A ding! announced our arrival at the top and we poured out, the doors closing behind us to collect the next batch in the lobby. My shoes clicked on the marble floors and I saw Kent and Bradly (both rocking beautiful gray suits, I might add) already waiting for everyone.
They held up their hands, smiling and quieting everyone. White light illuminated the hallway, casting a glare off the floor that almost stung my eyes. I blinked and focused on what Kent was saying.
“All right everyone, settle down!” he announced with a grin. “I know it’s a big night tonight, but we’ve all done this before. You know the drill, follow Bradly to the conference room and we’ll get started in just a little bit.”
He turned to me. “Except for you, Thomas! You come with me and I’ll start prepping you for orientation. When you feel like you’re ready, we’ll join the others in the conference room.”
I turned to my family and gave them all a big hug. I kissed my sons on the head and my wife on the lips. She beamed up at me and gave me one quick nod. Go get ’em.
The tide of people flowed down the hall, led by Bradly, toward the conference room. I went the opposite way, led by Kent, who brought me to his office. A beautiful polished oak desk dominated the room, the walls lined with oil paintings nailed to dark wood. It was quite the contrast to the modern marble design of the hallway and as the door shut behind me, I felt like I was in a different building.
Kent waved for me to take a seat on the plump leather chair opposite the desk. With a contented sigh, he plopped himself down in front of his computer and leaned back, folding his hands on his chest. I took my seat across from him and licked my lips, feeling a little nervous.
“Are you nervous?” Kent asked, grinning.
I chuckled. “Yeah, I think so. But that’s a good thing, I think. I’m excited.”
Kent nodded approvingly. “Good, good. We had a lot of applicants this quarter, more than we ever had. That makes your selection all the more noteworthy. I want you to know you should be very proud of yourself.”
I felt myself blush. “Thank you, sir; that means a lot. I feel very honored to have been chosen and I hope I won’t let you down. I must say, I feel very confident in myself.”
Kent tapped the top of the desk. “Excellent! Now let’s get down to business. I know you’re aware how the first part of this goes, correct? I’ll take you to the conference room and swear you in. After that, you’ll say a few words to everyone and assure them of your dedication. After that, Bradly and I will escort you…well…I think you know the rest.”
I nodded. “Then I go to the Goat Room.”
Kent grunted. “Yes, then we go to the Goat Room.”
I leaned forward. “Can my family come with me?”
Kent eyed me and I could see gears turning behind his eyes. “Are you sure you want them to?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, if that’s OK with you. It might be vain, but I want to show my kids what hard work will get you.”
Kent shrugged. “Well, it’s fine by me. It won’t be the first time a new promotee has asked to have his family join him.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He waved my thanks away. “Think nothing of it. Now, do you have any questions for me? I’m assuming you know what happens after you’re swore in and we move you? It’s a silly question. I’m well aware you understand, but it’s something I have to ask.”
“I understand,” I said. “And I have only one question…it’s about my family…”
Kent cut me off with a curt slice of the hand. “Worry not, Thomas. You’ve ensured a better life for not just yourself, but for them as well. The very fact that you’re sitting here has already sealed that.”
“Again, thank you, sir.”
He sat in silence for a moment, letting the words sink in. Then he stood up and ushered me to the door.
“You ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
He led me out the door and down the hall, our footsteps echoing off the walls. I realized my palms were sweating and I wiped them on my pants. Everything I had worked so hard for was finally coming to fruition.
We entered a large room that was dimly lit. I looked to my left and saw the familiar stadium seating filled with shadowed faces, all excitedly watching me. Kent led me to a small table under a spotlight. As soon as we crossed the threshold of light, uproarious applause shook the room. I couldn’t help but smile, staring out at the familiar faces. I felt like I was in a college classroom about to give some freshmen a lecture that would change their lives.
Bradly was waiting for us by the table, clapping along with the rest of them. I squinted and saw my wife and kids in the front row, beaming from ear to ear. I gave them a little wave and centered myself behind the table with Kent and Bradly standing at either shoulder.
They let the applause continue for a few moments before Kent raised his hands, quieting them. He walked around to the front of the table and began to speak.
“Good evening everyone and thank you for coming! Tonight marks the thirty-second promotion! Tonight we honor our devoted friend Thomas! Let’s all give him a hearty congratulations for all his hard work and contributions!”
More applause spilled from the crowd and I began to feel like a celebrity. The room eventually settled and Kent turned to me, picking up a small black book from the table. He motioned for me to put my hand on it. I knew the drill. I had watched the thirty-one others before me go through the same ritual. I couldn’t believe I was standing up here, no longer just an observer.
I placed my hand on the book, already knowing the words that came next.
“Do you, Thomas James Martin, swear to uphold your position to the best of your abilities?” Kent asked loudly, his voice echoing into the now-silent room.
“I do.”
“Do you swear to give your life, if need be, in order to further our cause?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear upon your faith and family that you will proceed with the purest intentions?”
“I do.”
Kent then nodded, giving me a hidden wink, and passed the book over to Bradly, who took it and motioned for me to place my hand on the cover again.
“Lastly, do you swear your loyalty and motivations are in accordance with our guidelines and that you will see this through until you have completed your task?”
