Zen's War: Captivity
Chapter 10: The Sermon

Sahara entered the house feeling a mixture of curiosity and fear. She was immediately led to her right down a hallway. Joshua led all three of them including Sahara to a large room at the end of the hall. Sitting on the floor in front of a pulpit were the eleven wives Joshua had spoken of.

The wives seemed to vary greatly in age. Some looked to be close to her age. One of the girls who seemed close to Sahara’s age looked her in the eye. Her eyes were void of any emotion whatsoever. Sahara became uncomfortable, then quickly turned away.

Five of the women were Hispanic the other six were white. They all wore the same ragged white dress. A couple of their stomachs were quite large from pregnancy. On the right breast of each dress was sown a Star of David. All of their hair was long, hanging down their backs.

Standing around the perimeter of the room were the twelve followers of Joshua. They all had their hoods pulled back revealing their faces and bald heads. They resembled soldiers ready to hear from their general. Their faces had no expression, as if they had been carved from stone.

Hanging from the walls were many crucifixes, from Celtic to Benedictine. In the center of the wall across from the pulpit was a large cross within a Star of David. It extended from the floor to the ceiling, dwarfing the other crucifixes. It was carved from a dark cherry wood and sanded to a smooth finish.

Facing the pulpit to the right of where Sahara sat was a large rectangular window, which was the only source of light in the room. Outside the window was not much of a view. There was the usual detritus of dirt, rocks and dying plants. Off in the distance, on the horizon she could make out part of a mountain range.

Joshua stood at the pulpit ready to deliver his sermon. His eyes were wide open, sparkling with intensity. He had a presence that commanded your attention. There was almost something hypnotic about his blue eyes. Sahara did not know why, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“There have been many false prophets who have claimed that they were the true Lamb of God. These many emissaries of Satan were liars. These liars were under the power of the forces of darkness. They were possessed by demons. I am the true Lamb of God, whose return has long been prophesied. I am here to protect all the true believers from the legions of Satan. We have entered a time of great tribulation. Through me all who choose to may enter the kingdom of heaven. You must all be willing to make sacrifices, as I did upon the cross. Just as I died for the sins of humanity, you must be willing to as well. Otherwise, you are merely pawns of Lucifer,” Joshua exclaimed, spit flying from his mouth. “The many religions with the exception of Christianity were tools created and employed by Satan. Islam is a prime example. The followers of this satanic religion sought to destroy the Christian world. Many are of the opinion that they accomplished this goal. America lies in ruins, as does Israel. These Muslims as they are called are simply puppets of Satan. This, they are not even aware of. They go about their business unaware that they are executing the Devils plans. The mullahs and sheiks of this bastard religion planted the many seeds of evil that have now blossomed throughout the world. The many Christian martyrs who died as a result of this evil will not be forgotten. Their deaths occurred for a higher purpose.”

Sahara was shocked by the words that Joshua had spoken. Besides just being in shock of his venomous words, she was also transfixed by them.

One of the men who stood against the wall suddenly left the room. Shortly thereafter the man returned with a large brass bowl filled with dirty yellow water. This water was then passed around the room. Each person took one sip then passed the bowl to the next person.

When the bowl reached Sahara she drank from it greedily. She had not had water in many hours. It was surprising how much the human body could endure. If she had gone any longer without water, she would have passed out from dehydration and possibly died. Despite the yellowish hue of the water and the slightly bitter taste it was very refreshing. She gulped down the water until the bowl was nearly empty.

Suddenly Joshua stopped in the middle of the sermon. He then glared at Sahara. A great feeling of fear and shame came over her.

“There is not enough water for you to drink all of it. There are others who are thirsty. The disrespect that you have shown will not be forgotten,” Joshua said, chastising her.

“Forgive me, I meant no disrespect. I had not had water for many hours,” Sahara said in her own defense.

All eyes in the room were on her. All of the negative attention made her feel very uneasy. Everyone in the room looked at her with scorn. She was afraid, but would not show it.

“It is not your fault that you were raised by heathens. Soon you will be cleansed of your sinful ways. All humans are sinners by nature. When I plant my holy seed within you, your body will become a temple of God,” Joshua said, his point made clear.

She didn’t know how to react. Part of her wanted to get up and run away, but knew she would never get away. Though she did not believe what he was saying, she did not argue with him. She knew her only chance at survival, may be to give in.

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