Chapter 30: Day 19 Part 3 — Morning at the Camps
Suddenly the same security guard came up to Vegeta's group as they talked.
"Vegeta," he said, "Your group's time is up. Everyone needs to head back to camp."
Vegeta nodded, and he put his arm around Sugar Petal "Ok Sugar, let's go."
"Bye Bye Papa!"
"See you in 30 minutes," Hassim hugged his wife.
"You be careful Brook," Jerry pointed in her face, "You're going to be around crazy wackos. And I'm not just talking about the players. Jason is over there and he's a sadist with the power to do whatever he wants."
She nodded, "I will Dad."
The group was led away by security and they sped off in their boat.
"Ok, Brook," Lesley said. "Stay with me."
Pastor Luke nodded, and the three walked over to Michael and the others.
Michael immediately noticed the clerical collar.
"Ah, you must be Sam's cousin," he held out his hand. "He mentioned you would be a preacher."
Pastor Luke smiled and took his hand, "Yes I am. You are Michael, correct."
"Ah, yes…" Michael paused. "I hope the lies you were told about us haven't colored your vision."
"As a pastoral counselor, I know there are two sides to a conflict. I am withholding my judgments."
"That is good to hear."
"So, you're the raghead's wife? Where's your burka?"
"Becky!" Michael shouted. "Stop it!"
"What?" she shrugged. "It's a legitimate question. The whore is bouncing around all out like a normal person after all."
"I am a Christian, thank you," Lesley said tersely.
"Oh, you poor idiot!" Becky gasped. Then she giggled, "That just means you're his white side chick while his harem of nine-year-olds are back in whatever stan-ie-stan he comes from."
Becky suddenly found herself on her ass. She touched her face then looked at her hand.
There was blood.
"Did you just punch me?!"
"You bitch!" Angelica reeeed as she launched herself at Lesley.
Lesley grabbed one of her arms, got underneath, and threw her.
Angelica bounced when she landed on her butt. She sat there completely still, like her brain couldn't process the situation. Then she started rolling around on the ground and throwing sand.
"Assault! Assault! Attempted Murder! Someone save me! She's a psycho! Help! Help!"
Michael looked up, clawing his fingers at the sky.
At the same time, Ichiro sighed. "(Great… there's two of them now…)"
"(They have no common sense.)" Meiko, his wife said.
Security quickly separated the groups.
Angelica quickly proved perfectly fine after the security guards refused to arrest Lesley, even though they kept explaining to her they were not cops.
While the show continued, Michael walked up to the group with his hands in the air. After a quick chat, Michael was allowed to approach.
"And what do you want?" she sniped.
"First off, Becky does not speak for Ichiro and I. And secondly," Michael chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye, "That was the most beautiful thing I've seen in 19 days." He put his hands together, "Thank you, so much. As men, we've tried everything we are allowed to do, but women like that have no control or shame."
Suddenly, there was a gunshot.
A few moments earlier…
"Then what good are you!" Angelica slapped the guard.
The guard then pulled his pistol and fired.
Angelica fell on her butt while the guards laughed.
"Next time, I won't miss," he said, putting his gun back.
"Mom, stop it!" Becky shouted from the med station.
Angelica felt the side of her face. Then she felt the other side.
Both ears still had the studs and chain. But the pendant was missing on the side of the gunshot.
"Those were padparadschas!" She leapt up, only to be tased as soon as she got her feet under her.
Michael sighed watching Angelica regain consciousness in the middle of being zip tied and start screeching.
"If only that was Becky… But God isn't that kind…"
Denise jumped at the gunshot and Jamal instinctively grabbed her and put his back to the shot.
Daisuke, his father Shohei, and Bob's son Craig also jumped, but Bob did not flinch.
"Dad? Are you ok?" Craig asked, seeing his father's unmoving expression.
"This is completely normal," Bob said, completely monotone. "We've all had guns pointed at us and AR's shot over our heads."
"Jamal, he's joking," Denise said frightened, "He's joking right?"
"I wish he was," he said, "Just keep our heads down. All the drama that ended in violence originated with the red team. We… we just need to stay away as far as we can."
"(That man,)" Shohei said. "(he is not well.)"
"(I know. I…)" Daisuke paused, "(I don't know how much I can tell you without ruining our lives…)"
"(If you already know, then we are in danger anyway. Tell me, so we can prepare.)"
"(We're almost out of time,)" Daisuke said. "(Let me think about how to word this…)"
"(You have always acted with honesty and honor. That this is difficult for you says a lot. But we are also scheduled to return tomorrow. Let's just be happy to see each other again today.)"
"(Yes, thank you.)"
An air horn suddenly went off, jarring everyone.
"Time's up, everyone!" The security guard shouted. "Load in your boats and head to your beaches!"
Samundra and their family boats pulled onto the sand.
"Wow, look at this," Denise said as Jamal helped her out. "The show really outdid themselves with the camps this year."
"We built this ourselves actually," Jamal said. "We were only given a pot, machete and a tarp at the start."
"Really?" Craig looked at Bob.
Bob nodded.
Craig jogged up the beach as everyone followed.
"Holy crap," he said, lifting the door flap, "There is even a platform bed." He held the door open for the others to peek inside. "I couldn't even build this with my military training," Craig looked at Bob, "How did you pull this off?"
"It was Jessica mostly," Daisuke said. "Also, a girl named Casey. Casey… is no longer here."
"The woman on the other team?" Denise said.
"Jessica was ours until she and Jerry mutinied two days ago," Daisuke said. "She's lived in rural India for years and has some wilderness training. Food is definitely becoming an issue without her foraging and cooking. And now that she's partially blind from an accident, she won't be much use after the merge like we've been hoping for."
"She went blind? What about the doctors?" Denise asked.
"There's no medical support this season unless surgery is needed that requires going off site," Jamal said. "Violence is allowed this season within teams, and Berapi has already almost killed two of its members. All that happened was it being filmed, then being left for dead."
"That's not funny," she said.
"He's not joking…" Bob said. "At the boat party before we were dropped off, we were told we were grouped by our personality tests. Originally, we were told fire and water, but I've heard that Berapi are actually volcanoes and Samundra means oceans."
"So, you're the control group for their psychological experiment on Berapi?" Craig said, "What about the crocodiles?"
"They are actually part of Berapi," Jamal said. "From what I know, Vegeta stomped off to make his own camp after an argument the first day and he's been gaining followers since."
"Including two from this team," Denise said, "He must be charismatic."
"He's a son of a bitch who's going to burn in hell!" Bob suddenly shouted. Then he collapsed in the sand and started to cry.
Craig and Jamal rushed over while Denise just stood there more scared than ever.
Daisuke was stopped by his father's hand.
"(I know I said tomorrow, but I need to know now.)"
"(I…)" Daisuke paused, "(Vegeta is a very very bad man. But it was hidden from us and we only knew him as an odd but kind person. But now we know and no one is taking it well. Bob is the worst because he trusted him the most… He… We owe him the most…)" Daisuke started to tear up, "(That crocodile… he saw it and jumped in between with a knife. It was swimming towards us…)"
Shohei stepped around, "(Even if he has lived a life full of sin, this small act will find him someday.)"
