Original subtitles

- River. - Shh.

I love you, Prairie.

Go.

River! Forest!

Forest!

River!

In the beginning was the garden.

The streams ran clear

and the lambs of the Lord played in the green grass

and were nourished and free.

Then came the serpent,

to tempt the lambs to sin.

The evils of war and strife came into the world,

poisoning the air and the water.

But an ember of the holy fire still burns

in the spirit of the lambs.

In Amos 9, the Lord commands us

"You shall plant gardens and eat their fruit."

Together we can gather the lambs

and lead them back to the garden.

Who will take the spade and the grains of life

and join the army of light?

Hey, uh, you plant me some grade-A sativa, bro,

and I'll be all over that army.

Let's go. Come on, let's go.

Take.

Stop it.

"And God said unto the serpent, upon thy belly shalt thou crawl

and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life."

Genesis 3:14, bro.

You, uh, you like Christmas?

Oh. Yeah. I don't know.

Always been a fool for it.

Only time of the year

things brighten up.

That's why the Lord was born when he was.

The darkest night of winter

is when the light comes into the world.

Let that light show you where the road goes now.

I already know. Back to where it started.

Try to glue the pieces together again,

if my family will forgive me enough

and let me through the door.

You think they need to forgive you?

Y-you have no idea the hell I put them through.

Yeah.

I'll get the first bus tomorrow before I chicken out.

Wow. You've buried it so deep, you don't even know it's there.

- Buried what? - What they did to you.

They didn't do anything to me.

I'm the one that screwed up every chance they ever gave me.

That's what they made you believe.

But I can see through the veil. That is the burden I carry.

Everybody I meet, I know what they're hiding,

even from themselves.

Your father...

My father what?

From when you were a kid...

That didn't happen.

Forgetting is how you've survived.

I see your mother knowing, closing her eyes.

She would never. That didn't happen!

Then what broke you, Laura?

Your parents had to crush you. They knew what your destiny was.

You have no idea who you are, do you?

It's no accident we met.

We were called here to join together,

to lead the lambs of God back to the garden.

If you get on that bus, if we fail in our task...

darkness.

But if you stay and sow with me and reap with me...

we can keep the holy fire alive.

Mrs. Wilson is the best teacher ever.

Are you kidding me?

Okay, very small ladies and gentlemen,

can anybody tell me what time it is?

It's time for hopes for the day!

Ten points to the boy with the oatmeal on his chin,

and twenty to whoever goes first.

I hope River has the best first day of school ever.

That's a lovely thing to hope for, Meadow.

I hope she stays safe.

There's one way to make sure of that.

With her big brother and big sister watching over her,

no serpent will come near her to harm her

or turn her away from God.

- River, how about you? - I hope my head stops itching.

Me, too! I hope the same thing River hopes. I want a bath.

John 10:13 says what, Prairie?

It says inkitty binkitty boopitty!

Why do you always have to act like you're two years old?

It says, "He who hath bathed in spirit is clean,

and needeth not to wash."

That's my boy.

Okay, three minutes until the mom train leaves the station.

Grab your books, everybody.

River.

Hey, peanut, I gotta go to school now.

So stay out of trouble till I get back, okay?

Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Chen!

Hi, Calli! How was your summer?

Did you go on that rafting trip in Colorado?

- All of them? - Most of them.

♪ It's the first day of school and I'm trying to be cool ♪

♪ But I feel like a fool ♪

Like a fish outside a pool?

I'm sorry, I was just thinking,

like, that's how I feel most of the time.

Like fish floppin' around on the beach.

Can I sit and eat lunch with you?

My name's Andrea. What's yours?

Mm, silent types. I like that.

Is that your whole lunch?

Better take some of mine, you're not gonna make it

to three o'clock.

The less a person puts inside their body,

the more room there is for their spirit.

It totally works. I feel more spirit in me already.

Please? Just until dinner time?

Her mom says it's okay,

and she'll come pick her up any time you say.

I don't know, your father...

Ma-a...

Are you absolutely 1000 percent sure?

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen...

Stop. It's mama and papa's room.

We can't go in there. We're not allowed to.

So none of you ever go in there?

- Never, ever, ever. - Which means...

It's the one place he'd never look!

River, don't go...

Giant TV.

About time to watch Lords Of The MegaVerse.

We can't. That's the devil's window.

It's how the serpent gets in.

Then why do your parents have it?

So they can learn the ways of the demons.

That's crazy. We'll keep it nice and low.

And up next, something to keep us warm.

What you are doing? Ah. Make it stop!

There's nothing bad about it.

Kids, I'll take that.

I didn't even look, papa. It was them.

They made it go on.

It's time for your friend to go home now.

We called her mother, she's here to pick her up. Let's go.

You kids stay up here, okay?

I blame myself for forgetting that the thing

we were put on this Earth for was to protect our kids.

Protecting them is all I think about.

Then why are we handing them over to the enemy

six hours a day?

They have to learn how to live in the real world.

You promised I could have that.

I did not promise you could let

the enemy come home with them.

Who knows how much damage she's done?

I am through going along with you on this.

James 4:7. What does God say?

Um, uh, "Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you."

Sometimes I wonder how good at resisting you are.

Tye, you know I would never...

I know that? How do I know that? Hm?

