Chapter 1: Recaptured
For the first time, Mandy tasted freedom—or so she hoped. She continually watched over her shoulder to make sure that they weren’t going to get her. Can it be called “freedom” when one is living in constant terror? It had been three days since she had gotten away, and they still hadn’t found her.
Today was unlike any other; she met her mother for the first time. A particular man gave her instructions on finding her, a man who betrayed his “higher-ups” to help rescue her. At first, her mom thought she was someone else, a name she had never heard before. Yet, after a few minutes, she was able to convince her otherwise. Her mother tried to apologize for what had happened, but Mandy already knew it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t love her mother; she didn’t know her enough to love her. They were able to sit down, and Mandy told her story. Her mother was in both shock and tears. She ensured her mom promised to keep the story a secret, for she was terrified of what would happen if her whereabouts became known. The house was warm and welcoming. Mandy wished she could stay, but that might bring unwanted guests. She had never met someone as kind and gentle as she had this day.
She left her mother’s house tormented, haunted by unspeakable images. They were both from the recent and the distant past. At times, the stress was so great it felt like blackness would consume her, and death would take hold. Death was not something she feared. While dying seemed to be a fear that most people held, she would embrace it to escape a life of torment and agony.
She was currently walking out in the town park. It was dark, and Mandy felt like the shadows of the trees were going to reach out and grab her. It was quiet… too quiet. The wind was as still as a lake on a cool autumn morning. The moon was too faint to help guide her steps. The sweet aroma from nearby flowers was the only pleasant sensation she was encountering.
As she walked, images of the scar-faced man overcame her, and she sat down by a nearby tree, trying to control her breathing. This man was her greatest torment, and he haunted her constantly since her escape. From childhood to adulthood, he was there. She wished the man dead. A harsh wish, but appropriate for a man like that.
Once she caught her breath, she was able to stand back up and walk. In the shadows of the trees, she thought she saw an outline of a man. When she turned her head to look, there was no one there. Passing it off as simple imagination, she continued.
Mandy had never been in a park throughout her entire life. In fact, this was her first time outside of her home, if one could call it a home. She could hear the sound of running water faintly, a sound she was vaguely familiar with, as she only could recall hearing it from running faucets. It seemed soothing and would probably put her at ease had the situation been different. She refocused on the smell of the flowers and the sound of water.
Attempting to change her thoughts helped very little in blocking out her past. It slowly got louder as she neared the river until it was loud enough to drown out most sounds except the occasional distant siren. The sound was no longer comforting, but it came on her like an avalanche, about to crush her. The smell of flowers became overpowered by the scent of death. Something near the water was dead. She guessed it was a mangled animal of some sort. She began to walk faster, almost running. Something was not feeling right. Then again, it might have been the eeriness of the park at night mixed with her paranoia. Memories flooded her head, increasing the terror. She wanted to be where it was safe, but no place was safe for her. She knew they would be searching for her and would soon find her. She was not familiar with the world, so she did not know where to hide. The money her mother had given her offered no comfort since she knew she couldn’t trust anyone.
She saw a man standing by a fence that partially surrounded a river. As she got closer, she realized he wore a uniform of some kind. She thought it was a police uniform, but she did not understand how the police operated. She only knew that they visited her occasionally and were cruel. Everyone she met was brutal, except for the man who gave her instructions on finding her mother. She had heard that there were good people in the outside world and hoped the man in the uniform was one of those people. As she looked at the policeman, a rough hand reached out from behind her, grabbing her in the chest. She screamed. Somebody put a cloth over her mouth. An unknown scent overwhelmed her, and her last thought was that the police officer must be one of “them” because he stood still while looking directly at her.
Chapter 2: Suspicion
“So, Allisa and David are coming over this evening?” Nick verified, half looking forward to seeing them and half not wanting to hear their usual religious discussions. Allisa and David could be pushy with their spirituality, sometimes making Nick feel awkward.
“Yes, they are, and settle down on your debating. I know how you love to debate.” Lisal gave him a smirk as she flipped back her long, dark hair.
Nick looked at her and quickly became enamored by her beauty, something he often did. After ten years of marriage, her beautiful brown eyes still caused Nick’s heart to race. Her only flaw was a bump on her nose, but Nick viewed this as a compliment to her beauty. He was still amazed that she chose to be with him since he thought of himself as an average guy, with his sandy brown hair now cut short and dull brown eyes. When they first started dating in high school, he wore his hair long in the back. His classmates often called him REO Speedwagon, referring to the singer’s hairdo in the video “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” Lisal had several guys trying to get a date with her, but she was more attracted to quiet, shy men who hid in the background, like Nick.
Nick grinned, knowing the truth to Lisal’s statement. When it came to Nick, he seemed shy and quiet at first. However, that changed when somebody placed an excellent debate on the table. He especially would debate anything which had to do with religion. Allisa and David proved to be worthy opponents and had stumped him many times. Nick was a religious man, but he didn’t follow Christianity. At one point, Nick had been an atheist, but while studying science in college, he became amazed at the complexity of life. There was no way that everything in the world happened by chance. He found himself drawn to Earth-based spiritualities. He sometimes referred to himself as an Eclectic Pagan because he found truth in different spiritual paths, whether Druidism or Wicca. Allisa, David, and his wife were faithful churchgoers, and Nick viewed Allisa as a “holier than thou” person. His wife went to church once or twice a week, and he didn’t know if he considered it a good thing. Even though Nick didn’t attend church with her, her love seemed to be growing stronger. She quit flirting with other men, and he hadn’t caught her in a lie in a long time. He still felt a degree of separation from her. He was troubled by some of the beliefs of her church.
He lit a purple candle on the table, which filled the air with the aroma of a lilac bush appropriate for a peaceful spring night. If there was anything Nick and Lisal had shared a love for, it was candles and music. Their kitchen wasn’t large, but it was very cozy. Lisal had decided to decorate with an apple theme. This included everything from the wallpaper borders right down to the salt and pepper shakers. The kitchen was placed at the front of the house, with a window hanging over the sink. This made it easy to keep an eye on their two daughters when they were outside playing. Nick currently sat at their rectangular table, which could seat six people. Since there wasn’t much seating space, they didn’t hold holiday celebrations at the house very often. One day, when Nick could pull in more money, they would buy a larger home and host some celebrations; at least, that’s what he hoped.
