Morgan's blood ran cold because it was too early for Murphy to choose his councils. "Impossible... everything is moving that fast...?"
In the original timeline, Murphy didn't put together his inner circle until months after the first outbreak, and he didn't gain power until he had a bigger base to draw from. But he was moving faster now, adjusting to the shorter time frame with the same skill that had made him so dangerous before.
"Step forward, David Chen."
A man in his forties walked toward the altar as the crowd moved aside near the front. Morgan knew right away who he was as the part-time barista Murphy had been trying to win over at the coffee shop.
But the person walking toward them looked only a little like the scared, confused man Morgan had talked to a few days before. This David Chen moved with purpose. His shoulders were straight, and his face was full of confidence.
Murphy put both of his hands on Chen's shoulders and looked down at him with what could have been fatherly pride. "David Chen, who lost everything but found meaning in his loss."
"Who turned hopelessness into faith and chose faith over fear."
"You will be the first of the Chosen Council, a shepherd to lead others to understanding."
Chen's eyes were full of tears, but they weren't sad tears. They were the tears of someone who had found meaning after feeling lost and found peace in the middle of chaos.
Morgan knew that look. Three months before personally killing two hundred people he deemed unworthy of survival, Chen had seen that look on his own face in the original timeline.
"Sister Margaret, come forward."
The nun who came to the altar was not at all like the tired, sad woman Claire had met at the library. Sister Margaret walked like she was on holy ground.
Her steps were slow and careful, and her face was bright with excitement that was almost manic. When she got to Murphy, she dropped to her knees without being told to. She bowed her head in submission, which looked like something she had done before, even though the event was supposed to be the first time.
"Sister Margaret, whose faith was tested by loss and strengthened by pain. Who has shown us all what real love looks like."
"You will be the second member of the Chosen Council, a voice of conviction when people doubt."
Margaret's lips moved in prayer, and her hands were so tightly clasped that her knuckles turned white. Morgan remembered her death in the original timeline, when she found her body in a burned-out refugee camp that she had ordered to be destroyed herself. She died with Murphy's name on her lips, still sure until the end that she was doing what God wanted her to do.
Murphy kept calling names. Eight more people came forward, and each one changed from an unsure survivor to an anointed believer as they walked up to the altar.
A teacher who would later set up programs to brainwash young people. A store owner who would take care of Murphy's growing territory's supply chains.
A nurse who used to work in a hospital and would be in charge of the medical experiments on captured transformed. A mother of three who would take kids away from their parents who didn't believe them.
Morgan knew them all, knew what they would do, and knew that they would do terrible things with clear consciences and calm faces. But right now, they were just regular people who had been through something horrible and were looking for meaning.
They weren't monsters yet. The change from victim to perpetrator wasn't finished yet because Murphy was the one who made it happen, and it was just starting.
The twelve members of the council stood in a line in front of the altar, facing the people. Murphy walked around and put his hand on each person's head in turn.
He spoke words that were too quiet for the crowd to hear, but they were clearly very deep based on how each person reacted. Some cried, while others smiled with pure joy, and all of them were completely sure that they had found truth in Murphy's vision.
Murphy told the crowd, "These twelve will lead you."
"They will help us organize our community, give out resources, and give advice to people who need it."
"But more than that, they will show us what we can become when we accept our purpose and commit to the work that lies ahead."
The audience clapped, and it was real and excited. Morgan saw the wave of approval wash over the crowd.
He saw how people who had been scared and traumatized just hours before found comfort in order and structure. Murphy was giving them just what they needed as a way to make sense of what had happened and a way to move on without having to deal with the randomness of it all.
Claire's grip on his arm got stronger. "It's brilliant," she said in a low voice that made Morgan's skin crawl. Not horror at Murphy's manipulation, but respect for how well it worked. "Look at how they act around him."
"He's giving them hope."
Morgan turned to look at her, and what he saw made his heart race. Claire was watching Murphy the same way that everyone else was, with the same growing interest and need for meaning.
Her face showed the same change from doubt to conviction that Morgan had seen many times before in the newly elected council members. He had been so focused on getting Chen and Margaret to join that he hadn't paid enough attention to Claire.
He didn't see the seeds Murphy was planting in her or how his father's words were taking root in the rich soil left behind by her brother's death. Claire needed meaning just like everyone else in this room. She needed someone to tell her that her loss had a purpose, and Murphy was giving her that.
"Claire," Morgan said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady even though he was scared. "You see what he's doing, don't you?"
"He's controlling them."
"Is he?" Claire's eyes stayed on the altar. "Or is he helping them find the truth in tragedy?"
"Morgan, look at their faces."
"They're not afraid anymore because they have hope again."
Murphy's voice broke up their talk. "I see my son in the crowd tonight."
The whole congregation turned as one, and hundreds of faces turned to look at Morgan and Claire. Morgan could feel the weight of their attention on him, like they were physically holding him down.
Murphy smiled, like a father would, and opened his arms to welcome them. "Today, Morgan Paxton showed that he is a hero."
"Who fought to protect the innocent when others ran away."
"Come on, son. Come with us."
"Show these people that even young people can face the challenges that lie ahead."