From the sting of the lash cometh the strength to resist.

Mama, you have to go to a doctor.

Let them use their poisons on me?

Laura, come in here.

Go upstairs and do your homework, sweetheart.

Mom...

I'm okay. I'm okay.

It's just a practice contraction.

Laura, come here.

Everything papa does is because he loves his family

more than anything in the world.

Mama made a mistake, and papa needs to make sure

that mama doesn't make that mistake again.

Does this mean we can't play with Andrea anymore?

Come here, baby. Come on.

Give papa a hug. He loves you so much.

Come on, baby. Come, come to papa.

That's it. That's it. Come on. Yeah, come on.

So there's these really cool rabbits in the classroom

named Hip and Hop, and every weekend

someone gets to bring them home, and Ms. Jay says

I can bring them home first if my mom says it's okay.

- So is it okay? - I'm sorry, sweetheart.

All of you...

But you won't be going to school today.

Why?

Because I-I realize now that papa was right

and I was wrong about how careful we need to be.

Yesterday proves that all the serpent

has to do is put on a big smile.

- And we get fooled every time. - Andrea is not the serpent.

She tempted you away from God.

She got you to open the devil's window.

Can we go to school tomorrow?

No, honey, not tomorrow or any day.

It's too dangerous.

But we're gonna make our own school, right here.

We're gonna have books and art supplies

and music and everything we need.

It-it's gonna be so-so-so much fun.

It's gonna be stupid. I wanna go to school.

- School! School! School! - Prairie, stop that.

- Okay, Prairie, enough. - "Okay, Prairie, enough."

- Prairie, I'm telling you... - "Prairie, I'm telling you..."

School! School! School!

- Prairie, please stop that. - -Cut it out!

You don't think mama has enough trouble already?

Stop yelling at him! You're such a bully sometimes.

When I was his age, I respected my parents.

Please stop!

School!

School! School! School!

School! School! School!

You know what's happened here, don't you?

The enemy has taken possession of our precious children.

- But you can drive him out. - No.

- You know how. - Oh, Tye, please.

When somebody won't drive the devil

out of the children they supposedly love,

what does that tell me?

- Is the devil in you, Laura? - No.

- No. No. - From the sting of the lash.

School. School! School!

Prairie, go upstairs to your room until you've calmed down.

- School. School! - Proverbs 23:13, Laura.

- What does it say? - Tye...

It says, "Do not withhold discipline from the child,

for if you strike them with the rod,

you save them from eternal death."

And who was it that spoke those words?

Prairie, go up to your room right this second!

School.

- No. - For the last time, Laura.

Who spoke the words of Proverbs 23:13?

God.

Then will you stand here in your house,

in front of the children you say you love,

and disobey that command?

- Do you hate your children? - No.

Do you want them swallowed by darkness?

Don't!

Ah!

Oh. I'm so sorry, baby.

- Ahh! - Mom, are you okay?

I think I have to go upstairs.

Okay, help your mother get to her bed.

I'll be right up. Go. Go, go, go.

Come here, sweetie. Come here.

It's okay, we're fighting a great war

of the garden against the wasteland.

You know, it's terrible that people have to get hurt in wars,

but, but they do, and that makes them stronger for the fight.

And the most important thing is that we stand together,

or the wasteland wins.

The baby needs all of our help now.

Will you join us?

Okay. Another push, mama. You can do this.

Okay. All right. Oh, your baby wants to see the light.

I know you can do it, Jesus...

Thank you. Thank you, Jesus.

He is so beautiful.

Look at that, you made him smile!

God sent me a dream last night, as clear as the life of day.

An angel came to me and spoke the words

of Revelation 7:21. Rain.

"The lamb will be their shepherd.

He will guide them to the springs of living water

and keep the holy fire alive."

Beautiful, son.

And then the angel showed me who the shepherd was.

It was your new baby brother.

Forest is the shepherd?

Yes. He has a great destiny.

Which puts him in terrible danger.

From now on, nobody crosses this threshold coming in.

And only mama and me going out,

so we can work and bring home food.

When will we be able to go outside? And go to school again?

When you're as strong as we are.

- When will that be? - We'll know, my angel.

We'll know.

Come here. Come. Come. Come close.

We've been afraid to scare you, and that was a mistake.

Sometimes it's good to be scared.

Just say it, Laura. The whole real truth.

They need to hear it.

The whole real truth is that

everybody out there is a serpent.

The only lambs in the world are inside this house.

So I need to know

that all of you will protect you baby brother,

always, with your lives.

Thank you. Now I know he'll be safe.

I'm still a little weak, so I need your help

getting breakfast on the table.

River, will you watch Forest?

- With my life. - Yeah.

River?

River, papa needs you downstairs on the double.

Come on.

Okay, we're all here now.

So...

Prairie's going to tell us why what he did was wrong.

- Go on, son. - You're the one who caught me.

I can't, I can't find him.

Prairie, listen to me, not the voice of the enemy.

Summer needs her big brother to help her see the way.

Papa.

He-he didn't mean to do anything bad, papa.

It was just hard to breathe in the room,

and he needed some air.

Forest, why was it wrong

that your brother opened the window?

Because t-t-t-the devil's breath

could have gotten in and infected all of us.

What do we have to do now?

Rain?

