Chapter 7
It’s been five days since the attack that sent us crashing over the bridge. Tomorrow Raegan gets to go home from the hospital. I’ve been by there almost every day before work, visiting and making sure she has everything she needs even though Stone insists that he’s got it.
“Shepherd Walter requires your presence on the back porch,” Karen snips from the doorway of my room.
I’m almost ready to leave for work, putting on my dreaded long skirt and white shirt.
I’ve been snooping through some of Papa’s files in his office and found Mama’s passport, which means she’s stateside and not out of the country.
I’m close to locating her, and then I’m out of here.
There are only a handful of places Papa could’ve sent her.
Checking to make sure I’m presentable, I head down and out to the backyard.
A fleet of black SUVs line the driveway.
Papa is standing there speaking with a group of men.
He’s wearing his normal slacks and white button down shirt.
His face is hard as he listens to the older man with a dark tan in a white suit and matching hat.
The man’s eyes are shielded with black shades, and when he speaks with his hands, I see gold rings on his pinkie fingers.
There are multiple men in black suits that stand to the side of the man not looking at him or Papa but at the surroundings.
We don’t get a lot of visitors here on the farm so seeing all this activity makes me nervous.
My body is sore from the crash, so I try to stay out of everyone’s way to not draw attention to myself.
I wait a few feet away from the men, not wanting to listen to their conversation, but the older man notices me and stops talking. Papa turns and looks over in my direction.
“She’s a very pretty girl,” the older man says with a thick accent. It sounds like it could be from Colombia where I was shipped off to on my mission trip.
“I’m sorry to hear of your loss, but we will make this union happen and seal our families somehow, Juan José,” Papa remarks then turns to Jared, his righthand man. “Show our guests the farm and the set up.” Jared dutifully nods and the men follow behind him.
I wait for all the men to leave before approaching Papa.
“You wanted to see me, Papa?” I ask standing straight with my hands twined together in front of me.
“You bring disgrace to my name,” he seethes and snaps his head towards me when the guests are far enough away. “I thought you listened to my warning about staying away from that Jezebel. You’ve been fraternizing with unsavory people that could bring harm to The Fellowship.”
“Papa, I’ve been working—”
He slashes his hand through the air, cutting me off.
“Do you find me a fool, girl?” he questions.
“No, Papa,” I declare.
“I know about the crash and bridge. I know you were in the hospital almost a week ago,” he grits.
“I thought your mission trip was going to shape you into being a devoted member to The Fellowship, but your actions are proving me wrong, girl. Your wayward mother was too soft on you growing up, so if you can’t follow the rules, I’ll punish them into you. ”
“Papa, I can explain,” I plead, scrambling to find the right words to get out of this. I’m so close to finding Mama and fleeing that I can taste it.
“You need to be reminded of what your place is here,” he says and waves his hand at someone behind me.
I feel strong hands lock onto my arms as I’m forced to turn around and shoved down on my knees to the dirt. I look up and see two of Papa’s men holding me down while all of Papa’s wives and other women stand several feet away. Judy is amongst them, looking so distressed.
“Hand me the switch,” I hear Papa say from behind.
“Papa, no!” I shout, knowing what he means. “Please!”
My shirt bunches in the back and then a tearing sound fills the air. My shirt rips in the back, exposing my bare skin.
“This is a reminder to follow my orders or face the consequences,” Papa states.
WHACK!
It takes a moment for my body to register what just happened, but a coal-hot fire runs down the length of my back when it catches up.
I scream out in pain as a throb filters across my skin.
WHACK!
“Papa, please—!”
WHACK! WHACK!
My back is on fire as each hit comes harder and harder. My eyes sting as tears flood down my cheeks.
WHACK!
“The Fellowship doesn’t allow disobedience amongst our flock. We are one unit, one purpose to follow me and my teachings.”
WHACK!
“My word is law, and you will follow and obey.”
WHACK! WHACK!
I can hear gasps and crying, but all I can focus on is the blinding pain.
WHACK!
“I’m sorry, Papa. I’m sorry!” I shout. “Please, I’ll never disobey again.”
WHACK!
My body jolts down low to the ground, and I feel the men that were holding my arms release me.
I collapse on my stomach, too weak and in pain to move.
A pair of black shoes come into view, and I feel a yank in my neck as my hair is pulled almost out of my scalp.
