Freeney

by Clay Zimmerman

  Freeney paused for a moment to let what he was saying seep into the collective consciousness. Even he was impressed with the ingenuity of his dark overlord’s stratagem for recruitment.

  “The American Revolutionaries were well aware of this as evidenced by the Statue of Liberty herself in all her glory. Does she ever find it in herself to turn away anyone from the promised land at Ellis Island, hmm? No. As she stands firm and resolute, a beacon of justice in an otherwise naïve world, with her glorious crown of horns, her book of reason and her torch of righteousness she so appropriately lifts towards the cowards in Heaven, incinerating them!”

  The nefarious congregation cheered and applauded as though he had just unveiled a power point presentation for ending world hunger.

  “But, my friends, I, Freeney, champion of the voiceless, do not stand before you today with mere words. I bring you results!”

  With this, he motioned to three teams of imps standing by to his right, left and aft. The grotesque gathering watched in awe as Simon’s minions tugged and pulled on tightly woven ropes which could now be seen to have been looped through individual locations throughout the rafters, forming a pulley system. Their efforts revealed the mutilated body of Pastor Barry Coleman, bound by each wrist and tied by the ankles. They raised him feet first to a point prominently displayed above and behind Freeney’s head, ultimately obscuring the defaced image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Coleman’s dress shirt was hanging over his head due to gravity, revealing an upside cross which had been gruesomely etched into his skin along with the numbers 6-1-1. A hush came over the throng of hooligans as they absorbed the spectacle before them.

  Freeney was quick to fill the silence with more propaganda. He gestured at the carcass with an open palm. “This, here, is the steward of this very house of iniquity we now occupy. He’d named it Abundant Grace. Where is your abundance now? Where is your grace, goody two shoes?” He openly mocked the deceased Coleman.

  “This man would have us relegated to obscurity while he and his little playmates revel in the fruits of plenty, which was to be OUR birthright!”

  Lost in translation was Freeney’s attempt to gain interactive responses from his audience but, realizing their obliviousness, he redirected his criticism to the uninhabited vessel which once housed Pastor Barry Coleman.

  “Does your arrogance know no bounds, hmm? Even our mere presence in your institution is undeniable proof of the viability of our claims. For what kind of benevolent God would knowingly leave you to the devices of the Great Freeney’s wrath?” Freeney capped off his unchallenged volley with a bevy of pelvic thrusts. “Booyah! Booyah!”

  The mob could scarcely contain themselves, they erupted with jubilation. Gary was taking the liberty of recycling many of his points to the larger audience but he was growing skilled at driving home his theses.

  Simon continued his tirade. “O, what’s the matter?” He further mocked his nemesis. “Cat got your tongue? Well, if you don’t want to contribute to the discussion, that’s fine. But if you’re not too busy, we were hoping you’d stick around with us as our special guest. That’s right, we certainly don’t mind if you……hang around!”

  Freeney burst into an uncalled for laughing fit at this feeble attempt at humor. The crowd loved it. His popularity was soaring to dizzying heights.

  “But wait! Wait, I’m not done yet.” Simon tried desperately to calm himself down, he was clutching at his heart. “I’ve yet another surprise for you, my brethren in enlightenment.”

  He nodded at a duo of imps standing at attention next to the large wooden altar table. The ceremonial cloth which naturally overlaid the tabletop was long enough to drape down to the floor. Freeney’s underlings carefully lifted it off of the ground and folded it over the top to reveal a makeshift prison cell with iron bars cruelly bolted, containing a disheveled Challista Coleman. She at least had been afforded the dignity of remaining fully clothed, however, so limited was the space in which she was confined that she was forced to stand on her hands and knees like a dog. Her make up ran down her face freely as she sobbed and wept, struggling to digest the horrid scenario she faced.

  “That’s right. It’s the meddlesome encroacher’s wife, on all fours like the bitch that she is. And get this, not twenty four hours ago, I did violate her and she participated willingly! Aahahahahahaha! What’s the matter? Choir boy not exactly ringing the ol’ church bells at home, I take it? Ooh, ooh. Don’t look now, lover girl, but I think he’s got a better chance of reaching them from his current position. Aahahahaha! So don’t say I never did you any favors, you miserable whore!”

  Challista burst into hysterics at the terrible psychological beat down she was suffering. She was completely bankrupt mentally and emotionally.

  “That’s two. Two gifts I bring you!” Freeney glowered like a tasteless Sesame Street count. “Double your pleasure! Double your fun!”

  With this he devolved into an end zone celebration style, Macarena inspired exclamation point. The congregation responded in like, resuming their unsavory activities with renewed vigor.

  The festivities were cut short however, when the wooden double doors at the entrance were swung open dramatically and a posse of hellions made their way down the main aisle toward the worship area. They were all singing triumphantly and chanting, “Hail Satan!’’ and ‘‘U-S-A! U-S-A!’’

  A senior leadership imp made his way to the forefront, shoving and pushing his way through the mass with great urgency. In his claws, he clutched a beautifully embroidered, leather bound, ancient, sacred book which he presented to Freeney. The imp leader beamed like a Labrador who’d retrieved a man sized duck from the marshes during a hunting expedition.

