Promise To Keep

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  Zamora shook her head sadly, wondering if her friend had finally snapped. It wouldn’t be the first time for a female in the group.

  “Liz, close that door, lock it, and hurry back to where you came from! Things will be even worse, for BOTH of us, if they catch us!“

  Frowning, Liz shook her head back and forth energetically. “I’m leaving this place, tonight! Listen, your Momma gave us sixty dollars apiece, and some clothes for you.”

  “Uh uh, no way! She would NEVER cross my father like that…“

  When her friend made no move to step out of the room, she knew she had tell her the reason her mother was helping them. “Listen to me, PLEASE. We HAVE to leave, NOW. We are BOTH to marry, tomorrow!” she hissed even louder.

  “What?”

  “Yes! My father is gonna’ let Markus marry me. I’m not hitching with that half-wit. You know what they say he does to his own little girls! I would rather have my father kill me than to marry that evil man!”

  But Zamora was only half listening to her friend now. Still in shock, all she could think about was the risk her mother had taken by trying to help them escape. She was also overwhelmed and terrified of the thought of the outside world, of which they both knew practically nothing. As bad as the compound was, it was all they knew.

  “Zamora, are you listening to me? Your father gave Samuel permission, even over your brother’s objections, to take you as his wife.”

  Her head whipped up, the horror of what her friend had just said spurring her into action. Desperately, she scampered up the ladder and out of the pit that had been her prison. I may not have anywhere to go, but I’m certainly not staying and marrying that troll. I’ve seen first hand how awful he treats his wife and own children, they’re always battered and bruised… she thought.

  Liz handed her the envelope Selma had given her, and her battered old suitcase, which was packed with her meager belongings. “We gotta’ get going, and fast. The hike to town will be at least five miles. I’m going to call my auntie when we get there, ask her to come get me. I’ll ask if she’ll give you a ride to the bus station.“ Motioning to the envelope, she continued. “Your mom put Aisha’s new address in there along with your money. Thank God she managed to get her hands on the last letter you received from her, before your father had all the rest of it burned, that is.”

  Feeling a sharp pang, Zamora nearly choked out a sob of despair. My letters, my pictures, they were all I had of her. If we get caught, I won’t even have that anymore. Oh, Anna, I’m so sorry about your music box… she thought, just as a blinding rage, something she had never felt before, gripped her entire being. We’re gonna’ get out of here, if it kills us, we will! she vowed silently.

  “Anyway, your mom said go to her, ask her to give you a place to stay.” her friend finished as she closed the heavy door and locked it.”

  “Where did you get the key?”

  “Oh. This is the spare, from your brother’s office. Your mom must have distracted him and got it, somehow. Luckily, I was one of the ones who was in charge of cleaning his office, remember? So when they find us gone, everyone will think I took it.”

  Zamora didn’t know if she should rejoice for her mother’s help, or cry. She would most likely never see her again, if they actually did manage to escape. She wouldn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.

  Liz could see her fear and hesitation, but knew if they didn’t move soon, they would both end up in a living hell unlike anything any one of them had ever experienced. Grabbing her friend‘s free hand, she tugged and hissed, “Let’s get going. We’ll really need the biggest head start we can manage. They’ll even come to town looking for us, you know that! If we make it there, we’ll have to find a place to lay low until my auntie comes.”

  Not letting go of her friend’s hand, she began running with her, at the same time letting out a heartbreaking sob.

  “Shhhhh!” Liz cautioned.

  Bye Momma, I love you…. she thought..

  ***********************************************

  Ezekiel sat with the other elders, wishing he was anywhere but there. He looked out over the meeting hall. The men were all sitting ramrod straight as they listened to his father lecture. His eyes came to rest on the man that would soon be his brother-in-law. He felt his fists tighten, and anger almost overtook him. Why didn’t father listen to me? How can he have my sister, his own daughter, marry that animal? He looked at the women in the back, their heads bowed, eyes closed, and cast downwards. Are they happy? he asked himself silently. He saw his mother’s shoulders shaking silently, and instantly knew she was crying, no doubt for Zamora. She had had as little success as he had trying to convince his father to not consent to the prearranged marriage. He suddenly felt so powerless, so helpless, that he wanted to scream, rant, and rail. Against what, he wasn’t exactly sure, yet. Looking at his wife, he frowned even more. She had actually been happier the last few days than she ever had before. Very pleasant, and humming all the time as she carried out her daily duties. It was totally out of character for her.

  “Women have been the reason many Godly men have fallen from grace, my Brothers! Take a look at the outside world! Women fornicating wantonly! Having children out of wedlock! And the demons they bear wreak havoc! We must stand strong, or the same will happen to US! If we don’t stand strong, we will be doomed, same as the wicked! Rule your homes with an iron hand, Brothers!” his father roared, amidst shouts of “Amen.”

  Oh crap, he’ll be going on for hours tonight, I can tell… Ezekiel thought, just as movement from his peripheral vision caught his attention.

