by Pam Funke
“Yes, I suppose he is.”
Halle couldn’t understand her husband’s enthusiasm about Amir. Although she knew that Amir had done some really horrible things, she did not think he deserved to die like that. No one did. He would not be so enthusiastic if he knew what all of this really meant. A single tear ran down the side of her face. If only Richard would come to the church with her, but the mere mentioning of the word “church” or “God” would have him in an uproar. If only he would come to hear Bishop Williams’ sermon about what is going on. She decided to press the issue one last time.
“Honey, would you mind if we went to church tonight? Bishop Williams is supposed to be giving a really good sermon tonight,” Halle asked her husband in a hushed voice.
“Have you lost your mind, Halle! I do not care how many times you ask me, the answer is NOT going to change. I am not going to that dagburn church of yours. I do not know why you are wasting your time there, but I sure ain’t going to waste my time by going there!”
“Please do not yell dear, the neighbors will hear you. We will not go, okay? Forget I even asked. How about we just have a quiet night at home?”
“You got that right. Now leave me be and let me watch my television program.”
Richard returned his gaze back to the flat screen television.
“Alright dear, I am going to the store dear and will be back soon.”
Halle hurried out of the door, tears streaming down her face. She did not want her husband to see how upset she was. He had really hurt her feelings this time and she did not know why he was behaving this way.
Richard turned and watched as Halle fled from the house. I wonder what is wrong with her. It is not like we have not had that conversation before. You would think she would be very happy about Amir. She cried every time the news reported about all the inhumane things he had done. I just do not get her. He shook his head before switching the channel on the television to find a good movie to watch.
“Why is he so happy that Amir is going to die like that? No one has the right to take a life. That right belongs to God and God alone. Life is a very precious gift that should not be taken for granted,” Halle said out loud to no one as she sat alone in the car. She debated about going back into the house and making Richard go with her until she remembered what Bishop Williams had said about free will.
“He has changed so much these past few months, Lord. He is no longer the wonderful Christian man I married. I just do not understand it--what has happened to him? What is wrong with him? Lord, was my husband ever a Christian in the first place? What happened to the God-fearing man I thought I married? Where is he? I guess that I really do not know or understand my husband at all.”
Halle decided not to go to the store, at least not right away. Instead, she drove to the Tabernacle of Praise. She supposed she would stop by the store on the way home. Right now she really needed to talk to Bishop Williams.
Halle had so many new questions she needed answers to. Halle knew she could only get the answers that she was seeking from one man. She only hoped he was at the church when she got there. He was usually there early when they had service. But if he was not there, she decided she would not let it be a wasted trip. If he was not there, she would just pray at the altar for a while and talk to the pastor after service was over.
CHAPTER sixteen
Richard dozed off while watching his program. At least, Richard hoped that what he was now witnessing was a dream--an incredible nightmare. Boy oh boy. It was one of those dreams that seemed so real yet he hoped this was not the case.
Richard was walking down a street, which he did not recognize, with lots of big oak trees lining both sides of the road. He noticed how beautiful the leaves looked in their fall dresses of reds, oranges, and yellows. The colors were so enticing it seemed almost surreal. He knew he could not be anywhere in the northern part of the United States as the leaves had long since worn their fall dresses and the trees were now bare. He was definitely somewhere he had never been before. But yet, it seemed oddly familiar to him.
It was deathly quiet on the street. How odd. No voices. No children playing. No birds chirping. No cars. No anything. There was no sound other than the sound of his shoes softly hitting the pavement. He wondered how there could be absolute peace and quiet during Christmas break. Not to mention that it was a beautiful, warm day. He knew for a fact the kids were all out of school until after New Year’s Day. This seemed mighty strange to him. He could not seem to figure this one out.
Although it was oddly peaceful here, it was a little nerve wrecking that no one else was around. It was almost as though he were the last person on the Earth. Mind you, he did not really care whether or not anyone else was around—he was not really a people person. But being human, he was a little curious as to what happened to everyone else. In an odd way, he found this situation strangely comforting.
“Hello?” he called out. There was no response. Where is everyone?
He continued walking down the lonely street. He wondered where the road would lead him. He was very curious as to what lay ahead, even though something kept telling him to turn back. But, despite the warning, he kept going. He wondered what all this meant.
Richard passed several empty houses and stores and did not encounter anyone anywhere. Not even a stray dog or cat was found to be wandering the streets in search of something to eat. Strange, very strange indeed. The further he walked down the street, the more the sky appeared to grow darker. It was as though he were walking into a black thunderhead cloud. But that is impossible. The sun is shining brightly with no clouds in the sky. Curiouser and curiouser. He was beginning to feel a little nervous.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he could hear music playing. He stopped walking, afraid his ears were playing tricks on him. As he stood perfectly still, he could still hear the music playing softly. He looked around trying to see where it was coming from, but he still saw no one. By now his curiosity was getting the best of him. He just had to know what was going on. Richard decided to follow the sound of the music; perhaps, there was someone around that he could talk to. The song seemed oddly familiar to him though he could not quite place it.
