Moral Imperative by C. G. Cooper Read Free Book Online

bathed and wearing a new set of combat gear, he had his golden revolver prominently displayed in a shoulder holster and a massive curved blade on his hip.
    He had no need of a mask. The Master believed that those who concealed themselves for such tasks were cowards. Besides, he had the blessing of Allah. His faith was strong. No mask was needed.
    He strode up to the priest’s body. It looked like it was caught in some invisible spider’s web. The Master pointed to the man behind the camera and nodded. The red light on the video camera came on and The Master began.
    “My people. Today we celebrate the glorious death of one of our enemies, an infidel whose very presence in the city of Mosul was a curse on Allah’s blessed name. For years his place of pagan worship was a stain on this holy land. It was only after this Christian demon murdered one of my own men that we were able to cut him down.” The Master picked up one of the two white buckets laid on the ground and poured the blood over the priest’s body.
    “The blood of our dead will seal this devil’s fate.”
    He set the bucket down and picked up the second one, holding it high.
    “Let the blood of our lost brother bless me as I do what Allah has commanded.”
    There were murmurs from the crowd as The Master poured the second bucket of already congealing blood over his own head, the liquid drenching him like a horrid slime. After throwing the bucket to the side, he continued. Blood ran over his eyes, but he never flinched. He looked straight into the camera, eyes blazing.
    “We have warned you. This will be the last time I repeat these words. Allah has commanded that you repent and come to the true Word. Any who join us will be forgiven. All who do not…”
    The Master pulled the curved blade from its scabbard and turned to the body hanging in wait. Its edge razor sharp, the sword easily sliced through the cadaver’s left leg with The Master’s diagonal overhead cut. Then the right leg was severed cleanly, making the body sway back and forth, now only secured by the ropes tied to its arms.
    With the ease of a master swordsman, he dismantled the rest of the body piece by piece, the body falling to the ground after the second arm was gone just below the shoulder. He left the head for last. It only took one swing for him to sever it right through the red soaked beard. He grabbed the priest by the hair and lifted the decapitated head, turning to the camera.
    He was slightly out of breath, but more than steady in his speech.
    The Master looked directly at the camera, the deformed face of the head dangling from his hand and in a voice just loud enough to hear, he said, “Allahu, Akbar.”
     

Chapter 10
    Charlottesville, Virginia
    7:57pm EST, August 12 th
     
    The night air was heavy, the late summer humidity clinging to Diane’s skin. She was the last one to leave Maury Hall, the rest of her staff having left hours earlier. The new midshipman would be arriving in a couple days and she wanted her people rested.
    She’d rushed to get changed, having lost track of the time despite her excitement. Diane hadn’t expected a call from Cal for at least a few days when they’d said goodbye at her apartment the morning before he’d mentioning being out of town for almost a week. Cal called to invite her to dinner.
    Having had the time to think about their last conversation, Diane wondered what she could expect from the handsome Marine. There was something about him that she still hadn’t figured out, something he was hiding. Maybe he was just reserved, not accustomed to sharing his feelings. He was a guy after all. She shook away the over-analyzation and looked at the time on her phone. They were supposed to be meeting at eight and she was still five minutes away. Diane picked up the pace.
     
    +++
     
    There were only a handful of patrons in the St. Maarten Cafe. St. Maarten’s was more bar than cafe. Music played lazily overhead, concealing the muffled