Chapter Twenty One

go to war

Whatever happened when we got out of that cave I don't think I could tell you. The adrenaline crowds it all. But when we got out of that cave, the entire plan fell apart. First, Claudette and Zacharias had never made it to the cave mouth.

"Where are they?" Bartosz panicked "They should be here!"

"Calm down." Martha warned "We could be running ahead of schedule."

Magnus checked his watch "We're not."

Against my better judgment, we all split up and looked for the two missing teenagers, ensuring that at least one person in each group had a working cell phone. But the woods were huge, and nobody could guarantee that Noah hadn't gotten to Claudette yet.

My group was comprised of me, Magnus, Current Ulrich and Franziska. And when we found Zacharias, my panic dropped out to complete despair and fear.

Zacharias Kruspe laid on the ground, blood covering his face and dripping onto his black leather jacket, three big rips in his once pristine white cotton shirt.

"Zacharias!" I whisper-shouted "Who did this? What happened? Let's get you up."

Magnus helped me get Zacharias sitting up and we rested his head and upper against the pale white birch tree he had collapsed in front of.

"No- Noah... the priest man.. he has Claudette." Zacharias gasped, struggling for breath. For a pastor, Noah had really done a number on the kid.

"It's okay." Ulrich said "You're gonna be alright, save your breath."

"Ulrich?" Zacharias laughed "You've gotten old."

"This isn't funny anymore, I get that I'm not an attractive eighteen year old, but I've still got it!"

Magnus wrinkled his nose "Ew, Dad."

Ulrich scowled at his son. "Call Martha, get her and Beck and me" He paused "Well, the past me back here. They need to take Zacharias to the hospital."

I nodded quickly, shooting Mars a text message. As for the rest of us? Once Martha got to Zacharias, we took off towards the church. It was reckless guess, sending our third group to Helge Doppler's cabin, but something in my gut told me we needed to be underneath that frescoed ceiling. Something told me we needed to be there to save Claudette Landers.

We ran like hell out of those woods, Magnus almost tripping over a stroller as we ran. I would have laughed if multiple lives weren't at risk, and if I wasn't so goddamn scared. I ran across the street, muttering a hasty apology as I shoved an older man out of the way to run off with his Mustang. Franz and Ulrich got in the back seat, Magnus ducking in next to me as I apologized to the middle-aged man again.

"There aren't any seatbelts!" Franz shouted as I put the car in gear and took off down the street

"You don't need 'em!" I shouted back. This was a 1976 Mustang. I car I've been wanting to drive since I was eleven. And since now I was getting the chance, I figure I might as well crash it too.

"This is how I die." I heard the redhead panic as I turned up the Scorpions song on the radio. Hey, I was probably only gonna get to drive a car like this once, so I figured I might as well enjoy it, right?

I swerved in the direction of the church, momentarily swerving onto the curb, Ulrich shouting apologies at the people I nearly hit. I was having way too much fun with this considering the implications, but there's definitely a rule in Zombieland about enjoying the little things, so I figured it could apply here.

When we got to the church, I wasted absolutely no time cutting across the well-manicured lush green lawn, unfortunately also cutting into the cemetery and taking out a few headstones on our way. Oops.

"Watch for the tree!" Magnus shouted as I wrenched the steering wheel to my right in order to avoid a spectacular crash, but I ended up driving through one of the church's stained glass windows instead. Yeah, there was no way Ulrich was ever going to trust me in a car ever again.

"Is everybody okay?" I asked, turning around in my seat to find a very displeased Franziska and a shocked Ulrich.

"You are never driving a motor vehicle again." Ulrich cautioned, stepping out of the car.

I took a minute to breathe, noting the thin crack running up the lens of my glasses.

Absentmindedly shoving them into my pocket, I stepped out of the wreckage.

Any hope we had of sneaking up on Noah was gone, pieces of the fresco I once loved in tatters on the ground. Anybody in a five mile radius of the church had to know about the crash, probably calling the police as I walked along the aisle, searching for Claudette.

"If I was a murderous time-traveling cult-leading Pastor, where would I hide my next victim?" I wondered aloud as I watched Franz pace across the altar.

"Someplace private." Magnus said, the gleam of an idea evident in his eyes as he continued. "The confessional."

Quicker than lighting (okay not really) I dashed towards the stained glass and oak confessional in the corner of St. Christopher's. The confessional locked, but I'd ever actually seen the key for it. I'd heard rumors about people using it for storage, and one particularly spicy one about an alter boy in the seventies who had used the confessional for his kinky hookups.

I yanked hard on the doors, neither of them opening. There was muffled whimpering coming form the side usually occupied by a priest, but I still had no idea where the keys were.

"Claudette Landers?" I shouted "We're gonna get you out of there."

"Magnus, where's your pocketknife?" Franziska asked the blonde

Magnus rifled through his pockets while Ulrich stared at his son, obviously clueless to the small red Swiss Army knife Magnus kept in his black army jacket at all times.

"That's great, but how are we going to use it to open a locked confessional?" I hissed, knowing our time was limited.

"Step aside." The redhead smirked, jamming the blade down the jamb of the door. "It's like using a credit card to get into the walk in closet where my parents keep the Christmas gifts."

Ulrich shook his head "I have too many questions."

Franziska shook the door open, and we found Claudette Landers inside, bound with zip ties, duct tape over her mouth. Franz and I helped her out, ripping off the tape and cutting the ties. Dried blood ran down the left side of her face, staining her white shirt a dark red.

"Are you okay?" I asked

She nodded "I've babysat twelve year olds that hit harder than the Pastor."

"Right then." Magnus cut in "Let's get out of here before the loony bin gets back then, shall we?"

"Good idea." Claudette said at the same time we heard a heavy door close.

Pastor Noah was walking towards us, a brown leather notebook under his arm. "Ah, Magnus and Annaliese. You've returned to me!"

"Fuck off." I spat

"Language, Miss Kruspe. We are in the presence of the Lord! He will take Miss Landers to Paradise!"

"Hang on a minute-" Claudette started before her face paled and Noah produced a gun from the folds of his preacher's frock.

Thinking fast, I kicked at his hand and tackled him, the gun flying across the church. Noah got the upper hand, forcing my onto my back with a hand around my throat. Gasping for air, I kicked him in the stomach and Franz yanked him off me.

Ulrich and Magnus both stood near the Preacher, guns in both their hands.

"If you come near my girlfriend again, I swear to god I will kill you." Magnus threatened boldly, spitting on Noah's face.

"Magnus." I warned, my exhaustion evident in my scratchy voice as I breathed in the dusty oxygen around me.

"Kids, go. Take Claudette to see Zacharias." Ulrich said

"But dad-" Magnus interjected

"GO!"

"Come on." I took Magnus' hand and we walked towards the main doors of St Christopher's, Franz and Claudette behind us.

"You go ahead." Franz spoke quietly, ushering the Landers girl on as she knelt down to pick up the journal Noah had been holding, tucking it into her army jacket before following us out of the church.

Once we stood in the fresh air of the misty Winden morning, I let out a breath.
"We did it. Bartosz isn't going to prison!"
And none of us looked back. Even when we heard the shot

NOTES!

one more chapter, plus an epilogue then I have officially finished this book !! : )))