The Belial Children

by R. D. Brady

  The Shepherd walked in, his dark hair brushing against his shoulders, his trademark sunglasses in place. His grey coat reached to his knees. But as he walked, Nathaniel caught a glimpse of the black suit underneath.

  Nathaniel felt his knees go weak. He was in the presence of greatness. He enacted a deep bow. “You honor us with your presence.”

  The Shepherd stood over him, his voice deep. “Rise, my friend. You have been a loyal servant to his Lord. He is most pleased.”

  Nathaniel stood, pride bursting within him. The Lord is pleased. He sighed, contentment welling up in him. “Thank you. I am His most humble servant.”

  The Shepherd waved Nathaniel back to his seat.

  Nathaniel obediently sat, then started as he realized he had abandoned his manners. “Sir, would you care for something to eat or drink?”

  “No, I’m quite all right. And your lovely wife has already asked.”

  Nathaniel nodded. His Beatrice could always be counted on to be a good hostess. “How may I be of service to the Lord today?”

  “You have proven yourself a loyal subject, Nathaniel. But now, God asks for a greater service. A greater sacrifice.”

  Nathaniel leaned forward. A greater sacrifice. He had always wanted the opportunity to prove how strong his faith was. “Anything, Shepherd, anything.”

  “Are you familiar with the story of Abraham and his son Isaac?”

  Nathaniel nodded. “Abraham was ordered by God to take his son to the top of Mount Moriah and sacrifice him in God’s honor. God spared Isaac at the last moment. But Abraham, through his willingness to sacrifice his son, demonstrated his true faith in God.”

  The Shepherd nodded. “Yes. Although according to the Quran, it was Ismail who was to be sacrificed.”

  Nathaniel looked up sharply. The Quran? Why would the Shepherd mention that text?

  The Shepherd waved his hands. “No matter. The importance is the willingness to sacrifice—even that which is most important to you.”

  Nathaniel felt some of his joy ebb a bit. His son, Zachariah, was not the most important thing to him. If the boy was what he was being asked to sacrifice, it would be only a small sacrifice after all. “What is it He would have me do?”

  The Shepherd smiled, and a long line of white teeth glinted back at Nathaniel. “The Lord has found a way to strike a blow to our enemies by placing a lion in their midst. A Trojan horse, if you will.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We have been unable to target the abominations once they have come into their powers. But I have found a way to do just that. And I need your son to do it. Are you willing to make this sacrifice?”

  Nathaniel nodded, trying to keep his face a mask. “Yes. But why my son?”

  Even through the dark glasses Nathaniel could feel the Shepherd’s gaze holding him in place. “I know Zachariah is an abomination. I know you and your wife have prayed for a way to remove this blight. But He does not make mistakes. You were given your son for a special purpose. He is to be our weapon. And with him, we will strike a blow to the very heart of the enemy.”

  Nathaniel felt the truth in the Shepherd’s words and felt some of the burden of his son lift from his shoulders. Since the day he had learned of his son’s nature, he had been disgusted by him. Disgusted and ashamed. But deep down, he had known that God had not cursed him with an abomination without reason. God had provided him with a way to serve His cause.

  Nathaniel smiled. “Whatever needs to be done, we will do.”

  The Shepherd sat back in his chair, his hands across his chest. “The Lord will be most pleased.”

  CHAPTER 54

  Baltimore, Maryland

  Laney sat at the conference table in Henry’s office, staring at the first page of search results on Nathaniel Grayston. Patrick was at Henry’s desk, on the phone with some of the higher-ups in the Roman Catholic Church, trying to see if they knew anything about Nathaniel and his church.

  Maddox was still at the hospital with Kati. Laney had ducked in to see her before she and her uncle left. But the meds were keeping Kati pretty out of it—which was probably a blessing.

  Now Laney gripped the table edge as she pictured Kati, looking pale and small in the hospital bed. Laney had tried to stay at the hospital, had wanted to, but she felt like she was going to start climbing the walls. There was just too much pain and death in the building, and the truth was, there was nothing she could do to help there.

