Noah looked at his phone as he approached the location pinned on his GPS app. The streets around him were abandoned, and he couldn’t recall the last time he had noticed any other person wandering the streets. It was pretty late in the night or relatively early in the morning depending on how a person would tell time. And time was something that he realized he didn’t have a lot of, the effects of his last per diem were starting to wear off, his mental clarity was starting to wain, and his nervous anxiety was beginning to set in again. It also didn’t help that he found the surrounding quiet incredibly unnerving.

He looked around and found that he was standing in front of an old church, it was odd, he hadn’t stepped foot into a church since the passing of his grandfather, he knew it was a cliche but ever since he had moved out to be on his own he never felt compelled to go. He didn’t mind going; in fact, the pastor that took over the church he grew up in, he got along with very. But you didn’t see many churches in the city anymore, it seemed as if over the last several years society had pushed them out. Not on purpose, he thought, but when the government started providing healthcare, mental health institutions, homeless shelters, counseling, and food banks what purpose did the church serve anymore? Teaching morality? There were laws for that, anti-discrimination laws, racial equity regulations, hate speech laws, online bullying protocols, the list went on. But his grandfather, while not the best of churchgoers always told him the church had a purpose, he said it didn’t necessarily matter the denomination or religious beliefs but that humans thrived on deep connections with one another, and without that, many people will find themselves in a deep depression. He said it wasn’t always about what was being preached but more about being in fellowship with like-minded individuals.

Noah turned his attention back to his phone as it vibrated, and discovered there was a new notification that had appeared. After tapping the icon a message appeared on the screen,

Standby...connection secured. Waiting...please activate headset…

Immediately after putting in a single earbud and pressing the power button, the administrator appeared on the screen.

“Good evening Noah, I see that you have arrived at the last known location of you of the person we wish you to find. How are you fairing?

“I’m doing alright, I’m starting to feel the per diem wearing off.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but don’t worry, after you’ve completed your task I’ll send a drone with your per diem, just like we discussed.”

“I understand.”

“Good. I’m sending you more information regarding the missing person we wish you to locate, it will have all pertinent information, make sure you take a moment to read through it. From this point forward I will be monitoring your progress in real-time via your mobile device if you run into any problems, have any concerns or questions just say ‘administrator’ out loud and that will allow me to speak directly to you. Do you have any questions?”

“No ma’am.”

“Good luck, be vigilant, you don’t have much time.”

Noah heard the communication link go silent. 

Be vigilant...he didn’t know why but for some reason that phrase coming from her gave him a small amount of inspiration and the motivation he needed to convince himself that he could do this.

Joseph Reitly, 40 years old.

There were also several images of Joseph, most of them variations of what he could look like if he were disguised.

He approached the building cautiously, stopping where there should have been a door but he noticed that the threshold was charred, and without needing to take a deep breath, the smell of a recent fire hung in the air. Noah recognized that smell immediately, reminding him again of his grandfather. Beyond the charred opening, he could see a battered set of double doors leading to what he assumed would be the sanctuary. This wasn’t a very large church so he imagined the layout of the structure wasn’t too dissimilar to the church he attended and he slowly nudged the doors open trying not to disturb the surrounding silence. The size of the sanctuary was what he expected, what he didn’t expect to find was piles of debris, burned books, destroyed pews, and burn barrels scattered everywhere, it had no resemblance of its former use. Broken windows and a collapsed portion of the roof allowed the moonlight to scatter parts of the darkness in the sanctuary, at first Noah thought the roof was still at risk of collapsing at any moment however the heavy timbers that constructed the trusses still looked structurally sound. He could easily imagine what his surroundings would have looked like at the apex of its use, but seeing it in its current state was depressing. He scanned the area as he walked slowly away from the entrance and when he was about halfway to the altar which was situated against the back wall, he noticed a group of makeshift tents to his left. They were almost perfectly hidden by shadows, along with a large amount of trash, debris, and other wreckage that surrounded them, had he been moving any faster he would have likely walked right past them. 

Noah stopped and looked around.

Aright. Joseph Reitly. 40-year-old male.

I can do this.

Noah made his way over to the group of tents and prepared to lift the sheet covering the front of the one closest to him. He took in a deep breath, then gave an audible exhale after finding nothing inside. The result ended up being the same for all of them and he assumed they had all been abandoned.

Dammit.

