by Tim Miller
Fertile Fields
Tim Miller
Copyright © 2015 Tim Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Cover photo by Rosa and Laura Pantoja of Luna Designs and Creations.
Cover model: Peggy Howes
Chapter 1
Bronson Sinclair looked into the camera. Manuel had been working with him for years and was the best camera guy in the business. He couldn’t imagine doing this job with without him. His amazing camera working abilities are what won his documentary “Jail Bait” so many awards. “Jail Bait” was about a human trafficking ring being run out of Austin, Texas, which involved a local judge sentencing young women to halfway houses that were fronts for prostitution rings.
Bronson’s friend Julia had gone undercover for him and helped expose the whole thing. There had been rumors about it for years, but anyone who looked into it either turned up dead our found themselves framed and charged with a heinous crime usually facing life imprisonment. Several city and police workers went down once the film went public. It had been a dangerous job for Julia to take on, but she insisted on it; she was always tough that way. Bronson had tried to talk her out of it, but she pushed through and came out with some good footage. Manuel got some excellent material as well, and the next thing you know he is on the Today show talking about it.
This project might be even bigger. As Manuel finished setting up the camera, he gave Bronson a thumbs up.
“West Texas is a quiet and desolate area,” Bronson said into the camera. “But it is what you can’t see that may be the most dangerous. There is a church in West Texas called ‘Church of Fertile Fields’ and very little is known about who or what they are. For one, the name itself is quite odd since there are no fields or farms anywhere near their location.”
“Rumor states, Fertile Fields is a secret cult devised women and men. However, some suggest that these women of the cult are used as breeders, for raising the children, and preparing a new generation of followers. Yet, at the same time, this tiny community in the middle of nowhere manages to recruit from other parts of the state.”
“This past year, I’ve been contacted by three families, each have had daughters in their twenties, and each left their home to start life anew in the church of Fertile Fields. Sadly, none were heard from again. The church has no website or phone, but I’ve sent some letters to the church and did receive a reply from a man who goes by Prophet Drake. In his letter, the prophet denied knowing anything about these missing girls, but invited us to tour their church and compound.”
“He said it was time the world knew who and what they were. The letter included a map with the church’s location circled. I decided this would be a great opportunity to examine this group and uncover what they are about and if they are as dangerous as the families of the missing girls have suggested.”
“Whatever we find, you will be on the journey with us. We’ll go on a voyage to what remains of the old west and visit one of the few communities left that has not welcomed the twenty-first century. You will see what we see and maybe in the process we’ll get some answers as to what happened to the missing women whose names are Karen Giles, Jennifer Rubio and Roxanne Martin.”
“And cut,” Manuel said as he stepped away from the camera.
“How was that?”
“That was great. I think we got everything.”
“Sweet.”
“You sure about this trip? It sounds kinda scary. Not sure I want to sniff around in the wilderness with some creepy cult,” Manuel said.
“Yeah I’m sure. I was shocked when I got the letter back to, but I been looking for a new project and this seems perfect. There hasn’t been a good satanic panic in over a decade, this should scare the shit out of some people. Besides, you’re still weirded out by this after the sex trafficking film?” Bronson said.
“Satanic panic? These guys are satanic? And yeah, at least those guys weren’t Satanists.”
“I don’t know, I just like the phrase. Either way they are weird as fuck.”
“You think they got those girls?”
“I don’t know. I think they know who they are at least.” Bronson said as Manuel finished packing up the camera. Bronson went over to check his bags and grabbed them. As he walked out to the Expedition, Julia and her girlfriend Sheri were there loading some bags in back.
“What’s up Geraldo?” Julia said. She always called Bronson “Geraldo Rivera” since he couldn’t stand the guy. Ironically, Geraldo had asked to interview him on FoxNews but he’d had to cancel the interview when he got food poisoning that morning.
“Nothing, just packing up. You girls all set?” Bronson asked.
“Yeah mostly. Just got a few more things.”
“You sure you girls want to come along? This could get dangerous.”
“Oh yeah, I’m such a delicate flower, never done anything dangerous before.” Julia said.
“How about you Sheri, you ok going along?”
Sheri put her arm around Julia’s shoulders and leaned up against her.
“I’ll be fine. I got Julia here to protect me. She’ll keep you safe too if you ask nice.”
“Thanks, I might need that,” Bronson said as he threw his bag into the back. Manuel came out lugging the equipment as they all helped him load everything up.
“Is that everything?” Bronson asked.
“I think so,” Manuel said. The girls all nodded as Bronson clapped his hands.
“Great! Let’s hit the road.”
They piled into the Expedition as Bronson started the engine. They left the San Antonio city limits and within an hour they were in the middle of nowhere. South Texas did that to you. One minute you were in a huge city, the next you may as well be on the moon. No buildings, cars or gas stations for hundreds of miles.
