I’ve done work with many choirs before. You can consider it a hobby of mine.
I’m a familiar face and most of the local churches around here know me- and I know them as well. So it came as a surprise to me, when I got an email to my business email asking me to visit a church I never heard of before to lead a choir there.
Now, it was a bit far. And as such I considered saying no. However, there was something about the email, that caught my eye- it seemed like no one else wanted to go there.
And given whoever voted seemed to be a bit desperate it tugged on my heartstrings and I agreed to the job.
There was nothing too odd about the church that would have warned me regarding what lay inside.
It was located a bit of a way from other buildings but that was quite common with churches.
The nearest store I think, was about a 10-minute drive away.
I walked inside and waited for someone to find me.
After a while a gentleman dressed in a tuxedo walked up to me. He looked like a stereotypical banker, not what you would assume someone working with the clergy would look like, but he smiled nonetheless and asked me if I was the Chorimaster they had asked for I said yes and he smiled. “Well, then please come this way, sir. “
I followed him into a room wondering where the chord members were. “Um, who is going to be singing?” I asked as there was no one else there in the room. Oh, don’t worry. He said they’ll be here soon enough. He then walked out, and although I didn’t know this, at the time he had locked the door behind us.
Within a minute before I could even wonder when someone would show up, a door at the other side of the room opened. Several hooded figures walked in which was strange. But what really terrified me out of my mind in that moment was the fact that they were carrying or rather wheeling around several people. They had all been tied up to large boards and they were tied up, bound, gagged, and looked like they were about to cry.
“What the…” I began to say and turn for the exit. But I found I couldn’t open it.
A voice from the loudspeaker above chimed out.
Choirmaster, we have asked you to direct this choir. And you agree to do so you made a promise, you wouldn’t want to renege on that promise, would you?
“What on Earth is going on?!”
Oh, isn’t it obvious? I wish to make a choir. You see much like you, I was a choirmaster at some time and I simply wish to create a musical in deference to God.
He then began to sing out.
Oh Sinners,
You who have violated natural law,
May your screams of agony as you are tortured for your sins,
Meld into a melody.
Sweeter than the most sacred of hymns.
I began to sweat. I looked around wondering if there was a weapon that I could use, but before I could say anything, one of the hooded figures pulled out a knife. “Now, now,” he said. “We only intend to torture sinners here.” He pointed his knife at a woman with black hair whose tears were streaming down her face. “This one abused her children.” He pointed at a man with his knife. “He stole from his family.” He turned to me after pointing out other people.
“You my friend have committed no such crime, howsoever, if you were to say…. back out of your agreement, well then you might find yourself joining them.”
One of the figures came behind me and pointed a gun at my back.
The people who looked like they came from all walks of life numbered about thirty in total. And as one the hooded figures removed their gags. There were screams, pleas for help, and angry yells all melded together into a sound that hurt my ears.
Now, let the choir begin!
The hooded figures pulled out various devices as one as if they had rehearsed this moment a thousand times.
Screwdrivers
Rusty daggers.
Iron poles.
And began to cut the victims.
The shrieks of pain were nearly deafening. But I felt the coldness of a gun poking my back as I was about to complain.
I raised my hand.
And thus the torture continued.
After a while, it seemed clear that I wasn’t going to run away. The hooded figure behind me started to pay less and less attention to me.
It gave me an opportunity to pull out to sneak my phone into my robes and write this out. If there’s anyone out there who can send help… please do so ASAP. Because I have a feeling that once I’m done- they’re not going to let me go.