They continued to bounce down back roads for the next several days. How many was it now? Four? Or was it five? Linda didn't know. it was next to impossible to sleep in the wagon as it rolled along. Every time she would close her eyes, there would be a sudden jolt as the wagon wheels found potholes under the thin covering of snow. Her mind drifted back over the last few days. Rusty had come into the shed, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Look girls. I don't care what a person believes or not, just as long as they leave me and mine alone. But this fella, Michael, he don't play fair. One look at him and you know he is for real. And you DON'T tell him no. So I came here looking for you. Michael said you'd be here. So let's get going."
"Wait a minute." Said Linda. "Who said we know anyone named Michael? What does he look like?"
"Oh, you know. Big fella, long white robes, and with an eye that seems to look right through you."
"We need to pack up. Give us five minutes." Jesse had said.
Rusty couldn't wait to get moving. As long as they were stationary, he got antsy. Once they were on the move again, he would loosen up. They had spent a couple of hours on the road, when Aime finally grabbed Rusty's' arm and said,
"Rusty, PLEASE pull this thing over for a few minutes. You may be used to it, but my kidneys aren't. I need you to stop right now!"
Once the stop was over, Rusty urged the girls back on the wagon and got moving again. During the ride, different ones of the girls would sit up front next to him, and talk.
"So, did this big guy Michael tell you where we are going?"
"Just west. That's all I can really tell you. He just told me which roads to take, and that once we get to a certain point, we'll be told what to do."
"I don't get it. You've said you're not a Christian. So why are you doing this? It could get you in a lot of trouble you know."
"I know. But Michael said it would be alright. I get the feeling he knows a lot more than what he is saying." Rusty paused briefly, and continued. "I've seen a lot of things in my life. I've never seen anything that convinced my there was anything beyond this life. Until Michael showed up. Now I don't know if he is one of those 'space brothers' or an angel, or what. I just know I had to do what he said if I knew what was good for me."
"He is an angel Rusty. A servant to the God we worship. And God has sent his servant to watch over us. I'd be happy to tell you more."
"Let me think about that one."
So it went for four or five days. Linda was so tired, but she knew, that Rusty was not about to stop, until he had done what was asked of him. He seemed to have boundless energy. They would go as far as they could, each day. Once they had set up a camp, they would eat and turn in for some sleep. It felt like they had just closed their eyes, when all of a sudden, there was Rusty. Starting a fire and getting ready to hit the road again. All the girls had spoken with him about God, and what His Son had done for us. But none pushed him into believing.
His questions started simply enough, but they grew more and more complicated as the days went by. They knew he was seriously thinking about what he'd heard from them, and what he had certainly heard from the government. They knew he was close to a choice.
Rusty pulled the reigns, and gently called "Whoa.", as the wagon came to a halt. Rusty pointed to a valley off to his left.
"Ladies, Michael says that you are to head down that valley. You will meet up with some other people like yourselves, in a day or two. But here is where we part company."
The girls quickly gathered their belongings, and climbed off the wagon. It was Amie who spoke first.
"Rusty, I want to thank you for getting us here. What will you do with what you've learned?"
"Miss Amie, I don't really know. I mean it's against everything the government stands for, but for the life of me, I can't find anything wrong with it."
"Take this." Amie handed him her Bible. "But only if you promise me you'll read it."
"You're Bible? Now I couldn't do that. What would you read from?"
"We all have one. I can study with my sister, we've done it before. Just take it and read it. Promise?"
Rusty took the book, stuck it in a pocket, and said;
"I promise. Hey, I've got a five day ride ahead of me to find some answers. Now I have a chance of finding them."
With that, he gently slapped the reigns, turned the wagon around, and pulled away from the trio.
It was inconceivable to Mrs. Molton that so many people could be so deceived. Within twenty four hours, nearly everyone in town stopped speaking with her. Everyone said they were too busy, getting ready to leave, you understand. Only a very few of the people she knew would take the time to talk with her. They all said the same thing. Only they few, who knew the truth, would have to stand against the rest of the town. There were less than fifteen of them all together. Mrs. Molton was embarrassed that her husband had left her for this madness, but her friends who had similar events happen to them as well, gave her their full sympathy.
