*****Note from the author: This story depicts specific religious views,
however, it is not meant to be offensive to anyone.
Spiritual Healing
By Lorrie
Gage could barely hear the voice commanding him to stand. "You have defied me, my child. You have blasphemed me. Call me by the name that is known unto you."
Through the haze of drugs that had been injected into his arm, Gage could hardly remember his own name, let alone figure out who was standing in front of him.
"Sir, the injection was quite strong, perhaps he is not in control of his senses yet."
"Silence! You dare to question my judgment?"
"No sir! No sir!"
The man whom Gage had come to know as Richard Holyman, head and Great Supreme Leader of the Divine Way, stood in front of him, his eyes blazing with an eerie red glow. "You will be one of us, Mr. Texas Ranger. You wanted in so badly, now you'll never be allowed to leave." He motioned to one of the guards in the room. "Take him to his cell."
Gage was tossed into a small room, containing only a thin mattress on the floor. He fell onto the mattress and lay there for a moment wondering where Sydney had ended up. Hopefully her cover hadn't been blown too.
*****
Sydney wore a white cotton shift and no shoes. She was seated in the service room, waiting for their Great Supreme Leader to make his grand entrance. Her head was spinning slightly as a fragrance of lilac spilled across the room, relaxing everyone instantaneously. "Probably a light chemical mixed with lilac." She thought.
She tried hard not to breathe too deeply, or she knew she would float away on the fake spiritual high that was being forced on everyone there. She had to find Gage and she had to find Denise.
Denise Dalton was the eighteen-year-old daughter of a friend of Sydney and Gage's. Two weeks ago, she had been invited to a service of the Divine Way by some of her friends on campus. No one had heard from her since. After interviewing some of the people who had attended the service, Gage and Sydney found that she and several of her friends had joined the cult supposedly of their own free will.
They had brought the situation to Walker and after some strong convincing, he had finally agreed to let them go in undercover to find the students and bring them home. That was three weeks ago. So far, Sydney had managed to see Denise twice, but had been unable to talk to her. She had also managed to lose Gage.
*****
"Have you heard anything from Gage and Sydney?" Trivette asked.
Walker shook his head. "Not since last week, when Sydney called in and said that she had seen Denise and she looked drugged. She also said that she and Gage were looking for the source of the drugs and trying to find out who was administering them and that she would call back the next chance she got."
"It's been too long between check-ins Walker, and that's not very much to go on."
"I know." Walker replied worriedly. "I know."
******
The Great Supreme Leader was introduced and everyone stood and applauded excitedly as he took the stage.
He held his hands up to quiet them down. "Ah, my children." He said in a soothing voice. "If only all could be as you are, but we know that there are those who are against us and who wish us harm for our beliefs. The belief that I am the way, the truth and the light."
Sydney shuddered. "This guy really thinks he's Christ." She thought "How sick and to mislead so many people."
The Great Supreme Leader continued to speak. "I have, at this very moment, a young man in a holding cell awaiting his punishment."
Sydney felt her stomach churn. It had to be Gage.
"This child has blasphemed me. He will not accept that I am Christ and his purpose on this Earth is to serve me!"
There were many murmurs and shaking heads. "Oh no. What has he done to him?" Sydney thought.
"I feel in my heart that I should give him another chance, but I would like to have you, my true believers witness his confession. Tomorrow night there will be a special service at 7:00. You will fast all day tomorrow and pray that this poor, young soul realizes the truth before it is too late for him. I do not enjoy punishing my children, but I will not spare the rod for this child. You will not only witness his confession, but his punishment and his enlightenment."
A roar of cheers filled the room. Sydney once again felt sick. "I've got to get a call out to Walker." She thought. "But how?"
*****
The door to Gage's cell creaked open. He tried to sit up, but his head felt so heavy, all he could manage was a slight nod.
"It is time to talk, Ranger." The voice said gruffly as Gage was pulled to his feet and held between the arms of two men. "What is your business with Denise Dalton?"
"Who?" Gage asked in a whisper.
"Denise Dalton, the young woman you were talking to yesterday."
"I don't know any Denise Dalton." Gage remembered talking to Denise, but he really wasn't sure why.
"What is she to you?" The man questioned.
"She's a pretty girl."
"That is not for you to say. Only the Great Supreme Leader is allowed to compliment his children. Your purpose here is to do as he asks of you."
"What?"
"The Great Supreme Leader loves all of his children, even those who are more difficult to love. He has shown you patience when you did not wish to speak to him and he has shown you tolerance when you blasphemed him, but you're time of punishment is drawing near. We only wish to know why it was so important for you to find Denise Dalton."
"Her family is worried about her." Gage responded.
"Worried enough to get the Texas Rangers involved. I don't think so. What else do you know about the Divine Way and it's ministry?"
"There's more to know?" Gage asked.
Suddenly all of the talking stopped as the Great Supreme Leader, Richard Holyman entered the cell. "Sir." He was greeted by the man who had been questioning Gage. "We've been able to get nowhere with him. He says that he was trying to find the girl because her family was worried about her."
"Perhaps with good reason. You see, Ranger Gage, Denise Dalton and several of the other women in this compound are scheduled to be shipped out of the states soon." He took Gage's chin in his hand. "Including the very pretty female Ranger you brought with you."
Gage fought with everything in him to concentrate on what this pious, man was saying to him. "Sydney was in trouble, he planned to ship her out of the country, along with several other women."
Gage stared at Holyman for a moment. "Why?"
"A business transaction, Ranger Gage, but you needn't worry yourself with the details." Holyman nodded to one of the others in the room and Gage was approached with another syringe. "After you're damned to hell tomorrow night in front of my children, you'll need not worry yourself about anything ever again."
He laughed a hearty, evil laugh as they left Gage shivering against the effects of the drugs.
"Damned to hell, what was this man talking about. Had he missed something?"
*****
Sydney crept along the corridor towards the office. She quickly darted into a cubbyhole when the three men emerged from the stairs. One she recognized immediately as the Richard Holyman, the other two she hadn't seen before. She hardly breathed as the three stopped just outside of where she was hiding.
"Keep him drugged, but I want him to be able to talk tomorrow night. Not necessarily coherently, but he will need to be able to stand and to talk."
"What about after the meeting?"
"After the meeting, he'll be sent straight to "hell". Have the first injection of the cocktail ready and we'll give it to him during the meeting when he refuses me." Holyman laughed again.
"What about the girls?"
"Arrangements are being made as we speak. The deal is as good as done and we'll deliver them by the end of the week." Holyman straightened his tie and turned to the men. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must meet with one of the sub-cells for a group session."
The two men nodded towards Holyman and left.
Sydney peaked around the corner of the cubbyhole to see if it was safe to come out. She knew she wouldn't have time to locate Gage and to get to the office to make the call to Walker. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that Gage would be alright until she had another opportunity to get to him.
After picking the lock on the office door, she quietly grabbed the phone and called Ranger headquarters. "Walker." Came the answer on the other end.
"Walker, it's Sydney. I don't have much time to talk. Gage's cover has been blown and I think they're holding him in the basement. I don't know his condition yet, but I can't imagine that it's good. I also overheard a conversation a little while ago between Richard Holyman and two of his goons. They've planned some sort of a business transaction involving some of the girls. I don't know who but Holyman said that the deal was as good as done and the girls would be delivered by the end of the week."
"Alright, Sydney, keep your eyes and ears open. Trivette and I will get you and Gage out."
"Walker, Holyman has these people convinced that he's Christ. I know he's using mind control drugs and he plans to make an example of one of his wayward children tomorrow night at 7:00. It can only be Gage."
"Where you and Gage able to locate the source of the drugs or determine what exactly they're using?"
"No, we . . ."
"Sydney! Hello!" Trivette stared at Walker. "The phone went dead." He explained.
"Maybe she had to hang up."