After intentionally hesitating for a minute, Nick finally responded in his smart-ass tone, “You’re asking an awful lot of me. Sometimes I have to get my two cents in, and Allisa is an expert at bringing the debating side out of me.” However, he knew deep down that he would debate anything the other couple brought forth.
Although Lisal sighed, he knew she wasn’t genuinely irritated with him. He changed the subject. “Are you and Alissa putting on your Bible study at the church tonight?”
“You bet we are. Something is going on that doesn’t seem right. One of the deacons has been acting strange.” Lisal paused as if she was pondering whether or not to give out more information. Then she turned around from what she was doing and looked at him, her face serious. “I have a feeling that he’s hiding something, but I don’t know what. I have to do the church bulletin after the meeting, so I’ll be in the church office and will have an opportunity to look things up.”
“Personally, I think all the people there are a little strange. When I went there, people were passing out, while others were shouting out gibberish. Insanity if you ask me.” Nick gave a little chuckle before saying, “At least it wasn’t as boring as the Catholic church I went to as a kid.”
Nick recalled attending church as a young kid. The priest’s monotone voice would make it hard for him to stay awake. Sometimes, other kids were there, and he would play with them and crawl under the pews. This didn’t last long because his dad would hand him a note saying: “Behave, or we are going to the afternoon Mass.” He always looked forward to communion because he knew the horrible tasting bread was a sign that church was almost over. Nick’s parents were faithful Catholics, that is, up until his brother Brent drowned. Nick’s dad didn’t know what to believe in anymore and seemed bitter toward the God he once trusted. Nick’s mother continued to attend church for a time but became discouraged. Nick still relived the nightmare of his brother drowning and continued to blame himself for it.
Nick and Brent decided to grab their fishing poles and go out on their parent’s rowboat. The wind was heavy, but they were desperate to find something to do. At the age of eleven, Nick urged his eight-year-old brother to go out on the boat. “Come on Brent, it will be fun, and we can see who will catch the biggest fish.”
“But I don’t want to go out. I’m scared!” was his brother’s reply.
Nick knew it was a dare, but at eleven who doesn’t like to take a little risk? “Oh, there you go being a wuss again. You need to be tough and not so whinny,” Nick teased, knowing this usually was successful in manipulating his brother to do what he wanted.
“Alright,” his brother answered reluctantly. “But do you promise to play some Super Mario Brothers with me when we come back inside?”
They had just bought a new Nintendo system, and his brother sometimes spent several hours a day playing games. “I promise,” Nick said, knowing his brother would hold him to it. Nick enjoyed playing video games too, but not so much during the day. He viewed it more as a nighttime or rainy-day activity.
They grabbed their parents’ boat and went out on the river. It was a simple wooden rowboat with two oars. At the time, Nick didn’t know that people had drowned in this river. They set out, hoping to catch some fish. The wind continued to pick up the pace, and dark clouds began to cover the sky. His brother got into the rowboat, while Nick placed the fishing poles and pushed the boat out into the water. He quickly hopped in as the current promptly took hold.
Fifteen minutes later, they were rapidly moving down the river. Cold water splashed in the boat, and large rocks jarred them every time they crashed into one. Nick felt his adrenaline pump as he began to regret coming out. He frantically tried to think of a way to get to safety. They were far away from any houses that were along the river, so it was no use.
Both clung on for dear life. However, Brent’s fishing pole was knocked into the water, and instinctively he stood up to grab for it. Nick tried to reach out to stop him, but Brent was further than an arm’s reach away, and he missed. The boat hit a rock and knocked Brent into the water.
“Help!” he cried, but the water drowned out his voice. Nick reached out for him, but it was no use because the boat was shifting in every direction. He reached his hand over the edge, but the water splashing into his eyes blinded him. It was knocked around harder with less weight in the boat, and Nick fell to the floor.
Nick thought for a second that his only hope would be to leap in, but the rapids only increased his fear, so he stayed in the boat. Eventually, he was pushed onto a rock, and the boat held fast. Nick looked around, trying to see if Brent was anywhere near him, but there were no longer flailing arms or a voice crying out. The last word Nick would remember hearing his brother say was his last cry for help. Nick failed to save him. The harsh word continued to haunt him into his adult years. About an hour after his brother fell in, Nick was safely onshore, and a search team had arrived. It wasn’t long before they found Brent. Nick’s parents and the police made sure that Nick didn’t see his dead brother’s body. They were afraid he would be further traumatized by the sight.
It had always troubled Nick to think that he might have been able to save him if he jumped in for Brent. His Uncle Scott had not spoken to him since that day because he blamed the tragedy on Nick. The rest of Nick’s family made several attempts to reassure him. They told him he was better off not jumping in because he might have drowned too. Many were upset with Nick at first because Nick was the one to take his brother out on the river when it was flowing rapidly. Nick sided with his Uncle Scott on the issue and constantly placed the blame on himself.
A few years after Brent’s death, Nick’s father committed suicide. He left behind a letter which said that he could no longer go on. Bill collectors were harassing him every day, and there was no one to help. No matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t seem to get ahead and finally concluded that there was no point in trying anymore. Both Nick and his mom knew it related to the death of Brent among the other hardships. It was sad to watch his dad slipping away day after day. He turned to alcohol which offered no relief and sometimes only made the struggles harder. A few months before his suicide, he had grown very distant from Nick and his mom. Having two immediate family members die before Nick was fourteen was tough on him.
Nick’s mother slowly faded into sickness. Some said it was caused by her stress, while others said it was her poor eating habits and lack of exercise. However, she didn’t seem to care. Nick remembered her sitting in her green reclining chair for hours, just staring at nothing. She would tremble as if the room was cool when it was warm. Nick ended up making his own food and took care of himself while helping his mom out as much as he could.
