CHAPTER 26 - Noah Black #2
“I grew up with religion forced on me daily—obedience, submission, punishment.” My body trembles with rage and pain. “But I realized this isn’t the God I want to follow, so things got out of control when I tried to escape.”
“I spent my life believing I was doing the right thing. I experienced horrors and still asked God for forgiveness whenever I wondered if it was wrong.” She lowers her head, and I wait, because I know how hard it can be to talk about these things.
“Everything I believed shattered when I discovered my father killed my mother.”
“I’m so sorry!” The words slip out before I can think, and I don’t know how to console her.
“She was an incredible mother, but then, the day after my fifth birthday, she disappeared.” I recognize every spark of pain in her voice.
“When I woke up, all I remembered was having dinner with her. He said she put me to bed and ran away, but a few months ago I heard him telling your father that he’d gotten rid of her. ”
“That’s horrible! Why did he do that?”
“Because she found out what he was doing to me and wouldn’t go along with it.”
“I’m afraid to ask what those things were.”
“You don’t need to know.” She stands up, trying to maintain her composure. “In a few minutes, everyone will gather in the courtyard for prayer before dinner.”
“I doubt I can even get up, and honestly, I don’t want to participate in that, whatever it is.”
“Your mother said you should come with me.” I shake my head. “Take the advice of someone who’s been here for two months: don’t confront our parents.”
“Why?”
She points to my injuries.
“That’s nothing compared to what they’re doing to people who disobey the rules.”
“How many people are in this place?”
“Every day, the community seems to grow,” she replies, and I take a deep breath. “I don’t know exactly, but from everything I’ve experienced my whole life and what I’m going through here, Primordial House is falling apart and our parents are creating something new.”
“This is insane,” I whimper, looking from her to the door when I hear footsteps outside. “How do they beat us and then go pray to God?”
“They say punishment is meant to make us obey God’s rules.” She stands. “I don’t believe what they say anymore, and I really want to get out of here, but I’ll only leave when my brother comes for me.”
“Does he know you’re trapped here?”
“I managed to tell him when I first got here—I stole a security guard’s phone—but I was caught before I could say anything that would help him find me.”
“What happened after that?”
“I was punished for disobeying, and the security guard was killed in front of me for his negligence. I have nightmares about his screams almost every night.”
“My God… This place was supposed to be God’s?”
“Their God seems pretty cruel,” she murmurs, and a siren sounds outside. “It’s time to go. Think you can walk?”
“I have to, or something tells me Gavin will pay me another visit.” She gives me a sad smile and I stand up.
My muscles protest and my eyes fill with tears from the pain surrounding them.
I stare at my arms, noticing purple bruises and lacerations.
My legs are covered by my jeans, but I know there are injuries underneath too.
I put one foot in front of the other and Brittany comes closer.
“When we go out, I can’t help you, but I’ll stay by your side if you need me,” she reveals, and I nod, not feeling so alone.
She seems to know exactly the kind of pain I know.
The door opens with a creak and the cold night air makes me hunch my shoulders as I pass through.
Ahead of me is a long, narrow corridor.
On both sides I see closed doors.
“Are they rooms?” I whisper, and she nods with a subtle movement.
Between the doors, on the beige walls, there are various figures drawn in ink.
Most of them I saw in the basement of the mansion.
But there are also some I’ve never seen.
When we reach the end of the corridor, Brittany turns right and my eyes find a large hall where several people are gathered. Some are sitting on wooden benches scattered in the corners, and others are kneeling in the center.
I notice the men are wearing white clothes, but some also have red robes. The women, for the most part, are in blue dresses.
The few who look at us have rigid expressions.
There’s a low murmur of chanting, almost hypnotic, that fills the air and makes me shiver.
“Keep walking,” Brittany murmurs, and I do as she instructs. “These are the last ones to reach the courtyard because they’re in their intimate moment of prayer.”
Ahead of me, the Redoubt’s courtyard opens to the night sky and the full moon pours silver light over the stone floor.
My eyes automatically take in that the property has high walls, fences, and cameras scattered everywhere. The rows of trees surrounding it are also visible, making it clear we’re in a completely isolated location.
