Through the Storm

by Vanessa Miller

  “Didn’t I tell you that all that martial arts stuff wouldn’t be able to help you? Didn’t I tell you?” Vivian cackled.

  “Why are you doing this? We were friends,” Iona said.

  “We were never friends, Iona. Get that straight here and now. I pretended to be your friend just to keep tabs on your family.”

  Another deceiver, Iona thought then asked, “But why?”

  “Your father pretended to be my father’s friend. Then he murdered him.”

  “You’re a liar!” Iona spat.

  “My father’s name was Leonard Styles. He was your father’s best friend and co-conspirator in the drug game. My father ended up using more drugs than he was selling, and he even robbed a few of Isaac’s dope houses. So your wonderful father decided to murder his best friend.”

  Now Joey McDaniels made sense to Iona. She remembered how her father’s eyes lit up when that particular hustler gave his life to Christ. Joey had committed the same crimes as this Leonard person. And now all these years later, Joey must be her father’s atonement for Leonard, the one he didn’t help.

  “But my father saved your life,” Iona reminded Vivian. “That’s got to count for something.”

  “I’m going to kill him, Iona,” Vivian told her with no remorse. “He’s on his way out here to trade places with you. Isn’t that sweet, that a father would give his life for his child?”

  Iona knew of another man who’d given his life for not just her, but the world. And she was silently praying to Him now. Vivian thought she had taken all her strength away when she bound her legs and arms, but really she had just allowed Iona to unleash another strength that Iona wanted so desperately to rule in her life. Heavenly Father, I’m leaning on your strong arms now. I need your help like never before.

  ***

  With all the prayer that was going on in the small city of Dayton, God loosed another platoon of angels to assist Brogan and his team. But their victory was in no way secure. Satan had increased his army of destroyers and they were more than ready for the fight ahead.

  Demons were on the highway, trying to cause other cars to run into Isaac so that he would not make it to his destination on time. Brogan sent a troop of angels with swords drawn to deal with those menacing spirits on the highway. He sent yet another troop to guard Isaac and Nina’s house and the other people that were taking part in the prayer chain. He wanted to ensure that no menacing spirits stopped those prayers from reaching heaven. Many humans aren’t aware just how important their prayers are to the angels that fight battles for them. If a human stopped believing and gave up praying, an angel could very well be killed in the midst of battle.

  There were a mountain load of demons in the woods on the outskirts of Dayton. That’s where Brogan and the rest of his team headed.

  Davison walked next to him as they entered the woods. He scrunched his nose and asked Brogan, “Do you smell that?”

  Brogan nodded. “Death; it’s all around us.”

  Jaundice green eyes cast menacing glances from their spot on tree branches as they watched the army of the Lord boldly walk into their encampment. One of the small monkey-like imps flapped its black wings as it flew from the trees into the heart of the woods to tell his leader what he had seen. It touched down behind gorilla-like monsters with knots on their tar-like bodies that were the size of rocks. Their beady eyes were close together as if they didn’t possess a bridge to their small noses. The imp nudged his way through the demonic monsters. They were getting rowdy, raising their fists and swords and talking about crushing some heads and doing damage.

  “Don’t touch me, monkey-boy,” one of the gorilla monsters said.

  “I’m just trying to get to the general. I have something to tell him.”

  “What makes you think he wants to hear anything from a tiny imp like you?” Gorilla monster picked up the imp and flung him toward the trees he came from. “Get back to your post.”

  The monkey-like imp flew away and did not return. They would find out soon enough that warrior angels were there to send them back to the abyss. The imp cackled with glee as he perched back on the tree limb and positioned himself so he would have a good view of the slaughter.

  Brogan looked at the sea of angels that had entered the encampment with him and said, “We came here together, I’m praying that each of us lives to fight another day. So let’s get in and get out while we still have prayer support.” Brogan lifted his sword and the other angels did the same as he yelled, “For all that is holy and all that is right!”

