Page 27 of Dyana
The sound of an engine reached my ears, and I looked toward the road to see a cloud of dust coming toward us. It wasn’t until the vehicle crested the hill that I saw it was a police cruiser.
A very familiar-looking police cruiser.
Fuck!
I ran back to the church and straight to Pastor Jeff’s office through the back door. He jumped to his feet when I exploded into his office.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re here. The cops. They’re here for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“I saw them coming down the road!” Muffled screams reached us, and Pastor Jeff’s eyes widened as the blood drained from his face.
“Stay here. I’ll get rid of them. I won’t let them take you, Dyana. You’re safe here.” He left the room, and I crouched downwith the door cracked and watched as everyone was ushered into the sanctuary at gunpoint by Harris and Tommy.
“What’s going on here?” Pastor Jeff asked.
“We aren’t here to hurt anyone as long as you do what you’re told,” Harris told him. “All we want is Dyana. She caused the downfall of our entire town, and it’s past time she paid for her crimes. Before you try to lie and say she isn’t here, we saw her truck out front.”
“She’s out on patrol,” Pastor Jeff replied. “But I’m afraid she won’t be going anywhere with you. She told us what you did to her. I’ll ask you to leave. This is a church and a safe haven for all who seek refuge within its walls.”
Harris and Tommy laughed. “I bet she told you a shocking story about us keeping her hostage and raping her. She chose to stay with us; she liked it, like the good little whore she is.” Harris looked around at everyone and laughed again. “I bet she’s fucking half of you.”
“She isn’t a whore,” Pastor Jeff replied angrily. “Don’t make me ask you to leave again.”
“She got you, too, huh, Preach?” Tommy chuckled. “Got hooked on that sweet pussy? I’ve been there, I get it.”
“Trust me,” Harris said, “That pussy isn’t worth a bullet in the head.”
“Just hand her over, Jeff,” Marta hissed. “Your little whore isn’t worth our lives.”
Some of the other women murmured in agreement.
“We aren’t handing Dyana over to her rapists,” Drew snarled. The other men nodded in agreement, even the ones I wasn’t sleeping with.
“Dyana!” Harris shouted. “Show yourself, or I’ll start killing people, starting with your lovers! And once the men are gone, you know what I’ll do to the women.”
This was going to get ugly. I snuck out of the office and down the hall. When I reached the sanctuary doors, I saw that the far one was propped open. As long as I continued crawling, they wouldn’t be able to see me through the window of the other door. I quickly went to my room and gathered my things. Most of the weapons were still in my truck. That was one of the big rules I established when I came here: the weapons were stored there when not in use.
I heard a whimper from behind one of the couches and found Amber hiding there. Shit! I pressed my finger to my lips before she could talk and give us away. “Don’t move or make a sound,” I whispered. “Once I leave, so will the bad men.”
“You promised you wouldn’t go,” Amber whispered back.
“Things have changed. I don’t have a choice.”
“Then take me with you!” Amber pleaded.
“I can’t, Amber. I’m sorry. Stay here, you’ll be ok.” I turned away from her before I could change my mind. God, please let her be ok, I prayed. She was safer here than on the road with me.
I crawled back toward the sanctuary to assess the situation again before leaving. As I peeked around the door, Harris pointed his gun at Pastor Jeff’s head. Pastor Jeff, the only one facing me, met my eyes.
“Last chance, Dyana,” Harris yelled.
The plea in Pastor Jeff’s eyes was plain. He didn’t want me to leave. He wanted me to save him. He wanted me to trust them to protect me and keep me safe, but I couldn’t do that. I had to do what was best for myself. I wouldn’t be captured again. With an apologetic look, I darted past the open door to the exit and left without a sound. As I reached my truck, I heard the gunshots start and prayed it was the group fighting back, and not the sound of their slaughter.
I sped away from the church, anxious to put as much distance between myself and Harris and Tommy as possible. As sad as Iwas about what happened, I couldn’t focus on that now. Harris and Tommy would realize I was gone soon and chase after me. I needed to find somewhere to lie low. I also needed to find a new ride.
