by Scalzo, Russ
The creature reached down, drew its sword from its sheath, raised it high in the air and taunted, “I may not be able to kill you now,” motioning to Jack, “but I can do away with this one,” turning his attention to Frank. Frank’s eyes grew wide and he found himself completely unable to move, still frozen by some kind of outside force.
Jack cried out, “Father! Remove this demon from this place!”
At that, incredible, bright streams of light began to penetrate the darkness and fill the room. They seemed to be coming from every direction and flying in at imperceptible speeds. The reddish-orange mist quickly began to dissolve as the pure bright light filled not just the basement, but the entire building. The creature jerked backwards, holding his sword out in front of him in a defensive posture as another figure emerged. It was a gleaming bright angel of light holding his own sword in his hands; only this sword pulsated with light as bright as the sun. They could hardly look at it - it was so bright.
Although he was clothed in spectacular glory, Jack recognized his face as the hitchhiker he has picked up in the car that day. He didn’t have much to reference given that it was the only angel he had ever seen, but he had a strong feeling it was.
Jack and Frank stared in amazement. Frank was still holding on tight to his weapon and could finally feel his arms and legs coming back to life. Jack reached out and guided Frank’s arms back down to his sides. There was clearly no need or use for earthly weapons here.
The creature moaned in disapproval, “Uriel, we meet again.”
“Yes, Dante. The Lord sent me to remind you that, once again, you have overstepped. These belong to Him.”
Dante growled and indicated Frank. “Not this one.”
“You do not know the plans of the Lord. Only He can read the hearts of men.”
“Why does he bother with such fools?” Dante retorted.
“His ways are not our ways and they are definitely not your ways. The Lord is reclaiming what is His, for His glory and His honor.” Uriel then commanded the creature with authority, “Be gone from this place and never return!”
Dante winced in disgust, but added, “I will have my day and this world and all the fools who live in it will obey me.”
“That may be, but your time is not yet.” Uriel raised his sword, glared into Dante’s red glowing eyes and declared loudly, “The Lord God has spoken!”
Dante shrieked in frustration and anger. The sound of his voice rattled every loose board and pane of glass in the building. Then suddenly, he was gone. Uriel stood there alone, looked at Jack and smiled, confirming in Jack’s heart that he was in fact the one who talked with him in the car.
Uriel glanced at Frank, raised his eyebrow and looked back at Jack. He smiled again and shot up through the building like a rocket into the sky.
Jack looked at Frank and said, “You might want to consider making that commitment to the Lord we’ve talked about.”
Frank stared at him in stunned silence. A slow smile began to form on Jack’s face growing wider and wider until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He broke out in laughter and, like a dam bursting, he released all of the tension in the room. Frank slowly began to laugh as well, but his was a very nervous laughter.
Not another word was spoken until they got outside and were standing in the parking lot. Frank, still tingling all over, took a deep breath and said, “Okay, so what do I have to do? I mean, besides change my underwear?”
Jack continued laughing, partly because of what Frank said, but more because the tension was still there.
Becoming more serious, Jack said, “I’ll tell you what - I know this is an extremely private matter for you, considering your Jewish roots and all. I know you pretty well, so I think you should get in your car and talk to the Lord just like you would talk to me or anyone else. Reflect on your life. Ask Him to forgive you for every sin and wrong thing you have ever done. Ask Him to give you a new start and to come in and fill your heart with the assurance of His mercy and love. I guarantee you will feel the change. Call me and let me know how you do.”
At first, Frank just stared at him and said, “Okay. Geez, this is a night I will never forget. Do you think the prayer group will get to come back now?”
“Well, if I were a betting man, I’d be all over that one. I don’t know when or how, but my money is on God.”
Barely hearing what Jack had said, Frank stood and stared at the church almost as if he were in a trance. Jack reached over and gave him a man hug. He looked like he needed it.
“Go and talk to God. Your Messiah is waiting for you.”
Frank took a deep breath, got into his car, and drove off. Now it was time to head home. As Jack pulled away, he thought he heard the sound of a bell coming from the church steeple. He listened again, then shook his head. No, he thought. That couldn’t be. Then a smile broke out on his face and he said out loud, “Or could it?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Thursday came and went without incident except for a long awaited call from Frank. He told Jack all about the incredible experience he had driving home the night before and how he never thought something like this could happen to him. Frank truly felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of him. Frank also told Jack that he would be taking the day off to rest and to start reading his Bible, which Jack had given him as a gift a few weeks after they started working together.
Jack was elated. He felt like it was happening to him all over again. He was so happy for his friend. Before they hung up, Jack prayed with Frank, and then jokingly said, “Now we have something to talk about.”
Jack was really looking forward to Sunday so he could introduce Frank to some of his friends from church, many of whom had been praying for Frank for years.
Now it was Friday morning which meant that Friday night was only hours away. He was more than a little nervous about his dinner with Emily, especially since it had been a long time since he had been on a date. He had been out to parties and had socialized with women, but this - well, this was a real date.
