The Influence (Supernatural Thriller)

by Matthew John Slick

  Then Mark began to hear music: wonderful, ethereal music. But it was not in the form of singing or instruments. It was something else, something he could not wrap his mind around. It was musical, but it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sound seemed to be part of reality, part of him, yet he did not know how he could hear it inside his mind. The sound somehow reached into him and touched a piece of his soul he didn’t know was there. It was enthralling, wondrously experiential as the melody streamed forward into him and through him. Mark then realized that the extraordinary music seemed to match the undulating colors in a perfect ballet of sight and sound. It was magnificent, absolutely astounding—an orchestra of perfection.

  Mark was enthralled. His breathing became deep, almost labored, and his knees weakened. He wanted to fall into its wonder and be swept away by its beauty. He had the urge to release himself completely, to follow the light wherever it would go. Tears began to well up in his eyes as the awesome spectacle overtook his soul.

  Mark was surprised to find he was feeling good, but, at the same time, much more than good. He analyzed the feeling and quickly realized it was a combination of pleasure and assurance. No, it was more than that. It wasn’t assurance; it was profound confidence. Then, unexpectedly, he felt the profound urge to bow down. The mixture of sensations of sight, sound, and feeling was both overwhelming and marvelous. He savored it and willingly relaxed as he gave himself to the all-encompassing sensation. Automatically, he began to bend his knees to bow low, but Sotare would not let him and pulled him up by the arm. This angered and confused Mark, but the angel’s grip was too strong.

  All Mark could do was watch as the orb moved closer until he realized that the marvelous array of sight and sound was passing them by, moving away, and with it, immediately the beauty and music began to fade.

  “No,” pleaded Mark. He wanted to go after it. He desperately wanted to pursue it and stay in its presence. But Mark could not move. He had no ability to follow the object that had just given him the greatest experience of his life.

  “No,” he said in a shaky voice. “No.”

  He tugged free of Sotare’s grip.

  Sadness overcame him as he realized the sensations were fading. But all he could do was watch it move away until finally, agonizingly, it disappeared and with it all the marvelous sensations that had caressed his body and soul. Mark stared into the void left in its absence. Everything seemed profoundly empty and dead. He was dismayed at its disappearance.

  “Why didn’t you let me follow it?” pleaded Mark.

  Sotare said nothing. Instead, he took his right hand and placed it over Mark’s eyes and quickly removed it. Mark expected to see the garden. Instead, he saw what looked like clouds below and above. In the very great distance another brilliantly white light was shining, but this one was intense, possessing a clarity and purity that was unlike the orb he had just seen. It was pure white, absolutely pure. Though there was no point of reference to judge its size, Mark somehow knew it was immensely greater than the orb he had just seen. That was when Mark realized that they were very far away.

  “The great distance is for your protection,” said Sotare.

  Mark heard the words but only stared straight ahead. He saw rays of light hovering in space like shimmering, flowing beams that seemed almost alive. They changed their shape and intensity, always shining outward and lighting space in such a way that it seemed as though the radiance became part of the surrounding area. The light and the purity moved into the very fabric of existence.

  All around in every direction, there were smaller specks of moving light. He looked at them from his distant viewpoint. What are they? he wondered.

  They flowed, moved, and glistened in minute beauty like facets of a diamond reflecting the magnificent source of light that surpassed them. They stirred closer, then further away from the center like the ebb and flow of a slow tide. Some were brighter than others and, as Mark gazed out again at the distant rays, these flecks of light were everywhere. It was a dazzling beauty on an incomprehensible scale that extended far beyond his ability to perceive.

