“We do,” nodded Remington looking around the room.He caught the faces of the people he wanted there the most.The ghostly expressions of Irene, Matthew, George, and Nathan, the others gathered behind them.“Grayson and Asher.”
“Grayson Redhawk and Asher Redhawk,” repeated his father.“Those are fine names, Remington.Saylor, you did good honey.”
“She did better than good,” smiled Irene.“They’re beautiful.”
“I can’t believe they’re healthy and a good weight.They’re four weeks early.”
“Twins almost always come early,” said Layla.“Yours were both six pounds and a few ounces.Perfect and healthy.Congratulations to you both.We’ll come back later and check on you.”
Saylor looked at the sweet faces of her sons being passed from one relative to another.She scooted herself up against the pillows and looked at everyone in the room.
“What’s going to happen?” she said staring at the others.Gator and Ham stepped forward, nodding at her.
“We’re going to figure out what your family is doing, honey.We think they could be involved in illegal activities but like we said earlier, we’re going to ask some questions about your family that might be difficult for you.Had you ever heard anyone talk about being ‘the chosen’, whether a male or female.”
“No.Never.In fact, it confused me because although our meeting hall was used for church services, it was generally very short.We’d all meet there Sunday morning at ten, one of the men was a pastor, although I think he got licensed online.”
“That’s the internet for you,” frowned Irene.“Folk gettin’ everything they need off it, includin’ their clergy.”
“The service was only thirty minutes, usually because there was so much to do.The women and children would leave but anyone over the age of twenty-one, a male over the age of twenty-one, stayed back and they talked about stuff.”
“Stuff?What kind of stuff?” asked Cowboy.
“I don’t know,” she grinned.“I wasn’t male and I wasn’t over twenty-one.”
“Sorry,” he said grinning back at her.“Did you hear of anything they spoke of?You mentioned that they traveled to Mexico several times a year.Do you know what that was about?”
“We were all told it was to get produce, fresh from the growers but I knew that wasn’t it.They never came back produce but they came back with crates, the same crates I saw in the bunkers.”
“Honey, did they have any markings on them?Any name or anything at all?” asked JB.
“Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?I can probably draw it,” she said looking at the group of men.She could hear the wives in the kitchen preparing a meal for them and she knew that her sons were in good hands with their grandparents and great-grandparents holding them.
A few moments later, Saylor turned the sheet around to show the room.
“It looked like this,” she said turning the sheet of paper.“It was an eight-pointed star stretching out to these small squares with more stars inside.In the body of the eight points was this odd double-cross on it.I feel like there were other things around it, I just can’t remember it right now.”
“No need,” said Irene.
“What do you mean, Mama Irene?” asked Remington.
“I mean, no need.I know that sign and it ain’t good for no one.We need to report it to the authorities and leave it alone.”
“Mama Irene, you’re going to have to give us a bit more,” said Ham.“This is about one of our own and those children out there.”
“I know,” she nodded nibbling her lower lip.Matthew squeezed her hand, nodding at her.He stepped forward and looked at the men and women in the bedroom, which suddenly felt way too small.
“It is a cult that borders between witchcraft, religion, ancient culture, and voodoo,” said Matthew.
“No,” said Saylor.“How could I not know that?”
“They’re very good at hiding what they do.They make their money by buying and selling weapons to criminals, outlaw biker gangs, inner city gangs, the mafia and other such groups.They have long held the belief that there is a chosen one for each generation that will deliver a child, their leader, but she must do it as a sacrifice.”
“Wh-what?” she whispered.
“Not the child, the mother,” said Matthew.“They sacrifice the mother much like many of the cultures in Mexico and South America did generations ago.”
“My parents brought me to that place to sacrifice me?” she gasped.Nell sat beside her niece, holding her hand.