  But here, she could help the missing kids. Her heart clenched. Here she could help Max.

  Patrick had driven them back from the hospital and she’d checked her messages on the drive over. Victoria had called, but just to express her concern for Kati; she didn’t have any new information. Laney planned on calling her later.

  Laney glanced at her watch. Henry and Jen should be taking off for Chicago right about now. It would take them another twenty minutes or so to reach Northgram’s home once they landed. She imagined Jen literally squeezing the information out of Northgram. It wasn’t an unpleasant thought.

  Her anger began to boil. He must have known something earlier. And Max would be safe if the bastard had been up front with them in the first place.

  The office was quiet. No Cleo, no Danny, no Moxy. She’d sent Danny to the school so that Yoni and Cleo could watch over him. They still hadn’t told him about Max. As far as he knew, Kati had decided to take Max to his grandparents.

  Laney felt guilty about the lie, though she couldn’t fault Henry for wanting to spare Danny some anguish. Yet at the same time, Laney knew that if they were going to find Max and those kids, Danny would be a huge asset.

  Enough, she thought, realizing that all this agonizing over what had happened wasn’t getting her anywhere. Back to work.

  With a conscious effort, Laney turned her attention back to the computer. She clicked on the first search page: Nathaniel Grayston’s church’s webpage. Once they’d had a name, he had been easy enough to find, at least online. They were still having difficulty pinning down his actual physical location.

  A picture of the reverend sat on the top right corner of the site. He wasn’t an attractive man. In fact, he was edging toward ugly. His chin seemed to almost disappear into his neck and his eyes seemed awfully small for his face—a lot like his father. In many ways, he was completely unremarkable. The kind of guy you’d see on the street and not think twice about.

  And this was the man who was gathering all these children for God knew what purpose. A chill cut through her. If they’re still alive.

  She banished the thought almost as soon as she had it. She had to believe the kids were still alive. Otherwise all this was for nothing, and Laney couldn’t accept that. She wouldn’t accept that.

  Besides, they could have killed Max at the rest stop. They hadn’t. They’d gone out of their way to abduct him. They must have a reason for that. Which meant there was still time. There had to be.

  She looked back at Nathaniel’s picture. Why was it that the monsters of the world never truly looked like monsters? They always seemed to look like the nice woman at the post office or the nice coach of the soccer team. Life would be easier if the evil were as obvious on the outside as it was on the inside.

  Nathaniel’s ministry was called the Feast of the Lamb. The website was a mix patriotic themes, including the American flag, a bald eagle, and a dominance of the colors red, white, and blue. But also a mix of Christian symbols: the cross, lambs, the Ten Commandments on stone tablets.

  He was a minister who seemed to be based somewhere in California, traveling all along the coast to share his version of the Good News. He also seemed to go out of his way to cater to veterans, which fit with the people they’d connected to the abductions so far. But the actual official address for the church was only a PO box. Jake had handed off the van search and was now trying to track down Nathaniel’s physical address.

  On the right hand side of the screen was a collection of clips from his most popular sermons. Lane
y clicked on the first link and was redirected to YouTube. She hit play.

  Nathaniel pounded his fist on a wooden pulpit, a giant statue of Jesus looming over him. “The abominations will destroy our way of life. Only the righteous deserve a place on this wonderful planet that God has given us.”

  His voice was full of authority and determination. His face was strong, his gaze unblinking. A true believer.

  “The abominations are the snake in the garden,” he thundered. “The devil in the desert.”

  Laney froze the frame. Nathaniel’s eyes were larger now and filled with anger. A chill began to crawl over Laney. And this is the man who has Max.

  She bowed her head. Oh God, please help us.

  She looked over as Patrick hung up the phone and headed toward her. “Anything?” she asked.

  He shook his head and took a seat across from her. “Not yet. They’re going to make some calls. See if they can learn anything.”

  “We need to find them, Uncle Patrick.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I know, honey.”

  Jake walked in. And Laney’s heart began to pound: he was smiling.

