"The Second Coming"

The entire town is amazed by the teachings of it's newest pastor Alec Parsons...except Burt Austin who is not too impressed with the self righteous priest who turns out far worse than ever imagined.

“The Second Coming”

By Cody Williams

 

            The Second Coming! That’s what was supposed to happen that day. But it didn’t. It never did. Many things that Alec promised us to happen never did. My name is Burt Austin. The event that I am talking about took place years ago in the small town of Alan, Virginia. That’s where I lived my entire life…until that day. After that happened I got the hell out of that s**t hole of a town.

            It all started on the last Sunday in 1999. It was December 26. The last Sunday worship service of the year. That’s when he blew in to town. His name was Alec Parsons. Alec was just hired to be the new pasture of the Alan First Baptist Church. He seemed like the normal man. He was an older man with silver gray hair and his hair was combed back. He had a bushy gray mustache under his nose. He was tall for an old man and quite thin too. He was wearing a plain white button up dress shirt and a long red colored tie that reached down to the top of his silver belt buckle. He was wearing a navy blue dress jacket and a pair of kaki pants.

            On the ring finger of his right hand was a big silver colored ring with a black stone at the center of it. On the sides of the ring read the words: THE TIME IS NOW! Alec walked up to the podium with his maroon colored bible in hand. He held it up and began to speak.

            “The time has finally come my brothers and sisters! The second coming is quickly approaching us!” Alec said to the congregation. Mumbles and whispers came over the crowd. “Hush! This city is run down with sin! The almighty father makes his return on the second of January! The first day of rest in January! He will return! And all of you will feel his wrath! That is unless you are saved!” Alec said. The whispers from the crowd and they began to listen to him. All except for me sitting in the back row. I kind of rolled my eyes and slid out of the pew walking out of the church. I have never been the real religious type so hearing him spew that load of bullshit really made me want to stab my eyes out.

            I didn’t think anything of it at first. It wasn’t until the rest of the town began to believe him that I really began to worry. At first I couldn’t understand how anybody in his or her right mind could believe anything Alec was saying. But for some strange reason they did. I don’t really know why…but they did.

            My aunt, Anne, was perhaps the most God fearing Christian I’ve ever met. Which is not to say that that’s a bad thing except for the fact that she is so damn annoying. Whenever you have an damn argument with her she always ends it by saying promptly “Well I’m with Jesus.” For some strange reason she thought that her way was best and if you didn’t think the same way she did in her opinion, you were going to hell. No ifs ands or buts. Annoying right?

            Anyway, I was really surprised to hear that she was buying into all of this bullshit but she was.

            “On Sunday, the second of January, the day of The Second Coming, you will fell his wrath and you will rot as you will have been damned in hell.” That was the last words she said to me before I barged out of the house the day before.

            When the day of the second coming finally came, I woke up to the sound of the townsmen singing. I got out of bed and looked out the window at the sight of people walking around in white robes towards the church. Something was oddly different about them. They seemed as if they were under some kind of spell. I raised the window and waved at them in a friendly manner knowing that they were going to The Second Coming ceremony. They continued walking towards the church as they slightly turned their heads looking at me in a sick, wicked, and sadistic manner.

            I decided to go to the ceremony. I didn’t want to, but the thought of Aunt Anne and the rest of the entire town looking like complete fools when nothing happened was enough motivation. I looked over to the robe that my mother left me.

            “I hope to see you there! I’ll be praying for you.” She said to me as I remember her handing me to robe. I didn’t argue with her. I just took the robe and brought it home knowing damn well that I wouldn’t be wearing it even if I did go. I ran over to the closet pulling out a pair of light blue jeans and a button up flannel s**t. I felt the unbelievable amount of joy when I though of how bad it was going to piss Anne off. She’s the kind of person who thinks you have to be all decked out in a suite to attend church or it was a sin. You know the kind.

            When I got fully dressed in my muddy work boots and my casual clothes I left the house. I got into my car and backed out of the driveway. I shifted the car into drive and drove away.

            When I got to the church, everybody in the whole Goddamn town was wearing their f*****g white robe except for me. I got out of the car and walked up the walkway to the front steps of the church. With everybody I walked by I could hear them begin to mumble about me. When I finally got in the church I sat at the back pew where I sat every Sunday. The town’s people were hugging and greeting each other acting strangely joyful while I remained at the rear of the church alone. Nobody would dare talk to me. They just looked at me with disgusting looks. After everybody got their kum ba yaya’s out, they all sat down and Alec took the stage.

            “Brothers and sisters! The time has come! The Second Coming is among us!” Alec preached to the congregation.

            “Halleluiah!” A man from the crowd shouted.
            “Amen!” Another screamed.

            “It’s nice to see all of you have worn your robes…Well…most of you anyway.” Alec said as he glared at me. The rest of the congregation turned around and stared at me with despicable glares. “That’s quite alright dear boy! You’re just a non-believer! But you won’t be for long! And then, you will be sorry.” Alec said as he reached into the inner pocket pulling out what looked like an orb. He held it up and it began to glow. The people in the robes stared in amazement as a white beam shout out from it into the crowd. Several beams shot from it to everybody who was wearing a white robe. The beam then reversed and then retreated back into the orb.

