The Viewing Chapter II

Written in the same comic universe as Stardust and Wildlight, the following short story is more of a writing exercise than anything else.   Feedback is always welcome, and I do hope you get some enjoyment out of it. 

Previous Chapters

• Chapter I

Chapter II

Closing his Bible, the pastor finished.  Bill wiped his brow, as people stood up to leave.  Fear gripped him.  By the time most had left, Bill decided he would have to get up sooner or later.  He took a slow look behind him.  He took a breath of relief when he saw the strangers disappeared… but for how long?

He stood up and looked around the old church.  Over the years, churches fell into disrepair as attendance declined and vicious attacks against organize religion increased.  This old building clearly needed serious work done, yet, stood as one of the last bastions of faith anywhere close to New Orlando.

As he walked outside, conflicting thoughts had a bout in Bill’s head.   His blood called out for revenge on those who killed his brother.  But, where could he start?  He saw the faces of the murderers through the vision, but he had never met them.  One of them wore a badge from the Department of Special Forces Investigation division.  He would have a very hard time finding, much less cracking, personnel files from the DOSF.

At the same time, he began to worry for himself.  He just saw them sitting only a few yards away just moments ago.  Why would they attend the funeral of the one they killed?  Fear pushed Bill to one, logical conclusion.  They must have been scouting him, or his mother, as their next hit.  Why?  What had they done?  As far as he could tell, his father made sure to keep information about his family closely guarded from the thugs he got involved with.  And would such a mafia have members of the DOSF as part of its organization?

Either way, Bill was sure that the future held a dark road ahead. If he believed in God, he would consider praying now.  His mother did, and often.  It always bothered her to no end that he and his brother never did have her faith.  Who could these days?  Science all but disproved the idea that a divine being spontaneously created man.  Churches over the years did nothing but start wars and ream people of whatever money they had.  The leaders were hypocritical, at best.  Ridiculous.

Back to the matter at hand, Bill decided that, at the very least, he needed to be somewhere…anywhere, but his apartment.  It would make it hard for anyone to track him down while he took some time to see what he could find out about those two strangers.

He put his thumb to the door to open it.  The electric scanner recognized him, and the front entrance opened.  He would grab a few things and stay at a hotel, or one of his friends.

He walked in, and the door closed behind him.  The lights did not automatically illuminate, but before he could ask the computer any questions, a soft, feminine voice surprised him from one of the shadows.  “Welcome home, Mr. Miller.  I’ve been waiting for you.”

He almost jumped out of his shirt.  Shaking slightly, he moved towards the voice to get a better look.  “What are you doing in my home?  Who are…”

His mouth hung slightly open.  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the pair of blue, glowing eyes first… the same ones he saw only moments ago, through his brother!  The woman in the vision of his brother’s death sat right in front of him!

Continue to Chapter III