Mass Extinction Event (Book 2): Days 9-16 by Amy Cross Page B

murderers," he says, watching me for a few meters away. "Thieves, too. You're gonna have to work off your sins, and I intend to make sure that you do just that. God wouldn't want it any other way."
    "This isn't anything to do with God!" I say, but before I can add anything else, there's a kind of rumbling sound, and for a moment everything starts shaking. I look over at the guy, and I'm just about to make a lunge for the gun when the trembling stops and everything goes back to normal.
    "See?" he says. "That's what God thinks about you. He's sending a message. You've sinned, boy, and you've got to make it right. There's no point pretending otherwise."
    "That wasn't God," I tell him.
    "Who else can make the ground shake?" he asks. "Who else can make the whole world tremble? You'd do well to remember that the Lord's watching you, boy. He can see everything you do, and he knows what's in your heart. He's everywhere. Don't they teach you kids anything these days? Don't you even know what God is and what he can do to you?"
    Setting the barrel in position next to the door, I take a step back. I've always thought that I'm in pretty good shape, but that was by far the hardest job I've ever had to do in my life, and right now I feel as if I need to rest. It's pretty clear that this guy is going to keep pushing me until I drop.
    "Grab a shovel," the guy says.
    I turn to him.
    "Do I have to say everything twice?" he asks. "Get a shovel. There's plenty resting over by the side of the house. Just grab one. Doesn't matter which, as long as it's sturdy. You're gonna be using it for a few hours, though, so make sure it's one you can grip properly. Don't get the biggest one. It's too big for you."
    Sighing, I walk over and pick up the nearest shovel. It's clear that this guy, whose name I don't even know, has decided that I'm going to be his general, all-purpose slave, and while he's holding that rifle, there's no way I can even hope to get the hell out of here. Still, he's pretty old and frail, so I'm sure I can overpower him once I've managed to get close enough, so once again it's clear that my best option is to find a way to make him think that I'm harmless. I need to spend a few days, maybe even a week, being obedient and well-behaved, and then I need to watch out for the right moment to strike.
    "Come on!" he calls out. "The longer you delay, the later you'll be working!"
    Carrying the shovel back over to him, I follow as he leads me over to the trees. We walk a few hundred meters into the forest, before finally he stops and turns to me. As usual, the rifle is pointed straight at my head, and I have no doubt that he'd use it if he thought I was going to try anything. I can only hope that his trigger finger isn't twitchy.
    "Dig," he says firmly.
    "Here?"
    "Here."
    I look down at the dry ground. "Why?" I ask.
    "Why do you think?" He smiles. "You don't think we're gonna leave that corpse just sitting in the back of that truck, do you? Jesus Christ, boy, what kind of idiot are you? There's disease and all sorts of reasons why we've gotta get rid of it. You dig a hole, and dig it deep. There's a reason churches put bodies six feet under. It's to make it so wild animals can't dig people up. So get at least six feet down, maybe seven. I don't want any mistakes being made here. If in doubt, go a little deeper. Doesn't have to be too wide, though. It's not like we've got anything fancy like a coffin."
    "A grave?" I say, my heart racing as I realize what he wants me to do. "For my brother?"
    "He's liable to start stinking," the guy continues, with that big smile still plastered across his face. "There'll be flies and everything if we don't get moving, so I figure there's no time like the present." He pauses for a moment. "What are you waiting for, boy? Dig!"

Chapter Seven
     
    Pennsylvania
     
    Dinner at the farmhouse is a strange event. There's a guy named Bridger who seems to be in charge of cooking, and everyone else seems content to let him