Seraph

  Seraph flew and smashed into the corner of a building and landed in the middle of the street.

  “I admire your courage, but by now you must realize that you are going to die today?”

  “You. Talk. Too. Much.”

  Anakim jumped high, following Seraph’s trajectory, landing not far from Seraph. Anakim kicked him in the head and assaulted his body, but Seraph was able to block and punched Anakim in the kidney. Anakim spat blood. Then Seraph flip-kicked him. The menacing giant was lifted off his feet and fell flat on his back. When he got to his feet, Seraph grabbed a manhole and flung it like a Frisbee. It was a direct hit that sent the monster flying into an oncoming bus, but that did not slow the creature down. He literally ripped the bus in half and the passengers scattered, but not before Anakim attacked a few of them.

  Seraph flew and stole Anakim from his next victim, flying about twenty feet in the air before power-punching him back to the ground. They slugged it out further down the street. They fought for blocks and avenues, through buildings and restaurants, construction sites, and abandoned warehouses. They raged on with Seraph putting forth a valiant effort in everything he did. However, Anakim was simply too strong for him, and he was losing hope of finding a way to beat him. To make matters worse, the people began pouring into the streets dissatisfied with watching the fight on TV. People watched as the two behemoths fought—one with a murderous intent, and the other trying heroically to save the people of the city. Camilla was among the people cheering Seraph on and praying for him.

  Seraph was being overpowered and sought to create a little distance between them, but Anakim grabbed him and dropped him on his head and neck. Anakim stood over him and stomped him several times till Seraph’s body created an imprint in the concrete. Seraph was too hurt to move, and Anakim began focusing on the people.

  “Do you see your hero, people of earth?”

  People looked at him with total fear and disbelief in their eyes.

  “Is this your best? Is this the greatest one among you?”

  Anakim grabbed his sword and started attacking the people. They all scattered, but some weren’t lucky enough to get away. Then he saw her. Anakim and Camilla made eye contact, and she knew she was in trouble once again.

  She ran as fast as her feet could carry her, but he caught her easily and lifted her by her throat above his head.

  “You, as if I would let you get away.”

  Camilla gasped for air and coughed.

  “Choking? I haven’t even begun to choke you. I could snap you like a twig, but that would be too easy for you. Because of you, my sister is dead. No, I will not kill you. You shall be the first woman to bear my children.”

  “I will NEVER bear your children.”

  “As if you have a choice, wench.”

  “I would rather die!”

  “In due time. You will.”

  In a last act of defiance, Camilla spat in Anakim’s face. Anakim didn’t wipe his face, but simply squeezed her throat a little tighter. Camilla struggled even more to breathe and get free, but she began losing consciousness.

  “Where is your hero? Where is he now? He is defeated and you are mine.”

  Camilla almost blacked out but looked past Anakim to see Seraph in the air, coming down with his sword in hand. Anakim turned around just in time to see him, but too late to move. Seraph plunged the sword deep into the chest of the giant, and the blade came out the other side.

  Anakim dropped Camilla, grabbed Seraph, and slammed him into the ground. Seraph, still weary from being stomped a few minutes earlier, was hurting and tried to catch his second wind. Anakim kicked Seraph in the side, and although it hurt, Seraph wasn’t sent flying. The sword in his body really did some damage. Anakim pulled the sword from his chest and threw it to the ground. He grabbed Seraph and put him in a choke hold from behind.

  “That was your last mistake, whelp. And now I will end this. I will squeeze the life out of you.”

  Seraph struggled to get free but couldn’t. He wiggled as best he could but began losing consciousness. Camilla watched him and screamed for him to keep fighting.

  “JOHN!!!”

  “Do you see her? Take a long look. She will be the first mother of my children before she dies. And there is nothing that you can do to save her.”

  Seraph heard this and gathered up all his lingering strength and shot into the air with the giant still on his back. They kept flying past the clouds until the air became thinner, paper thin, and then it was no more. Silence.

  Seraph had flown into the void of space with Anakim hanging on for dear life. Anakim could no longer breathe, although Seraph could thanks to his suit of armor. Anakim’s grip loosened and then he fell. But as he fell he caught fire as he passed the Karman line. Seraph marveled at the view of space before he flew down and tackled Anakim in midfall. Both of them were scorching, and Anakim was burning alive, but Seraph hadn’t even broken a sweat. Seraph drove Anakim past the clouds.

  Back on the ground, Seraph’s sword began to shake and then shot into the sky. The sword was going up as the two warriors were coming down. The sword went through Anakim’s body, and Seraph caught it in his hands when it went all the way through. He drove the sword back into the chest of the giant once more and finally into the ground with such force that the shockwave shattered windows for miles.

  Smoke and dust lived in the newly formed crater that was only twenty yards in diameter. People crowded around it, their curiosity getting the best of them even though the situation was extremely dangerous. As the dust began to settle, a figure walked out of the crater. It was Seraph.

  The people cheered as he walked out. He looked around at everyone and at Camilla, who was standing with everyone else in awe. He bent his legs and flew high into the air until he disappeared into the sky.

