Riapoke

by Bryan Nowak

  Kyle took another sip of coffee. “Who is The Master?”

  “Evil incarnate,” Matthew said. “I’ve only been in his presence one time, the day I became a deacon. It must be sustained by the hearts of the recently deceased as a sort of sacrificial offering. The town normally feeds it people wandering through town. You know, hikers, campers, travelers who wander too close. People no one will miss if they vanish without a trace.”

  “Like the news stories I read in the diner on the way to the resort,” Kyle said.

  “The diner on the interstate. Yes,” Matthew nodded.

  Mike thought over their situation. There was something about Matthew’s story. Like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle with a few key pieces missing. “Matthew, I have to ask you. Why didn’t you try to stop this? As a law enforcement officer, you should’ve been the first one to say something.”

  Matthew got up from the table and motioned for Mike to help him. They picked up both ends of the bag containing Bill’s lifeless corpse and lugged it over to a small chest freezer. Barely large enough to hold the big man’s remains, it doubled as Riapoke’s morgue when they needed one.

  “We all have skeletons in our closet, counselor,” Matthew said with sudden intensity. “Mine are disturbing enough to make me keep my big mouth shut. At first, ignoring the occasional disappearance of some hiker or hippie down from the mountains came easy. I never participated in the actual killing, as a law enforcement officer they wanted to preserve my plausible deniability. The weight of it all became too much to bear. Killing Waylon was the last straw. If he’d been healthy, I would have gotten him out of town somehow. Now, I just want to see that dam church burned to the ground.”

  “Last question,” Mike huffed, setting his end of the body bag down in the corner of the freezer. “Why are you helping us? I mean, you could have just shot us and left us for dead, but you didn’t.”

  “Kyle and his mother are the ones spoken of in the prophecy. If I can see that, then Donny and The Master can as well. You’ll need help, and by helping you I can save the people of this town. There will be a ton to atone for after this is all over. The three of us were brought together for a reason, and I suspect it is to ensure this madness ends.”

  As the body landed in the bottom of the chest freezer with a dull thud, Mike shot a glance at Kyle. “We need a plan.”

  A Family Chooses

  The rock walls on all sides were only interrupted by a set of metal bars cemented into the rock. The lights from the flames rising out of the walls gave the only light. Hoping to get the rust on the metal bars to give, she shook them, with little effect. There had to be a way out of this nightmare.

  Pacing up and down, Meghan searched for anything that might help her, but only found dried up rat droppings and a few abandoned wooden boxes sitting in one corner. Searching their contents, she found them empty and decrepit with age.

  Her thoughts drifted to Kyle. What was he doing right now? Was he safe? What were these crazy people planning to do to him?

  Her eyes welled up with tears, as she remembered her own mother’s words the day Kyle was born, “Your whole life just became secondary to his. Everything you do, from this point forward, is about him. Don’t screw it up.”

  What would Mom think if she saw me now?

  From somewhere inside the cave, something metallic clicked. To Meghan, it sounded like a key actuating a door lock.

  She wiped the tears away and straightened her clothing. Donny may have temporary control over her freedom, but it would be a cold day in Hell before he’d take her self-respect.

  Footsteps came from far off, approaching the cell. The reverend appeared.

  “Approach the bars, Meghan.” He said, motioning her toward him.

  “What if I refuse?” she said, staring into his eyes.

  He frowned at her. “Suit yourself. I thought after you had spent all that time in this cell, you’d want to use a real bathroom, and a shower.”

  A real bathroom would provide an opportunity to see more of the surroundings, she reasoned. Plus, she did have to go. Still a little reluctant, she approached the door.

  “Good girl. Put your hands through the bars.”

  He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and put them on her. “In case you get any ideas, the outer door to my office is solid steel and it has a cypher on it. Cooperate, and you’ll have as much time in that bathroom as you wish. You can even shower if you like.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden?” The words sounded catty as they came out of her mouth. She thought about apologizing, and then reasoned that under the circumstances she had a right to be catty. Hell, she had a right to claw his eyes out.

  He opened the door and ushered Meghan out of the cell and pointed up the stairs toward an unknown destination. She trudged up them one by one. The walls around her were as moist as those of her cell. The condensation was oppressive. Stealing a glance into every room, several appeared to be outfitted as cells and others for storage. One room was unlit, its metal door hung open, connected to the frame at one hinge. The other had rusted away years ago.

  At the top of the stairs stood a solid metal door with a wheel in the center, like something you’d find on a submarine. Bypassing the wheel, the reverend pushed a key into a lock and the door swung open, exposing another wooden door. It reminded Meghan of a silly old cartoon where a dopey looking hunter opened one door only to find another door, and then another, and another. Reaching inside, and pushing it open, artificial light flooded the stairway from the other side, momentarily burning her eyes.

  He motioned inside the room. “After you Meghan, my dear.”

  The office was lavishly appointed. Dark oak panels and leather covered the chairs. It reminded her of the judge’s office where she finalized her divorce. To her right there a huge oak desk had to be at least five feet wide. The legs were gnarled and the table top was of one solid piece of wood. At either corner of the desk, lion’s heads stood out intricately carved.

