Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen 2)

I was so out of my depth.

Judah squeezed my shoulders, obviously seeing the worry in my expression. “This is the most glorious of times, Cain. Do not fear it. This is the year you ascend to your rightful place amongst our people. The year you are introduced to the Chosen as our prophet, our Lord’s servant on Earth… our redeemer and savior. This is the moment we have prepared for our entire lives. You are meant to be here.”

Judah stopped us and turned me to face him when all I gave him was silence. He completely believed in our mission, but I just could not get up to speed. He should be leading, not I.

“I am your right-hand man. I am with you every step of the way in both guidance and support. You are my twin; our bond is more than merely brotherly or one of blood. We were one in our mother’s womb, split into two by the Lord who prophesied our future glory as his messengers. We shall rule and prevail together. I will do whatever you command. I serve to please you, to help you share the burden of your quest as the twelve disciples did with Jesus Christ.”

Judah was like a balm to me. Always present to calm me down and remind me of why we were here. But having spent years with The Hangmen, and then loving Mae so fiercely, I often felt that his efforts were a lost cause.

I nodded and cupped his bearded cheeks, trying to reassure him I was fine, even if I felt anything but. “You are indeed correct, Judah. This is our destiny. I will not let you or our people down. I am ready to do the Lord’s bidding, and I know you will be there for me in both the good and the challenging times.”

Judah clapped his hands together and grinned wide while I released a slow exhale. “Bless you, Cain. Bless you.” With a friendly slap on my back, we began walking at a leisurely pace, turning left to follow the cobblestoned gray path that transformed into a graveled trail through the acres and acres of green land.

Judah gestured to the commune. “So what do you think of New Zion?” Judah’s face appeared nervous as he waited for my answer. He so desperately sought my approval, believed completely that I was his prophet.

In the two weeks following the Hangmen’s deadly raid on The Order’s previous commune—while I’d been fleeing to The Pasture, my childhood home in Utah—Judah had been working round the clock with a newly formed elder council to find us a new land to call our own. A new land to house our people, to unite our followers, and a new land to protect God’s chosen people from the evil lurking outside our gates… the evil men who murdered our sacred prophet and massacred our brave and holy men who fought back against their unwanted invasion—The Hangmen, the motorcycle club that I’d had to live with under a new identity on request of Prophet David. Judah and the council constantly reminded me that they were heathens and sinners, and they wanted me to vow to take them all down for the pain and destruction they had bestowed on my people.

I had agreed, though I had no idea how to even begin to think of taking them out. I was tired of the violence and too consumed with just the idea of how to even be all that my people wanted me to be.

But worst of all, The Hangmen had the Cursed women of Eve. They had her… Salome, the woman revealed by the Lord to Prophet David to save our people and to secure their place in paradise by the union of marriage. The woman who must be my wife. The woman who nightly tormented my dreams, but all the while lay promiscuously with him, Styx. The man I hated most. She was mine. Mae should be with me, by my side.

Ridding my mind of all thoughts, I met Judah’s expectant gaze and smiled. “Brother, it is perfect. It is truly perfect for what we have planned, as a sanctuary for both our people and the Lord’s cause.”

Judah’s expression reflected his relief, tears of joy glistening in his eyes. “I am humbled to hear you say such words.”

“Judah, there is no need for ceremony with me. I am your twin. You are the one person who does not need to seek my approval. I need you. You’re all I have.”

Judah sighed and asked, “And your quarters?”

“They are more than I could ever dream.”

“That pleases me greatly, brother.”

For the past two weeks, I’d been kept in seclusion from all except Judah and the elder council at The Pasture to ensure my protection while the new commune was secured. New Zion was an ex-military base sold to us by a Chosen who lived undercover within the political mainframe. The base was perfect for The Order’s new home. It was secure, already had a mass of housing, communal areas, and we could become self-sufficient by using the many acres of arable land… but best of all, it wasn’t too far from our old commune, from all our alliances, yet it was far enough to be unsuspecting and off the common public’s radar.

“Are the people gathering to move here now, from all of the overseas communes?” I asked, nerves suddenly racking my body at the thought.

“The elders are organizing them as we speak. They are all very anxious to meet you, to be united, and to hear the Lord’s words spill from your mouth.”

I cast my eyes down so my twin did not see my fear. “I am sure they are. It has been a very difficult time for them of late. They need guidance and strong leadership. They need a new goal, a new hope… They need comfort that our dead will be avenged. We all need to finally band together, without fear of the outside world.”

“And you will be that hope, that solider for them,” Judah said with conviction. I could see the excitement of our revenge burning brightly in his brown eyes. Judah was determined to bring the wrath of Lord on all who wronged us… and I was right behind him.