Chapter Fifteen: Alamo

Kid has been crying non-stop since Vivian has been captured. The amount of used tissues that pile up on the car floor almost matches Christopher’s own level of filth.

“It’s not fair!” Kid cries as she continues to be comforted by Mimi, “Why do these things keep happening?”

“God will not make us bear more than we can handle,” Miles quotes, one of the few things he has said ever since Vivian has been captured.

“Kid, everything will be alright. I know it. Vivian is strong,” Mimi attempts to comfort, “Vivian will make it through this and when this all over, we promise to move back into our old house and just live life the way it was before this all started.”

Shana continues to drive while Melanie decides to keep quiet.

“Christopher…” Kid mutters as she begins to stop crying.

“What was that?” Mimi asked.

Kid does not respond. She is overcome with a new emotion she has never felt before. Many times, she might get angry at Vivian for pulling a mean joke or at a classmate for bullying her. She didn’t even feel this way when the mean cashier hit Mom. Those feelings pass and Kid returns to her cheerful old self. Not this time. Her mind is ablaze and her thoughts are all turn towards vengeance. Mimi can see the look on her face.

“Miles,” Mimi whispers, “I think Kid is more than just upset at this now, look.”

Kid’s fists are clenched, her teeth grind together and her head is hung low. This feeling still has not passed and if she does not do something, she might just go insane. She takes a handful of tissues and throws them outside the car. Shana looks in her rear-view mirror to see them floating away.

“Kid! Now that’s just going to attract attention to us!” Shana yells.

“I don’t care!” Kid shouts back as she continues to throw more outside.

“Kid! Get a grip!” Mimi scolds.

“I don’t care Mom!” she shouts back as she stops.

Kid’s mind is reeling, she has never been this angry before. Her mind slows down and she begins to think about her actions. Her head continues to dip lower as she realizes her actions. She wants to speak, but can’t. She shuffles over the side of the car and attempts to shield herself away from everyone.

“Just like Vivian,” Miles mentions.

Soon, a car begins to follow Shana. First one, then two, then three begin to all follow.

“Shoot!” Shana yells as she begins to speed past them. The car engine suddenly dies as she pushes eighty miles an hour.

“What’s wrong with the car?” asks Melanie.

“The engine’s dead. Everyone, get ready to fight!” yells Shana.

Miles and Mimi pick through Shana’s various weapons. Mimi takes a baseball bat and a few grenades while Miles decides to take the flamethrower. Melanie arms herself with a few throwing knives while Shana continues to drive. At last, the car comes to a halt.

“Now Kid,” says Melanie, “I want you to look after Matt. Make sure nothing bad happens to him.”

“Sure,” says Kid coldly.

The four step out of the car, armed to the tooth with weapons while they wait for the passengers to get out of the car. The driver of the first car comes out and it’s revealed to be a young teenaged girl. Her friends all walk out of the car slowly, all carrying maces.

“The name’s Bon,” she boasts as her friends surround her, “I’m the leader of this crew. I’m a reckless son of a bitch and I’m here to claim my bounty.”

“You don’t have to do this!” Mimi attempts to reason, “Haven’t you seen what Christopher has done to the country?”

“I find it fucking hilarious. I can’t wait to see the end of the world with all the suffering and with all the pain of others. If I manage to live, then it just makes it all the sweeter.”

“You sick bastard,” Shana yells.

“Well,” jokes Bon, “Someone obviously didn’t wake up on the right side of the bed. Oh wait, you don’t have a bed ‘cause you’re on the run. Ha.”

“Cocky bitch,” Melanie mutters.

“What are you waiting for?” Bon taunts, “Come and get me!”

The two groups stare off as neither group makes a move. Bon flips off the group to attempt to get them more riled up. Still, neither one makes a move until Miles charges the group with his flamethrower. She laughs at the pitiful weapon as she pulls out her spiked flail, ready to strike back. Miles pulls out a grenade and tosses it at the group. Surprised, Bon flees while two of her members are caught and killed in the explosion.

“What, using explosives? Why don’t you fight me like a man?” she continues to taunt as Miles hunts down the other two members.

Mimi takes her baseball bat and runs up and attempts to swing it at Bon and misses and takes a blow to the back by a mace that leaves her on the floor in pain. Shana moves in quickly and clocks Bon on the back of the head with a golf club, but not hard enough to render her unconscious. Meanwhile, Miles dispatches of the two other members after lighting them on fire. He returns to find Bon threatening to kill Mimi if anyone took a step forward.

“It’s not over yet. We’ve heard the reports, you bunch sure are a resilient group. That’s why I have backup,” Bon taunts as she snaps her fingers.

Members from the second and third car exit eight strong. The leader appears to a boy wearing a bandana and holding a sword. He walks up to Bon and makes out with her while pointing his sword to shoo the attackers away. He stops and looks at his opposition.

“Well, Bon, this is a pitiful sight. Aw, you got hit in the back of the head. Don’t worry, Clyde’ll make it all better,” he says as he rubs her head.

“Clyde, stop it,” she scowls.

Clyde addresses the attackers, “Well, you may have taken down her friends, but those were just the appetizers. Here’s the main course.”

One by one, Clyde’s gang, all armed with swords, moves in to attack.

“Now, don’t you worry about this little miss here. We won’t harm her as long as you don’t attack us. If you take down my gang, we might even let her go.”

Miles, Shana and Melanie look at the gang of seven who are ready to attack at any moment. Sweat pours down their foreheads as any wrong move will lead to their deaths. Suddenly, one of the crazy members decides to strike without warning only to get jabbed in the face with a knife thrown by Melanie. He goes down.

Three of the members go for Miles while the other three attack Shana and Melanie. Miles is quickly overwhelmed as he attempts to run away while firing his flamethrower. The flames only ward off the swordsmen, but refuses to light them on fire. The other three attack Shana and Melanie without mercy, attempting to hack off any part of their bodies. Shana bashes the face of one swordsman in while Melanie manages to throw two knives into the body of another. The third decides to run off.