It was not an easy life to live, and it wasn’t long before Nick could feel the stings of depression tearing at his mind. He grasped out for spirituality and became involved in a local youth group. They told him that God would heal him, and the blood of Jesus would make him stronger. It never seemed to help. It wasn’t long before he was treated like an outcast due to his lack of faith. He felt alienated, as if God loved the others in the youth group more than him. It seemed like they would always boast of some blessing that God bestowed on them, but after desperately praying, Nick only encountered greater despair. He went to a youth camp for a week mainly to get away from his home and get his mind focused on better things. During the chapel services held every night of the week, the other youths would fall over when the camp leaders would pray over them, and others would laugh uncontrollably. Some would yell out in tongues. It made him uncomfortable. However, at the youth camp, Nick decided to do his best to participate. He wanted to feel the feeling that his peers were getting from this phenomenon referred to as being “slain in the spirit.” The ministers prayed over him, but nothing happened. He left the camp filled with the same emptiness he felt before he arrived. This was when he decided to become an Atheist. The idea of a “higher power” no longer seemed possible to him.
It wasn’t until Nick was seventeen years old when a light of hope finally came. In school, a new girl named Lisal arrived during his senior year. She appeared to him as an angel who could save him from the misery he had endured. Almost immediately, they became best friends, and after a while, they started a romantic relationship. They both came from struggling families, and people viewed them as outcasts in school. After graduating high school, they ended up going to college together. Lisal studied to be a nurse while he was interested in becoming a biology teacher. They married shortly after graduation. Even with their degrees, they were having a rough time obtaining careers. Despite their hardships, Nick would never trade her for another.
He glanced over at Lisal as she prepared for the guests. He couldn’t help to notice the curves of her slender body, wishing she were staying home tonight.
A knock at the door brought Nick back to reality.
“Can you get that? I’m still trying to straighten things up,” Lisal called out to Nick.
Nick answered the door, and only Allisa stood there.
“Oh hi,” Nick said, “Where’s Dave? I thought he was supposed to be with you.”
Allisa had her usual smile. Her dark eyes held determination mixed with her bouncy blonde hair, giving the impression that she would kill you with kindness. Her facial features were warm, like a woman who loves to bake cookies just for the sake of giving them away. When Nick had first met her, he thought she was a fake. If her house burnt down and her husband left, she would still seem happy.
“He’s not feeling very well; I think it is from constantly eating fast food. He is always on the go and doesn’t have time to stop and have a decent meal.” Allisa replied. Then she held a slight smile while saying, “You know David; he always has to have breakfast with the boys at Jim’s Diner, and then whatever fast-food restaurant he is in the mood for when lunch rolls around.”
Nick knew what she meant by having breakfast with the boys. Since David worked for the pavement company, he and his fellow construction workers would gather before work at the diner and eat in their bright orange shirts.
Allisa took her usual seat at the end of the table as Lisal set some iced tea in front of her. Ever since Allisa became obsessed with losing weight, she had given up soda for green tea. There was a noticeable difference; it appeared Allisa had lost about twenty pounds over the past three months. She didn’t have much more to go.
“Well, Nick,” Allisa said. “When are you coming to church with us? We are all awaiting your company.”
The question didn’t take Nick by surprise since it was not unusual for Allisa to make some kind of attempt to convince him to come to her church.
“Oh, probably when Hell freezes over. You know the major reason I have trouble with Christianity is that I don’t see how a loving God can send people to Hell for eternity for not believing the ‘right’ thing.”
Alissa went on, “But you have to realize, we all deserve to go to Hell. God is a God of love, but he is also a God of justice.”
“Hold on one second. Why do we all deserve to go to Hell? I didn’t ask to be born with the supposed original sin connected to me. It also amuses me how when Hitler tortures people for not following him, people correctly call it ‘cruelty,’ but when God is going to send people to Hell to be tortured for eternity for not following him, the same people consider it ‘justice.’”
“Nick, you’re impossible, but we at the church will keep you in our prayers.” Allisa smiled to show that there were no hard feelings.
“Thank you. Could you pray that Jesus would turn some water into wine? I could really use some now.”
At that, Alissa just rolled her eyes but seemed slightly amused, while Nick chuckled inside.
Lisal and Allisa did a quick review of the Bible study they were going to put on when they got to the church while Nick sat with them. After a while, Nick grew bored and went into the living room to kick back and enjoy one of his books from the Dragonlance Chronicles* series. Eventually, Lisal and Allisa headed off to the women’s Bible study, and Nick stayed behind. He hoped it wouldn’t last very long; Lisal’s perfume had been seducing him, and he wanted to have some fun when she returned.
* * *
Deacon Eckel had been getting ready to close up his office at work when his cell phone rang. He had been expecting this call and answered it immediately.
“Plan is in place!” came the muffled voice from the one known as “Clyde.” “She will be at the church and will remain there well after the Bible study.”
Deacon Eckel knew exactly whom Clyde was referring to. Lisal had to be taken out of the picture quickly before she dove her nose in too far. He would not kill her, for he would only kill if he had to. That’s what Clyde’s assassin was for. It was a rather bizarre plan. Deacon Eckel wondered why the killer didn’t just take her out of the picture. Perhaps Clyde was trying to keep things on the down-low. If they kidnapped her first and took her into the secret underground tunnels, less attention would be drawn.
Clyde continued, “You know your exact orders. Am I correct?”
“Yes, sir,” was all Deacon Eckel could say before the line went dead. Clyde was always quick in conversation. The deacon stood up as his heart beat faster. Only a few more hours, and he would meet Lisal at the church.
Chapter 3: Caught in the Act
When Lisal and Allisa arrived at the Bible study, only a couple of people showed up. The meeting was short, and Lisal drove Allisa home. She went back to the church to write up the bulletin for Sunday’s service. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty because it seemed like she rushed the Bible study in order to get back to investigate Deacon Eckel. However, no one seemed to notice. In fact, it seemed they didn’t mind ending it early.
