American Exodus: Brimstone and Fire

American Exodus: Brimstone and Fire

By

Michael Andrews

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010: Michael Andrews

Cover Design by Laura Shinn

This ebook is liscenced for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

American Exodus: Brimstone and Fire is a work of fiction. Although the places actually exist they are used in a fictitious manner for the purposes of this work. All characters in this work are fictional any names or characteristics to any person past, present, or future are purely coincidental.

Special thanks to all of those that helped me in the production of this novel, especially Mrs. Cassandra Milot and my wife Beth.

This book is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces, United States Army, 10th Mountain Division. Climb to Glory.

Prologue

"When history remembers us, how will they speak our names?"

~Unknown

"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God"

~ The Official Seal of Thomas Jefferson

A poet had once said, Evil prevails when good men fail to act. Yes, he had to act. Without him all would be lost. He could see this now. His name would be remembered for all time. He was a man who stood against evil, a man who would do what was necessary when everyone else was too soft to act. His faith grew stronger.

If God be with us, who could stand against us? he murmured. The birth of a new dawn, bathed in light and righteousness and glory. A new dawn free of the void currently filled by darkness and heresy a birth of light and joy delivered by His holy prophet.

Much like birth though, there would be pain and there would be blood. Yes, he would lead his people into the Promised Land. He would be the divine deliverer who would coach the world through its labor pains, bringing the new age of light into being. There would be blood.

I

Fire licked the sky. Smoke and the screams of the wounded and dying filled the air…sweet music. He turned on the radio to listen to the first labor pains being announced as he watched the chaos before him.

This just in, an announcer began, an explosion has rocked the quiet town of Allison Park, Pennsylvania. The BP gas station was located at the intersection of Wildwood Road Extension and Route 8. Early reports say the explosion occurred sometime around the morning rush hour, but after school had commenced, otherwise things could have been much worse. The causes of the explosion and resulting fire are yet unknown, initial casualty estimates are six dead and many more wounded. We will keep you informed with the latest on KDKA news.

This gas station would be the first, but far from the last. His holy crusade had begun. Sodom and Gomorrah would soon have company. The three Hampton police cruisers arrived first. Flashing lights turned the smoking burning pit of fire into a morose strobe light disco accented by the rhythmic wailing of sirens. Several police officers constructed barriers at the intersection and the roads immediately in front of the scene. Two other policemen attempted to brave the flames to see if any of the motorists at the pumps had made it through the blast, but were soon turned back by the searing heat and noxious smoke. The Dark Angel, the Angel of Death, smiled from his car and lit a cigarette.

The ambulance and fire department arrived almost simultaneously and began the daunting work of extinguishing the inferno and caring for the damned souls who were unlucky enough to survive the initial explosion. Throngs of onlookers began to crowd the barriers, hungrily looking for a chance to gaze at the carnage. Traffic slowed to a virtual standstill, a logjam of suburbanites in their eco-conscious hybrids and not so eco-conscious SUVs clogged the roads. A smile touched the face of the Dark Angel, a savage grin that only one who truly enjoyed his work could have at his thoughts.

He pulled out his cell phone with the grandeur and circumstance fitting the day. He extinguished his cigarette and put the butt in the pocket of his cargo pants, no reason to leave any extra evidence behind after all. He dialed a number on the phone and then looked up through his windshield, so many people…so many dirty, lecherous, depraved people. He pushed the send button on the phone and the mass text message went out. A chain of explosions sent dirt, smoke, debris, and shrapnel into the backs of the onlookers and the faces of the emergency workers escorting survivors to what was supposed to be an earthly salvation. He had delivered them to a divine salvation and judgment instead.

Gore and body parts were splattered across the pavement in a manner only an abstract artist or a madman could appreciate. He felt himself as the former and madness as the world around him. A fire engine and ambulance which had been parked on the road were now lying on their sides. Some luckless individuals were caught underneath, never to move again. Fresh screams replaced those who could scream no longer. The only emergency worker still moving was a now gutted police officer. The Dark Angel had seen few deer who had been better field dressed as he. The officer passed out never to regain consciousness again, a mercy.

