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12:01

It was as if the empty buildings had

12:03

come to life and were just biding their

12:05

time, waiting for the

12:07

right moment to reveal themselves. They

12:11

turned onto a shorter, narrower street,

12:14

passing the jailhouse. At

12:17

the corner was a water pump. Fat

12:20

drops swelled at the lip of the

12:22

spigot and fell into the basin below

12:24

with a hollow drip drip. Ahead

12:27

of them, at the end of the

12:29

street, across from one another, were the

12:32

tallest and most important buildings in Cottonwood,

12:35

the church, and the saloon. The

12:38

church was a squat brick building with

12:41

a steeply pitched roof and a white

12:43

wooden belfry jutting up from the top

12:45

like a finger pointing to heaven. It

12:48

was all clean and pious lines

12:50

with wide, well-swept steps leading up

12:52

to its arched door. A

12:55

hitching post out front was festooned with

12:58

the tattered remains of thick tie ropes

13:00

that swung slowly in the breeze. Curiously,

13:04

the broken windows on the other

13:06

side of the entrance had been boarded

13:08

up from the inside with tightly packed

13:11

cedar planks. Directly

13:13

across the street, 300 feet

13:16

away, was the church's dark opposite.

13:19

A tall, crooked building stained the

13:21

color of dried blood. Its

13:24

hitching rail had been snapped in the middle

13:26

and left in two pieces. A

13:29

sign hanging above the door stated

13:32

that it was the Sunset Saloon

13:34

Hotel in Postal Depot. This

13:37

was the place where the three

13:39

companions had expected to find Farley

13:41

Appleweight, the town's

13:43

postmaster. Like

13:46

everything else, the building was unnaturally

13:48

quiet. There

13:50

was none of the usual grinding piano.

13:53

No voices raised in revelry or

13:57

saloon girls singing drunkenly. With

14:02

darkness almost upon them, the sunset

14:04

saloon should have been revving up

14:06

to full swing, but

14:08

not even a single oil lamp seemed to

14:11

burn within. Dad

14:13

don't seem right, not at all.

14:16

In his slightly tremulous voice, Cody

14:19

was echoing Jake's thoughts. Something

14:22

was wrong in Cottonwood. They

14:25

took another ten or twelve steps when Cody

14:27

put his hand up for Jake and Byron

14:29

to stop. Hold

14:31

up a second, fellas. He

14:33

cocked his head, his face drawn

14:36

in concentration. The

14:38

breeze picked up a hair, stirring

14:40

some wind chimes into discordant tinkling

14:43

and brushing the brims of the men's hats.

14:47

Y'all hear that? What

14:50

the wind chimes? Jake

14:53

pulled his tobacco pouch out of his

14:55

coal-gray duster and shoved the plug into

14:57

his cheek. What of it?

14:59

No, listen. Cody

15:03

leaned forward, straining to hear.

15:07

It's somebody singing, I

15:09

think. Jake

15:11

cupped his hand behind his ear. Oh

15:14

yeah, sounds like a

15:16

kid. Jake

15:18

Byron joined his voice to the

15:20

other in a low, tuneless whisper.

15:24

Work, for the night

15:26

is coming, under

15:28

the sunset skies, while

15:31

their bright tents are glowing. Work

15:35

for daylight flies. Work

15:39

till the last beam fadeth, fadeth

15:43

to shine no more. Work

15:47

while the night is darkening, when

15:51

man's work is over. The

15:54

singing faded away. Byron

15:57

wet his lips and went silent. The

18:27

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18:29

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18:31

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and we're here to get your job

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angie.com. That's A-N-G-I, or

18:54

download the app today. glow

28:00

in the dark with the light of

28:02

his righteous ecstasy. They

28:05

will take of her communion,

28:07

just like Jesus told his

28:09

disciples on the mount. He

28:12

opened his eyes and smiled placidly down

28:14

at them. Amen.

28:18

As the preacher finished, Jake felt

28:20

Cody tug at his sleeve. Jake,

28:24

I think I hear something moving around in the

28:26

saloon. His voice

28:28

was low and nervous. Jake

28:31

barely heard this. He waved

28:33

his free hand dismissively back at Cody.

28:36

Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?

28:39

His attention returned to the preacher. What

28:43

does that mean exactly? It

28:45

means, Loftus

28:48

regarded Jake as a teacher might

28:50

regard a dull student, that

28:52

I will nail her hands

28:54

to that hitching post, arms

28:56

outstretched as Christ were on

28:59

the Holy Cross. And

29:01

when the blessed awake, they will cluster

29:03

around her, a loving

29:05

family reaching their arms out

29:07

to enfold her and

29:10

they will bestow upon her

29:12

their gift. He

29:15

looked down at her with love. Of

29:18

course to receive the Lord's

29:20

mightiest miracle. She

29:22

must first shed her old sinful

29:24

life. Only

29:27

then will she be reborn.

29:31

Jake's eyes went wide. You're

29:34

gonna crucify her? Are

29:36

you out of your goddamn mind? He

29:39

trained the barrel of his gun on the

29:41

preacher's forehead and pulled the hammer back with

29:43

a click.

29:46

Loftus's eyes darkened and he

29:48

pointed a furious finger at Jake.

29:51

How dare you blaspheme

29:53

on these hallowed grounds?

29:56

You're as bad as those

29:58

red savages. Your worse,

30:01

a white man should know better."

30:05

Jake felt Cody tapping at his shoulder.

30:08

Somebody's just come out of the saloon, Jake.

30:11

Jake spared a glance back at the

30:13

dark building behind them. Sure

30:16

enough, buried in the shadows beneath

30:18

the overhang, just outside the door,

30:21

a figure stood. Jake

30:24

couldn't tell if the person was young or

30:26

old, a man or a woman. He

30:29

could only see a pale, wide

30:31

hand poking out of a tall,

30:33

gently swaying silhouette. Hey,

30:36

hey you, come here. The

30:40

person didn't respond. They

30:43

just watched silently from the gloom. Loftus

30:46

chuckled warmly. Ah,

30:51

God be praised. The

30:54

blessed are coming out to join

30:56

us. Jake

30:58

turned back to the preacher but spoke

31:00

over his shoulder to Cody. Go

31:03

on over there and talk to that whoever.

31:06

See if you can find out anything useful. He's

31:09

fine. But

31:11

be careful. Don't let him get

31:13

the drop on you. Cody

31:15

pulled his gun from its holster. All

31:18

right, if they make a move, they're going

31:21

to get blown straight to heaven. They've

31:23

been to heaven. God

31:26

sent them back here. The

31:29

preacher's voice was gentle. Go

31:32

receive the word. Cody

31:35

shot a worried glance at the

31:37

round-faced preacher and then turned

31:39

and headed for the saloon. Loftus

31:43

watched him panting like a man

31:45

watching a woman slowly undress. Jake's

31:49

eyes remained on the preacher. You

31:52

could hear Cody's jangling spurs as he

31:54

crossed the street. Could

31:57

hear him call out to the person at the

31:59

saloon. Hey fella, you

32:02

hear me?" Jake

32:04

heard the wind sigh along the boardwalk

32:06

as it picked up sharply, dragging

32:09

the chill from the desert night, and

32:12

a dry, sour smell. He

32:16

heard Byron's uneven old man's

32:18

breathing beside him, and

32:20

he heard a sound like a stack of

32:22

wood crashing somewhere out in the town behind

32:24

him. But

32:27

his eyes never left Loftus. He

32:30

stared into the pale blue eyes

32:32

buried in that pink, sweaty face,

32:35

and he could almost grasp what was going

32:38

on. Above

32:40

them, the sky was

32:42

a deep blue-black, the

32:45

sun was long gone, and

32:47

the moon peered down, cold

32:49

and bright. Something

32:52

was about to happen. Jake

32:54

could feel it. He

32:56

still didn't know what, but he

32:58

thought it best that they leave town before

33:00

it did. He

33:03

was about to call Cody back

33:05

when the younger man's voice rose

33:07

in a goblin scream that reverberated

33:09

back at them in a hundred

33:11

shrill pieces. Three

33:13

shots were fired, but

33:17

the screaming went on and on. As

33:21

he and Byron spun around to see

33:24

what was happening, Jake heard Loftus atop

33:26

the steps, sighing

33:28

contentedly, He that

33:30

eateth my flesh and drinketh

33:32

my blood hath ever left

33:34

in life. God

33:37

be praised. The

33:39

first thing they saw when they turned

33:41

was Cody being viciously attacked by the

33:43

person in front of the saloon. They

33:47

had tumbled out from the thick black

33:49

shadows beneath the saloon's overhang and

33:51

were grappling in the moonlit street.

33:55

The man was gone, his

33:57

jacket hanging loose and tattered from above.

34:00

only frame. Cody's

34:02

head had fallen to the ground and

34:04

his assailant had one thin arm wrapped

34:06

around the young rider's neck. As

34:09

the entangled men swung around, Jake

34:12

could see the man was biting Cody,

34:15

digging into the soft hollow of his

34:17

throat with clamping teeth. Cody

34:20

grasped at the man's collar with one

34:22

hand, trying to pull him loose.

34:26

The other hand waved wildly in

34:28

the air, gripping his six-shooter. The

34:31

high-fished ping of a renegade bullet

34:33

ricocheted off the concrete steps of

34:35

the church, just a

34:37

few feet away from where they stood. And

34:41

both men flinched, though neither the

34:43

preacher nor his young captain seemed

34:45

startled by the discharge. This

34:48

would have been enough all on

34:50

its own, but there was also

34:53

the problem of the people making

34:55

their way, slowly but steadily, up

34:57

the dark avenue behind them. They

35:00

were nearly silent as they lurched and

35:02

shambled towards the church. If

35:06

Cody hadn't gotten himself into a fight

35:08

with the man at the saloon, the

35:10

three riders would have never known they

35:12

were coming. Jake

35:14

watched, hypnotized for a moment

35:17

by their jerking dragon movement.

35:20

They leaned this way and that, arms

35:23

hanging limp or else held out in

35:25

front of them, grasping at the air.

35:29

Their feet shuffled listlessly, and

35:32

they all seemed to have forgotten how to

35:34

walk properly. But they

35:36

advanced with a sense of obdurate

35:38

purpose. Whatever it was

35:41

they were after, they aimed to get,

35:44

what's wrong with them? Byron's

35:47

voice showed only curiosity,

35:50

but he pulled his gun just the same, holding

35:52

it at his side. I don't

35:54

know. Time slowed

35:56

for Jake. The seconds ticked

35:58

down to a day. dead halt, and

36:01

he assessed their situation, breaking

36:04

it down piece by piece in his

36:07

mind. It was

36:09

a skill learned not from his time

36:11

spent as a postman, but in the

36:13

years before spent riding with his father,

36:16

a cold and calculating Texas

36:18

Ranger. His daddy had taught

36:21

him how to shoot, how

36:23

to track, and

36:25

how to make ten seconds feel like thirty.

36:28

To see everything at once and to

36:30

make a plan, Jake

36:32

knew the preacher and his small captain

36:34

would hold for the moment. Cody's

36:37

brawl with the Haggard man seemed

36:40

the most urgent. From

36:42

the sound of it, things were not

36:44

going Cody's way, and the man

36:46

might have the poor kid's throat out at

36:49

any moment. But it

36:51

was the advancing crowd of ungainly

36:53

townsfolk that bothered Jake the most.