  Freeney regarded this with awesome severity as it shimmered and glowed in his hands. He was lost for a moment in his thoughts as he examined the artifact.

  When he came to, the imp leader was wrapping up his testimonial about it’s recovery.

  “And you’ll never believe where it was.” He concluded. “At the adult bookstore!”

  Chapter 19

  Maddy returned to consciousness in her own bed, rays of a soon to be setting sun shining through her bedroom window. She’d cried herself to sleep for the second time in a row earlier that morning and now sleep had become the enemy. The breakfast table had harbored an anxious set of parents and she’d made the decision upon arrival to simply tell them whatever they wanted to hear. It didn’t solve any of her real world problems but it would at least buy her time and give her a safe zone with which to build out from. She’d solicited the narrative that she’d succumbed to the peer pressure of a joint or something, ‘she couldn’t remember which’, and that was the cause of all the confusion. In the end, she didn’t have much choice. If she’d stuck to her original story, the truth, they would’ve branded her as a liar. Now she was just being ‘rebellious’. Who knows what consequences they could’ve come up with given the responsibility of her younger brother’s well being tossed into the mix for consideration. Are so many eldest siblings unwittingly made into examples? She could be sent to a boarding school, maybe even a mental institution.

  The Henley’s weren’t happy about it but she could tell her father at least was relieved internally to know he was right and everything was perfectly explainable. She’d thrown him a bone, bolstering his perception of reality, which subconsciously might have been all he really wanted to begin with. At the very least, in her mind, she may just be able to salvage a bit of normalcy for her little brother’s upbringing, seeing as how her’s was already a distant memory, she was beginning to concede.

  Then again, what favors would she truly be doing for Jimmy by hiding her head in the sand? Especially with that thing out there. It had come for him, she recalled, and if it weren’t for Rory, it would have been him.

  Ultimately, her lie was nothing more than a stall tactic and she knew it. But now that the dream world, with all it’s pleasantries and attractions, had been used up, there would be more stalling to
do because she did not know how to fix things. Patrick would, though. And his loss was weighing heavily now. Whatever she was going to do, however, she had better come up with something quick because as soon as daddy finds out that gun is missing, she will almost certainly become the main suspect.

  Madison Henley pulled the comforter over her eyes hoping everything would just go away. Predictably, her doldrums were interrupted by a tapping noise coming from her window.

  What now? She was tempted to ignore it. The last time something interfered with her slumber, she’d been treated to a vision of her schoolmate’s mangled carcass murmuring her name from beneath her own mattress. But when she reluctantly flipped the covers off of her eyes, she couldn’t be more relieved to see Patrick’s hapless face peering in from the other side of the bedroom window pane. She leapt off of her mattress like a child on Christmas morning and rushed over to the window. What is this; some twisted episode of ‘Clarissa Explains It All’? Maddy unlatched the slide locks with unadulterated glee and drug her friend in by the collar of his shirt. He awkwardly collapsed into a pile at her feet. It wasn’t the most graceful of entrances but she could care less. Her one friend whom she could count on, her one true ally and none more sympathetic to her struggle had made a miraculous return.

  “Patrick!” She exclaimed in a hushed voice.

  “You can see me?” Patrick was struggling to compose himself.

  “Of course, I can see you, silly. How are you here right now?”

  “I think I have powers.”

  He coolly sidestepped the question and she wasn’t going to pry much further, sensing it was a long winded story. She had what she wanted from the equation and one ought not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  Maddy was so appreciative of his reemergence, she seized him by the shoulders and planted a firm kiss on his unsuspecting mouth. For all the jovial teasing and prodding he’d imparted on Rory, it was Patrick’s turn to display a beet red boyish blush, revealing his age. Madison covered her mouth as she giggled flirtatiously. Patrick wanted nothing more than to explore the sensations of the young infatuation more carefully but the threat of being swallowed up by the ever vengeful legal system loomed large over the both of them. This was no time for celebration. No, the problems couldn’t delay being faced and Patrick’s remarkable maturity which belied his age would once again surface. Besides, without a solution to all this drama, there would be no enjoying the rewards of life for any substantial period of time and they were both aware of this.

  “Oh, Madison. I didn’t know you cared.” Patrick beamed as he wiggled his eyebrows comically.

  “Shut up!” Playfully slapping his arm.

  “Listen, toots. I’d love to stick around n’ smooch with yas all day but we really gotta figure something out.”

  “I know. What are we going to do?”

  “I still think our best bet is Pastor Coleman. If he doesn’t know what to do to help us, no one does.”

  They weren’t the most comforting of words. So far, adult assistance had proven to be a formidable opponent. But at least now they had each other and things were looking brighter. You just can’t put a price on the unwavering support of a camaraderie forged by fire.

  “Well, I guess we can rule out getting that pistol back.” Maddy quipped.

  “No kidding.”

  “Church is far, though. How are we going to get there?” But no sooner had she uttered the words then it dawned on her. A light bulb had clicked on over her head and it was a bright one. “Unless…..” She trailed off as the possibilities marched out in a procession through her mind’s eye.