Jesus is the light.
Jesus is the light.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Jesus is the light.
Jesus is the light.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Come into the light.
Beautiful light.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Accept Jesus Christ.
And be saved tonight.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Come into the light.
Beautiful light.
Jesus is the only way.
The choir sang the song beautifully. It sounded as though it was being sung by God’s angels in the heavenly choir, but that could not be for Richard did not believe God really existed. And if God didn’t exist then how could there be angels or a heavenly choir?
“Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm,” Richard hummed to himself in time with the music. He continued to hum as he walked towards the sound of the singing. The music seemed to be calling to his soul.
“Catchy little tune. I wonder what they are singing about. Why does it sound so familiar?” he asked himself.
Richard continued to walk toward the building where the singing was coming from. When he was less than 20 feet away from the door of the building, a thick fog seemed to roll in blocking out the sunlight completely and removing the building from sight. He was suddenly very cold and felt as though his very soul was being ripped from his body. Richard felt lonelier than he had ever felt in his entire life. He felt that it was imperative he get to the building where the singing had been coming from; he felt as though his very life depended on it. Richard stopped for a moment when he suddenly realized he could no longer hear the singing. Something is definitely wrong. I need to get out of here. There is something in this fog-like
thing.
Richard started running as fast as his legs could carry him; heading to where he thought the building was. The faster he ran the more it seemed like he was not getting anywhere. It was as though he were running in place. Richard started running faster and faster desperately trying to get to the building of refuge. He felt as though something horrible was coming and he was not sure he wanted to meet up with anyone on this street any more. Then out of nowhere he could hear harsh laughter all around him; Richard stopped dead in his tracks. He was terrified by the sound. The laughter made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was chilled to his very soul.
“Who….who’s there?” he called out. His legs shook as he looked around. The laughter started again. “Why are you laughing? What is so funny? I do not find anything amusing!” he inquired puffing out his chest trying to appear more muscular than he really was and trying not to appear so terrified.
“You do not really think I would allow you to get to that building, do you? You are mine,” the voice said laughing again.
Richard tried to back away from the voice tripping himself in the process. He landed hard on his rear on the pavement.
“Who are you? Where are you? I do not see you or anyone else,” Richard said.
“You still have a lot of work to do for me. Besides, do you really think God would take you back? Ha! I don’t think so. He cannot help you. Now get up! Now Richard!” the voice commanded. The fog was instantly gone.
Richard desperately looked everywhere for the voice. He wanted to know who it was. He had never heard the voice before—at least, he didn’t think that he had. He wanted to have a talk with whoever had tried to scare him and how dare they threaten him like that. Richard wanted to know where this threatening person was., but there was no sign of who had spoken to him. Richard looked over to where the building with the beautiful music had been, but there was nothing there. The building had simply vanished if it had been there at all. He got up and stood there staring at the place where the building had been. Did I imagine it?
He was once again alone walking down the road more confused than ever. He did not understand anything. Up ahead Richard saw a wrought iron black fence and what appeared to be a guard house of some kind. Some men were stopping some cars before letting them pass. Perhaps those people can help me. I need to get out of this horrible place. Where did that come from anyway? I don’t remember walking past that. As he walked towards the men, he noticed a sign off to his right. He stopped in front of it to see what it said. Welcome to Fort Stewart. He continued past the sign, the next thing he knew he was back in his living room sitting on the couch staring at the television.
Huge beads of sweat formed on his head and his palms were cold and clammy. That was certainly strange. He got up and headed to the bathroom. Richard splashed cold water on his face and glanced at himself in the mirror. He almost did not recognize the reflection of the man looking back at him. The man looking back at him was ashen and ghastly. He noticed a few gray streaks in his hair that weren’t there before.
“Yikes! Man, you look terrible,” he said to himself rather loudly startling him. He decided to take a quick shower.
CHAPTER seventeen
Halle finally arrived at the church. The drive from her home seemed to take twice as long today. Or perhaps, it was because she was so upset. She noticed that the Bishop’s car was not parked outside so she decided to just go to the sanctuary to wait. As Halle was walking into the sanctuary, she felt a sudden urge to pray with all her might. Halle knelt down where she was and started to pray.
“Father, thank you for taking care of my family. Thank you for providing a roof over my head and food on the table. Thank you for nourishing my body as well as my soul. Thank you for being a loving and just God. Father, I am worried about my husband, Richard. He is lost right now Lord and I am asking You to please light the way for him. Please save my husband. Thank you. I love you, Lord and I appreciate You. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen. Amen. Amen.”
Halle felt so much better as she got up. She always felt better after spending time with the Father. She thought perhaps Bishop Williams had come in while she was praying and decided to check his office. She walked to his office and knocked on the door. There was no answer.
She gently pushed the door open and called out, “Bishop Williams? Are you here?”
There was no reply. Disappointed, she closed the door and went back to the sanctuary. She decided to wait until service that evening rather than returning home and coming back. Besides, she really did not want to hear her husband rant and rave about her attending church that evening.