"(I know that and you know that,)" he said softly, "(but the Christians are falling apart and are taking it out on me. I would leave if there was a better option than Vegeta or Berapi.)"
"(Stay strong,)" he smiled, "(You're over half done here. Don't worry about winning, just come home safe.)"
"(I will. Don't worry.)"
"Excuse me," Tom came over, "Rules say you have to speak English for the cameras."
"Yes," Shohei bowed slightly, "of course."
"Good," he nodded, "You can continue the conversation."
Tom walked away.
"Let's go talk somewhere else," Shohei said.
"Hey!" Jamal stood up, "Where are you going?!"
"Dad—"
"I want to give you privacy," Shohei cut him off. He bowed deeply, "I do not know what's wrong, but if I was crying in public, I would want strangers to ignore me while my friends and loved ones comforted me. I will gladly talk with all of you once you are recovered."
"Don't think I didn't hear the word 'Christian'. You want to go again, Daisuke? Huh?"
Denise ran up. "Jamal, what are you doing?!" she grabbed his arm.
"He started it!"
"Be forgiving," she pleaded, "So many people look up to you. Don't give your enemies anything that can pull someone who got out back down."
Jamal pointed at Daisuke while looking at her, "Vegeta is a mass murderer who's wiped out thousands of communities, and he thinks he'll see heaven after burning off some bad karma!"
"That's enough!" Tom shouted. He came over and got in between. "The king is already furious that someone recognized him and spread it around. All you just did is get everyone you care about raked over the coals by the Secret Service and get followed the rest of their lives and a few generations after." He pointed at the ground, "Now if you excuse me, I need to call this in and add all your relatives to the list of people the king will be having a VERY private meeting with once the photoshoots are done. So get all these tears and emotions out of your systems and any mention of Vegeta killing anything other than the crocodile ends now! And when I get off the phone, we are reshooting the landing with nothing but grins and smiles!" He walked off pulling his cell phone from his pocket.
Denise let go of his arm and walked away.
Bob suddenly loudly sobbed. Craig sat next to him and hugged him.
"Out of all the people on this rock I owe my life too, why does it have to be him…" he said into his son's shoulder.
The other boats pull up on the red beach.
"Is this all there is?" Meiko asked as they pulled in.
"Alright," they heard a loud clap for attention.
Bulma recognized an arrogant man when she saw one. It was always the same grin, although some were more handsome than others.
This one was damn ugly.
The second thing she noticed was how armed he was. He had two tasers hanging from two holster belts like an old spaghetti western along with a third on a chest harness.
"Everyone, I'm Jason and I'm in charge of this beach. You will be doing everything I say when I say it. I'm being very merciful for now as we only just met but I expect you to know what I want you to before I say it within an hour. Just remember these three words," He raised his hand and raised his fingers one at a time, "I… AM… GOD."
He lowered his arm. "Write those on your soul during your stay and we will get along. If not, I will make you beg for the treatment Angelica got before showing mercy and calling for security boats."
He pointed out to sea, "Now, EVERYONE GET BACK IN THE BOATS! WE NEED TO STAGE THE LANDING PROPERLY." He pointed at Meiko, "You! Asian woman, wipe that look of pity off your face. I want you looking at this beach with the awe of the Sistine Chapel made of pure gold!"
Bulma rolled her eyes.
"Hey, Princess! Don't roll your eyes at me."
"Sorry, but I already have a god, and he's not an inspiring Buddha unlike you." Bulma said, rotating her finger while pointing at his small but noticeable pouch.
Lesley sputtered.
Jason pulled a taser and pointed it at her. Bulma grabbed his arm, causing him to scream. She quickly grabbed the taser and shot Jason in the face, dropping him.
Bulma turned around, putting her hands together and smiling like her mother. "Ok, everyone. You heard the prophecy. Everyone, into the boats."
Out at sea, Bulma was panting holding her left wrist.
"Are you alright?" Meiko asked.
Bulma looked at her reddening palm.
"You have almost no energy like most earthlings. But earthlings' greatest weakness is electricity. It takes no effort to manifest energy as a shock instead of light…" She remembered her husband's words and training. "Three until you're tired. Four until you don't have the strength to walk. Five shocks until you lose consciousness. It's not much. Don't waste it."
"I'm fine," she smiled.
"Two more shots today," she thought. "for 20 minutes."
On shore, Jason took a picture of the red handprint blistering on his arm and texted it to Reynolds before putting the phone back to his ear.
"Does THAT look like she's completely unarmed?"
There was a long pause on the phone.
"Humans… sometimes… have alien powers. Assume Bulma can shoot lightning from her hands and DON'T antagonize her. Torture Sam all you want after they leave, but hold in your sadism for 20 minutes."
The call ended.
Jason snarled as he put the phone back in his pocket.
After his arm was wrapped and the puncture wounds taken care of, Jason called them in.
There was the friendly greeting of the families, the walk to camp, the showing off of their living quarters.
Meiko said it first as she ran her hand over the branches. "This is drift wood. Does the tide come so high?"
"We think it's from a storm," Michael said. "Besides, it means we completely lucked out making camp."
Brook's flip flops sank a little in the sand. She went over to Lesley. "Mrs. Lesley, the sand is cold here and a little damp."
Lesley took off her slip-on shoes and stepped on the sand. Then she did what Vegeta had done and began drawing lines in the sand.
"We already know about the spring here," Ichiro said, stopping her. "There's a bubbling little mosquito pond just in there." He pointed at the gap in the trees. "It's nothing to worry about."
Lesley tried to walk further on, but Ichiro grabbed her arm at her armpit and lifted her off the ground and dragged her away screaming and punching him.
"(Ichiro! What are you doing?!")
Ichiro glanced at his wife, then he tossed Lesley in the sand with enough force that she rolled.
When she stopped, she slammed both hands in the sand. "You bloody son of a bitch!" she shouted before she stood up.
The masked dog handler grabbed Lesley before she could attack him.
Meiko ran up to him. "(What is wrong with you? You have never acted like this. You are a gentle man.)"
"English!" Jason shouted. "Repeat what you said and it better match when the AI makes the subtitles tonight! We'll throw both of you off for less!"
They looked at him before returning to each other.
"What is wrong with you? You have never acted like this. You are a gentle man."
"This isn't a place where one can afford to be gentle," he said. "Now if you excuse me, I have coconuts to find before Michael and Becky get on my back." He gave her a quick side hug before walking away.
"Are you ok?" the masked man said through a voice changer.
Lesley rotated her shoulder. "It felt like he was trying to pop it out of joint."
"Yeah… I heard things were going the Lord of the Flies route, but that was uncalled for."
*WOOF*
The two jumped and saw the huge dog behind them.
*WOOF* he spoke again, pawing at the masked man with his huge feet.
"You want to play, boy?"
