[short story] We're Living All Alone

"The Lord shall smite you for this!" said the man on the pyre.

"Ha!" The executioner chuckled, almost on the verge of laughing, "quit the fantasy, there is no god!"

He tried to counter the man under the hood of death. "Alas, when I die--"

"When you die, you're just dead," he said calmly with deep understanding. "The fairy tale that's heaven only there to help your guilty arse falling asleep at night." He stepped onto the podium, but the bishop began preaching to the miscreant. 10

"We all live amongst doubts, my children" said the hopeless wonderer. "I must admit, there are times when I question the truth of the holy words, whether I am teaching lies." He dramatically spun around to face the crowd, "but in matters such this, we all need naught, but to remember: when you sin, even a pagan may carry out God's will!" He turned to the executioner and said grimly: "Do it."

The hooded man took a torch and lit up the pyre. The man, whose only sin was attempting to save his wife when she was accused of witchcraft, yelled as the fire ate through his living flesh.