Seraph

  Good John explained that the trees in the forest were grown from both good and bad choices made by John. He also explained that no matter whether good or bad John won a battle, the ultimate choice was made inside the golden temple where John’s free will resided and could override any victory. Ahadiel then understood that good John and bad John didn’t really fight for control of the body, they fought for influence.

  The white light was a window to the outside world and if it was activated, it meant that bad John was already there and was heavily influencing John’s free will. Ahadiel, realizing what was at stake, began flying faster. The light became brighter as they drew closer, and good John had Ahadiel land about forty yards shy of the golden pyramid temple.

  “We’ll run the rest of the way,” good John said. “Just try to keep up.”

  They both sprinted toward the temple. When they got there, they ran up the side of the temple stairs to the top. Bad John was already there and staring up into the sky. Good John could see Camilla through the window getting very comfortable and undressing. He called out to bad John, who had his hands on top of two waist-high parallel poles that were influential conduits of the will.

  These conduits were known as the controllers, simply because whoever managed to maintain a dominant hold would be able to influence the will toward good or evil. This is where most of the confrontations between John’s good and sinful natures took place.

  When good John made it to the top of the pyramid he tackled bad John who lost his grip on the controllers. The Johns, along with Ahadiel, careened down the temple, hitting every possible step on the way down to the forest floor. Good John managed to fall atop bad John, and Ahadiel, who was still chained to good John, landed about three feet next to them both.

  Good John turned to look into the window to see what was happening with John and Camilla, and that small distraction cost him. Bad John reached and grabbed a stone and smashed it on good John’s head, which caused him to bleed profusely. The rock smashed into smaller pieces upon impact, and bad John stood over good John and was about to smash his face in, but Ahadiel tackled him to the ground. Ahadiel raised his shackled hand to deliver a decisive blow but couldn’t; so he swung with his other hand and brought it down upon bad John. Both Johns hollered in pain. Ahadiel was going to deliver another blow, but good John grabbed his hand to stop him.

  “What are you doing, good John?” Ahadiel asked.

  “You can’t attack him,” good John explained. “We’ll both feel it. These inner battles can only be fought and won by us.”

  The small respite gave bad John a chance to roll away from his two enemies. He began running away from them toward the waterfall, and they followed him. There was a small clearing at the top of the falls that was an ideal place to settle this fight.

  “Good John, why are you fighting this?” bad John asked.

  “You know why I must,” good John replied.

  “This is the first night that we can feel the warm embrace of a woman. . . . Why would you take that away from us?” bad John asked.

  “This is not the right way.”

  “And why isn’t it? It feels right to me . . . it even feels right to you.”

  “Feelings can betray you. Not everything that feels good is good.”

  “The will wants this; you weren’t there when I held the controls. You will be fighting a losing battle. Join me, if we both—”

  “You are so selfish. Look at the larger picture. You were there when The One told us to remain holy. We are on the verge of something incredible, and when the time is right, we can let this happen, just exercise patience.”

  “Patience!” bad John screamed. “Your ‘patience’ kept us from drinking beers in high school with our buddies while they drank and laughed in our face. Your ‘patience’ made us miss out on a promotion that should have been ours, and your ‘patience’ will keep us from being with the woman we love. This is the first time she’s ever shown any romantic interest in us, and your ‘patience’ may cause her to move on to someone else. . . . No, your ‘patience’ will not keep us from something we deserve,” bad John yelled, and charged at both good John and the angel.

  Bad John drop-kicked good John and he fell to the ground. Ahadiel, who had listened to the argument, was now involved whether he wanted to be or not. Bad John attacked him too kicking him, but the powerful angel just blocked the attacks. Good John got up and punched bad John in his face. He swung with his chained hand, but didn’t get a lot of power behind the blow to bad John’s midsection.

  Bad John grabbed the incoming fist as it made contact and then grabbed the chain, pulling both good John and the angel closer. Bad John kicked both of them in their midsections and then kicked the taller angel’s shoulder. He finished by connecting with good John’s head, all in one fluid motion.

  Good John backed away trying to catch his breath. “We cannot beat him chained like this without working together.” Ahadiel only nodded, and bad John charged once more. But this time Ahadiel grabbed his partner and swung him into the air. Good John’s feet collided with the charging enemy.

  Bad John was stunned, and they took full advantage—charging with an attack of their own and using the chain as a clothesline. Bad John fell limp when the chain collided with his head and got up slowly. When he finally did, Ahadiel and good John used the chain as a sort of bind and wrapped it around the evil entity.

  “Grab him; we’ll dump him over the falls.”

  “That won’t kill you?”

  “No” was the response from good John, and Ahadiel grabbed bad John and carried him to the edge of the falls. However, bad John was clever and once he regained his equilibrium, he waited for the perfect time to strike. When good John unwound his chain from the evil being, it spit a black toxic substance in Ahadiel’s face. Ahadiel was temporarily blinded. Bad John began falling but grabbed good John’s leg and brought him over the edge of the waterfall. Ahadiel’s massive arm was dragged down, but the big angel held firmly atop the falls.

