“It’s ok,” Jordan replied. “I just want to get home. I just want to live in peace.”
“Things are going to burn,” Eric replied ominously. “Either you do the burning or you are the one who gets burned. I gave you a chance.” And with that he turned and started walking down Frank street with the others following behind him.
“Dude, what was that all about?” Trent said. “Is everybody losing their minds?”
“Maybe,” Jordan said. “But for now, I need to get some ice on my face. Mark, are you still coming over?”
“Are you sure you want me too?” Mark asked.
“Of course,” Jordan said with a weak smile. “I still need my bodyguard.”
They laughed at what Jordan said, but it hurt to do so. None of them had expected this and none of them knew what was ahead. They didn’t know what it was going to be, but they knew something bad was coming.
7
The Cleaner walked through the automatic doors of the hotel lobby and made his way towards the front desk. He was able to walk fairly normal, but he still had to go easy on his bad knee. He had actually gotten a lot better, but he still had a slight limp, which would be noticed by the Thinker. It didn’t matter to him anymore, however, because nothing was going to stop him from what he had to do. When the rage took over, everything else went away.
A woman with a nametag that said ‘Janet’ smiled at him as he approached the desk. “How can I help you this afternoon? Checking in?”
“An envelope should be waiting for me here,” he said without any pleasantry.
“Is there a name on it?”
“Thomas Rule.”
It would have been normal procedure to ask for an ID in order to make sure he was the right person to get the envelope, but as Janet looked at his glaring eyes she decided the safer route was to just give it to him.
He grabbed the envelope without another word and made his way to the elevator.
“Have a nice day,” she said, but received no response.
As the doors to the elevator closed, the Cleaner opened up the envelope to see two items: a key card and a piece of paper. On the piece of paper it simply said, ‘313.’ He pushed the third floor button. He exited the elevator on the third floor and turned right heading to room 313. He wadded up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash as he walked down the hallway. In a quick flash of thought, he envisioned Galesburg as the piece of paper he just crushed. The thought made him grin. The evil ones liked it too.
He slid the keycard in the slot on the hotel door and the red light flashed green. He opened the door to see a suite with a living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom. There was a table to one side and sitting there were both the Actor and the Thinker. “Hello, Cleaner,” the Thinker said. “Please sit down and join us. We have much to discuss.”
The Cleaner walked as steady as he could, but he still couldn’t disguise the limp. He could tell that they could see it immediately, but neither of them acknowledged it. “Are the shadows ready?” Cleaner said as he sat down next to them.
“I’m meeting with them on Friday,” Actor replied. “I could tell you really scared them when you talked to them at the game last week. I had confidence that they would be ready either way, but you really put a fire under their butts.”
“Fear always motivates,” Cleaner said. “Especially if it’s life or death.”
“Eric tells me they have eleven and need one more. I’m sure all twelve will be there this Friday.”
“So we are on track with the shadows then. Good.”
“How about our other obstacles?” Thinker said as he took a sip of coffee.
“You mean the one you failed to blow up,” Cleaner replied. “Since when did you start using bombs before the Plan begins?”
Thinker looked straight into Cleaner’s eyes. He was not intimidated by him in the least. It normally would have been infuriating for the Cleaner, but instead it gave him pause. Even the voices didn’t give a challenge. “Are you questioning my designs?” Thinker asked with hint of anger. “Do you really think the bomb was for Convert?”
“Well who else was it for? He is the obstacle and it happened on his job site.”
“The bomb was not intended to kill him. It was intended to taunt him.”
“Taunt him? Since when do we taunt and risk exposure? I do things quietly and precise. Bombs are the exact opposite.”
“Exactly. And who did the homeowner see as the bomber?”
“The kid.”
“And when Galesburg burns on Halloween who will they blame?”
“The shadows.”
“And who will take care of the shadows so that it never gets back to us?”
“I will.”
“Understand yet? We needed to make sure that this didn’t seem spontaneous. When the town looks back, whatever is left of it, they will need an answer. They will need to find a mastermind and what they will find will not be the Scarlet. Instead, they will find some deviant kids who learned a lot off of the Internet. Today’s blast was for that reason.”
“What about Convert?”
“Convert is your job to do.”
“When exactly do you propose I do so?
“Halloween.”
“The same day as the Plan is carried out?”
“Yes. We need to do things in rapid succession that day and we need to lay low until then. After the Actor talks to the shadows Friday, everything else will fall into place. You haven’t had any confrontations with anyone else have you?”
“No,” Cleaner said. He lied, but he didn’t care. The teenagers who came to the barn would still be taken care of. No one needed to know anything else.
“There is one more matter to cover, though,” Thinker said as he looked over at the Actor. “Have we found a gift yet?”
Actor looked back at him with a small grin. “I think I found someone who could would work perfectly.”
“Really?” Thinker said raising his eyebrows. “Who would that be?”
