Trinity's Ten: Book Three of the Trinity Trilogy

By C.R. Kwiat

There is an island…

It is so secluded that it should be impossible for anyone to rescue the ninth and tenth sacrifices. The final two will finally join the other eight at the right hand of the God of Power.

Lord Trinity will see to it personally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781300992868

Book preview

Trinity's Ten: Book Three of the Trinity Trilogy

Original text © 2015 Catherine Kwiatkowski

1st edition

All rights reserved.

Characters and situations in this book are fictional.

Any name similarities to real individuals are strictly coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in part or in whole, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

Parent ISBN #: 978-1-329-72212-5

ISBN 978-1-300-99286-8

Chapter One - TJ

Settle down and listen carefully, TJ. I’ve placed the ammo and grenades under the altar for you. Help Eric escape, then lead his group to Boulder, Cassada instructed me quietly on the phone. It was risky business for him to be telling me this, but Cassada always looked after me…like a secret father who protected me…secretly. "Lord Trinity wants him far away when Rachael is sacrificed on the altar, and I want you far away."

My body was shaking as I paced across my small room hidden behind the church altar where they planned to cut her open. Helping Eric escape, then betraying him was not my idea of an intelligent move. I was fairly certain he hadn’t forgiven me for standing by when Sal drowned Sharon in the RV. Then I ordered the hired hands to beat him up, I kept his prison-basement below my hidden quarters dark, I never changed his shit bucket, and I only fed him cheap-ass burritos. The first thing Eric was going to do once I helped him get out of his metal cuffs was beat me to a pulp. And what was he going to do to me when I led him away from his girlfriend when she needed him most? Most likely hunt me down to kill me.

Eric’s no one to mess with. I’d seen him angry when he had fought Sal.

TJ?

Still here. I answered quietly so that Eric couldn’t hear that I was on the phone. The only thing that separated me from Eric was one-by-four boards supported by a frame of two-by-fours – his ceiling, my floor. Does Lord Trinity want me to help him escape?

Cassada was silent at first. No. Eric isn’t supposed to get your help to escape. I’m supposed to plan it so that you’re not involved. He hesitated. There are orders not to let you leave this camp now that Rachael’s arrived, so my guess is that you’re now Number Ten and we’re going to have a double sacrifice tomorrow or the next…unless you get out with Eric.

I took a deep breath. I had seen the videos. I was going to keep my organs inside me at all costs. It pissed me off to no end for Cassada to be ‘guessing’ all this now…like it was inconvenient to guess this earlier. Ten years earlier would have been nice, in fact, when he started teaching me the truth about things.

But I guess I was too young to look after myself. I needed the people in the village to feed me and place a roof over my head. It was the only home I knew.

And after I have Eric in Colorado?

Leave him first opportunity possible and disappear. Trinity is going to have Boulder swarming with his men after Rachael’s sacrifice.

Not before? How do you know we won’t get caught as soon as we drive into town?

All the men are required to be at the ceremony, to make sure it goes off without a hitch. He’s no longer concerned with showing Eric a live feed video of the event. You’ll have time to run.

I gritted my teeth. I don’t want to be running for the rest of my life! I whispered. If I can help find Destiny…. The Chosen One was supposed to have divine inspiration, a sixth sense, if you will, that would help find and capture the exalted children, but they didn’t use me to find Angelica, Josh, or Rachael. I wanted to test out the sixth sense theory and look for Destiny. I wanted to see if the sixth sense theory really was a lie, like Cassada told me.

He told me long ago the facts of life – ‘Chosen One’ was a made up title and there was a good chance the God of Power didn’t exist. So my loyalties slowly turned away from the God of Power and men like Barnaby who went around and tried to stick their dick in unwanted areas; and my loyalties shifted toward Cassada, the one who stopped Barnaby before it happened, the one who kept him at bay with threats.

I once asked Cassada why he stayed if he didn’t believe in the God of Power. He said it paid well. The followers knew how to invest their money.

Don’t get involved with Destiny, Cassada warned me. Eric and his friends will be captured in Boulder, and then we’ll find leads to the girl. All they need to do is get hold of Walker for that. He sighed. First order of business, lead Eric far away. You won’t have any trouble making him believe you. Lord Trinity himself has told Eric that it will take place in Colorado.

I shook my head. Wouldn’t it just be safer to keep him where he is?

His friends always come. They know about this place.

