I lived in a remote, super Christian town way out in the woods growing up. It was a small town, only about 100 people total. It was always so routine- we’d wake up, the boys would go to school while the girls would tend to the house with their mothers, the boys would get home and we’d play outside for a while until our mothers would call us in for dinner. After dinner, we’d tend to the farm animals, if we were lucky we’d get a bath, and then we’d go to bed, only to repeat the exact same routine the next day.
On Sundays we would go to church. It was normal, as far as most church services go, but something about it at the end were different. Father Gary, our pastor, would pull all of the kids aside. One by one, he would make us confess to all of our sins, as he, in his words, was preparing us for the rapture. Then, he’d bless all of us with holy water and give us one last word of advice.
“Beware of the man who walks outside at night.”
It was a known secret that no one was to be outside after 11:00. Father Gary forbid it, and since we had no mayor in this town, what he said was to be. He never really explained why, just that there was a man outside who would take you away. He said it went after people who questioned the will of God. It would’ve been easy to explain it away with just some superstition, but we all knew part of it was true.
I thought it was fake for a while. Until Toby went missing.
My two best friends in the town were the boys who lived next to my family’s house, Teddy and Toby. Toby was a year younger than Teddy and I, and he was always getting into mischief. Pastor Gary really had it out for him. Every time Toby would confess his sins at church, Pastor Gary would take him aside into a room only he had a key to, and keep Toby in there for a while. Nobody knew what he did, and we never really asked. I mean, yeah, looking back we probably should have, but you have to remember how brainwashed we were. We knew only the church, and not to question the will of God.
One day, Toby came out of the room. He looked upset. When Teddy and I asked, he wouldn’t respond with anything other than,
“I’m going to stay out tonight.”
That night, Teddy and I watched Toby from his bedroom window. He stood confidently in the middle of the field, as if he was trying to prove a point. I was just about to shout out to him to come inside, we had a glass of hot cocoa saved for him that was getting cold, when all of the sudden, something happened.
A man approached him. He was abnormally tall, even from the window I could tell he had a good 3 feet of height on Toby, who was tall for an 11-year-old. They said things to each other we couldn’t understand. We heard loud, ear-piercing music, like a trumpet. Then, there was a huge flash of light, nearly blinding. Teddy and I ducked under the window out of fear. And that’s where we stayed for the rest of the night.
Nobody saw Toby after that night. The next week after church, Pastor Gary pulled the kids aside, as usual, but he didn’t make us confess to our sins. He sat us down and talked about Toby.
“So you see kids, young Tobias didn’t listen to the will of God enough. He didn’t put his trust in me, like you all do. The man took him away, as he will to you if you don’t listen to your church elders. Do not question us, for we know more than you ever will. Do you understand?”
Teddy raised his hand. “What makes you any different than the rest of us?”
Pastor Gary’s usual soft smile turned into a snarl. It only lasted for a split second, but Teddy and I exchanged glances. We knew what we saw. Just as quickly as it changed, though, his soft demeanor returned.
“Well, um, young Theodore, I-“
“And my brother went missing and you don’t even care?”
“It’s because he did not listen to me, Theodore-“
“And you’re not going to look for him?”
“If you’re going to give me this much attitude, Theodore, then I will take you someplace else.” He said, grabbing Teddy’s wrist and dragging him into the room only he had a key to.
“Stop!” I said. “Leave Teddy alone.”
Pastor Gary looked at me with the familiar snarl. “And you may come in, too, Elizabeth.” He grabbed me with his other arm and dragged me, along with Teddy, into the room only he had a key to.
And that’s where we found out what Pastor Gary had done to Toby all that time.
“No wonder Toby hated church.” Teddy said to me after Pastor Gary had finally let us go.
“When the rapture comes, don’t be surprised when you don’t get taken!” Pastor Gary shouted at us through the window. We ignored him.
I slept over at Teddy’s again. We sat on the floor as we heard his mother cry out for Toby from the other room. Teddy said that she still didn’t understand that he was gone. She still held on hope for her son.
Suddenly, we heard something.
A knocking at his window.
I glanced up, and I saw the man.
The man who took Toby. He was knocking on Teddy’s window, his pale face and red lips smiling at us and beckoning us to come outside.
“How is he doing that?” I asked.
“Knocking on the window? Well I assume he’s doing it with his hand.” Teddy said.
“Not that, dipshit, I mean how is he doing that?” I said. I saw as Teddy’s face went from confusion to horror as he realized we were on the second floor of his house.
