“I am so sorry, Mother.”
At his words, his mother broke down in sobs. Daniel placed an arm around her and held her. “I am so sorry.”
Chapter 34 ― Rachel
As Rachel sat in the hospital chair and cuddled her sweet baby boy, she realized that it had all just been a dream. It had felt so real to her. And to wake up with her baby gone. Taken right out of her arms without her knowledge had been scary. It had turned out that they had only taken him to the nursery for her to get some sleep, but it made her feel neglectful all the same.
Since her C-section, she’d been in a great deal of pain and remained quite swollen, but this morning she was feeling much better. The doctor had told her if all went well, she would be able to leave soon. She was ready to get out of the cold, noisy hospital. She had yet to get a good night's sleep since she’d been there. Someone was always coming in for some nonsense.
Taking care of a baby was like second nature to her. She’d helped to take care of so many of her younger siblings that she knew just what to do. The only new thing to her was, of course, breastfeeding. That, so far, proved to be the most painful. But she had been assured that it would get better and it was the best thing for her son.
As he fell asleep in her arms, she placed him carefully into the plastic see-through crib provided by the hospital so she could pack up her few belongings. It only took a couple of minutes. She had only come with a change of clothes and an outfit for the baby. But now she had all kinds of bottles, formulas, diapers, and even a baby bag given to her by the hospital. “Samples,” they had said. She was happy to receive them.
Sitting back into the chair, she reached over for her Bible. Shelly had gotten it for her when she was first learning how to read. She still struggled with some words, but they were becoming easier and easier for her to read. She’d enjoyed the Psalms of David the most. They calmed her, proved to her that God was loving. Even in his trials, David had trusted in God.
She opened the book, and an envelope fell out. She picked it up. The word written on the front was familiar. The first one she’d learned to write. RACHEL was spelled out in bold block letters.
Trembling, she turned the envelope over. The image of a man standing over her came back to her. He’d been so real she could touch him. That dark, disheveled hair and probing brown eyes. The rough facial hair that was mixed with a touch of gray. And the scent. She picked up the envelope and sniffed it. It was the same. A musky, clean smell. Had it not been a dream after all? Had the man really been there?
Carefully and quietly, she opened the envelope. Inside was a sheet of paper with four words written on it in the same bulky box letters as the envelope.
YOU ARE IN DANGER.
And that was it. Was it a threat? Or a warning?
Chapter 35 ― Malachi
As Malachi headed to the storage building, he was full of excitement. He would see Jonathan and Luna again, and he hoped they had a plan. He’d checked out the box he’d told them about and found a plate, only it was held closed with four screws. Between him and Daniel, they had gotten it unscrewed and found a panel that held several switches. Each had been labeled with letters that neither he nor Daniel understood. But the one that stood alone, that one, they understood. It said MAIN.
As he headed to the truck where Jonah and Elder Joseph waited for him, he stopped. Elder Joseph had his arms crossed, and the look on his face was one of spite.
Slowly, Malachi continued toward them. But before he reached them, Thomas, the sixteen-year-old son of Elder Aaron, walked out from the supply building.
“Ready to go?”
Malachi looked from one to the other. Had he been replaced?
“Go home.” Elder Joseph sneered. “Take care of your ailing stomach.”
Malachi glanced at Jonah. Had he betrayed him? Jonah did not dare a glance back at him. Instead, he turned and headed for the truck.
Malachi watched as the three men jumped into the vehicle and drove off, leaving him in the dust.
“Malachi!” a voice sounded in the distance.
He turned to see Tabitha, Naaman’s daughter, running up to him. He walked toward her.
“What is it?” he asked.
Tabitha breathed heavily. “I want to know,” she bent down and took in a deep breath. “Is she . . . where is she?” Finally getting some air in her lungs, she spoke. “What have they done to Abigail?”
“I cannot speak of it. I am sorry. Go home.” Malachi turned to leave.
He could not risk telling her what he knew. She was a girl, and she would wag her tongue to all her friends and put Abigail’s life in danger.
“My father is dead, isn’t he?” she called out.
Malachi stopped in his tracks. “What did you say?” He turned back to Tabitha.
“He’s dead. I know he is. And Jonathan, Jacob, and Luna, Abigail never believed they were dead. She was right, wasn’t she?”
“Tabitha, it is a hazardous business to—”
“Why, Malachi? Tell me. I deserve to know.”
“Your father is dead.”
Tears flowed down the girl’s face. She nodded. “And what about the others?”
“Jacob is dead. The three others live.”
“Jonathan is alive? And Rachel? Luna?” Excitement gleamed in her eyes for a moment, and then it died. “Abigail?”
“All of them are alive. Even Abigail. But she is in danger.” He had no idea why he was telling her any of this. He was sure to regret it, but there was nothing he could do now. It was out.
“Where is she? Has she been fleshed out? How do you know so much?”
“Come,” Malachi said. In for a penny, in for a pound. “I will show you.”
“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Tabitha asked.
“To see Abigail. It won’t be long now,” he said, waving a hand to the home ahead of them.
