Ayan came to seconds later to find his arms forcibly wrenched behind his back, and handcuffed in place. He could hear the crunch of tires on gravel, and felt Elijah lean over him to growl into his ear.

“If you say or do anything to raise suspicion, I will find Junna next and make her a part of this. Mark my words. Nod if you understand me.”

Ayan nodded as he let out a shuddering breath. The words were like a spike directly to his heart, the threat that surpassed all others. He was at Elijah’s mercy now to make sure Junna would stay safe.

He grunted as Elijah forcibly dragged him to a standing position, wincing as he stood on the foot that had been cut open in the run. The SUV had stopped a few feet away. He looked over to see Elijah pulling up the scarf that Ayan had noticed him wearing earlier. Half of his face was hidden now behind an improvised face-mask.

“Everything okay?” called the driver of the SUV, an older white man.

“Everything’s fine. Just detaining this one for being here illegally,” Elijah said.

Ayan watched in silent horror as Elijah passed himself off as an ICE agent, pretending he had every right to arrest Ayan without any proof. He looked at the old man, willing him to disbelieve Elijah’s made-up story, to wonder at the insanity of this situation, at just how wrong it all looked. He wondered if the man could see his bare feet.

“Is that blood?” the driver asked, looking at Ayan’s face and clothes. Glancing at Elijah, Ayan realized he had quite a bit of blood on him as well.

“We really got into it when he tried to stab me,” Elijah said, glaring at Ayan.

This is your chance!

“No,” Ayan muttered, wincing when Elijah squeezed his arm tighter in warning. Elijah’s threat to Junna was heavy on his mind.

“Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing,” said the old man, frowning between them.

“I sure do, sir. Have a great day, and God bless you,” said Elijah.

Ayan wanted to shout, to beg the man to help him, but what could he do? Elijah was strong and fast, and insane. He would only be putting the guy in danger if he tried anything. He watched in frustration as the man rolled up his window and drove on down the road.

“That was close,” Elijah breathed, and Ayan stood there trembling. When the SUV was definitely gone, disappeared around a curve, Elijah turned, pulled down his scarf, and smiled at Ayan. “You did great. Thank you.”

Ayan realized that Elijah was shivering. He must have been terrified of getting caught.

“Let me go,” Ayan pleaded, staring at Elijah imploringly. “Leave me on the road here and drive away. It’s not too late.”

“I’m trying to think of the best way to get you back to the van,” Elijah said casually, as though he hadn’t heard Ayan at all. “This road is shredding your feet.”

“Please,” Ayan begged, tears of frustration in his eyes as he swayed in place, the handcuffs making it even harder to balance on his wounded feet.

“I think I’ll just have to carry you,” Elijah said. “Gonna be murder on my back, but it will be worth it.”

Ayan stumbled back a step, nearly falling over. Elijah grabbed him, using the momentum to swing Ayan over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold.

“Remember what I said before, and don’t try to fight me,” Elijah said. “You’re disoriented right now, and I’ve got the advantage in height and weight. No matter what, I will catch you. And then I will drive to get Junna before we finish this.”

Ayan slumped, the fight having suddenly gone out of him. It took a bit longer to get back to the van than it had to get away from it. Elijah opened the back door, and flopped Ayan onto the blood-soaked floor with a grunt. Ayan groaned in pain as his body collided unceremoniously with the hard metal of the van. A moment later, Elijah was holding a roll of duct-tape that he had quickly grabbed from the front of the van, and was using the tape to secure Ayan’s legs together. Elijah stepped back, about to close the van, when he hesitated. He quickly ripped off one more piece of tape and placed it over Ayan’s mouth. Then he slammed the van door shut.

Ayan lay there on the floor with only the sound of his rapid shuddery breaths. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

Well, fuck.

There was no way around it. He was fucked. If he tried to run again, and failed, which was more than likely in his current state, then Junna would be Elijah’s next victim. Ayan would die anyway, but now with the guilt of causing the death of the person he cared most about in the world. He had just watched Charlie die. He knew how this went. Surrender was easier.

I surrendered.

‘And now you’re at peace,’ Ayan thought, uncomfortably aware of his inability to speak around the duct tape. Feeling that familiar dark pull.

If only.

Ayan was too exhausted to fight now. The adrenaline had counteracted the other drug somewhat, but now grogginess was taking over again. Maybe he could just drift away. It didn’t have to be painful. Perhaps just easy, and he was gone.

It’s not your time yet. I won’t let you give up.

Tears ran down Ayan’s face. He just wanted to close his eyes.