When Lisal arrived back at the church, she found the door unlocked. I could have sworn I locked the door, she muttered to herself. Passing it off as a simple mistake, she headed to the front of the church.
She could hear the wind howling outside, giving an eerie feeling to the building. The thumping of a board near the roof caused her to jump and pick up her pace. She wanted to leave, but her determination pressed her on.
She felt a cold touch on her elbow as she made her way, which startled her enough to turn around. No one was there, but for some reason, she felt slightly comforted. She thought of her husband at home and looked forward to seeing him later if he was up. She smiled to herself as she continued.
It was a large Assembly of God church, easily the biggest church in town, with no less than five hundred people attending service every Sunday morning. The altar was enormous, which allowed the nine instrumentalists and twenty-six choir members to fit comfortably. Lisal often thought the music minister should get a cut of the money, but she was unpaid. The pastor had said that he used the crimson-colored carpet to remind the congregation of the blood Christ had shed for the remission of sins. The white walls represented the purity a person has after being washed by the blood. In all honesty, Lisal thought it was kind of cheesy, but she knew his intentions were good.
On the right side of the altar, she went through the door that led to the church office. The office was well kept, with most of the papers neatly organized in filing cabinets. The smell of the newly laid gray carpet permeated the room. Lisal wondered what the gray color was supposed to represent, The Tomb of Christ, perhaps? She chuckled slightly to herself at her joke. Unlike the sanctuary, there were no florescent lights here, which made it easier for Lisal to focus while writing up the bulletin. A copying machine, a fax machine, a computer, and other office equipment were neatly placed around the room.
Before she got started on the bulletin, she wanted to look at a file. Deacon Eckel had been acting a little suspicious, and she wanted to check out his background. She remembered a few weeks ago when he dropped a pin out of his pocket. It landed by her foot, and as she went to pick it up, he quickly reached down, pushed her hand out of the way, and grabbed the pin. Then he quickly hid it from her view. It seemed like there was something he didn’t want her to see. A few other incidences seemed suspicious, but this was the one that stuck out in Lisal’s mind.
She approached the filing cabinet, only to find it locked. Frustrated, she sat down at the cherry wood desk with gold trim where the pastor often did his studies. Man, Lisal thought to herself, this guy has tons of money and still asks everyone in the church to give 10% of their income, including those who aren’t so well off. It was referred to as a “tithe.” Then he expected people to give an offering on top of that. Lisal had sat through many sermons and listened to Pastor James tell the congregation that they were cursed if they didn’t pay their tithes while quoting Malachi 3:8-11. Lisal decided to do an extensive Bible study on tithing and found it to be a type of tax system to pay the Levitical priests back in the Old Testament. The Levitical priests were basically the government at the time, and their source of income was through the tithing system. Tithing was in the form of animals and plants, never money.
The modern-day tithing system began in the sixth century and was advocated by the Council of Tours in 567ad and the Second Council of Macon in 585ad. Since then, many church leaders have taught tithing, some with good intentions and some to manipulate people into giving money. Lisal wished the U.S. Government would only ask for 10% of people’s income for taxes. When Lisal found out the truth about tithing, Deacon Eckel had told her to keep her mouth shut. Lisal tried to show him the Scriptural passages that backed up her point of view, but the deacon didn’t want to hear any of it.
Lisal popped out of her trance when she saw a manila folder in a separator labeled “Deacon Jack Eckel.” Excited, she pulled out the folder and looked inside. She felt a twinge of guilt for snooping around. She hesitated for a minute, then drew in a deep breath. She sensed that she was going to find something troubling. She started to put it back, but as she did, her curiosity overwhelmed her, and she ended up setting down the folder in front of her. The tug of war in her mind lasted a few minutes. Suddenly, she heard a thump in the other room. She set the folder down to investigate. When she went out into the sanctuary, it seemed that nothing was out of place. Still, something was bothering her; it was almost as if she could feel someone watching her. Could it be her imagination, or was someone in the same room as her? “Hello?” she lightly called out, but no answer. Perhaps the wind knocked something against the church from the outside.
Finally, she decided that it was nothing to worry about and headed back into the office. She pulled out the folder and quickly opened it. The first few pages were just basic information about the Deacon, including copies of his minister’s license and certificates.
As she flipped through the pages, a symbol caught her attention. There was a picture of a little table at the bottom of the symbol with a feather. Above the table, half a sun could be seen rising in the background.
Lisal immediately recognized it as the symbol for the Enlightened Dawn. Deacon Eckel is involved with the Enlightened Dawn? She thought to herself. Lisal remembered hearing other churches in the area warning people about the Enlightened Dawn, claiming that they worshiped Lucifer. She didn’t know how valid the claim was, and as she searched them out, she came across a lot of conflicting information. Since they were a local organization, it wasn’t easy to get much information on the Web.
She looked through a few more papers, and another one caught her attention. This one was worse than the first. It was a newspaper article titled “Man arrested for Second Degree Rape.” As she read the article, it claimed that Jack Eckel had been arrested for sexual misconduct with an eight-year-old girl nine years ago. Lisal almost vomited at the thought. She had an eight-year-old daughter and cringed at the thought of bringing her to a church where a man had been arrested for that. Why had no one told me? She felt her rage building. She took a few deep breaths to get a hold of herself. I have done so much for this church, and they can’t be honest with me. I’m resigning my membership as soon as I can.
She was perturbed that Pastor James would allow a man such as this to be a deacon. As someone who looked up to the man, she felt this was a blow and lost all respect for him.
Lisal felt sudden chills running through her and, again, sensed a presence in the church. She hadn’t heard anything, but it felt as if eyes were piercing through her. The wind howled outside, and she could feel herself tremble. Where was this feeling coming from? She could not recall a time when she’d felt this frightened; it seemed unreasonable. When Lisal looked up at a mirror in front of the desk, she almost jumped out of her skin. The mirror reflected a man standing at the doorway—Deacon Eckel.
