“F-Father, p-please, we won’t—”
“Congregation, is it better to gouge out these followers or allow them to drag us all into the dark?”
My empty stomach churned. When I looked for Sara, she was bent forward with her blonde hair falling down. However, as I stared, she momentarily sat up. Though her eyes were closed, I saw the telltale red blotches covering her cheeks and knew she was crying. I balled my fists, willing myself with every bit of self-control I possessed to remain seated.
I couldn’t comprehend.
Father Gabriel had invited Richards to this service. Surely Richards knew what was going to happen. Could he really have watched this and turned a blind eye? He was a fucking cop, but then again, I was a federal agent and I was watching.
“Yes, Father.” The response to Father Gabriel’s last question was the softest yet.
“Children, do you follow me?”
“Yes, Father.” It was a little louder.
“Do you believe in me?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you trust in me?”
“Yes, Father.” It was getting louder each time.
“Brother Uriel, the decree.”
Brother Uriel pulled two syringes from his jacket and handed them to Brother Abel and Sister Salome. Though they hesitated to take them, they did.
“Father Gabriel’s word tells us that all are to follow the rules of The Light. Correction is to be quick and appropriate. Brother Abel, you chose to take merchandise from the production center for your own use. You put yourself above The Light. As your punishment, Father Gabriel’s decree is to grant your desire and give you more.”
“Roll up your sleeves and show everyone your punishment.”
“P-please,” Sister Salome cried.
The big guy from the hall held her arm while another follower came forward and injected the contents of the syringe.
“N-no, she didn’t do anything,” Brother Abel cried, as his wife fell to the floor.
I wondered what the drug was and how much they were being given.
Was the intent to kill them?
“Brother Abel, your turn.”
Slowly, he did as he was instructed. Immediately after the contents of the syringe were injected he fell to the ground. Their mouths began to foam and their bodies twitched. Without being asked, the big guy and three others came forward, lifted the bodies, and carried them out.
“Children,” Father Gabriel said, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “Correction isn’t pleasant. It’s not meant to be pleasant. It’s meant to keep everyone within The Light safe. When we have malfeasance among us, no one is safe. What do you say for the privilege of knowing that you are now safe?”
“Thank you, Father.”
Blood seeped from my cheek as I bit the soft flesh, controlling my protests.
For the next fifteen minutes, Father Gabriel continued to preach his sermon, talking about the beauty of correction and the importance of obedience.
CHAPTER 21
Sara
Oh my God.
I couldn’t watch and I couldn’t run, but I wasn’t alone. The other wives around me were responding the same way. Women I’d met only an hour ago held my hands. The toast Jacob had made me for breakfast threatened to return. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on keeping it down and not vomiting all over the worn carpet or my new sisters. It was a welcome distraction, because I couldn’t concentrate on what was happening in front of me. I’d seen dead bodies; however, I’d never watched someone die, or, more accurately, be murdered.
This had to stop. The evidence was mounting and both Jacoby and I were witnesses. With each passing second, I wanted nothing more than for the FBI to come running through the doors and stop this horror show. I wanted to look Father Gabriel in the face and tell him who I was and that I was helping to bring him down.
I took deep breaths, concentrating on my role. Although I recognized Brother Uriel as Uriel Harris, the developer, I couldn’t dwell on it. When the scene finally ended, the other wives and I released hands and fell into our own thoughts as Father Gabriel continued to preach.
I wasn’t listening to what he said, nor did I care. With my eyes down, I waited. Eventually people began to move around me, but I remained still, paralyzed by the correction I’d witnessed. And then I heard the one voice that could free me. With the one word, Sara, in his deep tone, the tone that had praised me as well as corrected me, I was able to move.