  Turning, he saw one of the elders, who himself was supposed to have been preaching to Zamora at the moment, motioning frantically for him just outside the doorway.

  Quietly, (he was the only one who was allowed to leave while his father preached) he stepped outside and closed the door. Grabbing the man‘s arm, he quietly asked, “What is it, brother Luke?”

  “Elder, it’s…it’s your sister, she isn’t in the meditation room! I don’t know how she got out, the door was locked! I swear, elder, I never let the key the Prophet entrusted me with out of my sight for one second! There was no sign of tampering with the door, I’ve looked all over the compound, but couldn’t find her! And Liz Beth is missing, too! She was supposed to be helping watch the children.” he stammered in fear, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

  So, they have ran away…. he thought. Looking at the man, he sighed heavily, a grim look on his face, “Go join the meeting, and say nothing of this. You know how much father hates being interrupted. I’ll inform him myself, in private, later. Don’t you worry, I’ll find them. I know all of Zamora’s favorite hiding places, from when we were younger. Besides, I don’t want to see them punished, since they are both to be married tomorrow. It would be unfair to their husbands-to-be, their actions would bring shame upon them. You are exonerated of all responsibility in this matter, Brother.”

  Tremendously relieved, the man babbled, “Certainly, elder, certainly! You are both compassionate and merciful!” Turning on shaky legs, he hurried inside and shut the door behind him.

  Sprinting in the direction of the only vehicle owned by the compound (a battered old school bus) Ezekiel opened the door, stepped up inside, and snatched the keys out of the ignition.

  Stepping back out, he hurled the keys onto the roof of the closest building, then set about a sham search of the compound, his lips beginning to tremble even as they began smiling. His vision blurred and tears of joy began streaming down his face. Stumbling briefly, he lifted his eyes to the heavens, and for the first time in his life, offered up a genuine payer.

  “Dear Lord, watch over them, guide them, and protect them, I beg of you. Run, Zamora, RUN!” he croaked.

  ************************************************

  Waiting in line at the counter, the young black girl waited to pay for the candy bar she was holding. Her stomach rumbled with hunger as she tried to
ignore the man directly behind her as he leaned close and whispered in her ear. Completely unnerved, she placed the candy bar back on the shelf and turned to leave.

  ***********************************************

  Raven rubbed her temples, hoping to ease the stress headache that had been plaguing her for the last week. She had made the four-hour trip from her home in Harlan Kentucky, to Louisville, but turned up nothing on her sister. It was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth. Makena, you have to be alive. I couldn’t handle losing you, little girl… she thought.

  The dinging of the small cowbell that hung above the Truck Stop door startled her, and she looked up to see her traveling companion, Carlito Sanchez, come walking in. He was a tall, powerfully built man, and he drew nervous looks from most of the men inside, and looks of pure lust from several of the women. She had to admit, even herself, that her long-time friend was fine as hell. He stood six foot four, and possessed a powerfully built body that was enough to make any girl swoon. He was wearing black jeans that showcased his long, athletic legs, and the black, short sleeve tee shirt he was wearing did nothing to hide his broad, muscular chest, and his bulging, tattooed biceps. That, along with his black haircut in a short, spiky style, and his dark eyes, gave him that gorgeous bad-boy look that made women flock to him like moths to a flame. She snickered derisively and shook her head when she noticed a woman sitting near her giving her a nasty look as she realized Carlito was making his way to her table.

  He slid his big body into the seat across from her. “I did some checking, but there are no reports of any African American Jane Does of any age, dead or alive, in the county. I even went to the hospital in the next town and sweet talked a nurse into letting me check the records for the timeline Makena went missing. And nothing, again.” He grabbed half of her club sandwich from her plate, took a healthy bite, then grabbed her Coca-Cola and took a big gulp.

  Hearing that, she felt some measure of relief, but it was only temporary. Just because there was no body didn’t mean her sister was still alive. After all, I myself have made sure bodies were never found.. she thought grimly.

  “I thought about going to the police and have a friend file a missing persons report, but we both know that those fucksticks you work for would know every move you‘re making, since they have moles in just about every government office in the country.” he said in a disgusted voice. He left it at that, for the moment, anyway, knowing she was in no mood to hear his opinions on Thorn, and especially Max.

  She did agree, there was no way she could bring the law into her sister’s disappearance. She also didn’t want to think about the possibility of Max having something to do with her disappearance. I wonder how he’s doing, since the last time I saw him? Maybe I should call him. NO! I can’t think about him that way… she silently scolded herself..

  “You still with me?”

  Frustrated, she folded the map she had been studying and slumped against the back of the hard plastic chair. “I’m going back to the research facility where she had been working, and find a way inside. That’s the only solid lead we have to go on. Maybe some answers are there in their computer database, or in some honest-to-God, good old fashioned files.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” he grunted, then, motioning to her untouched half of the sandwich, mumbled, “Ya’ mind?”

  “Help yourself, I’m not even sure why I ordered it. I’m not the least bit hungry.”

  “Thanks.” he mumbled, and began eating in silence.

