The Paladin (20 page)

She kissed him lovingly on the forehead and set him in his wheelchair. Beck's chest rose and fell rapidly from the exertion.

"How do you feel?"

Beck took a moment and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"I feel stronger," he said, as he held out both of his withered arms. "And my hands no longer shake."

"Is that all?"

Beck looked down at his legs that Silas Cole rendered useless. The left foot moved ever so slightly. Tears of joy ran down his face as he embraced Celeste.

***

Silas and Sara sat on Sara's sofa and Silas took her hand.

"I need your help, Turtle; you are the only one I can trust. I don't even know what year it is."

"2009."

"Sixty-nine years. What about my family? What about Mary and the boys?"

"I'm sorry, but Mary was never very strong. After you left, she only lasted about a year. Howard was killed in Korea, and Zackary died about twenty-five years ago of heart failure. All that’s left is Zack and me."

"I missed so much."

"Uncle, what happened the night you disappeared?"

Silas stood up and stretched, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I have been waiting sixty-nine years to finally know the truth."

Silas lit another pipeful of tobacco.

"I had evidence that the Becks were responsible for our missing women. I called everyone to church to expose them, but they set me up." Silas chuckled. "I have to admit, Beck did a real number on me. Before I could say a word, I was faced with a whole church full of people wanting to shoot me like a rabid dog."

"No one believed you?"

"I didn't bother; at that point I knew no one would believe my wild story about monsters, riled up like they were. But I would be damned if Beck was going to walk away unscathed. Good for me I had that revolver. When I shot down that cur, everyone scattered and I saw my chance to hightail it out of there. Too bad he survived. Anyway, after the fiasco at the church, but before I came here, I broke into Bryant's Hardware and stole a case of dynamite, caps, and a plunger. After I left you and my boys, I took a shortcut to that piece of land Mr. Goodman gave me. I took the dynamite and rigged the cave under the Jesus Rock. I had just finished when Celeste arrived. When she was far enough into the main tunnel, I blew the cave."

"Did it kill her?"

"Hardly. Celeste Beck is harder to kill than a bad habit. The blast knocked over my lantern, but through some miracle, it stayed lit so I could least see. The thing was on me faster than I thought was possible. I am a big boy, but she damn near ripped me apart; felt like I had fallen into a threshing machine." 

Silas paused in his narration and drew on his pipe.

"Don't leave me in suspense, uncle!" cried Sara.

Silas chuckled. "Sixty-nine years may have come and gone but you are still the same impatient little girl, Turtle. Anyway, I fought that thing with all my might and somehow got loose. Backed against a rock wall, I grabbed up my gun and pointed at her. She stopped long enough to laugh at me—and let me tell you, Turtle—that wasn't the reaction I had hoped for. I didn't have time to reload, and since I had used five rounds on her bastard of a husband, I had one bullet left. Looking down, I saw the Collamarr tipped over on the cave floor. A thought came to me, whether it was mine or…whoever, it was then that I understood the meaning of the ultimate sacrifice and how to activate the canister."

"Ultimate sacrifice?"

"Yeah. The fellow who gave me the Collamarr—"

"In China?"

"Yes. He told me that one day I would use it to stop a nightmare, but that it would take the ultimate sacrifice. Same fellow that Maggie works for. His name is Larry."

"Larry?" she said. "I was expecting something more…exotic."

"He's exotic all right and he is also a few more things that I can't say in front of a lady." Silas rubbed his face. "Anyway, I took that big old revolver and put it to my temple. Celeste looked down and I guess she recognized the Collamarr. That stopped the devil's laughing. She begged and pleaded for me to stop and promised me the world if I would have mercy."

"What happened?"

"I pulled the trigger."

"You killed yourself?"

"Yes. To trap the beast you had to be willing to sacrifice your life. The ultimate sacrifice."

"My poor uncle," she said.

"To be honest, it wasn't that hard, Sara. I mean, trapped in the cave with that thing, I was a goner anyway."

"What is the other side like?"

"I really don't know. You see, I was trapped with the creature."

"Trapped in the jar?"