  Then Mark noticed something. He wasn’t sure what it was at first, but he soon realized there was an absolute purity emanating from that Great Light. It moved through him even as it fell upon him. It was pure, subtle, complete, and superbly good. He was amazed and intrigued by the sensation as if another sense had awakened from dormancy and was letting him experience a whole new reality. But, although beautiful, it was not entirely pleasant. This new sense seemed not only to convey the wondrous sensation from the outside, but it also revealed the negative from within. It caused him to see himself, to sense his own impurity and selfishness. It was as though a light had illuminated a hidden, dark corner of his soul that was only now revealed. In that corner was pride and arrogance. He saw and felt how unholy and impure he was and with this realization came an overwhelming sensation of shame. Once again, but for a different reason, he wanted to bow, this time motivated out of humility.

  Though there was no ground below him, he still felt the urge to bend his knees and lower himself. So instinctively he did. He looked over at Sotare halfway expecting him to grab him by the arm and lift him up again. But Sotare was already bowing.

  Mark could not help but feel unworthy and unholy in the presence of this majestic and colossal purity. He felt dirty because that which was shining on him was so holy and absolutely clean in its very essence. It pierced into Mark’s soul and ripped him open, exposing him. He was completely unworthy, totally undeserving to be in such a magnificent being. Mark could not bow low enough. He began to cry. Yet, at the same time, he felt goodness, purity, and righteousness flow upon him and into him. Then he understood why he was wearing filthy rags. In fact, he felt the rags were too good for him.

  He was in the presence of God.

  Mark’s head was low, eyes averted.

  Sotare spoke one word, “Look.”

  Though Mark did not feel worthy enough to raise his eyes, he obeyed Sotare’s command and saw that he was pointing towards the Great Light. Near it, moving away from God was that orb of iridescent beauty he had just seen seconds earlier. But, it was tiny compared to the Great Light. As it moved away from God, thousands upon thousands of the diamond-like points moved with it. Somehow Mark knew about one third of them were following the iridescent orb. He watched the great scene unfold, glancing back and forth, absorbing the unfolding majesty.

  But then, he noticed that the orb was changing. The rainbow effect dimmed a bit and he noticed that all its splendor and beauty was turning, right before his eyes, into shades of darkness. Then, one by one, each fragment of beauty that was following also changed from light to dark creating a huge white canvas with speckled bits of darkness scattered about.

  He stared at the orb as it slowly changed and became a black hole in the realm of light. Then he could see what looked like fire. Mark did not know how he knew, but it seemed as though this orb was in agony as its shape contorted and twisted in response to the flames that seemed to erupt from inside. Likewise, the specks of light that were following also changed. With their luster gone, they became black dots against the repelling purity of God’s brightness. Together the now ugly orb, along with thousands upon thousands of dark specks, moved away from the presence of God.

  Mark was awestruck. He wasn’t thinking or analyzing. He was only watching in amazement as the scene unfolded before him. The vision was breathtaking and surreal. He watched the creature move away.

  Then he heard something far away and faint. They were distant screams of agony emanating from the multitude of dark splinters so far away. Sadness washed over him.

  There was no music coming from the orb now. Its splendor had vanished and all that was left was a wretched shell of misery. Mark inexplicably sensed hopelessness and evil as he watched the ugly thing flee from the presence of the light. He then knew what it was.

  Sotare placed his hand in front of Mark’s eyes once more an
d when he removed it, Mark and Sotare were back in the gazebo.

  ***

  Pastor Tim arrived at the hospital and quickly made his way up to the room where John and Kathy were waiting. He entered and saw her in a chair next to John. He was sitting up and looked much improved.

  “I’m glad you made it, Pastor.” John extended his hand. Tim quickly took it with both of his.

  “I hurried over here, as fast as I could,” he replied.

  “I hope you didn’t speed.”

  “Nah, I tried to obey the speed limit, but there were a couple of streets there where I was moving pretty well. At one point a little old lady walking across an intersection had to dive into some bushes to get out of my way. I think she’ll be okay. If the cops show up here later, tell them you never saw me.” He smiled and looked over at Kathy. She was smiling too.

  “All right then,” said Tim as he grabbed a spare chair and moved to where Kathy was sitting. He sat down and put his Bible in his lap.

