Killing the Devil by Paul Michael Peters

Author:Paul Michael Peters [Peters, Paul Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paul Michael Peters
Published: 2017-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Henry was woken by a gunshot. His eyes snapped open. He couldn’t tell what time it was, only that it was still dark. He knew that he was still in his bedroom. But was it a dream? An awful nightmare?

Another shot was fired. He scrambled from his bed and went downstairs to the store. In the darkness, he could hear Julia and Ruby calling his name from the storage room. He ran to them, finding them crouched behind the pile of flour sacks. “What was that?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Julia whispered. “We heard the shot, turned out the lights, and ran back here.”

The three of them could hear voices from the street, though they couldn’t make out the words.

“What happened with Naomi?” Julia asked. “What have your brought into our lives?”

“You knew Naomi and I were together before we were.”

“Is it true? What she said in the gazebo?”

“We were together. I did not force myself on her,” Henry said. “I don’t know why she left. I only knew she was gone one day.”

“Why would she want you dead if you didn’t do anything to her?” Julia asked.

“She has some elaborate plan I don’t understand. For years, all she has thought about is returning to Hickory.” He poked his head up slowly to see out the window. “Reverend Laughton is dead.”

“Oh, God,” Julia exclaimed. “What happened between you and Naomi today?”

Henry paused, reluctant to reveal the truth. “She said,” he finally explained, “that if I ran away with her, should wouldn’t—”

“You were running away with her?” Julia interrupted.

“To protect you, protect Ruby.”

“And save yourself.”

A single round of gunfire filled the air, closer this time. Julia instinctively grabbed Ruby and tried to shield her. Henry reached out to Julia, but she pulled away from him. In that moment, he knew what Naomi had said was true: Julia and Henry’s marriage had been one of convenience, of proximity. In Hickory, they were one another’s best option. He may have been able to understand and eventually get over Julia being first in line at city hall, but in this moment, Henry knew whatever they had was gone.

“I’ll go,” Henry said softly. He patted the head of his cowering daughter. “You two stay here. If they are looking for me, I will make sure they don’t find you instead.” Henry went to the rear loading door and pulled it open horizontally, just enough to squeeze through. It opened up to the alleyway. He went outside, closing the door behind him, and made his way to Front Street, looking for the source of the gunshots.

Several armed men were walking in the street, as if on the hunt for prey. Some of the less experienced hunters held flashlights and lanterns to light the group’s way. When the team looked in Henry’s direction, he darted back to the darkness.

“What in the hell is all this commotion?” Sheriff Johnson yelled.

“Lion escaped,” said one of the hunters. “We had to put the female down.”

“Well, why wouldn’t you come get me and my men?” the sheriff barked.

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