Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 17:11:02 -0700
From: Dan Kirk <kirkjr2@cox.net>
Subject: Mists of Fate: The New God 7

Mists of Fate Chapter 7 -- The Amusement Park

Dreams can be a pleasant diversion from reality.  They can also be the most
deadly of traps. -- Shaper J'Stan


The darkness was receding, being replaced by a blurry light that was almost
painful.  Something blocked part of that light out, a darker blur that
slowly resolved itself into the face of a handsome woman.  Her dark curls
framed a gentle face with calm smile and bright eyes that looked down at
him.

"How is our young man this morning?" she said, her voice was a rich
contralto, soothing to his ears.

"I..uh...ok" he said, having to clear his throat a little.  His voice was
rusty, and his mouth felt clogged.

"Good, here drink some of this, it'll help." The kind voice said.  He could
feel his head being lifted, generating a brief bout of dizziness, then a
cool cup being put to his lips.  It was tilted, and a liquid was demanding
entrance past his cracked, dry lips.  He parted them, then felt a moment of
panic that receded when he tasted nothing more than water.

"That's a good boy.  Now, do you feel up to answering some questions?" the
woman asked.  He nodded his head slowly.

"Okay, sweetie, can you remember your name?"

"And..Andrew Tylers" He answered her after a moment.  It felt a little
weird at first, but after he spoke it, it felt right.

"That's good, now can you remember if you have any brothers and sisters?"

"Ye..I mean no." he said after a moment's pause.

"How about your best friend?"

"J..Justin?" he said after a moment's pause.

"You're doing good, dear.  Now, do you remember your parents?"

"Nnnn...No." he said after a moment, and tears welled up in his eyes. He
knew he should be able to, but he couldn't even remember them!

"That's okay dear.  Do you remember me at all?" the kind woman asked.

He just shook his head `no'.  The threatened tears started falling down his
face, and sobs started wracking him.  It took no time at all for him to
feel her arms wrapped around him, and the faint smell of vanilla filled his
nostrils as she pressed his head against her bosom.

"Here now, Andy.  It's okay, you're going to be fine.  You've been in a
coma for three weeks, love.  The fever that caught your parents got you
too. Don't worry if you can't remember some things, it's a nasty side
effect.  Justin's going to be okay, too.  You're the last to recover from
the fever, dear."

"But, where will I stay?" Andy asked softly through the sobs he couldn't
stop.

"Why, now, here, with me and Justin, dear." Justin's mom said softly.  Her
name drifted to Andy's head.

"Really, Cindy?  Do you mean it?" Andy asked softly, not really believing
she'd be so nice.

"Why not? You spend almost as much time here as Justin does anyway."
Cindy's laugh was contagious, and Justin felt his tears dribbling to a
stop.

"Where's Justin, can I see him now?" Andy asked.

"He's at school, now dear.  He'll be back later." Cindy said softly,
letting Andy lie back in bed.  "Why don't you get some more rest and we can
start you moving around later today.  You've been in bed for so long that
you're going to have to spend some time getting use to walking again before
you go back to school."

"Ok, Cindy.  Thank you." Andy said softly as the darkness of sleep seemed
to surround him again.

It seemed like it was only minutes before he felt a hand grasping his own.
He opened his eyes just a tiny bit and would see his best friend kneeling
at his bedside.  Justin's hair was so blond it could be called white, and
his bangs hung down over his eyes.  His usual impish grin made his face
seem so innocent, but Andy knew better.  He squeezed back and was rewarded
by Justin's grin growing even wider.

"Hey sleepyhead, Momma told me you were coming back to the land of the
living." Justin said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah, and what's my reward?  I get to look at your ugly mug." Andy
whispered, his voice still hoarse.

"Just for that I ain't gonna give you no water." Justin said, his grin
turning a little evil.  His free hand lifted a cup of water that looked
mighty good right about now.

"I'll tell Cindy." Andy said softly, his own grin widening.

"So?  You know what she'll say..."

"Yeah, yeah, `Bad manners is no excuse for treating someone else poorly'."
Andy said.

