Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Old Drew Id" data-source="post: 1204341" data-attributes="member: 12175">Episode II - What a Tangled Web - Brother Guyzell Cooper's IntroEpisode II - What a Tangled Web - Brother Guyzell Cooper's IntroYou’re late for services. You are running down the sidewalk. You are really late. Even as you are running, sweat pouring down your back, your tie pulled up to one side and slightly choking you, you mentally giggle to yourself. Running as hard as you can, you think, well, I am running, and I am late, so I really am “running late”.It is way too hot for this early in the morning. You overslept. Apparently you slept right through your alarm, and judging from your cell phone’s dead battery, you probably slept through a few ‘reminder’ phone calls as well.  You had to park three blocks away from the church. There is some kind of construction going on, and half of the street is torn up and blocked off. Just what you needed this morning. Not only are you running late (well, jogging late by now, you giggle) but you can not get onto the block to your reserved parking spot, and you have to run this whole way. It must be like ninety degrees out here. July weather really sucks. You pray, “Sorry, Lord, but did we realy need this much heat today?”You can’t believe you overslept. You have not been sleeping well lately. Weird dreams. Nothing specific that you can remember, just enough to keep waking you up. You at last make it to the church steps. You can hear singing inside. Good, you guess Gloria the music director took control, maybe started the congregation on a hymn while they waited for you. As you climb the steps and silently open the door, you try to place the hymn. It sounds like, Shall We Gather at the River, but no, too slow, maybe “Nearer to Thee”. Your foot catches on the door as you slide in, and you lose your balance. As you stumble into the aisle, you see the church is packed. Every pew is filled. It’s really completely packed to the rafters today. Of course, it would have to be. The one day you are late is when everybody has to show up. And here you are, covered in sweat, panting like a dog, stumbling and now falling down in the center aisle of the church. As you fall, everyone turns towards you, almost in slow motion. The singing stops. Someone shouts from deep in the crowd:“You’re late!”A chorus of ‘Amen’s follows the pronouncement. Well, the crowd is certainly rude today. “You’re late, preacher!”More ‘Amen’s from the crowd. Several shouts of “Alleluia!” and “Preach On!” are heard. You rise to one knee and try to stand, but your knee is bruised, and it pops loudly. “YOU’RE TOO LATE, PREACHER!!! TOO LATE!!!”The crowd is on it’s feet now. Stomping, singing, chanting! Amen! Alleluia! The preacher is late! Too late! Way too late now! Are you saved? None of us is saved now! The preacher can not save us! The preacher is too late! Too late!You try again to stand, but your knee gives out. You cry out and sweat from your forehead drips into your eyes. The salt burns, and you blink heavily to try to clear them. There is someone up at the pulpit. The sun is coming in too bright through the stained glass window behind him to see his face. You can just make out part of his profile as he walks towards you, hopping down lightly from the dais into the aisle. He is reaching out to you to help you up. The crowd is screaming now, no more chanting, just one continuous scream like the sound of a roller coaster. You reach out for the man from the altar, to take his hand when you see:He is not reaching out his hand. He is holding a gun. An old-timey western revolver. Pointed at you. And on his head is a black cowboy hat. And reflecting just enough on his chest to be visible, there is a badge. No, it’s not a badge. It’s a Medallion.</blockquote>

Verification