The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.71 The Fall of Temple Square

Looking up at the two men who were standing over him, Richard was shocked to see them in full body armor and helmets. He knew instantly that these were not SLPD cops. They had the insignia of the LDS church on their shoulders, which meant they were part of the church's mysterious private security force. He'd seen them around the temple before, but he'd never seen them dressed like they were going to war. Who knew that, secreted in the depths of some storage room on Temple Square, was an arsenal fit for a SWAT team?

Still lying on the paving stones, Richard turned his head to his left. The smoke was more visible on the south side of Temple Square.

And so were the bodies.

Less than five feet from Richard, two young men lay dead. Both were dressed in conservative white shirts and ties, and Richard immediately recognized them as missionaries. But now, their white shirts were covered with blood. The one directly in front of him had half of his head missing. His thin black tie lay perpendicular from his body, as if the spreading blood around him had tried to carry it away.

Richard leapt back, scuttling like a crab until his shoulders and skull cracked against the wooden door of the Tabernacle so hard that it made his head swim.

When he opened his eyes, Tuilla was standing in front of him, panting and reaching down to ensure he was alright.

"It's okay," he said, struggling to his feet. "I'm not going to reset."

Past the old woman's shoulder, the scene that spread out in front of Richard was like nothing he had ever seen. Black tendrils of smoke were drifting over the courtyard, momentarily blocking out the blue sky. The bright sunshine caught the smoke high above the evening shadows and made it dance like a writhing roof of vines over their heads. Sirens blared in the distance, and Richard thought he could see the glow of a burning car through the gates at the north end of the plaza. There were several more bodies in that direction, although Richard was not close enough to see any more details about them.

Most terrifying were the screams, and the faces that were visible through both the north and south fences, now closed and locked with silver chains and shiny new padlocks. The Tabernacle was far closer to the south gate, so Richard scrambled to his feet and quickly made his way in that direction, aware that Tuilla was tagging close behind him. In front of the gate, trying to keep out the mob that had formed outside, were more of the LDS security force. They had guns, but they were using their batons and stun wands to drive the desperate crowds away from the bars and back onto the sidewalk.

The screams from the locked-out crowd were mostly unintelligible, but in the midst of the chaos Richard could hear the stronger voices begging, "let us in!" and "we don't want to die out here!" One older woman kept saying, "Good lord protect us, good lord protect us," over and over again, even as the nearest guard brought his baton down against her knuckles and she fell back in agony.

Despite their best efforts, the guards had not been able to keep everyone out of Temple Square. Some of the younger and more agile in the crowd had climbed the walls and fences. They flung themselves over, and as fast as they were dropping into the courtyard, they were being detained, handcuffed, and herded into a group. Close to a dozen were there on their knees, being held at gunpoint in front of the building known as Assembly Hall. But even with their hands over their heads and the guns pointed at them, the faces of those who had made it inside seemed beatific, as if being on the temple grounds made them feel safe and protected in the arms of God.

Turning violently, Richard found Tuilla wringing her hands just two steps behind him.

"What the fuck is happening?" he screamed at her.

"This is the Cleansing, Richard. This is what George promised."

Before he could even respond, the screaming outside the gate became much more shrill, and Richard turned in time to see an older man in a suit and tie through the bars. He had a knife, and he was slashing his way through the crowd. But there were too many of them, and although he wounded a half dozen, the crowd quickly descended on him and he disappeared from view. The cries of "God protect us" slowly dissolved into "Kill the bastard!" and Richard could hear the laughter of the well-dressed man as the mob pounded and clawed at him with their fists.