"Yup..Hey!  That's not what I was thinking." Justin said, realizing the
quote dealt with HIM more than Andy.

"Doesn't matter what you think, just what she says." Andy teased his
friend.

"Okay, okay!  Here's your water." Justin said, his tone harsh, but the
smile on his face, the twinkle in his eyes, told Andy that he was happy.
He put the cup to Andy's lips and held it for him while he drank the cool
water.

"I've missed you." Justin said after a bit, tears welling in his eyes.

"I missed you too." Andy answered.

"I was so worried you weren't gonna make it!" Justin cried softly,
squeezing Andy's hand firmly.

"Well, I did." Andy said softly.  His memories were like swiss cheese.  He
knew Justin, knew they were friends, but didn't know much more than that.
He couldn't even remember how old he was!

"At least you're still here.  Momma said you lost some of your memory.  Is
she right?" Justin asked, there was a little catch in his throat as he
asked.

"Uhhuh. But, I do remember one thing.  When she asked me who my best friend
was, I said your name." Andy said softly.  Justin's face grew even brighter
at that and he jumped up and gave Andy a kiss.  The moment their lips
touched, Andy felt like a spark had hit him.  He smiled and returned the
kiss until he heard the sound of someone clearing her throat.

"Boys, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful about that?"
Cindy said from the doorway to the room.

"But it's the first time I remember you telling me." Andy said quickly.

"I seem to remember our little Justin hearing it a time or two." Cindy
replied just as quickly.

"I know Mom, but, jeez, we're in our own trailer." Justin said, hanging his
head down.

"Yes, and who is in town right now?" Cindy persisted.

"Those two Baptists." Justin answered, hanging his head lower.

"Exactly, and what would happen if they saw you two?"

"A lot of bad things." Justin whispered.

"Right.  Now Andy, I know you are probably not remembering a lot of things
right now. It's a side effect of the fever you recovered from.  The damn
thing has been moving through us like wildfire.  The good news is that once
you've had it, you don't get it again so long as you survive.  The bad news
is that the memory loss is usually permanent.  You're lucky, you remember a
lot more than some people, but there are a lot of things you have
forgotten.  Justin is going to be helping you to fill in the blanks, and to
know the things you must know to survive here.  Our life is not easy, but
it is a decent one."

"Yes, ma'am." Andy said quietly, meeting her stern gaze with a firm will.
For some reason, having Justin here made things seem easier.  Maybe he was
in love with the boy.

"Good, now Justin, why don't you get him started on those exercises I
showed you.  It'd be good to be able to get him to the dinner table on his
own. Oh, and don't forget to empty the bedpan."

"Yes, ma'am." Justin said, blushing a little.  Andy blushed even more as he
realized it who had filled the bedpan.

The next few hours passed quickly for the two boys.  Justin took Andy
through several range of motion exercises for his arms and legs, and even
got him to sit up on his own.  Justin's steady encouragement and constant
touching proved both a confidence booster and a distraction.  Shortly
before dinner, Justin had gotten Andy to the point of standing.  First Andy
had pushed himself into a sitting position, then resting his hands on
Justin's shoulders, he'd levered himself to a standing position.  Now they
stood face to face, and Andy realized they were of the exact same height.
He could see his own blond hair falling into his eyes, like Justin's, and
it was nearly the same color.  They both stood there, smiling into each
other's eyes, when the heard the sound of someone coming down the hallway.

"I see you were right, he is doing better." A gruff voice said into the
silence.  Justin tried to move back, but was stopped by Andy's hands on his
shoulders, leaning on him. Andy turned slowly and saw two men who looked
very imposing standing in the doorway; Cindy was behind them. They both
wore dark suits, had close-cropped hair, and stern expressions on their
faces.

"Yes, Pastor Harkin.  I've shown Justin all the exercises to get Andrew
back on his feet, and it looks like they're doing it right."

"Well, just remember your place, woman." The second man said sternly. "It's
alright for you to share your learning from the old days, but don't you be
using it!"

"Yes, Pastor Lerner." Cindy said, her tone humble and head lowered to the
floor.  "That's why Justin is helping him.  I'm helping him learn so that
he can use those skills to help the community."