God is great, he smirked. He put his car into drive and rode off down Route 8 toward Etna. He listened to the radio intently, waiting for the announcer to break into the song playing. Another one bites the dust, he laughed hysterically at the irony that was to herald his coming to the world. A minute or so later the announcer came broke into the broadcast again.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you an update on the explosion of the BP gas station from earlier this morning in Hampton Township, the broadcaster paused. We have just received unconfirmed reports of a second explosion or rather a second chain of explosions which witnesses said came from across the street and were directed into the crowd. Dear God! It appears as though no one who was in the blast has made it through alive, emergency workers are also amongst the dead. The chief of police has just released a statement ruling this as a terrorist action and he encourages people to exercise caution and to stay calm. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this cowardly attack and to the brave firefighters, EMTs, and police officers who sacrificed their lives trying to help others. We will bring you more updates as they arrive.

The incense of death was still fresh in his nostrils. His holy work for Him had begun, the first seal opened, the first trumpet blown. His eyes were alight with the zeal for his work. His blood burned in his veins greater than any drug made by man, and yet…the thrill was already going stale. It was a shame, a bloody shame. He chuckled at his own punning wit. He had rather hoped the feeling would linger awhile longer than it had. He thought back to his first time. Yes, the joy of that moment was even clearer than his first time with a woman and a thousand as sweet. He didn’t get a chance to claim a trophy this time, maybe that was the reason why his joy had faded so quickly. He had eaten the heart of his first victim just as the native savages of this land once did to gain their strength. He thought he could still taste the sweet iron and feel the warmth of the blood upon his chin. He would have to go back when things calmed down and claim his prize. How else would he gain the strength of Sampson to knock over these heathen temples? No, not this time, this time his trophy would be less tangible, this time his trophy would be purification and holy victory. He restrained his hunter’s urge and continued to drive.

Spring had finally arrived in force on the campus of La Roche College. Birds were singing and the wind blew fresh green scents with it. Libbi Jung was enjoying the scenery on her way to her noon philosophy class. The air was still crisp for spring but let’s face it in Pittsburgh you only have a few seasons, almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction. This was the last semester of her sophomore year, and it had flown by so quickly she had a hard time fathoming it. Libbi was a very attractive blonde haired, blue eyed, all American bombshell. She was five foot seven with the leanness and tone of an aerobics instructor, and a playmates bust and physique. She was what one of her boyfriends had once called an Aryan Princess…well, in the spirit of honesty he was not really a boyfriend. He still desperately wanted that, but it was never going to happen. He was more of a drunken mistake that didn’t know he was a mistake. Finding someone to replace Derrick would not be all that difficult to say the least, not with her looks.

Libbi had stepped into her class, late as usual, only half listening to what was being instructed. In her mind the professor should feel privileged on a day like today she had deigned to grace him and his classroom with her presence. That is why when she heard the quote with clarity she decided it was probably worth writing down and remembering. Her pencil whipped it into her notebook, When history remembers us, how will they speak our names? yes it would be worth remembering. Her phone began to chime just then, a song that even in a night club might seem too risqué to play.

Miss Jung! the professor shouted from his lectern. You know my rules on the use of cellular phones in class.

Dr. Parks was quite possibly the most right winged liberal Libbi had ever had the misfortune of meeting. Dr. Parks was a short, paunchy, balding man in his early sixties with a bad temperament and worse sense of fashion. He had just been rejected tenure for the third time making his already bad temper all the touchier. Too much coffee and too many cigarettes aged him further than his years had, leathering his face and yellowing his teeth. Dr. Parks wanted to make a spectacle of this girl who would dare violate one of his precious rules. Maybe he could even keep that little hottie after class and have her work to get her beloved electronic device back. The thought made him smile inside, although he knew it would never happen.

Sorry Dr. Parks I just forgot to put it on silent when I stepped in that’s… Libbi started to say before she was interrupted.

Another phone began to ring in the classroom, and then another, and then another. Soon enough it seemed as though everyone had conspired together to defy the will of Dr. Parks, god of the class room. Oh they would pay they would all pay if that was the case. Essays had been a favorite of his, essays detailing why they were wrong to be insubordinate or disruptive. However, he was beginning to consider ejecting a few students and putting them before the disciplinary board, sending a message to all.