"No, she was in mid-sentence and the phone slammed down."
*****
"So, what do we have here? Another wayward child?" Holyman scoffed as he held Sydney by her hair.
"I'm sorry sir. I felt a strong urge to call my family and let them know that I'm OK."
He softened his grip on her. "So, if I hit the redial button, I'll be speaking with your family."
Sydney nodded, hoping Walker would be able to play along. "Yes sir."
Holyman picked up the phone and hit redial.
"Sydney?" Walker answered, expecting it to be her, returning his call.
"Who is this?" Holyman asked as Sydney closed her eyes, silently praying that Walker would catch on.
"You called me, who are you trying to reach?"
"Just answer the question."
"I'm Marshall Cooke." Walker caught a glimpse of Trivette as he started to trace the call.
"Do you know Sydney?" Holyman asked.
"She's my daughter. Is she there, let me speak with her, please" Walker pleaded.
"Sydney is fine. She is now a child of the Divine Way and must sever all outside contacts."
Trivette shook his head. "Not enough time."
Holyman hung up the phone and turned to Sydney. "You didn't lie, but you did break the rules and for that you must be punished." He pushed a button and two guards entered and carried Sydney to the basement.
Holyman followed. "Don't think for a minute that you can pull one over on me. I know all! I am omnipotent, there is nothing you can hide from me, Ranger Cooke."
Sydney closed her eyes and swallowed as she felt a needle sting as it entered her arm. "What have you done with Gage?" She asked as the drug began to kick in.
Holyman smiled. "He's alive for the time being." They left her in her alone in her cell.
As the men entered Holyman's office, he turned to them. "Leave her there for the night, but tomorrow morning, bring her upstairs and clean her up. I'll speak with her then.
"Yes sir."
*****
Gage opened his eyes and shook his head fiercely, trying to shake the image in front of him. There was blood running down the walls and pooling on the floor around him. In the midst of the blood, there was an image that spoke to him. "I am the way, the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except by me." Gage had tears streaming down his face as he tried to get up from the mattress. "Do not be afraid. You know that the one who has imprisoned you is a deceiver."
He twisted his head, trying to get away from the image. Suddenly his cell was filled with fire. Gage screamed out for help.
Gage's screams for help stirred Sydney from her fitful slumber. "Gage?" She mumbled as she heard the scream again.
The fire had surrounded him and there was another voice in the room, an angry voice. "Accept him as Christ and this will stop!"
Gage shook his head again and passed out.
Sydney brought herself to her feet and peered out the small opening in her door as best as she could. "Gage?" There was no answer. "Maybe I dreamed it."
*****
The following morning Sydney was removed from her cell and taken upstairs where she was bathed and given fresh clothes. "Our Great Supreme Leader would like to speak with you."
Sydney followed the corridor to the end of the hall and humbly knocked on the office door. "Enter." Came the command.
She did so. "I trust that you are refreshed this morning."
"Yes."
He smiled at her. "You do understand that I did not want to punish you, but you left me with no choice. You disobeyed the rules concerning outside contact, but you have received your punishment and all is forgiven."
She looked down. "What about Gage?"
"Ranger Gage is another story. He refuses to tell me of your interest in Denise Dalton. He's told me that her family is concerned for her safety, but I believe the Texas Rangers have another cause to be here, do they not?"
Sydney could still feel the effects of the drugs in her system. What had he given her, truth serum? It was hard to fight the answers to his questions.
"Why are you and Ranger Gage here in this compound? Why have you found it necessary to desecrate this holy land and myself? Do you not believe in the word of God? Are you not a Christian?"
This man had a way of making you answer him. He was polite, but it wasn't only that, there was definitely still something in her system, something they had injected her with last night that made her talk.
"We came here originally to get Denise Dalton out. Then we were exposed to your drugs and saw the deception that you've placed on all of these people. Gage and I decided that you had to be brought down."
"You decided." He laughed. "You decided to bring down Christ himself?"
"Holyman, you really are a psycho if you think that you are Jesus Christ himself. The true Messiah would never have to stoop to deception to claim his children."
Holyman laughed again. "You pretend to be so knowledgeable about the Word of God. I have no more time for you right now, although you do amuse me. It is truly a shame that you and I will not have the opportunity to get to know each other better."
"What do you mean?" Sydney asked.
"You will be leaving the country shortly, as will Denise Dalton and a few others." Sydney's mouth dropped.
"Leaving the country, going where?"
"You have been sold."
*****
Walker opened the door to Alex's office, not waiting for her secretary to announce him. "Alex, I need your help!"
Alex sat stunned for a moment at the abruptness in Walker's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Sydney and Gage are being held in the compound of the Divine Way. Is there any possibility of getting a search warrant?"
"I'll call the governor and see, but Walker, what can you give me to go on besides the fact that Gage and Sydney are missing?"
"Sydney called and said that Gage's cover had been blown and they knew for a fact that Holyman is drugging his followers."
"Let me see what I can do." She picked up the phone and dialed the governor's office.
After a brief exchange of words with the secretary, Alex was informed that the governor would be out of the office until later that afternoon, but he would return her call.
"Walker, that's the best I can do for now." She said after relaying the secretary's message to him.
Walker nodded. "I should have never let them get involved in this. We didn't have enough information going in and now I don't know how I'm going to get them out." He turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Alex asked.
"To talk to the Dalton family."
Trivette met Walker outside of Alex's office. "Did you get the warrant?"
"Not yet."
"Where are we going?"
"To talk with Denise Dalton's family."
*****
Sydney was escorted back to her room and the door was locked behind her. Her roommate sat facing the wall. She didn't look the same.
"Carrie?" Sydney called out softly.
When the young woman turned, Sydney was shocked to find Denise Dalton, instead of Carrie Wilson.
"Sydney? What have I done? I'm so sorry." Denise cried.
"Denise, how did you get in here? Where' s Carrie?"
"I talked her into switching rooms with me. I don't think anyone will find out since we're supposed to be fasting in our rooms all day in preparation for tonight." Denise sobbed. "How could I have been so stupid?"
"Denise. You were just caught up in things."
"I know better. I was raised in a Baptist church. I know that there are false teachers out there. How could I have been so easily taken in by one?"
Sydney put her arm around Denise.
"Have you seen Ranger Gage? Do you have any idea what they've done with him?" Denise asked.
"Have you seen him?"
"A couple of days ago. I'm pretty sure that's how they found out who he was. I had just finished telling him that I had got a message out to my family and then we were talking about how to get out of the compound and someone overheard us and turned us in. Two guards took Gage towards the basement and I was banished to my room until the Great Supreme Leader could punish me properly." She began to cry.
"Denise, what do you mean "punish you properly"?"
Denise slowly let one shoulder of her white, cotton shift drop revealing several ugly red welts, some had been bleeding. "This is one of the more severe punishments, reserved for those planning to leave the compound or for those who speak against Holyman. He has something big planned or I would have also spent a month in the hole."
Sydney leaned back against the wall. "If he did this to Denise, what had he done to Gage?"
*****
"Walker!" Alex exclaimed as he finally answered his cell phone.
"Alex, have you heard from the governor?"
"Yes, and I wish I could tell you that it was good news. He's afraid of another situation like Waco in '83. He won't issue a search warrant until we have concrete evidence that there's a reason to disturb the Divine Way."
"We have a reason! Sydney and Gage are in there, being held against their will!"
"I used that argument too, but he said they unless they were taken against their will, we had no real proof that they were being held. I'm sorry."
"Me too. That's going to make things harder."
"Walker, what are you planning to do?"
"I'll let you know before I do anything." He said as he hung up the phone.
"No warrant?" Trivette asked.
"No warrant."
*****
Gage opened his eyes, almost expecting to see the blood stains on the walls and a fire before him. Instead all he saw was his dimly lit cell and the small mattress he was laying on. He shivered as the drugs began to somewhat wear off. "Oh God, please get me out of here." He prayed out loud.
