Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde (27 page)

“Let me guess,” I said, “he became the Chosen One?”

“Pretty much,” she said. “He set up in the old Jehovah's
Witness church and began preaching about peace and love.”

“I can't believe anyone would even show up,” I said. “I'm
going out on a limb since I've never seen him pull a rabbit out of his hat but
I'm guessing his second coming routine is only slightly worse than his card
tricks.”

“Are you kidding?” A fiery spark shone in her eyes as she
recalled details from her pre-celebrity childhood. “This is Ojai, land of
burnouts and hippies. He had an immediate following. They loved him! He stopped
wearing black clothes and trying to look like Cris Angel and started looking
more like a Biblical prophet with that ridiculous beard.”

“So what happened?”

“He set up a commune in the woods,” she said. “People came
from all over the world and lived there. You would see them dressed in white
rags like the ones we’re wearing now, coming and going by foot into town. They
were always smiling these big creepy smiles like they were loaded out of their
minds.”

“Let me guess,” I said, “it didn't last. Something went
wrong.”

“Sort of,” she answered. “At first it was quiet up in their
commune. Everyone kept expecting something to happen, a sex scandal, a mass
suicide, just something . . . but it never did. Eventually we just accepted
them. They were another strange part of our crazy little town. Weird but
harmless.”

“And then?”

“And then the kidnappings began,” Felicity said.

“Gee,” I blurted out, looking around the room, “why am I not
surprised to hear that?”

“No,” she said, “you've got it wrong. It's the other way
around. People began kidnapping his followers.”

“Who would want to do that?”

“Friends and family members of his devotees,” she explained.
“It was in the national news. A rich heiress came to hear him speak one night
and refused to leave. She gave everything she owned to him and became a true
believer. Her parents were mortified. They hired a team of cult deprogrammers
to kidnap her and undo the brainwashing.”

“Did this happen a lot or was it just the one incident?”

“That was the tip of the iceberg,” she continued “The
heiress eventually went back to him. After that, it started happening all the
time. Then Nightline did a special on it.”

“That's crazy,” I said. “I’m surprised I've never heard of
him before.”

“So am I,” she said. “He was pretty famous for a while. I
remember being on location in Mexico and watching a repeat of a program about
him on the crime channel on satellite television. It all seems like a strange
dream now.”

“Or this is,” I said. “But I know what you mean. So what
happened then?”

“It got to the point where any time you'd see a white van in
town you got to wondering if there was a paid team of exit counselors hiding
inside,” she told me. “Some of the people rescued starting telling stories
about devotees being forced to take drugs and about group marriages conducted
by the prophet. They said he had several brides.”

“So why didn't the government step in and do something?”

“They did,” Felicity said. “They came in with armed SWAT and
raided the compound. They hauled Bryan off to jail, practically parading him
around town like some kind of martyr. The only problem is, they didn't find
anything.”

“Did someone tip him off they were coming?”

“Maybe,” she mused. “Who knows? All I know is that they
questioned his followers and in the end they didn't have anything to hold him
on except a few misdemeanor permit violations that got dropped. All it did was
make his faithful all the more devoted.”

“That's probably when they started arming up,” I said.

“Makes sense,” she replied. “But that was almost ten years
ago. I can't imagine how much artillery they'd have by now.”

“Enough to keep us in line,” I offered. “So what do we do?”

“We could fight our way out,” she suggested. “We might not
be able to get the SUV back but we could find Benji and head out on foot.”

“Don't think it didn't cross my mind,” I said. “They would
cut us to pieces, starting with that chick Rowena. Plus we have no idea where
Benji is or what state he’s in. For all we know, they’re holding him hostage to
get us to behave. I think it's strange he's not here now.”

“Well we can't just stay here forever,” she argued. “Who
knows what he'll do to us, to me?”

I realized for the first time that she was truly scared of
him, of what he might try to do to her as a young woman. If he liked young
girls ten years ago chances are his habits hadn't changed much.

“We're going to have to go along with whatever he has
planned,” I said. “At least for the time being until we can figure out an
escape plan. Try to blend in, I guess.”

