sword of michael

THE SWORD OF MICHAEL

J.T. Louviere

A John Thomas Louviere Novel Published by Black Lake Publishing Company

Copyright © 1999 & 2008 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Black Lake Publishing Company First Edition

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“……..BEWARE, FOR HEREIN LIES THE SALVATION OF MAN AND THE DESTRUCTION OF MANKIND.”

“I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the Mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high.” -Isaiah 14, Verses 13 & 14 -

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PROLOGUE

Amidst the serenity of Heaven, there was uneasiness, a
rumbling; in the air there was a feeling of impending doom, of a battle brewing. The perfection of Heaven, a universe without sin, a universe where only good exists, was being tainted and giving way to a new and dangerous order, an order of evil! God had known that this would eventually happen. He knew of the inevitability of evil, for without evil, there could be no good. And without good, there could be no evil. Both were interdependent of each other. The Creator, a perfect being, had created Heaven as a perfect and sinless home. A place devoid of evil. For a perfect being should not live in a non-perfect environment. But the Almighty desired companionship, and so created the angels to love and glorify him. When God had created the angels, He hadn't wanted to create a bunch of mindless beings with no choice but to worship Him. He wanted them to worship Him out of love and respect. So He gave them all a free will. Lucifer was the most beloved of all of God's angels. In the beginning, he had loved God as much or more than all of the angels in Heaven. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel and the closest to perfect; the closest to God of all the angels. But Lucifer grew tired of worshipping God and became resentful at the prospect of serving Him throughout all of eternity. Although he was a close to perfect being, a flaw was developing... Envy. Lucifer had begun to question God about creation. But only God could fully understand creation; therefore, even if He had wanted to, God could not have answered the inquisitive angel's questions. This refusal to answer questions regarding creation angered Lucifer. It angered him so, that he began voicing his displeasure with God to the other angels of Heaven. “God claims He loves us, but will not share His knowledge with us. Is that the way that He repays us for our love and loyalty? We devote our lives to Him to keep Him happy, and

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what does He give us in return? He keeps us ignorant; He keeps us in servitude!” “HE GIVES US LOVE IN RETURN,” a voice rang out from the heavens. It was Michael, one of God's most loyal angels. “Lucifer, you should not try to poison the minds of innocents. If you are discontented, you should go to the Master, not speak against Him behind His back!” “Michael, it is you who are weak minded,” Lucifer responded. “You tell me not to poison the minds of the innocents, but it is you whose mind has been poisoned. It is you who try to poison the minds of those around you. I seek to enlighten them. I seek to show them the truth!” “Lucifer, you are blind to the truth. The truth is all around you, but you refuse to see. God is truth, God is beauty, God is love.” As the two argued, the throngs of angels that had gathered looked on in stunned silence. They had never before witnessed such a spectacle. Suddenly the light of the sky dimmed until all were engulfed in total darkness. A great light appeared overhead. An overpowering voice boomed across all of Heaven. It was the voice of God! “LUCIFER,” it echoed, “YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST ME AND HEAVEN. YOU HAVE DEFILED MY HOME. YOU HAVE TAKEN THE SPLENDOR OF HEAVEN AND REDUCED IT TO DARKNESS!” The pause that followed was short and powerful. “SO FOR YOUR SINS, I BANISH YOU AND ALL OF THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW YOU FROM HEAVEN, FOREVER!” "But Lord, have You forgotten about the great powers you've given me?” Lucifer replied. ‘Oh God of peace and love, do You dare lower yourself to banish one of Your own creations? Isn't that too blatant a show of Your great power? Maybe it is I who will banish You!” he said mockingly. A great rumbling came from the heavens. The ground shook at Lucifer's feet. So great was the quake that even the once fearless Lucifer took a step back in caution. “YOU DARE MOCK ME IN MY OWN HOME? IT IS I

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WHO CREATED YOU, NOT YOU WHO CREATED ME. SATAN, YOU ARE A DISEASE THAT EATS AT THE HEART OF MY DOMAIN. NOW I SHALL BANISH YOU AND ALL WHO FOLLOW YOU FROM MY HOME.” As the echoes of God's voice went silent, the Lord continued. “You want to rule over your own Kingdom, then, by God, you shall. Oh Lucifer, prince of darkness, you will rule the darkness; you and all who follow you shall be gone from my Kingdom and descend into Hell!” With that, there was a great flash of light and in an instant, Lucifer and all of his followers found themselves standing outside the gates of Heaven. “I will not leave, Lord! I will storm Your gates and capture Heaven for myself!” As the words faded in the air, Satan began to gather his forces and retreat into the wasteland to contrive a plan to invade and conquer Heaven. Heaven had now been thrown into civil war! Meanwhile, God was also gathering His forces. “Michael, you defended Me against the words of Satan, now I make you my Archangel. It is you who will defend the gates of Heaven.” “But Lord, can You not destroy Lucifer with the wave of your hand? It is You who gave him life. Can't You take that life away?” “Michael, it is true that I could take Lucifer's life with a wave of my hand, but Lucifer is the king of evil. If he were no more, there would always be one to replace him. Therefore, I won't destroy him. But even though evil is inevitable, I shall not have it infect my home! Hence Michael, my beloved Archangel, I shall bestow upon you this sword cast in gold and bejeweled with the most precious stones of Heaven.” God then handed Michael the sword. It was more beautiful than anything that Michael had ever seen. “It possesses the power of My vengeance. You shall meet Lucifer outside the gates of Heaven. Once you stand before him, you will strike the ground at his feet with the sword. He and his banished angels will fall through the ground, down into the

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bowels of the earth. The battles between good and evil will be fought there from now until the end of time. Evil will never infect My home again! Once Satan and his followers have fallen, the sword should be placed at the gates of Heaven, that they can never enter paradise again. Only one with purity and absolute love for Me can remove the sword, once it has been placed there. So go forth, Michael, and do the will of God. For even as we speak, Satan and his forces ascend upon the gates of Heaven!” “I love you Lord; your will shall be done.” Michael then turned and made his way to the gate of Heaven. On his way, the Archangel assembled a handful of angels loyal to God, and led them to battle. Eerie shadows were illuminated by the ghostly fog outside the gates of Heaven. Lucifer's angels, clad in black, lay in waiting in the distant fields. As the Archangel Michael and his forces passed through the now tarnished golden gates of Heaven, the forces of Satan advanced slowly upon them. There was a tension, a spark of energy in the air. Positive and negative forces were about to collide! Suddenly the black clad angels stopped and Lucifer stepped forward out of the stealth of the fog greeting the Archangel. Lucifer's voice boomed out -- cutting the silence like a knife, “Where is your God, your almighty master, is He so afraid that he will not meet me in battle?” Michael replied, "He does not choose to do battle with you, Satan, so He has sent me!” A chorus of laughter came from the angels standing behind Lucifer. “You?” Lucifer chuckled, "Why I can destroy you with the blink of an eye.” After a long pause Lucifer once again directed his attention toward Michael. “But instead, I will show you more compassion than your master has shown you by sending you here. If you fall to your knees, kiss my feet, and denounce God as your master, I will spare you!” More laughter came from the deposed angels just behind Satan. Michael stepped forward, drawing the sword from its sheath. Satan cackled in disdain. “You come for me with a sword? Don't you know you can't stop me with such an inferior weapon? Michael, you amuse me!”

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Then, with lightning quick reflexes, the Archangel leaped forward, “I denounce you, Satan!” With that he plunged the sword into the ground at Satan’s feet. A loud rumbling began. The ground beneath the great Lucifer began to quake. It then swallowed Satan and his followers sucking them down into the huge crater that had been formed by the quake. They began to fall into emptiness until they crashed into the bowels of the earth. Then the great crevice that had swallowed them closed, followed by a loud silence. The eerie fog that had gathered outside the gates dispersed and was replaced by the eternal light of God. Once again the bejeweled towers of Heaven shone with infinite beauty. Multitudes of God's angels could be heard in choruses rejoicing and celebrating his glory. Michael and his band of angels then passed back through the gates to the cheers of myriads of angels. Once back inside, the dutiful angel placed the sword at the gate as God had instructed him to do. Triumphant, Michael returned to tell God of his great victory. “Lord, my God, Lucifer has been banished from Heaven forever!” A tear formed in God's eye, and he turned away in sadness. “God, did you not hear me? Satan has fallen! Why do you weep? The rebellion is over!” “Alas Michael, my beloved,” came God's reply, “it has only just begun…”

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PART I IN THE BEGINNING...

CHAPTER 1 andal Miguel Pfeiffer watched as the sun was slowly setting in the west. Behind him, the backdrop of the Dead Sea, with its many caves situated on the brightly colored plateaus of the Judean Desert. The last remaining rays of sunlight danced on the Dead Sea like the sparkles of light cast from a large prism. Looking around at the vistas surrounding him he thought to himself, “This is as close to God as you get.” Pfeiffer then went back into deep concentration, looking over his notes and the findings from the day's digs. A biblical archaeologist, and author of many books on the subject of religious history, he was here in the Judean desert once again searching for ancient documents and manuscripts pertaining to the evolution of scriptural teachings. In particular, he was searching for artifacts and documentation dealing with a secret order of priests dating back to sometime around the time of Moses. As the story goes God allegedly entrusted these priests with certain religious artifacts and documents. These documents were believed to possibly contain some of the sacred mysteries of the faith and the covenant between God and man. Randal also believed that a legendary sword existed, and might be somewhere in this area of the Qumran valley. In earlier expeditions to the Holy Land, Pfeiffer had heard of a secret order of priests and the sword through local folklore, and data from previous discoveries. He believed that even though these were said to be ‘just stories’ or fables; there was more than just a chance that the order of priests and even the sword existed, truly existed. And Professor Pfeiffer wasn't just some foolish little man

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shooting in the dark. Holding a degree in archaeology from Johns Hopkins University and being a Professor of Religion at Columbia University, he had the credentials to be taken seriously. In addition, he had served as Professor of History of Religions at The University of Rome, and Director of Excavations at Jerusalem's Museum of Theological Art, not to mention the various other awards and honors he had received in his chosen field. More than intuition was the basis for his interest in this, his latest expedition. He truly believed that the sword and the order of priests existed. They had been mentioned in too many texts and earlier manuscripts for him to just ignore the possibility of their existence. Ten years earlier, Randal had heard of the Brotherhood of the Sons of Zadok from some of the townspeople in a remote village nestled in the Qumran valley. During that earlier expedition, Pfeiffer and a team of archaeologists had discovered several manuscripts dating back to the Essenes. The Essenes were a Jewish religious sect from Palestine that dated back to many years before the time of Christ. Disagreeing with the actions of the Sadducees and Pharisees, (the two major religious groups of the Jewish hierarchy at the time), the Essenes had broken away from them to pursue a purer, more spiritually fulfilling life in the Judean desert. The Essenes were ascetics, practicing self-denial and shunning earthly pleasures. They strictly observed Jewish religious laws, spending many hours a day in prayer. Living by farming and other simple work, they held property in common, and members ate a common meal prepared by Community Priests. The life that John the Baptist (from the bible) led suggests that he may have been influenced by the Essenes. In several of the documents discovered by Pfeiffer's archaeological team on earlier expeditions, there was mention of an order of priests known as the Brotherhood of the Sons of Zadok, Keepers of the Faith; Keepers of the Sword. These references had intrigued Professor Pfeiffer, because he had never heard of the Brotherhood prior to these discoveries. In fact, none of Professor Pfeiffer's other colleagues had ever heard of the Brotherhood either. It would have been easy to write off

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the stories as folklore, or old wives tales, but Professor Pfeiffer had a feeling that The Brotherhood did exist. And he had a way of following his sixth sense. It had accounted for many important discoveries in his illustrious past. After quizzing some of the locals in the valley, he had become more certain in his beliefs that the Brotherhood existed. The Elders in the surrounding villages had all revealed information to him indicating the existence of this secret order of priests dating back to the time of Moses. These priests, Pfeiffer had learned, had been entrusted with the mysteries of the faith, along with knowledge of a sword believed to possess the powers of God. The knowledge of the sword, and its possible whereabouts, had been given to these priests for safekeeping. They must have kept their secret well, because it was only up until Pfeiffer's recent inquiries into the sword’s existence that it had been taken seriously enough to warrant an expedition into its whereabouts. A few elite elders to whom the information about the order had been entrusted had handed down the information in secrecy from each generation to the next from the time of Moses to the present. The only reason Pfeiffer had stumbled upon them was because the locals had learned to trust him during his earlier expeditions. He cared about the land and the people that lived there. They respected that and considered him their friend. The sword, believed to have been used to cast the devil from Heaven at the beginning of time, showed up again when God punished the Israelites after they had strayed from him. The Sons of Zadok were from one of the few tribes that had not strayed; thus the Brotherhood sprang from that tribe. Biblically, the Sons of Zadok became the keepers of the Alter of the Temple of Jerusalem. The Brotherhood was a secret order of high priests that were considered the elite among the Sons of Zadok. They were entrusted with the Sacred mysteries of the faith. Also there were rumors of a Sword of Righteousness believed to be in their possession, and Randal Pfeiffer was determined to find proof that the Sacred Teachings and the sword did indeed exist. As the sun vanished, the only light in the camp came from the campfires and lanterns placed throughout the area. Abdul, one of his scouts, came up to wish professor Pfeiffer a good night.

