The Seventh Seal Read Online Free PDF Page B

man.
    The butt end of a machine gun crashed into what was left of
William’s nose.  Streaks of color blinded him.  His neck snapped back and
darkness moved in from the outer edges of his vision.
    “Wait.  He must not pass before Last Rites.”
    The fury of the priest frightened the hardened soldier, and
he backed away from William.
     
    “I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Creator of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
     
    Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
    born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried.
     
    He descended into hell.
     
    The third day He arose again from the dead.
     
    He ascended into heaven
    and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
    whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
     
    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and life everlasting.
     
    Amen.”
     
    William struggled against the encroaching darkness as the
words rang out in his ears.  Hands grabbed his hair and shook him.  They did
not want him to pass until they finished.
     
    “ Pater noster, qui es in caelis:
    sanctificetur Nomen Tuum;
    adveniat Regnum Tuum;
    fiat voluntas Tua,
    sicut in caelo, et in terra.
    Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
    et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
    Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus
nostris;
    et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
    sed libera nos a Malo .”
     
    “What the fuck?” William asked through a shattered mouth and
lacerated tongue.
    “The Rites are complete.  Show him the Glory of our God,
almighty Father, forever and ever.”
    Two soldiers grabbed the mechanic by the arms and lifted him
up.  They cut the ropes that bound his legs and walked him up a flight of
steps, his bare feet scraping against the coarse sandstone.  He shivered in the
open courtyard as stars flickered cold light on the bare trees.  A man
approached William and placed a crown of thorns on his head.  The soldiers tied
William to the wooden beams and raised the cross high in the air.
    “May our Lord have mercy on your soul and promise you
everlasting life.”

 
    Chapter 10
     
“Has John the Revelator arisen yet?” asked Father.
    “No, your holiness  He is still recovering from the ordeal. 
The Sisters are tending to him and offering prayers to God.  How do you know it
is truly Him?” the priest asked.
    Father held a grainy photograph up and tapped it with his
finger.
    “He was found on the east side of Cleveland.  Look at the
photograph.  He is the one.”
    Silence.
    “What is the status of the diocese?” Father demanded.
    With maximum obsequiousness, the priest motioned for Father
to sit at a polished round table.  A tablet PC connected to a digital projector
flashed to life on the bare, white walls.  The priest navigated through folders
on the hard drive until he found a collection of satellite photographs.
    “Here you can see the areas secured under the Holy Covenant,
Father.”
    The subservient priest used the cursor to draw red circles
around Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Shaker Heights, and a
handful of other communities on Cleveland’s east side.
    “The areas in blue are still in the process of going through
the First Cleansing.”
    He used the cursor to point out Parma, Parma Heights,
Lakewood, and Ohio City, all on Cleveland’s west side.
    “Has there been any further communication from the Vatican?”
asked Father.
    “No sir, we have received nothing since the transmission of
the Holy Covenant sent one week ago.  There has been spotty communication from
the diocese of the city of Pittsburgh and Buffalo, but that is the extent of
our current network.”
    “It is in the Lord’s hands.”
    “Yes, Father.”
    Father stood and adjusted the white collar underneath his
black shirt.  He’d considered wearing his Sunday vestments, but did not want to
soil them on