  There was a slight moment of awkward silence. Tim decided to get things moving.

  “Well, I guess I’ll just jump right in. So, your father tells me that he thinks you may have seen a demon. Is that right?”

  She nodded. The expression on her face showed just a bit of strain. Obviously, the memory was unpleasant. Since she professed no real belief in God, she felt a little embarrassed about talking to Tim who was, essentially, still a stranger. Tim could see the tension in her face and immediately regretted jumping in so fast.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so direct.”

  Kathy smiled slightly. “Oh, that’s okay. I suppose we have to start somewhere.” She adjusted herself in her seat.

  “Well, I’m not sure what I saw.” She adjusted herself again. “Last night…” she trailed off and became silent. Both John and Tim waited patiently.

  “Last night, when I got home after visiting Dad, I was watching TV, and the place got real cold. I turned the heat up, but it didn’t seem to help. And then, it’s kind of hard to explain, but I got this feeling. It was as though I was in danger, that there was someone watching me. And…” she paused again. “And…then I started to feel really bad. It doesn’t make any sense because I just sat there and I was getting more and more afraid for no reason. This feeling was getting worse and then—” she looked at her father, not wanting to bring up a painful part of his life, “—as this feeling got worse, a memory flooded my mind.” She paused again. “The accident.”

  Pastor Tim looked over at John, whose face had fallen. It was obviously an unpleasant memory for him, too. He looked back at Kathy.

  “Go ahead,” said John.

  Kathy took a breath and let it out slowly. “Pastor, when I was a little girl there was a terrible accident, and I saw a badly burned body.”

  John groaned slightly and looked at the ceiling.

  “It’s okay, Dad.”

  John continued to look away.

  “You see, my father blames himself for this. He tried to take a shortcut around an accident and unfortunately it led us onto the scene and I saw a body. I had nightmares for a long time and Dad really beat himself up over it for a long time. It wasn’t his fault, though. It was just one of those things.” She looked at her father. He was still staring at the ceiling.

  She reached out and grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before she returned her attention to Tim.

  “Well, last night, for some unknown reason, that memory flooded my mind at the same time that this intense fear was growing in me. I mean, it was really intense. I tried to break away from it. I tried to not think about it, but I couldn’t help it. I mean, these memories just—they just came out of nowhere and I couldn’t stop them. And then there was the fear, this incredible fear that someone was going to kill me. It grew and grew and images of that body kept forcing themselves into my mind. I couldn’t get rid of them. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”

  Kathy was animated in her speech, her hands moving quickly, and her voice carried the tension of the experience.

  “And then, when I didn’t think I could take it anymore, when it was so awful, I finally managed to scream, that’s when I saw this face in front of me. It was horrible. It was the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen. And that’s when I passed out. It was all too much for me, so I fainted.” Her voice was shaking and slightly higher in pitch. She stopped again to calm herself. Both John and Tim were watching her, obviously concerned.

  “I woke up after a little while on the floor. As soon as I started to regain consciousness I began to cry really hard. I felt like panicking. But then, and I can’t explain this either, I felt this peace suddenly come over me. It was strange. I mean, after what just happened, you’d think I’d be terrified but there was this peace, as if it came out of nowhere. I mean…it makes no sense.” She stopped abruptly, slumped in the chair, and stared blankly at the floor. John and Tim looked at each other without saying a word. Kathy raised her head and looked at her father, then the pastor. Her voice shook slightly.

  “I feel a little embarrassed talking about this. But it was so real. I’ve never felt anything like it.” She looked at them both, her expression gently pleading for an explanation.

  John was not sure what to say. The ball was in the pastor’s court and, after a brief pause to process what she had said, Tim finally responded. “Thank you very much for telling me about this. It certainly sounds as though something spiritual has happened. Exactly what it is, I’m not sure, but it does appear to be demonic.”

  With that, Kathy stiffened. The pastor noticed it.