  And with that, the angels charged through the woods in search of their enemies.

  Back in Dayton a group of women had convened at Louise Jordan’s house to pray. They were gung-ho when they first arrived, but an hour into the prayer, a few of the women wondered how long, how long. One of them flat out asked Louise, “Do you think we can stop praying now?”

  The angel of the Lord stood behind Louise. He put his fingers on her temples and allowed her to hear from heaven. My soldiers need your prayers, daughter.

  Louise turned to the group and told them, “We must continue.”

  Chapter 33

  As Isaac took the exit he’d taken thirty years ago and headed down the dark and lonely road toward the woods that he’d left Leonard’s body in, he drifted back in time. There were no flecks of gray in his hair. He didn’t have aches in his knees or back pain, and Leonard was in the back of his car tied up. As Isaac, Keith and Johnny stepped out of the car, Isaac felt as if he were making a guest appearance on Cold Case and that he was walking this path with Leonard by his side. He looked to his left and saw Leonard, his old friend from juvee. Leonard’s hands were tied and the ski mask he used for his burglaries was still on his face. Isaac wanted to help him; untie those ropes around his arms, take that ridiculous mask off his face and beg him to do the right thing. Get off drugs, get a straight job, and most of all, give his life to the Lord.

  But Isaac hadn’t done any of that. He’d given Leonard chance after chance. Back then Isaac felt that friendship only got you so far. And now Leonard was in hell. Isaac ran his hand through his hair wishing he could go back. If he could, he would never have picked up a gun and would never have ended anyone’s life. It hadn’t been worth the life sentence of regret he earned with each murder he committed. God had indeed forgiven Isaac’s sins, but Isaac had never forgiven himself for all the pain and destruction he’d dealt to the innocent and not so innocent.

  “This must be the spot,” Isaac said when he spotted the red X on the ground. He then glanced at his watch. It was five forty-five.

  Johnny said, “We’ve got a few extra minutes, so I’m going to look around this place to see if I can find Iona.”

  Johnny walked off and Isaac and Keith stood looking at the huge X that had been spray painted in the ground. Isaac wondered how Vivian knew where to place the X. Leonard’s body had never been found, so how would this girl know where he’d left the body?

  Keith and Isaac looked at each other. They heard a rustling in the trees and just about jumped out of their skin. This wasn’t the old days when they would have brought a gun to a gun fight. In the world they now lived, the only weapons they had were prayer and the word of God; and they had to trust that their heavenly weapons would be enough to see them safely through.

  “I really don’t want to be here,” Isaac said.

  “Tell me about it,” Keith responded as he looked around. “Feels evil out here; like something is watching us.”

  Brogan was the first to slice through the crowd of demons. His mighty sword gutted two demons at once. And then a mighty battle cry soared through the sea of angels that pierced the very core of heaven as the angels attacked.

  The leader of the demons stalked toward Brogan and demanded. “Why are you here? What have we to do with you?”

  “We are sent by the Lord. You will not prevail against the man of God,” Brogan told him as he lifted his sword and positioned himself to fight.

&nbs
p; “He dies today, Brogan, leader of the troop of angel weaklings.”

  Brogan raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I know you, Brogan. You and Isaac brought many evil doers to the Lord, but it stops today,” he said as he pulled out his sword, “because you will die today also, Brogan.”

  Davison swooped down on a group of demons. The surprise of seeing this eight foot warrior angel left the gorilla monster-like demons in mouth dropping, slime oozing surprise. Davison wasted no time in slicing them from gullet to gut.

  Miguel wasn’t being shy about his either. In no time flat he backed three demons into a corner and dealt with them like he’d caught them stealing his angel wings.

  ***

  Iona pulled at the ropes that were wrapped around her arms. They were so tight that she couldn’t get her fingers between the ropes and her arm in order to wiggle out of them. She closed her eyes and prayed, “Lord, please don’t forget about me.”

