Chapter 1: The Meeting
James Smith had never been invited to a “Circle Meeting” before. He really hadn’t given it much thought. Sure, he wished at times that he could exercise a little more control over his life. After all, he wasn’t exactly top-of-the-ladder at his work. He had been working in the local bank for about ten years and had still not made manager. Inside, he always felt that he had earned it. He was only 30, but even so, he knew that he deserved more than this entry-level job. After weeks of stress, his life-long friend Mike had told him that maybe he should accompany him to one of his “Circle Meetings.” He said that the basic idea of a circle meeting was to achieve oneness of self through a spiritualized meditation therapy. It helped to improve focusing, attitude, and over-all mental health. Mike had undergone a complete transformation after attending these meetings. James reluctantly agreed to attend this November night, even though it all seemed a little childish for his taste.
As James and Mike entered into the small building in the middle of New York City, he was greeted by a thoroughly diverse group. People of every race, age, belief, gender and walk of life were present. After every one exchanged their greetings, the group leader Aaron, a Caucasian man in his late thirties, asked the entire crowd to be seated on the soft, carpeted floor.
“I would like to welcome you all to this circle meeting. As of today, we are going to enter a higher realm of consciousness and, hopefully, tap into ourselves to achieve fuller understanding. If you would begin by allowing your eyelids to gently rest.”
Great, another one of these things, James thought to himself.
“Now, envision yourselves in a large, open area devoid of anything that represents negativity or distraction,” Aaron said with an air of importance.
Everyone envisioned something slightly different. One woman pictured herself sitting on a sunny beach, watching the waves lap onto the shore, and listening to the seagulls flying above. One older man pictured himself high in the Appalachian Mountains, scanning the vast horizon as the sun began to set, the rocks and trees basking in the soft, orange glow. James envisioned himself in an open green field. His field had no boundaries or edges. It was mostly flat, and the weather was as it would be in mid-spring. The sun was shining, and the air was clean. James watched as butterflies delicately perched on the vibrantly-colored flowers. He was certainly feeling at peace sitting under the large oak tree.
Aaron continued, “Begin a communion with a personal entity. Ask that you be enlightened and honored with its presence. Ask in earnest, by removing yourself from your physicality. Ask the entity to take you on a journey of self.”
Sure… that’ll work, James said to himself. He requested, “I don’t know who you may be and I really don’t care. If you can help me get just a little more control of my life, I’d be thrilled to… uh… talk to you. If you want to take me out of my body, then, yeah, feel free.”
At that moment, James noticed a nicely dressed, authoritative looking man heading towards him. He appeared to be around the same age as James, maybe slightly older. He smiled and waved, all the while continuing towards James. Soon he was within speaking distance.
“Hello, James. I heard your request. You seemed a bit hesitant,” said the man. “I wonder why you came here if that is the case.”
James replied, “Well, my friend invited me, and to be honest, this seems a little odd still.”
“Of course. I should have at least introduced myself to you. I apologize. My name is Robert. At least, that is what I would prefer to be called in your tongue. My name has been spoken in many different ways throughout the ages. I am able to help give you direction and power over life, and even death, if you would allow me the pleasure.” Robert smiled pleasantly, and looked as though he was earnestly pleased to help James in his time of need.
James thought for a minute. “I’m not really sure. I guess things really can’t get any worse. I mean, I already hate my job, and could seriously use some direction in my life. As long as I don’t have to do anything too abstract, I guess I’ll accept your help.
Robert extended his hand toward James and said, “It would be my pleasure.” He shook James’ hand, but as he was about to let go, James felt a shaking sensation. Everything began to fuzz over. He suddenly saw a brightness that was somewhat painful. He then realized that there was a small crowd standing around him.
“Are you alright?!” Mike exclaimed. James then replied that he was fine, although a little dizzy. “You’ve been out for at least ten minutes. We were about to call for help as you began to wake up. You just blacked out!”
Was it all just a dream? James thought. Well, that would make sense. The whole thing seemed far-fetched anyway.
“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your house,” Mike said. “Sorry the meeting didn’t work out for you today. It was alright though, I mean, for some reason the new therapy didn’t work that well for any of us. We didn’t meet any sort of… spirit. I guess it was a slightly far-fetched idea. Hope it doesn’t deter you from coming back, with you blacking out and everything.”
