The Wrath Walker (The Wrath Series Book 1) by Matthew Newson (moboreader txt) 📕

“This makes you nothing more than a murderer by what you have done to me today.”

“But it doesn’t. Your name and the names of your dead friends got added to my list the night I told you I was going to kill you before I left the city. You warred against God your whole life, and the time had come for you and your friends to reap his wrath upon yourselves.”

Phillip lowered his head and hunched over as he held his stomach and took short weak gasps for air. He looked up once more at Wrath and me and then cried out in horrendous pain as he violently burst out into flames before our very eyes. He howled in pain for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity before he collapsed on the floor in a blazing pile of death.

“Why did he catch fire like that, Wrath?” I asked mortified by the sight of Phillip’s still burning body.

“That knife I buried into his stomach was made of sulfur that reacted with the evilness of his soul and caused him to break out into flames. Does that make sense to you?”

“You know what, buddy? It makes perfect sense after meeting you.”

Wrath turned, came to me and Elizabeth, loosened the restraints, and laid his hand on her forehead. Her eyes opened and she sat up like nothing was wrong. She took one look at the bodies and men in armor before she started to panic.

“What is going on, Brandon?”

“It’s okay now, Elizabeth. This is Wrath, and he and his brothers saved us.”

“Did they kill Scott too?”

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but they did.”

“Good,” she said with tears at the edges of her eyes. “After everything he’s done, he deserved to die for what he did. He played me, Brandon.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“And then he was going to kill me for whatever this sick and twisted thing he was a part of here,” she said with a mix of hurt and pain.

“I’m sorry again, Lizzie. I tried to stop all of this before you got here. Please believe me that I had no idea that Scott was a part of this, and I didn’t know that Phillip was in on this until a few hours ago.”

She nodded silently as she looked at the floor, and then up at Wrath. “So, it really was a guy in a red suit.” Elizabeth said as she stared at Wrath.

“Indeed, it was, my lady, and I wouldn’t worry about explaining all of this, because it is being taken care of. Now if you two would be so kind as to follow me. We need to get out of here quickly, because my brothers and I need to rain down fire and brimstone upon this God forsaken place.”

“But this is a church, you can’t do that. Aren’t you from God?” I protested.

“Look around, Brandon, does any of this look like a church to you? Phillip said it himself that he never believed in God and used this building to conduct his evil activities. This place is accursed in the eyes of God. The innocent blood he shed on these grounds cries out to God day and night for justice, and so they shall have it when this place is reduced to an ash heap. You should be thanking God it’s just this place that gets destroyed tonight, and not the rest of the city.”

I was relieved to hear that the city was saved, but still saddened that the church I had so many fond memories with dad was about to be destroyed. I could tell by the determined look on Wrath and his brothers’ faces as they surrounded us that there was nothing I could do to stop that from happening. I nodded in approval.

Wrath led Elizabeth and I out of the church, and he walked us to the roof of the building across the street.

“You can watch safely from here as that den of evil is destroyed.”

“Good,” Elizabeth said.

“Isn’t the destruction of the church going to get pinned on me as well? It’s not like Elizabeth and I can say it was you and your brothers.”

“I told you it was taken care of, but if you must know, then I will tell you. When that building burns to the ground the fire fighters will find the cause to be faulty wiring in one of the offices. As well as evidence of Phillip and his elder’s evil deeds, and all the killings will be blamed on them where it belongs. As well as all the other unsolved murders they committed there. The city needs to see Phillip for who he was, and not make a martyr out of him.”

“But weren’t there good Christian people that went to church there, and had no idea of what Phillip was up to? He had my dad and I fooled for the longest time.”

“There were many good Christian people that went there, and they will need someone to look to now,” Wrath said as he stared directly at me.

“Are you talking about me becoming a pastor, because there’s no way I could do that.”

“You have all the qualifications to be one in a roundabout way. You care strongly for others, so much so that you are willing to risk your own personal safety to help them. You have been lost and wandering through life ever since you were fired from being a detective. You know that door is forever closed, and nothing you can do will ever open it again, and deep down inside you have always known that. God has seen the burning question in your heart to know what the next thing in your life is. Well, my friend, God is saying that it is being a pastor, and besides, you’re in desperate need of a career change.”

“He’s right,” Elizabeth seconded.

“Give it some time, and start praying again, and God will show you what I’m talking about. Now, I must be going, my friend.”

“Wait, we are friends?”

“Yes. We are