  “What?”

  “Why don’t we just take it?”

  “Take what?”

  “The car.”

  “Which one? That one?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  It was a duly pointed question. Why not? And certainly, at this point, there could be little argument against it. They were desperate and they were fresh out of meaningful bridges to worry about burning. Put someone’s back against a wall and never be surprised at what they could be capable of.

  “Let’s just take it, Patrick.” Maddy reasoned. “It’s not like we can get in any more trouble than we’re already are in, anyway. If it doesn’t work out with Pastor Coleman, we can just drive. We can just get out of here and start over. Move to a different state. It might be hard at first but at least we’d have each other.”

  The logic was riddled with flaws but that was last on Patrick’s young brain. It was naively sweet none the less. Patrick searched her dark brown eyes for any sign of doubt and there was none.

  “Ok, how is this going to work? Do I go out the window and sneak back around out front and wait for you?”

  “Can you drive?”

  “Yes. I think so.”

  “OK, come on. Let’s get moving. But you gotta be real quiet.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I will be.” Patrick gave a look of gross understatement.

  Maddy cracked open her bedroom door and peered out into the hallway, checking both directions.

  “Ok, coast’s clear. Let’s go.” She whispered.

  Patrick followed close behind, mindful he was entering hostile territory once again. Long gone was the convenient advantage of stealth he’d been afforded back at the precinct. Luckily the floor on the second story was carpeted and the staircase, though it was endowed with several demanding, tight turns, was no more than a couple of yards from Madison’s bedroom door. The duo crept carefully and were fairly proficient at sneaking as some teenagers are, if they aren’t overly clumsy. Of course, no amount of caution could prevent certain household noises from occurring due to the shifting of weight and subsequent drafts transferring from various chambers. Other than that, they’d made it down the majority of the intimate staircase, which was now curling around to the main foyer of the household, without incident before Maddy was forced to make an abrupt halt.

  It was Bruiser, the family Pomeranian. She was staring up at Maddy, her tongue hanging in anticipation from a signature oblivious, stupid expression. Unfortunately, the timing of their daring escape was coinciding with Bruiser’s hopes for playtime. Maddy was mortified. She was well aware of the pup’s vocal capabilities.

  “Not now, princess. We’re busy. Go away now.”

  Maddy directed the adorable doggy, gesturing with her finger to ‘go over there’. This, of course, only served to further excite the varmint as it predictably confused her instruction with an invitation to play. It yipped gleefully, hopping up and down, yearning to get a piece of whatever it was concealed in her hand. Maddy deftly snatched up the critter, nestling it’s snout in the crux of her arm like a baby, muffling the air splitting voice.

  “Shh. Shush.” She cajoled.

  It finally got the message and relaxed, distracted by the avalanche of attention.

  Maddy breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her head around to check on her friend and that’s where her eye caught a glimpse of someone standing at the top of the staircase, in the little miniature hallway area connecting the bedrooms and overlooking the main foyer. It was big Bob Henley, nonplussed as one might imagine, a look of disturbance and confusion causing his facial features to scrunch up like a crumpled brown paper bag.

  “Maddy, what’s going on out here? What….”

  His focus fell timely on young Patrick, the identified threat to the wellbeing of the middle aged man’s household.

  “Hey! What are you doing here? I thought I told you never to come back here!” Bob’s eyes were flaring with the type of rage that puts the fear of God in men. Never challenge a man in his own home. Especially involving his family. Especially involving ‘daddy’s little angel’. And especially don’t get caught!

  The jig was up.

  Maddy plopped the fluffy animal onto the linoleum flooring surface as though it were a burlap sack known to house scorpions. Thanks a lot, mutt! It skittered across the ground, claws scratching and tapping wildly as it adjusted, bark
ing at all the hysteria.

  Maddy slung herself around the banister at the bottom of the staircase and angled toward the doorway to the garage, located in the modest corridor separating the foyer from the kitchen. Luckily, the car keys hung seductively on a hook directly across from the door so one could effortlessly grab them on their way to the car port. And this was precisely what she did in one fluid motion as she bumped open the garage door with her hip. She could sense Patrick closely behind in tow. The giant had caught Jack red handed. Mr. Henley hadn’t particularly been known for his violent temperament but, then again, Maddy couldn’t recall a more furious expression of betrayal on her father’s face before. She was a good girl and the main culprit who was interfering with that was right there, brazenly sneaking about in his own home. The chutzpah!

  The young couple propelled themselves through the laundry room doorway and into the garage which housed the silver 2007 Suburu hatchback, replete with overhead bike rack. There wasn’t a moment to spare. Patrick slammed the door behind him, anything to buy them a bit of extra ground, as Maddy clicked the Suburu open with the press of a button on the remote key ring. The family vehicle sprung to life with a flicker of yellow and white flashes. They were in their respective seats in no time and Madison was mindful to lock the doors as a priority as soon as they were.

  No sooner had she done this than Bob’s formidable mitts slammed onto the windshield, demanding their attention. They were followed in rapid succession by Mr. Henley’s bewildered, desperate features. His pleas could easily be heard on the other side of the plexi-glass.