Jack had picked Regina’s because it was very nice, but casual. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression. He just wanted to build a friendship and go from there - to move slow. He couldn’t even imagine how awkward it would be to go back to CJ’s if things didn’t work out. His mind was filled with scenarios, good and bad. For now, he would try to just chill out and take a deep breath; something he hadn’t been able to do for a while.
* * *
Jack pulled up to Emily’s apartment building, shut off the car, and collected himself. He thought, Come on! I have fought with demons and talked with an angel. How hard could this be?
He walked up the concrete walkway and hit the buzzer. Emily’s voice came through the speaker, “Hi, Jack! I’ll be right down.”
“Okay,” he answered. He watched a man across the street wash his car as he waited for Emily to come out. A few seconds passed and the door opened. Emily walked out, looking beautiful. He thought to himself, Jack, try not to screw this up!
“Hi,” Emily greeted him with a smile. “I see you found the place okay.”
“Oh yeah!” Jack replied, trying not to sound nervous. “GPS - never leave home without it.”
As they reached the car, Jack opened the passenger door for her and then got in.
“Regina’s is only a few miles from here. Have you ever been there before?” Jack asked.
“I haven’t, but most everybody I know loves it there. I’m a big lasagna fan. I lived on Italian food back in New York. That’s where my family’s from - Brooklyn actually.”
“Brooklyn? Wow, I would never have guessed. I never picked up on an accent.”
“It comes out once in a while. I’ve been in Virginia for about eight years now.”
“How long have you been at CJ’s?” Jack asked.
“Almost two years. The owners are pretty nice there and the tips aren’t bad. You seem to like it there, too. You and...?” she paused. “Frank, right?”
Jack laughed, “Yeah, Frank. We work together. We like to meet there and discuss... business, I guess.”
“Yeah, I see you both there a lot. If you don’t mind me saying so, your conversations look… intense. Not that I hear anything, really. It just looks like you’re really into whatever it is you’re discussing.”
Jack just smiled. “We do get intense sometimes. I guess you could say that it’s a complicated job.”
Jack could see Regina’s coming up on the right. “Here we are. I made a reservation because this place is always hopping.”
Jack and Emily walked up to the hostess station. The hostess confirmed their reservation and showed them to their table. It was a great spot beside a large window and overlooking the flower gardens.
The waitress promptly came over and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?” Emily smiled and said, “A glass of iced tea would be fine, please.”
Jack took note and added, “I’ll have the same.” Jack would occasionally have a glass of red wine, but he didn’t know how Emily felt about it, so he decided to follow her lead.
“So, from Brooklyn, New York to Blackstone, Virginia. What made that happen?”
“Well, I went to George Mason University in Fairfax right out of high school. I was there for a couple of years and kind of bailed out. I’ve been here ever since.”
Jack’s mind quickly figured out that Emily was, at best, twenty-seven. She didn’t look older, but he just had it in his head somehow that she was at least thirty years old.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you go back home to New York?”
“Well, I met a guy who I thought was really cool, and, big shocker,” she said sarcastically, “he was a musician and in a band! I dropped out of school to go with him on tour - not a good experience. It didn’t end up well, to say the least. I wasted two years of my life with that jerk. To make things worse, my parents completely freaked out when I dropped out of the university and we kind of stopped talking after that.”
She looked at Jack and thought, He’ll probably be glad when this date’s over. Emily sighed and said, “Pretty awful, huh.”
When the waitress brought their drinks, Jack told her they needed a few more minutes to look at the menu. She said, “Sure, no problem,” and left them to decide.
Trying not to make her feel worse, Jack said, “Hey, things happen. We all have our stuff - nobody’s perfect. How are things now with your parents?”
Looking more at ease, Emily replied, “Okay. We talk a couple times a month now. They would like to see me go back to school, but I have to make a living and I’m not sure what I want to do right now. The only good thing that came out of all of that is, when I left him and was at my worst, the Lord came into my life, which, by the way, made my family believe that I went from bad to worse, if you know what I mean.”
“Believe me, I know,” Jack sympathized. “It’s a shame you had to go through all that, but God has His ways. I’ve never been able to figure them out, but He always knows what He’s doing.”
Emily smiled and nodded. Trying to change the subject, she said, “Well, enough about me. How about you? I hear you are an author. What kinds of things do you write about?”
Jack could only think, Wow! If she thought her life was a little crazy, just wait until she hears about what I do.
Jack took a sip of iced tea and answered, “I study and write about paranormal activity and, on occasion, the government will bring me in as a consultant on difficult cases.”
Jack waited for her reaction. Emily stared at him for a moment and he could feel the sweat building up on the back of his neck. He thought, Really, Jack? You opened with that? God, I’m blowing this for sure.
Emily said, “Wow! That’s amazing. How did you get into that?”
Immediately, Jack could feel the anxiety draining from his face.