  Vivian kicked her in the side. “That is so like you; praying to God when you need Him, but not giving Him the time of day when you don’t.”

  Iona didn’t respond.

  Vivian told Larry, “Go check to see if Papa Bear has come to get his daughter yet.”

  Larry left and Vivian sat down on a tree trunk next to Iona and asked, “How’s your brother?”

  Iona rolled her eyes and ignored the question.

  “He called you at the office a couple weeks ago.” Iona turned back to Vivian, interest in her eyes. Vivian picked at the dirt in her nails as she continued. “Yeah, but I let him know how ashamed of him you were for sleeping around when he was supposed to be a man of God.”

  “You’re evil,” Iona said, and then as pieces of the puzzle fell into place, Iona’s eyes bore into her former friend. “It was you! You’re the one that emailed Diana on Thursday evenings, giving her information on how to get at Donavan.” If Iona’s hands were free, she would have hit her own self upside the head. “And I was the one giving you the information after our kick-boxing classes. All this time I thought you had a thing for Donavan; asking me all those questions. But you were just setting him up. You were my best friend, Vivian. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “Oh boo hoo. If you weren’t going to be dead, I would let you ask your father about best friends betraying one another. He’d have a humdinger of a story to tell you.”

  Larry came back with news. “Her father’s down there, and he’s got another man with him.”

  “I didn’t tell him to bring anyone,” Vivian said as she kicked Iona again. “Who do you think he has with him?”

  Iona took a couple of deep breaths to combat the pain she felt from Vivian’s vicious kicks to her stomach and chest. When she was able to speak she asked Larry, “Does the man look to be about my father’s age or younger?”

  “Your father’s age for sure,” Larry said.

  A shadow of disappointment briefly crossed Iona’s eyes as she said, “It’s Keith, my father’s best friend and my mother’s husband.”

  “Oh yeah,” Vivian said. “Good o’ faithful Keith.” Then Vivian snapped her fingers and taunted Iona, “I know you didn’t expect Johnny to be with your father.”

  Iona said nothing, but her eyes gave her away.

  “You did, didn’t you? Pour stupid, Iona. You made such a fool of yourself over that man and he never even cared about you at all.”

  Iona turned away from them and began to pray silently again. Man may have disappointed her, but God was on her side. No one would ever convince her that God didn’t truly love her and want the best for her.

  Vivian stood up and patted Iona on the head as she said to Larry, “You come with me since it’s two of them.”

  Larry pointed at Iona. “You want me to put a bullet in her before we go?”

  Vivian turned back to Iona. Tapped her finger against her lip and then said, “No; I think I’d like for her to see her father’s dead body before she dies.”

  “I don’t know, Vivian. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Good thing I don’t pay you to think. Now bring your muscles with me so we can go take care of the good pastor and his sidekick.” She walked away from Iona as she and Larry walked through a jungle of trees to get to the other side of the woods.

  Johnny had been searching the wooded area for at least fifteen minutes. He looked at his watch and saw that it was exactly six p.m. He knew that time was running out for Iona. What was he going to do if Iona died up here? How would he go on? He had to find her; had to let her know how much he loved her. Lord, don’t let her die without knowing that I truly do care. Over and over Johnny kept praying those exact same words to the Lord as he walked through a band of trees.

  A branch that he hadn’t touched swung back and swiped him across the face. Johnny looked up and could almost swear that he saw wind and motion colliding together in the air like a tornado. He picked up speed and began to run, hoping to get as far away from the trees before the whirlwind touched down and uprooted one of the trees. In high school, Johnny had been a track star. He’d jumped hurdles and ran all the way to the finish line to collect his first place trophy more times than he could count, so he easily jumped over the thick branches that lined the ground of this wooded area. He turned back to see the whirlwind touch down in the midst of the woods. One of the huge oaks broke and tumbled his way.

