They Will Run You Down

Thirty-Five: The QW

"Bless those who have cursed you, pray for those who mistreat you," uttered Father Douglas as he bore into Harley.

She had been sat once again in the chair before the Father took his seat behind his desk and Carson leaned casually against the desk, having just lit himself a cigarette. Harley looked between the two men, deciding that when Father Douglas said 'Brother' he meant it literally and not figuratively.

"You're not the first woman to arrive in Haven with an imperious spirit. But women must be led, counseled and directed. They must submit graciously to the servant leadership of their husbands and of God. I sense you'll not learn this lesson easily but you will learn it, as have the others," Continued the Father.

Harley was confused about the whole husband thing. She didn't have a husband. . But stubborn as she was, Harley refused to engage with the insane ramblings of the man before her and ask for clarification.

"Can she speak? Does she even understand what we're saying?" Carson asked as he gazed at Harley with fascination.

Father Douglas leaned back in his chair, "She understands"

Taking a long pull of his cigarette, Carson stood from the desk and took a step toward Harley. He crouched down in front of her and blew a cloud of noxious smoke directly into her face, "What-is-your-name?" He questioned, speaking slowly and over articulating as if Harley were dimwitted.

She closed her eyes and turned her head for a moment as the smoke blew past, then met Carson's gaze with a malicious glare, disgusted by his arrogance.

He knit his brow and cocked his head slightly, "What's with your eyes?"

Harley simply glare back at the man, holding her ground.

"You've been addressed, girl. Answer him," growled Father Douglas from behind his desk.

Tearing her gaze away from Carson, Harley looked past him to the Father. With her wrists still cuffed, Harley raised both hands as fists and extended her middle fingers toward both men

Carson bore his teeth with a sinister grin, still crouched down in front of Harley. He straightened up and walked around Harley until she could no longer see him. Suddenly and with a ferocious burst, he grabbed a fistful of Harley's light hair and wrenched her neck back so he could look down upon her from above.

Flipping the cigarette around in his fingers, Carson pointed the burning end at Harley and lowered it toward her cheek, "The feisty ones are fun to break," he uttered, a grin hooking itself into the corner of his mouth. He lowered the burning cigarette just close enough to Harley's cheek that she could feel its uncomfortable heat. She kept her eyes focused on Carson, showing her unflinching resolve. Better to accept the punishment than give those fuckers the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.

"Her feelings drive her toward every evil, just as reason impels man toward all good. Thus the relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and ruler to ruled," Father Douglas chanted as he watched on. He continued, "Our goal is not to harm you, young lady. We must save your soul from eternal damnation and it's our duty as God-fearing men to lead our women down the path of righteousness. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are left alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep."

Carson let go of Harley's hair and withdrew the cigarette from her proximity, taking another puff before speaking, "The word and works of God are quite clear. Women were made either to be wives or whores. Whether you're fertile or not will determine your place within Haven"

Father Douglas looked to Carson, "Take her to meet the Quick Wives. Have them explain to her the duties that are expected of her from this moment forward," he commanded.