Sam rolled into his sleeping bag with a quiet groan. He was sweaty, sore and exhausted. The walk back had pushed Noah's body to the limits, but he'd accomplished his goal. Jody had promised to help get him out of here, so hopefully all he had to do was bide his time until the cavalry showed up. At the church he'd stolen some holy water and a small kitchen knife. He felt a lot more secure with a few weapons on him. Now all he had to do was try and catch a bit of sleep before the rest of the boys in the tent woke up.
It seemed like only a few minutes later when one of the other boys poked him in the side.
"Hey, if you don't get up, you'll miss breakfast." As much as Sam wanted more sleep, his stomach was screeching at him in hunger. The body he was borrowing was that of a growing boy and he'd forgotten how much food it took to keep ahead of that constant need for calories. As a child, despite Dean's best efforts and self sacrifice, he'd known hunger more often than he'd care to admit. Thinking of his brother reminded him that help was on its way, so he ground the sleep from his eyes and joined the exodus out of the tent.
After a quick stop at the van for clean clothes and his toothbrush, Sam made his way to the line for breakfast. Evidently, the adults were eating in the house, but the children were eating cafeteria style in the barn. Two of the oldest girls were serving up a meal of cold toast, thick oatmeal and soggy scrambled eggs. Too hungry to care, Sam sat to scarf down his food, just clearing his plate when he saw Leah enter the room. Her face was wet and blotchy with tears, and he abandoned his spot to make his way over to her.
"Leah, what's wrong?"
The little girl looked up at him, with panic in her streaming eyes. "We...hafta...present...to Rev. Wittmer...in an hour...and I can't...remember," she wailed, her words coming out in heaves between her sobs. Sam put his hands on her shoulders and steered her towards the door away from curious eyes. He walked her around to the side of the barn.
"Okay, okay, you're alright, just breathe." He demonstrated, taking a deep breath, holding it for a moment and then letting it out slowly. "Just like that, slow and steady," he coached, rubbing her back. With a tremulous sigh, she whooshed air out releasing some of the tension. He had her repeat that a few times until she was calmer. "Now, explain to me what the problem is." She wiped her runny nose on her sleeve and then twisted her hands in her long skirt.
"After breakfast, we all have to present the Bible passages we've practiced to Rev. Wittmer." Sam gathered that she was referring to the man he knew as Enoch. "And 'cause you were in the hospital, I didn't have time to practice and now I can't remember. Father is gonna be mad." The fear in her eyes had returned and she started to breathe heavily again at the thought of Abraham's wrath.
"Hey," he shook her lightly before she could hyperventilate. "Look, it will be okay. I'll help you." Sam had learned most of the Bible backwards and forwards over the years. It was a source of lore about angels, demons and all sorts of other things that he and Dean had fought and faced. He had no doubt he could tutor Leah. After all, the passages they would give to a child were not likely to be very obscure or difficult.
The verse in question was simple enough and all she really needed was a few hints and some confidence building. After a short half hour, she was much calmer. She even ran through the whole brief passage by memory twice in a row with no mistakes. Leah smiled up at him shyly.
"Thank you, Noah."
"No problem, Leah. You'll do fine," he promised.
Tilting her head, she stared up at him with a puzzled look. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked bluntly, and Sam was taken aback. She may not be his sister, but surely Noah and she were close.
"Aren't I always nice to you?" Honestly, how could he really know? Ducking her head, she picked at some fluff on her skirt, and he wondered if she was going to answer.
"I guess," she hedged. "But sometimes you're really mean." Growing braver when he didn't deny it, she continued. "Like how you threw my doll away and then told Mother that I lost it. Or when you tricked me and locked me in that tool shed with those giant spiders." Her eyes grew big with remembered terror and she shuddered. "I was so scared, and you just laughed at me."
Sam felt bad. He couldn't be responsible for how Noah had treated her, but he couldn't imagine treating a younger sister or brother that way. Sure, he and Dean had teased and bickered and tussled with each other growing up, but they had never been purposely cruel to one another. He knew other siblings weren't like Dean, but it had never occurred to him that Noah had been unkind.