"How old are the boys now?" Pastor Harkin, the first man, asked.  Justin
whispered to Andy, who started lifting each leg, one at a time, and flexing
them slowly.

"They are both thirteen.  Justin will reach fourteen in three months, Andy
in four." Cindy said, her tone still humble, but a little more guarded.

"Then they will soon be old enough for marriage.  I expect both boys to
start attending Wednesday bible sessions, is that clear?" Pastor Harkin
said, his voice letting everyone know he would brook no argument.

"Yes Pastor." Cindy said quietly.

"Good.  You heathens are lucky we let you stay here." Pastor Lerner said,
his voice taking on a superior tone.  "You may be too old to trust as
parishioners, but by the power of God we will make sure your children grow
up knowing His ways."

"Yes, Pastor." Cindy whispered this time.  Both men turned to leave, and
Cindy backed out of their way in the narrow hallway.  Their feet nearly
stomped out of the home, and this time, Andy could hear the door slam
behind them.  Cindy came back into their room in time to watch as Justin
helped Andy back onto the bed.  Tears flowed down her cheeks as she watched
the loving tenderness between the two.

"I'm sorry, Justy." She whispered softly to her son.

"It's alright mom, we knew this day was coming. We both know how to handle
the bastards." Justin said softly as he was lowering Andy back to a
reclining position.

"You might know, but I can't remember, remember?" Andy whispered.  He was
tired already, and getting hungry.

"Why don't we refresh your memory over dinner.  I think we'll eat in here,
you look a little flustered." Cindy said softly.  As soon as she left the
room, Justin leaned into Andy and started sobbing softly.  Andy was tired,
but he still found the strength to lift his arms and put them around his
friend.  They stayed like that until Cindy walked back into the room,
balancing three trays of food.  Most of the food was vegetables, salads
with some type of oil dressing, and a few thin strips of a white meat.  As
soon as she set the trays on the bed, Justin got up and brought two more
chairs in while she brought three glasses and a pitcher of what looked like
ice tea.

Silently, all three began to eat.  Despite the simple nature of the dinner,
it was delicious to Andy, and he ate ravenously.  Justin plowed through his
just as quickly, while Cindy did little more than pick at the edges of her
meal.  When both boys had finished, and thanked her, she smiled a little
and began to eat a little more heartily.

"So, who is going to fill my memory gap about those two men?" Andy asked
when Cindy was almost half-done.  Her face spasmed a little, and Justin
stepped in to the conversation.

"I might as well since mom ain't done." Justin said, then amended at
Cindy's frown. "I mean since mom is not done yet."

"That's better." Cindy said after swallowing the bite of her salad. All
three of the chuckled.

"Do you remember about the Event? Justin asked Andy, who shook his head.

"Okay, depending on if the Baptists are teaching or if you hear it from one
of us, the Event was either God's curse on the world or a big screw-up.
Something made all the oil go bad and not work anymore.  They use to have
big machines and stuff that flew and everything, but they all stopped
working when the oil went bad.  Mom and the rest of the people here, they
were students and teachers at a big school just outside of the town.

"Well, after the big Event happened, things went to hell.  There use to be
a big government that kept everyone in, um, `check?'"  That last was said
with a quizzical look over at Cindy, who nodded back with a smile.  She
seemed to be eating more now as Justin was telling the story.

"Well, anyway, that government pretty much collapsed quickly out here.  We
are in the backwoods of the country and don't have any, uh, resources that
be especially important.  So we got ignored pretty quickly.  Then this
preacher showed up in town a few years ago.  His name's Reverend
Patrickson.  He's still here so you have to be real nice to him.

"Anyway, he started preaching that it was the evil scholars who'd caused
all the world's problems and that if people wanted to be saved, they had to
return to God.  After a couple of weeks of his preaching, people were all
riled up and they turned on the school mom and the others attended.  Mom
was a third year medical student."