Nothing here is accidental, and every detail seems designed to remind you that there’s no escape.
Further ahead I see several people sitting on the ground, and in front of them is a kind of stone altar.
Gavin is there, talking with a gray-haired man.
The place quickly fills up and I count at least forty people.
“Cry out to the Lord to forgive you.” Sarah’s authoritative voice cuts through me, and when I look to the side, she glares at me. “This place might fix your disobedience and impurity.”
“What a shame to see you again, Sarah,” I say, and I see the surprise when she hears me speak perfectly. “I was dreaming that Lauren’s shot had managed to kill you.”
“Lauren?” she questions, confused, and only then do I remember she knew her by another name.
“Elizabeth was just a fake name.” I make a point of showing how much it delights me to know she fell for Lauren’s act like an idiot.
“God saved me from that demon,” she grunts, and I see her hand go to her ribs. “Now kneel and pray that Sadie will be with us soon.”
“You’ll never lay eyes on her again!”
“That’s what you think!” she murmurs, walking away, and even in pain I sit down on the ground.
It takes a few minutes until everyone present is quiet.
Most are sitting, but some are kneeling.
It’s bizarre!
“Good evening!” Gavin’s voice cuts through the night and all eyes turn to him. His eagle eyes land on each member, measuring, calculating, controlling. “Today more members have arrived at our Redoubt, so let’s welcome them.”
“Welcome to the house of the Lord!” the chorus echoes loudly, and the hairs on my body stand on end. “Serve the God of obedience and submission to find salvation!”
“My name is Gavin Blak!”
“And I’m Elias Thorne,” the man beside him introduces himself, and I don’t need a crystal ball to know he’s Brittany’s father. “Most of you here were part of the Primordial House, but you managed to see that it was straying from the purpose of serving God.”
“So, as devotees of a supreme God, Elias and I decided to create the Redoubt.” Gavin opens his arms as if to show off the place. “This is not just our home. It is God’s home. Our point of connection, our dwelling, and where all the rites that will lead us to salvation will take place.”
I feel a shiver run down my spine.
“Here at the Redoubt, every drop of blood is sacred. It is a bond with the Lord, and must always remain in the bloodline.” Elias’s voice stands out and I remember perfectly the books I read.
All of them talked about blood staying in the family.
About purity being in it, and that’s why it should never be shared with people who don’t follow the faith of this doctrine.
“Purification will not be a single or rare act because we don’t believe two rituals are sufficient,” Gavin declares, and I listen closely, trying to understand his words.
“We saw that many people from the Primordial House strayed, broke the rules, and we believe this happened because their faith was weak, because their connection to God was lacking.” He stares at me as he says this.
“For faith to remain pure, for the soul not to stray, purification must occur weekly, meticulously and without interruption,” Elias continues. “Only then does the path to the Lord remain clean, safe, and unshakeable.”
Gavin extends his arms, surveying each member with the eyes of a hawk.
“Each purification is an opportunity to draw closer to God. The pain, the sacrifice, and the blood shed are proof of devotion. Without this, anyone can lose their way, fall into the sin of free will. And we cannot allow that to happen!”
“It is the Lord’s law!” Elias repeats, raising his hands to the heavens. “Those who follow the lineage, who allow their sacred blood to be offered, remain on the path of salvation. Those who resist or ignore purification will be reminded of the price of deviation.”
“What are they talking about?” I murmur, confused.
“Rapes disguised as purification!” Her answer makes my blood run cold.
“In the Primordial House, the rule was that it only happened at ages five and eighteen.” I stare at her, horrified.
“My father didn’t follow that rule, and from what I heard in the conversation, he convinced yours that twice wasn’t enough.
Noah, they believe sex brings us closer to God. ”
A shiver runs down my spine.
Each word is like a hot iron searing through me.
The Redoubt is not a place of faith—it’s a regime of abuse disguised as religion.
I stare at the man who raised me, and he seems to sense he’s being watched, because his eyes fix on mine.
A diabolical smile spreads across his face.
Their salvation is based on pain, control, and fear.
These rituals are designed to satisfy the filthy desires of these men.
With this realization, I finally understand what happened on the night of my eighteenth birthday.