My Little Sociopaths

I know I say this a lot but these characters are sociopathic to the extreme. I know I need to stop being shocked by this or else I'll never make it through the series, but I can't help it. Every time I read these books I am reminded that these are supposed to be the role models for young Christians everywhere. Darrion, Shelly, and Vicki are sitting around talking about food when really at a time like this, they should be grateful to be alive, never mind what they're eating, when the discussion turns to Shelly's mom.

"Did your mom ever...I mean, was she..." Darrion stammered.
"Was she a Christian?" Shelly said.
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," Darrion said.
"It's OK," Shelly said. "Vicki knows I tried to talk to her. Sometimes she'd listen,
but most of the time she'd get mad.

And that mother who made that wonderful apple pie from scratch you were mentioning earlier, is roasting in Hell for all eternity, a fact which doesn't even register with any of the characters.

But that's a reoccuring theme in these books: horrific things happen but the heroes just chuckle about it. Don't believe me? Then read this conversation they have about Mrs. Jenness

"When we were on the bridge, it was like she was a little kid," Vicki said. "She froze. Couldn't move. Then we were in the water and I got out. But I felt guilty about leaving her."
"You can't force people to do what they need to do," Shelly said.
"The look on her face will haunt me forever," Vicki said.
"You know what I think?" Darrion said. "I think we ought to be thankful for the miracle that you're alive. You could have gone down with her."

Wow...Just wow...There's no compassion here, none whatsoever. I wish I could beat these characters with a hammer. I really don't know what else to say but that.

Judd meanwhile is at a dam dealing with the strangers who confronted him. Basically they want his bike and his stuff. Judd gives them food but refuses to hand over his bike. Basically Ellanjay try to build a little suspense by mentioning the middle of the dam is collapsed forcing Judd to have to jump it to the other side, but it doesn't work because Judd is basically a mini-Rayford as many commentators have put it. Therefore there really isn't any doubt over whether he'll make the jump or not.

Lionel, meanwhile, has decided to join the GC and is paired with Conrad and given a gun.

Ryan is on his deathbed yet is still trying to convert the nurse and I still can't help but feel that if he has that much energy, he can't really be at death's door. People on their deathbed are usually too preoccupied with dying to do much else.

Finally someone comes along and rescues Mr. Stein. But Chaya is dead and Mr. Stein demonstrates that he's a hardened reprobate in need of saving by having a human reaction to her death. He actually cries, the nerve of that man.

Next chapter is a one page epilogue. I would do another chapter to make this snark longer, but I don't have the next book yet, so I'm afraid this week's snark will be a short one. Basically all that happens in the epilogue is Judd makes the jump and survives, though he lands in the water, which I totally saw coming because as said before, he's a mini-Rayford. Nothing bad ever really happens to him due to divine writ of Ellanjay protection.

And that's it for this week. Sorry for the abbreviated snark.