"I, uh I'm sorry." What else could he say?
She shrugged; any awkwardness gone in the casual way of children. "That's okay. You seem much different now." One of the older kids poked their head around the corner and hailed them. It was time for the big presentation. Leah slid her hand into his and he let her pull him towards the barn.
Inside the desks had been pushed aside and a table placed at the front of the room. Three men sat facing the children and women who had gathered in quiet bunches. Enoch was in the centre, flanked by Simon and the other man whose name Sam hadn't heard. Abraham was at the right end of the table. In his hand was a leather strap like the one that had been hanging in the punishment shed. Cradling it against his other palm, he cut an intimidating figure. Once everyone seemed to be present, the unknown man raised a hand, and the room fell silent.
"Thank you, Gideon," Enoch smiled benevolently at the group, although Sam noted that most of the people avoided eye contact. "Here is how we shall begin. Each child will come and stand before us and demonstrate their knowledge of God's word. We will start with the youngest and proceed to the eldest." His eyes flashed at some of the teenagers who seemed to shrink in on themselves. "The Bible demands that we strive to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect. Therefore, for each stumble or mistake, Abraham here will apply the rod so that you will remember in the future." A soft murmur rumbled around the room and some of the children blanched. Enoch frowned at the noise and Gideon slapped a hand on the table, startling everyone into silence. Staring around the room, Enoch let the silence stretch until it became uncomfortable, then he nodded at Simon beside him who called out the first name.
The young boy who stepped forward was only about four or five. A cute kid, the verse he repeated was only a sentence and he got through it without any mistakes. The next name was called, and the examination continued. The youngest children managed to get through without any serious stumbles. The age of the presenters moved up and Sam realized that he too would be called forward. A slight chill ran through him. He didn't know what verse Noah had been told to memorize and he had no doubt that if he failed to impress Enoch and Abraham that he would be in deep trouble. He thought to ask Leah if she knew his assigned passage, but the girl was wringing her hands in anxiety, muttering her own verse under her breath. The last thing he wanted to do was throw her off, so he figured he'd just have to pick something and wing it.
Leah's turn came and she did fine, even if her voice shook as she recited. But the boy immediately after her was not so lucky. The kid stumbled over 'covetousness' and then missed a word. The child stood there, practically trembling as Enoch shook his head in a mockery of regret.
"I'm sorry Amos, you made two errors." With a gesture he directed the poor child to Abraham. The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch as the whole group watched. Abraham instructed Amos to put out his, and then proceeded to land a stinging blow to each palm. Rather than watch the harsh discipline, Sam watched Enoch. The old man had an almost delighted look on his face as each blow fell and anger billowed up in Sam. Reverend Wittmer apparently was a sadistic bastard. Clenching his fists in an attempt to stay calm, Sam waited his turn.
"Noah Farlow," called Gideon and Sam heard some snickering behind him amongst the older boys. Leah gave his hand a squeeze.
"Good luck," she whispered. Sam didn't need luck. He was itching to punch the smug look off Enoch Wittmer's face, but he reigned himself in.
"You may begin, Noah," the old man ordered. Taking a deep breath, Sam flawlessly recited Proverbs 16. He took particular pleasure in the line 'Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.' When he finished, Gideon seemed almost ready to applaud, but Enoch held up a finger.
"I'm sorry Noah, you made five errors." It was of course a lie; Sam hadn't made any mistakes. "Go and receive your correction." His face was placid, but Sam could see the triumph in Enoch's expression as he looked at Abraham. Everyone knew that Sam had said the long and detailed passage correctly, but no one would dare to challenge the Reverend. Something cracked in Sam. Logically he knew he should just go and take the lashes. After all, it wasn't the worst pain he'd ever experienced, and he didn't need to make his time as Noah anymore difficult. But Sam was hungry, tired, worried and frustrated. All he wanted was to be back home in his own body so that he could check on his family, not here playing stupid mind games with a wannabe cult leader.