*WOOF* The animal began jumping around.
"You want to find a stick, Timmy? You want to find a stick?"
The animal knelt down the front half of its body while wagging its butt almost as much as its windshield wipers tail.
"Ok, let's go find a stick!" He looked around and found Michael watching them, visibly annoyed.
He walked over with the dog at his heels constantly looking up at him. "Let's grab a camera crew and go find a stick."
*WOOF*
"Sure. Come on, boy! Let's go!" Michael jogged forwards and turned back.
The dog was looking between the two conflicted on who it wanted to be with. He started to whimper.
"Go get Michael," the man clapped his hands and jogged forwards, "Come on."
*WOOF* The dog happily ran forward with his tongue out the side of his mouth.
The group walked off, with the dog constantly switching between who he was looking at.
Pastor Luke began walking towards a crowd of staff that was almost forming a human wall, but Jason personally got in between.
"Where do you think you're going?" he said with a shit eating grin.
Pastor Luke pointed. "Sam's behind them, isn't he?"
"Yep, you'll get to see him once the others leave. And you will be watched and escorted until you leave. You won't be allowed one second with him without a taser," he tapped his chest mount, "Pointed at you the whole day."
"Why?"
"You don't think we all know what you're all planning? That Predator has been trying to get Sam to his camp for days. But he's had to back down and choose which murder victim is more important to him."
"Murder victim?" Pastor Luke said harshly.
"We only give medical care when a person is actively bleeding or needs surgery. So getting tied up and beaten with the stick equivalent of a baseball bat or getting your skull caved in with a rock is just good television. Rating skyrocket when there's a corpse or two, statistical fact."
"So what? You fill this team up with serial killers?"
"Well, not all serial killers, we needed a couple worthless goats as well."
Pastor Luke got in his face, "And one of them is my cousin?!"
"Be careful who you're preaching to," Jason smiled. "It's not just limited to the contestants. If you want to leave Indonesia alive, I'd think long and hard about delivering any packages this afternoon. Oh and also tattletaling to any of the other guests unless you want company in your personal hole in the ground." He pointed towards the water, "Now get the frick out of my face and stay far far away from… WHAT THE FUCK?! KID GET DOWN!"
Trunks had levitated over the group. "Hi! I brought candy," he held up the box.
Trunks gasped and was already on the ground when he was shouted at.
He teleported to his mother's feet.
"MAMA! MAMA! There a man tied up with tape on mouth like TV!"
"What?!" Bulma, Pastor Luke, and Dr. and Mrs. Brief shouted.
Meiko gasped and put her hands over her mouth. She desperately looked around for her husband.
Jason dual wielded his tasers. "Anyone who approaches without my permission gets ejected! And remember guests! In those lovely little papers you signed without reading is another 150 million zeni fine if we have to kick you out permanently from the set! So you better do everything I fucking say!" Jason pointed the taser in his right hand at the Briefs, "And even if you can afford it right this second, you'll be bankrupt in five minutes or less with one tweet!"
*WOOF* *WOOF-OOF-OOF-WOOF* *WOOF*
Everyone turned and saw the three had returned, with the dog baring its teeth and otherwise going nuts.
"Shut that dog up or I will!"
The dog handler jumped in front of the dog.
"He's trained," Michael shouted, "Put them back in the holster and he'll calm down!"
Jason sneered, but put them back on his hip.
The dog calmed down after a quick pet and was back to its goofy looking self.
Brook continued to cling to Lesley, and they decided to approach the two groups that had been keeping to themselves as they looked the same age as her.
They walked up to the older man and the young woman now hiding behind his back.
"Hello, I'm Lesley, and you two are?"
"Elijah Crawford," he said, "My wife is of no importance."
"Oh," Brook said, "I'm sorry. I thought she was my age."
"How old are you," the man asked.
Lesley noticed something off and squeezed Brook's arm.
Brook glanced at her but continued the conversation. "I'm nineteen. I'll be starting my second year of college soon."
"Such a pretty face wasted as a devil's bride," he said, "Look at my wife. A proper Godly woman. She is also 19 and is already pregnant again after giving birth to our ninth child two months ago."
"How many twins have you had?" Brook asked, surprised. "That would mean like, 12 or 13 otherwise?"
"None," the man said. "Is there an issue?"
"Excuse us," Lesley said, dragging Brook away.
"Brook, you can't deal with people like that no matter what religion they are," she said. "Just stay away from them the rest of the time here."
"But, But, that's illegal!"
"Do you think anyone can just randomly marry a 12-year-old? They are probably some kind of cult members with enough influence to get away with it. It takes more than raw hubris to confess to something like that on TV."
"Can we try to talk to the Asian girl?" Brook asked. "She's clearly Sugar Petal's visitor from the dyed hair and bodyguards."
The two walked over. Suddenly Brook called over, "Annyeonghaseyo! Yeongeo hal su isseumnikka?"
The woman's eyebrows shot up and she spoke to her guards. One of the guards then waved them over.
The two approached until the guard raised his palm for them to stop.
"Hello!" the woman said. "How do you speak Korean?"
"I learned some phrases from an exchange student at my college. My name is Brook. What is your name?"
"I am Maple Syrup from the music group E-Sweet. You may call me Maple for short."
"E-Sweet? As in the song Sugar Rush?"
"Yes. That is our song."
"That is my friend's ringtone," she smiled. "Wow, I wish I had paper to get him an autograph."
She smiled. "That can be arranged. So, who is this?" she looked at Lesley.
"I'm Lesley. Hassim's wife," she said, "I assume you're here to see," she paused, "Sugar Petal?"
"Yes," Maple said. "She is a former member but is now a solo act."
"Oh, wow," Brook smiled, "I'm going to have to get her autograph too."
"Are you a fan of E-Sweet?"
Brook rubbed the back of her head. "Actually… I only just got introduced to Kpop. But I promised Sugar Petal I would look up her music and I'll make sure to listen to your group as well."
"We look forward to having another English fan in the future. May I ask who you are seeing?"
"I'm Jerry's daughter. He's the drummer for the death metal band Black Slaughterhouse."
"I know of the band," she said. "They did a concert in Nagasaki in the stadium a month before E-Sweet."
"Oh, yes! They did their first tour in Asia two years ago. Have you listened to their music?"
She shook her head, "No, we are very strict on devil music."
"Ah, yeah… I get it. I wasn't allowed to listen to his music until I turned 18. Some of their music is really dark. I prefer country myself. I even play the banjo."
"How does your father feel about this?"
"Actually, he's the one who taught me the banjo. Just the basics, there's a very good reason he's a drummer," she chuckled. "My grandpa, his dad, still plays in his country band touring local churches, fairs, and old folks' homes. They'll jab at each other about music tastes, but there's never been a big family rift as far as I know. They are both giant goofballs… Oh do you know that word? Goofball, as in being goofy? Being silly and immature."
"Thank you for the meaning. I did not know that word. Goofball. I think I will use it."
"I actually brought my bodhralele, if you would like to mess around and do some silly songs over the next few days."