Cleanse him of the enemy's breath,

to keep it from putting out the fire of the Holy Spirit.

That's exactly right.

Hold on.

Meadow.

I know you know the rule about not closing your eyes.

And I know you'd only break that rule if you caught

some of the infection yourself.

N-n-no, that's n-not...

No, no, no, no. Hydrangeas are a total knock-out.

Absolutely. But the water they gobble up?

I mean, here, check out, check out viburnum, okay?

I'm sending you a link. All right. Okay.

Yup, I will see you at the site in 20. Okay.

- Hey. I gotta go. Okay. - All right.

You be the angels that you are, angels.

Goodbye, papa.

"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

Because of the suffering, you will eat the flesh

of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you."

That's sick.

That's Deuteronomy.

"Even the most gentle among you will have no compassion

on his own brother or the wife he loves.

He will not give to one of them any of the flesh

of his children that he is eating."

Ugh.

That's what happens if you don't obey the word of the Lord.

Just like papa says.

Are we gonna have a lesson today, mama?

Yeah, um, sure. Uh...

Why don't you keep going on history with Rain?

And, River, why don't you do numbers

with Forest and-and Summer?

Uh, mama?

Oh.

So close!

Can you just smell those pine boughs now?

Mm-mm.

"Christopher Columbus was the eldest son

of Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa.

The family moved from Genoa to Savona in 1470.

Then Christopher's father became..."

"Three years later Columbus embarked on a career

as a business manager for several wealthy families

in the district.

His interest in the sea was born when he was young.

And then it's said that by his 20s... "

Okay, time for times tables. One times seven.

- I don't know. - One times is easy.

- You know this. - I'm too hungry to know it.

I'm gonna go ask mama to make us more breakfast.

You can't disturb mama now.

She's busy learning the ways of the demons.

Come on, Sum, sit down and work on your numbers.

- No. - Um, how about a song?

Would you like that?

Okay.

♪ When snakes are hissing in their lairs ♪

♪ We'll let them hiss So what who cares? ♪

♪ You're safe in here with me ♪

♪ The earth may shake the rocks may fall ♪

♪ That won't scare us no not at all ♪

♪ You're safe in here with ♪

Stop! That just makes it worse.

Everything makes it worse.

You'll get used to it, Summer. We all did.

W-why should she have to?

So there's more room for the fire of the spirit...

If I hear that one more time, I swear to you...

- You swear to me what? - I don't know. It's just...

Enough?

Yeah. Enough.

Hunger is for demons.

Yeah.

But what if

the lambs need to eat and to get, to get strong,

so if the demons chase them...

they-they can get away?

No.

Thank you.

Laura.

Tye.

Meadow, would you please come with me?

I know this is a heavy burden to lay on you,

but we need you to tell us

who stole the apples from the kitchen.

- What apples? - Really?

You, I can always count on for the deepest truth.

Who took the apples out of the drawer?

I don't know.

So you know the apples were taken,

you just don't know by who?

I don't know anything.

You love your brothers and sisters,

and you think you're helping them,

and we, we love you for that.

Just like we love you because we know

in your hearts you can never lie.

But here you are, lying,

and somebody in this house is stealing.

Which means what?

What does that mean, Rain?

That the enemy's gotten in.

That's right.

And we need to find out who's infected,

so we can stop it from spreading,

or it'll put out the holy fire inside us all.

Do you want that to happen?

Then tell us who stole the apples.

We don't know.

Mama and I can't always both stay home.

We're gonna need help shepherding the flock.

If you can prove that you're ready to carry that flame,

we'll need to show you the ways of the enemy.

You'll need to stay in touch with us

when we're out of the house.

Once we know we can trust you, you'll each get one of these.

Who took the apples?

It's all right. Really. We're just putting you to the test.

I've already seen the truth through the veil.

I know it was the youngest and weakest of you

who let the enemy in.

It's time to burn the devil out of Summer.

- Wait! - Stop!

Don't be afraid, everybody. The danger's over.

We have found where the enemy planted his seeds of evil.

Now we can starve the infection out of the soil,

but it'll take seven days.

Seven?

You're probably right. It's not long enough.

Do you think nine days?

No. Um, no, seven is enough.

I hope so. Ahem.

It takes a fearsome demon to get a hold of the shepherd.

All right. Everybody, down for breakfast.

Let's go.

You're tenders of the flock now.

Be proud that you kept your lambs from straying.

Mama... untie me.

Just for a minute. I have to go really, really bad.

Laura!

It's okay, Forest.

If you have to go, you can go.

It's okay.

They're yours, as long as you promise

you'll never let the lambs in your flock touch them.

They're too young to stand strong

against the devil in them.

Do you promise?

I promise.

Meadow?

Take the phone.

Thank you.

Now we know we can trust you.

If it should come to pass that we can't,

we'll know the enemy has taken you,

and will have to be driven out of your living flesh

with the heat and fury of fire and iron.

Captain Freedom has come to set you free.

Prairie, no. You know what they'll do.

You have to go back to bed.

- No! No! Prairie! Prairie, no! - No!

Prairie!

Forgive me, my beloved son, for not fighting

hard enough to save you.

I swear to you, on the spring that gives life to the garden,

that from this second on I will fight harder,

no matter what it takes.