Even if I was sacrificed as Ten, as Eric and Cassada were suggesting, my father was so pissed off at Eric that I was convinced he’d still finish off the sacrifices with Destiny, just so Eric would suffer. And if Destiny was sacrificed as Ten, I was fairly certain I would not be sought after. He had no personal grudge against me. I was his follower…his Chosen One.

Do you understand? Don’t involve yourself, Cassada repeated.

If I don’t involve myself, I said, frustrated, I’ll never know when I can stop running.

You’re an idiot. I didn’t give you all those books to read for you to grow up an idiot. How do I knock common sense into a teenager?

My face turned red with anger. You sound like Eric.

Cassada groaned. Then Eric apparently knows a thing or two. Use him to get out of here, then disappear. I’ve got other shit to worry about than saving your ass, especially when someone else can do it for me. You have a whole damn arsenal at your disposal, so use it. And realize that when the folks around here see that you’re escaping with Eric, the fight may turn real, so focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about chasing after Destiny.

The fight may turn real? How real?

Look, they’ve got orders to let the escape happen, to shoot not to kill, but when they see you with him? Their rules might change. They’ll be weighing which is more important: keeping you or letting Eric go. He sighed. I’ve got to go. Both Ryan and Doug disappeared from the hospital, so now I have orders from Lord Trinity to punish Dannon, the one who was in charge of watching them.

Cassada?

What?

Stay clear of the fight.

Good luck, Kid. I’ll be thinking of you.

The phone line went dead. I sat down on my cot, worried about him. He wasn’t the punishing kind; but now with so many of the top leaders dead, he was thrust into a position he didn’t want.

I was thrust into a position I didn’t want.

I reluctantly pocketed the phone and opened the trap door leading down to Eric’s dungeon, then sat on the edge of the hole and watched him shield his eyes as they adjusted. His room smelled like public restrooms.

I decided to play it safe and leave, I declared. I would rather leave you behind, but I figure you have more experience escaping places than I do, so I guess I’ll help you get out of those cuffs. The key is miles away, so what do you need me to do?

Give me your phone, he said, standing up from his cot. He looked eager and relieved. I’ll call for help, then we’ll try to pick the locks and do what we can while we wait.

What help do you have? Your dad? That’s only one person.

Okay... he said, obviously irritated. Since there’s no hope, let’s just wait here until they come for you. You don’t sound like you really want to be saved anyway.

I gritted my teeth. The response I was wanting was ‘Dad has many friends that will also help.’ It was my life on the line, after all. Grenades and the ammo are hidden in a crate under the altar table in the church. Since this room is behind the altar, same building, I can probably request a little private prayer time and manage to shove the crate in here before anyone finds out.

Are we at the RV camp? The building beside the Laundromat?

Yes.

Then request to say your prayers, and try to get us some ammo, he said, sitting down.

What a jerk. You don’t give me orders.  I’m the one who decides what to do and what not to do. Someone began to unlock the door to my room. Be back in a sec. I quickly shut the trap door. Dannon, a blond who was built like a mountain, opened the door, then dragged a large cardboard box of supplies that I had requested earlier through the doorway. I found myself staring at him, wondering how Cassada was going to punish him.

Thank you, I said, hardly noticing the contents of the box. My request for supplies had gone answered, but I didn’t care. My request was made to find out whether or not I could leave the room I was locked in, which I couldn’t. With Rachael’s sacrificial ceremony so close upon us, I was apparently under lockdown. This stuff will do great.

Just call if you run out of something.

He started to turn and leave, so I quickly put in my new request. Before you take off, I’d like ten minutes of deep, personal prayer to the God of Power at the church altar, to thank him for giving me such an important responsibility. Please, just ten minutes alone.

Dannon hesitated. All right, he finally said. I don’t see what harm it could do. I’ll wait in the foyer.

He took a step backwards and held aside the altar curtain that hid my door. I walked across the altar, turned, and knelt on the first step so that I was facing a large golden cross that hung beside my hidden door. I lowered my head and started whispering prayers that I had known all my life, focusing more on where Dannon was walking than the words of my prayer. As soon as he stepped behind a pillar, I spoke my prayers louder, peering under my shoulder to see if he was watching. At about four minutes, Cassada walked inside the church, spotted me, then began talking to Dannon so that Dannon was facing the exit. I quickly ran up to the table and grabbed a crate hidden underneath a tablecloth, then hoisted it through my door behind the curtain. I slid it in, then quickly returned to my spot on the step, kneeling and praying. I paused momentarily to listen to Cassada and Dannon. It seemed Cassada wanted Dannon outside the church, on guard duty…on the front line when Eric and I would attempt our escape.

