𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 | 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

"Wait!"

"Don't!" Rosita yelps; Abraham grabs hold of her.

"Sasha, put it away."

"Who's out there?" Sasha breathes deeply, approaching him slowly with her knife at her side.

"I— I don't have anything.." Gabriel has his hands in surrender, stammering over words in fear. ".. to do with this."

"Where are our people?" She asks again, leaning closer.

"I don't have anything to—"

"Where are our people?!" Sasha screams, her voice echoing and bouncing off from the walls of the church. She's scared and confused, and paranoid.

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this. I—"

Rick pulls Sasha away, confronting him next. "Why'd you bring us here?" He was much more calm, yet scarier; the deadly look in his eyes is horrifying.

"Please, I... I... I.."

"You working with someone?"

I sigh, filled with annoyance and stress; it was so high and heavy, the weight on my shoulders felt like a ton of boulders. I just wanted all the arguing, the turning on one another, the fear— I want it all to stop, so I can finally breathe again. The screaming and the yelling, it's too much.

Sitting between Carl and Jeremiah, I cross my arms and lean back; my eyes are up to the ceiling, watching absolutely nothing. I only listen and wait.

"I'm alone. I'm alone." Gabriel, still, has his hands up in surrender. "I was always alone."

Rick interrupts him, staring dead in his eyes. "What about that woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her? 'You'll burn for this.' That was for you. why?" His voice grows deeper, he wanted the priest to confess to something. "What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel? What? What did you do? What did you do?!" He screams in his face, grasping his clothes in his hands.

Gabriel shrugs out of his hold, his eyes all teary and saddened as he glances between each of us. "I lock the doors at night." His voice is trembling with hysteria. "I always lock the doors at night... I always lock the doors at night. I always—" He interrupted himself with a silent cry, pulling it back in to finish his confession; he exhales. "They started coming.. my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared. They were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe."

Carl slides his hand in mine, locking our fingers; he saw the stoic look that covers my expression, but he, also, saw my lips trembling ever so slightly. I melt into his touch, laying my head on his shoulder as Gabriel continues to confess his sins.

"And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked. You see..." He says, choking on another sob. "It was my choice. There were just so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters, banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so the dead came for them. Women... children. Entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy. Begging me for mercy." Gabriel's arms are pulled to his chest as he releases the sob lodged in his throat. "Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all. The Lord sent you here to finally punish me." He drops to the floor, squatting and crying. "I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors."