It Took Billy

by Miguel Lopez de Leon

  I realized that many people I knew were like Phil. But for a lot of individuals with these traits, who were also more spontaneous and lonely in nature, aligning themselves with an all-powerful being was, in a way, the type of “more” that they always wanted. And the sad thing is, even if someone genuinely wanted to join “The Chaos of the Five,” but still had doubts and reservations, that option was taken away from them. After being exposed to the music and bread, it no longer mattered what hesitations anyone might have had—they were already trapped.

  Unlike a few of the other recruits, Phil did not seem like a “bad” person. His life simply did not look like how he thought it should. It had everything he needed, but it was not what he envisioned, and that seemed to disturb him greatly. Of course, this was just Phil’s experience. Everyone’s story is different.

  As Phil was about to tell me more about himself, another likable guest speaker walked into the hall. This man’s name was Trevor, and in a very energetic voice, he expressed how he could not wait to speak to us about Chaos and the sisters.

  After Trevor finished with the question and answer portion of his sermon, Phil eventually got distracted, and began speaking with another recruit.

  MAIN HALL: EVENING

  It’s now time to sleep—or in my case, meditate and chant. And even if the enchantment is not the most effective solution, I’m grateful for the chance to rest. Not only is not sleeping making me tired, but I also feel that my body and mind are working much harder to fight off the supernatural effects of the constant honey bread and music. Whenever I’m forced to eat the bread, I feel my insides burn up, as the mystic energy protecting me from the foul food is pushed to its breaking point. And even now, as the eerie music looms in the background, the sisters fake story feels like a television show that’s constantly playing in my mind.

  The sleeping recruits have already begun chanting.

  MAIN HALL: MORNING

  So after a fitfully disappointing night’s rest, and a breakfast of pancakes, hash browns, fresh fruit, and strong coffee, I was able to start the day. Oh, that’s right, I did not eat that for breakfast. What did I eat? I assume you’re able to guess.

  I realize that I’m here on a mission, but I think the lack of sleep is getting to me.

  Or maybe I’m just hungry.

  MAIN HALL: EVENING

  Today I used my powers to scan this location, to see if Chaos was anywhere nearby. He was not. If he were, I would have sensed his presence. So that wasn’t very helpful, but I thought I might as well give it a try.

  MAIN HALL: AFTERNOON

  After breakfast, our handlers did something that they’ve never done before. They instructed us to stand up, move our journals and sleeping bags out of the way, and start stretching. Kate, the first speaker that we had, then came back into the hall, and led us all in a series of physical exercises.

  Kate still had her hair in a loose ponytail, and was as warm, pleasant, and approachable as ever. All the new recruits and I followed her, as she did a series of jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges. After a while, what started out as easy activity began to feel like a vigorous workout.

  As I looked beside me, I saw Phil, huffing and puffing along with the rest of us. But I also noticed something more. The new recruits were not just following Kate’s lead—they were following her exactly and were not deviating in any way. When Kate jumped, they jumped. When she lunged, they lunged. None of the recruits in the hall were going slower or faster than her. No one was taking a break, even if I could tell that many of them wanted, and needed to. They were being told what to do, and they did it. And every so often, Kate would shout “Glory to The Chaos of the Five,” which we all immediately shouted right back.

  As we continued, all our caretakers were quietly observing us, making sure that we were at the correct point in our conditioning.

  We were an exercising mob that respected their authority—a little army of followers ready for the next phase in our training.

  MAIN HALL: EVENING

  We’re all back in our sleeping bags, ready for the night. I think that after today’s exercises, everyone is going to fall asleep much faster. Which just means that they’re going to start chanting sooner as well.

  I must admit, it’s extremely unsettling to watch all the people around me lose their individuality and will. Even when I was talking to Phil, he knew everything about his former life, meaning that he could robotically recall all of it, but it was like he was remembering what emotion was like, rather than feeling it as he spoke. I think the recruits still feel fear and excitement, but the full emotional range that most people would normally have seems to have vanished.

  For the most part, the recruits around me have become shells. Not mute drones that don’t know where they are. Rather, empty vehicles waiting to be told where to go, and what to do—and all in the service of Chaos and the seasons.

  MAIN HALL: AFTERNOON

  After breakfast, and more group exercises, one of our hosts surprised us when she announced that the first of the three tests would be starting today. She went on to quickly say that The Tests were just a way for us to show the true depths of our loyalty to Chaos and the sisters.