36:56

As he had watched the procession making

36:59

its way towards them, he had seen

37:01

a man crawl slowly through the window

37:03

of the leather shop four doors down,

37:06

and the woman and only a

37:09

camisole and stockings tumbling from a

37:11

shadowy doorway near the corner. For

37:14

whatever reason, it looked like they

37:16

had all been hiding inside the

37:18

buildings, waiting till dark to come

37:20

out. It was

37:22

unsettling. More than that,

37:24

it was wrong. Very

37:27

wrong. This whole trip

37:29

had gone rotten shockingly fast.

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39:02

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39:05

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39:14

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39:35

this went through Jake's head in the space

39:37

of seconds and he decided

39:39

on a plan of direct simple actions.

39:42

He turned to Byron. Get

39:45

the girl and the preacher into the church and

39:47

shut the door. I'm gonna go get Cody. I'll

39:50

shout when we're ready to come in. Hearing

39:53

himself mentioned, Loftus cried

39:55

out indignantly. You

39:57

will not touch us! This

40:00

girl was meant to join the

40:02

return. You will not

40:04

deny the will of God." Jake

40:08

fixed the preacher with a cold eye. His

40:11

gun still pointed at the man's head. "'You

40:13

wanna talk about the will of God? I'll

40:16

be more than happy to introduce you to

40:19

him, preacher, and you two can discuss it

40:21

all you want. Do not doubt

40:23

it.'" He

40:25

spit tobacco juice, glinting in the

40:27

moonlight as it fell. "'Now

40:30

get your ass in that church and you

40:32

shut your mouth.'" Vyramint

40:35

started up the steps his pistol held

40:37

out in front of him. He

40:40

turned and spared one last look

40:42

at the parade of shambling townspeople

40:44

and shivered. "'Something really

40:46

bad about this here, Jake.'

40:49

"'I know. Don't much matter.

40:51

We're leaving.'" Jake

40:54

strolled across the street to where Cody

40:56

and the man from the saloon continued

40:58

to grapple. Cody

41:01

was making all sorts of yelps

41:03

and grunts, but the man remained

41:05

silent. Cody's gun

41:07

went off again and Jake saw

41:09

his attacker's body jerk backward. Looked

41:12

like the boy finally made a shot that

41:14

mattered. But Jake

41:16

saw the man continuing to stay

41:19

on his feet, clinging to Cody's

41:21

neck. "'What in

41:23

the blue hell is going on here?'"

41:26

He hurried, taking aim at the

41:28

man's back, looking for an opportunity

41:30

to pull the trigger. Jake

41:33

was a hard man. He'd

41:35

had plenty of guns pointed at him. Bullets

41:39

fired in his direction, and

41:41

he had fired his fair share back. But

41:44

whatever was happening in this town

41:46

scared him green. It

41:49

had only been ten years or

41:52

so since the Donner's ill-fated attempt

41:54

across the Sierra Nevada, and

41:56

the story had spread like an August

41:58

brush fire. Yellow journalists

42:00

from Boston to San Francisco did

42:03

everything they could to dig

42:05

up more stories of people losing

42:07

their humanity in isolated places, committing

42:10

unspeakable acts, giving

42:13

into madness. Those

42:15

stories came back to him as he

42:17

watched the crowd slinking through the streets.

42:21

It seemed this lonely town at the

42:23

edge of the desert had spoiled under

42:25

the Arizona sky. Cody,

42:28

get out from under him! Jake

42:30

was only three steps away from the tussle

42:32

now and was trying to find a shot.

42:36

He glanced back down the road at

42:38

the approaching crowd. He

42:40

saw the man who had crawled out of

42:42

the window was now creeping along on his

42:44

elbows. There was

42:46

something horribly wrong about the way he

42:48

moved, but Jake couldn't tell what it

42:50

was. He had more

42:52

press in business. At

42:55

the sound of Jake's voice, the man

42:57

from the saloon lifted his dripping face

42:59

from the hollow of Cody's throat. In

43:02

the silvery moonlight, the gore streaking

43:04

his lips, cheeks, and chin was

43:07

black. Jake could

43:09

see the man's teeth shining through like

43:11

gravestones in the dark earth. Cody

43:14

flopped, limp in the man's arms,

43:16

and Jake realized that the boy

43:19

hadn't really been fighting. The

43:22

man had been holding him up, spinning

43:24

around in a frenzied waltz while he

43:26

tore out Cody's throat with his teeth.

43:30

Worse, Jake realized he

43:32

recognized the man. It

43:35

was the postmaster of Cottonwood, Farley

43:38

Appelweight. His

43:40

right eye was gone, along

43:42

with most of the flesh around the

43:45

gaping socket. Bragged

43:47

chunks of chewed up tissue clung

43:49

precariously to a ring of filmy-white

43:51

bone that seemed almost to glow.

43:55

Jake grunted in surprised and

43:57

disgust, stopping suddenly. His

44:00

mind reeled. He

44:02

didn't understand how a man could be standing

44:05

on his feet with a wound like that,

44:08

much less hopping around mauling people

44:10

like a mad cougar. Without

44:14

a second thought, he raised his

44:16

colt and fired into Farley's chest.

44:22

The shots rang out loud,

44:25

shattering the unnatural quiet. It

44:27

felt like shooting firecrackers off at

44:30

a funeral. Farley

44:32

staggered back a few steps as

44:34

the bullet slammed into him, ripping

44:37

smoking holes through a shabby vest.

44:40

He opened his arms and dumped Cody to

44:43

the ground with a heavy thud. Cody's

44:46

neck, shoulder, and throat were a

44:48

wet glistening ruin of gristling blood.

44:52

A shimmering pull began spreading across

44:54

the dirt beneath his head. He

44:57

blinked his eyes slowly once. With

45:00

what looked like great effort, he

45:02

stared up at Jake, mouth agape.

45:06

Air whistled through the hole in his throat

45:08

with a reedy hiss. He

45:11

reached out a hand and then let it

45:13

drop. His eyes

45:15

closed and this time they stayed shut.

45:19

Jake glanced back at Farley and

45:21

was shocked to find the man

45:23

stumbling forward despite the lead slugs

45:26

lodged in his chest. A

45:29

quick look to his right showed

45:31

the loping, crawling throng of silent

45:33

towns people had closed an unsettling

45:35

amount of distance in just these

45:37

last few seconds. He

45:40

was desperately sure that he needed to

45:42

be somewhere else before they reached him.

45:45

He didn't have time to think or feel.

45:48

He only had time to act. Shit.

45:52

With his teeth clenched, Jake fired

45:54

the last three chambered rounds into

45:56

Farley's face as the man staggered

45:59

into grabbing distance. The

46:03

one-eyed former postmaster flew backwards,

46:05

his feet flying out from

46:07

under him and

46:09

hit the dirt on his back. He

46:12

didn't move again. Jake

46:15

spared one moment to look down at

46:17

Cody. He shook his

46:20

head sadly. The boy

46:22

had been a fool, that was certain, but

46:24

he always had their backs. He

46:27

talked yellow sometimes, but he had

46:29

gone to his death fighting. That

46:32

was some comfort to Jake. As

46:35

he turned and headed back to the

46:37

church, it occurred to him how strange

46:39

it was, the way corpses could keep

46:41

twitching well after they died. As

46:44

he hurried away through the awful stillness,

46:47

he could hear Cody's fingers dancing

46:49

and drumming against the hard-packed earth.

46:53

Twelve bounding steps brought Jake to

46:55

the church door. He

46:58

spun around to look again at

47:00

the mob limping its way up

47:03

the avenue. Under the light of

47:05

the full moon, they were painted in

47:07

shades of blue, black, and gray, and

47:10

as they drew nearer, Jake was

47:12

able to pick out injuries similar

47:14

to Farley's. Goused flesh

47:16

with hints of bone shining

47:19

through, heads tilted at grotesque

47:21

and possible angles, missing limbs.

47:25

It looked as if the whole town

47:27

had been run through some huge hellish

47:29

meat grinder. His

47:32

gaze flitted from one broken, jerking

47:34

soul to the next, along the ground

47:36

at their dangling feet, until he found

47:39

the man who'd pulled himself through the

47:41

window of the leather shop. He

47:44

was slithering along on his belly

47:46

like a huge rattlesnake. Jake

47:49

watched with a mixture of awe

47:52

and cold paralyzing horror as the

47:54

man hauled his top half through

47:56

the shadows that skirted the dark

47:58

buildings. bottom half,

48:01

hips, legs, feet and

48:03

all, entirely non-existent. Instead,

48:06

a tangled mess of

48:08

thin, ropey entrails hung behind

48:11

him like useless ribbons, sliding

48:14

silently along. Even

48:16

though it couldn't be real, couldn't

48:19

be true, Jake

48:21

knew it was. That

48:24

man was dead, or

48:26

had been recently before deciding to

48:28

get back up again. Jake

48:31

looked across the monthly congregation and

48:34

knew they were all dead. Walking,

48:38

crawling and biting, but

48:40

dead. Holy God

48:43

above in heaven, save

48:45

and preserve us, the

48:48

ever-loving Blessed Resurrection. That

48:51

cracked preacher was right, but

48:54

it wasn't some beautiful rebirth, but

48:56

rather a return to the ragged

48:59

flesh and bones from which their

49:01

natural lives had fled. Animated

49:04

with the fetid breath of

49:06

some dark unlife, they rose,

49:09

driven to walk again. Driven

49:12

by what? Jake

49:14

was afraid he knew the answer to that.

49:18

He that eateth my flesh

49:20

and drinketh my blood, hath

49:22

everlasting life. He

49:25

began pounding on the church door. Bitch,

49:28

Jake, let me in. He

49:31

grabbed the door handle, but it was locked

49:33

tight. He shoved against

49:36

the door. It didn't

49:38

budge. He

49:40

turned to face the oncoming

49:42

townsfolk, stumbling in silence. The

49:45

nearest one, an old lady

49:47

clutching a parasol, or throwed

49:49

a shredded run of flapping

49:51

skin, and stringy sinew, had

49:53

almost reached the church steps.

49:57

More made their way around the corner at the

49:59

far end. of the street. He

50:02

turned and slammed his fist against the

50:04

door again. He

50:08

dug three bullets out of his

50:10

belt with one hand and unholstered

50:13

his coat with the other. He

50:15

flicked the cylinder open and loaded

50:17

it with nimble fingers. He

50:19

snapped his shot and spun it, hoping

50:21

a round was in the chamber. The

50:25

old dead woman was clumsily staggering

50:27

up the steps towards him, only

50:31

a few steps away. Aside

50:33

from the scuffling of her

50:35

feet, she made no sound.

50:38

Jake pointed the gun at her vacuous

50:40

face and pulled the trigger. Oh

50:44

hell, her hands reached

50:46

out, dry flaking

50:48

fingers, scrabbling madly in the air

50:50

just inches from his chest. Sorry,

50:54

ma'am. He squeezed two more

50:56

times before the gun finally spit

50:58

fire. The

51:01

back of the old woman's head exploded

51:04

outwards in a wet black spray of

51:06

blood and brains, her

51:08

lifeless body dropping to the ground

51:10

with a thud. Jake

51:13

grimaced out at the gathering crowd.