“Who lives ... is that―” Tabitha gasped.
“It is the home of the High Prophet. Come, we must get to the side before we are seen.” He’d been to see Abigail so many times that he had perfected the route.
Tabitha followed quietly behind.
When they got around the side of the building, he waved her forward. “Hurry. This way.” He got down on his knees and glanced into the vent. Abigail lay on the floor in her normal position.
“Abigail?” Malachi called.
Abigail rose and looked up. “Malachi?”
“I brought someone to see you.”
Abigail got to her feet. “Who?” She walked closer.
“Abigail! I am so happy you are alive!” Tabitha said from behind Malachi.
“Shh,” Malachi reprimanded as he stood and allowed the girls to speak. “Keep it down.”
As the girls talked, he sat up against the wall and tried to figure out how he would get back to town to see Jonathan and Luna. The excitement he held only a few hours before, had drizzled into a slow depression. He had to speak to Jonah. To find out if he had given him up.
Chapter 36 ― Abigail
“How are you?” Tabitha said through the slats in the vent that separated them.
“I am not so good. My body is stiff and . . .” Abigail stopped. To complain was to be disrespectful to God. “I am well.”
“Oh, Abigail. I am so sorry. Malachi has a plan. He is going to get you out of there.” She looked up to Malachi. “Right?”
Malachi nodded. “I will do my best.”
“You must free her,” Tabitha said. “She will die down there.”
“I am doing my best, Tabitha,” Malachi said through gritted teeth.
“He is doing his best,” Abigail said. “He has been very good to me. If not for him, I would be . . .”
Abigail could not take anymore. She burst out in tears. “Please get me out of here,” she cried.
Chapter 37 ― Luna
Luna and Jonathan waited most of the morning in the hot sun, but Malachi had not shown. Jonathan took a chance and snuck over to the booth where Th
e Chosen set out their wares each day, but Malachi was nowhere to be found. He’d come back and told Luna that a younger boy, Thomas, had seemed to have taken his place.
“What should we do now?” Jonathan asked.
“I don’t know. I guess we go back home.”
With nothing else to do, they headed back to their car. But before they got too far, a voice called out to Jonathan.
They turned around. “It’s Jonah,” he said.
They waited as he caught up to them.
“Jonathan,” Jonah put out a hand in greeting. “It is good to see you again.”
“Yes, Brother Jonah, I agree.”
Jonah grinned.
“What happened to Malachi?” Jonathan asked.
Luna glanced around the area to be sure it was not some kind of trick. She’d only met Jonah that one time before when he’d alerted Malachi for them. She had no idea if he was safe or not.
“Malachi has been reassigned. Elder Joseph got suspicious of him when he did not come back quickly enough. That is why I must be quick. Do you have word for Malachi?”
“Yes.” Luna pulled out the map she’d made and unfolded it. “Give this to him.”
She told Jonah the plan. She had no idea if she could trust him, but there was no time to worry about that. Abigail needed them, so she would have to take the chance.
“I will tell him.” Jonah nodded. “I must get back.”
Jonah folded the map, shoved it in his back pocket, and rushed back to the booth before Elder Joseph came looking for him.
All there was left to do was wait. They headed back to the car.
“Can he be trusted?” Luna asked. It was a little late since she’d already told him the entire plan.
“I think so. If not, we will find out as soon as we get there.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE parking lot, Luna looked around. “Where’s the car?”
“I don’t know. It was right here.” Jonathan looked at Luna. “Wasn’t it?”
“Wait.” Luna saw the posted signs. “We parked in the E section. This is D.” She pointed to the blue sign above.
“We must have gone out the wrong door.”
They walked down the sidewalk toward the E section of the parking lot. But as they stepped out into the street, the roar of an engine sounded.
Luna glanced back as a dark SUV raced toward them. Luna backed up and tripped over the curb, falling flat on her bottom as the vehicle hit Jonathan, throwing him into the air and onto the sidewalk.
“Jonathan!” Luna ran toward him.
Squealing its tires, the SUV came back around after them. Full of adrenaline, Luna was able to drag Jonathan out of the way just as it came at them again. Luna looked up as it squealed out of sight. That’s when she saw the eyes of a madman. A chill ran through her body. The High Prophet had just tried to kill them.
“Jonathan?” she cried again. “Please don’t die.”
Jonathan groaned.
“Help!” she screamed. “Someone?”
Jonathan was bleeding from his face, and she couldn’t tell just how damaged he was. He was still breathing and had a pulse. She prayed he was okay. She needed to get him to a doctor.
“Help!” she cried out again.
But no one was in sight. Realizing she had a cell phone, she whipped it out of her back pocket and dialed the number for emergency.
Chapter 38 ― Daniel
At midnight, Daniel grabbed the flashlight from under his pillow and snuck out to see Abigail. She was sure to be starving, but Daniel couldn’t chance going to see her during the daylight hours anymore. After the conversation with his mother, he realized just how crazy the High Prophet was.