He felt his time was passing too quickly, his heart rate wasn’t slowing down, and his increasing anxiety was being fueled by too many uncertainties. He had to find this missing person or else he would be left without his per diem until some time the next day, which wasn’t a comforting thought. He headed toward the altar knowing there should be one door to the left and one to the right leading to the pastor’s office, the baptismal preparation room, storage, and a utility room. He was completely certain but from the outside, he wasn’t able to tell if this particular church had a basement and he didn’t recall seeing steps in the vestibule, granted if they were barricaded he wouldn’t have noticed them. 

Noah’s inclination paid off.

He chose the door to the left of the altar, not for any particular reason, he was fairly certain there was a corridor that would wrap around and allow him to re-enter the sanctuary via the door to the right. First, he tried the door handle to see if it were locked, it wasn’t and it began to open as he pressed forward then it stopped abruptly, leaving an open that wasn’t large enough for him to slip through. Noah went to the opposite door, it was locked, or as least it wouldn’t open. Noah pushed on the door again but was unable to make the opening any wider. He activated the light on his phone then jump back suddenly.

There was a body laying on the ground keeping the door from opening any further.

Noah’s stomach wretched, assuming whoever this was, was no longer living. 

He took a moment to compose himself then sat on the ground placing his feet against the door then pushed with all of his strength, moving the body back several inches, he adjusted himself and repeated the process until he could easily pass through the opening. Noah’s nerves were completely on edge and he struggled to move the body so he could see its face, vomiting afterward. 

“Administrator,” he said dry heaving

“Hello Noah, have you located the missing person?”

“I’ve found a body at the last known location but I can’t tell if it’s Joseph Reitly or not.”

“I’m going to need you to hold your phone up and move closer to the body as I access your camera.” Noah complied with her instructions and there was a short pause, “Unfortunately our software cannot ID the body, continue searching for Mr. Reitly, a drone has been deployed to ID the body via a DNA sample. Good luck Noah, I have faith in your abilities.” As reassuring as it sounded Noah was starting to lose focus.

What am I getting into? 

He turned away from the corpse and began walking down the hallway, the only light coming from his phone. He tried to remain calm but all he could hear was his beating heart. Sweat accumulated on his brow and he unzipped his jacket allowing the cool ambient air to chill his body.

  I’ve got to find him,

I need my per diem,

I won’t survive...that’s how he died...he hadn’t had his per diem in weeks and now he’s dead.

I need my per diem, 

I don’t want to die here.

Noah opened the next door he found without hesitation, he glanced around what looked like the pastor’s office, looked under the desk and inside the bathroom finding no one. He moved on to the next door, flinging it open not giving any thought to the echo that rang out as it smacked the wall.

Come on! He’s gotta be here! 

I won’t get my per diem if I don’t find him!

Nothing.

He went to the next one, opening the door quickly then shut it again.

Dammit!

He rounded the corner, then stumbled to the ground, gripping his phone as hard as could as he fell. He felt his head smack the floor but didn’t lose consciousness and he immediately scrambled back up to his feet frustrated. He couldn’t afford any mishaps, he wanted his per diem, and the thought of dying in this place began feeling like a possible reality. He was far from home and the only person that knew he was here was the administrator that sent him.  Noah shined the light down to see what he tripped over and vomited immediately. 

Another dead body.

“Administrator.”

“Hello Noah, have you found Mr. Reitly?”

“No.”

“It’s my duty to remind you that you are under contract with us, failure to complete your assigned task will result in loss of your incentive and a delay in your per diem.” the administrator interrupts before he could utter another word.

“I found another body.” he snaps “It’s not Mr. Reitly, it’s a woman,” he shivers from a sudden chill. “The body isn’t in as bad of shape as the other one.”

“I understand, thank you for bringing this to our attention, we will retask the drone once it arrives at your location. Continue your search. Good luck.” the line went silent again.

Luck…

I could use some luck...grandpa used to say that luck only counted in horseshoes and hand grenades. I’m glad he’s not around to see me like this. 

I need my per diem…

I’m sure she could have used hers, is that why they’re here? Two poor souls, that refused to take their per diem? 

Why would anyone do that, you received an incentive, you were helping keep society healthy and safe…

you were literally being paid to keep yourself healthy and safe. Why didn’t they understand that?

I need my… 

my… 

Noah wandered down the hall, it was getting harder to collect his thought, there was just one more door he needed to open.

He’s gotta be in there. I’m sure of it. 

Noah opened the door and he was right, he found Mr. Reitly

A  rope around his neck, hanging from a cast iron pipe, a chair toppled over beneath him, several bodies with their throats slit open scattered about, and a message written on the floor.

I saw the Pale horse so I cast myself into the flames

“Administrator.”

Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of Noah's Cross.