I have been on the run from F.E.A.R for as long as I can remember, now I bet your wondering why a girl who was once raised to follow F.E.A.R's beliefs would be running from them. Well, it is simple really, I know they do to the children and teenagers they find out have been talking about or listening to The Wild One's. They send them to be 'reprogramed' at the Temple which means they are sent away and never to be seen again. Today was the day when my family was given the honor of going to the Temple and praying with our gracious leader, today is also the day when my family will be turned upside down.
Our Leader took us on a tour of the Temple, his way of making sure that my brother and I know what will happen to us if we break his LAW. In the deepest part of the Temple, the part that nobody is usually allowed in, I saw children around my age being chained to walls and even some were locked in cages. One young man looked me dead in the eyes with a pleading looking, a look that still haunts me to this day. Blocking my emotions, I looked at our Leader and asked, "What was his crime?" Our Leader just smiled and said, "That's Ronnie Radke, he is best friends and like a brother to The Wild One's Prophet. He committed no crime, he is just here as warning to the Prophet, saying no one is safe from us. I had planned to take one of his Lieutenants but they are harder to grab then this one was.
"He was sent out to gather supplies and one of my men snatched him up, he was once like you. He had a family and a future here with us but he chose to leave and turn his back on us and our ways. This is what will happen to all those we catch, The Wild Ones will fall and F.E.A.R will be there to rise above and take back control of the our lost sheep, we will welcome them back into the flock if they repent and forsake The Wild Ones. If not, then this is their fate, they will be here for as long as it takes for them to Repent."
As he was saying this I turned back to Ronnie and I saw anger in his eyes, I saw defiance and strength. I saw everything I was not; I did not want to be like my family, I wanted freedom of thought and freedom of speech. I wanted to fall in love and not be forced into slavery or should I say marriage, many of the girls I go to school with have been removed and married off. I knew that my time was coming in fact I had a feeling that this whole 'praying' session was a marriage contract signing. I was to be married off to our Leader's son as soon as I turned eighteen, I had to do something before then. I just did not know yet, but I was not going to let my parents choose my life anymore. I sent a look towards Ronnie saying I was coming back for him and WE were getting out.
I knew I could not save them all without help but I hoped that Ronnie could take me with him to see the Prophet, for he was the only one who could save the rest. I had to bid my time until it was safe, but first I had to gain the Leaders trust so he would give me the key to Ronnie's chains and then and only then I could set us free.
Taking a moment to center myself I speak up "I would like to volunteer to bring these sinner's back into the light sir, I would like to prove that I am worthy of a place in our gracious Temple." I said while hiding the lies coming from my eyes. I just hope that Ronnie gets the clue and understands I am willing to help him and not actually hurt him like others have in the past. I am not like my brother; he is sadistic and loves to bring pain to others who do not follow F.E.A.R. In fact, he is one step away from being trained as a Priest of F.E.A.R and he already has a wife. She was brought in from another town that F.E.A.R controls and she was trained not to speak out against our family.
Our Leader believed my lies and just smiled "It's wonderful when the future generation takes the first step towards greatness." Turning towards my parents, he said "You have raised a bright and generous daughter, I shall grant her request but for the next month she shall be monitored. If she shows no hint of rebellion, she shall have complete control of the lost sheep we keep here. Then we shall talk arrangements, I wish to welcome you all to this Sunday's prayer meeting and lunch that is set for afterwards. It will give our children time to get to know one and other."
My parents just nodded, of course they were happy to have their last child and only girl showing that she did have a brain (of course I did, I just did not have freedom to show it), before leaving I have Ronnie one last look. It was a look of promise that I will do everything my power to free him and get him to The Prophet, it was a promise I planned to keep if it killed me in the process. The look in his eyes was like he understood what I was trying to convey, what I was trying to say without saying it aloud. I knew that if anybody found out that I was planning on rebelling, I would be brought here and chained right beside Ronnie and the others. I would be considered a "Lost Sheep" and my name would be banished from all records.
By the time I reached home, I was already planning my rebellion, I was going to start hiding clothes and money in a backpack that I knew that was going to look suspicious. First thing I was going to do was grab some of my brother's old clothes that he had left when he got married and moved out. Then I was going to put the clothes my parents did not know I owned in the bag also, along with the four hundred dollars my grandparents left me. I could not take more than that, I just hoped it was enough to get us close enough to walk the rest of the way. I knew that I need fake I.D's just enough to pass inspection but at the same time I did not know how to get that without being caught.