Shana and Melanie help Miles out and they manage to subdue to the remaining three. Miles takes off the flamethrower, deeming it of no more use to him.

“Clap, clap, clap. Impressive,” mocks Clyde, “Now, Bon, show ‘em what you’re made of.”

“Who dares challenge me? A one on one, for the life of this miss right here,” challenges Bon.

Miles slowly walks up towards her and they both acknowledge the duel. Bon takes a quick swing at Miles while he swiftly moves out of the way. He kicks Bon in the stomach and Bon tries to take another swing at him. Again, she misses and finds herself overwhelmed by how fast he is. She panics and throws the flail at him, missing completely, but then takes out a gun and points it at Miles.

“Okay, enough,” she proclaims.

“I thought you said to fight like a man,” says Miles.

“Do I look like a man to you?”

She continues to point the gun at Miles while slowly making her way over to the body of Mimi. She trips and accidentally drops the gun. Miles takes this opportunity to grab the gun and then points it at Bon.

“Let’s trade,” Miles bargains.

“I don’t care. Shoot her,” says Clyde.

“What?” shouts Bon as Miles shoots her in the face.

Clyde shows no remorse.

“This is just between you and me now. Let’s put aside the weapons, look I’ll even do the same for mine,” as he lowers the sword closer to Mimi’s neck.

Miles knows his intentions and empties the gun and puts it down. Clyde moves the sword away from Mimi and points it straight at Miles. Just then, Melanie throws a knife straight at his body and it pierces his heart. Clyde falls down with a shocked look on his face while Miles rushes in to get the body of Mimi.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“Yes, I am. Miles, I love you.”

“I love you too Mimi.”

The two share a quick kiss and then they join Melanie and Shana as they head back to the car. Only then do they realize Kid and Matt are missing. The gang member that had run off had the two held hostage not too far away. He warns them to not move any closer.

“Move any closer and I’ll kill these two!” he shouts as he slowly backs away from the group.

There is nothing but dust and road for the next few miles. Kid is scared. She continues to hold Matt in her arms and looks at the group despondently.

“What do you want?” shouts Shana.

The gang member struggles to come up with an answer, “I’ll exchange these two for that couple over there! Christopher has set a much higher reward for their capture.”

Slowly, Miles and Mimi walk over to the gang member and he quickly shoves Kid and Matt out of the way to hold these two at sword point. He takes out some rope with his free hand to tie the two together. They are forced down onto the ground while they are being tied up. Miles suddenly rolls over and punches the gang member in the face and Mimi runs off to escape. Miles attempts to do the same but is pierced by the gang member’s sword. He falls down.

“No!” shouts Mimi as she looks back.

The gang member runs towards Mimi when Shana charges forward and knocks him to the ground. The sword is knocked out of his hands as Shana continues to bash his head into the dust. Soon, the gang member stops moving. Shana looks up to see Mimi crouching over Miles. Mimi nudges at Miles shoulder for a while.

Miles does not respond.

Christopher hears reports of a body that was found on the side of the road in a shallow grave. The note left on the body only stated: a loving father, forever loyal. The body was found next to two cars with the corpses of many teenaged girls and boys on the road. Christopher is told by the janitor that Miles is now dead.

Christopher goes downstairs and looks at Vivian who is chained up against the wall as well. Her leg is getting worse without any treatment.

“Vivian, when I feel ready, I will attempt another session with you,” Christopher says as he points to his eye patch, “I think you would like to know that your father is dead.”

Vivian does not say a word.

“It is okay. He just had an accident; he should be more careful next time.”

Vivian still does not say a word.

“What’s wrong?” asks Christopher, “Did I say something to upset you?”

He leaves and heads back upstairs.

“I’m sorry,” whispers Jones.

Vivian only looks down on floor below her. Tears begin to form in her eyes. She can not remember the last time she has cried.

Chapter Sixteen: Witch

An old lady watches a black and white color television set from her chair. She hears the report of the Terrorist Three now turning into the Terrorist Two. She walks over to the other side of her tiny hut, and prays to a tiny statue wishing the best for the remaining members. She continues to watch the television for any new updates. A few pieces of paper discuss video games and so the lady decides to turn off the television.

“Christopher, you fool,” she mutters to herself, “every day you keep on bringing yourself and others to new lows. I should have stopped you, back then.”

She looks over her tiny desk to find an old piece of paper; she dusts it off and looks over the number. She reaches for her phone and dials it. She only receives the answering machine again.

“I am only deluding myself if I continue to call that number. He is dead. I know it.”

She takes a few steps outside into the hot sun; she find that she does not have the stamina she used to have and quickly returns back inside.

“These old bones are no good to me anymore; there is no purpose for my existence anymore,” she pauses, “I say that every day.”

She turns on the television to find Christopher showing off the captured terrorists.

“This is Vivian; she is a mean terrorist who refuses to allow me to have my way with her!” Christopher complains, “Do you have anything to say to the people of America for your crimes?”

“Kid, stay strong. Avenge me.”

“Don’t speak your crazy terrorist language to America, speak in English!” Christopher demands.

“That was English.”

“Shut up!” shouts Christopher, “Over here is my half-brother Jones, converted to the ways of terrorism. He is the one who took away Melanie from me! Do you have anything to say, brother?”

“I’m sorry Melanie, Mimi. It’s all my fault.”

“Why are you apologizing to Melanie?” Christopher asks, “She will never forgive you! I will never forgive you! You took her away from the one person who can bring her happiness, me!”

“Christopher, stop this.”

“No, you stop this!” Christopher mocks, “Everyone tells me to stop! I don’t want to stop! Why should I? Huh?”

Christopher heads back upstairs and discusses the various torture methods that he has used to extract information. The lady turns off the television once more.

“If only I was in my prime, I could help. I have withered away, barely kept alive,” she mutters.

