by Bella Jewel
When I go to the showers, I see one right before I go in, but there don’t seem to be any inside the shower block. Still, I don’t trust that there isn’t. They can’t know I have a camera squashed between my legs, so instead of showering, I act nervous and even manage to shed a tear before rushing back to the room. It’s somewhat of a test, because I know if he’s watching me he’ll come to see what’s wrong.
He does.
Which tells me there are cameras in more places than I can see.
When I remove the one I’m hiding, I’ll have to be very careful about it.
“We’re heading to supper. I just thought I’d check in and see how you’re doing,” Josh says, coming into my room. “I see you haven’t showered.”
He couldn’t know that, because I have changed into the dress he gave me. I could have showered. He really wouldn’t know unless he was watching me.
“I just . . . I’m really upset and confused. I don’t know if I should be here.”
“How about you come and eat, then we can talk more about that?”
I glance at him. “You kidnapped me. I don’t trust you.”
His smile grows warm, but scary. “I understand that. I’m not asking you to trust me; I’m just asking you to eat. You must be hungry.”
I give him a skeptical expression, then sigh. “I am.”
“Come along then.” He leads me out into the area where the campfire was set up, and I face the scalding stares thrown in my direction by a few of the people watching me.
“I thought you were all forgiving people?” I mutter.
“We are,” he says, shooting a glare at the frowning people that has their faces dropping immediately. They instantly replace their frowns with smiles.
My god. The power he has over them is terrifying.
“Please, sit by the fire and stay warm. I’ll collect some food.”
I sit on a log resting by the fire and watch him go toward the long tables of food being catered to by a group of ladies. To anyone who didn’t know better, they’d say this was just a normal extended family enjoying living without modern-day devices. That they just loved the world and nature.
That would be so incorrect.
“Here.”
A plate is thrust at me, and I stare down at the contents. No meat, all veg and plant foods, but it looks nice. I mumble a thanks and take it, placing it on my lap. Josh sits down beside me, and I dare to ask the question I’ve been wanting to know since I got here. “Where’s Hayley? I wanted to apologize for getting her into trouble.”
Josh’s face doesn’t change, but the air around us does. It gets thick and dangerous. “Hayley has gone away for a while. Her actions were unacceptable.”
My heart pounds, but I know I have to keep it together. It takes a few moments before I can stop my voice shaking enough to say, “Her actions?”
“She helped you escape.”
“No, I made her think she would be better off. It wasn’t her fault.”
“But it was,” he says simply. “She knows the rules and she knows the beliefs.”
“Has she gone to stay with family then?”
He doesn’t answer, and something cold washes over my body.
“Tell me about yourself, Lucy. I’m desperate to know what has caught my brother’s eye after so long?”
I flinch, but not because of Heath, instead because of how casually he can change the conversation and how much the terrified lump in my throat is growing in fear for Hayley.
He takes the flinch as a reaction to Heath. “I’m sorry, of course you don’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t,” I mutter.
“Perhaps you’d like to ask me a question?”
“I have one,” I admit.
“Please.” He gestures with his hand. “Anything.”
“You see Heath pushing me or handling me roughly as abuse, yet I know you’re capable of the same, and it’s okay when you do it. How do you figure that?”
He’s quiet for a second and I worry I’ve blown my cover, but he answers, and his voice is calm and collected. “Men like Heath use their strength for power. I’m not the same. I do only as God instructs and sometimes that may seem unpleasant, but it’s only carried out because those people are going against his wishes. All wrong-doings have a punishment; they have for as long as the world has been spinning. I’m just carrying out what I’m asked.”
“How does God speak to you?”
He smiles at me. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
I shiver.
“God speaks to everyone, Lucy. You just aren’t listening.”
He doesn’t tell them to kill people. “I still don’t understand why he’d ask you to take a life.”
“Our bodies are just vessels. I can’t take the soul from them; I can’t kill it. I’m just taking away the evil it’s been placed in. In doing that, those souls go back to where they belong—in God’s hands.”
I think I’m going to vomit.
I stare straight ahead. “The food is lovely.”
He smiles. “We do our best to live off the land.”
“That would take a lot of effort,” I say, trying to calm myself because my insides feel as if they’re going to explode and give me away.
“Living is no effort.” Mr. Perfect has an answer for everything.
“Ah look, the dancing has begun.”
I look up to see a group of young women, maybe in their early twenties, dancing around the fire. A group of old men leer at them, and it takes everything I have not to run over there and knock their teeth right out of their dirty mouths. I force myself to just watch, acting interested when really, all I want to do is run out of here and light the entire place on fire.
“Do you see how happy those ladies are? How free? How nothing but enjoyment fills their bodies?” Josh asks.
“Yes,” I say, and it’s not a lie.
I see that they believe that’s how they feel, and they do, they truly do. They just don’t realize their minds have been twisted to believe that.
“You should join in—talk to some of them. They might be able to help. Most of them have come from a difficult place, just like yourself.”