"What is that?" she asked.
"It's a cross between a ukulele and a bodhra. It's like a weird tiny banjo."
Maple looked up at her guards. "(May I see it? She says it is used in churches.)"
They both shook their heads.
"(No distractions,) one said.
"They say no."
"Oh, ok. Well, sorry we can't hang out. But I hope we can talk again while we are here."
"Yes. And I will make sure you get autographs sent to you."
"Gomapseumnida. Annyeonghi gaseyo," Brook said. Then she turned to Lesley, "I just said goodbye. Let's go."
"It was nice meeting you," Lesley said.
They turned and left.
Maple could no longer suppress her giggles and put her hand to her mouth.
"(She mispronounced everything and used the wrong word for goodbye.)" she dropped her hand and looked up at her guards, "(I was serious about the autograph. Can it be arranged?)"
"(No distractions,)" he repeated.
"(Even if it must be mailed at a much later date?)"
"(It is not our sin to bear that you made a promise without a man's consent.)"
"(But we always give autographs!)" Maple said, terrified.
"(With the approval of the label, but we are not on tour, are we?)"
"(You have one duty here and one alone, Jeong-Suk. There are many men eager to take you as a bride. Do not disappoint them or you will face God's wrath. You don't want to end up like Hyo-jin, do you?)"
"(No… no I do not.)"
Not far away, Pastor Luke, who had his back to them the whole time, looked up.
"Please don't be the Nahms. Please don't be the Nahms. Please don't be the Nahms. God why are you doing this to me? I came here to escape them." he mumbled.
"Are you ok, deary?"
Pastor Luke jolted.
"Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to surprise you."
"It's ok, Mrs. Brief."
"Oh, call me Panchy. I have a feeling we are going to get to know each other quite well."
"Mr. Pastor, sir?" Trunks said, holding up the box. "Nana said I should give this to you, since they are being mean to Mr. Sam."
Pastor Luke knelt down and took the box. "And what's in this?"
"Snake candy! It was Papa's idea."
Pastor Luke looked up at Panchy with a questioning look.
"It's mostly sugar with a little snake fruit in it. Trunks dropped the whole bag of sugar in the bowl."
Trunks threw his hands in the air. "I make a mess!" he declared proudly.
"Yes, you did. You made a big mess," Panchy praised him.
Pastor Luke chuckled. "Ok, I'll make sure he gets it."
Trunks looked up at Panchy, "How much longer until I can show you the bananas?"
Panchy looked at her watch. "Soon, sweety. It's already been 14 minutes."
Michael was getting frustrated that Timmy kept dropping the stick at the masked handler's feet instead of his every time he threw it.
The man handed him the stick again, this time he changed direction and threw it at Bulma. It landed past her, and the dog stopped in front of her on the way back for some friendly pets.
Michael took this chance to approach her.
"Hello Bulma. It's been a few years."
"Hello, Michael. Yes, it has."
"So, you married Vegeta."
"I did," she smiled, "And he's the best husband I could have ever asked for."
Michael turned up his charm.
Bulma recognized the body language and rolled her eyes while trying not to gag.
"You don't have to lie to me. We had a special connection. You can be honest with me and come to me for help."
Michael put one hand on his chest while trying to put his arm over her shoulders.
Bulma knew it was coming and ducked to Michael's shock.
"Michael, I'm not in any trouble. I am happily married."
Michael cut her off when she tried to walk away without looking like he had cut her off from the outside.
"Bulma, we might not know all the details, but it's obvious that the stories of him being a killer are accurate."
"So am I."
"What?"
"I said, 'So am I.'"
"So am I, what?" he smiled as he leaned in.
"A killer."
The moment of surprise quickly left his eyes as they turned to pity.
"Oh Bulma, you don't need to feel guilt for whatever act of self—"
"It was not self-defense," Bulma smiled, enjoying knocking him off his rhythm.
"Look," she pressed her finger hard into his chest, "When my parents let me on a solo globetrotting trip at 16, I ended up a member of what evolved into the most powerful merc group on the planet. I had the time of my life firing guns, blowing up buildings, seducing warlords, and Red Ribbon army generals, rescuing girls kidnapped for brides, overthrowing corrupt governments." She lifted the pressure slightly to poke him again, "The reason I cut you off cold turkey, is that my best friend and cofounder was just killed and I didn't need an egotistical deadweight getting in my way. I met Vegeta during that time. He was originally the leader of the group that killed my best friend until our groups teamed up to—"
"Wait, wait," Michael was laughing, "You're claiming you married the man responsible for killing your best friend? Ok… I know a delicate flower like yourself would never do anything like your spouting off, but claiming to be cold hearted enough to even look at the man who killed this magical "friend"," he used air quotes, "Is too much." He then reached out and stroked her neck. "Something horrible must be happening if you're lying to this degre—"
Michael screamed when Bulma pulled up her capri's pants leg and kicked him in the balls, sending him to the ground.
Bulma slipped her shoe off, then stomped on his chest. "Vegeta is everything you think and more. But you have the power dynamic wrong. I rule HIM. HE obeys ME. And by the way, you suck at sex."
Michael then screamed again and passed out.
Bulma put her shoe back on and slowly walked away, grimacing whenever she stepped on that particular foot.
The masked man ran up to her and helped her limp off. "Are you ok? Your shin is turning red."
"I know," she said, pulling up her pants leg again, exposing the quickly reddening skin.
"I used all my shots."
Shortly afterwards, golf carts appeared at the trailhead.
While they were loading everyone up, Lesley glanced at Becky sunbathing.
She had been topless since they arrived, but now she was on her stomach.
And without modesty in the way, she saw what she was laying on.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT'S HASSIE'S PRAYER RUG!"
Lesley jumped from the cart, ducked under the arms of security, shoved members of the crews away and like a wide receiver jumping over the goal line, she landed on Becky.
After a short cat fight, Lesley got a hold of the rug.
"HOW DARE YOU! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?!"
Becky rubbed the new scratches on her face, "Of course I do, bitch! In fact, he gave it to me!"
"Hassie would never do that!"
"Of course he would," she said smugly, "After I took it, rocked out my clitoris on it, then cleaned myself by rubbing my salty girl cum all over it."
Panchy shoved Trunks' head in her lap and covered his ears.
Lesley instantly dropped the rug and began shaking her hands.
"Yeah, that's what he did too."
Becky then picked it up, put it between her legs, began moving it back and forth and began faking an orgasm as loud as she could.
"I HOPE SOME FATWAH PSYCHO DECAPITATES YOU WITH A RUSTED CHUNK OF METAL!"
"OOO I'm scared," she said then went back to what she was doing.
Lesley jumped back in the cart. "Get me the fuck out of here!"
They drove off.
After they vanished, Becky laid out the rug to return to sunbathing.
Until the masked handler snuck up behind her and clocked her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. Then he turned around, "Timmy! Wee-Wee!"
The dog happily ran over and lifted his leg.
"How did you know he's trained to do that?!" Michael shouted as Meiko was helping him sit up.