“I do.”
He cleared his throat. “Thomas James Martin, I hereby congratulate you on your promotion, thank you for all you have done thus far, and pray for your continued dedication through all you endure.”
“Thank you, sir,” I responded.
Bradly glanced at Kent and they both nodded. The book was lowered and I was deafened by cheers and whistles. I smiled so hard I thought I’d rip my face in half. I winked at my wife and waved a hand to the crowd. Bradly and Kent both shook my hand and offered more congratulations. Bradly motioned me forward, offering the floor to me so that I could address everyone.
The room quieted as I licked my lips and prepared the words on my tongue.
“It is such an honor to be standing here tonight,” I said, my voice strong and sure. “I owe so much of this success to the patience and guidance of these two men right here.” I pointed to Kent and Bradly, who nodded their thanks to me.
“I also want to thank my family,” I continued, “for their undying love. I want to thank you all for your kindness tonight. I promise not to let you down. I promise I will see this through to the very end if need be.” I paused, scanning the room, slowly taking it all in, meeting everyone’s eyes. “I love each and every one of you. I believe in what we do. I believe in you. I always have. And tonight I ask that you believe in me.”
I quieted the applause before it could start, shaking my finger at them. “One more thing, one more very important thing before I depart.”
They waited, hanging in suspense, excited faces in dim light.
I raised my hand into the air. “I swear to you I will be the one yo
u’ve been waiting for!”
The crowd went wild.
Kent and Bradly motioned for me. It was time to go. I waved to the people and exited the room to cheers and whistles.
It was time.
It was time to go to the Goat Room.
I had a sack over my head, the fabric blocking my sight completely. Kent was silent as he drove the van out of the city. Bradly was driving another one that held my family. I remained quiet, unsure if it was appropriate to speak. I felt the road vibrating through the floor as we trekked through the night. This was it. No going back now. I swallowed and felt my heart skip a few beats.
I don’t know how long we drove. This was part of the promotion ceremony that I had never been allowed to see. I knew what we were doing, but I was clueless as to how long it would take to get there. I wiped my hands over my knees, scrubbing more sweat from them. I summoned the faces of my family. They probably had to be blinded as well. I smiled inwardly, imagining my kids with black bags over their heads. They were probably complaining, giving Bradly a hard time.
Time stretched and the darkness inside the hood became my world. Thoughts about the coming hours filled the black. I was confident in myself. I had always been a strong person and tonight I was going to prove that. I reflected on all the smiling faces and applause I had received. They were counting on me. I wasn’t going to let them down.
Finally, after what felt like a few hours, I felt the van jerk to a halt and my ears picked up the spray of gravel under the tires.
“We’re here,” Kent announced, breaking the long silence. “Give Bradly a moment. He’s bringing your family inside now.”
I sat in the darkness as the van idled. My stomach churned as nerves wormed their way through my intestines. I took a breath to steady myself. I was ready.
“Let’s go,” Kent finally said, pulling the cloth from my eyes.
I rubbed my face, letting my vision adjust. We were at the end of a gravel road in the middle of an open field. In the far distance I saw woods swaying in the night sky. A large single-story building stood before us, its plain concrete walls bare of windows. Despite its sprawling size, I only saw one entrance. I glanced at Kent and saw he was looking hard at me.
“You ready to do this?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
We exited the van, the small rocks crunching beneath my feet. A yellow moon hung fat in the sky like an infected boil on dark skin. I followed Kent up to the entrance, noticing a few more cars parked in front of the building, along with the van my family had come in. They were already inside, waiting for me. I wiped a hand across my face. Steady now.
Kent pushed through the large black door, the entrance lit by hanging fluorescent lights. I didn’t see anyone, the interior as bare as the concrete walls that lined it. The air was musky, some long-forgotten odor rising from the ground. I wrinkled my nose and followed Kent down a long hall, our feet echoing across the bare concrete floors. The ceiling was high over our heads, lights hanging from it like dead bodies, motionless in the still air.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Waiting for you,” Kent answered without turning.
We turned down another hallway and were stopped by two large double doors. They pulsed with red light and I could hear sound from the other side. Candles illuminated the space, stuck into the walls like knives, hot wax running down the cement like dried semen.
Kent turned to me. “Here we go. Ready?”
I nodded, pushing down my nerves.
Kent pushed the doors open and heat wafted across my face. The room before me was huge, circular in shape, its walls curving like a swollen stomach. A bright red light lit the space, shadowing everything beneath it in an eerie glow.
Seated along the far wall was The Word, his tall figure hidden by flowing red cloth that draped over his head and ran down to pool on the floor. He didn’t move under his garment, giving him a strange, statue-like appearance. Seeing him sit upon his bone-white throne, I wondered what he looked like, the fabric revealing nothing but a gentle pull around the mouth when he breathed.
Sitting to the left of him was my family, somber, but I could see a muffled excitement underneath their watchful eyes. Spanning out past my family were the rest of the Executives. They sat in their perfectly pressed business suits, eyes trained on me as I stood in the door. It was the first time I had seen them, knew who they were, and a couple of the faces surprised me.
