The Church Read online

  “Yes...it was quite interesting.” The young man said as he avoided eye contact. “Well, we should get going. Lunch will soon be ready.” The pair walked out of the church, with Kane walking silently behind them.

  “OUT OF MY WAY!” Kane nearly tripped as a man in a blue sweatshirt bumped his shoulder as he ran towards the pair. He grabbed the brown bag from the shoulders of the clueless man.

  Without a second thought, Kane ran towards the burglar with all the energy left in his caffeine-induced system. He pushed several church-goers off the course and chased his target. Before the guy could even get on his motorcycle, Kane managed to tackle him to the ground.

  “You picked the wrong time, motherfucker.” He said as he tried to get the man to stay still. He pulled down the black bandana that covered half of his face and saw that he was only a young boy, not older than 16.

  “Get off of me, asshole!” The boy yelled at him.

  “Where’s your mother?”

  “Get off!” The boy kicked and screamed before Kane finally got off and took him by the collar. He yanked the bag from his arms and dragged the boy towards the blond man. All around him, he saw that people stopped to watch the action go down. Mothers were whispering to their sons, fathers shaking their heads, and no doubt all of them judged the two runners.

  “Sir, is this yours?” He held the bag in the air in front of the man. He heard something clink and what he saw almost made him choke on his own saliva. Dangling from the zipper of the bag was a letter “M” metallic keychain.

  “Yes...thank you.” He said as he took the back from Kane and stuck out a hand. “I’m Father Dennis Gardner, by the way, and this is my boy, Clarke. He’s a junior minister here at the church.”

  I know.

  “Nice to meet you, Father and you too, Clarke.” He said as he flashed them the most charming smile he could muster and shook their hands. “Kane Bamidele.”

  “Clarke, my boy, can you take care of young James, here? I think he needs to visit his mom.” Kane let go of the boy’s collar as Clarke ushered him outside the gates. Kane had to fight to urge to grab Clarke by the neck and keep him in a chokehold when he took the boy by the arm.

  “Impressive work there, Mr. Bamidele.” He said as he put the faux leather bag on his shoulder once again. “It’s almost lunch time. Would you care to eat with us? Think of it as a thank you from me.”

  “That will be very lovely!” Kane tried his best to mask his excitement. He knew he was finally going to get somewhere, and luckily, that somewhere also has food as well as information. “Shall we?” Kane said as he walked with the priest towards his car.

  “Where will we be heading, sir?” He said as politely as he can as they got inside the car.

  “I’ll be leading the way, son.”

  Father Dennis led him to an overgrown road outside of town. As they got farther and farther in, the trees became thicker and thicker, with the road getting bumpier and bumpier as they went along.

  “So where are you taking me?”

  “We, the working members of the church, live in this...estate. More like a compound. It’s quite near the church actually; I just prefer to take this road instead of the shortcut.” Kane nodded along as they neared what seemed to be a gate in the middle of the forest. But as he got near, he saw that there was a huge brick wall just behind the thicket of trees, topped with broken shards of glass and barbed wires.

  “Just a moment” Father Dennis said as he got off the car and walked towards the gate. After a few moments, the big metal gate started to groan, and he caught a glimpse of a huge courtyard ahead, and further north was a big building, which he guesses is the compound Father Dennis talked about.

  “So...um...this is the estate?” Kane said as Father Dennis walked back into the car.

  “Yes, and welcome. You can park your car in the round-about.”

  Kane did as he was told and then Father Dennis led him inside the huge building. It was as splendid on the inside as it was on the outside. Kane looked around with curious eyes as he walked on the marble floors from hallway to hallway until they reached a room somewhere in the east wing of the building.

  “This is my office. I already asked someone to send us some food here earlier.” He said as he unlocked the door and ushered Kane inside. The room was a little less grand than the outside, yet still very beautiful. The walls were lined with paintings and books and all sorts of framed insects. In the middle of the room was a dark mahogany desk with two chairs laid in front of it. Father Dennis sat in the big office chair behind the desk and beckoned Kane to sit in the chair in front of him.