He kept the flashlight turned off until he got safely around the corner and close to the room. He’d brought her more Twinkies, a ham and cheese sandwich, and another bottle of water. It was all he could get away with without being noticed. It would have to do.
He turned the corner and flipped on the flashlight. He kept it low just in case his father was at the back of the house for some strange reason. He wouldn’t be. He’d passed his father’s room and heard his loud snore. The High Prophet was a heavy sleeper.
When he got closer to the right spot, he had shown the light up against the wall hoping not to scare Abigail too much with the bright light.
But the vent was not there anymore. Instead, a huge board covered the area. There had to be over twenty nails holding it to the wall. His father had been there. Or at least someone had. He turned off the flashlight and kneeled.
“Abigail?” he whispered. “Abigail? Can you hear me?”
Not a sound.
Had his father killed her? With the three infants, Naaman, and Jacob, his father’s body count was up to five. He didn’t want Abigail to make six.
“Abigail, please,” Daniel cried out. “Please answer me.”
Daniel fell to the ground and prayed to God. He begged God to spare Abigail. To let her live long enough to get her out of there.
The key, a voice spoke inside his head. He had no idea if it was his own or the voice of God.
Don’t be silly. You’d know if it was God.
Okay, I must get the key. Even if it’s just long enough to be sure Abigail is alive. To give her some water.
Daniel jumped up and ran to the front of the house. He knew where his father kept the key. He would get it and come back and check on her, then he would replace it before anyone found out.
As Daniel entered his father’s office, he headed straight for the desk. He pulled out the top drawer quietly and reached into the back. There was nothing but a bunch of papers. He shuffled them around. No key. He looked up at the clock. It was almost one o’clock in the morning. Daniel was tired. But he could not give up. Abigail was counting on him.
Where else would he keep the key?
Daniel felt under the desk to see if it was taped somewhere underneath. He’d watched plenty of movies, and that was what they did. He felt nothing.
A hidden drawer? He pushed and poked all over the desk, hoping a drawer would pop out. Again nothing. He turned to the filing cabinets. There were two of them. And each cabinet held five drawers. He would never be able to go through all five of them.
Frustrated, Daniel sat in his father’s chair. Why was he trying so hard to be a hero when his own father was a villain? Why couldn’t he be happy being the bad guy? He leaned back in the chair. That’s when he noticed a small seam in the wall across the room. Daniel sat up. Could it be possible? Was there more than one door to the secret passage? Was this one locked just like the other?
Daniel stood. He walked over to the seam and pushed on the wall like he’d done so many times from the other side. Nothing happened. Tired and irritable, Daniel was about to give in. He needed some sleep. He could figure out what to do in the morning after he got some rest and was thinking clearer. He tried one more time pushing on the wall. This time on the other side. The door opened. Yes! Daniel snuck inside and closed the door.
He rushed down the long, secret hallway, climbed down the stairs and into the money room. He reached up and pulled the string that turned on the light. He searched the wall that held Abigail on the other side ― No vent, no opening whatsoever. Only a locked door. Daniel sighed and leaned against the wall. He had no idea what to do. He slid down the wall until he was in a sitting position and put his head in his lap.
The key.
There it was again. He was sure it wasn’t him this time. Then again, he was too tired to think straight.
I don’t know where it is.
Seek, and ye shall find.
God, please help me.
Seek, and ye shall find.
I’m so tired.
Seek, Daniel. Seek.
Daniel stood. He walked over to the door and tried the handle. Locked. That would have been too easy. But as Daniel began searching through the desk that stood at the far end of the room, he found a key. Not a key to
the outside door, but maybe it opened the one he was standing only a few feet away from. It was his only hope.
He walked over, slipped the key into the lock, and turned. The door clicked open.
Thank you, God.
Silence.
Daniel shrugged, grabbed his flashlight from his back pocket, and went inside. As he flashed it around the room, he found what he was looking for. Abigail lay in the corner on the dirt floor. He shone the light in her face, but she did not move.
“Abigail?” he whispered as he nudged her with his foot.
She did not move. “Abigail.” Daniel bent down over her.
Abigail stirred.
“Hey. I brought you some food.” He shined the light on his bag.
“Daniel?” She sat up. “You should not be here. Your father, he boarded up the hole so that you could not help me. He told me so himself.”
“I know. I saw it.”
“How did you get in here?” Abigail looked around in the darkness. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, you are not. I’m really here. I found the key to the inside door.”
“I’m tired, Daniel. I think you should just let me die. I will never get out of here, and you are just keeping me alive only to suffer longer.”
“No. Don’t say that. Malachi has a plan. He is going to save you.”
“Malachi has not been by in days. He has given up, and you should too.”
“I will not. And Malachi has not given up either.” He hoped he was right.
Abigail did have a point. Neither of them had seen Malachi in almost a week. But he refused to believe Malachi would let Abigail die.
“I brought you some food.” He opened his bag and laid out his latest haul.
“No, thank you, Daniel. I’m just not hungry anymore.”
“Then drink.”
“Daniel, please.”
The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2) Page 16