane! Without your backup, I might not have been able to get rid of those jerks. They seemed to know you, how is that?”

“Those men are members of The Legion of Deacons. They work directly for the Four Disciples and carry out their orders. Everyone living on the mountain either knows them or knows of them. Think of them as enforcers. I’ve never seen anyone defeat them before you. Who taught you those moves? I thought you were a scientist.”

“People have many lives and I’m no exception. When I graduated from high school my parents didn’t have the money to send me to college so I joined the Army. It turned out I was good at the soldier stuff and eventually became part of Delta Force. Science was still my passion and I eventually earned my degree in Climatology. I left the Army at the end of my last hitch and went to work for the government. That’s my story. Now it’s your turn.”

“My story is typical of most people born on the mountain. I’m the youngest of five and the only one in my family who wants nothing to do with drugs. My parents both died from an overdose, and my three brothers are in jail for dealing, that is if they survived the shift. My sister joined the Women of the Disciples. That leaves me. The Disciples want to offer me to Him as a great sacrifice. Being killed on an altar isn’t how I want my life to end.”

“So, these Disciples have invented a bogus religion and conned the village into following it, just so they can peddle drugs and control everyone. I hope if there are other survivors out there, they’re not as gullible as your neighbors on the mountain. Let’s finish breaking camp and head as far from here as possible.”

The two packed up camp and were heading away from the mountain when Jane thought she saw a wild pig enter a stand of trees.

“I know I saw it, Aaron. I’m going to see if I can find his tracks. Are you coming?”

“Go ahead. I need to make a pit stop and I’ll catch up. Take this knife just in case we’re not alone.”

They were only apart for five minutes when Aaron heard a muffled cry for help. He dumped his backpack and ran as fast as the snow-covered ground would let him. The disturbed snow plus a small puddle of blood and his discarded knife told Aaron all he needed to know. The deacons had Jane. At first, he thought they couldn’t have gotten far, but that idea vanished when he found horse tracks in the snow. Aaron returned to his supplies, gathered all the weapons he could carry, and headed for the mountain.

Night had already covered the land when Aaron reached his destination. The only building in the small mountain town untouched by the shift was a Gothic-style cathedral. Torches surrounded the building perimeter casting enough light for Aaron to read the hand-carved wooden sign hanging over the arched double door. Saint Lucifer’s. Inside he could hear the congregation chanting a bizarre ode. This is where he would find Jane.