Chapter 9

Tuesday

It was another lovely day, at least for one half of the town. Merlin hesitated though at the front door. Nick had been right – it was almost too perfect. It was all too picturesque, like on a box of chocolates. Calming to the spirit, easy on the eye, sapping to the will. Everytown, USA, circa nineteen thirty. But not quite. There was no central square with a white painted bandstand. No blocks. No stores or facilities. Just a straight, single road.

Although there were a lot of surface similarities, this wasn’t like Desert Dunes in a number of ways. There, it had been open. Here, it was a closed community isolated from the world everyone knew. There, civilians were involved by the thousand and didn’t know they were being tricked. Here, there were civilians too, but nowhere near as many and each one knew they had made the choice. There, evil had the upper hand but kept it hidden behind a mask. Here, evil had the upper hand and openly flaunted it. But the really big difference was that, in Desert Dunes, Merlin had been surrounded by a lot of other Enforcers. Here, she was alone. And she couldn’t call on anyone for backup.

There were no locks on the front door. Anyone could walk in whenever they wanted. They were all on the same side so what did anyone have to hide?

Aquila …

Yes.

I have a task for you to do. Three, in fact. One, get up to the barn and get inside. Retrieve the backpacks. Bring ’em back here. Two, contact Derek. I know it may be impossible but I want you to really try hard. Update him on everything we’ve discovered so far.

Okay. Three?

When you get the backpacks here, put ’em in one of the closets upstairs. Put a dome over them an’ hide them from view. If anyone can walk in here while we’re out, there’s nothing to stop ’em checking out the closets. If they do, I don’t want them to find anything.

Understood.

Aquila, be careful moving by the guy at the bench, Merlin added. If he gives you any trouble, take him down.

All right.

When you’ve done all that, come find me. We’ll rejoin.

You’re going out there?

I’m a newbie. They’d expect me to .. go out there, look around, speak to people. Find out what goes on. So that’s what I’m gonna do.

Be careful.

Promise. How’s Philip this morning?

Fired up. Getting organized. Rallying his army.

Merlin smiled.

I’m glad we could help out. Get going.

Nick came downstairs. “Ready to hit the streets?”

She nodded slowly but seemed reluctant to leave.

“What is it?” he asked.

“What you said last night. About Liz.”

“I wouldn’t go to her. I could never leave you, not for Liz, not for any other woman.”

“You say that now, Nick, and it’s true. I believe you. Outside, in the real world, yeah. But this town, this side of town .. it’s a hunter. It searches for a weakness an’, when it finds one, it exploits it. You said Liz had changed, an’ she’s been here .. forty eight hours? You could go to her. It depends how fast this side of town finds your weakness.” Merlin regarded him. “You don’t love her, not the way you love me, but you do have affection. That isn’t wrong. Here, it’s a weakness .. so, if you find yourself influenced, tempted, I understand. It won’t be your fault and I am not gonna blame you.”

“You’ll keep me on the straight an’ narrow. You don’t have any weaknesses.”

“Then it’ll attack me on all sides. My downfall could be my strength. My need to win, to beat this place. Power corrupts, Nick, an’ I got a lot of it. I could become a monster with an ego so outta control … That scares me. I can’t call for backup. I can’t get a message out to my associates, my parents, or the boss.”

“Then I’ll keep you on the straight an’ narrow.” He put his arms around her. “We’re a team, Merli. We work it together. Now .. let’s go see if we can find some of those missing people.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

*****

Alex watched the activity and smiled fiercely. She felt proud yet humbled. These people had once lived in a world where they could have anything. Then they’d been kidnapped, snatched away, and the life of comfort they’d known had been brutally torn from them. Here, they had next to nothing. Their living conditions were squalid. There had never been enough food. Each and every day, they were punished for being good people. And yet .. they were working hard to clean the hall. They had a task to do, a challenge to meet, and they were singing God’s praises as they scrubbed and scraped.

