A Raging God Returns
Copyright© 2025 by Hunter Johnson
Chapter 5: Where is Brendan?
Science Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 5: Where is Brendan? - An aspiring priest’s world shatters when a ruthless celestial power arrives. The Paradigm enforces its anti-religious agenda, culling the guilty and banning God, using mysterious cubes. Brendan Murphy is offered salvation aboard their starship, but only if he endures ancient trials designed to break minds and shatter souls. Is this the path to ultimate transcendence, or merely a sophisticated end?
Caution: This Science Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fiction Military Science Fiction Extra Sensory Perception
David sat at the breakfast table in the kitchen with his parents, his hair damp and uncombed.
“How was your run?” Sarah asked.
“There are a lot more people out and about. The weather is gorgeous, and it is a glorious day. I ran along the river and then back. I won’t miss the winters in New York.”
“Someone is at the door. Are you expecting a delivery, David?”
David shook his head. “I’ll get it; you carry on, Mom. I am famished.”
Sarah smiled benevolently and turned to Sam. “I love having him home, dear. I missed David a lot.”
Sam nodded and grunted. He rarely spoke until after his third cup of coffee.
The doorbell rang. David went to the door.
Ashlyn preceded David into the kitchen, her hair unkempt. Ashlyn awkwardly stretched her shoulders and grimaced.
“Ashlyn, what is troubling you, dear?”
“Brendan disappeared, and we don’t know where he’s gone.”
“Tell us what happened,” Sarah instructed.
Ashlyn walked like an automaton to the cupboard, took a plate, and sat in her seat.
“I heard the doorbell early this morning. Brendan called out he would go to the door. He answered the door. Then I heard him dash past my room and slam his door. A minute later, I heard him talking to someone. Ten minutes later, he started his car and screamed down the drive. I tried to catch him on his phone, but he didn’t answer. We found this letter on his bed.”
Ashlyn pulled the crumpled letter out of her pocket and smoothed it open on the table. “I’ll read it out to you:
’Dear Bren,
There there are some things I want to tell you that you don’t know about me. I love you, and I can’t accept it. I have also been fighting my lust for boys. I will not do what my uncle did to me, but I can’t fight it anymore. I’m tired, and the aliens will kill me. I’ve been too ashamed to tell anybody and won’t accept my evil nature. I’m sad to leave you but I must. I have lived with self-loathing for my whole life, and now is the time to end it all. I hope this letter gets to you before you see the newspaper,
I love you,
Matthew.’
That’s all we know.”
Samuel rushed outside, brought in the newspaper, and impatiently shredded the plastic wrapper. He paged through the paper. “Here it is. A newly graduated priest hangs himself. A cleaner found the body, but the police do not suspect foul play,” said Samuel. “There is a whole lot more, but it is fluff.”
“Ashlyn, I’m sure you heard Brendan calling the student residence,” said Sarah, “where do you think he’s gone?”
Sarah passed around a platter of pancakes, her forehead furrowed. “Eat. It will be a frantic day, and you must fortify yourself. Ashlyn, did Brendan take the beach house keys?”
Ashlyn called her mother and asked. She looked at Sarah and nodded, then turned to David. “I’m going down there after him.” Ashlyn returned her phone to her bag. “You’ve seen how Brendan’s been. I’ve never previously seen him so gloomy and pessimistic. This was the last straw.”
“Ash, I’ll go with you,” said David.
“My mother is frantic with worry. She’s convinced Brendan will commit suicide,” Ashlyn blurted.
“I’ll call your mother and sit with her,” said Sarah.
“David, I’ll come with you,” said Samuel.
“Thanks, Dad; I’m sure we can manage. If you must do something, take a break and help Peter through this. We’ll keep you guys informed.”
Sarah busied herself in the kitchen, preparing food and drinks for the trip south. She packed everything in a cooler and finally added ice packs.
“Your brother slowly thinks things through, and once he decides, he takes action. This disaster will force him to confront himself. He’ll mull over things on the road down south, but it will take him time to work out what he must do. David, take a warm jacket and toiletries for you and Ashlyn. Ashlyn, I’ll give you a jumper; you are too lightly dressed,” said Sarah.
“He’s not here,” said Ashlyn, wandering around the beach house and looking in the windows.
David walked around the kitchen and to the backdoor. “He’s been here. Brendan left the backdoor key in the door. He didn’t plan as he drove down. When he turned up here, he realized how high the wooden beams were and needed a ladder and a long rope. That is why the chair from the dining room table is in the middle of the room. He must’ve gone to buy a ladder and some rope from a hardware store. Let’s park on the other side of your neighbor’s house. You can block him and his car in the drive when he arrives. I’ll walk across the back garden and go in the back way when he returns.”
Ashlyn stood for a moment, frowning. “I have the Langley’s spare keys. We can wait inside their place.”
Ashlyn strode over to her car and swung herself inside.
David walked next door while Ashlyn jammed her car into gear and reversed at full speed to the end of the drive, the engine screaming. She jammed on her brakes, then spun her wheels, raising a cloud of dust as she shifted gear and accelerated past the Langley house. Ashlyn reversed into the dust, turned, and accelerated, fishtailing the car. She slammed her brakes on the far side of the house and then leaped out of the vehicle. She cannoned into David, who was waiting at the door. “Letting off a bit of steam, Ash?”
Ashlyn looked at David, then laughed as she fished the keys out of her pocket.
“Now we wait,” said David.
“My brother will look at every ladder and every piece of rope. He’ll also ask the opinion of at least two other people.”
“When he eats out, does he still spend ages looking at the menu, finally ordering steak, and asking for it to be well done?”
“That’s my brother! He loves tough burned meat.” Ashlyn giggled, then hiccuped. “He is predictable.”
“Let’s have tea and a sandwich,” said David.
“I’ll open the curtains and uncover the chairs.”
An hour later, David turned to Ashlyn.
“We haven’t seen him. I wonder whether we missed him. Is there a drive on the other side of the house?”
“Yes, but it’s overgrown.”
“I’m going over to have a look.”
“I’ll come with you, David.”
David and Ashlyn walked across the back garden of the Langleys and to the window of the family room.
“Ash, he’s in there; he has the rope over the beam. He’s on the chair and putting the loop around his neck.”
“He locked the damn door,” Ashlyn wailed. David kicked the door and then again. It was a flimsy door and splintered. Ashlyn frantically pulled the pieces of wood out of her way, David working next to her. They sprinted inside.
“Ash cut the rope where he tied it to the table. I’ll hold him up as best I can.”
Brendan thrashed from side to side and cycled his legs, trying to dislodge David’s grip. His face was red, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Ashlyn dashed to the kitchen and returned with a carving knife.
“This damn knife is blunt,” said Ashlyn sawing at the rope. “It keeps slipping. The rope must be nylon.”
“Keep going. I’m keeping most of his weight off the rope.”
Ashlyn strode back to the kitchen drawer and returned with a bread knife.
“This is a bit better. He bought a thick rope. Hold him, David; he’s stopped moving!”
“I’m doing my best,” David grunted, laboring to hold Brendan up.
“I’ve got three-quarters through; catch him; it’s tearing.”
David gently lowered Brendan to the ground as Ashlyn dashed to help him. Ashlyn loosened the noose and held her fingers to Brendan’s carotid. He is still alive. His chest is moving, and he’s breathing.
David lay Brendan on his side in the coma position.
Ashlyn examined Brendan’s neck. “He’ll have a nasty bruise and rope burn on his neck. It looks gross. Keep watching him; my car has a first aid kit.”
“Let’s take him to the hospital; they can check him out,” David suggested.