Post by Agustus D'Agosta on Apr 25, 2018 1:34:51 GMT -5
April 11th, 2015
Sheridan County, Wyoming
Sheridan County Sherriff Frank Johnson stepped through the door of the PO News and Flagstaff Café, the smell of coffee immediately assaulting his senses. “Morning Judy.” He said with a passive wave as he strode to his booth, his table. Sliding, in the Sherriff took the paper that awaited him. Pulling himself over and flipping the paper up he read the headline and froze.
‘CULT IN SHERIDAN?’
“Usual Frank?” Judy asked as she poured him a cup of coffee and stood with her hand on her hip. Frank didn’t answer; he just stared at the headline and the picture below it of a church on the side of a mountain trail. “Frank?” Judy asked and gave him a subtle shake to stir him.
“You read this?” Sherriff Johnson asked as he casually slapped the cover with the back of his hand.
“Oh yes, everyone has, apparently it’s the talk of the town, folk say they have seen crazy things up the mountain, things they can’t explain.” Judy leaned in close as she spoke, the look on her face serious and only becoming more serious. “One gal said he, the man that runs the church, he came out of nowhere, just showed up, appeared in a field and built the church overnight with his bare hands.” Judy shook her head, eyes wide.
“Now you know that is nothing but nonsense Judy.” Johnson took a sip of his coffee. “But I suppose I should go and check it out, if nothing to put the people of Sheridan County at ease.”
“No need Sherriff, Dayton loves him, his people buy stuff there and the town is doing really good since he arrived last week.” Judy turned and walked away, a weird bounce in her step.
“Since last week?” Johnson flipped the paper open to page 3 and read the article. Seconds turned to minutes and before he knew it Johnson had been reading for 15 minutes and his food was at the table. “Can you believe all of this?” He asked Judy as she put the food in front of him.
“Oh of course I do. Annie from the boutique raved about how he was such a gentleman, and how everything he said was coming true, and you know Annie she is the most skeptical person I know.” Judy shook her head in agreement with what she said before turning and leaving the table.
“Annie believes it?” Johnson muttered under his breath before digging into his breakfast. The entire meal was filled with questions of disbelief and confusion. Nearly finished with the meal Johnson couldn’t take it anymore, he threw down a 20 and stood up heading for the door. The small town of Sheridan was just getting going, the people waving and saying hello’s but Johnson didn’t hardly notice, he was a man on a mission, he had to see the cult for himself.
It took all of an hour to make it to Dayton, Wyoming. Once there Sherriff Johnson found what he was looking for, a sign pointing to the Church of the Righteous. He followed the road that turned off onto a dirt road and led up a hill into the mountains. Ten minutes of driving and Sherriff Johnson arrived at fence, a sentry guard manning a small box outside the fence, some sort of automatic weapon in both hands.
Pulling up slow, Johnson scanned the area and the man stepped out of the guard box, placing his gun on his chair and moved to the side of the Sherriff’s vehicle. “Morning Sherriff, what brings you to the Church’s compound today?” The man asked.
“Billy?” Shock filled the Sherriff as he recognized the young man, not the brightest man but a former high school football standout that got a scholarship to Wyoming University. “What are you doing out here Billy?” The Sherriff asked.
“I found the lord Sherriff Johnson, and now I help the Lord’s prophet spread his message. What are you doing up here Sherriff Johnson?” Billy stepped back a bit and waited for a response.
Trying to hide the confusion filling him Sherriff Johnson finally answered. “I…um…I just came up to see what the church was all about. Is the prophet available?” Billy smiled and walked back to the guard box, grabbed a radio mic and spoke, then listened and then returned to the side of the Sherriff’s car.
“Follow the dirt road to the end, there you will find the Prophet, our father, our savior.” Billy pulled the gate open and closed it behind the Sherriff as he drove through, returning to his box and taking up his automatic weapon.
Slow rolling up the hill, the Sherriff reached the end and found the church he had seen in the picture. As he stepped out of the car he couldn’t help but think all of this had been built in a week, and he never even knew it was happening. Moments of questioning himself came to the forefront, then faded as he remember the sheer size of his County.
“Sherriff Johnson.” A voice called to him from behind. Walking up was another young man he recognized, a local drug addict, a man he had arrested numerous times, and out of instinct his hand went to his weapon. “No need Sherriff Johnson, I no longer partake in the sins of the mind and flesh like that, The prophet has saved me.” Robert nodded and smiled before ushering Sherriff Johnson to the steps and into the church.