Alex and Maria were minding the babies in a corner of the hall and scraping mildew off the walls at the same time. Aquila had left everything they’d need for the challenge, and she’d also supplied more toys and clean clothes for the smallest children. There was only one real baby for the two women to mind – Liz and Kevin Sumner’s son. The others were toddlers and children up to around the age of five. All those too young to help out with the work.

“So the street itself,” Alex went on, “is the only common territory in town.”

Maria nodded. “The only place we can mix with those on the other side. We can go as far as their sidewalk but we can’t set foot on it. And they can come as far as our sidewalk.”

“There’s no real reason then why we can’t do something about the appearance of our half of town,” Alex mused. “They can’t stop us.”

“They can shout insults. Throw things.”

“Words can’t hurt. Well,” she amended, “they can, if we let them. Vicious taunts are the product of a cowardly mind. If you remember that, you can let them slide off without hurting you. Missiles is another question. What kind of things do they throw?”

“Bricks to smash our windows. We can’t let the children play out front. There’s glass. Stones. The worst thing though is used hypodermics.”

“That is so sick,” Alex muttered. “But it gives me another idea. Excuse me a second.”

“Sure.”

Alex went to Philip who straightened gratefully. “We may be doing God’s work here today, Alex, but it’s murder on my spine.”

“Maybe we can get Aquila to provide us with some hot baths,” she smiled. “When your church is up and running, I have another challenge for you.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“A playground for the kids. Out back somewhere. Somewhere it’s safe for them to let off a little steam. Do you know that used syringes are thrown onto our sidewalk? They can’t let the kids play out front for fear of getting contaminated.”

Philip sighed but nodded. “That’s a good idea. We’ll go scouting for a suitable location this evening.”

“If there’s no way to see what’s happening on our side from the street, we could do a lot out back. I’m sure Aquila will help and it’d do our morale a lot of good.”

“I’m sure she’d do the work for us, if we asked.”

“Well .. maybe any heavy digging,” Alex grinned. “Thanks.” She turned and began to retrace her steps to Maria but then halted and turned back, her eyes troubled. “Philip .. we’re not falling into a second trap, are we?”

“Such as?”

“Believing we’re stuck here. We’re making long term plans.”

He thought about it. “If they turn out to be a total waste of time, I won’t complain. And, if our stay here is a little extended, the work will keep us busy and the children will have a safe place to play.” He angled his head. “Is that fair?”

“Eminently,” Alex smiled.

*****

Aquila approached the bench and halted, watching the gate guard. He was absorbed in his chess game. She eased a little closer, and his hand hesitated over a pawn. His head rose, his nose sniffing the air. Aquila halted again and eased back. Then she turned and began to look for another, more accessible route up to the barn.

*****

“It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

Nick and Merlin looked round into the smiling, genial face of James Hicks.

“Yeah,” Nick agreed.

“You must be curious about the town, and your role in it. I’ll answer your questions.”

“The guy said we had to choose, an’ we did, but .. why? What does it all mean?” Merlin asked.

“This town is at war,” he replied, with a slight shrug. “Our side against their side.”

“Who’s winning?” Nick inquired.

“Winning isn’t as important as never giving up the fight. Each day, we batter their resistance to our lifestyle by showing what we have an’ they don’t. We live in comfort, an’ they live in misery. We have wealth, health, the high life .. an’ they have hunger, disease, grubbing around for what they can find. We have fine clothes. They have rags. We’re happy,” he smiled. “They’re anything but.”

“An’ that’s all you do? Flaunt a lifestyle?” Merlin queried.

“For now, yes.”

“Does it work? I mean .. I can hear ’em singing. They sound pretty happy to me,” Nick remarked.

“It’s temporary,” Hicks replied a little curtly. “They have new recruits. It’ll soon fade away. It always does. This is a war of attrition.”

“So there’s never any real fighting,” Nick commented.

“Oh yes. From time to time, when frustration reaches boiling point.”

Merlin nodded. “Let me see if I’ve gotten this straight. This is our half of the town. The houses, yards, the sidewalk .. an’ half the street?”