“It’s a reporter who works for the Galesburg Ledger. A young woman named Emma Ironside. She goes to Jack’s church and she is a friend with Convert. My contacts tell me that she has come the closest to getting any real information on us. Fortunately, though, she is still far from anything solid. I believe as long as we wait it out, she won’t find much more.”
“Will you have the site ready for us?” Thinker said to Cleaner.
“Everything will be where you need it,” Cleaner replied. “When do I go and get her?”
“Halloween morning. Get her first and bring her to the barn after that take care of Convert. We will see you after the football game when the chaos begins.”
“Will I need to take care of Clayton as well?”
The Thinker chuckled. “Only if the mob doesn’t take care of him first.”
“When do we finally leave Galesburg?” Actor asked.
“After the gift is given and the city is still burning. The Scarlet will want to see us and certainly congratulate us on our work. We will leave without anyone knowing we were here. Cleaner will stay behind and take care of the loose ends like always.”
“This will graduate us to bigger things won’t it?”
“Yes, but don’t forget to enjoy the work you’re doing now. Fine art should always be appreciated.”
8
Aaron printed off his sermon notes and made his way out of his office and towards the youth room. Youth group started at 6:30, but he always arrived in the room by 5:30 in order to get everything ready and meet the kids as they arrived. No one was ever there this early and the other youth leaders usually arrived by 6:00 so he was surprised to see none other than Jordan, Josh, Mark, and Trent.
Aaron noticed immediately that they weren’t acting normal. Instead of playing Ping-Pong or video games, they were all sitting at a t
able waiting for him. He could also tell that they had been in a fight. Josh sat there with a welt on the side of his face with his glasses missing, Trent seemed to wince when ever he moved in his seat, Mark was moving a little stiff too, but Jordan definitely looked the worst. Purple bruises were on both sides of his face and his eyes looked a little swollen as well.
“What happened to you guys?” Aaron said.
“Clayton Stoneking happened,” Jordan replied.
Hearing Clayton’s name hit Aaron like a ton of bricks. “What do you mean? I thought Clayton was your friend. Why would he do this to you?”
“Because Clayton is not who you think he is and that’s why we’re here early to tell you,” Jordan said in a mixture of anger and sadness. “I had to stop my parents from calling the cops on him. I knew if they did, he would just get off and then come at us again. We wanted to let you know that we won’t be here tonight because we are not safe around him and we don’t think anyone else is either.”
Aaron stood there dumbfounded and humiliated. Clayton had been a big draw for bringing kids in. He attended regularly and the other kids wanted to be around him. He had never caused trouble before, but Aaron also knew that the guys sitting in front of him weren’t making this up either. “You guys should never be afraid to be here. This is a place of safety and peace. You don’t have to go home. I’ll make sure nothing happens at all. You have my word. Can you tell me what happened?”
“I know you wouldn’t let anything happen, but we do not want to be around him at all,” Trent said. “There’s evil in him and he shouldn’t be here. He’s only going to hurt others.”
“He’s not our friend,” Mark added. “We never did anything bad to him, but since this summer he has been a different person and wants nothing to do with us. I don’t believe he’s even a Christian.”
“Why would you say that?” Aaron said.
“Because he called himself a god while he was in the process of beating us up,” Josh said.
“Guys, why did he beat you up?”
“He’s a bully,” Jordan said. “He came up to us in the lunch room and was making fun of Mark. I stood up to him and he didn’t like it. After school, he jumped us on our way home. No one helped us because they were too scared of him or simply didn’t care. We love being here, but our parents are furious and they won’t let us be here if he is. I’m sure my mom is probably going to call you later. She’s scared and we are too.”
Anger instantly flared up in Aaron. This wasn’t right and he wouldn’t stand for it. “Until I can talk to Clayton and his parents and see some real repentance, he’s not stepping one foot in here again.”
All four of the guys looked at Aaron in shock. “Do you know what backlash you’ll get if you do that?” Trent said.
“I genuinely don’t care,” Aaron replied. “What Clayton did was wrong and I will never jeopardize the safety of all the other students. You guys are just as important even if the whole city worships him. Christ doesn’t have favorites and neither do I.”
“So you really believe us?” Mark said.
“Of course I do,” Aaron said with a smile. “You’re good kids even if you do drive me nuts every once in a while.”
The guys laughed and it was good for Aaron to see them do so. His heart broke seeing them in the condition they were in. It just wasn’t fair and Aaron always hated injustice.
The guys got up from the table. “My mom is waiting for us outside,” Jordan said. “We’ll hopefully see you Sunday.”
Aaron went up to Jordan and put his hand on his shoulder. “I’m really sorry for what happened and I will do what I can to make this right. Your parents can call me at any time if they have any questions.”
“See you later, Pastor Aaron,” Mark said. “We’re gonna’ miss being here tonight. It’s always the highlight of our week.”
“I’m going to miss you guys too. I’ll get this taken care of as soon as possible. My hope is that Clayton makes things right, but if he chooses not to, he won’t be back here until then.”
