Read Online WIPE (A Post-Apocalyptic Story) by Joseph Turkot - Free Book Online
Authors: Joseph Turkot
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us as if they’ve been waiting up all night, wondering where the hell we’ve been. As if the whole town has been suspended in a state of uproar over our disappearance. And it takes one of the Father’s seeing us to confirm my fears.
When Father James sees us, and comes walking quickly to talk, I get the strange feeling he was one of the ones out in the Deadlands. But the truth is I’m not sure—I didn’t really get a good look at any of their faces. All I can do is hope that they didn’t see mine either.
“Let me handle this—follow my lead,” Maze whispers to me just before he meets us by the fountain at the town square. I nod and take one more quick look around, watching just how many spectators we’ve managed to get at this early hour of the day.
“We were worried to death ,” Father James says, genuine relief and anger rolling across his face at the same time.
“Father, it’s my fault,” Maze says.
“Please, come to Head Chapel to see Father Gold. He’s been organizing a search party,” says Father James. And then, at once and without another word, he’s leading us along the street. I want to ask if my mother is okay, and if she’s very upset, but I don’t get a chance. Father James starts talking again, and he doesn’t slow down one bit. It’s as if we’re in a race against someone else to get to the chapel first.
“I don’t know what happened. But I expect you to be entirely honest with Father Gold. Maze —that goes for you especially. Father has told me that you have missed your last three confessions of sin.”
“We have nothing to hide,” Maze says, and as she’s about to continue, and offer an explanation of why she’s missed service and confession, and everything else she neglects, probably the same excuses I’ve heard a million times, little June runs up to us.
“Go away June,” says Father James, brushing her off to the side of the road.
“Maze—Wills! What happened?” she asks. She stands about half our height, and in her short nine years, she has shown all the errant signs of desiring to emulate Maze. For this, the Fathers have taken a poor view of Maze’s influence on the children of town, but Maze has never backed off. As many times as she’s been warned to follow God’s will in her conduct with her peers, Maze still speaks the brutal honesty the Fathers always avoid. And just like that, in front of Father James, Maze steps aside and bends down to whisper something in June’s ear. June nods, as if she’s been given a very special assignment or secret or something, and then, looks at me and says that my mother is worried sick about me.
“You’re going to have to cook up a good one this time, Wills,” she says, but Father James bats her away now, the idea of lying to one’s parent annoying him to no end. Once he’s successfully shooed her off, and June has finished with a quick wink at Maze and sped away down one of the lanes between houses, Father turns to Maze.
“You know—I am one of the most... understanding… of all the Fathers,” he says. All of the sudden he stops us in the middle of the road. “But Father Gold is purer than me. And his adherence to God’s will approaches perfection more closely than does any other person’s in Acadia. I strongly advise you not to inadvertently worsen your sentence, whatever it will be.”
I want to chime in, to defend her, to take the blame somehow, since I barely have any infractions against God on my permanent record. Insoluble Sins , as the Fatherhood records them. But Maze doesn’t let me—instead she kisses his ass.
“I’m really sorry, Father. It was just about June’s birthday. We are planning
When Father James sees us, and comes walking quickly to talk, I get the strange feeling he was one of the ones out in the Deadlands. But the truth is I’m not sure—I didn’t really get a good look at any of their faces. All I can do is hope that they didn’t see mine either.
“Let me handle this—follow my lead,” Maze whispers to me just before he meets us by the fountain at the town square. I nod and take one more quick look around, watching just how many spectators we’ve managed to get at this early hour of the day.
“We were worried to death ,” Father James says, genuine relief and anger rolling across his face at the same time.
“Father, it’s my fault,” Maze says.
“Please, come to Head Chapel to see Father Gold. He’s been organizing a search party,” says Father James. And then, at once and without another word, he’s leading us along the street. I want to ask if my mother is okay, and if she’s very upset, but I don’t get a chance. Father James starts talking again, and he doesn’t slow down one bit. It’s as if we’re in a race against someone else to get to the chapel first.
“I don’t know what happened. But I expect you to be entirely honest with Father Gold. Maze —that goes for you especially. Father has told me that you have missed your last three confessions of sin.”
“We have nothing to hide,” Maze says, and as she’s about to continue, and offer an explanation of why she’s missed service and confession, and everything else she neglects, probably the same excuses I’ve heard a million times, little June runs up to us.
“Go away June,” says Father James, brushing her off to the side of the road.
“Maze—Wills! What happened?” she asks. She stands about half our height, and in her short nine years, she has shown all the errant signs of desiring to emulate Maze. For this, the Fathers have taken a poor view of Maze’s influence on the children of town, but Maze has never backed off. As many times as she’s been warned to follow God’s will in her conduct with her peers, Maze still speaks the brutal honesty the Fathers always avoid. And just like that, in front of Father James, Maze steps aside and bends down to whisper something in June’s ear. June nods, as if she’s been given a very special assignment or secret or something, and then, looks at me and says that my mother is worried sick about me.
“You’re going to have to cook up a good one this time, Wills,” she says, but Father James bats her away now, the idea of lying to one’s parent annoying him to no end. Once he’s successfully shooed her off, and June has finished with a quick wink at Maze and sped away down one of the lanes between houses, Father turns to Maze.
“You know—I am one of the most... understanding… of all the Fathers,” he says. All of the sudden he stops us in the middle of the road. “But Father Gold is purer than me. And his adherence to God’s will approaches perfection more closely than does any other person’s in Acadia. I strongly advise you not to inadvertently worsen your sentence, whatever it will be.”
I want to chime in, to defend her, to take the blame somehow, since I barely have any infractions against God on my permanent record. Insoluble Sins , as the Fatherhood records them. But Maze doesn’t let me—instead she kisses his ass.
“I’m really sorry, Father. It was just about June’s birthday. We are planning
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