Kid looks outside the car window, her mind aches, her stomach growls and her legs are restless.

“Stay strong,” she whispers to no one, “Stay strong.”

Mimi has not spoken since Miles has passed away. Shana and Melanie both remain quiet as they continue on the long path towards Christopher. Shana realizes that their supplies have almost run out and they still have over eight hundred miles to go before the next small town. All the nuclear destruction Christopher has rained down upon his own United States has forced her to make hundreds of alternate paths as they continue to reach Washington D.C.

Matt begins to cry again and Melanie does her best to stifle the cries. No one in the car seems to be affected by the noise.

A long silence continues as the car continues on its path. They spot an old hut that seems rather out of place in the long dusty road.

“Should we investigate it?” asks Shana.

“Yes,” says Kid as she takes out the sword used by the gang member that killed Miles.

The group leaves the car as they slowly approach this seemingly abandoned hut. Kid is the first to peer inside and she spots an old lady.

“Hello, Kid,” the lady says.

“How do you know my name?” Kid asks.

“I know who the remaining terrorists are; I do keep up with Christopher’s antics.”

“Who are you?” asks Shana.

“I should ask the same for you. I think you are Shana, the one Christopher wants. And you, Melanie, another one he wants as well. And there is Matt, the son of Jones and Melanie.”

“How do you know his name?” Melanie asks.

“I can read minds,” she boasts, “After all, I am a witch.”

“What?” Melanie exclaims.

“Did you by any chance see the magician that attacked Christopher once?” the witch asks.

“Yes!” exclaims Shana, “His former girlfriend, Sally, gave us a map detailing how supplies are routed to Christopher’s office. She said he gave up his life to attempt to kill Christopher and when that failed, he gave us this map instead.”

“So he is really is dead,” the witch sadly says, “A shame. I could have removed that bullet. Well, maybe not anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” asks Shana.

“I am the teacher who trained him in his abilities. My name is Eva G. Warren, but just call me Eva.”

“You?” Melanie says incredulously.

“Yes, I make look old now, but I was only in my thirties when I trained him. When a witch passes on her abilities, she sacrifices some of her life to imbue magic into a human. I gave him plenty of power, but I never had a chance to teach him how to control it. I should have thought better, but I really didn’t care at that point.”

“Why?”

“You see, before I gained my own witch powers, I was a normal human with a normal job. I was principal of the school that Christopher attended. Back then, his parents continued to complain to me about how Christopher kept failing his classes and that he deserves special treatment. I, of course, denied that claim saying it was his own fault that he continues to fail. I watched him grow from a scrawny teenager into a near-adult, but it seems his mind never grew as much as his body did. One day, he showed up to school attempting to solicit sex from a few of the other students. I stopped him but he insisted that he simply looking for a girlfriend who was very pretty. The next day, he showed up and tried the stunt again. I told him that he will never get a girlfriend that way or any way. He grew angry and attempted to hurt me by throwing a hex spell at me. It just involved him shoving his hands in front of his body and yelling. I expelled him from campus after that and I retired from being a principal. I left campus that day feeling terrible. How could such a person exist and how can humanity tolerate that? I looked for a new job and came across a fortune telling stint. When I entered that door I met a dying wizard who granted me the last of his power. I spent the next five years of life in seclusion, learning everything there is to know about magic. Then an angry young man found me with nothing but rage on his mind, he needed a purpose in life. He found fondness in entertainment and enjoyed putting a smile on a child’s face. I had mostly made use of my powers entertaining as a magician but I never really enjoyed it. I could tell this man needed use of the powers and I gave most of my life to him after his training. I saw in him, a young me. A young me who dreamed of changing lives, at that point I had no ambition, no goals. I guess Christopher got what he wanted when he cursed me. He stripped away all joy I saw in humanity. I moved into this hut where I plan to live the rest of my days.”

The group simply stares at Eva G. who is sitting at the desk. Kid decides to approach her.

“Can you teach me to be like him?” she asks, “I have my own goal in life.”

“What is that, Kid?” Eva says.

“I want to kill Christopher,” Kid says with anger in her eyes, “I want to make him pay for what he has done.”

“I could endow you with power, but your body would not be able to control it. It would take years to control that power and looking at Christopher’s actions, you don’t have that long.”

Kid simply just stares at the ground below her.

“I want to help you. I truly do. I have no supplies to give as I don’t need sustenance to survive. I have nothing to give you except advice.”

The group is stunned when Eva’s body disappears into thin air and the ground below begins to shake.

“The world rests on your shoulders. The embodiment of evil comes from the most unlikely source, yet when you think about it, it’s not that unlikely after all. The evil incorporates many of mankind’s worst qualities: greed, lust, ignorance and hatred. A mind that works solely based on those qualities produces an enigma that many dare not try to read. I am Eva G. Warren, former witch and I have passed on to the next world. Farewell.”

The ground stops shaking and the group finds the clothes of Eva on the ground. Kid decides to pick up the clothes when she discovers a pack of gum inside one of the pockets. Kid takes out a piece and begins to chew it. She keeps on chewing and chewing as the group return to the car and they continue to drive on towards Christopher.

Christopher stares at the mirror. His face has gotten quite pudgy all around. His cheeks look as if crabapples had been stuffed in them for days. There are folds of skin around what used to be his neck. He looks down and even he finds himself disgusted at what he sees. He looks around the rooms in the basement. His office is still a mess, empty TV dinner trays and soda cans are all strewn across the floor. He enters his bedroom to find the cabinet still knocked over and many unused candles spread all across the floor.

He looks to the janitor and says, “Why haven’t you cleaned up these messes?”

“I’m only a lowly janitor, there’s only so much I can do.”

“If you were a woman janitor, you would really do a good job on cleaning all this up! I really need a woman to help me get my life back together,” complains Christopher.

“You have that girl that’s in the basement. She’s a woman under your new laws.”

“She’s just not the same. She wouldn’t get my life back together at all.”

