Him

Prologue

I heard them pounding on my door. They don't want me to open it, but they desperately need to get in. But they are not the ones that are in danger. They are the ones responsible for it, responsible for the terror of every citizen in the great land of Bethel.
I know that there is no way to stop them. I cannot get away from them by myself. They are here to take me away, to torture me, to make me conform. They know what I've done to their people, and they know that there is only one thing they can do about it. They're going to make it seem like I never existed. Destroy me apartment, destroy my belongings, destroy the memory of me.
I hear the door break, and I can hear them slowly and methodically walking towards me. I know exactly what I need to do to get away from these monsters, these Apostles of a fallen God. They are getting closer, I am panicking, but I need to think straight. In the grain on the corner of the hardwood flooring, I see a symbol, unrecognizable to the untrained eye. The symbol is a large circle surrounded by sixteen smaller circles. This is the only hope I have, the only hope humanity has. I press down on it with the big toe of my left foot and see the wall above it begin to shake. They are searching everywhere for me, and I have no time left.
Before me is a tiny hole, almost exactly the size of my body. That's the way that the Brotherhood designed it. I needed an escape route, and the smaller the better. Less time, less effort, less noticeable. With only a shirt and shorts, I squeeze my body into the hole specially designed for me. Before I am entirely inside, I hear their feet getting closer. I see their shiny black dress shoes underneath the door of my bedroom just as I enter the hole. The cover is replaced before they can get into my room, but they never even entered. They knew I was in there and sealed the door. As I attempt to crawl through the tiny tunnel I see before me, I feel the heat of the fire. My home has been destroyed. I know nothing of where I am going, but I know that I have nothing to return to. I will continue on my way knowing that only death waits behind me. I struggle for a seemingly endless amount of time.
My panic begins to dwindle, but I still feel intensely afraid. The Brotherhood may not be here anymore. Maybe they never intended to help me in the first place. Could this just be a way for the government of Bethel to ensare me within their traps? No. I trust the members of the Bethel Brotherhood, the group of people dedicated to restoring Bethel to its former glory. I believe in them, though I do not believe in the central dogmas that Bethel tries to push. I cannot accept their false explanations of the universe. For this, for the perpetuation of truth and for the destruction of lies, I push forward.
More time than I am aware has passed before I notice a change in the pathway that I have been following. Where I was only able to crawl along my belly, I can now walk on my hands and knees. The passage is getting bigger, and with every passing second, my hope expands. I continue to travel down this path until I think I see the end. But the end never comes. It is only the deception of my eye, treachery of my brain. At first my hope rises, but as I continue on down the unending path, it slowly dissipates. I keeping moving on, but I am left with the deep sense of helplessness and despair that constantly plagues my existence.
Again my hope jolts back into my numb body when I notice that the tunnel has expanded once again. Where I could only crawl on hands and knees, I can know walk on my knees alone, leaving my back fully erect. It gives me the same sense of hope that came with the previous expansion of the endless journey. The Brotherhood is going to help me. They wait for me at the end of this tunnel and I will be safe when I reach them. I continue to push these thoughts through my brain no matter how much my subconscious tells me to reject them. I know they're real, I have personally met most of the members. I do not know if they are still in existence or if they have disappeared into unwritten history. I tell myself that they are waiting for me, but they may only exist within my own memory.
For the final time, the hallway expands. This is the final burst of hope that I need to allow me to finish the eternal journey that began so long ago. Where I could only crawl on my knees, I can now walk perfectly upright with room to spare. The floor of the hall is smooth, bringing comfort to my bare feet. My shirt has been ripped to shreds from the perpetual crawling I was condemned to do. My shorts remain mostly intact, but I still long for a fresh pair. They must have new clothes for me, where ever it is that I end up. As I contemplate what I am doing, I am forced to think of how many others just like me have perished at the hand of Bethel. No longer do I consider the reality of the Brotherhood. I now begin to contemplate its size. It must be real. It must still remain at the end of this infinite length of earth. I will get there one day. But for now, I will keep on walking.
We started out on our feet, a proud and bold people. We were unwilling to accept the dogmas that were being pushed by Bethel. We knew that they were untrue. But there was nothing we could do about it. Brutal leaders forced us onto our knees where we continued to resist their advances. They had compromised our ability to rise, but not our ability to remain upright. They became more vicious, forcing those that remain to fall to our hands. Now we can only crawl, our advances slowed too much. It became apparent that we could not defeat them. Soon enough, they pushed us all the way down, forcing us onto our stomachs. But there will always be more of us.
The last of them, those forced onto our bellies, are few. We consist of sixteen people and contribute to what I hope lies at the end of this hallway. The Bethel Brotherhood cannot be destroyed. We will rise from our bellies and onto our hands and knees. Though the movement will be slow, we can get the rest of them. We are no longer afraid of what will come for us. I have nothing to live for, but I have everything to die for. When I find the Brotherhood, we will go after the rest of them and rise to our knees. The first of them are still out there. I am one of the first of them, along with the members of my Brotherhood. I am him, the first of them. With the help of my brothers, I will help us rise to our feet.
I finally approach the end of the tunnel. I see a large metal door with the symbol of the Brotherhood sloppily painted in white. I slowly pound on the door and wait patiently for it to open. As it slowly creeps open, it is nearly impossible to tell if I am greeted by the white clothes of the Brotherhood or by the black suits of evil.