The Men of the Blue Mountain

Part 2: The Initial Meeting

The letter made a crinkling noise as it shook in my hand. I couldn't decide if the shaking was from nerves or from anger or some mixture of the two. It had been quite some time since my father went missing, but if I was ever going to find out where he was – or if he was even still alive – that this was my chance.

I peeled the red wax off of the seal and tore open the envelope. The letter itself was on a yellowed, older piece of paper, which surprised me. I was expecting something a bit more professional from the group that my father would wear his suit to; something more elite. I unfolded it and saw the black, handwritten words scrawled across it.

"Shortly after midnight, we will come for you. Dress well. Be prepared.

-MotBM"

I sat on my bed, rereading those words over and over again. I thought if I should tell my mother, but her words rang out in my ears. I knew it would break to think about her son facing the same fate as her husband, even if my intentions were to find him. She would be crushed at the thought of risking the only person she had left. Truthfully, I felt terrible for even considering this, but I also got the feeling that I didn't have a choice. The letter read "...we will come for you." – that didn't sound optional.

As night drew, I became more anxious. I didn't have a suit to wear, but was able to dig out my shirt and tie that my mother had me wear to church. The Men would have to get over my lack of wardrobe. I began to wonder how they found me and why they wanted me. I could help but think that my father might have ha something to do with it – I certainly was not an exceptional man. I dreaded that there were plans for me that might be similar to my father's.

As midnight rolled around, I checked to be sure my mother was tucked away in her bed and fast asleep. With her snoring securing my secrecy, I donned my shirt and tie and stepped out into the street. I didn't know if they wanted me to go anywhere in specific, so I figured I would make myself easy to find. It wasn't long before a black car pulled up and slowed to a halt.

I stood there, waiting to be greeted or for some kind of sign, but none came. The windows of the car were far too dark for me to see in and I could hear nothing from vehicle. I stared at it for a minute or two before deciding to approach it. As I came within arms reach of the drivers side window, the back door opened and a large man in a black suit and mask jumped out, grabbing me at my hips. I struggled to get free, but he was stronger than he looked, even for with his massive size. He drove me into the vehicle with his shoulders and before I could understand the situation wholly or even think to shout for help, I was in the speeding car.

"Sit!"

The large man's voice boomed in the tiny backseat of the car. I shuffled to the far end of the backseat and reached for the handle. To my surprise, it had been removed. I looked over to the man, still wearing the black mask covering his face, who repeated himself.

"Sit."

To avoid more possible harm, I calmed myself and sat straight up with my back against the black leather seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Out of town." the man responded.

"Will I be coming back home tonight?"

He didn't respond. The rest of the car ride was silent. I tried to see out the windows, but everything in the back had been blacked out. This was obviously intentional and likely to keep people from knowing where we were going. Though I was freaking out on the inside, I had to keep cool. I tried to think that this was something men would spend their whole lives wishing for – even if I knew that there was possibly a much darker truth. I tried to convince myself that it was all ok and that maybe there wasn't some evil at the end of this car ride – that maybe my father was alive and well...possibly that he simply chose not to come back. But I knew my father better than that. I knew how much he loved his family. No silly society was going to sway him like that. We came to a stop and the man in the mask looked over to me.

"Can you get out without running or do you need...help?"

I think I'll be ok." I said, placing my hands on the seat to push myself out of the car. When the man opened the door, I saw immediately that we were in the woods. The crickets in the dark chirped loudly and I could hear the trees moving in the wind. Stepping out I saw a small wooden shack in a clearing. The road we drove in on was dirt and gravel – definitely not one that would be travel regularly by the public. The shack was dingy and bleak. There were planks hanging from the front and it looked as though no one had been inside for decades. Rain and snow had damaged it severely. This is where I die, I thought. This is where it ends.

The large man motioned towards the shack, which I reluctantly took a step towards. I looked around, seeing if there was somewhere for me to run, but the woods were thick and dense and I could only assume these men knew the property much better than I did. I wouldn't last ten minutes out there before getting caught. We came to the entrance of the shack and the man opened the door for me.

"In." he commanded.

I looked at him, hoping to see a sense of mercy, but none came from his dark eyes, which were barely visible in the shadow of the night. Walking into the shack, I saw that it was completely empty, with the exception of a square trap door in the floor. The man grabbed the brass handle of the trapdoor and pulled the cover off of the wooden floor of this hut, revealing a set of stairs.

"Down."

I started towards the stairs, trying to allow my eyes to further adjust to the dark, but to no avail. I walked in the pitch black, taking my time down the steps, the man's hand now lying calmly on my shoulder. A small light came from his other hand, letting me see a dirt and stone tunnel lined by ceramic tiling on the floor. At the end of the tunnel were two doors. The man pushed the smaller of the two open, letting it creak loudly, and guided me in.

Inside was a wooden chair. Nothing else.

"Sit."

I went to the chair and sat down.

"Don't move."

With that, he shut the door, covering me in the darkness again.

I waited there for hours. I wanted so badly to sleep, but simply couldn't bring myself to do it. I was too afraid. Was I being watched? Is this a test? What is happening?

Eventually the man came back, but not until an excruciatingly long time.

"Go." he said, motioning out the door. I stood, my legs feeling weak and trembling under my body. Again, his hand fell onto my shoulder as we walked back out of the tunnel and into the woods. The sun had started to come up and I could see even better now how thick the brush and trees around the shack really were. I would never had lasted had I ran. He opened the car door and climbed in. I followed, now on the side of the car with the handle.

We drove for some time before stopping.

"Out." the man said. I grabbed the handle and pulled, forcing the door open. Before I could step out, his muscular hand gripped my arm. "Tomorrow. Midnight." He then shoved me out of the car, leaving me standing in front of my home, where I was able to sneak in before my mother woke up.