The Gospel of the Font

Chapter 12

Our journey back through the city has so far been uneventful, though we both carried ourselves like paranoid conspiracy theorists for the first few minutes. In my eyes, everyone is out to get me. It took a few minutes of walking practically on my toes before I came to the realization that most of these people couldn't care less about me.

No, they're all too worried about their flood-damaged homes. They're all worried about their shattered lives that washed away in the rain. The walk from the helicopter drop spot to my apartment was short. We made it in just fifteen minutes, so we didn't get to really survey the damage. This time, however, we're heading to Walter's house.

Walter lives in a little house on the other side of town from campus. We've been there before. Being the top two students will merit you more than one invite to the department head's household. We know that's not where he was when the storm hit, but it's where he'll try to go if he survived.

Wow, that's a heavy thought.

The walk through the city has been the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever experienced. This is the city I love, the city I went to school in. Even before I came down here for school, Charlotte always seemed like home to me. It is astounding to see what one freak storm can do to a community. The streets are full of dirt and trash. Windows are shattered from looting. People are clinging to one another, their eyes full of tears. I hear one woman frantically asking a nearby police officer if anyone has seen her son.

Throughout all of this, I feel the guilt. I feel the nagging knowledge in the back of my mind that this all came about because I refused to give the book to Allustar. I know that Tim is thinking it too, probably harder than I am since he doesn't see the full scope of things like I do.

Despite the tragedy playing out around me, I'm still not ashamed of my decision. If God is willing to ransom an entire town for a book, then God is a fucking terrorist. Hell, we're talking about the same being that supposedly drowned the whole damn world in a flood. Why should a single town in North Carolina be surprising?

Tim and I don't look too good either, but at least I've got a clean shirt on. The cuffs of my jeans are disgusting, and my feet look even worse. I feel like some prick in a suit is going to suddenly walk up and talk about how someone can keep me fed for just pennies a day. Poor Faith has to walk these dirty streets with no shoes, so you should send us money.

More than anything, this scene paints for me the full scope of what I've been asked to do. I've got God himself and all of his millions of followers stacked against me and all I've got is the book, my reluctant best friend, and dirty feet.

"So, is this just going to keep happening until you give up the book or finally die?" Tim asks. He doesn't even look at me when he talks.

"Until I show enough people the truth," I reply. "She told me that God's power is..."

"Lucifer?" Tim asks. This time he stops moving and turns to face me.

I give him a puzzled look.

"By her, you mean Lucifer, right?" Tim asks. "You mean the devil himself, or herself, or whatever the fuck it is." Tim is looking exasperated. He has now lived through a meteor shower, had two guns pulled on him, been shot at, and taken the grand tour of his college town wiped away by a flood. Everyone around us is full of fear, sorrow, and confusion, but Tim only has two of those. There is no confusion with him because he knows why the flood came. I'm sure he doesn't want to blame me, but I don't think he can help it.

"Yes, Tim, Lucifer," I say in the most pleasant tone of voice I can. I really don't want to lose my temper with him, though I'm now on a hair-trigger. If I had anyone else to turn to then I'd probably just leave him to be angry, but he's the only one anchoring me to sanity right now and I don't think I'd make it without him.