“Xander,” she said with big pleading eyes. “I can't.”

“I'm not saying you should offer yourself to him,” I said
quickly. “That's not what I meant at all. I'm just suggesting we start to give
him the impression that he is winning us over to his freaky religion long
enough to figure out how we are getting the hell out of here.”

“That's like playing with fire,” she cautioned. “You know
that right? A guy like Bryan Crowe can't be reasoned with. You can't cut a deal
with him. In the end, all Bryan cares about is twisting and distorting reality
until it fits the way he wants the world to be—his own.”

Before we could argue, the door was opened and Rowena came
in toting her automatic weapon.

“It's time,” she spat in disgust at the sight of us. “Get up
and get moving.

We were marched out back across the main entrance again. I
noticed right away that our vehicle was gone.
Great
, I thought. Any
chance of jumping in and escaping was now long gone. I knew it wouldn't be that
easy but still it sucked to have my suspicions confirmed.

Rowena led us to a large outdoor area with cooking pits.
There were six banquet style tables nearby that looked like they had been hewn
out of large trees, then sanded down and made into tables by a master
craftsman. The ground was comprised of soft, dusty brown dirt with not a single
rock or pine needle to catch your foot on. It was as level as the tables. The
sun had set and at first the only light I could make out was coming from the
pits. Then, as my eyes adjusted I saw that there were low level lights on all
the trees and structures. I squinted, trying to make out what they were when I
heard Bryan's ominous voice wash over me like a bucket of ice water.

“Bioluminescence,” he said. “It's a natural, chemical
reaction similar to the kind found in fireflies, only we use a special kind of
concentrated bacteria that we cultivate ourselves. It's called Luciferase,
ironically enough. It's taken from Satan's original name when he was an angel—Lucifer,
which means light bearer. He was the most beloved of all the angels once upon a
time. Then things changed. I see you are dressed for a night of festivities.”

Bryan stepped forward into the light to greet us.

“Where is Benji?” I asked gruffly. My rudeness didn't throw
him off a bit. He was in good spirits.

“He is around,” Bryan said. “He's been playing a fierce game
of capture the flag with the other kids. They've really taken to him.”

“Benji has that effect on people,” I said. “He's a great
kid.”

“I agree,” Bryan replied. “Come now, join me at my table as
my honored guests.”

Rowena fell back as we willingly followed Bryan to the
middle table and sat down. There were six young girls seated with him. I looked
to Felicity to see that her features had hardened. She glared at Bryan. Before
we could say anything, he let out a laugh that seemed to set Felicity more on
edge.

“I can see from the disapproving look on your face that some
introductions are in order,” Bryan said. “These are my wives.”

“All of them?” I asked, unable to help myself. They were all
around our age or younger.

“I am very blessed,” he said with false modesty. He gestured
around the table in a circle, naming each girl as he went. “This is Annabelle,
Syriah, Leah, Tara, Beatrice, and Victoria. Say hello girls.”

“Hello,” they replied dutifully in unison like some kind of
side show attraction.

“Isn't it against the law to have more than one wife?” I
asked. “No offense.”

“I am glad you asked,” Bryan smiled. “It is against man's
law but not God's law. In the Old Testament we see many instances of polygamy.
Moses had two wives, at least. Abraham had three known wives. Then there is the
case of King Solomon who had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines,
and he was considered one of the wisest men to have ever walked the face of the
Earth!”

“How many wives does one man need?” Felicity fumed.

“I would say the perfect number is seven,” Bryan said,
winking at her. “It's a holy number.”

“Seriously though,” I interjected. “Why do you need all
these wives?”

“It is a responsibility and a privilege,” Bryan explained.
“I am blessed by God almighty who said we may take as many wives as we can
comfortably maintain. Verily he tells us to go forth and be fruitful and
multiply.”

“Amen,” said Leah, leaning over and kissing him on the
mouth. She couldn't be older than fifteen.

He could be her grandfather
, I thought, grossed out
by the sight. I did my best to hide my feelings.