James sluggishly replied, “Not at all. It was great meeting all of you. Thanks for your help.”
Chapter 2: Visions
Mike dropped James at the apartment door. With repeated assurances from James that he was perfectly fine and just tired, Mike headed home. James went into his modest apartment about five blocks away from the building in which he had the startling experience. He fought with the door, and after winning this particular match, headed into his kitchen to make himself some dinner. But as he entered the kitchen, he saw a figure standing near the cupboard out of the corner of his eye. The figure was tall and dressed in an odd garment of dark color. It gave him an oddly devilish grin, with what appeared to be blood dripping from the corner of its mouth. Its piercingly bright-yellow eyes were afire with unexplainable hate. The figure’s teeth were sharp and pointed, and it appeared to be holding in its hand a bound book. Its head was bowing as it peered upward through the slits in its dark eyelids.
And just as quickly as James saw the figure, it disappeared. James was overcome with a sense of deep fear and coldness. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he shivered. Sweat dripped down his body. He tried helplessly to calm himself. He wondered why a quick hallucination would have him feeling such deep horror. This was not a normal fear. This was something that penetrated to his inner-being, something much different. He had never felt such fear… a fear that gripped his soul.
Rather than making dinner, he opted just to go to bed. It was only 9 P.M., but he didn’t care. He only wanted this nightmare to end. As James walked down his hallway, he distinctly heard whispers around him. The floor felt somewhat shaky as he stumbled to his bedroom. Upon entering the room, James was sure that he was not alone. But this wasn’t a physical being. It seemed to be a presence, one of foreboding darkness. As he got into bed, fully clothed, he felt a hand touch his face. He gasped and began to wonder if his dream-friend could help him. It seemed stupid, but he certainly wasn’t about to call Mike and tell him that he was terrified of his empty bedroom.
Chapter 3: Dream-walker
James was back in the beautiful, open field. He was sitting next to the same oak tree as he had in his previous vision. And once again, Robert was headed towards him.
“James!” Robert exclaimed. “It’s wonderful to see you again. I was worried that you wouldn’t come back.”
James smiled and said, “I didn’t know that I would be back either. I had a terrible night. It was weirdly disturbing. I guess it was from that bizarre black-out I had at the meeting.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Robert replied with a concerned look. “I hope that you are feeling better now.” “Much better,” said James with a look of curiosity. After all, this “dream” was getting a little weird. It just felt so real.
“You said you needed my help, so here I am,” Robert announced. “What would you like from me?”
James replied, “Well, I’m not entirely sure… I guess, for starters, a promotion would be nice.” He laughed. “But I’m not really sure that you can do that, considering that I’m dreaming right now and you won’t be here in the morning.”
“Are you really so sure?” said Robert with a reassuringly knowing look.
“I’m not sure about much of anything right now,” James said with a somewhat troubled tone.
“The road to personal freedom is really your choice,” Robert cheerfully replied. “If there is something that you desire, pursue it. I know about Jeff, and what he did to you all those years ago. Is it really his rightful place to have what should be your position?”
The thought of what Jeff Mann had done still made James fume. Out-performing someone was a fair avenue to a promotion. Cheating one’s way to the top by lying about a fellow employee was not. James had never stolen even a penny from his work. Even after he was found innocent, people still treated him as though he were guilty. “No, it’s not fair!” James passionately exclaimed.
“Well, I can assure you that you will be promoted to his position if you would like it,” Robert said to the slightly perturbed James.
“Sure, right. Just give me his position. This should be interesting,” said James.
“All right,” said Robert as if he had completely not heard James’ impolite remark. “Pleasant dreams, my friend.”
Chapter 4: Inconceivable Chance
James woke up the next morning still thinking about his vivid “dream.” He was always one to have dreams, but not dreams that were so enticingly real. He almost wanted to go back to sleep just to talk once again with Robert. But now was not the time. I’ve got to go get the paper, James said to himself. He dragged himself out of bed and limped down the hallway. By time he finally reached the door, he barely felt like opening it. He did, however, manage to muster enough strength to stretch and then open the door. With a yawn, he leaned over and retrieved his daily paper, all-the-while wondering if he could get back up. He succeeded with a groan. James then dragged himself over to the table, and sat down to read the paper. As he opened it, he saw a headline that caught his attention: “Man experiences violent rage and jumps out of apartment window.” James immediately recognized Jeff Mann’s photo. He felt sick to his stomach. Jeff was a lying jerk, but he never could so much as yell at someone. How could he do something like this? James wondered. He buried his head in his hands for a moment, and after regaining composure, continued to read the article.