“No. Just to the edge of the sidewalk.”

“Okay. An’ that’s their half .. to the edge of that sidewalk.” He nodded. “The street is no mans land?”

“No, it isn’t. The street is where we fight. It’s common territory. We share it.”

Merlin promptly stepped into the street and walked to the other side.

“Where are you going?” Hicks demanded.

“Is there a barrier here? Something which stops me putting my foot onto their sidewalk?”

“No, but, if you do, it’s treason. You forswear your choice an’ go to the enemy. It upsets the balance.”

Merlin came back. “How would you restore it?”

“We’d have to tempt one of them to cross to our side.”

“Has it happened?” Nick frowned.

“In the past, yes, but not recently.”

“Okay. I understand. Thanks for explaining it. What’re the rules around here?” Merlin asked next.

“We attend church every night for midnight service. It’s down there,” he pointed. “Apart from that, just about anything goes. We promote the seven deadly sins. Lust is a big favorite. Quite a few married couples are in the congregation. We encourage partner exchange. Liz was telling me that she knows you, Nick, and she has indicated a dissatisfaction with her current partner. If you’d like to move in with Liz, there’ll be no objections from the community.” Hicks grinned cheerfully. “I can dissolve your vows an’ marry you to Liz, if you want me to. I’d be happy to oblige.”

“Peri an’ I are happy as we are, Reverend.”

“Well, keep it in mind,” he encouraged. “In the interim, of course, you can always indulge in extramarital sex. You as well, Peri. Don’t think I’m excluding you from the fun.”

“This sounds like a swinging place to live,” Merlin commented.

“It is,” Hicks laughed.

“How long you been here?” she asked.

The question caught him wrong footed. “I … Y’know, I can’t remember. Seems like forever.” He stepped back. “My advice is to go explore. Speak with your neighbors. An’ I’ll expect to see you in church for midnight mass.”

“Thanks again. We’ll be there,” Nick agreed. He raised a hand as Hicks marched away, then he turned to Merlin. “He didn’t like that.”

“I wonder why. It wasn’t a particularly awkward question.” She thought then shrugged. “Okay, well, we’ve learned a lot. Seven deadly sins. A little outdated an’ old fashioned but a starting place. What are they again?”

“Lust,” Nick recalled. “That seems to be number one in today’s chart.”

“I noticed,” she grinned. “Let’s see .. there’s sloth, gluttony, envy, greed .. although I always argued with my Dad that greed an’ gluttony are the same thing. He said it was greed for material possessions rather than hunger greed, an’ I said isn’t that envy … It never was resolved. Avarice, or is that greed again? Hell, I don’t know what they are.”

“I’d’ve said you’d be the expert,” Nick commented.

“If you think about it, the seven deadly sins are, basically, health warnings. Make sure you eat right and in the proper amounts, get exercise, don’t get stressed. Strictly speaking, the deadly sins are only bad, not fatal. I deal in evil, not bad.” She shrugged. “Sloth is out because we need to be active – ”

“Nick … ”

He swallowed. “Liz,” he said to alert Merlin before he turned.

Liz smiled. “Who’s your friend?”

“I’m Peri,” Merlin said. “Nick’s wife.”

“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Liz dismissed.

“You are now.” Merlin took a step closer. “I’ll say this once, okay? Keep away from my man. Nick is my husband. You start messing on my territory, you’ll know it.”

Liz’s smile became a little fixed. “Nick can fight his own battles. He doesn’t need you.”

Merlin’s smile, by contrast, widened. “This isn’t his battle. It’s ours. Back off, cos I’ll win.”

Liz hesitated then eased away. “Just a matter of time,” she taunted.

“Yeah, so make the most of what you got left,” Merlin warned.

Liz pushed by them and stalked angrily down the sidewalk.

Nick draped an arm around Merlin’s shoulders. “Don’t think that’s ever happened to me before – two women fighting over me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” she grinned. “I’m just .. establishing the ground rules. Drawing the line in the sand. One thing though .. I don’t think I’ll be going to that baptism when we get outta here.”