Chapter 4: Captured
A mixture of fear and surprise ran through Lisal’s mind. Once she recovered, she exclaimed, “You scared the living tar out of me!” She knew that it appeared obvious she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to. She was not a natural at pretending she was innocent. She did her best not to put herself in situations where she would have to lie. She had failed at this a few times. Once was when she had an affair on Nick and was so regretful that she almost immediately confessed the truth.
Deacon Eckel however, didn’t seem surprised to see her there. In fact, it seemed almost as if he came there just to see her.
But why? Did he pick up on her suspicion and want to confront her? She didn’t know she had made herself that obvious.
An angry look came across the Deacon’s face as he glanced at the open folder on the desk. “It looks like you have been sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” He declared in a firm tone.
Lisal knew she was caught. “Well, I… I feel like you have been acting strange lately.” She stated. Suddenly she gained some boldness, surprising herself. “I see you’re involved with the Enlightened Dawn. I haven’t heard much good about them. Then there is this newspaper article!” She held up the article where he was accused of second degree rape.
Eckel looked taken aback for a second, but then a fierce look came over his face. “I am with the Enlightened Dawn, and what goes on with me is none of your business. Now put my folder back and finish the bulletin,” he commanded.
Lisal decided she wasn’t going to pry any further. This man was not in the mood to reason; she would just have to talk to Pastor James. He would listen, or at least that’s what she thought. By the deacon’s actions, Lisal knew her intuition had been right about the man hiding something. Yes, the second degree rape happened in the past, and if he were an honest and upright man, he wouldn’t need to act guarded over something that happened years ago. Perhaps it was his involvement in the Enlightened Dawn. There was something strangely secretive about the organization. Lisal could feel it in her gut, but there was nothing she could do without evidence. She felt her stomach churn with disgust when thinking about it, yet she didn’t know why.
Lisal was relieved to turn away from the deacon’s icy glare. She never liked confrontation, and this was one of the worst men to be confronting. He was known to belittle most of the women in the church. In fact, he seemed to have disrespect for all the women Lisal had seen him talk with. It was one of those things that continued to bother her about certain men in her church. The Bible stated that the man is supposed to be the head of the household, and many men took this to the extreme. Sometimes when Lisal thought about it, she was glad she was with Nick, who believed men and women were equals. She knew her husband treated her more reasonably than many of the men in her church treated their wives. Nick’s Pagan beliefs were sometimes tempting, but the fear of Hell drove her to continue with her current faith. She could not let Nick know this, though, as she wanted to win him over to her belief system.
As she put the folder away, she heard Eckel step closer. Geez, is he going to watch me all night? She thought, feeling irritated and nervous at the same time. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate if he was watching over her. She reached out her hand to put the folder away, hoping he would leave.
However, she never had the chance. His rough hand grabbed her, and a cloth that reeked of chloroform was placed over her nose and mouth. Instinctively she held her breath and stomped her heel on the Deacon’s in-step. She felt his grip loosen, but he was strong, and she couldn’t break free. She could feel the world spin as her body longed for oxygen. Her heartbeat raced faster. She kicked in back of her and flailed her arms, doing all she could do to break free. After what seemed like an eternity, she realized she could no longer fight. She breathed in the sweet-smelling chloroform, and darkness slowly covered her eyes as she wondered if she would ever awaken.
Chapter 5: Where Is My Wife?
Nick woke up from his nap. He felt startled when he looked at the clock. 9:30 already, I slept for 2 hours—and where in the world is my wife? He got up, thinking Lisal was in the kitchen. After not finding her, he wondered if something had come up at the woman’s meeting. Typically, his wife was home from doing the bulletin by 8:30 pm, and she hadn’t told him she was stopping anywhere else. He took a couple of deep breaths to relax and get his mind focused. It was nothing to get worked up over; she was just a little late and most likely got sidetracked. Still, he was going to make sure that she was all right.
Nick went to call Allisa, and David answered the phone. “Hey Dave, feeling any better?” He asked.
“A little bit, Allisa just cooked me a nice meal with steamed onions; it appears to be helping my sinuses a little,” David said with a hoarse voice.
Allisa has been home for a while, Nick thought to himself as the tension started building up, knowing that the bulletin never took nearly this long to complete. He asked David if they had heard from his wife, and David told him that Lisal dropped Allisa off almost two hours ago, and they hadn’t heard from her since.
Nick thanked him and looked the church phone number up in the phone book. He waited in anticipation until the answering machine picked up, but there was no answer, so he put his phone down while his mind raced. He took a couple of deep breaths to help ease his tension, but negative thoughts kept arising. What if there has been an accident and she is hurt? He attempted to counter these thoughts with positive ones. Maybe she bumped into someone and got into a conversation, or she went to her mother’s house to visit the kids. Nick decided he needed to get out of the house.
He quickly got in his car to make sure she was all right. Less than a mile up the road, his heart caught in his throat. Lined up and down each side of the street were ambulances and emergency vehicles. Fear raced through his mind. It had only been a few weeks earlier that a group of four teenagers had a head-on collision with a drunk driver. Only one survived but was in critical condition. Images of his beloved Lisal’s life coming to a sudden end in a car accident raged through his mind. He could feel a lump in his throat as fear overtook him.
Because the road was blocked, Nick got out of his car and jogged up to a police officer who was making sure no one crossed the yellow caution tape. Nick guessed that he must be new to the force, as he was friends with several local officers, and he’d never seen this guy before. The officer appeared to be no more than twenty-five; he was clean-shaven with an athletic build and a crew-cut. There was a degree of arrogance in his stature, and his eyes narrowed as Nick approached.
“What happened?” Nick asked, his heart racing.
“There has been a fatal accident.” The cop replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Who was it?” Nick rushed out, almost ready to go across the barricades himself.
“All I can tell you is that a blue Honda and a green Chevy collided,” the officer said as he stepped in front of Nick, blocking his passage.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He had never been so glad that they owned a Dodge Neon. Thanking the officer, he ran back to his car and took a detour to the church. He continued to tell himself to think positive, that he was worrying over nothing. Still, the feeling that something wasn’t right gnawed at his mind. Normally, he wouldn’t react this drastically from Lisal being a little late, but this feeling pushed him on.