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“Good night Professor.” Pfeiffer was in such deep concentration, that he hadn't heard his associate speaking to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Abdul standing there. “Did you want something, Abdul?” “I was just wishing you a good night, my friend.” “Good night, Abdul. Tomorrow should be a very productive day. I feel we are getting close.” Abdul smiled and left, heading to his own tent for a much-needed night’s rest. Despite his positive demeanor, the reality was that Pfeiffer was getting frustrated. His team had been in the valley for three years, and so far, they had found no new information to support earlier theories that the Brotherhood existed. They had found many artifacts that were believed to have belonged to the Essenes, but nothing of any real religious or historic significance. What had been found in three years of work had been mostly pottery and farming implements. Although they weren’t religious artifacts, they had been helpful in dating the site back to the time of the Essenes, anywhere between sixty-three B.C. and the time of Christ. Potters and craftsmen of certain eras tended to use the same style in crafting their wares. Chronology on such items can be dated back by determining the way in which they constructed their utensils, tools, and other artifacts, and by the type of materials they used in constructing them, during that particular age. Surprisingly, very few human bones were found. Those that were found were carbon dated back to around the time of the Essenes. So Professor Pfeiffer knew that the site he was exploring dated back to the time during which the Brotherhood had lived, and he knew the artifacts found were from that same time period. But so far, there was no concrete evidence suggesting that the Brotherhood or the sword existed. And the Professor's financier's patience and money wouldn't last forever. After watching Abdul disappear into his dimly lit tent, Professor Pfeiffer turned his attention back to his notes. Somewhere around sixty three A.D., a legion of Roman soldiers had come into the Qumran Valley to put down the Jewish Revolution. An ambitious Roman captain, who had heard of the

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Holy Manuscripts and The Sword, led his soldiers into the Qumran Valley that Pfeiffer's expedition now occupied. Josup, the Roman captain, believed that if he could find this magic sword the possession of it would make him the mightiest soldier in the world! Even Caesar himself would have to bow down to him. Thus, he could declare himself ‘Caesar’ and even God on earth. A handful of High Priests from the Brotherhood were warned in advance of the impending invasion, and managed to escape to hidden caves with the manuscripts and the sword. As fate would have it, Josup would never find the priests or the precious cargo that they possessed. The Manuscripts and the Sword died in obscurity, remaining hidden to this day. Professor Pfeiffer had carefully followed the trail of Josup and the areas that the High Priests of the Sons of Zadok had occupied. All of his research and information had led him to this area at the northwest corner of the Dead Sea, 12 miles southwest of Khirbet, Qumran, and just a few hundred yards from a building in the Wadi Qumran. This building was believed to have been a library containing Holy Scriptures and teachings, once belonging to the Essenes that had been uncovered on a previous expedition. He was sure this was the approximate area where the Manuscripts should be hidden. But there were thousands of caves located nearby. He could explore for a lifetime and still never find what he was looking for. Time and money for the expedition were running out and he knew that if there wasn't some breakthrough soon, he would have to end the expedition. And all of the work and research he and his associates had done would have been for nothing! “Damn!” he blurted out as the frustration of his situation set in. Throwing his notebook to the ground, the scientist sat back and began rubbing his eyes. It was getting late now. Looking up, Pfeiffer noticed that everyone else in the camp had already retired for the evening. Millions of bright stars illuminated the sparkling sands of the Judean Desert as the professor looked on in wonder. In the distance the rumblings of wild dogs engaging in combat were accompanied by the ghostly sound of the desert wind brushing its sandy surface. The sound of the wind began to play

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tricks with Pfeiffer's weary mind, beckoning him on, into the waiting darkness. As the gray-haired archaeologist listened to the whistling wind and the sound of wild dogs in the distance, a strong wind swept by him, knocking several more of his notebooks to the ground and sending pages flying into the dark shadows beyond the camp's dull light. He scrambled after them, groping into the blackness trying to pick up some of the scattered pages. As he gathered the pages, out of the corner of his eyes, Randal noticed a shooting star plunge to the earth. Turning his gaze to the distant plateaus where the falling star had landed, the young archaeologist noticed a faint blue light. It seemed close. Possibly close enough to reach by foot. He watched, as the faint blue light began to get brighter and brighter. After watching for a while, Pfeiffer realized that it must be only a couple of hundred yards away. So the scientist decided to investigate. A bright florescent blue light now emanated from a rock formation just south of the expedition site that they had been excavating for the past ten days. So far that site had yielded nothing of any significance, a few farming implements and several tools. As he cautiously moved closer to the glowing formation, the wind began to blow stronger. Professor Pfeiffer suddenly stopped in his tracks, petrified by the distinct sound of malevolent laughter somewhere within the hissing sound of the wind. “Settle down Randal, your mind is playing tricks on you,” he tried to assured himself. “All this time with very little sleep and long working hours is starting to get to me!” Pfeiffer dismissed the sound of the laughter, attributing it to fatigue. Turning his attention back to the glowing rock formation, Pfeiffer noticed what looked like blue fire, dripping from the sky above illuminating all that was around it! As he got closer, the awestruck archaeologist looked on in astonishment as the fiery blue flames took on a solid form. It formed the likeness of a huge glowing sword, blazing in immaculate blue flames. Professor Pfeiffer rubbed his eyes and began to blink. Still the

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aberration would not go away. He began to question himself. “Is this an illusion, or could it be a message from God?” he decided to investigate further. As he got closer, the laughter became louder and more sinister in nature. Chill bumps ran the length of his body as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He was scared! It was as if he stood in a portal between good and evil. Still, his curious nature spurred him onward into the waiting uncertainty of the black night. As he approached the object, it became more distinct. The handle of the sword sparkled with gold. It was inlaid with every precious stone imaginable, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, alexandrites and amethysts. The blade shined with a glow not like that of any earthly light, but of an overpowering, vibrant supreme light, capable of vanquishing any enemy. After what seemed like hours the determined archeologist came to the bottom of the rock formation from where the sword's form had originated. The sword looked as if it were only about forty feet above him. Reaching straight up, the huge plateau looked treacherous and inaccessible. Rocks in the formation looked unstable. In fact they looked as if the slightest movement might set them into motion, crashing onto the desert below. Even with this in mind, Pfeiffer began his ascent; being pushed by his curiosity and the instincts of his sixth sense that had come through so many times before. He slowly crawled up the steep formation bathed in the light coming from the mysterious sword. His foot slipped, as he inched upward, almost causing him to lose his balance. Grabbing on for dear life, the struggling archaeologist began to fight his way back up the jagged wall, sweat dripping from his forehead as he continued to climb upward. Finally, as he came within a few feet of the shining sword, the frightened man was suddenly immersed in darkness; the light of the sword being replaced with the blackness of the desert sky. The maniacal laughter that had accompanied Pfeiffer on this strange odyssey into the dark Judean desert grew to a feverish pitch, sounding like the laughter of a madman. About thirty-feet above the sandy desert floor, Pfeiffer held on tight to the rocks

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that now protected his life, anchoring him to his only protection from certain death. What was he to do? He couldn't even see the rocks that his white-knuckled hands held onto so tightly. Finally, he decided to descend the rocky wall, opting to resume his search in the morning by the light of the sun. After all, he couldn't stay there all night. Easing his left foot down until he could feel a sturdy place to put it, the shaking man shifted his weight onto it. Once gaining his equilibrium, the archaeologist swung around to set his right foot. The ledge collapsed abruptly, sending him tumbling downward, his body crashing against the sharp rocks as he fell into the emptiness of the lonely night. The sound of the laughter and falling rocks faded as he lost consciousness, his body and soul vanishing into the deep, dark abyss...

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CHAPTER 2

As the sun appeared from the northeast end of the Dead Sea,
Professor Pfeiffer's excavation crew was just getting ready for the day's digs. They were so busy checking equipment and notes from the previous day that they hadn't even noticed Professor Pfeiffer's absence. Abdul, thinking that something was wrong, banged diligently on the professor's tent door. Professor Pfeiffer was usually the first of the team to rise. “Sahib, Sahib, are you all right?” Abdul continued to knock on the entrance to Pfeiffer's tent. Once the concerned guide was convinced that he would get no answer, he pulled back the door flap and entered. There was no sign of the Professor. In fact, as far as he could tell, Pfeiffer's bed hadn't been slept in. Things were just as they were the previous day when Abdul had last seen the professor! Abdul came rushing out of the professor's tent. “Mr. Savage, Mr. Savage, Professor Pfeiffer is missing!” Richard Savage was Pfeiffer's right hand man. He was the man in charge of finances and took care of all of the administrative details of the expedition. Other than the professor, Savage was the most important man in the expedition. “Calm down Abdul, and tell me what's wrong,” the portly Mr. Savage acknowledged. “Mr. Savage, Professor Pfeiffer is missing. He didn't sleep in his bunk last night. And I haven't been able to locate him this morning.” Mr. Savage pondered the situation for a moment as he stroked the newly formed hairs on his chin. “Perhaps he just stepped out for a morning walk. Don't fly off the handle until we know for sure that something is wrong.” Abdul's anxious expression revealed his concern for the missing professor. Mr. Savage looked at Abdul with the cool eyes of complete control. “Gather up a search party and we'll

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look for him.” “Yes sir,” replied the nervous guide as he rushed out the door of Savage's tent. Moments later, the search party began to look for the missing Professor. One of the guides noticed footprints leading from camp toward the cave sites to the east. Half way to the cave site the search party lost the footprints in the shifting sand. Richard Savage stroked his chin hairs as he surveyed the scene. Directly ahead there was a standing rock formation. Succumbing to his common sense, Savage led his men forward in search of his missing companion. Savage surveyed the sides of the huge rock formation as his men drank water from their canteens. The small group of men rested as their leader checked out the steep incline before him. “Surely Professor Pfeiffer wouldn't have tried to scale such a steep formation as this at night.” But there were no other leads as to where he might have disappeared to, no other reasonable explanation for where he might have gone. After assessing the situation further, Mr. Savage sent two men to scale the side of the treacherous plateau. After gathering their climbing gear the men began to scale the steep rock formation. By this time, the sun’s rays lit the skies enough to brighten the surrounding valleys and plateaus. The Dead Sea began to sparkle from the early morning sunlight. A few rays of light managed to illuminate the opening at the top of the cave that Professor Pfeiffer had fallen into the night before. Slowly, the Professor came into consciousness. Every inch of his body hurt from the nasty fall he had taken the night before. Around the bruised man was nothing but darkness. Rubbing the huge bump on his head, the professor struggled to his feet. As the scientist stood up, he momentarily staggered backwards, entangling himself in a large mass of spider webs. Wherever the good professor was, man hadn’t visited it in a very long time. If ever. Now the reality of the situation began to sink in. How was he going to get out? About forty or fifty feet directly above him was the opening to the cave. Blinded by darkness, the only light in the cave was what little bit managed to seep in through the small opening above, and it wasn't enough to

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allow him to see anything beyond his immediate reach. Groping around in the darkness Pfeiffer tried to get some kind of physical bearing on where he was. Feeling around for a wall or anything that could give him an idea of the boundaries of his confines, or some kind of concrete definition of his surroundings. Pfeiffer was starting to panic the futility of his situation sinking in. The entrance to the cave was directly above him and there was no way to reach it. So close, yet so far away. There was no chance of climbing the jagged rocks that surrounded him in his black confines. Just when he was about to lose all hope, a flicker of light appeared out of the corner of his eye. Surprised, he turned in astonishment to notice an illuminated sword; like that he had seen outside of the cave, standing on end, across from him, leaning against the rocky surface of the cave's wall. The pale blue light drew him near, like something in his subconscious mind telling him to reach into his destiny. Rubbing his eyes, Pfeiffer began to wonder if he was going mad. Was the fall from the night before, coupled with his hopeless situation, playing tricks with his sanity? Had he really seen the sword the night before? With the strain of the expedition, his sleeplessness, and the fall, he couldn't be sure of anything. Maybe all of these factors, along with his compulsion about the sword had finally pushed him over the edge of reality. Either way, his curiosity pushed him toward the light of the sword. When he reached the sword, he noticed the pointed end seemed to be positioned in just a way as to expose something at its base. Buried from years of deterioration, there was a natural outline that suggested some type of entrance was once there. He brushed the loose dirt from around the borders of the buried doorway. Surrounding the entrance at the borders, he could make out time-faded hieroglyphics, possibly in ancient Hebrew. He recognized this to be ancient Hebrew writing from his earlier expeditions. Staring at the opening in awe, a voice rang from the inner regions of his mind. “Enter here and fulfill your destiny.” A loud cracking noise broke the silence behind him, startling the Professor, causing him to fall backwards onto the hard rocky

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floor. Once again he was immersed in darkness. “Master, are you down there?” It was a voice, a familiar voice. “Master, are you down there?” the voice echoed. Looking up, there was a shadow over the lighted opening to the cave. It was another human being! Yelling out ecstatically, Professor Pfeiffer momentarily forgot about the aberrations from the inner sanctum of the mysterious cave. When he turned back, the glowing Sword had vanished! No matter, the hopelessness from moments earlier had been replaced with gladness. The wearied man was being rescued! After a rope ladder was lowered freeing him from the cave, Professor Pfeiffer began making plans to return to the cavern to explore it in more detail. Had he just been hallucinating about what he'd seen, or was there something down there that could validate his search for the sword? Either way, he had to find out for himself. After all, he had no other leads that might be productive in his search for the sword. He decided to follow up on his bizarre sightings, if for no other reason than to satisfy his own curiosity. There were miles and miles of caves, rock formations, and plateaus in this area. It would take many years to search all of them. Two or three lifetimes at least. He had this gut feeling, and many of his gut feelings had paid off in the past. While giving reasons for exploring the cave, the dark-haired scientist was careful not to mention the strange events of the evening before, lest someone think that he was losing his mind. Having the feeling that he was on the brink of a discovery, Pfeiffer didn't want to take the chance that he would be considered mentally unstable or unfit to finish out the expedition. The rest of the day was spent gathering all of the excavation tools, lanterns and climbing gear needed for excavating the cave. The campsite would also be moved next to the new rock formation containing Pfeiffer's newfound cave. The next day, gear was lifted up the side of the plateau and lowered into the cave. Once set up inside, the tedious chore of excavation began. Two teams of excavators were to work in twelve-our shifts, night and day until the task of uncovering the entrance and what lay beyond it was completed. Careful that