Once inside Sherriff Johnson was awestruck, the sheer enormity of the structure was a mazing, there was no way it was built in only a week, the stain glass would have taken months alone, and yet here it was, a building that he didn’t know to ever have been here. As they walked down the aisle of the church Sherriff Johnson tried to hide his shock and surprise, and then it happened, from the back walked a man, no shirt, just a pair of jeans and brown boots. The man’s body was spotted with tattoos and his head clean shaven, his blue eyes shimmered like a pair of sapphires.
“Sherriff Johnson.” The man casually spoke as he pointed for the Sherriff to have a seat in the front most pews against the aisle. “How may I assist you today?” The casualness of which the man spoke both calmed and chilled the Sherriff. Almost supernaturally the man glided down to sit next to the Sherriff, his gaze going straight forward and not looking at the Sherriff.
“I..well I just wanted to come see what this was all about. I have heard some rumblings around town and wasn’t sure what was going on up here. As the Sherriff I figured I had a duty to see for myself and assess the situation.” Johnson stared at the man awaiting a response, but only silence followed. “I…” Johnson hunted for words but couldn’t find them, only finding himself drawn to the tattoos, his mind hunting for a hidden meaning.
After minutes of silence the man spoke. “I suppose it would help to know who I am Sherriff Johnson.” The man smiled a subtle smile, his gaze remaining forward. “I am Agustus D’Agosta, prophet of the lord, redeemer of the Righteous, and the Lord has asked me to start with Sheridan as the first land that shall be redeemed under his light.” Chills filled Johnson. It wasn’t the words, it was the way he said them, the casual confidence in them, the strength hidden behind his voice, the raw confidence and belief of his statements that chilled Johnson.
“Well, I…well…why does the area need a gate, and guns?” Johnson struggled but finally got the question out, feeling internally like he was crossing a line, that this would be it for him, and he noted to himself to tread carefully going forward, to think out the questions.
“There would be no need for them if all wanted to be redeemed, but unfortunately some are tainted by the darkness, and those tainted by the darkness want only to bring evil upon my congregation and we must protect ourselves from the darkness. Would you not agree Sherriff? For you are simply a public servant meant to protect the public from the darkness of the world.” Agustus subtly turned to look at the Sherriff, his facial expression remaining stoic. “Consider my armed guards as a private police force for the church and the fence as nothing more than a border for the holy ground of the church.” Ever so subtly Agustus turned back to face forward.
“Yeah…but…” Johnson stumbled over his words and found himself lost as what to ask next.
“Rest assured Sherriff Johnson what we do here is one hundred percent for the good of the community. Now I must take my leave, the Lord is calling and I don’t want to be late for my guidance.” With that Agustus stood up gave a slight nod and appeared to glide walk to the back of the church, behind the podium and into the back rooms.
Sherriff Johnson stood up and began the walk out of the church with no prompt or guidance, his mind lost in the eyes of the man named Agustus, and the words the man had spoken. They were so subtle and yet so powerful because of the way he had said them. Johnson simply shook his head and walked and before long found himself in his car and heading back to the gate, and then moments later on the road and heading into town.
“Sherriff, Sherriff…JOHNSON.” Deputy Davidson yelled at the Sherriff who was sitting in his car. The Sherriff shook his head and turned to see Deputy Davidson starring at him, the Sherriff had made it to the Sherriff’s office with no recollection of anything after getting on the road toward Dayton. “You ok, You have been sitting in the car for an hour just starring.”
Another shake of the head and Sherriff Johnson regained his composure. “I was just up the church outside of Dayton, and…wait an hour? What the hell?” Sherriff Johnson got of the car. “How did he?”
“How did he what?” Deputy Davidson looked at Sherriff Johnson confused.
“I…I…We need to keep an eye on that church up there outside of Dayton.” Johnson slipped out of the car and made his way into the office.
“It’s just a church boss, probably a traveling church, it will be gone in a week, like they always do.” Davidson poured himself and the Sherriff a cup of coffee and took a seat across from the Sherriff’s desk. “It will work out.”
“I feel like this one might be here to stay, and it might be a lot of trouble.” Johnson took a sip of his coffee and leaned back, his mind traveling back to the words, the voice, and the way the man walked. Yes this man was going to be around a while, he just couldn’t figure out if the man was going to be a problem or not.
