"I hate being tied up!" Jay grumbles to himself.
He's trussed up like a calf at a rodeo, and the weirdoes laughed while they were tying him up. He hurt, they'd cut him a few times and the ropes were very, very tight. He'd prayed, prayed some more and finally was lying there bleeding and bored bored bored. He wasn't scared, he trusted God, and knew that if he weren't useful in some way to those two, they'd have tried to kill him.
What would he do if they tried? "God, help me to be willing to suffer for peace." he prayed, without much conviction. "Ok God, that sounded a bit melodramatic, but I could use some help here." He wasn't worried about Mara, she could handle herself just fine and she certainly wouldn't be worried about God's wrath if she took vengeance on her own. Sometimes he agreed with her, pacifism was a big pain in the ass.
He thought they'd stopped to help. The jack wouldn't work, so he put on his hazards and waited for a cop. When they pulled up, they looked weird, sure, but he didn't want to judge them. Plus, they were beautiful, like marble post-modern angels. Beautiful boys with skin so white it was almost luminescent.
They looked delicious, so, of course, he trusted them.
Neither offered to help, but they offered him the use of their jack. They didn't seem like the type to help, and the way they watched him struggle with the heavy jack, confirmed that impression. It seemed odd they stopped at all.
"My name is Jay. What's yours?"
"I'm One. He's Two." They look nearly identical, perhaps one is a bit more youthful, slightly more delicate he thinks. Something about the way they tilt their heads and look away from him, the way they passively invite his gaze, is delicate. Pretty even. Remote.
"Cool names." He knows by now they're exiles, but he doesn't care. "So.what are you doing around here? I'm visiting one of my oldest friends."
"We are driving." One says.
"We were very bored." Two adds. "We are looking for.." Two begins, but doesn't finish.
"Stimulating conversation? " Jay asks dryly.
"Yes, of course." They both say together, looking, if possible, even more bored.
The jack won't fit. Jay sighs.
"Will you give me a lift to my friends place? Fifteen minutes at most?"
One looks at Two, then nods.
"Get in."
The interior of the car smells absolutely new. He notices at once that neither wears cologne, then chides himself for checking. Focus on God.
"My friend I'm meeting, her name's Mara, doesn't much like to go to church. She was supposed to visit a few years ago, and never did. I'm picking her up tonight and taking her to church, whether she wants to go or not. Since you're so bored, why don't you come along? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
There is silence and then Two leans around the seat and looks at him for a long second.
"We are not.we have never."
"What kind of church?" One interrupts Two.
Oh, well, the one in the city is huge of course. This is just an informal meeting of believers. There will be food and board games. There might be some singing, but you wouldn't have to sing too."
"What is the name of the church?" One asks with some aggravation.
"New Life in Christ, because we all get a new life when we turn our lives over to Christ."
"Yes, we were told that name tonight." One says quietly. "And you are a member?"
"Oh, yes, I'm the guest speaker tonight."
"Ah, I thought the speaker's name was Andrew McAllister?" Two says.
"That's me. Jay is my middle name, the one my friends know me by." "You look friendly." Jay adds with a smile.
"Oh, we are friendly Jay. We're going to be great friends." One all but whispers.
Two pulls a big silver gun out of his trench coat as One pulls onto the shoulder of the road. "How lucky we met you, we are feeling less bored already." Two sneers at him. One exits the car, takes some rope out of the back then opens the door next to Jay.
"Get out." Jay gets out of the SUV, Two follows him with the gun, then gets out too.
"What is the name of your friend? Two asks.
"Her name is Mara."
One drops the rope and flicks out his straight razor.
"What is your friend's full name, please?" One no longer sounds aggravated, he sounds amused.
"Mara, Mara Smith"
So quick Jay doesn't feel it for a second One cuts his left cheek.
"Her full original name, please."
"I told .."
Snick-his right cheek, a little deeper.
"Shit!"
Snick-a shallow line across his throat. Jay covers his throat with his hands.
"Mara, I don't know the rest."
Snick-One cuts the back of Jay's hand. The cut is deep and bleeds freely. Both programs are openly smirking, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Mara, Mara, she used to be Bethany Anders before that and before that it was Lisa Munoz and before that she called herself Ariel Hadi and before that, before that, the first name I remember is Bianca Moore. But, I don't know."
Snick-one cuts him across the forearm.
"I don't know..I don't know."
"Lay down Jay."
"No, no, I ."
"We are going to tie you up. Then you will tell us the way to your friend."
"Make sure he bleeds on himself. I don't want blood on the carpet again." Two tells One.
Jay lays down, One hog ties him, tosses him back in the SUV like a bundle of wash. His back hits the other door and blood from his hand splatters onto the ceiling of the SUV.
Two sighs.
"The way?" One snarls.
"Just drive straight, turn right at the first street. The last blue house on the left."
"Thank you Jay. Now, please be quiet. And try not to bleed on the carpet."