"I hear you, my son." Holyman appeared outside of the cell door. "Your terms of release are simple. Tonight, in front of all of the multitude, confess that I am the Christ and I will set you free from your cell. You will be allowed to join your brothers and sisters of the Divine Way in worship."
"You're really sick, Holyman. What's next on your agenda when you get tired of playing God?"
The cell door clanked open and Holyman grabbed Gage by his throat. "I am NOT, playing God! To these people, I AM Christ and I deserve respect. If I don't receive your devotion, then you will be cast into hell after the service tonight and not one of the many who attend the service will dare say that they did not witness Christ condemning a non-believer and blasphemer to hell!" He released Gage's neck, leaving several bruises where his fingers had dug into the flesh.
Two guards appeared and Holyman gave them a signal to give Gage another injection. "Make sure this one lasts through the service."
Gage grimaced at the new burning sensation of this injection. "What are you giving me? What is this?" He asked fervently.
"Just a nice little cocktail of several different things. Pleasant dreams." The guard laughed as they dropped Gage to the mattress.
The drug kicked in immediately and Gage began to see things crawling on the walls and the floor. He screamed and yelled for over an hour until the drugs rendered him unconscious.
*****
The doors of the followers of the Divine Way were opened at 6:30 as an announcement was made over the PA. "Prepare yourselves for the service and meet in the service room at 7:00." After a brief pause, the voice came on again. "The following selected servants are to report to the Great Supreme Leader's office immediately. Carrie Wilson, Devon Saul, Brenda McCabe, Sydney Cooke and Denise Dalton. His grace upon you all." The voice concluded.
Denise looked at Sydney, with sheer terror in her eyes. "What could he possibly want?"
"I think I have a pretty good idea." Sydney replied, thinking about the statement Holyman had made to her earlier about having been sold and being shipped out of the country.
*****
Walker and Trivette were both back in the office and Walker was trying to get the Governor on the phone. "Thank you, I'll hold."
"I wish the Dalton's could have told us more."
"They may have told us enough. Denise got a message out to them that she wanted to come home."
The Governor came on the line and he and Walker talked for several minutes before Walker hung up the phone. "We'll have the warrant by tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning may be too late. Sydney said that the girls were supposed to be delivered by the end of the week. Today's Friday."
"I know Trivette, I thought about that too. Let's stake out the compound and track who goes in and out tonight."
*****
Sydney and Denise were directed to wait with the other girls outside the office door. They all stood at attention, dressed in their white, cotton shifts and no shoes. "You may enter, my children." Came the voice from the other side.
They all five entered and lined up in front of Holyman's desk. "Very good, you are all here." He looked at Sydney and smiled. "I have a very exciting mission for you. You five are going to be designated as delegates for the Divine Way and you will be taking our message overseas. Isn't that exciting!"
"Yeah, real exciting. I wonder how much he's getting for us?" Sydney thought. She then turned to Holyman, "But sir, some of us are still so young in our faith. How will be able to sufficiently spread your word and have others know of you?"
Holyman shot her a look that chilled her to the bone. He approached her and stroke her hair. "You raise a good question my dear. There will be mentors with you at all times. You will do exactly as they say and not question them. To question them is to question me and you don't wish to question my supreme authority, do you?" He glared at each of the girls, knowing that he had frightened them all, except for Sydney.
"Now, you will have a special area on the stage with me tonight while I attempt to bring my wayward son to an understanding of who I am." He again looked at Sydney. "My patience is growing rather thin with Ranger Gage and if he resists me tonight, he will be cast into hell." Sydney glared at him, while the others murmured in fear. "Now, off with you my children. I'll join you in a moment."
Sydney waited until the last girl had left the room and then she closed the door. "I know that you can no more cast a man into hell than I can, but what have you done with Gage?"
"Don't fret, my pet. You'll see him a few moments. You may not like what you see, but you will see him." He took Sydney by the arm and escorted her down the hallway towards the service room. "You should put Ranger Gage behind you. He is as a memory to you now."
*****
Walker and Trivette watched from across the road as a semi made its way down the road, towards the entrance of the Divine Way. "What do you think?" Trivette asked.
"I think we go for it." Walker positioned the RAM in the middle of the road, forcing the driver of the semi to stop. "Texas Rangers, out of the truck." Walker ordered.
"What can I do for you Rangers?"
"Where are you headed?"
"I have a pick-up scheduled at the Divine Way. What's your cargo?"
"I don't know, sir. These people are real private. They usually just schedule a pick-up and expect no questions to be asked."
Walker nodded. "So you've made pick-ups here before?"
"I've been here once, yes. But I brought a load in then. This area isn't part of our regular route, so dispatch has to schedule a truck each time they call."
"So, no one here would be expecting you to be driving this rig, right?" Trivette asked.
"No sir."
"Good. We're commandeering your rig." Walker hid the RAM in the brush and then he and Trivette climbed aboard the semi and chugged their way towards the main entrance gate.
There wasn't much to the gate or the guardhouse for that matter. Walker knew that they could blast through it, if they had to on the way out. "Evening sir." Walker was greeted by the guard. "Can I see your papers?"
"Sure thing, buddy. Listen, I've never picked up here before, can you point me in the right direction?" Walker asked.
"Sure. You go past the first building and turn right. The receiving door is open, go ahead and back it up in there."
"Thank you."
"Thank you and have a blessed evening."
Walker even cringed at the monotone voice that spoke the last sentence. "These people are being brainwashed." Trivette stated, also noting the guards statement.
"Yeah, let's just hope we're not to late to get Sydney and Gage out of here."
*****
Gage tried to sit up, but his head was throbbing and he was still shivering although he didn't really feel cold.
The door opened and two guards lifted him to his feet. "Your presence is requested by the Great Supreme Leader."
"Where?" Gage mumbled.
"Prepare him." One of the guards ordered the other. Gage's shirt was stripped from his torso, exposing his muscular arms and the needle marks that now graced them. He was given another injection before he was hauled up the steps towards the service room.
A small man was on the stage and quieted the crowd. "Brothers and sisters, our Great Supreme Leader." He announced as Holyman made his grand entrance on the stage.
"My children. I trust that you are all doing well. I have bestowed my blessing upon you today and you will find that you have renewed strength and spirit, even though you have fasted."
Many murmuring were heard agreeing with Holyman.
"I have an announcement to make before I bring forth the wayward son. We have elected a delegation of five young women to serve overseas." He pointed at the girls who had been seated on his right. "These, your sisters, will be leaving tonight, directly after the service to begin their missions."
His announcement was met with thunderous applauds.
"Now, to the more unpleasant business." He turned to the guards. "Bring him in." Gage was paraded in between the two guards, they were practically dragging him across the stage. The drugs had hampered his coordination.
Sydney and Denise gasped when they caught site of him. "Oh my Lord." Sydney audibly said.
Holyman turned to her. "Yes, my child. You have something to say." She shook her head and kept her attention trained on Gage.
Holyman instructed the guards to release him. Gage dropped to the stage and onto his knees. "Now, my son. Can you hear me?"
Gage nodded.
"I want to hear you."
"Yes." He responded.
"Good. Who am I?"
Gage stared at him for a moment and Sydney wondered if Holyman had actually broken him. There was a long silence and Holyman shouted. "Confess with your tongue, who I am?"
"You're a jerk who gets off on thinking that he's Jesus Christ and enjoys confusing and deceiving people." Gage spoke as loudly as he could.
"You will not accept that I am Christ?" Holyman asked.
"No, I will not."
"I am begging you to reconsider, my child. I do not wish to cast you into eternal damnation, but you are leaving me no choice. Who am I?"
"Richard Holyman, psychopath." Gage responded, holding his ground as firmly as he could.
"Enough!" Holyman screamed. "Silence, blasphemer!"