"The National Guard tried to stop them," Cindy said quietly. Andy could see
her eyes looking like she was seeing something besides what was in the
room.  "There were only twelve guardsmen, and thousands of them.  They tore
the school apart, and...and hanged most of the students and faculty they
found.  Only three hundred of us made it off-campus.  At least the
Guardsmen held them back long enough for us to get away."

"Hanged?" Andy asked, not sure what they meant.

"Put a rope around their necks, then strung them over the trees on campus.
The rope cut off their ability to breath so the people suffocated to
death." Cindy answered, the horrible memory plain on her face.

"My dad was one of them." Justin whispered, tears making fresh streaks on
his face "I remember the night vaguely. Mom gave me to Mr. Tylers to carry
cause she was helping the wounded. He carried both of us in his arms all
the way."

"Exactly." Cindy said softly, pushing away the now empty tray and refilling
her glass of tea. She continued the story after taking a sip.

"Those of us that escaped, settled here.  It's an old amusement park, a
place people went to have fun and escape the realities of everyday life.
It was fitting that we should use it to try to escape the horrors of the
new world.  Reverend Patrickson, after having burnt our college, moved to
gain total control over anyone in town.  They declared the United States
dead and that they were forming a new America.  They based the new country,
and their new laws on old ideas, ideas that those of us from the college
found to be repulsive.

"We sent people in to town every now and then, to see what was going
on. About a year afterwards, they caught one of our people and tortured
them into revealing where we were.  Then they showed up here, about fifty
of them with guns, Reverend Patrickson in the lead.

"They weren't happy with what they saw.  In town, they'd hanged or burned
all the people who knew how the water system, the sewer system, all the
technology worked.  They were suffering from diseases that we avoided.  We
had running water, a good sewage system, and even a little bit of
electricity.  They smashed all that, burned our books.  We couldn't fight
them, they had guns and we didn't."  Tears flowed down her face as she
continued.

"That preacher though, he wanted some of the things we had.  He gave us a
choice, we make things work for his town, or he would kill us all.  He also
made us send you kids to their church services and forbid us to teach you
anything unless they approve.  I'm supposed to be teaching you two about
being a doctor. Their rules don't let woman work, but he sure is willing
use our knowledge.."

"That means that we have to be careful." Justin continued for his
mother. "Mom and the others teach us older kids, who remember life before
the preacher showed up, most of the things that he forbids.  We can't let
them know that though, so we have to keep it quiet."

"There's also another thing that he forbids that you should be aware of."
Cindy said quietly. "They have very strict rules on who can, um, love each
other.  In the old days, people were learning that it was all right for two
boys, or two girls to love each other.  The preacher doesn't like that sort
of thing.  He teaches that two boys can be friends, but nothing more.  If
he knew about the relationship you two have, well if we're lucky he'd just
hurt the two of you.  More likely he'd kill you outright."

"Tell him the rest mom." Justin whispered.

"He's also declared that at age fourteen, all of our kids will be married
to people from town.  Once you're married, you have to move to town and
live there for the rest of your lives." Cindy said, her voice already
sharing the pain of that future loss.

"But, who would we marry?" Andy asked.

"Some girl they pick for us.  We have to make little babies for them within
the first two years of marriage and then have to have as many as possible."
Justin spat out, a look of disgust on his face.

"Why would I want to do something like that?" Andy asked, his stomach
queasy at the thought of making a baby with a girl.  He may not have all
his memories, but he knew that Justin was whom he wanted.

"It's not a matter of what we want, but what the preachers want." Cindy
said quietly. "They've taken four boys and two girls so far.  Two of the
boys and both girls killed themselves within a few months of making the
move.  We've tried to talk the preachers into waiting until you're older,
and we may be making some progress.  Carolyn killed herself last month and
she was three months pregnant."

"I, I don't want to go.  I won't let them make me get married." Andy said
softly.

"Andy, we both have to do it, or everyone here could get into trouble."
Justin whispered.  "If we just leave, they will punish everyone and hunt us
down and kill us!"

"Look, Andy, it's still a few months away.  Let's worry about that when the
time comes, okay?" Cindy said softly.

"Okay." Andy whispered.