  Idly, she watched a young, pretty black girl being followed outside by a tall, lanky, suspicious looking black man who was dressed in the usual urban gear common for young men these days. To her, the mousy looking girl seemed out of place and frightened. No one else seemed to be paying attention, but she had a trained eye for human behavior, and something definitely didn’t seem right to her. Not surprisingly, her big friend picked up the bad vibes himself, immediately.

  “Saw that ass peddler pushing up on her as soon as she stepped off the bus. The fucktard just ain‘t giving up, either.” he managed around a mouthful of the sandwich. Narrowing his dark eyes, he watched them through the window. It looked as if the man was trying to convince the girl to talk to him.

  They both watched in silence as the girl shook her head in the negative at something the man said.

  To Raven, there was something about the woman she found intriguing…her seeming innocence. That, and the fact she reminded her of her sister somewhat. Similar in stature, and she had the same mocha colored skin.

  Suddenly the man began raising his voice, talking so loudly and aggressively it was easy for both of their trained ears to hear the line of BS he was laying on her.

  ********************Outside**********************

  “Come on, baby girl! Give Daddy Slim just one minute, you won’t regret it! Listen here, Slim will sho’ nuff take care of you, sweety! Shee-it, I can get you out of them dull, mousy clothes and into something nice! I could get that long, beautiful hair of yours done up right, too. Shee-it, girl, you would be looking’ as fine as Beyonce‘!” he grinned, looking her up and down. Shit, I might make her my main bitch, after I’m done with her myself, of course… he thought, certain that the little farm girl would swallow the lines that had worked so many times before. And he wasn’t kidding, with the right clothes and make-up, he knew some johns that would pay extremely well for some young, fresh meat. And he could tell that this one was as fresh as they came.

  “No thank you, sir.” she said in a frightened voice.

  Man, can I make some fat coin off this bitch. After I’m done with her, I’ll have her work out of my crib for awhile before I put her with the rest of the rundown ho’s. She could make up for the money I’ve lost on Yvette… he thought. A little too late, he now regretted cutting up one of his ho’s, but the sixteen year old girl had been caught holding out on him, instead, sending it to her kid for his second birthday. He hadn’t meant to kill her, just wanted to teach her a lesson and set an example for the other girls to see. But he had gotten carried away, as he so often did whenever one of them had the nerve to back sass him.

  “Please, excuse me sir.” the girl whispered through lips that were trembling. Beginning to walk away on shaky legs, she let out a small cry as the man reached out and seized one of her arms in a painful grip. Looking up at him, she was further terrified to see that his phony smile had been replaced with a nasty sneer.

  No more nice shit! This bitch don’t know who she’s messing with!… he thought. “Come on! You going with me whether you like it or not, so don‘t make me have to mess you up!”

  So frightened she couldn’t cry for help, she looked around wildly and spotted a group of men in the parking lot, but no one seemed to notice her predicament. At the very least, a few of them seemed to be pointedly ignoring it.

  In truth, they all knew who Slim was. He was a very well known pimp at several truck stops, and was not the kind of man a person wanted to cross. No one wanted to risk their own lives for a girl no one knew.

  “Come on, bitch!“ he snarled, and began dragging her towards a pimped out, dark purple BMW.

  Digging her heels in, she tried to resist, but he was simply too strong for her. “Pleeeeease, sir, I just want to go home.“ she wailed, and began to cry.

  “I think it’s clear the young lady doesn’t want to party with you.”

  Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned and saw a tall black woman standing behind them. She was dressed in a brown leather vest, brown leather pants, and matching boots.

  “Bitch, this is family business, and that’s my sister my man is talking to! Mind your own business, SISTA‘, before you get fucked up!” a rather robust woman with long mauve braids said as she stepped out of the pimp mobile.

  Ignoring the ranting woman, Raven remained focused on the frightened young girl. “These two pieces of human waste your family?” she asked.

  The girl wildly shook her head no.

  Holding out
her hand, Raven beckoned the girl to come to her. “Why don’t you come over here with me, honey.”

  The girl tried to tear free from the man’s grasp, but failed.

  Yanking the young girl’s arm viciously, the man looked at the robust woman and said, “Peaches, take care of the bitch for Daddy Slim!”

  “Alright, it’s ON! I’m gonna’ fuck you up, bitch!“ the woman screamed, then sprung into action. To everyone else her movements seemed lightning quick. To everyone but Raven.

  Stepping aside almost casually, Raven’s left hand shot out and dealt a blow to the hollow of the woman’s throat.

  The woman’s blood shot eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and she dropped to the pavement where she began wheezing and struggling for breath.

  Seeing one of his best girls rolling around on the ground, it enraged Slim when he thought about all the money he would lose if she had to go to the hospital. In amazement, he looked more closely at the woman who had taken her down with a single blow. The woman had a smug smile on her dark face. One hand rested on her lush hip in nonchalance, and she seemed to not care at all that Peaches was obviously badly injured. In fact, she dropped her hand and stepped over her, slowly walking in his direction.