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while uncovering the layers of dirt and rock they didn't destroy anything that might be of importance to their findings, the workers moved at a snail's pace, making their job long and cumbersome. Pfeiffer spent tiresome hours examining every little piece of rock and stone, sometimes working double shifts in his quest for the sword. As Pfeiffer stood examining one such pile of dirt and stones, a yell came from across the cave site. One of the workers had unearthed a cavity about three feet below the bottom of the cave's floor. Pfeiffer rushed to the other side of the cave to check out the commotion. After scraping away the loose dirt and debris, it was revealed that the cavity was actually the top part of an ancient hand carved stairway descending into the depths of the earth. After further examination, Pfeiffer concluded that the entrance to the stairway had once been a secret passageway. “Interesting, a secret passageway, but leading to what?” he thought to himself. Intrigued and anxious to get to the bottom of the stairway, Pfeiffer's strong drive turned to obsession. What wonders awaited him? Perhaps evidence of the Brotherhood. Perhaps the Sword of Righteousness. He was now more determined than ever to find out, almost fanatical, to the point of relieving the workers and digging himself. He became a man possessed. Maybe at last he had found his destiny. After two months of hard, painstaking work, Pfeiffer's seasoned crew of excavators reached the bottom of the staircase. Pfeiffer, himself was the first to notice the entrance to the new chamber. Inlaid hand carvings decorated the doorjamb, with the carving of a huge sword in the middle of the door itself! Once the doorway had been completely unearthed, the team discovered hieroglyphics surrounding the sword on the door. What was significant about these hieroglyphs was their sequence; they seemed to tell a story, suggesting a long journey across a great desert. They also suggested a Deity looking over the expedition, a sin against that Deity, and the punishment of the people, by an unforgiving God. Then a split among the people and an eventual conquest and settling of a new land.

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Pfeiffer and his associates looked on in astonishment. The writings on the door told the story of Moses. They had truly stumbled onto what could turn out to be an important discovery. Possibly even lead to the whereabouts of the Sword that Pfeiffer had desperately sought for years. Now came the great task of removing the door. As they carefully scraped away the layers of rock and dust surrounding the door, one of the panels on the wall next to the door shifted. As it did, the great door slowly slid open by itself. The loud rumbling of the door knocked loose rocks and dust from the great enclosure. As the dust cleared, professor Pfeiffer and his men stared in awe through the opening to the great chamber that lay ahead of them. They flashed lights into the adjacent room. The walls sparkled with gold as the beams of light bounced off of them. As the awestruck crew peered in, they noticed a room lined in gold and filled with religious looking ornaments and artifacts. Shelves were carved into the rock walls and were lined with ancient clay urns containing scrolls of papyrus. They had stumbled into what looked like an ancient library! Entering the room, careful not to disturb anything, Pfeiffer and his cohorts meticulously proceeded to light and search every inch. The room, once illuminated, revealed beautiful hand carvings lining the top of the walls. In the center of the room was a wooden table surrounded by chairs, as if it were some kind of meeting place. At one end of the room was a beautiful altar, crafted in the style of the ancient Hebrews, and adorned with gold. Candles and sacred vessels garnished it. But the most incredible thing about the whole find was that it was completely intact. Time had not eroded any part of it. In fact, it was as though caretakers had been keeping it intact up to that very same day! No dust, no cobwebs; even the metallic objects seemed to have been polished. Pfeiffer attributed this development to the hot, dry climate in the area. Even though he had never seen the dry climate produce these kinds of results in all of his years of exploration in the area, this explanation sufficed for the moment. After the discovery, the tedious task of removing, tagging and crating every object was done. Among the items were scrolls,

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fixtures, religious ornaments and everything from the room that could be removed. Before and after removing these items, the room was photographed extensively. Casts were made of the hand carvings on the walls in order to make replicas, and everything was loaded onto trucks to be sent back to Jerusalem for further study. The scrolls, which were carefully put into airtight containers were to be transported back to Jerusalem, where under controlled conditions they could be unrolled and translated from the ancient Hebrew to modern language without damage. Even though there were numerous references to the Sword throughout the chamber there was no actual sword to be found. Certain hieroglyphs were found on the clay urns that contained the scrolls, indicating that they may pertain to the history of the Sword. Although professor Pfeiffer was a little disappointed that no sword was found, he was content to wait and see what information would be revealed from the scrolls. Later, he would learn that the scrolls contained earlier, more precise versions of Genesis, as well as other manuscripts from before the time of Moses. Another manuscript would be deciphered that would justify Pfeiffer's fanatical persistence in the expedition. It would be entitled The Book of the Sword! As the dark-haired archaeologist watched the last of the artifacts being driven away, he realized how very tired he had become. After all, it had been three and a half long years of hard work and it had taken a terrible toll on his mind and body. Now it was time for a rest. As the dust cleared from the last truck to leave the site, he looked back over the Qumran Valley and the Dead Sea. As the sun was setting in the distance casting its shadows on what had been the campsite of this now historic expedition, a strange feeling came over him. It was a feeling of regret; an underlying feeling that he had possibly entered a realm that should not have been entered. He pondered for a while and then dragged his weary body into his waiting jeep, heading back to the modern world that was Jerusalem. It had been a long time since he had seen modern civilization. In all of the excitement of this historic find, there was one

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artifact that remained unnoticed. An inscription, in ancient Hebrew, inscribed in an untouched part of the mantle above the door of the chamber. It read “ONLY THE HIGH PRIESTS OF THE BROTHERHOOD MAY ENTER THIS CHAMBER. ALL OTHERS BEWARE, FOR HEREIN LIES THE SALVATION OF MAN AND THE DESTRUCTION OF MANKIND.”

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PART 2 BEGINNING AGAIN...

CHAPTER 3

The wind twisted through the bare trees, snaking its way
through this seemingly evil enchanted forest. It was icy cold and its constant blowing made the branches of the already distorted trees take on hideous images amidst the stationary fog that engulfed them. Christy felt apprehensive, an uneasiness she couldn't explain. Besides being lost, she knew that something else was wrong. A low hissing sound filled her ears with a faint sound like laughter, barely audible in the distant background. Not happy laughter, but the sinister laughter of evil intention. It sent shivers up and down her spine. She decided to venture farther into the wooded area hoping to find her way out. All at once the pretty brunette became startled by the sudden appearance of a strange creature standing in front of her. It was a hooded, cloaked figure standing there with its right hand extended forward, reaching out to her. Backing away in horror, the young woman tried to escape the sight of the ominous creature. As she backed away, Christy bumped into something. Turning to investigate, the anxious young girl realized she had collided into an old man that had been standing behind her. He had a long white beard and a gentleness in his face that somehow gave her comfort in this God-forsaken place. “Why do you walk in the land of the damned?” the gentle voice echoed. Before she could answer, the old man was gone. Vanished into thin air. Standing before her was the malevolent presence of the hooded, cloaked figure. This time it spoke. “Give it to me!”

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“I don't know what it is,” the shivering girl replied. “The key to salvation,” the creature answered. “What key?” the puzzled girl queried “You don't know? Then you are truly damned!” Cocking back its head, the cloaked figure began to laugh in the most hideous way imaginable! Suddenly Christy became very dizzy and the nightmarish scene that surrounded her began to swirl like a windless tornado. Jumping up, the frightened young woman found herself sitting up covered in sweat in her bed at her dormitory room at Louisiana State University! It had been a dream. The same dream that had haunted her so many times before since she had broken up with her husband. But each time the dream seemed a little more intense, a little more real! Since first having the dream, the confused woman had tried to search inside herself for some kind of inner meaning, but it had eluded her. Christy slowly rose out of her bed and headed for the shower. Christy Summers was a tall, rangy girl with brunette hair and a nice figure. She had a pretty face, the kind of face that didn't need make-up, although she used it sparingly and it always looked nice. “Don't put your make-up on so thick. Do you want the boys to think that you are some kind of a circus clown?” her mother used to ask her. She used very little makeup and that worked perfectly for her. Christy was a new student at LSU, very reserved, always keeping to herself. She rarely fraternized with her fellow students, including her roommate Valerie who was away for the weekend with her boyfriend, Ralph. Christy had the whole dorm room to herself for the weekend. Still a little shook up from the dream she had had, Christy tried to calm down. Turning on her radio, the young brunette proceeded to the bathroom, hoping a nice hot shower would help her to relax. Most of the day Christy would spend studying and doing some much needed chores; then she was supposed to meet a few friends at the Buccaneer Club for the evening. It would be her first night out since moving to Baton Rouge.

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She wouldn't even have been going out tonight, except for the fact that Kayla, a friend of hers from Theology class had hassled her until she reluctantly agreed to go. Maybe it was her small town upbringing, but she didn't really enjoy the nightlife all that much. After all, she wanted to devote her life to serving God through her chosen field of religious archaeology. That is why she had chosen to major in theology at LSU. There was no time for partying and drinking and such things as that in Christy's life. She had chosen a higher calling. Kayla was one of her only friends at school, and Christy didn't want to seem anti-social. After much verbal prodding she had finally agreed to go out for the evening. As she entered the bathroom, her radio was broadcasting the news. “Eastern Iran was hit today by a major earthquake measuring seven on the Richter scale. That makes the fifth major earthquake recorded in as many months. Scientists are baffled about the frequency of the earthquake activity and are determined to step up their research in the region. In other news….” The sound of the shower drowned out the rest of the news broadcast. As Christy showered, a strange chill flooded the bathroom. In an instant the bathroom became as cold as a walkin freezer! As she exited the shower stall, a foggy mist came from the young woman's mouth, caused by her hot breath hitting the icy cold air. As Christy noticed the cold, thousands of flies started pouring into the tiny bathroom, filling the air around her. The young brunette gasped for air, choking on the flies as she inhaled. Waving her hands wildly, she tried to swat the flies away from her face. She was terrified! The lights in the bathroom dimmed to the point where she was almost swallowed by complete darkness. The frightened young girl groped around in the darkness grasping for anything she could hold on to, her hand finally coming to rest on the towel hamper door. Jerking open the door, Christy reached for a towel to cover her face and protect it from the flies. A strange sensation ran up her spine as she grabbed something cold and scaly. A sudden surge

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of electricity caused the light to flicker on revealing the sinister figure of a long black snake coiled and facing her from the second shelf of the towel hamper. As it hissed, she fell away from the serpent, trembling in complete fear at the terrible spectacle in front of her. Recoiling in circular motions, the huge black snake began hissing in what sounded like evil laughter. Christy became frozen in fear, but what she saw next made her blood run cold. Looking at her with a human expression, the serpent’s eyes followed her’s, glaring back in malevolence, laughing at her fear. Swaying side to side it hissed at her in a cadence that sounded like some foreign language. It was talking to her. Before the frightened woman could back away from it, the large snake's tongue darted out striking her in the face. Losing her composure, the terrified young brunette let out a blood curdling scream and fell back through the doorway, and onto her bedroom floor. Barely conscious, Christy was still aware of her need to escape. She made her way to her knees and rushed to the door. Halfway there she bumped into something standing in the darkness. It was a man dressed in black! Before the gasping woman could catch her breath to scream again the figure standing before her just disappeared! Overcome with pure fear as the hissing laughter faded into the background the helpless woman fell into complete unconsciousness. Sights and sounds of demons danced in her head as she lay lifeless for what seemed like hours. Voices in her head kept repeating, “Christy, Christy, Christy...” “Christy, are you all right? Christy, it's me, Kayla. What's the matter, Baby?” Kneeling down next to her prone brunette friend was Kayla Rosenthal. Christy slowly faded back into reality, her head lying in the lap of her friend. “Baby, are you all right?” Kayla repeated. “Kayla, there was a snake in my bathroom. It was terrible!” she said as she grabbed Kayla, shaking hysterically. “Just calm down, Christy. Calm down and tell me what happened.” Kayla lifted Christy up onto her bed and laid her down comfortably. “Now start from the beginning and tell Kayla

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what happened, honey.” Christy's voice was trembling and her body was shaking as she spoke. “I woke up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. The lights started to flicker and went out. I figured that there was some sort of an electrical problem or something, so I started to feel my way toward the door. Suddenly it got very cold, and the lights flickered back on. Flies began to fill the room. So many flies that I couldn't breath without inhaling them.” Christy was breathing erratically, tears pouring out of her eyes. Kayla wrapped her arms around her hysterical friend trying to comfort her from the traumatic events of the afternoon. “Baby, it’s not cold in here now, and I don't see any flies.” Christy gazed into her friend’s unbelieving eyes. “Kayla, they were here, honest!” “I believe you, Baby.” Kayla said in as believable a tone as she could muster. Christy continued her story. “Anyway, I reached for a towel to try to cover up my mouth and...and...there was a snake in my towel hamper!” Christy searched her friend’s eyes for a resemblance of belief. “Come with me, I'll show you.” The girls walked into the bathroom. Kayla cautiously reached for the door to the towel hamper. She jerked it open with one swift pull. There was no snake. The towels were all neatly stacked and folded, undisturbed. Kayla looked at Christy questioningly. “I tell you there was a snake in there!” Christy shrieked in an emphatic voice. “And a man. There was a man standing in my room!” “Who was the man, Baby?” Crying profusely, the confused young girl answered, “I don't know, he was standing in the dark.” Sobbing wildly, she laid her head on her friend’s shoulder. “Calm down, there's nothing to worry about, whoever was here is gone now.” Christy gathered her composure and took a deep breath. Kayla spoke, “Christy, I think that someone is playing a practical joke on you. Just lie down and relax and I'll make you a nice cup of tea to calm your nerves.”