51:17

At the sound of gunfire, their

51:19

heads all turned slowly on stiff

51:21

necks to look at him. He

51:23

aimed at the nearest one, a

51:25

young boy in overalls who was

51:27

missing most of his arm from

51:30

the elbow down. The

51:32

boy looked up at Jake and

51:34

his mouth yawned wide, black

51:37

tongue wiggling, worm-like. Jake

51:40

put a round between his eyes, knocking

51:42

him to the ground. Jake

51:45

spun around, beating on the door and

51:47

shouting to be let in. He

51:50

was about to shoot the lock, a

51:52

desperate and senseless plan, when the sound

51:54

of rattling chains came from behind the

51:57

heavy wood. A

51:59

moment later, Jake's body was broken. the door swung inward

52:01

a few inches, and the barrel of

52:03

Byron's gun sprung from the darkness. "'You

52:06

alright? Where's Cody?'" the old

52:09

man's wide eyes peered out

52:11

above the gun. "'No,

52:13

I'm not alright.'" Jake shoved through

52:15

the door, pushing Byron out of

52:17

the way and slamming it shut

52:19

as three dead people clambered up

52:22

the steps behind him with a

52:24

dreamy slowness. He

52:26

leaned back against it, breathing hard.

52:29

A moment later, he felt their hands tapping

52:31

on the other side of the door. He

52:35

pulled his hat from his head and wiped his

52:37

face with his wrist. "'And

52:40

Cody's dead.'" The

52:43

lines in Byron's face deepened as

52:45

the corners of his mouth drew down.

52:48

In the faint candle glow that wavered behind

52:50

him, he looked as if he was made

52:52

of stone. "'Shot?"

52:56

"'Nope.'" With

52:58

his back still to the door, Jake reached

53:00

up and turned the bolt. Byron

53:04

removed his hat and bowed his

53:06

head. "'What a pity. He was

53:09

a good kid.'" He

53:12

looked up, his eyes shining within

53:14

the shadows that crossed his face.

53:18

"'How did it happen, Jake?'" Jake

53:21

stood and faced the door. There

53:23

were two heavy chains threaded through the

53:25

lower door handle and wrapped around the

53:27

thick wooden post that stood to the

53:29

side of the door. A

53:32

heavy padlock lay open on the floor.

53:35

Jake bent, picked it up, and

53:37

began dragging the chains through the

53:40

handle, securing the door. He

53:43

spoke over his shoulder to

53:45

Byron. "'Farli Appleway Tourist Bro,

53:48

now.' With his

53:50

teeth." "'What?'

53:54

I said." Jake pulled the chains

53:56

as tight as they would go across the

53:58

door and slapped the padlock. He

54:02

turned and crossed the candlelit narthex,

54:04

speaking as he passed. That

54:07

farly apple weight ripped Cody's throat

54:09

out with his ever-loving teeth. Without

54:14

stopping, Jake moved with purpose into

54:16

the nave. Loftus

54:18

stood leaning against the back row

54:20

of pews, his face solemn with

54:23

smug piety, his arms

54:25

crossed. As Jake

54:27

approached, the preacher raised the index finger

54:29

of his right hand, as if to

54:32

point to heaven. Only

54:34

too late do you now

54:36

understand the power of the

54:38

Lord our God. Understand

54:43

this. Without

54:45

slowing, Jake swung a powerful rat

54:47

hook at the preacher's face. Loftus,

54:50

whatever he was expecting,

54:52

wasn't expecting that. Jake's

54:55

fist connected with Loftus's jaw just

54:57

below the corner of his mouth.

55:00

The preacher cried out, his hands

55:03

flying into the air like startled

55:05

birds, and his hat flipped over

55:07

the back of the pew. He went to

55:09

the ground with a crash and

55:11

covered his face, moaning and cringing.

55:15

Jake pulled his booted foot back as

55:17

he prepared to kick Loftus's ribs until

55:19

he heard them crack. You

55:23

were gonna hang that little girl up out there for

55:25

a bait like a worm on a hook, you son

55:27

of a bitch. You

55:29

were gonna let them eat her alive. His

55:33

foot came forward and slammed into

55:35

the soft plump pattern of Loftus's

55:37

side. The preacher

55:39

howled in pain and called out to

55:41

his God. Jesus

55:43

save me! Save

55:46

me from this ancient illusify!

55:50

Jesus ain't here, Reverend. Jake

55:53

landed another kick. He

55:55

ain't anywhere in this town. And

55:58

another. How'd

56:00

you manage?" He

56:03

pulled his leg back and kicked Loftus

56:05

again. The preacher's

56:07

screams turned into sobbing moans

56:09

and grunts. Huh?

56:13

How'd you manage to survive when all the

56:15

rest… Jake

56:17

stopped kicking and hunkered down near

56:19

Loftus's face, his

56:21

hands dangling between his bent knees.

56:26

How many of those monsters out there

56:28

belong to you? Loftus

56:31

was wheezing, each breath

56:33

sucked through clenched teeth. Even

56:36

so, instead of answering, he began

56:38

to sing. Rescue

56:42

the parishion, care

56:46

for the dying, snatched him

56:49

in pity from

56:52

sin to the grave. He

56:56

took a wet breath, blood and

56:59

spittle spraying from his lips. We

57:03

poured the errant one, lift

57:06

up the fallen, tell

57:09

them of Jesus, the

57:12

mighty to save. Jake

57:15

let Loftus finish the stanza and

57:17

then drew his coat from his

57:20

holster. He pulled

57:22

back the hammer and pressed the tip of

57:24

the barrel against the preacher's temple. Sweat

57:27

poured off the holy man, glistening

57:29

in the flickering light of the

57:31

candles. Byron and Tasha

57:33

watched silently. The

57:36

girl perched on the footstool, her bad

57:38

leg held out to her side, while

57:40

the dead kept a steady rhythm pounding

57:43

and clawing at the door of the

57:45

church. That

57:47

don't answer my question, Reverend.

57:51

Jake's voice was low, almost

57:53

a whisper. He

57:55

pushed the barrel harder against the preacher's

57:57

head. Loftus is up.

58:00

His eyes had gone wide, and he seemed

58:02

to hold his breath. Now

58:04

I've about done run out of patience with

58:07

you. The minute that

58:09

happens, you're going to get to meet your

58:11

God face to face. But

58:13

I'm willing to give you one more chance

58:15

here. How

58:18

many are yours? He

58:22

tapped the barrel against Loftus' head

58:24

to punctuate each word. The

58:28

long moment spun out. The

58:31

ragged sound of the preacher's breath and

58:33

the pounding of hands against the door,

58:35

the only noise to be heard. Finally

58:39

Loftus' face hardened, and

58:41

he spoke. The

58:45

Lord of them, good

58:48

men, women, and children who

58:50

I helped to become the

58:52

vessels of Christ, is

58:56

living body and blood upon

58:58

this earth. I

59:01

helped them by locking the doors

59:03

and leaving them to receive the

59:06

word out there in the streets

59:08

from their brothers and sisters, who

59:11

already been filled with the

59:13

Holy Spirit. Loftus

59:15

spat a tooth from his mouth to

59:18

clatter against the floor. You

59:23

will be judged most harshly

59:25

by he that sits on

59:27

high for this. Make

59:30

no mistake, you

59:33

will burn in the hell. Jake

59:37

nodded. I have no doubt.

59:40

He wiped his hand across his mouth,

59:43

two days' growth of beard rasping

59:45

against his fingers. Byron

59:47

called out quietly from behind them.

59:51

Jake, they are

59:53

getting more of them, agitated

59:56

out there. Sounds

59:58

like the old town. beating on

1:00:00

the door. We need

1:00:02

to get out of here, pronto." Jake

1:00:06

stood back up and spat on the floor.

1:00:09

"'Get up,' the preacher

1:00:11

pulled a childish defiant face.

1:00:14

"'No, thank you, sir. Yea,

1:00:17

though I walk through the valley

1:00:19

of the shadow of death, "'I

1:00:21

shall fear no evil. I

1:00:24

fear you not nor your

1:00:26

bullets. "'The end

1:00:28

of my life on earth only

1:00:30

means the beginning of my life

1:00:33

in heaven.'" Jake

1:00:35

flipped a pistol around in his

1:00:38

hand, but first, "'I

1:00:40

ain't gonna shoot you, Reverend. I'm

1:00:42

just gonna keep beating on you till you do

1:00:44

what I say. I won't

1:00:47

work you over hard enough to kill you,

1:00:49

but you'll sure be hurting something awful.'

1:00:53

For a moment it seemed as if

1:00:55

Loftus still was not going to budge.

1:00:58

His eyes were blazing pits of

1:01:00

hatred and his mouth was hard

1:01:02

set. Then Jake jerked

1:01:04

forward, bringing the butt of the

1:01:06

pistol towards the preacher's face, and

1:01:09

Loftus let forth a high-pitched whimper

1:01:11

and flinched, throwing

1:01:13

his hands over his head. Jake

1:01:16

stopped short of hitting him. He

1:01:19

didn't need to. He

1:01:21

wasn't a gambling man, but it

1:01:23

was clear the preacher had

1:01:25

shown his hand. He

1:01:28

might not be afraid of dying, but

1:01:30

he was afraid of pain. A

1:01:33

few seconds later he took his hands from

1:01:35

his face and spoke. "'All

1:01:38

right. As you

1:01:41

say.' With

1:01:43

much grunting and groaning, Loftus

1:01:45

pushed himself into a sitting

1:01:47

position. He leaned against

1:01:49

the back of the pew and took a

1:01:51

few deep breaths. "'I

1:01:53

will try to forgive

1:01:56

you, these barbaric trespasses.'

1:02:00

Jake ignored the remark and looked

1:02:03

back to the entryway where Byron

1:02:05

and Tasha waited. The

1:02:07

clamor from outside had risen to

1:02:09

a mad pitch, the door shaking

1:02:11

in its jam, rattling

1:02:14

against the bolt and chains. How

1:02:17

many? The question

1:02:19

still remained unanswered. Cottonwood

1:02:22

was small, accounting for

1:02:24

the farmers who lived on the

1:02:26

outskirts of town, their families and

1:02:28

farmhands, a few soldiers

1:02:31

from Fort Defiance. They often came

1:02:33

to indulge in a bit of

1:02:35

gambling followed by some good-natured whoring,

1:02:38

and probably a couple of drifters

1:02:40

in vagrants. There might

1:02:42

have been 300 in all, give or

1:02:44

take. If 300 people,

1:02:47

even dead ones, wanted to get at

1:02:49

you through a church door, sooner

1:02:52

or later they were going to. How'd

1:02:55

you get away? Jake

1:02:58

spoke over his shoulder as Loftus

1:03:00

slowly stood. I

1:03:02

am the instrument of God. He

1:03:06

was saving me for the purpose

1:03:08

of helping his blessed flock. I

1:03:12

prayed for strength and guidance

1:03:14

and- With

1:03:16

lightning speed, Jake spun around

1:03:18

and backhanded the preacher across

1:03:20

his pasty pink face. Loftus

1:03:23

shrieked and clutched at his stinging

1:03:25

cheeks, his eyes full of

1:03:28

reproach and fear. Jake

1:03:30

held a finger up in warning, no

1:03:33

more holy rolling. Got me? The

1:03:36

preacher nodded, his hands still plastered

1:03:38

to his face. Jake

1:03:41

shoved his coat back in its holster

1:03:43

and turned away. Good,

1:03:46

now tell me what you did to get away before

1:03:48

they had a chance to chew on you? With

1:03:52

a sullen expression and still rubbing

1:03:54

his wounded face, Loftus

1:03:56

gestured with his head to the church

1:03:59

behind him. I

1:04:01

climbed up into the belfry. Being

1:04:04

newly reborn, they're confused

1:04:07

and disoriented. They

1:04:10

had trouble understanding that I was

1:04:12

there to shepherd them. They

1:04:15

were closing in, blocking the front

1:04:17

doors so the belfry was the

1:04:20

only place I could go. I

1:04:23

scrambled up the ladder, expecting

1:04:25

that they were right behind me. But

1:04:29

when I chanced to look down, I

1:04:31

saw them on the ground just sort

1:04:33

of pawing harmlessly

1:04:36

at the wrongs. He

1:04:39

shrugged. It seems

1:04:42

that when receiving the gift

1:04:44

of resurrection, one

1:04:46

trades a certain level of dexterity

1:04:50

and thought. They

1:04:53

were unable to follow me up. The

1:04:57

preacher bent at the waist and picked

1:04:59

up his hat, placing it back upon

1:05:01

his head. Eventually

1:05:03

they made their way out of

1:05:05

the church, and

1:05:08

I was able to come down and

1:05:10

secure the doors. Later

1:05:12

that day, I

1:05:14

discovered Tasha asleep behind

1:05:17

the pulpit, undiscovered. She'd

1:05:20

come in to pray and find

1:05:22

shelter. Together we

1:05:25

formed a routine. Me

1:05:28

sleeping during daylight hours,

1:05:31

she gathering supplies from the

1:05:33

abandoned buildings. And

1:05:35

at night, when the blessed

1:05:38

awoke to walk the town, we

1:05:41

watched quietly from the rooftop.