Dr. Parks, a student called out from the third row, Something has happened, something big. The news is showing it right now.

What channel Mister Jefferson? Dr. Parks grew concerned, but spoke with a dignified indifference in his voice. The last time something of this magnitude had happened in his classroom, some Arab maniacs had hijacked some planes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

All of them, the student replied somberly.

God help us, he said in a low voice. Dr. Parks didn’t actually believe in a supreme being, but it couldn’t hurt to hedge your bets. He turned on the television which was mounted above him. The image of a newscaster replaced his class notes.

Good afternoon and I am Jeff Goodwin on the scene. Behind me you will see the still smoldering flames of this BP gas station on the corner of Route 8 and Wildwood Road Extension. During the early morning rush hour a fiery explosion ripped through the peaceful quiet town just on the edge of North Park. The initial explosion incinerated four motorists and their vehicles at the pumps. Three people, including the cashier, were located inside the convenience store when the windows were blown in by the force of the blast. The fire spread quickly into the store and set it ablaze. First responders arrived on the scene within ten minutes. However…, Before the news man could say anything else the camera zoomed in on the destruction. Wrecked vehicles, mangled metal and twisted bodies lay behind. …as you can see it was not to be the worst of things to happen. According to best estimates, five to ten minutes after the arrival of emergency crews another explosion from across the road occurred. Investigators have ruled that this was a homemade explosive known as an IED or improvised explosive device. The device seems to have been designed to throw bits of metal called shrapnel, much like the claymore mine used by the military. This secondary explosion is what claimed the lives of the emergency crews and the survivors from the first explosion, as well as the many onlookers. The current count of dead and wounded right now stands at twenty four dead and three missing. Speculation is this may be a terrorist attack, although it is unknown if it is linked to al-Qaeda or some other group, as no one has yet claimed responsibility. We will bring you more news as it happens. I am Jeff Goodwin reporting live.

Dr. Parks turned off the television his mouth still agape. The room sat in stunned silence, almost thick enough to be palpable. In the back row a young woman started crying. More than a couple students pulled out their secret flasks they had brought with them to keep the day interesting and drank from them. They shared their contents with the students to the left and right of them. Dr. Parks thought of the pint of Jack Daniels he kept in his office, sure he had livened his coffee with it this morning as any other morning, but he desperately need to gulp straight from the bottle right now. Silence stretched on only broken by the staccato sobs of the woman in the back row. That sound is what finally broke his trance.

Class is dismissed for the weekend, Dr. Parks muttered in disbelief, Make sure you stay safe and I’ll see you on Monday.

Libbi was shocked, appalled, and more than a little nauseated. How could this happen? She kept asking herself, as she stepped outside. She had grown up not ten minutes from that spot. Her hands were shaking badly as she reached into her purse for the rarely used pack of cigarettes she kept hidden there. Having one now she hoped would calm her nerves a little bit so she could get home and relax. Libbi had gone to school in the Hampton School District her entire primary education. Everyone there called it the Hampton Bubble because nothing really bad had ever really happened there. Now something really bad had really happened that would burst the happy little bubble forever. The middle school was right up the hill from where the attack had taken place and the high school not much further beyond that. Libbi began to think about all the times she had been to that very gas station, the one which no longer existed. It didn’t seem real. The birds no longer seemed to be in as chipper of a mood as they sang their morning songs. The cool refreshing air that had whisked through the campus playfully suddenly seemed to chill her to the bone. How many times had she gassed up her little car there? How many of her friends went there to buy gas and snacks before school? A new thought chilled her further, how many of her friends had been there when it went up? She hurried quicker than ever for her dorm room. If she could just get inside there then she could feel some measure of safety and perhaps have a drink to take the edge off.

Lib, hey Lib! a man’s voice shouted.