“Man, you’re picky. Want me to get some other girl?”

“No, all I need is Melanie and then my life will be perfect!” exclaims Christopher.

“That’s right, Christopher. Whatever you say,” the janitor says as he leaves the hallway.

“If I had a girlfriend a long time ago, I would not have ended up this way!” Christopher thinks, “I could have been a stay-home dad that would take care of our future daughter. My wife would come home from work and would kiss me every day. She would prepare dinner and I would eat the best meals. Then at night, we could play doctor while my future daughter sleeps. My life would have been so perfect if all those men didn’t steal all the girls away!”

He goes downstairs to hear Jones and Vivian playing twenty-one questions.

“Is it a magazine?” Jones asks.

“No, the answer was a gun,” replies Vivian, “Oh look, it’s Christopher. Hi, Christopher.”

“Jones,” Christopher mutters, “Who was the one who took Melanie from me in the first place?”

“I have no idea, you’re just going to ask Melanie herself,” Jones explains.

“Then I must capture Melanie at any cost and make sure all those men pay!”

“What are you talking about, Christopher?” Vivian asks.

“Those cops who took me away from her, they must die.”

Chapter Seventeen: Reflection

Jim looks at the television to find Christopher declaring that all cops must die.

“Every single one of you cops keeps torturing me! You stole away my future wife and now I will steal your lives! My faithful Americans, don’t let them live another second!” Christopher shouts as he waves his fists into the air.

“Son of a bitch,” he says, “I can’t believe this bullshit.”

After Shana departed, one of his fellow officers told Christopher of Jim’s betrayal. Christopher demanded that Jim will be sentenced to thirty years in prison or be forced to pay a one hundred dollar fine. Jim paid the money and quit the police force. He stayed at home, watching television, watching the sick, twisted man continue on his tirades. A few weeks later, he got a phone call.

“Jim, we need you,” says an officer.

“What? I quit weeks ago, I’m no longer part of the force,” Jim says.

“Look, most of our men have died trying to protect innocent citizens. Christopher’s insane bombings have been put America in a tough spot,” the officer pauses, “We live in a shitty town, Jim. Criminals have begun mass homicides and with Christopher going insane, most of them have been emboldened to continue out their rampage. I had to kill my former friend because he thought raping an innocent woman and then killing her would be fun. No one believes in anything anymore. We need your help.”

With that, Jim opened up his closet and donned his police outfit. He takes a step outside and, for the first time in weeks, sees what the city had become. Weeds have sprouted all around the lawns in the neighborhood, the neighbor’s basketball hoop was broken in half, and most of the cars have been broken into.

“What has happened to the world?” he mutters as he drives to the police station.

He finds that the police parking garage has been fenced off and he decides to park his car on the side of the street. He finds the entrance to the station locked and it takes a minute before someone unlocks the door.

“Jim, is that you car?” the officer asks.

“Yeah, what of it?” says Jim.

“You might want to find a better spot for it; it’s going to be broken into.”

“The garage is fenced off!”

“Someone decided to set off a grenade and made part of the ceiling collapse.”

“What in the hell,” scowls Jim.

“Christopher is truly insane. I don’t even know if I should continue. You’re the only one who has shown up after we started trying to find anyone to come back.”

“Look, I let Shana go. I know she will kill Christopher. Right now, we need to start evacuating innocents. Once Christopher is dead, then we’ll take care of all the criminals.”

Jim heads back into his car to find a place to set up a shelter. He enters a school to find it completely empty. He takes over the gym and sets up a few security measures in a futile attempt to protect it. He heads back to the station to find houses on fire. Firefighters have quit attempting to help people a long time ago.

“I can’t believe this, there really must be no God,” thinks Jim.

He returns to find the station on fire as well; one officer spots Jim and enters the car.

“Jim, we’re screwed. Someone set off a Molotov cocktail and there are a few officers still inside.”

“Why don’t you help them?” Jim shouts.

“They would rather burn than let me help them.”

Jim manages to get a little over a hundred innocents into the shelter and gathered tons of supplies from the various stores that have been abandoned. One night, he takes a break and decides to turn on the television.

“If cops still roam on American streets, then we have lost the war on terror! They have terrorized me my entire life, do not let them win!” Christopher shouts.

Jim turns off the television and takes a look outside. He sees a dozen thugs armed with chainsaws walking towards the gym.

Mr. Mays enters class, ready to teach, and finds the class completely empty. He decides to have a smoke and relax when the principal comes in.

“Mays! What you have done to all the children?”

“Beats me,” says Mays, “All I did was administer that test yesterday and now all the kids are gone.”

“This has happened to every classroom. What could be going on?”

“Have you tried this new cigarette? It’s super strong,” Mays offers.

“No! We need to find out what has happened to all the children.”

“Why? They’re probably just all sick or something.”

“You mean to tell me that all the children in the school got infected at the same time.”

“Yes,” answers Mays.

“Come on Mays, let’s go find them,” begs the principal.

“Fine, but only because I like getting paychecks.”

The two go over to the police and ask around to find out what happened when the test was administered.

“So those test takers just told me the children were all dismissed. They haven’t shown up today,” explains Mays.

“Look, I can’t tell you anything more than that they are safe,” the officer replies.

“Well, good enough for me, let’s go home.”

“No Mays! Listen, we must find out where the children are. Please officer, we are worried,” says the principal.

“I’m not,” says Mays.

“Well at least I am worried. Please officer, tell me where they took them.”

“Alright, they took them to this factory for a field trip. Here’s the address,” says the officer as he hands him a card.

The two make their way to the factory to find the gates locked. There are a few cars parked in the parking lot.

“Mays, do you have anything that can cut through this fence?”

“Yes, with my brand-new EZCut, I can cut through over ten types of materials including fence, tile and wood!” Mays shouts.

“Why are you telling me this? Cut through this fence!” the principal yells.

