Mother of All the Gods

by R. P. Wolff

  Lance stood up and held his arms up. “Don’t! The bees will get excited.”

  The guard stopped and narrowed his eyes.

  Lance said, “Let’s just get him out of here and away from these bees before they strike all of us.”

  The guard pulled back his arm again, ready to strike again.

  Lance had to plead his case because the bees might strike again. Then, he might have three dead guards. “Look, I could have run already. I didn’t. I’m trying to save Mr. Osborne’s life as you can see. I’m trying to help. Now, let’s get him out of here and to the hospital where he might be saved.” Lance knew it was too late.

  As he said this, an ambulance pulled up with its siren blasting.

  The men looked at each other.

  “How is he?” the standing guard asked.

  The other guard studied Ronnie. He pulled some of the bees out his mouth. He turned and puked on the side.

  The standing guard knelt and studied Ronnie as well. “Oh, my Zelda,” he said. “It looks like they suffocated him.” He stood up and grabbed Lance’s neck with his huge hands and squeezed.

  Lance gulped.

  The bees swarmed to the guard’s face but didn’t attack. The guard released his grip.

  Lance said, “Let’s get out of here.”

  The men ran to the police car and directed the ambulance workers to get Osborne.

  Lance wondered why the bees didn’t attack the other guard like they did Osborne.

  Chapter 11

  Becca, Lance’s daughter, shivered. This plan was crazy. “Austin, I can’t do this,” she whispered as they sat in the library.

  Austin was a boy her age who she knew before the Conversion Day. In fact, she had known him since kindergarten. He was always short during middle school but recently sprouted to a little under six feet. Becca figured that he probably could be good looking if he just fixed himself up a little bit, like cut and comb his disheveled, thick hair. He had a little acne, but it was tolerable compared to some other teenagers.

  “Yes, you can,” he whispered back. “We have to make a run for it.”

  The Maters had converted the Harmon campus of Lewisville High School to a prison for infidels, kids who didn’t believe in Materism. The Maters called it an “educational camp,” but Becca considered it a brainwashing prison. They spent three hours a day learning math and English but another three hours learning Materism, which Becca thought was a ridiculous religion. She went through the motions, as did Austin, but they would never truly believe in it and would always remain Christians.

  Austin continued, “Now listen to me.” He looked around the room. There were about thirty students spread out at different tables, and two straight-faced, armed guards lurking around. “At exactly three ten in the morning, go to the bathroom. I will do the same.”

  “Will they even let us go to the bathroom that early in the morning?” Becca asked. She had never tried to and didn’t know of anyone who had.

  “What are they going to do, refuse you?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what they’re going to do.”

  “No, it’s going to catch them by surprise.”

  Becca frowned. She held back tears. She couldn’t believe it, but she missed her parents. She missed her normal life. Even if she escaped, which was highly unlikely, her life would be far from normal.

  “Come on, listen up,” he said. “We both go into our bathrooms. I’ll knock three times on the wall. I hope you’ll be able to hear it. Wait ten seconds, then exit. There will be a guard to our left, guarding the exit door. We are supposed to turn right and head back to our cots, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Instead, we’ll turn left, sprint past the guard, slam open the double doors, and run across the street.”

  “Oh, my Zelda. I mean, oh my God. I can’t believe they got me saying that.” She shook her head. “That is the worst plan I ever heard. There are so many things that can go wrong.”

  “Okay, maybe you’re right, but hear me out. The risky part is when we run. Up until that point, there’s basically no risk. If they don’t let us go to the bathroom, then the plan fails from the beginning.”

  “How are we going to get past the guard? Won’t he shoot us or worse yet, won’t they brand us? I can’t go through that. I hear it’s really painful.”

  “The guard will be sleepy and won’t expect such a bold move. They usually have their rifles draped along their shoulders. By the time he gets it around his shoulder, we will be out the door. Once we’re outside, it will be dark, and we only have to cross the street until we get to the houses.”