“Mr. Jeff Mann leaped from his apartment window to his death yesterday evening at around 11 P.M. Investigators say that Mr. Mann stormed out of his bedroom and began threatening and screaming at his family for some currently unknown reason. After holding his wife at knife-point and threatening to kill her, he suddenly threw down the knife, began having what appeared to be a violent seizure, and jumped through the window adjacent to the apartment kitchen. The family is still in shock over the bizarre occurrence and would not issue a statement. Mental health professionals are puzzled by this incredibly odd shift of personality and are wondering why Mr. Mann would have such an unprovoked psychotic attack. Family says that Jeff Mann was screaming what sounded like an unintelligible name before jumping to his death. Members of Mr. Mann’s spiritual support group say that he was always a very even-tempered man and was their most involved member. Police are still investigating what caused this disturbing crime.”
James started sobbing uncontrollably after reading this article. Why am I crying? I hated that guy. But I still feel responsible for some reason. He could barely even think. He just sat there at his table, without a clue as to what he could do to make his life bearable.
In the corner of his kitchen, the dark-clothed figure stood silently laughing. James never even noticed his presence.
Chapter 5: Distraction
James eventually pulled himself together and decided that it would be best if he took a shower and went out for awhile. He got his clothes together and went into the bathroom. He began to undress, still thinking about Jeff’s un-timely death. As he stepped into the shower, he couldn’t shake a feeling of uneasiness.
Once he had finished showering and getting dressed, he headed out of his apartment to hail a cab. The stairs creaked as he headed down the apartment complex’s old, dark stairwell. He finally reached the street and hailed the next available taxi. But before entering the taxi, he noticed something rather strange…
That’s odd… That guy across the street could be Robert’s twin. Wait, what am I talking about, Robert’s not real. It was just a dream, nothing more.
The taxi driver asked with some level of impatience, “Where to?”
James responded, “Times Square.”
James couldn’t get his mind off of the dreams through the entire taxi ride. Robert seemed so real. He was also sympathetic to James, which made him feel like someone in this world truly cared about him. Besides Mike, James wondered if there was one person in the entire world that would really care if he died. His relationship with his parents had been strained to almost non-existence. He had never even met the rest of his family, and wasn’t entirely sure that he had any other family besides his parents. “Hey, buddy. You gonna pay me and get out, or what?” said the taxi driver, not even attempting to hide his frustration.
“Yeah, sorry,” James said with a nervous smile. He paid the unpleasant man and got out of the cab. As he was walking through Times Square, he noticed a new shop called “Tranquility.” It looked like one of those new-age type places. It had a bunch of angels and mystical looking creature figures in the window. For some reason, James felt an odd draw to it.
Tranquility… that’s something I haven’t felt since… well, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced it.
He walked in and started browsing through the shop. He saw books with titles like Ten Ways to Achieve Peace and Practical Palm-Reading for Beginners. But what really got him was the book display off to the corner, How to Interpret Dreams. He walked over and skimmed through the book. Oddly, it seemed pretty practical. It explained how dreams were related to the times of the year and how they corresponded with the Zodiac. It said that in this month, his dreams would lead him to self-fulfillment. He thought to himself, Hey, that works. I need to come in here more often.
Then something caught his eye. Over in the corner was a “psychic” game board. Haven’t seen one of those in ages… He walked over and decided to just ask it one question: Where will I be next year?
James placed his hand on the sliding piece, and it began to spell: W…. I…. T……H…U…S.
He felt a shiver go down his spine. Who was talking to him through this board? And why was he so terrified over an idiotic game? Everyone played them, and nobody else got like this when it gave an unusual answer.
“Where are you?” he asked the board.
The board responded: I…N..T…H…E…D…O…M…I…N…I…O..N…O…F…O…U…R…M…A…S…T…E…R…
“And who is your master?” James asked, deciding that he’d just play along for fun.
The sliding piece quivered a little, then it slowly began to spell again. James stood in silent terror as the slider slowly answered his inquiry.