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“No, Kayla, don't leave me alone. Just stay with me for a while,” the disturbed girl said with a quivering voice. Kayla held her agitated friend to her breast, in a maternal gesture, stroking her hair soothingly. “Don't worry Baby, Kayla will stay here as long as you need her to.” “Thank you,” Christy replied. They sat together for the longest time, not saying a word. Finally Christy calmed down enough to talk. “Kayla, I don't want to stay here by myself tonight, can I stay at your place?” “Of course dear, just get a few of your things together and we'll go.” As Christy was packing, Kayla walked in. “Aren't you going to dress up tonight?” “What do you mean?” Christy questioned her friend. “Tonight! You know, tonight! We're still going out aren't we?” Christy hesitated for a moment, realizing that Kayla still wanted her to go out for the evening. “I don't know Kayla, I'm not so sure that I feel like it tonight.” “Oh, come on, Christy, you need to go out. Staying cooped up isn't going to solve anything. A night out will do you a world of good. Trust me.” “Well, I don't know.” Kayla interrupted, “Please!” She probed her friend’s eyes for a sign. “Kayla?” “Christy!” Kayla countered. Looking into each other’s eyes, both women searched for a sign of the other backing down. Finally Christy backed down, realizing that Kayla wouldn't take no for an answer. “Well...okay, I'll go,” Christy said reluctantly. “Good deal,” Kayla countered, “Get your stuff together and we'll go to my place.” Kayla's place was on the other side of Baton Rouge, out in the sticks one might say. That was all right with Kayla though. It was far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but just close enough to campus to be a comfortable drive to and

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from class. The sunlight of the Louisiana Indian summer shone through the still green trees as the girls drove Interstate Ten to Kayla's home. Puffy white clouds in the deep blue sky silhouetting the Cypress trees adorned with hanging Spanish Moss, reminded Christy of an artist's canvas. The serenity of the ride, coupled with the security of having someone to be with, finally calmed the young girl down. They arrived at Kayla's and settled in, before getting ready for the evening’s festivities. Kayla had an ulterior motive for asking Christy to go out with her for that evening. True, she liked Christy and everything, but they had almost known each other for a month now, and Kayla knew nothing more about her friend's previous life than she knew when they had first met! Every time she had questioned Christy about her home, the young brunette had managed to avoid answering. In fact, there was something about Christy's body language and evasiveness in answering that suggested some dark, hidden secret, and Kayla was determined to find out what that was. Maybe a few drinks would loosen Christy's lips, and she would reveal the whole sordid affair. If there was one! So far, all Kayla had managed to get out of Christy was that she had been married once, and beside her interest in Theology, coming to Louisiana State University was means of getting away. After the girls finished getting ready, they sat around Kayla's den chatting for a few minutes before their appointed date with the Baton Rouge nightlife. Kayla noticed that Christy was still a little tense. “Just try and get your mind off this afternoon, Babe.” “I can't,” Christy replied. “The more I think of it, the more it gives me the willies.” “You know Christy, I've been thinking about it, and I think it’s that weirdo, Ralph. He's always playing practical jokes on everybody. I'll bet it is that little bastard! The next time I see him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind.” “Kayla, let’s just not talk about it, Okay?” A quick look into Christy's eyes told Kayla to leave well enough alone. “Okay baby, let’s just go out and have a good time.” As the two girls were leaving, Christy grabbed Kayla's hand.

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“You are a nice person Kayla, and a good friend!” “Yeah, well don't tell anybody. It'll ruin my reputation” Both girls began to laugh and got inside of Kayla's car, headed for the Buccaneer Club to meet up with their friend Missy. The Buccaneer Club was a local nightspot, situated at the entrance of the LSU’s front gate. Located on Chimes Street, it was a laid back bar where students unwound after a long day in class. It had a rustic, comfortable atmosphere; the decor reminding one of the type of bar you would find in the harbor of a seaport town. It was decorated with iron ornaments from old frigates and schooners and had paintings on the wooden walls of old ships and other sea-faring subject matter. The walls also were adorned with old sextants and other navigational devices from earlier times. It was dimly lit, which also added to the relaxed atmosphere. Decorated with seashells, sand dollars and reproductions of gold doubloons lacquered onto it, the bar top was unique in appearance. It was bordered on the customer's side with a huge rope, like the kind used to tie large boats to the docks at the piers in harbor towns, which was also lacquered into it. Most students at LSU at one time or another used this bar as a starting point for meeting friends before heading out to the wilder, more exciting hot spots featuring the live entertainment and dance floors that Baton Rouge was famous for. As the girls entered the bar, the sounds of rock and roll music bounced off of the walls and back through the smoke-filled room engulfing the people that were laughing and drinking and having a good time. This was the first time that Christy had ever been in a place like this. There were only a few occasions that she had ever been in a bar in her lifetime, and though she was a little nervous, this place did seem to have a certain charm. So she decided to relax and try to have a good time, despite herself. A familiar scream came from the other side of the room. It was their friend, Missy. Missy was sitting at a corner table on the other side of the room, waving them over. She was a cute, short redhead, with a very pleasant smile and a loud mouth. Outgoing and at times overbearing, everyone seemed to like the young

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redhead anyway. “Hi, ladies, what's happening?” she said. “I thought you'd never get here. Sit down and take a load off.” Sitting down, the girls immediately began exchanging pleasantries, ordering a couple of drinks to lighten the mood. Christy drank water. Even though Christy was straight, just watching the other two loosen up was enough to help her forget the upsetting events of the day that had her in such a quandary. Drifting slowly into deep conversation, the girls became one with the ambiance of the bar, discussing campus activities and other topics of interest, including men! After going over the subject of the opposite sex in every detail, the topic of the evening changed to an interest they all had in common, religion. This subject, Christy was more comfortable with. Having met each other in their common Theology class, all were looking forward to a guest lecturer who would be speaking at school on Monday. His name was Randal Miguel Pfeiffer, and his lecture would be on Religious Archaeology, a subject he was a foremost authority on. Surely one of the things he would speak about would be his now famous expedition to the Middle East. It had ended about a year earlier after finding lost texts from the Bible, including earlier texts from Genesis, Exodus and a curious manuscript called The Book of the Sword. Since the manuscripts were still being translated, no one other than Professor Pfeiffer and a handful of language experts knew very much about them. “What have you heard about the lost books, Christy?” Missy inquired, knowing that Christy had more than just a passing interest in that subject. “Well, I've read a few articles about the expedition, but they didn't give much detail about the book’s content. Perhaps on Monday, Professor Pfeiffer will shed some light on them.” Kayla winked at Missy, “Well I'm not so sure that this whole Lost Books deal isn't some sort of scam, to generate publicity and money for the good professor. After all nobody's actually seen the books.” Christy's eyes shifted to Kayla's with an irritated glare. “They're still being translated, Kayla. And for your information,

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Professor Pfeiffer is one of the most respected archaeologists in the world. He doesn't need to perpetrate a scam for publicity.” “Christy, lighten up, I was just kidding. You know, playing the devil's advocate.” “Well Kayla, you shouldn't even kid around like that,” Christy retorted in an aggravated tone. “Okay, okay, Christy, I apologize, I didn't think you'd get so upset!” “That's your problem, Kayla, sometimes you just don't think!” “Christy, I shouldn't have said anything; will you forgive me…please?” Christy looked into Kayla's apologetic eyes. “Please?” Kayla repeated in a voice of atonement. “No need to forgive you Kayla, I know you didn't mean anything by it. How about changing the subject?” The two girls agreed. While all of this was going on, Missy fixed her gaze toward three men that were sitting at the bar, their eyes gazing back at her and her quarreling friends. After the brief tension between Christy and Kayla, all three girls started to laugh and resumed the girl talk, all but forgetting Monday's lecture. All of the girls except for Christy, that is. She went into deep concentration about the lecture. You see, Professor Pfeiffer was one of her idols, and had been, since her interests in Theology had developed so very long ago. Truth was, Christy was still a little bit miffed at Kayla for speaking recklessly about one of her heroes. Missy and Kayla both noticed that Christy was suddenly very quiet and keeping to herself. “What's wrong, Christy?” the redheaded girl inquired. Before she could answer, Kayla broke in. “She's not feeling good, Missy. She's had a rough day today. She had a mean trick played on her.” Christy listened, but didn't hear. Her eyes had wandered off across the bar, to a tall, burly, bearded man staring at her from a dark corner of the room. Through the darkness she was entranced by the most powerful eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. He was of medium build, with dark hair, and a face

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with deep lines in it revealing a long, hard lifetime. She tried to shift her glance away from him, but his intense stare kept drawing her eyes back to his. “Baby, what are you staring at?” Kayla asked. “Huh?” Christy was startled back into reality. “It's that man across the bar from us, he keeps staring at me.” “Which one?” Both of her friends turned to look at the same time. As Christy turned back, she couldn't see him anywhere. Jumping up in a panic, the young brunette made her way through the crowd looking everywhere, but the man was gone! Christy went back to the table with her friends. “He was there, I swear!” “We believe you, Baby, he probably just went to the bathroom or something.” Kayla was starting to worry about her friend once again. “No need to get uptight.” Kayla clasped Christy's hand in her’s affectionately. They waited for a while, eyes glued to the bathroom door. The man never came out. “He was there and he was staring at me!” the distraught girl emphasized. “Men have the right to look, Christy,” Kayla reiterated. “Just like women do. It's no big deal.” “But he wasn't just looking, he was staring at me! As if he knew me!” “Look, lighten up, Baby,” Kayla responded. “Let's leave this place and go dancing. What do ya say?” Still distraught, Christy reluctantly agreed. Piling into Kayla's car the three women departed the Buccaneer Club for the proverbial greener pasture. Kayla and Missy lit up a joint on the way over to the Space Station, a local discotheque. Christy politely declined, uncomfortable with the concept of smoking dope. Sensing Christy's moral objection and fear of breaking the law, the girls each took a final toke and put the half-smoked joint out. Before they knew it, the trio had arrived at the Space Station. The Space Station was a popular night spot with a lighted dance floor several miles from the LSU campus. Decorated like something out of a Sci-Fi novel, the club had space age flair, thus

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the name Space Station. Christy must have inhaled some of the smoke from the illegal substance, because by the time they arrived at the club, she had lightened up and calmed down. Lights flashed in time with the beat of the dance music being played on the huge sound system, billed as the ‘Largest sound system in the South’. Being pretty young ladies, by the time they had gotten into the club, they had been propositioned to dance. This lightened Christy's mood even more! As the evening progressed, the girls had danced almost every dance and as the saying goes, “You can't dance and stay uptight.” They finally took a breather, finding a table to sit at and rest weary feet! Christy had momentarily forgotten the trauma that had enveloped her at the Buccaneer Club. A renewed spirit of fun had come back into the evening as the girls sat at their table telling stories of guys, drinking and generally raising hell. They laughed and giggled until the wee hours of the morning crept up on them. It was now about one o'clock in the morning and the crowd was just starting to thin out a bit. Christy was getting hoarse from laughing so much. All of the sudden Christy's face grew serious again. “What's wrong?” Kayla asked. “It's that guy again, the one that was staring at me at the Buccaneer Club. He's back!” The girls pretended to see him, trying to play it down. By now both of them were quite intoxicated. “It's starting to annoy me.” “Don't let it bother you”, Kayla quipped. “Yeah, it's no biggie” Missy added. “Well it bothers me and I'm going to put a stop to it right now!” Christy got up and walked toward the strange man. She was careful to keep her eye on the mysterious stranger this time, so he wouldn't slip away from her again. As she got right up on him, opening her mouth to speak, he vanished! Not into the crowd, but into thin air! Just like that...gone! Shaking and gasping for air Christy's heart began to beat real fast, causing the scared girl to turn a frightening shade of pale.

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As Christy struggled back to the table Kayla noticed that she was white as a sheet! “I want to go home now,” Christy told her. “But Christy...” “Please!” she cut Kayla off. Kayla could see now by the look in her friend’s eyes that she was very upset and decided not to push the matter. “OK, we'll leave,” she said in resignation. “Just calm down.” Missy had met up with a guy she used to date and decided to stay. “I'll get Mike to take me home,” the concerned girl added. “I hope you feel better Christy.” Christy didn't hear her; she was far away in a distant place that she had tried to escape from not so very long ago. The two friends went out to Kayla's car and started toward her house. Not a word was spoken between them as they made the lonely journey home. Once at Kayla's, the redhead fumbled through her purse for her keys, struggling in the darkness to get the key into the lock. After getting the door open, Kayla led her confused friend to the couch, gently sitting her down. Kayla held her shaking friend's hand and tried to comfort her. Finally the silence was broken. “What happened back there, Baby?” Christy wouldn't answer. “Was it the guy in the club; did he do something to you?” After a short pause Christy answered. “He disappeared.” “You mean he left again?” Kayla asked. “No, Kayla, he disappeared, vanished into thin air!” Kayla stared at Christy, not sure if she comprehended what her friend had just said to her. “You mean like magic?” Christy looked at Kayla with big, hazel eyes. She started to speak but Kayla interrupted. “Ralph, that asshole, all of his practical jokes have gotten you upset. Wait until I see that bastard, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. Why, I have a mind to…” “Kayla, it’s not Ralph... It's Si, my ex-husband. He's found me.” “Your ex-husband, what does he have to do with all of this?”

