by Scalzo, Russ
“Okay. I trust your premonitions or feelings or whatever. You know more about this stuff than I do. So, what’s our next step?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s give it a couple of days. I need to pray about this and think it through.”
“Alright. It’s Tuesday - we should meet again on Thursday to compare notes. If you find out anything before then, call me. I’ll snoop around Washington and see what I can find out. Until then, you watch your back. In the meantime,” Frank looked over at Emily and then back at Jack, “keep moving forward, if you know what I mean.”
Jack picked up the check and gave Frank a look. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Emily was standing by the register when Jack walked over to pay the bill.
“How was everything?” she asked looking straight into his eyes.
Jack stood there for a moment not saying a thing. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like forever. His heartbeat quickened. He was very nervous, but knew he had to make his move. It was now or never. Finally, he mustered, “Good as usual. Ah, I was wondering, if you don’t have any plans on Friday, would you like to have dinner with me?”
Emily’s eyes immediately brightened. Finally! she thought to herself. “Sure! I mean, yes. That would be very nice. I’ll give you my address. Oh! And my phone number in case something comes up.”
Jack smiled. He instantly felt lighter, like a heavy weight had been lifted off him. “How about I pick you up at seven. Is Regina’s okay? Do you like Italian food? They are the best around.”
“Sounds wonderful. Seven it is.”
Jack smiled again, turned and walked out to his car. It had finally stopped raining, but it could have been snowing and he wouldn’t have even noticed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Back in L.A., Dante Adal awaited a report from one of his foul-spirited henchmen. He liked to use them for “Stage 1 Intimidations” as he called them - threats, minor hindrances, and the like. These types of spirits usually worked through humans who had a welcoming state of mind. Sometimes the spirits would actually inhabit them without the people even knowing it. Other times they would come and go as needed. Operating in this way gave Dante a wide range of options given that there were so many humans of this kind to choose from.
A slight gust of wind crossed over Dante’s desk and a ghostly image appeared hovering in the center of his office. Dante turned around, put his hands flat on his desk, leaned forward, and demanded, “What do you have to report?”
“I have done as you asked Master,” the voice said in a deep, grave tone. “Jack Bennett has been warned, but I do not believe he will back off. This one is different. The Spirit is strong in him.”
Dante stood up straight and growled, “All flesh is the same. We will have to take it to the next level. What about the prayer meeting? Is it being shut down?”
“I have stirred the two you chose. They will do their worst to have them thrown out of the old church they’re meeting in. They plan on having the historical society inform them they can no longer meet there, as you suggested.”
“Excellent. Ah yes, so much jealousy and bitterness - two of my most delightful tools. Keep up the good work.” Dante paused and snickered. The phrase amused him. “Make sure that happens. You may go. I will deal with this Jack Bennett person.”
With that, the spirit vanished into thin air. Dante knew he had to move slowly and methodically if he was going to destroy this uprising and, at the same time, avoid any confrontation with angelic forces, especially Uriel. He would have to be sly and deceptive but then again, that was his nature.
* * *
Jack finished his Wednesday morning blog update, walked out his front door and onto the front porch, and plopped himself down in his favorite chair. This was the place he liked to pray, meditate, and just plain zone out. The view from the front porch was beautiful and serene. His house was set back two hundred feet from the road and was separated by a line of Black Oak trees that came with the property and four flowering Dogwoods he planted himself.
Jack thought about all that had happened over the past week, including his encounters with Emily, but what was foremost on his mind was the spiritual battle he was in. He knew this battle was going to be lengthy and difficult, but he also knew that the reward would be great. The words the angel spoke echoed in his head. Jack considered everything that happened to him to be an incredible privilege. God was using him in a powerful way and he knew that whatever came his way, the Lord would have his back. That didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned, but there was only one Almighty and he knew it wasn’t him. The enemy’s plan was obvious to him.
The last thing the king of darkness wanted was an on fire group of Christians praying in unity and agreeing on something. Since the beginning of time he had been driving a wedge between Christians by persuading them to separate into denominations. If possible, he would have them argue over how many angels could fit on the head of a pin. No matter what the situation was, his strategy was the same - divide and conquer.
Jesus said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Jack knew this and had always been about unity. His favorite scripture was in the gospel of John, 17:21. “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’
Jack thought about how powerful a weapon unity is. It is one that causes The Enemy to tremble. Jack knew that would be the first thing he should attempt to do. If he could cause friction between the believers and get them to stop praying, then he would be on his way to victory.
Just then Jack’s cell phone started ringing - it was Conni. He almost expected this phone call.
He answered, “Hi Conni. What’s going on?”
“Hi Jack. I heard from the historical society today.” Her voice was stressed. She was obviously disturbed. “They told me that we couldn’t use the church anymore for our prayer meetings.”
Jack could feel his blood pressure rising. “What was their reasoning for that decision?”