♪ We're gonna come ♪

♪ When the war is left undone ♪

♪ Four more days and we are free ♪

♪ One more day and it'll be three ♪

♪ After that it's only ♪

Go away. I'm never talking to you again.

I'm so sorry, River.

I wish it were me tied up. It should be me.

What happened to Prairie?

They tied him to his bed.

With chains and locks.

But he's okay.

Ma-mama and papa gave me this.

They made me swear not to let anyone near it,

but, um, but there's this thing

where you, like, play your song,

and it, it-it turns into, like, a movie,

a-and then other people can see it. Can I show you?

I'll let you use it the second they let you back in the room.

I'm so, so sorry.

♪ Who knows how or where or why ♪

♪ Lights go sailing across the sky? ♪

♪ Why do dogs and children play ♪

♪ In the sunlight down the way? ♪

♪ Tell me please 'cause all I know ♪

♪ Is shadows on the wall ♪

♪ What is it the wind keeps whispering ♪

♪ Just outside my windowpane? ♪

♪ In the night a bell is ringing ♪

♪ Can you tell me what it's singing? ♪

♪ Is the secret woven in the shadows on the wall? ♪

Now, just tap right there,

and it sends it out into the world.

What if the enemy sees it?

Mama says nobody can hurt you through the phone,

as long as you never ever say where you live.

Even a taste is dangerous.

But to know the ways of the enemy,

to learn to stand strong against his poison,

you need to eat his food.

Go on. Taste it.

Go on, tenders of the flock.

Dig in.

You, too.

River, wake up.

Somebody saw your song. Said he wants to talk to you.

- What? - -Hello, River!

I'm Tristan.

Quick. Go into the closet.

I-I'll let you know if anybody's coming.

How are you this morning?

I-I'm okay.

How did you manage to get inside my head

from so far away?

I didn't. I-I wasn't...

You must have, because I'm the same as you.

All I know is shadows on the wall.

I must have watched your song a hundred times by now.

I reluctantly confess it has made me shed

more than, uh, one tear.

When are you going to give us a new one?

I hear mama coming. Um... I-I-I have go to.

Ood, papa.

We're all doing our schoolwork.

Would you like me to check on Prairie now?

That would be great.

- River... - I'm not gonna do it.

- So stop asking me. - He's sent, like, 50 message.

- It is too dangerous. - Fine.

I'll just tell him you're not interested

and he should forget about it.

Damn, I'm happy you called back.

I was afraid I got too creepy fan on you

and scared you away.

No, I just, um, I-I was, I was busy.

Putting more beauty into the world?

Not really.

- Um, Tristan? - -Yes?

The other day you said you were the same as me,

like, shadows on the wall is all you know.

Huh. Alas, yes, for I am a special boy.

One in 20 million, on all of Planet Earth,

with the rarest of all deficiencies to my immunity.

Immunity?

Specifically chronic recurrent

multifocal osteomyelitis.

Kind of a song all on its own, don't you think?

Yeah.

Until there's a cure,

no stepping outside my door.

What's your story with the shadows?

Has your wicked step-mom got you locked in that closet?

No. Nothing like that. I should, I should go now.

Wait, wait, I-I'm sorry if I offended.

Will you stay if I treat you

to a musical masterpiece of my own?

♪ While it isn't designed to delight us ♪

♪ This chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis ♪

♪ Who else but the sufferer has time enough-erer ♪

♪ To read Wikipedia end to end? ♪

What's wikkypedica?

You really don't know?

Of course I do. I-I-I was just joking.

Tristan, what would happen if you went outside?

Whatever germs happened to be floating by would go zhoooop,

straight into me, like aliens invading the planet.

Like pow, pow, pwooosh, pow, pow...

Pow, pow, pwooosh.

River, come downstairs. I need your help with the dishes.

Go do the dishes, like mama said.

Laura.

I need to talk to you in the bedroom.

I didn't wanna cause you any pain, so I've been holding off

on showing this to you,

but it is something you have a right to know.

Your father passed away last year.

This is the, uh, death notice your brothers posted.

It's gonna hurt, Laura.

I can delete it, make it go away.

Or... would you like me to read it?

Yeah, read it.

"All of Greenville mourns today the passing of Paul Truscott,

beloved for his works of charity and civic leadership,

for more years than he liked to admit to.

He has gone to heaven to join his beloved wife Sarah."

My mother is dead?

"Both Paul and Sarah live on in the hearts

of the two adoring sons

and three grandchildren they leave behind."

The monster died unpunished,

in honor and glory.

And your family, they've erased you, Laura,

like you never passed across the face of this Earth.

In this house,

with me, with your children...

you are a treasure.

In this house there is justice.

Are you washing?

Without papa saying it was time to?

No.

It was hurting in my, my s-side...

Don't lie to me!

You ungrateful servant of evil!

You'll just make it worse.

- Aah! Argh! Aah! - Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Aah! Aah! Aah!

Come here!

Come on, come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Sorry, I-I-I was asleep.

How can you keep your window wide open all the time?

Aren't you afraid of serpents coming in?

Ah. Serpents don't fly.

Not in Jamaica, anyway.

They can go anywhere here.

And their breath got into my house,

and two of my brothers are infected.

And papa and mama are burning it out of them,

which, it hurts really a lot.

But if it spreads and we all get it,

the fire of our spirits will go out.

