Free Among the Roaring Dead by Christopher Sword Page B

creatures.
    But it was what else was in the compound that unnerved Jess the most.
    For there were dozens of those emotionless creatures stumbling about inside and one-by-one they all noticed the woman in white on the bridge and slowly turned to her position, stilling themselves.
    She started speaking, and at first, she thought it was to Jess, but it was to them that she spoke.
    “Now listen, for I will repeat again the gospel that will save you. You my children, were made in the image of your Lord and like him, you too have been raised from the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
    Jess looked down and the mass of creatures were stirring ever so slightly, clamouring for a better spot closer to the front so that they could hear this crazy woman speak. Their faces were sunken, eyes protruding and mouths agape. One large male started pushing others out of the way, not by any abrupt action but merely by the force of his will, size and forward movement. A female lost her balance as a result and fell into the structure. A large spark of electricity popped in the air.
    Anne started to speak louder which seemed to make the group all the more agitated.
    “But each will come to his day of judgement in his own order. First was Christ and then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end and we are almost there my children, for Christ will deliver his kingdom to God the father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his foot! The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
    Jess backed away from the edge of the bridge and started walking away, slowly and quietly at first and then rapidly as got further away. She was insane, he had no doubt. He walked for 15 minutes until the sound of her voice was obscured by the strong winds.
    “Have you doubts my children? Why then are we all baptized on behalf of the dead? And so it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable. What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. What is raised is imperishable.
    “And here is the truth, my children. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed! In a moment, in the time it takes you to blink an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
    Jess looked back halfway up the road, one last time. The hole in the sky had closed but the crazed preacher could still be seen - a white beacon in a sea of darkness.
    About 10 minutes later he heard a loud noise behind him. He turned quickly and saw a cloud of fire and electricity billowing into the sky. The position was roughly where Anne’s pulpit was.
    He watched it out of curiosity and hoped Anne was okay. Though she was clearly mad, she didn’t deserve a bad ending.
    Jess’s mind strayed for longer than he should have let it. The light reminded him of fire pits while camping with his family many years ago. A lot of people found fire to be hypnotizing but amid the darkness it was especially so.
    It was only a minute - maybe a little longer but he shouldn’t have stayed so long. Right about when he started thinking that he should continue his pilgrimage something hit him in the head and he lost consciousness.
     

Chapter 9
    “God – how much did I drink last night?” Jess thought.
    He woke with a throbbing headache and a parched mouth. Wherever he was, his surroundings were swirling around him too quickly to make anything out. It was dark – that much he knew. Vague voices could be heard floating to him like inaudible echoes of conversation on the wind. He was sitting against something hard with his arms tied behind his back. He felt with his hands the stump of long, coarse pole in the middle of a dimly lit room. He was unable to move anything but his feet and his head and fingers, but he could still feel. He discovered that another length of rope kept him still across his