  The opening was right in front of Johnny. There was a little bit of valley land just past the trees, there was also a brook where water had probably flowed through at one time. It was now dried up and could be called nothing more than a ditch. Johnny ran through the valley and flung himself into the ditch. He turned his face toward the wooded area and saw three trees tumble down. One of them was at the edge, between the trees and the valley. As it tumbled, Johnny saw that it was headed straight for the ditch he’d just thrown himself into. He opened his mouth and prayed, “Sweet Jesus, help me! Don’t let me die without finding Iona.”

  Chapter 34

  Back in Dayton, Nina and Cynda were still in the prayer room with heads bowed calling out to the Lord. Keith Jr., Joseph and Caleb walked in. The spokesman of the group, Keith Jr. said, “The boys and I have been talking, and we think we’re old enough to pray.”

  Cynda lifted her arms so she could embrace her oldest son. Keith Jr. fell into her arms. Joseph and Caleb went to Nina and hugged her.

  Tears fell from Keith Jr.’s eyes as he said, “We know Iona is in trouble, Mama. She’s our sister and we want to pray for her too.”

  “Grab a spot and bow down before the Lord,” Cynda said. “We can use all the prayers we can get on this one.”

  “And make sure you pray for Keith, Isaac and Johnny’s safe return while you are praying for Iona. We don’t want to lose anyone,” Nina told them.

  As the boys bowed down to pray, Nina thought of how many times she had come into her prayer room and had not asked Iona or Donavan if they wanted to join her. She knew now that that had been a mistake. She touched her belly and swore silently that she would share the experience of prayer with the child that was growing inside of her. But even as she was thinking on the baby growing inside her, something wondrous happened.

  The front door opened. Nina got off her knees and ran down the stairs in time to see Donavan standing in the foyer putting the house key Nina had given him back in his pocket. She silently thanked God for answering another of her prayers as she ran down the stairs and hugged her son.

  “Donavan, I’m so glad you came back home. Some lunatic has kidnapped Iona. Your father has gone to get her back. I need you to help us pray for your father and Iona.” Nina knew in her heart that Donavan coming home at this particular moment was a sign from God that her other loved ones would soon be walking through that door also.

  Donavan pulled back. “God doesn’t want to hear from me, Mama. Maybe I can help by calling the saints at our church and asking them to pray.”

  “We’ve already done that, Donavan,” Nina told him and th
en she gently put her hand on his shoulder and asked, “Donavan, do you believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong?”

  He didn’t put up a fight on the issue, he simply nodded.

  “Do you believe that what you did with Diana was wrong?”

  He nodded again, but this time the nod was accompanied by tears of regret.

  “Then Son, why don’t you just ask God for forgiveness and then help us pray through this storm?”

  It sounded so simple when his mom put it that way, so Donavan did just that; he joined his mother and Cynda and her children in the prayer room, got on his knees, asked God for forgiveness and then began to bombard heaven on his father’s and Iona’s behalf. Because the saints of God may fall down, but with God’s grace and mercy, they can always get back up again.

  ***

  “Where is my daughter?” Isaac asked when Vivian and Mr. Clean came into view.

  Vivian walked toward Isaac with the gun swinging from her right hand. She had a self-satisfied smirk on her face as she continued to approach. Once they stood in front of one another and Larry had his gun trained on Isaac, Vivian said, “X marks the spot.”

  “Where’s my daughter?” Isaac asked again.

  Ignoring the question, Vivian said, “But I knew you would be able to find it even without my artwork. It’s not every day that you shoot your best friend and leave him in the woods to die, is it, Pastor?”

  Isaac mournfully looked at the spot then answered, “No, it isn’t.”

  “You murdered my father, and never once thought of what it would do to me and my brother,” Vivian screamed.

  Isaac continued looking at the red spot on the ground. She was right. He would have found this spot without her artwork. He’d left a piece of himself here all those years ago. In the first few years after he’d killed his friend, he’d had nightmares about what he’d done and sorely wished that he could take it back.

  Keith put his hands on Isaac’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “You’ve been forgiven, Man. Remember that.”