  As Seraph flew into the sky and away from the crowd, a bluish white, starry portal opened and he flew into it. He flew into the vortex. It was filled with love, joy, and peace. His suit peeled off as he traveled through it and was replaced by a white robe. Not only had his clothes changed, but he was also handcuffed to his friend Ahadiel who was on this journey with him.

  They came out of the portal into the whitest white light, which no human eye could dare look into. On the other side was the throne room of heaven. Other angels and Jesus the Christ were waiting. There was a huge reception waiting for them. When they arrived they knelt down reverently, but Jesus greeted them both with a hug and had them stand up.

  “Well done, my friends. Well done.”

  They couldn’t hide their smiles after receiving praise from God.

  “The Father is equally pleased with you both, and we have something for you.”

  Jesus lifted the gold chain that bound them and broke it. They were thrilled and hugged him at the same time. Then he continued.

  “You two will no longer be bound together. I have plans for you both . . . Michael.”

  Michael walked up and presented Ahadiel with gold trimmings for Ahadiel’s wings, which was a sign of promotion.

  “Ahadiel, you have worked hard as an angel in the Lord’s service. Fighting in our battles with the enemy and showing unwavering loyalty, but you have outdone yourself in your service and will be promoted to captain.”

  “Thank you, sir.” He bowed slightly.

  Jesus stepped up again.

  “John, you have shown enormous courage in everything you’ve done. Not only did you discover a plot to destroy creation, but you stopped it. You also managed to help spiritually awaken millions of people on earth.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “It sure is and one of those millions wants to personally thank you.”

  Jesus turned to Gabriel. “Bring her in.”

  When he said these words, Andrea Lewis-Rose and David came in, along with a few others.

  “ANDREA!” John exclaimed in genuine excitement.

  They rushed to each other and tightly embraced.

  “I am so g
lad to see you again,” she began. “If it weren’t for you, I would not be here. And what’s better than that . . . you’ve given me the chance to get to know my children.”

  “Children? I thought you only had one son?”

  “So did I . . . but I had two other miscarriages and they grew up here like David.”

  “Outstanding.”

  “This is Shar-el, my youngest son, and my daughter Rubiel.”

  “Wow. Those are interesting names.”

  “Yes, they were named by the angels that cared for them. . . . Shar-el means ‘strength of God,’ and Rubiel means ‘one whom God loves.’”

  “Shar-el, Rubiel, it is wonderful to meet you.” John knelt down and hugged them both.

  Both the children giggled and were excited to meet the man who helped bring their mom to heaven.

  “Without you . . . I’d hate to think what could have happened to me. . . . Thank you again so much.”

  She hugged him again, bowed low before Jesus, and left.

  The only ones that were left with John were Jesus and the heavenly hosts.

  “Now if you all will excuse us, I want to talk to John alone.”

  The angelic beings left.

  “Walk with me.”

  The throne room seemed to transform into a beautiful land where they walked and talked. The land was the most beautiful place John had ever seen—filled with green trees and grass, exotic flowers never seen on earth, the bluest water imaginable, and the most wondrous mountain ranges. They talked and walked past various animals, some that looked like animals of earth but others that were much stranger. John even witnessed dinosaur-like creatures of all kinds.

  “Is this a part of heaven?”

  “No . . . we are on a distant planet on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy called Nersa.”

  “Inhabited?”

  “Certainly. My father and I created so many children that they cannot be counted. Children who worship us throughout our vast creation, including here.”

  “Are they like us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do they look like us? Act like us?”

  “There is a slight resemblance to your people, yes. Their planet is very similar to Earth, but there is no sin here on Nersa.”

  “No sin? Do they have a choice?”

  “Yes, of course they do. All of my creation does. Free will is one of the most important gifts that I give to creation. Nersa has its own ‘knowledge of good and evil’ test. So far they have chosen to choose life.”

  “Wow.”

  “Most of the planets in the universe are like Nersa. Evil hasn’t entered their world, and I commune with them daily. Only a handful of planets have turned out to be like Earth or worse.”

  “Worse?”

  “Certainly. As fascinated as you seem to be with this place, this is not why I brought you here.”

  “Then why, Lord?”

  “You have been brought here so that I may tell you that you will one day travel to distant worlds and face all manner of evil. Satan’s reach extends far beyond Earth, and you will be a savior of sorts and help bring my lost children back to me. . . . But you must not be held back by your greatest enemy.”

  “Who?”

  “You. You are going to be the greatest enemy that you will ever battle, so I am going to do something new in you. Something that I have never done for anyone, nor will ever do again . . .”

  “What are you going to do to me?”

  “I’m going to remove your flesh.”

  “My skin?”

  “No.” Jesus smiled. “Your flesh.”

  John still didn’t quite understand what was about to happen.

  “This is going to hurt a little . . . COME OUT!”

  Jesus spoke those words, and John fell to the floor shaking and convulsing, screaming at the top of his lungs in sheer pain. The pain was unbearable, but Jesus kept calling for his flesh to come out. And almost as if there was a demon fleeing his body, evil John crawled out and fell to his knees.

  “JESUS IS LORD! JESUS IS LORD!”

