Chapter 22
The yelling woke me up. It echoed through the stone walls of the church and boomed in the open chambers. I whimpered and pulled my pillow over my head.
“You stupid fool! Why would you risk everything?”
I abruptly occurred to me to wonder where I'd gotten a pillow. I sat up and looked around. I was sitting in a nest of bedding. Thick, plushy comforters and pillows had been heaped onto the largest bed I'd ever seen.
“I needed a purpose.”
“You're an idiot. You already have a purpose. The lawn of church is filled with worshipers begging for your blessing. Groveling for your touch.”
I slid out of the bed and noted that I was wearing a shift-dress that was nearly identical to the one that Vera had been wearing earlier. I felt strangely exposed as I made my way to the doorway of the bedroom and then followed the echoes of the shouting out into the hallway.
“I never wanted to be worshiped!” Seth yelled as I stepped into the big chamber at the end of the hall.
Seth looked rough. His clothes were filthy and torn. His arm had a fresh, oozing scrape that went from his exposed shoulder all the way down to his wrist. It didn't look like the kind of wound that would heal on someone who was already gradually turning into a zombie. Dark circles underlined both of his eyes and the white of the scar on his face stood out starkly against his skin.
“You're a fool,” Vera snapped at him. “Taking off for days at time because you thought you saw the girl you've been dreaming about since we were children. Leaving everyone here to fend for ourselves while you chase one wild goose after another. What kind of a high priest abandons his followers?”
“You and I both know that everyone on that hill is crazy as a fucking loon,” Seth snarled. “I'm no more sacred than that pot in the corner is.” He pointed to a fat blue vase that was just left of the doorway I was standing in.
His jaw dropped when he caught sight of me. He took two steps towards me and then stopped dead in his tracks. “Pilar?”
“Hi.” I gave him a small wave and a small but genuine smile. “The hospitality here is really something.”
“I can only imagine.” Seth closed the distance between us. He grabbed my chin in his right palm and put his left around my hips. “I thought you were dead.”
“I'm sorry?” I swallowed a lump in my throat and leaned against him. I could feel how hard his pulse was pounding in his throat as I laid my cheek against his neck. His skin was so hot I was surprised touching him didn't burn my fingers.
“I went back to the river and you were gone. Your clothes and your machete were there, but you were gone,” his voice shook as he spoke.
“Drake found us.” I didn't even try to hide the bitterness I felt. “Did you know that he only invited me to join the Scavengers because the Powers that Be had told him to kill me?”
“You know I had questions about why you were on an active hunt,” Seth reminded me. “But no. To answer your question, no. I didn't know he'd brought you out of the Cube to kill you until Jeb told me.”
“Jeb told you?” I sucked in my breath. “You saw Jeb? Is he okay?”
“I followed his tracks from the river to the bus. He was loading thousands of cans from Drake's not-so-secret stockpile onto the bus when I caught up with them. I offered to get him out of there, bring him back here with me, but he says Drake won't hurt him. I don't know if I agree with his assessment, but it's his choice. Drake's gone insane. He killed Shayla and Kennedy both.”
“I know,” I said with a nod. “Kennedy was trying to get away. He wanted to leave the Scavengers for good. Drake slaughtered him in the woods before he even made it halfway here.”
“It's my fault. I knew he wanted to defect. I should have stayed with him.” Seth turned his head to the side so that he wasn't looking me in the eyes. “But I didn't. I was more worried about you.”
“Vera says you dream about me?” I asked.
“Vera has a big mouth.” Seth narrowed his eyes at his sister.
“You told me she was the girl. Why else do you think I let her shove her way in here?” Vera crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at Seth.
“You shoved your way past Vera?” Seth looked mildly impressed.
“She also got into a fight with the worshipers on the stairs,” Vera explained. “I would have thrown her out, but she started talking about you and guns, so I decided to listen to what she had to say.”
“Me and guns.” Seth smiled slowly and reached down into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out my father's revolver. “Missing this?”
“I didn't figure you'd been dumb enough to lose it in the junkyard,” I said as I took it back from him, only to belatedly realize I had nowhere to carry a gun in this dress.
Seth noticed my problem and let out a short laugh. “You want me to hold on to it for you?”
“I want you to come with me,” I told him.
“Come with you?”
“Drake talked a lot the other night on the river bank. He told me Bud Moon took my parents to Ra Shet. He says they're-.”
“Being sold in the meat market.”
“You already knew?” I pulled away from him in horror.
“No.” Seth pulled me back to him. “I just know what Bud Moon does for a living. He's a flesh broker.”
“I have to save them.”
“Pilar-.”
“I have to save them. At least, I have to try.” I stared up into his eyes, trying to focus on the very alive blue one rather than the ice cold dead one. “I came here to ask you to help me. You don't have to. I know its dangerous. Whether or not you come with me is your choice.”
“When do we leave?” Seth asked.
CHURCH OF CHAOS
AFTER THE APOCALYPSE
BOOK TWO