  Bad John head-butted good John, and he was knocked unconscious. Bad John then climbed up the chain until he reached the top, grabbing onto a rock for leverage, then he jumped over the hulking angel to the main ground. Ahadiel was still blinded, but was too busy concentrating on calling out to his partner and trying to pull him up. Blinded, Ahadiel began pulling good John up, but then he heard bad John call his name and when he looked toward the direction of the voice, he unexpectedly met with a blow to his huge head by a sturdy tree limb, causing him to fall over the falls. Both he and good John fell into the water below and began drifting down the calming riverbed, unconscious.

  Bad John was pleased with the outcome and threw the heavy branch over the falls. He began making his way back toward the golden pyramid temple. Once there, he reactivated the window and looked into the sky to see that John was staring back at himself through a mirror. He grasped the two controllers and began maneuvering John back toward Camilla. Bad John said something, and John opened his mouth and spoke the words.

  Kissing led to touching; touching led to Camilla and John traveling faster than a locomotive toward a destination of lust. John and Camilla kissed each other passionately, only stopping to catch their breath. John’s heart was racing; he had never been with a woman, let alone a woman whom he was completely in love with. Camilla’s heartbeat and intensity matched John’s. They both were so far gone that stopping now was nearing impossibility. John was intoxicated by Camilla, her hair, her breath, her eyes, and her aroma. However, he had a moment of clarity amidst his euphoria.

  “Wait, we can’t do this,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I mean I want this. God knows I do, but there’s just something inside . . .”

  “I don’t understand, John. Is this some kind of game to you?”

  “No, how could you think that? You know I love you. I’ve never been in love before, but I know what I feel for you is the truest thing I’ve ever felt.”


  “Look, I don’t want to rush you into anything. I’ve never been with anyone before. I’m kind of worried I’ll disappoint you.”

  “You disappoint me? That could never happen. It’s not you, it’s me.”

  “You did not just hit me with that stupid line. Whatever, John, I’m out.”

  “No, no. That came out wrong. Give me a second. I just don’t know if I’m ready. Sit down; I’ll be right back.”

  Camilla sat back down on the sofa and John went to his bathroom to try and get a grip on his emotions. He didn’t really understand what was happening. He wanted to be with Camilla, but it was like there were two forces fighting for control, and it was making him indecisive. Camilla was everything and more than what he wanted in a partner. She was beyond beautiful, brilliant, and educated, had a good job, great sense of humor, and had a wonderful personality to boot. If there ever was a definition of the total package, Camilla definitely fit the bill. John spent several minutes in the bathroom trying to decide what he would do. And then when he couldn’t think anymore, it was almost as if the answer came to him out of thin air.

  He was suddenly cool, calm, and collected. He splashed water on his face and dried off with a towel. He smiled at himself in the mirror and thought to himself that this was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life. He was a thirty-year-old virgin, and he had the opportunity to begin a relationship and make love to a woman who he’d seen in his dreams on numerous occasions. He walked out to see Camilla, jacket in hand, heading to the door, but she stopped when she saw him. She only stared into his eyes as he stared back into hers. John walked to his bedroom door smoothly and leaned against the door post.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  Camilla looked at the young man whom she had never seen in a sexier light. Without a word she began walking toward him, dropping her jacket on the living room floor. She fluffed her hair and unzipped the back of her dress and walked into John’s bedroom, and he closed the door behind her.

  CHAPTER 6

  Several weeks went by and John and Camilla spent every night together. It was very intimate; mostly, but not always physical, and at times there was also emotional and mental stimulation. Camilla was happier than she had ever been in her life. John was equally happy, but he was fighting the conviction of the Holy Spirit daily. He knew sleeping with Camilla this way was not the way of a holy Christian man, but he couldn’t help himself and neither could Camilla. She felt convicted as well, but not nearly as much as John did. For him, it felt like the weights of his sinful actions were piling on his shoulders the longer he refused to repent to God. The Holy Spirit didn’t feel as close to him as it was when he started his new journey. In a strange way he also felt that his abilities were slowly being physically drained. He meant to go to God sooner and repent, but Camilla’s beauty and charm were extremely hard to overcome.

  Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal anyway; they did love each other, and marriage was certainly what they both wanted. Maybe he was blowing this whole thing out of proportion, but it didn’t change the fact that he felt like he was moving further from God after becoming closer to Him than he had ever been in his life. He also hadn’t received a “special” mission from The One in quite some time, and he thought this might be the way the arrangement would be. He’ll call upon John to dispatch a local terrorist or deal with a random demon and then John would go back to his normal life. Not knowing what was expected of him, combined with momentarily taking his eyes off God, John began sinking into the flood of events that life often becomes.

  Whatever he meant to do about his new lifestyle with Camilla was going to have to wait because they had planned another romantic night. The beginning of their sex life had been awkward and clumsy; neither of them had any prior experience. But they both loved that about the other. After a few weeks they began to settle into a groove, making it all the more difficult for them to quit each other.

  A candlelight dinner and slow music were on tonight’s menu followed by dessert: each other. It was another perfect night, and Camilla once again fell asleep in John’s arms. They had a peaceful night’s sleep until a visitor entered John’s room. John sat up, but Camilla remained in a deep sleep.

