Justus by Madison Stevens

John shouted at the door. “We know
he’s there. We even know you helped him, but all can be forgiven.
There’s always forgiveness in God’s heart for repentant…human
sinners.”
    Justus snorted. The man
certainly had a flair for the dramatics.
    “I’m afraid Paige isn’t home
right now,” he shouted back from the open door.
    He watched from his vantage
point as the man’s burned face contorted in rage.
    “You!” Flecks of spit shot
from his mouth as he shook with rage. “You’ve tainted a good woman
with your evil, abomination.”
    Justus rolled his eyes.
    “But worse than that,” John
continued. “Your kind is a spiritual cancer. You’re not satisfied
until you’ve corrupted everything about you.”
    “What are you going on about,
you maniac?”
    Justus frowned as a small
woman was pulled from the back of the car. She was wearing the same
blue scrubs he’d seen Paige in and knew instantly who the woman
was.
    “Please,” the woman pleaded
to the men that held her. “I didn’t do anything.”
    Reverend John turned and
glared at her. “You aided the hand of Satan.” He sneered. “Lena,
you aided the Devil’s minions without even them using their
infernal ways to charm you.” He shook his head. “You’re just a
traitor to all the righteous and elect.”
    The poor woman shook as he
stepped closer.
    “And now you must pay for
your sins.”
     
    * * *
     
    Paige crouched and
walked the line of the tall grass, waiting for something, anything
that might tell her what was going on. She was too far to hear much
of anything where she stood and cursed the fact the tall grass
didn’t grow closer to the house. She was only grateful the wild
grasses of the field grew as tall as they did.
    She could just make out John
as he stood on the other side of the car and wondered who he was
yelling at. She had been certain just a moment ago he was talking
with Justus, but he was now facing away from the house.
    Maybe someone around had
objected. She could only hope that the people of the town came to
their senses. Paige had no idea what had come over them. Even with
the hybrids moving close to the town, other than a few protests at
the beginning, they’d been all right. People were quiet and kept to
themselves. They’d never really given her any trouble at all. What
had injected all this recent insanity into them?
    She stepped forward slightly
when John moved back to the front of the car and gasped in
horror.
    “Lena,” she whispered.
    She jumped when something
rustled to the right of her and peered through the grass. She
prayed for a rabbit.
    A small foot came into view,
and she stepped back as it moved toward her.
    A middle-age woman her sister
had worked with at the bank parted through the grass, and Paige let
out a sigh.
    “Oh thank God,” she said.
“I’m so glad to see you, Megan. Maybe you can help—”
    Her words were cut off as
Megan reached out and snatched her arm.
    Paige struggled in the
hold.
    “What are you…”
    The words hung in the air as
she looked at the other woman. Her eyes were glazed over much like
what she’d seen in the market. The woman moved with purpose but
didn’t seem to be aware of anything going on around her.
    “I’m sorry,” Paige said and
pushed hard against the other woman.
    Megan fell hard on the ground
and would likely be bruised, but she’d live.
    Something else rustled on the
other side.
    Her heart pounding, Paige
rushed through the grass. The more the grass moved, the more she
knew that there were others like Megan out there in the field,
waiting for her to come along. Whatever was happening was related
to what happened in the store, but she couldn’t think how. What
good would a bunch of townspeople be to getting rid of the
hybrids?
    Somehow this seemed a bit too
sophisticated for John and his men.
    Her heart hammered in her
throat. The Horatius Group? The last time she’d dealt with them,
men had died all around her. They had no regard for human