Wha-what kind of serpents are you talkin' about?

The devil kind.

Papa and mama protect us from them,

that's why we never go out, but sometimes they get inside

even when we don't eat anything,

to make sure there's room for our spirits.

And they have to burn it out of us with the belt.

Tristan, one got inside Prairie, and papa took him away,

and he screamed and he screamed, and now he's quiet,

and we don't know where he is.

River, how long have you and your brothers and sisters

been inside the house?

Oh...

Oh. Nine Christmases.

- Nine years? - -Yes.

It's not right, keeping you inside

a-and screamin', and the belt.

You have to call the police and tell them.

The police are demons. All of them.

Your brother could be quiet because he's hurt.

A-at least tell someone, so he can send for you a doctor.

Doctors are just serpents with knives instead of fangs.

Then go to a church.

Papa says churches are just

another mask the devil puts on.

No, they're places where peope

go to get help from God.

God says if we go against our parents,

he will punish us with rod and with fire.

God says we must treat each other with love.

River, the bell, in-in your song...

- Do you really hear it? - All the time.

That means there's a church right nearby.

I can call them myself and have somebody come and help you.

A-all you have to do is give me your address,

and I can find the church.

You and your brothers andsisters are in terrible danger.

I need to know where you live, so I can help you.

No, you can't fool me anymore.

- I know what you want. - River, I don't...

You want my address, so you can

tell the enemy where we're hiding.

Okay, I don't need to know where you are,

just promise me you'll leave

the house and find a church.

You can't miss them, they have skinny pointy roofs...

Don't ever call me again!

Come on.

River.

You're doing beautifully, son.

I can feel the fire of your spirit coming back,

stronger every day.

♪ Don't let it go out ♪

♪ The light that you shine ♪

♪ Don't let yourself down don't bother... ♪

No.

Rejoice, children, it's the Lord's day tomorrow,

and we're letting you out to celebrate!

Isn't it still November?

Who cares what month it is?

Why shouldn't it be Christmas every day if we want it to be?

♪ Don we now our gay apparel ♪

A little longer for you, yeah, just to make sure you're clear.

Come on.

♪ Yuletide carol ♪

♪ Fa-la la-la-la la-la la-la ♪

♪ Fa-la la-la-la ♪

♪ La-la ♪

Okay. Everybody downstairs for the main event!

Where's Prairie?

Really bad place.

♪ Silent night ♪

♪ Holy night... ♪

Oh! Look at the beautiful, beautiful star papa made!

Summer, why don't you put it on the tippy-top of the tree?

I can't reach. I'm really sorry, mama.

- Show me where it hurts. - Why, Summer to the top.

♪ Holy infant so tender and mild... ♪

- Papa. - Hm?

I-I think Forest needs medicine. His side hurts him really bad.

♪ Peace ♪

Well, what are you feeling, son?

Like, like a glass

broke, broke inside of me.

Well, that's just the fang of serpent battling your spirit.

Ca-can you make it stop hurting?

Absolutely. Yes. Yes.

♪ Holy night ♪

♪ Shepherds quake ♪

Ah-ha. Okay.

Hit of almond oil and lemon balm will fix you right up. Okay?

Come on. Come.

Meadow.

Get him some water.

Don't worry, Forest. It's just the fang coming out.

Well, if the fang's coming out,

why, why is it getting worse?

Here it is. Here it is.

"Intense pain on the right side of the lower abdomen

can be a sign of acute app-appendicitis.

"If the appendix should burst, immediate care is critical

or there is increased risk of m-mort..."

What's mortality?

Death.

No, no. Wait until it's all set out, sweetheart.

Papa.

Yes, Meadow?

If there's something weighing on your heart, just...

bring it into the light.

Let all of us share in the burden.

We were really worried about Forest still hurting,

and, um...

we thought he might have, um, appen...

appen-appendicitis,

which can be really bad, so...

Maybe we could find a doctor who's not a demon to help him.

Do you think that for a second

I would risk the life of the shepherd?

- Do you? - No.

Forgive me, Lord, for failing to teach my children

that there is nobody they can trust outside these doors.

Forgive me for allowing infection into this house.

And give me the strength to starve the poison

of the fuel that feeds it, for all of us,

for as long as it takes.

I'm so sorry learning has to be so hard, angel.

I'm so, so sorry.

But it's Christmas morning, and you know

what we always do before we open presents, don't you?

Meadow, what do we do now?

- Um, we sing. - That's right.

So let's all open our hearts and sing mama's favorite song.

Okay?

You heard your mama.

Come on.

♪ The Lord is come ♪

♪ Let Earth receive her King ♪

♪ Prepare Him room ♪

♪ And heaven and nature sing ♪

Is it helping at all?

To have more room inside you for the healing power?

No.

Forest.

Do you think you can be very brave?

Braver than you've ever been in your life?

What do you mean?

What are you gonna do?

- Rain. Everything. - What's wrong?

Just listen to me.

I need you to do something, and you have to swear on God

that you won't tell mama and papa.

How can I swear until I know what it is?

Because it's for Forest.

Because he's very sick.

Do you swear on God?

Please?

Okay.

I am gonna take Forest to the church, where the bells are,

and I'm gonna ask them to find him a doctor.

