Blackwater Lights

by Michael M. Hughes

  “But you’re the leader.”

  “Of some, yes. But there are many leaders.”

  “Okay. So you and your organization followed Crawford to keep an eye on him. Why? Can’t you just find someone who isn’t compromised? The FBI, or 60 Minutes, or WikiLeaks … anyone? Just expose everything and get him arrested?”

  Micah sighed. “I wish it were that simple, Ray. His allies are embedded in positions of power—politicians, judges, cops, soldiers. Priests and rabbis. Doctors. Entertainers. They have their tentacles in every industry, every part of society, and wherever there is power there is always someone to corrupt. Humans are quite predictable in their weaknesses. And they build plausible deniability into everything they do.”

  “What about your organization?”

  “We’re smaller and less organized. We operate more as a structure of cells, rather than as a strict hierarchy. We’re decentralized, but we work toward the same goals together. Evolution. Enlightenment.”

  “And stopping them.”

  “Yes. Stopping them. They are impediments to human evolution, dragging the rest of humanity down. Sometimes we win, sometimes they win. But we have no choice but to fight them. And neither do you, Ray.”

  Ray thought that over. “Maybe. But there’s one thing I have to do first. I have to talk to Ellen.”

  Micah waved for Mantu to come into the room. “We logged into your email account,” Mantu said. “It wasn’t hard to guess your password.”

  Ray cursed. Raysimon1—he hadn’t changed it in years.

  Dear Ray,

  I found your email address on your school page. I’m worried about you. I miss you and I need to see you. So please get back to me or I’m going to come looking for you. You can’t leave without saying goodbye or I promise I will drive straight to Baltimore and kick your ass.

  Ellen

  He read it twice. “Shit!” He turned to Micah. “I need to talk to her. Now.”

  “We’ve had a camera monitoring Kevin’s house and driveway for some time, and we have two men keeping an eye on her at all times. We’ll stop her and bring her here if she tries to go to Kevin’s place. Or take her to our safe house. Either way, she’ll be safe. Please don’t worry—I doubt Crawford even knows about her.”

  Bullshit.

  Chapter Twenty

  After a communal dinner, the inner circle—Micah, Mantu, Alan, and, most surprising to Ray, the bookstore owner and Tarot reader, Sara—sat in the dim basement of the church.

  “What do you feel is happening with Crawford?” Micah asked.

  Sara closed her eyes. “There’s a change in the energy. He’s disturbed and angry, and I think he’s worried about someone betraying him. And she—I’m picking up on her most of all.” She opened her eyes and looked at Ray. Her irises were clear blue. “She is pissed. And she’s coming for you.”

  Everyone stared at him.

  “But we’re working protection around him,” Mantu interjected. “So don’t scare the man out of his wits.”

  “He needs to understand, Mantu,” Micah said. “Please don’t interrupt again.”

  Mantu nodded.

  “But we shouldn’t spend too much time on what’s past. There is a quickening—you feel it, too, Sara.”

  Sara nodded. Her fingers rubbed a string of turquoise beads. “Yes. Things are going to happen very quickly. Too fast for me to discern.”

  Micah turned to Ray. “Sheriff Morton is after you. He hasn’t gone public with the photos—not yet. He’s saving those as his ace in the hole.”

  “I need to know Ellen is okay,” Ray said. “I’m not joking. I won’t help you unless you can assure me she’s okay. And her kid, too. They’re important to me.”

  “They’re under a twenty-four-hour watch. If anything changes, we’ll know immediately.”

  “I sure hope you do. And she’d better be safe. I’m trusting you.”

  Micah’s gaze made its way to each person in the circle. “Their energy is disturbed. I’m not sure what’s going on, but Crawford is afraid of losing control. Something is shaking up his hold on power. Maybe it’s Lily, maybe someone else in his command structure. It’s hard to say. But something’s wrong.”

  “We have to move,” Mantu said. He glanced at the others.

