The Kisses of a
Pastor
When I woke up, I noticed my arms were tied. Both my wrists and both my shins were tied to the corners of a bed. They were tied to strong metal frames. I turned my neck to the right and saw Pastor Adams standing beside the bed. Since it was so dark, I barely saw his face. "You'll make a full recovery," said the pastor. “What's happening?” I asked. Pastor Adams reached into his robe and this time pulled out a mobile phone. It was my phone. "Your wife Karen keeps ringing," he said. "I'm going to ring her and you're going to tell her everything is fine. Tell her you are at the church talking with your pastor. If you make her suspect anything, I will hang up immediately and cut one of your fingers off." I decided to keep my mouth shut and not reply. The pastor spoke. "I don't think you'll enjoy having your fingers cut off." When the pastor held the phone near my ears, I could hear someone on the other line. It was Karen. "Hello?" "Karen, it's me." "Keith, where are you? It's I took a deep breath, paused, and spoke. "I'm at the church." "The Christmas Mass isn't until tomorrow." "I wanted to talk to the pastor about Christmas." Karen spoke. "Well, get home soon." "Goodbye, Karen. Take care of the kids." With a press of the button, the pastor hung up and put the phone in his robe. "Are you going to release me now?" I asked. The pastor looked at me in the eye. “What do you think I should do with you? If I release you, you'll go tell everyone about what happens in here.” “I won't say anything.” “I don't trust you.” “If you kill me, they'll search for me,” I said. “They'll find out about you.” The pastor thought about what I said. “That depends on how well I can hide your body. It also depends on how much effort the police put into the search. Do you honestly think you're that important?” “What do you want from me? Do you want money?” Pastor Adams looked at his watch. “Right now I have to sleep.” He tugged on the rope tying my wrists and shins to the bed's frame, making sure it was secure. After he was satisfied with the rope's tightness, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving me in darkness. ---- My eyes opened. I saw nothing but blackness. A slight tilt of my head revealed to me the moon's rays as it entered the room through the window. I was hoping everything that had happened to me was just a nightmare, but the reality of my situation was confirmed when I tried to move but wasn't successful. My limbs were tied down to Daniel's bed with rope. I was lying on the bed facing the ceiling. I never believed in ghosts, but for a moment I was scared when I thought I saw a ghost standing near me. After the initial shock, I realized the ghost next to me was not actually a ghost but a boy. It was Daniel. The boy wore blue pajamas. In his hands was a mug. “Daniel, what are you doing here?” I asked. He held the mug out towards me. “Are you thirsty?” Since my arms and legs were tied to the bed, I couldn't accept the boy's offer, so I simply nodded. Daniel positioned the mug above my lips and slowly tilted it until water flowed into my mouth. The mug was only half full. I was still thirsty when the water ran out. “Why are you here Daniel?” I asked. “Did your father tell you to come?” “No, don't tell my dad I was here,” he said. “Where's your father?” “Sleeping.” I had an idea. “Daniel, your father has a big knife in his robe. Do you think you can get it and cut the ropes?” The boy stared blankly for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Don't you want to help me?” I asked. “My dad will get mad if you run away.” “When I run away, I'll take you with me. Your father won't find you.” “What about Abigail?” “Where is she?” “Sleeping.” “I'll take her as well.” “But I don't want to go.” “Do you like living here?” The boy nodded. “I don't want to go.” “Your father hits you, doesn't he?” “Yes.” “Daniel! Please let me go. Your sister doesn't want to be here.” “How do you know?” “Abby told me everything! She told me about what your father does.” Daniel didn't talk to me anymore. He turned around and ran out. |