Lurching to his feet, fear crawled through Irv. “My dad loved to talk about the wrath of God. How he would take His vengeance in the end. War. Plagues. An antichrist.”
Irv closed his eyes. Flames licked at white wood, reached out through windows. Smoke billowed. The screams of the dying echoed. And the sign, as clear as if he was standing before it now.
“Axis didn’t burn the church.” He spoke but the words were for himself. “They posted a sign in front of the church. ‘Afion is god.’”
A quake ran through his body. His father’s voice boomed in his head. “A beast shall rise up out of the sea,” he remembered aloud. “He shall not pay any attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.”
That was the truth of it. Irv believed. The things he had thought were the crazy rantings of an evil-spirited man had not been a lie. Irv had checked as he’d carried the Bible back for Mariah. It had all been there. Delivered to frighten followers into submission by his father. Delivered by God in the words of the book to call His people to salvation.
Wings.
Irv pivoted. Ashar lay, his eyes closed, the battle he fought chasing through his body. Ashar was marked by God. What if he was not delirious at all? What if, somehow, what he was saying was something that would come to be?
An urgency pressed into Irv and he found his knees again. All he knew was a battle was being fought, and his friend did not have to fight it alone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The darkness sucked him in, and the great beast he feared rose up high in front of the dark angels, reaching out for him.
Ashar heard Irv speaking through it, and was partially aware that he was lost between two worlds. Irv prayed. The fight inside of him was too great to feel more than a small modicum of gratefulness for it. A coolness was placed against his brow, and a trickle of water poured down his parched throat.
Horrible demonic beings, as real to him as Irv was, tried to obliterate everything good inside of him. The fumbling prayers that tumbled from Irv’s mouth comforted him, brought him moments of peace, and reminded him that he was not alone. They brought him back to the world he knew for precious seconds before he was yanked back.
His mind quieted for a few minutes when the sobs of his friend surrendering to God pierced through. A stillness swept through the darkness. It hovered. Ashar heard Irv tell God that he was sorry, that he did’t want to hold on to his anger. Irv thanked God for him, made a promise that he would live for God if he could keep his friend. And then he asked for salvation.
Angels converged before Ashar, wickedness gleaming from their eyes, coming at him, a swoop of overpowering darkness greater than all he had seen. The darkness sucked him back in, leaving him standing alone with no protection. Throwing up his hands to shield himself, Ashar braced himself for their hands on him, but just before their dark fingers connected, light exploded, sending them back and scattering. In their place, a beacon appeared, bright and symbolic, standing on a hill, music ringing from bells hanging in a steeple.
The bells clanged louder, their melodic song a chime calling out to him. Clarity spread the light, chasing away the vestiges of darkness and easing the pain that had ravaged his body.
Purpose spilled. A new vision flashed, bright and powerful. He had struggled with the darkness too long. Ashar felt like the veil that separated the natural realm from the supernatural slipped back into place. He knew what he had to do. Opening his eyes wide, Ashar struggled to sit up.
Irv halted his prayer, his cheeks wet. “Hey, hey, just rest, Ash.” He tried to ease Ash back down, but Ashar pushed his hands away.
“God has used you greatly, Irv.” Ashar hugged his friend and reached for his pack. He believed it. It had been no coincidence that Irv asking for God’s presence in his life had been the catalyst that brought victory over the black evil he had thought would take him.
He felt weak, but it didn’t matter. His last vision was clear. The bells had rung, a call as clear as the song they sang. “I need to get to that church.”
Swiping at his cheeks, Irv took Ashar’s pack, and rooted around for some jerky. “I don’t know what church ya are referring to, but let’s get some food in ya first, stop that shaking.”
Ashar accepted the jerky, tearing off a bite, and took the water bottle that was handed to him. Impatience zinged through him, but he knew he needed to hydrate and take in some protein.
Finishing the water and jerky, he began to work on gathering the rest of his things.
