Anthologies of a peculiar town

There was a peculiar town with peculiar residents and an even more peculiar pastor. The town like any other had sunrises and sunsets but the sun that rose every morning felt lifeless and shone like a dim light bulb. The town was covered in a thick blanket of fog that would hide its oddities from the rest of the world. I lived in this so-called peculiar town and the only oddity was the stories the gloomy residents would make up to keep the boredom at bay.

The other teenagers my age made up stories of wounded werewolves hiding in the shadowy woods and of crash-landed aliens that pretended to be our teachers. They made up stories like they never left the fantasies of their childhood. The most ridiculous story told by far was from Johnny. B the local devout Christian boy. He would spit this story in the ear of anyone who would listen. It didn't matter when or where we were Johnny. B would tell the story of his pastor and the caged angel in his church basement. I know, it’s ridiculous, but Johnny. B swears on his dead grandma that what he says is true. The first time he told me the story, I made the mistake of asking him how he knew his pastor had an angel locked up in the church. Obviously, he did not sense my sarcasm because he would continue his tall tale. Johnny. B said one day he stayed back to confide in his pastor about some troubles he had, he wouldn't say what troubles but I assume it's the big fat crush he has on Johnny.M. I find it weird he has a crush on someone with the same name. Johnny. B said he went to his pastor anxious and crying so the pastor sat him down on the church bench and went to the back to get him some chamomile tea. Johnny. B claimed he heard grunts coming from below paired with the scrape of metal against the concrete floor. Johnny. B said at first he thought his anxiety was making him hear things, but then he said someone spoke to him in his mind. Johnny. B heard the whispers and cries of a haggard man asking for help. He said he felt compelled to go downstairs like he was being pulled by another person's will. Johnny. B said when he came to he was standing in the damp basement that felt unnaturally dark, and in front of him sat a man with chains on each limb, he limpy sat on the floor in an iron cage. His naked torso had bruises and scattered gashes as if he were lashed. His head hung low and he had a head full of long dark hair that lost its shine and was now coated with dried blood and dirt. Johnny. B always paused before he said this part as if he was back in the basement transfixed. Johnny. B said the broken man had broken wings and he felt as if he heard the wings cry for help along with the man. Johnny. B said he didn't get to speak to the caged angel because he had to run back upstairs when he heard his pastor’s footsteps.

I didn't believe Johnny. B one bit, why would our town's pastor have a caged angel in his basement, and if he did, shouldn't Johnny. B try and free him. Johnny. B like everybody in this town is just intoxicated by the idea of seeing something supernatural. They want this town to be as peculiar as it seems. Our gloomy ashen forest doesn’t have werewolves and our teachers are not aliens, best of all our pastor doesn't cage angles. This is just a normal town prone to foggy weather and cold sunrises. Once and for all I'm gonna prove we live in a boring town with boring people. I’m gonna break into the church and Johnny. B and the rest of the town are gonna eat their words.

When I told Johnny. B my plan In Miss Jones science class he yelled at the top of his lungs like he won the lottery “You're gonna save the angel?!”. The entire class gave their attention to me with silent wonder. Miss Jones stared me down with her transfixed heterochromia gaze, it gave me goosebumps. That woman always seemed to be studying her students with that empty gaze. Of course, the rest of the teenagers in town knew my plans because Johnny. B couldn't keep his mouth shut. Word spread that I, Beatrice Valentine, was gonna rescue the angel from the town pastor. I didn't say Johnny. B told them my true intentions, and just like that I became the town hero and everyone waited with bated breath as I began my pursuit. I never went to our church. My family isn't the religious sort, so I couldn't just walk in for advice like Johnny. B did, it's too suspicious. I waited until the cold sunset and the dull moon rose, I was gonna break into the church under the blanket of fog.

I wore all black with my trusty fanny pack and I had a lighter to dimly light the way, my phone's flashlight would be too bright and someone would alert the pastor that some hooligan broke into his church. The pastor Lived in his church, he had a small back room big enough for him to live alone. He had no children or spouse to keep him company, and his mother was buried on the church grounds, he lived a lonely existence. I crossed the empty streets like a stealthy ninja only to pass Johnny. B, Johnny.M, and some other kids from school hiding in the bushes across from the church. At least I'll have an audience when I prove there is no caged angel. The church was surrounded by dried bushes and weeds with no gates around the premises. It's a small town with too much trust. I ran through the limp grass and climbed through the church's side window, with utmost stealth.