  “Good morning, John,” the visitor said.

  “Gabriel!” John cried, jumping out of bed. “To what do I owe the honor of you being here?”

  Gabriel looked at the young lady who remained sound asleep and wished neither to wake her nor scare her. He remained in his supernatural state, a big beautiful angel in a white robe illuminating light that he appropriately dimmed due to the time of morning. If Camilla did wake during their conversation, she would have been terrified almost to death.

  “Can we speak outside?” Gabriel asked.

  “Whatever you want.”

  John dressed in pants and a jacket and Gabriel transported them both to the roof where they were alone.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that,” John said.

  “See what?”

  “Camilla. I know it’s wrong but—”

  “I’m not here to judge you. Nor am I here to report on anything that I’ve seen or not seen. We are not agents seeking to get you in trouble with the almighty God,” he said putting his hands in quotation marks and continued. “We are not here to accuse you. That is Satan’s job. He’s your adversary. We are friends to anyone The One sees as friend; you have nothing to fear. The One calls you friend, and there is nothing that you can either do, or not do, that will separate you from the love of The One,” Gabriel assured him.

  “Thank you. I’ve been feeling a little distant lately and don’t really know what I’m doing,” John admitted.

  “If you feel distance between you and The One, it is because you’ve moved. He has not withdrawn himself from you nor will he ever. Draw near to God once again and he will draw near to you.”

  “Thanks . . .”

  “Anytime, but now to the matter that is the nature of my visit,” Gabriel continued. “Three earth weeks ago one of the angels under my authority went missing on a mission. She has not come back, and I am beginning to worry about her.”

  “Do you know what her mission was?”

  “Yes, of course. I gave it to her. She was to go and warn a woman about the enemy’s plans against her life. The woman’s name is Andrea Rose.”

  “Do you normally intervene in random people’s lives every time the enemy plans something?”

  “No, that would be an ineffective use of our time,” Gabriel answered. “We do help as much as we can, but a lot depends on the choices that an individual person makes. We were focusing our efforts on her specifically because of her son, David, a young man who has been living in heaven since he was approximately six months old. He approached Sophia to help his mother, and I gave her the permission to go. David has been following this story and has notified me that Sophia has not yet returned home; he thinks she may be missing. After reviewing the evidence, I have reason to believe his report.”

  “Where was she last seen?”

  “Wilsonton, Kansas, is her last known location.”

  “I’ll get right on it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “Take nothing for your journey. Everything will be provided wherever you go. Just ask for what you need. If someone refuses to help you, shake the dust off of your shoes and move on. Find her. Bring her back.”

  The sun began coming up when Gabriel flew into the air and vanished before John’s eyes. John went downstairs and felt better about his relationship status with The One and knew what he had to do. Now he had to find a way to Kansas, and the skies were looking pretty clear for a flight. When he went back to his apartment, Camilla was already awake.

  “Hey ya,” she said.

  “Hey ya back.”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “I had a visitor,” he responded.

  “A visitor? Was it an angel? Which one was it?�
� Her eyes widened at the possibility of John talking to an angel.

  “How do you know it was an angel?” John laughed.

  “Who else would it be? Mrs. Roundtree?” she joked.

  “She has been staring at me when I take out her garbage; I think she thinks I’m kind of hot now.” He laughed even harder.

  “Babe.” She flirtatiously hit him in his bulging shoulder.

  “Okay, it was Gabriel,” he confessed.

  “WHOA! The Gabriel? Mary’s Gabriel?”

  “The one and the same.”

  “Wow . . . when?”

  “He came while you were sleeping.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Honey, he would have scared you to death. He didn’t want to do that to you; besides it wasn’t a social visit.”

  “No?”

  “No. Apparently there’s a missing angel somewhere in Kansas, and he wants me to find her. Her name is Sophia.”

  “Sophia . . . never heard of her.”

  “Neither have I, but I’m going to find her all the same.”

  “When are you going?”

  “Now.”

  “Oh . . . okay. Well please be careful,” she said a bit surprised at the urgency of the situation.

  “I will. I promise. It’s just a rescue mission. I’ll be in and out.” He was turning to leave before she stopped him to ask him a question.

  “Sweetie, before you go I found this CD on your nightstand. Who is ‘Saint James’?”

  “Oh, Saint James? He’s an underground Christian rapper. That’s his album True Story: The Saint James LP,” he answered.

  “Where’d you get it?”

  “It’s available everywhere online. Go ahead and give him a listen; he’s pretty good.”

  “Okay, I will . . . look, please be very careful,” she said. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too,” he responded.

  With that he kissed Camilla twice and headed to the roof while she remained in bed. He tried to activate his suit with the power of his thoughts, but nothing happened. He thought harder and still nothing happened. No glorious transformation, no burn, no nothing. This worried him, but he knew he didn’t have time to worry about why the suit hadn’t powered up. Perhaps it would activate when he really needed it. Whatever the reason, he needed to move. He wondered if he’d be able to make it to Kansas without it activating until he remembered that the suit had no power, but only served to offer protection. He bent his knees and flew straight into the air. Wilsonton, Kansas. Here I come.