Held (Gone #2)

by Claflin, Stacy

  Macy opened her eyes and saw that they were on a country road. There was nothing except open, grassy fields and livestock as far as the eye could see. She continued to ignore Chester's rambles. He hadn't stopped talking since breakfast.

  After about twenty minutes, they drove through a small town. Macy's eyes lit up—she had been there before. She recognized the buildings and even the tiny, rundown park. Her heart beat so loudly she feared Chester would hear it.

  A minute later, they were back to being surrounded by fields and farmland again, but her mind wouldn't stop racing. She had passed through that town before. It wasn't her imagination. She recognized it. That meant she had been along this road before too. But when?

  Macy fought to keep her breathing steady. The last thing she wanted to do was to alert Chester to the fact that anything was amiss. She vaguely remembered being in the car with her family when she had gone through that small town before.

  Did that mean they were near her home? Chester probably didn't know she knew where they were. She didn't actually know where they were. Not even the town name signs along the way helped. She had never heard of any of them.

  They had to be back in Washington, but where? It could have been on the other side of the mountains or even in the southern part of the state. Or maybe they were in Oregon or Idaho. They had traveled other nearby states plenty of times for camping and sporting events.

  Her pulse and breathing finally returned to normal. They went through another half an hour of open fields, only seeing a random grouping of cows or horses every so often.

  Eventually, the scenery changed and they were in a forest. The green trees were a nice change of scenery. She was so immersed in their beauty that she forgot to keep paying attention to the road signs. She had always loved that part of the Northwest. Never once had she complained about driving for hours through the woods or mountains.

  When they left the trees, they went through another small town. This one had a decent-sized high school and Macy held her breath. There was an actual stop light in this town, and when the stopped, she stared at the school.

  She recognized it—and this time she knew why. They had driven there for one Alex's karate tournaments. He had competed in that gymnasium. Zoey had gone with her family, and while they waited for Alex's turn to compete, the three of them wandered around the school and had even chased each other through the parking lot. Alex had been threatening to dump his drink on them.

  Where was this town? She really couldn't remember. It had been over a year since they had been there, and she hadn't been paying any attention to where they were back then, either. She thought it was two or three hours from home. The one thing she did know was that it was definitely in Washington.

  Even though they were still far from home, they weren't that far. Assuming they didn't drive out of state, it was possible she could get away and find her way home. He wasn't taking her to the other end of the country or anything. She couldn't help smiling.

  "You like this song, Heather?"

  Macy looked over at him. She had almost forgotten he was there. "Yeah, this song is great."

  He nodded. "I like it too. It has a good beat." He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel along with the song. Then he moved his left hand down and turned on the blinker.

  Where were they going now? The scenery was nondescript; she didn't know how he could tell where he needed to turn. They went down a road to the left that Macy didn't see until they slowed down. It had a gate off to the side, making it look like they were entering private property. There were scrape marks on the pavement indicating that the gate had been opened and closed a lot. Was that what he meant by a gated community?

  Her heart picked up speed, but she didn't know why. Wherever they were going couldn't be any worse than the hole in the farm that she had spent too much time in. They were going to a house with a mom…a stepmom. A fake stepmom. Macy twisted a strand of hair.

  They drove along the road until it turned into a dirt road. It forked at one point and they went left. Chester finally stopped talking. Was that a good sign? Macy had too many questions, but she had a feeling the answers were coming soon enough.

  There was still nothing as far as she could see. Just more grassy fields with the occasional tree.

  Eventually, they passed a playground. It looked rusty, like no one had touched it for decades. Chills ran down her spine as she looked at it. She could almost feel the eyes of children's ghosts watching her.

  Chester put his hand on her shoulder and she jumped. He didn't appear to notice. "We're almost home, Heather. Are you as excited as me?"

  "I…." How was she supposed to answer without lying?

  "Oh, I understand. You haven't seen it, so it's hard to be excited. We're almost there."

  "Okay."

  He picked up speed again. "Just wait until you see it. It'll be different from anywhere else we've ever lived."

  That much was obvious. The road became even bumpier. They rode in silence for a few more minutes before he stopped in front of a tiny shack. If that was what it could even be called. It didn't look big enough for more than one room, and there was no way it had any running water or electricity.

  "What's this?" Macy asked.

  "We need to stop here before we get to the community."

  It sound like Macy's blood was pumping right in her ears. She looked around, panicked.

  "Is something the matter, Heather?"

  She turned to him. "I don't want to go in there." She begged him with her eyes. Maybe if he really did love Heather, he would listen to Macy this one time. "Please."

  "Don't worry, Heather. I'll be there with you. I know this building is a little rundown, but it's not our home. It's where we're going to meet some of the residents."

  The way he said residents didn't sit right with her.

  Chester's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Everything's going to be just fine. You'll see. Let's get out and meet the most important people of the community."

  She looked out the windows. What were her chances of getting away?

  He patted her shoulder again. "You worry too much. You always have. Just relax."

  Relax?