  Even though the plan was horrible, Becca admired Austin’s bravery. His crazy hair style was starting to grow on her. “Okay, let’s say we get past the guard and across the street, then what? They’ll just chase us down. Where would we go?”

  “We’ll go to the Glover’s house on Summerset. It’s right across the street.”

  “They’re not going to help us. They’re Maters.”

  Austin sighed. “It’s the only thing I can think of. We’ll just plead for them to help us. I don’t think they’ll refuse us.”

  Becca shook her head. This plan kept getting worse. “Are you kidding? They’re one of them. They are not going to risk their lives for us Christians.”

  “Look, Bryant and I were on the same baseball team. He’s my bud. Believe me, they will take care of us. They’re good people. Anyway, Bryant will vouch for us.”

  “What if they don’t?” asked Becca.

  “Then we will run.”

  “Let me think about this.” Becca thought that if the Maters caught them, the Maters would definitely brand them like some of the other kids who tried to escape or misbehave. She was told it was very painful, but the pain did go away after a while. It wasn’t permanent. Now if the Glovers took them in, they could hide there. But for how long? What about her parents? How would she find them? If she escaped, then her parents could possibly escape, and they could reunite.

  “Come on,” Austin said. “Make up your mind. Are you in or out? I’m going regardless.”

  Becca really looked forward to staying at the Glover’s house versus the so-called, educational camp. Becca exhaled. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Great,” Austin said. He hesitated then whispered into her ear. “In case we don’t make it, I just want you to know that I love you.”

  Becca jerked.

  Austin continued, “I have always loved you and will always love you. I will take care of you.” He faced her and smiled. He mouthed, “You are beautiful.”

  Becca shook her head but grinned. She was flattered. Maybe he wasn’t so bad.

  ◆◆◆

  Becca rubbed her neck. It was almost the designated time. She was one of hundreds sleeping on cots in one of the gyms. Four guards sat by the gym’s four exit doors.

  This was the easy part according to Austin—going to the bathroom. If they refused her, they would abort the plan.

  She got up and headed to one of the doors. A guard glared at her.

  Becca nodded to the man, and whispered, “I need to go to the bathroom.” She did not wait for a reply and walked through the doorway.

  “Wait,” the man whispered back. “You can’t go to the bathroom.”

  Becca gulped. She stopped and turned towards the man. “I have to. It’s a female problem if you know what I mean.” She waited a few seconds, turned, and headed to the bathroom. She held her breath, but he didn’t say anything.

  Phase one was a success.

  On the way to the bathroom, she saw the guard by the exit door. He wasn’t sleeping and didn’t seem sleepy. Damn, she thought.

  She entered the bathroom, went into a stall, and waited for the knock on the wall. She wondered if they would let Austin get by. After a couple of minutes, she heard the boy’s room door open in the distance. “Please be Austin,” she whispered out loud.

  She flushed the toilet, got out of the stall, and stood by th
e wall, waiting for the signal. Was she really going to go through with this crazy plan? She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked awful with some zits on her chin, no makeup, and her hair looked greasy. Maybe Austin thought she was ugly.

  She heard the three knocks. She gasped and counted the ten seconds, which went too quickly. She opened the door and saw Austin to her left with the guard behind him, sitting in a chair.

  “Now,” he whispered.

  Becca exhaled and ran with Austin. The exit door was only ten feet away. Their run startled the guard and he jerked and fumbled with his rifle, but he was able to quickly recover and blocked the doors just as they reached them. Austin pushed the guard who slipped on the floor. Becca and Austin ran through the doors and were outside in seconds. They broke out in a sprint. Becca considered herself fast, but Austin started out way ahead of her, but he slowed so she could catch up with him.

  Becca was surprised that the guard wasn’t chasing them. He must be super mad that Austin pushed him.

  The school sirens blared. She could hear the doors opening behind them and footsteps running towards them, but they had at least a hundred-yard head start and were already close to the street.

