Summer stepped inside and smelled new paint and fresh carpet. Taured had had the whole thing redone last month. She’d been in there a couple times since, but never alone. The newly installed pews were modern and made the space look less threatening than before, when it was covered in dark wood. Through the chapel and to the back, where the Bibles were kept on a wheelie rack, was an alcove used for storage, and through that was a door that had been kept locked while the compound was a prison. Guards had used the hallway, which circled the perimeter of the building like a vein. There were access points to this vein through the chapel, the infirmary and Taured’s office. Sara had shown her where each one was. She’d been at the compound since the beginning—her family was the first to leave their former lives and join Taured here—and she told people that with pride. Summer knew where the key was stashed. To the left of the door was a framed picture of a Bible verse: plucking it from its hook, she turned it over, and wedged behind the frame backing and the frame itself was a key. She needed the key to get back in, so she pocketed it and slipped through into the dark hallway.

It smelled funny back there, like wet concrete and something sweetly rancid. The light bulbs hadn’t been replaced in years and the only light came in from the tiny rectangular windows near the ceiling. Summer walked a ways until she reached another door marked with an exit sign. This lock took the same key. It slid in and she shoved the door open, letting the fresh air pool in her lungs. There was a narrow sidewalk, and beyond that, the ground dropped off at a sharp, odd angle, a mini–Grand Canyon. On the other side of the mini-canyon was a fence and, beyond that, the desert. Summer followed the sidewalk around the building to the old prison entrance. From there she could see the guard shack perched on top of the hill. Not wanting to be seen—Marta, whom she’d called Noodles on that first afternoon, still manned the booth most days—she walked toward the carport where Taured had greeted them on their first day here.