*****

Aquila found a way thru the park and approached the barn and then encountered the next obstacle. The door stood slightly open and she could see inside but she couldn’t get inside. She tried pushing, shoving with her shoulder, leaning with all her weight, none of it made any difference. Eventually, Aquila took a few steps back and balled her hands into fists. Then she marched forward and hit it. It was like punching a brick wall but it gave, just a little. She hit it again and the barrier shattered.

More like it, she thought as she stepped thru.

Before it had a chance to restore itself, she shored it up, leaving a clear zone right in the middle of the opening. One half of the portal had been breached and taken.

She climbed up to the hayloft and retrieved the backpacks. Halfway down the ladder, she heard footsteps crunching up the gravel path. Aquila raced up the ladder, shoved the bags in the dried grass then slid down again to face the intruder.

George was frowning at the opened door. He waved a hand thru the hole then, muttering, began trying to repair it.

Aquila eased closer. His head rose, eyes narrowing, nose sniffing at the air. Silently, she reached out and, in one sharp, swift move, broke his neck. She caught the body and pulled it into the barn, burying it under the grass.

Task one almost complete, she considered.

While it was quiet and she was unlikely to be disturbed, Aquila considered how best to get a message to Derek. This was new ground for her. Being with these Legacy people was certainly proving to be a learning experience.

Well .. pictures are easier to receive than words, so, I guess, pictures would be easier for me to send .. if I can send anything.

A few minutes later, she felt a little drained of energy but she’d tried her hardest to get a message out there to Derek Rayne.

Task two completed .. as best I can tell anyway.

Aquila got the backpacks and went on her way. As she neared the bench, a copy of George shimmered into being. He wouldn’t talk, couldn’t move, but he was where people expected him to be. She paused to study the chessboard. Chess was a game of strategy. In this place, it was right at home.

She moved a piece. “Check .. and mate.”

*****

Rachel emerged from the diner with coffee and almost collided with Jon Redding.

“Detective Redding! Why are you back again?” she asked.

“I’ve had a couple of calls about you,” he admitted.

“Oh?” Rachel frowned, putting the containers on a table. “Why?”

“Concerned family members wanna know if you’re legit or just trying to scam them.”

She nodded. “I see. An’ what did you tell them?”

“I said I’d come check it out. What are you doing, doc?” he asked.

“We’re trying to help the victims’ families, detective,” Rachel replied. “They’re living in limbo. Missing relatives .. is one of the worst emotional traumas to face. If they were dead, the families could mourn an’ move on. But they don’t know what they are – dead, alive, missing, not missing an’ just relocated to another city, state or even country. They live in a desperate hope which, daily, wars with the bleakest despair. Their lives are put on hold until they know for sure. So .. I contacted someone in Hollister who is prepared to give counseling to the families. I’ll help too while I’m here. Derek’s said he’ll sit and listen. These people need to talk, share their experiences. We want to bring them together as a support group, because they are not alone and .. a problem shared is a problem .. not halved exactly but certainly a lot better managed.” She shrugged. “The Luna Foundation will cover all the expenses incurred. No money’s involved for the families so it can’t be a scam, can it?”

“I guess not. It’s a worthy endeavor an’ I will call those people back an’ tell ’em to go for it if they want to.”

“Thank you.” Rachel paused. “Anything else?”

“Just wondered what time your two experts are gonna be heading out there,” he confessed.

She smiled. “So you can follow them? See what happens?”

“Can’t blame me for being curious, doc,” he grinned.

“Despite the danger.”

“I’m a cop,” he shrugged. “I always expect danger. S’why I’m still alive.”

“They said more or less the same thing. You’d be driven by curiosity,” Rachel nodded. “That’s why they left yesterday.”

He nodded too. “The storm, around three fifteen.”

“That’s right. They’re already inside.”

“You don’t seem worried that you’ve lost two more people, Dr Corrigan,” Redding commented.

