WnW 2.8

I was still awake when sunlight began to creep up the blinds of the window. Every hour of the night Beth had come to check on me. Even without the constant surveillance, I doubted I would fall asleep, so instead, I schemed. 

The visit from the neighbours had left an impression on me. They were not mindless drones led by a charismatic leader. Aaron wasn’t that smooth or manipulative. He led them by fear. Fear of the outside world, fear of some impending coming of their God, and fear that they would be forced to ‘donate’ to prove their faith. The gifts were miraculous to be sure, but I doubted that would make someone part so easily with a limb. So much fear would make them irrational. I suspected given the right push, they would turn on Aaron and each other. But what was the right push?

I thought about how Aaron had linked the donations to the prosperity of the farms. It seemed simple, destroying the farms would incite the neighbours, their precious reward lost, their faith shaken. But how…

I heard footsteps approaching and then Beth’s cold gaze peered through the crack in the door. The footsteps receded and I was left wondering how I could do anything when I was being watched constantly.

As I continued to ponder, I heard vehicles driving around outside. There were voices in the hall and I went to the door to listen. It was Beth speaking but the front door was open and I couldn’t make out the words over the sound of vehicles arriving at the property. Was the cult meeting?

Footsteps came closer and I returned to sitting on the bed. To my surprise, the eyes peeking through the crack were lower down.

“Hey,” I said.

Gail opened the door. She was sniffing and her eyes were wet.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Gail stuck her lip out, pouting. “Momma says I need to watch you.”

My heart beat faster. Was she busy with something else?

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m not scary, you don’t need to be upset.”

Gail frowned. “That’s not why! There’s a rerun of High School Rule on TV and I haven’t seen this episode before. I told Momma that this is the one where Jess Jance finds out that her crush is actually the heir of the lord of the rival school and she has to beat him in a dance off if she wants to save her friend, before she is sacrificed.”

I blinked, unsure of what the tone of the show was.

“It’s important, but Mom said she needed me to watch you instead.”

An idea began to form in my head and I asked, “Gail, have you seen your brother?”

She looked down at the floor. “No, he’s hiding again. He likes to hide and eat spiders.”

I brushed that last comment off as just kids being strange. “Do you know why he has those bruises?” I asked gently.

She nodded quietly.

“How does that make you feel?”

“I don’t know.” She traced a circle on the floor with her foot. “Papa said he needed to be punished.”

“I just want to make sure he’s okay. Do you know where he usually hides?”

“In the barn or in the garage, but you can’t leave, Momma said so.” Gail looked up, pouting again.

“You care about him, don’t you?”

She nodded sullenly.

“Then, tell you what. I’ll go check on him and you can go watch TV. I’ll be back soon, and I’ll tell your mom that you were watching me the whole time.”

She seemed to perk up at that. “Really?”

“Really. You’ll have to tell me after what happens in the show.”

“Okay!” she said, beaming, then she ran down the hall and up the stairs, hopping loudly on each one like a rabbit.

Alright, I had a window of time to find Jason but I would need to be quick. Once more, I exited out the window, my hand brushing the flower bushes as I vaulted over the windowsill. There were voices in the yard, so I kept quiet as I went around the house.

There were a number of vehicles parked in a large circle in the middle of the yard. They were bumper to bumper and most of the vehicles were trucks, weathered with rugged use, with some quads and tractors that varied the height of the barrier.

Aaron spoke loudly from the middle, projecting his voice clearly, “The modern age has not been kind to us!”

There were murmurs of agreement from others.

“Our corrupt leaders erect skyscrapers on money taken from our honest work. The youth turn their backs on the traditional values that brought them the lives they take for granted!”

I crouched behind the wheel of a tractor and peered inside the circle. Feet scuffing the dirt and arms wrapped around waists or held clenched at their sides, it was clear there was a throng of people inside, although I couldn’t get a clearer picture than that from where I spied from. The air seemed to buzz with anticipation.

“We do what the immoral cannot,” Aaron proclaimed. “We know the world is rotting from the inside, so we plant the seed for a brighter future!”

“Yes!” someone cried out.

“One where we can teach our children proper values.”

