Page 2 of Amaros
Another shiver wracked Zoe when she recognized the woman’s voice from her dream.She hurried down the path before either of them could speak to her again.Even from a distance, she could sense they weren’t normal.Obviously, they were both crazy.
Pastor Robert stood at the pulpit at the far end of the room as the Zaydens entered the church.In his late seventies, he was tall, thin and bald.Seeing Zoe, he broke off from his song and lifted his hands in the air.“The time has come at last!”he proclaimed as her mom gave her a light shove to get her moving.Zoe stumbled and caught her balance as her mom sat down on a pew at the back of the room.“Come, Zoe,” the pastor said.“Do your duty to help shepherd my flock to heaven.”
Flushing at being the center of attention, Zoe kept her head down and hurried down the aisle.She stood near the gigantic cross with a life-sized Jesus nailed to it, then pretended to sing along with the others.Her mom wasn’t the only one who was caught up in the excitement.Most eyes were shining with tears.Hands were lifted in praise and hope that they would be chosen to ascend.Apparently, Zoe’s role was to stand there like a lump, which was fine with her.
“Holy Father, I beseech you to take my flock unto heaven!”Pastor Robert called out.“We have been faithful to you, Lord!You are our light and our reason for being!We are ready to do our bidding in heaven with your other willing servants!”
The sense of doom Zoe had felt in her dream came rushing back.Pressure built and a high-pitched sound came from everywhere at once, making her cover her ears with her hands.The singing was drowned out as the whining noise rose in volume.No one else seemed to hear it.Pastor Robert was shouting something, but his words were lost as a bright light burst into being.
Ms.Zayden caught Zoe’s eye.She smiled beatifically as she and everyone else in the building suddenly vanished just as the light intensified.It only lasted for a split second, but it had been almost bright enough to blind Zoe.
Blinking rapidly, she tried to tell herself she was still dreaming as she stared at the now empty pews.Not even her imagination was good enough to conjure up all the clothing, jewelry and other items that now littered the pews and the wooden floor.
A black suit, white shirt, shiny black shoes and a watch were piled next to the pulpit where Pastor Robert had been standing.In a daze, Zoe crossed the floor and spotted small lumps of metal among his clothes.“They’re his fillings,” she said incredulously.
Feeling sick and bewildered, she made her way back along the aisle, glancing at the items that had been left behind.Some had been internal, like pacemakers and artificial knees.Two orbs full of some kind of liquid caught her eye where a woman her age had been sitting.“I knew Betty’s boobs weren’t real,” she murmured, still in shock.
Reaching her mom’s seat, Zoe’s heart clenched when she saw her bible, purse and large cross that she’d dropped.She bent down and picked up the items.Her shock and terror began to change after a few minutes of standing there in silence.Betrayal and anger took their place.
Placing her mom’s belongings on the pew, Zoe held the cross tightly and turned to face the pulpit again.Her gaze landed on the cross and the figure that peered down at her in eternal suffering.“I was good!”she shouted, anger escalating at the injustice.“I did everything I was supposed to do!I hardly ever broke the rules and this is how you repay me?”
Pure rage suffused her as she succumbed to the simmering emotions she’d suppressed for half of her life.Bringing her arm back, she screamed in anger and threw the cross as hard as she could.The windows in the church shattered from the force of the emotions that emanated from her.The cross flew the length of the room and pierced the statue’s heart.
Slapping her hands over her mouth, Zoe’s rage faded at her blasphemy.“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!”she moaned, wondering how God was going to punish her.Then she realized He already had.Everyone who was innately good had ascended to heaven.The unworthy had been left behind.
Collapsing onto the pew next to her mother’s belongings, she put her hands over her face and began to weep.Distantly, she heard bells chiming.They should have sounded merry, but instead rang sorrowfully before fading away into silence.
Chapter Two
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DEEP IN SLUMBER, THEwarrior stirred when he sensed a presence.“It’s time, Amaros,” a female voice intoned.“Awaken and resume the duty you were made for.”She sounded distant and her voice echoed slightly, but he knew she was somewhere close by.
Her commanding tone roused Amaros from his nearly eternal rest.The thick gray fog of the Void that entombed him pulled back a few yards, releasing him from its spell.“Fate,” Amaros said in greeting as he regarded the shrouded female.As tall as he was, she matched his bulk.He knew her appearance was just a trick of his mind, but she’d always appeared in this cloaked guise with her face hidden.This time, she wasn’t alone.“Who’s he?”the warrior asked, dark eyes landing on her companion.
A strange little man with white-blond hair and pale green eyes was holding Fate’s hand.His outfit was unfamiliar to Amaros.“I’m Crowmon, lad,” the being replied.“Fate’s consort,” he added with a cheerful grin.