She admitted, at least to herself, that she had underestimated her husband. She had fully expected him realize what he was losing, and come home, sometime in the night. He hadn't shown up. When he hadn't come home the second night, she knew he had turned against her as well.
Well, they would see. They would all see. When they came crawling back here, after who knows what happens to them out there. When they got back, she would be someone who people listened to, and respected. She could wait for that.
One thing that vile man Bob had said that she had to agree with was the need to get ready to survive the coming winter. Soon she was collecting food supplies and firewood at her home. She knew there wouldn't be anyone to care for her, for some weeks possibly, ahead. She made certain her needs were taken care of, but found she had little time to talk to her friends.
By the morning of the ninth day, instead of everyone running around in panic, most people were already set to go. For most of the group, it was simply a matter of topping of their preparations as best they could. Bob couldn't help noticing that while nobody was rude to Mrs. Molton, and her friends, nobody had the time to talk with them either. Of all of them, Bob noted, only Mrs, Molton was making any sort of headway towards taking care of herself.
Right up to the end, whenever Bob actually did speak to her, he had urged her in the strongest possible terms to leave with the rest. She had refused. At least she knew enough to get what she could, while she could. These others will end up fighting over whatever is left. It wouldn't be pretty when she had food, and her friends didn't.
The pick up lead the convoy out of town. It was followed by the S.U.V. and then the three military trucks, each pulling a trailer. House drawn wagons brought up the rear. Somehow they had managed to arrange for everyone to ride, but it was quite crowded.
Mrs. Molton and the other five women watched the convoy leave. Nobody said a thing. Those who were staying simply knew the others would be back shortly after the fist snowfall. They would have their say when the others returned.
The people leaving had, for the most part, tried to get through to the women, with no success. There simply wasn't anything left to say. Except Goodbye.
It was early on the tenth morning the convoy left. Within half an hour the remaining women were deep in conversation about how long it would take for the others to return. As they talked, they realized that the usual coffee was missing.
"I thought you still had some, Janie. Or was I mistaken?"
"No you aren't mistaken, but I'm saving it for when the weather turns colder."
The incident was small, but it finally got the rest of the women thinking about trying to stay alive. They also started eying Mrs. Moltons' kitchen, and pantry. It was later that same day, that some of the women began to feel cheated by their own meager supplies. They somehow felt it was her fault.
They didn't really get to upset with her the first three days after the convoy left. They all had enough food to last for at least a week. Then they would have to start going through to other homes in town, to see what might be left.
On the other hand, they didn't have far to look for firewood. There was an ample supply outside almost each house in town. Each woman could keep herself as warm as she wished.
When the convoy had left town, it was headed to the east, northeast. So they were surprised to see on approaching from the east, southeast four days later.
By the time the women realized that this convoy was not the same as the one that had left, it was too late. There was no place for them to run, and no place to hide.
"Captain Rutherford. I think we got them all. We've found only six of them. And get this, it looks like one of those towns we were told to watch out for."
"What gives you that idea?"
"There's all kinds of Christian junk all over the place."
"Well now. That kind of puts a new light on things, doesn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Most of the men are un-married. With the 'brothers' taking our women, they are without female companionship. Now these women, they're Christians. That means they have no rights. Now they could be taken in for impregnation, or they could be spared that if they were already pregnant. It's not like they could refuse."
"I think the men would appreciate the chance."
"I think they've earned it."
The women had been gathered in the community center for 'safe keeping'. It didn't take long before they found out how safe they really were. Somewhere during the night most of the women renounced God, their husbands, families, everything, and everyone they could think of, it this would just stop. Before dawn, all but one of them were dead.
The last remaining woman was brought into the general store, where Captain Rutherford had set up his headquarters. The guards set her in a chair, near the door, and left. They weren't worried about her running away. They didn't think she could even stand and walk.
Rutherford was looking over maps on a table with his back to her. It had rained, briefly, but hard last night. All signs of where the rest of the people had gone was washed away. He planned on getting as much information from this woman as he could. The threat of giving her back to his men should be enough to make her sing like a bird. Then he heard the shot.
Spinning on his heel, he saw the woman fall. The handgun that fell from her hand had come from his belt, left hanging on a peg near the door. He sighed. Not they would have to find the rest of these Christians the hard way.
BW, Vietnam Vet