The Retreat

As the church bus came to a stop in the empty parking lot, its ten young passengers exchanged nervous glances. Reverend Lewis, his wife, Louise and his new assistant, Jason, looked back from the front of the bus with knowing smiles. Jason looked to the pastor for approval.

Upon a nod from his employer, Jason spoke directly to the teenagers, “The Lewises and I have a surprise for you, and they've graciously allowed me to be the one to announce it.”

When the murmuring died down, the man continued. “I know my being here must come as a surprise. I'm Jason, and I only recently became a member of the congregation. Mike – I mean Reverend Lewis – and I were having a conversation and I happened to mention that I've been involved with retreats at another popular camp, so he suggested I come along to help oversee this year's retreat.”

His greeting was punctuated by a nod and a pat on the back by Reverend Lewis. Jason continued, “I'm thrilled to be taking part this year and looking forward to getting to know each of you personally!”

The pastor stepped up alongside his wife and added, “This is a coed retreat, which is why my lovely wife is joining us as the girls' leader. We believe this will be our best camp experience ever! To help ensure that, Jason will be overseeing the grounds at night.

“The wildlife in the area doesn't include any predators that we know of, but patrolling the grounds with a flashlight helps prevent any encounters with deer, raccoons and yes, there are skunks! They're God's creatures, too, after all.

“The next four days will be a special opportunity to study God's word with your peers in the beauty of one of his most spectacular creations. It's also one of the most isolated, so we can truly be close to Him. The camp is unreachable by any roads. And if you listen closely, you might be able to hear the last part of the surprise approaching. Thank you, Lord for speaking to the hearts of our Civil Air Patrol, whose pilots have generously donated their time and skills.”

His speech was well timed, and the whir of rotor blades in the distance grew louder quickly as two helicopters came into view. Two expert pilots brought them to a perfectly choreographed landing. Shouting, more to be heard over the din inside the bus than the engine noise outside, he raised both hands and said, “Ladies, please proceed to the helicopter on the left, gentlemen to the right!”

The excited campers and their respective chaperones were on board and strapped in within minutes. Permission slips from parents were gathered and confirmed before take off. The flight was short and uneventful, much to the relief of the more nervous campers. The helicopters departed, and the Lewis Ministries Retreat was officially underway.

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to introductions, sleeping assignments and a group prayer before a hearty evening meal in the Worship Center. There were, of course, obligatory reminders that no unchaperoned coed fraternization was allowed at any time and no one was allowed outside after lights out, except Jason, of course. The campers were finally released to return to their cabins with printed schedules of the activities planned for the next day.

Reverend and Mrs. Lewis shared a chaste kiss goodnight and retired to their campers' cabins. Their anxious anticipation of the upcoming day matched that of the campers in their charge, so it took some time for the fun and conversation to wind down. Eventually, the campers nodded off, and in turn, the leaders.

Morning came with the surprise of a few inches of fresh snow that had fallen during the night. As the campers stirred and rose from their bunks, they discovered their chaperones had apparently left. Chloe, the oldest member of the girls group, took the initiative and led the rest in donning coats and heading outside. The boys, slowly filtering out of their cabin, wandered over to join them.

After a bit of milling around and discussion, the campers remembered that the schedule called for meeting at the Worship Center first thing in the morning. The reasonable conclusion was that their leaders were waiting for them there. There were tracks leading that direction in the snow, so the group took the next logical step and headed across the grounds to meet them.

Only about 10 yards along the trail, they found another set of tracks crossing the path they were following. For the first time that morning, someone remembered Jason and his promise to patrol the grounds during the night. That would have put their minds at ease – if not for the blood that was pooled around his tracks and the red trail that followed the path going forward.

The group pressed forward, but huddled close together, casting fearful glances left and right. Chloe took the lead, silent, but fearing the worst for their leaders. To avoid spreading more panic within the group, she kept that fact to herself.

It seemed to take forever, but the group finally reached the front door of the Center. Chloe held her breath as she cautiously reached for the doorknob. Stifling a scream, she instinctively jumped backward as the door suddenly swung open, flooding the porch with light. As her eyes adjusted, she sighed with relief to see Mrs. Lewis' bright smile.

“Chloe! Good Morning,” Louise exclaimed, then, glancing past Chloe to the tangled knot of campers, “There are our guests of honor! So happy to see all of you!”

“Um, good morning, Mrs. Lewis. I was so worried about you! Can I speak with you for a moment?” Chloe spoke softly, hoping the group wouldn't hear.

“Oh, of course, Dear! I'm sure you're concerned about that mess on the trail. Jason encountered something on his rounds last night. Mike and I found him and managed to carry him here this morning. He's lying down in the side room. Let's get everyone in out of the cold and ready first, then you and I will talk, okay?”

Chloe smiled and nodded, then led everyone inside, following the pastor's wife. Reverend Lewis greeted her with a smile. Chloe relaxed, helped her group out of their jackets and quieted them down. Mrs. Lewis helped hang them on a rod that was conveniently located on the wall next to the front door. The only other feature in the room was a beautiful walnut cross that stretched from floor to ceiling on the opposite wall.

When the guests had gathered, Mrs. Lewis stepped to her husband's side at the entrance. They clasped hands and smiled as they looked over their charges for the event.

Mrs. Lewis spoke first, her dulcet voice capturing the group's attention with no need to raise its volume.

“Welcome, everyone, and thank you so much for joining for this special retreat! We apologize for the confusion this morning, but as I've explained to Chloe, our dear friend, Jason had an accident, but we've taken care of him and you'll see him soon. Now, if you're all warm and comfortable, Reverend Lewis will explain the special plans we have for this morning.” She smiled at her husband and motioned him forward.

The pastor's smile grew as he looked over the congregation.

“I'm sure you're wondering why there are no chairs, pews, or other furniture in our meeting hall this morning. Not exactly what everyone is used to, I know. However, this morning's event is no ordinary church service.

“I know all of your wonderful faces, and I've shared God's word with you in many services. I've probably preached to the point of boring all of you on more than one occasion.”

His grin and quick wink brought a laugh from the group. Reverend Lewis knew how to break the ice with a congregation.

“Let me first ask our dear Chloe to join my wife and me up here in front. She's been an absolute blessing to us in planning and organizing this event.”

Chloe shyly came forward. Mrs. Lewis hugged her warmly from behind as she turned to face the campers.

Reverend Lewis continued, “Today is the culmination of a mission I've been working toward for so long! I've done my best to bring you all closer to God and you've all responded faithfully. We've come together to read His word. We've raised our voices to him in song. We've dedicated our lives to Him, together.”

There were murmured and shouted “Amen”s from the group, followed by a brief silence. Reverend Lewis knew how to work a crowd.

There was a click from the front door as he locked it behind his back.

“This morning,” he said, “we're going to introduce you to Him!”

A large knife in Mrs. Lewis' hand flashed and neatly slit Chloe's throat.

Reverend Lewis produced a matching knife from beneath his vest. The Reverend and his wife advanced. Blood flowed. In minutes, the room had once again gone quiet.

“Hallelujah!” whispered the pastor.

“Amen,” his wife responded.

In the side room, Jason lay cold and silent.

***

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