The Scroll

Chapter Seven

"Just what do you think you are doing?" The Reverend John exploded. He had been relatively calm as he strode across the courtyard, Georgie had seen to that. Reverend John was about to save the world yet he now seemed to be surrounded by imbeciles who could not follow his simplest instructions.

The cause of Reverend John's renewed anger lay naked and spent on the bed in front of him. He felt under no obligation to knock on their door, these people worked for him after all. The couple on the bed starred nonchalantly back at him. Revered John wondered if they were taking drugs.

"Can we help you?" Bonnie asked. She deliberately stoked the fires of Reverend John's anger by not covering herself.

"Help me? Help me! You, you fornicators!" Reverend John stammered, unable to control himself any longer. "Get dressed and meet me outside!" He turned around and stormed out of the door. The slamming of the door behind him did not cover the sound of Bonnie's laughter. Reverend John closed his eyes trying to get his breathing under control. Had hiring them been a mistake he wondered. Perhaps he should have listened to Cue Ball's objections. Reverend John almost smiled at the thought, what did that bald-headed military oaf know about anything?

Bonnie and Clyde lay where they were, in no hurry to do Reverend John's bidding. She had an athletic body, tanned from many hours spent in a solarium. Bonnie had started to workout after meeting Clyde and as a result the muscles of her arms and legs were clearly defined. When she turned to face him Clyde could see the well-contoured muscles of her stomach. Bonnie enjoyed his gaze and returned it in kind.

Although under six feet tall years of gym work had given Clyde a muscle bound frame, which he took every opportunity to show off. Biceps, triceps and six-pack all bulged. Clyde jumped out of bed and put on the trousers and shirt that he had left lying on the floor earlier. "So lets go see what's got him all hot under the dog collar," Clyde said, glancing at Bonnie who was now as modestly dressed as she could ever be, "and then you can get naked again."

From the forest that surrounded it only the roof of the building was visible. It had originally been built as a hunting lodge at the dawn of the twentieth century, although the term lodge was not a fair description of its size or former grandeur. The centrepiece was the square, cobbled courtyard, enclosed on two sides by adjoining wings containing guest rooms, a stable wing that had housed the servant's quarters and finally a solid brick wall which allowed entry through two large wooden doors; that were almost as high as the wall itself. The secluded hunting lodge was now owned by the Alliance.

Emerging from the surrounding forest Cue Ball at once noticed the open gates of the lodge, which were supposed to remain closed at all times. Through them he could see three figures standing in the courtyard. Cue Ball groaned inwardly as he glanced across at his partner. Flat Top simply shrugged resignedly. The Reverend John stood with his back to the gate, his face livid as he faced Bonnie and Clyde. She was gesticulating wildly and screaming at Reverend John, her words almost unintelligible. Clyde, almost inevitably, was attempting to be menacing whilst melodramatically pointing a Colt 45 at Reverend John.

So engrossed were they in their little drama that none of the protagonists in the courtyard noticed the new arrivals. Cue Ball and Flat Top guided their mounts to separate sides of the yard, splitting Bonnie and Clyde's attention. The measured clip-clop of hooves on cobbles finally alerted Reverend John, who turned to look up incredulously at Marilene on the back of Cue Ball's horse.

"Somebody burn the toast?" Cue Ball asked softly. Bonnie calmed down immediately, licking her lips anxiously. Clyde's tough-guy swagger disappeared just as quickly; he was instantly subdued and nervous. "Well?" Cue Ball continued, "You all seemed to have a lot to say for yourselves a minute ago."