Page 91 of The Cult

Abel nodded, a flicker of relief crossing his beautiful face. “Thank you.”

I squeezed his arm gently before planting a soft kiss on his lips. I was caught off guard by how easy and natural the gesture felt, as if we’d kissed a million times before; born out of a habit we shared. “Anything for you,” I whispered against his lips.

The sky above was painted in shades of deep indigo and blue, the stars and moon casting long shadows across the deserted commune. My gaze traveled to the ground. There, tire marks leading to the main entrance. There must’ve been at least four or five vehicles that left those uninterrupted impressions. This just happened. The two guards on the watchtowers were still there, facing out. One of them lifted a pair of night-vision binoculars.

Unease settled over me as we approached the trailer. The air was charged with tension; every nerve in my body was heightened, anticipating danger. It was as if the atmosphere was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. We drew closer to the trailer. Like last time, the windows were dark, the curtains drawn shut, blocking the view of the outside world. Or was it to prevent outsiders from looking in?

Abel disrupted the silence with a whistle followed by a sound mimicking an owl. Nothing. He puckered his lips again and whistled for the second time. Still nothing. After the third attempt, the lights in the trailer flickered to life.

It was hard to miss the shaky breath that escaped Abel’s mouth when the silhouette of his sister appeared inside. The back door creaked open, revealing Maddy standing in the doorway. But unlike the last time we’d seen her, there was no smile on her face. She looked frantic, her hands trembling as she waved us in.

Abel and I broke into a run.

Maddy met us halfway, her face pale and drawn with worry.

“What’s wrong, Maddy?” Abel asked.

She took a deep breath, her words tumbling out in a rush. “It’s the others … they’re gone. I don’t know where they took ’em, but they’re all gone.”

“How do you know?” I asked. I thought they weren’t allowed to leave the Central Compound, and the barracks weren’t nearby. Abel and I exchanged a worried glance, the weight of Maddy’s words sinking in.

“Me and my friends were out exploring after training and saw them load everyone into black vans without windows. Some of the guys didn’t want to go but were dragged inside.”

Training? What were they training for?

“What’re they gonna do to them, Tobias?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No clue.”

Abel’s demeanor changed on a dime, appearing to suppress his own worry to reassure his younger sister. Perhaps he was trying to shield her from the unforgiving life in The Creed. I had a feeling she already knew how things around here could switch without notice. It was the brutal reality of living inside these barbed walls. “Let’s go inside,” he suggested. His voice was steady despite the turmoil in his eyes. I was amazed by how well I knew him from the short time we’d spent together.

Maddy nodded and led us into their home. “Mom’s also alert,” she said, locking the door behind us. “You picked the best time to visit.”

“What? She is?” Abel’s eyes widened. “Since when?” He didn’t wait for Maddy to answer. Instead, he beelined inside. Abel had mentioned once that his mom for years went in and out of detachment spells, and it became worse when Oliver escaped the cult. The pills they had Mom take made her worse, Abel had said. I wondered if she remembered me.

I trailed behind Maddy, stretching my neck to ease the tension of the last few hours. We had to be vigilant or risk being caught. One kill for tonight was enough.

My unease lingered. Was this place bugged? I immediately went into assassin mode, scanning the room with diligence. I checked every corner, every nook and cranny, searching for obvious signs of surveillance. Thankfully, like my quarters and the bunkhouse, nothing stood out. The room appeared to be an ordinary kitchen. But I knew better than to let my guard down. If Orcus was half as cunning as I suspected, he wouldn’t leave anything to chance.

We found Abel kneeling on the floor, his arms wrapped around Erika’s waist. She was sitting on a wooden chair, tears sliding down her cheeks. His body trembled but his embrace was tight, as though he feared she would disappear if he let go. “I miss you so much, Mom.”

I couldn’t see Abel’s face, but I could tell that he was crying.

“I miss you too, baby,” Erika said. She kissed the top of his buzzed head, unaware of my presence.

I watched in silence, my own heart aching at the raw display of love and longing between them; a feeling I would never experience. There was something deeply moving about the way they clung to each other.

Finally, Erika lifted her head and turned her attention to me and Maddy. Her brow furrowed, and she blinked several times. “Tobias?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. “Is that you?” Abel released his hold and she stood, her frail body drowning in her beige dress, the same one that every woman in The Creed wore. She wiped the tears from her face and stepped toward me.

I nodded. “Erika. Nice to see you again,” I replied, meeting her halfway. I extended my hand to shake hers, but she surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “How did you get here?”

“Oliver asked me to get you out of here.”

She gasped. “Where is he? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s safe.”

“I don’t know, Erika,” I admitted. “He didn’t sound good when I spoke to him, and the call ended before I could ask where he was.” I didn’t want to lie and give them false hope. My heart broke for her with each word.

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