Dr. Brief was allowing Lesley to cry on his shoulder while he rubbed her back while Bulma was leaned back panting with her legs up over the dash.
"Are you ok, Bulma?" Dr. Brief asked.
"I'll be fine, Dad. Just tired."
"We'll you're usually only this bad after three… wait? Did you zap that boy twice when you stepped on him?"
Bulma tapped her knee, "Not just my foot."
"Ooooo," Dr. Brief grimaced. Then he smiled, "You've been wanting to do that to that boy for a while now, huh?"
"Kick him in the balls, yes. Electrocuting him in the process was just an open opportunity."
"I'm sorry I ever got involved with him. Do you want me to sell the subsidiary?"
"Not unless we can hire all the innocent people and just fuck Michael."
"He owns too many patents to do that, unless we find a program that can do the same thing but better. He's a coding genius. A lazy jerk, but a genius nonetheless."
"True…" she sighed, "He never sold us his personal patents. And he'll just sell it to another company if we get rid of him. I wonder if Isaac would have any ideas?"
"Isaac is still in prison," Dr. Brief said. "Will be for a long time."
"No, he's here. He's the masked dog handler. Free as a bird. They caught the real guy. Don't know any of the details. Talked to him after the meteor, but the fact he should have been in prison didn't cross my mind. Next time I saw him was today and when I asked him quietly, he just whispered that quickly and walked away."
"Ah, that sounds like fun. I'll have to catch up on the newspaper when we go back. Oh, and invite him to dinner too. Haven't seen him in too long."
"Yes!" Panchy called out from the cart behind them, "We have to invite him for tea!"
Suddenly the carts came to an abrupt halt. Then they began going sideways up over the hill one by one.
Bulma put her feet down and reached to see what the problem was.
"Oh, my, God," Bulma said as they passed the problem, her head swiveling as they passed it and drove away.
A wall of stone had backed up the water over the track. She also noticed some of it going over the bank in the other direction towards the red beach.
"Husband," the veiled woman said before whispering in his ear.
"Hey! How much longer do we got?!" he shouted right after.
"Halfway there," their security driver said loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's a little over a mile once we hit the stream."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" the driver in the front called out.
Everyone stopped. Elijah then got out to look.
"Who the heck built a wall of thorns blocking the road?!"
"The one with an arrow pointed at your head!" a voice came from nowhere.
As everyone but the Briefs were looking for the source, Vegeta dropped down out of the canopy and pulled back his bow.
"Well, hello there," he grinned.
"Vegeta, please," the front driver said.
Vegeta let the bow slack and un-nocked the arrow. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it."
Vegeta walked behind and moved the barrier, revealing it was made of five panels with a diagonal brace.
He came back onto the track. "Say the magic words."
"Please?" Brook asked, in the front cart.
"FUCK OFF!" Panchy suddenly shouted, with Trunks next to her with his fingers in his ears.
Everyone looked at her shocked. Except for Dr. Brief who chuckled and Bulma who facepalmed.
Vegeta stepped aside. "Right this way, Ladies and Gentlemen," he said gesturing down the track with both arms and a big stupid grin on his face.
Bulma glared at him as they passed.
Vegeta showed his teeth to her before closing his lips again.
The group continued.
"So is he going to stay back there? Or…" Lesley asked Dr. Brief.
Suddenly Trunks pointed at the trees. "Nana! Papa up up!"
Everyone stuck their heads out to look.
"There he is!" Brook pointed in front of them.
Easily three stories high, Vegeta was sitting on a branch above the trail.
He waved.
Trunks and Panchy waved back.
Then he got up and ran off through the branches.
Brook stood up in her seat and turned around.
"Is your husband a ninja?!" she shouted.
Bulma leaned down, put her head in her hands, and shook her head.
The carts stopped. The lead driver stepped out.
"Ok, everyone! We are almost there. We will be coming up on cameras who will film us disembark. Vegeta's Village is up the hill. He is waiting at the gate. There are coolers with water bottles. Vegeta actually dug and built an outhouse that meets local legal requirements so there's no porta potty here, but we have toilet paper available. After that, we'll be back at 1:30 with sandwiches and to replenish the water cooler."
"No porta potty? But what about the staff?" Brook asked.
"The staff toilets were removed after Vegeta's outhouse was examined. I'm not the one in charge of the budget." He raised his hand. "Everyone ready?!"
"Well, you don't have a choice," he cut off any responses and climbed back inside. "Here we go!"
A few minutes later, they were swamped by cameras. Everyone got off one cart at a time as the carts were driven down the trail to make room for the next.
After some silent, frantically pointing by the staff, the group finally got the hint and began walking up the path, being careful of the deep ruts.
They saw two lights at the top of the hill and were greeted with fire. Specifically, two flaming torches behind two goat skulls surrounded by feathers.
One of which was burning.
Vegeta stood there smugly.
Everyone now got a long, clear view of his torn shirt and the bruises across his face and chest.
Vegeta raised his arms, "Greetings everyone. Welcome to my lair."
"Papa! Fire!"
"Yes, Trunks. There are torches."
"No, Sweetie behind you!" Panchy pointed as well.
Vegeta looked over his left shoulder, then his right.
"Shit!" Vegeta grabbed the skull and tried to blow out the feathers. When that didn't work, he smothered it with his hands.
Vegeta sighed looking at the mess. Then he looked at the group. "Can I switch this out and we film this again?"
"No," came a voice behind them.
"Come on!" He gestured at the skull in his hand, "This was your idea!"
"Move it along, Vegeta! We seriously don't have the time."
Vegeta clawed the air with his free hand, "Are you trying to make me look like an incompetent supervillain or something?!" Then he extended his arm towards them. "No, of course you are! Why did I even ask?!"
He turned around and pulled the torch from the ground before carefully putting the skull back on its stick. He then pulled the other torch out.
"You better not try and butcher some half ass redemption arc out of all of this for TV!" he said before turning back to face them.
"Ok… the fun is over," nodded with his head up the hill, "Gate's up ahead."
A few more steps and they were up the rise, getting a full view of the camp for the first time.
"Oh my God! It is a village!" Brook shouted.
Hassim and Jerry were at each side of the gate.
"Open the doors," Vegeta ordered.
"What's the password?" Jerry laughed.
Vegeta glared at him. Then looked at Hassim, "Hassim. Open the door."
"Sorry," Hassim shook his head.
"Did Fraggle Rock come up with this too? To test my knowledge and my patience?"
"Open Sesame Street!" Trunks shouted.
"He guested it!" Jerry shouted and he opened his side. Hassim sighed and opened the other.
The group walked into the main courtyard.
"Vegeta, are these the houses we saw in Ethiopia?" Bulma gasped.
"Yes!" he called out, dumping the coals and twigs back in the fire pit.
She came over. "And I thought your grumpy ass wasn't paying attention."
"A warrior would be remiss if he did not keep special awareness out in the field," he said.
Vegeta turned around, and got a peck on the cheek.
