Twisted Mercy

Safe

October 31st, 2021

6:59am

Location: Henderson, NV

**********

Clouds covered the sky as I stepped out of the bus. It was still dark outside, but it was time to get a move on. Genna stood next to me, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She'd been passed out ever since we passed through Boulder, CO. I didn't have the heart to wake her, so we stayed on the bus.

"Where are we," she asked. Sleep laced her voice and I knew she wanted nothing more than to lay down right here and drift off back into her dreams. That couldn't happen. The longer we stayed in one place, the worse it would be for those we were around. That much became clear in Nebraska.

I began walking towards the middle of the town square. Storefronts were covered in Halloween decorations. The city looked peaceful and serene since there wasn't anyone on the streets except a two early risers who decided to jump start their day by power-walking. The lights of a bakery was on and I could smell the delicious pastries as we walked by.

The town hasn't changed a bit since we were last here. The decorations were even the same. A sleepy Genny trailed after me. She wasn't much of a morning person either, but one of us had to be wary of what might pop out from the alleyways.

I turned down the road and headed straight for the church. It had a white exterior and a steeple. The doors were mahogany and had brass handles, which I pulled open. Pews lined the sanctuary. A couple of workers could be seen whispering to each other at the front. I ignored them and headed to the left and down the stairs to the basement.

Here, it felt damp and cold. Nothing like the warmness of the Church above. I remember when we first arrived.

**********

It was hot. Unbelievably hot. I'd rather be back in Saudi Arabia wearing all black and long sleeves than be here for one more minute. The town square was decorated with cheesy Summer crap.

Ah, yes. Let's welcome the hottest season of the year that contains bugs, burns, and bonfires. At least those are fun. I think.

We were dropped off by a bakery that had the most delicious smells coming out of it. However, we weren't allowed to make any delays as the meeting started in thirteen minutes and we had 46 yards to get through thick crowds of people.

Children laughed and played around the square as couples were having picnics. It looked like a picture perfect little area of a bigger city. Unfortunately, the only thing perfect about this picture was how green the grass was. There's more here than meets the eye.

Ten minutes later, we made our way through the church doors. It smelled comforting and released some of the tension from my shoulders. My Mom and Dad took us to Church every Sunday. I got saved at eight years old. The only thing that sucks is that I've had to kill at least 51 different people in the past four years.

"Remember," Genevra started, "they said to head down the stairs to the...um..."

"Right," I finished. I looked towards Gia and she gave me a sheepish smile; her purple bands needed to be changed. I returned my own, knowing my yellow ones were getting old too, and headed down the steps.

We walked down the seventeen steps and another sixteen feet before reaching the door at the end of the hall. Our second boss was behind these doors. I hoped he was better than the last one. But you know what they say about hope.

**********

We stood in front of the door at the end of the hall. Gia was more awake now that she understood where we were.