1:05:44

His eyes narrowed. They

1:05:47

had no idea we were in

1:05:49

here. Our silence

1:05:51

buying us their indifference. Now

1:05:55

thanks to your thick-headed

1:05:58

gun-blasting. They

1:06:00

are aware of us. God

1:06:04

does work in mysterious ways."

1:06:08

Jake held his hand up for Loftus

1:06:10

to stop. "'Enough! I

1:06:13

found out what I needed to know. Now

1:06:16

shut your flapping gums for a while and

1:06:18

sit tight.' Loftus

1:06:20

crossed his arms, leaning against a

1:06:22

pew. Byron was

1:06:24

pressed up against the door. The

1:06:27

pounding from the other side was

1:06:29

constant, and the heavy wood seemed

1:06:31

looser in its frame. Jake

1:06:34

strode into the narthex and laid

1:06:36

his hand flat against the door,

1:06:39

feeling the insistence of the dead

1:06:41

outside vibrating against his palm. There

1:06:44

was a smell now, a

1:06:46

wisp of rotten meat that crept under

1:06:48

the door like smoke. The

1:06:51

older man's eyes were filled with concern,

1:06:53

but no fear. Jake

1:06:56

found the moment to be grateful that he had

1:06:58

brought Byron on this trip with him. The

1:07:01

man was solid. His

1:07:03

white mustache twitched, and his

1:07:05

eyebrows went up. "'So?'

1:07:09

Jake dug the remainder of his chaw from

1:07:11

his cheek and dropped it onto the floor

1:07:13

with a splat.

1:07:16

"'We're going up to the belfry and out to the

1:07:18

roof. Sounds like they only

1:07:20

come out after sundown, so we'll

1:07:22

just stay up there till morning and wait for them

1:07:25

to go back into their holes.' His

1:07:28

eyes blazed. "'Then we'll

1:07:30

climb back down, chop us up some

1:07:32

barrels and whatever else we can find

1:07:34

for Kenwin, and set this

1:07:37

hell on earth to burn. Once

1:07:39

that's going good and hot, the four of

1:07:41

us will hightail it out of here, well

1:07:43

before dusk.' "'All of

1:07:46

us are going!' Jake

1:07:48

nodded, his eyes grim. "'I

1:07:51

know it's gonna be rough going,

1:07:53

but I couldn't leave nobody out here without

1:07:55

a horse and some water. Even

1:07:58

that fat crazy bastard.' Before

1:08:02

Byron had a chance to respond, there

1:08:04

was a great surge of pressure against

1:08:06

the door, and the bolt

1:08:08

gave way with a horrible wooden snap.

1:08:13

The door pressed inward against the

1:08:16

chains, and moonlight spilled through the

1:08:18

sudden four-inch gap on a wave

1:08:20

of stench. Immediately,

1:08:22

a wiggling force of pale

1:08:24

bloody fingers filled the gap,

1:08:26

groping and grasping. Jake

1:08:29

and Byron both let out cries of

1:08:31

surprise and disgust. They

1:08:34

shoved their weight hard against the door,

1:08:37

trying to close it again, but

1:08:39

against the mass of the entire town,

1:08:41

it budged only a little. Behind

1:08:44

them, Loftus cackled from his spot

1:08:46

against the pew. Might

1:08:52

as well try arm-wrestling the

1:08:55

Holy Ghost. You

1:08:57

faithless apostates! Ha ha ha

1:09:00

ha ha ha ha! If

1:09:04

we get out of this, I'm

1:09:06

gonna shoot him if you don't. Byron

1:09:09

panted, We'll

1:09:12

draw cards for the privilege. As

1:09:15

he pressed his hands against the door

1:09:17

with all his might, Jake felt something

1:09:19

brush softly against his thigh. He

1:09:22

looked down, startled, to find that Tasha had

1:09:24

hopped her way across the room to add

1:09:27

her weight to the door. Somehow,

1:09:30

the bravery of her effort touched

1:09:32

Jake deeply. It must

1:09:34

have cost her quite a bit of pain to get

1:09:36

over there. I'm getting out

1:09:38

of here if it's the last thing I do, and

1:09:41

on the heels of that, if I can

1:09:43

get her out, at the very least I

1:09:45

can give her a better end than being

1:09:47

eaten alive by her family and friends. He

1:09:51

wondered which corpses out there were her

1:09:53

mother and father, her brothers

1:09:55

and sisters. It

1:09:57

quickly became clear that holding the door was not a

1:10:00

good idea. was a futile effort. The

1:10:02

gap had widened and now whole

1:10:04

arms were snaking their way through,

1:10:06

swiping at Jake, Byron and Tasha.

1:10:09

Behind them, the sound of Loftus'

1:10:11

footsteps leading deeper into the church

1:10:14

prompted Jake to turn around, pressing

1:10:16

his back against the door. He

1:10:19

watched as the preacher started up a thin

1:10:21

wooden ladder at the back of the pulpit.

1:10:24

He was heading up to the belfry. Jake

1:10:28

itched to grab his pistol and put a

1:10:30

bullet in the preacher's back, but

1:10:32

he knew he needed to conserve his

1:10:34

ammunition. He tossed his

1:10:36

hat to the floor and spun back around.

1:10:40

The time has come for us to take our leave.

1:10:43

He looked down at Tasha. Sweetheart,

1:10:46

you ready? The

1:10:48

little girl's voice was flat and

1:10:50

emotionless. I'm ready. Good.

1:10:54

Jake glanced over his shoulder. Loftus'

1:10:56

feet were disappearing up the shaft that

1:10:58

led to the belfry. Byron,

1:11:01

you're going to let go first. Run

1:11:04

back there as fast as you can and get up

1:11:06

that ladder quick. Make sure our friend

1:11:08

the Reverend don't get any funny ideas about trying

1:11:10

to trap us down here. You

1:11:12

have my permission to break his jaw if he gives

1:11:15

you any guff. Got it. What

1:11:17

about you two? As soon as

1:11:20

you're up inside the shaft, give a holler and

1:11:22

we'll be along lickety-split. We can't afford to get

1:11:24

all hung up at the bottom of the ladder.

1:11:27

You want to give me a count of

1:11:29

three? Jake shook his head. No,

1:11:31

damn it. Just go. Without

1:11:34

another word, Byron let go of the

1:11:36

door and hurried into the church. Jake

1:11:39

could hear his boots clacking down the

1:11:41

center aisle. A moment

1:11:43

later, Byron's voice rang out from the

1:11:45

pulpit as he shouted up at Loftus.

1:11:48

Hey, you stay put or I'll blow

1:11:50

your cock off. This

1:11:54

surprised the laugh out of Jake and it

1:11:56

seemed to lift his spirit some. Maybe

1:11:59

we'll get out of this. This after all, he

1:12:02

looked down at the little girl. Her

1:12:04

face was soft with chubby cheeks and

1:12:06

a cute upturned nose. Pretty

1:12:09

and unremarkable, but her eyes were

1:12:11

hard and cold. The

1:12:14

eyes of a gunfighter or an old

1:12:16

soldier who's seen a hundred battles. He

1:12:19

tried to imagine what it must have been like

1:12:21

for her, watching the dead

1:12:23

come back to life to hunt the living,

1:12:26

finding safety in the church, only to

1:12:28

have her pastor try and crucify her.

1:12:31

She had come through all of that

1:12:34

still standing and fighting to survive. She

1:12:36

was strong. He

1:12:38

felt a wave of admiration for her

1:12:41

and resolved again that he would see

1:12:43

her safely out of this town. A

1:12:46

moment later, Byron's muffled voice came

1:12:48

from somewhere behind and above them.

1:12:51

I'm out. All right, it's

1:12:53

time. Jake licked his

1:12:55

lips. His tongue was dry and

1:12:58

rough. I'm going to grab you and

1:13:00

put you on my back. You got a

1:13:02

whole ton around my neck. Try not to

1:13:04

choke me, though, OK? Yes, sir. Her

1:13:07

voice was quiet but steady. I'm

1:13:10

afraid I might hurt your ankle some, getting

1:13:12

tossed around. I'm sorry for that. I'll

1:13:15

try to be careful, but we're in a hurry. Tasha

1:13:18

looked him in the eye then. Hers

1:13:21

were hard, yes, but somewhere way

1:13:23

down in those deep blue irises

1:13:25

was the faintest glimmer of fear.

1:13:28

It was held in check, but it was there,

1:13:30

and Jake felt better for it. It

1:13:33

meant she wasn't just a hollowed out

1:13:35

husk running on nothing but spite and

1:13:37

instinct. She wanted to live. She

1:13:40

held his gaze for a few moments and

1:13:42

then nodded, strands of straw

1:13:45

colored hair falling into her face. She

1:13:48

swept him back behind her ears. It's

1:13:50

OK. I'll be just fine. Jake

1:13:53

didn't need any further encouragement. He

1:13:56

jumped back from the door and with

1:13:58

one fluid motion swept Tasha into

1:14:00

his arms. He flung

1:14:03

her over his right shoulder, trying to

1:14:05

be mindful of her ankle, and she

1:14:07

wrapped her arms around his neck, trying

1:14:09

not to squeeze him too hard. The

1:14:12

moment their weight left the door, it

1:14:14

bulged inward against the chain. The

1:14:17

gap was now nearly a foot

1:14:19

wide, and dead townspeople pushed their

1:14:21

vacuous faces into it, their

1:14:24

teeth clicking together as they worked

1:14:26

their hungry jaws. The

1:14:28

chain pulled tight, and the door handle

1:14:30

around which it was wrapped creaked

1:14:32

ominously. It wouldn't hold

1:14:34

much longer. Jake

1:14:37

hurried down the center aisle of the church.

