by Matt Rogers
He said, ‘That’s not true.’
She said, ‘I know it is, darling. Like I said, look at them. But don’t you see the potential? I mean, fuck me. How did we get so lucky? They’re already eating up every word. They’ll be fully converted as soon as we dose them with a full hit of Bodhi, and then imagine what they can do for us.’
He said, ‘You mean recruiting?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, Dane. Are you really going to stand there and play the moron?’ She stewed, chewing her lower lip with a rabid quality. ‘You know … you’ve been doing an awful lot of that lately.’
‘Of what?’
‘You’re wishy-washy. You were hesitant about killing that girl at the motel, too. What was her name? Krystal?’
‘Karlie.’
‘Karlie,’ Maeve said, lifting a finger in recognition. ‘You didn’t want her killed.’
Not even the mob talked so brazenly and soullessly. They’d say “disappeared” or “got rid of” or “dealt with.” Maeve, as always, cut straight to the chase. We killed that girl.
He said, ‘I don’t give a shit about the girl. You know that. It was about letting our body count run unnecessarily high.’
‘I’d argue it was very necessary. This commune requires anonymity. Are you losing your spine?’
He stood there, hands clasped in front of him, practically squirming. He looked over her head at the wall behind her, like a soldier standing at attention.
She tutted, filling the silence with her derision. ‘That’s not the husband I know. That’s not the man I married.’
Dane tried to mask a deep inhalation, then said, ‘Back to the point. You want to groom those new girls to lead entire legions of our disciples because they look like supermodels and it’s easy to believe they’re reincarnations of Gaia’s beauty. If we put them in leadership positions, anyone with a penis will worship them, and the women will serve them out of fear and envy.’
Maeve’s eyes seemed to glow. ‘That’s the man I married.’
Dane said, ‘I always understood that. I thought it went without saying.’
Silence.
Horrid silence.
Maeve put down her pen. ‘What are you saying, baby?’
He forced himself not to let his internal squirming show. ‘Just that—’
‘You’re arguing for the sake of arguing these days. Something’s changed in you.’
He went quiet.
She got up and rounded the desk, her dress frills bouncing with each step. She walked right up to him, cupped his face in her hands.
She said, ‘Right now Mother Libertas is like a space shuttle trying to break out of orbit. Do you know a shuttle burns through more fuel in the first couple of minutes of flight than the rest of its trip combined? That’s what we’ve been fighting for all this time. We’re on the cusp. I can’t have you getting cold feet now.’
He said, ‘I’m with you all the way.’
He knew what she was doing, but he could do nothing to stop it. She was using her rhetoric on him, her allegories and her persuasions, the same way she spoke to the disciples.
Suddenly it all clicked for him.
Why he’d been so discontent lately, why he didn’t think the same as her anymore.
When they’d started the cult, they’d been on the same wavelength. They understood it was all a ruse, a front for amassing power, and they both relished it. He still loved that side of it. Nothing made him happier than plotting, scheming, looking for better methods of converting new disciples. But Maeve Riordan was starting to believe her own bullshit.
That was the missing puzzle piece.
A destructive charismatic can only use their powers of persuasion for so long before they start convincing themselves. She truly thought she was omniscient, above the rest of humanity, just because she could spin a good tale and lead a cult of worshippers. She’d spent so long feeding them her lies that they’d festered in her own mind.
She was speaking to her husband, the man who knew her down to her core, like he was a newcomer that needed brainwashing.
Despair filled him as her fingers dug harder into his cheeks, because he realised there was nothing he could do.
How could he resist? How could he make an enemy of her? She had two hundred rabid followers on this land that would tear him limb from limb if she so much as asked them to restrain him.
And he could see in her eyes that she was fully aware of that.
She said, ‘Are you going to do what I say, baby?’
‘Yes.’
‘How can I be sure?’
‘What choice do I have?’
Her eyes blazed. She let go of his cheeks, gave one of them a condescending pat, then took a step back. Smiled like she was in the grasp of a Bodhi hit, even though she’d never touched the stuff.
‘None,’ she said. ‘None at all.’
39
The mess hall was enormous, and everyone in the cult ate three communal meals a day.
At dinner — their first meal in the commune — Alexis and Violetta got a true sense of the scale of Mother Libertas.
The movement was two hundred strong already, a small army. No wonder the bunkhouses were cramped, the conditions poor. Looking out at the sea of followers as she munched on a serving of chicken casserole and rice, Alexis realised what was going on.
Maeve was implementing a literal version of “growth hacking,” which were the strategies implemented by modern companies to acquire customers fast and cheap, and she’d used Dylan Walcott’s capital to do it. Alexis could imagine the pitch Maeve made to Dylan.
‘I’ll combine my persuasive speeches with chemical compounds to suck in as many lost souls as possible. Then, when I have enough members, I’ll get them all dependent on Bodhi, and use my ever-increasing sphere of influence to amass more and more of their money. I’ll use that money to pay off those in important positions who have the ability to shut us down, get them hooked on Bodhi too, and from there we’ll spread like the plague.’
Walcott would have handed over as much money as she asked for.