Vegeta jumped back. "Don't sneak attack me like that!" he said as his face turned red.
Elsewhere, Lesley hugged Hassim. "Oh, baby… that bitch is awful. You've been through so much. Your poor rug."
"It's ok," they rocked back and forth gently, "It's just cloth in the end." He sniffed her. "You smell so good."
"You… don't smell as shitty as everyone else."
Hassim chuckled, "We do our best to bathe around here. There's a plant nearby that's actually used in some fancy ass soap Vegeta recognized."
"Vegeta! Is this Guro over here?!" they heard Panchy shout.
"Yes! There's a lot around here."
"OH MY GOD! I'm looking at a million zeni tree!"
That caught everyone's attention and the group crowded around as Panchy took a piece of bark and explained what it was.
While everyone was distracted, the veiled woman snuck to the back and tried to covertly wave at Jessica who was sitting down.
Jessica didn't react even though she was looking right at her.
The woman tied again while also pointing at her face.
"Hey."
The woman jumped.
"Oh, sorry," Jerry said. "Jessica was blinded in an accident a few days ago. She can barely see, but the producers won't let her get care until after the show. You'll have to walk over there."
The woman shook her head and took a step back.
Jerry saw an incoming fist and effortlessly put the man on the ground with his arms pinned behind his back.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"You're trying to seduce my wife!"
"Dude, I was just telling her Jessica is blind."
"What?!" He looked at his cowering wife. "You've taken the witch's bait already! I'm going to make sure you never get off your knees praying again!"
"What are you going to do? Break her legs?"
"Or kill her like his last wife."
Everyone looked up and saw Jessica standing.
"Hello Elder Crawford," she said sarcastically. "Wish I could say it was good to see you, but my vision is blurry at the moment."
"Shut up serpent!"
"Jessica," Vegeta walked over. "Tell me EXACTLY what is happening."
"When a woman goes through menopause, she and her husband divorce so she can become a Church Matron while the husband remarries. When I left for college, Elder Crawford had just married a 14 year old. For him to be married to one of my sisters, it means his fourth wife is dead. Just like his first who he strangled to death in broad daylight in the church parking lot."
"A woman who cannot fulfill her duties as an obedient wife serves no purpose in this life or the next!" he snapped back, "The reverend informed us she was infertile, but refused to take the final communion. Of course I did my duty as a husband!"
"Poison?"
"In communion wine. For one of my sisters to be forced to marry Crawford, you must be Rachel, right?"
"Why's that?"
"She's the one who caught me googling yoga. So she would be seen as the most vulnerable to Satan and need a strong husband to insure her purity."
Vegeta looked at the veiled woman. "Yes, that's Rachel."
The woman suddenly got dizzy and was caught before she fainted on the ground. She was quickly given a stool.
"How the hell do you know that?!" Elijah shouted. "You a warlock?!"
Vegeta walked around to face him. "Nope. Telepathic Alien."
"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted.
"Crown Prince Vegeta the Fourth to be precise. And very much not in your service. Sugar!" he suddenly shouted. "Go get some rope. We're tying this bastard up."
"Yes Mr. Vegeta!" She ran in the hive.
Vegeta turned to Rachel. "Congratulations on your pregnancy. The child's life force is more of an anomaly in your own presence than a distinct point, so you're very early. Just missed your first bleeding, correct?"
"Vegeta," Jessica intervened. "Things like that are too personal for some people."
"Oh…" he turned back to Rachel. "I meant no offense." Vegeta turned to the group, "Everyone treat this woman like the goddess she is today!"
Then he knelt in front of his face. "You better hope we don't end up together tomorrow, because Rachel is now on my radar. And if she has a single capillary out of place, well, your holy book says an eye for an eye, right?"
"I got the rope Mr. Vegeta!"
"Ok, Jerry. Let's get to work."
"Vegeta."
"Yes, Bulma?"
She sighed while rubbing her head. "Make sure to gag him so his shouting doesn't bother everyone…"
"Yes ma'am," he said enthusiastically.
"Can I help, Papa?" Trunks asked excitedly.
"No, Trunks. Go show Nana your bananas."
After Vegeta levitated him to the guests' shock, he floated the flailing man to a tree nearby but out of sight from the camp. The two tied him up facing the opposite direction. After gagging him with his own tie, he and Sugar Petal returned.
"Ok, let's get this party started!" Vegeta commanded. "Jerry, how's the smoker?"
"Meat's good if you want to go cut down a palm."
Vegeta nodded. "Jessica, do you and Sugar want to get fresh plants?"
"Yes," Jessica said.
"Maple! Come with us too!"
"Is…"
Everyone looked at Rachel.
"May I pick herbs as well?" she said softly. "I'm still expected to work while pregnant. I've never had a problem in the early months."
"We have a second camp near the herb field, if you need to rest." Jessica said.
Jessica looked in Vegeta's direction.
"Be careful," he said, crossing his arms.
"I want to go too!" Panchy said excitedly.
Vegeta instantly relaxed. "Ok Mom, you got this." He climbed the ladder to his tree house.
"Peaches what the fuck?! How did you move your kittens up here! And Labu's too?!"
Vegeta came down with a very angry cat fighting him every second. He tossed her once he was close to the ground only for her to run right back up the ladder.
She hissed at the doorway.
"You have cats?" Lesley asked.
"The puppy is sleeping," Hassim said.
*YIP!* *YIP!* *WHINE*
"And that's the potty sound."
Hassim rushed into the hive, came out holding a dog, and ran to the side of the fence revealing a hidden gate.
"Here, let me help with the cats," Dr. Brief said.
"Peaches is a nasty cat. The others are friendly as fuck but not her."
Dr. Brief chuckled, "I didn't call my cat Scratches for nothing. I can woo a feral. Don't worry."
"Well be careful, 70s and ladders don't mix."
"I'll watch him, Vegeta," Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips. "Go do whatever you want to do."
Vegeta nodded. "Ok! Everyone, split up and we'll have lunch ready in an hour. Oh! Almost forgot the bridge. Crap, Hassim!"
"Let him watch the dog piss," Jerry said, "I'll help."
Everyone followed curiously as Vegeta jumped into the stream and Jerry handed him the bamboo. The bridge was up in minutes.
Vegeta came over to the side, "Give me your hands and I'll help you across."
Panchy walked over first. Then Sugar Petal guided Jessica down and crossed after her.
"Rachel," Vegeta extended his hand.
She hesitated, but ultimately took it and was guided over.
"Wait for me," Maple said, coming down the hill.
Vegeta helped her over, then climbed out of the stream. "Men, you're on your own. I got work to do."
He walked back up the hill.
"How chivalrous," one of the Korean guards said as they passed Bulma.
After the people and the crews crossed safely, the rest came back into the camp and sat down on the various stools and benches. Hassim pointed out the hammock and Lesley climbed in.
"Wow, you guys got it made."
Hassim sat down, "Vegeta said his wife ordered him to take care of everyone, so he's gone all out. He actually hasn't slept since yesterday.