1:14:39

He stepped up onto the pulpit and

1:14:42

reached the ladder against the back wall

1:14:44

in two long strides. He

1:14:46

looked up the dark belfry shaft. A

1:14:49

tiny triangle of moonlight fell across

1:14:51

it at the top, but he

1:14:53

couldn't see Byron or Loftus. It

1:14:56

suddenly occurred to him that the shaft might

1:14:58

be too small for him to climb with

1:15:01

Tasha hanging on his back. Shit,

1:15:03

he thought, this is gonna be

1:15:05

tight. He

1:15:07

put his booted foot on the bottom

1:15:10

rung and hoisted himself and Tasha up

1:15:12

onto the ladder. His

1:15:14

head pushed into the darkness of

1:15:16

the shaft, and Jake knew immediately,

1:15:18

no matter how tightly Tasha flattened

1:15:20

herself against him, they were

1:15:23

not going to go up together. This

1:15:25

base was horribly narrow, like an

1:15:27

upright coffin. He had no

1:15:30

idea how the thick preacher had managed

1:15:32

to scramble up so nimbly. dismay

1:15:34

filled him and he climbed back down

1:15:37

quick as he could, stepping to the

1:15:39

floor. He pulled Tasha

1:15:41

around and sat her in the crook of his

1:15:43

arm. Well, kid, that

1:15:46

ain't gonna work, is it? She

1:15:48

looked across the church. It

1:15:50

sounded as if the door was being battered

1:15:52

to splinters. She looked

1:15:54

back into Jake's eyes and shook her head.

1:15:58

You're gonna have to climb. Jake

1:16:00

knew how slowly the going would

1:16:02

be. The seconds were precious now

1:16:04

as the slobbering dead tore their

1:16:06

way into the church. I'll

1:16:09

be right behind you, helping you alone. When

1:16:11

she replied, her voice was so low he

1:16:14

wasn't sure what she had even said at

1:16:16

first. What? I

1:16:19

said, leave me. Her

1:16:21

eyes flicked back to the door. They

1:16:24

were almost in. At any

1:16:26

moment, the handle would snap off or

1:16:28

the door would simply crumble beneath their

1:16:30

weight, and they'd come spilling

1:16:32

into the narthex. Jake

1:16:35

laughed, a high-pitched lunatic

1:16:37

laugh. He took

1:16:39

her chin in his hand and turned her face

1:16:41

to his. He got close enough

1:16:43

to fill the whisper of breath on

1:16:45

his sweaty brow. Girlie,

1:16:47

you listen to me. The single

1:16:49

most important reason I got right now

1:16:51

for trying to live through this hell

1:16:54

is to get you out of this

1:16:56

godforsaken place. You hear

1:16:58

me? The girl's eyes

1:17:00

glistened at the corners, but no tears

1:17:02

fell. She leaned forward

1:17:04

and kissed him softly on the cheek, and

1:17:07

then she nodded her head. He

1:17:10

touched his thumb to the tip of her nose

1:17:12

and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring

1:17:14

smile. All right. Up

1:17:17

she daisy. Jake took the

1:17:19

girl under her arms and lifted her as

1:17:21

far above his head as he could. She

1:17:24

grabbed onto the ladder and began hauling

1:17:26

herself up. Jake took

1:17:29

a few moments to load his revolver. He

1:17:31

was surely going to need it. Six

1:17:34

shots were barely a drop in the

1:17:36

bucket against a town full of walking

1:17:38

corpses, but they might by

1:17:40

10 or 12 seconds. That could

1:17:42

mean the difference between life and whatever

1:17:45

that was at the door. He

1:17:47

turned to the ladder and climbed onto the

1:17:50

first rung. Tasha's

1:17:52

bad foot dangled just above his

1:17:54

head. He reached up

1:17:56

and boosted her rump up another three

1:17:58

rungs. Keep going. girl, we

1:18:00

gotta move." Tasha

1:18:03

put her good foot down and slid

1:18:05

her hands up the ladder, grabbing the

1:18:07

rung above her head and pulling herself

1:18:09

along. Jake was able to

1:18:11

move up a little bit, and

1:18:13

when her foot was in front of him

1:18:15

again, they repeated the process. Twice

1:18:18

more, and Tasha's head finally disappeared

1:18:20

up into the shaft. Two

1:18:23

more after that, and Jake would be in

1:18:25

the tight darkness behind her. He

1:18:28

was shoving her upward when a loud

1:18:30

metal snap and

1:18:32

a horrendous wooden crash filled the

1:18:34

church. A

1:18:40

mad scraping and shuffling followed,

1:18:43

like a hundred brooms clacking together

1:18:45

as they swept across the floor.

1:18:48

The dead had finally gotten in.

1:18:51

Jake's heart began hammering in his chest,

1:18:55

he was still only four rungs up from the

1:18:57

floor of the pulpit. He

1:18:59

watched as the first corpses stumbled into

1:19:01

the nave behind the last row of

1:19:04

pews. An old man

1:19:06

in an apron, his face smeared with gore

1:19:08

from the tip of his chin to the

1:19:10

middle of his cheeks, was the first to

1:19:12

lurch into the owl. His

1:19:14

spectacles hung a skew on his head,

1:19:17

the lenses cracked, and his arms hung

1:19:19

limp at his sides as he staggered

1:19:21

forward. Behind him was

1:19:23

a little girl, about the same size

1:19:26

and age as Tasha, her

1:19:28

hair tied up in a pretty pink bonnet.

1:19:31

Her eyes were both gone, and

1:19:33

a huge red slit across the

1:19:35

front of her dress leaked greasy

1:19:37

coils of intestines that flapped against

1:19:39

her waist as she walked. Her

1:19:42

arms were outstretched, hands curled

1:19:44

into claws. A

1:19:47

shadowy moving mass undulated behind

1:19:49

her, shoving forward. Gray

1:19:52

faces streaked with red swam out

1:19:54

of the darkness, teeth bared, voiceless

1:19:58

as they came for him. Jake

1:20:01

looked up at Tasha. She'd

1:20:03

only gone another four rungs. He

1:20:06

shouted up the shaft. Byron!

1:20:09

A moment later, the old man's

1:20:11

voice came back, sounding hollow and

1:20:13

far away. Jake, you're

1:20:16

okay. For the

1:20:19

first time all night, Jake

1:20:21

felt real panic. He

1:20:23

tried to lick his lips, his

1:20:25

tongue still spitless and harsh. No!

1:20:29

Try to reach down and grab the girl. She

1:20:31

needs help up. Fast! The

1:20:34

old dead man was now halfway down

1:20:36

the aisle, thirty feet from

1:20:38

where Jake hung on the ladder. What

1:20:41

about the preacher? He's liable to...

1:20:44

Fuck him! Jake

1:20:46

drew his pistol and fired at

1:20:48

the approaching dead thing. His

1:20:51

bullet carried off most of the top of

1:20:53

its head and the creature dropped to the

1:20:55

floor. The

1:20:57

little dead girl had somehow wandered up

1:20:59

into one of the pews and couldn't

1:21:01

seem to navigate her way back out.

1:21:04

But four or five other former

1:21:06

citizens of Cottonwood had filled the

1:21:08

aisle way and were shambling steadily

1:21:10

on. Above him,

1:21:13

Jake heard a wooden clattering in

1:21:15

the belfry shaft and Byron's voice

1:21:17

calling out. Come on,

1:21:19

girl! Reach for my hand!

1:21:22

Just reach! Jake

1:21:24

took his eyes off the advancing dead folks

1:21:27

to look up into the shaft. He

1:21:29

watched his tossed bare feet

1:21:32

dangling in mid-air, disappeared into

1:21:34

the darkness like magic. When

1:21:36

he looked back, the corpses had nearly

1:21:39

reached the pulpit, a stinking

1:21:41

procession of rotten walking meat. God

1:21:44

damn! He fired

1:21:46

at the nearest one which had begun

1:21:49

clamoring up onto the platform. His

1:21:51

aim was off and he hit its shoulder.

1:21:54

It slowed not at all. Jake

1:21:57

gritted his teeth and fired again. this

1:22:00

time hitting it just below its cloudy

1:22:02

right eye. It fell

1:22:04

to the floor, and four more of

1:22:06

its kind trampled over it in their

1:22:09

single-minded desire for warm flesh. Their

1:22:12

twitching fingers found the edge of

1:22:14

the platform and their mouths dropped

1:22:16

open with anticipation. Jake

1:22:18

holstered his gun and started up the ladder.

1:22:22

He hated turning his back on them, but

1:22:24

he knew to wait any longer would be

1:22:26

suicide. His face disappeared

1:22:28

into the black of the shaft and he

1:22:30

breathed a sigh of relief, never

1:22:33

having been so happy to be swallowed

1:22:35

up by darkness. Then

1:22:37

a hand closed around his ankle,

1:22:39

yanking his foot from the ladder.

1:22:42

Jake screamed and let go of the rung.

1:22:45

He surely would have fallen if not for

1:22:47

the tightness of the shaft. He

1:22:50

fell backwards, one foot still on

1:22:52

the ladder, his shoulders bumping up

1:22:54

against the wooden wall behind him.

1:22:57

He hung there for a moment, not

1:22:59

moving, and it was long enough for

1:23:01

him to regain his senses. He

1:23:04

reached out and grasped the ladder tightly

1:23:06

in both hands. He

1:23:08

tried to look down and see the thing that

1:23:10

had a hold of him, but his body was

1:23:12

in the way. For

1:23:14

being dead, its grip was like iron.

1:23:18

It tugged and pulled at him, trying

1:23:20

to dislodge him from the safety of

1:23:22

the shaft. Very carefully,

1:23:24

he let go with his right hand

1:23:26

and snaked it down to his thigh.

1:23:29

He pulled his gun free, transferring it

1:23:31

to his left hand and grabbing back

1:23:33

onto the ladder with the other. He

1:23:36

was not so good with his left hand. He

1:23:39

wasn't a professional gunfighter and he had

1:23:41

only ever had need of one pistol.

1:23:44

He had honed his skills with his right hand

1:23:47

to where he was quick and accurate. With

1:23:49

his left, he'd be lucky to hit the side of

1:23:52

a barn. Still, he didn't

1:23:54

know how long he had lasted to stand

1:23:56

off with the thing trying to drag him

1:23:58

down. And who? could say it

1:24:00

might not eventually figure out how to climb

1:24:03

up. He held

1:24:05

the gun down along his leg. He

1:24:07

began to say a quick prayer, asking

1:24:09

that he somehow managed not to shoot

1:24:11

himself in the foot and then thought

1:24:13

better of it. God didn't

1:24:16

seem interested in the living and

1:24:18

breathing of cottonwood anymore. Jake

1:24:21

thought it wiser to trust the luck. With

1:24:24

eyes tightly shut and breath held, he

1:24:26

pointed the gun and fired. A sudden

1:24:29

stinging heat raced across Jake's

1:24:31

ankle and he thought, damn

1:24:33

it, missed. But the

1:24:35

fingers wrapped around his ankle came

1:24:38

loose, and a sound

1:24:40

like a bag of dry kindling being dropped

1:24:42

to the ground drifted up from below. Without

1:24:45

needing any further prodding, Jake holstered

1:24:47

his gun, pulled his leg out

1:24:49

of reach of grasping hands and hurried

1:24:52

up the ladder, squirming through

1:24:54

the dark. A

1:24:56

few seconds later his head passed through

1:24:58

a trap door in the middle of

1:25:00

a platform, and the space above him

1:25:02

was lightened by squares of dark velvety

1:25:05

blue. He

1:25:07

smiled at the side as if he hadn't

1:25:09

seen a knot sky in years. The

1:25:13

ladder ended and he found himself

1:25:15

standing on the platform. Above

1:25:18

him was a large rounded silhouette which

1:25:20

could only be the bell, but

1:25:23

he saw no sign of his companions. "'Borin,

1:25:27

Tasha!" The

1:25:29

corners of his mouth turned down. "'Reffin,

1:25:33

y'all up here?" "'Out here,

1:25:35

sonny!" Byron's voice came

1:25:37

from somewhere above. "'Be

1:25:40

careful, it's tight around that

1:25:42

bell. How the hell do I get

1:25:44

out of here? Walk forward,

1:25:46

there's a set of steps.

