The Shimmering Stone

Clara felt a sharp tug at the back of her beige jumpsuit. The cheap fabric snagged on the chain link fence as she struggled to get free. She was almost entirely covered in mud, crawling through the tiny opening in the fence that Jonah had cut out in preparation for their big escape. It was dark out and the rain was pouring, which made it nearly impossible to see anything. Clara had to squint to keep the rain out of her eyes. When she tried to wipe the water from her face, she ended up covering her face with mud instead. Just then, she heard it. That all too familiar sound of the blaring siren that blasted anytime there was some sort of breech or major rule infraction.

WAAAAAH, WAAAAAH!

They were on to her. She didn’t have much time. “You have to hurry, Clara!” She heard Jonah’s voice approaching from behind, the sound of his muddy footsteps getting louder as he got closer. Clara felt the fence lift, allowing her to finally break free and make it to the other side. Her freedom. As she looked back to make sure Jonah was right behind her, she noticed he was still on the other side of the fence. His fingers were all bloody from holding up the sharp edges of where the fence had been cut. The blood mixed in with the muddy puddles underneath him. “Run, Clara! Run and never look back!” Jonah urged, making it clear he wouldn’t be joining her.

Through the thick fog and heavy rain, the only thing visible was the light coming from their flashlights. The Elders were approaching fast. Clara knew she had to run now if she was going to make it. The piercing wailing of the sirens kept firing off again and again. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Jonah entangle himself further in the fence to prevent the Elders from going after her.

Clara turned and started running as fast as she could, although she didn’t seem to be making much progress. The ground began giving out under her, making her slip and sink deeper into the mud. Behind her, she could here their Master’s booming voice. “Grab him! Brother Ezekial has sinned and will be punished accordingly. For now, take him to the chambers,” he commanded the others. Then he yelled out in that authoritarian military voice, “You will be back, Sister Chastity!” That name, Sister Chastity, echoed like tiny sharp daggers in her eardrums.

With a gasp, Clara jolted awake. Her heart was pounding through her chest as she tried to catch her breath. “My name is Clara,” she whispered to the dark room, defiantly. “I no longer have to be Sister Chastity,” her voice trembled at the sound of that name. She reminded herself that she was safe now and no longer under the controlling regime of Master Malachai. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Clara looked around her tiny, cluttered bedroom. The only source of light came from the alarm clock on the hardwood floor beside the tattered mattress where she struggled to sleep night after night since she left Jonah behind. 3:00 AM was displayed across the screen of the digital clock. It was hopeless. Clara knew she wasn’t going back to sleep now. The good news, if you could call it that, was that she had gotten used to the insomnia over these past few months. So, it wasn’t as bothersome. However, the persistent nightmares on the other hand, would not be possible to overcome.

With that realization, Clara got up off her mattress. She reached under her thin pillow and pulled out the shimmering stone that Jonah had snuck in the pocket of her coveralls during their escape attempt. Ever since, she kept this stone close by her side. It wasn’t anything particularly special, but it did glimmer in the light. Jonah had told her he found it somewhere on the compound and picked it up when no one was looking.

Then Clara slid the stone into the pocket of her bathrobe and made her way through the pile of dirty clothes strewn across the floor. She stumbled to the light switch and flicked it on. The dim ceiling light fixture barely illuminated the bedroom. Then she slowly turned the doorknob as if she might wake someone if she was too loud, but there was no one here. She was all alone in this tiny one-bedroom apartment, which had been donated to her by a non-profit group called the Cult Survivors Coalition or CSC, as they were commonly known. She had been so thankful for all of their help and charity. However, there was still this nagging feeling of guilt haunting her like some curse she couldn’t figure out how to remove. Even though she was finally free now; free from the strict curfews and mealtimes, and free to be herself, whomever that was, her thoughts continued to be plagued with the same concerns. How was Jonah doing? What had the Elders done to him once they caught him helping me escape? Was Jonah even – Clara gulped – still alive? That last thought sent a shiver down her spine. She regularly tried to push that thought deep down, but it kept resurfacing like a virus or a brain tumor refusing to remain in remission.

Clara shook her head. The creaking of the floorboards underneath her feet seemed extra loud against the silence of the night. She tiptoed over to the bathroom to hop in the shower. The hot water felt nice against her cold, pale skin. As the water ran down her back, she couldn’t help but think how there was a time when hot showers were seen as a privilege only awarded to those the Elders deemed worthy. These days she could take a hot shower whenever she damn well pleased. She no longer had to plead, beg, or appease some higher-up power. That felt extremely empowering. On the other hand, it didn’t seem right or fair that while she was here enjoying these privileges and freedoms of regular life, Jonah was still stuck there with Master Malachai, enduring God knows what.

After the refreshing shower, Clara got dressed in some comfortable sweats and made her way to the beige sofa in the living room. The time on the microwave read 4:23 AM, Clara noticed as she glanced momentarily toward the kitchen. Then she proceeded to lay down on the sofa as she was still immensely tired. If she was lucky, she might even manage to fall asleep for a bit. Hopefully the nightmares subside for a few moments. Many times, she thought about praying away her negative thoughts and bad dreams. But what was the point? Lately she felt as though she would be talking to no one. She was definitely sure no one was listening.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Clara woke up to a loud knocking at the door. She could barely open her eyes due to the blinding sun peaking through the sheer floral curtains draped over the bay window above her head. What could possibly be so urgent at 8:00 in the morning? She grunted as she stood up to stretch and yawn while feeling relieved to have finally gotten some sleep. The thundering knocking continued as Clara made her way to the front door. Peaking through the peep hole, she couldn’t believe who was on the other side. In a rush, Clara slid the chain lock off, turned the deadbolt, and yanked the door open to find Sister Faith. She stood there in those beige coveralls, which were now covered in mud stains and ripped in some areas. She wore a wide-eyed and determined yet frightened expression on her face. Her hair was disheveled and she was clearly struggling to catch her breath.

“Sister Chastity, I finally found you!” A smile spread across Sister Faith’s pale face. “Come on! You have to come with me. We must get him out!” She grabbed Clara’s hand, which caused her to flinch and step back when she felt Sister Faith’s cold, bony fingers wrap around her hand.

“It’s actually Clara now,” Clara felt the need to correct her.

“Oh, of course, Clara. My true name is Emily,” Emily smiled, appreciating the ability to finally use her real name out in the real world. Then her smile quickly dissipated as she remembered why she came all this way. “Master Malachai has completely lost it. He’s become more ruthless than normal. Oh, sister – I mean, Clara. It’s absolutely horrible what they’ve done to Jonah!” The look on Emily’s face was one of shock and horror. The kind of look that made Clara believe she did not want to know what awful things had been done to Jonah.

Clara’s eyes welled up as she reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and squeezed the shiny stone, which had always given her extra courage. Finally, she took a deep breath and announced, “Okay, I’ll go back with you to save Jonah. But only on one condition.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Emily was intrigued.

With a kind of finality that would dissuade anyone from questioning her, Clara looked Emily straight in the eyes and declared, “We save them all!”