FALTER

CHAPTER 18: Where I belong.

The people rushed out of the gate. Rachel could feel the blood rush in her ears as the alacrity of the day had turned into screams of horror. Apparently someone had been shot. She didn't know. All she remembered were the wailing of their family as they ran to save them. Rachel had been running the other way and her shoes had skidded to a stop. Her heart was pounding with the ferocity of a locomotive. She could barely breathe as the constant thumping seemed determined to break her very ribs. Tears welled up in her eyes again as another cult member came flying out of the alley she had just left behind. He hit a stall table and with a sickening crunch, fell to the floor.

Pure fear had gripped the girl. All she could wish for anymore was for Falter to appear.Marci came and grabbed her arm. She was yelling something as Rachel slowly turned her head to face the woman. Barely hearing anything over the ringing in her eyes, the teen let go of all pretense and hugged Marci tightly.

Marci momentarily hugged her back before holding the girl at arm's length and wiping her tears away.

"Let's get out of here, alright?"

Rachel nodded in response.

The duo held on to each other as they tried to push past the glut of people blocking the main exit. Marci knew there were other, smoother ways to leave the venue but she couldn't be sure those weren't guarded by church members. Right now, the best plan was to leave through the front and hopefully blend in with the crowd.

Rachel kept her head down as Marci tried to shield her through the numerous panicked fairgoers all trying to trample each other. She still couldn't process any of the sounds around her, letting it all filter into her ears as a constant drone. The atmosphere of the day had changed considerably, Rachel realized. Imti and her friends were all absent and she couldn't reach for her phone due to her arms being pinned at her side.

Panic bubbled up inside Rachel, just like it had at the concert.

The person in front of them stopped abruptly, causing Rachel to faceplant into their back. Her nose felt the brunt of the impact, and the pain jolted the girl out of her trance. As she rubbed it to try and subdue the pain, Rachel felt Marci's grip on her shoulder tighten.

Rachel finally looked up and saw the crowd of people had split in two. There was a man going the opposite direction as everyone else, and everyone was parting around him to get through the exit. The man took slow, deliberate steps towards Rachel. His eyes were hidden by the hood of his jacket, but both Marci and Rachel could feel the gaze on them.

Countless shivers ran down the teenager's whole body. It didn't take her even a second to realize who it was.

Before her parents had joined the church, Rachel used to live a generally relaxed life. She wasn't the brightest student, or the best athlete, but she didn't blend in. Rachel was a light in everyone's life, and she took great joy in that. She didn't really have to question her own identity or fear anything until their first Mortallurgy sermon.

The smooth voice that seemed to entrance everyone in that room. The swept back ginger hair. The sharp eyes that seemed to bore right through. Relaxed posture and body language that could fool anyone into thinking the leader cared for their personal wellbeing.