  “This is quite unexpected.” Kane suddenly blurted out.

  “And so was the robbery...” Father Dennis whispered in a low voice as he looked at his rosary. Kane looked at it too and found it awfully familiar.

  “He has the same rosary as Marisol...”

  “Kane, don’t ask me why, but I have a very good reason to believe that what had happened earlier today was no coincidence.” The priest suddenly said as he leaned in to look at Kane. “So tell me about yourself, Kane. What do you do?”

  “Right now? Nothing. I recently got laid off from my job in the station. Used to be a cop for NYPD.” Kane said without thinking. Actually, no point lying. Facts about his past work are easy to dig up.

  “Why’d you get fired?”

  “Why are you asking?”

  “Can you just tell me...Please?” Father Dennis asked politely.

  “No”

  “Hmm...Extreme huh? I can also see firmness. Anyway, since you want to know, I think I may be interested in making use of your services”.

  “I wasn’t the right fit for the job, they said. I was too...extreme.” The priest sat silently for a while, studying Kane with his fierce cold eyes. Kane saw a spark of something in those eyes that made him feel as uncomfortable. But scared? Nah.

  “Do you have any family?” The priest asked him. Kane thought for a few moments before giving out a soft sigh.

  Interviewing me already?

  “Yeah...just my mom. Dad left when I was a kid. He is late though”

  “Why’d you want to work for the police back then?”

  “Well...since I was a boy, I always wanted to work for the police. Lots of scumbags ...like my dad... out there and I believe they needed the extra hands dealing with them. Luckily they took me in...they fired me anyway, though. No big deal.”

  “I see.” The priest backed away and rested on his office chair, never taking his eyes off of Kane. “We are in need of a security guard around here...someone who can start working immediately”.

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  “Depends if you want it.”

  “Yes, of course!” Kane blurted out before clearing his throat. “I mean, I’d take the job off your hands.”

  My way in

  “Good. You will start tomorrow.” Father Dennis said as he flashed Kane a small smile. “First we need to do a couple of background checks on you, but that’s already being taken care of. All you have to do is come here tomorrow with your suitcase and we’ll get you ready. If our findings checks out, you’ll start immediately” He said as he opened a couple of drawers.

  “Suitcase?” Kane said as Father Dennis took out a white envelope and set in front of Kane.

  “Yes. All workers are required to stay and live here for the duration of their contract. After a month, we’ll work out something giving a week off monthly. Now your job is to simply guard the compound. The last guard we had had a bit of an accident and decided to bail out on us. I’m sure that won’t happen with you, won’t it?” He said as he offered Kane a pen. Hesitantly, Kane flipped through the papers and read through the contract. All he had to do was make rounds at night from 7 PM to 4 AM.

  “Sounds simple enough...” He was then given a long list of rules that he must abide by, all of which he agreed to with a slightly heavy heart.

  “Something you should know Kane,” Dennis cont
inued... “Here, we try to live our lives according to the instructions of the Bible. Both the old and new testament has series of instructions on how to live a Godly life and we practice EVERYTHING as instructed. We also recognize the fact that every negative action attracts consequences. God is all merciful but he also enforces his wrath upon grave sinners. We practice this and we preach this. Only by following the principles of God shall we have a prosperous society. We are doing all we can to teach America these principles so it can be truly great”.

  Whatever the hell that means

  “Sign those papers tomorrow when coming. Welcome to the Power Assembly Church of God, Mr. Bamidele.” Father Dennis said as he shook Kane’s hand and shut the folder.

