The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2)

The Forsaken
The Chosen Series Book 2
***
Patricia Bell


Copyright © 2020 by Patricia Bell Original copyright 2018 with the same title.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
***
The Forsaken is a work of fiction. All Characters and incidents are from the author’s imagination. Any similarities to real people, living or dead, are purely coincidental.


Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
The Forsaken
Chapter 1 ― Abigail
Chapter 2 ― Luna
Chapter 3 ―Daniel
Chapter 4 ― Rachel
Chapter 5 ― Malachi
Chapter 6 ― Abigail
Chapter 7 ― Luna
Chapter 8 ― Daniel
Chapter 9 ― Rachel
Chapter 10 ― Malachi
Chapter 11 ― Abigail
Chapter 12 ― Luna
Chapter 13 ― Daniel
Chapter 14 ― Rachel
Chapter 15 ― Malachi
Chapter 16 ― Abigail
Chapter 17 ― Luna
Chapter 18 ― Daniel
Chapter 19 ― Rachel
Chapter 20 ― Malachi
Chapter 21 ― Abigail
Chapter 22 ― Luna
Chapter 23 ― Daniel
Chapter 24 ― Rachel
Chapter 25 ― Malachi
Chapter 26 ― Abigail
Chapter 27 ― Luna
Chapter 28 ― Daniel
Chapter 29 ― Rachel
Chapter 30 ― Malachi
Chapter 31 ― Abigail
Chapter 32 ― Luna
Chapter 33 ― Daniel
Chapter 34 ― Rachel
Chapter 35 ― Malachi
Chapter 36 ― Abigail
Chapter 37 ― Luna
Chapter 38 ― Daniel
Chapter 39 ― Rachel
Chapter 40 ― Malachi
Chapter 41 ― Abigail
Chapter 42 ― Luna
Chapter 43 ― Daniel
Chapter 44 ― Rachel
Chapter 45 ― Malachi


All books by Patricia Bell
The Surrogate – A Stand-alone Book
Canyon Rock Suspense Series
A Light in the Darkness
An Eye for An Eye
The Chosen Suspense Series
The Chosen
The Forsaken
The Sacrifice
Karina’s Journey Series
From House to Home
From Good to Bad
From Lies to Truth
Girl Unbroken
Karina Boxed Set
The Elysian Chronicles – A Portal Fantasy
Saffire
Elusion
Discord


THANK YOU TO MY LORD and Savior. The One who heals the brokenhearted. And to my husband, Cliff, who is my greatest earthly inspiration. Thanks to the sweet friends and beta readers who inspire me to keep writing: Kristen Overholt Iten, C.S Johnson, Cindy Hamilton, and Shoba Sadler. And to my dad who reads everything I write, and lovingly points out my flaws. Also, a special thank you to Lisa DeBartolomao for her wonderful editing skills and for putting up with me even when she disagrees.


Chapter 1 ― Abigail
“Do you really believe they have — died?” Abigail whispered to Tabitha as they sat at the last quilting table of their assigned work building. “All three of them?”
“That is what the elders have spoken,” Tabitha mumbled, her eyes on her quilt.
“And Rachel? Do you think she could have survived? Jacob promised he would come back for me when he found her.”
Tabitha sighed and set her quilt down on the table. “He cannot come back for you if he is dead, can he?”
“I shall not believe it. Not until I see for myself.” Abigail pulled the threaded needle through her own blanket using a quick-stitch to bring together the two fabrics with the soft layer of batting in between.
“You did see it for yourself.” Tabitha sighed. “We all did. Do not tell me you do not remember.”
She did. They had all seen the truck storm through the front gates. And only a few moments later they heard the crash, saw the smoke. Each of them had witnessed the servants of the devil come into their community with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. They trembled at the sight of the big red fire trucks that came to put out the fire at the Smithfield barn. The fire that Abigail had started. A shiver ran through her at the thought of what she had done. And it had all been for nothing. They were dead. All of them. At least that was what the elders had told them.
“But how do we know for sure? What if they are lying to us? What if they lived? How do we know what those policemen really said? Maybe they—”
“Theeeey—” Tabitha drew the word out for emphasis. “Are the servants of the devil. You know as well as I do that one look at them, and they could steal your soul. Prophet Daniel is the only one allowed to speak with them. And he would not lie to us.” The end of her statement came out more of a question than a statement.
“Do you really believe that?” Abigail didn’t. She’d gotten a glimpse of them as they passed through. They did not have forked tongues or red glowing eyes. Maybe their clothing was a bit strange but other than that they looked like regular people.
Even the devil can disguise himself as an angel of light. Elder Aaron had given that sermon just after the accident. That’s when he’d referred to a demon possession that had crept into the community and sought to destroy it. Once again, he hadn’t said the name out loud, but the people of the community knew he was speaking of Rebecca.
The devil is a liar. He will stop at nothing to tempt us into sin.
Goosebumps lined Tabitha's arms. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe they were all dead. She just couldn’t be sure.
“And what about Rachel? She could have made it to safety.”
“Abigail,” Tabitha spoke her name with exhaustion. “We have been over this a million times. There is no way Rachel could have survived out there in the hot desert.” Tabitha continued to sew a straight stitch around the quilt. “It was over a hundred degrees that day and with no water—”
“And that does not bother you?” Angry, Abigail put her needle down and stared at Tabitha. “That a girl was thrown out into the sweltering heat to die?”
Tabitha looked away. “Yes, it does,” she whispered. “But there is nothing I can do about it, so I choose not to dwell on it. You would do better to forget about it, too.”
“I cannot. I shall never forget. I miss my sister. What if there is a chance she is still alive?”
For the first time, Tabitha set down her quilt and looked into Abigail’s eyes.