I pray that comfort, peace and safety will surround Missy as she is held captive. I pray that if anything is hurt, it will be healed. May a hedge of protection surround her and us. It was so important to me to have Missy here so that she could see the battle and understand the level of severity. Now, I question whether that was a good decision to make.
Hesna has her captive. He could do anything to her. If she were at home, she would be safe…but for how long? How long before Hesna would bring his battle to American soil? He would reap the biggest harvest there so I imagine he will save it for last. As the others began to awaken, I closed my Bible. I had gotten up early to devote some time to the Lord and rejuvenate myself with scripture.
I pulled out another Bible. This one is only a mock. I unsnapped the leather cover which revealed a single compartment. I have a few thousand dollars left. It should be plenty for the reminder of the trip. I grabbed Missy’s bag. I will get you back. I will. I unzipped her bag and put the mock Bible inside. If this is my last race, she will need this. I wrote her a letter and added it to the cash inside the mock Bible.
It wasn’t hard to find Hesna because this huge pyramid just appeared out of nowhere. It looked to be something he created out of the desert’s sand. Yet, the color was more golden than white. It shimmered as the sun began to rise. I must admit it was a smart move. I’m sure he is at the top and we will have to fight our way up there. As we stood outside the pyramid, I looked up. Hesna peered down at us holding a scepter. He was wearing what looked to be a robe resembling what a pharaoh would wear.
“Come.” He said before he turned and reentered the pyramid.
“Father, we are ready.” I said.
Suddenly, I felt the charge within. The light consumed my body. I looked at the others. They too were stretching as the light illuminated them. Because I am usually the vessel, I have never seen what the inhabitation looks like. Each of them were enhanced, especially Jif who isn’t as athletic in stature as the rest of us. It was almost like how the little boy turned into Captain America. All of us gained about a foot in height. I felt the power surge like metal coating my bones.
“Go” the voice within me said. “We don’t have much time.”
We entered the pyramid. Of course, it was easy and there were no obstacles. Hesna wanted us inside.
“What’s that sound?” Jif asked.
The pyramid was covered with gold statues and coins. The walls shimmered of solidified sand.
“Round one” Benton answered as these huge wolves entered the room.
They were snarling and growling at us. They had to be about six feet tall on all fours. Their jagged coat was the pitch black color of a moonless night. Their blood shot red eyes told stories of death; torturous, merciless death. The dark, depthless pupils dilated.
Game time. They attacked.
The biggest one came for me. I turned and ran for the wall behind me. My increased speed propelled me like a cannon ball. I ran up the wall, then flipped off of it and landed on top of the wolf that had jumped into the air charging me. I grabbed him in a choke hold and spun him in the air before slamming him on the hard sand floor. I could tell I had injured him, but not bad enough. He stood and charged me again. This time I did a spin kick to his head. He felt the impact, but reciprocated a hit that sent me flying several feet back. I stood and looked around the room. There was a statue beside me. I waited for him to get almost close enough to rip my life from me, before I jumped up and pulled the statue on top of him. The statue had to weigh tons. It crushed him. It was also holding up part of the pyramid. So it began to collapse.
“We have to go.” I yelled to the others as I ran for what looked to be a staircase.
I can’t leave without Missy.
The others followed me. As pieces of the pyramid fell barely missing us, we increased our enhanced speed dodging the falling debris. A couple of the remaining wolves tried to follow as well, but were killed by the brush. We ran up until we reached the top. When I looked behind me, I saw half the pyramid was gone. And the way back down was also gone. There was no turning back now.
“Hesna!” I called as I looked around the area. He had to be here.
“Dad!” A voice called out.
Missy? She’s alive.
“Missy, I’m here. Where are you?” I ran towards the voice.
Instead, I encountered Hesna.
“Dad, so nice of you to join us,” Hesna mocked.
Missy was lying on the floor behind Hesna.
“I must say I had planned on many more interesting attacks before you made it here, but you had to go and destroy my pyramid didn’t you? No worries. I’m sure I will enjoy this as well.” He threw his scepter on the ground.
It rattled and grew, twisting and slithering. The snake. I could hear Missy take a breath.
“One bite and you will die. I must admit you have been quite the adversary, but all good things must come to an end.”
Before he signaled his snake, his attention was captivated.
We watched as a glowing white ball descended from the sky. It landed in between us and Hesna. We turned from the sight of it as it glowed with the purest white light. The ball circled and divided itself growing bigger and bigger. Then a head appeared. It lifted itself from what closely resembled a gigantic ball of yarn. The pattern of gold spots on its white skin resembled that of a king snake.