"Ugh!" Bulma now rubbed her head with both hands, "That sounds like him."
"So… how did you end up marrying an alien prince?" Brook asked.
"Oh, my daughter leads the Earth's special forces. She's been all over the galaxy."
"Dad! That's classified!"
"Oh, everyone here knows he's an alien. That's deep enough for Ferdie to have an aneurism. Might as well go all in." He grinned, "So… are you going to get a jump on it or are you just going to let your mother brag about 'your Vegeta,' huh?"
Bulma looked up. "Daaaaaad…"
"Mama tell Papa stories?!" Trunks shouted.
"Trunks, baby. Not now," Bulma said. "Stories about Papa can be scary."
"They not scary!" he protested.
"That's because you are brave, like Papa. Not everyone is as brave."
"Don't you mean stubborn jackass?!"
"Papa's back!"
Trunks ran off, almost vanishing from sight.
Hassim stood, "I got it."
Brook stood up suddenly. "Is that a swamp cabbage palm?!"
"And there's croc meat in the smoker!" Jerry smiled.
"Fuck the PB and J! I'm eating with you guys!"
"That was the plan," Vegeta said as he dropped the tree on the ground. "Trunks, want to help Papa finish trimming this tree so we can eat the inside?"
"We gonna eat a tree?!"
"This is a special tree," Vegeta said. "You can't eat normal trees. Don't go playing beaver in the garden."
"Ohhhhhh… OK!"
"Ok, Papa cut, you rip," Vegeta said, pulling out the machete from its sheath and kneeling down.
Trunks ran over and Vegeta patiently showed him what they were doing.
Bulma smiled.
Vegeta glanced up at her.
Then did a double take.
"Dad, how did you get Peaches in your lap?!"
"Oh wow!" Panchy said seeing the second camp. "Look at this! It's so cute. Oh, I bet you used this as your bathtub?"
Sugar Petal nodded, "We also come up here to relax. The wind is very strong up here."
"Mhmm," she nodded as she touched one of the support poles of the shade net.
Jessica made her way to the large shelter and sat down. "We also sleep here, at least for now. Women up here, men down below."
"And when will that end?" Rachel asked.
"When the second hive is finished," she said. "The finished one is actually two stories."
"With a storage loft as a third," Sugar Petal said. "We also have a fireplace. Not for warmth, but for light."
"I'm glad to see modesty is being respected," Rachel said.
"Yes, now that I don't need carried everywhere, it's nice to have our own space, not that Vegeta and Hassim would ever do anything."
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.
"I actually have white skin," she said. "This color is left over from my bruises when I almost died eleven days ago." She showed her arms, "It's small, but I'm starting to lighten in spots." She smiled, "I'm going to look like a giraffe soon."
"I'm glad you are positive about your injury."
"So am I," Panchy said. "I see why Vegeta likes you so much." She tapped the side of her head, "Don't think I didn't notice the Saiyan royal crest when you were dressed up. Vegeta doesn't just give that out to anyone."
"Who does he give it to?" Maple asked cautiously.
"Honor. Courage. Fighting spirit. Acts of bravery and overcoming hardship. Of course being such a militaristic culture, violence and the hardship caused by it is more of the moral theme than economic stories like my husband."
"So it was just the assault on the show?" Maple sounded relieved.
"It's not that simple," Panchy said, looking at her over her shoulder. "It's not about being a victim, you have to be a survivor. And Saiyans have a much stricter divide between the two words than we do."
She looked back at Sugar Petal, "I look forward to having tea with you when this is over." She then raised her hands to her chest, and flipped over the large stone gem on her bracelet revealing the back of the setting.
Sugar's eyes widened, then smiled. "I look forward to it," she said bowing.
Panchy fixed her jewelry and turned around, "So where's the plants we're supposed to be picking?"
Jessica stood up, "It's a little bit of a walk from here." She held her hand out, "Sugar?"
Sugar grabbed her hand. "This way everyone!" she said as she and Jessica disappeared into the tall grass.
"Here we are!" Sugar said as they broke out of the grass.
"This just looks like roadside weeds," Maple said. "How do we know what is safe?"
"No, this was once a proper herb patch," Rachel said excitedly. "It's overgrown, but you can still see the rows."
She began pointing out each row.
"Oh yeah," Brook said. "I can see it! Guess we know what to eat."
She looked at her sister, "Jessica, did the staff plant this for everyone to use?"
"No," she said, "The show actually seized the land and evicted an entire village of farmers. There are remnants like this everywhere if you can recognize them. Vegeta actually chose his camp's location because the ground was already compacted from a torn down building."
"If there were farmers here, where are the animals?" Maple asked.
"Vegeta's killed and eaten everything larger than a rabbit in the past three weeks," Sugar Petal said. "We have 20-some hides lying around before the crocodiles. I don't know how many we have now. We would need to go to the butcher spot and see how many hides he tied up."
"Butcher… spot?" Maple hesitated.
"Guess that explains all the skulls and bones." Brook said. "Is he the one who made all that jewelry?"
"Yes!" Sugar said excitedly.
"But why does an alien know how to do that?" Maple asked, confused. "It is primitive. Nothing like the space dramas."
"If something is important to a people, it will be preserved no matter what," Jessica said, "Like the exile to Babylon."
"Yes," Panchy smiled. "That's a good analogy."
"But do…" Rachel hesitated, "they… understand it?"
"Oh, yes. We're Christians. The record label won't employ anyone who isn't baptized," Sugar Petal looked at Maple, "Right?"
"Yes. The owners are very strict."
Even through the veil, everyone could tell Rachel was uncomfortable.
"Let's get to picking," she said, turning around.
Rachel stayed next to Jessica. Sugar noticed how uncomfortable she was around her so she left to help Maple.
Once she was gone the conversation opened up.
They reminisced happily about their childhoods, like picking vegetables in their mother's own patch. But as time advanced, the conversation quickly became awkward for Jessica as her sister continued to disparage her time in India as living among witches, little pagans, and Philistines. There was no malice in it, but it reminded her of a person talking to a dog with three legs and taking the dog's happy reaction to the attention and baby voice as validation of the words being said.
Jessica eventually stopped talking.
"Sister?" Rachel asked. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes. Yes I am, but how are you? I've been the only one talking so far. How have you been since we last saw each other?"
"On the narrow path," she answered, "Which is all that matters."
"How…" Jessica paused, "How many do you have?"
"I am with my tenth."
One could see Jessica doing the math in her head on her face.
"First at 13?"
"Yes. He was very angry it took so long. Once you bleed, you're a woman with divine duties. I bled at 10."
"So did I," she said, "But our parents hid it so I could go to college."
"I see… so you were always a false prophet…" Rachel stood up and walked away.
Panchy followed.
She found Rachel crying alone in the second camp. Panchy shooed off the camera crews, who surprisingly backed off, before sitting next to her.
"Are you ok, baby?" Panchy said.
