( BROKEN - Cult Short Story ) 

  "An Amber Alert has been called into action as-" muting the TV I leaned forward on the couch hands pinching the bridge of my nose.

        "What's wrong baby brother?" Came Ian's smug voice from the doorway, arms crossed high up on his muscled chest.

        Looking up I saw the amused look in his eye, "Don't you see this? We're all acting to close together! One of us will be brought down."

        "Colton!" my mothers voice snapped walking in anger present on her face, "You do not speak of your brothers in such way."

        Avoiding eye contact I looked at the floor finding the carpet of the RV more entertaining. Father came in laughing, "I'll keep in touch Ed. Pleasure working with you." his laughter died off, "What's this?"

        Ian spoke up before our mother had the chance, "Colton's just rambling how our new brother will get caught."

        Fathers eyes went dark as I looked up at him from the couch. "You doubt Ed and his family? He's a good man Colton." his voice was warning.

        It was my turn to stand facing father with a hard stare, "Look at that TV." I hissed pointing at its muted screen, "What do you see? FBI, Police, State Officials... all banding in together in search for that girl. Questions will be risen. We must stop this. We can get arrested just for association!" 
        
        A blaze of pain shot throughout the right side of my neck and cheek as my fathers fist backhanded me. The force threw me off balance onto the floor hand reaching up tentatively touching my stinging cheek. His hands reached down gripping around my throat bringing me to my feet slamming my back into the wall, causing pictures to tumble off.

        "Alan!" my mother shouted as I frantically clawed at his hands. I couldn't breathe. "Alan!" she screamed this time. Ian backed away even startled.

        "Doubt our brothers again son, and I promise that I will disown you." he released my throat letting me slide down the wall onto the floor gasping for air. "We move this afternoon. Colton, tonight you will make your choice."

        Breathing heavily I stumbled up shoving my mothers arms away pushing open the RVs flimsy door. Jumping down into the sand my boots stirred up a cloud of dust. The scorching heat was hardly bearable.

        Bringing up a hand I shielded my eyes from the sun trudging through the heat. My fathers words echoed in my head, 'I'll disown you' — 'Tonight you make your choice'. Memories came floating back from a few months before... 'Tonight you make your choice'.

        "In every young mans life a choice must be made. He must choose to either stay with his family and brothers or walk abandoned in forever shame." The Cult leader Michael LeSina spoke holding his head highly. His dark hair was parted to the side, he wore a black button down shirt with black tie. What bothered me most was his eyes... like mine they were ice blue. Unlike mine his were frozen cold with no feeling nor emotions.

        I stood in front of him lined up in a row with four other boys. It was our turn to claim a future mate. That's what it always was, I have reached the age where I was a 'man' in my fathers eyes. In the dim light of a few lit candles we were alone in this small closet space. Feeling my palms sweat I looked to my left down the short line seeing all the boys holding heads high ready for this.

        "Drinking a sip of the red wine, is symbolizing our blood being entwined, you will live by our ways and follow the rules written by the ones before us." Michael dipped the silver colored cup into a golden tinted bowl filling it with the liquid. He held the cup up high above his head still ranting on.

        "You will not go against your brothers in any way that would result in another brother going to prison. You will not steal another brothers property nor lie to him face to face. If you doubt your ability to uphold and take your part then do not drink of this wine I pass to you." He held out the cup to Marcus, a boy of fifteen.

        I watched out of the corner of my eyes as he took the cup from Michael's hand staring down in the flickering candles light. Don't do it... I wanted to say. Then it hit me, what will happen if we leave? Where would we go?

        "Repeat after me Marcus. Of drinking up the blood of my brothers I shall never go against our ways and traditions. I will never challenge the written law in our religion, but I will always honor the code of brotherhood." Michael said slowly allowing Marcus to repeat word for word.

        It went on through the two other boys next to me. Travis, being fourteen, and Tyler, being fifteen. I was the oldest, being seventeen. I bit my lip as Tyler passed down the silver half filled cup of wine. Slowly I reached over taking it in my hands with my mouth tasting actual blood as I bit through the inside of my lip.

        Staring down into the liquid I knew Michael sensed my hesitation. He smiled a fake smile resting a hand on my left shoulder his forehead leaned down level with mine. His whispering words were haunting.

        "Hesitation Colton is a mans weakness. Thinking of abandoning or telling the authorities? Think again. We are numbered in thousands stretched out across the fifty states, our brotherhood bond has never been stronger. Say no, go head." his voice was the opposite of friendly, it was crazed. I looked up meeting his eyes with a hard glaring stare.

        "You'll be nothing except abandoned and I will let you rot alone. You will try to go to brothers for help except they will turn their backs on you because you were nothing but a waste of space failure. Then when you finally realize the mistake you made I'll find you and I will make an example out of you. Is that what you want Colton? To be a waste of space failure? I can give you more - we your brothers can give you more. Power, control, family." gently he used his other hand guiding the cup up to my chin, "All you have to do is drink..."

        I felt his breath, that's how close we were. His hand still resting on my shoulder sent a shutter through my body. The way his voice spoke of us all linked as brothers bound by the blooded wine in which we drank made my arm hair stand on end. Fear was struck within me. He never spoke to the other boys like he had me. Was I an enemy of his? What exactly were we? His hand nudged the cup even closer to my lips. Slowly I nodded swallowing the bile in my throat bringing the cup to my lips titling it up drinking of the blooded wine connecting me with my fellow brothers.

        "Repeat after me..."

        I spoke the words reciting them before he could for me, all the while staring challengingly up at him. "Of drinking up the blood of my brothers I shall never go against our ways and traditions... I will never challenge the written law in our religion, but I will always honor the code of brotherhood."

        "That's a boy." his hand patted hard on my shoulder taking the cup away from my shaking hands. I had sealed a deal with the devil himself, I will become what so many were already... a follower.

        Kicking a rock hard I sent it flying into the bushes crouching down crossing my arms over my knees. Looking around I saw no one... Let yourself cry for once Colton.

        Shaking my head I ran a hand through my hair seeing my vision blur I knew I was about to until I quickly swallowed my feelings hearing someone approach.

        "Aww did daddy hurt the little babies feelings?" taunted Ian coming from behind a boulder smirking.

        I stood up from where I had been crouching wiping furiously at my eyes. "I just got some sand in my eyes that's all." I mumbled lowly.

        He shrugged, "Say whatever makes you feel like a man, I guess. You know, I've been waiting a long time for father to finally put you in your place. Your nothing but a waste of sp–"

        Ian never finished because I lunged tackling him down into the hot sand pummeling him with fist after fist. My rage was for father, for Michael, mother, the followers, Ian, life... all of this made me broken. My knuckles bloodied as did Ian's face. Rolling off him I heard him gasp coughing and spitting out blood. "I'm gonna make you pay." his voice was barely a whisper.

        Standing I towered over his figure on the sand, "Go ahead Ian. You may be older than me, but lets get one thing straight. I'm not a waste of space. If anyone is it's you."

        "Oh yeah?" he called after me sitting up, "And what about tonight huh? Who's gonna help you? Not dad, me. That's right, Michael told me to help you." he pushed himself up wiping the blood away from under his nose.

        Looking over my shoulder at him I shook my head, "Oh yes, how lovely. I actually have time to bond with you." Pulling my blood stained shirt off over my head I tossed it in the bushes so mother wouldn't have to see it.

        "I'm not a waste of space." I mumbled darkly walking back alone to the RV determined to show them I was not broken.