Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6) (5 page)

Our cousin Rory was a grade A bitch and there was no other way of putting it. But the Elders believed that she had been chosen when she woke up one day pregnant. Our Uncle, Rory’s father and leader of the Hexad Order just deemed it so one day and that was that, we had a new Queen Bee in Crazyville. No one knew how she got pregnant in the first place but rumours were born, even in a place as strict as this. Some of us believed it was one of the Elders themselves who had knocked her up but of course none of us ever dared speak our minds. 

“Yeah, but it’s not just that. Don’t you think it’s weird that one girl has been allowed to leave every month for the last eight?” Ari asked and to be honest I hadn’t even thought about it until now. All the ‘Fathers’ had extended families with not only children of their own but some were even grandfathers.

“I guess.” I said wondering what she was getting at.

“Don’t you think in a Colony this small the chances of having ten girls all becoming twenty five in the same year is…well,
very
unlikely.” Well putting it like that then yeah, the chances of that happening were…

“And to add to those impossible odds is the fact that each birthday has landed on a full moon, as in, the exact day!” Ari carried on and like she said it added even more proof to those impossible odds.

“Why hadn’t we thought about it before?” I asked now thinking how obvious it had all been to see.

“I think it has something to do with our dreams. The last dream I had my Angel was trying to tell me something and the dream ended with him pointing to the full moon outside his window.” Even though there was nothing sexual in what she was saying I knew there had been a heck of a lot more to this dream, well that was if her crimson blush was anything to go by. 

“It was after that when I started to think about why this place is even here or why we are even having these dreams? And now both of us in the same night managed to break through and in one way or another, we communicated with them…it has to mean something, it just has to.” I could see now how much this was affecting my twin and I don’t think I realised up until then just how much her feelings mirrored my own. We both knew there was something more to these visions and each new day just seemed to lay more evidence to that conclusion at our feet.

“I agree.” I said comforting her and placing my hand over hers that she rested on her knee. I knew my twin, better than I knew myself sometimes and I could see in her beautiful blue eyes how much of a toll this was taking on her. Ari was strong, much stronger than I but these dreams seemed to be grinding her down, almost making her desperate…or was it because our joint time was nearing for when we could leave.

“It’s Bethany’s time to leave next isn’t it?” I asked making sure I had it right, as losing time in this place was easily done. 

“Yeah, tomorrow night is her leaving ceremony…why?”

“Because now we suspect something isn’t right, it would be a good opportunity to keep a look out for anything …don’t you think?” Ari’s smile told me she completely agreed.

“Well that is if I am let out from house arrest by then or you might be flying this detective mission solo.”

“No way, mother wouldn’t dare keep you from a ceremony, not when the Elders teachings are all about strength in numbers when it comes to worshipping the Gods.” This I guessed was true, so all I needed to do was make sure I was back in that hole before nightfall tomorrow. As if reading my thoughts Ari said,

“Don’t worry about it, everyone will be too busy on the other side of the house to see you sneak back in. You know what it’s like when someone leaves, ‘elbows deep in dough and pie making for us little woman’ and ‘fields need a’ ploughing for God’s righteous men’.” I had to laugh at the different voices she put on for each example. The squeaky woman’s voice sounded very similar to Bethany, the girl who was lucky enough to leave tomorrow night and the man’s was overly deep, the way our pompous uncle always spoke in his sermons.

“Right, I’d better be getting back before mother thinks you need a cellar buddy and tries to stuff me down there as well.” I rolled my eyes thinking with that woman there was a first for everything and I would put nothing past her as long as it was cruel and unloving.

I stood up with my sister and grabbed her hand just before she was about to leave.

“Thank you Ari.”

“What for?” I looked around the small straw shelter that looked more homely than my stark room ever did and said,

“For all this, but most of all for getting me out of that place…the vision I saw down there…” My shiver was enough to describe how traumatic it had been and Ari pulled me in for one last hug.

“One month.”

“One month.”
We both whispered at the same time, repeating it like our very own survival mantra.

“Maybe we should have T-shirts made for the big day?” Ari laughed at me before pulling back and motioning with her dress.

“What, and lose these lovely stylish and oh so comfortable dresses…are you mad?” She mocked making me laugh.

“Good point.”

“I think we hold off the T-shirt ordering until it can say, ‘Freedom Forever’.”

“I like it and a lot catchier than ‘One Month’.” I agreed, thankful at least we could joke about our dire situation. Because facing facts, if we weren’t laughing, we were crying and I think our tears had dried up long ago for the both of us.

I watched my sister leave and could only hope she wasn’t caught. It seemed these were my main worries these days…oh who was I kidding, these were my worries everyday living in this God forsaken place. I had lost faith in what we were taught a long time ago as I could never believe this was the kind of life anyone would want for their family, let along the Gods that supposedly made us.

Of course a lot of the others here would never have shared our view and believed in whatever they were told without question. They were told that we were chosen for a higher meaning. That the six Gods of the Hexad were to be worshipped at all times and in turn they would grant us favour when it was our time to be welcomed into heaven. None of this had ever sat well with me and Ari but we learned very quickly to keep our mouths shut when it came to our opinions.