  Micah nodded. “This is an opportunity we’ve never had before. On the one hand, they’re trying to find Ray, hoping he’ll lead them to us as a bonus. If they find out about us, we’re finished. We can’t risk that. On the other hand, they’re weak. There is an opening for us that has never previously existed. An opportunity to act.”

  “What do you suggest, Micah?” Alan asked.

  “I need to consult with some of the others,” he said. His brow knotted. “And we may need to call in help before we can act. We were sent here to monitor, not to intervene, and there are too few of us. But we may have to catch them off guard to get a chance to strike. I know only one way to draw them out into the open. That’s to make them think they can have what they want.”

  Around the table, eyes nervously shifted to Ray.

  “Oh, no,” he said. “No way. Fuck no. I already told you, I’m not going to be the bait in this thing. I’ll help in any way I can. But I don’t want to go near them.” He looked at all of them, and no one returned his gaze.

  Micah stood. The skin of his hands hung loosely, and the bags beneath his eyes stretched to his cheekbones. “As I explained to you before, you are not safe and you will never be safe. Not you, not Ellen, not anyone else you love. Ever. You must understand that.”

  “Well, I can’t live the rest of my life hiding from them. They can’t find me if I move somewhere far away. I’ll grab Ellen and William and leave the country if I have to.”

  “They have the photos, Ray. All they need to do is make the photos public. And they have your DNA, too, to plant wherever they wish. And you think you can get away from them? Homeland Security will have you in cuffs the first time you pass through a toll or use an ATM.”

  “I know it’s hard for you,” Sara said.

  “Hard for me?” Ray slammed his fist on the table. “You’re telling me my entire life is over. My job, my friends—everything. Either that or join your crusade and play the good soldier for some cause I don’t understand or even want to understand. Well, I’m not a soldier. I’m a high school teacher. I just want to get away from all of this. I want to be someplace normal. I want my life back.”

  Micah lowered his head. His face sagged. He suddenly looked every year of his age. “We have to kill Crawford,” Mantu said. “And Lily. If we get the opportunity, we have no choice. It would end their operation.”

  A cricket chirped from a dark corner of the basement.

  Micah raised his head. “We need to talk to the others. We can’t just take that kind of unilateral action.”

  “It’s time, Micah. You said it yourself—we may not get this chance again.” Alan shook his head. “Too many would die. And how do you propose we do it? His property is secure. He’s armed to the teeth.”

  “We need to draw them out,” Mantu said.

  “I can’t risk it,” Micah said. “Not without talking to the others first. Not alone.”

  Sara touched Micah’s hand. “I’m afraid we don’t have the time,” she said. “Crawford feels the changes, too. He feels our presence. He knows Ray is alive. And he won’t wait for us to move against him—he’ll strike first.”

  “It’s the sheriff I’m worried about,” Mantu said. “Going door-to-door with his cracker storm troopers. And he’s stupid enough to do something rash.”

  Micah held up his hands. “Enough. I will meditate on this tonight and talk to the others. Mantu, take Ray to the shelter. Sara, you might as well go home—you’ll be safer there if he finds us here. Alan, post a watch around the perimeter. We must be ready for anything.” For the first time, Ray saw a trace of doubt in the old man’s eyes. Or was it fear?

  “Let’s go,” Mantu said. He grabbed Ray’s arm and led h
im out into the darkness.

  They walked past the cascade to a boulder fall on the side of the mountain. Mantu lifted a rotted branch and swept away some dried grass. He reached down and lifted a circular door. “Welcome to the Hotel Blackwater.” He motioned to Ray. “Climb in, preferred customer.”

  Ray swore as he climbed down a metal ladder. “I don’t like this.”

  “This ain’t bad,” Mantu said from above. “You should see the safe house in Harper’s Ferry. Makes this hole look like the Ritz-Carlton.”

  It was only a few steps to the bottom. Ray looked around: an old, ugly Dell PC on a desk, a cot, a few five-gallon bottles of water, and a small refrigerator. A tiny bathroom. A generator hummed beyond one of the walls. It smelled musty and dank.

  Mantu climbed down after him. “I know it’s not much. But no one will find you here. And there’s fresh air pumped in.”