Now, beside her, Brandon said, ‘How was your first afternoon?’
Addison sat on the other side of him, head down, eyes on her food.
‘It was great,’ Alexis said. ‘Everyone here is so nice.’
‘There’s word going around that you’ve decided to join us.’
Alexis bowed her head. ‘That’s correct. Maeve is incredible. I can’t imagine a future without her wisdom in it.’
Brandon leant forward to look past Alexis. ‘And you?’
Violetta looked up from her plate. ‘Oh, yes. It’s wonderful.’
‘You don’t sound so convinced.’
‘What would you like me to say?’
‘I don’t know,’ Brandon said, ‘but I expected a little more enthusiasm than that.’
Violetta’s face shifted. ‘Are you doubting my commitment already?’
Brandon said, ‘I—’
Violetta sat forward, too, so they were talking across the space in front of Alexis.
Violetta said, ‘Are you jealous of us or something?’
‘What?’ Brandon said.
‘Stop pretending you’re some big shot here,’ Violetta said. ‘You’re nothing. Maeve already trusts me and she sure wouldn’t like to hear about one of her followers intimidating the new arrivals.’
The colour drained from Brandon’s face, and his eyes went dark — a potent blend of fear and anger. He said, ‘Listen—’
Violetta said, ‘I swear, I’ll go talk to her right now. I’ll tell her all we’re trying to do is assimilate and this farm boy keeps harassing us, asking us too many questions, trying to get in our pants, and it’s really turning us off the whole movement. How do you think she’ll feel about that?’
Violetta spoke in a measured, even tone, not once raising her voice. It created an aura of total control, and it had an immediate effect on Brandon.
He sat back in his seat and stared at his
food, his lips sealed.
Beside him, Addison grumbled, ‘Idiot.’
Directed at her brother, not Violetta.
Violetta settled back, satisfied…
…then pain seized her abdomen.
She squeezed her eyes shut and hunched over. Alexis knew exactly what it was, and sat still, eyes fixed forward. Brandon was emotionally wounded, focused on his food, so he didn’t notice. But Addison leant forward to get a good look at Violetta. There was concern on her face.
‘Are you … cramping?’ she asked.
Through the discomfort, Violetta opened her eyes and fought for control. She smiled and waved it off. ‘No, no, it’s not that. I’d know if it was that, honey. Trust me. I think it’s just digestive issues.’
Addison nodded and returned to her food. Brandon hadn’t joined the conversation, but his eyes sharpened with clarity.
But he took it no further, and Violetta recovered enough to slip back into a jovial mood.
The tension now dissipated, Alexis scanned the mess hall and spotted a man hovering in one of the exit doorways, staring back at her with unrestrained curiosity. He was in his late thirties, Caucasian, with thick brown hair cut short and a neatly trimmed beard. His frame was thin and tall. His shoulders were stooped like he was self-conscious of his height, and his eyes were intense. They didn’t blink once as they watched her.
She figured he was Dane Riordan.
She mouthed, ‘Can we talk?’
Above the heads of a sea of devotees, he nodded once.
She got up.
Violetta said, ‘Where are you going?’
She said, ‘I’ll be back.’
She tried to minimise the attention she drew as she weaved between the long benches and tables, but it was impossible. She was brand new in the commune, and stunning to look at. Half the male eyes in the room were fixed to her backside as she moved to one wall and went around the perimeter of the hall. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to return any long gazes.
The unwanted attention made her think about what Maeve wanted with her and Violetta.
The cult leader was probably frothing at the mouth thinking about what she could use them for.
Any man would listen to them.
Any man would serve them on the off chance they returned the affection.
They could recruit hundreds for Mother Libertas.
Maybe thousands.
Dane could see it too.
She approached him and stared up at him in the doorway. ‘Hey.’
‘Hi,’ he said.
His voice was quiet and reserved. He was more introverted than his wife. It seemed Maeve was the performer and he was the director, but Alexis knew Maeve was too smart to simply fulfil the role of the air-headed actress getting fed lines. Maeve probably wrote most of them herself.
Dane said, ‘Everyone’s staring at you. Should we talk outside?’
‘They’re not staring at you?’ Alexis said, not taking her eyes off him.
‘No,’ he said. ‘They’re not.’
She let him lead her out through the corridors that framed the perimeter of the mess hall, and they stepped outside into a crisp cold night. The blanket of stars overhead was mind-boggling in its intensity. Weak exterior lights cast a dim glow around the mess hall and the church, but the bunkhouses were shrouded in darkness.
Alexis put her hands in her pockets and exhaled a cloud of breath. ‘I’m Alexis. Pleased to meet you.’
‘Dane. Likewise.’
‘My friend and I are interested in staying here permanently. That’s if you think we’re a good fit, of course.’
He said, ‘So I’ve heard. My wife says you’ve got great potential.’
‘We do?’ Alexis said, batting her eyelashes.
Dane said, ‘I know what you’re doing.’
40
She didn’t outwardly react. ‘Do you?’
For the first time he smirked, and it was like his face opened up. He crawled out of his shell, if only for a moment. ‘You get what you want from men.’