“I’m concerned,” Rachel replied, “but not worried. I know exactly where they are so they’re not lost, are they?”

“An’ that’s splitting hairs.”

“Okay,” she accepted. “Nick an’ Peri took control. As far as I’m aware, they still have that. They’re not victims, detective. They’re in charge. There’s a big difference.”

“We’ll have to wait an’ see about that.”

“Have you closed the road?” Rachel asked, ignoring his pessimism.

“First thing this morning.”

“Good. At least no more people are going to be victims of this thing. Now, if there’s nothing else ..?”

He shook his head. “Nice talking with you. And .. thanks for helping the families.”

“We hope to return those missing people to them, detective. The support group is only a short term initiative.”

She smiled, took the coffee and headed back to Derek’s room. When she nudged open the door with her toe, she saw he was sitting exactly where she’d left him but there was a certain glazed intensity to his eyes. Carefully, she put the containers down and sat opposite him.

Eventually, he blinked. “Rachel … You’re back.”

“Several minutes ago,” she commented. “Did you see something?”

“I think so. A series of images which didn’t run in any particular order. Alex and Philip. Children. A row of broken housing. Women. Very few men. Then Nick and Peri. Elegant homes. Adults.” He shrugged slightly. “And then it changed into what I can only describe as a kind of .. silent movie. I saw Peri holding up cards. Like prompt boards?” Rachel nodded. “The first said ‘must choose’. The next said ‘good or evil’. The next was ‘good equals poor’.”

“A poor choice?” Rachel queried. “I can’t quite believe that.”

“Neither can I, because the next board said ‘evil equals wealth’. The next was ‘arena for war’. Finally, she held up a board saying ‘playing both sides against the middle’.”

“Oh. Well, it does sound like Aquila was trying to give you an update so let’s see if we can figure it out,” she invited.

“The silent movie tells a story. Aquila can’t communicate directly so she must have sent the pictures instead. I must remember to congratulate her when she returns,” Derek remarked. “All right. The first board said ‘must choose’ so the people who enter the town must choose either good or evil. There are two halves to the town, separated by a single street. Those who choose good get to live in the poor housing. Alex and Philip have chosen good because the images around them are of the most terrible squalor. They live with women and children. Nick and Peri have chosen evil and live on the other side of the street in the wealthy homes with adults as their neighbors.”

“But Peri wouldn’t choose to do that,” Rachel said. “If anything, she’d choose good.”

“Maybe she wouldn’t. The town is an arena for the war between good and evil. She is playing both sides against the middle … ” Derek frowned. “What can that mean?”

Rachel leaned forward. “Wait a second. We know the town only takes groups of two and multiples of two. Two choices. Good or evil. Alex an’ Philip, Nick an’ Peri .. that’s four. No danger of ritual decapitation. But what if .. one has to choose good and the other has to choose evil? What if it’s a forced choice in that .. you can’t just go with your gut? If Kat an’ I were sucked into this thing, I’d do anything to keep Kat safe, even sacrifice myself. So the parents choose good for their children, an’ evil for themselves. That’d explain why Alex an’ Philip live with children an’ women. And, if Alex an’ Philip chose good, maybe Nick an’ Peri didn’t get a choice at all.”

Derek nodded slowly. “We did say there were rules there. That makes sense.”

“Playing both sides against the middle … ” Rachel repeated softly.

“Ah!” Derek snapped his fingers. “Whoever created the town, the phenomenon, sits outside the war zone. Peri is working openly for evil, behind the scenes for good by helping Philip and Alex at the same time, and hoping to flush out the middle man in the process.”

“A hidden mastermind … ” Rachel smiled slowly. “They’ve accomplished a lot in less than twenty four hours.”

“Indeed they have,” Derek agreed.

“Feeling more confident now?”

“Much,” he smiled.

*****

Philip surveyed their progress and nodded. “We’ll worship at sunset. Six o’clock,” he said. “We’ve worked hard today. There’s still more to do but .. there’s always tomorrow. Well done, all of you. Let’s take a while to relax.”