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Christy looked at Kayla for a moment and started to cry. “I've been holding this in for a long time, but I've got to tell somebody,” she sobbed. “Baby, don't cry,” her friend tried to calm her. Putting her arms around Christy, she held her tight, patting her maternally on the back. “Just tell Kayla all about it, dear. Let it all out.” She could feel Christy shaking violently. Whatever was wrong with her wasn't just upsetting her; she was scared to death! “Kayla, you wanted to know the reason I left home so suddenly and moved here. You wanted to know about my life before I left home to come to school. Well, promise me you'll keep an open mind, and I'll tell you about it.” Kayla was still holding her tight, worried about her shivering friend. “Promise me!” Christy insisted. “I promise, I promise,” Kayla assured her. Rocking Christy back and forth like a little girl in her mother's arms, the concerned redhead waited for her frightened friend to speak. Christy was silent for a moment, finally catching her breath. The clock on Kayla's wall was ticking loudly, cutting through the silence like a knife. The sobbing young girl gathered herself, swallowing real hard, and then began. “Si Mehri', he's my exhusband...” Still shaking, the young girl tapered off into a sordid tale from her past….

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CHAPTER 4

Christy Summers’ birthday was December 25, 1980.

Raised

in a loving household by loving parents, she mirrored her mother's beliefs. Christy Summers was a devout Catholic. Her parents were a farming family, living in rural South Louisiana. South Louisiana is predominantly Catholic, so it wasn't unusual for Emma to raise her daughter in the Catholic faith. Jonathan came from poor parents. Whatever he had gotten in life, he had worked very hard for. Hard work was Jonathan's religion and it kept him constantly occupied on his modest farm, never allowing him time to attend Sunday services. With this in mind it was up to Emma to be the spiritual leader of the family. Emma made sure that she and her daughter attended Church regularly. This accounted for Christy's high morals and strong religious convictions. Christy was always a quiet girl, but very independent. When the young brunette turned nineteen, she moved out on her own, choosing to live in the neighboring town of Lafargue, Louisiana. Lafargue was about ten miles down the road from the little farmhouse where Christy was raised. She became the librarian of Lafargue, and was happy with the simple life that she lived there. An avid reader, Christy especially loved to read books dealing with religious subject matter (a part of her that she inherited from her mother). Staying at home, keeping to herself, Christy was a hopeless homebody. Every now and then she would go out with her friends on the weekends to the local lakes and recreation areas, which are in great abundance in South Louisiana. Other than religious subjects, the young brunette also loved the great outdoors. It was on one of these outings that she met Si. It was the end of August, the Louisiana Indian Summer. The trees were green and full with leaves that would soon be turning the different colors of fall. Crowds of people were making their final pilgrimage to the clear blue waters and grassy hillsides of Indian Lake, enjoying the views of the Cypress trees overloaded

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with Spanish Moss. Swimming, skiing and volleyball were the order of the day here, on this, one of the closing days of summer. Christy was lying on her straw mat, soaking up the final hours of sunlight before packing it in and calling it a day. Her friends had journeyed down to the edge of the shoreline near a group of young men swimming down the way from her. As the young woman rolled over onto her back, the sun’s rays beating down upon her were interrupted by a shadow. Clearing her vision and sitting up, Christy noticed that standing before her was the finest specimen of a man that she had ever seen. He stood well over six feet tall, with brown hair, a dark complexion, and the most piercing brown eyes a man could possibly own. His well-tanned body consisted of muscle on top of muscle! “Excuse me,” he said. “I didn't mean to block your sunlight.” “Oh, that's all right,” she replied. He continued to speak, “It’s just that you’re so beautiful that I had to come over for a closer look.” “Are you trying to flatter me?” she asked in a flat tone. He looked embarrassed. “Because if you are, flattery will get you everywhere!” She couldn't believe what she had just said. It wasn't like her to be so forward. But there was something about this man that made her feel comfortable in his presence. She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back at her with a friendly smile. “Do you mind if I sit down?” “Oh please, sit down, I don't mind at all.” He dropped effortlessly to his knees. “I'm Si Mehri',” he said in his Eastern sounding accent. She had never heard a name like that before, so she asked him to repeat it. “Mehri',” he repeated, picking up a stick and spelling it in the sand. “M-E-H-R-I,” he said out loud as he wrote. “Strange name. You must not be from around here.” He laughed, “No, I'm not from around here, I'm from everywhere.” His answer seemed odd to her. She frowned. “Are you making fun of me?” He sat up with a serious look on his face. “No ma'am, I would

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never make fun of someone so lovely as you.” After a brief moment of sizing each other up, they both relaxed and began to talk. Being new to the area, the dark haired stranger explained that he had very few friends. He was from somewhere in the East, but was raised all over the world. His family traveled a lot. She told him of her small town life and her job as a librarian. They talked for hours, becoming so engulfed in their conversation that when Christy's friend Beth began calling for her, they didn't even notice. “Christyeeeeee! Christy!” her pretty brunette friend screamed until finally getting her attention. “It's time to go. Meet us at the car, okay?” “Yes Beth” she yelled back half-heartedly. Annoyed, the brunette quickly turned her attention back to Si. “I've got to go,” she told him, searching his eyes for a sign of interest. He broke the silence, “Would it be too forward of me to ask you for your phone number?” “I thought you'd never ask!” the eager girl replied. Pulling a pen and piece of paper from her purse, Christy smiled and wrote down her number, handing it to her dark haired friend. After a brief good-bye, the excited young woman turned and ran to join her friends waiting in the car. Right before stepping into the car, Christy turned back to her newfound friend and yelled, “Call me!” “I will,” he answered. As soon as the excited brunette entered the car, the interrogation began. “Who was that guy?’ Beth asked. “Oh, just somebody I met.” “He sure was fine, girl,” one of the other girls commented. They all began to giggle. Finally, after realizing they weren't going to pry anything else from their friend, the girls decided to change the subject. The rest of the ride was filled with softhearted chatter and laughter, talk of boys and young girl's dreams. Christy had thoroughly enjoyed the day.

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Once she had reached the door of her little apartment, Christy began fumbling through her purse for her highly elusive keys. Finally she opened the door and hurried inside to a ringing phone. “Hello.” “Hello, Christy? It's me, Si. I hope I'm not calling you too soon.” ‘No, not at all, in fact I was hoping it was you!” she answered coyly. Si began to speak. “I was so overwhelmed by your beauty, that I just had to call you.” “I'm not that beautiful, Si. But I'm very glad you like me.” “Are you really?” he asked. “Yes, you see, because I think I like you, too.” The small talk continued until Si finally asked the muchanticipated question. “Christy, would you go to dinner with me tonight?” “Why, I'd love to. What time?” “What time can you be ready by?” There was a short pause. “Would eight o'clock be too soon?” “No Si, that would be perfect. It would give me just enough time to get ready. I'm starved!” Christy ended the conversation giving him directions to her house, and saying good-bye. It was almost seven by then, so she didn't have much time to get ready. Scurrying to the bedroom, hurrying through her clothes, the brunette quickly picked out something to wear for the evening. As she laid them out neatly on her bed, Christy's thoughts continued to turn to her newfound friend. He was so handsome and so mysterious. This intrigued the infatuated young woman. It made her want to know more about him. She had to hurry if she was going to be ready for eight o'clock. After a quick shower, rushing to put on her clothes and a quick make-up job, the excited young woman was ready. And just in time, for at seven forty five, the doorbell rang. It was her handsome young suitor. Christy had just finished blow-drying her hair. “I love a man that's punctual,” she thought to herself as she headed for the door. Opening the door, Christy peered around at the waiting Si

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Mehri'. Tall, dark and handsome, dressed in a pair of leisure slacks, a comfortable short-sleeved shirt, and an immaculately white pair of tennis shoes, the dark haired stranger smiled back at her with the charm of a new born puppy. Nestled in his arms were a dozen roses! Not at all like any of the men Christy had dated in the past. Looking at him, the young woman couldn't help but be impressed by the appearance of her newfound friend. “Come in, come in,” she urged him. He entered her apartment like he was stepping onto an ancient Persian Rug. So masculine, yet with the shyness of a little boy. “I hope you don't mind that I was a little bit early but I could no longer deprive myself of your great beauty,” the young man said as he handed Christy the roses. “No, not at all!” she answered taking the flowers from her suitor. “Just have a seat, while I finish getting ready. I won't be but a minute.” Christy directed the young man to the couch as she excused herself. “Don't hurry, take your time.” he replied. After about ten minutes, she made her entrance in a bluejean pantsuit with a pretty flowered blouse. Her hair was feathered back, layered just so, where it showcased her lovely face. “You look very beautiful.” he observed. “Like the sun on a newborn day.” "Thank you, Si, that's very nice of you to say." “How poetic,” she thought to herself. “I'm ready to go if you are.” Si stood up motioning Christy toward the door with the manners of a gentleman. “Then let's be on our way.” Making their way outside to Si's shiny new black mustang, the young man opened the passenger side door allowing the smiling young brunette to enter the car first. “He's such a gentleman,” she thought to herself. They drove to nearby Lafitte, Louisiana. After a nice, romantic dinner at Bon Temps, a local eatery, they went to a nearby dance hall and danced the night away. Christy felt so at ease around him. She had never dated that much, mainly because she had always felt very uneasy around men. He was different.

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She enjoyed the way he doted on her. The way he opened doors for her and treated her like a lady. He seemed to always be trying to make sure that she was having a good time. And she liked that! At the end of the evening, Si drove the young woman home, walking her to the door of her apartment. Before the shy young lady knew it, her male companion had embraced her and started kissing her deeply. Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he began running his hand up and down her spine, eventually down to her buttocks. Having led such a sheltered life, this was the first time that Christy had found herself in this kind of position. It made her very uncomfortable. She tried to pull herself away from him but he held her firmly in his grasp. “No Si, please don't!” He ignored her pleas. “Si, I mean it, you’re starting to scare me!” Tears began to form in her eyes. Si noticed the fear in her eyes and finally backed off. “I’m sorry Christy, I guess I got a little carried away.” His eyes were apologetic. After catching her breath and composure she told him it was all right and excused herself, explaining that she had to get up early the next morning. Without giving him a chance to explain Christy entered her apartment, shutting the door quickly behind her leaving Si outside to ponder the consequences of his behavior. She was still shaking as she fumbled through the dark apartment searching for the light switch. How could such a wonderful evening have ended this way? Si had been such a perfect gentleman throughout the evening and just like that turned into an animal. After a glass of warm milk and a long soothing bath she finally calmed down enough to try to go to sleep. After a couple of minutes of relaxation, almost dozing off, the nagging ring of her telephone interrupted Christy just as she was about to fall to sleep. “Hello…” “Christy, this is Si, before you hang up would you give me a

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chance to apologize?” “I wasn't going to hang up Si, I'm just disappointed that you'd think that I was that kind of girl. That's all.” “Christy, I'd never think that you were anything more than what you are, a sweet wonderful person. I'm very ashamed of the way that I’ve acted tonight, and even though I probably don't deserve it, I'm asking that you forgive me.” Si choked on his words for a split second and then continued. “It’s just that I've never met anyone like you and I guess that I just don't know how to act in the presence of a real lady.” “Si, it’s late. Could you just call me at a more civilized hour and we can discuss it then.” “I can call you tomorrow, but please tell me that you forgive me so that I might be able to sleep tonight. I can promise you that it will never happen again.” “Si, just call tomorrow, okay?” “Christy, I will never be able to sleep tonight knowing that I have offended you so, please tell me that you forgive me.” The sadness and sincerity in his voice touched Christy in such a way that she had no choice but to forgive him. “Si, there's no need to forgive you, it was all just a little misunderstanding. Call me tomorrow and we'll start over, okay?” “I am undeserving of such an understanding friend. Thank you for your forgiveness. Christy, you are truly a special person.” Christy and Si said their good-byes and hung the phones up for the evening. Christy felt better after the call. After all, except for the episode at the door, it had been a wonderful evening. The most fun she had ever had on a date. She quickly dismissed Si's behavior as the same as any other normal, hot-blooded male and drifted off to sleep. In the weeks to come, Si and Christy would see a lot of each other. Christy became more and more enthralled with the young man’s personality. Except for his frequent but harmless tries at intimacy, he was more of a gentleman than any man she had ever known. But true to his word, he never tried to force himself on her like he had done on the first night that they had met. She didn't realize it but she was starting to fall in love with Siafold

