“Come with me.”
“I must get home, Elder. My family—”
“Your father is aware. I have been sent to collect you.”
“Why—”
“Come with me.” Elder Aaron grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her in the direction of the church.
Chapter 12 ― Luna
“No!” Luna cried out as she sat up in her bed. Her eyes blurred as she looked around. She was home in her bed in complete darkness. The nightmare that woke her lingered in her mind.
It was Abigail again. She was being held captive in some kind of dark place. Her dress was dirty and torn, and one leg was bound at the ankle by a long chain attached to a pole in the center of the dark and creepy room. The girl’s eerie cries for help reverberated in Luna’s head, giving her chills.
As the dream faded, Luna rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. She washed her face, staring into the mirror. Bed lines crossed her cheeks in all directions. Although she seemed to have slept the entire night, she felt as though she hadn’t rested a bit. The dream, although almost completely gone, still bothered her. The vision of Abigail calling out to her did not disappear.
She snuck out to the living room where Jonathan lay fast asleep and snoring. Outside it was still dark. She hadn’t even looked at the time. The clock on the DVR said 2:36. It was too early to wake him, so Luna cuddled in next to him and tried to go back to sleep.
He woke just long enough to kiss her on the forehead. “Another bad dream?” he mumbled.
“Uh, huh,” she answered.
He placed his arm around her and fell back asleep.
LUNA WOKE UP TO A NUDGE. She opened her eyes, and her mother was standing over her, staring at her and Jonathan cuddled up on the couch. She sat up.
“I’m sorry, Mom.” She stretched. “I had another bad dream.”
Jonathan yawned and stretched next to her as he sat up.
“You two agreed you would not sleep in the same bed if I let him stay here.”
“Mom, I know. I’m sorry. I really am. I had this horrible dream, and I came out to talk to him, but then I didn’t want to wake him, so I just laid down next to him.”
“This is not the first time I have woken up to find the two of you together.”
Luna had thought she’d been careful to sneak back to her room before her mother awoke, but apparently not.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just can’t get this dream out of my head.” Luna told her mother about the recurring nightmare that haunted her each night.
“Is this the girl who was left behind?” her mother asked when Luna was finished.
Luna nodded.
“Maybe we should call Chief Collins and let her know.”
“No!” both Luna and Jonathan yelled at the same time.
Linda held her hands up. “Okay. Okay. Just trying to help. I know it was just a dream, but if you really think she is in trouble—”
“It was just a dream,” Luna said. “I’m sure she’s okay.”
She was not sure. In fact, she was anything but sure. And if Abigail was hurt, it was Luna’s fault. She’d been the one to suggest Abigail start the fire, to begin with. And Jacob had promised to go back for the girl. Jacob was gone now, but that didn’t change the fact that Abigail might still need them.
“Luna,” Her mother sat in the chair across from them. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I know Jonathan has nowhere else to go, but, well, maybe he can stay with Todd and Hannah? I just don’t think ―”
“Mom, no! Please. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“No.” Jonathan stood. “Your mother is right. We cannot live in the same house together. It is not proper. I will go.”
Luna stood. “Where will you go?” She turned to her mother. “Mom, this is not fair!”
“You are only seventeen, Luna. We tried to make this work, but I don’t feel comfortable with you two together when I am not here. And even when I am here.” She looked at Jonathan. “I’m sorry. You are welcome to spend the day here but―”
“You don’t trust me?” Luna cried.
Her mother lowered her head in a stare. “I was you, Luna. How do you think you got here?”
“Okay, but ―” What could she say to that. “Fine. I’ll call Hannah and see if he can stay there.”
“Thank you, Luna. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s―”
“I get it, Mom. I’m gonna grab some breakfast.” Luna stretched. “You want some?” She patted Jonathan’s leg.
He nodded.
“Mom?”
“No, thank you. I’ve got to pack for my trip. Be sure and call Hannah. I’m sure they would be happy to have him.”
“I hope you are sleeping on the couch,” Luna chided playfully.
“I have my own bed in a hotel. I won’t be staying at their house.”
“Sounds fun,” Luna said as she got up to go into the kitchen.
“I’ll help.” Jonathan got up. “Right after I use the outhouse.”
Some things never change. Luna shook her head.
As Luna grabbed the egg carton and a slab of bacon, Jonathan came strolling into the room.
“Wash your hands, please.” Luna turned around to see Jonathan staring out the sliding glass door that led to the back yard, his face as white as the snow. “Jonathan? What’s wrong?”
He didn’t say a word. He moved closer to the door and looked in all directions outside.
“Jonathan?”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Someone was out there,” Jonathan said. “And it looked like . . .”
“Like who?”
Jonathan turned to Luna, his mouth wide open. “The Chosen.”
Chapter 13 ― Daniel
Daniel whirled around in the underground room several times before the realization hit him. He was surrounded by money. Stacks and stacks of money. Loaded from the floor to the ceiling, and all around him. Piles and stacks of green. He’d never seen real money before, but he’d watched enough gangster movies to know it when he saw it. What was his father doing with so much cash?
