The Horrors of Indoctrination

Chapter 15: Living Nightmare

Chapter 15: Living Nightmare

Mumbi’s feet pounded against the ground as she ran to Mary’s house, her lungs burning. Her mind spun with panic over Maina’s accidental slip of the tongue to the church elder about Ndungu’s location.

When she reached Mary’s home, she could barely speak through her gasps for air. Mumbi flung the door open to find her mother’s friend looking shocked at her disheveled, frantic appearance. “Mumbi! What’s wrong?” Mary quickly pulled her inside. Bent over with her hands on her knees, Mumbi struggled to catch her breath and speak.

“The... elders... they know!” Mary’s eyes widened in fear.

“Know what? Tell me!”

Finally able to take a deep breath, Mumbi straightened and grabbed Mary’s arms urgently. “Maina told the elder that Ndungu is here! They know we took him from the church!”

A low cry escaped Mary’s lips as the realization hit. Ndungu’s disappearance, as a loyal guard of the Heavenly Gates, would be a top priority for the cult to solve. And now they had the answer.

“Mother said you must get Ndungu out of here immediately!” Mumbi whispered urgently, looking around nervously. “Before the elders and their guards come!” Mary felt a chill run through her.

“But where? Where can I take him?”

“I don’t know,” Mumbi shook her head frantically. “Just... away from here! Anywhere they can’t find him until we”

A soft knock at the door interrupted her. Both women froze, exchanging terrified looks. Had the church’s soldiers already found them?

With shaking hands, Mary reached for the latch, bracing herself for the worst. She opened the door slightly and sagged with relief at the sight of a familiar, kind face.

“Karanja!” She quickly pulled the older man inside, away from prying eyes.

“You came at the best time!” The former elder looked between the two of them with concern. “What’s happened? You both look scared like gazelles before a lion.”

Mumbi wasted no time explaining the disaster and how her younger brother had accidentally revealed Ndungu’s location to an elder. Panic rose in her voice again.

“We can’t let them find him and take him back to the church! We know too much about their terrible practices now. Who knows what they will do when Ndungu tells them everything we’re planning.”

The awful truth hit her as she spoke. The cult would show them no mercy for what they saw as betrayal.

Karanja’s face grew worried as Mary continued to speak. He nodded slowly in agreement. “You’re right. We can’t leave him here. It’s dangerous for all of us.” His old face looked pale with fear, but he braced himself. “I’ll get him ready. I’ll take Ndungu with me and move from this village to a place where the church can’t reach him. But we’ll have to hide overnight in the forest, then head out tomorrow morning before the news of his disappearance spreads to all elders.”

The two women stared at him in disbelief and gratitude. Karanja was risking everything by helping them. Without hesitation, the former elder moved to the back room where Ndungu lay, semi-conscious. Mary made sure he was drunk with traditional brew to ensure he was not strong enough to run. For a moment after Karanja left, Mary and Mumbi could only stare at the empty space where Ndungu had been, their hearts pounding with both relief and fear. One of their own had successfully carried out his duty to sacrifice his life for everyone’s safety. Karanja had no business helping them, but he did anyway.

This moment of reflection was broken by a loud knock at the front door. Mumbi and Mary jumped, their eyes wide with panic.

“Mary! Open this door at once!” a commanding voice shouted from outside. Mumbi’s throat tightened in terror. The elders had arrived, probably because her brother had accidentally given them information. She looked desperately at her mother’s friend, who quickly regained her composure.

“The back window, quickly!” Mary whispered urgently, pushing Mumbi ahead of her. “Get home before they see you here!”

Mumbi moved quickly, casting one last fearful glance at Mary before opening the window. She slipped out into the small garden just as the front door began to break under the elders’ furious pounding. Taking a deep breath, Mumbi forced herself to move. She ran to the rickety fence and climbed over it, her lightweight frame easily clearing the worn slats. The familiar paths between the houses guided her as she ran, pushing her tired legs to carry her swiftly toward the safety of home.

Back in Mary’s house, the elders’ heavy footsteps and shouted orders echoed as they searched for Ndungu. They spread through Mary’s small home like hungry wolves, their faces hard with anger. They turned over every piece of furniture and searched every corner with ruthless efficiency. But their harsh search found no sign of the missing Ndungu or any evidence he had been hidden there.

