Read Online Fear of God (Trials of Strength Book 1) by Jr Matthew Bell - Free Book Online Page B

with a gash on
his head, unconscious. In his place, surrounded by shattered glass
from the skylight was a woman dressed in red. An angry growl etched
into her face. Anna raised her gun and fired. But she shot too
quickly, and the bullet lodged itself in the attacker’s thigh. In a
blink, the creature had crossed the room and shouldered Anna, who
lifted from the floor and hit the wall behind her with a sickening
crack. Two down.
    The monster turned on me
and my stomach churned. Her dress wasn’t red. There were white
flecks here and there of its former colour, but blood had changed
it. So far she was the most monstrous former town’s person I had
seen. Blood dripped from an empty eye socket and her other eye was
wide and angry. That wasn’t the worst of it. The realization crept
up my spine: I knew the girl.
    She charged and we hit
the floor, her on top. I screamed, and brought my hands up to push
her off. But she was stronger than me, her weight kept me pinned
and her hands lashed at my face. My chest burned while blood from
the girl stained my already soaked top.
    ‘ Claire!’ I
screamed her name. ‘Claire, it’s me, Lucas! Please!’
    She ignored me and
punched my face. It felt like my head collapsed, my nose broke and
metallic tasting liquid filled my mouth. I choked, and in my daze,
Claire wrapped her hands around my neck. I tried to gasp, but
failed, my hands tried to pull her hands away, but the room was
fading.
    I’m going to
die. I’m going to die .
    Tears streaked my cheeks
and I gave up trying to wrench her from my throat. My arms flailed
and fell on Chris’s fallen gun. I panicked and brought the heavy
metal up and slammed it against her head. Nothing, it only seemed
to anger her and bright spots burst into my vision. I could feel my
strength leaving, but I tried again and brought the gun back
around.
    The pressure around my
throat lessened, and using my legs, I bucked her off. I gasped air
in painfully, my lungs on fire, and tried to crawl away. I’d barely
hurt her though, Claire rounded and stood. A cut on her forehead
was all I had managed to accomplish. I was going to die, unless I
acted against the screaming in my mind.
    It’s you or
them. You have to get that, or you’ll
die.
    ‘ I’m sorry,’ I
whispered.
    Claire charged, I aimed
and fired.

The
Confession
     
    I sat in the middle of
the room, the gun at my side and Claire in my arms. I couldn’t stop
the onslaught of salty tears that poured down my cheeks. My heart
broke. I had had enough of screams though, enough of their terror
becoming second nature. When I’d aimed the gun, it was as if a fog
had lifted from my brain, I knew what I had to do to survive, just
like Chris had said.
    Aim.
Shoot.
    But as soon as the bullet
struck her forehead and she fell to the ground, the fog had
returned. What did I do? The guilt was unstoppable. Claire’s face
mixed with Amelia’s and Hannah’s, and to me it seemed, no matter
what I did someone else died. I had taken a life and it would never
affect the world again. I felt as if something had been ripped from
inside. New tears slipped from my eyes and I almost
wailed.
    I closed Claire’s eyes
through the blood staining her face, and I sobbed with how innocent
and peaceful she looked. Her hair was red, but before it had been a
murky blonde, her eyes a greyer shade of blue. I gripped her tight.
My face throbbed and my chest pulsed in rhythm with the pain. I
felt dirty, and not in the physical sense.
    I wondered if this was
what going into shock felt like. Anna and Chris still lay
unconscious, I hadn’t even checked to see if they were okay. Before
too long Chris’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned. As if his mind
clicked, he flew to his feet and scanned the room wildly for the
enemy. His eyes found me, his solid composure gone for an instant,
but with a blink it was back. He lifted the gun at my side and went
to where Anna lay and tried to rouse her.
    An insane anger burst
into my chest. The