Scavengers. Part 15

"Doc!" David shouted, a little too loud.

Dejah was startled. Her eyes fluttered open like b.u.t.terflies on spring flowers. David felt deeply guilty that he was struck at such a time by just how beautiful she was. She blinked at him, confused.

"Dejah, you're safe, we're okay," Shaun's voice cracked with emotion. Tears dripped from his cheek to the bed.

Doc Ward came over. "Easy, girl, just take it easy. You've been through h.e.l.l and back, now."

"Ahhhhhhh ... uuuuuh," she breathed, her voice a dry rasp.

"Water," the doctor demanded. David handed it over.

The doc and Shaun helped her to a sitting position, propping pillows behind her back as they poured sips of water over her lips. She coughed at first, gasped. She groaned and took a few more moments to collect herself. She looked around and seemed finally to take it all in, grasping Shaun's hand.

"Happy birthday," Doc Ward said with a grin.

CHAPTER 23.

"Ward, I told you to let me know right away." The reverend pushed his way through the crowd and into the med rooms. Half the church had apparently heard the mysterious woman had returned from the dead, and now they filled the corridor, a din of excitement chattering away. Carson, Kathryn, and Reeves helped keep back the crowd.

The reverend stormed across the room. A handful of other folks who were patients two of them sick, one of them a very old man who'd done little more than sleep the past two days stirred at the commotion. The reverend swept past them as if they were invisible. As soon as he laid eyes on Dejah, he fell to his knees before her and kissed the back of her hand.

"Sweet Jesus!" He cried tears of joy. "Dear woman, you are touched by the very hand of G.o.d. Brought back from the dead by the Lord himself."

Dejah blinked at him. She barely understood where they were. David and Shaun didn't have much of a chance to catch her up on things when the commotion started in the hall. She winced. The light hurt her eyes. The sound hurt her ears. Everything inside of her hurt, and she was hungry.

"I'm the Reverend Lawrence James Keller of the Church of the Risen King. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

Dejah didn't respond. Her eyes rolled in their sockets, hard to focus just yet. She was lightheaded, dizzy, a little queasy. The only coherent thought she could form was: Who let this jacka.s.s in my bedroom? But of course she wasn't in her bedroom, she was here with these people. Her eyes locked on Shaun. Memories came back to her: Bocadomart, the rolled Hummer, the infected attacking, Frank's death as he spent his last moments on Earth trying to save her. Tears filmed her eyes. She was a mess inside and out, no doubt about it. But she was alive. And this guy seems pretty d.a.m.n impressed.

She had no memories of what happened after she was overcome by the infected, just a snap flash of Frank pulling her out from under a cannibalizing mob. She knew she'd been pretty bad off then. She remembered blood. Holding her guts in with one ravaged arm. Feeling blood gus.h.i.+ng from her throat, unable to move one arm and leg, both eaten to the bone. Pretty bad off.

And then: Selah ... dear G.o.d how long have I been here?

She opened her jaw. It caused an aching pain deep in her neck. She couldn't speak in anything more than a dry whisper. Shaun propped her up and gave her more water.

"No matter, dear. You're a blessing sent to us by the Lord. A sign of hope. A promise of the dawning of the Kingdom of G.o.d! A new world come to man by the righteous hand of the Almighty."

A few "halleluiahs" echoed from the halls with a stray "amen."

"Look, reverend," said the doctor. "Give the woman some room. She just woke up and she needs some time."

The reverend spent too long gazing at her as if she'd ascended from heaven on a cloud before him, right here, just now.

"Reverend," said Doc Ward.

"Sir," David placed a hand on the transfixed reverend's chest. "You need to give her some s.p.a.ce."

The reverend looked down at David's hand on his chest. The look in the holy man's eyes went from one of divine rapture to indignant fury. "This is my church, sir. You're here by my grace, and my grace only. I will conduct myself, and the congregation, as I see fit."

"Here but for the grace of Lawrence," Ward muttered.

"Pardon me? Do you have some comments, doctor? Do you think this is a laughing matter? That G.o.d sends us a messenger - this woman come to us through the gates of death, flesh restored to her bones, life restored to her flesh by the power of his Holy Spirit, a miracle the likes of which hasn't been seen since Jesus Christ walked this Earth! A modern-day Lazarus is before us, and you take this lightly, doctor?" The reverend's cheeks were red. His eyes were wild and veins stood out on his neck and temples.

The Reverend Keller swatted David's hand away. David looked for just a moment as if he might reach out, grab Keller's wrist, spin, twist, and break the man's arm. Instead, he lowered his hands.

Dejah saw the flicker of rage leave David's face and was relieved. Violence wouldn't help. And, G.o.d help them, she could see from the crowd of faces gathered at the door that there were a lot of people here who believed Keller was some kind of modern day Moses sent to lead them through the last days to the promised land. Their eyes were eager, some not comprehending the scene before them but only fixating on the pastor longingly, as if he were Jesus in the crowd, and if they could only touch the hem of his garment, they'd be saved.

