The Scarlet Plan

by Rick W. Warren

  “I believe that is still true,” Aaron said with a growing excitement that Emma had always loved. “I believe they have ceased too, but it doesn’t mean that God can’t ever do it again.”

  “What do you mean? Are you suggesting that the sign gifts have returned?”

  “No. I don’t think we are going to be laying hands on each other to heal or that we will get prophesies of new Scripture. What I do believe, though, is that God can do whatever He wants to and sometimes He might do the extraordinary in extraordinary circumstances.”

  “For a time such as this?”

  “Exactly! Something big is happening in Galesburg. Something evil and I believe its been growing for a while. I also believe Jack’s death was the beginning of God’s plan against it. The moment Jack died was the moment Emma and I received these new thoughts for the first time and it was also the moment you gained your strength. Since that time Emma and I also knew how to foil that robbery and you have saved multiple lives through your strength. God is using us for a time such as this!”

  Emma tried to stifle a smile but couldn’t. She knew she had liked and admired Aaron for a long time, but seeing his passion and his character convinced her even more that she was in love with him. As for Convert, the light bulb finally clicked on in his head. Everything Aaron said made sense even though he still didn’t understand all of it yet.

  “Do you think it’s God speaking to both of you?” Convert asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Aaron replied. “I’m convinced it’s of God, but we aren’t hearing any voice. The thoughts just happen. What do you think, Marie?”

  Marie looked at all three of them and smiled sweetly. “I believe you’re right. God works in mysterious ways and I don’t see any reason why He isn’t at work here. Emma, what did you say was the last thing that suddenly came into your mind?”

  “Shadow,” she replied. “I remember thinking to myself about who could have planted that bomb and instantly ‘a shadow’ came into my mind.”

  “Those two kids were both dressed all in black like shadows,” Convert said. “There has to be a connection with them and Jack. I really think the kid is the culprit!”

  “I think the kids are connected, but I truly believe they didn’t kill Jack,” Aaron replied.

  “Why?”

  “Because I have talked to some other kids who I think God is using uniquely too.”

  “How so?”

  “There’s a group of freshmen guys in my youth group who came to me last Sunday to tell me that they all shared the same dream.”

  “Shared the same dream? How’s that possible?”

  “I thought the same thing at the time, but later I realized that sharing a dream isn’t unprecedented in the Bible either. Joseph saw dreams others had and interpreted them and so did Daniel.”

  “Do I know them?”

  “You actually ran into them as you came into the church Friday night. Jordan, Josh, Mark and Trent.”

  “Oh yeah. Good kids.”

  “They are and once I heard everything from them I knew they weren’t lying or trying to prank me.”

  “What did they dream?” Emma asked.

  “They saw how Earnest Weller really died.”

  “Earnest Weller? The rich guy? How would they know who he was?” Convert asked.

  “Exactly,” Aaron said. “They had to look him up on the Internet after the dream to find out who he was. That’s why they were believable.”

  “What do you mean how he really died?” Emma asked. “He died at home from a heart attack.”

  “Yes, so it is thought, but the guys told me that he really died from a man who injected something in him which caused the heart attack.”

  “No way!” Convert said.

  “Not only that, but the people who sent the killer had managed to clean out every bit of his bank accounts.”

  “Are you serious?” Emma said. “His son, Martin Weller, was one of the first guys I interviewed after I got on the paper. He tried telling me that his dad’s death was suspicious especially since he had no money left. The records showed that Earnest had transferred everything he had to an off shore account, which was untraceable. Martin refused to believe his dad really did it and he began to doubt how his dad really died. It was too late for another autopsy, however, because Earnest had been cremated according to his own wishes. Even that was hard for Martin to believe because Earnest had his wife, Cheryl, buried in a coffin. I thought he was paranoid, but maybe he was right all along. What does that have to do with Jack’s death, though?”

  “They met the guy they saw in the dream and he tried to kill them.”

  All three of them looked at Aaron in shock. As a matter of fact, this was the first thing that actually had alarmed Marie.

  “Where did this happen?” Marie asked.

  “At your old barn.”

  “Why were they there?”

  “They went there because that barn has become a legend to the kids in Galesburg. Stories of witch rituals and other things have surrounded it forever. Quite honestly, I used to hear things like that when I was in high school too. Well, after Convert’s talk on Friday night, the guys heard for the first time the real story behind the property and decided they wanted to simply go there and get their picture taken in front of it to show off to their classmates on Facebook.”

  “Why would they care to do that?” Convert asked.

  “Just to be cool. They’re freshman guys. To them it was climbing Mt. Everest.”

  “So what happened when they got there?” Emma asked as she was rapidly writing down notes. Aaron couldn’t help but notice her good penmanship even as she wrote fast. When he wrote fast, he could hardly even read back what he wrote.

  “A couple of them decided to look in the barn before they left and that’s when they met the man.”

  “What did the kids do to upset him?” Convert asked.

  “Nothing. The man was angry at them for trespassing and when the boys apologized and said they would leave he erupted in anger and chased them out threatening their lives.”

