“Get me home?” Corey couldn’t believe this strange man might hold the answers to getting him back to his family.
“It’s all wrong, brother Corey. I don’t know how you got here, or the others before you, for that matter. All I know is Elizar is not the—”
A massive boulder slammed into the path between Corey and the others.
Shouts erupted. Corey missed being pulverized by one short step.
A second boulder slammed into the earth next to the first. Shadows fell with the rocks. Corey looked up and saw giants. Five of them rising above him. Two were empty handed. Three were still holding boulders.
One of the superhumans lifted his burden high above his head and hurled it straight down at Corey. There was no time to think. Corey dived to his right, waiting to be crushed. But the boulder missed its mark and exploded into pieces as it hit another boulder near Corey. He crawled in between the fallen boulders, looking for his friends. Another boulder exploded, raining chunks of rocks over him. And then the last boulder came, slamming into the other boulders.
“Corey, run back to the village. Have Ardad take you back to the ark!” It was Shem’s voice.
Corey couldn’t leave his new friends. And there was no way he would be able to outrun the giants. Running back to Ardad’s village would mean certain doom.
Corey noticed a small arch where a narrow path cut through. It was about a football field away, but if Corey could make it, the Nephilim wouldn’t be able to fit. Getting there was the problem.
Five massive superhumans leaned down and began using their gigantic fingers to comb through the rubble looking for Corey. This time there were no animals to help protect him from the monsters. Noah’s sons were helpless to keep the giants back. Corey was trapped.
“Run, Corey!” It was Shem again. “Go!”
Corey knew that running was his only choice, even though it didn’t seem like a good one. Just like Dad wanting to move to Florida. The thought made Corey realize another connection to this Noah’s ark world. God met with Noah in the most hopeless situation, the flooding of everything, and made a way out for his salvation.
Corey realized at that moment that his faith had been in himself and what he could or could not do instead of what God could do. And God can do anything.
Corey took a deep breath. Exhaled. Each of three of the monsters grabbed one of Noah’s sons, while the others moved to intercept Corey. A new blast of cool air came. The storm was still coming. Faster now.
“Shem! I’m heading for that stone arch.”
Shem waved at Corey. “Go! The Lord will be with you, child.”
God, forgive me for complaining. You made the universe, so helping me get to that arch is a piece of cake for You.
Without a care, feeling relieved from finally putting all his trust in God, Corey took off in a full-out sprint for the archway. He thought about his last baseball game, when he was on second with two outs and the score was tied. His friend Riley was up. Riley hit a line drive into right field. Home plate was like the stone arch. Corey had to get there and beat the throw. He remembered rounding third and hearing the screams of all the parents cheering. He remembered seeing the catcher waiting with his glove extended to receive the throw from the outfielder….
The ground shook in his wake, as if Corey were the giant and each of his steps were causing minor earthquakes. But the tremors came from the pounding of the two giants who were now chasing after Corey. He felt like he was being lifted off the ground in between steps.
Corey kept running. He wanted to look back and check on the brothers, but he couldn’t afford to lose time.
There was nothing to hide behind. No weapon to use against the giants. Prayer was his only hope.
One of the attackers lumbered past him and came to a stop between Corey and the arch. Dust rose in thick clouds around the giant’s feet and legs. The second giant plodded up behind Corey, trapping him between their towering bodies. More dust was pulled upward in the wake of the giants.
Corey skidded to a stop. He put his hands on his knees and gulped in the dusty air. A wretched cough wracked his throat.
“WHY DO YOU RUN?” the giant in front of Corey boomed. “WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WILL ESCAPE?”
Corey pushed himself back up. He wasn’t going to waste his breath answering the giant. He needed all his strength to reach the arch.
Lord, be with me! Help me get away from these creatures!
Corey took off at a full sprint, headed straight between the giant’s legs.
It was all Corey had left to try. He thought of Noah building the ark and what the man must have thought when God first approached him with the plan to build it. Noah had to think God was missing something obvious. He had to have thought God chose the wrong guy for the job.
Corey made it under the giant but was stopped by a brilliant burst of blue light. Corey staggered as he rubbed his eyes, waiting for his vision to return.
Minutes seemed to pass before Corey could see again. When he could, Corey saw a man wrapped in a hooded black cloak, standing in front of him.
“Greetings, Corey. My name is Elizar. I was told you were asking about me, so I thought it would only be appropriate to introduce myself.”
Corey saw the man was holding a staff like Shem’s, but his was made of a darker wood. Small wisps of blue light arced from the top of it.
“I’m here to help you. It’s obvious you’re trapped. But I want you to know it’s because of me that these two giants haven’t ripped you to pieces.”
Corey remembered Shem had started to say something about not trusting this man. Lord, help me! Corey stared at the staff that still had the blue light emanating from the top of it. “I don’t need your help.”
“I respectfully disagree. Look at you. And the crazy shipbuilder’s sons back there. Rather pathetic, I’d say.”
Corey just stood there and kept his mouth shut. He had a feeling this guy wasn’t done talking.
