Page 92 of The Cult

“Oh god.” She clasped her chest. “Do you think he’s …?” Her words trailed off, her eyes searching mine desperately for answers.

“I wish I knew.” I gave a tight smile. “Do you have any idea where he might’ve gone? Anything?”

Abel stepped forward and ushered his mom back to her chair. “We were hoping you might know, Mom.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He hated this place; he was planning to get us all out.”. She reached for Maddy and held her hand. “I regretted bringing you here. I’m the worst mother.” Sobs tore through her chest. Erika was a shell of her old self. The smile that drove Oliver head over heels was gone, replaced by a gaunt face with sharp cheekbones. “We should’ve protected you.” She lifted Abel’s chin, indescribable agony twisting her face. She drew Maddy’s hand to her lips, planting a kiss on her knuckle. “Forgive me, Maddy? Abel?”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Maddy said.

“We’re okay,” Abel seconded, even though he was far from it.

“How did you end up here?” I asked. It was a question that had lived in my head since I learned about Oliver and Erika’s plan to move to Wyoming years ago. I never understood the decision but was too wrapped up in my own world to care then.

Erika’s expression darkened. “Oliver had just lost his job and we were in deep financial trouble,” she began. “I hadn’t been working because I’d been suffering from depression after losing my mom and dad in that car accident. I tried to find work, but I couldn’t hold a job for more than a week. I really did try.” She closed her eyes, heaving with each breath. “We drained our savings to stay afloat, but the longer our crisis lasted, the more desperate we became.” Erika bowed her head, unable to look her kids in the eyes.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Abel said. “We don’t blame you.”

Erika cleared her throat. “The banks started to decline our loan applications, and our very few friends and family had stopped loaning us money. So …” Erika shut her eyes again, struggling to continue.

Maddy stood behind the chair and rested her hands on Erika’s shoulders, soothing her mom with slow rubs.

“So we resorted to loan sharks. They didn’t ask any questions whenever we went to them. No matter how many times we’d ask, they gave us the money.”

Money. It was Orcus’s lure to his cult. The promise of money. It was the same story that Sterling shared. He was swimming in debt, and Orcus promised to help. I wondered how much that fucker followed through, if at all. Where did he get his money? It couldn’t be just from underground fighting and gambling. There was no fucking way that earned enough to support a community of this size and pay off their debts. I dreaded what would come next, but I had a feeling where this story would lead. I kept my focus and listened without judgment.

“Orcus promised that he would wipe all of our debts if we joined his community,” Erika explained. “He told us that this is where a fresh start could begin and we’d come out the other side with a clean slate. Happy.” Bitterness laced her voice. “All we had to do was live here and work for him.”

My blood ran cold at the mention of Orcus and his manipulation tactics, my heart aching at the thought of the struggles they must have faced. “I should’ve been there for you.” I didn’t mean to say the words out loud, but I needed to let her, Maddy, and Abel know how sorry I was for abandoning them. “Forgive me.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t know,” Erika said.

Abel’s focus was on me; soft features and intense gaze. He rendered me speechless.

Erika’s interest bounced between Abel and me, her expression hinting at an unspoken curiosity. But she did not say anything. Could she tell what we’d shared?

“Then what happened?” I asked, deflecting her knowing look.

“Things turned for the worse once we got to The Creed,” she continued. “Orcus wouldn’t let us leave anymore.”

“Why not?”

“He said we owed too much, and then my health declined. My episodes became frequent. They wouldn’t even send me to the hospital.” As she spoke, her eyes began to waver, glazing over. “I was only allowed to see the doctor here.” A detachment settled over her like a shroud. She was retreating, shutting out the pain and trauma of their ordeal. Her fingers fidgeted, her body rocked back and forth.

“This isn’t your fault, Erika,” I said with compassion. “We’re going to get you out of here. I promise.”

“This place has a lot of secrets. The Creed is not what I thought it was, and those who asked questions ended up missing. People here are always disappearing for no reason.”

A knock on the door jolted us. Abel and I darted behind a nearby wall. We weren’t supposed to be here, and the last thing we needed was to be caught snooping around.

Maddy hurried to answer the door. “Coming!” she said as the knocking continued.

I strained my ears, trying to catch any hint of who might be on the outside, but there was nothing. No voices, no footsteps.

Peering cautiously from behind the wall, I scanned the area, but there was no one in sight, just a lone shoebox sitting on the stoop. Its black exterior stood out against the dull gray porch.

Maddy hesitated for a moment before bending down to pick up the box. “Hello?” she called, but it went unanswered. With a quick glance around, she closed the door behind her and made her way back to the dining table where Abel and I waited anxiously.

“What is it?” Abel whispered.

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