"Well, then, for now, you just need to remember that certain things are
okay when no one from town is around.  Also, when you have to go to their
services, you follow along and don't let on if they say anything you don't
like. Understand?" Cindy said, laying things out for him.

"Okay, I think I can do that." Andy said.

"Thank you." Justin said, then got a really pensive look on his face.  "Oh,
you need to be careful around Terrence too.  He's the only other boy close
to our age here.  He's twelve now.  He, um, well the preachers are getting
to him.  He's starting to think like them more and more, spouting off their
stuff all the time.  Don't let on about us, or what we think about the
preachers in front of him, k?"

"Okay, but if he's like that, why are we hanging around him?" Andy asked.

"Because it would look suspicious and he'd tell them that." Cindy said.
"We stopped teaching him about other things when we noticed his behavior
change.  Now he gets nothing more than what we are allowed to teach him.
Just be careful around him, son."

"Thanks...mom." Andy said, making a decision about his relationship with
Cindy.  If his parents really were gone, she was definitely filling that
role already and he needed her love.

"I love you Andy, and you Justin." Cindy said, going to the bedside and
cupping both their chins in her hands.  She kissed each of them on the
forehead before taking the empty trays back to the kitchen.

Justin rose from the chair he was sitting in and moved onto the bed so that
he was stretched out on his side, facing Andy.  For an hour they just laid
like that, staring into each other's eyes, with an occasional kiss on the
face.  They were startled out of their reverie by Cindy reminding them that
Andy needed to exercise some more. The rest of the evening passed quickly
as Andy stretched protesting muscles, and Justin enjoyed the chance to
touch Andy all over.  He also used that time to talk about the other kids,
and adults here at the Amusement Park, and to describe what was safe to say
and do around whom.  By the time Cindy popped her head in and told them it
was time for bed, both of them were tired and ready for sleep.  Justin
slipped off his jeans and t-shirt, and climbed in next to Andy.  Both boys
drifted off to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

The next few days passed quickly for both of them, as Andy grew stronger
and stronger.  By the time Sunday arrived, he was walking fairly well and
had even made it all the way around the amusement park.  The bad side of
his recovery was that he was now obligated to attend the Sunday services
with the rest of the kids.

Carts drawn by horses were waiting on the edge of the park early in the
morning.  As two of the oldest, Andy and Justin drove the cart with the
other fifteen kids in the back.  They had to leave just as the sky was
beginning to lighten.  By the time they arrived on the edge of town, the
sky had brightened with early morning.  As always a haze hung over the sky,
blocking a direct view of the sun.

First they had an hour of "Sunday School".  Their teacher, a prune faced
old man, mercilessly grilled them over bible passages.  Andy had his hand
whacked several times when he couldn't recite them.  Then they had to
endure a lecture on the evils of the world, according to Reverend
Patrickson.

"So, as you can see now, it was the wickedness and evil of the sodomites
that caused our country's downfall.  If we had all followed the Reverend,
as we do now, none of the bad things would have happened!"

"But," Andy started to whisper, but was stopped by a kick from Justin.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Tylers?" the old teacher asked, his
voice a sneer.  "I would think a boy who nearly died, and whose parents did
die for their sins, would have better encouragement than to question the
word of God!"

The rest of the hour passed by slowly for Andy, who realized that
discretion really was needed, kept his mouth shut.  The sermon, today being
given by Pastor Lerner was even worse.  It went on for hours and hours and
was full of ranting and raving on the sins of people who were long dead.
It seemed like they blamed everyone for their problems but themselves!
Andy just couldn't grasp the twisted logic behind their message.

As they rode back to the park, Terrence joined them on bench in front of
the cart, bubbling over about all the things that had been said in church
that day.  A feeling of nausea rose in Andy and he vomited over the side of
the cart.  The food they'd been given was moldy at best and hearing the
garbage being repeated by Terrence sent his queasy stomach over the edge.
The brown haired boy looked at him with a look of confusion.

"What's the matter Andy?" the boy asked, his voice still showing his youth.
"I'd thought that after spending a day hearing the blessings of God you'd
be feeling better."