Aaron watched as the four friends walked slowly toward the doorway and he had to stop himself from choking up. No one should ever have to feel the way they did and he was going to make sure it never happened here. It also broke his heart to hear that Clayton acted the way he did, but at the same time it didn’t surprise him. He had hoped that Clayton would be different, but the truth was that pride was a terrible thing and it had swallowed Clayton whole.
Aaron felt a sinking feeling inside of him as he thought about what he had to do tonight. He didn’t want to have to tell Clayton he couldn’t be here and he knew the trouble it would bring. However, all he had to do was think about Jordan’s face and a new wave of anger would go through him. He would stick up for them and he would protect them. That is what Christ would have him do.
As 6:00 rolled around, the leaders had showed up and he told them about what happened. He saw the surprise in their eyes and could also see some fear as he told them that Clayton was not allowed to be at youth group until things were settled. Some had given the same warning about the backlash of what could happen, but that only hardened his resolve. No one was above the rules. Not even the golden boy of Galesburg, Clayton Stoneking.
As 6:30 drew near, Aaron made his way to the doors leading to the parking lot. He was slightly nervous in anticipation of what he had to do, but once again he knew it was right. He watched as he saw a red SUV pull up into the parking lot. The passenger door opened up and out came Clayton Stoneking with a couple of his football buddies. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder why Clayton even bothered coming to youth group if he really believed what the guys said that he said. Why would he be here if he has rejected Christianity? Could it be something as sinister as the guys thought it could be? Could Clayton be seeking to harm others as he did Jordan? Or maybe he just loved the adoration he received here. If that was the case, though, he could get that attention anywhere.
Aaron watched Clayton walk with a swagger in his step. One of his buddies said something that made him laugh out loud. Aaron had hoped that it wasn’t in reference to what they did earlier, but he wouldn’t rule it out. As they approached the church, Aaron opened the doors and went out to meet them. “Hey guys,” Aaron said as they came up to him. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure thing,” Clayton said. “What’s going on today?”
Aaron could see the arrogance exuding from him. He had to wonder if it had gotten worse or if he had been blinded to it. He began to believe it was a little bit of both and it shamed him. “I need to talk to you about something that happened today.”
Clayton’s smile lowered to a smirk. “What’s that?”
Aaron just cut to the chase. “Did you beat up Jordan Bennett after school today? Him and his friends?”
To Aaron’s dismay Clayton’s smirk didn’t change. “We got in a little tussle today,” Clayton replied. “It was no big deal.”
“Well I saw Jordan’s face,” Aaron said. “And I would beg to differ. He tells me that you jumped him after school and beat him up without provocation.”
“So that’s his story, huh?” Clayton said. “Do you believe him?”
“Are you saying that it didn’t happen that way?”
“I’m saying that Jordan got what he got because he deserved it. He provoked me plenty.”
Aaron was shocked by Clayton’s brazenness. “How did he provoke you?”
“He disrespected me in front of my friends.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” Aaron said as anger began to build up inside. “According to them you started making fun of Mark and Jordan stuck up for him. Are you saying that didn’t happen?”
“I’m saying that they were disrespectful to me and they got what they deserved. Now if you don’t mind, it kinda’ chilly out and we want to go inside.”
Aaron looked h
im straight in the eyes. “Until I talk to your parents and figure this out, you are not allowed to be here at youth group.”
Clayton couldn’t hide his shock. “Let me get this straight. Are you saying that I’m not allowed to come to church?”
“I’m saying that you aren’t allowed to be here without your parents. You cannot be trusted and I will not jeopardize the safety of anyone else.”
Clayton began to scowl and Aaron could tell that he was not used to being told what to do anymore. “Do you know who I am?” Clayton said in almost a growl.
“I know exactly who you are,” Aaron said without flinching. “And I mean exactly what I said.”
Clayton’s friends got a little uneasy as they saw the serious look in Aaron’s face. Clayton, however, wasn’t ready to back down. “My dad is a church elder here and you are saying his son cannot come inside? He will hear about this and you will regret it. As a matter of fact, I hope this costs you your job!”
Aaron knew that Clayton’s dad had some influence here at the church, but that meant nothing to him. What mattered was right and wrong. Clayton was wrong. Really wrong. Aaron was not going to back down. “I know he will hear about it because he will hear it from me directly. You worry me, Clayton. I’m worried about your soul. I’m worried about the direction you are taking in life. God blessed you with some great athletic abilities, but all I see you doing with it is perpetual selfishness. You need to be humble and thankful for what you have.”
“God had nothing to do with my abilities,” Clayton said. “I got what I have my own way and I don’t owe God anything. You’re a fool, Aaron, and this isn’t going to be the last of your trouble.”
Say nothing.
Aaron stopped. There was a lot he wanted to say, but these thoughts had never been wrong.
Clayton stared at Aaron waiting for a response. Aaron just stared back.
Walk away.
With a final look, Aaron turned around and started walking back to the building.
The Scarlet Plan Page 22