by Len du Randt
Jared tried to break his gaze from the woman advancing towards him, but couldn’t. As she neared him, he noticed that her face swirled, almost as if it melted and reconstructed over and over again. Now and again the swirling would stop for just a fraction of a second, and she would look like one of the fanged demonic creatures that surrounded her. And then it would swirl again. Finally she stood right in front of him and gently touched his cheek with her hand. A transparent claw shot through her flesh, slashed through his face, and disappeared. The experience sent a cold shiver down Jared’s spine.
‘Hello lover,’ she said and held the glass up towards him. ‘Did you miss me?’
Jared nodded, unable to prevent himself from doing so.
‘Good,’ she said and her lips curled into a grin. ‘Care to join me in the kitchen?’ she asked and handed him the glass.
‘Sure,’ Jared said. He felt powerless against her seductive voice. He took the glass from her and wanted to wash down the liquid in one gulp, but fought the urge.
‘Well,’ Tanya said. ‘Rebecca and I will be right here if you two lovebirds need us.’ The two women giggled and sat down, leaving Jared and Natasha to their little reunion.
Jared raised the glass to his lips. It was only then that he saw the creatures at his side, weaving their fingers through his hair while whispering things that he couldn’t hear into his ear. ‘I...I can’t,’ Jared said and lowered the glass. Natasha merely opened her mouth and sang. At the sound of her voice Jared almost grabbed and embraced her. His heart ached to be with her. His soul cried out to be held by her. ‘I...I must go...’
Natasha reached out to him but he took a step back. ‘Come,’ she said. ‘Come to me.’
He shook his head. ‘I have to go...’
Five demons visibly larger and more powerful than the rest took their positions behind her. Drool dripped from their jaws and a thin trail of yellow smoke filtered through their nostrils.
‘Come,’ Natasha said again. Her face stopped swirling to reveal a gaping jaw with razor sharp fangs.
‘No...’
He dropped the glass and the contents spilled on Tanya’s rug. The five demons advanced upon Jared at a rapid pace and he instinctively took a few steps back, almost tumbling over the furniture. They were just about upon him, lashing their claws out at him. Jared closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable.
Nothing happened.
Slowly Jared opened his eyes. The five demons stood still right in front of him, breathing deeply, but not advancing. To the left and right of Jared’s head, just above his shoulders, were two blades of blue light that crackled with electricity. Jared looked back and was relieved to see the two men standing behind him, pointing their swords at the demons. ‘Simon...’ Jared breathed softly.
Although no words were exchanged, the huge demons knew exactly what was expected of them. They backed down and took their positions behind Natasha again. Simon nodded his head and Jared slowly retreated with the two angels until they were out in the open. By the time Jared reached the car, he was alone again. With fumbling hands he turned the key in the ignition and as the first drops of rain splashed against his windshield, Jared pulled out of Tanya’s driveway.
* - - - *
‘What was that all about?’ Rebecca asked. ‘It was like he saw a ghost or something.’
‘Oh, I’m sure he’s fine,’ Tanya said. ‘He’s been through hell and back these last few weeks.’
Natasha didn’t respond. She merely turned around and left the room without saying a word.
‘Well, I’m off to bed for a couple of hours with a good book,’ Rebecca said. ‘See you for dinner?’
Tanya nodded. ‘It’ll be ready by seven.’
After Rebecca had left, Natasha re-entered the room. Her eyes glowed and her lips were pulled back into a snarl. ‘He knew,’ she hissed. ‘I don’t know how, but he knew.’
‘Impossible,’ Tanya said. ‘Something else must have spooked him.’
‘I don’t feel right about this. I say that we kill all of them right now.’
‘Follow him, Nahemah. Try to get to him before they do. If we lose him, kill him, and then come back for his mother.’
Natasha nodded and faster than the eye could see shot through the roof and through the air until she was high above the clouds that thundered over Kelwick. She scanned through the clouds, searching for her target and finally rested her eyes on Jared’s car. Her irises flared up like burning embers and she shot down towards her target like lightning from the sky.