I go to deny instantly, but realize talking to these women is exactly what I came here for, so I nod and stand, feeling nervous.
I edge towards the group of dancing women, and they twirl happily around me, their hair flowing. I rub my bad arm and one of them comes over, stopping in front of me, smiling down. She’s like light. Honestly, she’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, all blond hair and blue eyes, pale skin and a flowy white dress. She looks like an angel.
“Welcome.” She smiles. “I’m Faith. What’s your name?”
“Lucy,” I mumble.
“Come, Lucy. Don’t be afraid. Embrace the dance.”
“Ah, okay.”
She takes my good hand and pulls me into the crowd, twirling me around. I do my best to seem as if I’m fitting in, but I’ve never felt so uncomfortable in my life.
After about ten minutes, I excuse myself and sit down again, away from Josh this time. I glance at the men who have young women sitting beside them, some girls looking no older than thirteen. My heart twists, but I keep my face expressionless.
“Hi there.”
I look to my left to see a young girl, maybe seventeen, sitting beside me. She’s got raven hair and blue eyes. She’s gorgeous.
“Hi.” I smile.
“My name is Sarrifina. What’s yours?”
“Lucy.”
“Welcome, Lucy. I know you’re new.”
I nod.
“Don’t be alarmed. It can seem daunting, but you’ll settle in and learn to love it, too.”
“Do you really love it here?” I ask, genuinely curious so my question doesn’t sound at all suspicious.
“I really do. Josh saved me from an abusive marriage. This life brings me peace.”
How could she have found peace? “So yo
u’re, ah, not married to anyone here?”
She throws her head back and her pretty laugh rings out. “Nobody is married to anyone here. We’re all free to love whomever we want. Love is no crime; it is no sin.”
“Right,” I mumble.
“Are you married, Lucy?”
“No, my husband, ah . . . left me.”
Her face softens. “Then you’re in the right place. God will guide you through. Master Josh will place your hand in his and take you right through the golden gates.”
Seriously?
I keep my countenance light as I process her words. “I was wondering where Hayley is tonight? I’ve met her before and would like to say hello.”
Her face falls. “Hayley is being punished for her sins.”
I blink. “Sins?”
“Yes.”
“Is she . . . okay?”
She looks away. “We don’t question punishment.”
I notice from the corner of my eye two men stand and take two young girls with them, disappearing into the tents at the far end of the grounds. I stand and smile down at Sarrifina. “I’m going to use the bathroom. Where might I find one?”
She waves a hand around. “The world is your bathroom.”
Of course it is.
The sooner I get out of here, the better.
CHAPTER 29
I spend a few more hours being distracted by Josh. He must be suspicious, or at least a little wary because he’s kept me by his side, striking up conversation. I’ve had to play along because I don’t want to raise alarm. Finally, he’s taken by a group of males and I manage to slip away. I don’t know if the older men are even with the young girls anymore, but I’m determined to find out.
I slip behind the tents into the dark and take the recorder from out of my panties where it’s been securely tucked. I turn it on and place it in my palm, ready to hit the record button, then I move towards the tents down the back. For a long time, I don’t hear anything, and my heart sinks. What if everyone is way off base, and there’s nothing awful going on here?
Someone comes out of a tent, and I hide behind a tree for cover.
“Hello?”
I hold my breath and press myself as close to the trunk as I can, staying as still as possible. A flashlight shines through and goes right past me, then I hear the sounds of footsteps disappearing. I exhale and keep moving towards the tents that seem oddly placed so far away from the main campsite. That could mean exactly what I think it means. Still, I can’t be sure until I get closer.
The only thing I’ve got working in my favor right now is that it’s quiet and dark down here, the only light coming from inside the tents. I come to the first cluster and listen closely, hearing nothing. I move to the second cluster, and still I can’t hear anything. It’s only when I go to step away that I hear a faint whimper. I stop and tilt my head, listening in the general direction. The whimper is so weak I can barely hear it, but it’s there.
I turn and move quietly towards the tent it’s coming from. I press record on my device and shuffle quietly to the tent. The sounds of shuffling can be heard and the whimpers are louder, more distinct. I take a deep breath, praying that this thing is taking a film as well as a voice recording, and peek into a gap in the tent. For a moment, I see nothing, then my eyes fall on the most horrific sight I’ve ever seen.
I was right.
Heath was right.
They were all right.
Vomit rises in my throat and tears burn my eyelids and run down my cheeks as I raise the camera, recording what is the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve ever seen. Rape in its most horrific form. I record for only a few minutes before I can’t stand the sight of it any longer. I shove the recorder into my pocket and place a hand over my mouth to stop the broken sob leaving my throat.
I rush back towards the trees, falling to my knees in the darkness and crying. Those poor girls. Those poor, innocent, beautiful girls.
I get myself together and push to my feet, needing to get out of this place and praying I got enough evidence. As I’m moving back past the first cluster of tents, I hear a sob. It’s so quiet I wonder if it’s my own for a second, or if maybe I’m imagining it, but when it rings out again in the silent night air, I know it isn’t mine. I move towards the tents, following the sound.
