all god's orphans

Millie, Kite, and Grey stood frozen in place. Sarah was still holding the gun on Millie who looked more angry than afraid.

“Allow me to introduce you to Sarah.” Said Kite as a way to ease the tension.

“You didn’t have your memory erased.” Millie observed.

“No shit.” Sarah spat back, reveling in her unfettered access to swear words.

“Why are you doing this?” Asked Grey. Just a moment ago he wanted to protect her because he thought she was a frail and helpless thing lost among the monsters. Now he wondered why he ever thought that.

“I’m hungry.” She said.

“We can give you food.” Kite offered, but Sarah shook her head.

“And I need a car.” Millie scoffed.

“There are cars everywhere. Do you even know how to drive?” She typed.

“Yes!” Sarah’s tone betrayed a lack of confidence. Millie just smirked and looked away. Her dismissive attitude infuriated Sarah and to make the point that she was not to be trifled with, she pointed the gun into the kitchen and pulled the trigger. Kite and Grey jumped at the sound of the blast, but Millie of course didn’t move. That only made Sarah angrier.

“I’ll kill you!” She shouted and pointed the gun at Millie. Kite took a step towards Millie and tried to get between her and the gun.

“You don’t have to do this.” Pleaded Kite. “We can help you. We want to help you.”

“Bullshit.” Sarah swore again. “Nobody wants to help nobody.” Tears started pooling in her eyes. Where was her dad? Why had he left her?

“That’s not true.” Kite’s tone was soft and matronly. It had the exact effect she was hoping for. Sarah lowered the gun slightly. “We are all helping each other. We can take you with us.”

“Where?” They all exchanged a glance. There wasn’t an easy explanation and they didn’t know how to phrase it, but Sarah took it to mean they were lying. “Bullshit.” She repeated.

“It’s true.” Grey said. “We have a letter that might help us find safety. It’s a government letter to gain access to a shelter.” Sarah raised the gun again.

“That’s the same shit my dad said.” Tears were threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes and as she spoke, they began to trickle down in little rivulets. “He said we would be safe. He said there was a place we could go and find shelter. He even used the same words as you. He said he had been planning it all along. It was all bullshit. There’s no safe place. And now my sister is dead, too. You’re all liars!” Sarah tried to keep herself from weeping, but it was no use. The idea that her father had abandoned her swelled up in her and pushed her heart down into her stomach. Sobs began to wrack her body and even Millie, who up to this point had only felt contempt for this little girl, actually pitied her. “What happened to everything?” She wailed. “Everyone is gone!” Sarah dropped to her knees as the sadness enveloped her young mind. The gun dropped to the floor and Millie snatched it up. Kite knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around trembling shoulders. Sarah turned into her as only a child does and let go of her tears. It felt good to cry and even better to have someone hug her. She had missed her mother so much and her father was not the hugging type. She pulled Kite close to her and let it all out. Kite stroked her hair and whispered into her ears.

“It’s okay.” She told her. “It will all be okay.” For a moment, Sarah let herself believe that.

After a while, Sarah calmed down enough to listen to reason. She decided to go with them. Even if they were lying, it was better than being alone. She led them to the mega church where her father had left her. There were supplies there that she wanted. As they entered the building, Kite and Grey were awed by the sheer size of it. The ceiling curved upwards and seemed as high as the clouds to them. They could scarcely imagine what the building looked like when it was full.

“What is this place?” Asked Kite.

“It’s a church.” Answered Sarah and then re-considered her answer. “Actually, it’s a mega church.”

“What is it for?” Grey was quite curious. He pictured a grand spectacle taking place on the stage, something to warrant this extravagant building.

“It’s for church.” Answered Sarah. “Y’know? Church?”

“They don’t know.” Observed Millie. “A guy stands up on stage and tells all these people that he knows what god is thinking and they give him money.” Kite and Grey stopped walking.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Said Grey after a moment.

“Nope.” Said Sarah and led them to a room near the back of the auditorium where she had set up a little camp filled with items she had scavenged from the surrounding shopping centers. There was precious little food, but quite a bit of makeup and more than a few pairs of shoes.

“Only the essentials, I see.” Said Millie. Sarah reached under the desk and pulled out her AR-15.

“Yeah.” She agreed. “And this.”

“How good are you with that?” Asked Millie, trying not to sound impressed that Sarah could even lift that rifle.

“See for yourself.” She said, and nodded towards the stage. At first, Millie didn’t know what she meant to be showing them, but after a moment, she saw. The stage was about two hundred yards away and above it, hanging on the back wall was a comically large crucifix. Millie’s eyes were drawn to the center of Jesus’ chest. There, in a surprisingly tight group just over where the heart would be, dozens of bullet holes pockmarked the surface of the statue. Millie’s jaw dropped.

“You made that shot?” Millie had to double check. Sarah only nodded in response. “I don’t believe it.” Millie was more expressing awe rather than mistrust and Sarah merely shrugged.

“Well my dad always did say, ’Believe half of what you see and none of what you here.’” Sarah remarked casually. “Sometimes he’d say it on the way to church. Which I always thought was strange.” Millie closed her gaping mouth into a smirking grin. Maybe she had misjudged this girl.