Chapter 6: Warfare
James gasped and bolted out of the store. He looked around and suddenly the sun disappeared. All around him he saw creatures running through the streets. They were vicious monsters, almost human in shape, scurrying on all fours. He watched as the disgusting creatures clawed and ripped at innocent passers-by. People were bleeding and some could barely walk, but none seemed to feel any pain. They all walked as if they didn’t notice a thing. Every once in awhile, a monster would crawl up to a person, tear out a chunk of flesh with its razor-sharp teeth, but would then start to roar in what appeared to be pain. It would writhe for a moment, then attempt to attack the person again.
But when James looked a little closer, he saw something strange. He could vaguely see another type of creature. It almost appeared as a silhouette. When the red-eyed hate-filled monster clawed at certain unknowing individuals, the other entities would fight it off. It was almost as if James were watching some kind of war. But all the people just continued about their business, some covered in blood, some missing limbs and arms.
Suddenly James saw something. He looked down and saw one of the monsters.
“Please! Someone help!” James screamed to the other entities. But none responded. When James looked back down, he saw the creature look up at him and give a devilish grin. Its blood-soaked, pointed teeth were jagged and had pieces of flesh in-between them. It then violently jolted its head back down and began tearing at James leg. James screamed out in fear and disgust, but not pain. He couldn’t feel a thing. The creature just continued to claw and bite. James screamed helplessly. At that moment, James looked to his left and saw the other entity appear out of nowhere. It stabbed the vicious monster, who roared in pain. The vicious creature scampered away and began tearing at yet another un-aware victim. James turned to thank the entity, but when he looked back, it was gone.
Nothing could have prepared James for what was he was about to see. When he looked towards the middle of Times Square, he saw a more dignified looking figure stroking one of the vicious, near-human creatures on the head. When he looked just a little closer, he realized that it was the same creature he had seen in his apartment the night before. This entity looked straight at him, and gave the same sadistic grin.
Just then, the sun began to appear, and all the creatures and entities started to fade away. The people walking up and down the street began to appear as they usually would. All the cuts and bruises slowly disappeared. Missing arms and limbs were now suddenly attached. As James was trying to grasp what exactly had just taken place, he dropped on the sidewalk.
Chapter 7: The Joining
“Doctor, we’re losing him!” the nurse exclaimed. Those were the last words James heard before slipping into a coma, returning him to his dream-like field. Although he noticed something was different about the field this time. The colors seemed less vibrant. The large tree seemed to be losing some of its leaves. But before he really had time to notice much else, he saw Robert heading towards him.
“Greetings, my friend,” Robert said with a smile. However, something seemed a bit odd about it. The friendliness felt forced to James. But after all, he could still be in shock from his disturbing bout with the otherworldy entities.
“Hey, Robert,” James said in a slightly worn-out tone. But just then, James realized something. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t extend his hand to shake Robert’s, let alone stand up. He was paralyzed, leaning against a tree feeling completely numb from the shoulders down.
“You appear to be having some difficulty, James. Do you need help?” Robert asked with seeming anticipation.
“I think I may…” James was still feeling a bit hesitant about Robert.
“Well, I can help you out, but it will require a little something,” Robert said with his signature smile.
James heard an odd quality in Robert’s voice, and wasn’t sure he was comfortable with his statement. He replied, “And that would be?”
“Well, I would need to join you to us, really. I can pass on my strength to you. It would be entirely painless,” Robert said with a dignified tone.
“I guess that would be alright, considering that I’m just dreaming.” James felt a little unsure about it, but after all, it was just a dream.
“Ok, then,” Robert said with a smile. He walked up to James and put his hand on James’ shoulder. James jolted, but Robert maintained a steady grip. Then in what appeared to be something seen only in science-fiction films, Robert began disappearing into James. First, his hand melded with James’ shoulder in a very natural motion. But as this was taking place, James began to awaken…
Chapter 8: Insanity
James sat straight up in his bed with one sudden jerk. Both nurses and the doctor stared in horror. James stared straight back at them with a devilish smile, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. He then cocked his head to the side and fixated on the doctor, with that wicked smile still on his face. Then in a voice that sounded as if it were from Satan, he said, “Doctor, doctor, save me. I can’t control myself!” He began viciously ripping out his IV’s, while the nurses stood back in sheer terror, staring at the doctor for an explanation. “Send security in here!” the doctor yelled down the hallway. But when he turned around, James was staring him in the face.