Suddenly, the van door opened, and his heart skipped a beat as he watched Elijah heft Charlie’s body back inside. Ayan was face to face with Charlie now, who stared at him with eyes that were disturbingly still.

“Mmm!” Ayan cried, shrinking away from Charlie’s body, which was now caked in dirt.

Ayan cried out against the tape as Elijah suddenly pulled him to the edge of the van. He flinched as Elijah pulled out the dagger again, watched as Elijah lowered the dagger to his legs, and used it to cut apart the tape.

“I want to clear everything up,” Elijah explained as he finished removing the tape, and pulled Ayan up to a sitting position. Elijah pulled the tape from Ayan’s mouth and flung it into the back of the van.

“What…” Ayan swallowed against his dry throat, “What do you mean?”

“Come sit up front with me. Let me ease your mind.”

Not like you have much choice in the matter.

Ayan nodded, unsure if Elijah was asking him or telling him, but figuring it didn’t really matter either way. Elijah helped him to his feet, causing Ayan to suck his teeth in pain as the wounds on his feet, especially the cut on his right foot that shot through him with an electric pain.

“Hang on,” Elijah said, guiding Ayan back down until he was sitting in the van, uncomfortably close to Charlie’s body. Elijah inspected the bottom of his foot, leaving Ayan to awkwardly try not to fall over as he sat there with his hands cuffed behind him, and one foot held in Elijah’s hands.

“You stepped on some glass. It’s embedded pretty deep. Not much I can do about it here. I’ll have to look at it when we get to the cabin,” Elijah said, gently letting go of Ayan’s foot and helping him carefully to stand up.

With Elijah’s support, Ayan hobbled to the passenger side of the van. Elijah removed the cuff from his right wrist, and guided him into the passenger seat. Ayan looked up just as Elijah pulled out a taser from his pocket.

“Accidentally left this in my glovebox earlier when I should have had it on me. If you try anything, you’re going to have a really bad time, okay?”

“I won’t fight,” Ayan said.

“I know you won’t,” said Elijah, “because you have so much love to give. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

He still made a point to cuff Ayan’s wrists to the door pull bar after buckling him into the seatbelt. A few minutes later, they were driving down the road in awkward silence, with Ayan secured to the door, half glancing at Elijah out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t leave Charlie to rest there, but couldn’t chance it. Not how I foresaw this going, but that’s okay.” Elijah nervously licked his lips after he spoke.

“What will you do with him?” Ayan asked, his voice hoarse. His whole body was shivering from fear, exhaustion, and the searing pain in his foot as it rested on the cold floor. The image of Charlie’s dead eyes kept popping into his mind.

“He’ll become part of the ceremony. It’s not the way the dream went, but it will have to work.”

“Th-the dream?” Ayan repeated.

Elijah glanced at Ayan with a smile on his face, before turning his full attention back to the road.

“I’ve had the same dream for years now. A decade at least. When I told my father about it, about God blessing me with this vision, he called me foolish. But then my father went to prison for some very horrible things, and I realized that he was led by the Devil. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. And from his teachings, I withdrew. For in his heart, my father was cruel and greedy. He took and he took, and gave nothing back but false words. I made a promise to myself and to God almighty that I would not become him.”

Ayan hesitated at what he was about to say next, fear clenching his gut, but he needed to get the words out, “Thou shalt not kill is one of the greatest tenets of the bible, is it not?”

Elijah shook his head, “I did not kill. I offered as sacrifice Charlie’s soul, to save the poor and destitute of this weeping world.”

“I don’t understand,” said Ayan.

“The dream, my prophecy, given to me over and over again, showed me that I would find God’s greatest gift to mankind. His one true son, returned to us in a form that no one would suspect. And for many years, following my father’s shameful demise, I searched everywhere for him. For you. I had all but given up, lost in despair, ready to set aside the dreams as just that, my subconscious playing tricks on me. But then there you were, setting that dove down before me, giving me the ultimate sign that you were him. You were Jesus, reborn.”

It was the fucking dove?

“It was just a drink,” Ayan said. “A picture drawn in foam.”

“Oh, it was so much more than a drink. I knew from my dreams that you would prove yourself five times. The first was the dove, the second was your kindness to the homeless and destitute, the third instance was you forgiving the thief in your midst, Soren.”

“Those things don’t make me the second coming of Jesus…”

“But then you brought that poor girl back from the dead. With your divine hands, you brought her to life again.”

“I performed basic CPR,” Ayan explained.