            “You see guys, this was The Second Coming. But not the one you all anticipated. I own your souls now! You all belong to me!” Alec shouted. I then stood from the pew.

            “Are you f*****g kidding me? You mean to tell me that you own my soul? How is anyone believing this s**t?” I shouted out.

            “No. I don’t own your soul. You were too stubborn to wear the robe so the orb didn’t work on you. But it will soon!” Alec declared. I stared at him for a moment with confusion. “Get him!” Alec shouted. The crowd turned to me with angry faces.

            “Holy s**t!” I shouted as I ran out of the church to my car and the people followed. I fumbled through my pocket for my keys before finally finding them. I unlocked the car, got into it, and then locked it back. The crowd gathered around my jumping on it trying anyway they could to get in. I started the engine of the car as Joel, the former neighborhood drunk, busted his arm through the rear windshield. I put the car into drive and began driving while running over many of the people in the crowd. Joel continued to hang in the rear windshield as I drove.

            “Submit yourself Burt! You can’t win! You will be his!” Joel said from the back. I turned to face him.

            “F**k you!” I shouted as I then began to swerve the car back and forth trying to knock him off. It took about two minutes but I finally lost him as he tumbled onto the highway. I just kept driving until finally reaching Washington D. C. where I live now. I shutter to think about what might still be going on in the small town of Alan, Virginia.

            Whenever I have tried to get in contact with the people of the town, I have never had an answer. There’s even talk about a small town in Virginia starting a second Civil War. The reporters on the news have never mentioned the town by name, but the reality is I know the truth. I know that it is the town of Alan, Virginia that they were referring to. I just pray to God that it doesn’t happen. Because if human kind is up against the force that was behind the orb, we don’t stand a chance.

            Alec promised them Crist…they didn’t get it. What they got was too demonic to think about. I get it now though. Alec was nothing more that an evil politician. He made promises he knew couldn’t keep just so he could get what he wanted. I went on to become a local journalist in out Nation’s capitol just trying to put my secret past behind me. Unfortunately, some secrets come back to haunt you.

Copyright by Cody Williams

Courtesy of TRUE TERROR PUBLICATIONS

A division of TTP Entertainment

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Author's Note

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoy it!

-CW

Reviews

[Dan Hiland]

Entertaining. My favorite part is the section where he attends the special meeting, then has to escape, dragging Joel down the street.

Suggestions:
(1) Dump the first paragraph. The next one would be more of an attention-getting start to the story.

(2) Dump or cut way down on the last two paragraphs. They are unnecessary- more of a distraction, as well as a rehash of the story.

(3) Profanity, like exclamation marks, should be used sparingly. There are 13 expletives (not counting "hell"). Swearing can be over-used, just like anything else, d****t!

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dan!

-CW

[Nia Hope]

Love the story line but just so you know Alec Parsons is a pastor not a pasture (the first one is a "religious teacher" the other is where they feed sheep and cows and other assorted farm animals) other than that I can dig it :)

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Ankara!

-CW

[Marie]

This may be the best you've written. A novel idea--the one person who didn't believe was the one who kept his soul. I think tyou could cut down on the description of Alec Parsons a bit; remember that the minister of a church is a "pastor" not a "pasture."

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Marie!

-CW

[dw817]

⊰ℛℛ⊱
I'm always interested in stories of religion and interpretation, Cody. And yes, I =HAVE= run into people who are, "Mightier Than Thou" and they can truly be annoying. Doing things obviously illegal and telling the judge it was God Almighty who told them to do it.

Sort of like having a non-smoking section at a restaurant. Does it really help that much if we're all breathing the same air, if only 20-feet away from the smokers ?

[Cody Williams]

Good point DW! Thanks for reading!

-CW

[dw817]

UBetcha. As today is Tuesday I'll go to work on a new chapter of Dream Diary.

[Cody Williams]

cool! I'll be waiting!

[dw817]

It's the next day, should be up,
http://bit.ly/MA50cC

[Dayran]

A great theme to pick in these times ... and the reference to the entire townspeople believing is quite staggering. It makes the point that a lot of people simply subscribe to what everybody believes ... its easier ... than having to deal with the issues yourself. We are defined by the choices we make. A nice reminder.

[Cody Williams]

Nicely put Dayran! Thanks for reading!

-CW

[Lyn Anderson]

An interesting read as always, watch for punctuation and spelling, and perhaps use a larger font?

[Cody Williams]

I'll take it into consideration. Thanks for reading KL!

-CW

[Odysseus Wanders]

Excellent work. Good read. I really love the intro. Nice characters. Nothing hung me up in the read.
Exciting. Good energy and pace. Very cool!!

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Terry!

-CW

[Michael Stevens]

Wow, talk about your wolf in preacher's clothing!

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Michael!

-CW