You've sinner...badly

“Here! She’s here!”

A black-uniformed disciple emerged from the dense foliage(greenery), glaring furiously at my crouched(adopt a position where the knees are bent and the upper body is brought forward and down, typically in order to avoid detection or to defend oneself) form beyond the fence. He removed his balaclava and my heart fell. I would recognize that long scar on his cheek anywhere. Gabriel, Prophet David’s second-in-command; his brown heavy beard hiding most of his face, as was custom with all the brothers at The Order. However, Gabriel was the disciple my people feared most, the man responsible for the atrocity I witnessed tonight… responsible for me losing her…

Tutting and shaking his head, Gabriel inched forward, crouching low to meet my eyes. “Salome, you foolish girl. You didn’t think you could just leave, did you?”

A smirk spread across his face and he leaned even closer to the metal barrier. “Come back through and face your punishment. You’ve sinned… badly…” He laughed patronizingly, the other disciples followed suit. Every square inch of my skin crawled in horror. “It must run in the family.”

I tried to ignore his taunts. With a subtle search, I scoured my surroundings, searching for an escape route. Gabriel suddenly straightened and narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t even think it. We will find you if you run. You belong here, with the Prophet, with your people. He is waiting at the altar, and after the events of today, he is eager to proceed with the ceremony. There is nothing for you outside of the fence. Nothing but deceit, sin, and death.”

Crawling to my tree, my goal, I used the rough thick bark to lift myself up off the forest floor. I tried with all my might to block out his words, but I faltered in my footing. More disciples broke through the dense brush to watch me stumble; their large guns aimed, with perfect precision, at my head.

They could not, would not, shoot. Prophet David would not allow it. I knew I held the balance of power right now. But even if I managed to break free today, they would never give up the search for me—I was what they all believed had to happen. I looked down at my tattoo on my wrist, rubbed across the script and read the inked passage that had been forced upon my skin as a child. I just did not believe in The Order anymore. If this made me a sinner, then I was glad to be a fallen.

Ignoring my trembling hands, I reached down, ripping along the bottom of my gown, tearing a long strip of material from the hem. I tied it around my open leg wound to stop the blood.

“Salome. Think it through. Your disobedience will cause severe punishment on all of the daughters. Surely you would not do that to your sisters? On Delilah and Magdalene? Cause them pain because you were weak and gave unto temptation?”

Gabriel’s calm tone chilled my heart. My sisters. I loved them, loved them more than anything… but I had to do this. I could not go back, not now. I had the wake-up call I needed to finally take the leap, to escape. I knew there had to be more to life than this existence… than with them.

With one final glance at the only family I had ever known, I turned, dragging my left leg in my wake, and fled into the murky denseness of the forest....

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