I crept quietly along the outside, catching different glimpses of the people. There were colours and shapes that weren’t just strange clothing, momentary views of fur or horns, but I didn’t hear the sounds of animals. I couldn’t linger to investigate. I kept moving.

“Very soon, God will return to the earth and burn away all that is impure.”

“Amen!”

The quad ahead didn’t give me much cover, so I began to crawl, the garage now in sight.

“Our work is almost complete,” Aaron said.

The crowd was absorbed with Aaron’s speech, so I crawled as quickly as I could to the building. Once the barn blocked my view of the cult, I got up and dusted myself off.

“You all have sacrificed much. For that I am grateful. Allow me to donate again, to prove to you that we are in this together.”

Curiosity piqued, I leaned to the side to peek. I couldn’t see Aaron, but I saw an axe rise and fall. Thunk. 

Aaron’s voice was labored, no longer orating, he said, “Once more.”

Thunk.

“Thank you. Beth, please take it and donate it.”

Beth emerged from a small gap in the circle. She was carrying a small basket, a hand limply hanging over the side. She headed towards the chapel.

I pulled myself away from the scene and entered the garage.

“Jason?” I whispered.

The garage was quiet. I walked around the farming equipment, peering underneath. There were plenty of places to hide, in and around the silent machinery.

“Jason,” I said, louder this time. “I need your help.”

The cab door opened on a tractor that was missing its wheel, tucked away in the corner. Jason poked his head out.

“Hey,” I said, smiling.

“I’ve never seen him hold back like he did to you last night,” Jason said, leaning away from the tractor while holding on with one hand. “I’m scared.”

“Me too,” I said. “That got me thinking about what you said before, about not waiting until it got cold out. You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

Jason shrugged, expression dark.

“Can you tell me about it?”

“I’m not strong enough to beat him. Maybe when I’m older, but I can’t wait that long.”

I nodded, looking at all the tools hanging up on the walls: hammers, chisels, and shovels. All it took was a strong enough emotion to turn tools into weapons.

“You don’t have to beat him,” I said. “Aaron makes you and I play this game where he makes the rules, where it’s all about strength. But you don’t have to play by his rules. There are other ways to win. You could run away, to where he can’t reach you.”

Jason’s eyes grew angry. “I’m not going to run. I’m not leaving without seeing him lose.”

“I thought you might say that. So what’s the plan?”

“I’m going to trap him in the barn and burn it. I’ve been stealing jerry cans filled with gas.”

My mouth dropped open. “You’re gonna kill him?”

Jason looked confused. “He won’t die. He’s invincible. Remember what you did to his arm? It was completely healed after.”

“Aren’t you worried about him retaliating then?”

Jason shrugged angrily. “What else can I do?” Hanging off the tractor, he looked so small. Yet his expression was full of anger and pain.

“I have a different idea,” I said. “Something that should hurt Aaron in a way he can’t heal from.”

Jason cocked his head. “Huh? How?”

I grinned. “By breaking the trust of the neighbours. What do you think? Are you interested?”

Jason nodded, eyes shining with excitement. 

“Aright, here’s the plan…”

He listened with rapt attention as I explained how he could use the gas to burn the neighbours crops. He knew about hiding spots all over the place, so he was much more suited to the task than I was.

“Whatever you do, make sure you aren’t caught,” I said firmly. “Find a place to hide and wait until you hear sirens. Then go talk to the first responders. They should keep you safe.”

“Got it,” he responded, confident.

“Alright, then I have to get back to the house before they find out I left. Go get started.”

Jason nodded and ran to the door. I followed after him. It sounded like the rally was still going on, that was good, I just needed to-

As I stepped outside, I came face to face with Beth. She was still holding the basket that had Aaron’s arm in it. Blood dripped from the wicker bottom, staining the hem of her dress.

She slowly put the basket down and picked up the arm. The flesh was pale and the fingers were limp. She worked a wedding ring off of the hand and then tossed the arm into the weeds behind her.

Jason stood frozen in fear.

“Nick,” she said, voice sweet and cloying. “Would you care to come inside and talk?” It was clear from her tone that she wasn’t asking.