by Mary May
“Sooo… where exactly did you come across Sloan and Rocko?”
Jaxon laughed. “I didn’t come across them at all. Sloan found me and I met Rocko last night just like you did, remember?”
Jazzy gave her a shy smile. “Oh, yeah.”
Jaxon turned around and looked at the young girl in front of her. She really was pretty without all the heavy make-up.
“Would you like to call your aunt? I’m sure she is worried about you.”
“I guess I probably should. Do I have to do it right now?” Something about the way Jazzy was chewing her lips made Jaxon hesitate on insisting that she call.
“Tell you what, would you like a shower? I’m sure I can find something that you can wear. We can call later this evening.”
The relief was easy to see on Jazzy’s face.
“Yes, thank you. A shower sounds heavenly right now.”
Jaxon was coming out of her bedroom with an armful of clothing for Jazzy when Sloan appeared right in front of her, nearly causing her to drop dead from shock. Reaching out, she slapped at his shoulder.
“Don’t. Do. That!” She bit off each word as she smacked him.
Raising his arms in an “I’m sorry” position, Sloan backed against the wall to let her pass.
“Sorry, I keep forgetting that this is still new to you,” he offered as an explanation.
Tossing the clothing onto the hamper in the bathroom, she shook her head at him.
“What if one of the kids had been with me? Do you really want to try to explain yourself to them because I sure don’t,” she scolded.
“I knew you were alone. I always check that before I appear somewhere. You are the one new at this, not me,” he said with an arched brow.
Jaxon opened her mouth to give him a scathing comeback but when nothing came out, she just shrugged.
“Yeah, ok, you got me there. So where have you been all morning?”
“Before I tell you that, you tell me what Rocko has told you.”
“Hang on, let me see if Jazzy is finished eating. Once she is in the shower, we can talk.” Before Sloan could stop her, Jaxon walked into her kitchen to find yet another strange man in her house. This time it didn’t even faze her.
“Hello, would you like some waffles?” she asked.
Chapter 12
“Jaxon, this is Trudy; he is another Murharreb. He will be training you.” Sloan made the introductions once Jazzy was out of the room.
Jaxon couldn’t stop the grin that played with the edges of her mouth.
“Trudy? Your parents didn’t like you much, did they?”
The man shook his head as he tossed Sloan an unamused look.
“The name is Mike Trudy. Too tall over there gets a kick out of calling me by my last name. He isn’t near as funny as he thinks he is.”
Jaxon pulled out a chair and sat down but not without giving the angel in question a puzzled look of her own.
“I thought you would be training me; aren’t you my Mor-Reh?”
“Yes, I am. But Trudy will be teaching the ends and outs of things. He can do so much better than I, being that he is human. He will be with you for the next several months until you can handle things on your own.”
Jaxon carefully fanned her hands out on her table, staring at them intently.
“Let me make sure I have this all straight. I no longer have a job. I now have not one but two trainers in my life who will teach me to be something that I still don’t quite understand. I have two kids in my house that may or may not have anything to do with the evil that is happening in this town. My former boss is shaking hands with the devil and somehow I am supposed to be able to stop all of this… am I correct?”
Trudy reached over and placed his hand over Jaxon’s. They felt warm, comforting and normal and for some reason made tears well up in her eyes.
“It all sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Out of the blue your world is turned totally upside down and you’re not sure what to believe. I understand, Jaxon, I really do. But I have been living this life for nearly seventeen years, and while it has had its moments, I can say with all honesty that I have never regretted taking it up.”
Jaxon looked up and she could see the truth of his words shining in Trudy’s brown eyes. Looking him over closer, she could see that he was in good shape and he had as many smile lines around his mouth as he had worry lines between his eyes.
“I won’t lie to you. It gets hard sometimes, really hard, and there have been times when I have questioned if I made the right choice, but those days come few and far between. I can sit here and tell you that if I was given the choice, I would do it all again without hesitation.”
“Haven’t you ever wanted a family or to settle down?”
Trudy smiled as he nodded. “Sure, and I still can. I can stop doing this tomorrow and still marry and be a father if I can find a woman crazy enough to have me.” He then stopped and looked to where Sloan was leaning against the cabinet.
“But we are truly being offered a gift unlike any other. How many people can say they work with angels? How many people in this day and time can say that? We don’t have to wonder about God’s existence because the proof is standing in your kitchen. It’s one thing to have faith because you simply believe, but we are given the opportunity to actually join in and be a part of God’s army.” Reaching into his pocket, he laid a silver dagger on the table. It was about eight inches long and unadorned.
“It doesn’t look like much, does it? But when it’s in the presence of evil, it becomes something like out of Star Wars.”
“Light saber, huh?” Jaxon laughed slightly.
Trudy nodded. “Don’t knock it until you’ve seen it in action, Kiddo. This thing will cleave a demon in half with one swoop. You see, we don’t have the physical strength that those guys do.” He pointed toward Sloan and Rocko who had finally joined them, “So we need something to even up the playing field, so to speak.”
Jaxon gave the angels a surprised look. “Hang on… I’m actually going to be fighting these things? Like hand-to-hand combat, fighting?”