  On the back wall, behind the desk, stood volumes of books having to do with faith and religion. There were several versions of the Bible, a Koran, the Torah, and several other titles which were unfamiliar to her. The left side of the room featured two doors. One of them more substantial than the other, having a metal lock which required a code to open.

  The lack of windows in the office bothered her. Meghan never realized how important windows were to a room until they weren’t there. This room was obviously meant to be private. A sanctuary against the world outside.

  What prompts a man to need a shield from the outside world?

  “You’ll find everything you need in there,” Donny said. “I also took the liberty of bringing a fresh change of clothes for you.” He pointed toward the other door in the room. “I’m going to take the handcuffs off, if you promise you won’t try anything stupid. Do we have a deal?”

  She wanted to take the handcuffs and use them to strangle him, but Donny was physically stronger than her, so knocking him out would be difficult. Plus, she was on his turf, placing the odds clearly in his favor. “Fine, I promise.”

  Turning the brass handle of the door, it swung open easily, revealing a small white tiled bathroom, fashionably out of place, given the dark wood theme of the office. A simple bathroom of porcelain and linoleum, the fixtures made it more at home in 1985 than in 2017. On the commode lay a pair of pants, shirt, underwear, towel, and washcloth. Shelly possibly wrote down her sizes at the house to prepare for this moment. Meghan shuddered at the thought that this plan had been so well thought out.

  Closing the door, her eyes searched for a lock, but there wasn’t one. There wasn’t even anything else in the room to prop the door shut if she showered.

  A red light blinked in the corner of the room, catching her eye. “What the hell?” She waited a few more moments and then another blink from the corner. Looking more closely, she focused on a small black dot, the size of a bug. Then the light flashed again. The room had a
video camera. He’d be watching the whole time. A wave of nausea overcame Meghan, and she shot the camera glare that she hoped would kill anyone watching from the other side.

  The sick bastard likes watching.

  Before she could say something scathing, Donny’s voice crackled to life over an intercom system. “You didn’t really think you’d be unsupervised, did you?”

  “You’re a pervert!” Meghan’s face ran red with anger. Even if she had to skip the comfort of a real toilet and a shower, there was no way she’d undress in front of him.

  “Meghan, I’m hurt. I’m not a pervert. I’m just paranoid. If you open the shower door, you can hang the floor mat over it, and I’ll be unable to see you, save for your legs and head. The vanity blocks the view. I will certainly admit to other vices; however, watching women shower or use the toilet isn’t one of them. I have a daughter, for Pete’s sake.”

  Giving the video camera a dubious scowl and grabbing the mat from the floor, Meghan flung it over the shower door. It seemed to shield the camera’s view sufficiently. Scanning the rest of the room for other cameras, no other black dots peered out from the walls. She could hold off going to the bathroom until after the shower, and maybe steam would obscure the room enough.

  Lingering in the shower, in no particular hurry to return to the rock-hewn cell. The heat from the warm shower penetrated her sore bones and muscles. No matter how hot she made the water, it never reached the right temperature to squeeze out the penetrating cold of incarceration. Shutting off the water, the room sufficiently steamed over to shield her from the intrusion of the camera. Meghan used the toilet and washed her hands.

  As she stepped out of the bathroom, Donny stood up from the desk. “Good, my turn.”

  “You’re just going to leave me here?” It had to be a set up. Perhaps she was going to be killed while escaping.

  He pointed to the door. “That way is locked, only I know the code, and only two others have keys. And the other way leads back into the cave. You’re welcome to go back to your cell. Going down there, unsupervised, can be incredibly dangerous. There are things down there you can’t even imagine. However, you can certainly go if you wish.”

  He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Meghan alone. Examining her surroundings, she scanned for anything that might help her escape. On the desk was a letter opener, pens, a small pair of scissors, and a few pieces of loose leaf paper. She quickly grabbed the letter opener and hid it in her waistband and covered the handle with her shirt.

  Her mind raced for anything else to help someone who might be looking for her. If there were windows to break, she would. In the bathroom, the sounds of the reverend finishing up his urination meant time was running out.

  Her mind raced to an episode of a crime show where the victim left DNA clues around a crime scene before her murder to help solve the case after the fact.

  The water from the sink turned on as Donny washed his hands.

  Thinking of her own demise felt counterproductive. Cutting a few locks of hair off and sprinkling it on the floor would ensure DNA evidence remained all over. Before she could act, the door to the bathroom opened. She’d squandered her chance.

  “Well, now that we’ve taken care of our business, don’t you admit that you feel better?” He said, drying his hands on a towel from the bathroom.

  “I’d be a whole a lot better if you just let me go.”

  He smiled at her. “Better for you, not so much for me.”

  “Why? No one has to know. It will stay between us.”

  “That’s where you are wrong, you see—” His words were cut off by a knock on the door. “Who is it?”

  “Henry Sheffield, sir,” a nervous voice answered.

