Burn Your Local Church

Dilemmas

A/N: Chapter 4 already :$

|dj_kenn|

"The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love. That's the message we're brought up with, isn't it? Believe or die! Thank you, forgiving Lord, for all those options."

~Bill Hicks

Chapter 4:

Zach an I were walking along the side of the Christian River, taking the long way back to his city's hospital. It was silent and awkward at first, but we eased into it after a while. Zach leaded me into the waiting room of a very tall building. It had many windows, and sat on a corner in the heart of the city.

Zach walked up to a desk where a women was sitting. "I think I have someone," he said motioning to me, "I can't tell if she broke or fractured her wrist."

The women at the counter didn't even look up or smile. "Name?"

Zach hesitated. "Jamie Lynn Woods."

The women furrowed her eyebrows before looking up at Zach. "We don't have any records of a Jamie Lynn Woods."

"Oh," I could sense Zach was coming up with something, "She's my cousin from outta town."

The women sighed. "There's not much we can do without her identify, I can't even get a doctor to look at it."

Zach gave the women a sarcastic look before rolling his eyes and walking away. He grabbed my arm on the way out and pulled me into the hallway outside of the waiting room. "I'm sorry." He said seriously.

"Don't be," I explained, "There's nothing we can do."

I followed closely behind Zach as he walked out of the hospital and onto the city streets. I told him I should probably start heading home and I thanked him for his help. We walked together down the hill towards the forest. While we were walking, we were talking about random things about our villages.

"So what's it like in your village?" He asked me.

"They live like it's the 18th century, and we have bonfires way too much."

"I love bonfires."

"No, no," I chuckled. "I meant bonfires where you stand together around a fire and hum and worship."

"Hasn't your village ever heard of a church?"

"Yeah, we burn them all the time." An awkward silence filled the air. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot about you being a Christian and that and I'm sorry."

He shrugged and kicked a rock to the side. "It's chill," He looked up at the sky, "I hate it here anyways."

I looked at my wrist and moved it in a circular motion, trying not to let it tense up. Zach stopped walking, and naturally I stopped too. He pulled his shirt off and I was taken back. He used his teeth to rip it in half and he grabbed my wrist and gently put his shirt around my wrist, making a cast out of it.

When he finished I smiled politely at him and thanked him.

I looked down at my feet and saw a bunch of ants file into an ant whole. "It's gonna rain," I paused. "I should probably head home. I have to be home by prai-" I cut myself off. "I have to be home by eight."

He nodded. "Okay, I can walk you to the gates."

I smiled weakly then we headed off to the gates.

When we were approaching the gates, it looked as if Zach was going to say something, but he never did. I said goodbye and walked over to the door in the ground and banged three times. Paul opened the door and peaked his head out. Once he saw me, he opened the gate all the way.

I lowered myself into the chamber, and smiled at Zach, wondering why he hadn't left yet. "Um Jamie?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you do if you're in love?"

"Nothing. You will never be in love, no one is and no one will be." I said casually. "Love doesn't exist."

He looked at me. "Aight." He said then turned and walked away.

I jumped into the tunnel and started walking home. When I got to the other end of the tunnel, the same man opened the door for me. His eyelids were heavy, his face was gloomy, and he was the complete opposite of the people in the Christian city.

Welcome home. I thought to myself.

An hour later, after walking the same route back to my shit hole of a village, I noticed that the place was dead.

The fire was burnt out. Not a single light from a house was on. No noise escaped. No people were roaming. I walked slowly back to my house, glancing quickly in people's windows. I didn't see a single person. I jogged up to my front step and quickly opened the door. It was at that moment I remembered I was wearing skinny jeans and a band tee shirt, roaming around slowly in my village. If anyone had seen me, I would of surely been banned.

When I opened my front door, my mother was in the kitchen. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Tonight was your preparation night for your seventeenth birthday," she explained, "when the village realized you weren't here, they sent out the entire village to search for you."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry."

"Well I had to lie to all of them. Jamie, you are still underage, it is against the rules for you to be going to the Christian city."

I sighed and my mother acknowledged my clothes. I explained to her, and then told her that my backpack had the dress and tights in case I came home later and didn't have enough time to go home and change.

I ran upstairs and changed into the dress and tights. When I was coming down the stairs, I noticed the people coming back to the village from the thick forest. I quickly ran out the front door, and tossed myself in the dirt and gave myself grass stains. I slowly approached the people, and they all looked shocked. The leader stepped forward, and spoke to me. "Where were you?!" His harsh, deep voice hurt my ears.

"Lord I was hunting today and got lost. I apologize for any inconvenience this caused."

There was silence, then he spoke again. "You're to be in the main square at praise hour tomorrow night. Do not be late."

I nodded then the mob broke apart and headed to their houses. I walked into my house and closed the door behind me, leaning my back against it. "That was too close."

I walked by the kitchen where my mother was, she called me back. "Yes, mom?"

"What happened to your wrist?"

A/N: Please comment and vote, and inbox me if you'd like to request a name for some upcoming characters. (:

|dj_kenn|