The church was about three miles from the house and close to the center of town. The murder of crows that stood on the trees surrounding the church gave it an eerie look in the evening. The church was a three-story building with a cross at the top center. A billboard that could be seen from the road always contained a weekly message for passersby. Tonight, it read, “Too blessed to be depressed.” Nick shook his head in slight irritation. The parking lot was in the back, out of sight from the streets. One lone light lit the parking lot, creating grim shadows from the trees above. Nick wondered how Lisal could feel safe at night.
A little shed cloaked in mystery stood by the church. Every time Nick saw this little shed, chills ran down his spine. He had no idea why, but he sensed a strange presence coming from the small building. Sometimes he considered it a sixth sense. He was good at picking up on things if something wasn’t right about certain people and places. Often his sensations were accurate.
Nick saw the red Dodge Neon in the parking lot and set out to look for his wife. He got out of his car and walked up the wooden steps, which creaked under his weight. When he came to the door, it was locked. “Well, at least she keeps herself safe while here.” Nick attempted to stay reasonable. He figured she was busy with the bulletin. Maybe she had run out of ideas or was trying to think of something a little more creative. He hopped back in his car and put in a CD by a band called Epica. He flipped it to the fourth track to hear the song entitled “Chasing The Dragon.”* The female vocalist’s classical style reminded him of his wife’s singing. Both Nick and Lisal shared similar tastes in music.
As Nick listened to the nearly eight-minute-long song, he thought of an idea. He had a little bit of extra money left from his paycheck for once. Why not surprise Lisal with a gift? He had not been able to give her any surprises in a while due to tight finances. Nick worked as a part-time substitute teacher at Waterburg’s high school. He hoped to work as a full-time biology teacher eventually, but there hadn’t been an opportunity yet. One of the teachers he sometimes filled in for had taken a two-week vacation, which resulted in a better-than-usual paycheck.
It was ten o’clock at night, and the only store open was Walmart. He made sure to leave a message on his home phone saying he was picking something up at the store just in case Lisal returned while he was out. Then he pulled out of the parking lot. The road had an eerie glow to it from the streetlights. Everything seemed creepy to Nick right now, which told him that something evil was afoot. Something terrible happened to Lisal; he knew it in the back of his mind. He tried to fight those thoughts and replace them with positive ones but failed miserably.
Traffic was scarce, and he was able to make it to the store rather rapidly. He noticed a hooded figure standing outside, about ten feet away from the door, as he walked to the entrance. The only facial feature the light revealed was his chin and half of his mouth. There was something familiar about him. As Nick entered the store, it clicked in his mind where he had seen this man. On the day his brother died, Nick looked across the river after being rescued and saw this man standing there. The sight had sent chills through him. Apparently, neither the police nor anyone else who was with him that day saw this man. As “little” Nick went to point him out, he seemed to vanish. Here he was again tonight. The same fear that consumed Nick then was with him now. Maybe he should talk to the man and see who he was. Perhaps he was an ordinary, harmless man who seemed to show up in Nick’s life when things were bad. He made up his mind to talk to the man when he left the store.
He was in Walmart for about ten minutes. He picked out a silver necklace with a dove on it since Lisal loved doves. According to Lisal, the dove represented the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. In his research, Nick came across evidence that the dove was an ancient symbol for the goddess of love in various mythologies such as Inanna from Sumer and Aphrodite from Greece.
As he left the building, he looked towards where the strange man had been standing. For some reason, Nick was not surprised to see that the man had vanished, which relieved him.
Nick struggled to stick to the speed limit as he drove home. Half of his mind was consumed with dark thoughts of the terrible things that might have happened to Lisal. His optimistic side looked forward to seeing the delight on her face when he presented her with the necklace. Either way, a speeding ticket was the last thing he needed. As eager as he was to get home, he eased his foot off the pedal and kept it at a reasonable sixty mph.
It was 11 pm when he arrived at the house. He was hoping to see his wife’s car when he got there, but he was disappointed. The blackened driveway seemed to mock him as he pulled into it.
What the heck is taking her so long!? He said to himself. He tried calling the church again. No answer. She must have left. At least he hoped. The sooner she came home, the better. A call would have helped, or at least a message on the answering machine. He thought about the kids over at his mother-in-law Jane’s house and thought maybe Lisal stopped by. Yet, Jane was a stickler about not staying up after nine at night. It was doubtful Lisal was over there.
Nick threw the dove necklace in the nightstand drawer by his bed and waited for another half-hour. The house felt barren, and the howling wind outside did nothing to ease his tension. He munched on some chips, trying to get his focus away from the situation, but that did not help. Frustrated, he decided to drive back to the church. He went faster than he should have. A raccoon ran out in front of him, and he swerved to save the animal’s life, missing a tree by inches. He retook the detour to avoid the accident scene if there was still a roadblock. However, when he arrived at the church, his wife’s car was no longer parked there.
Chapter 6: Spell of Protection
Lisal must have gone home the regular route; he tried to convince himself. But when he pulled into the driveway, her car wasn’t there. Adrenaline coursed through his body as panic overtook him. He entered the house, instantly spotting his wife’s cell phone on the kitchen counter. Damn! He had no way of reaching her. A loud noise made him jump, but it was just the broken back screen door banging in the wind.
Nick walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of wine, pouring himself a generous helping. He took a seat at the same table where, just a few hours earlier, he’d watched Lisal prepare for their guests. He sipped the wine slowly, resisting the urge to gulp. It helped to ease his stomach. He realized he was hungry. When was the last time he had eaten? Nick found some leftover cheese and crackers Lisal had prepared earlier and helped himself to them. Fifteen minutes later, the food was gone, and he’d made two large glasses of wine disappear. The room was starting to spin, yet Nick continued to drink. Alcohol had been his go-to stress reliever since his college days. Occasionally, he fell back on the old habit, much to his wife’s displeasure. He wished she were there to scold him about it now.
Just before 1 AM, he hobbled into their bed and passed out. He hoped he’d wake to find Lisal beside him in the morning.