"I… I always hoped everything that happened was just a test from God, but it was never the case. My favorite sister has always been a devil spawn, it was just Jesus expelling the tainted from the temple, just like the elders have always said."
"A house divided against itself cannot stand, Sweetie."
"The road to hell is paved with sin disguised as righteousness," Rachel said. Then she scooted away, "Like the silver tongue of Popists."
"I'm not catholic sweetie," Panchy said.
Rachel's head snapped around. "But we're not allowed to use anything from Capsule Corp because of it."
"My husband is Irish Catholic, yes, but me and Bulma are not, and she's been running things behind the scenes for a long time. He's just a figurehead."
Rachel hunched over and looked away, "But your daughter married a demon."
"Vegeta? Well he's not the friendliest person in the world…"
"No, he's an alien. Aliens are just demons who lie about coming from heaven. He even used his demonic powers against my husband."
"Aliens are not demons, sweetie. There are just people who were born on planets around different suns."
"There are no other suns, only the light God created and put in the heavens."
Panchy had a worried look on her face, "And the stars, moon and planets?"
"The stars are just small lights God placed in the night sky along with the moon. Planets are just devil lights Satan placed between us and heaven to deceive the world through astrology. Planes have to divert around them."
"… Were you raised believing the Earth is flat?"
"Of course it's flat. Earth is not a devil light," she snapped.
"I see…" Panchy looked forward, thinking.
"How does your husband treat you? Marrying an older man can be intimidating."
"He treats me as a righteous husband should."
"But is he kind? Gentle? Understanding?"
"Only serving and obeying God is important in a marriage."
"Britches is much older than me," Panchy said. "It's the reason people think I'm some kind of a robot, as if that's an easier answer than a rich man marrying a younger woman. Or maybe the fact he's never dumped me to move on to the next model makes them think that's not a possible motivation. Serving God in a marriage does not equal violence."
"You married a catholic, and raised a daughter who married a demon," Rachel said standing. She walked down the trail.
"Let me try," Sugar Petal said, coming out of the tall grass. She put her basket next to Panchy and ran after her.
"Miss Rachel? Wait a second." Sugar Petal slid and hopped down the path.
She turned around, then continued. "I will not talk with a witch."
"I'm not a witch! I'm a personal aide to Willy Nahm!"
"You are a devil singer of devil music."
"I do not sing devil music!"
"A house divided cannot stand," she said, not looking back. "You've sided with a demon."
"Vegeta-johna is not a demon!"
"Aliens are demons who pretend to be from heaven. You have been deceived, and only the fallen can hear demons and succumb, because it is the true language of their souls."
"I don't know who is your teacher, but you are not being taught correctly."
Rachel swung around and slapped Sugar Petal across the face. "Get away from me Satan!"
Sugar froze, and Rachel continued down.
Rachel did not enter camp, but walked around it. She felt homesick stumbling over the free range chickens and their nesting lean-tos. Then she found the outhouse.
"This is actually properly made. There's even a basket of ash and a scoop."
Then she realized the entire top was hinged and not just the seat. She lifted it.
"This is actually deep."
Then she noticed the blackened sides.
"Has there been a fire in here? Did he bake the clay walls or is he using hellfire to burn the waste to make more room?" She lowered the lid. "The witch must have powerful control over the demon. I wonder if the alien is actually a familiar?"
She continued on, and found the slaughter spot.
"This looks like a real butchery. You could hang a proper pig here." She swatted away the flies. "Definitely blood in the ground despite the trench. I wonder where they are burning the entrails?"
She lifted her skirt and carefully made her way out of the area.
Next, she found the suit and all the hides still strung up.
"He really has killed everything larger than a rabbit…"
Rachel put her hands together and prayed. "God, please tell me where my husband is," she said softly, closing her eyes.
After a brief moment of concentration, she walked off passing a tiki mask on a tripod of bamboo.
She soon found Elijah tied to a tree with a film crew.
"Dear Husband!"
Everyone turned and saw her running up.
She stopped in front of him.
He had his arms tied behind the tree, his legs were tied together then bound to the trunk, and his tie was rolled up into his mouth with a fiber cord holding it in.
Rachel made quick work of the cord.
Elijah began spitting. "Curse that damn demon and his followers," he said while clearing his mouth.
Then he looked enraged at her. "What took you so long?! Get me out of this," he struggled against the ropes.
She went to the back of the tree.
"The plastic ropes are melted and fused together. I can't untie them. I'll need to find a knife somehow."
Elijah took a deep breath. "Woman. I need you to do your wifely duties. Because I really got to piss."
Rachel undid his fly and guided his manhood out. She pulled out her handkerchief to clean him before tucking everything back in place.
He sighed relieved. Then his anger returned.
"Let me guess, you went into the woods with the witches, didn't you?"
"I went to pick herbs with the women. There's an aban—"
"I don't care," he interrupted her. "So…" he glared at her. "Did their spells sway you?"
Rachel stood straight. "No, Husband. They began bombarding me immediately but the armor of God is impenetrable," she said proudly.
"Even Jessica?"
"Jessica… It's even worse than the elders' imagined."
"Oh?"
"She confessed our parents hid her sins so she could go to school. But that should be impossible unless the Matrons are involved. Only they can wash girls' and women's clothes and they couldn't have missed eight years of blood from the unborn. Or missed the suffering their souls wrecked on her body every month in revenge for denying them life."
"I see…" he said, surprised. "This is greatly distressing news, indeed."
He was silent for a while.
"Rachel. It's time for you to sacrifice yourself not just to your husband, but to the church and God himself. Reverse the devil's road into your soul and get as much information as you can on the coven hiding in our midst."
Rachel was visibly frightened. She took a step back.
"What? weren't you just bragging about how potent your armor is?"
"Yes…" She said regaining her proper posture. "But I'm pregnant."
"Are you saying you can't protect the child in you from the devil?"
"But Danielle was a bishop's —"
"DON'T MENTION THAT THING!"
"I'm sorry, Husband. But if a line from a bishop could fail, what chance does a blackened line stand?" She fell to her knees, "I am blackened, husband. The child of witches."
"All the more reason for you to go back," he said sweetly, "You got away. You were rescued and you have never failed in any meaningful way." He smirked, "And this isn't the first time you've done this. That thing and it's two little things haven't come up in conversation yet, have they?"
Rachel stiffened. Then she stood tall, but hung her head. "I will obey my husband, my church, and God above."
"Good," he said forcefully. Then he sighed, "Now put that back in my mouth. We don't want anyone to see me and put two and two together about your sudden behavioral change."
Rachel carefully rolled up the tie and tied the cord with a neat little bow on the back of his head.
Elijah then rolled his eyes at the annoying quirk that entire family inherited when that seminary catch brought his firefighter brothers in when he was a boy.
Put their hand on their chest and close their eyes, then randomly walk off and find the person they were looking for.
"Can't find souls in the smoke so I find souls for Christ my ass…" he thought remembering. "You didn't even have the minimum number of kids to get into heaven…" He sighed. "At least Aunt May died in labor to a son so she made it unlike the other wives."