The Scarlet Plan

by Rick W. Warren

  “Help me, Jesus,” she prayed as he walked towards her.

  “Your help is gone,” he said. “Goodbye, Emma.”

  Suddenly everyone turned as the sound of the front doors getting ripped off of their hinges surprised all of them. They stood in shock as Convert held one of the gigantic barn doors above his head and threw it at them. Two of the acolytes couldn’t get away in time as the door landed on them pinning them to the ground.

  The Actor stood in a panic as he realized that the Cleaner was no longer a factor. They must have bested him in some way and now they were on their way here.

  “Stop them!” Thinker yelled. “Don’t let them through!”

  Aaron ran toward the first acolyte who had grabbed a shovel.

  Slide toward his ankles.

  Aaron obeyed and did a baseball slide right into the acolyte’s ankles as he dodged the shovel being swung at his head. The robed man pitched forward and busted his mouth on the shovelhead. Aaron kept going. He had to reach Emma.

  Convert ran right into the middle in order to engage all of them. He grabbed the first guy to reach him and tossed him into two others who were also charging. They toppled into a heap on the ground. From the left, a man swung a large chain at Convert’s head, but with one hand, he reached out, caught it, and yanked it toward him. Convert ducked down and flipped the man over his head into another man behind him.

  Only one more acolyte and the Actor stood in between Aaron and Emma. Aaron continued to run towards her.

  Stop and stand still.

  Aaron froze as the acolyte ran toward him and tripped in a small hole in the ground that no one could see. As the man stumbled toward him face first, Aaron used a move he had seen on professional wrestling by putting him in a headlock and driving the man’s face in the ground. Actor turned around and faced Aaron with the knife. “Come on!” he said as he held the blade toward Aaron. In that instant, the body of an acolyte blindsided the Actor colliding with him sending him sprawling.

  Aaron looked to the right to see Convert smiling and giving him a thumbs up. “Cut Emma loose!” He said.

  Aaron grabbed a knife off of the tray and quickly cut the ropes. In one swift motion he took Emma off of the table and held her in his arms.

  “Easy, miss. I’ve got you.” Aaron said smiling as he looked into her eyes.

  Emma put her arms around his neck. “You’ve got me. Who’s got you?”

  “I think we both know the answer to that.” Aaron said as he put her down.

  “How did you guys escape?”

  “I’ll tell you later. We have to stop the Thinker from getting away.”

  A couple other men jumped onto Convert’s back, but with little effort he flipped them over. As one of them landed, Convert saw the hood come off of the man’s head. It was Officer Glass. He had been one of the officers who responded to the bomb call. Fear came over his eyes as Convert recognized him. “You picked the wrong side to be on!” Convert said.

  Aaron and Emma began to run back toward the barn, but a knife-wielding acolyte confronted them.

  Kick, Emma thought as he charged her. She planted her foot in the ground and kicked with her other one toward the man’s abdomen. With alarming swiftness, he caught the leg and held his knife up to bring it down on her.

  Flip!

  Suddenly and instinctively she squatted on one leg and back flipped out of his grasp. His forward momentum lowered his head and her foot connected with his chin, knocking him out cold.

  “Where did you learn that?” Aaron said.

  “From my twelve years of gymnastics I guess,” she said just as surprised as he was.

  “I want to learn from that teacher!”

  Convert backed into one of the poles Damon had set up around the circle. He grabbed it and uprooted it from the ground. It had the circumference of a telephone pole and it was about ten feet long. Convert swung it like a baseball bat at the next two guys charging him. It hit both of them in their stomachs and sent them flying backwards.

  At this point, some of the acolytes knew they were beat so they retreated back to their vehicles to escape. About ten of them laid on the ground, while the other ten were already driving away. Convert regretted that he couldn’t get their identities, but he knew the leaders of the Scarlet were what mattered the most. He looked around and saw that neither the Actor or Thinker was there. “Aaron!” He yelled. “Where’s the Thinker?”

  Aaron and Emma looked around and near the barn they saw the Actor fleeing to Convert’s truck. Suddenly, the truck roared to life and they all saw the Thinker in the passenger seat while one of the acolytes was the driver. The truck pulled forward as the Actor jumped into the back. Convert threw the pole in front of the truck in order stop them, but it took a bad bounce and they were able to quickly get around it.

  Convert ran to meet Aaron and Emma at the entrance of the barn. The boys had come out to see the action and they were amazed by what Convert did.

  “Wow, Convert! That was awesome!” Mark said. “You’re my hero!”

  “It’s not over yet,” he replied. “We have to stop them.”

  “What do we do?” Aaron asked.

  Convert rapidly looked around and smiled as he found what he was looking for. “You guys need to tie up the remaining acolytes and call the authorities. Let no one get away, especially Damon.”

  Josh held up his reacquired phone that he had pulled out of Damon’s coat pocket. “No problem, I need to call our parents too. I’m sure they’re worried sick. What are you going to do?”

  The roar of an engine ripped through the barn as Convert rolled forward on Damon’s motorcycle. “I’m going to get my truck back,” he said as he peeled out in pursuit.