“Boo!” gargled James as he grabbed the doctor by the neck with one of his blood-covered hands and lifted him off his feet.
“Please! Let me go!” The doctor shouted. James just laughed and snarled, “Ever wonder what it’s like to have no control over life and death? I can assure you that your girlfriend knew.”
The nurses just stared at him in horror.
“You told me she killed herself!” one of them screamed.
“H-h-how did you know?!” the doctor choked, gasping for breath and struggling to get loose of James grip.
“Because I guided your hand, you worthless low-life! You think you can just ignore me by ignoring the past?”James let out a vicious roaring laughter, and then suddenly stopped. He looked straight into the doctor’s eyes and said, “Think again.”
Then with a supernatural power, he spun the doctor around and hurled him out the window. The nurses screamed in horror as the window shattered into countless shards.
“Awww, don’t cry,” said James with a mock caring tone, as he scurried on all fours like a madman.
“Who are you?” one of the nurses shrieked.
“I rule your nightmares. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of my face out of the corner of your eye, and you feel a chill. Other times… to you, I’m an angel.” James growled.
“You’re anything but an angel, you demon!” the nurse exclaimed with yet another shriek.
With that, James suddenly ascended into the air. The blood disappeared from the corners of his mouth. Rips were suddenly sown back together all over his hospital gown. The gashes and slices from his vicious tirade faded into his skin. A glow surrounded him as his face took on an entirely peaceful expression. Then, in a soft voice, he said “Who am I?”
The nurse replied, “Remarkable! The demon is gone, you saved James! Thank you! You’re an angel from heaven, sent from God to save the poor man!”
At this James dropped to the floor with a thud, and slowly pulled himself up into a dog-like position. He crawled on all fours over to the nurse, looked and snarled, “You’re welcome, you worthless slut.”
He looked over and bit into her leg, blood spurted as she let out a howl of pain. About this time, the security guards finally arrived. James looked up at them, grinned, and went scurrying out of the room, and turned a corner. The guards chased after him, but they were too late. He was gone…
“He’s completely insane!” exclaimed the bewildered guard.
Chapter 9: The Return
James scampered down the stairwell, tripping over his ragged, bloodstained hospital gown. He plunged through the emergency exit door as sirens alerted hospital staff to the terrifying escape. Crawling grotesquely into the woods behind the hospital, James knew where he had to go. He hadn’t been there in years, but it was time to return…
He scurried through back yards and crawled over fences, all the while drooling and growling as his body convulsed and contorted. He was almost there… Then he saw it. The brick house looked exactly the same, except the swing on which he used to play as a kid was now replaced by a small garden. As he looked at the garden and remembered times past, he became fearsomely angry. He heard the shouts of his parents, informing him of his worthlessness. His anger raged inside him as he felt a presence whispering words he had forgotten since childhood.
James dragged his contorted body to the bedroom window and flung himself into the room. He landed with a thud as the couple in the bed awoke with a start. “James, is that you?” asked his mother, a woman who looked to be in her late 50’s with slightly graying brown hair and a worn expression.
He growled and replied, “Your son is nearly dead. But what difference would that make to a miserable wretch like you? Don’t think your sins are hidden.”
The father, now fully awake and filled with fear and hatred, turned and pointed at the writhing man on the ground. “You are not my son!”
“Daddy, why are you angry? I thought you were better?” James replied with a sadistically mocking tone. He then crawled up on to the bed and grabbed his father by the neck, attempting to strangle him. “Joanne!… Help……” the father gasped.
“Fred!” screamed the mother, as she fought James off of her weak husband. She swung and clawed at him, as he continued to viciously attack his father. James howled in pain and scampered out of the room after being slammed in the back of the head with a nearby clock.
“Kill them…” whispered the eerily calm voice in James’ head.
“Let me go!” James screamed as he ran around his old living room, running into furniture and tripping over the couch. “Please!” he gargled as he landed with a thud. He then let out a laugh… “But you’re mine… you and I are connected… eternally.”
James began writhing in pain as he screamed, “You will listen to me! I am not asking your permission! Kill them!” His eyes then glazed as he began to drool blood. He scampered to the kitchen and grasped a large carving knife. After grasping the knife with his right hand, he used his left hand and feet to scurry back into his parents bedroom when he heard his father say “Thank you officer… please.. Hurry.”