  “Stop,” a guard yelled in the distance.

  “Come on, you have to go faster,” Austin panted.

  They crossed the street and cut through the second house, which had a clear path between the houses. Austin seemed to know the block well. Before they turned, Becca got a glimpse of their pursuers. They were farther away than she thought. They were about two football fields behind them. Good, she thought.

  They darted down the alley and then sprinted across another opening between houses. “It’s over there,” Austin gasped and pointed to a house across the street. “We’ll have to go in their back yard. Come on.”

  They ran along the fence and turned left to a small section of the fence that was about ten feet to the house.

  “Hurry,” he said. “You have to hop the fence.” He cupped both of his hands, and Becca stepped into it, and he raised her over the fence. She landed, squatted, and waited for him. She could hear dogs barking in neighboring houses but not the Glover’s house. Thank God.

  Within seconds, Austin was over the fence. They both squatted. He put his index finger over his mouth indicating for her to be quiet. They both looked up into the sky trying to listen for the guards.

  It was dark and silent except for the dogs barking in the distance.

  Austin panted. “Okay, now’s the time. We have to try now while they haven’t spotted us.”

  Becca nervously nodded.

  They were in a secluded area where the air conditioning unit and pool equipment were located. They opened a side fence door, turned right, and headed towards the back door. The backyard was fully enclosed by a tall wooden fence. No one should be able to see them.

  There were no lights on in the house. Austin hesitated and sighed. “I hope this works,” he said.

  Austin knocked on the door with two of his knuckles. He was trying to knock loud enough, so the Glover’s could hear him but not too loud for the neighbors to hear.

  Becca couldn’t see any movement inside the house.

  Austin shrugged to Becca. “I guess I have to knock louder.”

  He knocked slightly louder and waited. Becca saw a figure coming from the darkness rubbing its eyes. Becca squinted her eyes and focused. It looked like a teenager.

  It was Bryant, Austin’s friend.

  With a loud whisper, Austin said, “Bryant, help us. Please let us come in. The guards are chasing us.”

  Bryant looked behind himself and turned back to face them. He held his hand up and put his finger over his mouth.

  He unlocked the door and let them in.

  “Come in, come in.” Bryant whispered. “My parents are sleeping.” He slowly closed the door behind them.

  “Thank you so much,” Austin said.

  The back of the house had a kitchen and an adjoining living room. Bryant led them to a nearby sofa with Bryant sitting across from them.

  “What’s up?” asked Bryant. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, we escaped from the Harmon prison,” Austin said.

  “I thought it was an educational camp.”

  Becca interrupted, “Look, Bryant, can you please close your blinds, so no one sees us?” Becca felt exposed with the blinds opened.

  Bryant hesitated but eventually got up and closed the blinds. He sat back down.

  Becca decided to do the talking hoping that Bryant would warm up to a girl. “Bryant, is that what they are telling you? That we’re in an educational camp?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s a prison. We can’t leave voluntarily. We just tried, and they’re chasing us.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “It’s a long story. Basically, we saw an opening and ran.”

  “We were hoping that you would help us,” Austin interjected.

  “Of course, I’ll help you,” Bryant said as he looked at Becca. Bryant continued, “We don’t know what’s going on. We’re in school, and they took us to the main campus. They told us that you wanted to stay at Harmon, which was turned into an educational camp to learn Materism.”

  “No, we did want to leave,” Becca said. “We hate it. The food sucks, and we have no freedom. They constantly make us study Materism.”

  “You don’t like Materism?”

  Oh no, thought Becca. Here comes a lecture.

  “Not that we don’t like it,” Becca lied. “We don’t like to be forced to believe in something.” Becca glanced at Austin looking for his assurance. He nodded. “How about you? Do you believe in it?”

  “Yeah, I believe in the holy Zelda Mater and all the Gods, and my parents believe in it too,” Bryant said.