  “Are you sure he was actually trying to kill them and not just scare them?”

  “I asked the same thing and they told me that he took out a gigantic knife and tried to run them down. The only reason they were able to get away was because his leg fell in a hidden hole in the woods. They were able to get out of there on their bikes and he couldn’t pursue them because he was hurt.”

  “So why do you think this is connected to Jack?” Convert said as the wheels began turning in his mind.

  “I asked the guys how big they thought the knife was and they said about ten to twelve inches. That was the same depth of Jack’s wound. Whether this guy is the actual killer or not I can’t be sure, but I believe it is a solid lead.”

  Convert leaned forward. “We need to find this guy. Did they describe him to you?”

  “Actually they had a picture of him. In one of their poses in front of the barn, he was standing in the barn window looking at them. They brought it in and showed me. They call him ‘Drago’ because he looks like the bad guy from Rocky 4. Truth be told he actually does look like him only older. Have any of you by chance seen someone who looks like that lately?”

  Marie and Emma both shook their heads while Convert had his chin resting on his hands in concentration. It was a real lead. This guy could actually be the murderer and he wanted to get him as soon as possible. “I haven’t seen him,” he said, “but we need to find him.”

  “I agree with you, Convert, but we have to think for a moment on what our plan is,” Emma said. “If this guy is the murderer, then he is extremely dangerous. Maybe we should call the police.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but we don’t have enough information to give to the cops,” Convert replied. “The story of four teenage boys getting chased
by a knife-wielding madman is as cliché as Halloween gets. They simply won’t believe it. Aaron, is there a way I could talk to the guys to get any other details from them.”

  “I don’t see why not,” Aaron replied. “They should be coming to youth group tonight. If you wanted to stop by afterwards and talk to them, I’m sure they’ll be there.”

  “Sounds good. Every inclination of me wants to drive out there to the barn right now, but the smart thing is to be patient. Who knows what we’re getting into? I still have one question, though, how would this be connected to what happened today? And how in the world would a high school kid get a bomb like that?”

  “Maybe the same people who sent the killer were the ones who gave the kid the bomb,” Emma said. “I think Aaron is right. This is far bigger than an isolated incident and I believe God is using us to help stop it.”

  “So what’s our next step?” Convert asked.

  Marie reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. “We pray.”

  6

  “So what are you guys doing before youth group tonight?” Mark asked as they worked on their padlocks to free their bikes from the bike rack.

  “I’ve got homework to finish up,” Josh replied. “I think my math teacher takes joy in torturing us with as much work as possible.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have taken trigonometry in ninth grade,” Trent said. “You’re brain is creating too much trouble for you.”

  “Kind of like your mouth creates too much trouble for you?” Josh said grinning.

  “What about you, Jordan?” Mark asked.

  “I’m just eating supper and watching TV I guess,” Jordan replied. “Why do you ask?”

  “Well I was just wondering. My mom has to work tonight so I’m on my own. Could I get a ride to youth group with you later?”

  “Sure thing. As a matter of fact, why don’t you come over for supper too? No need to eat alone.”

  “Cool. Thanks, Jordan”

  They got on their bikes and headed down Hawkinson street towards the Bruce. The Bruce only took about five minutes to get to on their bikes. Trent and Mark raced each other like usual while Josh and Jordan rode behind. Everything seemed normal until they heard the revving of a car behind them. Screeching its tires, the car quickly drove past Jordan and Josh and went towards Trent and Mark. Trent and Mark were getting ready to cross Frank street, which intersected with Hawkinson, when suddenly the car turned and stopped in front of them cutting them off.

  Trent and Mark looked at each other in confusion as the passenger door opened and out stepped none other than Clayton Stoneking and a couple of his football buddies. A feeling of dread came upon Jordan as he sped up to get to them. He knew this was not good. He could tell by the look in Clayton’s eyes that he was looking for a fight and Trent and Mark were his victims.

  “Hey Clayton, what’s going on?” Mark asked nervously.

  “I see you’re riding your bike home,” Clayton replied. “Unfortunately there isn’t enough road in this city for you to work off that lard butt of yours.”

  Clayton’s buddies laughed out loud. They enjoyed seeing Clayton assert his will with whoever he wanted to. This football season had made the players local celebrities. They found that they were able to do whatever they wanted to without consequence. That’s why they weren’t worried about what they were going to do to these guys either.

  “Let’s go, Mark,” Trent said.

  “What?” Clayton said. “No smart come back, Trent?”

  “We’re just heading home, Clayton. Don’t you have football practice or something?”

  “I don’t think it’s your business what I’m doing.”

  “Well, why are you bothering us?”

  “Because you bother me!”

  At that moment, Jordan and Josh rode up to meet them. Clayton looked at Jordan with distain. “So there’s the big mouth.”

  “I don’t know what your problem is with us, Clayton, but we don’t have one with you,” Jordan said. “Just let us through and we’ll see you tonight at church.”

  At that moment, one of Clayton’s teammates, Benny, took out a roll of gauze and handed it to Clayton. Clayton began to wrap the gauze around his knuckles as the guys looked at him in fear and bewilderment.

