Had a small panic attack! Thought all my chapters past and future, were deleted from my computer, which also would not work. Thankfully, it was a false alarm. Otherwise the following chapters would have had to be recreated! Anyway, your guesses as to what will happen next are great. Wrong...but great! Also, in the last chapter, when I published it, for some reason one whole paragraph ended up being bolded. I didn't mean to do that so if you got that chapter with a paragraph yelling at you, sorry. It was in error, which I have now corrected.
The Messenger
Chapter 28
Michelle and Jason
Jane was losing his chance to convince Hannah to believe him and his accusations against her Messiah. She had to be made to understand what Michael was really all about. Time was ticking away and soon the guests would arrive.
"Think about it Hannah. Why would I hit him? I was in bed, unable to fight him off any other way. He was molesting me as I slept and my only recourse was to hit him. And for that he dragged me off and locked me in a cell. Did you know that there are cells here at the Ranch?"
Hannah shook her head in disbelief. What was he talking about?
"Cells with locked doors and no beds, where you stay until Michael decides what to do with you? I bet he kept that a secret from you, didn't he? Well I was put into one of those cells, so was Miriam, Jeremiah and John. That's where you go when you displease your sainted Messenger!"
"No...he wouldn't!" she said, not sure if it could be true. She couldn't imagine Michael incarcerated believers for making a mistake, but, now that she thought about it, where did people go when they disappeared for so long? When they came back they were different, meeker, more obedient...
Jane could see this news had struck a chord with Hannah. He tried again.
"Then Michael dragged us out of our cells and conducted that travesty of a ceremony last night in front of the whole community, supposedly to shame Miriam and I into submission. Is that how a Messiah shows his love Hannah? Is it?"
"But...he does love us...we need to be corrected..." she answered lamely. Somehow Jane's story cast events at Refuge Ranch in a new light. A disturbing light.
"Now I have to hide from him and his goons so that they don't imprison me again, shoot me full of drugs and make me lose my mind." Jane was getting agitated and feverish. She had to believe him!
Hannah could see he was upset and spoke with sincerity. What did all this mean? As crazy as it was, she actually considered whether Michael had really done that horrible thing to this man.
Jane watched her struggle to make sense of his story. If she wouldn't help him, Jane decided to at least help her.
"Hannah, I want to warn you. Believe me or not, I think Michael is going to rape you later today. He wants to meet you later alone. Don't do it!"
"Stop it! Just stop saying those evil things! I almost believed you but now you're saying the most horrible things!" Hannah shouted. Jane needed her to be quiet.
"OK...OK! Don't believe me, but please, be careful OK? If you feel unsafe get away from Michael and find some place safe to stay. Please, at least just do that" Jane relented. If he had been feeling better, he could have hypnotized Hannah into doing as he said, but he lacked the focus and stamina now to do that. She was on her own. Hannah had no words. She had heard more strange things today than at any other time, but she finally shook her head in agreement. She'd be careful.
Jane relaxed a tiny bit and got back to business. "Can you help me now? I need food and something to drink, maybe something for the pain in my head and my foot?"
Hannah was torn between her duty to Michael, and her duty as a nurse to care for this sick man. For once, her compassion overruled her fear of Michael.
"I'll try…" said Hannah.
"While you're out there, can you try to see who's coming here this morning? Let me know what they look like?" continued Jane.
"Why would you care about Michael's guests?" asked Hannah.
"I'm hoping that friends of mine have come and will try to find me" he explained, keeping things simple.
Jane was skating on thin ice. He dared not tell this woman that FBI agents might be here, pretending to be potential disciples.
"Please, just, can you look them over and come back and tell me everything about them?" he begged her.
Hannah was reeling from everything Jane had told her. She couldn't bring herself to believe everything he said though. After all... she had only just met him, but she had been here for over a year and Michael had never touched her, not once!
Jane got up to stretch and get more comfortable. His body, however, had had enough. It finally gave up its fight to remain conscious and upright. As he stood, a wave of blackness passed over him, turning his legs and spine to rubber, while his eyes lost their focus on sweet Hannah. His body hit the floor hard. He was out.
Hannah was first and foremost a nurse and her instincts kicked in. Forgetting that this strange man had accused her Messenger of terrible things, she sprang into action, bending over Jane's prone body. Lifting an eyelid, she shone her pencil light into his pupil. Doing the same with his other eye, she wasn't happy with the result. He had a concussion. Resting her hand on his forehead, she felt a fever there. The man was sick and needed a hospital bed, not discipline, not a stint heaving heavy rocks as a way to be reformed. She stopped at this realization. What exactly did digging up rocks from that field do for Jane and Miriam? Was it to educate them or to intimidate them, punish them, or...torture them?
