Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader

One by One

Why leave the suburbs of Dallas for the boonies in Ithaca? Did they just close their eyes and point to anywhere on a map to make that decision? The days spent moving across the country go by in a haze. They are interchangeable between me driving, my sister Audrey driving, and the endless changing of Alex’s diapers. We’re the chaser car behind Audrey’s husband Joe. He’s in charge of navigating the U-Haul full of their life’s belongings. We are here in case he breaks down. It is impossible to keep straight which state we are in anymore. The only consolation at the end of the daily ten-hour ride will be the hotels my sister picks. She insists there be a pool each night where we can stretch out on lounge chairs and put the day behind us.

Finally, we pull into Ithaca after spending nearly a week in a cramped car. It happens to be dusk when we arrive and we have yet to locate the rental house where my sister and family will be living. The potholed roads are unlit, narrow, winding, and steep. Forget Sleepy Hollow, this is the place where Washington Irving got his inspiration. I expect Ichabod Crane to come riding through at any moment. My sister and I have it easier in the car whereas Joe needs to maneuver the streets in an oversized box truck. Astutely, he decides to park in front of the first storefront he finds and to return in the daytime to pick it back up. Sliding into the front seat with Audrey and me, he takes over the driving and we make our way together the last couple of miles.

Pulling up in front of a three-story Victorian, we are finally able to unfurl ourselves from our confinement. We unload only what is essential for one night. Audrey is in charge of carrying Alex. Joe loads the bassinet with diapers and wipes and hauls that up. I grab blankets and pillows. We still have to climb the long steps into the house which leads us directly to the second floor. Audrey makes quick decisions about who is going where and we lay the blankets out accordingly. There will be no hurry in the morning to get the truck nor to unload it.

Joe enlists my help the next day to head into town and retrieve the truck. My sister will be staying behind to try to start Alex on a more regular schedule. Audrey’s only been married to Joe a couple of years now and they are still in their married bliss stage. I know the day will be an adventure with Joe. We get to not only bring the truck back but also get to explore the new town. Inconceivably, it’s even tinier than the one I came from.

Joe is not like anything our family has ever seen. What we learned about Joe from my parents was that he was divorced and had three children. We still hadn’t met him at that point, but that was enough to let me begin to form an opinion of him. I couldn’t help but notice how southern Joe seemed, hailing deep from within the lone star state of Texas. He was outgoing, listened attentively whenever I spoke, and did not seem to have a shy bone in his body. Not bred from the cold northern stock, I was used to. I would have approved of him wholeheartedly if the seed of disapproval hadn’t already been planted in me by my parents. My sister had married a man from a failed marriage.

On the ride into town, Joe turns to me.

“We need to find help unloading the truck. Audrey won’t be able to lift anything in her condition. I don’t know how much you can carry.”

I owe him and Audrey. No way am I letting the detail of my being six months pregnant interfere with my moving a truckload of furniture.

Attempting to prove my worth I assure him, “I can do a lot”.

Joe smiles kindly at me. “There should be college kids around here looking for extra money. That’s who I would like to find to help us out.”

I nod slightly and stare at him in silence. I’m in awe. Does he think it would work? Imagine, putting on a friendly, welcoming smile, walking up to a stranger, and asking for a hand. Inconceivable. I’m not sure I would have been capable of doing such a thing without a gun to my head. I would have to see the gun, know it was loaded, and it would have to be cocked. And he is willingly going to put himself out like that? I half expect him to turn water into wine next.

And it does work. Except for the part where it’s not college fellows, but just a bunch of guys hanging out. Guys who happen to be my age which makes this all the more interesting. Joe gives the four newly hired movers his address, we exchange the car for the truck and head back to the house. Unexpectantly to me, the boys show up. Within a few hours, we have unpacked it all and they get ready to leave. Before they head out the door, Steve pulls me aside and asks if I would like to take a tour of Ithaca that night. I’m thrilled. Who wouldn’t? My boyfriend back home seems so far away.

Steven, Paul, and Brad come back together after dinner to pick me. We’re only going to be walking around as no one owns a car. In a short amount of time, I learn there isn’t much to see around here. For one thing, it’s dark out, there are no streetlights, add to that it’s a college town offseason, all the students have gone home. We’re still having fun doing not much of anything when Steve tells me about a Christian camp that meets in the woods. That to me translates to, some group is holding religious services in the middle of the forest. This I have to see. I’m in. let’s go look.

Paul and Brad aren’t as keen on an adventure and leave us at the edge of the woods. Steve gives a curt nod goodbye to them, and he and I head off, Steve leading the way. I follow as close behind him as possible without actually being in his back pocket. I repeatedly bump him or step on his heels, nearly tripping him up each time. As we make our way beneath the thirty-foot pine tree canopy, we catch only haphazard glimpses of the moon. Noticing that it is doing little to light our way, the thought crosses my mind that we may not have planned this out very well. A flashlight may have helped. Then the niggling thought, does Steve know where we’re going?