Daniel touched a stack carefully as if it might come to life and bite him. Then he picked it up and shuffled it through his hands. A full stack of one-hundred-dollar bills. Crisp and new.
Why?
As he set the stack back down, he noticed a closed door off in the corner and headed that way. He tried the handle, and it opened easily. As he went inside, thinking nothing could shock him more than a room full of money, he was wrong. His mouth opened wide as he stared.
A small dark room stared back at him. He searched the walls, but there was no light switch. The only illumination came from a small vent that led to the outside. A long, thick, wooden post that spanned from the floor to the ceiling stood in the middle of the room. A pile of chains sat on the floor next to it. At the end was a thick metal shackle.
Was it a dungeon of some sort? Who had been held down here? Were there some deep, dark secrets held in this room? On the other side of the room was another door. Did it lead to the outside?
Daniel walked over to the door and turned the handle. It squeaked open. Light flooded his face as he looked out to see another set of stairs that led up to the outdoors. How had he never noticed it before? He went outside all the time. He was not allowed to leave his backyard, but he had free reign of it. He climbed up the stairs.
As soon as he reached the top, he understood why he’d never seen it before. It was on the other side of the block wall that surrounded their house. He’d never been out of the blocked-in area.
A longing overcame Daniel to venture outside the confines of his home. To find out what was on the other side of the wall. To see the community where the people, one day his people, lived. But not today.
He went back down the stairs, closed the door, and back into the dungeon room.
What in the world could this place have been used for?
Not sure he wanted to know, he r
ushed back out of the room and closed the door behind him. He walked back through the money room, turned off the light and went back up the stairs and into the dark, narrow passageway.
Does Father know about this? The dungeon and the money, the secret passage?
A lump settled in his throat at the thought of it. The stack of bills he’d picked up were not old. They were new. His father was aware. He was sure of it.
He passed the vent that looked directly into his father’s office and stopped when he heard the gruff sound of his father’s voice.
“And this is Abigail’s covering?”
Daniel stooped down and looked through the vent. Elder Aaron stood before his father.
“Not exactly, sir. The initials in the covering are that of her sister's, High Prophet. RP, Rachel Pence”
The girl who died?
“Rachel Pence? Has she come back to shame us one final time?”
“High Prophet, we believe Abigail was wearing her sisters covering at the time. It is the only thing that makes sense.”
“And you have her in custody?”
“We do. We are only waiting on God to give the final judgment.”
“God has spoken,” the man boomed. “Flesh her out.”
God has already spoken? Daniel stared perplexed. Didn’t his father have to go and pray or something? The thought of God giving him direction to kill another member of their community made Daniel cringe.
“But, High Prophet,” Elder Aaron said cautiously. “It would not be wise to put her out in the desert. After all, Rachel lived and―”
“Rachel will be taken care of soon enough. They all will.”
“Do you not see the implications? It would not be wise to have another one of our people wandering the streets. What if someone finds her as with Rachel? The police have already been prying around, questioning our people. Rachel’s parents―”
“Bring her to me.” The High Prophet interrupted again. “I will deal with her myself.”
“High Prophet?”
“Bring her to me tomorrow. Do not speak a word of this to anyone. Send her home tonight and tell her we will await God’s final decision. I have some preparations to make.”
“Yes, High Prophet.” Elder Aaron said and turned and left the room.
Daniel felt a strong urge to do something. What, he did not know. He needed to tell someone. Anyone. Daniel remembered the conversation he’d witnessed between his father and a man named Malachi.
His father told him that he would be wed to Abigail. And the man looked none too happy about it. Confused about the recent turn of events, Daniel knew what he had to do.
He needed to get word to Malachi. If he was to marry Abigail, he would know what to do. Daniel had no idea how he would get out to find him. There was no way to get past the wall. Then he remembered the dungeon-looking room. That was how he would sneak out. But how would he know where to find the man?
He’d never seen the community with every window in the house being blocked by the small mountain that separated his home from them. He’d fantasized about it many times, dreaming about what it would be like to live among them. To make a friend, to congregate with the community. But he’d never gone further than his own yard without being shrouded, and that was only to attend The Celebration of The Dead. Even then, fully confined, he had only gone a few times and the resting yard was well away from the community.
Daniel sat back. Even knowing which direction to head, there was no way he’d make it all the way there without someone noticing him. He’d seen how they dressed. Every man and boy wore jeans, with a button-down shirt and a straw hat.
A thought occurred to him. He jumped up, ran to the hidden door, opened it, and quietly snuck back into the corridor. Closing the door behind him, he made his way into his father’s office.
“High Prophet?” he spoke.
“Daniel. Come in, my boy. How are you, son?”
“I am fine.” He nodded.
“Good. Good. How are your studies?”