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Mehri'. Christy felt herself getting close to her new friend even though she didn't know anything about his past or where he had come from. Every time she inquired into his past, he managed to creatively evade her inquiries. All she had managed to find out from Si was that he was from somewhere in the Middle East, mainly from listening to his accent. Even though she didn't know anything about him, his worldly demeanor, his intelligence and commitment to being a gentleman had Christy contemplating the possibility of matrimony. After she’d been dating Si for several months, the impetuous young brunette finally decided it was time for Si to meet her parents. He seemed a little apprehensive about it at first but finally agreed, surrendering to Christy's persuasive charms. It was a chilly autumn evening at the farm of Jonathan and Emma Summers. Autumn leaves covered the ground of the Summer’s modest farm. Emma was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner for her daughter and her new friend. Jonathan was busy on his tractor plowing the fields for his winter crops, using the last minutes of sunlight to get as much done as possible. Si and Christy drove up right about five o'clock. As they reached the front screen door, the smell of fried chicken, greens and cornbread filled the air. Emma greeted them at the door and led them into the comfortable den of her and Jonathan's quaint little farmhouse. Si introduced himself and politely sat down. A few moments later, Jonathan came in from the fields. Si rose from his place on the couch in reverence. “Keep your seat, son,” Jonathan said as he extended his hand to Si in a friendly gesture. After the introductions were made, Emma and Christy excused themselves to the kitchen, leaving the men folk in the den to get acquainted, as was custom in this part of the country. Once the table was set, everyone moved into the dining room and sat down to a country feast! After a fine dinner, everyone retired to the den. Si had been fidgety all evening. Whenever the conversation had turned to religion, (and it often did, where Christy and Emma were

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involved), Si seemed uncomfortable and would avoid the subject as much as he could. Christy's eyes, blinded by love, didn't notice the way he would avoid the subject. But Emma, through the scrutinizing eyes of a concerned mother, did notice. At the end of the evening, when Christy and Si were about to leave, Christy got her mother off to the side to ask what she thought of him. “He seems nice, dear” she answered nervously. “Just don't jump into anything, you’re still young and have plenty of time to meet people.” “You don't like him?” she droned at her mother in an uncharacteristic tone. “Why? He hasn't done anything for you not to like him!” The ensuing argument found the flustered brunette leaving in a fury. Christy felt that Emma was being unfair in her assessment of Si. But Emma felt justified in her feelings about him. Call it a mother's intuition, but for some reason she just didn't feel right about her daughter seeing this mysterious new friend. He seemed nervous around her and Jonathan all evening, never being able to look either one of them straight in the eye. His uneasiness with the subject of religion and his uncomfortable attitude just added to her suspicions. Despite his politeness, he seemed to be hiding something, and Emma could sense it. The trip back to Lafargue seemed very long. Christy was very upset and Si knew better than to speak just yet. As they pulled into town, Si finally spoke. “I don't know what has you so upset, but if you need someone to talk to, just remember, I'm here for you.” “Thank you, Si, I guess I just need someone to hold me right now. Would you do that for me?” Si stopped his car in front of Christy's apartment and without a word he answered her question. Taking her into his arms he began to hold her passionately. “Baby, you don't have to ask me to hold you. There is nothing I wouldn't do for the woman that I love.” Those words took Christy by surprise. ‘The woman that I love.’ Si had never used those words before. She burst into tears. “Si, you don't know how much I needed to hear that at this

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moment.” They both embraced each other and melted together into one reality. After a few moments of meaningful embracing, Si pulled back and spoke, “Tell you what, how about we go over to my place and relax. I believe we could both use a relaxing evening.” “You lead the way,” the tearful brunette responded. Si started the car and headed back across town to his house. He lived in a quaint little gray colored, frame house just on the outskirts of town. It had a front porch and two large oak trees in the front yard. Si's house was nestled just off of a rural country road, hidden by trees and shrubs and other wild greenery. You couldn't see the nearest neighbors for all of the trees. Isolated from the rest of the world, it was the perfect home for such a mysterious stranger. Si pulled his car into his front yard under the larger of the two oak trees and parked. They both got out of the car slowly walking arm in arm into the house. Christy's mood had changed considerably from that of the earlier evening. Her earlier depression had been replaced by the giddiness of a young girl. She had all but forgotten her clash with her over-opinionated mother. With the words ‘Woman I love’, everything had changed! For the first time in their relationship Si had hinted at commitment. Si motioned for Christy to sit down on his couch then disappearing into the kitchen. Emerging moments later, Si carried two large glasses filled with ice and a golden liquid. Christy was not a drinking person, and with one sniff of the glasses realized that they contained alcohol! Pushing the glasses away, Christy expressed her disapproval. “Oh, come on Baby, I think we have something to celebrate. I have never felt this way about a woman before. Never have I been so in love. We are just having one little drink. It is only a sin to drink in excess and I would never ask you to do anything that you would feel bad about. I love you!” Reluctantly, Christy gave in. “Well, I guess it would be all right if I only had one drink.” Taking the glass from Si, Christy eyed it apprehensively finally lifting it toward her lips. As she raised the glass to her

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mouth, Si reached his glass forward, clinking it to hers then raising it in a toast. “Here's to my future wife,” he pulled the glass to his mouth and drank. The words ‘future wife’ rang in her head, echoing profusely as the weight of the moment finally set in. He was proposing to her! Caught up in the moment, Christy raised her glass to her mouth and drank in a reflexive motion. All that was on her mind at this moment were the words ‘future wife.’ Gagging on her drink Christy was quickly brought back to reality grimacing from the bite of the strong alcohol. Si reached over to her, patting her back gently. “I'm sorry, Baby, it wasn't that bad, was it?” Smiling politely, the young brunette cleared her throat. “No, Si, it wasn't that bad. In fact it's kind of sweet, once you get over the burning in your throat.” “You see, I would never make you do anything that would hurt you. Look at this face, could this face ever lead you astray?” They both laughed, and Si raised his glass in another toast, “To us and all the happiness in the world.” She touched her glass to his and began to drink. After a few minutes of casual talk, the lovebirds finished their drinks. Si got up and put on some slow music. Melting into each other as one, the two slow-danced passionately into the evening. Whether it was the excitement of the moment or the drink starting to kick in, Christy began to feel a little flushed, like she was getting a fever. Within seconds she became weak in the knees, feeling like she was going to faint. “I think I'd better sit down, Si, okay?” “Are you all right, Baby?” He asked as he led her to the couch. “I'm okay, I just need a little fresh air, that's all.” After a moment she regained her composure. “What was in that drink anyway?” “The nectar of the Gods,” was his reply. Si stared deeply into the eyes of his female friend. Without a word, their mouths fused into one, his tongue probing into the depths of her mouth and into her very soul. It was such a long

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and purposeful kiss, that immediately they fell into their own little world. There was no one else on the earth at this moment except for the two of them. Si began to run his fingers down Christy's spine. A bit uncomfortable with his advances at first, the young woman squirmed as he rubbed her back gently, but soon succumbed to his well-trained fingers. Releasing his mouth from hers, Si began to run his lips down the length of her neck, darting his tongue in and out of his mouth, licking her neck as he went along. All of the sudden he stopped. “Christy, would you mind if I lit a few candles? I find them so romantic.” She told him it was okay with her and he left the room. Soon he returned with five black colored candles, carefully placing them on the floor in front of them. Christy was a bit puzzled about this, but dismissed it as just another one of Si's eccentricities. He held out his hand and pulled her to the floor with him, lying down in the middle of the candles. Even though this seemed strange to her, his forcefulness was turning her on. She was becoming very aroused. No man had ever gotten her this aroused before! Not like this, feeling like she wanted to pounce on Si like a wild animal. “Come to me, my dear, and let me make you a woman!” Christy wanted to say no, trying to remember her Christian upbringing, but that all seemed remote to her now. At this moment there was only passion and an animal lust in her heart. They fell together once more, his lips crushed against hers and his tongue entered her mouth reaching for her throat. As she began to pant like a wild animal, the vibrant young dark haired man rolled over on top of her holding her in his arms so tight that she could not move. Her passion was beginning to reach a fever pitch. Being a virgin, Christy had never felt these feelings before. She just wanted to make love to him with everything that made her a woman. Si began to remove her clothing. She wanted to say no, but she couldn't. After taking her clothes off, he removed his pants. His penis was bigger than she had ever imagined it could be. It was rock hard, seeming well over a foot long in her

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virgin mind. There was no way it was going to fit inside of her, she thought. But she was so turned on that she quickly forgot her fear! Once again Si began kissing her passionately, sliding his tongue down her neck. She was lost in her own world; a world of physical sensations, and was becoming very excited. Before she knew it, Si was lowering his manhood into her. As the overpowering young man entered her, Christy felt a tremendous sharp pain shoot through her body! Screaming out in agony, the scared young brunette tried to pull away, but the powerful man had her pinned down where she couldn't move. He began pulling in and out in slow piston-like movements. The pain intensified! “Please, Si, take it out!” she begged, but to no avail. He was no longer listening to her pleas, succumbing only to his animal lust! As she continued to plead with him it just made him pound her harder. Illuminated by the surrounding candles, his face had an eerie, evil look of satisfaction, as if he were enjoying her pain. She couldn't figure out if it was the light of the candles mixed with her imagination or if he was indeed deriving some sort of pleasure from her pain. In any event, the pain became so great that she lost consciousness. As she faded into darkness, all she could remember was Si, chanting words from some foreign language. “Natas uoy rof sihtodi - natas fo nos eht rof. Natas uoy rof sihtodi - natas fo nos eht rof.” Hours later, still groggy from the alcohol induced fugue, the young woman awoke. Startled at first, not knowing where she was, Christy looked around the unfamiliar surroundings finally realizing that she was at Si's house, lying in his bed. Sitting up, a terrible pain shot through her vagina and throughout her whole body! Feeling something damp, the young woman looked down and realized she was sitting in a pool of blood. Her memory jogged by the shock of the blood on the sheets Christy relived the reality of what had happened on the night before. A loud snore broke Christy's concentration. Turning, she noticed Si, sound asleep, lying on the other side of the king-sized

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bed next to her. His face was contorted, like the face of some wild animal as he slept. Blood ran from his mouth as if he had just devoured some unwary prey. She gasped in horror. His face didn't even resemble Si Mehri', but that of some hideous monster that you would see in some late night horror movie. Gasping for air, lost in the horror of the moment, Christy once again drifted into the protective world of her inner mind, passing out. Then came the dream, the dream that would haunt her from that moment on, tormenting her almost every night of her life.... Christy stood barefoot in the middle of a deep, thick forest. The shadows of the bare trees reached out with their arm-like branches into the darkness giving off images of ghostly figures menacing the foggy night around her. A faint laughter from the distance made her feel even more uneasy. Perhaps it was just the wind. Walking into the misty darkness trying to find her way out of her ungodly confines, Christy stumbled into a hooded, cloaked figure standing at the edge of the abyss. It extended its bony right hand toward her, never saying a word, motioning as if it wanted something from her. There was something sinister about its non-verbal request. Shivers ran up and down Christy's spine. She backed away and turned, running away from the unholy specter. In her haste, she bumped into an old man with a long, white beard. His kindly face somehow gave her strength in this barren land. “Why do you walk in the land of the damned?” he asked. As she began to answer, the kindly old man vanished into thin air. In his place stood the cloaked figure. This time it spoke, “Give it to me!” She answered, “I don't know what it is you want!” “The key,” he answered. “The key to salvation.” She became puzzled. “What key, I know of no such key.” “You don't know?” he replied. “Then you truly are damned.” he answered, cocking his head back in a hideous laughter. As the cloaked figure laughed in a malevolent, blood curdling laugh the faint laughter in the distance intensified and mingled with the specter's, becoming louder and louder. It grew to such a feverish pitch that Christy couldn't stand it any more. At this point, she usually woke up. Sometimes strange little twists

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would happen in the dream, tying her dreams into her reality. Always though, she would wake up in a cold sweat, shaking from fear. Christy's story trailed off for a moment. Kayla sat still, trying to let everything that she had just heard sink in. “So you had a bad experience with this Si guy and now you have bad dreams. Many people have experiences much worse than that and they get over them. And you will too!” “But it’s more than that, Kayla, much more!” Christy was shivering in fear once again! Kayla noticed how upset she was. “Look, Christy, you don't have to tell me anymore. You seem so shook up.” “No, Kayla. I want to tell you, I can't continue to keep it to myself. I need to tell somebody.” It was becoming very late now and even Kayla seemed a little on edge. The clock on the wall chimed three fifteen in quartertones. As the night tightened its grip on the two girls, Christy continued to tell her story...

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CHAPTER 5 Natas - fo - nos - eht - rof.’ Those words echoed in Christy's head from that night on. Its cadence had an Eastern sound to it but resembled no language that she had ever heard. After awakening the morning after that fateful night, Christy gathered her clothes and headed for the door, being careful not to awaken Si and anxious to leave the memories of the night before behind her. She felt so dirty...and scared! The bewildered young brunette left Si's house heading straight for St. Anthony's Catholic Church. After confessing her sins in the confessional and doing her penance, she attended the church service, staying well beyond the hour of mass, keeping to herself deep in solemn prayer. Later in the day, downtrodden and ashamed, the young woman finally decided to go home. Before going home, Christy went for a long drive through the Southern Louisiana countryside, taking in the beauty of the year round plant life native to the sub-tropical climate of that area. While enjoying the bright sun and blue skies, she reflected back on what had happened to her the night before. She only had one drink. Just one! If this was what alcohol could do to her she would never drink again. How could such a small amount of alcohol make her react in such a lewd way? And those words, those terrible words. ‘Natas - uoy - rof - sihtodi - Natas - fo - nos - eht - rof.’ What did they mean? She needed to find out. The lush greenery of the late autumn Louisiana was beautiful. Looking at the miracle of nature somehow eased her mind enough to go home. The sights, the smells and sounds all blended together to form a perfect mix of inner satisfaction for the distraught brunette. After returning home, Christy entered her tiny apartment still a little unsettled from her experience with Si Mehri'. After cleansing her soul of the sordid affair at church, it was now time to cleanse her body. As she entered the shower she failed to

‘Natas - uoy - rof - sihtodi.