Cassada left, and Dannon leaned against the pillar, watching me as I did the sign of the cross. I turned to Dannon. I’m done.

With a nod, he began to walk up the aisle; I walked across the altar into my room, quickly moved the ammo and grenades aside, and covered them with a blanket. Dannon appeared in the doorway.

Thank you, I said.

No problem. He closed the door and locked it on the other side.

My heart was beating from the excitement. I lifted the trap door and proudly said, Got it. I swirled around and climbed down the ladder, then began to pull the phone from my pocket. Was I really going through with this? It would be the first time ever that I deliberately disobeyed my father. There would be no returning to my old life after this.

I looked Eric in the eye, wondering if he was just as dangerous as my father. Like extreme right wing versus extreme left wing in the political arena.

I want you to know, I really did pray to the God of Power. I wanted to see his reaction. Would he launch into lecture mode or be cool with it?

He looked at me curiously, perhaps wondering why I told him about my praying. There are a lot of people who believe in their god, but don’t necessarily want to lay their life down for him. I don’t believe you’re being hypocritical.

Not exactly the answer I was expecting. My eyebrows rose. Do you believe in God?

He looked uneasy. I don’t believe in Trinity’s God of Power, but I do believe in the God who wants you to be kind to others. He hesitated. I don’t want anything to do with religion. My faith is private. Even in the bible it tells you that when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

I’ve never heard that passage.

It’s in Matthew, he answered.

The bible I had read didn’t have a Matthew in it. Perhaps I had received an abridged edition.

Churches would be out of business if they advertised it too much, wouldn’t they? Eric raised his cuffed wrists, apparently wanting to change the subject. Got anything to pick a lock?

Um...like what?

You got any pens with a metal clip maybe?

I nodded. Yeah. Upstairs. I took a nervous step closer, waiting for him to grab me and strangle me with his chains, but the attack never came. I guess this is it. My defection.

And not a moment too soon. He took the phone from my hand and nodded toward the room upstairs. See if you can find those pens for me.

I turned and hurried up the ladder as he made his call.

Dad, it’s Eric. He paused. I’ve been in an underground prison at the RV camp, but TJ’s decided to help me escape.

I grabbed several pens from my table and hurried back over to the trap door. Eric was looking up at me.

TJ, how many are we up against?

I wasn’t totally sure, so I gave him an estimate. Twelve. Some joined us from the mountain village after the fire.

His eyes scanned the arsenal in front of him as I sat down at the top of the ladder. Twelve, Dad. I’m looking at some serious firepower in front of me that we can use. All I might need is a ride.

As he listened, I could tell he was growing angrier. Dad, an FBI traitor handed her over to Lord Trinity’s men, and now they have Rachael in a windowless van, waiting for her grave marker to be shipped within the next two days so they can have their ceremony.

I didn’t want Eric to see the guilt in my face, so I turned and descended the ladder. Without looking at him, I handed him the pens. He struggled to hold the thin phone between his ear and shoulder as he broke off a couple of metal hooks from the pens and bent them. Walker can’t come up here. He needs to start looking into vans. They’re doing it somewhere in the Colorado wilderness. Eric looked up at me. You have any idea where it’s going to take place?

I bit my lip, worried he would see through my lie. Private property somewhere near Boulder. Although it felt wrong to lead them away from where they needed to be, it had to be that way. Cassada wasn’t going to get the blame for another botched sacrifice – that would be the death sentence – and I had to save my own neck, and that was all there was to it. 

He nodded his head gratefully. Did you hear that? He listened for several seconds, then asked, Can you get an off-road vehicle and come in on the east side?

I took a deep breath and began to fidget. The adrenaline from successfully stealing the ammo was turning into genuine fear.

Is Doug available to help, or is he being guarded? Eric asked his father.

I knew the answer to that one: available to help. It was why Dannon was in trouble.

How so? Eric asked as he struggled to place the metal L’s he had made from the pen hooks inside his right cuff’s keyhole. He looked up at me and whispered, Can you hold this one? as he tapped one of the metal pieces. I timidly moved in and held the piece of metal in place, waiting once more for him to attack. But he continued to work at the lock as he listened to his father on the other end. Suddenly, he looked up in shock.

