The Influence (Supernatural Thriller)

by Matthew John Slick

  Tim watched as Leech seemed to focus on the location of the door and then look back to the street where he peered down both directions. It seemed a little odd, even a little suspicious and it caused a small spark of fear to spring to life. Tim knew that he was alone in the church with a stranger. Was he there to rob him? Tim dismissed the notion and offered a quick prayer of forgiveness for judging this man without cause. Then he entrusted himself to the care of the Lord.

  Pastor Tim opened the door and Leech walked in. Immediately, he surveyed the sanctuary which was a typical rectangular room with a pulpit at the far end on a slightly elevated platform. Leech could see an exit to the left that led out next to the alley. There was an exit sign over the door. He smiled.

  “Well, here it is. It isn’t much, but the Lord has blessed us with it. Over to the right down the hall, we have Sunday school classes. The kitchen is down there as well. It’s a good facility, not too big, and not too small.”

  Leech had seen enough. He figured the place probably held at most maybe two hundred people. The only problem was whether or not that exit was locked from the outside. “How many people are in your congregation?”

  “I would say we have around one hundred fifty on a typical Sunday morning.”

  “I guess the parking gets kind of crowded out there, doesn’t it?” said Leech with a smile, trying to make small talk but also trying to get information.

  “That hasn’t been a problem. I wish it were, but we have just what we need.” Pastor Tim smiled.

  Leech didn’t know how to shrewdly find out if the door would be locked during the service, so he thought he would get a little more direct. “I suppose people from the neighborhood walk here too, right?”

  “Yes, we have many people from the immediate area who attend.”

  “Do you unlock all the doors so they can come in from everywhere?”

  Tim thought that was an odd question and he again thought of being robbed. “Yes, we unlock them all during the service, but afterwards we lock up. It’s a shame that we have to do that at all. Unfortunately, for insurance reasons, we have to. We don’t have much here except some musical instruments and some food supplies in the kitchen. But that’s the world we live in.”

  “Yeah,” responded Leech sympathetically. “The world is really getting bad out there. If only more people went to church.” He looked at Pastor Tim and smiled, but it was a smile of mockery and contempt. Paraptome growled silently.

  “Well,” continued Leech. “I need to get going. It was nice talking to you.”

  “It was nice talking to you too, Dave. I hope you come back tomorrow for the service and, if not this church, I hope you find another you like.”

  “Thanks,” said Leech as he headed towards the inner door of the sanctuary. It was still open so he walked through it towards the front. He noticed the horizontal bar that you could press against in order to open it, so he put his hip on it and pushed it open. Leech had touched nothing and left no clues that he was there. He walked down the steps of the church and through the parking lot, heading across the street to his car. He didn’t look back.

  Pastor Tim watched him walk away. There was something disturbing about the encounter. He pulled the door closed and turned around. The inner doors to the sanctuary were open and he could see down the center aisle to the pulpit. He’d always enjoyed seeing it from there and it comforted him. It meant so much to preach the Word of God to the congregation. He truly loved it and counted himself blessed to be able to do what he did. But, there were always battles and, considering what happened in the hospital and the increased desire to pray that had recently come over him, he figured he’d better pray some more. He turned to watch Leech out the window. For some reason, his visitor had been unsettling.

  “Lord,” he said aloud as he turned to look back to the pulpit. “Please forgive me for my thoughts concerning Mr. Smith. Let my heart and mind be pure before you and let me not judge another man by his appearance. But, Lord, I feel that something is not right. If it is my own flesh that has been prejudiced against this man, please forgive me. And by your grace, please direct me how to pray for him.”

  From inside the sanctuary Ramah stood between the pulpit and the pastor so that as the man prayed, he was looking right at Ramah. The angel was warmed by the humble man’s entreaty. He flexed his wings as wide and as high as they would go and then raised his arms to the heavens. He glowed brighter. “My Lord,” said Ramah aloud. “I am ready.”

  Pastor Tim felt a warmth come over him and a peace flow into his heart. He smiled. “Thank you, Lord.”

  Tim walked toward his office, talking to God the whole way. The church was silent. Ramah followed him, walking through the walls and into the office. As Tim sat down, Psalm 37 flashed into his mind. He didn’t have it memorized so he turned to it. “Do not fret because of evildoers. Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good.” The words struck Tim hard. He pushed his chair away from a desk, slid out of it, and fell to his knees. He began to pray.

  Ramah again spread his wings, lifting his hands and head upward.

  ***

  Mark had slept surprisingly well and unexpectedly late into the morning. It was around 10 a.m. when he got up. He was concerned for his wife and wanted to call her but thought it best to wait until after he’d spoken with Sotare. So he hurriedly got dressed and went out into the garden. He drank in the sunshine. It was another beautiful morning with a perfect, soft breeze that made everything clean and fresh. He walked along the short path between the trees and towards the gazebo. He stood in its doorway.

  “Good morning,” said Sotare. “I trust that you slept well.”

  “Yes, I did. Maybe a little too much, though.”

  Mark moved into the gazebo and sat across from Sotare. The angel waited patiently.