* - - - *
‘It’s true,’ Jared said. He weaved through traffic, unable to see much through the rain on the windshield and the tears welling in his eyes. ‘It’s all true.’
He stepped down on the accelerator and almost lost control when he had to swerve away from an oncoming car. Finally he pulled over at Kelwick’s Community Park, got out of the car and, through the thick and heavy downpour, made his way to Lake Metanoia.
‘The angels and demons,’ he said and paused to catch his breath. ‘They...they’re real.’ The downpour had left the park completely deserted. Even the homeless people that so often frequented the benches had left to seek shelter elsewhere. Jared struggled to hear himself above the waterfall from heaven that rushed down upon him. ‘I’m not ignorant, Lord,’ Jared said and fell to his knees. ‘Show me a flame and I know that it’ll burn me if I hold my hand over it. I see a razor and know that it’s sharp and will cut me if I pull it across my arm...’ His words trailed off into sobs. Only when he could finally control his emotions to a certain extent did he continue. ‘And now You show me angels and demons,’ he said and another sob escaped from his lips. ‘And my logical mind has to conclude and accept that You are there too...that You also exist.’
Lightning flashed.
‘And if you exist,’ Jared said and inhaled deeply to catch his breath. ‘Then so does heaven, hell, Jesus, salvation, and everything else that goes along with it.’
Thunder rumbled.
Jared cried when he tried to speak again. He cried for the past; for ignoring his father, for the way he had treated Amy, for the baby he would never have. Jared cried about things he said and did to people to reach the top of the corporate ladder. He cried about his mother and Tanya being trapped in that house with Natasha and her demonic minions. ‘Oh Lord,’ he cried. ‘I’m not worthy of forgiveness. But please, I beg of You, please forgive me for what I did to Amy. Please, Jesus, forgive me for everything.’
The sound of the rushing rain stopped instantly and Jared looked up. It still rained, yet he couldn’t hear it anymore. A thin shaft of light pieced the darkened clouds and shone down on him, expanding slowly until it totally engulfed him. Although exceptionally bright, it didn’t hurt his eyes. Jared looked around him and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the silhouette of a man outside the barrier of light. Although Jared couldn’t see a face, he instinctively knew who it was.
‘Jesus...?’
Through the rain a man stepped into the light with Jared. The man’s face shone brighter than anything he had ever seen in his life, yet this light also didn’t hurt Jared’s eyes.
‘Your sin,’ the man said in a soft and soothing voice, ‘is no more.’
Lightning flashed somewhere in the distance.
Jared crawled to the man and clutched His ankles. ‘I’m not worthy of forgiveness,’ he sobbed through the tears.
The man knelt down next to Jared. ‘All your sins are forgiven,’ he said, ‘no matter how many or how big.’
Jared looked up, the question on his mind expressed through his eyes. Jesus nodded and Jared could see a smile behind the brilliant light. With great effort, Jared managed to stand on his feet. The man stood next to Jared, holding a robe in His hand that also radiated light. With one swift movement, the man flung the robe around Jared’s shoulders, and in a matter of seconds, the robe had become one with his flesh. Jared looked down at his hands and gasped in awe. Light radiated from every orifice in
his body, emitting a golden glow from his skin.
‘Jesus,’ Jared whispered.
‘I love you,’ the man said and embraced Jared.
‘Is this real?’ Jared asked. ‘Is this really happening?’
Jesus nodded. ‘You are now my son, and nothing in heaven or earth, or in the whole of creation can take that away from you.’
A deafening cheer of what sounded like thousands men shouting at once came from all around, vibrating into Jared’s soul.
‘Does this happen to everyone who converts?’ Jared asked.