“Follow me, Corey, and I will show you a life far richer and rewarding than trying to load smelly creatures onto a boat.”
Corey stood his ground and remained silent.
“And if that doesn’t interest you, how about I get you back home to your mother and Molly? I know they really miss you.”
How did he know these things? Yes, Corey did want to get back to his mother and Molly. Yes, he wanted to tell them everything was okay. Maybe testing this man wouldn’t hurt.
“How can you get me back?”
The man called Elizar took a step toward Corey. He brought the staff across his chest, holding the dark wood with two hands. “Ah, I didn’t think you were interested. Very well. Now that you ask, I have powers that can give you anything you want.”
“Leave the boy alone!”
A voice from behind made Corey turn. He saw Ardad coming up quickly.
The dark one spoke again, ignoring the newcomer. “Corey, don’t listen to this fool. He has no idea what he’s saying.”
“Corey, run to the arch!” Ardad was running now.
Elizar took a second step closer to Corey.
“Just follow me, Corey. Let’s go see your family.”
There was something about the man’s soft but commanding voice that drew Corey in.
“Corey!” Ardad had made it and stood next to him. “Don’t listen to him. Run!”
The giants hadn’t moved.
“There’s a reason they haven’t moved, Corey. They obey me. They do my bidding. They’ll take you home….”
How does he know what I’m thinking?
“Run, Corey!”
Corey looked at Ardad. This time the man was carrying a staff. He pointed it toward the stone arch. “Run!”
Corey looked at Elizar. The mysterious man offered Corey a gentle touch on the shoulder. It felt electric. And made Corey afraid. The giants grumbled behind him. More blue light sparked from the end of Elizar’s staff.
He didn’t think he’d make it to the arch, but Corey felt
that was a better option than staying. So he took off running and ran until it felt like his legs were going to explode. As he reached the stone arch, Corey noticed that the path ahead had disappeared.
The giants took off and were right behind him.
There was no choice but to jump out over the abyss.
Corey ran to where the path ended and then kept running, leaping out into air.
And the world fell far away beneath his feet.
CHAPTER 7
The valley below had a river that cut through it in a wide swath of crystal-blue water. The water expanded as Corey fell down toward it. Cold air raced past him as his body rapidly headed for the ground. He felt like a human roller coaster soaring downhill, trackless and out of control.
A massive wind gust altered Corey’s trajectory, pushing him in the direction of the river.
Unlike an Olympic diver, Corey plunged into the river feetfirst. It was a crash landing that afforded no style points but helped him avoid a much more dangerous outcome. The water ripped over him like a liquid blender, twisting Corey’s arms and legs into a ball.
When the plummeting came to an end, Corey pumped back up toward the light. Bursting up through the surface, he gulped in the chilly air and felt the river carry him downstream. He looked up to see one of the giants on the edge of the cliff. Apparently he had no problem navigating the narrow archway. Maybe he had found a way to climb over it. The monster jumped, but his weight prevented him from getting the same air, and he went crashing into the rocks that lined the river’s bank.
Corey also saw Ardad running toward the river, his staff raised high above his head.
As Corey treaded water and let the current take him farther downstream, he saw a second giant break through the stone arch and also jump off the cliff. The monster landed on the bank with a sickening thud. Corey was grateful the crash was out of sight. He expected to see Elizar back up on the cliff, but the dark one never appeared again.
Corey wondered what was happening to Noah’s sons.
The river picked up speed. White water broke across the surface. A dangerous outcropping of boulders appeared ahead, and Corey was heading straight for it. At that same moment, Ardad was running down the bank with his staff extended out in front of him like he was competing in a pole vault competition. He ran and jumped onto the boulders and waited for Corey. He held his staff out for Corey to grab and used all his strength to pull Corey out of the flowing river.
“We have to hurry and get away from here.”
Corey wiped the water from his face and looked at the other man with concern. “What happened to Shem and the others?”
Ardad shook his head. “I’m afraid they are property of the Nephilim now. I have to get you out of here. Elizar will have people waiting for us back at my village. I’m going to take you to a hiding place my people use when they are traveling and want to remain hidden from the Nephilim.”
Corey knew there was only one safe place now. “Can’t you just take me back to the ark?”
Ardad looked out at the gray horizon. “Elizar will surely try to attack the ark also. We will go and meet up with the others and figure out a plan.”
There wasn’t time, but Corey needed Ardad’s help, so he followed.
After a long time of trudging over dirt and sand, Corey and Ardad made it to a remote section of the valley where hills rose up and were covered with caves. Out in the valley, Corey saw a large gathering of all kinds of animals that he hadn’t seen before: rhinos, giraffes, gazelles.
“These are the caves I told Shem about. You’ll stay here until I can get enough people together to help get you safely back to the ark. In the meantime, you can help take care of the animals. Shem said he’ll be back for them soon.”
Ardad led Corey into one of the caves that was closest to the ground. Corey was able to stand up as he followed the other man deeper into the cave. Men were there feeding all sorts of wild animals. Corey saw a pair of gorillas and baboons. Next to the primates were smaller creatures that resembled deer. It blew Corey’s mind that this diversity of animals was able to be in one place, without walls or any sense of territorial aggression against each other.
