The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 9

The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 9

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Trains by Highway T

"Surrender those trains to the righteous of God!" Oh, Creator just what he needed a confrontation with Preacher Elias Duggins. Ian stood hands on his hips as the men advanced on him, "Now Elias let's not get into an argument today." He just wished they'd lower their guns.

Elias was a wound-up fanatic on any given day but usually stuck to words and snubs. Or on better days ignored anyone all together who didn't attend his Church of the Faithful. "Hold future denizen of hell and fall to your knees before the chosen of God and know his wrath!"Ian would rather go to hell than fall to his knees before this idiot.

Carson Jessup, one of Elias's sons-in-law was pulling children from the back of the cars. The children's hands were tied behind them and they were gagged. Each time one hesitated they were smacked in the back with the butt of Carson's rifle. Ian counted ten in all and he knew these children.

Little Brandon Teeter and Malikai Zucker fell and were pulled up by the back of their shirts. The boys marched forward and were kicked to their knees in front of Ian. "All right Elias what crawled up your craw today and why are these kids in this shape?"

"You should know as it is you and your vile lover who has brought this plague upon us. These weak-willed children have sealed their fates they have forsaken God and chose to be marked by the beast, forever shall they burn in the fiery pits of hell."

Now Ian was mad. "I'll presume you mean the marks left behind by the Sickness and I'll also presume none of you men have them which means you haven't caught the Sickness yet. Let me dispel your ignorance. Every survivor of the fever gets those marks, not just non-believers and gays Elias."

"Blasphemy! The righteous are cleansed by the fire of God and are called home! Only the forsworn are marked by the Devil! Before my time comes to be called home and sit at the table of our Lord and savior beside my wife, I shall rid the world of these affronts before God's sight."

'Oh shit, the old zealot's gone around the bend 'cause he lost his wife.' Ian thought to himself. "Listen Elias I'm sorry to hear about your wife passing she was a good woman but that's no reason to go around killing people." Ian couldn't believe the whopper he just told. Abigail, Elias's wife, had been just as nasty, vindictive, and judgemental as Elias was.

"My wife? You think my wife was the only one God called home! He called my whole congregation! My preaching of God's word saved 189 people from the trials and tribulations coming to this world! The righteous that stand before you are all that is left to be called home by God's will!"

"These ten that lay there are the only non-believers." "You mean to tell me only ten children survived out of your whole congregation?" Another car pulled up behind Elias's group of cars. Job Oller, one of Elias's sons-in-law, stepped unarmed out of his car.

Ian knew Carson and Albert were completely brainwashed by Elias and would do anything Elias demanded of them but he had to try and save the children. "Are all you men going to murder your own children for surviving the Sickness? Something they had no control of?" Ian stared each one in the eyes and saw Hiram and Audrey look away. "How do you know God didn't mean them to survive for some greater purpose!"

Elias strode forward with a knife and cut his young grandson's hands loose nicking him in the process. He pulled the boy's left arm up in the air. "See the mark of the beast! The bar code along this non-believers arm. Was this mark not foretold to come in our sacred bible!" Elias was shaking the boy back and forth by the arm. The child was in danger of having his shoulder dislocated. "I believe according to Deuteronomy it was said the mark would be on the head or hand Elias, not the arm." "If you're going to quote the bible at least quote it accurately and not some personally warped version of it."