Elements of the Undead: Fire (Book One) by William Esmont Read Free Book Online Page B

thigh, and then turned his attention back to the laptop as his screen flashed.
    At seventeen, Peter felt he had a pretty good idea how the world worked; God had a plan, and if you followed it, you were golden. If you ignored it, you were on the express train to Hell. Peter was following the plan to the letter, as delivered by Pastor Chuck at Central Baptist Community Church, and he felt little sympathy for anyone who wasn’t doing the same.
    After what seemed like an eternity, the laptop finally booted. He swiped his fingertip on the scanner, logging himself in. A few seconds later, he was on Facebook, skipping through his news feed.
    Peter was intimately familiar with the idea of Rapture—how, when mankind faced its final battle, Jesus would return to the earth and carry the true believers to Heaven to sit by his side.
    That was why he was so excited. His wall told the entire story. The rapture was here...
    .
    .
    .
    Johnny Gaston
    I just saw a non-believer taken down in the street! Stay strong, everyone!
    8 minutes ago
- Like this
     
    Emily Felt
    He is arrived! Praying!
    7 minutes ago
    Jessica Fox likes this
     
    Johnny Gaston
    There’s someone at the door… brb
    6 minutes ago - Like this
     
    Emily Felt
    Who was it Johnny?
    6 minutes ago
- Like this
     
    Emily Felt
    Johnny? Are you there? Who was it?
    4 minutes ago
- Like this
     
    Chris Neelon
    Emily - where are you?
    3 minutes ago
- Like this
     
    Emily Felt
    Johnny? Call me, k? Praying for you.
    1 minute ago
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    Peter had to admit, as happy as he was about the rapture, he was scared for his family, for his girlfriend. For himself . Pastor Chuck hadn’t said anything about people eating each other. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen the pastor on Facebook all day. That was odd. The Pastor was a regular on Facebook, always there to offer a guiding hand.
    Peter shrugged. He’s probably busy helping people rapture. He recalled his recent phone call with Molly, his girlfriend of eight months. She had called twenty minutes earlier, crying, saying she had heard gunshots outside her house. Things seemed worse on her end of town, the rapture in full swing. Peter wished he was there with her so they could experience it together. And he would be if it weren’t for his mother. He turned his eyes to the ceiling. She lay just a few feet above, suffering from the end stages of terminal ovarian cancer. He and his father had brought her home from the hospital the week before. Her last round of chemotherapy was a complete disaster, draining her strength and turning her into a ghost of the woman who once ruled the house with an iron fist. The end was close, he knew. He couldn’t help but smile at the timing. Soon he would see his mom in Heaven; she would be strong and healthy like he remembered.
    Peter thought it was strange that his dad hadn’t called yet. He picked up his cell phone and checked the time. Two twenty. He said he’d be home by now. He shrugged it off. His father would get home when he did.
    He typed in a quick Facebook post, encouraging his friends to ‘hold tight in the name of Jesus. The end is near!’
    As he pressed enter, his phone chirped. It was Molly. He picked it up. “Hey.”
    “Pete.” She was crying and gasping, almost hyperventilating.
    “What is it? Are you okay?”
    She blubbered something he couldn’t understand. Something about eating… He slid off the couch and went to the window. When he peered out, he saw nothing but empty street.
    “Slow down, Molly,” he said, motioning with his hand even though she couldn’t see it.
    She blew her nose loudly in his ear. “They ate them,” she spit out. “The police—all of them.”
    Peter was confused. “What do you mean they ate them ? What did the police eat?”
    “No, Pete!” she shrieked. “The people outside!  They ate the police that were shooting at them.” Peter closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the ceiling. She was panicking again.
    “I don’t understand what