I grab his arm hard.

“Do you hear that?”

Steve puts his arm across my shoulder and we start tiptoeing closer toward the voices. Still, a distance away, it only sounds like gibberish to our ears. The wailing melody of a pan flute eerily rings clear. As we move in closer, we can see a gathering around a small fire, children and adults alike. They are chanting in unison as they slowly move around the flames. They give the appearance of unkempt flower children, with their matted dreadlocks hanging in tangles down their backs, the hems of their gray robes tattered and torn. As they circle the fire, their gowns brush and sweep the forest floor’s twigs and leaves, back and forth. Starting to become unhinged, I look up at Steve.

“What is going on around here?”, I whisper. “This can’t be good.”

Steve whispers back, “I’ve never seen this. It’s usually just the local Christian camp group singing Kumbaya.”

That I get. This, not so much. Possibly, our adventure should stop now.

“Steve, you think we should leave?”

Before he can respond, Steve lurches forward into me, knocking me solidly to the ground. With the wind knocked out of me, I can only wheeze. Steve’s deadweight has me pinned beneath him. My eyes are frantic at the sight of the blood oozing from the ax planted in the back of Steve’s head. Carefully moving my head, I glance up, not doubting for an instant that I will be next. Before another thought has time to form, Steve’s body is lifted from mine and tossed unceremoniously into the underbrush.

In a hushed breath, I pray, “Lord please save me.”

“Arise child”, the harshly grating voice demands.

His face is in shadows, enshrouded by his oversized black hood. The chanting by the others is now silent. They have all moved away from the fire and now encircle me.

Pushing myself to sit, I’m not sure I will be able to stand. I surely don’t want to arise and I’m pretty sure my legs will agree.

With a slight incline of his head, instructions are silently given from the shadowed man. Two hands from the clan reach out, firmly grasp my elbows, and lift me to my feet.

“You are with child”, the voice states. “You shall be allowed to live so that you may sacrifice your unborn babe for Yahshua, the Son of God.

As they lead me away, my footsteps falter. I am months away from giving birth. Please let someone know I did not go off on my own and to begin a search for me.

Tripping over the forest debris as I’m dragged along, we make slow progress. I have no sense of which direction we are moving, but the cold, damp night air is making me shake. Ahead, I can make out a flickering light. Moving closer I can see a smallish campfire amid a circle of tents. My robed guards, gravelly-voiced captor and I are here alone. Unceremoniously they lead me to a tent, lift the flap, and push me into the opening. I stumble onto a thin prison mattress and lay myself down. Closing my eyes, I wish with all my might to return to one hour ago before I chose to enter these woods.

At the house, Audrey is holding Alex and pacing.

Spouting off to Joe, “Ten o’clock I told her. Ten. She’s late. It’s past eleven.”

“She probably just lost track of time. Having fun with her new friends.”

“I don’t care Joe. We agreed on ten for her curfew. We are taking her home tomorrow. I do not need the extra worry.”

“Go ahead to bed Audrey. I’ll wait up.”, Joe answers as he heads to the recliner to rest.

As Audrey leaves the room, Joe leans his head back and closes his eyes. After raising three children of his own, he’s not worried about his sister-in-law acting out. They all seem to get to that rebellious stage at some point.

First thing in the morning, when Audrey awakes, she sees Joe has not come to bed. She gets up and heads to the living room where she finds him sleeping. Tiptoeing down the hall so as not to wake up Joe, she opens her sister’s bedroom door. Looking inside, she sees the room is empty. This cannot be happening goes through her mind.

Audrey shakes Joe’s shoulder roughly, “Get up. Audrey didn’t come home last night. That’s not like her. She’s been so careful since she found out she’s pregnant. I know something is wrong.”

Looking into Audrey’s strained face, Joe leans forward and launches himself from the chair.

“Go ahead and see to Alex, and take a breath, try to relax. I’ll find out what is going on.”

Joe’s mind is churning. Where to start. Obviously, with the guys, Audrey left with last night. Right, I can locate them. I have at least one of their names from the check I paid them with yesterday. It should take no time in this small town to narrow it down to an address. Pulling out the checkbook, he reads the name, Steven Carpenter. Bingo. Now to find him and his friends.

“Audrey, I found a name”, Joe hollers. “I’m going out to track him and his friends down. See what they can tell me.”

“Call me when you find out what’s going on. If she’s been hurt at all, I’ll never be able to look into my parents’ faces again.”