When his father turned around, James leaped at him with the knife. His mother screamed and froze as she watched Fred attempt to wrestle the knife away from James, but it was hopeless. James’ seemingly otherworldly strength was too much for the aging man…
Chapter 10: The Slaying of the Minister
Knife still in hand, James turned to Joanne. Or was it James? It appeared to be James, but when one stared into his cold, blackened eyes, so full of hate and rage… As a child, James had always had a hard time. Bullied by children at school because of his awkward demeanor and his inability to defend himself, chastised by his parents for his every little misdeed, James had, while much better than many can claim, a somewhat dysfunctional childhood. But could such dysfunction really cause a person to detach themselves from reality in such an extreme way?
For no apparent reason, James fled the house in a violent rampage. He ran down his childhood street, screaming curses as he slashed at the cold air. He continued this rampage all through the downtown area until he reached an old church as it was beginning its mid-week evening service. Clapping and singing could be heard from outside the small building, as the doors and windows remained open, adding to the already inviting atmosphere. In the front row, he saw him… A jolly man that appeared to be in his mid-fifties, this man was the town embodiment of patience and love. Whenever James had a problem, Brother Winfred was there. In fact, once James had stolen a large sum of cash from the church during his teen years, and had become so overcome with guilt that he told the minister. In his usual forgiving and sincerely kind-hearted manner, Brother Winfred simply pat James on the back and said, “Thank you for your honesty. I knew you’d come eventually.” He didn’t even ask for the money back, but James had returned it anyway, in the form of an “anonymous gift” from an “unnamed benefactor.”
But now, James was filled with unexplainable fury and hatred for this man. In a fit of rage, he threw himself into the church and began to have immediate convulsions. He writhed on the floor shouting obscenities, and some words and phrases in seemingly foreign languages. Brother Winfred suddenly looked horrified, and he exclaimed to his congregation, “Everyone please remain in your seats! Make no movement toward him!”
Winfred walked up to the writhing body, and in typical charismatic fashion, proclaimed, “Unclean spirit, I co-“ and before he could finish the sentence, James leaped at him knife in hand. The pastor tried to overcome James, but James’ unnatural strength was too much for the man to resist. But just as James pulled back the knife, prepared to plunge it into the man’s heart, the young assistant minister leaped in front of him in a move so sudden it must’ve been instinctive. James, with robotic precision plunged the knife directly into the young man’s heart.
Brother Winfred let out a scream, and began to sob. One of his closest colleagues was now dead by the hand of this raving demonic maniac. His first instinct was to kill this animal, rid the world of his detestable presence. But that would go against the very words he had spent his life teaching to others. After all, the great book he held in his hand quoted his beloved master instructing his followers to love their enemies. In times of intense persecution, his fellow brothers and sisters had been instructed to simply pray for their persecutors. Now was his chance, his time. But what would he do?
James sat upright and twisted his head around backward to look at the weeping pastor. “You’re too weak to even kill me aren’t you? Here, I’ll make it easy, take my knife.” He tossed the blood-soaked knife toward the now slightly composed pastor. “Come on, you knew me when I was a child. If it weren’t for me, your precious minister would still be alive. You don’t know all the things I’ve done. Remember your first wife, the one that ran out on you in the night for some other guy? You never did find out who it was, did you? Well, guess it doesn’t matter, the whore ditched me too.” James sat quietly for a moment, rocking back and forth on the floor, just grinning at the minister. Brother Winfred’s mind was suddenly filled with rage. But it was justified… After all, this man killed his best friend and took the woman with whom he planned to live until his dying day. This wretched excuse for a person was the driving force behind all his heartbreak over the last twelve years. Or was he? Who was truly to blame for his heartache? Was it really this man, who he had last seen as a poor lost boy? Could he really have wanted to cause all that pain? It wasn’t even his nature to do such things. Suddenly Winfred was overcome with a deep compassion for this horrific soul laid before him. In a soft voice he said, “I love you, James Smith.”
