The Fall of Saint Andrew's (Part 1)
Posted on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 2:19am by René Rouen & Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Alonzo Blazevic & Vienna Quinn & Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy] & Ethan Thompson
Edited on on Thu May 18th, 2023 @ 10:45pm
2,047 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Bangor or Bust
Location: Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Millinocket, Maine
Timeline: 26 AUG 2010 - 08:30 p.m.
Father Dominic Stephens looked out upon the people in the pews as he concluded the short memorial service for Madison and Mrs. Turner. He focused on the front two rows of pews where the students of Bangor High School sat other than René who was seated in a chair off to one side of the Sanctuary assisting him as acolyte and cross bearer for the short service.
Rene had hardly known Madison, but the passing of one so young was always sad. Prior to the service, he had rung the church bell after bringing Nicole to meet Father Dominic. Now that the service was ending he was hoping to rejoin the other students in the main hall of the Rectory.
Ethan had picked them a spot at the back; being Catholic, he was a bit out of his element, but he understood the need to mourn. And so, while the service went on for the two who died here, Ethan offered up his own prayers for his parents. Not that he had ever paid much attention to religion, it being something that he associated more with his parents and their friends, it felt right. Honoring them in a way they'd understand even if the service was longer by half than what he would have preferred which meant that he was moving restlessly by the time it ended. "Can we get out of here," Ethan said as he turned to Alonzo.
This was also not Alonzo's faith and a memorial service was not what he was seeking when he sought refuge at the church. He looked at Ethan and gave a nod of approval. "We could but I don't know anywhere better to be right now. I don't even know if they'd let us get far."
"It's just the sitting around," Ethan said, shifting restlessly in his seat, "I'm a runner and," he grinned cheerfully, "I feel the need for speed."
"Why do I feel like I need to make sure I always know where my car keys are?" Alonzo looked at Ethan suspiciously.
"Dude, I'm fifteen," Ethan said. "My Dad wouldn't let me anywhere near a car ... course, that didn't stop me from learning how to work on motorcycles. Next year, I'm getting my license no matter what."
Next year thought Alonzo. He was glad to hear that Ethan was still looking at the light at the end of the dark tunnel. I don't know what that will look like.
Vienna sat silent simply looking at the picture of Madison that someone had managed to enlarge and put at the front. She didn’t, couldn’t, comprehend such a horrible fate befalling anyone.
Father Dominic stood at the pulpit looking out. "Go in Peace to Serve the Lord."
Two of the regular congregationists rose to their feet and headed to the doors to allow the local parishioners who had come for the memorial to leave. Throughout the church others rose to their feet and began the quick process of gathering their belongings or offering words of comfort to the students in the pews nearest the Sanctuary.
The ushers pushed open the doors to allow people to leave and were immediately set upon by a sizable throng of the reanimated dead who had been drawn to the church by the bell ringing 20 minutes earlier.
There was panic as the dead set into those trying to leave the church, turning around Vienna forced her way back through the rear of the crowd. She’d luckily hung back to wait for René, now she had to try to stay away from the hungry reanimated souls that were attacking those at the front.
René had seen a bit of the aftermath of Madison's attack on Mrs. Turner, but this was a whole other level of carnage. There was a score (20+) of the infected tearing into people in the back pews. People were running everywhere. He tore the white acolyte robe off and rushed to where he had last seen Vienna. He finally got to her and took her hand. "Are you okay?"
Vienna breathed a sigh of relief as René found her. “I’m okay, I’m just lucky that I hung back!”
René led Vienna to the Rectory building. Part of him wanted to charge back into the church and help the two men fighting the...infected...dead...he still wasn't sure what to call them. He was unarmed however. His first duty was to protect Vienna. He took her over into the kitchen and rummaged through drawers. He found two long meat cutting knives and handed her one. "Protect yourself, but we only use these as a last resort."
Vienna took the knife checking it over with an expert eye. “This I can handle, my dad taught me how to use a knife for our hunting trips.” She gave René a worried look. “Just don’t get yourself hurt okay? I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Father Dominic, for his part, motioned for the teenagers in the front pews to quickly move to the door on the side of the Sanctuary that led to a corridor between the church and the Rectory building. He kept his nerves and his wits despite the chaos.
Alonzo reached into his jacket and pulled out his revolver. "Ethan!" shouted Alonzo. "Side entrance, get your friends to the rectory" instructed the journalist as he fired off a shot at one of the reanimate's head, blowing out the back of their skull. Alonzo knew he didn't have too many bullets and he was not going to waste them.