My head is at a weird angle as Papa comes into my line of sight.
“If you ever go against me again, this will seem like child’s play, girl,” he spits out then looks around.
“That goes for everyone here as well. Let this be an example to those who defy me and The Fellowship.” Once he releases my hair, I drop back down on the ground.
“Get her out of my sight and get back to work!”
Feet shuffle around me as everyone scatters.
I’m trying to catch my breath when a white skirt drops down beside me, reaching to hold my hand. My body flinches at the movement.
“Oh my goodness, let me help you up,” I hear a sad voice say. When I look up, I see Judy trying to figure out where the best place is to touch me.
“I don’t think I can move,” I whisper, panting shallowly because every movement feels like my flesh has been burned off of me.
“I want to get you out of sight in case he comes back,” Judy says. “I’m gonna grab under your arms at the armpit, take a deep breath.”
I do and she pulls me up on my knees. The pain zaps across me.
I feel like I might pass out. After a moment, she pulls me the rest of the way to my feet.
I sway and collapse against her front. Judy carefully guides my steps over to the backdoor and down the hall.
Once we clear my room, she gently places me on my stomach.
“I’ll be back, I’m going to get some medicine,” she informs me as I hear footsteps retreat from the room.
I must blackout for a bit because the jolt of the bed dipping down startles me awake, and I try desperately to move away from whoever’s there.
“It’s just me, sweetheart,” Judy says. “Take these to help with the pain while I try to cover these stripes with antibiotic ointment. I’m afraid that a few might need some stitches, but I don’t know how it’s going to be possible.”
She passes me a glass of water, and I gulp down the pills and chug the water. The moment she lightly dabs a spot on my back, my body goes into flight mode. On its own accord, I’m on the run, moving away from the scorching blaze of pain shooting through me.
“It’s gonna hurt, but we can’t let it get infected,” she voices quietly as I try not to sob.
I’m not sure when I slipped into unconsciousness but a warm gentle hand lightly shakes my forearm, bringing me out of the dark abyss I’d floated to.
“Wake up, Sutton,” the voice whispers. “You need to get up. We need to get you out of here.”
My brain is foggy. I’m unsure of my surroundings for a moment. The second I shift in bed, a ripple of pain shoots through me and I’m transported back to being whipped by Papa. The room is pitch dark. It’s either really late or in the early morning hours.
“Wake up, wake up,” the woman tries again. She shines a small pen light into my eyes, blinding me.
“What’s going on?” I ask trying to blink the spots away in my vision.
“You have to leave. This is your only chance,” Judy tells me as she jets around the room, grabbing things and stuffing them into a bag. The actions bring me back to the time when Mama did the same to get us to safety but failed. “He’s planning something—”
“What do you mean?”
“I overheard your father saying that he was going to send you away with that man who came to visit,” she reveals.
I gasp, shocked. “No.”
“We have to get you out of here. Come on,” she says, helping me to my feet.
When I try to bend down to put on shoes, the pull of the skin on my back zings and makes me moan in agony.
“Let me help you.” Judy squats down and fits my tennis shoes on my feet.
She pulls an oversized shirt on my tender body.
“Take these, I packed you enough to last a while.” She hands me a bottle of pain relievers and a tube of ointment.
“Thank you, Judy,” I tell her. “I’ll never forget this.”
I ask her to reach under the bed where I’ve been hiding money, a bank card, and the new phone Beckett gave me.
“Be a good girl and get as far from here as you can, okay?”
“I will,” I promise her. “Come with me,” I blurt out.
There’s a hesitation and a moment where she contemplates it, but she shakes her head.
“I can’t leave my children, and The Fellowship would never allow me to take them.” I nod in understanding. After what happened yesterday, I believe it.
She holds the bag of my stuff in her hand as she helps guide me out of the room. She makes sure to lead in front and check around the corners to make sure we don’t run into anyone. Once we make it outside, she hands me my bag and places a key fob in my hand.
“Karen left this out by the sink yesterday after she came home from the grocery store,” she tells me. “You’ll need to ditch it soon so they can’t track where you are.”
“Thank you, Judy,” I say teary-eyed. “I’ll never forget this, and if there’s a way to get you and your kids out, I will try.”
She shakes her head, “There’s no hope for me anymore. You go and break free from all of this.”