The Reaper Virus (Novella): Sarcophagus Read Free

yelling
and ushering him in the opposite direction.

 
    Unsteadiness
derailed the man’s pursuit and sent him to the parking lot. Doug turned to obey
his first instinct to help but Sue tugged on his arm reminding him of the
danger. Jess watched the expression on the infected stranger’s face as it
turned from desperation to dire realization. It appeared the man understood
that these people, regardless of the fact they represent a church, are going to
leave him here to die. Already returning to his feet, the shaking man found a
shard of glass on the pavement near a discarded picture frame. He gripped it
tightly enough that oddly viscous blood started dripping down from his fist.
The muted shouts became more erratic. Nurse Sue began crying and gesturing to
the bus then back to the nearby neighborhood across the street. Nothing that
was said appeared to calm the newcomer’s motions as the trio gradually worked
their way to the first bus.

 
    A burst
of movement drew the collective gaze of the second bus towards the front of the
first. Todd sprinted out from the opposite side. His sudden appearance broke
intensity like a sledge. Even the infected man seemed to be taken off guard by
the youth pastor’s emergence from the quiet vessels. Approaching the woman and
two men Todd began furiously motioning in the opposite direction then pointed
his closed fist at the man’s head. Jessica realized that his fist was wrapped
around a small revolver. The gun had been nearly camouflaged against the grey
pavement.

 
    “Why does
Todd have a gun !? ” the woman in the back of the bus
shrieked. An ache pounded within Jessica’s cranium. She wondered if the
decision to join this retreat was in actuality a massive mistake. It felt to
her this good-intentioned mission had spiraled towards a critical mass of
tragedy. All of her good intentions had led her to empty her checking account,
leave their apartment and trust in a group of people she honestly didn’t care
for. Those good intentions put her sweet daughter in a front row seat to witness
a sick man shot to death by a youth pastor with a crush on her. Ava’s eyes were
locked on the scene. The troubled mother then began trying to find the courage
to pick up her daughter and run away from this madness all together.

 
    The
volume outside then increased to the point where imagination could fill in the
muffled gaps left by the soundproof bus and discern what was being shouted from
the parking lot. Her head was throbbing. “ We
can’t be here. We can’t BE HERE. WE CAN’T BE HERE! ” screamed Jessica’s
thoughts. Right when she started to pull Ava from the seat, the ruckus outside
ceased. In that moment the universe came to a screeching halt; no one made a
sound and all movement stopped. The infected man’s arms dropped to his side.
His fist released the shard of glass allowing it to somersault down with a
splat on the concrete. For a moment he did nothing but stare at the
missionaries turned executioners. The eyes filled with rage a second before
were now hollowed with sorrowful acceptance.

 
    Doug’s
lips moved to the words of a final sentence, Jessica imagined it to be a prayer
or an apology, before joining Sue and Todd in the last steps towards their bus.
The infected man stood as a shattered surrogate of the fighter he was minutes
ago. Vibration surged from the bowels of the bus.

 
    “Show’s
over folks!” announced the driver, “Time for us to hit the road before anymore
trouble tries to up and stop us.” When the rumbling turned into movement the
man turned around and walked aimlessly in the opposite direction. A trail of
darkened blood dotted behind him like waypoints on a twisted map.

 
    Relief
overcame Jessica. “Alright, baby,” she said to Ava, “we’re finally on our way!”
Her intent was to sound excited enough that the child’s trance on the man
outside would be broken. Finally she gently placed her palm on Ava’s tiny chin.
“Ava, don’t