The Escape: Chapter Six: The Bible

In a rush, I explained everything my father said. Alaina grabbed my arm when I told her he ordered her out of the house. She must have known I would never do anything of the sort, but the thought of such a thing probably terrified her. It was hard to think of a less desirable fate for a woman.

I led us to the closet. Once inside, I took a breath. "We have to leave tonight," I said. When I met Alaina's eye, she stared back, pale but rock solid.

"Okay. Now or never, it seems." She pulled me closer and kissed my cheek right above my beard. "JJ will be home from prayer circle soon. Will you give him his dinner and get him ready for bed? ” 

Any time she asked me to do something women do, Alaina averted her eyes and bit her lip. It was like she couldn't believe what she was saying. Of course, if my mother had ever asked my father to feed or ready children for bed, he would have submitted her to a Soul Cleansing for attempting to subvert gender law. After he'd dealt with her privately, of course.

To ease her ingrained anxiety, I kissed her forehead. "Of course. I'll take care of him."

"Thanks. I need to prepare a few things."

Despite years of planning, it didn't feel real until that moment as we stared at each other, as if expecting the other to back out. It wasn't like we were talking about sneaking around reading books. We were going to break out of the colony and never return. Never see our friends and family again, or sleep in our beds. My stomach burned as I thought about it all.

I returned upstairs as JJ ran into the house. He leapt into my arms and told me all about his time at prayer circle.

"Kevin tried to play, but he's on penance, so he had to sit alone all night," JJ said with wide eyes. "That's so boring."

"What did Kevin do?" I asked. Kevin was JJs friend, and he came over to play quite often. His father worked as a logger, and we'd done militia training together.

JJ leaned closer to me with his hands pressed onto my shoulders, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "He said 'no' when his mama told him to get in the bath. So, he did soul cleansin, an now he has to wear a thing on his arm and no one can talk to him ‘til Preacher Tim says."

The worst nightmare of any five-year-old. Something similar happened to me at about that age, except I had forgotten a word of a verse I was supposed to have memorized. The Sunday School preacher, Auggie, put a red band on my arm that said irreverent, and none of the other boys could talk to me for a week. My mother took care to remind me of it somewhat often.

"Sounds like you had a full evening," I said as I set him down. "Let's get you some dinner and you can tell me all about it."

JJ stood still and watched me pass him into the kitchen. "You're making dinner?" he asked.

"Yes. Your mother is busy, so it's you and I for dinner tonight."

"But you're a boy," he said, not moving. "You can't cook."

He was correct in more ways than one. By law, I was not supposed to cook. The only exception was cooking over an open flame or survival cooking out in the field. However, I also genuinely did not know how to cook most food, so I really had no business in the kitchen.

I knelt in front of JJ and ruffled his hair. "We're going to do our best to help mama. Okay?"

He looked unsure, but reluctant to contradict me. "Yes, sir."

I led him into the kitchen, then realized I had no plan.

After 45 minutes, I set a plate in front of JJ at the table. Mashed potatoes and butter, corn, and plain chicken. He opened his mouth, then closed it for a moment. "Thank you, sir."

"I know it's not great," I said with a smile. "It's just for tonight."

"Okay."

I sat across from him with my own plate of sadness. "What else did you do at prayer circle?"

He looked around, apparently trying to remember the interesting parts. "We prayed for each other about our health and stuff. Eddie asked for a prayer because his puppy is sick."

It took a lot for me to hold back a smile. JJ loved animals and the thought of a sick puppy probably tore his heart. I hoped we could preserve that. “Well, our Lord Father will do his will, but I think Eddie’s puppy will be okay.”

JJ perked up. “Can we pray for the puppy again?”

“Of course.” I took both of his small hands and we bowed our heads. “Dear father, thank you for everything you have given us in our lives, blessings and challenges. Thank you for your guidance and the Word you have given us to learn and grow in your image. If it is your will, please bless Eddie’s puppy with health and long life, and if it not your will to do so, please bless Eddie with the strength to handle it. I ask that you also watch over my wife and son as we journey through the upcoming months. Lord, we humbly submit to your will and recognize you as the ultimate authority. Thank you. Amen.”

“Amen,” said JJ. I leaned back and we picked up our forks. “Thank you, sir.”

“Remember you can always speak to our Lord Father whenever you need. He is always there for you, no matter what, and He only wants you to live a righteous life. Commit to obedience to Him and you will not regret it.”

JJ nodded, his huge eyes staring right into mine. “I don’t want to go to Hell.”

