by Jill Sanders
“The boy is my grandson,” the deeper voice growled.
Roman chuckled. “Reagan’s grandfather, Mark Grayton, will have something to say about that.”
“That man has no blood hold on this boy.”
“No.” He finished removing the tape and took a couple deep breaths. “But he has something you’ll never have.”
“What?” He felt the van slow down.
“Him.” He reached over and grabbed Reagan’s lax body, just as he kicked the younger man who was sitting at his feet. The man when flying backwards, giving Roman enough time to get the van door open.
He was immediately soaked from the rain and when he jumped from the van, he realized they had been going faster than he’d expected.
He hit the ground and rolled, protecting Reagan as he went flying through mud and grass. A small tree was in his way and when he hit it, bark and needles stuck in his skin.
When he finally settled, he picked himself up, holding Reagan’s body close to him as he headed in the opposite direction of the van.
The men stood at the back of the van and laughed, actually laughed at him.
Taking a moment to look around, he realized why they weren’t chasing him. It was too late. They were already on the CoF compound.
***
Missy woke up with several people looking down at her.
“She’s awake,” Cassey said, taking her hand. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
She nodded and started to sit up, then remembered why she’d passed out in the first place. “Roman, Reagan,” she cried.
“If you know anything about who was in that van, you’d better share it with us,” the chief of police said. He was standing next to Marcus, looking stern.
She rubbed her hand over her forehead, fighting the pain. “The CoF has them.”
“Who?” Cassey asked.
“The Council of Friends.” She closed her eyes and leaned back, wishing it was all just a bad dream. “I was too late.”
“Who the heck is the Council of—”
“Friends.” She finished Marcus’ statement. “It’s a cult.” She sat up and looked at her family. “The cult I was born and raised in, until I escaped and came to the Graytons.”
“Why would they take Roman and your son?” Someone asked.
She shook her head. “They don’t want Roman.”
“Okay, why do they want your son?” Marcus asked, sounding pissed.
“Because he’s the chosen one,” she said, realizing how stupid it all sounded.
“What?” Cassey frowned. “What the heck is a chosen one and why do they think your son is him?”
She rolled her shoulders and started yet another story. By the time she was done, everyone was looking at her like she had grown another head.
But at least she’d gotten her point across. The CoF was dangerous. Very dangerous.
“I’ll drive,” Marcus said as he started walking towards the door. Her laughter stopped him.
“What?” He frowned down at her.
“One doesn’t simply walk into the CoF compound.”
“We do. We’re family. They can’t…”
“Marcus, maybe we should wait,” Cole said, taking hold of his brother’s arm. “I dated this girl a while back.” He looked over to her. “She’d been brainwashed by a cult. She really believed that aliens were going to come down and rescue everyone in her cult on the promised day.” He shook his head. “Batty.”
She nodded. “They won’t stop. They never will. Not until Reagan leads them into the promised land.”
“What exactly does that entail?” the chief of police asked.
Her eyes met his. “Total annihilation.”
***
Roman ran, even though he could see the tall fences all around the large compound. There was bound to be a way out of here. Somewhere. When he came to a fence, he turned to the right and started running the length. Rain and mud splattered him as he slid. The storm was pretty much over, but lightning still flashed every so often. He could hear people shouting as they looked for them.
Finally, he found a break in the wire. The storm had knocked down an old oak tree. Its branches hung over the barbed wire. Kneeling, he slapped Reagan’s face lightly; he needed the kid to be awake in order to get over the fence.
Voices neared him so he ducked behind a large bush and held his breath until they continued on. He felt Reagan jolt in his hands and quickly covered the kid’s mouth in case he woke screaming.
“Easy, it’s me. We’re in a bind here, kiddo,” he said, when Reagan’s eyes met his. He smiled when the kid nodded. “I need your help. We have to get over this fence.” He leaned, showing him the fallen tree.
“It’s too high,” the boy said. He could tell he was holding back tears. “Did they find us?” he asked.
Roman nodded, not wanting to waste any more time on stories. “I’ll help you get over the top.”
“What about you?” Reagan asked.
He smiled. “I’ll make it just fine. You first. We have to do this fast, though, and quietly.”
When Reagan nodded, he took off the heavy raincoat and handed it to him. “Throw this over the wires, so they don’t stick you.” The boy nodded. “Okay, ready?”
Reagan nodded again.
They rushed over to the edge of the fence. The tree was rooted on the outside, but its branches had knocked out a good section of the upper fence. When he hoisted Reagan up, the kid tossed the jacket over the wire and grabbed hold of the branches with his hands and the fence with his feet. He slipped once, but Roman was right there to help him.
He watched as his son made his way carefully and quietly down the slippery tree. When he hit the bottom, Roman took hold of the fence and started climbing. He had one leg over the wires when he heard the shouts.
“Run!” He glanced down at Reagan, who just shook his head at him. “Now! Run!” He growled it as he jumped over the wire, not bothering with using the tree. He felt a bullet fly a few inches by his head as he fell. The branch next to him exploded and shards of wood flew into his skin.