“Sometimes. The ideal situation would be that you would teach the townspeople to handle things in the spiritual realm with prayer; however, when you can’t find enough believers, then things get physical.”
“Have you looked at me? I’m not going to be able to bring down something the size of what I saw the other night! Not unless heaven is going to issue me a bazooka, because if I go after something with that toothpick, all I’m going to do is tick it off and end up as demon chow.” Everyone but Jaxon laughed at her statement.
"I think the best thing would be for her to see the ’toothpick’ in action," Trudy said as he glanced over at Rocko.
"Yeah, I know... Rocko, watch the kids," the giant said with a wry grin.
Several minutes later Jaxon found herself shaking off the effects of being transported via angel airlines. She noticed that Trudy seemed to be unaffected, so perhaps it was something she would grow used to in time. Looking around, she noticed she was standing in the middle of a high school.
"Really? A high school? Isn't this a little too Buffy-ish?" she said, referring to the popular 90's series about a teen vampire slayer.
Trudy shook his head as his eyes searched the hallways. Apparently, they arrived just as the kids were changing classes because the hall was packed.
"Unfortunately, demonic activity is very high in most junior and high schools. The devil has figured out that the younger he can sink his claws into a person, the better his odds.”
Jaxon could see that with her own eyes. The hallway looked a beehive swarming with teens and demons. They clung to their hosts in various positions. Some were barely attached while others seemed to be dug in pretty deep. A few teens, however, seemed to be invisible to the hell leeches.
Jaxon looked at Trudy with a concerned expression. “But they are just children. Don’t they have some sort of get-into-heaven-free pass?”
Sloan nodde
d. “They do until a certain age. It’s called the age of accountability. It is different with each child. But most have reached it by sixteen or so. By that age they generally know wrong from right and have been given an opportunity to choose. That’s why the enemy doesn’t target elementary schools too much. The children there are still too young to be held accountable.”
Trudy touched her hand. “Look just down the hall past the water fountain. Do you see it?”
Jaxon looked in the direction Trudy pointed. For a few seconds, she didn’t see anything, but as she watched she saw a dark cloud almost like a mist hovering just above the heads of the teens as they rushed to make it to their next class before the bell rang.
“Do you notice anything strange about its behavior?” Trudy asked.
Jaxon watched the dark cloud and noticed that it almost seemed like it was searching for someone. It would swoop down over a student and then back off quickly, before it went to another.
“What is it looking for?” Jaxon asked.
Trudy smiled as he nodded. “Very good! I’m glad that you could see what it’s doing. It’s looking for one it can touch, someone who isn’t protected by prayer. The teens that you see without a demon are the ones that have prayer protection.” Trudy stopped talking as they saw the black mist swoop past a young boy around fifteen or sixteen. It suddenly stopped and doubled back. Slowly it settled around the boy’s shoulders and Jaxon could immediately see a change in the young man’s demeanor. Suddenly he was scowling and started shoving his way through the crowd.
“You are going to stop that, right?” Jaxon turned to Trudy, who was pulling the silver dagger from his pocket.
“Yes.” Trudy’s face grew hard as he approached the boy. The demon must have sensed it was in danger for it started to form itself into a more solid being. The black mist quickly hardened into leathery skin. The fingers that were sinking into the boy’s head suddenly pulled out and formed claws with glistening talons. Pale yellow eyes filled the orbits in its skull that had lengthened into a massive size. Green spittle flew from its jaws as it whipped its head around, clearly seeking out the danger that it felt. Suddenly it stilled, directing its focus to where Trudy was standing in the middle of the hallway. The kids passed by unmindful of the battle about to take place.
“This one is uncovered… you have no claim on him!” the demon argued, although Trudy hadn’t said a word.
“I’m claiming him. Let him go.” Trudy’s voice was firm.
“No! You cannot do that! He is mine! The master will be angry if I lose him,” the demon whined.
“I said, let him go.” Trudy spoke once more in a calm but firm voice. By now the silver dagger had started to glow with a brilliant blue-white light. Jaxon could feel the power that radiated from it. Looking down, she saw the small hairs on her arms standing up from the energy that swirled through it.
The demon pulled itself tighter around the boy’s shoulders, clearly more fearful of its master than of Trudy and his sword.
As if by unspoken agreement, the fight was on. Trudy lunged forward, swinging the now three-foot sword in a blinding arch toward the demon. The demon threw up a sword of its own, meeting Trudy’s with a teeth-rattling impact. Trudy circled slowly around the boy as he continued to walk down the hallway still frowning and pushing his way through the crowd. Keeping one clawed hand on the boy’s shoulder, the demon slipped off, landing on its feet to walk beside him.
Trudy never rushed; he just kept circling, looking for a way in. The demon tried its best to goad him into attacking by spewing out hateful and vile things.
Then Trudy started praying. “Father God in heaven, I claim this child as one of ours. I plead the blood of Christ over him.”
“Noooo…shut up!” the demon screamed as it started to writhe in pain.
“Father God in heaven I ask you to bless this child…”
“Stop it…please stop!” the demon hissed as it put clawed hands over its ears.