She said, ‘Sometimes.’
‘Tell me about the last time you didn’t get what you wanted.’
She let the silence unfold. ‘Well, I’m not exactly important, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m broke and lost. Seems like you think I’m some sort of manipulative mastermind when I can’t even figure out what I want in life.’
‘That’s by your own choice. Now you’ve made the choice to be here. Now you can start getting what you want.’
She said, ‘Will you help me with that?’
The smirk was still plastered on his face. ‘You trying a hostile takeover on Maeve? Out with the old girl, in with the new?’
She said, ‘You’re getting the wrong idea from this. I’m just a—’
‘A simple wanderer,’ Dane finished. ‘I know. Maeve heard it, but she didn’t believe it either. We think you have potential. You and your friend, but moreso you.’
‘Potential for what?’
‘That’ll come in due course,’ he said. ‘Right now it’s our intention to make this as pleasant as possible for you. So if there’s anything you need, anything at all, come see us. If your room isn’t good enough, or you’re lacking in any supplies, tell us.’
You could do it now, Alexis thought.
Dane’s guard was down, and she could take his back and lock in a rear naked choke before he understood what was happening. She could choke him out right here in the dirt, go up to the farmhouse and get the jump on Maeve before she could arm herself.
But if at any point in that long sequence she made a single mistake, someone would raise the alarm and two hundred fanatical disciples would descend on her and Violetta.
So instead of killing him she said, ‘There’s one thing.’
He raised an eyebrow.
She said, ‘A suggestion. You might want to look into it. Unless I’m speaking out of turn. If you don’t want my advice, I understand.’
‘Why wouldn’t I want your advice?’
‘Because I’m just a—’
‘I thought we dispensed with that,’ he said.
He was being careful with his words, and so was she. She figured she’d put out the first proper feeler. It might win his trust, or it might make her a prime target for suspicion.
But it was a gamble she figured she needed to take.
She said, ‘Okay. If you’re willing to dispense with it, I am too. I sort of understand what you’re doing here. Or, at least, I think I do. I want to help you spread the cause, but I’m not overly concerned about “the cause” itself. Does that make sense?’
After a long, painful silence, Dane said, ‘You say that in front of any of the followers and they’ll execute you for heresy.’
She doubled down. ‘Then it’s a good thing none of them are around to hear it.’
He put his hands behind his back and stared at her, trying to squeeze the weakness out of her. She didn’t give an inch. She stared right back at him.
He said, ‘Yes. That is a good thing.’
Inwardly, the tensed coil relaxed again.
He said, ‘What’s your advice?’
‘I met two guys at a bar a couple of nights ago,’ she said. ‘I think they might be of use to you.’
‘How so?’
But his eyes were already alight.
You already know about them, Alexis thought. And their exploits in Gillette.
She said, ‘They were loose cannons. But I think they’d be perfect for your operation, if you can convince them. I don’t think they’re the sharpest tools in the shed, so they should cave pretty easily to Maeve’s persuasions. They’re ex-military, and they were running their mouths off about how they’d just roughed up half the town’s criminal population. I don’t think they like mainstream society all that much. They don’t mesh with it. If they were telling the truth about their exploits, and you brought them in, they could make you practically immune to dissidents. And they’d br
ing the security of this commune to another level.’
He soaked in her every word, pensively quiet.
She continued. ‘I don’t know much about them. One was white and the other was black. They were both massive, like two hundred pounds of muscle each. I got the vibe they were telling the truth about what they’ve done, what they’re doing, what they want. I think they’d be a perfect fit.’
He didn’t say a word.
She kept going. ‘I’m going to be blunt here, and I hope you forgive me. You’re going to need a militia to take this thing to the next level. Like your own private paramilitary force. I think those guys are the perfect place to start. Just an idea. If you think I’m being too forward, well … I guess now I have a vested interest in the growth of this community. If we’re on the same page…’
He scratched the stubble along the base of his jaw.
Instead of responding, he turned and surveyed the settlement. Looked out at the buildings, at the darkness beyond them, then turned his gaze back to Alexis.
He said, ‘From what I gather, you’re implying this whole commune — and the beliefs it was founded on — are nothing but a sham, a parlour trick.’
Alexis said, ‘Interpret what I said however you wish. And respond to it however you wish. I’m at your mercy.’
He liked that.
After years of what could only have been an impossible relationship with a literal psychopath, he liked having a beautiful woman subservient to him.
He said, ‘Anything else you can tell me about these men? For example, the true reason you want them here.’
She cocked her head.
He said, ‘Two big strong tough guys? Potential partners for you and your friend, maybe?’
Alexis scoffed and shook her head. ‘They’re empty-headed.’
‘Then why would I want them here?’
‘Let me clarify,’ Alexis said. ‘Their brains are empty in the areas that would make them optimal romantic partners for me and my friend. But in the areas that would make them ruthless killers for you and your wife … those parts are full to the brim.’
‘You took all this from a single conversation?’
‘I’m perceptive,’ Alexis said. ‘Just like how I’ve not even been here a day, but I’ve already made more progress with you than any of those morons in that shed.’
