Later that night the news would report that the building had been the victim of a terrorist bombing intended to disrupt the sale of religious texts and send a message to those that propagated Christian ideologies. No group had come forward yet to take credit for the bombing that caused the death of at least one shop worker and one customer and had sent one man to the hospital in critical condition. This had been the first terror attack in the small town of Medford, Oregon and the public wanted answers. "The religious community will not be intimidated or deterred," the woman on the news would explain.
Bruce's eyes opened slowly to find that he was all alone in a quiet and brightly lit hospital room with an IV in his arm, bandages on his face chest and legs, and a pounding headache. A moment later a nurse walked in the room.
"How are you feeling today, mister..." she said hoping he would finish the sentence.
"Lenny," the man said cheerfully. "Lenny Bruce." He tried to lift his hand but stopped mid way up and laid it back down.
"That's alright, Lenny. Just relax and try to move. You've sustained a major concussion and some cuts and bruises but I think you're going to be just fine," the nurse said confidently. "Do you have anyone that we can call," she asked.
"No, it's fine. Don't want to worry anyone and I don't have family in town so..." Bruce said cordially.
"OK, well if you change your mind just let us know. How do you feel," the friendly, young nurse asked as she checked his charts and monitors.
"I have terrible headache," he said squinting and rubbing his head.
"OK, I will talk to the doctor about what we can do for that," she responded as she started for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Your lucky to be alive," she said turning to him and then walked out of the room. An hour later the kind nurse entered the room where Bruce had been to find an empty bed and and opened window.
Bruce glared at the screen of his computer that displayed the latest news on the bombing. Articles speculated that the recent attack was a response to the series of gruesome murders of seven prominent atheists in the past year. Or it could be a random act of violence perpetrated by Islamic radicals, one article explained. The next website on screen was a notice that Seth Harris would be in Medford to speak at the local community college on his Nationwide college tour debating the negative aspects of religious ideologies. This latest news interested Bruce very much.
A few days later Seth Harris was walking out of a gas station bathroom, just outside of Medford, when he felt the world slowly start to fade to black. He had passed out due to a build up of fumes that had been pumped into the bathroom from the outside. His limp body was picked up and placed into the back of blue Ford SUV and soon he was being brought back to consciousness by the feeling of freezing ice and water hitting his face. His eyes opened to see a sideways man standing in the shadows holding a bucket.
"What the fuck is this," Seth said, groggily. Looking around the cold concrete room he saw gardening tools and lawnmower but to the far right there was only a cloth covered bench, on which laid a golden dagger, a large hammer, a bag of four inch metal spikes and a plain old hacksaw. At seeing this he whined,"oh fuck," and started squirming around but the ropes around his ankles were connected to the ropes around his wrists which were connect behind his back and he wasn't going anywhere soon.
A few days later Seth Harris was walking out of a gas station bathroom, just outside of Medford, when he felt the world slowly start to fade to black. He had passed out due to a build up of fumes that had been pumped into the bathroom from the outside. His limp body was picked up and placed into the back of blue Ford SUV and soon he was being brought back to consciousness by the feeling of freezing ice and water hitting his face. His eyes opened to see a sideways man standing in the shadows holding a bucket.
"What the fuck is this," Seth said, groggily. Looking around the cold concrete room he saw gardening tools and lawnmower but to the far right there was only a cloth covered bench, on which laid a golden dagger, a large hammer, a bag of four inch metal spikes and a plain old hacksaw. At seeing this he whined,"oh fuck," and started squirming around but the ropes around his ankles were connected to the ropes around his wrists which were connect behind his back and he wasn't going anywhere soon.
The man in the shadow came forward into the light, turned the bucket over and sat on it contemplating his new victim. Bruce stared at the man laying in the corner and patiently waited for the man to stop pleading, questioning and bargaining and when the man finally stopped Bruce stood up. He began kicking Seth in the chest and stomach and face all the while chanting over and over, "And have mercy on those who doubt. And have mercy on those who doubt. And have mercy on those who doubt." He continued chanting and kicking until the heathen fell unconscious and he was out of breath.
Minutes later Seth woke up in a pool of blood, his teeth falling apart in his mouth. He whimpered and moaned with no one to sympathize as Bruce sat in the light sat staring at him on his white bucket. Then, Bruce stood up and as he walked toward the tool bench he recited,"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
"No, No, No," Seth stammered and spit.
Bruce, holding a dagger with a golden handle, walked to the man, knelt down, opened the man's neck and said, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."
The next morning was cold and dreary, with fog covering most of the well kept grounds of the Medford Methodist Church when the groundskeeper walked down the stairs to the church's basement to fetch weed killer. He opened the door like he'd been doing for the past 15 years but this time he was greeted by the horrifying scene of dismembered bloody body parts in the shape of a cross, each piece nailed to the wall.
Bruce was eating pie in a quaint San Franciscan diner when everyone around him turned their heads toward a TV set attached to a wall behind the counter. A young female reporter was saying, "Yesterday, Oregon state troopers arrested a man they believe is responsible for the terrorist bombing of a small Christian book shop in Medford last week." The picture of famed atheist Darren Richmond showed on screen next to a photo of Seth Harris. The reporter continued, "The divide between the faithful and the faithless is ever growing as in the same town the body of renowned 'New Atheist' Seth Harris was found brutally murdered and nailed to a church basement wall."
Bruce looked back down at his plate and began eating again.
Minutes later Seth woke up in a pool of blood, his teeth falling apart in his mouth. He whimpered and moaned with no one to sympathize as Bruce sat in the light sat staring at him on his white bucket. Then, Bruce stood up and as he walked toward the tool bench he recited,"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
"No, No, No," Seth stammered and spit.
Bruce, holding a dagger with a golden handle, walked to the man, knelt down, opened the man's neck and said, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."
The next morning was cold and dreary, with fog covering most of the well kept grounds of the Medford Methodist Church when the groundskeeper walked down the stairs to the church's basement to fetch weed killer. He opened the door like he'd been doing for the past 15 years but this time he was greeted by the horrifying scene of dismembered bloody body parts in the shape of a cross, each piece nailed to the wall.
Bruce was eating pie in a quaint San Franciscan diner when everyone around him turned their heads toward a TV set attached to a wall behind the counter. A young female reporter was saying, "Yesterday, Oregon state troopers arrested a man they believe is responsible for the terrorist bombing of a small Christian book shop in Medford last week." The picture of famed atheist Darren Richmond showed on screen next to a photo of Seth Harris. The reporter continued, "The divide between the faithful and the faithless is ever growing as in the same town the body of renowned 'New Atheist' Seth Harris was found brutally murdered and nailed to a church basement wall."
Bruce looked back down at his plate and began eating again.
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