When he hit the soft ground, his left boot stuck in the mud. Yanking his foot out of the damn thing, he reached Reagan and hoisted him up in his arms as more shots rang out. Then he started running with everything he had, praying that he would be fast enough.
Chapter Sixteen
Missy sat in the back of the fed’s car. She’d been over the story three times already. Once to her family and twice to the authorities. She’d answered every question they had about the CoF.
“Mrs.…” She looked up at the passenger of the car and frowned.
“Grayton,” she answered without thinking.
He nodded. “Mrs. Grayton, we need you to think if there’s any more information you can give us on the CoF.”
“I’ve told you everything I know. It’s been years since I escaped.” She looked out the window and felt her skin crawl. They were less than five miles from the dreaded compound. A shiver ran up her spine as they continued down the road. Her family was close behind them in their own cars. There were over a dozen dark sedans, vans, and trucks following the one she was in, all with agents, prepared for a fight.
“We’ve had our eye on the CoF for a few years. Ever since it was made known they’d been stockpiling weapons.” He turned again and looked back at her. “You don’t know anything about that?”
She shook her head no. “Last time, I was held in the hospital wing. They tied me to the bed every night and didn’t let me leave my room.”
“How did you escape then?” he asked.
She sighed. “My mother.” She blinked, remembering the sacrifice of the crazed woman who had given birth to her. “Shortly after I’d been born, she left the CoF and got back into drugs. After the visit at the Grayton’s, she’d watched me. I guess she felt guilty or something. She was still trying to get herself clean. Anyway, she broke into the compound and helped me.”
“Where is she now?” he asked, writing a few things
down in his notepad.
“Dead,” she said, a tear slipping from her eyes.
He turned and looked at her again.
“She could never shake her addiction. I found her shortly after Reagan was born, a needle in her arm.” She closed her eyes on the memory. “She went into the cult to clean her life up as a teen, but they had just added to her pain and messed her up even more.” She tapped her heart and her head.
He nodded and turned back to take his notes.
When the car came to a halt, she felt her stomach sink. There, a few hundred yards in front of them, stood the gated walls she’d spent a lifetime dreading.
The large gray buildings hung in the horizon like the dark symbol of dread they were. There were over a dozen smaller buildings, all painted in the same dull shade. She’d been born in one of those buildings. The tall fences were still in place, and there was a new larger electrical gate to allow people in but never out. Not unless you were Kevin Smith or with him. No one ever left. Except her and her mother. They’d been the only two who had ever escaped those barriers. Twice.
She shivered as they opened the doors then quickly shut them again when they heard gunfire. The agents quickly jumped back in the car and drove in reverse a hundred yards back.
The next few minutes seemed to go by quickly. She was shoved into the back of a van and driven even further away from the gates. Marcus, Cole, Cassey, and Julie were all there waiting for her.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Julie, the woman who had been more like a mother than a sister to them all.
“What’s going on?” Marcus asked.
“They were shooting at us,” she said, hugging herself.
“What?” Marcus glanced back at the compound, which was almost a mile away at this point.
“What’s going to happen know?” Julie asked, giving Missy a hug.
Missy shook her head. “I… I don’t know.”
Minutes stretched into hours as negotiation teams were sent in. A base of operations was set up in a makeshift tent. At several points, they were almost ushered off site, but each time, her family fought for their right to stay. Finally, they were given their own small waiting tent and told to stay put.
When an agent walked in, he walked right up to her.
“Mrs. Grayton,” he nodded. “We’ve spotted the van that took your husband and son.”
She didn’t correct him, only nodded automatically as Cassey wrapped her arms around her.
“It’s parked just inside the gates. We haven’t confirmed that they are in the compound yet, but are currently trying to negotiate their release.”
She nodded again.
“Has anyone talked to them yet?” Cassey asked.
He shook his head no. “Not yet. We’ve got all the phone lines into the compound, but they’ve remained silent.”
“What happens now?” Missy asked, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, which seemed to grow colder the longer she waited.
“We’ll continue to establish a dialog. If that doesn’t work, we’ll send our men in. They’ve made their intentions clear and after Waco, we’ve learned that waiting them out isn’t the best plan.”
She nodded, feeling more light-headed at the mention of her worst nightmare. Hadn’t she always believed that her father was sending his members down the same path?
After all, she could vaguely remember some of his preaching. How the apocalypse was coming and that the chosen one would lead them to the chosen land.
She’d always been told the chosen land was beyond the gates of heaven. With her father as their prophet and her son, the chosen one, now behind the walls of the compound, she only prayed that Roman would be able to save their son.
They waited around for hours, not hearing anything more, until Cassey stood up.
“Something’s burning.” She sniffed the air and rushed from the tent. They all rushed out after her. They stood looking towards the compound, but nothing was visible from this far away. Their arms were all around one another as they waited.
Officers in full body gear rushed around them like they were invisible. She could hear someone shouting orders and saw a group preparing to enter the compound with a battering vehicle.