It was not until I was in my second week of "Converting the Flock" when I came home to a message on my computer, it was on this forum that I had found on the Dark Net. It was from someone who called themselves Fenix, "I will help you rise above the ashes of F.E.A.R, when the time comes and you see these words 'The Phoenix burns at Midnight' then grab the Lost Brother and run. You shall have safe passage to the ones you seek." And with that the message and the site it came from just disappeared, I knew that it was a sign that what I was about to do was the right thing to do and I will have help. After that night I continued to preach the word of F.E.A.R, while trying to treat the wounds of Ronnie and the others.
Finally, two months had come and gone; my fears had been right; I was going to be 'sold' into marriage. My time to flee was running out, then two days before the wedding I saw the words "The Phoenix burns at Midnight" and I waited until my parents went to bed before grabbing my go bag and climbing out my window not before leaving them a note saying Thomas wanted to have a late dinner with me. I ran as fast as I could to the Temple and quietly snuck down to basement, I froze when I saw the guards heading towards me. Just as I was about to be caught, a hand grabbed me and pulled me into the Shadows, then a hand goes over my mouth and I heard "Shh, quiet; we don't want them to see you or even me. I know what you are planning Peyton and I am here to make sure you do not get caught.
Fenix sent me, he sent me because I was the closest and the one nobody would suspect as a traitor; I do not want this marriage anymore than you do. But unlike you I do not have enough courage to leave, wait here and I will lead the Guards away. That should give you enough time to do what it is you need to do without being seen, do not worry anyone will realize that it was you who let Ronnie go. They will think that one of the guards let him go and he grabbed you as you were leaving the Temple after having a dinner date with me. Trust me when I say it will never come out that you left willingly, good luck Peyton," he said as I finally recognized the voice.
It was Thomas, our Leader's youngest son and my fiancée; it took me a second to realize that he was a traitor in wolf's clothing. He was not the good son like everyone believes, and I had a feeling that this will be the last time I see him on this side of the fence. I knew that once I was gone, his father was going to have train to be one the many Priests. Which meant all his rights were about to be for gone and a new wife will be selected for him as well, meaning the next I see him we will be facing off against each other on the battlefield. I gave him a hug (our first actual physical contact) and wished him good luck, I watched from the shadows as he leads the guards upstairs saying he heard an intruder as he was seeing me to the front door after our dinner.
I waited for about ten minutes making sure that nobody was coming back down before grabbing Ronnie's key. I quickly ran over to him and unlocked his chains and caught him as he fell in my arms. "Listen everyone, I wish I could save you right now but I can only get one of you at this moment. But I promise you, you shall not be forgotten; someone will be back for you, I cannot tell you when but when you hear these words "Metis brings her wisdom." You will know that they were sent from me, hang on for as long as you can please, know that I am trying to save you all. Ronnie, can you walk, we do not have much time till the guards come back? Once we are outside of town, I have some clothes for you to put one, ones that will be less noticeable.They will not be looking for siblings on their way to bring the sister to her new husband, all you need to remember is that your sister is on her way to marry into another family in one of the other cities F.E.A.R controls. I won't be able to say anything otherwise it might give us away, I will explain more once we are on the way, it is safer that way." I say as I help him stand so we can leave. He looks at my face and quietly says "I know your face, you're the one who has been coming to try to convert us for the past two months. Why are you helping me, how do I know that this is not a trick to lead you to my family, to my brother and his friends?"
Looking around at the other's who are also thinking that same thing I say with conviction, "I, Peyton Alexandria Lawson swear in the name of Justice that I am not going to hurt The Prophet or the rest of The Wild Ones. I am doing this so everyone including me, has a choice, a voice, and the freedom to have those things, we do not have that with F.E.A.R controlling our every waking moment. I have seen girls 'sold' into marriage just to make them weak and complacent, they once had light in their eyes and joy. Now they do what ever is told of them, and the boys they are trained to become Priests and then sent out to fight the Wild Ones. Some do not come back and some do, the ones that do are no longer the boys who once had smiles that went up to their eyes. They are going to do the same to all of you if I do not do something, I cannot stand the thought of no freedom.
"Please understand why I am doing this and that I or someone else will be back to get the rest of you. But that will not happen if Ronnie and I do not leave soon, if I am caught, I will be on the wall next Ronnie and I am afraid that he will be sent off to train to kill his friends and family. Except he won't know what he is doing and it will kill them if they find out after he died that they killed him with their own hands." Ronnie looked towards the others and said "I believe her, she sounds like the Prophet so much its uncanny; I will make sure she keeps her promise. The Dragon never breaks his promises so I shall make this promise to help her and we will see you again."