Anahel gestured to the beast. “He does not partake.”
“Nay, he cannot,” Arithem said. “’Twould burn his insides and expose him for what he is, a spawn of hell.”
The fiend in question glanced their way, fully able to hear their conversation. His eyes turned fiery red as he hissed out a blasphemy.
Ignoring him, Arithem glanced at his ward, kneeling beside Tori, enjoying the heavenly food. “The beast has grown closer to Thomas. The deception is strong.”
“Aye.” Zarall grabbed the handle of his ax, wishing he could toss it at the vile fiend. “He seeks to keep him from the Father.”
“And he seeks to murder these precious saints before they can complete their task,” Arithem added.
Anahel stared at his ward, Brianna. “’Tis why we are here.”
“But we cannot act without their permission,” Onafiel said.
Arithem nodded. “And we won’t gain their permission unless they recognize the spiritual threat.”
Zarall studied Tori as she leaned back and patted her full belly, laughing. “She must pass her tests. She must learn what the Father teaches her. Or all will be lost.”
???
Four days later, Thomas still could not figure out where the donut-like substance had come from—or continued to come from, for it had appeared each morning since. No matter what filthy rat-infested hovel they spent the night in, no matter that dozens of birds, squirrels and other creatures should have eaten it up before they woke, it was there, splayed across whatever patch of dead grass was available, glistening like dew in the sun.
“See, God isn’t such a bully now, is he?” Tori had said with a grin. “He feeds His people because He loves us.”
Aaron’s muffled grunt had been almost indistinguishable, but Thomas had heard it, nonetheless, making him wonder at the man’s true beliefs. Regardless, he was a kind old soul who went about listening and caring and cheering everyone up. The past few days he’d been spending more time with Sara, extending a comforting hand and a listening ear. The young girl seemed to perk up in his presence. Thomas couldn’t blame her. She, no doubt, needed a good father figure as much as he did.
Another thing Thomas could not figure out was the vision he’d had from the window of that high-rise apartment as the tsunami struck—a huge glowing creature wearing armor and bearing all manner of weapons, holding back the force of the water. Then as quickly as he had appeared, the bright being was gone. An angel? But no, that couldn’t be true. Angels weren’t any more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Just silly myths intended to bring joy and comfort to children and weak-minded adults. Which was why he hadn’t told anyone. Thomas needed to be in control of his mind. It was all he had left.
The days and nights blurred together, uneventful for the most part. They trudged onward, dodging cameras and drones and any cars on the road. Occasionally, one of the new NWU Cyborg Units Thomas had only heard about walked down the street in civilian clothing. Unlike the Spider drones, these robots looked completely human, walked like humans, and even had facial expressions and human sweat. If not for Tori, Thomas would have ignored them and gone on his way and would probably have been caught, but she sensed them somehow and quickly found places to hide.
Tori seemed to know a lot of things ahead of time. Where to hide, what streets were safe to take, when to duck into a building even before NWU troops appeared, where to find water, and what places were safe havens for sleep. Was she that adept at dodging danger at every turn, or was she hearing from this God of hers?
Thomas didn’t want to know.
Hence, they avoided crowds, NWU Medical and Distribution centers, Reformation Centers and NWU housing. They also skirted around homeless camps and anywhere people congregated for fear of violent attacks, which were common these days. Due to the scorching heat, the drought that had ravaged the Earth, and the poisoned meteors, the water in many rivers and lakes was either contaminated or very low. But Tori always managed to find an untainted source. If not for that and the morning manna, they’d all have died from starvation.
Yet, what baffled Thomas even more than the heavenly food were the horrid conditions of every city, town, byway, highway and suburb they passed through. He’d been told that the NWU’s primary goal, aside from world peace and prosperity, was to provide pristine living conditions for all people, no matter their race, education, or upbringing. Everyone would be assigned a job, an income, a place to live, and all the food and medicines they needed. In addition, the NWU would clean up the cities, rebuild roads, build more climate friendly structures using the advanced technology of the Neflams, and eradicate crime and homelessness.
But what Thomas had witnessed these past twelve days was quite the opposite. Each NWU housing center seemed worse than the last. Streets, along with abandoned buildings, were left in disrepair, garbage and sewage littered the landscape, and every park or underpass housed homeless camps filled with wandering vagrants. He’d not seen one new building, not one cleaned-up park, nothing but mayhem and destruction. Certainly not the utopia they’d been promised.
Despite his inability to sleep well, nights became Thomas's favorite times. Tori would always snuggle up beside him, and they’d end up talking for a few moments before she inevitably fell fast asleep. He didn’t mind. Her closeness brought back memories of happier times, and he needed to focus on those, rather than on his current predicament.
By late afternoon, they reached the outskirts of Madison, about a day’s walk from Atlanta. The scabs on Thomas's feet from old blisters had been rubbed raw, every inch of his legs ached, his filthy hair matted to his head, and the sun had seared the skin on his bare arms pink. Other than that, he felt great! In truth, he’d caught a glimpse of himself in a passing store window and what he saw in his reflection made him cringe. Three weeks ago, if he passed someone on the street who looked like him, he’d run as far as he could in the other direction. Times had certainly changed. He still suffered from moments of despair at the direction his life had taken, his mighty fall from power and wealth. He wasn’t even sure where he belonged anymore. He couldn’t go back, couldn’t be a part of the NWU or he’d be executed. And yet, he didn’t completely fit in with these Deviants either.
He glanced at Tori up ahead as she conversed with Sara and continued leading them through the back parking lot of a boarded-up strip mall.
Carla’s tiny hand slid into his, and Thomas couldn’t help but smile. He’d never liked kids. They were so…so… needy and messy and annoying. But this particular one was definitely worming her way into his heart. “And how are you today, Miss Carla?”
She smiled up at him. “My feet hurt Thomist, but I know everyone’s do.”
“Here.” Leaning over, Thomas swept her in his arms. “I’ll carry you for a while, how’s that?”
Her tiny arms circled his neck, and she squeezed him, giggling.
Brianna slipped beside them. “You don’t have to carry her, Thomas.”
“I know. But she’s not very heavy, and it has to be hard for her little legs to walk all this way.”