Just when they were going to turn back and go into the tent, they heard a loud pop and turned back towards the building in time to see the entire place shatter into a million fireballs.
She screamed over and over again as she fell to her knees, watching the buildings blow up, one at a time. Her family stood beside her, crying and holding onto one another as the agents all scrambled back away from the heat that they could feel from almost a mile away.
Missy’s knees sank slowly into the mud as she cried into her hands. When she looked up again her vision grayed, and all she could hear was a loud buzzing sound.
Tears wracked her entire body. Every joint and muscle hurt. Her skin ached and she felt as if she’d been stung by a million bees.
Her eyes were glued to the fire until she had to blink from the brightness. The cries of her family dulled in her mind as she mourned.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
***
Roman was knocked to the ground when a bullet lodged in his shoulder. Stumbling, he lost his hold on Reagan as they rolled down the embankment and landed into the muddy banks of a stream.
“Over here,” someone called. “I see them.”
“Roman!” Reagan cried out. “Get up!”
Roman obeyed, pushing the pain behind him. He could only hold onto Reagan with one arm, but the kid was hanging onto him like a monkey as he ran through the shallow water.
They cleared the water and had just ducked into the trees when he heard the sound of men running through the water. They were just a few yards behind them. He had to outsmart them, since he couldn’t outrun them. He was reminded of all the games of hide and seek he’d had with his brothers and sisters. Games he’d always won.
Heading in the same direction, he waited until he knew the men were in the trees and then ran in a big U shape, ducking behind a large boulder and bushes as he heard them pass their hiding spot. When everything was silent, he quietly walked back to the edge of the water and waded into the stream, this time keeping with the current until he found another spot to climb out on the opposite bank.
“Do you think we lost them?” Reagan asked quietly.
He nodded and shushed his son. “We have to be very quiet for a while.” Reagan nodded as they continued to walk slowly through the brush.
When they came to a clearing, he glanced around and noticed a small pump house.
“Can we hide in there?” Reagan asked.
“No, buddy. That’s the first place they’ll look.” He frowned. “But, maybe we can slow them down for a while. I need to set you down for a minute.”
Reagan nodded. “You’re bleeding.” He pointed to his shoulder.
“Yeah.” He frowned. “I’ll need to borrow your jacket.” Reagan removed his light jacket without hesitation. “Thanks, son.” Roman smiled down at him. Reagan smiled back up at him.
“How can we slow them down?”
“By making them think we’re hiding in there.” He nodded to the pump house.
They walked closer to the small building. Roman used his clean hand and smeared some of his blood on the edge of the door. Then he used his only booted foot to kick the door in until it hung on its hinges. “Okay, we need to run now.” He looked over at his son as he wrapped the boy’s jacket around his shoulder to stifle the bleeding. Do you think you can run or do I need to carry you?”
“I can do it. I’m the fastest boy in my gym class.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Fastest boy?”
Reagan sighed and looked down. “Susie Morgan is almost a minute faster than me.”
Roman stopped himself from laughing. “Your mother could always outrun me.” He smiled and wiped some dirt from Reagan’s chin. “Okay, let’s see how fast we can make it to those trees.
”
Reagan glanced up and nodded. When they took off, he had to slow his pace just to make sure the kid stayed right beside him.
They were a few yards into the trees when he heard more gunfire. This time, it was coming from the west. Back where he imagined the compound was. Taking a chance, he grabbed Reagan’s hand and started running towards the sounds instead of away.
They heard the loud explosions just before exiting the trees. Then they stopped long enough to take stock of what was happening. Over six dozen vehicles were parked alongside the road. There were barriers blocking traffic and men in dark uniforms stood around.
When he took Reagan’s hand this time, the kid smiled. “It’s the Cavalry,” the boy said, causing him to laugh.
“Even better. It’s the FBI.” He stepped out into the clearing, only to have several agents draw their weapons and point them directly at his chest.
“Easy.” He nodded to the kid. “I think you’re here for us.”
***
Missy closed her eyes and held her breath. When she turned her head, her eyes refused to open. Then soft lips settled over hers and she melted into Roman’s arms.
Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she cried and pressed her lips against his.
“Mom!” Reagan called out. Her eyes flew open as her son flung himself towards them.
She held onto them both as their family cried around them. Roman was on his knees in front of her, holding her tight.
“Sir, we need to see to those wounds,” someone said over them. Gasping, she pulled away long enough to see Reagan’s bloody jacket tied around his shoulder.
“What happened?” she asked, frowning at him.
“He got shot saving me,” Reagan said, smiling.
She heard several people gasp. “Look at his feet,” Cassey cried.
“I’m okay.” He smiled at her, brushing a tear away from her face with his thumb. “As long as we’re safe, everything’s going to be okay.”
Chapter Seventeen
Missy sat in the waiting room with Reagan and her family, waiting for Roman to get out of surgery. The bullet had lodged in his scapula and they had needed to get it out before it caused any more damage.
