Chapter Six

Alexander laid awake on his mattress, Elizabeth was fast asleep on her mattress and Rhodes and Bart were busy trying to contact their superiors. Alexander was having trouble sleeping it happened every time he remembered one of the horrors he'd witnessed following the disaster and the time he saw one of the Puritans executions was one of the worst.

Alexander had only recently established his base in the train station at the time. He'd gotten word on his radio that the Puritans were wrapping up looting an area a few blocks over from his base, he decided to check it out and not knowing much about the Puritans wanted to know if they were as dumb as the other scavenger factions.

He'd taken the alleyways and side streets to remain unseen and managed to do so and it was from one of those alleyways that he was able to observe the horrific actions of the Puritans first-hand.

Alexander watched as the few remaining occupants of the nearby apartment buildings were herded like cattle onto a large platform being carted around by a large semi-truck. He saw standing in front of the hostages a large balding man wearing white robes in his hands he held a large long sword, he looked over the other puritans like a king looking down on his subjects. Alexander was fearful of what was going to happen next, his instincts were screaming to get as far away as possible. 

Alexander would later learn that the man standing on stage was James Godfrey the so-called High Father of the Puritans. He banged his sheathed longsword against the stage and all of the Puritans stopped and looked up at him.

"My followers tonight we have obtained a bountiful harvest that will sustain us as we achieve the sacred task of bringing this city and the rest of the world together beneath our banners, the disaster was a sign it is time we bring this world together in worship of our Lord and strike down those who would taint us," Godfrey said

He banged his sword on the stage again and a group of his followers wheeled a long table onto the stage bearing great piles of food.

"Tonight my followers we shall feast on this food and on the glory granted to us by our lord for slaying these tainted beasts" Godfrey elaborated

Godfrey banged his sword onto the stage one more time and twenty men garbed in white carrying an assortment of bladed weapons walked onto the stage. Godfrey removed the sheath from his sword and picked up an apple, He took a bite and then swung his sword into the nearest hostage who let out an inhuman scream.  Godfrey and his men proceeded to kill all the hostages brutally, there were no killing blows only random blows that cut into the flesh spraying blood and crushing bone, it was horrible to watch.

Alexander regretted not listening to his instincts earlier and started to run away when he ran into a Puritan who was wandering the alleyways on patrol most likely. Alexander didn't even say a word he took out his axe and with a single swing caved in the Puritans skull. He quickly removed his axe taking a good deal of blood and grey matter with it and began to search the body for anything of value. He found a packet of cigarettes, a lighter, a bottle of vodka and a radio communicator. He tossed the cigarettes, pocketed the communicator and considered throwing the vodka and lighter but then he had an idea.

Alexander poured the vodka onto the dead Puritan soaking his clothes with alcohol. Alexander then carried the body to the entrance of the alleyway pushing it as close to the crowd as he could before throwing the lit lighter at the alcohol-soaked body causing it to catch on fire.

Alexander once again left that tragic scene but instead of the screams of Godfrey's victims, he heard the frantic cries of the Puritans as they tried to extinguish the burning dead body. He knew even then that what he'd done was petty but he wanted to remind the Puritans that just as they victimised others so too could they be victimised. 

Alexander looked forward to watching James Godfrey and his followers being trampled by the armies of Reboot, Their dream of a world in their image shattered like glass. Alexander watched as Bart and Rhodes emerged from their conversation with their superior and walked over to him.

"So what was your boss's answer?" He asked
"He gave us the go-ahead, so when do we start?" said Bart
"Tomorrow, we will begin our plan to take down the Puritans and when it is over we'll be just that little bit closer to where we were before the disaster, We will reboot the system and bring an end to this madness" Alexander answered