by Raymond Lee
Raven searched the room but her katana wasn’t there. “Where’s my katana?”
“Where you can’t access it,” he answered softly. “You don’t have to take the easy way out. I promise you I will not let you become something you’re not. I just can’t do it until you’re actually gone. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Raven rested against the brass headboard, her eyes yearning to close. “When I die, you’re going to be on your own. You have to find them, if they made it.”
“If they made it, they’re long gone by now. I’ll head to the base. Maybe we’ll all meet up there again one day.”
“You have to be careful.” Tears flowed from her eyes. “I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Then stay with me.”
“I can’t.”
“I know. I’m being greedy and asking for things you can’t give me.” He eased her down until she rested flat on the bed again and leaned over to kiss her forehead, his lips cool against her hot skin. “I’ll look for them, just for you.”
“Promise me you’ll take care of — your medicine! Our backpacks were in the truck!”
“I have some in my pocket. I’ll find a pharmacy when I’m low,” he assured her, disgust in his tone. “Please don’t think of me as the crazy guy you saw back in Kansas. Remember me better than that.”
“You’ve never been the crazy guy to me,” she said as her vision blurred and she felt herself being pulled away.
“This is not what I was expecting when they said they had a farm,” Hal murmured as he followed the other trucks down the narrow dirt lane. A gate opened to allow them access to what he could only describe as a compound beyond.
Multiple buildings sat on the property and there was a farmhouse near the center, but the feel of the place was more military than farm. He contributed most of that feeling to the tall, barbed wire fence that lined the entire property and the armed men he saw patrolling the grounds.
A wooden cross marked every door of every building and a group of women in long, shapeless dresses collected water from a well placed next to a ten foot tall cross built of solid rock.
“You two don’t speak much English,” Hal told the twins. “Keep your heads down and your ears open.”
“You do not trust these people?” Janjai asked.
“Something about this place is rubbing me the wrong way but we need their doctor right now.”
“They appear to be very … Christian,” Janjai said. “You like this, yes?”
“Decorating your property with crosses doesn’t make you Christian,” Hal warned her, “and if you truly feel the spirit of the Lord and follow His word you don’t need all this advertising. This is a mask and I don’t have a good feeling about what may be behind it.”
“Then we speak very little English.” Janjai grinned, her red-rimmed eyes sparkling with mischief. “But we hear it very, very well.”
“I am sorry,” Pimjai said softly, wincing as she felt another pain.
“No apologies, Pim. The life inside of you is very important and we will do whatever it takes to bring that child into this world healthy. Besides, you and your sister are our secret weapons when it comes to strangers and places like this. If these people turn out to be shady, they’re not going to be able to pull anything over on us so easily when we have spies in their camp.
The truck David rode in the back of split off from the other two. David gestured for Hal to follow the one he was in as they drove around a bend, eventually pulling to a stop outside a two-story white building. This one had crosses on the windows as well as the doors. Behind it sat a large church, complete with stained glass windows and a large cross that stretched from the ground to the roof of the second level.
Hal stopped the truck and cut the ignition. He climbed down and helped the twins out as the rest of his group jumped down from the back.
“This is our medical facility,” David told them, joining them by their truck. “Does anyone else need any medical assistance?”
“We’re fine,” Hal assured him. “We just need to have our friend here taken care of.”
“Of course. I gotta say, you’re in pretty good shape compared to others we’ve found. Winter was nasty this year. A lot of people lost toes… or more, and those are the ones who didn’t freeze to death. You must have had a good shelter, or maybe that duct tape on your legs serves a purpose other than a really weird fashion statement?”
“We managed,” Hal said, not thinking it wise to let the man know anything more than necessary about them. “The Lord provided for us while we were out there.”
David smiled. “That He does for true believers, that He does. Now let’s get … I’m sorry, ma’am. I never did get anyone else’s names.”
“These two don’t really speak English,” Hal quickly explained, raising his voice just a little to ensure the rest of his group was listening. “We’ve managed names. This one is Pimjai, and this one is Janjai.”
“Oh.” David bowed a little and loudly announced, “Pleased to meet you,” as if saying foreign words louder made them easier to understand. He looked at their hands before returning his attention to Hal. “And their husbands?”
“I don’t think they made it.”
“Oh the poor things,” David said softly. “Well, we have other widows here. Time heals. Speaking of healing, follow me.”
They followed David through the double doors, entering a wide open room where a young, auburn haired woman sat behind a desk in front. To the left, cots lined both sides of the room.
“Hello, David,” the woman at the desk said, greeting him with a smile that waivered a bit as she noticed he had company. “You’ve found more survivors. More frostbite?”
“I don’t believe so, Gemma,” David answered, “but this young woman needs to be checked out.”
Gemma’s eyes widened as she looked down, noticing the roundness of Pimjai’s belly under her unzipped coat. “I’ll get her into a private room.”