1:25:49

Bring you right up into the bell

1:25:52

chamber.'" Jake came forward

1:25:54

and sure enough there was a small

1:25:56

rise of stairs. He climbed

1:25:58

them and found himself pre-mixed. pressed up against

1:26:00

the fat body of the bell, the

1:26:02

butt of his coat clinging against the

1:26:05

metal. He turned and hugged

1:26:07

the bell and followed its curve until he

1:26:09

came to the open side of the belfry.

1:26:12

Suddenly he could feel a cool breeze

1:26:14

caressing his face and neck. A

1:26:17

moment later he was climbing carefully out

1:26:19

onto the roof of the church. The

1:26:22

sky opened above him fast and

1:26:25

dark, dotted with stars, and it

1:26:27

felt like rebirth. He

1:26:30

gulped the fresh air, free

1:26:32

of the stench of corpses and more

1:26:34

than ever before felt how alive he

1:26:36

was. A few

1:26:38

feet away Byron sat with the heels

1:26:40

of his boots dug in between the

1:26:43

roof planks, his arms wrapped around Tasha.

1:26:46

His gun was out and pointed

1:26:48

casually at the preacher who sat

1:26:50

cross-legged a few feet away, scowling

1:26:52

and muttering to himself. Jake

1:26:55

made his way over to the old man

1:26:57

and the young girl. He

1:26:59

sat and tugged his chalk pouch from the

1:27:01

pocket of his coat, stuffed a

1:27:03

plug into his cheek and looked out over

1:27:05

the top of the small town. The

1:27:08

moon had moved across the sky but

1:27:10

not very much. It hung,

1:27:13

pale and bloated, looking down on

1:27:15

Jake's little group with indifference. Less

1:27:18

than an hour had gone by since they

1:27:20

had come upon Loftus and Tasha, but

1:27:22

it felt like a year had passed. It

1:27:25

seemed that most of the dead folks had formed

1:27:28

a mob at the front of the church, all

1:27:30

of them trying mindlessly to squeeze through

1:27:32

the door. A few

1:27:35

still lumbered in the street,

1:27:37

wandering aimlessly, tottering about on

1:27:39

unsteady feet. Jake

1:27:41

couldn't see around the corner where the

1:27:43

water pump dripped into its wooden basin,

1:27:46

and there was no way to know what,

1:27:48

if anything, waited there. Jake

1:27:51

spat out into space, the juice falling

1:27:53

into the shadows of the alley between

1:27:55

the church and the building next to

1:27:57

it. He had a question for

1:27:59

the preacher. Hey, those

1:28:02

things ever leave town? Our

1:28:05

horses are tied up at some cactus out by

1:28:07

them Indian heads you popped into the ground." Loftus

1:28:10

looked up slowly. His

1:28:13

eyes gleamed in the shadows beneath his

1:28:15

hat brim and his mouth crimped with

1:28:17

this taste. That

1:28:19

was no work of mine.

1:28:22

Jake snorted, disbelieving. If

1:28:26

not you, Reverend, then who? Loftus

1:28:30

tilted his head towards the scrubby plain

1:28:32

to the east. The

1:28:35

same red savages that brought

1:28:37

them here when they still

1:28:39

sat atop living shoulders. They

1:28:42

were of the godless tribe who

1:28:44

had to be run off of

1:28:46

Royston Moroni's land because they wouldn't

1:28:49

leave. His lip

1:28:51

curled with contempt. They

1:28:53

rolled in and dropped them

1:28:55

off, four of them, sick

1:28:58

and in need of help at

1:29:00

my very doorstep. Being

1:29:03

good, decent Christians, we brought

1:29:05

them in and tried to

1:29:08

do for them what we

1:29:10

could. Alas, their conditions worsened

1:29:12

and in their final throes

1:29:14

they became violent, nipping

1:29:17

and biting at the hands of

1:29:19

their caretakers. Mimi

1:29:21

Lister nearly lost a finger.

1:29:25

I had been preaching to them

1:29:27

and I think in the end

1:29:29

they repented of their heathen ways.

1:29:32

It was the best I could do. They

1:29:35

died just that sooner and

1:29:38

we placed their bodies in two hastily

1:29:40

crafted pine boxes and leaned them

1:29:43

against the back of the church.

1:29:46

Hatred simmered in the set of his

1:29:48

expression. Their beastly brethren

1:29:51

rode into town later that

1:29:53

day, searching high and

1:29:55

low till they found them. They

1:29:58

took the bodies out of their box. and

1:30:00

dragged them to the edge of town. I

1:30:03

made protests to the sheriff, but

1:30:06

he, being a coward, stated

1:30:08

that we should let the Redskins have

1:30:10

their own to bury as they saw

1:30:12

fit. At that

1:30:14

moment, a night bird shrieked as it

1:30:16

passed overhead. It shadowed

1:30:18

a huge black ghost that crawled

1:30:20

across the church roof. Tasha

1:30:23

looked up and wondered, her face

1:30:25

genuinely childlike for the first time

1:30:28

since Jake had made her acquaintance.

1:30:31

He glanced up just in time to see

1:30:33

the dark shape disappear beyond the

1:30:35

steeple that topped the belfry. He

1:30:38

spat again and eyed the preacher. So

1:30:42

you're saying it was their kinsmen that did

1:30:44

that to him? Loftus

1:30:46

nodded. They took

1:30:48

the bodies just before sunset

1:30:51

and performed some devil's ritual.

1:30:54

They screamed and wolfed, then each

1:30:56

man of them dragged a bone

1:30:58

knife across their chest, drawing

1:31:00

blood what they wiped on the

1:31:03

grass. Then they

1:31:05

pulled out axes and removed the

1:31:07

heads from the bodies. They

1:31:10

drove those stakes into the ground

1:31:12

and mounted the heads like demon

1:31:14

trophies. Two at the

1:31:16

eastern end of town, two at

1:31:19

the western end. Then

1:31:21

they set the bodies afire and

1:31:23

rode away. It's

1:31:26

a wonder they didn't burn the whole

1:31:28

town down. Byron

1:31:30

chuckled drowly in the dark. Heh

1:31:33

heh heh. Not a wonder,

1:31:36

a shame. Loftus

1:31:38

smiled ferociously at the old

1:31:40

man. But they

1:31:42

didn't. God had

1:31:44

other plans for us. And

1:31:47

that night the blessed resurrection

1:31:49

began. Three

1:31:51

days later, all

1:31:53

of the meek had fallen and risen,

1:31:56

drawing each other one by one into the

1:31:58

light of the world. God's

1:32:01

mercy." Jake

1:32:03

nodded thoughtfully. "'Amen and

1:32:05

hallelujah, we know." Below

1:32:08

him the sounds of dead people

1:32:10

banging about inside the church, trying

1:32:12

to find warm prey rose from

1:32:14

the depths of the Belfry Shaft.

1:32:17

"'So like I was saying, do they ever try

1:32:19

to get out of town?'" "'They

1:32:22

are the chosen of

1:32:24

God. His lambs. His

1:32:26

children. They will

1:32:28

not pass by those heathen

1:32:30

abominations.' "'They bar

1:32:32

their way as the angel Gabriel

1:32:35

barred Adam and Nia from paradise

1:32:37

with his flaming sword. They—" Jake

1:32:41

held up his hand. "'All right.

1:32:43

All right. I got it. They don't go

1:32:45

past the Indian heads. At

1:32:47

least we don't have to worry that there's any

1:32:49

stumbling around out in the desert waiting for us.'

1:32:53

Loftus stood carefully, leaning over and

1:32:55

keeping one hand against the roof.

1:32:58

"'May I come over and offer

1:33:00

you the comfort of prayer?'" He

1:33:04

started towards Jake, moving slowly.

1:33:07

"'So you may repent of your

1:33:09

sins, lest God judge

1:33:11

your defiance of his will

1:33:13

harshly.'" Jake

1:33:16

responded coldly. "'Don't

1:33:18

talk to me again, Reverend, lest I decide

1:33:20

to chuck you off this roof. I've

1:33:23

had my filly you.'" He

1:33:25

shot tobacco juice onto the roof

1:33:27

planks. Loftus held up

1:33:29

his finger. "'If I

1:33:32

may, one last thing.'"

1:33:35

Jake turned to the preacher, looking up

1:33:37

at him with an exasperated grunt. "'What?'"

1:33:42

"'God forgive you.'" Before

1:33:45

Byron or Jake had time to

1:33:47

react, Loftus had covered the short

1:33:50

distance between himself and the exhausted

1:33:52

postman, scrabbling across the

1:33:54

roof with wicked speed. He

1:33:57

raised an object above his head and swung

1:33:59

it. He

1:34:01

was aiming for Jake's head, but at

1:34:03

the last moment he stumbled on the

1:34:05

plank and the hammer he had concealed

1:34:07

in his sleeve slammed into Jake's shoulder

1:34:09

instead. Jake cried out and

1:34:12

rolled down the steep roof. He

1:34:14

slid over the edge, his gun flying from

1:34:17

his hand, and landed hard on his side

1:34:19

in the shadows beside the church. At

1:34:22

almost the same time, his coat hit

1:34:24

the ground nearby and went off with

1:34:26

a loud bang. On

1:34:29

the ground, Jake moaned, feeling snaps

1:34:31

and cracks in his side as he rolled

1:34:33

onto his back. He

1:34:35

looked up to the roof in time to

1:34:37

see Tasha jump from Byron's lap and scream.

1:34:41

She instantly lost her balance as

1:34:43

her bad ankle buckled and went

1:34:45

tumbling past the laughing figure of

1:34:47

Humbert Loftus. As

1:34:49

she flew over the edge, she grabbed

1:34:51

onto the gutter, slowing her fall, but

1:34:53

the weight of her dangling body was

1:34:55

too much for her tiny fingers, and

1:34:57

she dropped to the ground. Loftus

1:35:01

hunched over, clinging to the roof

1:35:03

like a spider, and made his

1:35:05

way past the stunned Byron, climbing

1:35:07

into the bell chamber. Byron

1:35:09

scooted down the slope of the roof on

1:35:12

his butt as quickly as he dared and

1:35:14

peered over the edge. The

1:35:16

darkness between the church and the next

1:35:18

building was thick, and to Jake, the

1:35:21

old man's face seemed to glow. Jake,

1:35:24

you alright? A

1:35:27

growing crowd of dead folks having given

1:35:29

up on finding live meat in the

1:35:31

church suddenly seemed interested in the

1:35:34

alley. They stumbled

1:35:36

down from the church steps, much

1:35:38

too close, their stinks sweeping

1:35:40

along ahead of them. They'd

1:35:42

be on top of Jake and Tasha in

1:35:45

seconds. Jake tried to

1:35:47

call out to Byron, but he couldn't get

1:35:49

his breath. He wanted to

1:35:51

tell him to stay on the roof till morning,

1:35:54

leave them to their fate on the ground,

1:35:56

and save himself, but all that

1:35:58

came out was a dry week. Byron

1:36:01

waited a moment and then with a

1:36:03

grumbled curse began easing himself over the

1:36:05

edge of the roof. His

1:36:08

knees went over and he slid

1:36:10

backwards gripping together tightly until

1:36:13

he was supported on his elbows. With

1:36:16

a groan he stretched his arms out,

1:36:18

dangled over the edge and dropped. The

1:36:21

old man landed hard but kept his

1:36:23

feet. He scurried over to

1:36:26

Jake and Tasha, his eyes full of

1:36:28

fear. The girl was

1:36:30

sitting up, clenching her teeth and rocking

1:36:32

back and forth trying to be quiet.

