The Beginning at the End of the World: A Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Series (The Survivor Diaries Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

was complaining about when the fight broke out between the two men.
    The scary part for me was that I was becoming more and more convinced that we needed to leave the homes that we have fought so hard to keep.

November 12
    Today the Council was called at the request of a group of Villagers.
    Council members were set to go half an hour before our eleven o’clock meeting time. I am proud of the people I have surrounded myself with. They are the best in their fields, and they are also some of the most ethical people I have ever met.
    The buzzing began as soon as everyone found a seat. They all had a theory about what this group might want. Most thought that it had to do with the food rationing that began just last week. I knew that there was probably one person who knew exactly why we were called to meet, but Jackson sat there without saying a word.
    An ice cold breeze announced the forty-six Villagers who walked solemnly into the ballroom without a word. The atmosphere became electric, and I had goose bumps up and down my arms. Each person had their hands clasped together in front of them, and each was holding a small, but thick book to their chest. My stomach did a deep summersault when I saw Steve Rolette and Cory Forsyth taking a seat at the rectangular table set up in front of the Council’s table. The remaining people, who bore no facial expressions, found a seat on the chairs set up in the gallery.
    “Welcome,” I said, shushing the Council members who seemed to have missed the dramatic entrance. “It is nice to see you all here today. To what do we owe this honor?”
    Steve Rolette stood, removed his jacket and smoothed his button-down shirt and tie with his hand. Steve’s hair was slicked back in an attractive way one might have seen in magazines in the past, and his deep voice filled the room when he spoke. “We would like to talk about the future of the Village - specifically, God’s plan for how He would like us to proceed.”
    Thrown for a loop, I eyed my group, hoping to find someone with a clue as to where this was going.
    “And how does God want us to precede, son?” Reverend John spoke patiently.
    “Well, Reverend, some of us have been wondering when you were going to tell us that. Frankly, we feel like you’ve let us down. We have needed religious guidance since the Rapture, and you haven’t given us …”
    “Rapture? And how did you come to the conclusion that the Last War was God’s doing, and specifically the Rapture?” Reverend John asked, now less patiently.
    “What else could it be?” asked Robert O’Malley to my surprise. He had been one of our core group members from the start of our walkie-talkie communications while we were trapped in our homes, waiting for the bio-chemicals to clear the air.
    “Exactly,” his wife, Tiffany, said. She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe we didn’t know that God had sent this all to us.
    When it came to religion, I have always been one to dance to the beat of my own drum. And I have always been vocal, maybe too vocal, about things that made no sense to me.
    “Why would God want to wipe everyone off the earth, including innocent children?” I asked defensively. “Why not just get rid of the bad people and leave the rest alone?”
    Cory jumped up from his chair, nearly knocking it over. “Who are you to question God?” he pointed directly at me.
    “What I think Laura is asking is, why do you think God did this to people who had never done anything wrong,” the Reverend said.
    Unlike Cory, Steve kept his composure. “Certainly,” he said. “We are all sinners in need of faith – no one is truly innocent. Cory just has a deep faith that he is willing to fight for. Isn’t that what religion is about?”
    Cory has a deep faith, ha! I thought. The only thing that jackass believes in is causing trouble. I started to wish that I had listened to Mark and Jackson about him instead of setting up a nice neat hearing where he got off with a