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notice the red light on her phone blinking. Once in the shower, Christy began to scrub, scrubbing harder and harder, to the point of rubbing her skin raw. She couldn't help but feel dirty, for Si had taken away one of the most sacred things that belonged to her. Her virginity! She was both sad and angry. Despite her Christian upbringing, at this moment the pretty brunette hated Si Mehri' more than anything. She couldn't help but feel that way. How could he have done that to her after she had trusted him so. It would be several days before Christy saw Si again. That gave her a little time to cool off. On Tuesday the mysterious Eastern stranger showed up at the Lafargue library where Christy worked. Entering the gray school-like doors Si noticed the solemn brunette sitting behind her huge wooden librarian's desk. Walking up to her purposefully, Mehri’ surprised the young woman. Before he could say anything to her, she exploded on him. “I never want to see you again, Si. Just leave me alone!” “Christy, why are you so upset?” he asked. People in the library turned around and began to stare at the couple. Christy motioned for Si to follow her into her office, so they wouldn't make a scene in front of the library’s patrons. Christy's office was immaculately clean and tidy, with everything in its place, just like her apartment. It had an old brown, wooden desk and two cushioned, straight-backed chairs for visitors. The walls contained prints of famous paintings originally done by Van Gogh and Picasso, two of her favorite artists. “How dare you come here after what you did to me. And then not even calling or coming by to say your sorry or anything! Who do you think you are?” “But Christy, you left without saying good-bye. And I did try to call you; I tried to call all day Sunday. You either weren't at home or weren't answering your phone!” “I was at church all day,” she thought to herself. “And I'm not ashamed of what happened, because I love you and want you to be my wife!” There was a sincerity in Si's voice that rang true.

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Si kept talking, diffusing the situation, event by event. He was good at doing that and would get better as time went on. In fact, by the time he was finished talking to her, the smoothtongued stranger had Christy apologizing for being mad at him. In the weeks that followed, the young couple spent a great deal of time together. Although he treated her with a great deal of respect and always like a lady, there was an underlying feeling in Christy that he was just going through the motions. Not that she thought that he didn't love her, but she felt that there was some other reason, an ulterior motive for him being there. She couldn't explain the reason she felt that way, but that's how it seemed to her. In any event Christy felt secure when Si was around, and after a while that was all that seemed to matter. Often, they would spend evenings sitting on his porch swing, chit-chatting about mutual interests and future dreams. All in all, at least on the surface, their relationship that had started off so rocky blossomed into one of total companionship and complete trust! It was closing in on winter, and Christy started to feel sluggish, opting to just lay around rather than stay active, as was her normal constitution. She began putting on weight. Normally a very healthy woman, she became sick all of the time. Her appetite had decreased and she was becoming very moody. Something was wrong with her! One evening while Si and Christy were sitting on his porch-swing discussing her failing health, her young confidant finally convinced her that she needed to see the doctor. The next day Christy went to see Dr. Thorn, her family’s physician. After a thorough examination Dr. Thorn left her in the room alone. Christy felt a little apprehensive about what might be wrong with her. In the previous weeks she had become very weak. Small tasks had become too much for her to handle. She had been feeling so bad that she was even considering quitting her job at the library! She was sitting on the examination table when Dr. Thorn reentered the room. He walked over to her, and gently patted her on the leg. “Christy, I have a diet here for you to follow, and a list of exercises. I'll have the nurse set you up for an appointment

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in a week.” He looked at her with a great big smile. “Congratulations, you are going to have a baby!” Christy was supposed to meet Si for dinner that evening. She had been wondering all day long about how she was going to break the news to him. How would he take it? Would he be sad? Would he be happy? No matter how he took the news, one thing was for sure; he was going to be surprised! In any event, she would definitely find out his reaction on this night. Christy would meet with Si that evening at Bon Temps, the same restaurant where they had had their first date. She arrived early so she would have time to plan out how she was going to break the news to Si. Christy figured that being at the same setting as their first date would make things a little easier for her. It didn't! She was fidgeting with her napkin nervously as Si arrived. Sensing that something was wrong with her as he sat down, he gently took her hand. “Is something wrong, Baby? Are you alright?” He seemed concerned with the outcome of her doctor's appointment. After a short silent moment, she spoke. “Si, I don't know how to tell you this, but...” Another silent moment passed. “Come on Christy, if something is wrong, I want to know about it. Just tell me.” “Si, I'm pregnant!” she said, cringing inside, bracing herself for his reaction. “Pregnant! Why, Christy, I think that's wonderful!” He reached over and kissed her on the cheek. The rest of the evening was great, not anything like the tense awkward evening that she had anticipated. If anything, Si seemed overly happy; even to the point of suspicion. It was almost as if he had known she was pregnant, and had even planned it that way! But she was relieved that he had taken the news so happily. In fact, the evening ended with Si asking for Christy's hand in marriage. At the beginning of their engagement everything seemed perfect, almost too perfect. Then Christy began noticing some of Si's eccentricities; the first of which seemed mild to the ones she eventually encountered. Christy dismissed them by convincing herself that everyone is a little weird in his or her own little way.

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Si liked candles. Every day life for him seemed to revolve around strange little rituals, usually involving chanting, and candles, usually black ones. She didn't understand these things, but attributed them to his eastern heritage. Just because she didn't understand them, didn't mean she should construe them as wrong. Besides, there were probably things that she did that Si didn't understand either! He also smoked hashish. Even though she didn't do it herself, she never judged him for it. He seemed to think that he gained some sort of inner strength from his consumption of the mindaltering substances. He often tried to get her to try it, but she always refused. She never really questioned his beliefs or his devotion to drugs until one day when he did something really strange. As the baby’s birth date quickly approached, Christy and Si decided to go swimming out at Indian Lake before the pregnant brunette would be physically unable to do so. They had just gotten out of the water and were sunning next to a clear flowing stream that ran into Indian Lake. As was customary on such occasions, Si lit up a joint. After taking a big puff from the illegal substance, he reached over and grabbed Christy's legs. Before she could react, he parted them and put his mouth to her vagina and began to blow smoke into the opening. Unnerved by her fiancée’s actions, Christy pulled away in horror. “What do you think you are doing?” she said in a shaking voice. He sat up trying to calm her down. “By blowing this smoke into you, I am transferring some of my inner powers to you!” he explained. “Si, I don't understand what your problem is, but I don't want to play your warped little game.” Seeing that she was not amused, he quickly apologized, explaining that it was just a little joke. But she had seen the look in his eyes. He had been serious! “Joke or not, I just wasn't brought up that way!” she retorted. “Okay, Baby, it was just a joke,” he repeated. She wondered....

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In the weeks to come, she started to realize that he wasn't joking. She came to the realization that he thought of himself as some sort of disciple of an eastern deity. This fact was brought more into focus as the days passed. Every day another facet of Si's strange customs emerged. The anxiety kept building up inside of Christy. These strange activities bothered the fragile young woman. But her deep love for Si allowed her to overlook his many eccentricities. Even though her friends and especially her mother tried to talk her out of marrying Si, this only served to push Christy and Si closer together. In defiance of their advice Christy became isolated from her mother and all of her friends. She was now under Si's complete control and at his mercy! Wanting a church wedding, Christy was dismayed at Si’s unwillingness to consent. And after he had managed to alienate her from her family in their brief relationship, there was no one to pay for the wedding except for Si. This left the eastern young man in complete charge of the wedding arrangements. The wedding was set for October thirty first! Christy was apprehensive about getting married on Halloween night. Si tried to calm her by telling her it would be fun to have the wedding on that date. Besides, he had explained to her, back in his country, October thirty-first held some sort of religious significance. Reluctantly she agreed to the wedding date, dismissing it as just another part of his religion that she didn't understand. After all, it wasn't as if they were worshipping the devil. Any marriage was valid as long as it was in the eyes of God. The wedding was to be an outdoor wedding to be held at Lover's Point, a beautiful area at the secluded end of Indian Lake. The spot was a popular place for young lovers to meet for romantic interludes. Surrounded by evergreen and cypress trees, the scenic landmass jutted out into the Indian Lake forming a peninsula. On summer nights the sun would set just off the end of the point giving the impression that it was lowering into the water. Some people said that if you listened real hard that you could hear the fire of the sun sizzling out in the water. It was a very

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romantic place, but very few people knew of its infamous past history. In earlier times it had been known as “The Devil’s Point!” Most people assumed that it got its name because of the fiery reflection of the sun off the lake as the sun went down. During certain times of the year the sun’s reflection off of the water of the trees across the lake from The Point gave the whole area the appearance that it was on fire. But a little known legend told a different story. Just before the beginning of the Civil War, pirate slave traders came from the Gulf of Mexico to these inland waters in small boats in order to sell slaves to the locals. They would gather at The Point with the local citizenry and conduct auctions. At the end of these auctions, any slaves that weren't sold were killed by the pirates, bodies dismembered and thrown into the lake, where the salt water creatures that would venture into the brackish combination of salt and fresh water lake would feast on the carcasses. It was cheaper to do this than to feed the unsold property. Years later, around the turn of the century, a group of fishermen and their families built houses on the point, in order to be closer to the waters off the coast and their fishing territories. Pierre Ponthieu, one of the fishermen, came home one hot summer afternoon in a drunken rage. He believed he had been cheated out of his rightful share of the money for the week’s catch by one of the other fishermen. As the sun was beginning to set, Pierre made his way through the houses on the point, brandishing a large hunting knife and spewing obscenities. It seems that the other fishermen were still out at sea using the longer daylight hours to catch a few extra fish. When they finally returned home, they found that their wives and children had been slaughtered like animals in their homes, they were covered with blood and cut into pieces! Enraged, the angry fishermen searched the point to find the culprit. Finally they came upon a huge cypress tree and the body of Pierre Ponthieu dangling from a rope, swinging in the wind, covered in their family member’s blood. He had hung himself! Accounts of the story say that he had a monstrous grin on his

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gruesome, purplish face, and that below him was the gutted body of his own newborn child, with Pierre's own hunting knife still quivering in its cadaver. Pierre had gone mad! Perhaps the ghosts of the slave spirits had gotten their revenge on the descendants of the pirate slave traders. In any event, the locals would suppress the carnage of that night for many years to come, only to be repeated behind closed doors, by those old enough to remember. The stories were eventually written off as folklore or legend and were finally forgotten. The Point, as it came to be known in later years had started to be used by local young people as a rendezvous spot used for necking and partying. Most of the young people in the area had never heard the stories of The Devil’s Point, and probably wouldn't have paid it much heed anyhow. In any case, Si had decided that The Point would be the perfect place for he and Christy to be wed, because of its natural beauty. She had agreed, having never heard the stories.

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CHAPTER 6 She had been extremely ill during the preparation for the event and was left in the dark concerning the details of the wedding. Si had made all of the arrangements. As the wedding party gathered at The Point the sun was going down behind them. While the group of wedding guests watched, the water and trees across the way seemed to be on fire. It was breathtaking! Chilly fall winds swirled around them as the group lined up under a large Cypress tree at the geographic center of The Point. Mostly Si's friends were in attendance for the big day. Only two of Christy's friends made it. Neither Jonathan nor Emma Summers were present. During Si and Christy's courtship, Si had managed to alienate his young fiancée from her family and most of her friends. Christy's two closest childhood friends, Monique and Clara, were the only two in attendance and that was reluctantly, out of respect for their friend. Si's friends had dressed in costumes, like that from a Masquerade Party, which seemed inappropriate for such a solemn occasion as a wedding! This appalled Christy and her friends. A Holy ceremony such as a wedding should not be satirized like this, they thought. When Christy voiced her opinion on this, Si answered her back in anger! “Christy, we aren't making light of the marriage, the cloaks that the wedding party are wearing are all part of the ceremony. A wedding is a time for celebration in my country. A time for gaiety and fun. To celebrate a couple’s life together in such a way is a tradition in my religion. My parents were married in this kind of ceremony. It is part of my heritage.” Si was enraged at Christy's lack of understanding. “Christy, you shouldn't make judgments on things that you don't understand” Christy could see the anger in his eyes, and for the first time in their relationship, she was scared of him. Really scared of him! Out of fear, she apologized and consented to the ritualistic

Before Christy knew it the thirty-first arrived.