“She doesn’t speak much English,” he advised as he gestured for Pimjai to follow the young lady. Pimjai grabbed Janjai’s hand, not willing to go alone, and they followed the woman to the end of the room, past the rows of cots, and up the stairs.
“You can wait for her over there if you’d like,” David said, indicating a small section of folding chairs to their right. “We’re going to need a little time to get your accommodations sorted out and we wouldn’t want for her to be afraid in her condition. I’m sure she’ll want to see you when she’s done. Oh, are there any married couples in this group?”
Hal shook his head. “We’re all single.”
“All right, so no married housing needed. The young man is how old?”
“He’s under my care,” Hal said, suddenly feeling very protective. “Everyone in the group is under my care. We’re a family. We stay together.”
David’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he smiled, nodding. “Well, I’ll just see how we can accommodate you and I’ll be right back. Shouldn’t be very long and you are very welcome to get checked out while you wait. Just let Gemma know and she’ll get you taken care of.”
“I know these are your people and all,” Damian said in a hushed tone after David left them, “but this place is giving me a bad feeling.”
Hal walked over to the window and watched as the largest of the men on David’s truck was left behind. As the truck left with David on it, the man paced back in forth of the medical facility, his gun slung over his shoulder. “My people?”
“Yeah, your bible thumping, every day is the Lord’s day people.”
“Every day is the Lord’s day,” Hal advised, walking back over to Damian, “but I’ve never thumped a bible in my life, and not everyone who claims to be for the Lord truly is.”
He studied the facility as Elijah and Leah took seats in the waiting area. Many of the cots were occupied by survivors, some who looked as if they’d been there through the winter and some who obviously hadn’t, like the man he saw rest
ing near the center of the room whose big toe was completely blackened.
“Pay close attention,” he said, voice low, as he stood close at Damian’s side. “You’re not the only one with a bad feeling, but Pimjai needs medical treatment. As soon as she gets it, we get out of this place and we find Cruz and Raven.”
“Raven’s dead, or close to it,” Damian said softly, his voice full of regret.
“Raven isn’t going to die.”
“I saw her get bit, Hal. There’s no saving her from that.”
“I said she won’t die, not from that. She could be in danger though, as long as she’s alone with Cruz.”
Damian frowned. “I know better than anybody that Cruz can be a little oops in the head sometimes, but he’d die protecting that girl. Hell, he ran off with her so we wouldn’t kill her, knowing he’s going to end up alone. He didn’t even have his supplies with him.”
“I’m not worried about Cruz, I’m worried about what he’s carrying inside of him. I couldn’t do anything about it before but this place has a church. Where there’s a church there’s holy water.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You gone wacky-balls too?”
Hal sighed. They didn’t have time for doubt, not when so much was on the line. “Why do you think you and Cruz have so much friction?”
“Because he gets on my damn nerves. That isn’t a big secret.”
“Why? What exactly about him does that?”
Damian’s brow creased as he pondered the question. “I don’t know. Just his vibe.”
“It bothers you worse sometimes than other times.”
“Yeah? And?”
“You’re sensitive to what’s inside him and you don’t even realize it.”
“What’s inside of him?” Damian shook his head. “Man, I think you need some for real rest, up in here talking about what’s inside of people and needing holy water. What exactly do you think is inside that man, a demon?”
Damian laughed, but it only lasted a moment as Hal just looked back at him, emotionless. This was no joke. Damian sobered, realizing this. “Oh, you have gone crazy.”
“Cruz Thomas is possessed,” Hal said matter-of-factly, careful to keep his voice down so no one else could hear. “I suspect he has been for quite a while. That medicine he takes? It does help. It blocks something in his brain, helping him ignore the demon he carries, but he is not mentally ill.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Damian looked around, nervous, before continuing. “You’re talking crazy. Demons aren’t real.”
“At the beginning of this year you were saying that about zombies.”
Damian rolled his eyes. “The infection was caused by a virus created in a Russian lab.”
“And demons crawled out of hell, doesn’t make them any less real. Demons have always been here but people are able to live their lives not knowing about them because they expect the theatrics you see in horror movies. Demons don’t work that way, but they are still evil and they still make people do horrible things.”
“If this is true, how do you know Cruz has one inside of him?”
“I’ve seen it.”
“So you saw a demon in him, and you didn’t say anything? You let a demon just hang with us?”
“If the demon felt threatened it would do its damnedest to overpower Cruz. It was controllable because of the medication inhibiting its hold on his mind, and without holy water I had no way of casting it out so it was safest for all to just monitor the situation without tipping it off. We’re going to get the holy water and we’re going to find him and I will cast it out.” Hal studied Damian, saw the war happening behind his eyes. He knew Hal’s words were true, had sensed the demon himself, but his mind wouldn’t allow him the leap of faith.
“You can’t see everything clear all the time, Damian. Sometimes you have to just believe. I promise you, I speak the truth.”
“That’s what scares the piss out of me. You look like you really believe what you’re saying.” Damian ran his hand down his face. “This is too much to take in. Demons? Maybe I should give this place a chance. These people can’t be any more messed up than this craziness.”