“Which comes with a very small chance of resuscitation. And the chances of bringing someone back without the aid of an AED device are astronomical. Yet you did it. You saved her. And not a moment later, you called for an end to the storm, and the storm was over. Where there had been the slightest doubt in my mind before, in that moment, it was all wiped away. As surely as I am breathing, I know for certain that you are him. You are Jesus reborn, here to save the people of Earth. You just haven’t accepted it yet.”

Welp, he’s unhinged.

“Elijah…I appreciate that you think so highly of me,” said Ayan, “but I can assure you that I am not Jesus. It’s impossible. I know who I am, where I come from. I am not him.”

“You are,” Elijah was grinning, an off-putting sight, “you just don’t understand yet. You will though. Just as in my dream, it took you some time. It’s all coming together now. Three sacrifices, and the world will sing our praises. There will be no more war, or famine. No starving babies, or suffering mothers. No more orphans, or families and communities being ripped apart by cruel organizations like ICE. No more homelessness. No more pollution or cruelty. The world will be a utopia. Your sacrifice will save billions and create heaven on Earth.”

You’re fucked. Holy shit, you’re fucked.

“I’m aware,” Ayan muttered.

“What was that?” Elijah asked.

“I don’t know how to get it through to you that I am not who you think I am. There is nothing divine about me. No special abilities. I’ll never turn water to wine. I didn’t bring anyone back from the dead, I merely performed CPR. And we were probably in the midst of a microburst that happened to end right at the moment I was comforting that little girl. A wild coincidence. That’s all. And there are a multitude of people out there that would care for the poor, forgive the sinners, and draw pictures of birds in microfoam. I am just a man, Elijah. Like Charlie was just a man. A man that you killed.”

Great points!Maybe don’t bring up his victim next time…

Elijah was silent for a moment, then began to chuckle, an unnerving sound that dropped cold ice into Ayan’s gut.

“Now this, is just like my dream. How you wrestled with the reality of what you are. How you downplayed your incredible abilities. I do believe God gave you this amnesia so that you could prove yourself worthy without the knowledge of what you already are.”

“I’m not!” Ayan insisted, his voice panicked, desperate to make Elijah believe him. His head was still swimming from the drug and the adrenaline, but one thought persevered. Convince him. “I’m not worthy, I’m not special. I’m just a man. I’m human. Born human. I will die human. The world will not get better because you murdered me. You’ll just have two dead bodies instead of one.”

Elijah scoffed, “I heard you talking to Him.”

Uh oh.

“To w-who?” Ayan asked, voice cracking.

“I’ve watched hours of footage of you. Looked at you when you thought no one was paying attention. You’re talking to someone. To the voice in your head. And I know who it is. I know who guides you, whether you realize it or not.”

Ayan swallowed, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You speak to God, and I know he speaks back to you.”

I have never thought that highly of myself. Psychopants is really missing the mark.

“I’m not speaking to God,” Ayan insisted.

“You are. Every day you’re talking to-” Elijah trailed off and Ayan noticed him glancing at his side mirror. Ayan chanced a glace at the side mirror on his side, and noticed the black SUV that was roughly four car lengths behind them.

Old man is a Good Samaritan!

“Fuck,” Elijah muttered.

“Pr-probably someone else,” Ayan stammered, watching Elijah’s face tense, his hands squeeze the steering wheel until his knuckles were white.

“Not many come out this way. There are only about four houses, and the rest is state owned land. Let’s find out if it’s our friend, shall we,” Elijah said, pulling over to the side of the road. He didn’t put on the hazard lights. Merely sat, waiting, tense.

To Ayan’s horror, the SUV pulled off the road in front of them.

“No,” Ayan breathed, turning to Elijah who was biting his lip anxiously. “Elijah, the man is old and frail. He’s harmless. Hurting him would be hurting an innocent bystander. Would stand against everything you’re trying to do.”

“He could ruin everything,” Elijah said, his deep voice a disturbing monotone.

“He might just be lost. We don’t know his situation.” Ayan heard a door slam, and looked forward to see the old man stepping out of his SUV, walking toward them. “Elijah, listen to me! Please listen to me! Thou shalt not kill! Just say whatever it takes to send him on his way, okay? He’s an innocent old man, probably a Christian like you. Be good to him. Love him, and let him go!”

Love him and let him go? Were you trying to emulate Jesus? The man he’s so desperate for you to be?

Elijah turned to Ayan, “I will do what I have to do so that we can save the world. Whatever it takes. God will forgive me.”

“Listen to me!” Ayan begged, shoulder twinging as he pulled against the door bar pull, “This is a moment you can’t take back! Do the right thing!”

“Hey!” they heard the old man call from beside his SUV, waving a hand at them, “Everything okay?”