  All the recruits around me were immediately thrilled. I assumed that many of them still held on to the belief that these challenges would resemble the rituals that Billy Ranter described in his journal. As I have already stated, I highly doubt this. Not only would it be an unnecessary waste of energy, but what would be the point? All the recruits are already here, are already addicted to the bread, and are forbidden from sharing any of their experiences with the outside world. Now of course, I’m completely ignoring the obvious question of why anyone would want to put themselves through anything similar to those grotesque rituals in the first place—but to each their own. I suppose the allure could come from the detailed descriptions in Billy’s journal. Although he saw and felt all those terrible, dark experiences, he was never physically hurt—at least not permanently. Personally, I do whatever I can not to feel pain, but in this hall, I’m clearly in the minority. Everyone else here seems to be anticipating some sort of supernatural adrenaline rush. Not to mention that they’re now programmed to be happy about any potential opportunity to demonstrate their loyalty to their new deities.

  Regardless of the reasons, the recruits around me were buzzing with anticipation. I listened as one man, who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, was telling everyone around him that he could already feel the energy of the five sisters in the hall, guiding them. He also said that Chaos was near, and that the immortal was waiting for them to prove their loyalty, so they could all completely immerse themselves in the dark worship. Everyone listening to the man swore that they could feel Chaos’s presence as well.

  While I did not think that this was anything more than the imaginings of desperate people, I still took a moment to focus my energies and scan the area for any sign of the demon. I did not detect him at all.

  MAIN HALL: SAME AFTERNOON

  I took a brief break from writing, just to take the opportunity to mill around the hall and get a better idea of what everyone was feeling. All the recruits were very excited about The Tests, and no one seemed fearful about what might be awaiting us.

  A few moments later, our custodians started to read off a list, calling out the names of the recruits’ one at a time. The progression was not in alphabetical order, so I wasn’t sure what system, if any, they were using to organize everyone. The chosen person was then instructed to take their sleeping bag, journal, and pen, and follow one of our hosts out of the hall and down a corridor. As the recruit was led out, several more of the older cultists were standing on either side of the corridor entrance, revving up the individual by repeatedly shouting “Glory to The Chaos of the Five!” Causing the recruit to bark back the same chant with gusto.

  After a while, our hosts would call the next person on their list and lead them out of the hall in the same manner. What I immediately
noticed was that none of the recruits was returning from the first test. Wherever they were being led to, they were not coming back.

  Now while I did not think that The Tests would be similar to what was described in Billy’s journal, I did assume that they’d have some sort of lessened supernatural element to them. That thought, however, did not alarm me that much. Not only could I do what any of the other recruits here was capable of, but I also had my own unique powers at the ready. But at that point, I was suddenly wondering if whatever challenges were about to happen could somehow alert the cult to my mystical abilities. I just assumed that since people possessing my types of powers were so rare, that having a test that could detect them would not even be thought of. But what if the cult had thought of that possibility?

  Have I been foolishly wasting time? Should I have taken more precautions?

  MAIN HALL: EVENING

  After going through all the possibilities in my mind, there are really no precautions I can take for The Tests. I have no idea what the actual challenges are, so as much as I would like to somehow prep myself, I just have to be ready for anything.

  It’s been a while since the last recruit left the hall. It’s notable that even after all these hours, the same older cultists are still in front of the entrance to the corridor, fanatically shouting to each person who’s led by them. Now they’re just standing there, silently waiting.

  I wonder what—they just called my name.

  THE GLASS HALL: EVENING

  After I heard my name being called, I feigned enthusiasm and quickly folded up my sleeping bag, wrapped my journal and pen in it, then made my way to the cultist who was waiting for me near the corridor.

  As I approached him, he repeated my name, which I confirmed, and then he led me out of the hall. I repeated “Glory to The Chaos of the Five!” in response to the energized cultists who had planted themselves there. I acted enthusiastic and happy, but only as much as the other recruits had been.

  The cultist leading me down the corridor was very relaxed and had the demeanor of someone leading an applicant to a job interview. The corridor we were walking down was made of the same old stone as the hall. Basic electric lighting lit the way for us, not ancient looking torches, which I’m sure many of the recruits had hoped for.

  As we continued walking, I tried to calm myself as much as possible. The cultist led me through a door, and into a medium-sized room. In the center of the room was a sturdy, dark-wood armchair. On the thick armrests and legs of the chair, were strong looking leather straps and buckles. Right beside the intimidating seat, however, was a truly disgusting sight. Resting on a block of dark marble was a very large sphere of what I can only describe as bloody human flesh. What was so disturbing about the sphere was not only what it was made of, but that it was such an odd, perfect circle. Also on the skin-globe were what looked like fat, bloated, dark gray leeches, each bigger than the size of my hand. The pulsating creatures looked slimy and diseased, and seemed to be feeding from the sphere.

  Also in the room were three other cultists, all in very pleasant moods. As I looked on at the chair and the sphere, I let my real surprise and apprehension show, which I figured was the most natural reaction to have. Instead of panicking, which any sane person would have done, I acted eager to begin the test.

