Execution Style

CHAPTER ONE

The news was always a passive interest, but there came a day where everyone would turn on the news and be unable to look away. 

Aislinn smiled, walking home from her college campus, arm in arm with the man she loved. After a year of his family hating both of them for their lack of religion, Andrew finally cut off all his family. Aislinn and Andrew now lived together, a state away from their so-called family. 

But when she arrived at school the next day, something was off. Guards stood at the doorways, a list in their hands. What for?

“If your name is called, you are to leave. You are being denied service.”

Crowds whispered, wondering what was going on, and Aislinn approached the heavy wooden doors, trying to get to her 8 AM class. 

“I need to get through.”

“Your name?” The guard’s voice was cold and emotionless. 

“Aislinn Evermore.”

“You cannot enter.”

She raised her eyebrows immediately. “But I literally have a class here. I’m enrolled in 17 units.”

Showing her ID proved to be of no use, as she soon discovered. “You have been outed as an Atheist, and under the new laws, Atheists no longer have the same rights. God is king. He is the only one that will reign and prosper!”

She checked the national news, to see if this could be remotely true, and was horrified at what she found. Many nonbelievers were being murdered, even in democratic countries that accepted them wholeheartedly before. 

They were living in a demented form of theocracy, but this one instance was only the start. 

CHAPTER TWO

“We shall not allow anyone who doesn’t believe in Christ Jesus to rise. Our enemies shall not win.” A man in a crisp suit declared, slamming his fists on the gold plated desk. 

“Of course. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.”

His wife sat away from where he worked, but was always in earshot should he need something. She was there to serve him, to bore him children, and to never have a life of her own. His holy book forbade women being equal to men, and since his book said so, he must obey the word. 

But this couple wasn’t just a random one: They had ordered this new government on a silver platter, with Mark using his skills to threaten local and federal officials while keeping his real identity anonymous. 

He and Lilith had been married for years, but never had a child. He wanted them, and she did not, but after a stern talking to didn’t work, he resorted to raping her to produce their son, John. 

“Mark!”

“Yes, Lilith?”

“I just got word of an Atheist in Brookton!”

“Oh? Would you like to visit it? Maybe we can help the poor soul see His love?”

The wife scoffed. “That heathen deserves to rot in hell for all eternity.”

“Are you suggesting we hunt it?”

She paused for a moment before answering, afraid he would think it too extreme. But her husband’s grin was the only affirmation she needed. 

With her carrying knives, and him carrying guns, they were ready to do the Lord’s work. And quickly. 

CHAPTER THREE

Still standing at the entrance to her university, Aislinn called Andrew to come pick her up. 

“They did what now?”

“I’m not exaggerating at all. It left me a bit mortified.”

“Oh my god. I’ll be there in five, but can you stay on the line? I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Yeah. I can do that.”

The moment Andrew arrived, Mark and Lilith pulled into the parking lot. 

“HER!” 

Lilith had been sent Aislinn’s photo by the guard, and recognized her instantly, almost lunging as she scrambled out of the car with her husband. 

At the first sight of the gun, Aislinn ran into Andrew’s arms. It wasn’t her best instinct, but it was the first, and Andrew ran a few miles until he reached Cafe Austin. 

The entrances were immediately blocked, so the theists couldn’t get to them. They watched the outside area from the manager’s office, far from the main doorway. 

Outside, Lilith was furious. She was desperate to prove herself to Mark as an obedient wife. Sure, she hadn’t always been what he wanted, but his need was that she have no voice. All opinions would be his, and he’d have complete control over her. She was his wife. She was supposed to be there for his needs, not taking pleasure for herself. 

She followed his lead, and they broke the windows with the gun. The manager was just returning from his lunch break, and was immediately shot when he calmly asked them to leave. 

Andrew grabbed knives from one of the knife blocks, sharpening them quickly. “Stay here. I’ll come back when it’s safe. I love you.”

“Be careful.”

He aimed just above the murderers’ heads, being careful to stay out of sight. The blade nicked Lilith, and she gasped. 

“Where the fuck did that come from?!”

She clutched Mark’s arm. 

He looked around carefully, but saw no obvious assassin. 

One cough, and Andrew was spotted. Lilith was ordered to shoot anything that moved, and she complied willingly, but her arm was getting tired. They only brought their heaviest guns with them. She struggled to get the aim right, and kept focusing on the “perfect” spot. 

This opening allowed Andrew to focus, and he looked carefully at where he needed to aim. He had both accuracy and speed on his side, as he had grown up throwing knives as a kid. 

The next set of knives were thrown with precision, causing both Mark and Lilith to gasp for air before passing out from blood loss. 

EPILOGUE 

Rushing to retrieve Aislinn, Andrew felt a moment of relief fllod through him. They were okay. Their assassins were dead. 

She was shaking, and he tried to calm her down as he carried her home. He didn’t know what awaited them next, but he knew he wanted to help others stay safe, just as he had Aislinn. 

He couldn’t stand the thought of someone innocent needlessly losing their life.