  Three men and one woman came out of the building. How had they even managed to fit inside? They were dressed in all white and were headed for the truck. If it was dark, it would have been the perfect setup for a scary movie.

  The woman was fairly tall and had her almost-black hair pulled tightly behind her. A man about her height walked with her slightly in front of the other two men. The men all had short hair and the one in front had thick, bushy eyebrows and a beard that looked more like a nine o'clock shadow. The two men in back were taller and thinner, both with dark hair and piercing eyes. They all appeared to be full of confidence, almost like they were on a mission.

  Macy clenched her fists.

  "It's time to get out." Chester unlocked the child locks and opened his own door. "Come on."

  Heart racing faster than ever, she opened her door and got out as slow as possible. She closed the door, but refused to walk toward the people dressed in white.

  As they walked her way, their eyes seemed to look into her soul. Their faces showed no emotion, not helping to ease Macy's fear. She wanted to run away, but her feet wouldn't move. These people were probably going to tie her up and leave her somewhere, just as Chester had done when he first took her. She wanted to run—but her body wouldn't cooperate. Fear paralyzed her.

  Chester took her hand. Where had he come from? Macy hadn't even noticed him walk around the truck. He pulled on her hand. "We need to meet them, Heather."

  Her feet still wouldn't budge.

  "Come on. Don't be rude." He pulled on her harder, forcing her to walk or fall down.

  Luckily, her feet cooperated. Though she stumbled, she walked with Chester as he held her hand. They stopped when they were only a couple feet from the four creepy strangers.

  The shortest man, the one in front, nodded at the
m. "You must be Heather. Your dad has told us so much about you."

  She stared at him, her mouth too dry to reply.

  "I'm Jonah and these are my assistants. You'll get to know us quite well. Has your dad told us anything about us?"

  Macy shook her head no, hoping that was the right answer.

  He smiled, his dark brown eyes squinting as he did. "Good, good. He's followed our directions. Our community is private and we don't discuss it out in the world. Is that something you can agree to also?"

  Macy nodded, swallowing. She would be happy never mentioning anything that she had been through, if it meant she had the chance to get away.

  "Let's go inside and get acquainted. The sooner we get the rules out of the way, the sooner you two can settle into your home. Your new mom has been busy getting the house ready. She's so excited to meet you."

  Community

  The shack was nicer on the inside than on the outside. It had a clean, beige carpet that covered the room. Furniture was minimal, but nice. It was all the same color as the carpet. The walls were white and a table with eight chairs sat off to the side.

  Jonah pointed to the floor. "Let's sit."

  Macy looked at the couch and back to him. Was he serious? All the adults sat down. Apparently he was. She sat next to Chester. It bothered her that she felt more comfortable next to him. But then again, she at least knew that he wasn't going to kill her. The other four—who knew?

  No one said anything for a full five minutes. Macy looked around, her pulse still pounding in her ears.

  Finally, Jonah looked at her. "Before you two you enter our community, you must go through the purification process to wash the world off. You can't have even a trace."

  Macy's eyes widened.

  As if answering her thoughts, Jonah continued. "The world is full of evil and we all must become clean before leaving it. Anytime we are forced to go back out there, we must purify ourselves before entering."

  Macy nodded even though she had no idea what he was talking about.

  "Once you're clean, I will explain everything. Your dad is the head of your household, so he will go first." Jonah rose and so did Chester. They walked to a door that Macy hadn't noticed. Jonah opened it and Chester walked in, closing it behind him.

  The lady looked at Macy. "My name is Eve, Heather. I'm looking forward to having you join our community."

  "Thanks." Macy couldn't take her eyes off the door the Chester went through.

  "Your dad is cleaning the world off."

  Just then the sounds of a shower were heard.

  Eve continued, "When he has scrubbed its evil away, he will put on clean, white clothes and join us. Then it will be your turn. You'll find the cleaning supplies in the bathroom and it's important that you scrub every inch of yourself. We can't have any remnants entering our land. Will you be able to do that or do you need help?"

  "I can scrub myself."

  "You'll have to work hard. Your skin should burn."

  "Okay. So hard it burns. Got it."

  "Good. We'll give you a proper welcome after you've gone through the purification. You understand we can't touch you while the vile world is still on you."

  Macy nodded, but had no clue what Eve meant. She had a feeling that she would understand all too well soon enough.

  "We'll sit in silence while we wait. Meanwhile, reflect on good and evil."

  What did that mean? Macy looked down at her hands, pretending to think about it. It felt like forever before she finally heard the water stop. Did that mean Chester had purified himself? And did that mean she was about to take another shower? Why had he had her take a shower before they left? Did he think she needed to be extra clean?

  The door opened and he came out, wearing white pants and a white shirt that resembled a pillowcase with arms and his hair was wet. Beads of sweat broke out around her hairline.

  Eve looked at her. She had a serene look on her face. "It's your turn, Heather. Don't touch your dad since he's pure and you still carry the evils of the world."

  She had no problem avoiding Chester. Macy got up, never so nervous about a shower. Chester nodded to her, walking far away from her. There was no way a shower had cured him. If they were so worried about keeping evil away, they were bringing it in with welcome arms by accepting him.