“Ash, maybe ya could bathe first?” Irv suggested. “I know a lot has happened in the last few days, but we need to just relax for a bit.”
Ashar shook his head. “No, I need to go.”
“Okay, bro. Focus here. You’ve been lying in that bed for a while. Ya smell. Ya clean up, I’ll pack my stuff, tell the boys we’re leaving.”
Swinging his head around to frown at Irv and sniffing the air, Ash wrinkled his nose. “The rest of you don’t have to go, but yeah, I do smell.”
“‘Course I’m going. We’re a team, ya and I.” Standing up, Irv went to the door. “Are we going back to get the others, or… I’m not real sure what is happening here?”
“I just need to go.” Ashar had taken out his clothing and towel, and a pouch of yucca.
Irv stood. “I’ll fill your pan up with water and give ya some privacy. I have a lot of questions, Ashar.”
Ashar wasn’t sure he could explain all that had happened to him, much less to anyone else. Irv came back with the pan full of snow and left him. Ashar watched the snow melt into water, trying to calm the racing thoughts in his head and compact them into something that made sense.
It was possible he was acting irrationally. The intensity of the emotions that had seized him and the pain that had faded now had left behind a restless feeling for haste.
He sponge bathed, thinking of how Irv had reacted to his bones. As far as he could recall, there had been surprise and concern, but nothing that had made him feel like the freak so many others had treated him like.
Irv had said he had questions. Ashar would answer them the best that he could. The secret was out between them and there was no point pretending it wasn’t. There was no reason for Carl or Adam to know.
He was standing at a crossroads and he knew it. Now, he would have to choose whether to trust Irv with everything, or share just bits and pieces. And not just his past. The feeling that his future was about to change dramatically was a swollen bubble of apprehension before him. It would be up to him whether he followed it or ran from it.
Feeling somewhat cleansed, Ashar dressed and repacked his things in a more orderly fashion. There was no reason to vary from the level of preparation Irv had taught him.
Outside of his teepee, the forest glittered in white sparkle. Branches dipped with the weight of snow on branches, and the sun glimmered its reflection off the gleaming white. Low ground cover reached out stems to seek the light, reminders that they were only buried and would show their stalks again.
The tarp shelter was all but gone. Carl and Adam were dealing with the boughs that had kept the wind and snow from them.
Irv approached.
“Are ya sure you’re up to this?” he asked.
“I am.” Ashar flicked in eyes in the direction the other two had gone. “I’d rather they didn’t know about my bones.”
“Of course,” Irv exclaimed without hesitation and an admonishing look. “It’s not my place to tell.”
“What did you tell them?”
Irv walked over to where their backpacks sat waiting and hitched his into place, tightening his straps. “I told them the truth. God was telling ya to go somewhere and if they wanted to follow or go back, it was up to them. They’re going with us.”
Ashar had no idea what had inspired such loyalty from any of them. As Carl and Adam rejoined them, he realized that God had given him more than just Irv as a friend.
“We’re ready when you are,” Carl said cheerfu
lly as he flung his backpack over his shoulders and secured it.
Ashar nodded. They left their small camp, his teepee still standing. His steps were determined and purposeful. Leaving with Irv had never been about seeing how the world had changed. It had always been about discovering his purpose and walking in it. Now that he knew that, he couldn’t turn back.
They hadn’t been walking long, but he knew he needed to slow down. He was weak from the time he had spent in prayer and lost in the visions. The adrenaline flowing in his veins pushed him on. All he knew was that he needed to get to the church, but his body protested.
The others were quiet and Ashar had no doubt that they were concerned about him. He’d expected questions that hadn’t come.
No one asked anything until he had to stop and rest. Using a fallen tree as a seat, they settled. Carl tossed him a granola bar, tearing into one of his own.
“So,” Carl started around a mouthful. “What’s the scoop? Honestly, I thought you were dying, and here we are on an unknown mission.”