Even though there were no radio stations working out that far, Manuel plugged his phone into the console and played his Spotify playlist which consisted of mostly classic rock. Bronson could live with that. The girls slept for a good part of the drive. After another two hours Manuel began looking at the map.
“There’s a road up ahead here. It says on the map it’s not marked but it will be on the left.” Manuel said.
“Ok, I’ll keep an eye out.”
Just ahead Bronson saw the road. It was an unmarked dirt road that appeared to head off into nothing.
“That’s it,” Manuel said. “You sure we want to do this?”
“Hell yeah. May as well see what is out there. Don’t worry. I brought my gun.” After a few incidents a couple years ago, Bronson had bought a Taurus snub nosed .357 magnum to take with him on such trips. He’d never needed it, but you never know.
“Well that’s comforting I guess,” Manuel said as the Expedition headed down the dirt road. A huge dust cloud rose up behind them as rocks and gravel kicked off the bottom of the SUV. “Hopefully it’s not much further.”
“I hope not either. Maybe there will be a welcoming committee.”
As they drove, with the dust and dirt drifting around them, Bronson had no way to notice the discarded human bones lying on the side of the road. Or the large cross that had years fallen over which had a human skeleton nailed to it. As the Expedition neared its destination, a teenage boy on a hill watched them go by through a pair of binoculars. He keyed his two-way radio once it was past.
“It’s me,” he said. “The reporter is here.”
C
hapter 2
The road got bumpier and bumpier as they bounced over potholes and avoided larger holes in the road. Some of the bumps jarred the girls awake.
“Are we there yet?” Julia asked.
“I think we’re pretty close” Bronson said.
“Are we on a dirt road? Where are we? Holy fuck.”
“We’re somewhere.”
They followed the road around a large curve and through the mesas and rock formations.
“At least it’s pretty out here,” Julia said.
“Yeah, it’s lovely.” Manuel said.
They drove up a large hill that curved around. When they got to the top, Bronson saw it. He was expecting more of a camp or compound. This was much more modest. There was a small church at the top of the hill complete with stained glass windows and a steeple. This was built from wood and with shingles missing and the window shutters were hanging loosely. As they pulled up to the church, Bronson stopped and shut the car off.
“Where is everyone?” Manuel asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sure someone is around.” Bronson said as he climbed out of the Expedition and walked to the church door. Just as he reached the door, it swung open revealing a short man dressed in khaki shorts, a t-shirt and a fedora.
“Welcome!” the man said. “I’m Eli! You must be Bronson, is that right?”
“Yes, that’s me,” he said. “This is my cameraman Manuel,” he pointed to Manuel as the others filed out of the car. “This is my production assistant Julie and her girlfriend Sheri.”
“Oh girlfriend?” The man asked. “You must be lesbians!”
The little man had an almost hokey tone of voice, like you’d hear on an episode of “Leave it to Beaver.”
“Uh, yeah. We’re lesbians, that’s us!” Julia said giving a thumbs up. The whole situations suddenly felt really awkward.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met any real lesbians before. Like how does it work?”
“What do you mean?” Julia asked.
“Like for sex. Do you guys just use your fingers? Or you just both lick each other?” After he spoke, he stuck out his tongue and flicked it up and down causing all of them to cringe.
“Umm…” Julia began.
“Could we have a look around? Maybe get some filming in? I’m sure Julia would like to talk to you more about her…uh, lesbian-hood, but we’ve been on the road for a long time.”
“Oh yes! Of course! Where are my manners? Come on inside. We’ve been expecting you. There is a nice feast waiting for all of you. The Prophet will be joining us later, but he said to make sure you were all fed and comfortable.”
He turned and walked them inside. The church looked like a normal church except the carpeting was black and instead of wood pews, there were dozens of chairs and benches lined up. They reached the back of the church that opened into a banquet hall. There was a few tables pushed together with huge bowls of food filled sitting on top.
“Go ahead and help yourselves,” Eli said as he grabbed a plate and began scooping it full of food. Bronson grabbed his and began scooping food onto it. He wondered where they got some of this. Not like there was a grocery store nearby. One bowl was full of salad. Another was filled with fruit. At the end of the table was several slabs of ribs and a pan full of steaks. It all smelled good. Bronson filled his plate before having a seat at the table. There was a water cooler at the end of the table with some tin cups stacked next to them. Bronson filled his cup and had a seat across from Eli who was shoveling food into his mouth.
Manuel sat down as Julia and Sheri sat down last. Eli looked at Julia’s plate and noticed she only had salad and fruit.
“You’re not gonna have any ribs?” he asked.
“No. I’m vegan. I don’t eat meat.”
“Don’t eat meat? A lesbian vegan? We sure hit the jackpot here!” He laughed as he looked around. “But for real though you gotta eat meat.”
“No, I don’t actually.” Julia said, trying to remain patient “Meat isn’t even good for you. Not to mention the way animals are raised and then tortured and killed. No, I don’t have to eat anything I don’t want to.”