Alex had Joanne on one hip and Andrew’s hand in hers. “I’m ready to relax by going scouting for suitable locations. And I have two experts who volunteered to help.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Philip said as they set off. “If we leave the outside untouched, they won’t know we’ve been working to better our lives here.”

“That’s true,” Alex agreed.

“But, if this is war, we should advertise the power of good. How else can we win converts?”

“Are we ready to do that?” Alex blinked.

“Not today,” he replied practically. “I’m not staying here forever, Alex. I have a parish, in Boston, and I want to go back to it. This is only temporary. We both knew that at the start.”

Philip walked in silence for a few yards then halted. “It seems to me evil’s had its own way here for far too long. Our backs are in the corner, we can’t retreat anymore. Tomorrow,” he declared, his chin jutting defiantly, “we take the war to them.”

*****

Merlin twitched slightly and drew in a deep breath. “That’s better.” She nodded. “Good.”

“What’s going on?” Nick asked as they walked up the path toward their front door.

“My friend’s back. And she’s accomplished all three tasks I set for her. At least, she thinks she’s accomplished the second one.”

“Which was?” Nick asked, closing the door.

“Getting an update to those we left behind. We won’t know if she was successful till we get home.” She began climbing the stairs. “We have the packs. I wanna do some reading thru the notes Derek left for us, an’ check out that list. Hicks must have a past, Nick.”

“I could use a shower an’ a change of clothes,” he remarked. “If we’re going out tonight … ”

Merlin paused, looking back down at him. “That should be interesting.”

“Am I missing something here?” Nick queried hesitantly.

“The town provides everything, right? That is, if you live on the right side of the street.”

He nodded. “Liz said .. clothes, furs.”

“I doubt she went to visit her in-laws in a fur coat.”

“I doubt Kevin makes that kinda money,” Nick commented.

“So she got that given to her.” Merlin grinned impishly. “What kinda clothes is it gonna give you?” she asked and continued on to one of the spare rooms where Aquila had hidden the backpacks.

Nick halted at the bottom of the stairs then raced up them to find out. He couldn’t say he was a guy who followed the trends when it came to fashion but he had certain standards. He opened the closet door and stepped back.

“Whoa … ”

“Someone here guess your size?” Merlin called.

“An’ my taste. Man, this stuff is fantastic.” He began to rifle thru the row of leather jackets, jeans, pants, sweaters, shirts. “Get this! The sweaters are cashmere. There’s even a tux I would wear.”

“Wow, that must be some closet of clothes you got there.”

“Yeah … ”

“Check out my closet.”

Nick went to the other door and opened it. “You’ll love this stuff.”

Merlin came in with the dossier and examined the closet’s contents. “I don’t know about love but there’s certainly a strong affection. Apparently black suits me.”

“It does,” Nick agreed.

“Go take your shower, Nicky. It’ll all be here when you get back.”

Reluctantly, Nick went thru to the bathroom and began to strip. Merlin went to the bedroom door and put her hand on the catch, locking it. She didn’t want anyone wandering in while she was reading the file.

“If Hicks has been here a long time .. and time runs a little screwy .. he’d be near the top of the list,” she murmured, perusing it.

It was neatly written in Jon Redding’s own hand. Schiff, Barnaby, Collins, Newmann, Heath, Roberts, Jones, Smith, Washington … No Hicks. She frowned.

Aquila, got another job for you.

Shoot.

Go speak with Philip. See if there’s a Mrs Hicks over the road.

“You find anything?” Nick called.

“Not yet, babe,” she called back. Soon .. maybe.

*****

“Here?” Alex asked.

“Here would be really cool,” Andrew decided.

“Philip?” she queried.

“It’s close enough to the houses for shelter and observation,” he reflected.

“I think it’s perfect,” Alex agreed. “These two really are experts.”

“My Mommy used to take us to the playground,” Joanne said wistfully. “She’d sit an’ watch us. There were flowers nearby.”