  Chapter 9

  The afternoon sun shone through the windows of Kane’s bedroom, illuminating the whole area. Agitated by the cheerfulness of it all, he walked over to the other side of the room and drew the curtains. Sunlight and unusually long road trips don’t sit well with Kane. All he wanted to do after his trip was lie down in his small bed and wait for his problems to solve themselves. Like his mother used to say “Anyhow it goes, frogs must jump”. These African proverbs somehow hold the key.

  Pushing his thoughts aside, he took out his red suitcase from his closet and got a handful of his stuff. As he was busy packing the essentials, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “Kane Bamidele?” A woman whispered from the other side of the line. Kane could faintly hear the sound of a busy room in the background as he stuffed his suitcase with everything he will need for his stay in the church’s estate.

  “Speaking.”

  “Hi, this is Cheryl from the hospital. I’m calling to tell you about Miss Campbell.” Kane froze at the sound of Marisol’s name. He immediately dropped the shirt he was holding and sat down by the bed.

  “Yeah, what about her?”

  “We finally found out what killed her...and you’re not going to like it.”

  “Get to the point.” Kane tried his best not to snap at the girl as he ran a hand over his face.

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath before she went on. “When the test results came back, they found faint traces of Acetylcholine in her blood. What makes it worse is that during the autopsy, they found a small abrasion on her arm. The cops have been questioning us; though I left your name out. But I hear it’s suicide...I thought you might want to know.”

  A million thoughts ran through his head as he listened to Cheryl. He could barely hear her as she said the last few words. He could only imagine the pain and anguish she must’ve felt during her last few minutes, and how he could’ve prevented it. After a few moments, he finally spoke up.

  “No, it’s not suicide. Thanks, Cheryl.” He said before hanging up.

  Without a second thought, he immediately took out everything from his suitcase. He opened a hidden flap at the back of it and threw in a few pieces of ammo before placing the flap back into place.

  “Whoever did this is inside that church.” He thought as he grabbed his small 2.25” revolver from his bedside table and shoved it down the back of his pants. “And I am going to find that bastard.”

  KANE TOOK THE FIVE-hour drive back to the estate, fuelled only by a few pieces of fast food junk in his stomach and a big cup of black coffee to keep him awake. He took the road Father Dennis had instructed him to take – the same road he took earlier that day. As he drove through it, he felt a strange sensation run down his spine.

  He shrugged it off and took out his phone and called up Freddy.

  “Acetylcholine.” He said as he parked the car by the side of the road.

  “What?”

  “It was Acetylcholine. Someone injected Marisol with that stuff.”

  “Shit, man. Isn’t that stuff used in making Sarin?”

  “Listen I gotta tell you something important. I won’t be around for a long time, okay?”

  “What? Why? Kane, you’re being very confusing.”

  “I got a job in the church. Marisol was right. They do have an estate, and it’s even bigger than I expected. The thing looks like a fucking mansion, and get this, I’ll be guarding it.”

  “This is the biggest progress you’ve made so far.”

  “I need you to do me a favor. If I don’t call you in 3 weeks, go to the church. Something’s not right here. I feel like I’m being watched, 24/7.” He said as he looked at Marisol’s rosary hanging on the rear view mirror that he put up there as a reminder of why he was doing this.

  “And, tell my mom I love her, okay? Tell her am away for work so she shouldn’t get worried. I just can’t reach her.” He said before he hung up. He drove down the road to the estate and looked at his surroundings. The road was more like a path with bits and pieces of cement peeking through the thick undergrowth. The trees seemed to get bigger and darker as he neared the estate, shutting out the world beyond. Soon enough, even the sky disappeared as the trees created a dark roof above the pathway.

  After a few minutes of a very suffocating drive through the woods, he finally reached the big black gate. He got out of the car and walked over to it. There was an image of a Mary and Joseph displayed on the brick wall by the door within the large gate. It was an image like no other. Both of them had dark eyes, strangely alluring and disturbing at the same time. Yet Kane held no fear for their blank stares.

