“You must start your training soon,” says Lukas as we continue walking deeper into the woods.
“Training?” I ask.
“Of course. You did not think God would send one of His people into battle without proper tutelage?” he asks.
“You’re right, I guess that makes sense. So when do we start?”
Lukas looks saddened by my question. “I must leave soon. I will not be here to train you and you will not see me again until the final battle where we will fight together.”
“You’re leaving? But I can’t do this without your help. I don’t want you to leave, Lukas.”
“God has something planned for you,” he smiles. “He would like you to meet the ones that will fight with you until the end. They will also be left here to endure the tribulation.”
“Uh-oh, what did they do? Are they as clueless as I was?” I ask.
Lukas laughs. “Each of these people has a resilient love for God,” he says, “but each of them has a story that has left them with continuous animosity that no saint should hold. Even though they have given their life to Him they cannot let go of the anger inside them and are unable to forgive those that have hurt them.”
“So what’s going to happen to them?”
“He is giving them a chance to mend their hearts and He will judge them all when the time comes. But for now He will use their strength and desire for vengeance to defeat the demons that try to harm you. They will protect you on your travels. Help them and they will help you.”
“If they’re only human how can they defeat demons?” I ask.
“They have been given their strength from God, the strength of an Angel. Only when their time comes will they be killed and told to rest.”
I think I now know my fate, but the fear that arises quickly goes away as I remember why I’m doing this.
“So I won’t be given this strength? Have they ever seen a demon?” I ask. “What if they freak out and leave me to fight on my own?”
“They have seen them and they have been trained to be warriors and your protectors,” says Lukas. “These men and women are your brothers and sisters now. They will not leave your side just as you will not leave them. One thing you should keep in mind is that they are fearless. You will see them decapitate the biggest dragons without flinching and rip out the eyes of demons before they blink. They call them the Goldens, and they are out for evil blood.”
***
Lukas takes us to a mountain top in the middle of the forest. We stand there in silence as he looks up to the sky and stares. I do the same.
“What are we looking for?” I whisper.
“Shhh,” he hushes me, “they are coming soon.”
Suddenly I see a crack of lightning strike in the mid-day sky and a small tornado-like gust of wind swarms around me and Lukas. Once it subsides I hear footsteps and crunching leaves on the ground behind us. I turn around quickly and see four figures walking towards us. As they come closer I notice there are two men and two women. All seem to be built muscular and tall except for one woman who is petite and toned. The women have their hair tied back with a golden ribbon and the men have the ribbons tied around their wrists. They all wear similar armor that guards their fronts and backs. The pieces appear to be made of real silver and gold. They’re a few feet in front of us when they all stop in a line and start to observe me.
“Is she the one?” the tall woman asks speaking with a strong Scottish accent.
“This is her,” says Lukas, “this is Zenny.”
None of them say anything or try to greet me. They continue to inspect me from top to bottom.
“Zenny, allow me to introduce you to your new tribe,” says Lukas and he steps towards the first man in line. “This is Forrest. He is also an American and joins all of you with superior hunting and swordsmanship skills. The skills he has will be crucial when times get worse.”
Forrest nods his head at me as if acknowledging our introduction. He is very tall and built like an Olympian. His green eyes stand out due to his fair complexion and dark hair. His hair looks disheveled and he has stubble all around his face. Beyond his unkempt appearance I notice that he does not have a single flaw on his body. Forrest seems to be perfect.
Lukas moves down the line. “And this is Ainsley. She comes from Scotland. You all will see she is one of the strongest warriors God has chosen. She will save your life many times,” he says.
I’m not surprised by his statement. Ainsley is the tallest of the group and her body is somehow very toned without making her look masculine. Her long, dark brown hair rests in a low ponytail on her broad shoulders. Her build is made to take out any man, or maybe even a tree, but her face is stunning and very feminine. She had lips that were naturally tinted red, high cheekbones and a perfectly symmetrical face. Once again I see perfection in a human form. I’m starting to see a pattern.
“This little one is Bree,” says Lukas as he moves on. Bree gives Lukas a look like she’s insulted by his comment about her size. I’ve seen this girl somewhere before.
“You may recognize her,” says Lukas. “Bree was formerly a Canadian actress who has been in several cinemas. She has many connections that will become useful on your journey. And when the time comes she will gather her chosen friends who you may also know, and they will use their status for the good of mankind and join you on your quest to save souls.”