  33

  The truck pulled onto the Henderson blacktop and turned right heading towards route 150. As they approached the flashing yellow light that signified the intersection, the driver instinctively turned left toward Galesburg.

  “What are you doing, you fool?” Thinker said. “We need to drive away from Galesburg, not toward it! Can’t you see it’s on fire?”

  As they looked forward in the distance they could see the city of Galesburg glowing orange against the night sky. The driver was looking for a place to turn around when he saw a motorcycle appear in the rear view mirror. “Look!” He said. “I think the Cleaner has escaped!”

  Thinker looked back in hope only to see it dashed. It wasn’t the Cleaner on the motorcycle. It was Convert. “Keep driving forward! It’s not the Cleaner! We have to get away from him!”

  Convert sped up and closed the distance between them. He looked in shock as he saw the glow of the fires coming from Galesburg. He couldn’t imagine all that was going on. It only made him speed up more as he pulled up to the side of the truck. Cars were rapidly coming at him from the other lane trying to escape the city, but he had to get to his truck.

  The Actor stood up in the back and grabbed a shovel. “You never give up, do you?” He said. “Well now your going to die.” He slapped the back of the window. “Ram him off the road!”

  Convert swerved as the truck tried to cut him off. He knew his time was short. As he got closer to the truck, Actor would swing the shovel at his head barely missing him. Convert knew he was going to have to take a chance so he quickly grabbed the top of the truck bed. Actor hit his hand square on with the shovel, but Convert didn’t let go. He quickly leapt and grabbed the ladder rack as the motorcycle went flipping into the cornfield. Actor swung the shovel again as Convert climbed into the back. It connected with his side and almost knocked the wind out of him, but he grabbed the shovel and jumped in. Actor and Convert wrestled for control. Convert was surprised to see that the Actor seemed to have some supernatural strength. The demonic had power too.

  “You’ll never win, Convert!” Actor sneered. “The Scarlet is everywhere and it continues to grow. Yo
u’ll never get away from us!”

  “You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Convert said. “You have exposed the Scarlet! Now you’ll have to run and hide again! Your council isn’t going to be very happy to hear about this.”

  As Convert was wrestling with him, the Thinker slid open the back window and pointed a gun out of it. Convert’s back was to him so he hadn’t seen it. “Now it ends,” Thinker said.

  Without warning, Convert spun around, with the Actor in his grasp, and suddenly a shot rang out in the air. Actor looked at Convert in shock as he realized he had been shot. Convert looked down to see the gun and instinctively grabbed it, throwing it into the truck bed. Thinker tried to shrink back, but Convert had a hold of his arm. Actor stumbled forward and grabbed the gun.

  “Convert!” He yelled. “You’re coming with me!”

  Convert turned to look at him as he started to pull the trigger.

  Suddenly, the driver swerved as he had to avoid a deer that jumped out of the field! The truck turned left hard and the Actor lost his balance. He screamed as he disappeared over the back of the truck gate.

  Convert turned around and shattered the back window with his fist. He climbed in and with one punch he knocked the Thinker out cold. In a panic, the acolyte slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the truck, and went running through the cornfield. Convert jumped into the driver’s seat and turned around to go to the barn. As he headed back, he saw the body of the Actor on the side of the road. There was no doubt that he was dead.

  34

  The news cameras that came to Galesburg to cover the football game never thought that this night would have turned into the disaster that it did. All four broadcast networks covered everything that was going on live and it began to get national attention as the feeds were picked up on the 24/7 news outlets. People watched as the city, known for its railroads, the Lincoln/Douglas debate, and the birthplace of Carl Sandburg was now known as the shining example of football fanaticism gone wrong. No one had any idea about the Scarlet or even the shadows for that matter. The headline was all about outrage over losing the game.

  Due to the national exposure and lack of resources, Galesburg was declared to be in a state of emergency and police, ambulances, and firefighters from all different areas came to help. There were also many people in Galesburg who avoided the melee and helped those who were in need. Neighbors helped each other put out blazes and others took people in their own cars to the hospital. When Convert’s fist hit the Thinker’s face, it instantly lifted the fog of madness that had overcome the city. The riot had ended, but not without extreme cost. The chaos had taken at least ten lives so far and hundreds of others were injured, some very seriously.

  The boys’ parents were very relieved when Josh called his mom. He told them that they were safe with Pastor Aaron, Emma, and Convert outside of the city and they would explain everything when they got back.

  At the barn, they had tied up the remaining acolytes. To their shock, they saw men and women they knew in their community. One was Officer Glass, another was their science teacher, Mr. Anders, (“See! I knew he was evil!” Trent said.) and yet another was a member of Truth Community Church by the name of Andrew London.

  Aaron stared at him in disbelief. “Why, Andrew, why?”

  Andrew looked at him in a defiance that was shocking considering they were captured. “Because the Scarlet thread runs through it all!” he said without any shame.

  They all stood around their captives as they saw a familiar truck pull back into the field. It was Convert. He got his truck back.

  They guys ran up to him excited by all that had happened. They saw the Thinker tied up in the front of the seat. He was coming in and out of consciousness as he was still reeling from the punch.

  “Yes! You got the Thinker!” Trent said. “Where’s the Actor?”