“They said the building wasn’t safe enough for large gatherings, but you and I both know what’s really going on. Obviously those two people you pointed out to me had something to do with it. The historical society would have never let us in in the first place if there been some structural problem.”
Jack felt awful. He thought to himself. If I only hadn’t gone there and spoken, maybe none of this would have happened.
“Yes, we know who’s behind this. I feel bad, Conni. I think I might have brought this down on you and your group.”
“They couldn’t have known you were going to be there. Only a handful of people knew you were coming. I think this was in the works for a while.”
Jack stood up and began to pace back and forth from one end of the porch to the other.
“There is something I didn’t tell you.” Jack drew a deep breath before continuing, “When I left the other night, those same two people were waiting for me in the parking lot. They came up to me when I was getting in my car and threatened that if I came back, something bad was going to happen to me, or you, or both of us. They told me they worked for powerful people who wanted me to stay away.”
Jack could tell Conni was a little shaken. She took a couple of seconds to respond.
“Wow,” she said softly. “That is awful. Who do those people think they are?” Conni shifted from shaken to furious in a heartbeat. “We should fight this thing!”
Jack knew that wasn’t going to work. “I feel the same way Conni, but they have authority over all those historical buildings. We would have to prove that the building is safe, and even then they could still deny us access. We need to find another place for you to gather. Does anyone in the group have a home church that will let you use their building?”
“Well, as you saw the group is diverse in many ways. Very few of them go to the same church. That was what was so unique about it. The gathering was interdenominational. You know how it is, churche
s are so territorial. I’ll ask around, but honestly that’s why we ended up there in the first place. It was our only option at the time.”
None of what Conni said was news to Jack, but it still always bothered him to hear it. Jack wanted to encourage Conni to move ahead. Without prayer, they would be in trouble.
“This is the age of technology Conni,” he said. “We still can get together and pray, just not in the same place. If you have everyone’s email addresses, tell them what’s going on and ask them to pray that God will provide a place to get together. We are not in this alone. This is God’s battle, not ours.”
“Okay, I can do that. If I send you the group’s email addresses, would you send them an encouraging message? I think they would like to hear from you as well.”
“It would be my pleasure. Anything I can do to help,” Jack reassured her.
Conni thanked Jack and said goodbye. She felt so much better after talking to him. Jack had a way of encouraging people, a gift Conni was very thankful for. She was well aware of what was at stake. The spiritual world was very real to her. She had prayed over many disturbed and spiritually harassed people in her life and knew what prayer could do. For years, most of her family saw her as some kind of religious freak, especially when she tried to share her experiences with God with them.
Although she never married, Conni had many children. It was because of her love for kids that she decided to volunteer as a helper with the local children’s hospital bringing toys and treats to many of the sick children. When the opportunity presented itself, she would pray with them and their parents. She had touched many lives over the years and she planned on continuing as long as the Lord allowed.
Jack laid his phone down on the table next to his chair and said some prayers of his own.
He just got started when the phone rang again. It was Frank.
“Hey buddy, what’s happening?” Jack answered.
“We won’t be able to get together tomorrow. I’ve been assigned a new case. Seems like I might need you on this one too, but I won’t know for sure until I get there. You’re not going to believe where this one is. High Point. I think it’s the same old church that your prayer meeting was in.”
Jack sat up straight. “What? No way! What’s going on there?”
“They say the lights are going on and off at night, chairs are flying around, and strange sounds are coming from the steeple. It’s scaring the hell out of the neighborhood.” Frank caught himself and quickly apologized for his phrasing. “Oh, sorry. You know what I mean.”
Jack half smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. Unfortunately, Hell is a very real place and it wouldn’t be a bad thing if it was scared out of everybody. I need to be in on this one.”
“I had a feeling you might say that. I’ll meet you there tonight at, say, 7:00 p.m. I have some things I need to clear up here in D.C. first. Plus I know you - you’ll want to see if things go bump in the night.”
Jack hung up, leaned back in his chair and stared straight ahead. He couldn’t remember a time when things were this crazy. What in the world is going on? He thought to himself, The spirit world is beginning to manifest itself and the fight is moving into the open.
He bowed his head and prayed, “Father, strengthen your people for the battle ahead.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A heavy mist was falling as Jack pulled up in front of the old church. He parked right next to Frank’s car and saw that Frank was still sitting inside talking on the phone. Jack waited until he was done talking, got out of his car and jumped in with Frank.
“Well, here we are again. Have you seen anything unusual since you’ve been here?” Jack asked.
“No, but then again it’s just now getting dark and nothing happens until it’s dark, right?” Frank said half joking. “Of course, this fog doesn’t help any either. I hate this kind of weather. I brought two big flashlights and it looks like we’re gonna need them.”
Jack looked puzzled. “What for? The lights were working when I was here.”