  He hesitantly raised a fist and lightly tapped on the metal door. Father Dennis had given him a code before he left to pack up. He tapped lightly once, and waited two seconds before he tapped again, and then waited three more seconds before tapping fervently for three consecutive times. After a few moments, he heard a loud roar coming from the gates as the big metal doors slowly opened. He ran back to his car and waited ‘til it was fully open before driving into the property.

  The whole compound was huge, with the estate itself guarded by tall brick walls on all four sides. The beautiful green grass around the cobblestone road was neatly trimmed, unlike the overgrown straws that perched out of the ground beyond the brick barriers surrounding the estate that stood tall and elegant in the middle of it all. The walls were a lovely dirty white color, with bit and pieces of brown peeking throw the cracks on the paint. Tall windows decorated the walls along with intricate designs carved around the window panes. In the stark middle of the building stood a big brown double door, similar to the one Clarke Tristen came out of in the picture Marisol posted in her email.

  Kane was in awe as he grabbed his suitcase and stepped out of his car. A man approached him and asked for the keys which he handed over after a few moments of suspicion. He walked over to the two men standing at the foot of the stairs to the porch. He flashed Clarke and Father Dennis the most charming smile he could muster as he shook their hands.

  “Kane, nice of you to finally join us.” Clarke Tristen said as he gave his hand a firm shake. Kane tried his best not to punch his smiling face as he looked into his eyes and gave him his best smile.

  “Sorry if I took too long. I live all the way across the state, so you can just imagine how long and horrible that road trip must be.” Kane joked as he observed the man standing behind them.

  “Well, at least you got here in one piece, son.” Father Dennis said as he gave him a strong pat on the back before walking up the stairs, with Clarke following close on his heels. Kane felt a nervous tug on his heart as he walked with the two men towards the door.

  “Before you go in, we need to do the usual security measures. Dave here will check your person. You know, in case you’re carrying things that you’re not supposed to be carrying. Alcohol, drugs, firearms, cell phones – the usual stuff.” The priest said as he and Clarke walked through the doors and went down the main hall.

  “Cell phones?”

  “Yes, we don’t allow cell phones in here to keep everyone focused on their jobs. Don’t worry; we have a big library to keep you entertained in your free time. And plus, you won’t be able to use your phone anyway. The
signal is very hard to reach in this place.”

  Shit, what do I do? He thought as he calmly walked over to the man and sized him up. He had a mop of brown hair and his eyes seemed foggy from either lack of sleep or intoxication. Here goes nothing.

  “Kindly raise your hands, sir.” He said in a sleepy voice. He was looking down on the ground and didn’t seem to pay much attention to Kane.

  Perfect.

  He pretended to pull up his pants from behind. Then, he grabbed the gun with his right hand – the hand carrying the suitcase - and tried to conceal it by letting it hang behind his luggage as he raised both arms. The man, ignorant of his surroundings, ran his hands down Kane’s body searching for any contraband. He took out Kane’s phone and turned it off before putting it in his back pocket. Just before he was about to feel around his right arm, Kane dropped the gun behind the door and masked the light thud with a loud cough.

  “Hey, I think they’re calling you,” Kane said while pointing at the two men behind Dave, right after the man was done feeling him up.

  “Where?” Dave said while turning around. In a flash, Kane bent down and took his gun and shoved it right back into his pants before the guard could turn back around. When he stood back up, however, he saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring at him from the end of the hall.

  Kane gulped as he watched Clarke turn his back on him and kept on walking.

  “They weren’t calling me, you bastard.” The man whispered as he turned back around to face Kane.

  “Yes, that’s right. I think they were calling me.” Kane laughed as he rushed in and ran down the hall to meet with the two.

  Chapter 10

  The whole place was quiet that night.

  It was 12 midnight and not a sound could be heard. The silence made Kane feel uneasy. The small room allotted to him didn’t help feel any less suspicious than he already was. He felt as if he was in a prison cell, waiting for the gallows.