I've listened and I've listened, and I know that it's, um...

that way.

I just need, um...

what's called, um,

to get the, the-the-the thingies off a window.

- A screwdriver. - Yes.

And you're the only one that they trust

to go into the garage and get the toolbox.

Ah, you can say that you need to fix something. Um...

Okay. Ah...

There.

Now you won't be lying.

Doctors are demons.

Okay. Great.

Forest will be safe from demons, but he'll also be dead.

How's it gonna make you feel?

Proverbs, 30:17.

"He who mocks his father and refuses to obey his mother,

the crows will peck out his eyes and the vultures will eat them."

Mama. Papa.

River! Forest!

- River! - River! Forest!

- River! Forest! - Forest!

Come back!

Let's go.

Right.

W-w-which way?

I don't know.

Why aren't the bells ringing?

Skinny pointy roofs.

There it is.

- What? - Go! Go!

- It's all right. - Demons.

- Help! Help! - Help! Help us! Please!

- Hey! - -Please open the door!

- Hey! Hey! - -Help us!

There won't be anybody around the church

until Reverend Taylor opens up in the morning.

Is there something we can do to help you?

You're runnin' away from somethin'?

Maybe somebody tried to hurt you?

Because if that's what's going on,

we can take you someplace where nobody can get near you

to hurt you.

The serpent god inside Forest.

And mama drove it out, but it still wasn't completely gone.

So mama and papa put me and Forest into the closet

to starve the demon out of us, and everybody else

had to starve it out, too, and Forest's appendix

was still hurting really bad, and Tristan in Jamaica

told me if I went to a church, they would find a doctor

that wasn't the enemy.

Could you hold on for one second while I talk to my partner?

You're safe here, I promise.

I'm calling in a psych team.

And I wanna talk to the boy separately from the girl.

Could be looking at a kidnapping.

Yeah, sure, call in psych, but, uh,

I don't know, maybe there's somethin' real under all that.

Not too many serpents in this part of Portland.

Look at the way he is from this side.

What if he got whacked real hard?

- Maybe by her. - Yeah.

Well, we don't know anything till we take a look.

Listen, I just wanna take a quick look

under your brother's shirt, just to see where he's hurting.

Okay? To see if I can help him.

- No! - No. No!

- Let him go! Let him go! - Wait. Wait.

Don't hurt my sister!

Now, I know you're scared. Did she hurt you?

- Did anybody hurt you? - No. No.

What are you doing out so late?

Uh, what kind of help did you come out here for?

Nothing. It's just a game. I wanna go home.

And where's that? Where are your parents?

Right there!

- Oh, God. - Mom!

Thank the Lord you're safe. Oh!

Ah, I hope they weren't making any trouble.

Well, not at all. I mean, we were just here to help them.

Officers, could we, uh...

Was my daughter going on about something kind of crazy?

- What kind of somethin'? - Well, I don't know.

It's, uh, it's different every time.

She, uh, she takes her little brother out

in the middle of the night on these, uh,

these missions she dreams up.

- She's done this before? - You gotten her any help?

- Of course. - What kind?

The kind she needs.

River. Come on, baby. Let's go home.

Is it true what your brother said,

that this is just a game?

Come on, baby, let's all go home...

so we can, we can heal Forest

in a place where it's safe.

I'm tired. I wanna go home. I wanna sleep.

Yes, it's true.

Yeah, it was just a game.

Oh, I'm...

Officers, we, uh...

I mean, thank you so much for your help

from the, from the bottom of our hearts.

Yeah, we're gonna need your contact information,

so we can follow up on the incident.

Driver's license would do it.

Thank you.

Just get the chains...

- and the ropes in the van. - -Why?

If we leave them behind, the enemy

can use them in the lies they'll tell about us.

- Where are we going? - Someplace deep in the desert.

Where they'll never find us.

Now, there will be no blaming of River and Forest.

It's not their fault that the enemy trapped them.

As soon as mama and I've driven the infection out of them,

we'll be on our way. Fast now! They could be here any second.

Now, you wait in your room. Fangs are deeper into Forest.

We'll free him first.

Papa.

Is he gonna be all right?

He's in God's hands. He'll be perfect.

Now here, go get Summer.

Uh, come on in the bathroom, honey.

I'm coming with you in here, okay?

Okay.

D'you think that on the way out of town, we can stop by

an emergency room? They-they don't ask any questions.

You held them too close on the way home, Laura.

The infection got you, too, it is making you doubt

the Lord's power to heal your own children.

Now you take care of the locks in the kitchen.

I will help River and Forest.

Later, later when there is time,

I will chase away that doubt, so it never plagues you again.

For now, help the kids get us on our way.

Okay?

Baby, what happened?

Papa was right.

The serpent took his fang out of me just now.

- It's not hurting? - Not anymore. Uh...

Just a second ago it was like the worst thing ever.

But then it-it, it was just gone.

Oh, thank God! Thank you, papa.

You can thank me in the van, okay? We have to go! Let's go.

You heard him. Fast, fast, fast, everybody.

Help me put some food together for the drive.

On the way to our new life.

I-I'll get it.

Mr. McGrath, I'm Gloria Sterling

with the Office of Family and Child Welfare.

Officer Kenner and I are here

to do a welfare check on minor children.

Everybody is sleeping.