"Takes one to know one." Gage mumbled as his head slumped.
Holyman grabbed his chin and lifted his face towards him. "Look upon the Lamb. Confess with your mouth that I am who I say I am."
Gage shook his head slightly. "No!"
Sydney fought back her tears as she silently watched her partner endure this mental torture.
Holyman thrust his hand against Gage's forehead. "Depart from me, for I know ye not." Tears streamed down Holyman's face as Gage was caught by the two guards before he hit the ground. "I banish you from this place and condemn you to eternal hellfire and damnation." He looked up in a very dramatic display. "Remove him from me!"
The two guards hauled Gage back down the stairs. One of the men held him while the other jabbed a needle into his arm again. They bypassed his usual cell and threw him into a small, dark, padded room.
The guards closed the door and left him alone in the darkness. Through the new haze of drugs, Gage heard a voice. "Welcome to hell!"
*****
Holyman continued with the service after Gage had been removed. "My children, it is important that you understand why we are protected by our fence boundaries. There are many people on the outside who wish us harm, who wish to change the way we worship. We must never let the outside in."
"Or the inside out." Sydney thought as she wondered where Gage had been taken.
"Now, my children, the time is approaching quickly for our five delegates to begin their journey." Another round of applauds were aimed at the girls.
*****
Gage continued to hear the voices in a harsh whisper. "Eternel damnation." He heard from one direction. "Damned to hell." "Blasphemer!" "Welcome to hell!"
The voices sounded all around him.
He opened his eyes and began to fight the hallucinations of evil faces and demonic creatures. He closed his eyes and screamed in despair.
*****
Walker and Trivette got out of the semi after pulling it into the receiving bay. There was only one person in the corridor. Walker sneaked up behind him and wrapped his arm around the man's neck, choking him to the ground.
He and Trivette then followed the amplified voice of Richard Holyman until they were outside of the service room. Trivette caught Sydney's attention from the door, just to the right of the stage. He motioned for her to create a diversion.
Sydney thought for a moment, what would be the best diversion for the crowd that wouldn't leave room for Holyman to immediately naturalize her? She suddenly stood up and began to speak in a different language, hoping that few to none of the followers would recognize her very rusty Latin, what little she knew.
"One of the chosen, she's speaking in tongues!" One of the followers exclaimed.
Walker and Trivette overtook the guards behind the stage curtain. Holyman ducked behind the stage, trying to get away, but before he could get a grip on exactly what was going on, he noticed both Walker and Trivette coming after him from either end of the back side of the stage.
Sydney stopped speaking and before Walker could subdue Holyman, she had made her way back stage and delivered a spin kick to his chest, propelling him to the ground. "Where's Gage!" She demanded, sitting on Holyman's chest.
"He's in hell, why don't you join him?"
Sydney jumped up, pulling Holyman to his feet. Trivette quickly intervened and placed the handcuffs on his wrists and read him his rights. He then forced Holyman to the semi, where he called for back up.
Sydney and Walker made their way downstairs. They could hear Gage's antagonizing screams by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs.
They both set out in a dead run, following the screams. They peeped in each room and tried each door and finally came upon a locked cell door. Walker pulled his gun and fired it at the lock, the door swung open.
When they entered, they both could hear the tape recorded voices, the sound was harsh and evil. Gage sat in a corner of the cell, his knees pulled to his chest, his hands over his ears. "Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop." He repeated over and over, tears streaming down his face.
Walker reached up and jerked the connecting wire from the speaker, instantly silencing the voices.
Sydney placed her hand on Gage's shoulder. He flinched at her touch. "No, no, no, no."
"Gage. Shh. It's Syd. It's going to be OK. We're going to get you out of here."
He looked at her, dazed and confused. "He put you here too." He whispered between his tears. "Not you, Syd, you don't belong in hell."
"Shh. Honey, we're not in hell. We're fine. We're going to be fine." She held him close as he closed his eyes and laid his head against her chest.
Walker touched them both on their shoulders. "Let's get him out of here. Maybe it'll help to clear his head."
Sydney nodded as she and Walker helped Gage to his feet, up the stairs and out to Walker's truck, which Trivette had brought around after turning Holyman over to the local authorities.
"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" Trivette asked, noting his dazed glare.
"Not too good, Trivette."
"We're going to take care of that. I'm going to take you to the hospital." Walker replied.
"What about Denise Dalton and the other followers of the Divine Way?" Sydney asked.
"I called Denise's parents and they just arrived. They'll be taking her to the hospital to be checked out and then take her home."
"And the others?"
Trivette shook his head. "We found evidence that most likely everyone here has been drugged in one way or another. We know Gage was injected and so were you, but Holyman and his men had delivery system set up throughout the compound. There are several fine powder drugs in his storage and all he would have had to do would be get them in the air vents."
"So I probably have more in my system than I thought I did, right?"
Trivette smiled. "It's a pretty good possibility."
"What about the deal that Holyman had set up for me and the others?"
"We'll see if we can determine who the buyer was, but unless there's a name in Holyman's records, I doubt we'll ever know." Walker climbed into the RAM after helping Gage and Sydney in. "We'll talk about all of this later, right now I want to get you two to the hospital."
****
Four weeks later, at Gage's apartment:
Gage sat on his couch with a Bible in his hands. "What are you doing?" Sydney asked.
"Um? Oh, just reading."
"Are you OK?" She asked as she sat down beside of him.
"Yeah, it's just this whole thing with Holyman and the Divine Way, really got me to thinking."
"About what?"
"Death."
"Gage."
"I'm serious. You were brought up in church, weren't you?"
"Well, yeah. You know that I still go once in a while. I guess you could say that I'm a back slidden Catholic."
"Exactly and I'm a non-practicing Baptist. My parents would be so disappointed if they knew that I didn't belong to a church."
"But you don't go to church to please someone else, Gage. You go for yourself."
"I know that and Sydney, I don't want to sound like a fanatic or anything, but I feel the need to be in church right now."
Sydney nodded. "I think I understand. This experience with Holyman has either opened your eyes or scared you to death."
"Maybe a little of both. Sydney, I was only eight when my parents died and we attended church every Sunday and went to Bible Study every Wednesday night. My parents both sang in the choir and Julie and I both enjoyed Sunday School. When my parents were killed, I felt like God had turned his back on me, so I turned my back on Him and it was easy to do because our foster parents weren't Christians."
"Are you?"
"What?"
"A Christian?"
Gage shook his head. "I've never accepted Christ, but I want to. I'm just not sure how." Gage had tears in his eyes as he talked to Sydney, bearing his soul.
"You can do that right here."
"How?"
"By admitting that you're a sinner and have come short of the glory of God. See, it's right here." Sydney opened Gage's Bible to the book of Roman: Chapter 10, Verse 9-10-13. She then read to him: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be Saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be Saved." (Holy Bible KJV)
She looked at him for a moment. "Do you believe that?"
"You know I do." Gage smiled.
"Then the next step is to pray. Here, wait a minute, I have something that might help." She retrieved a copy of 'The Sinner's Prayer' from her desk:
"The Sinners Prayer"..........................
Heavenly Father:...........
...............................................................
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of
my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the
Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the
day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess
with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed
by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Gage knelt and prayed the prayer out loud and stayed on his knees for a while. Sydney silently let the tears stream down her face. She knew that she was actually witnessing a Spiritual re-birth. She quietly got up and left Gage with his prayers.
A little while later, Gage appeared at the kitchen door and handed Sydney back her card with 'The Sinner's Prayer' on it. "Thank you Syd."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
"You helped me find what's been missing from my life for a long time." He hugged her close and kissed her. "I know I'm not perfect and I know there are a lot of things in my life that aren't perfect, but I also know that I'm saved by his grace and I'm accepted just the way I am."
"I'm really happy for you Gage." She cried.