* * *
He woke up at 5:30 am to find Lisal’s half of the bed still empty. He did not need to shake the sleepiness from his head. His adrenaline took care of that. Thirst overwhelmed him as his mouth was dehydrated from the alcohol. The wind outside seemed to have slowed down.
He called his mother-in-law, Jane, hoping against hope that Lisal had stopped by and decided to spend the night. Jane was not his favorite person in the world, so he wasn’t looking forward to talking with her.
The phone rang for what seemed like forever. Finally, Jane picked up. “Hello,” she said in a muffled, irritated tone.
“Hi, Jane? Sorry to wake you, but Lisal never came home from church last night.”
“Now, what have you done to her?” Jane accused.
Nick should have expected such a reaction. For every little thing he did wrong, Jane would jump down his throat. Many times, Lisal had to reassure Nick that her mother went off the deep end sometimes and to ignore her. Nick was not in the mood for an argument, especially now. “Nothing, I just wanted to see if Lisal was there. I guess not. How are the kids?”
“They are sleeping,” she snapped.
“Okay, I’m going to go look for Lisal, and hopefully, we’ll be over this morning to pick up the kids.”
“Okay, bye,” she said, and hung up before he could take another breath.
Man, what a rude woman. I sometimes wish we could afford a babysitter, Nick thought.
As he hung up the phone, he saw that there was a message on the answering machine. Excited, he pressed the “play” button only to hear his own voice from the message he had left the night before. Dejected, he got ready to search for Lisal.
He put on his hooded jacket and went to his car. It was a warm May morning, and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. It was impossible for Nick to sense the serenity he usually felt when hearing the birds chirp. He drove past the church, the houses of some friends, and anywhere else he could think of—nothing. Nick had never been this worried about his wife. He did not understand how her car could be at the church and then suddenly vanish completely. It was as though she left town.
Nick recalled the time Lisal had an affair on him. It was a one-time event, which happened four years prior. They were going through a down time in their marriage. The assistant pastor at Lisal’s church had been counseling her to get through this rough patch. Nick thought nothing of it until one day when he got into an intense argument with Lisal. She ended up breaking down in tears and confessed how one of the meetings with the assistant pastor was held at his house. Halfway through the session, they began kissing, and one thing had led to another.
At first, Nick was devastated, then unexpectedly found a stronger attraction to her. Maybe it was his jealousy or just seeing that she had a wild side, but his longing for her grew.
Nick recalled how the assistant pastor had become obsessed with Lisal after their one-time fling. He sent her E-mails saying that she needed a solid Christian man in her life. Lisal wrote back, saying, “Leave me alone! I’m happy with the one I’m with.” She ended up showing Pastor James the messages.
Immediately Pastor James took the assistant pastor’s position away. He even came over to visit Nick to apologize and counseled Lisal on the whole event, trying to help ease her guilt. The pastor offered consultation to Nick, but Nick turned down the offer. Pastor James, despite his quirks, was one of the few church leaders he could trust. As for the assistant pastor, he’d left the area and had not been heard from again. Nick couldn’t help but to think that this assistant pastor may be connected to Lisal’s disappearance.
Nick had heard numerous stories about church leaders who would preach one thing, then turn around and do another. One of the reasons he avoided church was because it was not all that different from the bar scene, minus the alcohol.
As much as he hated to entertain the thought of Lisal having another affair, the possibility had crossed his mind. He believed that she had indeed changed since her one-time fling, but still—Nick told himself that if that were the case, they would deal with it later. He’d rather find out that she’d been having an affair than to learn that harm had come to her.
Fortunately, it was Saturday, and he didn’t have to work. It would give him more time to search for Lisal. He called up everyone he knew, to no avail. His mother-in-law was not happy when he asked if she could watch the kids for the day, but it would have to do.
Having exhausted his options, he stopped at the police station. Officer Staggart, an overly short guy who talked rapidly with his nasal voice, took down a report. Frustrated, Nick went home. His worry was eating at him to the point that he could barely drive.
As he arrived home, he decided he would put his Pagan beliefs to use and cast a spell of protection for his wife. He went to his altar out in the garage. It was a black round table no more than two feet in diameter.
Next, Nick summoned the elementals, spirits from the four cardinal directions. He began facing East and called in Air; then turned South and called in Fire; third was West for Water; last, he called in Earth while facing North. He invited the Lady and the Lord, or as some referred to them, the Goddess and God. Nick was drawn to the Egyptian pantheon, so he called in Isis and Osiris.
He decided to use the element of water in his spell to receive psychic energy and intuition. He recited his prewritten spell and meditated on it for a while. As he relaxed, he could feel himself drift into the world that lies between consciousness and sleep. He found himself visualizing a door. Something was behind the door, and Nick felt like whoever or whatever it was, was in danger. Nick said a quick spell over the door for protection and visualized a pentacle on the door. The pentacle, also known as an encircled five-pointed star, is sacred to many Pagans and often used for protection.
He came back to consciousness and took his circle down. He knew that his vision was something important, but he did not understand it. He put away his ritual tools and went back into the house. Now that he was in tune with the spirit, he hoped he would figure things out a little easier.
Nick’s growling stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten all day, so he called to have pizza delivered. Then he poured himself a glass of wine while he waited for the pizza, hoping it would take the edge off his nerves.
Unable to bear the silence in the house, he put a CD in the stereo by the band Lunatica. This CD had special meaning to Nick, as he and his wife used to sing the ballad “Fable of Dreams” as a duet together.
Almost immediately, the CD began to skip. It went from the talking introduction straight to track two. Nick figured that the disc must be dirty. He took it out of the player. As he was wiping it with a tissue, he happened to look at a mirror that hung above the stereo, and what Nick saw caused the CD to go flying out of his hands.
“Lisal!” he cried. “You’re back! Where have you….”
But when he turned, Lisal, who’d appeared to be standing just a couple of feet behind him, was gone.