After Mays uses his brand-new EZCut to cut through the fence, the two rush into the factory entrance only to find a few Secret Service agents blocking their way.

“Sir, we can not let you through. This is for Secret Service agents only,” says one agent.

“Please, we must see the children. We need to make sure they are alright,” pleads the principal.

“They are alright,” assures the agent.

“Step aside, we need to make sure these kids are safe so I can receive my paycheck, I’m liable for them after all,” says Mays.

“I’m afraid I can not allow you to enter,” affirms the agent.

“Well, with my brand new EZTaze, I can taze over ten types of people including this principal, children ages eight to ten and you!” Mays shouts.

With that, Mays begins to taze the agents one by one as they make their way to the factory gate where Mays uses his EZCut to cut through the lock. Inside, they find a prison with each cell full of children who are all scared out of their minds. In the far back, water is being poured into containers all lined up in rows.

“Stop right there!” shouts a guard overseeing a cell while taking out his gun, “You’re under arrest for trespassing!”

Mays then takes out his EZGun and shoots the guard before the guard can manage to pull the trigger. Mays begins to shoot all the guards one by one until every single one of them is dead on the floor.

“My god, that gun is amazing!” exclaims the principal, “You didn’t even have to reload!”

“It’s just that easy,” boasts Mays.

The two approach a cell where they find children being indoctrinated by clips of Psychic Rabbichoso telling children to stay straight.

“Woah, field trips have changed,” says Mays as he unlocks all the cells, “What’s happening?”

“The mean guards are forcing us to have sex and if we don’t, we will die!” says one child.

“I wish my field trips were that exciting,” says Mays.

“Quiet! What is going on, child?” asks the principal.

“I don’t know, I just want to go home,” says one girl.

Soon, Mays and the principal manage to return all the children back home to safety. Mays returns to the factory to find the tazed agents gone. He heads inside to find out what is inside the chamber. Dead bodies begin to pour out.

“Holy shit!” he screams, “Semen collection cup? What the hell is Christopher doing?”

Sally leaves the grave of the magician and goes home to take a nap on her couch. She looks on the floor to find something the magician left behind. The card bears the name Eva G. Warren.

“What is this?” she wonders as she investigates the name on the internet.

“Eva Warren was the famed principal of Redde County High,” she reads to herself, “After a falling out with the school over a difficult student, she was found dead at the age of thirty four. She had committed suicide and her body was found at the entrance of a fortune telling stand she ran.”

“I wonder why he would carry a card with her name,” she wonders.

She decides to sleep of it and think no more. By morning, she digs through the internet to find more information on her and discovers that her grave is located at a nearby cemetery. She decides to take a visit and finds a corpse robber attempting to steal from it.

“Get away!” shouts Sally as she shoves the corpse robber.

“Woah, take it easy! What, is this your mom or something?” he asks.

“Just go away!” she shouts, “before I call the police!”

“Alright, alright,” says the robber as he leaves.

Sally looks down into the grave to find a coffin. She decides to go rebury the coffin when she accidentally knocks off the top of it. Inside, a key is found with a note attached addressing the magician.

“If you are really sure of wanting to kill Christopher, you will want this. - Eva”

Sally grabs the key and reburies the grave. She leaves the cemetery and wonders how it could be possible that a messaging referencing the magician wanting to kill Christopher could come from her after she was already dead. She decides to go home and sleep on it. When she wakes up, the key is gone. She dismisses the events as all a dream and thinks nothing more of it.

Further beneath the coffin lies a safe. Inside the safe is a piece of paper with a few words that read: Fate has already decided.

The man with a chainsaw begins to tear down the locks that separate him and the innocents inside the gym. Jim attempts to make one final stand.

“All I have this gun and my life,” he mutters, “May God help me.”

As soon as the man enters the room, Jim shoots him dead. Soon, eleven others break in and start going after innocents. Their attention is quickly turned towards Jim as he shoots two more thugs down. Slowly, they begin to encircle him.

“Well, looks like we have one last cop to deal with,” says one thug.

“Yeah, we killed that other guy a few minutes ago,” says another.

“We’re here for the last of the supplies.”

“So let’s make this easy, shall we?”

Right before one of the men strikes Jim, Jim shoots at him and then the remaining eight begin to lunge forward. Suddenly, a crowd forms and knocks over the thugs to the ground. Jim takes the time to begin shooting while other citizens take the chainsaws away and use them against the thugs. In the end, the gym was safe for another day.

Jim turns on the radio to hear Christopher announcing his plans to spread his word, not only in the United States, but across the entire globe.

Chapter Eighteen: Doctrine

The janitor sweeps the hallway once more. The hallway is always spotless; Christopher hardly ever leaves his room. The janitor just continues sweeping when Christopher walks out of his office.

“Do you think God would be okay if I spread his religion?” Christopher asks.

“Why not?” replies the janitor.

“I only like some parts. God was definitely wrong about a lot of things and I want to fix them.”

“Wouldn’t that be disobeying God’s will?”

“No, God is a cool guy, but I think he could do better.”

Christopher walks into his office again preparing for another speech. The janitor gives up and returns to mindlessly sweeping the hallway.

“Father, do you really think God would want us to do this?” asked Rabbichoso.

“Rabbichoso is right. The Bible explains everything perfectly clear,” says Holy Bunnichoso, “God’s word is not meant to be tampered with.

“Be quiet, both of you! I am very busy!” shouts Christopher.

He turns on the camera and addresses the nation once more.

“Hello, boys and girls, my name is Christopher Winnfield Vega and I am here to teach you about religion. As you all know, America’s official religion is Christianity and I think it is about time that someone taught all of America what it is like to be a good Christian. Remember, there are bad Christians and good Christians. Bad ones disobey God and we do not like that!”

“Since when was Christianity America’s official religion?” asked Kid.

“Never, Christopher is just being crazy again,” says Shana.

“Oh, I hope Vivian and Jones are okay. I mean, how would it feel to listen to him talk all day like this?”