Sheridan County, Wyoming
Sheridan County Sherriff Frank Johnson stepped through the door of the PO News and Flagstaff Café, the smell of coffee immediately assaulting his senses. “Morning Judy.” He said with a passive wave as he strode to his booth, his table. Sliding, in the Sherriff took the paper that awaited him. Pulling himself over and flipping the paper up he read the headline and froze.
‘CULT IN SHERIDAN?’
“Usual Frank?” Judy asked as she poured him a cup of coffee and stood with her hand on her hip. Frank didn’t answer; he just stared at the headline and the picture below it of a church on the side of a mountain trail. “Frank?” Judy asked and gave him a subtle shake to stir him.
“You read this?” Sherriff Johnson asked as he casually slapped the cover with the back of his hand.
“Oh yes, everyone has, apparently it’s the talk of the town, folk say they have seen crazy things up the mountain, things they can’t explain.” Judy leaned in close as she spoke, the look on her face serious and only becoming more serious. “One gal said he, the man that runs the church, he came out of nowhere, just showed up, appeared in a field and built the church overnight with his bare hands.” Judy shook her head, eyes wide.
“Now you know that is nothing but nonsense Judy.” Johnson took a sip of his coffee. “But I suppose I should go and check it out, if nothing to put the people of Sheridan County at ease.”
“No need Sherriff, Dayton loves him, his people buy stuff there and the town is doing really good since he arrived last week.” Judy turned and walked away, a weird bounce in her step.
“Since last week?” Johnson flipped the paper open to page 3 and read the article. Seconds turned to minutes and before he knew it Johnson had been reading for 15 minutes and his food was at the table. “Can you believe all of this?” He asked Judy as she put the food in front of him.
“Oh of course I do. Annie from the boutique raved about how he was such a gentleman, and how everything he said was coming true, and you know Annie she is the most skeptical person I know.” Judy shook her head in agreement with what she said before turning and leaving the table.
“Annie believes it?” Johnson muttered under his breath before digging into his breakfast. The entire meal was filled with questions of disbelief and confusion. Nearly finished with the meal Johnson couldn’t take it anymore, he threw down a 20 and stood up heading for the door. The small town of Sheridan was just getting going, the people waving and saying hello’s but Johnson didn’t hardly notice, he was a man on a mission, he had to see the cult for himself.
It took all of an hour to make it to Dayton, Wyoming. Once there Sherriff Johnson found what he was looking for, a sign pointing to the Church of the Righteous. He followed the road that turned off onto a dirt road and led up a hill into the mountains. Ten minutes of driving and Sherriff Johnson arrived at fence, a sentry guard manning a small box outside the fence, some sort of automatic weapon in both hands.
Pulling up slow, Johnson scanned the area and the man stepped out of the guard box, placing his gun on his chair and moved to the side of the Sherriff’s vehicle. “Morning Sherriff, what brings you to the Church’s compound today?” The man asked.
“Billy?” Shock filled the Sherriff as he recognized the young man, not the brightest man but a former high school football standout that got a scholarship to Wyoming University. “What are you doing out here Billy?” The Sherriff asked.
“I found the lord Sherriff Johnson, and now I help the Lord’s prophet spread his message. What are you doing up here Sherriff Johnson?” Billy stepped back a bit and waited for a response.
Trying to hide the confusion filling him Sherriff Johnson finally answered. “I…um…I just came up to see what the church was all about. Is the prophet available?” Billy smiled and walked back to the guard box, grabbed a radio mic and spoke, then listened and then returned to the side of the Sherriff’s car.
“Follow the dirt road to the end, there you will find the Prophet, our father, our savior.” Billy pulled the gate open and closed it behind the Sherriff as he drove through, returning to his box and taking up his automatic weapon.
Slow rolling up the hill, the Sherriff reached the end and found the church he had seen in the picture. As he stepped out of the car he couldn’t help but think all of this had been built in a week, and he never even knew it was happening. Moments of questioning himself came to the forefront, then faded as he remember the sheer size of his County.
“Sherriff Johnson.” A voice called to him from behind. Walking up was another young man he recognized, a local drug addict, a man he had arrested numerous times, and out of instinct his hand went to his weapon. “No need Sherriff Johnson, I no longer partake in the sins of the mind and flesh like that, The prophet has saved me.” Robert nodded and smiled before ushering Sherriff Johnson to the steps and into the church.