Um, can you give us a minute, please?

Sure.

This is the greatest danger we have ever faced.

But if you do everything we talked about, it will be fine,

and we'll find our garden, okay?

Come in. Come in.

- We're all in the living room. - Is it hurting again?

Everybody, this is Ms. Sterling and Officer Kenner.

What do we all say, children?

Hello, Ms. Sterling and Officer Kenner.

Well, hello to all of you.

Oh. Early start on Christmas?

It's all so pretty.

Are there bathing facilities in the house?

We had a plumbing problem,

so we couldn't take showers for a while.

- But it's being fixed. - Well, that's good.

And where do the children attend school?

Well, right here in our licensed and permitted home academy.

May we take a look in the kitchen area?

Absolutely, yes. Of course.

Mama.

May I please use the bathroom, please?

Of course.

I thought you were all better.

Feel his skin. It's like he's on fire.

May we have a look around upstairs?

Uh, we're actually doing some, some renovations up there.

Yeah, you'd need a flashlight and a search warrant

to get through that mess.

Do you happen to have either of those on hand?

Not right now, but we can come back with both.

I-I have to grab some school things from the garage, so I...

I'll help you, mom.

Well, are there any other questions I can help you with?

No, we're good for now.

Then I'll, I'll walk you out.

You have to drink it, Forest. You have to drink it.

Who is it?

- Mama. - And me.

- The pain came back? - Yeah.

Worse than before.

Mama, you have to look up on your phone

what someone's supposed to do when this happens.

- And papa says we need to leave. - -Feel his forehead.

My phone's in the van. Rain, do you have yours?

- I-it's okay if I do it? - Yes.

Oh, my...

It says when the appendix bursts, the pressure stops,

which means the pain goes away, but it can also lead to...

What's, uh, sepsis?

Poison spreading through his body.

Um, because it burst. Which means...

Wha-what was that word from the book?

- Mortality. - -Rain.

Press the phone thing and then touch 911

and they'll send somebody to help.

I'll do it.

The serpent made me let this instrument of lies

and trickery into our house.

Yeah, we will take Forest in the van

and God will heal him in the desert.

He's burning up. He's getting worse...

He was perfect before we were invaded!

That is why they came here, to bring their poison. We go now!

We have to cool him off before we go.

- Mama... - -Just an ice bath.

For a little while. Please. Feel his skin.

Tye.

All right. Three minutes, and then we leave.

Mama.

All right. Come here.

Every second we wait, they get closer.

We're going out the back.

Papa, please call somebody to help Forest.

Now he's as cool as a mountain stream now.

What if that's just from the ice?

Do you have zero faith?

We need to get help for Forest.

Lamb thinks he's grown the horns of a ram, does he?

- Give me my phone. - No.

Oh!

I think I've driven the enemy out of him.

But if we don't get away fast, we'll all be lost.

So let's get into the van now.

I think you heard what I said!

Laura, will you lead the flock into the van?

I won't.

- I'm getting help. - -Stop!

- No! - Come on. Come on.

- Tye, put the knife down. - -Rain.

What was God's final command to Abraham?

Genesis 22.

What did God command Abraham to do?

Sacrifice his son.

- Let him go. - Abraham failed the test.

He disobeyed.

But I will not let this family

fall into the hands of the enemy.

So we're getting into the van now!

- Get the phone! Get the phone! - Ahh!

- No! - -Prairie!

- Prairie, no! No! - -Stop!

No!

- It's ringing, mom! - River, there's no time.

- Run! Go get help! Go! - -Run!

Help!

Help!

We're learning more about this harrowing tale

of children held prisoner in their own home

for more than a decade in appalling conditions.

Police are reporting evidence of chains and restraints.

One dangerously sick child denied medical care

is now in hospital in critical condition.

Neighbors report thatthe parents were quiet and kept

to themselves, some were unaware

that there were children in the house...

Your brother's alive.

But he's gone into a coma

that the doctors haven't been able to get him out of.

Coma?

It's like, um, being asleep,

but deeper and...

And you don't wake up?

No, no. Uh, sometimes you do.

But sometimes you don't?

Sometimes.

Which is it gonna be this time?

The doctors don't know.

I wanna see him.

Uh, no, you can't. You can't.

Hey! Just relax! It's okay. It's okay.

It's okay.

These children are in a profound state of fear and confusion.

I'm sorry, Detective Cortez, there's no way

they're ready to be interrogated.

Without statements, we can only hold

the parents for another 60 hours.

With the state these kids are in?

We can make a case for neglect.

But false imprisonment? Torture?

Well, you should hear the defense revving up.

The windows weren't barred, the kids

could have gotten out at any time.

Yeah, and the ones that did get out, ah...

I mean, the boy jumped into his mother's arms

like he couldn't wait to get home.

I'd have to attest to that at a deposition.

You have no idea what shape these kids are in.

All they'll eat is the stuff that was in the van

'cause they're afraid the food in the hospital

will infect them with the devil's poison.

Jesus!

They're fragile. This could shatter them.

If a judge makes us let them go,

even on the shortest possible leash,

how confident are you that they won't be smoke?

You want these kids living in fear that their parents

could pop out from behind a wall

and grab them at any time?

My parents made mistakes,

but everything they did was to protect us.

Didn't your father pull a knife on you?

