“Yeah, Jesus worshippers, Bible freaks, folks like you,” he answered, clearly becoming frustrated.

Gazing at Ky’s handsome face, I said, “I do not understand. This is a church for Christ? People come here to worship?”

Ky nodded slowly, like I was ill of mind. “Yeah, what ain’t you getting, sweet cheeks? Church. God. No fuckin’ fun.”

“It is not that I do not understand the worship element, Ky. It is the fact this church exists outside of the great fence… outside of The Order. Is that what you are telling me?”

“Well, now it’s me that don’t understand,” he said, looking from me to the church and back again.

Fighting back panic, I said, “Prophet David told us we were the last people on Earth who were faithful to God, that all on the outside were evil sinners that rejected the Lord and his message. This was the reason we were segregated from the outside, to protect our beliefs from those who live to destroy us.”

Ky’s face contorted into anger. “Lilah, there’s a million fuckin’ churches across this country. Religious folk are everywhere, of all kinds of faiths. Prophet David was lying outta his wrinkled loose ass.”

“But how… I…” I trailed off, unknowing how to defend my late prophet’s scripture when I was seeing the evidence of his untruth with my own eyes.

Ky’s hand brushed back a loose strand of hair that had come free from my headdress, and he tucked it back behind my ear. I turned my face into his hand, not realizing tears were gliding down my cheeks. His kind gesture and touch surprised me.

Ky’s thumb wiped my tears away and he said, “Lilah, I know you ain’t wanting to believe it, but not much of what that shitbag said is true.”

“No…” I tried to argue, but Ky’s sympathetic eyes made me stop. I suddenly felt hot and pains stabbed at my chest. My hand lifted to rub at the sternum, but I found no relief.

“Lilah?” Ky asked, worried, and I shuffled uncomfortably on my seat, anxiety taking its hold.

“I cannot breathe,” I said shrilly. “I feel that I cannot breathe!”

“Fuck,” Ky hissed and pressed a button on the side of his door. The window beside me abruptly began to descend and a wave of cool evening air immediately calmed me down.

My head sank to the doorframe and I closed my eyes… and that is when I heard it, the blissful sounds of the Lord’s music drifting from the church. With a complete switch of emotions, I went from feeling despair to cherishing the melodic hymns.

“Beautiful,” I hushed out.

“Gospel,” Ky said in response. “Gospel music, choirs. It’s pretty damn popular ‘round these parts.”

“Giving Christ worship through song,” I said and smiled. It was serene, the first morsel of peace I had had since I was plucked from the protection of the commune. Mae, Bella, Maddie, and I often heard the other followers singing for the prophet during services. All four of us would sing along in the privacy of our quarters, wishing we were outside with the rest of our people.

I was not sure how long we sat in the truck, but I listened to every word of every song until all went silent and a group of people began filing out of the church, someone finally exiting and locking the doors shut.

I watched a happy man walk away humming a song, and Ky cleared his throat. “You ready to get going? We’ve been gone all day.”

I nodded my head in silence, and Ky pulled out onto the now-quiet road. The journey back to the compound somehow seemed longer. The lights from the large vibrant building gradually dimmed and let in nature’s glow. Ky and I did not speak, and he did not play his music. I was thankful, for it would have tainted the glorious lyrical words of praise still echoing in my mind.

My head was a foggy mess as I tried to understand why Prophet David had preached a false message. I questioned whether he was unaware of these faiths beyond the fence, or worse still, this church was a ruse and a way to lure lost souls through its doors, only for those with evil intent residing inside to do harm to an innocent.

Neither of those explanations sat well with me. And that music I had enjoyed was one of the purest, most awe-inspiring events I had ever witnessed.

Before I knew it, we were plunged into darkness on the old country lane, and within thirty minutes, the Hangmen’s concrete square compound hove into view.

Ky retrieved a small black fob from his pocket and, clicking a button on it, the gates began to open. As we rolled through the gates, the yard was quiet and still.

Ky switched off the engine and got out of his door. Just as I was about to pull the handle on my door, it suddenly opened, and Ky reached out to take my hand.

He watched me warily, almost with worry. Accepting his hand, I jumped out of the door, feeling tiredness in every one of my bones.

Ky walked me to the back of the building, to the door that led to my quarters. As we stopped, I looked up into his eyes, and he asked, “You doing okay, sweet cheeks? Had a lotta new things coming your way today.”

Dipping my eyes, I took a deep breath and peered up back up at him. “Thank you,” I said quietly. Ky appeared taken aback. “Thank you for showing me those wonders today. I know it was not what you wanted to do with your time, but it meant very much to me. The church was…” I failed to find any words to do the experience justice. It had called to me, stirred something lying dormant within my soul.

Ky fidgeted on the spot and dropped his hand. Opening the door, he stood by to watch me pass, not saying a word, but as I stepped past, I asked, “Are we to do this again, tomorrow, I mean?”