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Back Surrender Your Sons Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. Author’s Note with Content Warnings
  2. CHAPTER ONE
  3. CHAPTER TWO
  4. CHAPTER THREE
  5. CHAPTER FOUR
  6. CHAPTER FIVE
  7. CHAPTER SIX
  8. CHAPTER SEVEN
  9. CHAPTER EIGHT
  10. CHAPTER NINE
  11. CHAPTER TEN
  12. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  13. CHAPTER TWELVE
  14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  17. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  18. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  19. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  20. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  21. CHAPTER TWENTY
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  31. CHAPTER THIRTY
  32. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  41. CHAPTER FORTY
  42. EPILOGUE
  43. Acknowledgments

“Miss Culpepper,” the Reverend says, “I want Mr. Carrillo to feel like he’s still safe and able to protect you all, so I won’t ask him to lay down his spear. But will you take this tape and read what it says out loud?” Darcy advances like a cat toward a treat, each uncertain step considering whether a deadly surprise is in store. “Oh, will you all RELAX? I’m giving you what you want! Take it!”

Relax? You strangled one of us with your bare hands. I’ll keep my guard up, thanks.

Darcy plucks the cassette from his hand at the farthest possible distance. She scuttles backward with her prize, squinting as she reads the label: “The Expulsion of Bill Hannigan.”

“You motherf…UGHHH,” I growl, every inch of my body exhausted from staying rigidly alert. “You’re playing games with everyone. You killed Drew! You forced me to deliver meals to Ricky. You ratted me out to my mom. You made her into this psycho! You wanted me to pretend I was Avery’s dad! You tricked everybody! You made all of this happen to me! You lied to the FBI. You covered up everything! Ricky loved you! I read it in your Playbill. Remember? ‘THERE IS STILL TIME.’ He took you to plays and tried to help you come out and took you to bars, and you ruined his life! If I had a gay cousin, we’d be best friends, we’d tell each other everything, we’d help each other, and I’d make sure nothing ever happened to him! And you’re hiding Ricky’s dad! WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”

The bunker returns to silence, except for my anguished lungs choking for air. Somewhere inside me, a fuse has blown and I’ve fully departed from my sanity.

“Touché,” the Reverend says quietly. “I want five minutes of your time, then maybe you’ll start seeing things my way.”

“Well, play it and get it over with,” I bark.

“Miss Culpepper?”

The Reverend raps his knuckles against the player’s open slot, and Darcy rushes the cassette inside—The Expulsion of Bill Hannigan—and closes the lid. She retreats to Marcos beside Bill’s boots and the dying flowerpots, and the Reverend pushes play.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

THE EXPULSION OF BILL HANNIGAN

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO

GARY: This is the Reverend Gary Packard, and this is the first and only Expulsion—

BILL: Let’s do this some other time, Gare. You’re not looking too good…The heat doesn’t seem to be agreeing with you.

GARY: The date is November twenty-sixth, 1998. Please state your name for the recorder.

BILL: Gare…I don’t think that’s a smart idea.

GARY: You have my word this recording will never leave the island.

BILL: Why don’t we just have ourselves a solid meal? Eh? Not these fish guts everyone else eats. Let’s make it a real Thanksgiving.