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The Wrath from on High
by E.A. Black

The first time God put his foot down and ravaged Norwich, Massachusetts, the residents had voted against a referendum to allow a marijuana dispensary to open in town. It wasn’t that God was a pothead, but this was the last straw. The town had voted down a liquor store in favor of allowing a bed and breakfast to serve beer and wine. What got God’s teeth on edge was that the owner of the B&B was the mayor’s son. God frowned upon nepotism, especially since he was personally familiar with how horrid it could turn out. He was also in an especially rotten mood that day because his bunions hurt more than usual.

You would think that God would condemn drug use and alcohol consumption but that was not the case. His word had for too long been misconstrued by preachers with ulterior motives of their own as well as their own cache of Girl Scout Cookies marijuana strains and the most expensive single malt. God generally stayed out of mankind’s hypocrisy but Norwich was his special pet project and he was tired of seeing it go downhill.

There was no warning. No death of the first borns, or plagues of locusts, or a flood. No, his foot simply appeared in the midday sunny sky and descended from the heavens to flatten the First Episcopal Church and City Hall. He left the hookers and blow motel and the casino intact. People ran screaming into the streets, falling to their knees to plead for divine mercy. God was having none of it. Instead of listening to the pleas of the downtrodden, he kicked fire hydrants until the water flowed in the streets. Kids emerged from out of nowhere to play in the water since it was a hot summer day.  God smiled down upon them. They deserved a little joy since the mayor had taken kickbacks from water and sewage, and money pouring into the street was one way to rectify that problem. Then, God’s foot descended from on high again to crush the mayor’s new sailboat and the Governor’s Corvette. He didn’t like it that town officials enjoyed the finer things in life while at the same time they reduced funding for the local food pantry and the schools. God was pissed, and he wasn’t having any of it.

Fiction © Copyright E. A. Black
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from E.A. Black:

Zippered Flesh 3

What horror anthology on body enhancements wouldn’t include gross-out fiction? This book has it in spades. But, this collection of stories goes far beyond that. Here you will also find science fiction, surreal fiction, fantasy, and even a full serving of dark humor. Disturbing, perverse, often gut-wrenching (pun intended) stories—all between the covers of this anthology!
Nineteen chilling tales by some of the best horror and suspense writers today. Definitely not for the squeamish!

“Hardcore horror that ranges from the socially relevant to the scatologically repulsive—the shock here is like ‘The Scream’ made flesh.” — Mort Castle, editor of On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association

“In Zippered Flesh 3, Editor Weldon Burge has done a masterful job of combining work from well-known masters like Jack Ketchum and Graham Masterton with newer writers. But it is the original work by newcomers like L.L. Soares and Meghan Acuri that stands out for me. … Highly recommended.” — Gene O’Neill, author of The Hitchhiking Effect: A Retrospective Collection

“‘Closer by Charles Colyott is a wonderfully poignant and romantic story. … ‘Going Green’ by Christine Morgan is so original, timely, and well-written it deserves special mention. … Kudos to Burge for putting together another fine anthology of cutting-edge fiction.” — Paul Dale Anderson, author of The Instruments of Death series

Available on Amazon!