  He walked over to her and nodded. “I found Grayston. His ministry takes him all over, but he owns a couple of buildings outside Sacramento, California. They’re listed under his ministry, the Feast of the Lamb, although they’re hidden under a few dummy corporations. Wheels up in thirty minutes.”

  “Oh, thank God. Something tangible,” Laney said, getting to her feet.

  Patrick looked up. “Wait. What’s the ministry’s name?”

  “The Feast of the Lamb,” Jake said.

  “Why?” Laney asked, watching her uncle. Something was brewing in that head of his.

  “The Feast of the Lamb,” Patrick said slowly. “It’s referenced in the Book of Exodus.”

  “What’s the Book of Exodus?” Jake asked.

  Laney answered Jake, but kept her eyes on her uncle, not liking the look on his face. “It’s the tale of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt.”

  “You mean the whole manna in the desert story?” Jake asked.

  Laney nodded. “Among other tales.”

  Jake turned to Patrick. “So why does that matter?”

  Patrick’s eyes were troubled. “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, I’ll leave you two to figure that out,” Jake said. “I’m going to arrange for us to head out there. We leave in fifteen minutes for the airfield.”

  Laney watched Jake leave the room. She turned when Patrick sat down next to her.

  “I’ll stay here with Kati,” he said. “She’ll need someone there when she wakes.”

  Laney nodded. She knew there was no way Maddox would be able to stay behind. And she also knew Kati was going to need someone to help her through the next couple of hours, or worse, days—especially if things went sideways.

  “Okay.” A shudder ran through her as an image of Max cold and pale flitted through her mind.

  “What’s wrong?” Patrick asked.

  “What’s wrong?” Laney nearly choked out the words, all the fear, anger, guilt, and doubt boiling over. “Are you kidding? All these kids… Max.” Her voice broke on Max’s name. She looked at her uncle, sitting there calmly although she knew he loved Max as much as she did. “How are you keeping it together? I can barely think straight.”

  He shrugged. “Faith.”

  “But how? All these horrible things are happening. I mean, children are in danger this time. Children. Don’t you think if ever there was a time for us to get a little help from the guy upstairs, this was it? And He seems to be awfully quiet right now.” Her heart pounded. She felt so frustrated, so angry. It was all just wrong, on every conceivable level.

  Patrick was silent for a moment. Then he took Laney’s hand. She looked over at him and he gave her a small smile.

  “How can you smile?” she asked.

  “Because I see this situation a little differently than you do. You think God has abandoned these children, left them without help. But think about all the people that are scrambling to help them. Everyone here is doing everything in their power to help those children. And you, Jake, Henry, Maddox, Jen, and countless others won’t stop until those kids come home.”

  “But shouldn’t He be helping too?”

  Patrick squeezed Laney’s hand. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “He did. He sent them you.”

  CHAPTER 55

  Danny watched as Moxy chased Cleo around the yard, the two of them playfully pouncing and dodging in turns. Normally watching the two of them play made him smile. But today, nothing did. Henry had shipped him back to the school without even an explanation. Just said that he needed Danny here. Danny kicked a rock across the lawn.

  Cleo must have heard something, because her head turned quickly and she went still. But then she was a blur of motion, running across the lawn.

  Lou and Rolly froze in place as Cleo stopped and sniffed each of them. In spite of his mood, Danny felt a smile bubbling up. They both liked Cleo, but they were still a little intimidated by her. “It’s okay,” he said. “She just wants you to rub her ears.”

  Rolly reached out a tentative hand, patting Cleo on the head. The big cat purred a little.

  Lou reached over as well. “Hey, Cleo.”

  Cleo rubbed against Lou and then sauntered back to Moxy. Lou and Rolly exchanged grins as they jogged toward Danny.

  “Hey, Danny. We didn’t know you were coming back,” Lou said.

  “Yeah, well, Henry ordered me back.” He could hear the bitterness in his own voice.

  “Ordered?” Rolly’s eyebrows inched upward.