“A park ..?” Alex ventured.

“I know the one Joanne means,” Philip nodded. “A park with a play area in it.”

Aquila stepped out of the gloomy interior of the nearest house and into a sullen, overcast day which had a cool bite in the air. Joanne spotted her and skipped over.

“Hello,” she greeted. “Are you Jenny?”

“No, I’m not. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve not seen you before. My Mommy says I’m a nosey parker.”

“Then that explains it.” Aquila began heading toward Philip and felt a small hand curling into hers. She glanced down but didn’t shake the child’s hand away. “Philip, what are you doing out here?”

“We need your help,” he replied. “A play area for the children. A park for the adults.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Now?”

“No,” he smiled. “And we don't want you to do it all for us.”

“Maybe any heavy digging,” Alex added with a sly grin.

“Just the materials so the children can play safely,” Philip concluded. “Why shouldn’t we give ourselves a little pleasure? Our homes are filthy, leaking, we have hardly any food or fresh water. We only have what you’ve given us. The town’s provided nothing.”

“What you need will be here in the morning,” Aquila promised. “Plus your roofs will no longer let in water, your plumbing and sanitation will be fixed, and the vermin eradicated. The cleaning will be up to you but I’ll provide everything you need .. including clean clothes.” She glanced at Alex. “And storm lanterns, fuel, candles, matches, flashlights and batteries.”

“And the cupboards restocked?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you,” Alex smiled, “from all of us.”

“Who is Jenny?” Aquila asked.

“I don’t know,” Alex replied. “Joanne asked me the same question. So did Maria, and she’s an adult.”

“The little kids sing about Jenny,” Andrew commented. “Jenny put back what was taken so Jenny’s some kinda savior. It’s just a kids’ song.”

“I see. Well, in return for providing everything you lack, there’s something you can do for us,” Aquila announced.

Philip’s face grew solemn. “Anything. Name it.”

She walked him away from the others. “Find out if there’s a Mrs Hicks or even a Miss Hicks this side of the street.”

“And if there is?”

“Ask her how long she’s been here.”

He nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Thank you. Now .. when you say materials for a children’s play area,” asked the woman who’d chosen not to have children, had never had a childhood and had never played, to the priest who had never fathered a child and who was sworn to celibacy, “what exactly did you have in mind?”

Philip, wisely, asked the experts.

*****

“Well?” Nick asked.

“He isn’t on the list.”

“Maybe he changed his name once he got here,” he suggested.

“Maybe.” She put the list back in the file and began reading Derek’s notes. “There’s something .. off about this whole place,” Merlin remarked softly. “An’ I don’t know what it is.”

Nick stood by the window, his arms folded. “Did you know there’s a naked woman running around in our backyard?”

“She’s from next door,” Merlin replied. “Earlier on, there was a naked guy. Maybe he was protesting at what was in his closet.”

“Alex said the readings were off,” Nick recalled, turning away from the spectacle.

“I mean, the whole place stinks of evil because the initial premise is evil. Its foundations are evil, even over there,” she said, indicating Philip’s half of the town. “But .. apart from George – the late George – and the still very much alive an’ kicking Reverend Hicks, no one else is truly evil. A few are getting close but, so far, they’re just bad. Some are very bad, some are only mildly bad. Y’know .. if this is war, evil’s doing a piss poor job.”

“So the guy in charge, whoever he is, isn’t Lucifer,” Nick commented.

“Hell, no,” she scoffed. “He’d roll over in his grave if he knew this place existed an’ what was supposed to be going on here.”

“And if he was dead.”

“That too.”

Nick jumped slightly as Aquila appeared. “Philip said he will find out,” she said. “The principles upon which this community operates, both sides of the street, are avarice, envy, pride, lust, anger, gluttony and sloth. Philip is already displaying clear signs of anger, envy, pride and avarice. This side of the street works mostly by bribery and corruption,” Aquila announced. She glanced at Merlin. “I obviously spent more time learning Dad’s lessons than you did.”