Frustrated growls echoed through the small space as the search came up empty.

“Enough of this woman’s lies!” one of the senior elders finally shouted. “Tie her up and take her to the Prophet. He will get the truth out of her.” Before Mary could protest, two strong guards grabbed her. They pinned her slight frame and wrenched her arms behind her back, tying them tightly with coarse rope. She cried out in pain and panic.

“Please, I haven’t done anything!” she pleaded desperately as they started to drag her to the door. “I don’t know where Ndungu is!” Her words were ignored, and the elders’ faces dismissed her pleas.

“Your lies only make things worse. The Prophet will get the truth from you.”

Worried and trembling, Mary stumbled between her captors in terrified silence. She knew well the cruel punishments the cult’s leaders could inflict.

Soon, the old stone facade of the Heavenly Gates church loomed ahead, like a sign of her doomed fate. Mary’s heart pounded with fear, but she forced herself to stay outwardly calm. It’s within these walls that her son’s bones lay, and that realization made her feel a sense of peace despite the chaos surrounding her. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but for families like Wanja’s who were trapped in the cult with her. If she broke and revealed what she knew, it could mean even more suffering for them. The cult had almost taken over Mary’s mind once before. But now, she clung fiercely to her last shreds of free will and spirit. Whatever cruelties the Prophet had in store, she would not betray Wanja, Mumbi, and the others. The large doors opened as they approached, inviting Mary into the dark heart of the cult’s church as a form of punishment for her defiance.

She lifted her chin, ready to face whatever torment lay ahead. She might not have survived, but at least she could protect those who still had a chance to escape from this horrible place and its teachings. With that final vow strengthening her, Mary let the elders push her into the gloomy church as she awaited the terrifying judgment of the Prophet.

Mumbi didn’t look back after she left, focusing only on getting far enough away to stay out of their reach. Finally, she reached her family’s small home. Mumbi burst through the door, breathing hard with exertion and panic.

Wanja rushed over, alarmed at her daughter’s disheveled and fearful state. “Mumbi! What happened?” She gripped her daughter’s shoulders tightly.

Between gasps for air, Mumbi quickly explained what had happened: Karanja hiding Ndungu, the elders arriving at Mary’s house, and Mary urging her to flee while she could.

Soon after Mumbi explained what had happened, Wanja moved with urgent haste, quickly gathering the few belongings they could carry for their desperate escape. Her mind raced with everything that had unraveled, Maina revealing Ndungu’s location, Mary being captured by the elders, and the looming threat that their family’s continued defiance would soon be discovered by the Prophet.

They had no time to make any other plans or provisions. Wanja could only hope that Karanja had managed to get to safety with Ndungu. As she crossed the small room to collect Sheri’s few worn-out belongings, Wanja’s heart ached at the sight of her eldest daughter. The poor girl lay still on the thin mattress, her eyes flickering, murmuring broken verses and desperately pleased with the cult’s influence having shattered her fragile mind. Gently lifting Sheri into her arms, Wanja was horrified by how thin and frail her daughter felt reduced to skin and bones by relentless spiritual a***e.

An angry red wound on her calf had worsened, now a festering infection that had spread up her leg to the thigh, the flesh discolored and swollen. A strangled cry escaped Wanja’s throat. Her baby had suffered so much while they remained in this cursed place. How much more could her body and mind endure? Tears streamed down Wanja’s cheeks as sorrow, rage, and despair gripped her. Taking Sheri in this state risked prolonging her pain or leaving her vulnerable to more infections. But abandoning her to Mwangi’s cruelty was unthinkable.

With a trembling breath, Wanja decided no mother should ever face it. She would end Sheri’s suffering herself by freeing her daughter’s tormented soul before the cult completely erased what little humanity remained. Holding Sheri tightly, her shoulders shaking with sobs, she kissed her daughter’s clammy forehead, whispering a trembling goodbye. Then, with immense effort, she began to shift Sheri in her arms, preparing to smother her. “Mother? Mother, what are you doing?!”

Mumbi’s voice rang out in horror, breaking the silence like a lightning strike. Wanja looked up to see her younger daughter standing in the doorway, face pale, eyes wide with disbelief.

“I... I can’t let her suffer anymore,” Wanja choked through her sobs. “My poor baby, there’s nothing left but pain!”