  “It doesn’t smell fresh.” He hated confined spaces, and the odor of mildew was overpowering. “What the hell am I supposed to do with myself?”

  “Chill out. Get some rest. I have no idea what Micah has in mind for you, but this might be your last full night’s sleep for a while. If he’s calling in the big guns, things could get real crazy.” He climbed up and the door shut with a thud.

  Mantu was yelling his name from above.

  Ray awoke with a start. He’d fallen asleep in an awkward position on the cot, and his legs were numb. The air felt thick and hot. Mantu climbed down the stairs and hopped onto the floor. His face was drawn, his eyes full of dread. “Hurry up—we don’t have a lot of time.”

  Ray pulled on his clothes and shoes, banging his legs with his fists to stop the pins and needles. “What’s happening? What time is it?”

  “Late. Early, rather. Micah needs to talk to you.”

  They climbed out of the safe house and scrambled through the boulder field and past the roaring falls. Micah waited for them in the locked basement of the church.

  “What’s going on?” Ray asked.

  Micah’s eyes were red and glassy, as if he hadn’t slept. He wasn’t wearing his suit, just a stained white T-shirt and black pants. He spoke softly. “Sara disappeared on her way home. We think Sheriff Morton may have picked her up.”

  Ray looked at both of them. They were hiding something. “So what does that mean?”

  Micah shook his head. “I don’t know. But she’s an old woman. She’s strong, but not strong enough to handle what they might be doing to her. We have to assume they’ll find us here. We have to leave.”

  Ray shrugged. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Mantu glanced at Micah, and something unspoken passed between them.

  “There’s one more thing,” Micah said. His voice wavered.

  The air grew heavy.

  Ray looked at both of them. Mantu’s eyes filled with tears.

  “No,” he said. “Don’t.”

  Micah stretched out his hand. “Ellen is missing, too. Along with both of the brothers who were watching her. They were supposed to get in touch hours ago, and neither is responding.”

  Ray’s peripheral vision darkened. A low roar grew in his head.

  “We’re looking for her. And her boy, if he was taken, too. We—”

  “God-fucking-dammit!” he screamed.

  Mantu grabbed his arm. “Ray, listen—”

  “Fuck you! Fuck you both!” He shoved Mantu’s arm away. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

  Mantu stepped in front of the door. “You can’t leave. Calm down, Ray.”

  “Get out of my way.” His hands curled into tight fists, the nails of his fingers digging into his palms. “I’m done with this. She’s innocent. She has nothing to do with any of this. And you said you’d keep her safe—and William, too. And you didn’t. You swore to me. You lied to me.”

  Mantu stood still. “Ray, calm down. Listen to me.”

  Ray’s fist smashed against Mantu’s jaw. The large man staggered backward, falling against the door. He blinked, struggling to stay on his feet. Ray pushed him away from the door, and Mantu fell to his knees.

  “Stop it,” Micah said. “Stop it now.”

  Ray turned to face him. The old man looked broken and impotent. How had he ever imagined him as powerful? “I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to find Ellen and William myself.” He opened the door, cradling his throbbing hand under his arm. He’d run through the woods all day. Find a road, and hitch a ride to the nearest police station outside Blackwater and tell them everything. Let the authorities put an end to this nightmare for everyone. Finished. Game over. Micah and his gang of spiritual warriors could enjoy their Waterloo without him.

  He stepped out of the door and then everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  He was tied up. Nylon rope, by the feel of it. The right side of his head felt distended, and his bladder ached nearly as much as his head.

  Mantu sat across from him on a chair, handgun in his lap. They were back in the underground safe room, just the two of them.

  Ray squirmed. He was tightly tied—no way to wriggle out. His tongue was swollen and he tasted a hint of blood. He must have bitten his tongue when they clocked him. His voice squeaked. “So, you gonna shoot me?”

  Mantu raised his eyebrows. “Only if you punch me in the fucking jaw again. You knocked some of my teeth loose.”

  “Will you untie me, please? I have to piss, and I’d prefer not to do it in my pants.”