“Well. That is why I came to see you. Rosalia is teaching me the ways of The Chosen, and she said to come to you for a map of the community. She said you would have one that I can take to study.”
“You are only eleven, Daniel. You have much time to learn about the community.”
“I thought so, too, but Rosalia said—”
“Never mind, my boy, Rosalia is a good teacher. She taught me when I was a young boy. If she says you need it, then I will get it for you.”
Daniel smiled as his father stood, went to his cabinet, and dug through his files. Finally, he pulled out a photocopy of the map of the community and handed it to Daniel.
It never ceased to amaze Daniel that his father seemed to have two separate faces. The one he shared with his mother and him, and the one he put on for the rest of the community. Which was the real one, he had yet to find out.
“Thank you, High Prophet,” Daniel said, taking the page. “Rosalia will be most pleased.”
“You are welcome, son.” His father ruffled his hair.
Daniel left the office with the pot of gold in his hand. He beamed with excitement as he headed to his room to study it. If what his father said was true, he knew where his search for Malachi would begin.
AT DUSK, DANIEL SNUCK out of his room toward the hallway that held the secret door. The house was quiet. His father, who seemed to never sleep, was still in his office and his mother had already come in with her daily good night routine. He rushed to the corridor, leaned on just the right spot in the wall, and like clockwork, the door opened.
He snuck inside, closed it behind him, and headed straight for the stairs. He rushed down, not even bothering to turn on the light. In his mind, he held an image of the entire room. His mother had told him that his ability to remember in great detail everything that entered his mind had been a precious gift from God.
He walked through the money room and directly to the door that led to the dungeon. Opening it, he walked inside the room. In complete darkness, he couldn’t see a thing, but his mind visualized the eerie details, and he shivered. Swiftly, he strode to the door that led outside and sighed with relief when it opened.
With his map in one hand and a flashlight in the other, Daniel walked out into the arid night air. His pulse raced. An adrenaline rush overtook him as he thought about what he was about to do. Depart from the confines he’d never left before. With an unusual pep in his step, he headed down the dirt road around the mountain that led into the community.
He made great time and was pleased to find out that it wasn’t as far away as he’d always thought. But as he got closer, he stared in stunned silence at the sight before him. The houses were dark and plain. Unlike his own property, there were no toys in the yards, no bikes or playthings strewn about. No bright lights in the homes or cars parked in their driveways.
Where is everybody?
The place was like a ghost town. Quiet and strange.
At the back of a house stood a tall wooden box looking thing, too small for a shed or a room and yet it had a door.
What is this?
Even before he was able to fully open the door, a stench bit at his nostrils. Inside was a toilet seat. He closed the door quickly and threw a hand to his face.
What in the— An outhouse? Was this how his people lived?
Daniel walked in a daze to the center of the community and the building he was looking for. The Storage building. The tall double doors were unlocked, and no one seemed to be around, so he went inside. The place was stocked to the ceiling with all kinds of items. Rows and rows of canned goods, boxes of blankets, shelves of baskets, stacks of rugs. But where were the clothes that the community wore?
At the sound of voices, Daniel ducked behind a box of rugs.
“Get these supplies loaded. I am ready to go home and rest for the night,” the distinct voice of a man said.
Daniel leaned up just enough to get a look at who was speaking. He was a tall man with shor
t brown hair tucked beneath a straw hat and sported the same basic attire he’d seen the elders and the few other’s wear. Standard Chosen attire. He crooked his head around the box but still could not see who the man was speaking to.
“I am almost finished. Only a moment more.”
Daniel recognized the voice. It was Malachi. How could he get so lucky? Now if he could just get him alone, he could speak to him.
Daniel watched and waited for an opportunity as the two men carried bundles of blankets out the double doors in the back to the awaiting truck.
Once they were out of sight, Daniel jumped up and glanced around the room, searching for something to wear that didn’t make him stand out like a sore thumb.
“Who are you?” a voice spoke from behind.
Daniel turned abruptly and was met eye to eye with Malachi.
Malachi stared at him in surprise. Did he know who he was?
“Are you—”
“Who are you talking to, Malachi?”
Daniel got sight of the man coming back through the door and ducked back down behind the box. He prayed that Malachi wouldn’t give him away.
“No one.” Malachi gave him one more glance. “Are we finished? Morning comes much too early.”
Daniel sighed a breath of relief. He stayed behind the box and waited for the two men to finish loading the truck. What would Malachi do when they were done? The man scared him but he was exactly the man he'd come to see.
A short time later, the two men exchanged goodbyes, the building was closed and locked, and Daniel was trapped inside. He stood and glanced around. There were no windows and only two sets of doors. One single door at the front and the double doors he came in through the back. Malachi would come back. He had to. He wouldn’t allow the son of the High Prophet to be locked in a storage building all night.
He searched through boxes and shelves, and still, he could not find the clothes he was looking for. There was no way he could go out into the community looking as he did. His red robe and long hair would make him easily recognizable.
“What are you looking for?”
The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2) Page 7