Um...is Walker’s dad on the list?

I had no idea at this point what he was talking about. I felt like being nosy and asking ‘What list?’, but that would have just earned a dirty look and no answer.

Dad, he said angrily, of course it’s him.

As I heard his father’s impatient voice on the other end, Eric began to shake his head in disbelief.

Were there any FBI agents listed in the binder? They have Rachael now because of an agent in Denver.

Yeah, Father Trinity was powerful and probably did have the help of the FBI. It was why there was no possibility of defeating him. Hell, in jail he was just as powerful as when he was free. I was a dead man unless I could convince my father that the only reason I escaped with Eric was to get to Destiny. I wasn’t going to disappear, like Cassada wanted me to; I was going after the true Number Ten, and my father would see that.

Eric gritted his teeth. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll see you within an hour. He nodded. Yes. He took an impatient breath, then half-smiled. You, too. He closed the phone and dropped it on the cot beside him. Without the phone at his ear, he opened the cuff quickly and switched to work on the second cuff around his other wrist.

I stared at my phone, wanting it back since Cassada had been using Rachael’s phone ever since his started malfunctioning. What if Eric recognized the number I was calling?

You know any FBI agents working in Denver that could have been paid off by Trinity?

No, I answered truthfully, turning my attention away from the phone.

Do you know if Mr. Stratton is an FBI agent?

No. I don’t know who Mr. Stratton is.

He nodded, irritated. Perhaps he thought I was lying. Here, he said, holding up the cuff and pointing at one of the metal pieces sticking out. Hold this.

As he worked, I began to worry more and more about Cassada. You know... I hesitated, trying to figure out how to word my request correctly. He would have a hard time believing that I valued life after I stood by and watched Sharon die, but I had to try. I got the crate because of the grenades. Not the ammo.

Really, he mumbled, barely paying attention.

I think we should just use explosives for a distraction instead of using guns. I can’t shoot my friends.

Friends? he asked, looking up. The hired guns outside?

I’ve met a few, and I like them, I said defensively. I’m not shooting them, and I’m not letting you shoot them.

Shit, he mumbled. You’re an idiot.

God, I was tired of being called an idiot. I can just leave you here, you know.

Then you’d be a dead idiot.

I dropped the piece of metal I was holding, but he caught it. I stepped back, angrier than I had ever been. Idiot, idiot, idiot. I was so sick of it!

Don’t think you can talk to me that way just because I’m younger than you! What an arrogant ass!

Those hired gunmen outside, he said, raising his voice, will shoot to take you down the second they realize you’re escaping. Do you not think it’s important that Trinity keeps you here? And what if there’s someone out there who doesn’t realize your importance and shoots you in the back? I’ll call you an idiot when you’re acting like one! This is not a game.

I raised my eyebrows, determined not to let him has his way. No one out there is going to shoot at me; not when they’re aiming at you. I’m not holding a gun.

He groaned. Okay, then let’s reach a compromise. I get to hold a gun, and I don’t shoot to kill. I’ll sweep the legs, since that’s what they’ll be trying to do to me.

My eyes narrowed at him. He was certainly full of himself. You think you’re that good of a shot?

Good enough to miss the head and chest. He smiled impatiently.

Okay, I answered reluctantly. I guess I’ll let you have a gun.

It looked like he wanted to roll his eyes at me. How irritating. I was his captor, I was saving him, and he gave me absolutely no respect.

I want one of the AK-47’s, he requested.

Little boy with a big man’s gun? I mocked, determined to bring him down a notch. I don’t know about this. I walked to the other side of the room, then lifted my hand and pulled a string. A bright light flickered on, making him squint.

I’m in the dark for four days, he mumbled irritably, still working at his locks, and all this time there was a working light bulb only fifteen feet away.

Sorry about that, I answered happily as I made my way over to the assault rifles.

A minute later he was completely free from the wall. I tensed as he pocketed my phone and rushed over to where I stood, looking at the guns.

I’m not going to bite, he commented. Relax.

How can I relax? I asked angrily. He certainly didn’t see the scope of things. I’m about to betray my own father. Now he’s going to be after me.

Better than already sitting in the cage, waiting for the executioner, he remarked as he slung the rifle over his shoulder. Got a silencer for this?