"On it," Ethan called out and started herding frightened people toward the exit. In some cases, that was just calling out but sometimes that meant physical contact, a touch on a shoulder or an arm. Once he nearly got a fist in the mouth but younger, more agile limbs saved him from injury, and for the most part, once they realized that he was talking for a path away from the carnage, they responded.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Millinocket
Finally off duty, Hale was in his Jeep and trying to figure out what to do next. The idea of grilling something and then crashing in that incredibly comfortable king-sized bed just going to waste at the cabin was uppermost in his mind. With luck, he could grab a few hours before he had to be back at it with Andy. Course, that notion didn't last long. He heard the church bells and pulled over immediately.
"Of all the idiotic ..." he muttered as he pulled out his map and made note of the locations, spread the map on the passenger's seat, and started driving. Hopefully, it was nothing and no one was going to get hurt.
Victoire Olaffson was on patrol in her Armada and passed by an officer as she turned around in the Hospital lot. As she finished her turn and left the same lot she had to go up a small hill and as she crested it she spotted the same officer's vehicle nose first against a small rock, a bloodied body in the street and she rolled to a halt, pulling to the side of the road and fingering her sidearm as she looked from the body to the officer in his own vehicle, watching for movement before she got out and slowly moved closer to the officer's car first to check his vitals though she was careful to watch the body in the street. It was about the time that she reached his door that the church bells started ringing, reminding her of the civilian presence there and drawing her attention for just a moment though that momentary distraction was broken when the body snarled and growled, rising slowly back to its knees before she leapt back a bit and placed a shot through its face, watching as the side of its jaw shattered and exploded from the bullet and then took a deep breath, realizing only then that she had been holding hers.
She swore and re-secured her sidearm; forgetting to check the officers vitals and ran for her vehicle before pulling out her maps to check the location of St. Andrew's and heading to the church.
Back at the Church
He reached the second church and saw the mob out front, pulled to as quiet a stop as he could, and looked for a way in other than through the herd. He found it in an entrance to the rectory and made his way to the sanctuary, sliding back the teen he'd met earlier, with his weapon drawn. He ran forward and drew as he came level with Alonzo, firing neatly between the eyes of the closest, dropping them as they reached for a screaming woman.
Alonzo had noticed the man. Once again there he was. "You have a tendency to show up when they do," quipped Alonzo. "I sent the kids to the rectory" he added.
"Good plan," Hale said as he drew his combat knife, "and by plan, to answer you in reverse." He stepped in to kick one of the reanimates off of an older woman who was lost to panic and fear, then inserted the knife into the Pterion. When it stopped struggling, he removed the knife and turned toward another one, intent on making him a meal. This one, he shot in the head. "We need to get everyone out of here," he called out as he raised his pistol to fire again.
There was one thing Alonzo was not going to argue about. He had a desire to live and not become a Zombie snack. "I'll follow the kids, make sure they are safe" he stated as he sought to make his own retreat.
Father Dominic was doing his best to organize kids into groups of 3-4 and then designate an adult parishioner that had a vehicle. Her glanced out the window and saw at least a dozen or more of those shambling people milling about in the street between the building and the parking lot. He spotted Alonzo as he rushed into the rectory hall. "You! Do you have a car here?"
Alonzo wasn't sure if he should or shouldn't say anything. "Yes, I do. Ethan and I can take three of the kids in the backseat." That was about the extent of it. He wasn't looking to take any adults.
Father Dominic nodded once he tapped René on the shoulder. "Rene isn't it?" You and your girlfriend here go with this man". He tapped another young girl of perhaps fourteen. "You too".
Rene looked from Father Dominic to Alonzo and back to nod. He fell in step with Alonzo and headed for the door.
Vienna quickly followed on, the sooner they got the hell out of there the better.
The reanimated had caught Nicole by surprise. However because of her training she was prepared. She had already unholstered her M1911 sidearm and was currently in a defensive position in front of those in the back of the church. This was one of those moments where she was glad that she kept up with her firearm certifications since her rate wasn't a combative one.
Meanwhile, Outside (The Other Side of the Fight)
Victoire arrived to St. Andrews just in time to catch the swarm breaching the doors so she angled the Armada for them; whispering a quick thanks for a particularly handy motor pool sergeant she had befriended that had redone the undercarriage of her vehicle with sturdier equipment, then she revved the engine and pulled her sidearm, a Sig-Sauer P320, firing off carefully aimed shots into the bulk of the reanimated that were clustered around the doors of the church and blaring her horn as she roared closer to the doors, reanimates bouncing and rolling under the wheels.
Some went down under the wheels, others turned to claw at the sides of the vehicle, hoping for an easy meal. The bulk of the hoard had made it inside. Parishioners who had fallen to a bite began to awaken, and turned their attention to the living.
To be Continued in "The Fall of Saint Andrew's (Part 2)
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