“Yeah, about that - the historical society had the power shut off earlier today. The local cops came by earlier figuring there must be a short somewhere which would explain why the lights were going in and out,” Frank explained.
“Great. They couldn’t wait one more day? Didn’t they know you were coming?”
Frank gave Jack a sarcastic look. “What do you expect? The federal and local agencies to actually communicate?”
“Unbelievable. Well, let’s get going.”
They got out of the car and walked up the long, gray slate sidewalk that led to a small front porch. Frank moved his hand over his gun. It was a habit he had. He liked to make sure it was ready to go, just in case. Jack made his way onto the porch and reached his hand out to open one of the large double wooden doors.
“Hey, I should go first. I’m the federal agent with the gun,” Frank insisted.
Jack looked at him curiously and said, “I thought the cops already went through this place?”
“I don’t trust anyone except myself and God.” He then added, “And, on occasion, you.”
“God? Really?” Jack asked with a smile. “Interesting.”
Jack yielded and Frank went in first, both their flashlights burning bright. Jack tried the light switch, but Frank was right - the power was off.
“Maybe I should check the attic. That’s where they said the sounds were coming from.”
Frank looked at Jack like he was insane.
“No way! Don’t you watch any movies? That’s what all those morons do. Oh, let’s split up,” he imitated mockingly. “No. We are staying together, especially after all I’ve seen working with you - no way. That’s not gonna happen.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “You watch too much TV. I feel like I’m back in high school sneaking around old abandoned houses. Fine, we’ll go together.”
“You broke into houses?” Frank asked, stunned.
Jack peered at him and said, “Just keep walking.”
The two men climbed the stairs slowly and methodically. Frank thought, Forget about any wackos or goblins. These old rickety stairs will probably kill us first. They finally reached the attic. It was very difficult to distinguish anything even with their flashlights, but as far as they could see, there was no one there.
Then Jack felt something he didn’t like. It was the same familiar feeling he always got when something was about to appear.
“Frank, I’m sensing someone or something is here.”
Just then, there was a howl and a strong gust of wind. Frank felt something brush by him that gave him a chill up and down his spine. He turned quickly, moving his flashlight up and down, hoping to get a glimpse of what it was.
Jack spun around. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear it? I felt it! Whatever it was brushed right by me. I think it headed back down the steps.”
Frank shined his flashlight in the direction of the steps, revealing a trail of reddish-orange smoke swirling around the top of the steps. Jack saw it too. They looked at each other and carefully headed back down to the first floor. Once again, they heard what they determined to be a combination of growling and howling, with a trace of smoke rising up from the basement. They slowly made their way down to the basement, flashlights in hand. Frank braced his gun and flashlight tight in his hands, sweeping the room from one side to the other. Jack was right alongside of him, searching meticulously for what he knew was not human.
“I don’t think that gun is going to do us any good, Frank.”
“Well I’m not putting it down - you can bet on that. You have your weapons and I have mine.”
All of a sudden the room was filled with reddish-orange smoke that formed a huge, thick cloud. Horrific, deep guttural sounds began to come from the inside of the swirling cloud, growing louder and louder and becoming so intense that Frank and Jack felt like their heads were going to explode. They watched as two red eyes began to appear through the smoke and then, th
ere it was - a large figure with jet-black wings stood before them. It had the face of a man, but its skin was like the scales of a snake. Strapped to its side was a large, pewter colored sword that nearly reached the floor.
This was not the first time Frank had seen crazy-weird-Jack-stuff, but it had always been at a great distance before. It was never this evil and ominous, and it was never this close. Frank felt like all of the air had been taken from the room. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.
The creature looked at Frank and seemed to quickly dismiss him as non-threatening. Looking back at Jack, it said, “Well, if it isn’t Jack Bennett. I knew you would come if I put on a little show for everybody.”
Frank tried to use his weapon, but he couldn’t move his hand. His whole body seemed to be paralyzed, but not from fear.
Jack looked the creature in the eye, stood firm, and said, “You have no right to be here.”
It glared at Jack, challenging him venomously. “Oh, but I do. I brought this place down fifty years ago. The leadership was more concerned about preserving the building than saving their own souls. They invited me in here with all their petty bickering and backbiting. You have no idea how much fun it was watching them tear themselves apart, so I can’t have you and the others re-sanctifying this place. It was given to me, and I don’t plan on giving it back. It belongs to me.”
Jack knew all demons were liars, but in this case there was a measure of spiritual truth there. Even so, he needed to stand his ground.
Jack responded with confidence, “It is my intention to take this place back in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was once dedicated to Him and it will be again!”
With that, the creature repelled backwards. The name of Jesus seemed to penetrate it like an electric shock. Taking a deep breath, the creature spat back at Jack with fury, “I am the prince of the entire region you call the United States! I will not be removed. You may hinder me for a short time, but I will destroy this country from the inside out. You cannot stop it. It is already well underway.”