The King’s snake.
It unraveled itself and sized up the competition.
“I always wanted to know who would win the king cobra or the king snake. Let us see.” He ordered his snake to attack.
The cobra watched the King’s snake like it was anticipating its movements. It bobbed its head and did a few mock strikes. Yet the King’s snake seemed unbothered by its menacing efforts. He simply watched and waited for the attack. The cobra opened its hood and let out a growling hiss.
The King’s snake returned nothing.
Its skin shimmered with the light of the world. I have never liked snakes, but this one was so graceful. You could see its divine authority. Its features didn’t look evil, but protective.
Finally, the cobra struck. The King’s snake dodged the strike and wrapped around the cobra. Its body coiled around the cobra quickly like when you press a button to retract a cord. The cobra struck again this time delivering its venom into the King’s snake’s side. It desperately struck several more times as its body succumbed to the pressure crushing it. The King’s snake lost its grip a little as the poison travelled through its body. The king cobra seized the opportunity to get away. Then the King’s snake contracted harder with the lower half of its body. It pushed upward as if it were pushing toothpaste out a tube. The cobra felt the constriction and began franticly trying to get loose.
Hesna looked outside at the sound of a loud boom. We all turned to look as well. People were screaming and running. Big balls of fire were falling from the sky.
“It’s beginning!” Mongo said.
“We have to hurry!” Swangi said.
Hesna hurried away. Jif ran to Missy. I followed. I looked back to the snakes. The cobra’s eyes were starting to bulge out its head. The King’s snake was positioning himself to eat the Cobra.
“Missy? Missy? Can you hear me?” Jif said. “Can you walk?” He picked her up and was holding her when I made it to them.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked him.
“I think she is paralyzed.” His words stabbed me in my heart.
“Missy, Can you hear me?” I asked.
She opened her eyes. “Dad.” I felt such relief in hearing her say my name.
“We don’t have very much more time. You have to ask God to send you an angel. Your body must be of pure intention and you must choose to serve God. The angel cannot inhabit you if you are unwilling.”
“I am wil
ling. I’m sorry Dad. I’m sorry it took so long.”
I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my face. I felt the water roll to one side of my eye to form a tear.
“It’s okay, Missy. You have to ask God to send you an angel, Sweetheart. We don’t have any more time.”
She closed her eyes tightly. “Father God, please send me an angel. I need you. I need you now.”
Her body was filled with the white light. She stretched and pulled as it healed her and strengthened her. The transformation was so powerful that Jif had to put her down. We watched as life returned to her dead limbs. Her face, once dry and pale sunken with death, was now full, vibrant, and glowing. Her hair shinned as golden streaks interweaved among her dark locks. She opened her eyes and the image took my breath away.
She is an angel.
Beautiful.
“Dad?” I pulled my thoughts back to reality. “We have to go.” She said as she started running away from the falling sides of the pyramid.
The balls of fire had reached us. They crashed into the pyramid destroying what remained. We ran to where the stairs once were. I had already forgotten…there is no way down.
“We have to jump!” Zeal said. We went to the balcony where Hesna once stood and jumped as the pyramid collapsed.
“It’s not over yet.” Zeal said as the balls of fire fell all around us.
“We have to make it to The Persian Gulf.” I told them.
We used our enhanced speed to dodge the balls of fire. We weaved through them, anticipating each landing. I noticed one about to land right in front of Missy.
“Missy, jump!” I yelled as I leaped for her.
She looked back at me, but I had grabbed her before she could respond. We spun out of the path of the fire ball and landed on the ground a few feet over.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Yes. Let’s go.” She panted.
We got up and started back running for the Gulf. So many people had already died from the attack. We were jumping bodies like hurdles at a track meet. I could see the people waiting for us along the shore. We are almost there.
“We’re going to make it!” I encouraged them.
I looked back to see if everyone was still with me. Benton?
“Where is Benton?” I asked.
“He was just here a second ago.” Swangi replied.
“Jif, Zeal, make sure Missy gets to The Gulf. We are going back for Benton.” I told them
He can’t be far.
“Help!” I heard Benton cry out.
We followed his cry. Benton. He was bending down by a woman injured in the fire storm.
“Benton, what’s wrong?” I asked him.
“I was running and she grabbed my foot as I was jumping over her. She’s still alive.”
The woman still had her hands wrapped around his foot.