Mumbi rushed forward, grabbing her mother’s arms.

“No! You can’t do this. I won’t let you damn yourself further!”

Tears now streamed down Mumbi’s cheeks.

“Please... let me carry the burden of Sheri’s passing. Don’t stain your soul with this unforgivable act!”

Wanja trembled. “But to flee with her in this state.”

“I will bear her weight,” Mumbi interrupted, her voice laced with grim determination. “I will carry Sheri’s broken body to a safe place... and I will kill Mwangi, just like Karanja suggested. And if none of that works, if nothing helps her, then I will take on the burden of easing her suffering.” She gripped her mother’s shoulders tightly, her voice firm. “I couldn’t live with myself if I let you destroy your soul for Sheri’s sake. Please... let me take on this terrible task instead.”

Wanja’s sobs grew louder as she clutched Sheri close. Could she give this dreadful burden to her other daughter?

But Mumbi’s words made sense. If they stayed even a minute longer, the cult would find them and tear their family apart.

Finally, with a heartbreaking nod, Wanja agreed. Mumbi gently took Sheri into her arms, holding her sister’s limp body close. Her eyes were filled with grief, but her jaw was set in determination.

“Go and gather the others,” she told her mother, her voice steady despite the horror she had embraced.

“I will follow with Sheri... one way or another.” Wanja nodded again, quickly collecting what little they owned.

She cast one last anguished look at her daughter, one carrying the other in her final moments and whispered a prayer to any divine power that might still hear her. She prayed that Mumbi’s soul would remain untouched by the darkness she was about to face. Then Wanja turned and fled the room. The shadows had grown long, casting the village in a golden dusk glow. For Wanja, it was the signal that they had to escape now, before the cult’s grip closed in fully.

She moved through the narrow paths between homes, avoiding the main roads where Mwangi’s enforcers might be lurking. Her destination was the modest home of Wanjohi and his parents, former believers in the Heavenly Gates who had begun to question the cult’s dark descent after losing their son.

Wanja knocked firmly on the worn wooden door, anxiety pressing on her chest. The door cracked open, revealing Siko Wanjohi’s mother, her face lined with fear.

“Sister Wanja...” Siko whispered as she opened the door wider. “We feared the enforcers had already come for us. There have been whispers all day...”

“Then we have no time to waste,” Wanja said quickly. “Is Wanjohi and your husband here? I need to speak with all of you.”

Siko nodded, bringing Wanjohi from the back room. His father emerged as well, his eyes hollow. Since burying their son in a shallow forest grave, the man had barely spoken. When Wanjohi saw Wanja’s disheveled state, he immediately grasped the seriousness of her visit.

She wasted no time. “My family and I must leave—tonight. Before, Heavenly Gates punished us for our defiance. You should come too, if you want to save your mind and soul.”

Siko gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Wanjohi clenched his jaw and nodded.

Wanja continued, “We’ll only take what we can carry. Say goodbyes quietly if you must. Meet me at the hill path beyond the forest once night falls.”

Siko looked like she wanted to protest, but the fear in her eyes silenced her. Wanjohi placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be ready, Sister Wanja. We’ve been counting on this plan to save us from this spiritual sickness.”

Gratitude swelled in Wanja’s chest as she looked into the young man’s eyes.

“Then prepare quickly,” she said. “When it’s fully dark, we move.”

As she turned to leave, her thoughts raced back to Mumbi and Sheri. She prayed that Mumbi’s spirit would stay strong.

Just as she stepped away, Wanjohi stopped her.

“Please, Sister Wanja... let me come with you now. You may need help...”

He paused, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Wanja’s breath caught. She understood.

He was offering to help Mumbi with Sheri to carry the unbearable weight of her suffering or her death.

She gave him a solemn nod.

With Wanjohi beside her, Wanja took one last look at the village that had once been her spiritual home.

Now, it was just a place of grief, deception, and oppression under Mwangi’s twisted rule. Soon, they would cross its boundaries and leave the horrors behind.

If they had enough strength, enough sanity left to push forward, they could survive.

The hours ahead would be brutal, full of risk. But nothing was better than letting the Heavenly Gates consume their souls. Wanja whispered a final prayer.

To any higher power that still listened, she begged:

“Give us the strength to endure this escape... and the courage to live free again.”