Cats In the Cradle

50. Daniel

"What could we possibly need to discuss...besides your last wishes?" I snarled, abruptly dropping the friendly act. We both knew it wasn't genuine. There was no need for pretending anymore.

"I recruited you as a favor to a friend, to help out his daughter. Emma. In exchange for him declining to be the next Prophet, if something were ever to happen to Orion... Like his throat accidentally being slit after he passed out on stage from drinking too much tea in a dark room. Or something."

Chills crawled up my spine as his words sunk in.

...He killed Orion??

"Orion is dead?" I muttered in disbelief.

"Yes, unfortunately. Very tragic accident. We were all quite shocked that anyone could do something so cruel. Our pleas to The Great Spirit went unanswered in this case, I suppose. He just bled out right on that stage, all over poor Eleanor's wedding dress. Such a sweet girl."

...He was an actual psychopath.

But then I suppose I came here with the intent to kill him, so...

"There were no real bullets when you escaped, were there? Nobody got hurt?" He asked suddenly, stroking his chin as he waited for me to respond.

"How would I know...? I heard gunshots, so I guess—"

"Blanks. I switched out the guns. I overheard Luke and Lars speaking about how you and Emma planned to escape, when I came by for an update on your... marriage situation. And Orion's subsequent...injury." He smirked, then stood up and slowly walked over to his giant office window. Peering out at the city below, like a fucking villain in an action movie.

"Blanks can still kill you, if you're shot at close range. Did you know that? It's a common misconception that they're completely harmless. But once you're at least a few feet away, they sort of feel like you were...hit with a piece of paper or something."

I did feel something hit my back when we were running away. I'd just assumed it was a pebble I'd kicked up.

And this was all...very thrilling information. But it wasn't why I was here.

"Ok, great. Thanks, I guess, for not allowing the guards to kill us... But why did you kill Orion? Why did you recruit me—try to ruin my fucking life—if you were just going to help me escape?" I asked impatiently, getting up out of my own seat and pacing around in frustration.

"I killed Orion, because—like I told you months ago—I plan to retire soon. I want to be the new Prophet."

"But you've been there for years. Why would you suddenly decide to kill him?"

"He told me he wanted to marry Emma. He wanted to share her with all the men in the community and have her train the boys who were ready to be married. Just like he wanted with Emma's sister, Lara. And I tried to offer my daughter to him back then, but he refused. He said Lara was promised to him before she was even born. She was his." He glanced back at me, then looked out at the city again.

"My daughter was humiliated. I was eventually able to marry her off to someone else, but that was strike one. Strike two was after I sent my wife to him for some discipline...and he returned her to me broken. I wanted to have more children. I'm practically a laughing stock in the community, a founding member only having 13 children."

The fuck? Only?!

"Orion promised he'd fix her. But he failed. She was still broken, no longer able to conceive. No longer able to help expand our family. And Daniel?" He turned around again, his eyes suddenly wild, like he was on the verge of a psychotic break. "Daniel, family is everything."