Chapter eight

Father Orson was having a bad day. Correction he was having a bad week. He was fortunate enough to avoid running into any of the goddesses. But he had to deal with the devastation they left behind. Thousands of people needed help. Many of them asked why this happened. How could God abandon them? Orson tried to explain that they were being punished for their sins and that they should repent. They became angry.

“Why should we worship a God that punished us?” They cried.

Things went from bad to worst when news of the destruction of Washington, D.C. reached Nova Scotia. Many people were hoping that the Americans could turn things around. Father Orson, went to address the crowd.

“My fellow Nova Scotians. It’s time to turn to God.”

The crowd started to boo him. Then a voice said.

“There an alternative. “ Everyone turned to see who had spoken.  It was a tall man, dressed in black. His skin had a burned look and his eyes were full of fire.

“My name is Darrel. Have you folks considered going to the devil?”

The crowd was shocked. They were anti God but to worship evil?

“Think about it. God has already punished you for your sins. Why not make your time on Earth as pleasurable as possible. It not like, you could ever gain God forgiveness.”

“That a lie. A Father Orson cried.

“Let me put to you this way. Do you want to go to a heaven, run by the same god that sent the Goddess to punish you?”

“Don’t listen to the demon. A Father Orson pleaded. But his pleas fell on deaf ears for most of the crowd, dammed themselves that day.

The rocky windswept coast of south western Newfoundland was the first part of that providence to feel Death presence. The village of Rose Blanche was the first to go. Death then headed west to Channel Port Aux-Baques. A ferry from Nova Scotia had just arrived. Filled with people, who felt Newfoundland would be safe place to go. They were wrong. Death killed them, with a mere wave of her hand. After she finished off the town, she fallowed the trans. Canada north making frequent detours at costal communities.

Newfoundlanders were puzzled at Death presence. Newfoundland was a poor providence, with only half a million people. Other than great scenery and lots of wildlife, they had nothing a goddess could want. The mayor of Stephenville was brave enough to confront Death.

“Why are you picking on us?” He asked.

“You are poor, large parts of this providence have no future. Besides all mortals die eventually. It’s just your time, that’s all.”

“We do have a future. All we need is a chance.” The mayor replied.

Death didn’t give him a chance. She made him die, right on the spot. Then she turned the town of Stephenville to dust. Then she moved onto the next town.

By evening, the only parts of the island still inhabited by people were the Northern peninsula and the Avon peninsula. Death considered wiping out the city of St. Johns. But decide to spare it. She wanted bigger game. Death wanted to exterminate entire countries.

“The heck with North America.” She cried. Death then materialised a huge rowboat. It was two miles along, and thousands of feet high. Death got in and starting rowing toward Europe.

Slaughter returned to Baltimore. To find out that most of the population had fled. Only the slow and stupid people were left in town.

“I told you, you Humans. I would be back.”

She cried. The anger in her voice was plain to see. She then she destroyed the city leaving no survivors.

Slaughter then headed south following interstate 95. She went through the ruins of Washington, D.C. And its Northern Virginia suburb without stopping.  She briefly paused at Woodbridge, to kill a few thousand people. But no town really caught her attention until she reached Richmond.

The state governor was surprised to see her. And he tried to bargain with her which proved to be a waste of breath. Slaughter kills him, along with everyone else in Richmond before continuing her southward path.

Conquest felt she was looking for a needle in a haystack. While she managed to contact Death through her laptop and get her to agree to leave Alberta alone. Reaching Famine was another matter. Famine didn’t have a laptop computer. And Conquest didn’t know where to look for her. Already she had checked all the farming areas of Pennsylvania and New York State. Conquest wondered if she have to go with plan B. Build a fence around Alberta.

Checking the map one more time she decided to expand her search to Southern Ontario and Quebec. If she failed to find Famine, she would go with plan B.

Famine feasted on the Fruit and vegetable farms of southern Quebec. Then she hit the dairy and hog farms. Farmers tried to reason with Famine. But their pleas feel on deaf ears. A few farmers even tried attacking Famine. But their guns had no effect on her. So she ignored them.

One group of farmers she did not ignore was a large group of a thousand farmers that meet her on the Ontario/Quebec border. Unlike the others, these farmers had managed to borrow  a few tanks from the military, plus many machine guns. While Famine, could withstand being shelled and shot at. The numerous insults they threw at her were more than she could stand.

“I was only interested in your crops. But you jerks have earned death.”

Famine then started grabbing farmers and swallowing them whole. Out of the thousand farmers who had confronted her only a 100 managed to get away.

Famine then went to the farms of south eastern Ontario. She started to feast on their cattle, when she heard a voice say,

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Famine turned around to see who had spoken. She was surprised to see Conquest.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask you, to stay away from Alberta. I consider to be my personal property.”

“That’s just like you conquest. You’re so bossy. Besides how I’m I to tell where Alberta is? “

“You ask somebody. “

Famine laughed until her sides hurt. Then she said.

“I can never tell, what providence I’m in. And you know what? I don’t care.”

“Sigh. Looks like I have to put up that fence around Alberta after all.”

“You, do that. If you excuse me I got a lot of farms to devastate.”

Sunset found Slaughter in Savannah Georgia. She was disappointed in the number of towns and cities she was coming across. She began to question her fallow highway’s policy. Before going to sleep she checked the death toll for the day.

Person’s Slaughtered

Day 3  1, 867, 567

Night came to the Maritimes. Father Orson was resting in the remains of a park. When a beautiful female demon. Came up to him and tried to seduce him.

“Go away demon. I am a catholic priest.”

“You’re a man. You should be burning with sexual desire.”

“God and the people who fallow him will prevail.”

“Wake up father. My boss who you call the devil, have sent thousands of demons to Earth, to turn people against God. The goddess may work for God, but in reality they drive people to us. It’s one of the biggest backfires in the history of the world.”

Father Orson response was to throw holy water in her face. She ran away screaming.

Tim and Tina were sound asleep when Tim woke up suddenly.

“Tina wake up. I just had a vision.”

Tina did not like be wakened up.

“This betters be good, Tim.”

AI dreamt I saw God. He told me, Alberta going to become the promised land. It will be one of the few safe spots on the continent.”

“Tim, Alberta is thousands of kilometres away. Besides you were dreaming. Go back to sleep.”

Tim tried to get back to sleep. But the idea of going to Alberta won’t leave his mind. Sooner or later he would go to Alberta, with or without Tina.

To be continued