  Mantu shook his head. “You’re gonna have to hold it a few more minutes until Micah gets here.”

  “Fuck you,” he said.

  Mantu snorted.

  Mercifully, Micah and Alan soon climbed down to join them.

  “He has to piss,” Mantu said.

  Micah glared. “Untie him,” he said. “But Ray, if you try anything this time, I won’t be as easy on you.”

  “Gee, thanks for the hospitality. You guys really know how to treat your guests.” Mantu loosened the ropes and stood outside the tiny bathroom door. “Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

  Ray looked into the dusty mirror, touching the sticky knot on his head. He winced. His hair smelled of witch hazel. He urinated. Looked at his face—dark greasy circles under his eyes. Hair sticking up in the wrong places. The face of a crazy man.

  When he opened the door, Micah stood waiting for him. He pointed to the cot.

  Ray sat. They called the shots now. “Where’s Ellen? And the kid?” he asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” Micah said.

  Ray closed his eyes. The room fell silent, except for the low hum of the generator. Micah spoke softly. “It’s clear we’ve been discovered. Our mission here is over. Now we must act. Decisively, quickly, and without hesitation. It’s the endgame.”

  “How did they find out about Ellen?”

  “I don’t know. My men must have been caught off guard. I didn’t expect that, and that was my mistake. And now he has Sara. She is strong, but she will most certainly break under him. And then he will know where to find us—if he isn’t already on the way. He will have everything he wants. The end of our surveillance operation. Ellen and her boy, to bring you to him. And you are the final piece of the puzzle. And then … God help us.”

  “He won,” Mantu said.

  “So it would appear,” Micah said. “But Sara and I both felt that something was amiss in Crawford’s circle. Something is fragmenting. And Ray has changed the balance of power in profound ways. They know it, too.”

  “Glad I could play into this chess game,” Ray said. “But I don’t really care anymore. I just want to find Ellen and William and get them the hell out of this mess. He can have me—if he lets them go, he can have me.”

  Micah’s eyes burned. “Don’t ever say such a thing.”

  “We have to get moving,” Mantu said. His tucked the gun into his pants.

  “Yes,” Micah said. “Ray, we need to get you somewhere safe. That’s imperative.”

  “Well, tha
nk you. I happen to agree. But I need to find Ellen and William. I need to know they’re safe. That’s my imperative.”

  Micah stood. “Alan, why don’t you get the vehicle ready for Ray.”

  “Wait, wait. Where are you sending me?”

  “A safe house in Maryland. Near Deep Creek.”

  “Are you listening to me? I need to know that Ellen and William are okay. What are you going to do to help them?”

  Micah grabbed Ray’s shoulders. “You can help them by listening to me. You won’t be able to help them at all if he finds you first. They won’t be harmed as long as you’re beyond his grasp. He will wait until he has you to hurt them—you are what he really wants. He’ll hurt them in front of you. To break you.”

  Fuck. His head was going to explode.

  “We will do everything we can to find them and to keep them safe when we take him down. I give you my word.”

  “So why am I going to Deep Creek? When will I see you? How will I know she’s okay?”

  “We’ll see you. We need to regroup as well. Our time here is coming to an end.”

  Ray’s fists clenched. “I’m so sick of this.”

  Micah nodded. His expression softened. “Sometimes when we’re out of choices, it means we’ve been given the chance to do what we were meant to do.”

  “Enough philosophizing,” Mantu said. “We need to move. Now.”

  A shabby ice cream truck sat idling next to the church, covered with hand-drawn illustrations of cones and shakes; the faded prices were from an obviously bygone era. One of its tires was nearly bald.

  Alan opened the back doors. “There’s a hiding spot in the freezer,” he said.

  “In the freezer?” Ray asked.

  “It’s not a freezer anymore,” Mantu said. “Just a space with a blanket and a false floor that goes over top of you, with ventilation holes. Even if we get pulled over there’s no way anyone will find it. You’ll be safe.”

  Alan jumped in the truck and started the engine.

  The three men shared glances.