Always Watching

gun. Daniel put his hands to his head, like he couldn’t believe what was happening, and turned back to his mother, who was now sobbing. Daniel spun back around and followed us, but he looked panicky.
    I said to Aaron, “Is this how you do it? You make your brother do your dirty work?”
    Aaron said, “The Light wants me to use whatever tools are available to share his word. Sometimes his message flows through my aides.”
    Then it came to me. “You didn’t kill Willow; you made Joseph do it.” I could see it now, the missing piece. Joseph back early from the walk, Aaron whispering in his ear, the dark and twisted thoughts, sending paranoid words into his head, feeding his fear, and unleashing him on Willow.
    Aaron calmly said, “My brother’s on his own spiritual path.”
    “You know he’s sick.” It all fit into place. “You knew what to say, so that he’d go after her.” Could I also manipulate Joseph somehow?
    Joseph twisted my arms again, dragged me another couple of feet.
    I gasped from the pain, trying to focus. No, Joseph was too loyal to his brother. I had to work on Daniel. It was my only chance.
    “Daniel, he’s murdered another girl before, and he’s going to murder me. You’ll be an accomplice.”
    Aaron sounded annoyed as he kept moving us toward the door. “Don’t believe anything she says. She’s trying to distract you.”
    Daniel was still following, but his face was desperate and stricken, like he didn’t know what to do or how to stop the events from unfolding.
    We stumbled down the steps, the backs of my heels hitting each one. At the bottom, Joseph spun me around, then marched me toward the barn. Terror, loud and violent, began to shriek in my head. Was he going to kill me now? He tripped on a rock, and his grip loosened. I twisted hard and elbowed him in the gut, finally breaking his hold. I ran as fast as I could, my lungs screaming.
    Go, go, go.
    A body slammed into my back, and I hit the ground hard, my teeth going into my bottom lip. My mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Joseph pulled me up. I reared backward, connecting with his chin, sending a jolt of pain down my neck and spine. He grabbed me in a bear hug from behind, squeezing until I started to feel faint. Then he forced me toward the barn, my heels dug futilely into the ground, trying to slow the process, but I was off balance, being propelled backward. Helpless and grunting with exertion, I tried to get some air back in my lungs, breathing in big, panicky gasps. We were almost at the gate.
    *   *   *
    When we reached the barn, my entire system went into survival mode and I struggled like a wild animal caught in a net. Joseph grunted a couple of times as my blows connected, but he still didn’t let go. I stepped down hard on his instep, gouging and biting at his wrists—fighting for my life. He almost dropped me again, and I managed to get one hand onto the barn gate, my nails tearing as he tried to pull me away. Aaron smacked my wrist with the butt of his gun. Pain shot up my arm and exploded behind my eyeballs. I screamed. Joseph slapped a hand down over my mouth and dragged me the rest of the way into the barn.
    My body was paralyzed with terror now. My heart beating so hard in my chest I thought I might pass out. I could no longer fight. I was going to die.
    We were at a door. Aaron opened it. It was dark inside, looked like a small storage room. The smell of stale horse feed and mold wafted out. Joseph force-walked me into the dark. I came back to life. My body heaving and jerking. I kicked up and out, braced my legs on the sides of the door. Now both their hands were on me, and they thrust me into the room. I fell onto the floor, my knee cracking on concrete. In front of me, there was a small freezer, not much bigger than me, old and covered with rust spots and filth. Joseph picked me up, holding me while Aaron lifted the lid on the bin. I fought in Joseph’s arms, my breath panting out. Aaron grabbed my legs, and they dumped me into the freezer. I landed on a pile of grain, my body sinking into it slightly, my knees bent.
    The lid was closing. I slammed my fists into it. “ Let me out of here. ”
    Sounds from the outside. Aaron’s voice, “Where’s the padlock?”
    Daniel, his voice hollow and shocked, “Why are you putting her in there?”
    Aaron’s voice, “Joseph, just put the pitchfork in the latch.”
    Another noise, something scraping against the side of the freezer.
    I