Hannah couldn't honestly understand Michael's motivation for doing that to Miriam and Jane last night, but now she knew that Jane should never have been subjected to that punishment in his condition. Why would Head Nurse Martha even allow it?
Hannah tried to make her patient more comfortable, balling up an old curtain and placing it under his head. She took his pulse and found his heart racing. In any other situation she would have run for help, but now she thought better of it. What was going on? Nothing made sense anymore. Mr. Jane said he needed help, needed to stay hidden. Hannah stood up and collected her thoughts. For the first time in a long time, she had to make a decision. Heading for the door, she knew what she had to do. It wouldn't be easy, but she had to follow her heart.
(Michael)
Michael strode back to his office, grinning. Once he got rid of his visitors, he would surprise Hannah with her Green uniform. Of course she would have to show him how grateful she was for this leap forward in her spiritual life. Very grateful if he had his way. His penis stiffened at the thought of pinning Hannah down on her bed and taking her virginity.
'So few virgins left these days…' he laughed to himself.
He reached to open his laptop to indulge in viewing his favorite porn site. He was intrigued by what men and women would do in front of a camera. A thought crept into his feral brain. Maybe it was time to start filming his sessions of 'gratitude' to enjoy later, over and over... The phone ringing broke his concentration and he slammed the laptop shut.
"Yes? Good. I'll be waiting in the courtyard" he said. Michael reached under his desk and pushed a button, then stood up to leave.
Glenn had picked up his two visitors and was on his way back to the Ranch. Calvin had been oddly reserved in the car, hardly speaking to Glenn when he handed off the two guests out in the desert of McCarron County. Glenn never liked Calvin so he was just as happy to do all the talking before he turned his car around and drove back to the Ranch.
As soon as they were out of Glenn's sight, the FBI agent popped up from his hiding place and took the wheel from Calvin. Slumped in the backseat now, Calvin was handcuffed to a sturdy metal bar watching the outskirts of Austin get closer and closer, and with that, his date with a jail cell.
Glenn had tried unsuccessfully to make small-talk with his two guests, but gave up when they didn't respond in kind. Fine. If they wanted to stay silent during their long drive to the Ranch it was fine with Glenn. Damned rich hippies! Far behind their jeep, a convoy of FBI vehicles were following Lisbon and Cho as they neared their meeting with The Messenger. The helicopter flew overhead, tracking every movement they made. Michael had no idea that the enemy was quite literally, at the gate.
Michael stood regally in the clearing, wearing his fedora and black suit for maximum effect, his silver tipped walking stick gleaming in harsh sun. The hot breeze ruffled his long hair as he watched Glenn approach in the jeep with the two rich and apparently gullible people aboard.
The jeep pulled up and Glenn helped Lisbon step out of the jeep, followed by Cho.
"Michael, I'd like to introduce Michelle Vega and Jason Wylie. They're very interested in our happy community here" gushed Glenn.
"Michelle, Jason! So good to meet you!" oozed Michael, shaking their proffered hands.
"Nice to meet you Sir" said Lisbon, flirting with the old pervert. He noticed with interest. He would enjoy using her body at some time in the future.
"Please, come this way out of the sun" Michael said, playing the host very well. He indicated the way to the hospital entrance. "Would you like to begin the tour right away or stop for a cool drink first?"
"Oh we would love to see the place first, if you don't mind" said Lisbon. "Calvin spoke very highly of you and what you're doing here at Refuge Ranch" she continued, stroking Michael's ego. Cho smiled tightly and walked after his host.
"How kind of Calvin" replied Michael, leading them through the entrance doors at the hospital.
"Shall we begin here while our community clears up after breakfast?" Michael said. They entered the dull green hallway of the ER department.
"We have the facilities here to provide immediate care for our people" Michael began his practised spiel. "Here are the patient rooms…" he indicated, but was interrupted by Lisbon.
"May I see a room? Just in case, you know, I need to be here some day?"
Michael agreed and walked towards the nearest room at the end of the hallway.
"Of course. Please, take your time. Our facilities are simple but adequate."