The tent right at the back is where it’s coming from and I slowly move to the front tent flap, gently pushing aside. These tents are huge, big white triangle-shaped spaces that easily hold king-sized beds and couches, just like the one I’ve seen so far. So much for living off the land. I squint into the darkness because this tent has no light, and whisper, “Hello?”
The sob comes again.
I feel around until I find a small lamp, and I carefully turn it on.
I gasp at what I see.
Lying on the bed on her stomach is Hayley. There is dried blood all around her and her back is exposed, revealing very similar markings to what Heath has on his, only hers are raw and bleeding. My tears flow again as I rush over, gently moving her hair from her face. “Hayley, hey, it’s Lucy. You’re okay.”
She looks up at me, her eyes red and swollen. “Lucy?” she croaks.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Let me help you.”
“Help me,” she sobs. “Please help me. I’m sorry.”
I stroke her sweat-dampened hair. “Don’t be sorry. Can you walk?”
“No,” she sobs. “It hurts too much.”
Dammit. I can’t just walk her out of here, but I’m terrified to leave her again.
I may not have a choice. “Hayley, do you trust me?”
Her eyes find mine, so broken. “I don’t . . . I don’t know.”
“I need you to, okay? I’m going to get you out of here, I promise you that. I just need you to stay here and pretend you never saw me, and I swear to you I’ll be back in a matter of hours. Do you believe me?”
Her eyes are so broken, so scared, yet she nods.
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I’m coming for you. Be strong, sweetheart.”
I turn and rush out, hurrying back to the trees. Josh says he’ll let me out of here, but I don’t believe he’ll do it easily. I rack my brain as I run to try and figure out a way to get out of here without raising alarm. I glance into the dark trees—I can’t climb the fence again, not with a broken wrist. Can I get close enough to call out to whoever is waiting on the outside for me, or do I attempt to ask Josh to leave?
I don’t know.
God.
I don’t know.
I move back to the camp and quietly join the group that has gathered around the fire pit. Josh doesn’t seem to notice me come back, and I’m thankful for that. His gaze finds mine about five minutes later, and he smiles. I want to rip his eyes out and stab him in the face, but instead I force a smile and a small wave, then disappear back into the people. If I just walk to the front gates, will I be able to get out?
No. They’ll be locked.
Heath said he’d have someone outside the compound at all times. I think that’s my only chance. I move back into the trees and go as deep as I can until I run into the perimeter fence, then I use one hand to guide myself around the front, following it until I’m far enough away from the music and dancing that I know I’m nearing the back. I keep moving, my fingers grazing the wire. I see a small light about fifteen feet ahead, and I pray it’s them.
“Hello?” I call as loudly as I can, but it isn’t very loud.
They’re too far away and can’t hear me.
Dammit.
“What’re you doing?”
I flinch and spin around to see Josh behind me. I didn’t hear him approach. He has a flashlight, but it’s so dim I can hardly see it. Dammit. Shit.
“I was looking for a way out . . .”
“What for?” he asks, stepping closer.
My heart pounds. This is not good. “I . . . want to go home.”
“It’s the middle of the night.”
“I just . . . I’m tired and—”
His eyes move past me and he squints into the distance. “Are they out there? Is this some sort of trap?”
“What?” I cry. “No.”
“What’s that light in the distance then?” he growls.
Oh no.
No.
I reach for the camera in my pocket and curl my fingers around it. I’m can’t let him know I’ve got it. I have to think quickly. I’m wearing a thick bracelet around my wrist that’s made up of leather and cotton and a few intertwined chains. I carefully shuffle it off by moving my hand behind my back and rolling it down over myself until it rolls off and is in my hand.
“Well?” Josh barks.
“Please, I don’t know. I just wanted to get out.”
“You’re a liar!” he snarls, grabbing my arm. “You’re lying. This is some sort of trap.”
“No,” I plead, jerking my arm from his grip and pressing my back against the fence. I wrap the USB into the bracelet and shove it through the wire. It balances on it, and I can only hope that it’s going to hold so that when I do what I’m about to do next, it’ll draw attention to this spot and they’ll find it.
Then I take a deep breath and risk everything.
“Help!” I scream in the loudest, shrillest voice I can muster.
The light shines our way.
Josh raises a hand and lands a punch across my right cheekbone so hard my world goes black.
~*~*~*~
I wake facedown on a bed with my arms bound behind my back. I know immediately where I am, and I know the danger I’m in. I know it down to my very soul. I try to move, but I can’t—I just can’t. Tears well up and I turn my head to the side and see Josh sitting by the bed, staring at me. One of my eyes feels as though it’s swelling closed, and there’s a dull throb in my head that reminds me of his savage punch.
“You made a big mistake.”
I swallow down my tears and croak, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why did they send you in here?” he demands.
“They didn’t,” I protest.