  She went into the bathroom. It was a tiny room with barely enough room to move around, which was no surprise given the size of the building. Everything was so clean it sparkled. The shower was nothing more than a stall and she saw a pile of white clothes on the counter. Those were her new clothes.

  Was she going to have to wear them all the time now? Did everyone in the community wear all white?

  Macy noticed a trash can in the corner. She walked to it, seeing Chester's clothes piled inside.

  There was a knock on the door. "Do you need help starting the shower?" asked Jonah.

  "No. I was just about to start it," she called. There was no lock on the door, so she would have to hurry. The last thing Macy wanted was to have someone walk in on her. She pulled off her clothes and threw them on top of Chester's. The tile was cold on her feet as she walked to the shower stall.

  There was only one knob for the shower, and it was market with a "C." She took a deep breath before turning it on. Hopefully it was mis-marked and she could still adjust the temperature. Macy turned the knob and gasped as icy-cold water rained down on her. She turned the knob further, finding that it didn't help.

  The water was so frigid that it had to come directly from outside, where snow still remained in the shady spots. She had to get out as quickly as possible, but Jonah and Eve would probably check her skin to make sure it was red, showing that she'd scrubbed hard enough.

  On the wall hung a scrub-brush and underneath it sat a jug of unmarked liquid that had to be soap. She grabbed the brush, not wanting to think about how many other people had used it before her. She poured some soap onto it and winced. It had a strong, unpleasant odor.

  The scent was the least of her problems. The water was still freezing. She didn't have to press very hard for the brush to hurt. Her arm turned red as she washed without adding any extra pressure. She rubbed all over, hoping it would be enough and that they wouldn't send her back for a second shower.

  Her teeth chattered in the cold and finally had herself clean for the second time that day. She rinsed herself off and then the brush. Was she supposed to use the soap for her hair? So much for the conditioner she had sneaked in from the hotel. If she used that, they'd know. It didn't smell anything like the soap. She finished the shower and finally turned off the icy water.

  Shivering, she found a white towel sitting behind the clothes. She stood for a moment, wrapped in the towel just trying to warm up. What kind of sadists were these people?

  A knock started her. "Are you almost done, Heather?" asked Eve.

  "Just a minute," she called. Macy toweled off her hair and then put on the white clothes. They were stiff and uncomfortable, but at least they fit. She had been worried that she would have had to wear the same size as Chester.

  What was she supposed to do about shoes? Macy looked around and noticed a pair of white shoes sitting against the wall next to the counter. A pair of white socks sat on top of them. At least she wouldn't have to go barefoot.

  Macy went out to the main room, her hair soaking the back of the shirt. All five of the adults stood when they saw her. Eve took her hand and brought her to the group. "Now that you've been purified, it's time to go over the rules. Are you ready?"

  Holding back a sigh, Macy nodded.

  They all sat in a circle. Chester and Eve sat on either side of her. Jonah sat across from her and the other two men sat on either side of him.

  Jonah looked Macy in the eyes. "You are indeed blessed, child. Most people never find the true way. It's hidden because of the evil in their hearts and minds. You've been given the gift many never know they want but cannot have."

  She continued staring into his eyes.
His hazel eyes bore into hers with an intensity she could feel.

  "I'm Jonah, as you know, but what you don't know is that I'm the great High Prophet. I receive messages and visions to guide our community in the way of righteousness and pure living. It is my job to take care of my people, seeing to it that everyone makes it to the Holy Land beyond this world. It's my job, for lack of a better word, to find puritans such as yourself: the holy vessels of righteousness who will ascend with me on the great and magnificent day. Do you have any questions?"

  Macy shook her head. She did have a bunch of questions, but Jonah wouldn't appreciate any of them.

  "You've already met Eve. She's the High Prophetess as my first and primary wife. Eve receives visions also, but not at the volume that I do. Mine are daily, and each evening we gather as a community so I can share what has been bestowed upon me that day with the community."

  Awesome.

  Jonah indicated to the men next to him. "These are my primary assistant prophets, helping with the community. This is Abraham and Isaac. As you may have guessed from their names, they're father and son."

  "Does everyone have Biblical names?" Macy asked. Would she be getting yet another name?

  Jonah's eyes narrowed slightly. "Women do not speak to men unless spoken to. I did not ask you just now if you had any questions, but I will let it slide since we haven't yet gotten to the rules. Do you understand?"

  Macy nodded, biting back a sarcastic reply.

  "I asked you a question. Do you understand?" He sat taller, staring at her with an even deeper intensity.

  Eve nudged Macy's knee with her own.

  "Yes, I understand."

  Jonah's face relaxed. "Good. Now, to answer your question, receiving a Biblical name is a high honor. Only those who have proven themselves get a new name. It's a day of celebration when that happens. We hold a Holy Festival in honor of the occasion. If you're blessed enough, you shall have a festival in your honor. But first, your father must have his own celebration as head of the household. Otherwise, you must wait until you reach maturity."