1:36:35

Beside her, Jake had caught his breath and

1:36:37

was trying to get up onto his knees

1:36:39

but he was in great pain. He

1:36:42

squeezed his eyes shut and trembled with

1:36:44

the effort. Byron stepped

1:36:46

over to him and hunkered down drawing

1:36:48

his gun. Where's it

1:36:51

hurt? My sight.

1:36:53

I think I broke some ribs. Jake

1:36:56

slid back to the ground and rolled

1:36:58

onto his back breathing hard. He

1:37:01

opened his eyes and looked at Byron. Take

1:37:04

her and get the... Oh

1:37:08

God! The

1:37:10

hell out of here! His eyes

1:37:12

flicked to the front of the alley. A

1:37:15

small dead boy dressed in the

1:37:17

Sunday best, head tilted crazily

1:37:20

where his neck had been eaten

1:37:22

mostly away, was only yards from

1:37:24

them now enclosing. Behind

1:37:26

him the silhouettes of walking

1:37:28

corpses were gathering. Byron

1:37:31

took aim of the boy and pulled the

1:37:33

hammer back but before

1:37:35

he could fire Jake reached out and touched

1:37:37

him. The head! You

1:37:41

gotta get him in the head! Byron

1:37:45

nodded, raising his hand a

1:37:47

few inches and shot. The

1:37:50

boy's head exploded, gray and black

1:37:52

mush flying in all directions. The

1:37:55

old man holstered his weapon and

1:37:57

stood over Jake leaning forward. Come

1:38:00

on, house. I ain't leavin' without

1:38:02

you." He grabbed two handfuls

1:38:04

of Jake's duster and pulled him to

1:38:06

his sittin' position. Jake

1:38:10

cried out in agony, but he managed

1:38:12

to steady himself with his hands. The

1:38:15

dead had completely blocked their escape,

1:38:17

climbin' towards them over the dry

1:38:19

shrubbery that fronted the church, silent

1:38:22

for the swishing of their feet. The

1:38:25

street could no longer be seen through the

1:38:27

growin' hoard. Jake watched

1:38:29

their slow but steady approach, drained

1:38:32

of hope. I don't think

1:38:34

you're leavin' at all. He

1:38:37

climbed gingerly to his feet, lettin'

1:38:40

Byron help him. Every

1:38:42

time he moved, it felt like he was

1:38:44

bein' stabbed. He winced

1:38:46

and reached down for Tasha's hand. The

1:38:49

little girl tried to stand and take his,

1:38:51

but her left leg was even worse than

1:38:53

before. She wouldn't be able

1:38:56

to run, and Jake didn't think he'd be able

1:38:58

to pick her up. None

1:39:01

of us are. He

1:39:03

sighed, knowin' what must be done. You're

1:39:07

gonna have to do it with the shots you

1:39:09

got left. I'd

1:39:12

do it myself, but I

1:39:15

lost my gun. Byron

1:39:18

slapped him across the face. Jake

1:39:20

recoiled, hissing with pain, and held

1:39:22

his hand to his stinging cheek.

1:39:25

The old man scowled at him. Don't

1:39:28

get yellin' on me, son. Don't

1:39:31

you do it. The

1:39:33

dead woman in the camisole and an

1:39:35

old man whose shopkeeper's apron was shredded

1:39:38

and bloody were at the head of

1:39:40

the procession and almost near

1:39:42

enough to touch. Jake

1:39:44

could smell him. Byron jerked

1:39:46

his head to the building next to

1:39:48

them as he blasted the woman's still

1:39:50

pretty head off. We can

1:39:52

get in there through the side door. Buy

1:39:56

a couple of minutes. You're

1:39:58

gonna have to carry her. I

1:40:01

don't think I can." Byron

1:40:03

stepped around Jake and bent over,

1:40:05

sweeping Tasha into his arms. He

1:40:08

handed his gun to the younger man. Cover

1:40:11

me! Jake turned

1:40:13

and fired, putting the bullet through the

1:40:15

eye of the blood-splattered shopkeeper. The

1:40:18

dead man fell to the ground, harmless,

1:40:20

but there were dozens more right behind

1:40:23

him, crawling into the alley. Jake

1:40:26

looked into their slack, vacuous faces.

1:40:29

For a moment he considered throwing himself

1:40:31

into the crowd to divert attention

1:40:33

away from Byron and Tasha, allowing

1:40:36

the resurrected to devour him. Then

1:40:40

he thought about waking back up,

1:40:42

walking the streets of Cottonwood, driven

1:40:44

by hunger till his body fell

1:40:46

apart, piece by piece, still

1:40:48

feeling the urge to feed. It

1:40:51

was a thought that threatened to open deep

1:40:53

black holes in his mind that could lead

1:40:56

only to madness. He

1:40:58

decided instead to run. He

1:41:01

blew the head off the nearest corpse and

1:41:03

turned in time to see Byron kick open

1:41:05

the door of the building beside the church.

1:41:09

Jake stumbled along, every step

1:41:11

a painful jab in his side, and

1:41:13

followed his friends into the dark. He

1:41:17

slammed the door behind him and bolted it. The

1:41:21

only sounds were the collective breathing and

1:41:23

the scraping of the dead outside as

1:41:25

they pressed against the building. Moonlight

1:41:28

spilled through the window and front

1:41:30

door, sparkling on the broken

1:41:32

glass. This was

1:41:35

not going to be a safe place for long.

1:41:38

The three survivors looked around the room.

1:41:41

The walls were lined with recessed

1:41:43

shelves, and three low tables were

1:41:45

spaced out across the floor. Tasha's

1:41:48

eyes gleamed in the darkness. This

1:41:52

was Mr. Connington's store. He

1:41:55

was the shoemaker. She

1:41:57

took her hand from Byron's shoulder and pointed

1:41:59

at the floor. front counter. He

1:42:01

always had a jar of candy up there. It's

1:42:04

gone now. She

1:42:06

wrapped her arms around Byron's neck and

1:42:09

said no more. Jake

1:42:11

surveyed the back of the store. Time

1:42:14

was fleeting. Do you think

1:42:16

there's a way up to the roof? The

1:42:19

sounds of shuffling footsteps grew

1:42:21

louder outside. Byron's

1:42:23

mustache twitched. I don't

1:42:26

know. I don't see any

1:42:28

stars or anything. We

1:42:30

could maybe. Suddenly

1:42:35

he was screaming. No

1:42:38

one had seen nor heard the dead

1:42:40

man who had crawled up onto the

1:42:42

table behind the old man until he

1:42:44

reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Tasha

1:42:47

squealed as the thing stretched its

1:42:49

dry flaking jaws and sank its

1:42:52

teeth into the wrinkled flesh of

1:42:54

Byron's neck. Blood

1:42:56

squirted in a jet, spraying Tasha

1:42:58

in the face. She fell to

1:43:00

the floor as Byron flailed at

1:43:03

the creature, clinging to his back.

1:43:06

It dug its fingers into his shirt

1:43:08

and held on, tearing out hunks of

1:43:10

meat, chewing loudly. Tasha

1:43:14

used the table to pull herself up,

1:43:16

balancing on her good foot. She

1:43:19

hopped stepped over to Jake's side, frantically

1:43:21

trying to wipe Byron's hot blood from

1:43:23

her face and hair. Jake

1:43:25

waved the six-shooter, unable to place

1:43:28

a good shot. The

1:43:30

second spun out and Byron's blood

1:43:32

gushed. His screams were

1:43:35

growing quieter, his struggling weaker.

1:43:38

The dead thing bit off his ear and

1:43:40

he barely seemed to notice. Finally,

1:43:43

Jake sprung forward to physically beat

1:43:45

the creature, but the

1:43:48

old man stumbled backwards, holding his hands

1:43:50

out. His knees buckled

1:43:53

and he spilled both himself and his

1:43:55

attacker to the floor. When

1:43:57

he spoke, his voice was low and horse.

1:44:02

Do for me. Jake

1:44:05

shook his head violently. Don't do

1:44:07

that. He didn't know he

1:44:10

was shouting. Outside

1:44:12

the living dead had crept around the front

1:44:14

of the building. They trudged

1:44:17

slowly onward, reaching toward the

1:44:19

empty windows. Their

1:44:21

shadows climbed the outside walls,

1:44:23

chased by the moonlight. One

1:44:26

pressed himself against the dead man beneath

1:44:29

his neck, trying to hold it

1:44:31

down. His eyelids

1:44:33

fluttered. It seemed to

1:44:35

take a lot out of him to speak,

1:44:37

and he could barely be heard under the

1:44:39

pounding at the side door. I'm a goner.

1:44:41

Do for me. And

1:44:46

then do

1:44:49

for this son of a bitch. His

1:44:53

wound was no longer gushing but

1:44:55

trickling instead, slow and

1:44:57

sticky. He made a

1:44:59

great effort to look up into Jake's

1:45:02

eyes. Please,

1:45:07

don't let me

1:45:10

get back up. Jake's

1:45:14

eyes narrowed. He

1:45:17

stepped forward and pointed the gun. He

1:45:20

looked down at the torn and bloodied old

1:45:22

man and the abomination

1:45:24

writhing beneath him. He

1:45:27

spoke through gritted teeth. Good

1:45:29

night, old hoss. He

1:45:32

fired two rounds, and

1:45:37

everything inside the shoemaker's shop became

1:45:39

still for a moment. Then

1:45:42

Tasha shrieked. Dead

1:45:46

hands were reaching in through the

1:45:48

window, tearing gray flesh from scrabbling

1:45:50

fingers as they raked across the

1:45:52

broken glass. Jake

1:45:54

stepped over to her and held out his

1:45:56

arm like a gentleman asking the lady for

1:45:59

a dance. Grandma,

1:46:02

you're gonna have to hop as fast as you

1:46:04

can." The little

1:46:06

girl looked up into his face,

1:46:08

terrified and nodded. She

1:46:10

linked her arm through his and they started to

1:46:12

cross the store to the door at the far

1:46:15

end near the counter. Behind

1:46:17

them, the door they had come in

1:46:19

began to splinter under the weight of

1:46:21

hungry corpses. Jake

1:46:23

threw open the front door and stepped out.

1:46:27

It was a nightmare parody of what the

1:46:29

town must have been like before the

1:46:31

resurrection. Townsfolk

1:46:33

bustling in the street, coming

1:46:36

in and out of shops, drunks and

1:46:38

gamblers swaying in front of the saloon.