The floor was covered with red markings, circles and hard angles crisscrossing along the concrete. Candles littered the floor, rising from the ground like broken teeth. The air was heavy and thick, almost fog-like, the red light obscuring my vision slightly.
I felt something prod my back and I turned to see Kent motioning me forward. Hesitantly, I moved toward the middle of the room and stood before The Word. I wondered where everyone else was, the prior thirty-one who had been promoted. I didn’t see them anywhere. Perhaps they’d come later? My eyes circled the room, meeting the gaze of the higher-ups. I wasn’t going to let them down. They’d see.
“Hello, dear Thomas,” The Word said, breaking the pregnant silence. His voice rolled across the space between us like a bulldozer.
I bowed my head slightly, a sign of respect. I couldn’t believe he was actually speaking to me. It was hard to not pop with pride. My children would one day tell stories of this night, every detail of the tale spooling out in front of me in real time.
“Before we begin, I’d like to thank you for your unwavering loyalty. It has not gone unnoticed and tonight you will reap the rewards of your efforts and commitment to us.” The Word shifted slightly, the cloth covering his head wrinkling in the haze. The lack of any eyeholes gave his appearance an almost eerie look, as if under that robe, something inhuman dwelt.
“Thank you, sir,” I said, hoping it was OK to speak.
He dipped his head. “I’m happy to see your family here. They should witness what their father and husband is about to do. They should be very proud of you, as am I. Now, are you ready to begin? Are you prepared in both mind and body?”
“Yes,” I said, steeling my voice.
He spread his arms, the red cloth swallowing his limbs. “Let us begin then.”
A door opened to the right of me, one I hadn’t noticed, and two huge men stepped into the room. They were stripped down to their waist, their faces covered with hoods, one white, the other black. Bulging muscles coiled across their shoulders as they carried in a large chest decorated with flakes of black and gold. They came and stood beside me, gently lowering the chest.
When it was set, they turned to The Word and waited for his signal. My legs felt weak and I forced my knees to stop clacking together. This was what I had been waiting for. This is what it all came down to. I had talked the talk and now I had to walk the walk.
The Word stood, the red gown rippling across his body like dripping gore, and spread his arms again. “Thomas, you were born a man and now must be reformed into the Image of our Lord. Kneel and be baptized with the blood of our God so that your blood may be one with his!”
The men with hoods pushed me to my knees and I felt sweat bead along my forehead. It was suddenly excruciatingly hot in the room, the red light warming the air like fire. The ground was hard under my knees, my joints popping as I took my place, head raised and ready.
The man with the white hood opened the chest and took something out. He came and stood behind me, cradling my head with his bicep as he placed something in my mouth.
I took the funnel into my throat, holding it steady with my teeth. He reached back into the chest and pulled out a clear jug that sloshed with fresh goat blood. I gripped the funnel harder with my teeth. The jug he held had to be at least two liters and it was filled to the brim.
The man in the white hood took his place behind me and wrapped a meaty arm around my neck, holding me in place. My heart danced in my chest like a wild drum. Sweat trickled down my spine in anticipation. I could feel my kids w
atching me.
The hooded man took the top off with his teeth and tipped the mouth of the jug into the funnel. Blood sloshed into my mouth, taking me by surprise. It was warmer than I had imagined. I closed my eyes as it streamed across my tongue, flowed down my throat, and filled my stomach. It tasted like burnt metal, the thick liquid coating my insides.
More…more….more…
I began to sputter, opening my eyes and realizing I still had over half the jug to drink. My stomach felt distended, a bloated bubble of sick nausea. I began to cramp and I had to fight my gag reflex as I ingested the blood, feeling it mix in my gut with bitter acid.
The man tightened his grip around my neck as he felt my body tense. I fought to keep the fluid down. I felt like I was drowning. I forced my eyes shut again, my stomach howling as it continued to fill. I hiccuped and burped, spraying red out the side of my mouth. It felt like the blood was rising back up in my throat, trying to escape.
Please, I begged myself, don’t throw up.
Suddenly, my abdomen hitched and I felt the contents of my stomach hurtle up my throat toward my mouth. The man holding me felt it, too, because he tightened his grip, locking my mouth shut around the funnel. He shoved a finger to block the hole just as blood and half-digested buffalo burger rocketed into my mouth. With no exit, the bile and mixed blood exploded out of my nostrils like gory fireworks.
I choked and struggled to breathe, my nose burning with stomach acid. I squeezed my watering eyes shut and forced myself to swallow the vomit back down. My body screamed in protest and I let out another gooey burp, traces of stomach bile leaking from the corners of my mouth.
Suddenly, the funnel was removed and I fell forward onto my hands, gasping for air. I took a few steady breaths, testing my body and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Tears leaked down my face from the revolt my body had put up.
Well, I thought, the easy part is over…
I crawled back to my knees, still sucking in the hot air, feeling my stomach gurgle. The Word was sitting again, his figure motionless. Kent and Bradly were standing on his right, watching me with intensity. I looked toward my family and my wife offered me a secret smile. My youngest gave me a small thumbs-up, a grin plastered across his little face.
The Worst Kind of Monsters Page 8