And now here I am, she thought. Back from the dead. It was compelling evidence of something supernatural at work. No doubt. A whirl of questions about what was happening to her and why were enigmas of the highest order for herself, never mind a crowd of people huddled in a church, thinking the end was nigh.

Not only couldn't she say exactly what was at work in her, she couldn't say much of anything in this condition. But her priority was to be understood. Her priority was her daughter. And now more time had pa.s.sed. More precious time. Her muscles tensed and she felt anxiety quiver in her at the thought of Selah crying out for her from some darkened s.p.a.ce, surrounded on all sides by the infected....

"I-I--," Dejah's voice rasped. "Selah," she managed. "Call."

The reverend latched onto her words. "Let those with eyes see, and those with ears hear!" Keller proclaimed in a voice honed in the pulpit. "Call? Call on the Lord?" His eyes searched her face desperately looking for a clue, wanting needing something more. He clasped her aching hands in his sweaty palms.

Shaun blinked, understanding that the reverend thought she was speaking in some kind of code. That he was trying to translate her words ... Selah, for the word used in the Psalms.

"No," Shaun said, an edge in his voice. "Selah is her daughter's name. She needs to call her. We need a phone."

The reverend acknowledged Shaun for the first time. He blinked at the teenager, his face blank, unfeeling, not wanting to understand what he was to this blessed woman. After too long a pause he answered, looking at Dejah. "Of course," he said. "Of course we'll get you a phone. But first, let's get you situated in more comfortable quarters. Carson!" Reverend Keller stood, raising a finger and swiping it forward.

Carson snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

"Make sure this woman-"

"Dejah," Shaun said.

"Make sure Dejah is transferred to my personal wing, in the room with my precious Daughters of Heaven." Keller smiled and Dejah couldn't say for sure, because she felt so d.a.m.ned bad altogether, but the look on his face made her stomach a little sicker. "You'll be much more comfortable there, my dear."

David looked skeptically at the doctor, then met Dejah's eyes. In David's eyes she saw sanity, a need to help in the face of dawning helplessness.

Doc Ward said: "Look, Reverend, I really don't think she should be moved just yet. She needs more care, I need to keep an eye on her and make sure-"

"You can care for her there, Ward," Keller said in a dead tone. "She's not staying down here-" he gave a meaningful glance of disgust around the room and continued, "-anymore."

"Reeves, T.D.," Carson said. "Escort this woman to Reverend Keller's personal wing." The two militants did as they were told. As they gripped Dejah by each arm, heaving her to her feet, pain ripped through her body and she yelped like a wounded animal. Her vision went blank, shot with white flashes before her eyes.

At her cry, Shaun yelled: "Hey!"

Shaun went for the soldiers, but Carson stiff-armed him, and shoved him harshly onto the cot. Shaun looked stunned; gazing at Dejah, mouth agape, he was unsure this was happening. Dejah couldn't be sure herself. For all she knew, maybe she'd died and awakened in some terrible Wonderland, and Reverend Keller was the Hatter or, perhaps, the Queen of Hearts.

Carson gave David a stern look of disapproval, then glanced at Shaun again, before ordering his soldiers: "Take her upstairs."

Keller's lips curled into a grin. A hint of cruelty etched his eyes, which flashed at the doctor, David, and then Shaun, before he saw himself out. The crowd in the hallway parted for him, and the din of people clamoring for his attention followed him away. Others waited for Dejah, carried as she was by her arms, blanching with pain.

When she was carried into the hall the sea of people parted. Some prayed for her. Some prayed to her. Some begged for her blessing or forgiveness. Others wanted to just touch her and were kicked aside by T.D. or Reeves as they made their way to the reverend's private upper rooms. They wound through the halls leading to the main entrance of the church. She felt as though she were being dragged through a labyrinth. They pa.s.sed through an archway leading toward what a sign told her was the adult Bible study hall. They emerged onto a catwalk above the cavernous hall that led from the cafe and commons, past the coffee shop and bookstore, and a children's play area called the Promised Land in a distant section of the church complex. The crowd followed, and Dejah was lost in a dizzying din of sound, in and out of consciousness.

Finally, the men who supported her reached an elevator. Carson and two other guards controlled the crowd, staying behind on the main floor.

T.D. and Reeves supported Dejah as they boarded the elevator and went up one level. The conveyor reached its destination. Dejah's stomach swooned.

The brushed steel doors opened on a hallway of plush carpet, gilded framed art, and exotic indoor trees. They took her into a room that looked like she imagined some harem chamber might look ornate furniture, velvet curtains, silk pillows, canopied beds, and three other women, all of them young and beautiful. They sat up, dismayed, excited, confused.

The two men took Dejah to the nearest canopy bed and lay her atop it, as gently as possible.

One of the women, a stunning beauty with russet hair and brown eyes, approached them in a flowing gown.

"What's this?"

"This is the Reverend's new prize," quipped Reeves.

T.D. stood, dark and menacing, guarding Dejah. Reeves just smirked.

The woman looked down at Dejah, then up at the soldiers. "The reverend told you to bring her here?"