It wasn’t that we weren’t religious but it was as if somewhere deep down we
knew
the truth. Almost as though we had been told or even shown the proof. I didn’t know if this was because we had both been seven years old by the time we came here and this meant we had all the memories of a life before this.

We remembered what it was like to watch TV and eat sweets. We remembered what it was like to play games and find comfort in our favourite toys. To have family BBQ’s with delicious home cooked food and be surrounded by friendly neighbours.

So when we were forced into this life, it had just meant feeling like you had been ripped away from your old one. One that had been good and pure and something to rely on. Because you never missed the little things until they were taken from you. The resentment you feel towards those who refuse to give you back that life is insurmountable. And with every passing year it grows filling you with a kind of hatred you never knew you could possess.  

Which only meant one thing…

Giving you the power to survive.

Chapter 4

An Icy Fear

Two days of solitary time had been just what the doctor had ordered and as long as I wasn’t imprisoned down in that dungeon then this had felt more like a holiday than a punishment. Of course my mother didn’t know that and would no doubt expect to find what she had the last time she dished out this sentence. Well the last laugh would be on her if she thought to find me that way ever again. This time my dignity wouldn’t allow it.

I smiled at the thought of the disappointment I would see written across her face when she opened that door to see me unaffected by the experience. Thanks to Ari I had been well fed and had a comfortable and peaceful night’s sleep.  

In fact I went to sleep that night looking at the moon shining bright through the small triangle window that was situated above my make shift bed, thinking about what life out there could offer us. At first I had been too scared to fall asleep in fear of what I might see. I knew I was being a wimp but after yesterday I thought it for a good reason. So when I woke to the glaring sun coming through the same window I was surprised to find I’d slept the night through without a single dream.

Now I only had minutes until I knew it would be time to leave my simple sanctuary when Ari came to get me. It had me wondering if Ari had also had a dreamless sleep and if that in itself wasn’t a message of things to come? I felt myself becoming increasingly anxious as the seconds ticked by. I didn’t know how I knew it but tonight would be different, I could just feel it.

I had already packed up all the evidence of anyone being here just in case it was found. I buried it under one of the hay bales until we could get rid of it at a later date, as we didn’t want to take any chances. Not now we were so close to freedom. In a lot of ways it felt like being in prison and the month leading up to our release date was like being on parole. Although going by that logic, then yesterday’s antics weren’t going to do me any favours in that department.

I looked outside the window to see it wouldn’t be long before it would be getting dark and the leaving ritual would begin.

“Come on Ari, where are you?”
I asked out loud.

“Alright Steve McQueen, keep your hair on.” Ari said scaring me when she seemed to come out of nowhere. One of my dad’s favourite movies was the Great Escape from the 1960’s, so I knew why she called me this. I remembered it being on in the background often as me and Ari played with our Barbie dolls on the living room floor.

That had been when we were a real family. Back when our mother had been loving and kind, reading us stories before bed and letting us lick the spoon when baking. When we would go on family holidays and enjoy days out together. But after my father died, it was as though my mother had become a different person. She simply piled us both into a car the second my father was cold in the ground and drove across the country to her brother’s Colony, here i
n
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

“I was worried.” I admitted.

“You know that causes wrinkles, right?” I rolled my eyes as she laughed.

“Come on, we’d better get you back. Mother’s busy ordering people around as usual.”

“And Uncle?” I asked hoping he too was out of the way.

“I haven’t seen him since sermons this morning but Thomas said something about a meeting at Father Jacob’s Homestead this afternoon.” I frowned at this but Ari just shrugged it off as normal.

“Come on, it will be fine.”

“I don’t know, I guess I just have a weird feeling is all.” I said holding myself around the stomach like I could feel the snake of doubt coiling around tighter and tighter down there.

“I do too if I’m honest but either way, we have to get you back.” I gave her a small smile, feeling slightly better that Ari felt the same as I did. I guess it was a weird twin thing but if one of us didn’t agree with the other, something kind of felt off balance.

“No guts, no glory.” Ari said taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. I nodded, squeezed her hand back and repeated what had once been our family’s moto thanks to our father being in the army.

“No guts, no glory.”

We made our way down the rickety ladder and ran to the barn door at the other end. Ari held up her hand motioning for me to stop before I opened the door.

“What’s wrong?”
I whispered watching as she placed her palm on the door as if waiting for a signal from somewhere. She frowned once before shock widened her eyes.

“Quick! Get back, get back now!”
She warned and we both ran back for the ladder as if our lives depended on it.

“Get up them, go, go!”
I didn’t need to be told twice, that was for sure. I grabbed the splintered wood and climbed getting to the top and over the edge just as I heard voices. I turned round to see Ari’s head right behind me but when I heard the wood snap her head disappeared.

“Ari!”
My desperate call was answered with an umpf sound where she had hit the floor. I ran to the edge and looked over to see her limping out of sight.