Chapter Six

Day 10

Cuz Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
and he's been telling me
everything is alright
Jesus He Knows Me
Genesis

In the basement of run-down building the masses began to gather to listen to the Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus preach about the evils of the mutants, aliens and other creatures who were not 100% bone fide human which, of course, is the only race selected by Gawd Himself to lead the entire Universe.  Just two weeks ago this building was nothing more than an abandoned bank but through the power of Gawd—and Billy Sol’s congregation—it was now transformed into The First Church of the Viscous Demise (meaning that of any alien and/or mutant) & Holy Blood (meaning that of any 100% human being).

This was Billy Sol’s fourth such meeting in less than five days and each time there were more and more people to fill the seats and the collection basket. In fact, Dr. Billy had already raised so much money for the cause of Mankind that he bought himself a brand new set of teeth along with a shiny new watch, fancy hair cut and new wardrobe. Now he didn’t look like the country hick he was just a few weeks ago but like a respectable, if some what nerdy, southern preacher.  Knotting the forest green silk tie at his neck and donning his white minister’s robe and psyching himself to go forth by reminding himself that he was put here by the good Lawd to instill values and righteousness in those souls who had come to hear him. He was selected personally by Gawd to fire them up and bring down the house. Together the Right Reverend and his Congregation would take up Gawd’s Holy Sword and wipe the plague of mutants from the face of Gawds’ Good Green Earth.

William Raymond Soltz a/k/a Billy-Ray, a tall lanky man possessed of sandy brown hair and brown eyes was a 32 year-old native of Podunk, West Virginia but those waiting so patiently to hear him preach need not know that. Nor did they need to know that he’d never stepped foot in a seminary and the closest he’d ever got to any Institution of Higher Learning was taking some drunk college chick back to her dorm where he may or may not have had sex with her.

Billy-Ray Soltz’s only qualification for leading a group of anything was an 18 month stint in the United States Army from which he was promptly and very dishonorably discharged after being sentenced to a 12 month stint in Leavenworth for selling cocaine to his fellow soldiers. That was four months ago and Billy-Ray Soltz was dead and buried now, in his place was The Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus—after all who was going to listen and follow a Jew when it came to preaching religion and the word of Jesus Christ? (Billy thought there was definitely a morsel of irony in that one.)  So when he launched this scheme, which was about five days before the burning of the house in Denver, the surname Soltz became Sol and he scammed the name of the people who used to live across the street from him growing up. Voila! The Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus was born and he was a man who was swiftly becoming accustomed to speaking to the masses.  In fact it seemed he had a real knack for it.

Growing up Jewish in Podunk, West Virginia was not an easy feat, not only was he an outcast as a young child because he didn’t go to regular tent meetings, there wasn’t so much as a single Synagogue or Temple within 100 miles of Podunk. After his grandmother, a lovely lady who made the best matzo ball soup!—died when he was only 9 his mother—a whore if there ever was one—completely stopped any faith practices in the house that had to do with Judaism and she started going to tent meetings every Sunday. There she made friends…drinking buddies really… and met a few new lovers—those revival meetings can revive more than just the soul! However, Dora Beth Soltz never really did find religion or Gawd in any of those tents.  She would drag Billy-Ray with her and he was fascinated by all of the idiots in the tent. Couldn’t they see the guy up on the makeshift stage was just after their money? If not, why not? He was 9 and he could see it! Time and again he watched his neighbors, poor honest hard-working people who most times didn’t have more than five bucks to their name, dig down deep in their pockets to put their last dimes in the collection plate hoping it would buy them a shot at redemption and because the huckster at the front of the tent told them Gawd needed their cash.

In the end, Billy-Ray imagined that everyone in those tents, everyone who lifted their voices to PRAISE GAWD and to shout hallelujah! They were all looking for the same thing and it wasn’t Gawd but rather acceptance.  Under the bright lights and in the oppressive heat of the big tents they gathered, looked around and saw people like themselves in the people next to them all of whom just wanted to fit in to belong somewhere…anywhere. Possibly even find a reason and purpose in their dirt poor meager lives.  Yes, it was here that the poor wretched huddled masses could gain the love and acceptance they so desperately sought and they could even be made to feel powerful—although that of course was just an illusion the preacher had all the power. Under the tent someone with a direct line to Gawd told they everything was or was going to be all right. There was a reason for everything. Here in the tents these well-below poverty line people could be SAVED and have their SINS WASHED AWAY. Yeah, so they’d sin all over again tomorrow but that wasn’t what mattered to Billy-Ray.

What mattered to Billy-Ray was that when they gathered they needed someone to lead them. The Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus and Billy-Ray’s life experience combined to make just the huckster for the job. He would give them direction tell them which way to go and why and how and for how long.  Billy Sol Hargus would give them what they were all seeking more than anything else; someone to blame for the recent conflict.