Jesus nodded. ‘They can’t see it like you can, Jared. But I embrace all My children personally.’ Jared couldn’t speak. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as the man folded His arms around his shoulders once more. Jesus stepped back out of the light. ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you,’ He said, and a few seconds later the golden glow of Jared’s skin faded with the light that washed over him. The sound of the drizzling rain returned, followed by the patter of tiny droplets against his skin. Jared remained in a kneeling position for a few more minutes, sobbing and praying as the gentle rain sprayed down on him. When he was done, he felt elated, as if the world’s weight had been removed from his shoulders. He felt both physically and spiritually lighter and his heart shouted with joy each time it beat in his chest. ‘Thank You, Jesus,’ he whispered as he stood up and made his way back to the car. Inside, a sudden dread dawned on him. Tanya and his mother were trapped in Tanya’s house with Natasha, surrounded by hundreds—possibly thousands—of those demons. They were in danger and he had to get them out of there as soon as possible. ‘Please help me, Lord,’ he prayed. ‘And please protect my mother and Tanya from the evils inside that house.’
He started the car and drove away, leaving the old self behind him. From behind a tree a shadow moved. Natasha stepped out of the shadows and into the middle of the road, hissing at the car that drove away. The soldiers in the back seat hindered her from killing Jared right then and there. When the car disappeared around a corner, Natasha howled and then sniffed twice at the air before shooting up into the darkened skies.
* - - - *
The thunder drowned the noise the man made when he climbed over the wall. He jumped off the other side and after observing the terrain, made his way to the back of the house. The swimming pool, once clean and clear, was now dark and murky due to neglect.
The flash of lightning was followed by a sudden clap of thunder which rumbled on for a while before fading away in the distance. The man had used the sudden explosion of sound to hide the splash of the water as he dived in. With closed eyes he searched the bottom of the pool until his fingers finally made contact with what he was looking for.
Jared came up, gasping for air as he held the ring in his hands. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered as he climbed out of the pool. He then placed the ring in his pocket before making his way around the house to the wall at the front. He slid over the wall and started the car. Seconds later, he was gone.
* - - - *
‘I’m really concerned about Jared,’ Rebecca said. ‘He seemed very distracted today.’
Tanya shrugged and buried the fork with the heap of food on it in her mouth. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much about him,’ she said before she finished chewing. She swallowed what food she could and washed the rest down with wine. ‘He’s been through more downs than anyone I know, and yet somehow, he always manages to get back on top.’
Rebecca smiled. ‘I guess you’re right,’ she said. ‘He’s always been...divinely protected.’
‘Why don’t you guys stay a few days longer?’ Tanya asked. ‘Why the rush to go home?’
‘I need to get back to my husband and daughter,’ Rebecca said. ‘It’s almost been two months now and I really miss them very much.’
‘Then why don’t you go ahead? I’ll take care of Jared for a few more days and once everything’s settled, will take him home myself.’
‘I guess it’s up to him,’ Rebecca said and shrugged. ‘We can ask him when he—’
Nooooo!
The scream chilled Rebecca’s blood. It was high-pitched and rang throughout the entire house. The lights fluttered on and off, and just as Rebecca was about to comment, Natasha burst through the dining room doors.
‘They’ve got him,’ she said between heavy breaths, ‘and we can never get him back!’
‘Are you sure?’ Tanya asked and stood up.
Rebecca frowned. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
Natasha pointed a bony finger at Rebecca and the irises in her eyes turned bright red. ‘That woman!’ she shrieked. ‘I told you that we should have gotten rid of her. I warned you!’
‘Calm down, Nahemah,’ Tanya demanded. ‘How sure are you that he converted?’
Rebecca didn’t quite understand what the commotion was about, but she realised that she was caught in the middle of something very bad. ‘Would you please excuse me?’ she asked politely and stood up. ‘I think that I’ll retire for the evening. You two look like you might need some privacy.’ She headed for the nearest exit but Tanya shot her hand out and the doors slammed shut.
‘How sure?’ Tanya asked.
‘There’s no mistake,’ Natasha said. ‘We’ve lost him.’