  “Kathy, I need to ask something, and I want you to know that I mean no offense whatsoever.” He adjusted himself in his chair. “Are you on any medications?”

  She cocked her head back.

  “Kathy, I have to ask this. I need to find out if this might have been chemically induced. Please forgive me if I’m being rude. I don’t mean to be.”

  “No, that’s all right. I understand. No, I’m not on any medications. I don’t do drugs and l wasn’t drinking, either. I was just sitting there watching TV.”

  “Thanks, Kathy, but one more thing. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?”

  Kathy knew the pastor was trying to rule out other possibilities. His face showed genuine concern.

  “I hope you understand why I have to ask. I’m not trying to be offensive.”

  “No, don’t worry. I know why you are asking. And, yes, I’ve been getting enough sleep lately.”

  The pastor nodded approvingly, shifted in his seat, and calmly said, “Now that that’s out of the way, it sounds to me that the best explanation is you were attacked by a demonic force.”

  Kathy was obviously displeased to hear these words and Tim picked up on her body language.

  “I know this is probably pretty weird to you, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “It’s just that I’ve never given this spiritual stuff much thought. I mean, no offense, but it’s so foreign to me.”

  “That’s understandable. Maybe there is another explanation, and if there is, I’m open to hearing it. But, from what you’ve told me it seems the most logical conclusion is that you had a real spiritual encounter.”

  Kathy bit her upper lip slightly as she contemplated the pastor’s words. “Okay, let’s assume for a minute that it was like you say. Then, why would this happen?”

  “Pastor?” interrupted John. “When you were here the other day, you mentioned something about Mark and that he was important. Do you think that he has anything to do with this?”

  Tim looked at Kathy. “Well, to be honest, I’ve never really had a feeling about anyone like I did about your husband. It was definitely unusual. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, in my office at the church recently, I had a strange sensation as though another presence was there.” He looked at John and paused. He knew he had to weigh his words carefully, especially since Kathy had her doubts. It was obvious to him that there was
something extraordinary going on.

  Tim spoke carefully. “Look, I know that this whole God thing is probably a bit confusing for you, maybe even ridiculous. I certainly would understand if you are hesitant to believe what I have to say, or accept even what you saw last night as a reality. But, for what it’s worth, I believe that we’re all here together for a reason and that God has his hand in this.”

  Kathy took in his every word. She didn’t know what to think, and though she had hoped for a more definitive, scientific answer, she realized his comments would have to do for now.

  “What about my husband? Do you think this has to do with him, like my dad says?”

  “I don’t know how I know, but I know that your husband is very important, and he is the reason this is happening.” With that the pastor lowered his head and clenched his hands together, intertwining his fingers.

  He looked at her. “Kathy, there is a God and he has spoken to us in the Bible. He’s told us that there is a spiritual world and that there are demonic and angelic forces. He also tells us that prayer can be very effective and that nothing comes to us unless he permits it. Therefore, we need to be alert and in prayer.” He looked at John. “Have you told her about the Lord, and about receiving him?”

  “Well, Pastor. You see, Kathy and I have this understanding that I won’t push Christianity on her and she will respect my belief.” He adjusted himself in his bed once again, and again the pain reminded him where he was. “I have witnessed to her before, years ago, but I don’t know how much she remembers.”

  “Okay, I understand,” said Tim. He turned to Kathy again. “Kathy, in no way do I want to put you on the spot. I’m not here to pressure you, but if you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them. Please feel free to say and ask anything you want.”

  Pastor Tim was trying to find out where Kathy was spiritually. There was much he could tell her, but was she ready?

  “I appreciate that. My dad is right, we have come to an agreement, and we really don’t talk about this religion stuff because, well, we just don’t agree. I believe that as long as you are sincere and believe in God, you’re good enough. But, my dad tells me that Jesus is the only way to God and I just can’t accept that. It would mean that all the good and sincere people in the world who don’t believe in him are all going to hell.”