“It’s ok,” Bronson said trying not offend their host. “Julia hasn’t eaten meat in years. I imagine she’d get sick if she tried.”
“Fair enough,” Eli said. “So The Prophet tells me you’re filming a documentary about the church!”
“That’s right. Figure you guys have an interesting community here. He thought it would be a good way to let the world know what you’re about.”
“Oh yes! That is excellent!”
“Did he ever mention the girls I wrote about? Jennifer Rubio, Karen Giles? Either name ring a bell?”
“No? I don’t believe I’ve heard those names. The Prophet sure didn’t mention them.”
“When will he be joining us?”
“Oh soon. Very soon.”
“Great. So tell me, what is it you do here? I know it has to do with fertility and bringing children into the world. But like who do you worship? Do you worship God or a god?”
“Yes! Great question! We are devoted to the Goddess Freyja. Goddess of love, beauty and fertility. All we do is to honor and please her.”
“And how do you do that?”
“It’s a way of life here. We bring children into the world. The kids help with harvests and hunting. By raising them to know her ways she is pleased and continues to bless us with a healthy harvest and plenty of game for food.”
“Sounds interesting. You think The Prophet would be willing to go on camera for an interview?”
“I don’t see why not. He’s a very kind and gentle man. I think you’ll like him.” He looked at Julia and Sheri and winked. “He especially loves lesbians!”
“Wow, that’s um…great.” Julia said. Sheri just looked around not sure what to think.
“It is! So yes, you’ll see when you meet him what a wonderful man he is. I do have a question for the lesbians. How do you breed?”
“Excuse me?” Julia asked.
“How do you breed? Like have babies? Do you have sex with some man to get pregnant or what?”
“Well, we have only been dating a few months so children hasn’t really come into the discussion. However, a lot of lesbians will go to a sperm bank or something and get inseminated.”
“Inseminated?! How?”
“Like a doctor, he takes sperm someone has donated and put it inside her to fertilize her eggs.”
“Sounds so sanitized. I’m sure that isn’t what the Goddess Freyja intends. Love, sex, and children are beautiful things. What you just described is very unnatural.”
“Yeah well, I wasn’t asking what you thought about it.”
Eli put his hands up in surrender.
“Ok, ok! My apologies. There is a lot we never see and do out here as you can imagine so I’ll have lots of strange questions I’m sure.”
A door opened and closed from down the hallway followed by loud footsteps.
“You hear that?” Eli asked. “The Prophet! He’s arrived!”
Chapter 3
A tall man walked into the room. He had long white hair pulled back into a ponytail. He walked with a cane, but he had to stand at least six-foot-five. He gave a warm smile as he walked over and greeted Bronson.
“You must be Bronson! So nice to meet you. I’m Prophet Drake.”
Bronson stood and shook his hand.
“How is your meal? Everything tasting good?”
“Yes,” Bronson said. “It’s very good.”
“Good. Good. I’m happy to hear it. Is Eli being a good host?”
“Yes, he’s um, he’s doing fine. Thank you.”
“Yes. He can be a bit weird, I know. I send him to meet any guests to try and work on his social skills. He doesn’t have the same filter the rest of us do. He’s a good man though. Just says whatever is on his mind.” The Prophet patted an embarrassed Eli on the shoulder. He took a seat as Eli prepared a plate of food.
“So your drive here was pleasant I take it?” The Prophet asked.
“It was fine, boring, but fine.”
“Yes, there isn’t much to see out here for most. There is if you know what you are looking for. Once your eyes are opened, this is a beautiful world of wonder.”
“Know what to look for? Like what?”
“In nature. This is our earth, our home is raw beauty in and of itself. Your friend the vegan here should understand that.”
Julia looked around confused as to how he knew she was vegan unless he was listening in before he arrived.
“That is what we do here. We live our lives each day to honor the earth and to enjoy nature the way it was intended.”
“Sounds good enough. In your letter, you said you never met those girls?”
“No, I’m afraid not. They may have joined a church, but it wasn’t this one.”
“But their families specifically named this church. Why would they do that?”
The Prophet shrugged.
“Ask them. Over the years we’ve made enemies from all over. You’d think a little church in the wilderness with no ties to the outside world wouldn’t draw any attention, but it always seems to find us. When I got your letter, I thought hey! What a great opportunity the Goddess has provided us to see us for who we really are.”
“And who really are you, Prophet?”
“We’re a group of loving people who care about the earth and care about each other. That can’t be all bad can it?”
“I’d say no I guess.”
“Good! Good! You’ll see. First thing tomorrow Eli will show you all around.”
“How about an interview? I’d love to talk to you on camera.”
“And you will, I promise. You guys have had a long drive. Eat up and enjoy your meal.” The Prophet said as he tore into some ribs. The rest of the group ate in silence. By the time he was finished, Bronson was stuffed. For a group living out in the middle of nowhere, they could sure cook. Maybe they grew their own food out here. He’d find out tomorrow. Once they finished, The Prophet stood and smiled.