He hugged her close again. "I'm happy for both of us."
THE END
...................
Spiritual Healing
By Lorrie
Gage could barely hear the voice commanding him to stand. "You have defied me, my child. You have blasphemed me. Call me by the name that is known unto you."
Through the haze of drugs that had been injected into his arm, Gage could hardly remember his own name, let alone figure out who was standing in front of him.
"Sir, the injection was quite strong, perhaps he is not in control of his senses yet."
"Silence! You dare to question my judgment?"
"No sir! No sir!"
The man whom Gage had come to know as Richard Holyman, head and Great Supreme Leader of the Divine Way, stood in front of him, his eyes blazing with an eerie red glow. "You will be one of us, Mr. Texas Ranger. You wanted in so badly, now you'll never be allowed to leave." He motioned to one of the guards in the room. "Take him to his cell."
Gage was tossed into a small room, containing only a thin mattress on the floor. He fell onto the mattress and lay there for a moment wondering where Sydney had ended up. Hopefully her cover hadn't been blown too.
*****
Sydney wore a white cotton shift and no shoes. She was seated in the service room, waiting for their Great Supreme Leader to make his grand entrance. Her head was spinning slightly as a fragrance of lilac spilled across the room, relaxing everyone instantaneously. "Probably a light chemical mixed with lilac." She thought.
She tried hard not to breathe too deeply, or she knew she would float away on the fake spiritual high that was being forced on everyone there. She had to find Gage and she had to find Denise.
Denise Dalton was the eighteen-year-old daughter of a friend of Sydney and Gage's. Two weeks ago, she had been invited to a service of the Divine Way by some of her friends on campus. No one had heard from her since. After interviewing some of the people who had attended the service, Gage and Sydney found that she and several of her friends had joined the cult supposedly of their own free will.
They had brought the situation to Walker and after some strong convincing, he had finally agreed to let them go in undercover to find the students and bring them home. That was three weeks ago. So far, Sydney had managed to see Denise twice, but had been unable to talk to her. She had also managed to lose Gage.
*****
"Have you heard anything from Gage and Sydney?" Trivette asked.
Walker shook his head. "Not since last week, when Sydney called in and said that she had seen Denise and she looked drugged. She also said that she and Gage were looking for the source of the drugs and trying to find out who was administering them and that she would call back the next chance she got."
"It's been too long between check-ins Walker, and that's not very much to go on."
"I know." Walker replied worriedly. "I know."
******
The Great Supreme Leader was introduced and everyone stood and applauded excitedly as he took the stage.
He held his hands up to quiet them down. "Ah, my children." He said in a soothing voice. "If only all could be as you are, but we know that there are those who are against us and who wish us harm for our beliefs. The belief that I am the way, the truth and the light."
Sydney shuddered. "This guy really thinks he's Christ." She thought "How sick and to mislead so many people."
The Great Supreme Leader continued to speak. "I have, at this very moment, a young man in a holding cell awaiting his punishment."
Sydney felt her stomach churn. It had to be Gage.
"This child has blasphemed me. He will not accept that I am Christ and his purpose on this Earth is to serve me!"
There were many murmurs and shaking heads. "Oh no. What has he done to him?" Sydney thought.
"I feel in my heart that I should give him another chance, but I would like to have you, my true believers witness his confession. Tomorrow night there will be a special service at 7:00. You will fast all day tomorrow and pray that this poor, young soul realizes the truth before it is too late for him. I do not enjoy punishing my children, but I will not spare the rod for this child. You will not only witness his confession, but his punishment and his enlightenment."
A roar of cheers filled the room. Sydney once again felt sick. "I've got to get a call out to Walker." She thought. "But how?"
*****
The door to Gage's cell creaked open. He tried to sit up, but his head felt so heavy, all he could manage was a slight nod.
"It is time to talk, Ranger." The voice said gruffly as Gage was pulled to his feet and held between the arms of two men. "What is your business with Denise Dalton?"
"Who?" Gage asked in a whisper.
"Denise Dalton, the young woman you were talking to yesterday."
"I don't know any Denise Dalton." Gage remembered talking to Denise, but he really wasn't sure why.
"What is she to you?" The man questioned.
"She's a pretty girl."
"That is not for you to say. Only the Great Supreme Leader is allowed to compliment his children. Your purpose here is to do as he asks of you."
"What?"
"The Great Supreme Leader loves all of his children, even those who are more difficult to love. He has shown you patience when you did not wish to speak to him and he has shown you tolerance when you blasphemed him, but you're time of punishment is drawing near. We only wish to know why it was so important for you to find Denise Dalton."
"Her family is worried about her." Gage responded.
"Worried enough to get the Texas Rangers involved. I don't think so. What else do you know about the Divine Way and it's ministry?"
"There's more to know?" Gage asked.
Suddenly all of the talking stopped as the Great Supreme Leader, Richard Holyman entered the cell. "Sir." He was greeted by the man who had been questioning Gage. "We've been able to get nowhere with him. He says that he was trying to find the girl because her family was worried about her."
"Perhaps with good reason. You see, Ranger Gage, Denise Dalton and several of the other women in this compound are scheduled to be shipped out of the states soon." He took Gage's chin in his hand. "Including the very pretty female Ranger you brought with you."
Gage fought with everything in him to concentrate on what this pious, man was saying to him. "Sydney was in trouble, he planned to ship her out of the country, along with several other women."
Gage stared at Holyman for a moment. "Why?"
"A business transaction, Ranger Gage, but you needn't worry yourself with the details." Holyman nodded to one of the others in the room and Gage was approached with another syringe. "After you're damned to hell tomorrow night in front of my children, you'll need not worry yourself about anything ever again."
He laughed a hearty, evil laugh as they left Gage shivering against the effects of the drugs.
"Damned to hell, what was this man talking about. Had he missed something?"
*****
Sydney crept along the corridor towards the office. She quickly darted into a cubbyhole when the three men emerged from the stairs. One she recognized immediately as the Richard Holyman, the other two she hadn't seen before. She hardly breathed as the three stopped just outside of where she was hiding.
"Keep him drugged, but I want him to be able to talk tomorrow night. Not necessarily coherently, but he will need to be able to stand and to talk."
"What about after the meeting?"
"After the meeting, he'll be sent straight to "hell". Have the first injection of the cocktail ready and we'll give it to him during the meeting when he refuses me." Holyman laughed again.
"What about the girls?"
"Arrangements are being made as we speak. The deal is as good as done and we'll deliver them by the end of the week." Holyman straightened his tie and turned to the men. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must meet with one of the sub-cells for a group session."
The two men nodded towards Holyman and left.
Sydney peaked around the corner of the cubbyhole to see if it was safe to come out. She knew she wouldn't have time to locate Gage and to get to the office to make the call to Walker. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that Gage would be alright until she had another opportunity to get to him.
After picking the lock on the office door, she quietly grabbed the phone and called Ranger headquarters. "Walker." Came the answer on the other end.
"Walker, it's Sydney. I don't have much time to talk. Gage's cover has been blown and I think they're holding him in the basement. I don't know his condition yet, but I can't imagine that it's good. I also overheard a conversation a little while ago between Richard Holyman and two of his goons. They've planned some sort of a business transaction involving some of the girls. I don't know who but Holyman said that the deal was as good as done and the girls would be delivered by the end of the week."
"Alright, Sydney, keep your eyes and ears open. Trivette and I will get you and Gage out."
"Walker, Holyman has these people convinced that he's Christ. I know he's using mind control drugs and he plans to make an example of one of his wayward children tomorrow night at 7:00. It can only be Gage."
"Where you and Gage able to locate the source of the drugs or determine what exactly they're using?"
"No, we . . ."
"Sydney! Hello!" Trivette stared at Walker. "The phone went dead." He explained.
"Maybe she had to hang up."
"No, she was in mid-sentence and the phone slammed down."