  Convert stepped out of his truck. “Thinker accidentally shot him instead of me. He fell out of the moving truck and onto the road. He’s dead.”

  Everyone looked up as they started to see the familiar red and blue lights of the Illinois State Police. Josh had told them that they caught the masterminds of the riot and the authorities followed his GPS signal to get there.

  The police gathered up the acolytes, the Thinker, and finally went into the barn and brought out Damon Marshall. Damon had regained consciousness and walked out slowly with his arms handcuffed behind his back. Convert told the police that Damon was the one responsible for Jack’s murder among many other crimes. Damon looked at him with a glare of sheer hatred. “You should have killed me,” he said. “I’ll be back. We’re not done until one of us is dead.”

  “Enjoy life in prison, Damon,” Convert said. “You lost.”

  They put him into the police car as other officers continued to question them about everything that happened.

  Eventually, the police began to leave and Convert offered everyone a ride back. They didn’t know what to expect in the city, but they knew from what they heard that it wasn’t good.

  The guys jumped into the back of the truck first as Aaron walked with his arm around Emma to the passenger side. “I hope you still have an office to work in when you get back,” Aaron said to Emma. “You’ve got the biggest story in Galesburg on your hands.”

  “What about you?” She said. “Tomorrow was supposed to be the vote on whether you stayed at church or not. Do you think it will happen?”

  “I highly doubt it now. The city has changed overnight. I don’t know when my fate will be decided.”

  “Don’t worry, Pastor Aaron,” Trent said as he stuck his head through the missing window. “We’ve got your back!”

  Emma laughed as Aaron pushed Trent’s face back through the opening. “Thanks, but I need to see what God wants me to do next. I’m not sure if that church is the place for me any longer.”

  “Well,” Emma said with a grin. “There is an opening at my church if you’re interested. I can put a good word in for you.”

  Aaron smiled back. “I might check it out.”

  Convert stood outside the truck and looked back at the barn. It had been forty years since he stood here and now for the first time he finally felt at complete peace. Justice had been served. “I got him, Ralph,” he said. “I got him, Jack. I can’t wait to talk about it with you someday. Thank you, Jesus.”

  Convert walked toward the driver’s side of the truck while the four boys all gave him high-fives. He laughed at their enthusiasm.

  “Thanks, for the most awesome night of our lives,” Mark said. “This was the greatest Halloween ever and we didn’t even get any candy!”

  “No candy and you’re still happy?” Trent said. “Where’s the Mark I once knew?”

  Josh looked back and saw Jordan sitting quietly. “What’s up, Jordan?” He said as he sat down next to him.

  “A lot of bad stuff happened tonight in town,” Jordan replied. “We don’t know what we’re going to see. I just hate evil so much.”

  “Well, we stopped the Scarlet from escaping. We exposed them. I think we saved countless lives without even knowing it.”

  Jordan smiled. “I believe you’re right. We beat them and I’m glad we did it together.”

  Convert got into the front seat of his truck. He looked around at everyone there. They did it. They beat the Scarlet.

  He started the engine and shifted into drive. “Let’s go home,” he said.

  35

  Convert pulled up to Jordan’s house as their parents came running out. They all embraced as they were relieved to be back together with each other. The adults thanked Aaron, Convert, and Emma for keeping them safe. When asked about what happened, the guys were all willing to tell every detail about it. Franklin told Aaron that he wouldn’t let what happened to him at church stand and it did Aaron’s heart well to hear it. He knew, however, that tomorrow would be much different.


  They left there to go to Emma’s apartment and were shocked by the destruction they saw. Buildings, houses, and cars had all been on fire, but most of it had at least died down. Henderson Street was the worst. They couldn’t believe that so much could happen in such a short time, but realized it was exactly what the Scarlet planned for.

  Emma’s apartment had thankfully gone untouched and Aaron walked her to her door.

  “Thanks for saving my life tonight,” she said. “I knew you would.”

  “No problem,” he said with a grin. “Maybe we can do it again next weekend.”

  She put his arms around his neck. “I love you, Aaron Clark.”

  “I love you, Emma Ironside. Even if you are named after a Transformer.”

  Emma laughed out loud. As always, it was lovely to hear. She leaned in and kissed him. “There’s ways to change last names you know,” she said with a wink as she opened the door. “I’ll see you later.”

  Aaron walked back to the truck with a smile he couldn’t hide. Convert laughed as he got back in the truck. “Nothing like saving a girl’s life to get a goodnight kiss.”

  Aaron laughed back. “I think I’m going to marry that girl someday.”

  “I don’t think you’re the only one who thinks that.”

  They eventually pulled up to Aaron’s house. Aaron reached for the door handle and paused. “Thanks for everything, Convert. You saved all of us. It was an honor to bring Jack’s killers to justice with you. You’re one of my best friends.”

  Convert grinned as he grabbed Aaron’s shoulder. “The remnant remains, brother.”

  “The remnant remains,” Aaron said as he got out of the truck.

  Convert left and finally returned home. He was relieved to see that it was still there. He went inside the side door and through the kitchen to see Marie sitting at the table waiting for him. “So how did things go?” She said.