“David left a guard on the door.”
Frowning, Damian walked over to the window and peeked out. His nostrils flared as he returned to Hal’s side. “Why the hell would he do that?”
“Something else very important you should know, Damian, and you need to know it whether you believe in it or not. The bible is the most powerful weapon known to man. Whether or not its power is a good thing or a bad thing depends on the hands holding it. In the hands of the righteous and humble, it can give life, heal, and bless. In the wrong hands, it can kill, destroy, and ruin. I’m not so sure of the hands around us.”
Damian looked at the cross on the window. “You think we’re in danger here?”
Hal looked up at the crucifixion sculpture hanging on the wall behind the desk. “When you truly follow the Lord your deeds are your testament. I understand the significance of the cross, but when I see it on every single door I question what is going on behind those doors to make these people so desperate in their need to appear Christian.”
“So how do we play this out? David just left up out of here talking about accommodations. He’s not planning on us leaving and they’ve got a big ass barbed wire fence running around this place and a bunch of armed guards. Hell, no wonder they didn’t take our weapons. We’ll be shot down before we do any damage.”
“They didn’t take our weapons yet,” Hal advised. “They want us to feel secure and unthreatened, that way we don’t question too much. They’re depending on us being desperate for shelter after having survived the winter out there. They’re going to offer us food and beds, the promise of safety and hope for a future. Then they’ll take our weapons.”
“You sound pretty confident about that, and scarily detailed. You been in this situation before?”
“I worked with a group that you could say policed this sort of thing. I’ve seen the religious cult signs before.” Hal studied Damian for a moment. “I’m going to give you an order and don’t get offended. It’s for your safety.”
Damian frowned. “What?”
“No matter what you do, do not let these people know you’re gay.”
“You just suggested we could possibly be inside the territory of a religious cult. Do you really think you need to tell me that like my ass was gonna give a bunch of possibly psycho holier-than-thou terrorists a reason to kill me?” Damian folded his arms while adopting a more masculine stand and shook his head. “No offense taken. While we are here my name is Damion Jones but my friends call me the coochie—”
“Holier than thou, remember?”
“Oh right. They wouldn’t like me being a man ho. Can I say I like busty women?”
“Lord help us,” Hal muttered.
The front door opened and a short, heavy woman in a dark sweater and long skirt entered. Her brunette hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck and she wore no makeup, similar to the other women Hal had seen within the compound.
“Hello there,” she greeted them as she used her index finger to push up her glasses. “I’m Elsie. David sent me over to welcome you new folks into the fold and get you all sorted out. Let’s see, you’re…” She checked the clipboard in her hand. “Hallelujah Brown? I just love that name.”
“It’s Hal for short,” Hal advised, unable to hold back a smile. The one plastered onto the woman’s plump, rosy face was infectious.
“And we have a Pimjai and a Janjai. Last names?”
“We don’t know,” Hal answered. “The language barrier and all.”
“Of course.” She nodded her head sympathetically before turning her attention to Damian. “Your name, sir?”
“Damian Jones.”
Hal released the breath he’d been holding and sent up a silent thank you that Damian had only given his name and nothing more.
“Names?” the woman asked El
ijah and Leah, dutifully scribbling them down on her clipboard as Gemma returned to her desk.
“How is she?” Hal asked the young woman.
“Oh, I’m not a doctor or nurse,” Gemma responded. “I just help out a bit. I can take vitals and hers were all good. She’s still with the doctor now. You’ll know something as soon as he’s done examining her.” She glanced nervously at Elsie before taking a seat.
“Is everything OK?”
Gemma’s eyes widened. “Of course. Everything is wonderful here. I’m so… thankful to be here.” She looked around and zeroed in on one of the people lying in a cot before scampering off to adjust his pillows.
“I was told everyone is single, but no worries, dear,” Elsie was assuring Leah when Hal returned his attention to her. “You’re still young enough to have children and you are sure to find the right man to start your family with here.”
“Oh, well, I don’t think there’s a man for that job.” Leah laughed.
“Oh, silliness, dear. You’re attractive enough and once you’re settled in here you won’t need to wear manly clothes. We let the men protect us while we tend to the domestic duties as was intended.”
“As was intended?”
Hal tried to discreetly capture Leah’s attention, sensing her irritation about to spew forth, but she was completely focused on the short woman before her.
“I’m not much of a, what would you call it, a domestic goddess? Not really into dresses either.”
“You’ll change your mind about that once you meet the right man.”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Oh, honey.” Elsie patted her shoulder. “I know many men of this generation have been just terrible, but I assure you we have some of the finest here within our community. You will find a good man here, the perfect partner.”
“Well, my perfect partner would have a vagina so if you have a man here that fits that bill, that would definitely be an interesting sight.”
Elsie’s pink cheeks reddened as her lips thinned out into a tight line. “I see,” she said, scribbling something onto her clipboard.