“Jones, how hard do you think it would be to kill myself?” asked Vivian from inside Christopher’s basement, “It’s bad enough that he has to broadcast his voice in every single room, but to hear him do things that no man should do. Disgusting.”

“Well, he is trying to change the Ten Commandments and spread them around as a new religion. Is he that egotistical?” asks Jones.

“Have you not noticed, Jones? I mean, for crying out loud, all he does is dictate whatever he wants and forces the people to follow. He is pretty much God. Don’t do what he says and he’ll smite you.”

“I haven’t been paying much attention. The food he’s been feeding us is horrible, I feel like vomiting all the time but I think the food is permanently stuck in my stomach.”

“Yeah, same here. I mean, does he not know what nutrition means?”

“Well, when I was being raised with Christopher, our parents were often too lazy to cook. In fact, I can’t recall a time they actually cooked anything. We often went out to eat, and the days we didn’t, we would usually eat some frozen food. The only way I got by was off the school lunches that usually had an apple or something,” recalls Jones.

“I hope Kid’s doing alright,” says Vivian, “Please be alright.”

The group continues to listen to Christopher’s declaration of a new religion from inside the car.

“Where does he get off interpreting the Bible like this?” asks Shana.

“Not even fundamentalists would go this extreme and actually go and change the meaning for their purposes,” says Mimi.

“All potential future wives must believe in this religion!” shouts Christopher, “I will not have it any other way! Now that that is settled, I would like to talk about homosexuality and religion. As you may or may not know, being gay is a sin in God’s eyes. If God catches you having sex with someone of your original gender, you will go to hell. If you wish to repent and follow the straight path God has intended, I am here to help.”

“Oh lord,” mutters Shana.

“If you find yourself tempted by the evils of gay, you should put posters in your room of people of the opposite gender. This way, you will always be influenced to have straight thoughts when you go into your room,” says Christopher, “Slowly but surely, you will eventually become straight.”

“Where the hell did he come up with this theory?” questions Shana.

“From being Christopher,” replies Melanie, “only he could come up with something so stupid. I don’t know how insecure he was with himself. He always tried to touch me, but was it because of that?”

“You need to concentrate fully in your opposite gender in order to fight the gay; you must believe in your one true boyfriend or girlfriend in order to completely un-gay yourself. Ask them to do a dance for you in order to get your mind set on the straight path. If you are unable to stay straight when you are with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you must continue concentrating fully even if it does not work. God will judge you in that way.”

“I don’t even know what he is talking about anymore,” says Melanie.

“If you have the urge to be gay, I have some helpful alternatives. If you are a guy and have a need to be gay, you should instead eat a lollipop to curb your impulses. If you are a girl, you should instead eat some carpet. It is just like going on a diet to lose weight; eventually you will slowly become less gay.”

“Eating carpet?” Vivian exclaims, “Is Christopher that stupid not to realize that’s only a euphemism?”

“He often does take things too literally,” says Jones, “This is why he never passed English.”

“I will now discuss the seven deadly sins and why they are evil,” Christopher announces, “First is lust. Lust is about having a lot of thoughts about sex. I know many evil men who just think about sex when they go find a girlfriend and steal them from the honest men like me who do not care about sex! The only sexual thoughts I have are when I have my dreams which are given to me by God. He wants me to have sex, which is why he keeps giving me dreams about them.”

“Next is gluttony. Gluttony is about eating too much. As you can see, I am as fit as a fiddle and have not taken too much food from society. I have even been nice enough to give the terrorists food as well. You should take it from me and help starving people feed themselves!”

“I’m still hungry,” complains Kid, “Where’s my food?”

“We know, Kid,” says Shana, “Supplies are continuously low in every town we meet. Does Christopher not realize what he’s done to the nation? All he cares about are his stupid parades to see if people still obey him or not.”

“Third is greed. Greed is about hording money. I do not horde money; I freely give whatever money I have to the poor. I want to make sure that all Americans can buy what they need.”

“Stop lying Christopher!” shouts Jones, “Greed is not about just money. It is about material possessions as well! You have bought so many things with all the money our parents spent on you. All those video games and DVDs are just a waste of money when you never touch them again.”

“I mean, how much did Christopher buy?” asked Vivian.

“His shelves were full of games. He often would not touch many of them after playing through them just once or twice, not even beating it. He sold off most of the game just to buy new ones, but the best part was, he would buy his old games back after he realizes how much he misses them.”

“Fourth is sloth. You should never be lazy; you should be active like me and become president of the United States. I have taken many actions to ensure that America is set on the right path for future generations. Me and Rabbichoso continue to fight for what’s right.”

“Oh Christopher, you lying asshole,” mutters Jones.

“I’m enjoying these tales,” says Vivian, “Anything to the contrary of what he says?”

“When I saw him, he usually never left his room. He would always sit in his bed to do everything. He would play video games from it, sleep, eat, and would never exercise. Even now, he continues to do all his actions from the comfort of his chair. I mean, he hasn’t done anything good for America. All he does is make comics and set off nukes when things go wrong.”

“Fifth is anger, you should never be angry at your enemies. You should always learn to forgive like I have. For example, I did not kill the terrorists; instead I let them live because I am a loving and compassionate person. All those men who have taken my potential future wives from me, I do not hate them. I am only angry because I am doing what is right by making sure that women stay with true, honest men like me.”

“Christopher has never been a righteous person,” explains Jones, “His tantrums always got the best of him. Unwarranted anger towards everyone and everything still consume him today. It makes me sick to watch him continue to be a hypocrite.”

“I find it kind of amusing,” says Vivian, “I would find it more amusing if I wasn’t locked in his basement! Love and compassion my ass.”

“Envy is number six. You should never be envious of what others have. I do want desperately for my future wife; however, I am not jealous of men who honestly and truly earned theirs. I just want to make sure that all women receive true and honest husbands!”