"He's just a little tired." Justin said quickly, before Andy could fire off
the retort he had ready.

"Yeah, I'm tired, Ter." Andy said, using the nickname of the kid.

"Don't call me that, I'm Terrence." The boy said loudly.  "Besides, I got
some really good news today!"

"Oh what was that?" Justin said slowly, trying to sound excited.

"I asked Pastor Lerner if I could become a preacher like him when I get
older and he said I could!  Isn't that GREAT?!" Terrence was shouting at
the end.  Andy looked back at the other kids in the wagon while Justin
congratulated the boy.  Most of the other kids had a look of disgust on
their faces. The youngest ones just had a glazed look.  Terrence kept on
babbling about the greatness of the preachers and how the world was going
to be a better place as they took more and more power.

"Shut up, Terrence." Andy said about halfway through their return
journey. The boy stopped for a moment, and stared at Andy.

"You can't stop the word of God, Andy.  It's not right." Terrence said, his
voice a violent whisper.

"I'm not stopping the word of God, Ter, just your yapping mouth." Andy said
snappishly, ignoring the frantic faces that Justin was making.  Justin was
holding the reigns and sitting between them.

"I'm gonna be a preacher Andy, and that means that whatever I say is the
word of God, he speaks through his ministers!" Terrence retorted.

"When you're a preacher, we'll all be happy to listen to your teachings,
Terrence." Justin said quickly, before Andy could speak what was on his
tongue.  "Now, Andy's been real sick lately, why don't we just let him rest
in peace and enjoy the beautiful world around us that God has provided?"

"Okay, Justin.  But Andy better watch it or his soul will be burning in
hell just like parents!  It was their evil ways that brought their fever
down on his family and that's why they all died."

Justin dropped the reins in Terrence's lap and grabbed a hold of Andy
before he could swing at the younger boy.  Neither said anything, but their
eyes flashed at each other mere inches apart.  Silently, Andy nodded and
climbed over the railing to join the rest of the kids in the back.  The
kids on either side of him put their arms around him as he sobbed quietly.
No one spoke again until they'd returned to the park.

Justin helped support an exhausted Andy back to the small trailer they
called home.  It had seen better days, but was still solid.  Cindy was
waiting for them, food already on the table. As they ate their dinner,
Justin told Cindy about the incident with Terrence.

"What did you hope to accomplish by challenging him, Andy?" She asked, her
voice tinged with concern.

"I don't know." Andy mumbled into his plate.  He was tired, and did not
feel up to the conversation.

"Then why did you say anything?" She continued pressing him.

"Because he was wrong!" Andy nearly shouted.

"So, could your challenging him accomplish anything?"

"No." he told her, his voice dejected.

"Andy, I know it's hard.  You need to understand, though, that we are not
in a position to challenge these people, or Terrence.  They have the power
to kill us, Andy, and they will use it if we challenge them. Terrence has
chosen to side with them, so he is as dangerous as them"

"Okay." Andy whispered, tired and defeated.  He went to bed early that
night, clinging tightly to Justin.

The next day was little better.  He was now strong enough to return to the
small school that had been set up in the shadow of a great wooden roller
coaster.  Most of the teachers seemed disheartened about their subjects,
except for the teacher from town.  The man was zealous in his subject,
Bible Study.  The whole subject, which was twice as long as any other
class, made him sick to his stomach.  What made it worse was that as the
class was dismissed, the teacher called for him to come up to his desk.

"Mr. Tylers," the teacher drawled.  "I have spoken with young Terrence and
I must say that I am concerned about the state of your soul."

"I'm sorry, sir." Andy said slowly, carefully thinking about the words he'd
say.  "I was still feeling weak and must have gotten a little delirious.
Mrs. Ray told me that I had a temperature when I got home."

"Well, it may just been the fever talking, but you need to apologize to
that young man." The teacher told him harshly.  "You endanger your immortal
soul questioning someone who has been anointed by God, even when they are
as young as Terrence.  Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. I wouldn't want to further endanger my soul." Andy said in a
voice as full of fear as he could.  Fear instead of the disgust he felt.