Bree is as beautiful and flawless as a person could expect a celebrity to be. Her hair is strawberry red and her gray eyes are the same color as the bark on the trees around us. She smiles at me showing her pearly white teeth. She is petite but has all the curves of a woman and stands with one hand on her hip.
“Last but not least, this is Chike,” Lukas step towards the last man in the line, “he joins us from Africa and he has been blessed with the gift to sense evil when it is hidden and before it strikes. All of you will need to listen to him closely. When God sends you messages it is likely He will speak through Chike.”
Chike nods at me. His skin is the color of rich cocoa and his muscles are the largest among the four of them, with each one visibly defined and chiseled to excellence. His eyes are bright and look golden. I’ve never seen this eye color before, except maybe on the face of a lion. There will be no doubt in any person’s mind that comes in contact with Chike that he was most definitely carefully crafted by the hands of God.
“You all should get to know each other very well over the coming years,” says Lukas, “shake hands to seal this bond.”
Bree is the first one to step towards me happily. She holds out her hand for me to shake.
“Hi Zenny,” she smiles kindly. I hold out my hand and as we touch I see a flash of images that run in slow motion. I see her crying at a funeral dressed in all black with a sheer veil covering her face.
Then in another image I see her screaming at several men in business suits and throwing things at them while another person tries to hold her back. The men she’s attacking all have dark clouds flying around their heads. Venopars, I think to myself. The flashes end and as I stand in confusion looking at Bree the word “Deceit” forms across her forehead in white lettering and then quickly fades away. Bree stares back at me with a shared look of confusion and surprise.
“Let us hurry. We must keep moving,” says Lukas.
Next I shake the hand of Chike and see another picture. This one is more terrifying. I watch as Chike seems to be huddled in a corner with a woman and three children. They’re all screaming and he seems to be guarding them from something. Then I see a man dressed as a soldier burst into the room. Chike stands up to confront him but he’s immediately hit in the face with a rifle the man holds and then he falls to the floor. The intruder steps towards the woman and children, but Chike pulls out the man’s leg from underneath him so that he falls to the ground and then he starts punching him, knocking him out. More men with weapons run through the door. Another soldier opens fire and shoots Chike in the chest and then takes his pistol to strike him with it. The men capture the woman and children and force them out of their home, taking all the food and money they find and leaving Chike lying unconscious on the floor. As this stops I see the word “Suppression” appear on his forehead and then it fades away.
Next I shake the hand of Forrest. I see him as a baby being held by a woman that looks like she has abused drugs. I watch as she wraps him in a sheet of newspaper and carries him off. Then she walks to a nearby empty trash can and places Forrest inside of it. Without showing any emotion she walks away and leaves him. I see him again as a child in what appears to be a foster home. He sits in a corner by himself and cries. I watch again and he’s shown as a young man who seems to be homeless. He’s sitting beneath a bridge by himself and trying to stay warm near a small fire made of twigs and tree bark. When it’s over I see the word “Loneliness” across his forehead.
Lastly I shake Ainsley’s hand and see another disturbing image. I see her in her home arguing with a man and woman who I assume are her parents. She looks like she is only ten or eleven years old. Her father turns his anger to her mother and punches her in the face, knocking her down to the floor as he begins kicking her. Ainsley jumps on her father’s back to try to stop him, but he flings her body over him and slams her to the ground. Both of the women scream as the man continues to beat them while they’re down. I see blood splatter onto the furniture and onto the ground, and then it stops.
On Ainsley’s forehead I see the word “Abuse.” When it fades away I find her staring at me and it seems she has tears dwelling in her eyes.
“I think you all will grow very fond of each other,” says Lukas. He must notice that we all have distressed looks on our faces.
“Come now,” he says, “I must leave and I wish to say goodbye to all of you. Zenny, rest assured you will be protected. Within the next few weeks you will see these warriors in action.”
Suddenly Chike grunts loudly and turns around quickly. He stares intensely at the land behind us but I see nothing.
“Perhaps she’ll see action sooner than later,” says Forrest.
“What is it Chike?” asks Lukas.
“Takers. Five of them are headed this way and they’re close,” says Chike.
“How do they know we’re here?” asks Bree.
Lukas hesitates. “They know about Zenny.”
“What?” I panic.