“That’s a long story. Maybe we should order first.” Jack motioned for the waitress and they each placed their order. Emily ordered her lasagna and Jack, his favorite ravioli. When the waitress left, Emily, very interested in hearing Jack’s story, kept the conversation going. “So you were about to tell me how you got into this paranormal stuff?”
“Right. Well, it might not be good dinner conversation now that I think about it. I don’t want to get all heavy duty on you.” He tried to deter her from the subject, but as he looked into her eyes, he could tell she was eager to hear about it.
“I don’t mind! I think it’s really cool. I mean, I’ve been on dates that were just plain awful filled with long boring conversation. Please, if you don’t mind talking about it, I would love to hear it.”
Jack hesitated, but realized how comfortable Emily made him feel. He continued, “Well… okay. I will warn you, it has a very sad beginning.” Jack drew a deep breath, and then exhaled. Emily mimicked him and braced herself.
Jack continued, “It started fifteen years ago when my girlfriend Susan, who I was about to propose to, was killed by a drunk driver. I was devastated, as you can imagine, and just kind of drifted along in a daze for quite awhile. Her sister was into mediums and psychics and all kinds of weird stuff, and was bent on talking to her dead sister. She dragged me along with her to all these readings and séances trying to contact her. It was awful. Every place we went, all they did was take her money and lie to her. I mean, I didn’t know the Lord then, but even I could see all they were doing was ripping her off. I tried to tell her it was a bad idea, but she wanted to try one more so I went along with it, but begged her to promise that it was the last one. We ended up at a carnival that advertised a woman who could tell the future and talk to departed family members and friends. Well, when we got in there and this woman got going, I got a very strange, uneasy feeling. There was something very different about this one. We could hear several voices coming from different parts of the room and just when I thought it was eerie enough, the woman began to speak in a man’s voice. It was deep and gravelly. It wasn’t like anything we had ever heard before. It shook me to my core. I grabbed Susan’s sister and we got out of there in a hurry.
“When we got out, we saw this guy handing out pamphlets about the Lord. He came up to us and told us that that place we were in was very evil, and we needed to look to God for answers instead of the devil. He asked us if we wanted to accept Jesus as our savior and handed us a pamphlet. Susan’s sister took the pamphlet, looked at it for a minute, and threw it on the ground. She grabbed my hand and told me that we needed to get out of there, but I wanted to hear more. I told her to go ahead, but that I was going to stay because I wanted to talk to him some more.”
Emily was mesmerized. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Jack. Just then, the food showed up. Jack, wanting to change the subject for a while, said, “Thank you! This looks great.”
“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.
Jack looked at Emily. “No, I’m good,” she said with a smile.
Jack leaned over and said, “Is it okay if I say a quick blessing over the food?”
“Of course! Please, do.”
Emily thought to herself, This guy is too good to be true.
Jack said a quick prayer, smiled and said, “Okay, enough talking - let’s eat.”
After about twenty minutes of enjoying and commenting on how awesome the dinner was, Emily said, “If you don’t mind, please continue. I love listening to you.”
Jack hadn’t talked about this particular topic for years for a lot of reasons. However, this felt like the right time and the right person to share it all with.
“Okay, well I stayed and talked to this guy for an hour or more asking him all kinds of questions. Finally, he asked me if I would like to pray with him and ask Christ to come into my life. At that point, I was ready… big time. I had lost the girl I hoped to marry and I was over running around looking for answers in all those dark places. That day, God changed my life, and from that day on, I attended Bible classes, studied everyday, and grabbed ev
erything I could get my hands on about what the world considered to be paranormal activity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but God was leading and guiding me to the truth about it all. Now, I get to investigate cases for the federal government and reveal to others what the unseen world is really about.” He took a deep breath, relieved to finally share his story and finished with, “That’s my story and that’s what I write about.”
Emily sat back in her chair, taking it all in. After a long pause, she responded, “That is amazing! I think what you do is fascinating.”
Jack thought, Baby, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
When they finished eating, Jack suggested they get dessert at a little ice cream place he knew of that made it all from scratch. Emily agreed and off they went. Afterward, they went for a long walk, enjoying each other’s company and their ice cream.
It was late when they headed back home. Jack pulled in front of Emily’s apartment and shut off the engine. They sat in the car talking and laughing for another hour.
Although she never wanted the night to end, she glanced at the time and said, “Wow! It’s later than I thought. I wish I didn’t have to go, but unfortunately I have to be get up at 5am for work in the morning.”
Emily moved a little closer to Jack, smiled, and whispered, “I had a great time. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.”
Jack smiled back. “Me too. I would love to see you again. Can I call you?”
Emily’s mind was spinning. Is he kidding?
“I would love that,” she responded.
Jack couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed her immediately upon meeting her the very first time. She was truly beautiful from her head to her feet. He looked into her sparkling, deep blue eyes and gently brushed her long jet-black hair away from her face. They leaned into each other and kissed, sweetly. They both felt it instantly. The chemistry, the connection, the spark – it was undeniable!