He's trussed up like a calf at a rodeo, and the weirdoes laughed while they were tying him up. He hurt, they'd cut him a few times and the ropes were very, very tight. He'd prayed, prayed some more and finally was lying there bleeding and bored bored bored. He wasn't scared, he trusted God, and knew that if he weren't useful in some way to those two, they'd have tried to kill him.
What would he do if they tried? "God, help me to be willing to suffer for peace." he prayed, without much conviction. "Ok God, that sounded a bit melodramatic, but I could use some help here." He wasn't worried about Mara, she could handle herself just fine and she certainly wouldn't be worried about God's wrath if she took vengeance on her own. Sometimes he agreed with her, pacifism was a big pain in the ass.
He thought they'd stopped to help. The jack wouldn't work, so he put on his hazards and waited for a cop. When they pulled up, they looked weird, sure, but he didn't want to judge them. Plus, they were beautiful, like marble post-modern angels. Beautiful boys with skin so white it was almost luminescent.
They looked delicious, so, of course, he trusted them.
Neither offered to help, but they offered him the use of their jack. They didn't seem like the type to help, and the way they watched him struggle with the heavy jack, confirmed that impression. It seemed odd they stopped at all.
"My name is Jay. What's yours?"
"I'm One. He's Two." They look nearly identical, perhaps one is a bit more youthful, slightly more delicate he thinks. Something about the way they tilt their heads and look away from him, the way they passively invite his gaze, is delicate. Pretty even. Remote.
"Cool names." He knows by now they're exiles, but he doesn't care. "So.what are you doing around here? I'm visiting one of my oldest friends."
"We are driving." One says.
"We were very bored." Two adds. "We are looking for.." Two begins, but doesn't finish.
"Stimulating conversation? " Jay asks dryly.
"Yes, of course." They both say together, looking, if possible, even more bored.
The jack won't fit. Jay sighs.
"Will you give me a lift to my friends place? Fifteen minutes at most?"
One looks at Two, then nods.
"Get in."
The interior of the car smells absolutely new. He notices at once that neither wears cologne, then chides himself for checking. Focus on God.
"My friend I'm meeting, her name's Mara, doesn't much like to go to church. She was supposed to visit a few years ago, and never did. I'm picking her up tonight and taking her to church, whether she wants to go or not. Since you're so bored, why don't you come along? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
There is silence and then Two leans around the seat and looks at him for a long second.
"We are not.we have never."
"What kind of church?" One interrupts Two.
Oh, well, the one in the city is huge of course. This is just an informal meeting of believers. There will be food and board games. There might be some singing, but you wouldn't have to sing too."
"What is the name of the church?" One asks with some aggravation.
"New Life in Christ, because we all get a new life when we turn our lives over to Christ."
"Yes, we were told that name tonight." One says quietly. "And you are a member?"
"Oh, yes, I'm the guest speaker tonight."
"Ah, I thought the speaker's name was Andrew McAllister?" Two says.
"That's me. Jay is my middle name, the one my friends know me by." "You look friendly." Jay adds with a smile.
"Oh, we are friendly Jay. We're going to be great friends." One all but whispers.
Two pulls a big silver gun out of his trench coat as One pulls onto the shoulder of the road. "How lucky we met you, we are feeling less bored already." Two sneers at him. One exits the car, takes some rope out of the back then opens the door next to Jay.
"Get out." Jay gets out of the SUV, Two follows him with the gun, then gets out too.
"What is the name of your friend? Two asks.
"Her name is Mara."
One drops the rope and flicks out his straight razor.
"What is your friend's full name, please?" One no longer sounds aggravated, he sounds amused.
"Mara, Mara Smith"
So quick Jay doesn't feel it for a second One cuts his left cheek.
"Her full original name, please."
"I told .."
Snick-his right cheek, a little deeper.
"Shit!"
Snick-a shallow line across his throat. Jay covers his throat with his hands.
"Mara, I don't know the rest."
Snick-One cuts the back of Jay's hand. The cut is deep and bleeds freely. Both programs are openly smirking, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Mara, Mara, she used to be Bethany Anders before that and before that it was Lisa Munoz and before that she called herself Ariel Hadi and before that, before that, the first name I remember is Bianca Moore. But, I don't know."
Snick-one cuts him across the forearm.
"I don't know..I don't know."
"Lay down Jay."
"No, no, I ."
"We are going to tie you up. Then you will tell us the way to your friend."
"Make sure he bleeds on himself. I don't want blood on the carpet again." Two tells One.
Jay lays down, One hog ties him, tosses him back in the SUV like a bundle of wash. His back hits the other door and blood from his hand splatters onto the ceiling of the SUV.
Two sighs.
"The way?" One snarls.
"Just drive straight, turn right at the first street. The last blue house on the left."
"Thank you Jay. Now, please be quiet. And try not to bleed on the carpet."