  “I want to call my wife, but for some reason I thought it would be best to wait until I spoke to you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Well, to be honest, I’m not so sure of myself right now.”

  “I see. I can understand that. All of this is a bit much to process.”

  Mark nodded.

  “I suppose you want more answers.”

  “Yes. But if I might make a request, would it be possible for you to give more direct ones? I’ve noticed that you’ve kept me in the dark a little bit. I’m not trying to complain, but I just want to know the truth about my son, about God, about purpose, the meaning of life and all that. I want to know why you’re talking to me and why, as you say, I’m so important.”

  Mark crossed his legs as he sat back in the seat.

  Sotare thought about his student. There had been a lot of questions and answers, but Mark had not received an understanding of the whole picture yet, so Sotare wasn’t sure how much he could tell him. He needed to learn so that things would make sense.

  “Is Kathy okay?” asked Mark.

  “Yes, she is fine. But last night, a terror demon was sent to attack her.”

  Mark immediately scooted up on his seat and leaned forward, frowning. “She’s okay, though, right?”

  “Yes, she is fine. She had quite a scare. It appears that she has seen a demon and she is even now talking to her father about it in the hospital.”

  “Why would they attack her? I mean, I thought I was the one they were after.”

  “It is not just you who are important in this battle, though you are the center of it. The enemy will attack your wife in order to get to you.”

  Mark sat back in his chair. He was surprisingly calm, and it seemed so unnatural a thing considering the circumstance. But he had a complete peace about it. “You know what’s interesting? I can’t explain it, but I am not worried at all. I feel as though everything is going to be okay.” Mark paused, looking at Sotare quizzically. Something entered his mind about his father-in-law’s pastor. “Pastor Tim is in danger. There will soon be an attempt on his
life.”

  Mark sat back in the chair and found himself intrigued by what he had just said. He was confident yet confused. He looked into Sotare’s eyes. “I don’t know how I know, but I just know.”

  Sotare glanced over at Nomos who was a few feet away. Nomos had heard Mark and said, “This is most unusual. How can one who is not ours know this unless the Almighty has told him?” Sotare looked back at Mark.

  “What were you looking at?”

  “Mark, it seems that we both have unanswered questions.”

  ***

  The phone in Pastor Tim’s office rang. He was at the end of his prayers so he quickly said amen and answered it. “Christian Community Fellowship. This is Pastor Tim speaking.”

  “Pastor. This is John in the hospital. Your wife told me you were there. I hope I’m not disturbing you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?” John’s words seemed a little hurried.

  “Of course I do. Are you feeling all right? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, I’m feeling fine and I’ll probably get out of the hospital today. But, it’s Kathy. I’m not sure how to tell you this, but I think that she may have seen a demon last night.”

  Instantly Pastor Tim reflected on the odd feeling he had about Leech coming to the church and the unusual desire for increased prayer. John’s words were, somehow, only a confirmation to him that something spiritually significant was in the works. “Can I come over to the hospital now?”

  “Yes,” said John. “That would be great.” John looked over at Kathy and said, “He wants to come here. Is that okay with you? Do you want to talk to him?”

  Kathy nodded.

  “Yes, that’s fine. We’ll be here waiting.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right there. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye,” John replied.

  Pastor Tim sat back in his chair for a moment and looked at his Bible. He thought about the recent events. “Lord,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I ask that you guide me and teach me that I might be used for your glory.” With that, he contemplated what his role might be in the unfolding scenario and grabbed his Bible. A minute later, he was in his car heading to see John and Kathy.

  ***

  Mark knew instinctively that Sotare would be more forthcoming now.

  “May I ask some questions?” said Mark as he looked into Sotare’s eyes. His tone was sober.

  “Of course,” responded Sotare.

  “What do you know about my involvement in all of this?”

  Sotare took a breath, more for effect than anything else. “We don’t know how involved you’re going to be or what’s going to happen. This is all very unusual. In fact, it is extremely unusual for an unbeliever in your situation to be given the knowledge that you have had concerning your wife and the pastor.”

  “Unbeliever? I believe in God. Why do you call me an unbeliever?”

  “Because you have not yet turned to God.”

  “I don’t understand. I believe in God.”

  “So does the devil.”

  The words stung and once again Mark was irritated. “Why compare me to the devil?”

  “I only compared your belief. You are not like that evil thing. You’re a human. You believe that God exists. In this, you do well. But the devil also believes that God exists.”

  Mark thought about this, unsure which direction to take. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Sotare exhaled once again and let himself fall just a bit more into the cushioned seat. “It goes without saying that neither you nor I can truly comprehend the incredible stature and presence of the Almighty. He is simultaneously conscious of every star in the entire universe and of your every thought. He does not exist in time and his nature is so different from yours and mine that we have no means of truly comprehending what he is.” Sotare leaned forward.

  “As an angel I am able to see into the spiritual world and I have been graced with the privilege of very close encounters with God. I’m many thousands of years old and have had great opportunities through the millennia to observe his hand… and yet, I am aware of how very little I know of him. He is completely other. We exist in time and space; he does not. We experience reality one event after another; he does not. We learn; he does not. This is the necessity of his unchangeableness and his presence, as he dwells in all places at all time. You see, Mark, because of who he is in his vastness and in his nature, he cannot change. He is, therefore, completely perfect and utterly pure.” Sotare paused for a moment and then said, “Let me ask you, Mark, are you perfect and pure?”

