ALIVE: The Aftermath Chronicles (Book 1)

Chapter 13 - ABEL

Abel's eyes land on Paige. They narrowed finely on her and on Isaac, unseeing of anyone else. The ones before him presented their energy as the group's leaders and a challenge. One, sharing in equal bulk against the cult maniac and the other, a woman with ferocity in her eyes. A ferocity, that brought Abel's shoulders to square tightly and his teeth to grit.

Behind Abel's current attention, Emma slinks slowly away behind the line of her gathered people. The movement behind his current targets blurs, but it does not distract him in the sight of what needs to be destroyed as soon as possible.

"Who's in charge 'ere?" Abel asks over Paige when she steps up, a southern accent playing in the question that matched most natives to Savannah. An accent that didn't match his previous announcement, but those with him have learned to adjust to such quick changes and more so, to read them for his current mood.

"I am," Isaac clutches his concealed gun behind his back as the rest of Abel's men circle entirely around the camp and begin to search through the camp's belongings.

Abel's gun aims. Pointing, to another behind Paige just over the nurse's shoulder. As suddenly as he pulled it, he sounded off a bullet.

Paige hit the ground to shield herself, as did the others behind her as they let out the frightful screams. In the back, Emma bit down against her own and her head holds down to stay invisible.

A man fell to the ground with a thud. A forager and valuable for his green thumb, one of the camp's elders lay bleeding from his chest till the rattle of death greets him. Paige's at his side, putting pressure against the wound, then watching the life slip away before she can do anything else. Expecting the old man to rise as the undead at any moment, the murderer does nothing to shoot the slain in the head, to assure them all that a zombie won't arise amongst them.

"No," Abel shakes his head, "You are not in charge of anything. I am in charge of this camp now. Do you understand?"

Isaac's spine straightened and his lips pursed. He didn't take well to orders, to white men, especially, trying to take what was his. Cracking his knuckles, Isaac is ready to fight, to kill this man with his bare fists, but a voice from behind stops him from taking the step forward.

Paige shouts shakily, "You are, yes. We understand! Please don't hurt anyone else!"

All, but Abel moves away from the spasms given by the fresh corpse. Expectantly, and without the retreating steps the others gave, Abel grabs the zombie by the neck. Abel's grip is steady as the chomping teeth direct his way and the familiar sounds of the undead snarl from its tightened throat.

Redirecting those deadly teeth and knowing the infection of sin passed quicker with one little bite from this demon, Abel aims it toward the beach camp survivors.

They all cower away and Isaac warily stands his ground, as the jaws of death chomp away mere inches from his unblemished flesh.

His words project to the others, "I am Abel! I've been sent here by our God on a divine mission! I'm here to cleanse the world of these things. These...demons...that stay in waiting to unleash on all of you can be controlled by the divine path," he spins slowly, making eye contact with each and every person who met the misfortune. Emma slinks back further as he continues, "All this happened for a reason...it is the purge!"

He clears his throat and a different accent comes in. One, of some sort of English influence.

He continues, "Our God is clearing the world and giving us a new one...a garden of Eden. I am your Adam, your Abel, your Moses, your Jesus Christ...you will obey or you will meet the devil as you were all meant to without my guidance! Pray all you like. I'll hear them, as will our God! Be obedient, subservient to God and his chosen people, and you shall be rewarded, protected, from the demons amongst us. If you are worthy, I will expel these demons from you and protect you from them, in the house of our Lord, forever..."