“Help me, please help me. I don’t want to die. Please!” The woman cried out.
A fire ball had landed on one of her legs. She couldn’t walk. I am surprised she was able to grab Benton’s foot with his enhanced speed. Something about this doesn’t seem right.
“Benton, we can’t save her we don’t have time. We have to go, now.” I cautioned him.
“Her grip is too strong. I can’t get loose.” He responded. “It burns! It burns!”
We looked at his leg. The woman’s hand was now bright red like at the eye of a stove. I looked at her face. It was boiling. Her eyes had turned blood shot red. Her black pupils dilated. Her lips curved into an evil, crooked smile.
Before I realized it, Swangi kicked her in the face. She flew back several feet and released her grip on Benton.
“Y’all waste too much time thinking.” Swangi said. “Let’s go!”
We turned to run again. But the retreat was short lived.
“AHHHH! Hee Hee Hee! Minister, I’m back!” The demon charged us with its one leg and two hands working furiously on the ground.
“I got this!” Swangi said, as he turned back for her.
She jumped for Swangi. Swangi jumped too. He then turned his body and used his foot to deliver another blow to her face. She fell to the ground. He landed on top of her. She was on her back kicking her legs like a cockroach in the same position.
“Go back to Hell!” He told her before his angel stripped the demon from its host. After throwing the demon back to Hell, his angel returned to him and we got back on course for the Persian Gulf.
We heard more screams and cracking laughs behind us. I turned to see what was happening. I could see the possessions taking place. Their eyes turned red and their backs cracked as they bent over backwards on all fours to chase us.
“He is sending more demons to stop us. We have to hurry.” I told them.
We had told the ones of them who were healed from the snake bite to stay on the outskirts of the city and wait for us. They had obeyed. We went to them and told them to follow us to The Gulf. When we made it there, they looked around and noticed there was no escape.
“What now?” Some of them asked. “What do we do now?” They turned to see the destruction behind them and then looked back at the water. “We have nowhere to go!” They panicked.
I looked up to Heaven. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.”
I opened my arms and the waters parted. Just like the Red Sea, God provided a way. The walls of water stood hundreds of feet tall.
“Hurry, no one else must survive. Only the ones who chose God can cross. The demons are coming. The walls will not stand for long!” I warned.
The people ran through. Benton and Jif lead the pack. Zeal and Mongo were in the middle. Swangi and I were at the end. When I was about three quarters of the way across I heard something.
Missy.
I turned around and ran back towards the city.
“What’s wrong?” Swangi yelled.
“It’s Missy.”
I thought she was with us.
“What do you want me to do?” He asked. “Just make sure the others get across.”
I have to save her.
“Missy!” I called when I was close enough to see her.
She was running back towards the city.
“Dad, it’s Hesna. We have to kill him. We can’t let him get away.”
Hesna was standing at the mouth of the tunnel by the city.
“No, Missy we have to go. There isn’t enough time. The waters will crush us.” She stopped.
I could hear Hesna laughing.
She turned and ran towards me. I hoped we had more time. We made the half way mark and the waters began to fall. The pounds of water crashing sounded like thunder. I grabbed her hand.
“Dad, we aren’t going to make it.”
Even with the enhanced speed, The Gulf was far too big to cross.
“We have to try.” I told her.
We had to try. The waters were catching us rapidly. I knew we wouldn’t make it, but Missy would. I grabbed her by her arms and spun around before hurling her into the air. As I released her, her hand reached for mine as mine reached for hers. I am not sure if it is humanly possible to throw someone, yet reach for them at the same time. But as much as I knew I had to let her go, I wanted to be there with her. I wanted to protect her and love her. I didn’t want her heart to mourn for me. It was like everything slowed down. The last seconds felt like minutes. When you cherish your time, it tends to pass more slowly.
As soon as the fingertip of her middle finger cleared mine, I looked into her eyes. Eyes so much like her mother’s they brought her to me. Melayla descended from her and put her hands on my face pulling her body in for one last hug. She kissed me. This time I couldn’t close my eyes. I didn’t want to miss my looking at my daughter one last time. Seeing the beautiful woman she had become.
br /> “I love you” I told her.
She pulled for me, but the strength in which I threw her could not be overcome.
“No! Dad! No!” She yelled as the waters crashed into my body.
“I love you too.”
The weight pounded the air out of my body. I forced myself to focus and listen for the thump.
I heard it.
She made it.
CHAPTER 23--MISSY