Dub-ya Dub-ya III cost just over two and a half million human lives. Everyone was affected by it. If you didn’t lose someone in your family then your neighbor did. If it wasn’t Your Town that was destroyed then it was the one over from yours. Of course, if you happened to have lived in a big city then it was just about leveled had they had been main targets of the attack Eros and Aphrodite lead on Earth.  Yes, a reason for all and then in the end someone to blame. To direct all of their hate and anger at and then inflict it upon them to a glorious flaming end then they would be happy. Billy, well he had the answer to both of those problems. Yessir he did. When he gave it to them, those unsettled masses would follow him on a calmer path while they rebuilt Earth without any mutants or aliens. 

One last look in the mirror and the Right Reverend ran his hand through his sandy brown hair to smooth it out and push the front over to the side where it looked more respectable. Adjusting the new wire framed glasses on his face so they sat evenly on his nose and then, last but not least, pulling down the sleeves of his black linen shirt and removing a few specks of lint from the white drop robe with it’s lacy cuffs and hem and the crosses and doves embroidered in a lovely patter all across.

Walking out from behind the vestibule—actually last week it was a deserted part of this old bank—and took the podium and the crowd of about 700 settled down to hear him speak that number was up considerably just from last night’s crowd of 250 or so. Four nights ago, when he gave his first speech in the new Church of the Viscous Demise and Holy Blood, he did so to a room of 52.

Most good folks know clapping isn’t really appropriate in a place of worship when it comes to greeting the Celebrant. That didn’t stop the crowd of lonely scared mis-fits who’d had the rug pulled out from under their very lives and were now wandering and questioning the meaning of their own existence from rising to its feet upon seeing him—The Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus, the man who was going to lead them out of the Darkness and into the Light in the name of the Lord. They gave him a standing ovation as it turned out it was only the first of many Billy would receive that night and in the nights and months to come.

“Good evenin’, good ev’a’nin’,” The Right Reverend smiled with his new white teeth, “I’m sah glad ta see ya here on this glorious night my Brothers and Sis’tahs!  My….human Brothers and Sis’tahs!” he said in a loud proud voice which brought more cheers and more clapping along with a few shouts of; 'We love you Reverend Hargus!' “I love you too!” He chimed right back at the unknown voice. “All of yew!” With a finger that was rapidly becoming practiced he pointed at each individual and the entire crowd at once. “More important…GAWD loves ALL of YEW!”

More applause but this time it was a bit muted.

“I hear doubt out there,” The Right Reverend said. “I hear despair. I’m here to tell yew my friends that those days are over! The Light is about to shine.” He said in an awe-filled whisper and then fell silent for a moment so did the crowd. When he spoke again he started in the same small whisper but it quickly grew to a sudden and joyous yell. Billy paced back and forth across the stage the entire time rather than standing behind the podium to show that he was a man of action and he wanted them to be as well.  “We are not sheep!” He shouted. “We will not be afraid of these evil beings, these foul creatures who would seek to take over OUR HOMES. No we will not! We will rise up as one and fight the evil invaders! We are wolves my Brothers and Sis’tahs! Wolves!”

“Amen!”

“We shall take up arms in the name of the LAWD! We shall defend our Good Green Earth, for she is mother to us all, from the invaders who would seek to displace us as this world’s rightful rulers!”

“amen!”

“We shall smite them down from every mountain top and remove their scourge from the widest seas! We shall leave no stone unturned until every last one of those UNHOLY CRE-TURES is driven from our home!”

“AMEN!”

“Here comes the hard part my Brothers and Sis’tahs! But I know we can do it! I need you to reach down, reach way down, and give what you can to the cause, for this Holy War will not be cheap.”  Billy gave a nod and the lovely young assistants who helped him during his services (and did favors for him afterward) came out from nowhere to pass around wicker baskets.  Smiling with pride as he surveyed the crowd, Billy gleefully watched every last one of them reaching way down into their pockets to fill the baskets with their hard earned money. “That’s the way!” He encouraged righteously as the baskets went hand to hand. “That’s it my Brothers and Sis’tahs! The LAWD wants us to prevail and we will! We shall take up ARMS in HIS HOLY NAME and cleanse this world of the alien plague. GAWD is OUR side! We are GAWDS HOLY ARMY OF RIGHTEOUS WARRIORS!”

“AMEN!”

“We will rise up!” The Right Reverend said righteously. “I said rise up, my Brothers and Sis’tahs!” The crowd stood up at his demand. “That’s it! That’s it! Together as one we shall rise up, we shall overcome and we shall destroy all those have evil wrought upon our good Earth!”

“AAAAA_MEN!” Shouted the crowd. “Hallelujah!”

Half and hour and twelve AMENS! And six Hallelujah’s later, the Right Reverend Dr. Billy Sol Hargus was almost five thousand dollars richer. That wasn’t what mattered most to him anymore, oh if only it were that simple. Billy-Ray had his first real taste of power and he wanted more much much more. So he would buy those guns and he would arm his congregation to the teeth and they would blindly follow wherever he led.

Amen. Brothers and Sis’tahs. Amen.

Hallelujah.

End Chapter Six Of Faded Rose
By Moon Mistress
Continue to
Chapter Seven