"No, I didn't," Sam challenged quietly. You could hear a pin drop as suddenly all attention was on him.
"Noah, come here," commanded Abraham fiercely, but Sam ignored him, standing his ground as Enoch met his eyes.
"No," Sam replied mildly, not taking his gaze off Enoch. The old man stood, trying to use his height to intimidate Sam, but the Reverend had no idea who he really was dealing with.
"What did you say, young man?" Enoch asked with indignation. Sam suppressed a smirk.
"I said that I recited that passage 100% correctly." He could hear a few muffled gasps behind him, and Enoch seemed to remember that his whole flock was watching. With some effort, he schooled his features into benign disappointment and looked over Sam's head to address the audience.
"Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord," he quoted, just as Sam had. "This child is to be pitied for he puts himself before God." Enoch looked sadly at Sam. "Abraham, take your son. I will pray that the Lord will forgive him and make in him a clean heart." Dropping the crop on the table, Abraham, yanked Sam's arm and pulled him from the barn. Damaris followed, hustling Leah through the crowd.
Abraham was dragging Sam so roughly that his feet almost left the ground and he found himself bouncing along just trying to keep upright. Finally, Abraham let go, only to toss him forcefully against the side of the house. The impact hurt, but Sam refused to cower and climbed to his feet.
"What the devil has gotten into you?" Abraham roared. "We had a good opportunity here to join with Enoch's flock and you have done nothing but defy me since we got here." Sam kept quiet which seemed to enrage the man further as he backhanded Sam across the mouth, knocking him off his feet again. Tasting blood from where his teeth cut into his cheek, Sam spat, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Still on his hands and knees he looked beyond his abuser and saw Leah. Damaris still had a solid grip on Noah's sister. The girl was crying, loud sobs wracking her little frame. Abraham swung around to face his wife.
"Silence," he shouted at them. Damaris shook Leah who sucked in her lips in an attempt to quiet her tears. Abraham closed his eyes and spun away a few steps, head tilted towards the sky. After a moment, he fixed Sam with an icy glare before barking some orders.
"Damaris, go. Gather our things." Dropping Leah's arm, the woman rushed to do as she was told. Sam pushed to his feet again and went to the little girl. "You two are going to be in the van within the next five minutes or you will truly see my wrath. Go!"
Sam didn't need to be told twice. He put an arm around Leah's shoulders and ushered the girl away from Abraham. When they rounded the corner out of his sight she pulled away, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"What did you do, Noah?" Her voice was shrill with panic. "I've never seen Father so angry."
"Look Leah, it will be okay." There was no way Sam was going to let either of her parents hurt the girl. Leah just shook her head violently, her braids flapping.
"No," she moaned, wringing her hands. She huffed a shaky sigh. "C'mon, we'd better be in the van when they get there."
xxxxxx
"I understand, but can't you at least drive out there? Do a welfare check? I mean a child could be in danger." Jody was frustrated to say the least when the man at the other end of the phone chuckled.
"Look Sheriff Mills, I don't know where you are getting your information, but Enoch Wittmer is a pillar of the community. I've been out to his house a number of times and there is nothing going on out there. I'm sure you mean well, but the Reverend is an upstanding citizen and I'm not going to stir up trouble just on your say so."
Jody tried not to swear. It had been a long shot, but she had been hoping that the Elton police chief would be willing to extend her the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't like she could explain the real situation to the man. According to Sam, the kid whose body he was in was with his parents, so she couldn't even claim a child abduction.
"I get that, but -"
The chief cut her off with a patronizing tone. "Ma'am, I know you mean well, but we take our policing seriously out here." The implied professional insult annoyed Jody even more than the misogynist dropping of her title. Clenching the phone harder than necessary, she took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. But she decided to let it slide. Getting Sam out of there was more important than giving this jerk a piece of her mind.
"Well, thank you anyway Chief Fisher." She got a little satisfaction out of hanging up before he could say goodbye. Scrubbing a hand down her face, she stowed her phone before pulling her rental car back out onto the road headed west.