"That's a good lad. We'll make a good, God-fearing Christian out of you
yet.  Hopefully you will never have to suffer the same fate as your late
parents, and any others who defy God's word."

"Thank you, sir." Andy said, biting back the words he wanted to say to this
pompous ass!

"Very well, you may go.  Make sure you apologize to young Terrence before
the day is done!"

The rest of the day passed in boring drudgery.  It was Andy's turn to work
in the fields with Terrence and a few other kids.  His apology was greeted
by a polite, but distant acceptance from Terrence.  After that, neither of
them said anything that wasn't necessary for their task of pulling weeds.

The evening was better; after all, he got to spend it with Justin and
Cindy.  Tuesday was much the same, but Wednesday things changed even more.
Instead of spending the time after dinner at home, both he and Justin were
required to attend a special bible study with their bible teacher,
Mr. Randall.

The lesson took place in the same classroom as their regular bible studies,
in the shadow of the great wooden roller coaster (what Mr. Randall called a
`symbol of the decadence leading to America's downfall'). As evening gloom
darkened the room, Mr. Randall lit an oil lantern to provide some light.
His face was grim as he began the evening's lesson with a prayer.

"Dear Lord, our God," he began, his voice the most polite Andy had heard
yet. "we beg your presence this evening as we lead these young men in the
mysteries of your creation.  Guide our tongue, and open their ears so that
thy will shalt be known."

All three said "amen" at the same time.  Andy thought the man appeared
uncomfortable, at least as uncomfortable as they were.  Minutes passed
before he spoke, and the sudden noise made the boys jump as much as the
words.

"What have you boys been told about sex?" Mr. Randall asked in a rush.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Justin asked quickly, shifting in his chair.

"I mean, what have your elders taught you about sex?" Mr. Randall
emphasized, his voice showing anger now.

"Well, Mom, I mean, when Jeanni Michaels got sick a few months ago she had
to explain some things about, um, er, it.  She told me that women make
babies, but they have to have a man to help them to do it.  She told me
that it was wrong for a man to do it with anyone but his wife and even then
only when, um, they were trying to make a baby." Justin managed to stammer
out, sweat appearing on his forehead.  Andy adopted a wide-eyed expression,
staring at his friend.

"And you, Mr. Tylers, do you know anything more than that?" Mr. Randall
asked sharply causing Andy to snap his head back towards the older man.

"N..no sir." Andy stammered out a moment later.  "I didn't even know that
much.  Justin never told me."

"Amazing." Mr. Randall said, leaning back for a moment.  "It seems like
these heathens are finally learning that it is God that controls this
settlement now.  Well, Justin, since you seem to know so much about sex,
how does a man create the seed used to create a baby."

"Mom said that we used our, uh, penis.  She also said that I shouldn't
touch it unless I was peeing."

"Well, son, I'm happy to tell you that your mom told your right, for once.
Pastor Lerner will be happy to hear that.  It'll make it easier to find her
a good husband now that we know she's adjusting well."

"New husband?" Justin asked curiously.

"Forget you heard that, young man." Mr. Randall said angrily.  "Don't say
anything to her about what I just said!"

"Yes sir." Justin said, and Andy joined him on the `sir' part.  The next
hour was not nearly enlightening about sex as the real discussion with
Cindy had been.  Every few minutes, Mr. Randall's worn copy of the bible
would appear and they would read a passage about the things that were
acceptable and things that weren't.  Time dragged by for both of them until
Mr. Randall had decided they had learned enough for the night.

"Well, boys, I must say that I'm very pleased with how well you are doing.
I had expected you to be troublesome at best, but you are proving to be
properly attentive.  Next week we will discuss the role a husband must play
as spiritual leader of his household.  By the time you reach the age of
marriage, you will both be ready to become fine husbands and upstanding
members of God's community.  You can leave now."

Both boys left quickly, but didn't head home right away.  By silent
agreement, they felt the urge to walk around a little without any adults
around.  The thought of being separated was weighing heavily on them.
Following an impulse, they headed silently into the dark areas underneath
the wooden coaster, even though it was forbidden.