*****
"So, what do we have here? Another wayward child?" Holyman scoffed as he held Sydney by her hair.
"I'm sorry sir. I felt a strong urge to call my family and let them know that I'm OK."
He softened his grip on her. "So, if I hit the redial button, I'll be speaking with your family."
Sydney nodded, hoping Walker would be able to play along. "Yes sir."
Holyman picked up the phone and hit redial.
"Sydney?" Walker answered, expecting it to be her, returning his call.
"Who is this?" Holyman asked as Sydney closed her eyes, silently praying that Walker would catch on.
"You called me, who are you trying to reach?"
"Just answer the question."
"I'm Marshall Cooke." Walker caught a glimpse of Trivette as he started to trace the call.
"Do you know Sydney?" Holyman asked.
"She's my daughter. Is she there, let me speak with her, please" Walker pleaded.
"Sydney is fine. She is now a child of the Divine Way and must sever all outside contacts."
Trivette shook his head. "Not enough time."
Holyman hung up the phone and turned to Sydney. "You didn't lie, but you did break the rules and for that you must be punished." He pushed a button and two guards entered and carried Sydney to the basement.
Holyman followed. "Don't think for a minute that you can pull one over on me. I know all! I am omnipotent, there is nothing you can hide from me, Ranger Cooke."
Sydney closed her eyes and swallowed as she felt a needle sting as it entered her arm. "What have you done with Gage?" She asked as the drug began to kick in.
Holyman smiled. "He's alive for the time being." They left her in her alone in her cell.
As the men entered Holyman's office, he turned to them. "Leave her there for the night, but tomorrow morning, bring her upstairs and clean her up. I'll speak with her then.
"Yes sir."
*****
Gage opened his eyes and shook his head fiercely, trying to shake the image in front of him. There was blood running down the walls and pooling on the floor around him. In the midst of the blood, there was an image that spoke to him. "I am the way, the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except by me." Gage had tears streaming down his face as he tried to get up from the mattress. "Do not be afraid. You know that the one who has imprisoned you is a deceiver."
He twisted his head, trying to get away from the image. Suddenly his cell was filled with fire. Gage screamed out for help.
Gage's screams for help stirred Sydney from her fitful slumber. "Gage?" She mumbled as she heard the scream again.
The fire had surrounded him and there was another voice in the room, an angry voice. "Accept him as Christ and this will stop!"
Gage shook his head again and passed out.
Sydney brought herself to her feet and peered out the small opening in her door as best as she could. "Gage?" There was no answer. "Maybe I dreamed it."
*****
The following morning Sydney was removed from her cell and taken upstairs where she was bathed and given fresh clothes. "Our Great Supreme Leader would like to speak with you."
Sydney followed the corridor to the end of the hall and humbly knocked on the office door. "Enter." Came the command.
She did so. "I trust that you are refreshed this morning."
"Yes."
He smiled at her. "You do understand that I did not want to punish you, but you left me with no choice. You disobeyed the rules concerning outside contact, but you have received your punishment and all is forgiven."
She looked down. "What about Gage?"
"Ranger Gage is another story. He refuses to tell me of your interest in Denise Dalton. He's told me that her family is concerned for her safety, but I believe the Texas Rangers have another cause to be here, do they not?"
Sydney could still feel the effects of the drugs in her system. What had he given her, truth serum? It was hard to fight the answers to his questions.
"Why are you and Ranger Gage here in this compound? Why have you found it necessary to desecrate this holy land and myself? Do you not believe in the word of God? Are you not a Christian?"
This man had a way of making you answer him. He was polite, but it wasn't only that, there was definitely still something in her system, something they had injected her with last night that made her talk.
"We came here originally to get Denise Dalton out. Then we were exposed to your drugs and saw the deception that you've placed on all of these people. Gage and I decided that you had to be brought down."
"You decided." He laughed. "You decided to bring down Christ himself?"
"Holyman, you really are a psycho if you think that you are Jesus Christ himself. The true Messiah would never have to stoop to deception to claim his children."
Holyman laughed again. "You pretend to be so knowledgeable about the Word of God. I have no more time for you right now, although you do amuse me. It is truly a shame that you and I will not have the opportunity to get to know each other better."
"What do you mean?" Sydney asked.
"You will be leaving the country shortly, as will Denise Dalton and a few others." Sydney's mouth dropped.
"Leaving the country, going where?"
"You have been sold."
*****
Walker opened the door to Alex's office, not waiting for her secretary to announce him. "Alex, I need your help!"
Alex sat stunned for a moment at the abruptness in Walker's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Sydney and Gage are being held in the compound of the Divine Way. Is there any possibility of getting a search warrant?"
"I'll call the governor and see, but Walker, what can you give me to go on besides the fact that Gage and Sydney are missing?"
"Sydney called and said that Gage's cover had been blown and they knew for a fact that Holyman is drugging his followers."
"Let me see what I can do." She picked up the phone and dialed the governor's office.
After a brief exchange of words with the secretary, Alex was informed that the governor would be out of the office until later that afternoon, but he would return her call.
"Walker, that's the best I can do for now." She said after relaying the secretary's message to him.
Walker nodded. "I should have never let them get involved in this. We didn't have enough information going in and now I don't know how I'm going to get them out." He turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Alex asked.
"To talk to the Dalton family."
Trivette met Walker outside of Alex's office. "Did you get the warrant?"
"Not yet."
"Where are we going?"
"To talk with Denise Dalton's family."
*****
Sydney was escorted back to her room and the door was locked behind her. Her roommate sat facing the wall. She didn't look the same.
"Carrie?" Sydney called out softly.
When the young woman turned, Sydney was shocked to find Denise Dalton, instead of Carrie Wilson.
"Sydney? What have I done? I'm so sorry." Denise cried.
"Denise, how did you get in here? Where' s Carrie?"
"I talked her into switching rooms with me. I don't think anyone will find out since we're supposed to be fasting in our rooms all day in preparation for tonight." Denise sobbed. "How could I have been so stupid?"
"Denise. You were just caught up in things."
"I know better. I was raised in a Baptist church. I know that there are false teachers out there. How could I have been so easily taken in by one?"
Sydney put her arm around Denise.
"Have you seen Ranger Gage? Do you have any idea what they've done with him?" Denise asked.
"Have you seen him?"
"A couple of days ago. I'm pretty sure that's how they found out who he was. I had just finished telling him that I had got a message out to my family and then we were talking about how to get out of the compound and someone overheard us and turned us in. Two guards took Gage towards the basement and I was banished to my room until the Great Supreme Leader could punish me properly." She began to cry.
"Denise, what do you mean "punish you properly"?"
Denise slowly let one shoulder of her white, cotton shift drop revealing several ugly red welts, some had been bleeding. "This is one of the more severe punishments, reserved for those planning to leave the compound or for those who speak against Holyman. He has something big planned or I would have also spent a month in the hole."
Sydney leaned back against the wall. "If he did this to Denise, what had he done to Gage?"
*****
"Walker!" Alex exclaimed as he finally answered his cell phone.
"Alex, have you heard from the governor?"
"Yes, and I wish I could tell you that it was good news. He's afraid of another situation like Waco in '83. He won't issue a search warrant until we have concrete evidence that there's a reason to disturb the Divine Way."
"We have a reason! Sydney and Gage are in there, being held against their will!"
"I used that argument too, but he said they unless they were taken against their will, we had no real proof that they were being held. I'm sorry."
"Me too. That's going to make things harder."
"Walker, what are you planning to do?"
"I'll let you know before I do anything." He said as he hung up the phone.
"No warrant?" Trivette asked.
"No warrant."
*****
Gage opened his eyes, almost expecting to see the blood stains on the walls and a fire before him. Instead all he saw was his dimly lit cell and the small mattress he was laying on. He shivered as the drugs began to somewhat wear off. "Oh God, please get me out of here." He prayed out loud.