“DON’T SAY THAT!” James roared back with a demonic voice. “Love is just something we pretend to posses to get us through each night. You and I know that everyone is truly alone!” Years of seminary couldn’t have prepared anyone for the task at hand, but Winfred wasn’t going to back down. He kneeled down on the ground in silent prayer. No one knew what he was saying, but it was an obvious struggle. After what seemed like an eternity of silence from Winfred as James continued to shout curses and insults at him, he finally stood to his feet. With a strong voice, he exclaimed, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out of him, you unclean spirit!”
James writhed and shook until he was in a standing position. And at alternate times one could here James scream, “Let me go!” while two seconds later his own, yet severely altered, voice shouted, “You are my slave!” After much writhing and turmoil, James dropped to the floor in the middle of the small auditorium. The minister and a few others from the congregation rushed toward him. After turning him over, they realized that James had collapsed on his own knife…
Chapter 11: Unwilling Traveler
James felt himself flying between dimensions, and he wasn’t sure why, but he was terrified. That white light everyone seems to head towards was nowhere to be found, it was only him and some presence that could only be described as pure hellish evil. He saw vicious memories of murder. Was that him doing the killing? He felt his hand stabbing over and over. He saw every awful thing he had ever done flash before him. He felt alone, more than any loneliness he had ever felt. Where was he headed? Everything seemed to get darker and darker as he soared at break-neck speeds through what seemed to be pure blackness. Was this Hell? Was he headed there? What was Hell? If it in any way resembled this, he wanted no part of it. But maybe it was too late. After all, he was relatively sure that he was dead. Could a man really decide his fate in this state? He didn’t know anything.
Suddenly, there appeared in the distance, Robert! He was smiling and waving. His smile a twisted grin, his features now oddly distorted. His angelic appearance now resembled that of a messenger of evil. Who was he?
“Oh, my friend, you simply trust too easily,” Robert said with his now-trademark grin. “You know, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I picked you long ago for this. If I have to experience pain and torment, I certainly don’t want to go through it alone.”
“Where are you taking me?” James croaked in horror.
“Well, isn’t that a bit obvious. You’re headed for the place of mystery with which your people have so long been fascinated. I’m beginning to think they know the place better than I do. Well, some of them.”
James was done with these mind-games, and he was sure that it was beginning to feel warmer. In fact, it was getting a bit unbearable. Suddenly the images became worse. Memories of which he had completely forgotten were staring him in the face. He also saw many more beings, each more hideous than the last. He had never experienced such terror in his life. “Where are you taking me?!?!” he cried in total agony.
Robert smiled, and then completely morphed into a hideous being, the most horrific thing James had ever encountered anywhere. His eyes shot daggers at James, while his form became large yet contorted. His already twisted smile became unbearably hostile, twisted mouth and sharp teeth contorted into a bizarre grin. Fear shot through his heart as he tried to imagine who this repulsive being could be, when it finally hit him in time to hear “Robert’s” answer…
Chapter 12: Hell Grasp
He looked nothing like James had expected. He was nearly human, with no horns. He wasn’t red, actually quite the opposite. James couldn’t remember the last time he had seen someone look so pale and lifeless, yet so evil at the same time.
Just then, this horrific being reached out his long fingers for James’ neck and began to choke him. But as James felt the fingers grip tightly around his neck, he also felt a different sensation… It seemed that he was flying backwards. And it was getting faster… faster… James was bolting at such a speed that the hand simply couldn’t hold on to his neck anymore. James wondered how he could take the pressure of such speed. Just then, he opened his eyes, and saw Brother Winfred standing over him. James was laying in a hospital bed surrounded by nurses who seemed to be clearing the room. He began to weep uncontrollably. He looked toward Brother Winfred and said, “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry.” He then began to weep again, like a frightened and confused child.
Brother James put his arms around him and said, “It wasn’t you committing those acts. Be thankful you were able to be brought back from the brink of death. You have a second chance that most will never experience. Take advantage of it.”
“But, what should I do? My life is falling apart… I hate who I’ve become.”
Just as though James were twelve again having a conversation with Brother Winfred, who at the time he regarded as a fanatic, Brother Winfred replied, “Your life is your own, do with it as you should.”
James didn’t have to ask what he meant. James already knew. He had actually always known somehow. He couldn’t explain it, but, for the first time in his life, he was ready to accept it. He was ready to become the person he knew he was intended to be.
He looked Winfred in the eyes and said simply, “I’m ready.
”
Closing
The evil one dropped to his knees, grasped his head, and shouted in utter defeat.
“…the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…”