I pointed to a wooden box on the other end of the arsenal, then watched in silence as he placed the silencer on the gun and hurried up the ladder. I slowly walked over to the ladder and leaned my head against it, feeling like I was making a huge mistake.

Don’t think, I told myself in a whisper. Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think. All I had to do was follow Eric, get away from Eric, then find and turn in Destiny. Then it was all going to be over. I could hear Eric going through the crate above. With a determined nod, I lifted my head from the ladder and made my way up…determined not to think.

Do you want to blow up the door? I asked once I reached ground level. If that was his plan, our escape was going to end prematurely, with us writhing on the ground, filled with shrapnel. Hopefully he had more intelligence than that.

No. Let’s try to get out quietly. He grabbed my phone from his pocket and threw it to me. Call the same guy who let you pray and tell him you forgot to empty my bucket of waste. It’s really stinking up the place.

I nodded, then called Rachael’s phone. No doubt Cassada would send Dannon. Cassada answered. TJ?

Hey...I forgot to dump the prisoner’s bucket of waste. It’s full and stinking up the place.

I’ll send Dannon.

I looked at Eric and nodded. Thanks. I’ll just leave it by the doorway.

As I hung up, Eric rushed over to my bed and tore the pillowcase from my pillow.

Place the grenades in this, he said, tossing it to me. Make sure the pins are in good before you put them in. He sighed as he headed for the door, then leaned against the wall with his gun raised.

I pocketed my phone, glad to have it back, then loaded the pillowcase, wondering why so many people other than the original ten children had to die. Americans dropped the atomic bomb to end the war quickly…to save lives in the long run. Why couldn’t Eric just let the two girls be sacrificed, which would also save lives in the long run?

Remember, I whispered, not to kill.

Eric nodded, then waited quietly as we heard someone enter the church. The lock began to jiggle, and the door opened. Eric quickly pressed the muzzle of the gun against Dannon’s large, blond head.

Not a sound, Eric warned. Come in.

He raised his hands slowly as Eric kicked the door wider. Dannon slowly walked in until he was beside the trap door, in front of me. I stood up and moved toward the wall with the pillowcase full of grenades.

I’m sorry, I told Dannon. I had to do it. If I failed escaping, hopefully he wouldn’t hold a grudge. I had apologized. His glare made me feel uncomfortable, and once again, I felt like I was making a mistake.

Down on your stomach, Eric ordered. As soon as he lay flat on the floor, he said, TJ, search him.

I gingerly placed the grenades down and patted Dannon’s pockets. I could feel a phone against a set of keys. You want his phone?

Of course I do.

I pulled it out with the keys, then found a handgun under his pant leg. Eric’s eyes lit up as I handed him the handgun. He inspected it for a moment, then smacked the butt of the gun hard into Dannon’s head, knocking the man out cold.

That was unnecessary, I objected as he placed the phone and keys in his pocket. You could have killed him.

I know how hard to hit, he stated impatiently. Come on. Follow me.

He placed the handgun into his belt, then used the muzzle of the rifle to sweep the banner hiding the door to the side. When he looked out at the church before us, he paused, deep in thought. I almost asked him what he was waiting for, but then he quickly took off for the foyer. After looking out the main entrance doors, he turned toward me.

We have to wait. My father is going to take a while to get here.

I nodded, agreeing with his sound logic. The next fifteen minutes, however, were excruciating. Scenario after scenario played out in my head, and all of them ended with me shot.

Time’s up. Someone’s coming. He held out an empty hand. I need a grenade. Then get another one ready.

Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think… I dove into the pillowcase and pulled out a grenade. Eric grabbed it, pulled the pin and tossed it outside. At first there was yelling, then there was an explosion. Chaos ensued as Eric began to spray bullets, and I was terrified that Cassada was out there. Hopefully he would be the one to guard Rachael on the other side of the camp. Before I could object to Eric’s crazy bullet-spraying behavior, he swung his hand toward me.

Another grenade!

I carefully placed a second one in his hand.

Follow close behind me!

I ran out the door behind Eric and bolted around the side of the building opposite of the Laundromat. A glance told me that Eric had kept his word about not killing anyone, though everyone in sight was dealing with wounds. We raced to the backside of the church where there were only miles of open field and a single dormant construction pile with a stack of lumber and a few brick piles. I wasn’t sure what he expected us to do.

I’m going to need your eyes, he told me as he ran to peek at the Laundromat on the other side of the church. He fired at a window, and I heard a gun clatter onto the woodpile. I could hear cursing, but it wasn’t Cassada.