“Vivian, do you know what happens at the end of high school?” asks Jones.

“You get wasted?” Vivian sarcastically replies.

“There is a ceremony and Christopher was set to accept his diploma. I only watched the video my parents sent me and I sometimes watched it whenever I felt terrible. In it, I watched Christopher crying as he went to accept his award and then run off.”

“Wow, what a pussy.”

“The best part was that he was only crying because he did not get a special award like some of his classmates. He wanted an award for being creative, I’m still not sure what that means, but damn it Christopher, you’re still green even today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in this basement,” scowls Jones.

“Last is pride. You should never hold yourself to be superior than others. All men are created equal!” Christopher declares, “I am only president, I am just an ordinary Joe like the rest of you. So please, America, do not view me as a high and mighty powerful man, just view me as a simple normal person.”

Shana shuts off the radio while Christopher is mid sentence about new changes to the Bible.

“Is there even any reason why Christopher is still chasing us?” asks Mimi.

“Don’t forget, he’s still after me,” says Melanie sadly.

“I mean, what will happen if Christopher does get a hold of you?”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“What will Christopher accomplish by marrying you and having a child? He is obviously not fit to be a husband or competent enough to take care of children. I would certainly not let this man get close to Kid.”

“I’m glad you’re my mom,” whispers Kid to Mimi.

“That’s nice to hear, sweetie,” replies Mimi, “Why the change of heart?”

“I realize that I have very good parents. I miss Dad. He gave up his life to save me. I wish that I could grow up to be as good a mom as you have been.”

“That’s so kind of you to say.”

“Christopher has taught me one thing today,” says Kid, “There needs to be more good people in the world. For all the bad ones, one day I hope they can change.”

“What about Christopher?”

“He’s the exception.”

Chapter Nineteen: Escape

Jones and Vivian finish playing another round of twenty one questions. The two just stare up at the ceiling as their silence slowly creeps into the room. The air is pungent and the room is dim. Upstairs, Christopher is amusing himself in various fashions and is heard giggling loudly while the janitor’s constant cleaning of the bathroom makes a continuous drip echo throughout the room. A rat passes by the two, squeaking as Vivian smacks it with her good leg.

“It’s over, Jones. We haven’t heard anything about the gang for a few days. They’re dead right now, I know it,” says Vivian.

“I kept on hoping that they would succeed and free us. Now it seems all hope is lost.”

Still, Christopher’s voice continues to ring in the minds of the two.

“Wonderful,” says Vivian, “and now Christopher is laughing it up once again. Do you have idea what he could be doing?”

“As far as I know, he could just be sitting there in his chair laughing. I fear he’s truly gone insane.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to die here?” asks Vivian, “I mean, civilization is coming to an end as long as Christopher continues to nuke the rest of the world. At least our remains will be found next to Christopher’s and we can be marked as traitors of the world.”

“History will never know what we tried to do. No one will ever learn the truth. In America, we will be viewed as terrorists without compassion and to the rest of the world as Christopher’s partners with no sense of humanity. Our story, our struggle, will only live in our hearts for as long as we shall live. We sacrificed everything doing what was right,” says Jones.

“Christopher’s true intentions will never be known. He has information control over the entire nation. Those who know the truth are already dead or are dying. He’s put America and potentially the rest of the world into a state of collapse. As long as Christopher lives, he will continue to destroy the world,” says Vivian, “That is why we need to put a stop to it, once and for all.”

“I see,” Jones pauses, “How will we get out these chains?”

“I have a plan, but I’m not gonna like it.”

Christopher comes down the stairs to see Vivian fidgeting about. He approaches her to find her face flush and her legs squirming all around.

“Christopher, I’m burning inside. I need a man. A real man,” Vivian says with a hint of disgust in her voice, “Look at me, would you deny this woman her needs?”

“Of course not,” says Christopher, “I am true to all ladies open and kind. I see you have converted to the straight path. There may be hope for you after all.”

“Yes, Christopher. I have seen the error of my ways; however, to ensure my conversion is complete, we should have a threesome with me, you and Jones. I need this, Christopher.”

“I am very uncomfortable with seeing my half-brother naked. I mean, look at how tall he is! Look at his face! Look at that body! I might be tempted, Vivian! I can not allow it,” exclaims Christopher whose face has also turned red.

“Oh, I see. I guess I will have to start liking women again,” Vivian says dejectedly.

“No! I will allow it just this once,” says Christopher, “Wait right here, I will have the janitor come and unlock the chains.”

Vivian and Jones are escorted up the stairs and into Christopher’s bedroom. Vivian finds her bad leg finally giving out on her as she walks onto the bed.

“Jones, I can’t walk anymore. This leg is dead to me,” whispers Vivian as Jones sits down next to her.

“Vivian, I’ll lift you out of here,” he says as he grabs her by the waist.

He attempts to lift her but only manages to let out a grunt as he fails.

“Well, I never did work out,” replies Jones with a half-worried half-smirking face.

“Great, now what,” says Vivian.

“Look, I’m just going to move that wheelchair from the basement up here, the wheelchair can’t be as heavy as you, right?” Jones says.

“Be quiet,” pouts Vivian, “now hurry!”

Christopher enters the room and asks Jones where he is going.

“I am going to retrieve something that Vivian left downstairs,” explains Jones, “She says she needs it badly.”

“Alright,” says Christopher, “You may go.”

“Perfect, now I can have Vivian all to myself,” thinks Christopher, “Finally, I can taste the flesh that I have so longed for. All those lonely nights with all those girls in my dreams, finally come to fruition. I woke up so worked up, I had to relieve my tensions right there. It is my sad story that I have experienced for such a long time. Every single girl that I tell this story to never wanted to help me complete my dream. I wonder why.”

“Vivian!” shouts Christopher, “Are you ready for my loving?”

“Not yet,” says Vivian, “I need that thing that Jones is looking for first.”

“Why must we wait for Jones? I want to start now!” complains Christopher.