As soon as they were fully engulfed in the darkness, only a little
starlight giving them an idea of where they were going, they wrapped their
hands around each other, kissing gently.  The sounds of night covered the
little noise they made as they let the physical contact assuage the fears
they held inside.  So engrossed in each other were they that they almost
missed the sounds of feet passing near them.  The muffled course of someone
tripping over an unseen object broke them apart very quickly.

"Quiet Dave" a voice whispered.  They recognized it as belonging to one of
Cindy's friends, Bob Blankenship.

"Dammit, Bob, it hurt!" came the whispered reply they recognized as Dave
Barlow. Without making a sound, the two teenagers followed the rustling
sound of the two adults.  Soon, they reached a squat building that had once
been the coaster's control center.  The two boys squatted by a blacked out
window and listened to the voices inside.

"Okay, we're all here now." Bob said, still whispering.

"Then let's get on to business." Another voice said.  Neither boy
recognized this one.

"You gentlemen say you're really from the government?" David asked quietly.

"Of course, it hasn't been long enough for you to forget what U.S. uniforms
look like has it?" another voice said.

"No, but I don't understand why you would want to help us against Reverend
Patrickson." Bob said.

"We could care less about your troubles with the good Reverend." The first
voice said. "Except for the fact that he's preaching about not answering to
the rightful authority of the United States.  Many of the new laws match
what he preaches, there really is little difference."

"Then why are you here?" David asked.

"We look for special kids, like those two might be." The first voice said.
"We're also here to set up the groundwork for reestablishing the United
State's control here.  We won't be dealing with you though, for that we'll
deal with the Reverend."

"Then why talk to us at all?" Bob wondered aloud.

"Because of the boys, and because of your book smarts.  When we reestablish
control here, you'll be useful.  We want to make sure you don't do anything
stupid that ends up with you being killed."

"Oh, so we're useful and you don't want us to go to waste, but we're scum
otherwise?" the scorn in David's voice was palpable.

"Yes, don't forget it." The first voice emphasized.  It sounded like they
were leaving, so the two boys moved back quietly.  Soon they were out from
under the coaster, moving silently past the school.  To their surprise,
they saw that Mr. Randall's light was still on.  They snuck up to the
window and peeked inside, then gaped silently at the sight before them.

Mr. Randall was in the room, his pants around his ankles.  He had Terrence
held on top of the desk and was ramming his penis in and out of the young
boy.  Tears ran down Terrence's face, but Mr. Randall's face was screwed up
in a rictus of lust.  With a muted growl, the man finished his business and
withdrew from the now openly weeping Terrence.  Andy's stomach rolled over
slowly, and his blood began to boil with anger.  The idea of someone
perverting what he shared with Justin out of love made him so angry his
vision blurred with a red haze of rage.

"Very good, boy." Mr. Randall sneered to Terrence.  "Just you remember to
keep your trap shut.  Boys like you need to realize their place in life
before they can assume a leadership role in the church.  This damn place
takes me away from my wife for weeks at a time, no way am I going to let
her live in this godless place.  I have to have relief, and you're it.
Don't worry though, when you get sent to town to start your seminary, ole
Reverend Patrickson is going to teach you what pain is.  Hehe, you think
you hurt now, wait until he gets done with ya!"

Rage boiled over in Andy, the man's hypocrisy moving him past the point of
sanity.  That rage found a voice as he shouted senselessly.  The window and
the wall around it blew into the classroom from the force of his shout.
Shattered glass, wooden splinters, and pieces of concrete flew into the
room, impaling Mr. Randall.  The man slumped to the floor, a look of shock
on his face.  Terrence had been protected as he huddled behind the desk,
but stood staring at the two boys now exposed beyond the destroyed wall.
Justin stood there staring at Andy with shock on his face.  It was Justin
who recovered first.  He grabbed Andy's arm, and motioned for a frightened
Terrence to join them.  Terrence shuffled across, still naked, but with his
clothes in his hands.  Moving quickly, Justin led them through the shadows
to his mother's trailer.  She stood there in the doorway, her face showing
her worry.

***