Flicker by Anya Monroe Page B

the water and disappears. The world turns dark and as I near the water, it’s hard to see them.
    But then I do, out of the darkness I see The Light.

 
     
     
     
     
    chapter eleven
     
    I didn’t know what to expect, Charlie didn’t say anything about them on our trek. Every time I started to ask a question, he seemed to avoid my words, instead he’d point out an indigenous plant or make a comment on the weather. Mom wasn’t much help either, only knowing fragments about this group before the blackout.
    So I don’t expect the hallowed greeting. Melodious voices float around the water and wrap around me as my feet land on the dock, a few step behind Mom.
    There’s a boat tied to the pier, and although it would normally be impossible to see in the dark, there’s a lantern hanging from the stern, showing me where the voices are coming from. A dozen women in white robes stand on the top deck of the boat, holding lights in their hands, like candles, but the glow doesn’t waver. Focusing, I realize they hold flashlights.
    “The One who has made us, has made us more full.
    Adding to our numbers, making us more whole.”
     
    The small gathering on the dock is composed mostly of men, but there’s also a girl, about the same age as me, holding the hand of a child. The younger girl clings to her. I look to Mom for direction, after all this is her plan for our salvation.
    Mom is hunched over, her light pack now heavy from four days of walking. I know if given the chance, we’ll both crumble, but we have a few more steps to take before we can be vulnerable. After travelling all this way, there’s no room for doubt.
    Besides, there’s nothing to doubt anyways. If The Light were a cruel place, Charlie would have refused to bring us. He let us choose and followed our wishes. After he put his life on the line with the thugs to save Mom; I don’t think he would deliver us to the hands of evil. As we stand inches from their dock, a man comes towards us.
    “We are The Light, here tonight to take with us anyone willing to commit themselves to our cause: bringing the world back to its former glory, as prophesized in our sacred texts.” He stands as tall as Mom but pristine in his white robe, a golden cord wrapped around his waist. “We have another woman and her sister entering our fold this evening. Are you to join us as well, as we journey to the Refuge?”
    “What do we have to do to join? We don’t know anything about your prophecy, I only know you existed before the blackout, and you take women and children,” Mom says. I’m curious to know how she can speak so clear, remain so calm. Why does this prospect not terrify her?
    “I understand your hesitation, but you came here, a long journey I suspect.” He motions to our backpacks. “You followed the path, arriving here on faith that we, The Light, could offer you more than you have. I ask you, did you see any other women or children on your journey?”
    “No, none,” Mom answers.
    “That is because they’ve all joined with us or died. We’re here to protect those unable to do so themselves. Now I will ask you this, did anyone try to hurt or harm you on your journey?”
    “Yes.” I see pain in Mom’s eyes as she answers.
    “Then one last question, before you decide your own destiny. Were you delivered to The Light by someone?”
    Mom nods her head yes, not knowing where this is going.
    “Was this a person you knew before you started your journey?”
    “No, I’d never seen him in my life,” Mom says, and I don’t correct her by saying he came to the compound on his horse. I’m curious where this is going.
    “Are you’re sure it was not a messenger, a spirit guide from The Light, directing you here?” he asks.
    “No, I’m not sure. He just appeared and helped us when we needed him.” Mom shakes her head in disbelief. “Are you saying he was an angel?”
    “Angels aren’t a part of The Light’s doctrine.”
    I look up the hill, trying to find