Them-2 - Chapter 10

Chapter Ten – North of Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA



Moses was still in a foul mood from the insinuation of the FBI agent that he had murdered two of his congregation. He had no reason to eliminate two of his best recruiters. The girl had lured several of the newer members to join with an overt promise of sexual favors and the man, Joe, had a wad of money in the bank that Moses was hoping to get his hands on.

I’d be a fool to kill the goose with the gold egg, Moses pondered, and that Lilly, what a juicy body to snuggle up to. Something lying in the grass near the meandering stream caught his eye. He bent over to get a closer look at the splash of red hidden in the moss and bracken. Moses was startled to see a severed hand poking up from the mud and leaves, the red painted fingernail of the index finger beckoning to him.

Lilly’s hand,” Moses muttered. Instead of being revolted by the dismembered body part, Moses was fascinated. He gently lifted it from the ground and held it up for the afternoon sun to highlight it. There was an odd smell coming from the hand, not a smell of decay but an acrid almost bitter scent.

Moses looked around. He was several miles from the campsite. He noticed a dark opening in the rugged cliff face just across the stream. He knew that this area had an abundance of caves and he had taken the time to explore several in the past. Caves made a good hiding place. He crossed the cold stream and peeked into the small opening of the cave. The light coming from behind him filled the chamber and he could see that beyond the opening it was large and extended back into the interior of the cliff.

He moved into the cave and stood to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Within a few minutes, he could tell that the chamber was large enough to hold his entire congregation. Not only that, the cave was dry and mostly flat. It would make a perfect hideaway for his growing church members.

Moses smiled and looked at the severed hand. Lilly was pointing the way to this cave. This was a sign for my people to move here? Moses quickly left the cave and headed at a fast pace back up stream.

As he entered the clearing he motioned for his congregation to gather around him. “I have received a sign from the Lord,” Moses stated in a deep resonating voice. He was often told that his deep voice was his best asset and he should go into broadcasting. He waited for everyone to gather around him before he brought out the severed hand from the loose folds of his robe.

“This is the hand of our beloved Lilly. I found it while meditating near the stream and praying for the departed souls of our two loved ones. Lilly was pointing towards the entrance to a large cavern with a message. Her message was that we should move to this cavern for safety and security.”

Moses halted to gauge the reaction of the congregation. He could see passive resistance in the faces of a few, but rapt obedience in the eyes of most. He held up the hand and kissed it.

“Take you each this hand and kiss it in memory of our departed sister. Let your kiss be a sign that her departed soul will be remembered and praised among us. As the Lord said, for this is my body. Are we not made in the image of the Lord?”

Moses passed the hand to the man to his right who kissed it and passed it on to the next person in line. Soon, each member of the congregation had performed the silent benediction.

“Pack our belongings,” Moses ordered. “We are moving to our new home where we will be safe from the intrusions of the evil government who wants to persecute us.”

Several hours later the small congregation stood gazing in awe at the cathedral like cavern. Several of the women brought out brooms and started sweeping the cavern floor and a few men left to gather firewood. There was a blackened layer of smut on the right side of the cavern indicating that fires had been burned there before. Above the smut a six-inch crack looked as if it might possibly extend to the outside of the cave to allow the smoke to escape. In no time at all the large cavern was transformed into a cozy living area.

Moses moved to the center of the cavern where a large circular space had been left. He quickly pounded a long staff between two cracks in the floor and tested it to make certain it was sturdy. On top of the staff he carefully inserted the severed hand of Lilly so that the fingers were pointing up towards the ceiling. He then bent forward and kissed the hand.

“Behold our messenger!” Moses roared, raising his hands with the palms facing up. “Our departed loved one has shown us the way. She has brought us to a new home and provided us with a new direction. We have been chosen to become God’s new nation. God shall destroy the unbelievers and the idolatrous worshipers of material things and we shall inherit the earth.”

“Blessed be the name of Moses,” a man hummed.

“Blessed be his holy word,” the congregation answered.

Several hours later, Moses was snuggled in his private area with Elizabeth, one of his favorite congregation members. The church had held a long service and Moses decided that none of the congregation deserved to do penance in view of the new inspirational message he had received from Lilly, or what was left of Lilly. He smiled at how easy it was to lead these idiots around by the nose.

The screaming of several women and the yelling of the men suddenly interrupted Moses’ pleasant thoughts. He threw the covering of his tent flap open and rushed out to see what was causing the commotion.

Everyone was backed up in front of his tent. The women were shaking in terror and the men yelling for Moses to save them. Moses glanced to his right to the outside opening of the cavern. He was shocked to see an incredible creature standing just inside the cavern. It was a gigantic ant. The horrible creature was the size of a small pony. It’s deadly looking mandibles were opening and closing in a scissors like motion, its mouthparts moving in a chewing motion. A foamy white substance drooled down from the mouth. There was also an acrid unidentifiable smell coming from the creature.

As they stood watching in horror, another one of the creatures appeared to their left. It had obviously come from deeper inside the part of the cavern they had not yet explored. In no time at all, the entire congregation was standing behind Moses as if they expected him to save them from the monstrous ants.

Suddenly, one of the ants moved to the center of the cavern, the sharp bony nails on its feet making horrible scratching noises on the granite flooring. It moved its bulbous head up and started feeling the hand of Lilly with its antennae, which was still transfixed on top of the pole. The ant made a gurgling noise and a slimy green substance issued from its mouth and coated the severed hand.

The creature turned and moved in Moses’ direction. Moses was frozen stiff with fright. He was so scared he was not even breathing. The enormous ant moved closer and started feeling Moses with its antennae. It hesitated as if it could not decide what to do, then, it moved forward and splattered Moses with the slimy green substance.

The ant pushed Moses to the side and moved to the person behind him. After feeling that person with its antennae it spurted the same nasty slime over her face and chest. More ants moved in and begin to assist the first one.

An incredible thought suddenly came to Moses. “Do not resist,” he ordered. “They will not harm you. God has brought the beasts here to protect us against our enemies. These creatures use smell to identify their friends and enemies. Their juices will protect us from harm.”

As a boy, Moses was infatuated with ants and subsequently learned a tremendous amount about them. The fact that they had not immediately attacked told him that the severed hand of Lilly had ant pheromones on it that initially confused them. Since the entire congregation had kissed the hand, they had picked up some of the pheromone smell.

We’re not on their dinner list, Moses thought. I think we’re being saved for something else. The old knowledge in his possession did not account for ant slavery.

One of the members could not stand the thought of the giant ant approaching him. It was a nightmare come true. His terror was his undoing. He tried to run through the ants and escape through the entrance of the cavern. He did not realize that one of these creatures could out run a horse.

He was a few feet from the entrance when one of the giants caught him from behind and sliced him in half. His backbone snapped like a dry twig and a pile of blue-gray intestines poured out onto the granite floor. Within seconds he was surrounded by ants and torn into small pieces.

The congregation watched in horror as the pieces of the man were crushed and chewed and eaten by the giant insects. The feast lasted only a few minutes.

“He did not kiss the hand of Lilly,” Moses stated. “He was not one of us. Do not fear, the Lord will protect you.”

Moses could tell from the movements of the giant ant in front of him that they were to follow, or be herded, to another area. He motioned for his congregation to follow him and turned and slowly headed deeper into the caves behind the cavern. As he passed the staff with the hand of Lilly impaled on it, he plucked it from the ground and carried it before him like the staff of Moses.