When she used to broadcast, with a choir of two hundred voices, from the Tabernacle
The Green Ripper in Biloxi. That was before she founded the Church of the Apocrypha, before she had taken the name Sister Elena Marie.'
'What did her name used to be?'
'I wouldn't tell you except she was so well known a lot of people know it. She was Bobbie Jo Annison. She started preaching the gospel when she was sixteen. They got up to over a hundred and fifty stations toward the end, and she took in mil- lions of dollars for good works. But she decided it was not the true faith, and there were too many ad- visers trying to run things, and the government was after her for taxes and all. And she decided that it was vanity that had taken over for piety, being on the air so much. So she quit and she founded our Church. Maybe it was about nine years ago, or ten. There used to be things in the magazines. Whatever happened to Bobbie Jo Annison? I expect you heard the name before.'
'It sounds kind of familiar, but I was never much for turning on television for anything at all.'
'She is the greatest woman who ever lived.'
'You mean that?'
'I would die for her. I probably will die for her, and be reborn into my own identity in the next in- carnation. That's the reward for dying for the Church. Sometimes, after I have prayed a long time, and very hard, suddenly I can hear her voice inside my head saying my words in her voice to the
Lord. Sister Stella can make that happen too. It's wonderful when it happens.' Her face glowed.
'Speaking of Stella, maybe you can tell me the ground rules around here. I don't want to get into trouble.'
'Because she came to your bed? No, there is no objection. It could have been suggested to her. I didn't ask and she didn't tell mu If the two of you slept only with each other, that would be bad.'
'Is that rule in Sister Elena Marie's book?'
'`Not in this book. In another of her books there is a chapter about sharing. She says that making love should be a simple function, and not be given too much importance in this era. She says that when we were all alive in earlier centuries, it was different. We were all faithful to JUSt one person, and it was good and natural and right. And when we come back to earth again, in future centuries, it will probably be like that again. But now, in this world, if we begin to think too much of some other person, it will make us weak in our duty as soldiers in the Army of the Lord. We might forget our own mission in trying to save another person from hurt.'
'Ig this sharing okay in the other camps that aren't special? Like when my little girl was here?'
'Oh, no. You have to be celibate your first few years in the Church. You must give up everything for the Church. But we in special training have proved we will not be weakened by sexual pleasure, and if we wish *, it is permitted.'
The Green Ripper
'As long as you spread it around.'
'As that some kind of a dirty joke to you?'
'A didn't know any other way to say it, Nena.'
'You must call me Sister Nena, nothing else.'
'How did you come to get selected for this training?'
'everyone in the Church is watched. Actually they are testing all of us all the time, keeping track of the ones with the strongest faith and the strongest, quickest bodies. When they told me I had been selected for special training, I didn't even know what kind of training it would be. Now I know, and Ill do whatever they ask of me.'
'Mike blow up some kindergartens?'
'You really don't understand, do you? The most bloody, savage, awful acts that seem the most pointless, they're the ones that are most productive. They revolt and shock everyone, and that puts terrible pressure on the central government and local governments to crack down on ad the people who are nonconformist in any way. When that happens, the resentment makes rebels out of the conformists too, and pretty soon the whole structure crumbles.'
'And you can do these terrible things, Sister Nena?'
'A might be asked to do things that will make me feel sort of sick to my stomach. But I'll be proud of the chance to do them. I'm exalted to think 1~11 be part of something that's going to change the world. I'm proud of finally finding something in my life that makes sense, Brother Thomas. Has your life really made sense to you?'
'Sense? I don't know. I've had a few laughs. I've had some real good days. And some black black ones. Who says things have to make sense?'
'We want it to. Every one of us. We don't understand it, and Sister Elena Marie sorts it all out for us.'
'Well, I wish I could go see the lady and let her explain it all to me.'
'You saw the tape. Didn't that help?'
'A guess so. A little bit.'
'Brother Thomas, we are all getting very fond of you, you know. We are enjoying having you with us. Please don't have doubts. Just don't think about it. Be open. And when the time comes, Brother Persival will have a mission for you, and you will want to perform it properly and please us all.'
'Is that a first name or a last name? Persival.'
'I really don't know. One of the rules of the Church is that everyone has just one name. And you can pick any part of your first name or last name, or you can make up a name, and then it is yours forever.'
'Don't you get a lot of duplications?'
'Of course. What difference does that make? We don't pay taxes and we're not on social security and there is no payroll.'
'Then it could be tough locating my little girl Kathy.'
The Green Ripper
'En all the regular camps there must be hundreds of Kathys. People are supposed to forget their last names. So even if they paged her in all the regular camps, she might not answer.'
'The boss lady has two names.'
'YPlease don't call her that! She is the only person who is allowed to have two names. The only one in the whole Church.'
I had untangled myself, and the feeling was coming back into my legs. She was back on the bed. By the way she moved I could see she no longer had an anlde problem.
'Well, take care of yourself, Sister Nena.'
She smiled at me. 'Sure. Sister Stella is very fond of you, did you know that?'
'A thought we were all very fond of each other. Isn't that the house rule?'
She pursed her lips as she stared at me. 'Sometimes when you sound sarcastic you are like another person.'
'In what way?'
'Y don't really know.'
I changed the subject. 'Better stay off that ankle as much as you can.'
'It's okay now. But thanks for carrying me.'
I stepped down out of the trailer and closed the tin door. The misty rain had stopped. I did not see anyone around. I took a bath in the creek and changed to my other set of clothes and washed out the coveralls.
As I scrubbed away, I thought about my very few options. I could stay here and keep my head down and try to get a line on where their headquarters might be located, then try to sneak away somehow and report to that memorized phone number. I could plan and carry out some kind of group ambush, kill every one of them, and then hunt through an their stuff for clues about the rest of the organization. But even if I could see myself executing an these crazies, little girls and all, my ability to do it was questionable. They were trim and tough and wary. Splendid reflexes. I could hang around until my mission, and then defect once I was at sea on the boat I was going to have to buy. By that time things would be popping all over the country, am patently. Sniping, fires, explosions, massacres, and God knows what all.
And once again I saw Gretel's face, the way the fever had wasted her, saw her chest pumping as the machine breathed for her, saw the laugh-lines around her dying eyes.
And I thought then of a provisional plan. Nicky was dead. Maybe they would find out I wasn't what I had pretended to be. If so, the odds might be improved between now and then. Nine to one read better than ten to one... a little better. Keep the eyes open. Improvise.
I stood up quickly, turning as I rose, and saw a
The Green Ripper dicker of movement beyond a big tree a hundred feet away. Suspicion confirmed. Keep an eye on Brother Thomas, but without giving yourself away. And we'll see what he does.
Well, he just hung around and washed himself and some clothes. He spent an hour with Sister Nena He doesn't seem to want to take off.
That night I got up from the table and went over to where Persival sat with Alvor. I said, 'Y don't see any good reason why you have to hang onto my money.'
'People in the Church have no need of money.'
'Tm not in the Church yet.' our money is safe.'
'You give me a list of the regular camps where my Kathy might be, and I'll go check them out, and then I'll come back here whether I find her or not.'
'Would you try to take her away from the camp?'
'No. I just want to