"Yes. It was just her and me, but…it's hard to explain, but it wasn't all that bad. I know this sounds strange, but it was like a small world all to itself. I don't know if it was real or an illusion conjured up by the Lord, Himself. Believe it or not, Ripley, but for the last seventy years I lived in a place we called the Village. I even had a church and a congregation to look after. It made the waiting much more bearable."

"Waiting?"

"Judgment Day. The one thing we were sure of was that it was fast approaching."

"Oh, you poor thing, trapped with that creature," she said, tears welling behind her huge glasses.

"Don't cry, Turtle; to keep you and my family safe, it was a small price to pay. Besides, over time, Celeste and I came to…an understanding."

"But everybody here thought you were a killer, a murderer."

"Did you?"

"I knew you could never hurt anyone."

"I know," he said. "You were always like a daughter to me."

***

"Zack is now Silas?" asked Brenda. "This thing gets weirder by the minute."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Maggie.

"So, were you once a man?"

"You won't be as pretty with your front teeth knocked out, Blondie."

"Oooh, sensitive," Brenda laughed. "How did you get involved, Maggie?"

Maggie looked at Brenda.

"A few weeks ago I was like you, having no idea what was really going on. I was someone else with a completely different life before I took this job. Now I work for…"

Maggie gave Brenda an odd look.

"Let's just say that the world is a stranger place than I could have ever imagined."

***

Maggie maneuvered the truck into the debris-littered parking lot of Brenda's church, or at least what was left of it.

The new Christ Redeeming Apostolic First Church of Prophecy  had taken the brunt of the storm's fury and had not fared well. The storm had exposed and exploited the church's shoddy construction. Over half of the structure had collapsed into rubble and the rest was teetering on the verge.

Brenda leapt from the still-moving truck and ran to a weeping woman near the church's former entrance.

"Momma!" she cried as she hugged Eva Mills tightly.

"Oh, Brenda, I thought you were dead," Eva said, returning her daughter's embrace.

"What about Mary and Grace?"

"I just talked to both of them and they're fine. They were staying with Aunt Ruth in Dandridge."

"Thank God," breathed Brenda, "Where's Dad?"

"In there," Eva said pointing to the pile of rubble that only the day before was a grand house of worship.

"He went in half an hour ago. I heard a terrible rumble and it just fell in! I have been trying to call for help, but the rescue squad, fire department…everybody has their hands full, and it will be a while before they can send anyone. Brenda, I don't understand. Your father gave up so much for Him, how could God let this happen?"

Brenda, unable to comprehend her mother's blindness, released her and ran toward the gaping hole of the shattered and canted doorway.

"No, please don't go!" cried Eva Mills.

Brenda warily entered the wreck of a building when she heard a sound behind her. Turning, she saw that Maggie had followed her.

"You might need help," Maggie said.

Brenda smiled, then turned and made her way through the crumbling passage.

***

John Mills was in trouble. Foolishly, he had rushed into the deathtrap to gather certain items that he could not allow to fall into the wrong hands.

He now lay covered with dirt, pinned under a fallen brick wall. He was frantically trying to escape, but the sharp pain from a broken leg made him cry out.

"Help me!" he cried, as tears cut channels through the dust coating his face.

"I'm here, Daddy," Brenda said rushing to his side.

"Thank God!"

"Momma told me where to find you."

Mills paused and gave his daughter a long look.

"Brenda, I can explain…get me out of this mess and we'll have a long talk."

"I think now is the perfect time," she said, dusting off a damaged chair and sitting down.

"Brenda, we have to get him out of here," said Maggie, "but there is no way we can lift an entire wall. We need to call someone before this whole place comes down."

"You know, Maggie, it was my dear father here who got me to convince Zack to find Silas's vessel."

"Really?" Maggie said, sitting down on the corner of the now exposed wet bar.

"Yes, he told me that my mother had been kidnapped. You know, the woman who was standing out in the parking lot?"

"Funny, she didn't look very kidnapped," said Maggie.

"One of you bitches had better call 911 right now, or else!"

"Let's go, Maggie, it seems we were too late to save him."

An ominous rumble sounded through the swaying building.