1:46:41

But instead of fresh, ruddy faces

1:46:43

squinting in the sun as they

1:46:45

went about their business, it

1:46:48

was gray faces, slack and yawning

1:46:50

under the pale moon. They

1:46:53

dragged themselves along slowly but

1:46:55

surely, intent on pulling Jake

1:46:57

and Tasha into their fold,

1:46:59

welcoming them with teeth and dry

1:47:02

tongues. A line of

1:47:04

them was wrapped around a shop, choking the

1:47:06

alley as they followed the leaders to where

1:47:08

they had seen to live and disappear. Another

1:47:12

throng had pressed themselves against a false

1:47:14

front at the little store, while

1:47:17

others just shambled and jerked in

1:47:20

random directions. When

1:47:22

the postman and the little girl burst through

1:47:24

the door, they all stopped

1:47:26

and turned, their jaws working greedily.

1:47:30

Jake was hurting and he knew that

1:47:32

Tasha's leg was in bad shape, but

1:47:34

a glimmer of hope had blossomed within

1:47:37

him, small but bright. Whatever

1:47:40

else these dead folks might be,

1:47:42

fast they weren't. Even

1:47:45

limping, if he and the girl moved

1:47:47

quickly, they could outpace the things. If

1:47:50

what Loftus had said about them being

1:47:52

unable to go past the severed Indian

1:47:54

heads was true, then they just

1:47:57

had to make it around the corner and up

1:47:59

the street. He hurried

1:48:01

along, dragging the girl with him.

1:48:04

He barely dared to hope that the

1:48:06

next street wouldn't be overrun. As

1:48:09

they burst out onto the street,

1:48:11

a voice, very much alive and

1:48:14

familiar, called out from behind and

1:48:16

above Jake and Tasha. Oh

1:48:19

there! Where's

1:48:21

the old man? Hehehe!

1:48:24

Did he accept God's grace

1:48:26

and submit to his will?

1:48:30

Hehehehehehe! Jake

1:48:33

knew it was foolish. He

1:48:35

knew it was a waste of time and ammo,

1:48:38

but every ounce of anger and grief

1:48:40

pulled at him, inexorably

1:48:43

turning his body and

1:48:45

pointing the gun in his hand at the roof

1:48:47

of the church. Humbert

1:48:49

Loftus was standing near the belfry,

1:48:52

his hands held to the sky

1:48:55

triumphant. Jake should

1:48:57

have missed. He was

1:48:59

too far away. It was

1:49:01

dark and he was beaten and distracted,

1:49:05

but when he pulled the trigger, the

1:49:07

preacher's right leg jerked and spilled him

1:49:09

down the sloped roof. He

1:49:14

bounced off the gutter and

1:49:16

rolled over the edge and into the

1:49:18

sea of ghouls swarming the shadows beside

1:49:20

the church. Jake looked

1:49:23

down at Tasha and was surprised to

1:49:25

see a ghost of a smile on

1:49:27

her lips. He grinned

1:49:29

back at her. It felt

1:49:31

unnatural on his face, but he enjoyed

1:49:33

the moment nonetheless. Then

1:49:36

he looked over his shoulder at the

1:49:38

ever advancing army of dead townsfolk and

1:49:40

decided it was time for them to

1:49:42

move on. As

1:49:44

the postman and the little girl made

1:49:46

their escape, another night bird

1:49:48

cried out from above. Jake

1:49:51

thought it was probably laughing at what it

1:49:53

was seeing, a race through

1:49:55

the dark streets of Cottonwood between the

1:49:58

crippled and the dead. all

1:50:00

of them limping and shambling along

1:50:02

desperately. Even

1:50:05

at their hampered pace, though, the living

1:50:07

were out distancing their pursuers. They

1:50:10

quickly reached the water pump, and Jake

1:50:12

held his breath as they turned the

1:50:14

corner, afraid of what might be waiting

1:50:16

there. Nothing

1:50:19

was. It was just

1:50:21

an empty street that led past a

1:50:23

few silent buildings, across a

1:50:25

grassy heath to where two spiked

1:50:28

Indian heads stood watch. Jake's

1:50:30

side burned with pain, his

1:50:33

legs tired and weak, but

1:50:35

his heart was suddenly lighter. He

1:50:38

pushed himself harder, yanking Tasha

1:50:40

forward, no longer trying to

1:50:42

be gentle. Behind

1:50:45

them and around the corner, the sound

1:50:47

of hundreds of shuffling feet grew a

1:50:49

little fainter, like

1:50:51

voices whispering. Just

1:50:54

another fifty yards now. Suddenly

1:50:57

the screeching ping of a ricocheted bullet

1:51:00

struck the ground at Jake's foot. He

1:51:03

spun around wildly, his eyes

1:51:05

wide. Standing not

1:51:07

far behind them, leaning on the

1:51:10

water pump, was the Reverend Humbert

1:51:12

Loftus. He was

1:51:14

pointing a familiar Colt revolver at them.

1:51:17

Found your gun on the ground

1:51:19

back there. His

1:51:21

voice was high and reedy. God

1:51:23

helps those who help themselves.

1:51:27

He took a limp and stepped forward and

1:51:29

fired again. The

1:51:32

shot hit the toe of Jake's boot and

1:51:34

he fell to the ground, pulling Tasha with

1:51:36

him. So close,

1:51:39

he grimaced, furious at the thought.

1:51:42

We almost made it, goddamn it. The

1:51:46

preacher staggered towards them like a

1:51:48

drunkard, waving the gun and cackling.

1:51:51

You thought you could challenge

1:51:53

the will of the Almighty?

1:51:55

Haha, fool! He

1:51:58

pulled the trigger again. but this time

1:52:00

the shot went wild. He

1:52:03

didn't seem to notice. Ha

1:52:05

ha ha ha ha. Still,

1:52:08

he will welcome you into his flock.

1:52:11

Bless them, Father, for they know

1:52:13

not what they do. Loftus

1:52:17

didn't see the figure come lumbering out

1:52:19

of the shadows until it reached out

1:52:21

and grabbed him by the arm. The

1:52:24

preacher spun just as the creature sank

1:52:26

its teeth into his shoulder. He

1:52:29

uttered a horrible scream and collapsed to

1:52:31

the ground, the gun falling from

1:52:33

his hand. The thing

1:52:36

crouched over him and Jake and Tasha

1:52:38

could hear the sounds of a ripping

1:52:40

cloth and flesh. Even

1:52:42

over Loftus' cries. Jake

1:52:45

got slowly up, helping Tasha to

1:52:47

her feet. Ahead

1:52:49

at the street corner, the first

1:52:51

of the resurrected mob was arriving.

1:52:54

Jake started to turn, ready to make

1:52:56

for the barrier. When the dead man

1:52:58

who had pulled Loftus to the ground

1:53:00

looked up at him, it

1:53:02

was Cody, or rather

1:53:05

what had once been Cody. Gore

1:53:08

dripped from his lower jaw as he locked

1:53:10

eyes with Jake for a moment. Then

1:53:13

he dipped his head back to the preacher, digging

1:53:15

into the fat of his neck. Jake

1:53:18

touched the brim of his hat, issuing

1:53:21

silent thanks to what had once been

1:53:23

his friend, and then they hurried

1:53:25

on. They covered

1:53:27

the ground fast and soon they were

1:53:29

passing the Indian heads. It

1:53:31

didn't surprise Jake at all to see

1:53:34

a green misty glow shining from their

1:53:36

empty eye sockets. The

1:53:38

horses were where they had left them, calm

1:53:41

and quiet, knowing nothing of

1:53:43

the horrors that had befallen their riders.

1:53:46

Jake untied their heads from the cactus.

1:53:49

He pushed Tasha up on the foxy

1:53:51

saddle and then climbed on behind him,

1:53:54

wincing at the pain in his side. He

1:53:57

took a look back at Cottonwood. He

1:54:00

could see the dead. A

1:54:03

huge crowd had fallen upon the preacher,

1:54:05

bringing their shepherd into the flock. When

1:54:09

Tasha turned to see, he tried

1:54:11

to keep her from it. Hey,

1:54:14

you don't want to see that. Her

1:54:17

eyes were steely. Yes,

1:54:19

I do. So

1:54:21

he let her get an eyeful. When

1:54:24

he thought she had seen enough, he

1:54:26

grabbed the other horse's reins. He

1:54:29

put the spurs to Foxy and gave a

1:54:31

shout. The

1:54:34

horses took off at a run, and

1:54:37

the postman and the little girl rode

1:54:40

on towards the east and

1:54:42

dawned. That

1:55:12

was The Blessed Resurrection

1:55:15

by author R.K. Lombrink,

1:55:18

Amen. A

1:55:21

good reminder that R.K.'s collection These

1:55:23

Lonely Places is available now from

1:55:25

our friends at Vaylok's Books. Check

1:55:28

out the link in the show

1:55:30

notes or just head to www.vaylok'sbooks.com

1:55:32

where you can find R.K. and

1:55:34

plenty of other excellent authors you've

1:55:36

heard on this show. And

1:55:38

if you're more of a listener, These Lonely

1:55:40

Places is available now on audible.com. Narrated

1:55:44

by that big, beautiful, cue-ball-headed

1:55:46

bastard, my eastern correspondent, Jeff

1:55:48

Sturdivant. Way to go, Jeffrey.

1:55:52

Now, a little about the author. R.K.

1:55:55

Lombrink is a writer and artist who

1:55:57

lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife,

1:55:59

Elise, and two sons, Colin and

1:56:01

Cole. He is the founding father

1:56:03

of our great nation and is

1:56:05

a founding cast

1:56:07

member of the popular horror podcast,

1:56:10

Night of the Living Podcast. He

1:56:13

enjoys unsweet iced tea and

1:56:15

other abominations, and genuinely believes

1:56:17

in Sasquatch. Hey, thanks

1:56:19

R.K. And a special

1:56:22

thanks to Valox Books, publisher of

1:56:24

High Octane Nightmare Fuel. Be

1:56:26

sure to check out their site,

1:56:28

valoxbooks.com, for your next read. And

1:56:32

do old Drew Bludd a favor, would you? Subscribe

1:56:34

to his podcast wherever you do your

1:56:37

listening and leave him a five-star review

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and a kind word, even if you're

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1:56:43

soldiers on all fronts to win this battle,

1:56:45

and he appreciates it. To

1:56:47

hear a premium ad-free edition of

1:56:49

the nights and all the other

1:56:51

episodes, visit simpliscarrypodcast.com today and click

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1:56:56

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and get access to their entire

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1:57:10

you for your time and for supporting our

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send it to drewbloodhauleratgmail.com. If

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selected, you'll get the full treatment of

1:57:47

10 bananas. till

1:58:00

next week. So grab a drink

1:58:02

for the road, friend. In

1:58:04

fact, grab one of those blue raspberry

1:58:06

steel reserves you brought over. Actually,

1:58:09

just take all of them with you, just

1:58:11

in case you get thirsty. Appreciate the

1:58:14

gesture, of course. And

1:58:16

take that goddamn jug of unsweet iced

1:58:18

tea someone brought over, too. On

1:58:21

your way, may the wind be at

1:58:23

your back, and may the road rise up to

1:58:25

meet you. May misfortune

1:58:27

follow you, but never catch up. If

1:58:30

it does, go fuck yourself. Good

1:58:37

night, y'all. The

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