‘Tanya?’ Rebecca asked. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Your son has accepted your saviour as his,’ Tanya hissed. ‘He is no longer of any use to us.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘He will now become a threat to everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve. And that, my dearest Rebecca, I simply cannot allow.’ Tanya snapped her fingers and in an instant, Natasha stood next to Rebecca, holding her arm in a vice-like grip.
‘Like Natasha so eloquently put it,’ Tanya said as she approached Rebecca. ‘If we can’t have him, no one can.’
Chapter 13
The first rays of daylight that pierced the overcast clouds announced a new day. To Jared, it announced a new life. He woke behind the steering wheel and stretched his aching limbs every which way, cracking them into place. Across the road, the gatekeeper opened the gates to the cemetery and Jared couldn’t help but flinch because of the mighty screech that emitted from the rusted hinges. The gatekeeper lit a cigarette before he began his daily schedule by sweeping the pavement.
Jared started the engine and drove into the cemetery entrance, following the road that snaked between the hundreds of gravestones until he came to where he wanted to be. He cut the engine and got out of the car and stretched again. Even though the sun was hidden behind a layer of clouds, Jared couldn’t help but squint at the overall brightness of the morning. He made his way to the headstone that he was looking for, and once he found it, swallowed hard at the lump in his throat as he read the words engraved on the tombstone:
Here lies Amy Wilson, beloved daughter of Richard and Beverly.
Jared’s eyes stung and he fought hard to suppress the tears that wanted to force their way from his eyes. He took the ring from his pocket and held it between his thumb and forefinger as he fell to his knees in front of the granite stone.
‘I’m so sorry, Amy,’ he said and choked. ‘I…I know it’s no excuse, but I wasn’t myself when you last saw me. I was under a spell or something.’ The first tear trickled down his cheek and rested on his chin. ‘You have to believe me when I say that I would never do anything to hurt you and that you were the only thing that ever really mattered to me.’ Finally he lost the battle with his emotions. His shoulders shook as he cried and he rubbed his fingers over the engraved letters on the cold stone slab, wishing that he had another chance of brushing his fingers against her warm, soft cheek. He knew that he would never have such an opportunity again, but found temporary solace in the fact that he would see her again after this life.
‘With this ring,’ he said and held it up, ‘I will always think of you and will always carry you and our baby near my heart.’ He stood up and for a long moment only stared at her name, allowing the tears to f
low freely down his cheeks. ‘I love you, baby,’ he said. ‘I always have and always will.’ He smiled faintly. ‘I’ll see you soon, my love.’
A sense of peace came over him as he turned and headed toward the car. His time in Kelwick had come to an end. It was time to get his mother and Tanya and leave for good. Dean could wrap up his matters and call him once everything was sorted. Jared pictured Natasha’s swirling face and her horde of demonic beings at her side, making a path for her as she entered the room. A shudder rippled down his spine. There was definitely something unnatural about her. Getting his mother and Tanya out of that place could prove to be a difficult undertaking. Slowly the realization dawned on Jared that he might even die trying.
* - - - *
The turbulence rocked the plane and Justin woke up with a start. Sweat was streaming down his forehead and he looked out the window as the early rays of sunlight set the skies on fire.
‘Are you all right?’ an elderly lady asked. She didn’t wait for an answer before she continued her knitting.
Justin nodded. The fact that he was indeed not all right was no real concern of hers. Lord, he prayed as images of the nightmare flashed through his mind. First the nightmares and then the juice that turns to blood. I thought nothing of it at first, but the nightmares aren’t stopping. Something’s wrong, Lord. I can feel it. But I need You to tell me what to do.
‘You sure you’re okay?’ the lady asked. ‘You look a little pale.’
‘I’m fine,’ he insisted. ‘Thank you.’
The rest of the flight was spent in earnest prayer where Justin continuously asked for guidance as well as protection for his wife and son. When the plane finally landed, Justin immediately headed for a public telephone. He decided to call Rebecca at Tanya’s place and tell her about his meeting with the agent. He could then also make sure that everything was all right with his wife and son.