“She’ll be fine, you’ll see.”, Joe answers trying to soothe his frantic wife.

Joe drives directly to the nearby donut shop combination breakfast café. It’s close to where he first met the guys, he hired to help unload his truck and the only thing open at this hour in the morning. Parking his car out front, he tries to string his thoughts together. Not wanting to overly worry anyone, but still needing to impress upon them, it’s urgent.

“Hi, I’m Joe.”, as he introduces himself. “I just moved into town yesterday with my wife Audrey and son Alex. My sixteen-year-old sister-in-law Audrey is also with us.”

“Welcome to our humble town, Joe. I’m Nathan, the owner of this diner.”

“It’s my sister-in-law I’m here about Nathan. She went out last night for a walk with Steve Carpenter and a couple of his friends. She never came home. I wouldn’t be so worried about a teenager staying out so late, except that Audrey is six months pregnant.”

Nathan clears his throat before he answers. “I know Steve. He’s a good guy. I’ll come along to help you find him.” Hollering to his wife in the backroom to come out and take over the shop, he and Joe head over to Steve’s.

Awakening Steve’s parents, they learn he did not make it home last night either. They aren’t in the least worried about Steve’s whereabouts as they figure at eighteen, he’s old enough to make his own decisions. Understanding Joe’s concern, they provide him with the names and addresses of Steve’s closest friends, Brad and Paul. Luckily, they live just down the street, and Joe and Nathan head straight over.

Brad is a bit more open than Paul who is nearly incoherent at being awoken so early.

“Steve and Audrey decided to spy on the Christian camp. It’s in the woods off of Foggy Hill Road across from the torn-down gas station. Paul and I didn’t think it was such a good idea so we left them. That was at about eight last night and the last time I heard from Steve.”

“Thank you, Brad,”, Joe answers. “I’m sure that will help.”

Joe turns to Nathan. “Do you know where this place is?”

“Yes, but there’s something I need to tell you. This isn’t the first time a pregnant girl has gone missing. It may all be innocent enough, but you should know. There is a cult in this town called the Twelve Tribes. One of their beliefs is that for them to get into heaven, they must produce 144,000 pure and virginal boys. Not only that but these numbers must be achieved within two generations. If they do not succeed in their mission, they risk eternal damnation.”

“This can’t be real.”, Joe says shocked.

“I know the area Brad was telling us about. I’ve lived here all my life and know the shortest route to get there. Just to be safe, I think we should go armed.”

“Armed? You think they would hurt her?”

“You said she was six months along, right Joe? They can’t hurt her until she gives them the child she is carrying.”

“This is insane, Nathan.”

Joe makes a quick call to Audrey, pretending nothing is out of the ordinary. Nathan stops at his store and packs a couple of guns and boxes of ammo. They meet up at Joe’s car and drive apprehensively toward Foggy Hill Road.

Nathan locates the abandoned gas station per Brad’s instructions. They park in the rutted lot and crossover the narrow street. Securing their rifles by their sides, they head toward the forest. A small opening in the woods leads them to a path. Brushing aside more branches, they continue forward.

“Have you ever been back here before Nathan?”

“Not since I was a kid. Back then it seemed to go on forever.”

“It does seem like a lot of ground to cover.”

“I think the best bet is to keep on the path, Joe. It’s bound to lead somewhere.”

Hearing stomping and cracking branches, Joe and Nathan pivot quickly.

“What the? Nathan stammers when he notices Paul standing in front of them, blocking their path. “Paul?”

“Follow me. I know the way.”, Paul calls out.

Glancing at each other, Joe and Nathan follow Paul’s lead.

Joe and Nathan notice Paul is wide awake now. He talks nonstop as they make their way further into the dense woods.

Paul begins sharing his story. “Have you ever heard of the Twelve Tribes Joe? I joined back when I was your sister-in-law Liz’s age, around sixteen. We follow the Old Testament as it is written. I am one of the chosen ones, still a virginal boy. Right when I met Liz yesterday and saw she was pregnant, I knew she would need to become one of us.”

“Are you out of your mind?”, Joe yells. He reaches to grab hold of Paul. “She doesn’t belong to you.”

“Contrary to what you may think, she does.”, gravelly voice answers. “You are not welcome here.”

Spinning toward the voice, Joe and Nathan are quickly surrounded by robed men and women. Dozens of hands swiftly remove Joe and Nathan’s weapons. No doubt the same group as Liz encountered Joe thinks.

The gravelly voice continues. “Good work Paul. My people, you know what needs to be done. Take care of it.”

Blades are brought forth as they enclose the circle tighter. They begin chanting and humming, as their arms rhythmically keep pace. Repeatedly, the stabbing motion up and down until Joe and Nathan’s bodies are left discarded in a heap.