Didn't even your mother try to stop him?

Papa was mad because I wanted Forest to go to the doctor.

But look what happened when the doctors got their hands on him.

Who was right, me and mama...

or papa?

How often were you allowed

to take baths?

Tell me about the food your parents gave you to eat.

She's protecting herself from the breath of the enemy

that made her brother sick.

Papa was the worst

even though he didn't do most of the hitting,

because he's the one who made mama do it.

Sometimes they kept us in the closet for so long,

we could barely walk.

They kept telling us the world was either serpent-demon

or innocent lamb.

But can I tell you a secret?

Something nobody else knows in the whole world.

Absolutely.

There's also the goat with the red eyes

and the black-and-gold horns.

That's who had told me to use the knife on papa.

I know this is hard, Meadow.

But can you tell me what your parents used the ropes for?

Did they tie you up with them?

Whatever River says, that's what I say.

We're counting on you, River.

Without a statement from you,

your parents' attorneys can compel the court

to release them.

You want them out there, free,

where they can keep hurting you and your brothers and sisters?

I've been in the outside world for two days now.

What if I've already breathed the poison?

What if whatever I say to you is what the devil wants me to say?

It's no use asking me questions. I don't know anything.

Can I go now?

You're up with the sun.

More like never went to sleep.

Hm. I get that.

Well, somebody's been trying

to get a hold of you real hard.

- Me? - Name's Tristan.

Out of Kingston, Jamaica.

- I don't wanna talk to him. - Okay, then.

- Gloria. - Hm?

- There you are. - Here I am.

I-I saw about your brother on the news.

I'm praying for him.

You should be.

If Forest dies, maybe it'll be because I did what you said.

Or maybe because I didn't do it soon enough.

Either way, I messed everything up.

It's not your fault.

You're a great hero. You're-you're Moses.

You led your people out of Egypt.

You know that story.

And then they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

They had to fight terrible enemies,

and a lot of people died.

- Did you know that? - Yes.

How do you know pharaoh wasn't protecting

the children of God because he loved them?

They want me to go to court and say bad things about my parents.

Are you going to?

Proverbs 20.

"If someone curses their father or mother,

their lamp will be snuffed out in darkness."

So you're gonna let them go free?

I don't know.

I don't even know how to know.

They said your father was bad to your mother, too,

that she helped you escape.

Yeah, well, maybe the devil tricked her into doing that,

because he wanted Forest to die.

Your mother risked her life to help your brother.

No matter what, she's still your mother.

Do you think, maybe, I-if you talk to her,

she can help you know how to know?

I wish you could be here.

How many days is it to Christmas?

Uh, just under three weeks, I think.

Why are you asking?

Nothing. It's-it's just this thing mama and I used to...

Sweetheart, wh-what-what is it?

Do you think if I asked,

they would let me see her in jail?

Well, they'd probably ask me if I thought it was a good idea.

Do you want to see her?

What's it like being here?

It's all right.

Noisy sometimes.

Papa's in a different jail, right?

Why do you wanna see me?

Because we needed to talk to you.

They want us to say that you and papa were bad,

so they can keep you in jail forever.

And we don't know what we should...

You're asking me?

'Cause-'cause papa turned out to be right about the doctors.

And if what you and papa said all along was true,

about how the police and everybody were all demons...

A-and you only changed your mind at the very end

'cause the devil got hold of you.

And, and we should tell them to let you go.

And we can hide in the desert

and keep the holy fire alive.

Is that something you want?

Revelations seven.

"The Lamb on the throne will be their shepherd

and He will lead them to springs of living water."

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Oh, the things we did to you...

Proverbs 12.

No, um, 13.

"He who spares his rod

hates his child,

but he who loves him, punishes him diligently."

What about Ezekiel 18:20? Do you know that one?

- No. - Of course not.

We made sure not to teach it to you.

I know what it says.

"Do not follow the rules of your parents or their judgments,

or defile yourselves with their idols."

I always thought the devil snuck that in.

No.

The rest is the devil.

That's the holy word.

It can't be.

What if what we said all along was a lie?

What if me and papa were the serpents?

- Why are you being like this? - I know why.

I know what she's trying to do.

I'm just answering the question you asked.

Mama, is that true?

Take me back now.

All right, let's go.

"Your Honor, I would like to begin by thanking you

for hearing me out today.

Even with the difficult days of the trial behind us,

even with my parents found guilty,

even with the freedom we have now,

my brothers and sisters and I know that it is still early

in our story, and that there will be rough water ahead.

But we are doing well."

There is a whole scary new world for us to discover,

and we are learning new things about it every day.

People have been wonderful to us, in the hospital

and everywhere, and we send all of them our thanks.

They are helping us figure out what our dreams are,

so we can work to make them come true.

I know that now you have to sentence my parents.

And it doesn't make all the things that my mom did okay.

But I'm beginning to realize that she was

my father's first victim.

I'm learning that my father...

if I can even call him that...

had parents who loved him

and tried to help him.

So he has no excuse.

Still, I wanna thank him for one thing.

For teaching us about the fire of the spirit within,

because I know it's real.

And even if he did his best to put it out in all of us...

we all feel it growing strong in us every day.

That fire is burning bright,

and no matter what happens to any of us...

I know it will never go out.