I stood up as Teddy tried to pull me back down to get a better look at him. His smile got bigger and bigger until it no longer looked human. I noticed his eyes looked like kaleidoscopes, as I got closer they kept moving.
“Do not be afraid.” It said in a warped voice. “Come outside. We are here to save you.” The man said, repeating the phrase over and over again like a broken record. It was all I could here.
Do not be afraid. Come outside, come outside, come outside.
They all overlapped each other, like multiple people were saying it.
Teddy pulled me down, and we hid under the bed until either the man went away or we fell asleep, I don’t know which happened first.
The next day, Teddy had large bags under his eyes. I’m sure I did, too.
We went about our day as usual, until Teddy’s school was over, when we got to see each other again.
“I’m meeting the man tonight.” He said confidently.
“What?”
“I’m sick of the stupid pastor telling me what to do. He took my brother.”
“But Teddy, he said it was God’s plan-“
“Do I look like I care about God’s stupid plan, Elizabeth?” He snapped, then sighed. “Sorry. It’s just…been a lot lately. And even if it is God’s plan, I’m seeing what happened to Toby.” He said. “Come with me or not, it’s not going to change anything.”
“Not going to change what, Theodore?” Pastor Gary said, making me and Teddy jump back in shock.
“Pastor Gary! I, uh-“
“I don’t want to hear it, Theodore. Come with me, both of you.”
It was weird being in church on a Monday. No bustle, no people. Just me, Pastor Gary, and Teddy, in the echoing and endless halls of the church.
“Here you will stay.” He said. “Maybe that way both of your souls will be cleansed.” He said dismissively. Before he left, he picked up Teddy by the shirt collar.
“And don’t get any ideas. I am pastor, not you. Don’t act like you are holier than me. I am the holiest one in this town, understand?” He said in a growl. The sunset glaring through the stainglass window painted his face a dark red. And with that, he locked us in the chapel, turning the lights off on the way out.
We sat in the chapel for a while, walking in between the pews, doing anything to keep our mind off the fact we were stuck here. I looked at the large statue of Jesus, standing motionlessly crucified on the wall as the last bit of sun disappeared, leaving us in complete darkness.
“Well, we’re screwed.” Teddy said, flopping down on the front pew. I stumbled around, trying not to trip over anything, when suddenly a candle lit up in front of us. We exchanged glances.
The candle burned bright enough to illuminate Jesus’s face, which was now looking right at us.
“Uh, Elizabeth? I don’t think that was like that before.” Teddy said, his voice quivering.
Then, another candle lit up to our left. This time, it illuminated his arm on the crucifix, which was now pointing to a stainglass window that, in the little light we had, we could see the shadow of a tall, long, man behind it.
It was the man.
He knocked and knocked on the stainglass. “Let me in, please, let me in!” He said.
I held on to Teddy, but he shook me off. He grabbed a thick bible from the front of the chapel, and threw it at the window, shattering it.
There were the ear-piercing trumpeting noises, and the blinding flash of light that made both me and Teddy shield our eyes.
But when it was over, and we uncovered our eyes, the man stood in front of us, his kaleidoscope eyes twinkling at us, and his wide smile grinning at us.
“Theodore and Elizabeth!” He said, his voice booming at us. “I have been waiting for you to come around!”
“Who are you?” Teddy asked.
“That’s not important. But if you must know, you may call me Rafe.”
“Why are you here?”
He walked closer to us. I almost had to tilt my neck up to see his face.
“I’m here to take you away. You have passed God’s test.”
“What? Test?” I asked. “But, Pastor Gary-“
“Pastor Gary is simply a part of our test. He does not hold any more power than you do in your little toe. Don’t listen to him. And evidently, you did not listen to him.” He said, grinning that scary grin again.
Rafe opened his arms, the ones that were too wide for his body. We watched as they transformed into wings in front of us. He blinked, revealing a third kaleidoscope eye on his forehead.
“You are free now. Free from the wretched town. You may go wherever you like.” He said reaching out a wing to us. “Come with me. You two have proved yourselves.”
Teddy and I looked at each other. What would our parents think?
“What about mom and dad?” Teddy asked.
Rafe shook his head. “It is up to them to pass God’s test themselves. We cannot grant them freedom. So, are you coming or not?” He asked.
It was scary, I was scared. But as I looked to Teddy and thought about Toby, I knew where I had to go.
I took his wing, and Teddy’s hand.
“Let’s get out of here.”