Ayan jumped as Elijah snaked an arm around him to grab the top of the seatbelt, pulling it as far out as it could go until it ratcheted, catching. He let it slip back in until Ayan was snugly secured back against the seat, unable to move, barely able to breathe as his arms remained cuffed to the door.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Elijah said, forcing a smile as he covered his face once more with the scarf and stepped out of the vehicle.

This isn’t your fault.

“He’s going to die, and I’m not stopping it,” Ayan hissed through gritted teeth as he attempted to get enough leverage to move the seatbelt off of his sternum so that he could breathe more easily.

You couldn’t stop mine either. That doesn’t make it your fault. You’ve done everything you could.

“Not everything,” Ayan said, eyes on Elijah’s back as he shifted just enough under the seatbelt to be able to pull at the bar securing the cuffs. With all of his strength, he wrenched at the bar, gripping it tightly as he attempted to break it loose and free himself. The seatbelt was too tight though, the angle too narrow to apply any real force, try as he might. The bar, it seemed, was made of some sort of unyielding metal. He watched helplessly as Elijah walked up to the man, speaking casually, the old man occasionally glancing in Ayan’s direction.

The harder you fight to get out, the more the old guy is going to be suspicious. The more danger it puts him in.

“I don’t think it matters at this point,” Ayan said. “He’s already found a way to follow us. He looks like he’s trying to help. Short of him wanting to join ICE, I’d say he’s pretty much a threat to Elijah’s plan.”

There’s still a chance that Elijah will talk sense into him and he’ll turn around and leave.

“What sense?” Ayan asked. “That he’s taking me to some hidden facility deep in the mountain pass? That it’s normal for a detainee to be covered in blood?”

I see your point.

Ayan saw the old man look in his direction again, and desperation made him shake his head and say the words, “Go, just go. Go!”

The old man looked thrown. He quickly glanced back at Elijah, who seemed to have noticed something was off as he turned to glance at Ayan.

The keys!

“What?” Ayan asked.

The keys are in the ignition!

Ayan was surprised he hadn’t noticed that already. Elijah must have trusted that he wouldn’t do anything stupid. Or that he couldn’t. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with this knowledge, until he saw the old man take a step toward the van, and watched Elijah spin him and begin to choke him out in one smooth motion. Pure instinct kicked in, and Ayan shifted around, seatbelt biting into his chest and stomach, as he kneed at the gear stick.

A moment later, he realized his predicament as the van began to roll forward, picking up speed until it smashed into the SUV. The airbag deployed violently, and Ayan felt pain explode across his face and torso, and slam his shoulder with a sickening crunch.

His ears were ringing, pain throbbing throughout his body as he slowly pulled himself back to a proper sitting position. Distantly, he heard the door open, and Elijah’s muffled voice asking what happened.

“Accident,” Ayan muttered. He could feel something warm running down his face, and when he looked down at the white dusty airbag, he saw that it was drenched in blood. The ringing in his ears wasn’t enough to block out the noise of the SUV peeling away.

You did it! You fucking saved him!

“Fuck!” Elijah screamed.

A moment later, Ayan was flinching away from the cross dagger as Elijah used it to cut away his airbag and toss it to the floor.

Ayan could just make out the SUV making a u-turn and taking off down the road at top speed, back toward the highway.

“It’s fine! It doesn’t matter,” Elijah snapped, getting into the van in a huff and slamming the door. “He won’t find us where we’re going anyway. Not with the back-roads. And if he does, I’ll see him coming.”

The man was safe, and though Ayan hadn’t had the time or ability to start the van or even attempt to get away, he had managed to save an innocent man.

Maybe he’ll bring backup?

“Maybe,” Ayan muttered.

“Maybe what?” Elijah asked, starting up the van, which took a moment for the engine to turn over.

“He was meant to live,” said Ayan, covering quickly. “A miracle. A miracle put this van in motion to stop you from doing something you couldn’t take back.”

Elijah finally got the van started and took off down the road. He looked thoughtful as he glanced at Ayan, “Maybe you’re right. It did feel wrong to kill him. You were preventing me from doing something terrible. This isn’t the first time you saved me from myself.”

“What do you mean?” Ayan asked, acutely aware of how painfully the seatbelt was digging into his skin right now, and how much blood was dribbling down his face.

Elijah just shook his head and continued to drive.

They didn’t come across any more cars on their journey, and just as it started to become completely dark, Elijah’s headlights highlighted a rock wall as he pulled into a long driveway. At the end of the driveway was a log cabin, its outdoor automatic light popping on as they drove closer. Ayan was feeling lightheaded and swimmy, a combination of the drug, the situation, the bloodloss, and having his brain bounced around by the airbag. He vaguely wondered if he would end up with a TBI like Ravi’s.