"OK, OK," he said through gritted teeth. "I was being blackmailed over some…indiscretions. I was desperate and knew you would never help me, so I concocted the story about your mother being kidnapped. I freely confess my sin; now get me out of here!"

"What kind of
indiscretions
?" asked Maggie.

"None of your damn business…whoever the hell you are!"

"Answer her," said Brenda. "Or we leave your sorry ass."

"They had photos of me with…underage girls," he said softly. "They said they would send the information to the district attorney if I didn't find that stupid jar Silas Cole owned."

"You used me!" said Brenda. "You tricked me, had me thinking Momma was in danger. Even tried to get me to screw Zack just to save your ass!" Brenda kicked a fallen wooden plaque that said
World's Greatest Pastor
across the space.

Mills gave his daughter an ugly scowl.

"Who blackmailed you?" asked Maggie.

"I don't know; a big black bastard and an Asian bitch."

"White and Kirby," uttered Maggie. "They work for Beck."

"John Beck?" cried Mills. "That lowdown son of a bitch was behind this? No wonder they had the money to finish my church."

"Let's go," said Brenda pulling Maggie with her out into the hallway.

"We can't just leave him," Maggie whispered. "Regardless of how sleazy he is, he is still your father."

Brenda looked at Maggie and smiled.

"You're right, call 911 and I will stay with him until the rescue squad gets here."

"I can't get a signal," Maggie said checking her phone. "I'll be right back."

Once Maggie disappeared from view, Brenda rejoined her father.

"I thought you had left me. Now stop being an ungrateful bitch and get me some help!" Mills screamed.

"Ungrateful, am I?" Brenda said looking around the ruined office. "What exactly should I be grateful for, Daddy? You have lied to me and used me like a cheap whore to save you from your own perverted lust."

"Look here, you stupid slut—"

"Slut?" Brenda exclaimed. "I lost my virginity to you. I was eleven! As sad as it sounds, I have only been with two men: Will Carlson and my own father."

"You cheated on me with Will Carlson? You whore! Don't you have any self-respect?"

"Cheated on
you
?  You honestly thought that you controlled my sexual experience so much that I wouldn't sleep with the man I truly loved? I can't believe I am having this conversation with my own daddy. I can't wait for them to lock your pervy ass up!"

"No one will take your word over mine, you dumb bitch! So just keep your yap shut and you will be better off!"

"You are right about one thing, dear Father, soon I will be better off."

"What are you doing?" he said. "Get me out of here!"

"Ah, just what the doctor ordered," she said, hoisting a heavy chunk of concrete over her head.

***

"Damn it, 911 is busy," said Maggie. Running over to Zack's truck, she began to gather some tools from a big toolbox bolted to the bed.

"Don't bother, Maggie."

Maggie turned and saw a dust covered Brenda walking toward her. Brenda's hollow eyes were red with tears. Maggie noticed that her hands, arms, and clothing were splattered with bits of blood.

"I'm afraid we were too late," Brenda said dispassionately.

Maggie gathered Brenda in her arms and held her tightly while the pain of twenty-two years flowed down Brenda's face.

Maggie knew that the right reverend was dead and Brenda was his murderer. From what little she did know of John Mills, it was long overdue.

While the women held each other, the aluminum steeple finally gave in to gravity, buckled, and came crashing down, as the rest of the building fell in a thick cloud of dust.

Eva Mills collapsed on the littered strewn asphalt, screaming like a banshee at the loss of her Godly husband.

"Why, Oh Lord God would you take my John away? Why would you do this to my girls and me? He served you…cherished you and you stand by and let him die? What kind of cruel God are you?"

"Let's go, Maggie," whispered Brenda, "before I get sick."

24

Wearing a dark grey running suit and pink running shoes, death stalked the devastation that was once Bryson City.

Celeste Beck wandered through the ravaged section known as Ray Town.  Ray Town was as close as the small town came to having a slum, mostly made up of undocumented Mexican workers, meth heads, prostitutes, and those for whom society had no use.

Celeste moved through the maze of debris and fallen power lines. Suddenly, her keen ears picked up the faint sound of a child's cry amid the constant whine of power saws and pounding hammers.