Trudy started swinging the sword in wide circles over his head and down to his side, the whole time circling the demon who was thrusting its sword at him in a weak attempt to ward off what it knew was coming.
“Father God in heaven, I ask that you cleanse this child from all evil…” As soon as the words left his mouth, Trudy brought the sword down with all his might, severing the demon’s top half from its bottom half. It hissed as it faded back into a black mist; then it was gone.
The boy shook his head slightly, reaching up to rub hard just above his right eye as he walked into his classroom, giving a friend a slight smile as he took his seat.
“Will he be ok?” Jaxon asked as they watched him.
“He will be fine. Now that Trudy has claimed him, he will have prayer cover,” Sloan answered as Trudy walked up to them, placing the now small dagger back in his pocket.
“So, do you still think it’s a toothpick?” he asked her with a grin.
“No, I do see what you mean with the whole Star Wars reference. It really was like a light saber.” Jaxon stopped as she studied the man before her. “I also noticed that you used prayer as a weapon as well. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“People cannot comprehend what a powerful weapon prayer really is. In truth, in this case I could have defeated this demon with prayer alone, but the sword hurried things up a bit and showed you what it could do.”
Jaxon looked at Trudy then down to where Sloan still held her hand in his. “Why do you not need to hold his hand? Can you travel the way Sloan does? Will I be able to do that?”
Trudy shook his head as he grinned. “No, I don’t need to hold Blondie’s hand, thank God. But I do need him to transport from one place to another. I can, however, cross over into the spirit realm alone because of the sword. It allows me to see and walk in the spirit realm when needed.”
When they returned to Jaxon’s house, they all stared with jaws dropped at the scene before them. Rocko, who looked like he would be more comfortable in a wrestling ring, was now sporting a pink and white butterfly apron that Jaxon had never even worn and was pulling a beautiful pie from the oven.
“Oh! Hi, did you show her what the toothpick could do?” he asked like he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
Looking at the other guys in the room with brows raised high, Jaxon pulled out a chair and sat down. “Yes, they did. It was very impressive. So, Mrs. Cleaver, what did you and the kids do while we were gone?” she quipped with a lopsided grin.
Rocko put the hot scrumptious-smelling pie on the table after placing a hot pad down first.
“Ha, ha, cute… very cute. I happen to enjoy baking. There’s no shame in my game.” The room burst out in laughter at the giant angel’s comeback.
Looking around and not seeing the two teens, Jaxon asked where they were.
“They are in Zero’s room playing Play-Station. They were bored,” Rocko replied.
“Uh… I don’t have a Play-Station or a television in that room,” Jaxon pointed out with a frown.
“I know, I got it for them. I figured if they had something to do to occupy their time, they would be easier to keep. Especially Zero.”
Rocko pulled out a chair and indicated for the other two men to do the same.
“I want you to be very careful with Zero. He looks like a punk kid, but the demon he is hosting is a bad one. Don’t let your guard down around him,” he cautioned.
“Jazzy is in there!” Jaxon jumped to her feet to go get the girl when Rocko placed his hand on her arm, stopping her.
“It’s ok. I have protected both Jazzy and Higgins and you from Zero as long as you are in this house.”
Slowly sitting back down, Jaxon looked at Rocko in confusion. “Protected? How?”
“The demon won’t manifest while it is in this house. I have blessed it with prayer and anointed it. It knows this is now a holy place. Sanctioned by God. But it only works while he is here. If you remove him, then it’s going to come out fighting.”
Jaxon no
dded to let him know she understood. “So, now what?”
Trudy tapped the table with his finger. “We need to be careful and not tip our hand with Rawlings. Right now, all he has is his suspicions where Jaxon is concerned. That being said, I think you two need to return to work and try your best to keep an eye on him.”
“I don’t think so. You weren’t here when he showed up. He has more than suspicions. He knows that Sloan and I are in this neck deep. He all but said so.”
Rocko nodded in agreement. “She is right, Trudy. It wouldn’t be safe for her to go back to the police station. In fact, I would go underground as soon as possible. The less visible you are, the better.”
“Go underground?”
“Yes, as a Murharreb, you will basically live as a ghost. No home, no identity. You will be provided with all the required documents such as a driver’s license and a social security card, along with a passport to be able to travel. For your safety, Jaxon Malone must disappear.”
The severity of what was about to happen hit Jaxon like a ton of bricks. Her entire life, everything she had worked so hard for, was about to be history.
“Will I have to change my name?” she asked with a frown.
Sloan shook his head. “No, there is no need for that. Once an assignment is completed, people will forget you pretty quickly. It’s that way for your…”
“My safety… yeah, I get it.”
Getting to her feet, she walked over to look out the window over her kitchen sink. The feeling of her world being torn apart was making her stomach cramp. Glancing up from her pity party, she saw movement next to her neighbor’s fence. Squinting her eyes to try to see better, she saw a man in dark clothing hunkered down watching her house. Jaxon stood there casually for another minute so the intruder wouldn’t think he had been spotted before turning and stepping out of sight by reaching for a glass.
