Glasses clinked against each other as six friends sat around the table in the Iron Horse Hotel. The atmosphere was bright, the people there shared jokes and stories as they celebrated a week of holding onto the town. The cultists drank their worries away like the world was theirs to control, and that their reward will soon be delivered.

  But to Andrew, he only cared about the company of his friends. The joy they could bring to his lonesome heart. He joined the Cult of the New Dawn when it first started three years ago. Before his enrollment, he didn’t do much beforehand besides living in his parent’s basement while failing to get a job. Andrew was like most who struggled to find employment, but after joining the cult he found a new sense of purpose in life. One that he would be proud of when it happened.

  ‘Ey, Andrew!’ Annable rubbed his short brown hair from behind, giggling as she guided his head to face one camera at the corner of the bar. ‘Walter just set up the cameras, we can now cut down guard duty while Theodor does his thingie.’

  Annable cheerful waved at the camera, her way of including a fellow member of the cult at the other end. In response, it moved up and down.

  John raised his pint into the air, his cheeks bright red. ‘Hell yeah!’ He shouted in a thick New Yorker accent. ‘That means we can start poker night again. I miss poker!’

  Andrew rolled his eyes, annoyed to see John that drunk. But as the clock struck almost midnight, he was willing to forgive him for drinking too much. It was a time for celebration, not criticising him for the over consumption of alcohol.

  Approaching the counter with a sour tone. Martha groaned before dismissively waving at John’s drunken stupor. Which in return, brought his ire. ‘I mean, poker is fun,’ Martha agreed. ‘But how about we do something else? Like Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve found an entire game set in one of the houses, and I want to give it a try.’

  ‘I didn’t know you’re a DnD fan.’ Andrew commented with a warm smile. To him, he didn’t expect to see a friend who was terrified with social interactions be interested in playing a game requiring constant communication.

  Martha shyly replied, ‘I have hobbies.’

  Annable chimed in. ‘Hell, I’m down for it. I call dibs on playing the Barbarian class!’

  ‘And for that, we should celebrate!’ John poured beer into Martha’s glass as he laughed away like an idiot.

  Annable moved on from the conversation to set up the pool table, even bringing a few of her friends to join her for a game. She was a strange one, always liking to play those games not because of the game which she often hated, but the people she got to chat and play with. It was the human factor that brought joy, the act of winning was just secondary to her.

  Yet as that went on, Andrew sat back and relaxed. To him that was better than home. Before he had no friends, his family was absent, and disappointed in him. He couldn’t get a girlfriend as well because the act of socialisation and putting himself out to the world terrified him. But then, right there, he was happy. He had friends who cared about him and a loyal girlfriend who was at that moment at the school helping Theodor perform a ritual.

  He wondered how Beck was doing over there, he debated if he should give her a surprise visit. Maybe kiss her on the cheek as a little gift package for a hard day's work.

  What more could a man ask for? He would think to himself.

  Was there anything he regretted? To him, there was nothing regrettable that he’d done. With a sip of his beer, he chuckled as he remembered a time he stole candy from a baby. He watched it cry before he put his double-barrelled shotgun to its face and pulled the trigger. Was there a rhyme and reason for doing it? No, but it was funny to him.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Martha scooted over to Andrew, ‘so, uh… Andrew.’ She stuttered, a bit embarrassed about what she wanted to say. ‘After Theodor does his thing, I think we should organise a little surprise party for him. You know, to lift his spirits.’

  Andrew liked the idea, a cute little party to end the year. ‘You know what, I’m on board! I’ll even get Beck on it so she can slow him down while we get things ready.’

  Martha’s face lit up like a Christmas Tree as she proceeded to thank Andrew with a loving hug. ‘You’re awesome! You know that?’

  As Andrew shared his drinks with Martha, she retold stories of when she used to cosplay in California.

  John almost fell asleep after he chugged a bottle of bourbon. Annable, despite her best efforts, forfeited $50 after she lost a game of pool. Andrew knew that was the rest of her money gone. But, one of the perks of being in a cult is you didn’t need money to survive or be a member. The only currency was kindness to one another and doing what was expected of you. Perhaps, be a little silly along the way.

  It was a good deal, it was a community everyone wanted. One that was fair and gave them a chance to be themselves and not fall in line with any societal norm. They were free to do as they pleased, but only if it benefited the rest of the cult and Theodor.

  Bang!

  Wooden doors slammed open as a fellow cult member barged into the hotel. ‘Everyone! Someone is on the road!’

  ‘Okay? What’s the problem?’ Andrew said on behalf of everyone.

  The panicked cultist pointed outside. ‘He is just there. We told him to leave, but he is just standing there.’

  Andrew put his glass down and grabbed his shotgun with an annoyed sigh. ‘Well, back to work I guess. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with this.’ He tapped the cultist chest. ‘Daniel, right?’

  The young man nodded, ‘yeah that’s me.’

  Andrew patted him on the back, sympathetic to him for being a new member of the cult. ‘Don’t sweat it, we deal with this sort of thing all the time. Come, I’ll show you how to handle it.’

  Andrew walked outside onto the highway. Across the street from the motel, the machine gun nest aimed their guns down the highway and straight at the figure in front of them. A simple defensive position, in case any unwelcomed guest approached them.

  Though what spooked Andrew was the lonesome figure standing in the middle of the road. From afar, it seemed the figure wore a long trench coat.

  Andrew couldn’t help but groan. This has to be a prank; the dude looks like some edgy cosplayer. He thought to himself. ‘Alright Daniel, just watch what I do and take some notes. Trust me, it's easy.’ He said while he hid his shotgun under his jumper, though he thought he wouldn’t use it.

  ‘Careful!’ Annable shouted as she leaned on the door frame. ‘Don’t do a John and trip while you approach them.’

  John swore at her light teasing from the bar, Andrew couldn’t help himself but chuckle as he approached the strange figure.