Watch the other corner, he ordered me. Tell me if they’re coming.

Heart thumping, I ran to the other corner and peered around the side, worried that a bullet was going to take my eye out. I jumped when I saw two of our hired gunmen creeping against the building with their pistols aimed at me. I ducked away. Two! Jimmy and Bart!

Eric left his corner and ran to mine, then showered several bullets at the men. He ducked back as Jimmy and Bart began shooting back. I looked across to the opposite corner, worried someone was going to step into the open and blow us away.

Shit, shit, shit… I whispered, terrified as I looked toward the unguarded corner. We had no cover.

Keep an eye on them, Eric said as he ran back toward the Laundromat corner. Make sure they don’t crawl to the corner.

Bullets began to spray from the Laundromat as Eric peered around the edge. I slid to my own corner and quickly glimpsed where Jimmy and Bart had been. I jumped when I saw the hired gunman name Lewis creeping along the wall just in front of the other two.

Another is coming! I cried.

Get over here! he yelled at me. I ran over to him with the pillowcase of grenades jostling at my side. I hoped none felt like exploding. That would certainly suck.

Eric held up the grenade that I had handed him in the church. When this goes off, we’re going to make a break for the lumber pile.

That’s insane!

I can’t fight two sides of the building! Unless you can shoot the damn handgun I have! It would help, you know.

I won’t. I would surrender before they took a shot at me. I would tell them that I was taken prisoner.

He clenched his teeth, angry that I wasn’t cooperating. Then get ready to run like a bat out of hell. He pulled the pin and threw it around the corner. As soon as the grenade exploded and the shrapnel cleared, we ran. I was the first to reach the lumber, for Eric had to shoot and run at the same time. Suddenly he faltered. He shot at Lewis, hitting him in the foot as Lewis ducked around the corner. Out of breath, Eric jumped beside me and lay flat behind the lumber pile. The gunfire ceased, and I felt like a trapped, hunted animal. Eric winced in pain, then began adjusting boards in front of him. I glanced down and saw that his pant leg was bloody. Great.

What now? I whispered frantically. We can’t go anywhere!

He looked behind us. I think we wait until my father comes to pick us up. At the moment, there’s no one above us and no one behind us. Keep on the lookout for me. He pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed.

Why’d he have to take my phone? He had Dannon’s phone he could have used.

Hey, he said quietly. We’re stuck behind a leftover pile of construction materials with nowhere to go, just outside the camp behind the two permanent structures located on the east side. Any chance you’ve got a tank to come pick us up? He peered between the boards in front of him. Injured about eight, I guess, but their trigger fingers are still in working order. He smiled at the response made. Let’s drive out of here in style. I need you as soon as possible. He paused, listening. Thanks, Dad. He hung up, and I watched in disappointment as he slid my phone into his pocket. Take all the grenades out and let’s line them up. We’ll throw them when they get feisty.

I reluctantly started to pull the grenades from the pillowcase, then startled when I felt Eric’s hand on my back, pushing me down.

Back’s too high. You’re going to get a bullet in your spine.

I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. This was a mistake.

What was?

Taking on everybody. We’re going to get killed.

No, we’re not, he said as if I had made a joke. They have to keep me alive so that Lord Trinity can kill me, and they have to keep you alive so that you can be cut open on the altar. They’re not going to let sixteen years of raising you go down the drain.

I was fuming. Cassada made me think Eric could get me out, now I was going to get a bullet in the leg in addition to a knife in my gut. I should have just tried an escape without him. Cassada could have just let me slip out quietly in the night.

Eric settled lower as he grabbed a grenade. We’ll save the gun ammo for times when we aren’t protected by the shrapnel…like when someone’s sneaking up behind us.

I immediately began searching the tall grass behind us, nervous. I couldn’t see anything.

Stay very quiet, he added. We have to listen for grass moving.

At least there was no wind. Suddenly we were being shot at from both sides of the church. I dug my head into the dirt, panting. Eric threw two grenades, one in each direction, which silenced the gunfire for the moment. He added a few bricks that were strewn about to the two-by-fours in front of him, then yelped as a bullet whizzed through the boards. I looked up to see him shaking his hand.

"You have all the grenades?" he asked, sounding worried. I nodded as I looked over our measly thirteen grenades – not enough to last very long.