Assuming you live long enough to feel the effects.

Elijah turned off the van, sitting and thinking for a moment. Ayan swallowed, acutely aware of the metallic taste in his mouth and how nauseating it was, but saying nothing. There was a quick movement, and the seatbelt clicked, relieving the pressure on Ayan’s torso and shoulder.

“I know you did what you had to in order to save that man’s life. I don’t hold that against you. Remember what I said though. I am more than willing to drive into town and pick up Junna and make her a witness to all of this. If that’s not something you want to see, then you have to promise you won’t fight me on the way inside.”

“I promise,” Ayan said, coughing and clearing his throat. “I won’t fight you. I’m injured anyway. How far would I get?”

Elijah turned to look him in the eye, “Swear on Junna’s life.”

Ayan’s heart fluttered as he thought of Elijah grabbing Junna, stabbing her to death right in front of him just like he had done to Charlie.

“I swear on Junna’s life that I won’t fight you on the way inside.”

“Good,” Elijah nodded.

Elijah turned off the van, and got out, crossing to the other side and carefully opening Ayan’s door. He used the key on his keychain to unlock the right handcuff again, allowing Ayan to free himself of the seatbelt and the door handle pull, then he put the cuff back on and used the metal chain to guide Ayan out of the van. Ayan whimpered, but said nothing, as his feet landed on the cool rocky dirt road. He hobbled along with Elijah as they made their way up to the door, then into the cabin after Elijah unlocked the door.

If Ayan hadn’t been so exhausted and terrified, he might have found the cabin charming. As it was, he looked at it as a prison. A place to keep him from running away until Elijah murdered him. It had a fireplace and big cushy couches. Marble counter-tops, with a large kitchen that he would have loved to have at home for baking and cooking. A brief image popped into his mind of asking to cook for Elijah, standing there in an apron and handcuffs and making dinner as Elijah watched with a demented grin.

Don’t laugh. He’s already on edge as it is.

Ayan held back as Elijah led him to a set of stairs that descended to the basement. He limped down, half leaning on Elijah for support, to his own chagrin. Elijah didn’t seem to mind the contact, seemed to relish it even, smiling back at Ayan. They reached a metal door, which Elijah opened with the keys. Ayan walked inside to find a furnished basement with a toilet, a shower in the far corner, and a couch. There was one small window high up on the wall.

“Rest now while I go take care of Charlie. Later, I’ll bring you some food and take care of your foot. This won’t have to be like the last time you were incarcerated. You won’t be needing these.”

Elijah removed the handcuffs, leaving Ayan free to rub his wrists as he took in every crazy word the man had said. There seemed to be concern etched on Elijah’s face as he looked Ayan over.

“Perhaps we should clean you up first,” he said.

Elijah stood and walked over to the shower, pulling a towel off the bar and wetting it at the sink. He sat down next to Ayan and tenderly began to wipe the blood from his face. In seconds, the towel was stained crimson and brown by all the blood and dirt coming off of Ayan’s face.

“If you’re feeling up to it, maybe you should shower. I can bring you clothes in a bit. I want you to be comfortable, for tonight at least. You needn’t suffer yet.”

Ayan nodded slightly, wanting to ask a million questions, to get as much information as he could gather, but he was incredibly exhausted. Elijah continued to wipe the blood from his face.

“Tonight, I am your Judas, your Pilate, your angel, and your disciples. I will return shortly to pray with you. There is a bible on the couch. Find comfort in your own words.”

Ayan had turned to glance at the Bible on the couch when Elijah grabbed him and pulled him close, planting a kiss on his cheek. Ayan completely froze, heart hammering.

Judas kiss. Don’t respond.

“I do regret that I must betray you. That I must sentence you again to death. But it will all be worth it in the end.”

Save your energy for now. Let him go deal with Charlie while you rest. You can’t do much in your current state.

“I’ll be here when you return,” Ayan said quietly, fighting the urge to aggressively wipe the spot on his face where Elijah had kissed him.

Elijah gave Ayan one last lingering look, before getting up abruptly and heading upstairs, locking the heavy metal door behind him.

Have you considered seducing him?

“Shut up,” Ayan muttered. His eyes felt so heavy now. His body was crashing. He found himself curling up into the fetal position on the couch, knowing that Elijah could be back at any moment, and deciding he didn’t care. Nor did he care about the searing pain in his foot, or his face, or his shoulder. He just wanted to sleep.

Ayan closed his eyes.