  “What are you doing?” Jordan asked as Clayton began wrapping his other hand.

  “I don’t want to bust up my own knuckles,” Clayton said as he swung his right hand hard and connected with the side or Jordan’s face.

  Jordan had never been punched in the face before and he certainly had never felt such pain. He staggered back stunned. His bike fell to the ground and Clayton stepped over it as he swung his left hand right into Jordan’s abdomen knocking the wind out of him.

  “Jordan!” Mark yelled as he threw his bike down and instinctively jumped on Clayton’s back. As soon as Mark got on him, Clayton grabbed his arm over his shoulder, bent over, and flung him forward. Mark flipped over fast and hard landing square on his back. Josh went over to Mark and got back handed, which sent his glasses flying into the road. Clayton’s buddies laughed at the carnage in front of them.

  Trent was terrified, but he knew he needed to protect his friends. He took off his backpack and swung it as hard as he could at Clayton’s head. As if he sensed it, Clayton ducked without even looking at him. The force of the missed swing sent Trent twisting around, which Clayton capitalized on by giving three rapid punches to Trent’s flank. In a flash of pain, Trent fell to the ground grabbing his side. He couldn’t believe the pain that radiated through his body. Jordan gasped for breath as he tried to stand back up. He noticed that Mark had barely moved since landing on his back and Josh stood stunned as he searched for his glasses. His right temple throbbed as he tried to get his bearings. He hurt so bad he literally just wanted to cry.

  “You guys will learn to respect me,” Clayton said with wild eyes through clinched teeth. “When I speak to you, you will shut your mouths. You want to talk about God to me, Jordan? I’m the god of this town and you will worship me like everyone else does!”

  Jordan looked at Clayton square in his eyes. “There’s only one God I serve and you are less than nothing compared to him.”

  With that, Clayton became only more enraged. He kicked Jordan right in the stomach and as Jordan bent over he swung his left hand and hit the other side of his face. Jordan spun around and landed face first on the grass. Trent watched in terror as he saw Jordan fall. He looked around and saw other students who were watching from the other side of the road. Some cheered on Clayton while others stood quietly. He saw cars drive by, but no one stopped. No one helped. They were alone.

  Josh ran over to Jordan with tears in his eyes. “Jordan! Jordan!” He screamed.

  Clayton stood there and laughed. Mark was still lying on his back. Trent crawled over to him and could see that he was breathing. It looked like, however, that the landing had knocked him out.

  Clayton began to unravel the gauze around his hands. He looked over at Benny laughing and said, “The gauze was a good idea. My hand doesn’t hurt at all. I can’t say the same for Jordan’s face, though.”

  Trent looked at Clayton in complete shock and sadness. They hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Clayton had been their friend growing up and now he was their tormenter. On top of that, Trent didn’t know a better person than Jordan and yet there he was lying on his face. “Your day will come Clayton,” Trent said knowing he could catch another beating, but didn’t care anymore. “Your world is going to crash around you and we’ll see what god you really are.”

  “Big words from the guy laying on the ground,” Clayton replied. “You better slap Mark awake before animal control thinks they have a beached whale laying out here.”

  Unbelievably, Jordan began to get up on his hands and knees. His face was covered in grass and dirt. Josh put his arm around him and tried to
help him up. Defiantly, Jordan got to his feet and stared at Clayton as he and his buddies were getting back into their car.

  “This was just a warning, Jordan,” Clayton said with a devious smile. “Next time, I’m not going to be so nice.” With that he closed the door and they peeled out as they spun the car around and shot off down the street.

  Jordan and Josh walked over to Mark as Trent was trying to wake him up. Just as all three of them gathered around him, he began to open his eyes. “Wh…What happened?” Mark said.

  Wincing in pain, Jordan said, “You tried to help me, Bud, and ended up getting knocked out instead.”

  Mark’s eyes widened when he clearly saw Jordan. “Jordan! Are you ok?”

  Jordan sat back down on the ground. “Actually, no. I’ve never been beat up before and my face feels like its on fire.”

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t stop him,” Trent said. “You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “None of us did. There’s something evil inside of Clayton and we just saw it come out in full force. We need to tell Pastor Aaron about it tonight. Clayton is too dangerous to be around.”

  “You still think you can go to youth group tonight?” Josh said shocked.

  “I’ll be ok and we need to make sure no one else gets hurt.”

  All four of them sat there for a moment as the pain of their injuries began to slightly fade.

  Josh began to look for his glasses when suddenly someone handed them to him. One lens was completely missing while the other one was shattered. They had been run over for sure. “Wouldn’t it be good to see those guys get theirs?” A voice from behind them said.

  They all looked up to see Eric Landon staring back down at them while holding the broken pair of glasses. He was accompanied by four friends all dressed in black like he was. “Thanks,” Josh said nervously as he took them from his hand.

  Their last run in with the shadows hadn’t been good either and they didn’t know if another beating was coming. Behind Eric were two guys and two girls. They stared at them blankly as if they were in a trance. “It takes power to beat power,” Eric continued. “We could help you with your problem.”