The Apostlypse

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME, THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS, IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US THIS DAY, OUR DAILY BREAD AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US, AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
Amen.







prologue
The young man had gone through his fair share of heartache and pain, break-ups, bullying, molestation, girlfriends miscarriage, you name it he was there. That's why he turned to the Almighty. The almighty God, the Church.
He stepped into the chapel, a slight limp in his right leg caused by a stab wound. Two dollars in the collection tin at the entry.
The start of something grand.

-Who are you and where does God fit into your life? The preist started his sermon. A good turn out for such a windy winters morning.

It left the young Man pondering who he truly was. Who he was in God, who God was in him.

-To be one in your relationship with God you MUST worship, and admire, and know that Jesus died for our sins, give up those luxuries in life that Satan has bought upon us to lead us away from the church and God.

With that, he did.

Ten years later, the young man not so young. His problems, not a spec of dust on the podium where he stands and reads from the bible every day for the hundreds of worshipers that flock to his church.

The Apostlypse. By William A. Thorpopoulis. 22/12/04
Circa. Year 2056

A young man stood on the cold stone steps of the church, bottle of Vodka in one hand, his other resting on the knee with the stab wound, his right. Why he hadn't gone to the hospital is beyond anyone's mind, but this isn't a time where hospitals are the place to go, this is a time of worship, and thankfulness of the lord who bought us here. The man, one of the very few left in Satan's possession. The rest of the world has bowed it's knee's to the church, not necessarily by choice, but when does a member of public get to do something without authorities having a hand in tearing that down. So the world has come to this, No public bars, no local swimming pools, not even a child care centre to look after the little ones. A church on every street, taking over from the houses which have now become huge halls, where our residents of earth spend there days, not working, but worshiping, the only food source comes from the lord's good will and power. From where exactly, this writer does not know.
It all started 7 long years ago. A leader in the catholic church put their foot down about some illegal happenings at a town hall, and quicker than you could say 'abomination', it happened. Children were being ripped out of schools, television stations burning down to a crispy burnt nothing, the town's, then states, then countries and lastly, the World's supply of alcohol, drained into the oceans and rivers. We couldn't have Satan taking over the earth, the earth which God so lovingly made.
Eventually there was nothing, a barren land of people, very few animals, and the only buildings left standing, the Church.
For the first year the two main church denominations, Christian and Catholic, fought for power, but nothing could succeed the power of the Catholic faith, that bought down every other belief system known to man.

The following years involved men working side by side, while the wives stayed at home pregnant, due to lack of contraceptives, or gathering food from the little resources left. The church denounced food eventually though, saying the only food we need is the food of love from the lord and god. The population followed like the sheep they had become since MTV hit television screens, fearing the worst had they not. For that is what the church promised. Faith, or death.

Not many chose death, a few chose to defy the church and ran off into the wilderness, never to be seen again. Except for one, our friend here on the church steps. One who has now seen the light.
The man had run off as a young man at his Father's orders.

-Run, run Billy, for your life, for your Mother, for me, do it, now.

And he gave him a sack containing a few belongings. A family picture, some bread and fruit, some tin food and a bottle of water.

-And here, Billy, take this, a bottle of Vodka, your grandma gave it to us for our housewarming last year, take it, but DON'T let anyone find it, or catch you drinking it. Now GO.

Billy ran off, leaving his half dead mother and grieving Father to be slaughtered by the Zealots for not participating in mass that morning.
One Zealot had followed, but Billy soon lost him in the forest on the edge of town.
Now Billy returns, Vodka in hand, at our local church door.

On his way through a dense part of now rubble, a crazy old man, wearing a long ragged coat jumped out and stabbed Billy, his free hand reaching for the bottle. A slight yelp and quick rumble later, the old man lay dead, his head squashed between two concrete blocks, probably from what was someone's house. Billy hadn't meant to kill the man, only to defend his rights and the full bottle of vodka that hadn't left his person in over 5 years.

Billy sat down on a rock and opened the bottle, the 8 year old bottle of spirits fresh and full of demons only Satan could know. The smell hit Billy's nose, it knocked him back. He held his nose and tipped the entire bottle onto his bleeding leg. A scream to awake the dead filled the streets.
A thousand heads popped out of every nook and cranny, followed by bodies, all with crosses and pictures of Jesus printed on their shirts.

-Be one with God. Their voices rang through his ears, was it time. It was time. He ventured unto the nearest Church.

Bringing us to the now, as God so often does, Billy stands on the cold stoned steps, his toes poking through the tatty shoes he has worn since he ran away.

He opens the door.
A not so young man stand in the doorway, bible in hand, close to his heart. Probably 50 people lay on the ground, smiles from ear to ear, hands on hearts, speaking a language not known to man, but known to a god. Billy walks in. Billy knows what he's getting himself into, he watched it all happen from his spot in the forest, in the trees. Billy knows nothing, Billy's with God now. Billy is no-one.
God.




THE END


ps. wrote this years ago and couldn't be bothered checking it for spelling or errors now, didn't even re-read it but enjoy!