“I will be back before long. If Shem and the others arrive before I do, please follow the southern path back to the ark. If not, I apologize in advance for not taking better care of you.” The man quickly turned and walked away, disappearing down a dirt path that led to the north.
Corey took a deep breath and exhaled. He was thankful that his life had been spared earlier, when the dark one tried to capture him.
His attention was taken by two majestic jaguars that were standing close by. Their golden eyes seemed to glow in the dim cave. They started rubbing against Corey’s legs. It was like they were wanting to get out. Without thinking, he guided the jaguars down the side of the hill and then to the path and helped them join the other animals waiting in the valley. Hopefully, Shem and the other brothers would find a way to elude the monsters and take them to the ark before it was too late. Corey ran back up the hill toward the safety of the caves.
First came a burst of electric blue light. Then Ardad stepped from the shadows. Coming out directly behind him was the mysterious man wrapped in the dark cloak, dark staff held high. Blue light spitting out from the end.
What was Elizar doing here? Ardad was clear in his directions to Corey about waiting in the cave. Corey should have obeyed, but he wanted to help the jaguars. Besides, he was only away from the caves for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry, Corey. I had no choice. He was going to hurt my family if I didn’t tell him where I’d taken you.”
So, this had nothing to do with Corey. Ardad had only wanted Corey to stay in the cave because he wanted him there when Elizar returned. Corey had never experienced betrayal before.
“For all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”
Corey remembered the Bible said that Noah walked faithfully with God but that the world had become full of violence.
Even people who acted like friends didn’t care about one another.
The dark one came forward to collect Corey. The rest of the animals didn’t stir or growl in disapproval of what was happening. “You should have joined me when I extended an invitation.”
A giant lumbered out from the shadows and lifted Corey off the ground. There was no use fighting. Corey was trapped. The Goliath carried Corey away from the animals, out across the plains, and on to a remote stretch of land that was filled with what looked to be holes in the ground.
Elizar appeared, seemingly out of nowhere again, and this time his voice was completely devoid of compassion. “Put him in.”
The giant carrying Corey moved closer to one of the holes and lifted him over it. Corey could see in the fading light that the thing was wide and deep enough to drop a person in. Which is exactly what the giant did.
Unlike the river, there was no water to break Corey’s fall.
CHAPTER 8
Corey landed on a bed of sticks and straw. He had to be at least twenty feet down. Despite the night, darkness seemed to thicken. Corey pushed himself to stand but soon realized he was trapped. There was no way out of the deep cistern.
Corey tried in vain to scale the dirt walls but found nothing to hold on to. Each time he made an effort to pull himself up, chunks of dirt came loose, sending him back to the bottom of the well.
He sat down and stared up at the sky. Tiny droplets of water began to land on his face. The great storm was coming. And, given his current situation, Corey figured that the floodwater would eventually fill the giant hole, thereby lifting Corey out. There was nothing to worry about. Just wait. And wait some more.
Not much time passed before an animal’s face appeared over the edge of the cistern. It belonged to a massive cat. Even in the fading light, Corey could make out the light brown fur and white mouth. A cougar.
He knew these animals from schoolbooks, but Corey felt like he had been connected to them for a lo
ng time. Even though it had only been hours since he arrived in this alternate world, Corey came to think of the animals as good friends.
A second animal came into view next to the cougar. Corey knew this animal was a lynx by its large pointed ears that had black tufts of fur sticking out.
A third cat appeared. This one looked like a bobcat. Corey saw the long whiskers and the fur on the face resembling a beard.
A fourth was a cheetah.
Next came a regal tiger.
Then a puma.
Seventh, and last to join the ring of animals that were watching over Corey, was a beautiful creature with gray-and-tan fur and hypnotizing green eyes. A snow leopard. This last cat turned to grab something with its powerful jaws. When the cat lifted its head back over the cistern, Corey noticed that it was holding a thick stick in its mouth.
The cat flicked its head up and let go of the stick. When it dropped to Corey, he didn’t know whether to feel joy or sadness. The stick was actually a staff. Shem’s to be exact. Corey could tell from the markings on the hook.
No sooner did Corey feel relief from having the staff as a connection to Shem and the brothers than a new wave of darkness came. The seven animals scattered. Their heads disappeared from view and were replaced by a black cloak blending with the night.
Elizar.
No words were spoken. As fast as the dark one appeared, he vanished. In his place came one of the giants carrying a large wooden grate. The monster-human dropped it across the hole, trapping Corey deep inside.
When the flood comes, I won’t be able to get out.
No more animals came. No more people. No more giants.
The only thing that came was more darkness. Waves and waves of darkness crashing over Corey as he fell into a fitful sleep.
CHAPTER 9
When Corey opened his eyes, the animals were gone. He still held Shem’s staff, and he was still at the bottom of a very deep well. The wind grew stronger, blowing big gusts down over him. Heavy drops of water splattered over his face and arms.
IMAGINE... The Great Flood Page 3