Once inside the empty dark church I used my small lighter to find the basement, I had no time to dawdle. I passed the pews and went down the basement stairs, it was darker than upstairs just like Johnny. B described but I'm no sucker. It's a basement of course it’s darker it’s underground. With squinted eyes, I entered the basement and froze when I heard chains grate against the ground. Nope I won't believe it there is no one here there is no angel. I swallowed vaporized spit, my mouth was so dry I felt my tastebuds. I inched closer into the dark basement. I had to switch my lighter for my phone flashlight. What I saw made me drop my phone, the light bounced off of the tattered and chained man. I fell back onto my butt. I didn't know what to do, there was someone caged down here in a church. The man's shadow danced around the basement floor and it looked like he had wings spread out behind him under the veil of darkness, but it was merely a shadow; a trick of the light. Johnny.B was wrong it wasn't a caged angel it was a caged man. Our town's pastor is a kidnapper, I scrambled off my feet, I was prepared for this. I may not have believed Johnny.B but if there was a slight chance someone was down here and needed help, I brought some bolt cutters tucked away in my trusty fanny pack. My hands trembled as I clipped the lock on the cage, the door screeched open and I flinched. Fear was coursing through me and adrenaline kept me afloat. I hurried and freed the man's chained limbs before the pastor possibly woke up. I asked the man if he was okay to walk and got a groan of crying pain in reply. I tried my best to help him up and saw the tattoo of large wings on his back, but I also saw scars that were recent and bleeding. This man weighed more than two of me combined and he was tall, bulky, and had the stench of death. I supported him as he clumsily walked, my heart hammered in my chest as we went up the stairs. I all but dragged him to the exit, but before we could escape the door to the pastor's backroom burst open.

My heart felt as if it stopped beating, I spun around as quickly as I could with the injured man weighing me down. The pastor stood there in the dark, he was stoic and had salt and pepper hair he was dressed in his sleepwear. He gave me a stern once over before his gaze fell on the defeated man beside me and his face contorted into something vile and evil. With a sneer of his mouth, he spoke “Where do you think you’re going, you’re not finished here, there is no way I'm letting you go now that I’ve found you” I looked up at the injured man his face that was filled with pain was now harden with anger and his dark eyes were cold as he stared at the pastor. I gulped the man did not speak but his expression was the definition of if looks could kill. The pastor started heading towards us, with pure adrenaline I yelled “STOP! Don't come any closer or I will set this place a fire like the hell you belong in” I held up my lighter with my free hand and under the cover of the dark I bluffed “on the floor and through every pew there is gasoline in place and with one accidental tremble of my hand we will all burn, so don't you dare come any closer!” The pastor stood absolutely still and his face reminded me of an angry rabid dog. The only sound for the beat of a minute was our labored breaths and my panicked heart. The silence was broken by the pastor's dry bitter laugh “You have no clue what you’ve gotten yourself involved with kid, there are things your simplistic mind couldn't possibly understand”

I gripped my lighter tighter and the dull light flickered like my nerves; I gave the pastor my best glare hoping I didn’t look as scared as I felt “I think my simple brain understands this just fine pastor, you kidnapped a man and tortured him for god knows how long, I don't need to hear your twisted agenda on why; because this is beyond cruel and it's not something you do to another human” with another snarled laughter the pastor spoke in a sardonic tone “Ha! Another human you say, what right do you have to call me cruel when...when this so-called human allowed my mother to die!” I was confused into silence and the pastor turned his gaze towards the injured man “You let her die! You were supposed to be watching over her at all times and you let her die! So isn't it my god given right to punish him until my mother is given back to me! I’ll torture him and tear him skin to bone until he keels over; a life for a life!” The pastor returned his gaze to me and I saw such pain and such anger as the shadows danced on his contorted face. I clenched my jaw and tightened my hold on the injured man; I looked at the pastor with such disgust as if he were a cockroach at the bottom of my shoe. “You disgust me.” three simple words before I threw the lighter to his feet. The pastor yelled and dropped to the ground. I wasted no time as I yanked the injured man and myself out of that vile man's presence.

We burst through the church doors and we both fell onto the limp grass out of breath and shaky. Johnny.B and the rest ran to us with shock in their eyes, before Johnny.B could utter a word I made sure I said I told you so with labored breath and my heart bursting out of my chest. I turned to Johnny.B but addressed the whole group of shocked teenagers “He was no angel, he was a kidnapped human who was tortured by a deranged pastor. These stories have to stop, we won't know what's real anymore. This man could have died because of a tall tale.” I hurriedly called the cops and we all hid in the bushes till they came. The pastor came rushing out to look for his prey, when he found no trace of us he let out a wail so jarring my eardrums stung. We all shivered, cold sweat ran down all our backs as we watched the pastor run back inside like the deranged animal he was.

We sat in heavy silence until the sounds of sirens were heard. The cops and an ambulance pulled up to the church premises, I ran to them and told them everything. The cops rushed into the church and came back out with a crazed-looking pastor. He looked like a rabid animal he thrashed in the cop’s hands and glared at me and the broken man I sheltered with my small frame. The EMT took the man I saved, I watched his tattooed back leave to the safety of the bright ambulance. The man looked back and behind his long locks I saw a small smile, and in my mind, I heard him thank me his voice wasn’t raspy like in the basement but it was smooth and melodic. I didn't say anything I did not move because his mouth didn't move. He didn't say the words physically and I was physically stuck. Johnny. B stood next to my statue of a body I mumbled under my breath “he spoke to me...in my head?” johnny.B squeezed my shoulder and simply said I told you so. The rest of the teenagers and I walked away from the gloomy church that would no doubt turn into a future ghost tale. Under the blanket of fog we walked home, Johnny.B gave me a knowing look and he held his boyfriend’s hand tighter. I wiped the sweat off my brow and I looked at the houses lining the sidewalk with different eyes, what other secrets did this town and its inhabitants hold? And would I ever really know?

I lived in a peculiar town with peculiar people who told peculiar stories, but maybe they aren't stories and it takes a peculiar person to see peculiar things.

THE END?