  “Yeah, you know.” He gestured to Moxy and Cleo. “Like a pet.”

  Lou frowned at him. “You know Henry probably did it to protect you.”

  “Yeah.” Danny turned his back. “Danny, who always needs to be protected.”

  Lou and Rolly were silent for a moment before Lou spoke. “Well boo hoo for you.”

  “What?” Danny whirled around.

  “Poor Danny: too many people trying to keep him safe. Too many people who love him and don’t want him harmed. Poor baby.”

  Rolly took her arm, his voice filled with censure. “Lou…”

  She shook him off. “What? You and I, we have no one left. No one. I mean, you just found out your sister is dead, and I don’t see you walking around feeling sorry for yourself.”

  Rolly winced and took a step back.

  Lou’s mouth dropped open. “Sorry. I didn’t—”

  Rolly put a hand up. “It’s okay.”

  Lou turned back to Danny. “You have this whole group of people who are trying to protect you, and all you feel is annoyed at them. Even though there’s every reason for them to be worried.”

  Danny stared at Lou, his mouth open. “But I—”

  “But you what? “ Lou lashed out, and there were tears in her voice. “Do you know how long it’s been since people cared about what happened to me? I mean, really cared? Jen is the first one in a long time. And here you have all these people caring about you and all you get is angry at them for it.”

  Danny stared at Lou. She stared back, almost daring him to look away. Finally he turned and looked at Rolly. “Is this what you think, too?”

  Rolly shrugged. “I get that it sucks to have so much security. I do get that. But I think Lou’s right. You have all these people who care about you. I don’t think you appreciate it.”

  “I appreciate it. I just—” Danny shook his head. “I don’t know. I just get really angry when they tell me what to do.”

  “Yeah… but they kind of have a reason,” Rolly said. “I mean, I don’t know Henry well, but he doesn’t seem unreasonable.”

  “And you did almost get grabbed the other day,” Lou said.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Danny mumbled.

  “Did you ever wonder why?” Rolly asked.

  “Why what?” Danny asked.

  “Why t
hey sent you here now? I mean, Laney, Henry, Jake, Jen. They’re all out of town,” Rolly said.

  Danny’s head jerked up. “What? How do you know that?”

  “Jen called me. Told me she’d be gone for a little while. Told me to—” Lou broke off abruptly.

  “Told you to keep an eye on me?” Danny asked.

  Lou nodded. “Look, Jen’s not the overly warm and fuzzy type. If she wants me and Rolly to keep an eye on you, there’s a reason.”

  Danny looked between the two of them, wanting to be angry at Jen’s high-handedness, but somehow, he wasn’t able to. All he felt was confused. “But why? I mean, if I was really in danger, why send me here? Why not back to Dom’s?”

  “Maybe something’s happening on the estate they don’t want you to see.”

  Danny nodded, realizing he’d been so angry about being sent here he hadn’t wondered why he’d been sent here. “You’re right.”

  Lou started to smile. “Well, maybe we should try to find out what that is.”

  CHAPTER 56

  The plane engine droned on like a very loud white noise machine. It should have put Laney to sleep, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. She had called Henry before they left; he had been about to land in Chicago.

  Laney clenched her fist. They had to cross the damn country to find these guys. Hours wasted just sitting in a plane. And they still didn’t know if they were even on the right track. This could all be for nothing.

  She craned her neck around the side of her chair. Maddox was a few seats back, eyes closed, looking peaceful. But she knew he was anything but. When he’d arrived at the airfield he’d barely spoken, but his eyes had said volumes about his pain, anger, and fear.

  Laney turned away, knowing her eyes looked the same as Maddox’s. And that that wasn’t going to change until they found the kids.

  She glanced down at her phone. But staring at it didn’t make it ring. Patrick had said he’d listen to Nathaniel’s sermons and call back if he had any ideas. She knew she should have offered to help him, but she couldn’t stand to hear the vitriol that leaked from the reverend’s mouth. Every time he said the word “abomination,” her stomach clenched painfully with images of Max.