Page 13 of The Cult

They each take a hand, and we walk down the street with the two of them singing some song I’ve never heard before. A niggling doubt that I shouldn’t be going with them gnaws at me, but I don’t have a choice.

I need to find my sister.

7

Nash

Standingat the back of the main building on the farm, I listen as Adam explains what happened with Maren out at the house. He sounds like he’s rambling, but if he thinks I’m going to jump in and save him, he’s out of his mind.

He shot her. Let him take the heat.

This room, like everywhere else on the farm but Micah’s private quarters, has no air conditioning, but if our leader is uncomfortable in these temperatures, he doesn’t show it. He simply listens as Adam gives him every damn detail of our trip to Maren’s and how she ended up dead in the grass. Surprisingly, he hasn’t dogged me out and blamed what happened on me. I expected him to, and I stand ready to jump in and correct any incorrect information he decides to give our leader.

When he finishes, he bows as he must and steps back. Then it’s a matter of waiting for Micah to give his opinion and dole out any punishment.

After he confers with Nadine, he looks over toward me and beckons me forward. “Nash, come here. I want to hear what happened from your point of view.”

Adam spins around to look at me, frantically staring at me like he’s trying to telepathically tell me exactly what to say so he doesn’t get into trouble. He’s wasting his time. His welfare is not my problem. Maybe he should have thought about the consequences of his actions before he pulled out that damn gun and shot her for no reason.

I stop in front of Micah and Nadine and bow. Then I wait for him to let me stand up straight again.

“Very good, Nash. Now tell me exactly what happened. Leave no detail out.”

As I stand up to my full height, I see Micah watching me intently. He thinks I’m going to lie for Adam because we’re both guards. Nadine just glares like she hates having me or anyone here interrupting her and Micah.

So I go through every moment we spent out at the farmhouse, concluding with how he shot Maren and then drove back here. When I finish, I bow and step back to wait for his judgment.

“Tell me, Nash, did Maren ask you to tell me anything?” Nadine asks, almost as if she knows she did.

I look at Micah for a moment and then direct my attention to Nadine. “No. She made me promise to tell Micah that she never stopped believing in the light.”

“And why didn’t you tell me that before?” he asks.

I stand tall and look him directly in the eyes as I answer, “It seemed like it would be a private thing and not something to say in front of anyone but you.”

The edge that had been in his voice evaporates when he says, “Agreed. I appreciate your discretion, Nash.”

He and Nadine whisper again, and when she steps back, she’s smirking. “Adam, you get four hours in the box. Be thankful I’ll postpone it until tonight,” Micah announces.

Behind me, my fellow guard protests, “But she was running. What was I supposed to do? If anyone deserves punishment, it’s Nash. He was supposed to control her. I wouldn’t have had to shoot her if he didn’t let her run away.”

Fucker! I knew I couldn’t trust him not to lay this all on me.

Spinning around to face him, I snap, “She was five and a half feet, tops. How far do you think she’d get compared to someone my size chasing after her? I would have caught up to her, but you had to put her down like a rabid dog. This mistake is on you and only you.”

I’ve broken The Golden Light rules by raising my voice to a fellow member, but I’ll take whatever punishment Micah gives me in exchange for finally telling Adam the truth. He’s dangerous, and everyone needs to know it like I do.

“Enough,” Micah says as Adam begins to blame me again. “You’ll go in the box tonight. As for Nash, I’ll decide what punishment, if any, he deserves.”

When Adam won’t stop defending himself, Nadine’s private guards, who are even more powerful than us, appear in the doorway. She and her men lead Adam away, leaving me alone with Micah. I turn around to see him smiling, which hopefully is a good sign.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken out like that, I know. I just didn’t want you to believe I’d let Maren die like she wasn’t important. But I am sorry, Micah.”

Nodding, he sighs like all that’s happened weighs heavily on him. “I understand, and I’m happy you appreciate how important every member of The Golden Light is to me. I’m their leader, and it hurts my heart when anyone suffers.”

We aren’t equals, so I don’t respond like we’re having a conversation. Micah is the supreme leader of The Golden Light. I’m merely a lowly guard whose job is to protect him and do as he orders, like this morning’s job that was supposed to be a simple ride out to a farmhouse to retrieve two members and bring them back to the fold.

He stands up from his chair and stretches his arms above his head. “I just got word that we’re getting five new recruits today. I want you to be there when they receive their introduction. I’ve noticed you’re quite perceptive, Nash. I want to know your impressions of the new ones.”

---