  One of my hosts led me to the chair. He then asked me to put down my sleeping bag, remove my shirt, socks, and shoes, and take a seat. I did as instructed and settled myself onto the heavy wooden chair. As I sat, I felt how unusually high the chair was, and noticed that my feet were not touching the floor. My handler then proceeded to tightly buckle the leather straps around my wrists and ankles. As he did this, he briefly explained what was going to happen during the first test. He said that they were going to place all the ceremonial leeches on my body, and that other than feeling the creatures’ warmth and suction, there would not be any initial pain. They were going to ask me a series of questions, and for every question I answered honestly, one of the leeches would release itself, and fall off my body. Once all the questions were answered, and all the leeches had fallen off me, the test was done. Simple. As the cultist finished strapping me in, he pleasantly added that if I answered the questions dishonestly, all the leeches would simultaneously start to slowly bite into me. If I continued to be dishonest, the leeches would then dig deeper into my flesh and feast on me.

  My caretaker then went on to say that due to the checks and balances that they already had in place, very few recruits had been eaten alive by the leeches. But even if that did happen, he happily reminded me that excruciating pain of that level would be an excellent sacrifice to offer up to the five sisters. I nodded obediently in agreement.

  After he asked me if I understood everything that he had told me, I responded that I had, and further expressed my gratitude at the opportunity to show my loyalty. The same man then began to pull the bloated leeches off the bloody globe of flesh.

  I tried not to let the flood of thoughts, or swell of panic, show on my face. I could not afford to lose focus. Whatever resemblance these creatures had to leeches, they were obviously something different. Just by comparison, they were much bigger and more dangerous looking. They were also clearly supernatural—considering that they could tell if I was being honest or not. Did that mean that they were telepathic in nature? Once they were placed on me, did a little of my blood enter them? Would they know that my entire identity here was a lie, and therefore immediately start tearing into me the moment we made contact? All these thoughts sped through my mind, and I only had a few seconds to make several key decisions. I had to assume that the leeches would taste my blood as soon as we made contact. Even if I was wrong, I had to assume it. I guessed that they would not know from tasting my blood, that the honey bread was not affecting me. After all, I was eating just as much of it as everyone else, so whatever matter was in it was most definitely in my system. From what my handler had said, I assumed that the leeches had to only be focused on how I answered the current questions. After all, they could not simply attack someone who had ever told a lie or had a history of telling lies—no one would ever pass the test! So everything depended on what questions they were going to ask me. Despite this realization, I knew that there was no way I was going to pass this challenge without using my powers. But how could I use them without the cultists noticing? And even if I could subtly harness my abilities—what would work?

  As the man pulled the first leech off the sphere, it made a sick, wet, squelching sound. I could tell that he had to use effort to remove the creature from its place. The cultist carried the leech toward my face. In a moment of uncertainty, I thought he was going to place it over my eyes, but instead, he placed it on the side of my neck. As the hot, slimy leech suctioned onto my skin, I tried not to think about the rows of jagged fangs I noticed when I briefly saw its base. The creature’s spastic mouth made up its entire underside and had already been searching for something to latch onto. Blood was dripping from the engorged creature before it had even touched me, and the open wound it left on the sphere of flesh was truly revolting. The man continued to pull the bloodied leeches off the skin-globe and placed them all over me. He put them on the back of my neck, just above my rib cage, on the bottoms of my bare feet, on my chest, and on my back. And as the creatures attached themselves to me, I took deep breaths, and tried not to squirm. The leeches on my neck, and on the bottoms of my feet, were especially uncomfortable.

  Despite everything that was happening, however, I was quickly focusing the mystic energy around me as fast as I could. Now as I have stated, my powers have limits. Alone, my abilities are still formidable, they just require more concentration and effort, especially if I have to hide that I’m even using them in the first place. I determined that it would be too difficult to attempt to hide or cloak my thoughts from the leeches—if that’s even what they focused on. I had no idea how these disgusting things could tell if I was being honest or not, so going to that trouble would be useless. In
stead, I decided to make sure that they couldn’t dig into my flesh. If I could stop them from doing that, then I didn’t need to worry about answering the questions at all. I then tried to formulate how to make the leeches fall off me after I answered a question. I couldn’t focus so much energy their way that I killed them, but I still had to get them to fall off my body. As I tried to come up with ways to bring about these very specific outcomes, I realized that blasting a whole through the wall, or openly enchanting an adversary, would be much easier than something this intricate. To simply blast the leeches off me would be easy, once I got my hands free. But to secretly prevent them from feeding on me, while forcing them to release my flesh—without anyone else in the room noticing—was another matter entirely.

  As the cultists watched me, they reminded me to offer up my discomfort to the sisters. The same man who buckled me into the high wooden chair asked me the first question. As he did, I tried to summon an energy field between my body and the revolting creatures, but as I began to do so, I could feel all the leeches losing their grip on me. I quickly stopped and realized that I could not place a barrier between them and my flesh. So then, I desperately tried to focus my energy to the areas directly under the leeches and tried to make my skin as hard as rock. It was a quick improvisation, but I hoped it would be effective.