“Welcome my son.” Pastor Carter put his hand on the large man’s shoulder, having to reach up to do so. He towered over the Pastor. He was easily over six foot tall. But his demeanor—downtrodden and more than a little broken—made him seem smaller.
I could see the man shudder beneath Pastor’s hand. As if the effort to hold himself upright was too much. He let out a strangled sob and fell to his knees again, this time of his own accord. My eyes widened in surprise as his entire body shook as though freezing. He cried noisily, as though something inside of him had shattered completely.
Pastor Carter knelt in front of him and took his shoulders in his hands. “It’s all right, David. It’s all right. You’re home.”
David. His name was David.
The other man rushed forward and dropped down to the ground beside David. He knocked Pastor Carter’s hands away. “Don’t touch him. Leave him the hell alone,” he growled. Pastor Carter didn’t argue, he simply remained there, on the ground with both of them. Waiting for David to be ready.
The second man glared at Pastor before turning to David and speaking to him in hushed tones. I found myself leaning forward slightly trying to listen to what he said. I could hear him saying “Let’s leave.” And “You don’t have to stay here.”
David shook his head vehemently. “No. I’m home.”
The younger man looked as though he had been slapped. “Home isn’there, Dave. You don’t know these people. You don’t know this place.”
David’s face was wet in the light of the lantern, tears evident as he slowly got to his feet. “You can leave Bastian, I’m staying.”
I looked down at the man called Bastian. He stayed on the ground, not getting to his feet. In the dark, I could make out a face that looked a lot like David’s. The similarities were obvious. Brothers perhaps?
But whereas David had needy, haunted eyes that had perhaps seen too much, Bastian’s were clear and more than a little hurt. And a lot angry. They were eyes that were unforgiving.
Pastor Carter was talking to David but I barely listened, as I knew I should have been. I was watching Bastian closely. Curiously. He slowly got to his feet, brushing gravel and dirt from his jeans.
He was dressed well, unlike David. His jacket seemed expensive. It was the weatherproof, heavy duty kind worn by serious hikers. Whereas everything about David seemed tired and neglected, Bastian was tidy and put together. He didn’t wear a hat and his hair, which looked dark, was cut short against his skull.
I couldn’t decide if he was good looking or not. He had an interesting face. One that took time to get accustomed to. I found myself cataloguing each individual part. It was easier to look at him that way.
His nose was perhaps too sharp. His lips too full. His face was narrow but not from poor self-care, but probably as a result of genetics. He was all harsh angles and deep shadow.
But his eyes were something else entirely. His eyes made him absolutely beautiful. Bright blue in the glow of the lantern, I could see they were framed by thick, long lashes.
He caught me staring at him, our gazes crashing into each other. And held on. Just for a moment.
He didn’t smile. I got the impression he didn’t have much to smile about.
While he wasn’t sad like David, there was something just as gut wrenching about him.
The knot in the pit of my stomach clenched ever tighter.
Bastian looked away.
I looked away.
That was all there was to do.
“Sara, this is David Scott, our arrival.” Pastor Carter beckoned me closer. I inched forward, hesitant around David. My first impression of him was of a man beaten down by life. Maybe even unstable. The kind of person you didn’t turn your back on. His eyes were the same pretty shade as Bastian’s. But while the smaller man’s gaze was unflinching, David’s skittered past you like a frightened animal.
“Welcome to The Retreat, David,” I said softly, careful of my movements. I kept myself as still as possible, unsure of his reaction.
“Thank you.” David’s gravelly voice was barely above a whisper.
Pastor Carter put his arm around David’s shoulders, an embrace the shattered man seemed to lean into as if taking strength from our leader. “We’re very glad you’ve found us, David. I know your journey has been a challenging one. But I think everything happens for a reason. It led you here.” David seemed to cling to every word Pastor spoke. His face lit up with a fire I would recognize anywhere.
Complete and total devotion.
I recognized it instantly. It was the same look most likely on my own face.
“His journey has beenchallenging?” Bastian snapped. “I think watching most of your platoon die in front of your eyes, being left for dead, and then being discharged from the service you had almost given your life for because you’ve been deemed mentally unfit, is a lot more thanchallenging. My brother has been through hell!”