“It's time for the toast of the feast,” Bryan said, standing
up. I could see now that we were surrounded by devotees on all sides, watching
our every move. Chefs stood by the fires with meats that looked like skewered
rabbits and vegetables, waiting for the order. Another group of helpers moved
from table to table filling glasses. Bryan already had a large, ornate bottle
of his own red wine open. He poured a generous helping into the chalice in
front of him and held it up.

“Brothers and sisters,” he began in a loud, booming voice that
echoed out across the valley beyond the banquet area. “Tonight we join together
to celebrate our great good fortune in being gathered as one family in the
final days of our Lord and Savior. Praise God! Hallelujah!”

“Hallelujah!” A deafening chorus of hundreds joined in
raising their glasses.

“As we come together in this special time of Harvest let us
not forget those blessed souls we have lost, those that have gone before us
into the arms of the Lord,” Bryan said, bowing his head. “We will see them
again in the promised land soon enough.”

A wave of
amens
crashed over us again.

“May the blood of the Lamb cleanse us of our sins and bring
us peace,” he said. He put the chalice to his lips and tipped it back, taking a
strong gulp of wine before passing it to us.

“No thanks,” Felicity said, pushing it away.

“It's important,” he pleaded in a soothing voice. “It's part
of our customs. Harvest lasts from sun down through the rise of the full moon.
It begins with a drink of the blood of the lamb, symbolizing the sacrifice that
Jesus Christ made for us on the cross which washed away our sins. You see? You
have to drink.”

“Fine,” she relented. “I'll drink if it will shut you up
already. To Jesus.” She tilted her head back and took a big swig. She set the
cup back down on the table. “There. You happy?”

“I am happy for you,” he corrected. “You don't know this
since you are new but when you finish drinking you are to pass the cup to the
person on your right. Then they drink. We repeat this until the offering is
gone.”

“If you say so,” she said saucily. “I just hope we eat soon
because I am not good at handling my liquor. I haven't had a drink since
rehab.”

She passed the cup to me and I took a sip. It was red wine
but it tasted overly sweet, as if someone had added sugar to hide something
else.

Don't be paranoid
, I told myself.
You saw him
drink out of it. If they wanted to kill you they could have taken you out a
million different ways by now. All they'd have to do is march you to the tree
line and gun you down, not secretly poison you.

I took a full swig and passed it to my right, to Syriah. She
took a good sip and passed it on. I could smell the meat had been put on the
fires. It smelled good. Within ten minutes the cup had gone around several
times and the bottle was empty. We were all laughing and smiling. I couldn't
feel my face. Although I wasn't used to drinking, I knew this wasn't from being
drunk alone. I was right. There was some kind of drug in the wine. I felt
happiness bursting in my chest and flowing through every part of me. Whatever
it was, it felt good. I had no fear anymore—not of death or zombies or
cult members holding us hostage. Feelings of love and peace and happiness
washed over me again and again. Anything seemed possible. For a minute I
thought I might be able to fly.

Pretty soon everything seemed to be running together. Food
was brought to the table and we ate, but I don't know what it was. Then the
world began to spin and spin. People got up and danced and took off their
clothing. I stood up and began searching for Benji. The last thing I recall was
turning to see Felicity staring at one of the bio-luminescent lights on the
trees and laughing over and over.

The next morning I woke up in an empty bedroom with a dull
headache. The white of the walls seemed to be seeping into me and making me
nauseous. I climbed out of bed and the whole room seemed to spin. The first
thing I noticed was that I was naked. The next thing I noticed was that my
normal clothing was left in a pile next to the bed.

Did I take off my clothes last night in front of everyone? I
wondered. I sure hoped not. What if Felicity had seen me naked? That would be
super embarrassing!

I quickly put on my clothing. I searched the pocket and
found that the pills I had snatched from the bathroom at Jackson's place were
long gone. I had forgotten to mention them to Felicity so I couldn't say
anything. For a minute I wondered if that was what they fed us the night before
but then I realized they had made Felicity seem really calm. Whatever was in the
wine we drank had the opposite effect. For all I knew it was ecstasy and angel
dust.