Eric suddenly placed a finger over his lips, listening. Grass was moving about forty meters from the perimeter of the lumber pile, prompting Eric to aim his rifle and shoot into the grass. Dannon cried out in pain, and we listened in silence as his anguished cries melted weakly into silence. I wondered if I should have been embarrassed that I had tears in my eyes, but it got to me.

Eric turned toward me. I’m sorry, he whispered sincerely.

We were so fucked. There was no way we were getting out of this. I decided to reply loud enough for the others to hear, because when they dragged us back to our prison rooms, they needed to believe I was forced to follow Eric.

Sorries won’t stop the God of Power from sending you to hell for killing his disciples.

Eric sighed and looked at me hopelessly. We’ll debate about heaven and hell when we’re out of here.

Such an optimist.

When there were only three grenades left, we heard a vehicle. We looked up and saw a black truck heading toward us. From the driver’s side window, the muzzle of a gun rested in between the side mirror and the door. James, the most lethal of the hired hands, was driving.

We have to give ourselves up! I cried. He’s going to shoot us!

Get behind me! Eric yelled, picking up a grenade. I shifted backwards, letting him have my spot at the pile. He threw the grenade, then cowered behind the wood as it exploded. I could hear metal strike metal as the truck stopped its approach. I looked up to see James slumped over the steering wheel.

Did you kill him, too? I yelled furiously. I had to stop this madness before Eric did any more damage. What if they denied my numbing medicine before they cut into me? I jumped on top of him and punched him below the ribs.

Stop it! he yelled. You’re going to get shot! He threw me off sideways and grabbed my hair, pinning me on my back. Get a hold of yourself!

I glared at him, angry beyond belief…scared beyond belief. I was hiding behind a small pile of lumber with two stupid grenades, being shot at left and right. How could things get any worse?

Eric looked at me, frustrated. Without warning, he reached for the handgun. The last thing I remembered was his handgun coming down onto my forehead and a white flash of light streak across my eyes.

$ $ $

I woke up in the backseat of a limo with a throbbing headache. I began to rub the side of my forehead where Eric hit me with the gun, but quickly decided that my new, bruised bump hurt too much to rub. He was sitting beside me, silent and hopefully feeling very guilty. When I looked at the driver to ask where we were being taken, my mouth dropped open. It was Eric’s father, the man who shot Sal in cold blood; not one of Trinity’s men as I had expected. Eric had actually managed to get us out of camp.

I closed my mouth and decided not to say anything, since the man beside me already had a huge head on his shoulders and didn’t need more to gloat about. But how the hell did he get us out of that mess? We weren’t even being followed.

I sat back, crossed my arms in front of me, and decided to give them the silent treatment, which they wholeheartedly deserved. We drove into Casper and pulled up to a run-down motel where Eric’s father retrieved a man with short, blond hair; cowboy boots; and a bloody bandage that was wrapped around his chest. I could see the bandage because he wore a long-sleeved, button-down shirt that was open in front. Eric’s father helped him slide into the front seat, then returned to the driver’s seat. The wounded blond turned to face me. He had sweat on his forehead and looked like shit, but he still managed to smile and say, Hi. I’m Doug.

He’s not talking to anyone, Eric remarked beside me.

Doug looked me up and down. Nice hair.

I was fairly certain he didn’t mean it. I raised my eyebrows at him, then looked out the side window.

So, Eric began, what’d the doctors say?

That I have a hole in me.

And?

It missed everything important, and I’m lucky to be alive. I’ll tell you this much: there’s no way I can drive all the way to Colorado sitting up. I’m already feeling it.

We’ll rent an RV, Eric’s father said. Then you can lie down for the trip.

I really didn’t want to see an RV for the rest of my life, Eric quietly remarked.

They’re a necessity at times, his father replied somberly. Can’t say I’m too keen on them either.

I felt like everyone was glaring at me – like it was my idea to drown Sharon in one.

We rented the RV and traveled about five and a half hours to a hotel parking lot in Boulder where we met Eric’s aunt Stephanie and the second Most Wanted by my father, Walker. During the long trip I sat at the RV’s kitchen table, in a bad mood. My head hurt every time I accidentally touched the big bump on my head. It was in almost the exact same place that the undercover reporter hit me when he hijacked the RV with the cage to save Eric.

I still couldn’t get Dannon’s painful cries out of my mind. His was the second death I had ever witnessed, live – the first being Sharon’s. But his reminded me of the tapes. Would I be that loud when