Bud and Jim came back from the corridor, but the confidence they had walked in with was gone. Their faces were pale, eyes unsettled, like they had just seen something they couldn't explain away.
The people near the entrance immediately noticed.
"Well?" someone asked. "What is it?"
Bud took a breath, trying to steady himself before speaking.
"It seems… what David said is right," he said slowly. "Out there—in the mist—there's something. Some kind of… thing."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Jim rubbed his hands over his face, still shaken.
"That ain't no joke," he added, his voice lower than usual. "Whatever that is… it's not normal."
Bud nodded, then looked directly at the group that had been ready to leave.
"It's better if we stay inside," he said firmly. "At least until we understand what we're dealing with."
Carmody had been watching everything from the side, her grip tightening around the Bible in her hands as fear spread through the crowd. The moment Bud finished speaking, she stepped forward like she had been waiting for this exact moment.
She raised the Bible high.
"I told you," she said, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "I told all of you this was coming."
People turned toward her.
"It's written," Carmody continued, flipping the pages with trembling hands. "In the Book. The end times. The mist, the darkness, the creatures sent to punish us."
A few people shifted uneasily.
"This is judgment," she went on, louder now. "God's judgment. We have been weighed… and we have been found wanting."
Brent rolled his eyes, but he didn't interrupt this time.
Carmody's voice rose further, feeding off the fear in the room.
"You saw it," she said, pointing toward the back of the store. "You saw the proof. Things that do not belong in this world. Plagues. Beasts. Just like it says!"
She looked around at everyone, eyes wide, almost feverish.
"This is how it begins," she said. "First the darkness… then the suffering… and then the cleansing fire."
A man near the shelves swallowed hard.
"What are you saying?" he asked.
"I'm saying," Carmody replied, stepping closer, "that we are being punished. For our sins. For turning away. For thinking we could live however we wanted without consequence."
Her gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on different faces.
"Only those who repent will be spared," she said.
"And to be saved… there must be sacrifice. Blood."
Her voice dropped lower, more intense, as she clutched the Bible to her chest and then opened it again, fingers trembling as they traced lines across the page.
"It is written," Carmody continued, her tone turning almost reverent, "that the Lord demands sacrifice… that sin must be washed away in blood."
"This is not random," she went on, shaking her head slowly. "This is design. The mist, the creatures… they are instruments. Tools of His will."
"He is testing us," she said. "Testing our faith. Testing our obedience."
Her eyes moved across the people, searching, judging each face like she was already deciding who was worthy and who wasn't.
"And only those willing to prove their devotion… will be spared," she finished, her voice steady with conviction.
A few people nodded weakly, drawn in by the certainty in her tone.
Henry stepped forward slightly, looking at her.
"Umm… so if we sacrifice, God will save us?" he asked, sounding almost curious.
Carmody turned toward him immediately.
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
Henry gave a small nod, like he was considering it seriously.
"Then go on," he said, a faint smile forming. "What are you waiting for? Be the first one. Sacrifice yourself. We'll all watch… and you can be the first to reach God."
The words landed hard.
The entire store went quiet.
All eyes turned toward Carmody.
For a brief moment, Carmody's expression flickered—but it didn't break.
Instead, it hardened.
"You mock the word," she said, voice low but carrying. "You twist it to suit your pride."
"Sacrifice is not chosen by arrogance," Carmody continued. "It is called for by God. The lamb does not choose the altar—the Lord does."
"You think this is about proving something?" she went on, her voice rising. "This is about obedience. About faith. About those willing to kneel when judgment comes."
Henry let out a short breath, then stepped forward.
"So what, you're saying you're God's favorite?" he said, his tone sharp. "That you get to sit here and decide who gets sacrificed while you do nothing?"
"That's pure bullshit," Henry continued, not backing down. "You're talking about offering other people up while you stand safe in the middle of the store."
Carmody's expression darkened, but Henry didn't stop.
"I'm actually trying to keep people alive," he said. "You're just feeding fear and pointing fingers."
He turned slightly, addressing everyone now.
"So listen carefully," Henry added, voice firm. "There are real monsters out there. Not punishment. Not prophecy. Creatures. And they will kill you the second you step outside."
The weight of his words settled over the crowd.
From the side, Dan stepped forward, still shaken.
"Yeah… what he said," Dan added, his voice unsteady. "I saw it. Something in the mist grabbed John… just pulled him. One second he was there, next second—gone."
A wave of fear rippled through the people.
"So if you want to live, stay inside," Henry said, looking around at them one by one. "Otherwise… go out."
*****
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