Cho and Lisbon entered the room and found it to be very plain indeed, and a bit depressing without windows, but it seemed to be well equipped. Cho lingered by the door, but Lisbon ventured into the bathroom, then returned to Michael.
"Very clean."
"Thank you, our staff is very good" he replied. This was going very well so far.
Lisbon was about to walk towards the door when something unusual caught her eye.
A paper swan sat on the night table. A paper swan like Jane had slipped into her pocket at a crime scene outside a bowling alley not that very long ago! Lisbon picked it up reverently, as if it might disappear in the blink of an eye.
"This… ah… this is very nice" she said, trying to control her emotions. Jane had been here, in this room and had made this swan. Did he make it for her? Was it a sign?
"I'm sure one of our nurses made that" said Michael indifferently. "Shall we continue?" He gestured towards the door and Lisbon reluctantly put the swan back on the table. Cho caught her eye and knew what it meant.
Jane.
Michael headed for the nurses' station to praise their records system. Martha sat there, toad-like, and beamed at his every word.
"This is our Head Nurse Martha, one of my most trusted fellow seekers" he said by way of introduction.
"Hello" Lisbon and Cho said politely. Cho glanced at the workstation and the countertop. His eyes suddenly paused at the discovery of a paper frog. Picking it up, he showed it to Lisbon. They exchanged looks of understanding. Another sign that Jane had been there, in the hospital. Was he still injured? Sick? If so, why wasn't he in a bed? Lisbon took the little frog gently in her hands and her heart broke. Another clue…
"May I keep this?" she asked Michael. "I think...my godson would like it" she lied.
"Of course, please, take it. Our nurses won't mind making another" he agreed readily.
Lisbon pocketed the frog and fingered it like a talisman. 'Where are you Jane?' she wondered.
(The Mining Shack)
Bobbie followed Miriam everywhere she wandered, and after a while, she felt like a puppy was trailing her. She was thirsty and hungry and knew Bobbie had to be as well. She opened the rickety door and stepped out into the blinding sun for the first time since the previous afternoon.
"It's not safe!" Bobbie said, fixated on Jane's instruction to keep this woman safe.
"It's OK Bobbie. I'm just looking around" she assured him. Miriam wandered a short distance away from the shack and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glowing sun. Far in the distance she could see a cloud of dust. She prayed it meant someone was approaching, not getting farther away. For now, she couldn't do anything but wait to see if help was on the way.
Next, she had to take care of business. It took some persuasion to get Bobbie to look away while she squatted down to pee. He felt it wasn't safe! From that moment onward, she kept an eye on the cloud of dust, hoping it meant good news.
(The Prop Room)
Jane lay on the floor, vaguely aware of hands on his body. As his awareness returned, he jerked himself awake with a start and batted the hands away. If Glenn and Michael intended to inject him with more drugs and lock him up, he wouldn't go without a fight.
"No..no...get off me!" he shouted, panicked and scared.
"Ssshhh!...it's alright Patrick! It's me Hannah! Sssshhh! Be quiet!" a soft voice reassured him.
Jane stilled and opened his eyes. A face swam in and out of focus in his field of vision, red hair against creamy skin.
"Don't take me…" he mumbled, not sure if she had reported him to Michael or Glenn.
"Patrick, you're safe. Relax. I came back with some food, water and a pain pill" she informed him.
Patrick looked around and saw a small sandwich, a glass of water and a pill in Hannah's hand. "It's just for your pain, no sedative or mind altering drugs" she assured him. Jane swallowed the pill and took a long drink of water. With shaking hands he reached for the sandwich. Hannah helped him sit up and lean against a large, heavy box.
"Thanks. You came back" he whispered. Hannah smiled and sat next to him.
"It wasn't an easy decision, but some of what you said got me thinking...and I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Only some of it?" Jane smiled wanly.
"Ok, most of it" she agreed. "I had a bit of a problem finding a sandwich for you and I took the pain pill from my own purse so Martha wouldn't get suspicious" she explained.
"Good thinking" Jane said softly, enjoying each morsel of the sandwich as it rapidly disappeared.
Hannah waited until he had finished his food and water, then told him to lie down again.
"You need to rest Patrick. You have a fever and a concussion. I don't want you to be moved just yet" she started to say, but he interrupted her.
"So don't let Michael find me."
Hannah was moved by this man's plight. She and everyone else had come here voluntarily, at least, she had always thought that was the case, but this man clearly did not and just needed to return to his life outside Refuge Ranch. She could try to make that happen.