She sat down on one of the pews and started to read her Bible. “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”
Hmmm. I wonder what time it is. “Everyone should start showing up in about twenty minutes or so. That’s not too long,” she said checking her watch.
She went back to reading her Bible. She was now reading the book of Revelation. She was so confused about the things mentioned in Revelation. She would need some clarity from Bishop Williams. Halle took out her notepad and pen and wrote down the questions she wanted to ask that evening. She left space after each question so she could write down the answers. She wanted to be able to study it at home, but, more importantly, she didn’t want to forget a single word because she wanted to share it with her husband. Halle decided she was going to discuss everything with him no matter how mad or upset he got. She could not sit idly by and watch her husband be condemned to eternal damnation. She loved him too much for that. She waited what seemed like forever, but no one came. She glanced at her watch. It was now 8:30 pm. Odd. Service should have started an hour ago. What’s going on?
She decided to get up and check the lobby and parking lot. There was no one in the lobby and not a single car other than hers was in the parking lot. How odd. Something isn’t quite right. They would never cancel service and leave the church unlocked. Something must have happened. She decided to call the Bishop when she got back to the house. I had better get to the store before they close.
CHAPTER eighteeN
Newly appointed President Nicolaitanes Balac was enjoying his new rise to power. He loved all the attention that he was receiving. All was going right for him. Italy had readily received him as President. No one had even questioned how he had become President. Nicolaitanes was deemed a humble man who cared about the people. They were his people after all. Oh, how they seemed to worship and love him. He stood looking out the window of his presidential office. Today Italy, tomorrow the world. He smiled.
He turned as Rosalind entered the room. “What is it, Rosalind?” Nicolaitanes asked.
“I have everyone on the line for the conference call except for one. Shall I load it in here for you or do you want to take it in the conference room?”
“No, Rosalind. It’s okay; you can load it here please,” Nicolaitanes replied. Who dares to not participate? Who is not in attendance?
Rosalind typed some commands into Nicolaitanes’ computer before turning on nine TV monitors. Adolph, Tara, Victor, Annamaya, Andrew, Sampson, Serenity, Caitlin, and Alexander appeared on separate screens.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” Nicolaitanes said smiling.
“Good morning to you too,” they replied in unison.
Though they’d had numerous video conferences, none of them knew that they were conferring with President Nicolaitanes Balac. They knew that President Balac was involved, but not the extent of his involvement. Each could only see what Nicolaitanes wanted them to see on their monitors, a dark shadow of a figure pacing back and forth across the screen. They were unable to see the others of the group though they could hear each other clearly.
“The reason for this meeting is to give you final instructions. I want each of you to initiate final preparations where you are, with the exception of Alexander. Then travel to Fort Stewart. I will meet you all there to initiate O
peration Dark Angel in a couple of days. I trust you each know what to do?”
“Yes sir, all will be well,” they each said before signing off. Nicolaitanes was pleased.
“Rosalind?” Nicolaitanes said turning back to the window.
“Yes, Nicolaitanes.”
“Where is Richard? He wasn’t present for the meeting.”
“I do not know as I could not reach him, sir. I’m sorry, but I did try several times.” Rosalind replied.
I see. Nicolaitanes was infuriated. The voice summoned Richard.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
While Richard was standing in the shower, he had a sudden desire to pack a bag and go to Fort Stewart, Georgia. As he got dressed, the desire to go became even stronger. He had no idea where Fort Stewart was nor why he needed to go there so badly. What in the blue blazes is going on? First that crazy dream and now this. Where is all of this coming from? Stranger still.
He wondered if this had anything to do with that weird dream he’d had earlier. He could not even remember what all had transpired in the dream. All he could remember was that it had scared him to death.
“Richard,” the voice said.
Richard looked around the bathroom. He could have sworn someone just called him. But how can that be as I am alone in the house? I must be hearing things. He shook it off and continued getting dressed.
“Come, Richard,” the voice summoned.
Richard knew he definitely heard a voice that time.
“Who’s there?” Richard asked timidly.
“You know what you must do Richard,” the voice boomed.
Richard was a little afraid. He didn’t see anyone, but the voice was so loud that it filled the room. Is this really happening or am I still in that dream? Am I really doing this? Richard had never been spontaneous in his life. This was completely new for him, but he packed his bag before going out to the van to check on his gun. Wait a minute, I have a gun? Where did it come from? Why do I even have it? I despise guns. He opened the glove compartment in the van. He was startled to see a .45 revolver looking back at him. There was an extra magazine and a full box of ammo lying next to it. He tentatively touched the gun. It was really there. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. He closed the glove compartment and sat there puzzled. A few minutes later, he gave the van a quick checkup and then decided to have a quick bite to eat before heading out on his journey. He was still trying to figure out why he was going to Fort Stewart and better still why he needed to take that gun with him. But the most puzzling thing was he had no clue whose voice it was that he had heard only a few minutes ago. Why was he obeying it?