Chapter 7: In For The Kill
Adrenaline pumped through Kyle’s veins, knowing it was time to kill again. Clyde had finally called with his instructions. Although he had never met Clyde, he was getting paid well and always enjoyed the thrill of another kill. It was not unusual for his clients to keep their identity secret, and Kyle certainly understood why.
Clyde had been giving him instructions for a couple of weeks now. After assassinating twenty-four victims, most of which were prior to working for Clyde, he would soon be at a quarter of a hundred. He planned on hitting a hundred and then retiring in wealth.
He sat in the living room of his apartment. It was an inexpensive place that he chose since he was trying to lay low. He kept it neat and comfortable. As much as he tried to arrange the furniture, it was impossible to hide the warps on the floor. He had always been a perfectionist. While many found it to be an annoying trait, it was a necessity working as an assassin. Any slip could blow his cover.
Kyle had confidence in the work he did and had never come close to getting caught. He had even hunted down a police officer and detective. In fact, that was one of the strangest situations he had been involved in. Apparently, the officer and detective were sent to arrest a woman for credit card fraud. When they went to arrest her, the officer handcuffed her, pulled down her pants, and they both proceeded to rape her repeatedly. At this point, the husband entered the room, and seeing what was happening, he rushed in, but the officer pulled up his gun and shot him in the leg. After this, they took the woman, put her in their car, and took her to jail.
When the husband tried to report the incident, he couldn’t get anybody to believe his story. In fact, he was arrested for attempting to assault the officer and detective. The husband later contacted Kyle and gave him his task. This was a mission Kyle had enjoyed. While he didn’t mind putting people to death quickly, he despised anything to do with rape and sexual assault. He had a good reason for this.
At the age of eighteen, he had just graduated with his high school sweetheart of three years, Linda. They had both picked a college to attend since each wanted to become physical therapists or self-defense instructors. They had not made a definite choice in the matter, but the school they had in mind offered both. He loved Linda like no other. Her shoulder-length, light blonde hair and eyes, blue as the skies on a clear day, drew him like a bug to a flame. Even at her six-foot height, he towered over her.
One cool summer night, they decided to take a romantic walk to view the starry night. In this same town that he was in now, there was a park they decided to visit. The aroma of flowers floated in the air as he gazed into Linda’s sparkling eyes. Suddenly, he felt a thud on the back of his head. At the same time, a cloth was put over Linda’s nose and mouth.
Kyle looked at his surroundings and saw that they were quickly surrounded by men in black with ski masks. Rage coursed through Kyle’s veins, as he tried to ignore the pain and fight back. Two men seized his arms. This didn’t stop him. With a swinging kick, he took the legs out from beneath the man on his right side. With his right arm freed, he swung at the other man, cracking his jaw.
A third man joined in the fracas. From about ten feet away, he threw a rock the size of a softball, which nailed Kyle directly in the forehead. He staggered as he tried to remain conscious. He could not see what was going on with Linda, but it sounded like she was being sexually assaulted, and Kyle felt helpless to protect her.
He felt relieved when he saw a policeman heading in their direction, but when Kyle approached the officer, the cop suddenly pulled out his nightstick and nailed him in the head. Blackness overtook him, and the last thing Kyle remembered was watching the police officer turn and go in the same direction as the attackers.
He awoke to find he was still in the park. His assailants were gone, and so was Linda. With a splitting headache, Kyle headed towards the police station, even though he wasn’t sure whom to trust. He filled out a police report, but he wasn’t able to give the officers a clear description of his attackers. A search was conducted, but no trace of Linda was ever found.
From that day forth, Kyle vowed revenge on Linda’s captors. Anger constantly simmered in his blood, sometimes coming to a full boil. He did not go off to college as planned. Instead, he increased the intensity of his workouts and mastered several martial arts. He became an expert in using guns, knives, staves, and other weapons.
By the age of twenty-five, Kyle had become an intimidating figure. His fearsome appearance caused most people to keep their distance. His enormous size and, more so, the rage in his eyes warned them away. Soon after this transformation was when his assassin career began. He had been building connections ever since Linda’s disappearance. Now, at the age of twenty-nine, Kyle was considered by the underground as one of the best assassins alive. He was known as “Four-Armed-Blade,” due to the fact that he was so quick with the blade. It was like fighting four men at once.
Now he was working for Clyde, a strange man indeed. Clyde seemed like the kind of guy with several skeletons in his closet. Kyle didn’t ask questions; he just did as he was told. He’d collect his money and go elsewhere when the mission was complete. Business was business, and that’s how he liked to keep it.
The next unlucky soul on the hit list was a lady named Mandy. Clyde had hired another “helper” to abduct her. Most of Kyle’s work did not involve kidnapping. However, he was usually ordered to study his victims for a while, then go in for the kill when the time was right. Clyde seemed to like making it easy for him.
Clyde had given Kyle a little job to do before taking care of Mandy. He entered a dank hallway and flicked on the light. The hallway was completely concrete, and the light reflected off the walls from the dampness.
There were several doorways on either side, but Kyle was given only one key: the room marked 27A. It was quite a distance down the hall. He knew about several passageways that lay beneath the town, so he was familiar with places like this. Most people would be chilled to the bone in such a hallway. It felt like an old warehouse with flickering lights and echoing silence. In fact, Kyle liked exploring places like this. It must have been a lot of work to build these places, and he was incredibly impressed with the intricate passageways in this town. If he had to run from the cops, he knew he could easily elude them down here.
While getting this assignment taken care of, he thought of his next victim, Mandy. This time, it felt like he was doing the victim a favor. He’d studied her life a little and couldn’t believe what was done to her. Not even Kyle had the heart to do that to people. When he made his killing, it was as quick and painless as possible. While Kyle liked the thrill of the chase and the money given to him, he could not stomach watching someone suffer or be tortured. He hoped Clyde had no part of this woman’s sorrow. Maybe he just wanted to end her misery, which was why he hired Kyle.
He arrived at 27A and pulled out his key. He took a deep breath, knowing this would be one of his most manageable tasks ever. As soon as he put his hand on the knob, an electric current ran through his nerves. Blackness quickly covered his eyes.