  Becca regretted asking that question. The last thing she needed was getting into a religious debate. She did not want to upset the one person that could save them.

  Bryant held out his hands and glanced towards the stairs leading upstairs. “Shh, you have to be quiet. I don’t want to wake my parents.”

  “Can we hide here?” Austin asked eagerly.

  “We would really appreciate it,” Becca added.

  Bryant pondered this question. “I’m okay with it, but I don’t know about my parents. I mean, if the police find you here, we could be in trouble.”

  Becca was trying to think of a comeback but couldn’t immediately think of one to convince Bryant.

  Bryant continued, “I don’t know, man. I don’t know what they would do to us.”

  Becca’s heart raced. Was he going to send us out on the streets?

  Austin sighed. “I see. How’s baseball coming along?”

  Great job, Austin, Becca thought. Change the subject, but it was so obvious that he was doing that.

  “It’s not the same without you guys,” Bryant said. “We have less players.”

  Becca noticed a blue strobe light flashing from the front of the house.

  “Oh shit, is that the police?” Austin said as he jumped up from his seat.

  Bryant scurried to the front to see what was happening. “Yes, it’s the police!” Bryant said.

  “Did you call them?” Becca confronted Bryant.

  “No, I was with you the whole time. I didn’t call the police.”

  Instinctively, Becca scurried to the back door and peeked out through one of the blinds. Austin followed her.

  “You better not run,” said Bryant. “They’re going to catch you.”

  Becca and Austin ignored him and swung open the back door only to find two armed guards with flashlights and handguns. Oh no, she realized. We’re dead.

  “Get down on the ground, now!” a guard ordered. “Spread your arms and legs out so we can see them.”

  Becca and Austin did as the guards instructed. They had caught them. No use fighting or trying to escape.

  The guards walked towards them. Becca shuddered. They must be mad at us.
>
  The guards whispered to each other, but Becca couldn’t hear them. She wondered how they found them. There was no way for Bryant to have called them. He was with them the whole time and never made a call. Did his parents call the police? If they did, they were really quiet. It was three o’clock in the morning. Surely, they were asleep. She looked at her left hand and realized how. The damn Freedom Chip. It must have a GPS, she figured. Oh shit, there’s no way to escape if they can track people, she thought.

  The guards ended their secret conversation and strolled over to Becca and Austin. Becca saw a guard kick Austin in the side. Austin shrieked.

  The other guard kneeled in front of Becca, pulled Becca’s hair, and snarled at her. “You are in a lot of trouble, bitch.”

  Chapter 12

  “Three hundred eighteen,” Lance whispered to himself as he woke up. Three hundred eighteen days until his release sounded so long. Maybe he should use months instead. Maybe that wouldn’t seem so long. He tried to calculate the number of months remaining when a guard interrupted his thoughts.

  “What’s your number, prisoner?” a tall guard asked.

  “88715.”

  “Okay, that’s you. Come on with me.”

  Lance first reaction was to ask “what for” but knew better to question guards. He didn’t want any more whippings.

  He was lucky that he didn’t get any more whippings from the death of Ronnie. At first, they didn’t believe Lance’s story that bees attacked Ronnie, but an autopsy showed that about thirty bees lodged themselves into his throat and stung him over two hundred times throughout the rest of his body. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, Lance thought.

  The guards chalked it up to a freak accident, and the guards praised Lance for trying to save Ronnie and not escaping. He was on somewhat good terms with the guards since the incident. But being on good terms, just meant that they didn’t whip him as regularly as some of the other prisoners were.

  The guard led Lance through a maze of cots at the Dallas Convention Center. The Maters told the prisoners that they were eventually going to transfer them to the Huntsville Prison, but it hadn’t happened yet. This news sent chills to all the prisoners because Huntsville was where all the violent criminals resided. They did not want to mesh with these hardened criminals. They all dreaded the day that the guards would transfer them.