"I hear you, my son." Holyman appeared outside of the cell door. "Your terms of release are simple. Tonight, in front of all of the multitude, confess that I am the Christ and I will set you free from your cell. You will be allowed to join your brothers and sisters of the Divine Way in worship."
"You're really sick, Holyman. What's next on your agenda when you get tired of playing God?"
The cell door clanked open and Holyman grabbed Gage by his throat. "I am NOT, playing God! To these people, I AM Christ and I deserve respect. If I don't receive your devotion, then you will be cast into hell after the service tonight and not one of the many who attend the service will dare say that they did not witness Christ condemning a non-believer and blasphemer to hell!" He released Gage's neck, leaving several bruises where his fingers had dug into the flesh.
Two guards appeared and Holyman gave them a signal to give Gage another injection. "Make sure this one lasts through the service."
Gage grimaced at the new burning sensation of this injection. "What are you giving me? What is this?" He asked fervently.
"Just a nice little cocktail of several different things. Pleasant dreams." The guard laughed as they dropped Gage to the mattress.
The drug kicked in immediately and Gage began to see things crawling on the walls and the floor. He screamed and yelled for over an hour until the drugs rendered him unconscious.
*****
The doors of the followers of the Divine Way were opened at 6:30 as an announcement was made over the PA. "Prepare yourselves for the service and meet in the service room at 7:00." After a brief pause, the voice came on again. "The following selected servants are to report to the Great Supreme Leader's office immediately. Carrie Wilson, Devon Saul, Brenda McCabe, Sydney Cooke and Denise Dalton. His grace upon you all." The voice concluded.
Denise looked at Sydney, with sheer terror in her eyes. "What could he possibly want?"
"I think I have a pretty good idea." Sydney replied, thinking about the statement Holyman had made to her earlier about having been sold and being shipped out of the country.
*****
Walker and Trivette were both back in the office and Walker was trying to get the Governor on the phone. "Thank you, I'll hold."
"I wish the Dalton's could have told us more."
"They may have told us enough. Denise got a message out to them that she wanted to come home."
The Governor came on the line and he and Walker talked for several minutes before Walker hung up the phone. "We'll have the warrant by tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning may be too late. Sydney said that the girls were supposed to be delivered by the end of the week. Today's Friday."
"I know Trivette, I thought about that too. Let's stake out the compound and track who goes in and out tonight."
*****
Sydney and Denise were directed to wait with the other girls outside the office door. They all stood at attention, dressed in their white, cotton shifts and no shoes. "You may enter, my children." Came the voice from the other side.
They all five entered and lined up in front of Holyman's desk. "Very good, you are all here." He looked at Sydney and smiled. "I have a very exciting mission for you. You five are going to be designated as delegates for the Divine Way and you will be taking our message overseas. Isn't that exciting!"
"Yeah, real exciting. I wonder how much he's getting for us?" Sydney thought. She then turned to Holyman, "But sir, some of us are still so young in our faith. How will be able to sufficiently spread your word and have others know of you?"
Holyman shot her a look that chilled her to the bone. He approached her and stroke her hair. "You raise a good question my dear. There will be mentors with you at all times. You will do exactly as they say and not question them. To question them is to question me and you don't wish to question my supreme authority, do you?" He glared at each of the girls, knowing that he had frightened them all, except for Sydney.
"Now, you will have a special area on the stage with me tonight while I attempt to bring my wayward son to an understanding of who I am." He again looked at Sydney. "My patience is growing rather thin with Ranger Gage and if he resists me tonight, he will be cast into hell." Sydney glared at him, while the others murmured in fear. "Now, off with you my children. I'll join you in a moment."
Sydney waited until the last girl had left the room and then she closed the door. "I know that you can no more cast a man into hell than I can, but what have you done with Gage?"
"Don't fret, my pet. You'll see him a few moments. You may not like what you see, but you will see him." He took Sydney by the arm and escorted her down the hallway towards the service room. "You should put Ranger Gage behind you. He is as a memory to you now."
*****
Walker and Trivette watched from across the road as a semi made its way down the road, towards the entrance of the Divine Way. "What do you think?" Trivette asked.
"I think we go for it." Walker positioned the RAM in the middle of the road, forcing the driver of the semi to stop. "Texas Rangers, out of the truck." Walker ordered.
"What can I do for you Rangers?"
"Where are you headed?"
"I have a pick-up scheduled at the Divine Way. What's your cargo?"
"I don't know, sir. These people are real private. They usually just schedule a pick-up and expect no questions to be asked."
Walker nodded. "So you've made pick-ups here before?"
"I've been here once, yes. But I brought a load in then. This area isn't part of our regular route, so dispatch has to schedule a truck each time they call."
"So, no one here would be expecting you to be driving this rig, right?" Trivette asked.
"No sir."
"Good. We're commandeering your rig." Walker hid the RAM in the brush and then he and Trivette climbed aboard the semi and chugged their way towards the main entrance gate.
There wasn't much to the gate or the guardhouse for that matter. Walker knew that they could blast through it, if they had to on the way out. "Evening sir." Walker was greeted by the guard. "Can I see your papers?"
"Sure thing, buddy. Listen, I've never picked up here before, can you point me in the right direction?" Walker asked.
"Sure. You go past the first building and turn right. The receiving door is open, go ahead and back it up in there."
"Thank you."
"Thank you and have a blessed evening."
Walker even cringed at the monotone voice that spoke the last sentence. "These people are being brainwashed." Trivette stated, also noting the guards statement.
"Yeah, let's just hope we're not to late to get Sydney and Gage out of here."
*****
Gage tried to sit up, but his head was throbbing and he was still shivering although he didn't really feel cold.
The door opened and two guards lifted him to his feet. "Your presence is requested by the Great Supreme Leader."
"Where?" Gage mumbled.
"Prepare him." One of the guards ordered the other. Gage's shirt was stripped from his torso, exposing his muscular arms and the needle marks that now graced them. He was given another injection before he was hauled up the steps towards the service room.
A small man was on the stage and quieted the crowd. "Brothers and sisters, our Great Supreme Leader." He announced as Holyman made his grand entrance on the stage.
"My children. I trust that you are all doing well. I have bestowed my blessing upon you today and you will find that you have renewed strength and spirit, even though you have fasted."
Many murmuring were heard agreeing with Holyman.
"I have an announcement to make before I bring forth the wayward son. We have elected a delegation of five young women to serve overseas." He pointed at the girls who had been seated on his right. "These, your sisters, will be leaving tonight, directly after the service to begin their missions."
His announcement was met with thunderous applauds.
"Now, to the more unpleasant business." He turned to the guards. "Bring him in." Gage was paraded in between the two guards, they were practically dragging him across the stage. The drugs had hampered his coordination.
Sydney and Denise gasped when they caught site of him. "Oh my Lord." Sydney audibly said.
Holyman turned to her. "Yes, my child. You have something to say." She shook her head and kept her attention trained on Gage.
Holyman instructed the guards to release him. Gage dropped to the stage and onto his knees. "Now, my son. Can you hear me?"
Gage nodded.
"I want to hear you."
"Yes." He responded.
"Good. Who am I?"
Gage stared at him for a moment and Sydney wondered if Holyman had actually broken him. There was a long silence and Holyman shouted. "Confess with your tongue, who I am?"
"You're a jerk who gets off on thinking that he's Jesus Christ and enjoys confusing and deceiving people." Gage spoke as loudly as he could.
"You will not accept that I am Christ?" Holyman asked.
"No, I will not."
"I am begging you to reconsider, my child. I do not wish to cast you into eternal damnation, but you are leaving me no choice. Who am I?"
"Richard Holyman, psychopath." Gage responded, holding his ground as firmly as he could.
"Enough!" Holyman screamed. "Silence, blasphemer!"