“No, buddy, you don’t. Let’s eat,”

He chased the corn around his plate, muttering about the difficulty of catching the small yellow pieces.

As I finished my bland chicken, he looked up. “Is mama okay?”

I patted his tiny shoulder. “Yes, she’s fine. She just has a few things she needs to do.”

JJ’s eyes widened. “She didn’t finish her chores by dinner?” His shock was endearing. Alaina would not abide him failing to finish his chores by dinner.

“Not chores, buddy. Just some other things. Clean up when you finish.”

 “Yes, sir.” He smiled at me, his face squishing up as he grinned. “Can we go camping next week?”

The boy was about to get quite the camping trip. He was only five, and we were about to separate him from all his friends and most of his family. I felt like a monster.

JJ was the reason we were leaving. Almost two years before, a training accident led to the death of a Catechumen. As I was in charge of training, my father blamed me. He came to my house and expressed his displeasure by nearly cracking my skull open. JJ saw and started crying, terrified. My father smacked JJ’s head, annoyed by his tears.

Seeing JJ on the ground trying to stop crying as a furious man stood over him, I decided we needed to leave. I would not allow JJ to grow up as I had.

That night, Alaina and I began planning.

In front of me, JJ’s smile began to drop. “It’s okay if we can’t.”

“We will see closer to next week. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have a few things to do. You’re able to clean up and play quietly until it’s time to get ready for bed?”

JJ nodded, “Yes. Are you going to take a long time?”

“No. And your mother will be out to help you bathe. Just be a good boy.”

His smile eased some of my stress. “Okay, I can do that.”

I left him and went to the closet. Alaina was checking the contents of our rucksacks, probably not for the first time that evening. I took her hand and squeezed.

“It’s all there. We’re going to be fine.”

“I know. But all my life, I’ve heard stories of people who tried to escape.”

The stories were brutal, and many of them were true. The warning wall came to mind.

"That won't be us. We're getting out."

"What did it look like?"

"What did what look like?"

"The alien. The alien you killed at the border."

I did not want to tell her it had been a massive, snake-like being with yellow eyes and long teeth and sharp ridges down the back of its head. She would not like that.

"Don't worry about that. When I learned about aliens just after that, I realized aliens aren't what we think. The one I killed probably wasn't an actual threat." And boy didn't that keep me up at night. "There's so much they've lied to us about. It's so likely we've been duped."

The neighbor who taught me about the Other Side, Mr. Turner, had been adamant Doctrine was all a lie. We were staking our lives on that.

We walked down to the living room to find JJ reading his Boy's Bible.

"Alright, honey," said Alaina. "Time to get ready for bed."

JJ looked up as he closed his book. "Hi, mama." He stood and walked over to her. "Can you help me remember the Bible book names during bath time?"

"Of course."

"Pastor Tim said if I can remember them, I can learn about Adam Moore starting our town."

"Oh, wonderful," Alaina said. She glanced at me. We both knew the story would be fabricated.

I knew the true story of the founding, and I planned to tell JJ all about it.

Someone knocked on the front door. Aside from the occasional Virtue Squad, no one really arrived unannounced. Alaina went upstairs with JJ and I answered.

Of all people, I did not expect my mother.

"Hello, James. May I come in?"

"Of course." I stepped aside so she could walk in. Seeing her caused a strange feeling in my gut. This is the last time I would ever see her. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, thank you."

Christine Moore looked around. She had lived here with the General after they married, until my grandfather died. I remembered her sewing the holes in our clothing while sitting on the couch she now stood near. She was a strong woman trapped in a colony that did not appreciate that, and I wished more than anything I could take her with us.

"I want you to have this," she said. I was baffled when she handed me the family Bible. I had never even been allowed to touch it.

"What?" I took it but could only stare at the cover.

"I strongly feel you should have this. And it's not like your father has even looked at it in years."

"So, he doesn't know?"

"He doesn't. But I think you need this. It is part of your inheritance, anyway."

"Oh. Thank you."

We stood there for a moment. I didn't know what to say. How could I come up with my last words to her?

"Everything is going to be okay," she said. "You're a very strong man."

Of course she knew about the Alaina situation. That was probably why she decided then to give me a boost.

"Thank you."

"Read that. I think it will help you."

"Of course."

She hugged me, which was a rare thing. "I love you, honey. Tell JJ I adore him."

"I will."

"Bye, James."

She walked out of the house.

I flipped open the Bible and found the genealogy. Each eldest Moore son from Adam Moore to JJ. Then I continued flipping, until I froze.

Who would have guessed?

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