Shit, Libbi mutter to herself underneath her breath. There at the end of the sidewalk was the lovesick puppy, Derrick Warren. Derrick was finishing his senior year with a degree in history and a minor in theology. He was of average height, not entirely impressive physically. He kept a short haircut and always had well manicured hands. He was the type of guy that one day you could see him and before he walked away, you could forget everything about him. For Libbi though it was a little different. Libbi wanted to forget, but she couldn’t. She would never forget his face or the sound of his voice, nor the touch of his hands. She shivered again feeling a bit dirty. Well at least she knew in a pinch she could probably outlast, out fight, and out run him.

Why had she slept with him again? She guessed what had originally drew her to him were his piercingly blue eyes, the type you could feel on you and not just see. Well, that and the fifth of vanilla vodka she had downed at the party that night probably had something to do with it. This would have been a decent excuse for her mistake if it had been the only time, but unfortunately it wasn’t. It had taken her a couple of times before she realized how he would wait until she was really drunk and would offer to take her home with ulterior motives. She had never said no though and it wasn’t like he didn’t buy her things and dote on her afterwards. She didn’t feel all that taken advantage of, which did not mean she hadn’t been trying to drop him all semester quicker than someone on fire does before they start rolling.

Hey Derrick, Libbi tried to sound as if she had just recognized him and was happy to see him. How have you been? she smiled out of politeness. His short blond hair caught the light, his eyes were practically dancing, and he seemed more chipper than usual. Libbi realized if she had not been very drunk every time they had been together, she would have probably laughed at his advances instead of capitulating. He was nobody, not even worth a second glance, but when alcohol is involved frequently your perceptions of someone’s physical attractiveness become somewhat skewed.

Lib, have you heard? It’s been all over the news. Derrick said. His voice was excited at the news he was about to deliver.

Libbi could not determine if his excitement was just about the news, or if it was because it gave him an excuse to talk to her. Either way she knew that had he been a puppy his tail would be wagging furiously right now.

She started to chuckle internally at the thought and then said, Yeah, I heard, Dr. Parks sent us home early because of it. I know the gas station they attacked. I just hope it wasn’t as bad as the media made it out to be. Derrick was not fond of the media, bunch of liberal reactionaries he had called them on more than one occasion. She hoped by bringing them up it would end their conversation sooner, but no such luck.

If it bleeds it leads, was all he said with a shrug. Lib, I was wondering if you weren’t doing anything if maybe we could like hang out or catch a movie or something this weekend? he paused. I was just thinking we’ve been seein each other for a little while now and maybe we could…

I don’t think so Derrick, she interrupted him abruptly. We have had some fun times, yes. Maybe we can still be friends, but we will never be anything more than that. You have to understand that Derrick, she said with conviction.

Libbi had spent the better part of this semester trying to put him down easily, but it didn’t ever seem to take. How could she have been clearer than she had the last time she said no to his advances? She had told him they would not be an item any longer and that she wanted to just be friends. Why couldn’t he get it through his thick skull?

B-b-but I love you! he stammered. We are so good together. No one has ever made me feel the way you do before. No, one could love you as much as I do, I know it.

Stop it Derrick! she shouted at him as she glared. If I had realized sleeping with you that handful of times when I was drunk would turn you into a sniveling creeper, I would have never fucked you! she blurted. Derrick’s eyes began to water and his breath came in hiccups, he was about to start bawling. Were you like this with every other girl who ever agreed to get on her back for you? she said.

No, Derrick said collecting himself. Well, yes I guess.

What do you mean you guess? Libbi inquired, agitation still had hold of her voice.

Well, he said now somewhat composed, You were my first, my only, he blurted out finally.

Oh she said. This guy really was as pathetic as he looked.

So you see, he sniffed, you really are my only, my one, my beautiful Aryan princess, my…

Shut up, shut up, shut up! she screeched at him, That’s enough, you leave me the fuck alone, quit calling me that and for that matter quit calling me altogether!

Libbi stormed off in the opposite direction. Derrick once again began to cry. What on earth had she been thinking? She accepted the idea the first time was the only real time she could remember ever agreeing to have sex with him, but the other times she couldn’t be sure if she had or hadn’t. Because she was unsure she decided it wasn’t worth jeopardizing both of their reputations on. If however he didn’t get the point and it happened again, Libbi was going to the cops.

