The Infected: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller Read Online Free Page B
commence and let God have mercy on their souls." The minster moved from the microphone to the left side of the stage. Cyrus Poxxal emerged from behind the curtain and handed Troy a glass of water. He gulped the contents down but never took his eyes off of the prisoners.
Abigail sobbed and when Tyler Stevens made eye contact with his sister, he began to cry. He sat upright on his knees, his face emotionless, while two of the soldiers unshackled him. They drug him to the center of the stage where a third soldier waited. This one carried a long-handled ax. A fourth soldier wheeled a wooden block from somewhere off stage and placed it in front of Tyler.
The soldier carrying the ax pushed Tyler's head forward until it rested on the block and a deafening silence swept over the crowd as everyone seemed to hold their breaths in unison. Sam looked over to Abby. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in her hands. She was about to lose the only family she had left in this world and an abhorrent bitterness pooled somewhere deep inside of Sam. Rebecca's death was still fresh in her mind.
The executioner took his position and lifted the blade of the ax high in the air. The early morning sun gleamed off the sharpened steel blade. Sam gripped Jordan's hand so tight that her knuckles turned a frightening shade of white and her heart slammed against the walls of her chest with the ferocity of a jackhammer.
"Wait!" Sam screamed with such force that her voice cracked midway through. The ax hung frozen in the air and the executioner stared blankly in her direction. A few gasps echoed through the crowd. The songbirds stationed in the trees surrounding the square quit chirping. Silence.
"What are you doing?" Jordan whispered. His voice filled with panic and his grip tightened further around her hand. "Sam, what have you done?"
Sam didn't answer him. The ax wobbled in the executioner's hands. She took a deep breath and screamed again, "Wait!"
Troy's ghoulish grin became a seething grimace as his eyes darted through the sea of faces, searching for the citizen who had the audacity to speak against the Ministry. He sped back to the microphone as his eyes scanned the crowd. There was something strange in his voice when he spoke again.
"Wh-who said that?" he stammered.
Fear.
Sam didn't answer. Terror coursed through her body. She wished she could reverse the hands of time. She wanted to withdraw her plea. Why hadn't she just let the ax fall? Why had she been so stupid?
"Who said that?" Troy asked. The fear had dissipated and a malicious confidence flooded back into his voice.
"Don't say a word," Jordan said. "Samantha Albright, don't you dare say a word."
But it wasn't that simple. She looked to Abigail who stared back at her in alarmed bewilderment. Underneath the perplexed look on her friend's face was a horrifying sadness. It tore at Sam's heart. She couldn't watch in silence as her friend lost a family member.
"Who said that?" Troy commanded.
"I did," Sam answered, not trying to mask the terror in her voice.
The crowd parted as if she was one of the infected. Gasps of unbridled horror echoed throughout the mob, but Sam barely registered them. The only thing she heard was her pulse racing between her ears. Jordan remained beside her and grasped her hand so tight that she thought it might break.
"Is there something you would like to say, Miss—?"
"Samantha," she said interrupting the Minister. "Samantha Albright."
"Miss Albright, are you issuing a formal petition against my ruling?" the Minister grinned.
"No."
"Then why, pray tell, have you interrupted my execution?" he screamed into the microphone. His face turned a ghastly shade of blood-red.
Feedback howled through the speakers and Sam pried her hand away from Jordan's and covered her ears. Tears streamed down her face and she cursed herself for acting so weak. Her knees quivered, and she took a deep breath to right herself.
"I—"
"You what?" the Minister
Abigail sobbed and when Tyler Stevens made eye contact with his sister, he began to cry. He sat upright on his knees, his face emotionless, while two of the soldiers unshackled him. They drug him to the center of the stage where a third soldier waited. This one carried a long-handled ax. A fourth soldier wheeled a wooden block from somewhere off stage and placed it in front of Tyler.
The soldier carrying the ax pushed Tyler's head forward until it rested on the block and a deafening silence swept over the crowd as everyone seemed to hold their breaths in unison. Sam looked over to Abby. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in her hands. She was about to lose the only family she had left in this world and an abhorrent bitterness pooled somewhere deep inside of Sam. Rebecca's death was still fresh in her mind.
The executioner took his position and lifted the blade of the ax high in the air. The early morning sun gleamed off the sharpened steel blade. Sam gripped Jordan's hand so tight that her knuckles turned a frightening shade of white and her heart slammed against the walls of her chest with the ferocity of a jackhammer.
"Wait!" Sam screamed with such force that her voice cracked midway through. The ax hung frozen in the air and the executioner stared blankly in her direction. A few gasps echoed through the crowd. The songbirds stationed in the trees surrounding the square quit chirping. Silence.
"What are you doing?" Jordan whispered. His voice filled with panic and his grip tightened further around her hand. "Sam, what have you done?"
Sam didn't answer him. The ax wobbled in the executioner's hands. She took a deep breath and screamed again, "Wait!"
Troy's ghoulish grin became a seething grimace as his eyes darted through the sea of faces, searching for the citizen who had the audacity to speak against the Ministry. He sped back to the microphone as his eyes scanned the crowd. There was something strange in his voice when he spoke again.
"Wh-who said that?" he stammered.
Fear.
Sam didn't answer. Terror coursed through her body. She wished she could reverse the hands of time. She wanted to withdraw her plea. Why hadn't she just let the ax fall? Why had she been so stupid?
"Who said that?" Troy asked. The fear had dissipated and a malicious confidence flooded back into his voice.
"Don't say a word," Jordan said. "Samantha Albright, don't you dare say a word."
But it wasn't that simple. She looked to Abigail who stared back at her in alarmed bewilderment. Underneath the perplexed look on her friend's face was a horrifying sadness. It tore at Sam's heart. She couldn't watch in silence as her friend lost a family member.
"Who said that?" Troy commanded.
"I did," Sam answered, not trying to mask the terror in her voice.
The crowd parted as if she was one of the infected. Gasps of unbridled horror echoed throughout the mob, but Sam barely registered them. The only thing she heard was her pulse racing between her ears. Jordan remained beside her and grasped her hand so tight that she thought it might break.
"Is there something you would like to say, Miss—?"
"Samantha," she said interrupting the Minister. "Samantha Albright."
"Miss Albright, are you issuing a formal petition against my ruling?" the Minister grinned.
"No."
"Then why, pray tell, have you interrupted my execution?" he screamed into the microphone. His face turned a ghastly shade of blood-red.
Feedback howled through the speakers and Sam pried her hand away from Jordan's and covered her ears. Tears streamed down her face and she cursed herself for acting so weak. Her knees quivered, and she took a deep breath to right herself.
"I—"
"You what?" the Minister
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