“No one likes a smart ass,” Merlin retorted. “Philip’s getting suckered in?”
“He said ‘why shouldn’t we give ourselves a little pleasure? Our homes are filthy, leaking, we have hardly any food or fresh water’.”

“So that means he’s suffering from pride, anger, envy and avarice?” Nick queried. “You don’t think maybe he was just telling it how it is?”

“He’s seen what you have, what everyone over here has. And he doesn’t have. He wants. He’s angry about the whole situation.”

“Just him or is he angry on everyone’s behalf?” Merlin asked.

“He wants a little pleasure for all of them.”

“Why shouldn’t he want that?” Nick demanded. “They’ve got nothing.”

Aquila considered. “He did say he’d do the work himself. He isn’t asking for it to be given to him as a done deal.”

“Keep an eye on him,” Merlin advised. “If his motives are genuine in that some home comforts will lift their morale an’ strengthen the cause, I don’t see any harm in it. If his motives become suspect, we withhold the supplies.”

“Just a minute!” Nick argued. “You’d cut ’em off?”

“I didn’t say that. We’ll keep ’em fed an’ watered. All I’m saying,” Merlin explained, “is that, if Philip starts making demands like .. a feather bed just for him because he’s in charge an’ he deserves it, then he ain’t getting it. If he asks for .. new pillows for everyone because the ones they’re using now have fleas .. that’s different. Okay? Don’t go getting bent outta shape on me, Nicky. It won’t help solve this.”

He unclenched his fists.

“What exactly is Philip asking for this time?” Merlin asked.

“Food, water, storm lanterns, fuel, candles, matches, flashlights an’ batteries, the roofs to stop leaking, clean clothes, the plumbing and sanitation to be fixed, the vermin eradicated, cleaning supplies.”

She paused to take a breath. “Wood, nails, glue, cargo netting, a plastic slide, ropes, a knife, lots of sand. Ground clearance, heavy digging. And landscaping.”

“You’re in for a busy night,” Nick remarked.

“The first part .. is what I offered to do. His request is the second part. A play area for the children.”

“I don’t see a problem with any of it,” Merlin commented.

“And, tomorrow,” Aquila concluded, “he said he’s bringing the war to us.”

*****

Philip held his service at six o’clock exactly. They sang hymns and prayed together. He blessed them in God’s name and offered to listen to confession and give absolution. His sermon was brief because he could see they were tired after what had been a very long day. Then, in closing, he told them about the play area, how they would build it from the rough terrain out back.

“We’ve suffered enough,” he said. “It’s time we stopped being victims, stopped just taking every insult hurled at us, and started to take control of our lives here. With God’s help, we can move mountains. With faith, and the effort of our own blood and sweat, we can achieve miracles. We’re not alone. We have powerful friends helping us.”

“And will God free us from this prison?” someone called.

“I’m working on it,” Philip replied. “I want you all to promise me two things. One, you’ll pray before you sleep tonight and every night, no matter where you are, and, two .. no more tears in the darkness. From this moment on, we are in control of what happens to us.”

He moved down the gap between them because everyone had stood during the service. There were no chairs for them to sit. He waited by the door to shake their hands as they filed out. And, to each woman, he directed the question he had been requested to ask.

*****

“Black does suit me,” Merlin agreed. “Leather suits me too. Not quite what I would’ve chosen to go to church in but, as it’s a midnight mass an’ probably a black mass, I guess it’s appropriate.”

“Is Aquila coming with us?” Nick asked.

“Oh yeah. I’m not facing that on my own. I know, you’ll be with me too. I don’t mean to offend or insult.”

“I understand.” Nick checked his 226 and slid it into the holster at his back.

“It’s just .. an’ I’m glad Rachel isn’t present to hear this .. it’s like I have two sets of ears to hear things. These ears hear the words an’ Aquila’s ears hear between the lines. Together, we get a better picture.”

“Right. Nothing falls thru the gap. You set?” Nick asked, straightening.

It was eleven forty eight, and time to go to church.

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