"She's the chosen one, now. Tough break, Zanine, but I guess favor is fleeting, especially faced with a woman who showed up a ragged piece of meat and became a living breathing beauty again in a matter of hours. Keller thinks she's heaven-sent." Reeves grinned. "Who better to sleep in the chambers with the Daughters of Heaven?"

Dejah watched the exchange, trying to comprehend, trying to pull herself together, but her body insisted on more rest. Her eyelids drooped. She only caught the last few seconds of conversation before the deep comfort of the bed upon which she lay seduced her with its cloud-soft promise. As she relaxed and drifted into slumber, she watched the final exchange between narrowing eyelids.

Reeves wrapped an arm around Zanine's waist. She pushed him away. He grinned. "Well," he said. "Maybe you'll change your mind after you've had a chance to accept the new order."

"There won't be a new order," said Zanine icily.

The black man, T.D., shook his head, gripped Reeves's upper arm and urged him toward the door. "Let's go," he said. His deep voice of authority was the last thing that carried Dejah into dreamless sleep.

"The Daughters of Heaven?" David asked the doc after they'd gone. Only one guard stayed behind, the woman named Kathryn. Carson made it clear he didn't trust the doctor or David, making the order that Kathryn stay behind a blatant insult - or perhaps a threat - before he left with the crowd. She now stood at the door, watching with a weariness that belied her loyalty to the makes.h.i.+ft militia they'd formed here at Church of the Risen King.

The doctor grunted. "It's not what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" David said.

"Well, they aren't his daughters by blood, if that's what you're wondering."

"That's what I was afraid of," David said in a quiet tone.

"He can't just take her away like that, and ... and lock her up!" Shaun was beside himself with fury and grief. "We're on our way to Greenville. We're just pa.s.sing through. We didn't ask to be saved by you people. She just wants to find her daughter, and I ....she's...she's all I've got left." Shaun buried his face in his hands.

David ached for the young man. He laid an awkward hand on his shoulder. It seemed meaningless. Still, it was something. It let the kid know David was on his side. Because he sure as h.e.l.l wasn't on the side of these f.u.c.king loony toons. "And what side are you on, Doc?"

They looked to Kathryn, the woman who watched the door, a rifle in her hand, staring out into the hallway. She seemed not to have heard a word.

"Oh s.h.i.+t, don't be so melodramatic," said Doc Ward. "I like you, pal, but we don't have much choice in things. We're safe for now. It's self preservation." The old man couldn't meet David's eyes. The doctor cast a sympathetic glance at Shaun. "Y'all are welcome to stay here tonight. I need to go see after our lady."

"We'll stay down the hall in my regular room tonight," David said. "But thanks for the offer."

"See to it she's all right," Shaun said in a voice heavy with pain.

David stared at the Doc, who withered under David's gaze.

"I will."

CHAPTER 24.

The following morning, David woke Shaun and invited him to the cafeteria for breakfast rations. They walked in relative quiet, a few words about how each of them had slept served as greeting.

Shaun marveled at the size of the church. The rooms in which they slept were cla.s.srooms converted into dorm rooms. The entire east of side of the church complex was a full- size school connected to a temple and cathedral roughly the size of an indoor football stadium with two levels of balconies wrapped all the way around. Beyond the curve of the cathedral was a huge line of gla.s.s doors opening onto the multi-laned, circular drive outside.

High above them, the morning sunlight glowed through a stained gla.s.s mosaic of scenes from Genesis to Revelation. The vast marble entry curved past an information desk and led through a mall-like corridor. They walked past a bookstore with gla.s.s windows displaying decorations and the latest religious bestsellers. Next they pa.s.sed a small coffee shop before descending a wide spread of stairs into a huge commons area. At the base of the stairs sprawled an indoor children's play area called the Promised Land. A sign on an easel announced: The Promised Land is closed.

"Ain't that the truth," Shaun muttered.

The commons area was carpeted beige, tall dark wood pillars rising high to the ceiling. Wood tables and cus.h.i.+oned chairs made up an area that probably seated 300 people at least. There were couches in the far corners, a giant brick fire pit in the center, and a serving area called the Golden Streets Cafe that was more like an upscale restaurant than any cafeteria he'd been in. The Church of the Risen King was like no church Shaun had ever been in before. His own Christian school had been modestly sized, but nice. But man, nothing like this. This was truly a city unto itself.

Too bad they're all a bunch of freaks, he thought. This might be a good place to lay low until we find out what's going on. But then that wasn't fair. They weren't all freaks. David was cool, and so was one guy they'd talked to in the dorm last night before sleeping.

Shaun accepted David's offer of a cup of coffee to accompany their modest portion of one egg, ham, and one biscuit.

"Cream?" David asked.

"And sugar."

David mixed it for him from the barista counter and balanced it on his tray.

"Thanks."

"You bet."

They barely had a chance to find a place to sit in the echoing s.p.a.ce of the dining area when the voice of Reverend Lawrence James Keller filled the room. Widescreen flat panel TV's on the walls projected the man in all his suited glory, hair perfectly coiffed, arms stretched wide as he greeted his "congregation."

"Good morning, suns.h.i.+ne," David muttered into his coffee, eyes leveled at the screen on the wall nearest them.