Once inside Sherriff Johnson was awestruck, the sheer enormity of the structure was a mazing, there was no way it was built in only a week, the stain glass would have taken months alone, and yet here it was, a building that he didn’t know to ever have been here. As they walked down the aisle of the church Sherriff Johnson tried to hide his shock and surprise, and then it happened, from the back walked a man, no shirt, just a pair of jeans and brown boots. The man’s body was spotted with tattoos and his head clean shaven, his blue eyes shimmered like a pair of sapphires.
“Sherriff Johnson.” The man casually spoke as he pointed for the Sherriff to have a seat in the front most pews against the aisle. “How may I assist you today?” The casualness of which the man spoke both calmed and chilled the Sherriff. Almost supernaturally the man glided down to sit next to the Sherriff, his gaze going straight forward and not looking at the Sherriff.
“I..well I just wanted to come see what this was all about. I have heard some rumblings around town and wasn’t sure what was going on up here. As the Sherriff I figured I had a duty to see for myself and assess the situation.” Johnson stared at the man awaiting a response, but only silence followed. “I…” Johnson hunted for words but couldn’t find them, only finding himself drawn to the tattoos, his mind hunting for a hidden meaning.
After minutes of silence the man spoke. “I suppose it would help to know who I am Sherriff Johnson.” The man smiled a subtle smile, his gaze remaining forward. “I am Agustus D’Agosta, prophet of the lord, redeemer of the Righteous, and the Lord has asked me to start with Sheridan as the first land that shall be redeemed under his light.” Chills filled Johnson. It wasn’t the words, it was the way he said them, the casual confidence in them, the strength hidden behind his voice, the raw confidence and belief of his statements that chilled Johnson.
“Well, I…well…why does the area need a gate, and guns?” Johnson struggled but finally got the question out, feeling internally like he was crossing a line, that this would be it for him, and he noted to himself to tread carefully going forward, to think out the questions.
“There would be no need for them if all wanted to be redeemed, but unfortunately some are tainted by the darkness, and those tainted by the darkness want only to bring evil upon my congregation and we must protect ourselves from the darkness. Would you not agree Sherriff? For you are simply a public servant meant to protect the public from the darkness of the world.” Agustus subtly turned to look at the Sherriff, his facial expression remaining stoic. “Consider my armed guards as a private police force for the church and the fence as nothing more than a border for the holy ground of the church.” Ever so subtly Agustus turned back to face forward.
“Yeah…but…” Johnson stumbled over his words and found himself lost as what to ask next.
“Rest assured Sherriff Johnson what we do here is one hundred percent for the good of the community. Now I must take my leave, the Lord is calling and I don’t want to be late for my guidance.” With that Agustus stood up gave a slight nod and appeared to glide walk to the back of the church, behind the podium and into the back rooms.
Sherriff Johnson stood up and began the walk out of the church with no prompt or guidance, his mind lost in the eyes of the man named Agustus, and the words the man had spoken. They were so subtle and yet so powerful because of the way he had said them. Johnson simply shook his head and walked and before long found himself in his car and heading back to the gate, and then moments later on the road and heading into town.
“Sherriff, Sherriff…JOHNSON.” Deputy Davidson yelled at the Sherriff who was sitting in his car. The Sherriff shook his head and turned to see Deputy Davidson starring at him, the Sherriff had made it to the Sherriff’s office with no recollection of anything after getting on the road toward Dayton. “You ok, You have been sitting in the car for an hour just starring.”
Another shake of the head and Sherriff Johnson regained his composure. “I was just up the church outside of Dayton, and…wait an hour? What the hell?” Sherriff Johnson got of the car. “How did he?”
“How did he what?” Deputy Davidson looked at Sherriff Johnson confused.
“I…I…We need to keep an eye on that church up there outside of Dayton.” Johnson slipped out of the car and made his way into the office.
“It’s just a church boss, probably a traveling church, it will be gone in a week, like they always do.” Davidson poured himself and the Sherriff a cup of coffee and took a seat across from the Sherriff’s desk. “It will work out.”
“I feel like this one might be here to stay, and it might be a lot of trouble.” Johnson took a sip of his coffee and leaned back, his mind traveling back to the words, the voice, and the way the man walked. Yes this man was going to be around a while, he just couldn’t figure out if the man was going to be a problem or not.