Ashar finished his granola bar, tucking the wrapper into a side pocket of his pack. He cleared his throat, and looked at Irv.
“We should slow down,” Irv said at his look. “Talk about where we are going. We could be walking right into a situation you’re not strong enough physically to handle right now. If we keep going at this pace, you’ll be exhausted and dehydrated.”
“Us too,” Carl added.
Irv continued. “None of ya have been out there. It’s dangerous. There are Axis soldiers and OWO soldiers everywhere. One kills everyone they see, the other makes that determination based on criteria that isn’t clear to anyone.”
“We’re looking for a church,” Ashar told them. “God gave me a vision. I’m supposed to go there.”
“Why?” Adam questioned quietly.
That was the question he had been expecting. The one he didn’t have an answer for. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly.
“This path will take us to Talladega.” Irv motioned with his arm. “I don’t think it’s safe to go there. And churches are under attack. They should be avoided.”
“Why’s that?” Carl gazed inquisitively at Irv. “I’m starting to feel out of the loop here. Like you two have had conversations that we haven’t been a part of. We’re all in this together, aren’t we?”
“There are claims being made that Afion is god. Churches are being burned.” Irv crossed his arms, his eyes darkening. It was obvious it was uncomfortable for him to remember. Ashar understood; he felt the same way remembering the dreams.
“We aren’t going to Talladega.” Ashar met each pair of eyes, wondering what God would ask of each of them in the days to come. “If we are walking where God is leading, then He will protect us.”
Adam looked skeptical.
Carl stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. “And where exactly do you think God is leading you then?”
“Harpersville.”
“That’s specific.” Irv commented with raised eyebrows. “And, not far.”
“Good. Let’s get going then,” Ashar said, standing up.
“Ash,” Irv sounded impatient. “Why there? This is all a bit abrupt. We can’t operate on minimal information. What else can ya tell us?”
Ashar stood on the snow-covered path and lifted his eyes to watch layer after layer of branches move in the breeze above him. Like angel wings. The branches reached for each other, sharing the space, bare branches mingling with pine. Some were coated with snow, others had shaken it loose to defy the flakes.
“There is a church in Harpersville.” He felt like a picture of the church was burned into his eyes, didn’t know how they all couldn’t see it reflected there. Despite the cold and the snow, Ashar could feel a layer of sweat clinging to his skin. The bones were hot, warding off the chill as effectively as the sun on a hot summer day.
The vision replayed. Dark beings swirling around the church, invading it. He saw himself walk up the stairs and open the white double doors. He turned there, looking back at himself. The black angels flew at him. From his back rose four majestic wings. The black angels screamed in fury, dark hands reaching out to tear at them. He winced when he felt the tug along his bones, pain and fear dimming his sight of the church. It was possible he would die there.
He didn’t know why, but he knew from the depths of his spirit that there was a great purpose for his going there. He could not let his fear win.
“We’re walking right into an evil so dark it could kill all of us,” he whispered. He imagined them all walking right into the mass. God had told him to go, but not if any of them would survive. He spun around to look at them. “You don’t have to go,” he told them in a plea, shaking his head as he said it, wanting them to decline their presence. “None of you should go with me.”
Three sets of eyes stared back at him, probably evaluating his sanity, and he wondered if they understood the concept of evil, of death. He thought that Carl had been saved on the mountain.
Adam he was unsure about. He knew the kid listened, but he had no idea if he had chosen to place his soul anywhere.
Evil could be waiting for them in many forms, in either army battling for power, or another form of darkness. Ashar didn’t think for a second that actual dark angels would be waiting to attack. He was certain that the church itself was not symbolic, but the angels could be representative of soldiers, he supposed.
Death for him meant heaven. He had no qualms about when it would come for him. He could feel the heavy pit of it pulling at his soul. Perhaps it was for that reason that he hurried forward, so that his fear could not conquer his purpose.
