Nothing
Murder came out, rape came out, torture came out; cruelty beyond imagining covered the land. Horror spilled, anguish spread. The acrid smell of her own digestive juices was perfume, covering a stench so vile it could not be given a name.By the time Melissa Mailey finished, her conversion was complete.
She leaned back and took a deep breath. Clean air filled her lungs. She probed her mind, pushing beneath the rage, searching for herself.
Still there, she realized, sighing with relief.
Barely. But still there.
Mike and Rebecca found her a few minutes later. They had arrived for the committee meeting early, as usual. What was not usual was that they were walking hand in hand. The sight of that affectionate handclasp helped to drive despair out of Melissa’s mind.
Mike knelt by her side. “Are you all right?” He glanced at the vomit, glistening in the light of the rising moon.
Melissa nodded. “I’m fine.” Then, realizing the absurdity of the statement, she chuckled harshly. “Physically, at least.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “Oh God, Mike, they thought I was going to have them killed.” A moment later, her head tucked into his sheltering arm, she began babbling the tale. As she spoke, Rebecca knelt alongside her also, listening closely.
When Melissa was done, she took another deep breath. “You know, I’m finding myself in a strange place. Mentally, I mean. Never thought I’d be here.”
She tightened her jaws. The next sentence came between clenched teeth. “The way I feel right now, I’d have every single man in that army—both armies—lined up against a wall and shot. Tonight.”
Mike smiled, and stroked her hair. “Take it easy, lady. You’re the worst person in the world to have to make a decision like that.”
Melissa tried to stop herself from laughing. Couldn’t—and then realized she didn’t want to stop. The humor was cleansing. “God, isn’t that the truth?” she demanded. “Nothing worse than a convert when it comes to self-righteousness.”
Mike was grinning, now. “Lord save us!” The grin faded.