Boothe's actions surprised everyone, even his partner. We all stood very still waiting for his next move. Crockette looked at Boothe as if he suddenly didn't know who he was. As Crockette stepped toward his partner, Boothe turned the gun on John.
"Move over here with me," He ordered.
John moved next to where Boothe was standing. Crockette moved to where we were standing and glanced at me, and then at his pocket where his hand was. I could tell he wanted me to follow his lead in the action he was about to take.
"Well, Boothe, I guess you know what you're doing," he said, leading me to say something.
"I suppose you know this is called kidnapping," I offered.
"You two have no idea who you're dealing with," Boothe replied.
"Suppose you tell us," Crockette said.
"I work for an elite group of men determined not to let religion dictate to free men how they are going to live," He said proudly.
"In other words, you have no idea," I said smartly.
"Well, no. I haven't met the leader face to face, but I know he will accept me when I bring him John," He said.
"So let's see if I understand," Crockette started. "You're willing to risk everything you've worked for up to this point for a chance to meet this guy?"
"You don't understand who he is," Boothe replied.
"I know exactly who he is," John said.
"Have you seen him?" Boothe asked.
"Nose to nose," John replied. "His time on this earth is very limited."
"How do you know that?" Boothe requested.
"Remember where he's from?" I asked.
"Better yet, remember who he knows!" Woody stated.
"This is not a debate, gentlemen," Boothe said.
"We will not go with you," John said.
"Sure you will. If you don't, I will shoot your friends one at a time," Boothe threatened.
We all looked at each other wondering if we were making the right choice, but our faith in what John was saying gave us the strength we needed to do what we did.
"How many people have you killed?" Crockette asked.
"None. But there is always a first time," Boothe replied nervously, as he shifted the gun around in his hand.
"So you don't know what it feels like. You've never seen the look on the face of the person or heard the bullet as it enters and exits the body. You've never experienced the nightmares afterwards that make you question your ability to judge situations. They can teach you how to aim and pull the trigger, but they cannot teach you how to deal with the mental anguish once you're done!" Crockette explained coldly.
