In God's House

"You have no right to do this! We aren't your puppets. We're human beings."

The reverend stood and began to pace his sparsely-furnished bedroom. "We have received a wonderful blessing in Eternity. An opportunity to make Heaven here on Earth. We have the ability to be as perfect as the Lord Himself. It is my responsibility to make sure my flock stays on the right path, that they live according to The Way."

"Your responsibility? Shouldn't they decide how to live their lives?"

"They were prepared to abandon The Way and ally themselves with savages. I did what was necessary to preserve the sanctity of my congregation. I cleansed their souls and kept them on the true path until your arrival."

"You took away their identities and their families. You took away their lives!"

"Their lives were worth nothing before I intervened. They were sinners bound for Hell, every last one. I transformed them into model servants of God. I created them as the Lord created Adam from clay, fashioning them in His image." He pointed at her and continued, "As for you, your life was an empty void until you came here."

Samantha's mouth opened, but no words would come out. She thought back to her dreams and could now hear the reverend's voice sparing her life. "You brought me here. You did this to me." She leapt from the bed, her outstretched hands clawing for his throat. Reverend Crane didn't move. An instant before she would have wrapped her hands around his neck, Pryde burst into the room and hauled her down onto the bed. No matter how hard Samantha struggled, she could not break Pryde's grip. He tied her to a bedpost and then looked over at the reverend, who dismissed him with a nod of his head.