“Your brother tried to stop this from happening,” says Lukas, “but they know Nathan has a sister and that he communicated with you. They do not know how much you know but they are aware you know something, and that is still enough reason for them to come after you. Your brother has been trying to warn you of this from another realm where he is trapped.”
“Where’s my brother Lukas?” I ask. A flurry of questions race through my mind as I begin to panic and my heart feels like it may explode.
“He rests in the Dark Realm where his soul is trying to escape. The souls that did not join in evil but also did not know God will find themselves trapped there until Judgment Day,” says Lukas.
“Two minutes,” says Chike warning us.
“Who are the Takers?” I ask quickly, still trying to absorb the discovery about my brother.
“Takers are demons that have possessed the bodies of humans,” says Ainsley. She pulls out a dagger hidden behind the breastplate of her armor. “They work for our enemy and are out to destroy all who stand against their leader.”
“What do we do?” I ask hysterically. I haven’t even had time to prepare for an attack; still I’m the only one who seems to be frightened at the moment.
“Zenny,” starts Lukas, “I will need The Arma.”
It takes me a moment to realize he’s referring to my Bible. I quickly hand it to him and he flips through the pages. As he does this I can see the words start to glow again.
Then from behind the shadows of the pine trees emerge five men dressed in red robes. They all have the bodies of a human but their eyes are completely black. I notice that their fingernails are long, almost claw-like, and the tips are rotted and yellow. One of them steps forward and smiles wickedly, revealing his teeth that look like they have come from the mouth of a hyena.
Each of the Takers looks at the Goldens and then cautiously walks towards us.
“We have come for the girl,” one of them speaks with a deep voice and points directly at me. “If you try to stop us we will not hesitate to fight!” he yells.
They move closer to us and then Lukas starts shouting loudly in a language I’ve never heard before. He’s reading from The Arma and now the entire book is shining.
The Takers see the book in Lukas’s hands and try to run away but their feet appear to be stuck on the ground.
As he chants the words all of the Takers begin to shake. Their heads jerk quickly from side to side and each of them begin to scream like a banshee. Lukas doesn’t stop.
Then I see a black substance begin to seep out of their eyes, and then it trickles from their mouths until a large amount surges out onto the floor into piles of sludge. The human bodies fall to the floor, all except one that seems to be resisting. Black ooze continues to drip from his eyes and his teeth begin to chatter violently.
“He’s holding on,” shouts Forrest, “this one is strong!”
“What’s happening?” I yell.
“Demons know we will not kill the flesh they have possessed, so we force them out of the bodies and only battle the evil,” says Forrest. “But this human is letting the demon take his body; he is wicked just like the one who possesses him. If he wishes to fight for the beast then let him.” Forrest steps forward to challenge the Taker.
“No Forrest,” Lukas stops reciting and grabs Forrest’s arm to hold him back. Then he looks at the Taker. “You are making a terrible mistake,” he tells him, “it is not too late to end this.”
The Taker stares at Lukas and then looks down to the floor as the piles of sludge that emerged from the human bodies begin to mutate. They slowly rise up from the ground and take on the form of giants; only they are no longer human, more like monsters. Their skin looks like cracked charcoal, their eyes are blood red, and they have the feet of a tiger. Three curved horns slowly emerge across their forehead. Their mouths stretch open and they let out a loud growl that shows off their beastly fangs.
The Taker starts to laugh. “I see that we have caught you unprepared.”
Ainsley rapidly stretches out her arm to point her dagger at him.
“Such a pity,” says the Taker, “we were told that the Goldens were a formidable force, not silly enough to bring a knife to a gun show.”
He quickly pulls out a large pistol from the inside of his robe and points it straight at my head.
“Now,” says the Taker, “we were told to bring the girl back alive, but if we must kill her along with the rest of you I will not complain.”
Lukas looks at the Goldens. “They leave us no other choice,” he says. Then he nods at Bree and she steps forward towards the Taker.
I assume she’ll be the first one of the Goldens to attack. The others take a step back and leave her to fight alone. Lukas takes my hand and moves me back with them
“What is she doing?” I ask. I don’t receive a response from anyone.
I watch as Bree walks closer to the four demons and the Taker who is still holding a gun pointed at my head. She moves ahead of me to block his aim.
“Unwise young one,” he says.
“Bree, no!” I shout. But before I can run to grab her I hear the blasting sound of the bullets being launched at Bree’s head and the deafening ringing in my ears causes me to fall to the floor.