  Mark squinted slightly as he responded, “Of course not.”

  “Would you agree with me if I were to say that because God is perfect, whatever he says is also perfect?”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Would you also agree that he is the standard of perfection?”

  “Yes, I suppose that would also make sense.”

  “Good. Now, God can do no wrong. Correct?”

  “Well, I suppose not, considering what you’re telling me. But there sure are a lot of people in the world who think that he has done plenty of things wrong. There’s way too much evil in the world. People die of diseases and suffer through all sorts of tragedies. There’s famine and earthquakes and sickness. If God doesn’t want these things, then why does he allow them? It would seem that his standard of perfection isn’t all that perfect.”

  “I see. So you think that God makes mistakes?”

  “No. But I wonder why he allows so much misery to exist in the world.”

  Sotare stopped to consider Mark’s words.

  Mark stared back, aware that Sotare was weighing the pros and cons of his next decision. Then finally he broke the silence, “Would it be okay with you if I touched your eyes again so that you might see into the spiritual world once more?”

  Mark tensed up. The thought of seeing Nabal in the trees was not something he wanted to experience again. “Is Nabal still there?”

  “Yes, but this time you won’t see him. You’ll see a vision. You will be safe and what you see will appear perfectly real. I will be with you in this vision and we will be able to speak together.”

  Mark was a little apprehensive. “Why do you want to do this?”

  “In order to answer your question on why there is evil in the world. As before, I need to have your permission.”

  Mark was intrigued as well as a little cautious, but he knew that he wanted answers. “All right. Go ahead.”

  With that, Sotare got up and approached him. “When you open your eyes you will probably want to hold onto me. But don’t worry, you’ll be safe.”

  “You’re not exactly reassuring me,” said Mark with a nervous smile.

  Sotare placed his right hand over Mark’s eyes and his left hand on the back of his head. He felt warmth and then a strange sensation that faded quickly. Sotare removed his hands. Mark opened his eyes.

  Light was everywhere. There was no ground, no trees, no sky, nothing: just light emanating from a faint blue, vast background. Mark instantly felt vertigo and the fear of falling. He reached his hands out instinctively to steady himself. As he did he noticed a figure to his right. It was Sotare in angelic form. He grabbed Mark by the arm to steady him and Mark reacted by holding onto Sotare with both hands.

  The angel was beautiful and glowing with light. His wings stirred slowly and gracefully. They both seemed to hover in nothing. He felt no movement and no gravity.

  This is a vision, thought Mark. This is a vision. I am okay. I’m not going to fall.

  Mark looked around. Everywhere, in every direction was the white light and that soft blue background. He was enveloped in it. He looked down and noticed his own clothing had changed. They were dirty, torn, and stained. He was in rags, filthy rags. Confused, he looked at what Sotare was wearing and saw him dressed in a beautiful white robe. Mark looked back to his own clothes and was about to ask why he was in them when Sotare pointed off to the left, ignoring Mark’s confused expre
ssion.

  Mark followed his hand and looked into the distance but could see only a blue-and-white mixture of light. There was nothing distinguishable where Sotare was indicating. He looked back at the angel, who continued to point in the same direction. So, Mark looked once again. Then, there it was, movement. Mark saw something, but it was barely detectable. He could see that it was very far away. “What is it?” he asked. Sotare said nothing as he lowered his arm. Mark followed his lead and looked on in silence.

  From the great distance Mark could see what seemed to be an approaching glow of radiant, brilliant color that stood out from the background. He could see glimmers of red, green, blue, and violet, all shooting out in different directions like rays of sunlight that pierce through clouds. It was absolutely beautiful. The glow resembled a sphere, but it had no distinguishable borders. Instead, it seemed to change its contour with each emanation of colored light, yet remaining constant in shape.

  Mark was intrigued, almost hypnotized. He watched calmly as the shape approached, spellbound by the growing and dazzling drama of dancing lights that moved in every direction. It shimmered with intensely colored lights that appeared and disappeared, spiraling outward like slivers, and then fading out of existence only to be replaced by other gleaming rays of beauty. The colors seemed alive and pure, growing in intensity the closer the shape came.

  Mark could not have moved his eyes away even if he wanted to. He was captivated by the intense beauty of this magnificent radiance. He found himself taking in its brilliance, barely able to comprehend its exquisite form. Then he realized he was seeing colors he had never perceived before.

  Sotare gently took hold of Mark’s arm, and with a single movement of his wings, the two glided from the path of the approaching orb until they were what seemed to be a few thousand feet away.

  “Is that God?” asked Mark aloud.

  Sotare said nothing.

  The moving rays of light flared outward. Ripples of rainbow-like shapes curved in undulating, flowing movements. Ribbons of color seemed to explode and dance, only to fall back into the orb and erupt again. The details of its beauty became clearer as it approached, and its glory intensified as it came closer.