  “Sorry, Meghan, I have business to attend to. Actually, this could be good for you to be a part of. All you have to do is watch.” Donny crossed the room and input a code which unlocked the door. With his hand over the lock, Meghan didn’t have a chance to see the code. “Well, come in, Henry”

  A thin man in his mid-forties entered the room as Donny slammed the door shut behind him. He eyed Meghan standing near the bathroom door. “I’m sorry I’m a little late reverend. Busy closing the shop, and came as fast as I could.”

  Meghan saw fear in the man’s eyes. Her experience so far indicated he was right to be scared. In stark contrast, the reverend remained perfectly calm and collected.

  “Not a problem, Henry. Nothing to apologize for. How are Carol and the kids?”

  The man shot another glance at Meghan, which screamed out a silent plea for help. “Fine, sir, everyone is just fine.”

  “Good, I’m glad. Now, down to business. I need you to explain something to me. A little bird told me that you and your wife are up to no good. Is that true?” Reverend Swenson leaned back. Henry watched the man, unsure what to say.

  “Sir, I just tried to …” Henry’s voice trailed off, the man looking like a caged rat about to be fed to a boa constrictor. “I mean, with the way things have been going around here, I just thought it would be a good idea—”

  “You thought what?” the reverend interrupted. “Maybe having a little nest egg was a good idea? You know The Master loves all and is a benevolent soul, Henry. But, siphoning money off the registers at the store to plan your escape from town is just … well, it’s sacrilegious. What have we done to offend? Doesn’t The Master provide everything you and your family need? Everything you have is because of him.”

  Sweat appeared on Henry’s forehead and his skin took on a pale, sickly complexion. “Reverend, surely you understand,” he stammered. “I just want what’s best for my family. All we want is to leave town and never come back. Can’t you just let us go? I promise, you’ll never set eyes on us again.”

  An awkward silence filled the room. The reverend sized up Henry like he considered how best to deal with him. Henry shrunk in the chair, his shoulders hunched forward as he tried to melt into the seat cushions.

  The reverend burst out in a fit of laughter. “Henry, relax. I’m not going to do anything to you. As a matter of fact, after we are done here I don’t care what you do. I just want to show you first, before you go, what your impact on this little town has been. Then, if you want to leave, you certainly may. No problems.” The reverend stood up from his desk and motioned toward the door that Meghan knew led to the cave. “Just a few minutes of your time and then you can decide what’s best for you and your family.”

  He put his hand around Henry’s shoulders and ushered the man through the door and down the stairs. Henry appeared far more composed than before. The reverend’s words had definitely placated the man. Although still hesitant, he went as instructed.

  The reverend spoke in a gentle, soothing tone. “Henry, you and Carol have made huge contributions to this town. I remember when you asked for approval to conceive those two boys. But, at the time, we only approved one child and then The Master saw fit to give you twins. What a joyous occasion that was. Do you remember?

  “Then you wanted to take over the hardware store when The Master called Collin Reyes to his eternal home. We worked out the details, and you’ve done a bang-up job.” The noise of footfalls echoed as they proceeded down the stairs. Meghan glanced into her cell, a little surprised when the reverend didn’t shove them into it.

  At the bottom, they reached another iron door which stood ajar. The reverend pushed it open the rest of the way and guided Henry inside. Meghan followed because, for the moment, she had little else to do and was anxious to learn more about the interior of the cave. The hallway was dimly lit and the large room at the end stretched out as a dark space with no clear end.

  “Oh yes, let’s get lights on in here,” he said. “Lights please.”

  The walls erupted in flames. A large altar table, similar to the one in the cell, fronted the room. Behind it, a cave disappeared into the wall. Opposite the cave, against the wall, secured by iron rings were three figures. A woman and two boys. The woman had been severely beaten a
nd the right side of her face had swollen up. One of her shirt sleeves was torn and the arm looked like it was either dislocated or broken near the shoulder. The boys, appearing to be five-year old twins, didn’t look like they had been beaten, but their clothing were dirty and torn from the ordeal. They kept their eyes locked on their father in a terrorized stare.

  Henry let out a yelp at the sight of them. He ran to the woman and held her face in his hands, then turned to the boys and kissed their cheeks, while mumbling, “It’s alright, honey, everything will be fine.” The boys clung to their father, moaning.

  The woman let out a whimper. Meghan looked upon the unfortunate family with a revulsion and horror. Her mouth had been sewn shut with large-diameter fishing line. Severely beaten, she cracked her eyes open to look at Henry.

  “Man, I give you woman. I think those were the exact words I uttered at your wedding. Such a lovely bride. You were so handsome, Henry. It makes me wonder what happened to make your soul so dark … so hateful.”

  Henry sobbed uncontrollably. He sat on the floor, holding his wife’s feet which barely touched the ground. Although, to Meghan, it didn’t matter since the woman didn’t look like she’d stand on her own anyway.

  Meghan found voice in the injustice being presented. “What the hell is this, Donny? What have you done to these people?”

  “My dear lady, you, of all people, should probably be the last person to say anything. These people are practically family. Imagine what I’d do to someone I have no emotional attachment to.”

  “You’re a monster!” Meghan shouted. “A horrible monster. Let her go and for God’s sake, let these children go. You can’t—”

  The reverend backhanded her, sending Meghan crashing into the wall. She lay on the floor, momentarily stunned.