“You must have patience, my burning desire hungers for two men,” says Vivian.

“Well, we have the janitor!” says Christopher happily, “Hey! Come in here, we need two, strong men who can help satisfy a woman!”

The janitor enters the room to see Vivian on the bed and Christopher standing in the doorway with a gigantic smile on his face.

“Oh lord,” thinks Vivian, “This is how I’m going to lose my virginity?”

“I’m going to pass,” says the janitor, “She’s too young for me.”

“No! We need two men!” whines Christopher, “She isn’t too young! She’s the perfect age for men like us!”

“I’m forty seven,” says the janitor, “She barely looks to be seventeen. You’re a little bit old for her, maybe you should wait for Melanie.”

“I don’t care about her! I just want to get rid of my virginity curse!” shouts Christopher.

“So they are still alive,” thinks Vivian, “Good.”

“Look, Christopher. I can’t help you with this one. You’re on your own for this,” says the janitor, “This is the one thing I can not do.”

The janitor begins to leave when Christopher says, “But this will be fun!”

“This isn’t about fun, Christopher,” the janitor shoots back, “You really are hopeless.”

The janitor leaves and Christopher forms a sad face as he turns towards to the ground.

“How will I get rid of my virginity curse now?” asks Christopher, to no one in particular.

“What will happen if you get rid of your virginity?” asks Vivian.

“It is what God wants!” yells Christopher, “Once it is gone, I will be able to become a man.”

“What?” says Vivian.

“Christopher, becoming a man is not about losing your virginity. It is about responsibility, going out into the world and contributing to society. You’re not even close to becoming a man, Christopher! You’re still a child! You are like the anti-Midas! Everything you touch turns to shit! You’re filthy, disgusting and more importantly, an idiot! You can’t even form your own opinions; you have everything else do it for you! If someone has a different opinion, they’re always wrong in your twisted mind! If something goes wrong, you blame someone else! You don’t even display the cognitive skills of a five year old! You don’t deserve to be president! You don’t deserve any of this Christopher!”

“Vivian, are you angry because you don’t think I’m big enough for you?”

“WHAT!?” shouts Vivian.

“Where did I ever imply that at all? Christopher, I hate you. I hate everything you are and I wish I could strangle you right now,” shouts Vivian.

Jones enters the room with a wheelchair as he announces he has found the object.

“Okay, let’s start that threesome!” says Christopher seemingly ignoring everything Vivian has said.

Vivian takes her seat in the wheelchair and rams herself right into Christopher.

“You stupid bitch!” she screams as he continues to run over her.

The janitor overhears this and runs back into the room and pushes Vivian off of Christopher. He pulls out his gun and aims it towards Vivian.

“Sure, I may be against having sex with you, but I’m sure as hell ready to kill you,” says the janitor.

As the janitor pulls the trigger, Jones jumps in front of the bullet and collapses onto the floor. The janitor aims once again at Vivian and fires.

“Good bye, cruel world,” she says as she prepares for her death.

Nothing happens.

“Shoot!” the janitor says, “Where’s my ammunition Christopher?”

Before Christopher can say a word, Vivian runs over Christopher again and smashes the janitor. She wheels herself out of the room and into the hallway. She looks for a way out in dozen of rooms that lie before her. Checking each room, she discovers untouched rooms Christopher never uses.

“Does he really not get out of his room?” she thinks to herself.

She opens the last door of the hallway and finds a long hallway. She wheels down the long, unlit hallway and comes across some stairs. She attempts to get up the stairs with the wheelchair but finds the wheelchair too bulky to maneuver. She ditches it and uses the handrails to pull herself up the stairs. She comes across a metal door and opens it.

The outside world looks bleak; most of it is covered in a thick fog. Vivian can’t tell if this used to be filled with people. All she sees is a long, flat, empty plain of nothing. She takes a few steps outside and begins to cough. She can’t stop coughing as she struggles forward. She comes across a rock and begins to move around it when she realizes it is not a rock.

“Dad?” she asks as she looks at it.

The grave where he was buried had been defiled and his body was sent to Christopher’s basement. The body itself was rotting away and a few flies surrounded it. Vivian threw up. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Christopher, you sick son of a bitch!” she yells.

She attempts to move forward and finds herself unable to. Her body had given up on her. Her coughing only continued as she just lay there on the ground. She finds her mind going black. Her eyes close.

“Kid,” was her last thought.

“We must make sure that terrorist does not escape!” shouts Christopher as he looks around in his office.

“Sir, she’s escaped,” says the janitor.

“Impossible! There is no way to escape from my basement!”

“Yes there is, sir. If you had looked around the hallway more, you would certainly find an exit.”

“Well, we must call an emergency meeting. The citizens of America must recapture her at once.”

“That won’t be necessary, Christopher,” announces the janitor, “She won’t survive outside of the basement. You can’t survive outside of the basement.”

“That is good. Now, will you please excuse me; all this stress is giving me a headache. I should take some aspirin,” he says as he pulls out a glass of soda to wash the pills down.

“Alright, sir,” says the janitor, “What about your wounds from the wheelchair?”

“I am fine. No woman can ever hurt this soul!” Christopher boasts.

“Whatever you say, sir,” says the janitor as he leaves to sweep the hallway once again.

Jones lay bleeding on the bedroom floor. After Christopher and the janitor left, he still finds himself conscious. He knows he does not have much time left. He tries to move but the pain that surges through him is too much for him to handle. He continues to lie there, waiting for his time to run out.

“Vivian, I hope you made it out of there,” Jones thinks, “I don’t know why I decided to give up my life to save you. Maybe it’s because I have a need to be the protect others. Maybe it’s because I am just sick of watching Christopher do horrible things. Maybe it’s because, forget it. I should stop thinking. What’s the use of thinking when you’re about to die? That would have made an interesting book subject. I really should have tackled death more.”

He begins to find himself struggling to breathe.

“Forgive me.”