  He shouted. Evil John was unkempt and disheveled. His eyes were bloodshot and his nails were filthy.

  “Silence.”

  Jesus commanded the evil nature of John, and John’s lips began melding together. Jesus raised his hands and thorns and thistles appeared and wrapped around the hands, feet, and neck of the being. The ground that held him was ripped from Nersa and catapulted into the sky, leading into a dark red vortex and disappearing.

  John gathered himself and rested on his knees before standing.

  “What was that?”

  “That was you . . . your flesh. The part of you that I tell you to kill daily. . . . There are so many things that I will request of you, and you will need to be at full strength at all times in order to accomplish them.”

  “. . . Did you destroy him? Me? It?”

  “No, to do that would destroy you too. Only citizens of heaven have their flesh completely destroyed when given their glorious body. I have given you the gift of having a glorious body while you are still an earthly resident.”

  “So where is it?”

  “I’ve cast him into outer darkness, but far from the reach of Satan, who would seek him to torture him.”

  “I’m lost, my Lord.”

  “It’s a lot to take in. Just know that you are free from the temptations of man.”

  “Free? Wait, what does that mean exactly? I get that what happened between Camilla and me was wrong, but I still love her . . . what does this mean for us? I mean, I want to marry her and have children one day.”

  “I know. I haven’t removed that desire from you. You are like Adam when I first created him. Holy, perfect, innocent. You still have free will and a desire to love and be loved. Camilla is the special gift that I crafted for you, your helpmate in the most difficult times of your life. I have a vast plan for both of you, separately and jointly, and even plans for your son.”

  “Son?”

  “I will send him to you when you are ready for him, but first things first.”

  Jesus and John had walked and talked and ended up on a dormant volcano. Jesus extended his hand, and the ground pushed up the purest diamond. It was flawless, the most spectacular stone, more phenomenal than the most beautiful diamond on Earth. Precious metal formed around the rock, and Jesus fashioned it into a ring.

  “When you propose to her, use this.”

  He handed John the stone and enclosed his hand around it. He hugged John and told him how proud he was of him. John closed his eyes and embraced the Lord and when he opened them he was back at his apartment. In his bed.

  What just happened? One moment he was in heaven, then a strange world, and the next moment he was in his bedroom. Had it all just been an elaborate dream? But it seemed so real. John felt something in his right palm and opened it. The diamond ring was in his hand. It was big but not gaudy. The sunlight snuck into his room through his blinds, and he looked at his clock: 8:37 a.m.

  He knew Camilla would be at work, and he reached for his phone and called her. He was shocked to hear her ringtone coming from the other side of his bedroom door. He reached for some clothes, walked into his living room, and there was Camilla, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

  Evil John was stuck and there was no way free as he careened through the dark vortex, which was terrifying enough. He hit all sides of the portal and finally shot through into the red sky of hell. He fell and burned in the atmosphere like a meteor from space. His flight was in a part of hell that wasn’t frequently traveled. He landed in some mountain ranges just off the coast of the volatile, slick black oily sea. When he landed, the rock broke apart and crumbled, loosening him from his thorny entrapments.

  He looked up at the hellish sun; all he had was hate to keep him going. He hated what just happened to him, hated who did it to him, but he also hated giving in, and hated the idea of wasting away in these mountains. He would not die here. H
e would not die here. He stood up and began walking further into the mountains until he found an unoccupied cave. The cave looked like it belonged to a fallen angel, but whoever was once here had abandoned it a very long time ago.

  This looked like as good a place as any to live until he could find his way back to earth. There was only one person who could make him complete, and he had just been ripped away from him. He was incomplete without him, and he was determined to get back to him. But what would he do once he found him? Would he try to reunite? No, that was probably impossible and furthermore, he liked having his own body to control. No longer fighting for control of one body, now he was the true master of his own destiny. All that was left to do was to concentrate on becoming as strong as he could be.

  If he had finally found his other half and had gotten his hands on him, then that would be a victory in itself. He would relish seeping every last breath from him that he could, and he couldn’t wait to do it too.

  “One day . . . one day.” He laughed maniacally.

  Berith was building new altars of sacrifice as was commanded by his superior officer. He worked in a place that was rarely patrolled, but an expansion project had just begun. He had concentrated and built fourteen altars and was six away from his quota for the day. Just then, something shot from the sky and caught his attention. Berith was indeed intrigued and deserted his building to follow it.

  What could it be? He flew into the air and kept a low profile. He followed in the direction it had landed, and once he reached the landing zone, he investigated the crash. He didn’t recognize the thorns as anything that had originated on hell. He tasted the dirt that had been left behind and it definitely was an alien substance.

  The dirt wasn’t from earth or hell and now he would not stop until he found out what had caused the disturbance. He smelled the thorns and there was a trace of familiarity.

  “Human!”

  Berith was furious. How dare a human enter into hell without first being processed? He would find this human and bring him to justice. There will be no guilty on his watch that will go unjudged by Lord Satan, who was in the foulest mood lately after not being able to find and judge Lilith and the monsters that she created, but hopefully this would lighten his mood.