"Takes one to know one." Gage mumbled as his head slumped.
Holyman grabbed his chin and lifted his face towards him. "Look upon the Lamb. Confess with your mouth that I am who I say I am."
Gage shook his head slightly. "No!"
Sydney fought back her tears as she silently watched her partner endure this mental torture.
Holyman thrust his hand against Gage's forehead. "Depart from me, for I know ye not." Tears streamed down Holyman's face as Gage was caught by the two guards before he hit the ground. "I banish you from this place and condemn you to eternal hellfire and damnation." He looked up in a very dramatic display. "Remove him from me!"
The two guards hauled Gage back down the stairs. One of the men held him while the other jabbed a needle into his arm again. They bypassed his usual cell and threw him into a small, dark, padded room.
The guards closed the door and left him alone in the darkness. Through the new haze of drugs, Gage heard a voice. "Welcome to hell!"
*****
Holyman continued with the service after Gage had been removed. "My children, it is important that you understand why we are protected by our fence boundaries. There are many people on the outside who wish us harm, who wish to change the way we worship. We must never let the outside in."
"Or the inside out." Sydney thought as she wondered where Gage had been taken.
"Now, my children, the time is approaching quickly for our five delegates to begin their journey." Another round of applauds were aimed at the girls.
*****
Gage continued to hear the voices in a harsh whisper. "Eternel damnation." He heard from one direction. "Damned to hell." "Blasphemer!" "Welcome to hell!"
The voices sounded all around him.
He opened his eyes and began to fight the hallucinations of evil faces and demonic creatures. He closed his eyes and screamed in despair.
*****
Walker and Trivette got out of the semi after pulling it into the receiving bay. There was only one person in the corridor. Walker sneaked up behind him and wrapped his arm around the man's neck, choking him to the ground.
He and Trivette then followed the amplified voice of Richard Holyman until they were outside of the service room. Trivette caught Sydney's attention from the door, just to the right of the stage. He motioned for her to create a diversion.
Sydney thought for a moment, what would be the best diversion for the crowd that wouldn't leave room for Holyman to immediately naturalize her? She suddenly stood up and began to speak in a different language, hoping that few to none of the followers would recognize her very rusty Latin, what little she knew.
"One of the chosen, she's speaking in tongues!" One of the followers exclaimed.
Walker and Trivette overtook the guards behind the stage curtain. Holyman ducked behind the stage, trying to get away, but before he could get a grip on exactly what was going on, he noticed both Walker and Trivette coming after him from either end of the back side of the stage.
Sydney stopped speaking and before Walker could subdue Holyman, she had made her way back stage and delivered a spin kick to his chest, propelling him to the ground. "Where's Gage!" She demanded, sitting on Holyman's chest.
"He's in hell, why don't you join him?"
Sydney jumped up, pulling Holyman to his feet. Trivette quickly intervened and placed the handcuffs on his wrists and read him his rights. He then forced Holyman to the semi, where he called for back up.
Sydney and Walker made their way downstairs. They could hear Gage's antagonizing screams by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs.
They both set out in a dead run, following the screams. They peeped in each room and tried each door and finally came upon a locked cell door. Walker pulled his gun and fired it at the lock, the door swung open.
When they entered, they both could hear the tape recorded voices, the sound was harsh and evil. Gage sat in a corner of the cell, his knees pulled to his chest, his hands over his ears. "Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop." He repeated over and over, tears streaming down his face.
Walker reached up and jerked the connecting wire from the speaker, instantly silencing the voices.
Sydney placed her hand on Gage's shoulder. He flinched at her touch. "No, no, no, no."
"Gage. Shh. It's Syd. It's going to be OK. We're going to get you out of here."
He looked at her, dazed and confused. "He put you here too." He whispered between his tears. "Not you, Syd, you don't belong in hell."
"Shh. Honey, we're not in hell. We're fine. We're going to be fine." She held him close as he closed his eyes and laid his head against her chest.
Walker touched them both on their shoulders. "Let's get him out of here. Maybe it'll help to clear his head."
Sydney nodded as she and Walker helped Gage to his feet, up the stairs and out to Walker's truck, which Trivette had brought around after turning Holyman over to the local authorities.
"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" Trivette asked, noting his dazed glare.
"Not too good, Trivette."
"We're going to take care of that. I'm going to take you to the hospital." Walker replied.
"What about Denise Dalton and the other followers of the Divine Way?" Sydney asked.
"I called Denise's parents and they just arrived. They'll be taking her to the hospital to be checked out and then take her home."
"And the others?"
Trivette shook his head. "We found evidence that most likely everyone here has been drugged in one way or another. We know Gage was injected and so were you, but Holyman and his men had delivery system set up throughout the compound. There are several fine powder drugs in his storage and all he would have had to do would be get them in the air vents."
"So I probably have more in my system than I thought I did, right?"
Trivette smiled. "It's a pretty good possibility."
"What about the deal that Holyman had set up for me and the others?"
"We'll see if we can determine who the buyer was, but unless there's a name in Holyman's records, I doubt we'll ever know." Walker climbed into the RAM after helping Gage and Sydney in. "We'll talk about all of this later, right now I want to get you two to the hospital."
****
Four weeks later, at Gage's apartment:
Gage sat on his couch with a Bible in his hands. "What are you doing?" Sydney asked.
"Um? Oh, just reading."
"Are you OK?" She asked as she sat down beside of him.
"Yeah, it's just this whole thing with Holyman and the Divine Way, really got me to thinking."
"About what?"
"Death."
"Gage."
"I'm serious. You were brought up in church, weren't you?"
"Well, yeah. You know that I still go once in a while. I guess you could say that I'm a back slidden Catholic."
"Exactly and I'm a non-practicing Baptist. My parents would be so disappointed if they knew that I didn't belong to a church."
"But you don't go to church to please someone else, Gage. You go for yourself."
"I know that and Sydney, I don't want to sound like a fanatic or anything, but I feel the need to be in church right now."
Sydney nodded. "I think I understand. This experience with Holyman has either opened your eyes or scared you to death."
"Maybe a little of both. Sydney, I was only eight when my parents died and we attended church every Sunday and went to Bible Study every Wednesday night. My parents both sang in the choir and Julie and I both enjoyed Sunday School. When my parents were killed, I felt like God had turned his back on me, so I turned my back on Him and it was easy to do because our foster parents weren't Christians."
"Are you?"
"What?"
"A Christian?"
Gage shook his head. "I've never accepted Christ, but I want to. I'm just not sure how." Gage had tears in his eyes as he talked to Sydney, bearing his soul.
"You can do that right here."
"How?"
"By admitting that you're a sinner and have come short of the glory of God. See, it's right here." Sydney opened Gage's Bible to the book of Roman: Chapter 10, Verse 9-10-13. She then read to him: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be Saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be Saved." (Holy Bible KJV)
She looked at him for a moment. "Do you believe that?"
"You know I do." Gage smiled.
"Then the next step is to pray. Here, wait a minute, I have something that might help." She retrieved a copy of 'The Sinner's Prayer' from her desk:
"The Sinners Prayer"..........................
Heavenly Father:...........
...............................................................
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of
my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the
Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the
day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess
with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed
by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Gage knelt and prayed the prayer out loud and stayed on his knees for a while. Sydney silently let the tears stream down her face. She knew that she was actually witnessing a Spiritual re-birth. She quietly got up and left Gage with his prayers.
A little while later, Gage appeared at the kitchen door and handed Sydney back her card with 'The Sinner's Prayer' on it. "Thank you Syd."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
"You helped me find what's been missing from my life for a long time." He hugged her close and kissed her. "I know I'm not perfect and I know there are a lot of things in my life that aren't perfect, but I also know that I'm saved by his grace and I'm accepted just the way I am."
"I'm really happy for you Gage." She cried.
He hugged her close again. "I'm happy for both of us."
THE END
...................