69

The door to the casket opened. Samuel was lifted out of the coffin, his vision blurry, and his feet touched the deck. His eyesight cleared and quickly surveyed the area. Behind him, he saw a horrifying sight.

Children, around his age, were tied up, mouths taped, piled up on the backside of the deck, wiggling like fish out of water.

Samuel looked over at his brothers. They looked as terrified as he felt. Be brave! Stand strong! Eduardo and Felipe’s backs straightened.

Samuel felt his stomach churn. He took several deep breaths through his nose, fought it off, and looked around the stage. They were exactly where he imagined. His eyes landed up front. Cardinal Polletto was staring straight at him.

Samuel kept his eyes firmly on the cardinal, who looked away and raised his hands in the air. The stadium fell silent. Samuel surveyed the crowd in the stands, not able to see everyone clearly. The faces he could make out had their eyes glued on him. He let his gaze fall down to the front row, and almost collapsed at the disturbing sight of his mother in the front row wearing a black hooded robe like all the others, standing next to a frail old man with scary yellow eyes. Alison saw him looking, smiled and blew him a kiss.

Samuel’s hearing fell hollow, his eyes watered. Cardinal Polletto walked over to Father Tolbert with a tray in his hand, but Samuel had stopped paying attention. Mommy, how could you?

Samuel looked over at Felipe and Eduardo. Both looked down at their hands, signaling that their bounds were loose enough to make a break for it.

A commotion brought Samuel out of his stupor. Father Sin walked by him toward the stage. Good, it’s time. Samuel pointed his head toward the rail to the left. If they made it over, he guessed the drop was about ten to fifteen feet down to the water. He looked at his mother, heartbroken, but her attention, along with everybody else in the stadium, was on Father Tolbert, who had broken loose from the wooden plank, and was now slashing a knife back and forth at anybody who tried to get close to him.

Two men grabbed Father Tolbert, but he kicked and stabbed them, sending both of them to the ground. The crazed priest reached down for a thick necked man, whose face Samuel remembered, but whose name he couldn’t recall, and stabbed him in the chest several times, to the horror of Samuel and the now panicked crowd.

“Father Sin, get him!” cried Cardinal Polletto, looking frightened.

Father Sin pulled a knife from under his robe, but Father Tolbert didn’t notice. His eyes were fixed on the cardinal, as he spit and cursed.

“Stop him!” Cardinal Polletto screamed.

Father Tolbert rushed the cardinal, who put his forearms in front of his face and screamed as Father Tolbert sunk the knife into his stomach.

All of the adults around them, including Sister Bravo, rushed forward, leaving the boys alone.

Samuel eased over to Eduardo and Felipe, removed the rope from his wrists, and helped his brothers do the same. The boys ripped the tape from their mouths, then stared in awe at the heap of children writhing at their feet.

Samuel saw Cardinal Polletto stumble over to a large wooden handle and look over at him.

“Let’s go!” shouted Samuel.

Cardinal Polletto pulled the lever. The deck collapsed, and seconds later, Samuel was underwater fighting for air, as the children who were lying on the deck kicked and squirmed all around him.

Samuel couldn’t breathe. His chest ached. He felt dizzy and weak.

The longer he fought, the faster his strength abandoned him. He felt himself losing consciousness, as tiny hands and feet clawed at his face.