Owl

The trio left the hotel, Carmen and Doug’s substantial haul forgotten on the second floor for the time being. They crossed the street, scouting the area for the presence of any monsters before stepping out into the open.

“How long have you been at the church?” Carmen asked, still wary of anyone who wasn’t her husband and wanting to find out as much she could before entering the church. Not many people left in their world had the best of intentions, but there were times they needed to use the relative safety some were able to provide.

“Since the beginning,” Sister Mary Francis replied, her grey eyes trained on the area around her. “Most of the people who’d once lived in town either left after the broadcast, hoping to find a doctor who could stop the inevitable. Some stayed, but you can probably guess what happened to them…”

As the nun’s voice trailed off Carmen looked up at the brick edifice of the sacred building; a large stone structure in tones of caramel and a ruddy brown. It blended in nicely with the trees and bushes; the foliage camouflaging it to a large degree from the road.

Coming up on the impressive double doors, Sister Mary Francis hooted like an owl, her call answered by a similar hoot. The parody of a fowl conversation continued for quite a few seconds and the code of hoots ended with the opening of the church doors. The three of them entered, immediately stopped short by another door that had been built between the outer door and the vestibule. Armed individuals stood between them and the inner door, their guns ready, and from the looks of it, very willing to take them out.

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