“You would betray your faith that fast?” Ezekiel said. His voice stern. His brow furrowed. The rainbow of the stained glass seemed to dull. The light outside seemed to darken, as if the sun had been enshrouded by an overcast. As if the storm had returned.

“You would betray your heart? Your soul? You know what it is you wish. You know I can lead the way.”

“Lead the way by opening that fucking door!” Ralph yelled, aiming his gun.

Roy and Dylan responded in kind but were quickly lowered when Ezekiel put a hand on them. The priest walked to Ralph down the aisle with cautious steps in front of the other. Although his faith determined him to proceed, he knew it didn’t make him bulletproof.

“Ralph,” Ezekiel said. “That door can be opened at any time, but know you will be another soul forever lost in this dying world if you go through it. We have all lost, son. We feel your pain. We know this world is no longer. But we know of the peace that can only be found in a new paradise. The Other-Place is our solution. It is our salvation. Trust me, my child. I have heard the words of the holy ones. I have seen the glittering landscape. I have seen our people. I have seen your mother, Ralph.”

I saw the boy’s teeth grimace and his eyes begin to tear. Ralph’s head hung low. His hand came limp and Ezekiel put his hand over the pistol. He took it into his grasp as he consoled the lost child.

All seemed well when the confrontation ended. The doors opened. The sun shone. Yet the winds seemed so cold. Ezekiel and his congregation prepared supper while Ralph and I rested on the pews. We contemplated our fate and our faith. What once was lost was now found, but we both held our uncertainty for the church.

“One more day, Sage. Just to hear what he has to say.”

My head was low as I spoke. “Sure. That sounds okay with me.”

“Do you believe what he says? That he saw my mom?”

“It’s possible, Ralph. All laws of nature and reality are off the table after what happened to everyone. We might as well be living in a land of myths and legends at this point.”

“How will we get to this Other-Place?”

“I don’t know. Father Ezekiel says he has a plan but we will have to wait and see. I have a feeling it has to do more with the divine and hearing what they have to say.”

Soon after, the bells chimed for the afternoon to end and the evening to commence. All members of the church stood behind their chairs and waited for Ezekiel to finish saying grace before sitting. Ralph and I were guided to our spots next to one another. We awkwardly put our heads down when the priest began his prayer.

“Thank you, Lords above. Thank you for choosing those of whom are with you now. Thank you for watching over us. Thank you for the food upon our plates. And thank you… for investing your power unto me so that I may guide your flock to eternal paradise. I pray to you now so that we may join you when the dawn rises. May we be with our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, and our fathers, when the time comes. Thank you.” He let out a heavy sigh and opened his eyes to the rest of us. “Let’s eat!”

The church spared no expense on the supper. With only fire to cook with, they did a damn good job. No casseroles were made, but the congregation didn’t mind. Every meat imaginable was heated in the flames until the meat fell off the bones. A variety of vegetables were boiled in a pot and served on our plates. Fresh rolls, made that morning, were heated on the coals. Char etched into the edges of the crust that left a satisfying crunch in my mouth.

Ezekiel brought out bottles of red wine from the basement and sat them on the table. He filled each person’s glass to the brim and threw the bottles behind him.

A grand smile fell on his face as he sat and watched his flock chatter and laugh. Roy, Abigail, and her son Luke talked about all the fun they were going to have in the Other-Place. Jeffery and Dylan spoke of the past. While me and Ralph sat silently. He drowned his thoughts by shoveling food down his throat. I quenched them with wine that Ezekiel was eager to refill.

“And who thought the blood of a false prophet would taste so good?” the priest laughed.

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Our stomachs were filled to the brim as the sun had set. The bonfire had dwindled to smoldering flames. The other members seemed to have wanted to stay awake while the two of us were beaten down by smothered ribs and wine. I was far too tipsy to entertain another conversation and hurriedly went to my cushioned bench inside the church to rest. I heard Ralph do the same while my head spun and eyes laid shut.

* * *

Blinded by the shimmering earth, I couldn’t tell if it was sand or snow. My knees sunk into the ground and I could barely move. I trudged past rivers, mountains, villages, cities. I was able to gain my footing on solid ground when a grand colosseum stretched beyond the horizon. Then, I don’t know how, but I was thrust to the center of the arena. Gazing up, all I could see were millions of shadowy figures that cheered and shouted my name.