He had to offer the others the same choice he was making. “Satan wants us all dead,” Ashar stated, pressing a hand against his stomach and curling his fist around the fabric that covered it. Saying it aloud made if more real, more terrifying. The message burned. “You need to choose now. Stay and live. Or go and face death.”
“Where ya go, I go,” Irv said from close behind him.
“I still feel like we are we missing part of the story,” Carl huffed. “I just feel like this is a bit… extreme. My gut is telling me you’re holding something back.”
“I’m going to have to agree with Carl.” Adam moved closer into the scattered square they stood in. “I’m thinking you need to make a choice to trust us.”
Ashar fought an internal battle at the suggestion. Their intuition was definitely not off. He hadn’t forgotten a single reaction he had gotten as his mother openly talked about his ‘condition.’ His emotions played a dark melody. Irv had seemed to take it so well, had pledged his presence and his continuing support. That had been a nice place to end it.
He knew Carl was right. They deserved the truth. If they were willing to risk death for him, they should know everything.
With Irv, he had needed to see his reaction. With Carl and Adam, cowardly or not, he chose to rise and start down the path again, so he wouldn’t see their faces. He could not let their reactions sway him from his destination.
Slowly he told them about his bones, about his parents’ obsession with them, the testing and the experiments, and the constant visits to doctors and specialists. He told them about the anonymous letter that had led him to the painful truth and his decision to leave.
“I had no idea what I was going to do. I just left. God led me to Irv, and here we are.”
There was silence except for the crunch of boots on snow. Carl spoke first.
“Can we see your bones?” he requested.
Ashar remembered a hospital room crowded with doctors and nurses, his gown open in the back so they could examine the bones. He had turned his head and seen a young intern with his mouth open and horror on his face.
He breathed in deep, expelled it. All in, he reminded himself. Throwing his head back, he stopped and lowered his pack to the ground. He unzipped his outer coat and peeled it off, tossing it on top of his pack. His favorite j
acket went next. His sweatshirt. Ashar turned his body away from them again, hands gripping his shirt hem, his chest tight. His fingers rolled, stroked over the fabric, feeling the softness.
“It’s okay, Ash,” Carl said softly from behind him. “It won’t change anything.”
Ashar blinked fast, refusing to cry at the assurance. He was being a coward. He tightened his fingers on the fabric and pulled, lifting it up his back until all four bones were revealed for their perusal.
“Do they hurt?” Adam asked, a touch of awe in his voice.
“Bro, they’re red,” Irv said. Ashar tensed when he felt fingers against his skin. The cold air prickled against the light sheen of sweat on the rest of his exposed skin. “They’re warm, Ash,” Irv remarked.
“Can I touch one?” There was curiosity in Carl’s voice but Ashar could hear no disgust or negativity in his voice.
Ashar rolled his shoulders, trying to relax. “Um. I guess.” He felt fingers trace over the upper right bone.
“Whoa. Your skin is really warm.” A finger poked his back just below his neck. “Like a lot different than the rest.”
The bones did feel hot. Ash tugged his shirt down and forced himself to turn and look at all of them. No one was looking at him like he was a freak.
“Are they always warm like that? They were the same shade as the rest of your skin when I saw them the first time.” Irv was obviously concerned.
Carl waggled his hand. “Also, we don’t have personal heaters. Feeling a bit jealous right now.”
The tension drained away and Ashar gave Carl a grateful smile. “They don’t hurt. And no, they aren’t usually warm like that. It started with the dreams. I’m not sure what it means, but I don’t think it’s hurting me.”
Carl handed him his sweatshirt. “So, bones huh? Why do you think you have them?”
Ashar gathered his thoughts, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. He accepted his jacket. “I don’t really know, but I’ve always thought that someday they would be wings. In the dreams I had, I had four. What seemed like thousands of evil angels were coming at me, trying to tear them off. The air was so thick with darkness that it hovered over the angels and around them like fog.”
Seal Two Page 18
