"The Righteous need bloodlines," Gideon continued. "We cannot save the world without our children to make the next generation, and theirs to make the one after. But there are women out there, born into that evil, desperate for a chance to be redeemed.Weare the ones who can give them that chance!"
"Is that why we captured those wild women?" someone asked.
Gideon pointed at him. "Exactly. But with the Devil's influence creeping into this compound, we must make hard decisions. It does us no good to redeem the heathens if our own women are spreading the rot among us, now does it?"
"No," a few murmured.
Gideon nodded as if relieved to finally be getting the response he expected. "And Mr. Becker has made us all aware of how many of these women show signs of the Devil's taint. Ashusbands, we must beat that evil out of them, but if they cannot be saved?"
"Banishment," Mr. Morgan guessed.
"But the Devil is taking our sacrifices and making them weapons to be turned against us," Gideon said. "That means we must trust in God. We must truly sacrifice these women while their souls can still be saved. We must send them to God while they have a chance!"
No. No, no, no. By the angels on high, this man could not be saying what I thought he was.
"We will banish them, and then we will make sure the Devil cannot take them and corrupt them any worse!" And he slashed his hand down. "God asks many things of us, and this? I am brave enough to do his will. I'd like to think my hunters are as well."
"Oh, they are," Mr. Saunders assured him. "We will give these women every opportunity to repent, but if they cannot? They will be chained to the tree, then anointed with fire. They will burn so their evil can be released, and there will be no more Phoenixes!"
That caused a murmur to flow. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell if it was worry or excitement. All around me men whispered, but I'd placed myself away from them all, which meant I couldn't judge their reactions!
"The Righteous will not approve of murder," Mr. Peterson said, finally speaking up.
"Which is why only the hunters are here," Mr. Saunders said. "These men know the reality we face. Times are hard, and there's no reason to worry our community when we've already suffered so much. Let the Righteous focus on the tasks at hand. Mr. Kobrick will make sure these possessed women do not become a bigger problem."
"Now," Gideon said, "go prepare yourselves. We leave again in a day. Our elders will handle the problems inside the compound. Men, we need to find a way around the forces of evil that are trying to box us in. Tell your wives to mind their tongues and watch their manners, because all of you will be gone for days. Squad leaders, organize your teams. I will be sending out small groups in all directions, so assemble in the hunter's lounge and be ready to leave at a moment's notice."
With that, the elders all relaxed, but Gideon started giving orders. We had a day. One day, and then we'd all be sent out until our ammunition was gone. From there, we'd come back, eat, rearm, and head out again. He wanted us to plan for days of this. Days where we'd either sleep in the field or in the hunter's area, ready to move out.
Then we were released to prepare. I hurried back to my suite, hoping Callah would actually be there. One day wasn't much time, and I had to tell her everything. I needed to make sure she told the other women. I had to know she wouldn't do anything foolish while I was gone, because I did not want to return to find her charred body on that tree!
I burst through my door hard enough to make her yelp. A plate clattered from her hands, banging onto the floor, but she didn't bend to get it. Instead, my beautiful wife looked at me with large eyes.
"Tobias?" she finally asked.
"It's bad," I told her. "Callah, Gideon is Mr. Saunder's successor."
"To be an elder?" She shook her head, confused. "But he's not even thirty!"
"And cruel enough to twist all the reports to make him look good," I said. "Never mind that Mr. Saunders is old, Callah. Maybe too old to know when he's being deceived?"
"I mean, that's possible," she agreed.
"But it gets worse." I moved closer, catching her shoulders in my hands.
She was so small, so delicate, and so thin. This beautiful and amazing woman had no chance of breaking free from my grip, let alone a pair of men if they hauled her out. She wouldn't be able to run. She had no chance of saving herself without me.
"Callah, they're going to start sacrificing women again."
And a smile began to grow on her face. "So then I can get out and you can foll-"
"No." I cut her off. "They intend to chain them on the tree, then burn the Devil from them. Burn, Callah. To death."
"No..."
I nodded slowly. "And I'm going to be hunting. Gideon has made it clear we'll be heading out, coming back to reload, and then going out again. This isn't to hunt. It's war."
She shifted closer and reached an arm between us. Gently, she pressed her palm against my cheek. "Do not die, Tobias. Don't you dare let them kill you, because if you do, I will make sure I'm hung on that tree, do you hear me?"
