Messiahs by Matt Rogers (bookstand for reading txt) 📕

turned to the girl. ‘It’s okay. He’s with me.’

Eyes bloodshot and cheeks streaked with tears, the girl put her head in her hands and sobbed with relief.

Slater gripped Alexis’ hand. He didn’t pull her into a hug — she was still aiming the Beretta at Brandon.

She stared Slater in the face.

He looked ten years older. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin was plastered in dried sweat, and his forehead was etched with deep stress lines.

She said, ‘What the hell happened to you?’

‘Later,’ Slater muttered. ‘What are you doing with these two?’

‘He held me at gunpoint. She saved me.’

‘Was he going to kill you?’

‘No,’ Brandon said.

Slater got in his face. ‘Did I say you could fucking speak? You aimed a gun at her?’

‘You two … were pretending you didn’t know each other?’

He was putting it together. Slowly.

‘Yeah,’ Slater said. ‘You’re lucky you’re not dead.’

‘Why haven’t you done it yet?’

Groans and whimpers floated softly through the church as the search party clawed their way unsteadily back to their feet. No one else arrived. It made sense for now. There were roughly two hundred disciples, but almost half of them were women, and more than half the men were weak and timid, with no combat experience. They’d cower and cry if they were antagonised. Mother Libertas’ philosophy coupled with Maeve’s persuasiveness was slowly honing them into servitude, but they weren’t there yet. There were maybe forty men in the commune with the size and strength to be able to handle adversity, and not all of them had the fight in them.

These five had been ready to fight.

They’d be useless for a few hours, minimum.

The odds were getting better.

Slater looked at Brandon. ‘Because we’re not like you.’

‘I told you I wasn’t going to kill her.’

Slater grabbed him by the collar and hurled him toward the sacristy. ‘I don’t give a shit.’

Alexis and Slater led them down a windowless hallway and into Maeve’s office, complete with robes she donned on special occasions. Slater forced Brandon down to his knees and used all the robes to practically mummify him, tying them tight around his frame. They pinned his arms to his sides, pinned his legs together. Stretched out prone, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Now they were in the safety of privacy, Alexis stepped right up to Slater and whispered, ‘What happened to you?’

Slater muttered, ‘Three hits of Bodhi,’ into her ear.

Her eyes went wide. She held him at arm’s length and stared into his eyes, probably checking whether he was still all there. He looked back at her, let her make her conclusions, because honestly he wasn’t sure himself.

She said, ‘You look okay. Holy shit. Three? My whole mood changed off a microdose, which was probably a fifth of one dose.’

Slater said, ‘It’s been a crazy night.’

‘Why on earth did you do it?’

Slater stared at her. ‘You think it was my choice?’

Silence.

She said, ‘Dane?’

Slater nodded. ‘He spiked the water. Six doses. I drank half of it before I realised. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I drank it all.’

They realised they weren’t keeping their voices down.

From across the room, Addison said, ‘You had three hits of Bodhi?’

Slater looked at her. ‘Who are you?’

Alexis said, ‘This is Addison.’

‘I’ve seen her around,’ Slater said. ‘She’s one of them.’

‘She’s not,’ Alexis said. She jerked a thumb at Brandon on the floor. ‘He is.’

Slater looked from one to the other. ‘You two related?’

Addison nodded. ‘My brother.’

Slater turned to Alexis. ‘Where’s King?’

‘I don’t know.’ Alexis’ eyes were taut with stress and fatigue. ‘This is chaos.’

‘Maybe not. Maybe the tide’s turned. Elias isn’t a problem anymore.’

Alexis froze. ‘He found you?’

‘Unfortunately for him.’

Addison seemed to get the message. ‘That wasn’t Elias, then.’

‘Yes it was, kid.’

‘Did you shoot him?’

Slater said, ‘I beat him to death, if you really want to know.’

A long pause elapsed. Addison didn’t have the strength to respond immediately.

She said, ‘No you didn’t. Elias is a Wing Chun master. You wouldn’t have been able to touch him.’

Alexis whispered in Slater’s ear. ‘She’s had a change of heart but she’s still indoctrinated. Don’t judge her. She’s nineteen.’

Slater ignored Addison and said, ‘We need to find King and Violetta. Now.’

Alexis nodded. ‘I don’t know what to do about—’

Slater finally turned his gaze to Addison. ‘Kid, are you going to untie your brother?’

Addison shook her head. ‘I held him at gunpoint to save Alexis. She’ll tell you.’

Slater looked at Alexis.

Who nodded.

Slater said, ‘Can you make sure he doesn’t go anywhere? We need to leave for a while.’

Addison shrugged. ‘I’m in too deep, aren’t I?’

‘Who knows? Slater said.

Alexis gave him a dark look.

Addison said, ‘If you’re asking me whether I’ll let my brother go, the answer is definitely not. He would have killed me for the cause. I saw it in his eyes.’

Slater glanced down at Brandon.

He was conscious, staring vacantly into space, oblivious to any and all criticism.

Protected by the belief system in his head.

Slater believed Addison.

He said, ‘Okay. Let’s go.’

97

Before they left, Alexis combed through the drawers. It didn’t take her long to find an identical Beretta tucked under a pile of papers. She took a brief look at the documents. They were new speeches, ready for delivery at the next congregation, handwritten by Maeve in cursive.

She read the first page.

Imagine life without guilt.

Without doubt.

Without fear.

Now close your eyes, my children. That’s it. I want slow, deep breathing. I want you to harness the power of your mind. Recognise its connection to the universe. Understand that your limitations are mere perceptions. You have the power within you, right this moment, to strip yourself of all your inhibitions. Live like Mother commands you to.

Live free.

Open your eyes. Breathe the air.

Where has this power been all your life?

Inside you.

Everything you ever wanted … Mother has always been within. Awaken her.

On paper, the words were empty.

Self-improvement shlock.

Out of Maeve’s lips, they would be powerful. Alexis had seen it first hand. She imagined Maeve reading the pages, commanding devotion from her followers. It would be easy for a lost soul to pledge allegiance. Maeve had