Seeds Of Hunger

Chapter 17: A Long Walk

Lightening flashed through the sky and thunder roared over the horizon as Carter slowly slow himself up. He hadn't had any decent sleep in the last few days and was grateful for the uninterrupted slumber. He sat himself up, MP5 dangling off his chest from the sling, and rubbed his eyes. He saw that Casey and Jameson were still asleep but the Pastor was missing. Carter scanned the entryway and saw nothing jammed open or busted down so the Pastor was still somewhere in the church. Carter checked his watch and saw it was six forty five in the morning. He stood up and started looking around the altar, thunder still booming outside of the church giving him an eerie feeling as he continued his search. Carter walked around, it was a small church with only the altar and a door in the back. Carter walked to the door and reached for the knob as the door swung open.

"Good morning, Mirado. I am in the process of making us a fine breakfast. Please come join me on this lovely morning." Pastor Cornaddo was dressed in blue jeans and a button up shirt with the iron cross hanging around his neck. "I am making bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, and I have lots of fruits for you gentleman to enjoy. I have a new pot of coffee going as well. Please sit and enjoy yourself." Pastor Cornaddo went back to the stove and continued to cook as Carter sat himself at the table.

"Do you need any help, Pastor?" Carter asked, uncomfortable.

"I can handle it. Please, eat and refuel your body. Today will be a busy day. God smiles on us this day." Pastor Cornaddo smiled at Carter as he starting bringing plates over to the table. Carter shrugged and walked over to the cabinet, grabbing a coffee mug, and taking it to the coffee machine. He filled the cup up, put in his usual milk and sugar and sat back down. Carter sipped at his coffee, understanding that Cornaddo was trying to make everything as relaxed as possible and that nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Pastor, what did you do before you started preaching?" Carter asked, wanting to learn more about his generous host.

"I was a Chaplain in the Navy during Vietnam. I went to battlefields sometimes after and sometimes during fire fights and tried to ease those on their way to Heaven. I retired from the Navy and joined the church soon after. I've been here ever since." Cornaddo brought the last of the plates of food over to the table and sat himself down, opposite of Carter. "I have seen many things, Mirado. Young men dying for a foreign land that they never heard of until they got shipped there. I walked rice paddies with Marines and got shot at numerous times. The Viet Cong weren't an army so they took pot shots at us constantly. I've held the hand of a boy as he cried for his mother while his insides fell out." Cornaddo smiled, sheepishly. "My apologies, this is not something for breakfast discussion. Although I'm sure, you three have seen similar things in the past few days." Cornaddo picked up a piece of toast and put eggs, bacon, and sausage on it before taking a bite.

Carter nodded as he started to fill his plate, "Yes sir. We have seen horrible things these last few days." Carter tried not to think about it too much. He already felt like a failure and didn't need to be reminded.

"That smells amazing, Pastor." Jameson said as he and Casey strode into the kitchen, rifles slung over their backs.

"Thank you, please sit and enjoy yourselves. I will make more if need be." Pastor hoisted his coffee mug at the two as they sat themselves down and starting eating. Small talk commenced with what they had learned the previous night at George's and other things. Pastor Cornaddo ended up making a few more of everything before everyone was full of the most amazing breakfast they ever had.

"Pastor, if you ever want to start your own cooking show, I'll gladly donate." Casey said as he helped with the dishes. Carter and Jameson had headed to the roof to survey how it looked outside. Cornaddo let out a hearty laugh.