That night Libbi decided to go out with her friend and roommate Melani Prescott. Her roommate had a way of looking at things in an interesting light. Her pearl of wisdom was, the best way to get over a guy was to get under another one. Apparently this was the advice her kooky grandma had told her after she had broken up with her boyfriend of three years, and she had been right then. What the grandmother did not know was that Melani never really loved him. She had only stayed with him because it was convenient and had been under quite a few guys already. Melani was a fiery redhead with green eyes and skin like fine porcelain. She was petite only standing at five foot two, but don’t let her size fool you because she would knock your sorry ass out if you looked at her funny. When the two of them went out men would throw themselves at them. More often than not the girls would shoot them down just for laughs. A few however were lucky enough, or the girls were drunk enough, to be able to go home with them. The latter of the two was how Libbi had made the woeful mistake of sleeping with Derrick Warren.

You look hot girlie! Melani told Libbi as they stepped out into the cool night air. Libbi was dressed in a classic little black dress that hugged her curves and gave her an almost perfect hourglass figure. The dress also had a plunging neck line which drew great attention to her chest. She finished off the outfit with a pair of fashionable shoes. Spin around and lemme check you out, Melani said to Libbi. Libbi did so with a little melodramatic fanfare.

How’s that? Libbi asked of Melani.

If I weren’t going after some dick tonight, I’d do ya, Melani said as she winked at Libbi.

Well that’s comforting, Libbi said sticking out her tongue. You look pretty good yourself, she told Melani.

Melani was never one to put on dresses. She had been a bit of a tomboy growing up and the habits had stuck as far as fashion was concerned. Melani was wearing a pair of jeans that could have been painted on and a pink halter top. She might have grown up a tomboy, but there was no question she was all woman now. Being someone who couldn’t even start walking in heels, she was wearing a pair of tennis shoes. Melani’s bluish green eye shadow made her eyes seem almost unnaturally green, like a tiger’s. The fire behind those eyes seemed to make them glow and said they were just as hungry. Libbi wasn’t sure if Melani’s hair made her lipstick look a more vibrant red or vice versa. She had full pouty lips that would have made every other woman jealous and every man curious. One thing was for sure, if Melani didn’t want to go to bed alone, she wouldn’t have to. Then again, neither would Libbi although she tended to be a little less public with her sexual appetites.

Let’s go, Libbi said, and off they went.

Libbi and Melani drank and danced at the house party, but everyone seemed a little down from the attack. Everyone knew where the place was and most people knew someone who knew someone who died there. This air of melancholy did not stop the guys from hitting on the pair of girls, and it didn’t stop the girls from shooting down every lame pick up line handed to them. All the same, they still had fun and for a time were able to forget about what had happened. Libbi was afraid she might run into Derrick at the party, as he tended to always know where she was, and Melani seemed to be getting drunk enough to let some meat head take her home. This drunk and heck, Mel might have even taken Dr. Parks home. Libbi didn’t like that and shuddered at the mental image of her philosophy professor with her friend. Libbi knew this guy hitting on Mel right now wasn’t good enough for her, so she decided to intervene.

Hey Mel, let’s go home, Libbi said. I’m getting pretty drunk and I’m afraid of what I’ll do if I run into Derrick, she lied. Libbi knew she would never ever do anything with Derrick ever again. What Melani didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her though. Besides the guy she was talking to was a total tool and probably had a tiny dick from all the steroids he had to be taking. Libbi was doing her a favor.

Awright Lib, Melani slurred drunkenly. Lez go. As it turned out neither of them would be taking home a guy tonight and if Mel had she probably wouldn’t have remembered the encounter anyhow.

As they meandered on the way home Libbi couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that somebody was watching them. Libbi hurried her intoxicated friend along. The night air had a menacing feel to it. Something evil was out there, something dark and foreboding. The one small mercy Libbi found was that Derrick wasn’t waiting for her on the way home or at her dorm room door as he usually was. Maybe her scolding of him had the intended effect of warding him off. Libbi had to hope so at least, but wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t last for long.

Jake Church enlisted in the army his senior year of high school. Six years and four tours later he was back at home and back to civilian life. Home to the