An iron gate lifted beside me and from it emerged a green-skinned beast of some kind. Shining steel adorned the creature, reflecting the sun with every step it took. A steel helmet obscured its face but I saw the bloodstains on his large canines. I saw its bloodstained weapons. Its bloodstained pelt.

The bipedal creature neared closer to me, stomping with steel boots until a shadow blocked the sun. A massive platform floated above the arena and one figure stood upon it alone. They were much like the beast below but exceedingly tall in comparison. Rested on his shoulder was a familiar great axe. As soon as I recognized it, the creature above had launched it with a thundering boom. Ripping it through the air and light. As it hurled toward the sun, I waited with bated breath of what would happen. Then all I saw was white. And all I heard was a cataclysmic explosion that woke me from my slumber.

* * *

My head throbbed. My heart pounded. I felt sick beyond belief. I didn’t know if it was the wine, the dream, or the stress of it all, but it was killing me. I looked to the pew beside me and Ralph was gone. Everyone was gone. No other living creature resided in the nave of the church except for me and the betta fish who was floating behind his pirate ship.

I checked the bathroom and no one was inside. The dining tables outside were void of people as well. It was cold and dark while the last embers of the bonfire were smothered under its own ash. Toward the side of the building, I noticed my SUV was missing. And before I could question where Ralph had gone off to, I heard another explosion. One that came from the barrel of a gun.

I ran to the graveyard to see a lamp illuminating the headstones. Two figures were before an open grave. One figure was crouched before it, the other… above, pushing their limp corpse into it.

The blood that reflected off the man’s black suit and hands was unmistakable. I watched him stand over the grave before he noticed my presence.

“Sage? You weren’t supposed to be up yet…” Ezekiel’s voice was solemn but steady. He had lost any ounce of energy and seemed distraught or exhausted.

“What did you do?” I asked. My eyes were wide and frantic as I neared closer. What I feared most had become a reality. I saw nine bodies that were stacked upon one another. The entirety of Ezekiel’s congregation. Jeffery, Dylan, Roy, Abigail, Luke, Ralph, and all the others. Ralph’s and Luke’s hands were the only one’s bound by rope. But each had a hole in the back of their head… and symbols carved upon their skin. They ranged from a variety of tools and weapons to figures of creatures and skulls.

I took a step back in fear of Ezekiel.

He killed everyone.

He killed Ralph.

The pistol was still in his hands and I could tell he was contemplating what to do now. I looked to the dense forests that would consume me. I peered at the lake that would drown me. Anywhere I ran would give me hyperthermia as the night progressed. Running was not an option while he remained.

Before I could think of how I was going to attack him, the priest spoke. “It was a necessity, Sage. Ralph and all the others were keys to the Other-Place. They served their purpose here on Earth and will remain in the next. I was going to awake you at dawn so you may see the last of this realm and be reunited with your friend. But…” He gazed at me with sullen eyes. I could tell every muscle in his body was relaxed. “The Gods have spoken to you, haven’t they? They awoke you from your slumber so you could show me a different path. You’re here to sacrifice yourself for my benefit.”

My fist clenched and was ready to meet the side of his head when he raised the gun. However, he didn’t aim it at me. He gave it to me. The priest forced it into my grasp and wrapped my fingers around the cold steel.

“I see now that the Gods have told you to give me your ticket to the Other-Place so that I may join our flock.” With a great smile, he went on his knees on the edge of the grave, waiting for me to end his life.

“Do not fear it, my dear. Our corpses will rot and our bones will decay here. But know we will be alive when you find us in our new paradise. Breath will come to our lungs and we will embrace you in our arms when you arrive.”

I hastily aimed the pistol out of anger—hatred for the man. I had enough of his lies and all that he took from me. He gave me hope for a world that didn’t exist. For something that was never real.

“What have you done!?” I shouted, tears streaming from my eyes.

Ezekiel gave a soft laugh. “You will find your answers soon. Look to the heavens, Sage. You’ll find another way to join us.”

If he wished for death so bad, who was I to deny him? I gritted my teeth and put the barrel to his forehead. Behind him were the corpses of many. One of them was my friend, my last connection from the Earth before. For Ralph, I denied the priest a quick death.

I jabbed the gun into his stomach and pulled the trigger. The shot muffled in his layers of cloth as I kicked him into the grave. I wandered away as the black sky resonated his writhing, his groaning, his pleas of death.