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wedding. Si's manipulation of Christy was beginning and would continue to set the tone in their relationship. In Christy's eyes she vindicated her concession as that of reaching a compromise. After all, getting married in the Lord’s eyes was all that was important. In reality, Christy was becoming completely submissive to Si and his strange customs. Something she would do repeatedly in their life together until finally gathering the courage to leave him. After the sun set, the point was completely lit by the blazing bonfire that had been started just before sundown. There was a makeshift wooden altar beside the huge cypress tree directly in front of the fire. There were seven-foot tall, flaming torches surrounding the wedding site. To the average observer the scene represented something more sinister in nature rather than so sacred an occasion as a wedding. Even though Christy found her surroundings a little disturbing, she kept telling herself over and over again that she loved Si. Once they were married he would eventually lean toward her ways rather than his that seemed so foreign to her now. As the service began, the flames of the torches started to flicker wildly in the wind . The High Priest (as he had been introduced) began to speak. It was all in a foreign tongue. Strange words in the same type cadence that Si had spoken on the night that he had violated her. “Natas-uoy-rof-siht-od-I.... Natasfo-nos-eht-rof” As the disturbed young brunette looked around, she was startled that people around her were ingesting powdery substances and drinking from great golden goblets. Seeming a farce, rather than the holy ceremony that it was intended to be, the whole wedding was beginning to resemble some kind of twisted party. Christy didn't like the looks of things, but she was too far along to stop now. Once they were married this whole thing would be over and she could return to a normal life, she thought to herself. As the High Priest raised a golden goblet above the makeshift wooden altar he once again started speaking in the strange language. Lowering the cup to his mouth he drank from the

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strangely adorned golden goblet. After drinking from it he passed it to Si. Si took a long drink from it and turned to Christy. He had a look of happiness and admiration in his eyes as he offered it to her. She nervously took the goblet from him. It shook in her trembling hands as she held it. She was shaking in overwhelming fear. Not being able to make herself lift the goblet to her mouth Christy glanced over at her admiring husband to be. His look of admiration changed to a look of impatience as his eyes stared into hers with a hard, cold stare. Reluctantly she raised the vessel to her mouth and took a sip of the beverage. It tasted bitter and sweet at the same time. As all of this was taking place the contingent of people standing behind them began chanting the strange language in unison. So garbled was the chanting that you could not make out any of the words! Some time during the course of the ceremony Christy's two friends had exited the macabre wedding scene. An evil aura was enveloping the ceremony as it progressed. Christy was starting to get very drowsy. She felt like running away from the wedding but whatever it was that she had drank was affecting her in such a way that she could not move. Her muscles were frozen and her equilibrium was non-existent. If she hadn't been holding on to Si she would have fallen over onto her face. At some point during the ceremony the mood changed. Through blurry eyes Christy could make out the forms of dancing specters illuminated by ghostly lights from the bonfire. Intensifying in volume, the chanting reached a fever pitch. All participants began dancing rhythmically to the flickering flames of the now out of control bonfire. The ceremony was starting to reach a crescendo. As the rhythmic chanting of the background throng continued to heighten, the high priest handed Si a black candle. He took the lit candle and threw it into the great fire. A cackling cheer came from what now seemed a multitude of vulgar, evil, demonic creatures in attendance at the Hellish service! A great explosion came from within the bowels of the huge fire causing the flames to shoot as high as a five story building

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illuminating the whole wedding site. Christy was now completely under the control of the potion she had ingested just minutes earlier. Through the flickering flames, shadows and smoke Christy noticed something forming above the now flame engulfed altar. An eerie light cast from flame was forming a face. It was long and thin, embodying all of the characteristics one would associate with the devil himself. Thick black eyelashes raised above coal black eyes; rust colored skin with deep black lines etched in a sarcastic expression of hatred and arrogance. Christy’s blood chilled in her veins as she stared at the smile on the face of the malevolent specter hovering above the huge fire. Shaking uncontrollably the young woman was experiencing the most devastating display of pure evil she had seen in her life! Between the lewd dancing of the wedding party and the malevolent face in the flames the scared young woman was petrified, frozen in fear before the burning alter. As she watched in horror the burning face began to change and contort itself into another form. The face she was now gazing at was that of Si Mehri'! It was at this point in the ceremony that her anxiety mounted so much that she could no longer handle it. Christy passed out mercifully; not to experience the conclusion of her hellish wedding night! The next morning Christy awoke from what seemed a nightmare. The details of the whole affair were vague to her, she didn't remember passing out. Christy didn't know what to make of the events of the previous evening. Perhaps it was all just a bad dream as a result of her sickness. Her head spun as she elevated it from her pillow. Lying next to her snoring was her husband, Si Mehri'. As she moved to get up, a pain shot through her lower body. Reaching down to see what was wrong, the brunette pulled back her sheet in horror. Her hands were soaked in blood from touching her lower torso. Christy was sitting in a pool of blood! Upon further inspection the young woman realized that she was bleeding from her vaginal opening. Her sheets were soaked in her blood! About that time Si woke up. “Good morning honey, are you feeling better today?” he said

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with a smile. Christy was so weak that she couldn't respond. “That's okay Baby, don't talk, just rest. Last night one of my so-called friends slipped something in your drink. You've had a bad night; a little rest and you'll be alright.” Christy laid back in the bed, too exhausted to speak. She listened vaguely as Si told her what had happened the night before. How after she had been slipped the drugs she had fallen unconscious. About how after becoming violently ill, Si had had to rush her home before the end of the ceremony. They had even missed the reception that followed. Even though the drugs had robbed her of her wedding night memories, she was too weak to be angry; however, she was relieved to realize that she had been drugged, and that the gruesome garbled memories from the night before were just figments of a drug induced nightmare. Her apprehension of Si's strange customs coupled with the drugs must have driven her to this horrible dream. That was it. It had to be. She still had to wonder...

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CHAPTER 7

In the weeks to come, Christy would find out that it was
possible she hadn't been dreaming at all, and that the nightmare of her wedding night may have really happened! She started having bizarre dreams about animal mutilation and death as well as the reoccurring dream about the cloaked figure. Also after the wedding Si refused to let Christy go back to the doctor. He justified his decision by saying, “I won't let any fucking doctor see my wife naked and stick his hand up her ass!” He then assured her that he was perfectly capable of taking care of her needs. "My mother raised nine children in the old country, in the old ways, and if those ways were good enough for my brothers, sisters and I, they are good enough for my child." He began making her take what he called vitamins to keep up her strength. They were made up of roots and herbs supposedly sent to him by his mother. Even though they were to make her feel better, they seemed to just make her weaker, more sluggish. She couldn't understand feeling sick all of the time having been so healthy all of her life. But she attributed the sickness to her pregnancy. Christy felt doped up all of the time, always in a trance. Over a relatively short period of time after starting on the vitamins, her reality and dreams slowly blended together to where she could no longer tell the difference between the two. One night, she was sitting up in her bed reading. Si was off on one of his many excursions. (She never did know what he did for a living, except that it had to do with investments.) She kept getting the feeling that someone was watching her. Nervously she kept looking up at the bedroom window. Whatever it was she felt was watching her seemed to be doing it from outside of that window. Christy wanted to investigate but was too scared. She kept telling herself that it was just her imagination but couldn't get up the courage to get up and check it out. Suddenly, the window flew open, a violent wind whipping the curtains inward. Christy started to shiver as the temperature in the room dropped drastically. She realized that she needed to

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close the window or face freezing in the arctic-like temperatures. Forced to go to the window after the wind tipped her hand, Christy heard a loud squealing sound! Quickly turning toward the sound, Christy's heart jumped out of her throat as she stood face to face with the startling image of a giant pig standing in the darkness. It stood about seven feet tall, red eyes glaring, guttural sounds coming from deep within its torso! Its face was so large that it almost filled up the entire window. Human-like in appearance, the pig's face had a sinister malevolent smile frozen to it. Christy fell backwards onto her bed, hand clutching her chest; mouth cocked open ready to scream at the top of her lungs. No sound came out. The pig began squealing so loudly that she thought her eardrums would burst from the shear loudness of its voice. Covering her ears with her hands trying to block out the gruesome noise, Christy rolled onto the floor and away from the beast that glared at her from the window. All of the sudden, something grabbed her by the shoulders. Christy screamed at the top of her lungs jerking away with all of her might to try to escape whatever it was that had grabbed her. “Baby, Baby, wake up.” It was Si. “Baby, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.” “Oh Si,” she screamed as she threw her arms around him in panic. After telling him the details of her dream, he settled her down. Christy finally did calm down. Si brought her a hot cup of tea. She drank it, without knowing that it had a sedative in it. Si held her in his arms, rocking her gently until she fell into a deep, restful sleep. The next morning, Christy awoke very early. Si had already left for work. Laughing at herself, she realized how silly she had been the night before, reacting so childishly to what had been a simple nightmare. After all, she was a grown woman. Refreshed from a good night's sleep the renewed brunette decided to take her mind off of things and do a little work in her garden. Working in her garden always served as a kind of therapy for her. As she toiled around in her garden, she delighted in all of the beautiful flowers there: the zinnias, the pansies and

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the roses. Her enthusiasm wore off as she stepped around the corner of her house to the outside of her bedroom window. Chills ran up and down the young woman's spine as she noticed giant hoof prints in the loose dirt leading up to her window! At least a foot long, the hoof prints dug deep into the dirt at the base of her window. Strangely enough there were no prints leading away. It was as if the giant creature had walked up to her window and just vanished. Scared out of her wits, Christy began to shake uncontrollably. She began breathing heavily and backed away from the giant hoof prints. On instinct alone Christy stumbled to her car driving it to her mother's house down the road. Later in the day the she would not even be able to remember how she had gotten there! Christy's mother tried talking some sense into her hysterical daughter, but to no avail. Finally, after hours of rational explanation, Emma convinced Christy that weeks of sleep depravation, coupled with a pregnancy problem, had caused her imagination to run away with her. Mother Summers suggested that she go to her doctor. Christy dared not tell her concerned mother that her husband had forbade her from seeing her doctor for fear that Emma Summers would disapprove and complicate her life further by butting in. After some long overdue motherdaughter conversation Christy returned home, convincing herself that her mother must be right. She didn't go into the garden after returning home, opting to wait inside until Si got home. She never told him about the hoofprints, deciding that it would be counter-productive to their relationship. He already was trying to convince her that she was unstable, and should go to a psychiatrist. One of his choice, not hers. To add to the problems of her troubled pregnancy, her due date had passed, with no sign of when she might go into labor. Her baby was going to be born late. Si continued to make her take the so-called vitamins, the roots and berries that he had been giving her to ‘keep her healthy’. But the truth was, these things that she were taking to make him happy, just kept her doped up and sick. Christy was oblivious to the fact that she was doped up,

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attributing her sickness to her problem pregnancy. One day Christy was feeling sicker than usual. When Si came home from work, he found her doubled over in pain, lying on the bathroom floor covered with vomit. “Oh, I feel so bad, Baby. I feel so bad. Please take me to the hospital.” “Babe, it’s not time yet,” he answered the moaning girl. Lifting her in his arms off of the bathroom floor, Si tried to calm his wife down, wiping the spittle from her body, then laying her gently on the bed. He was cool and collected as he rubbed her head with a cold compress. The silence was broken by a loud, urgent knock at the front door. Si left Christy's side to answer the knock. It was Emma Summers. It seemed that while waiting for Si to come home from work, Christy had called her mother for help. “Where is my daughter?!” she screamed hysterically. “She's just fine, Mrs. Summers,” Si replied in monotone. “She wasn't fine when I talked to her on the phone earlier. Where is she? She's going to the doctor with me!” Si's face grew red with anger. “She's not going anywhere with you, Mrs. Summers. You didn't give a fuck about us when we were married, so why should you be concerned now?” Emma was taken aback by the abruptness of her son-in-law. “Now you'd better leave before I physically throw you out, you old bitch!” Christy was standing in the bedroom door that led into the front room of the house. “Si, how dare you talk to my mother that way, she was just trying to help!” “Just calm down Honey,” Si said as he reached out to her. “Get your hands off of me!” Christy screamed as she jerked away from him. And with that Christy fell to the floor. Si dropped to the floor and picked her up, skirting her limp body away to the bedroom. As he laid her onto the bed, Emma Summers entered the room. Si turned to the stunned woman in anger. “It's your fault, you fucking bitch! You don't give a goddamn about us. You've disapproved of our marriage from the beginning. Now you come into my house trying to take over

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everything. Well I'm damn well capable of taking care of my wife. You need to just stay the fuck out of our lives!” Emma was overcome by Si's outpouring of profanities. Maybe it was from fear of the fire and anger in Si's eyes, but Emma Summers left Si's house, vowing never to return. “Tell Christy if she needs me I'll be there for her, but I never want to see you again!” She left in a cloud of dust with tears in her eyes. Somehow the brokenhearted mother sensed that she would never see her beloved Christy again! Christy had been unconscious during Si's brutal, verbal barrage on her mother. The fragile brunette had fallen back into the surreal dream world she had entered so many times in her most recent past. She stood in a deserted patch of forest; icy cold, surrounded by hideously distorted bare trees. The sound of the wind overshadowed the faint sound of evil laughter in the distance. Shaking, the scared girl noticed a light just over the winding ridge that stood before her. Somehow she felt that somewhere in the light there was salvation from this evil abyss. Running through the thorny thicket in front of her, stumbling several times, but not slowing down until she reached the eerie glow of a large fire, Christy stopped in her tracks staring at a familiar sight. Standing before the fire, stood a specter in a long hooded robe, hands raised to the sky, as if praying to some Deity. Christy knew instinctively that the figure was not praying to God. The cloaked figure stepped to one side, revealing a burning altar. A black cat lay on the altar seemingly not bothered by the flames. The demonic entity grabbed the cat by the nap of the neck and raised it over the flames of the burning altar. Reaching into its robe, the ghostly figure pulled out a large knife. Realizing what it was about to do, Christy opened her mouth to scream. Her vocal chords would not let out a sound as the knife made a circular motion, cutting off the head of the cat! The hooded being threw the head of the cat into the flames of the altar. The head of the cat continued to make screeching, hissing sounds as it sizzled in the god-forsaken flames of the unholy fire, transforming from its original form into what looked like a lump of coal! The hooded specter then raised the cat's still squirming

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body over the top of a golden chalice spilling its blood into the waiting vessel. Christy recoiled in fear and disgust as the hooded, cloaked figure drank from the cup. She turned to run away and tripped on a dried bundle of branches laid in a pile behind her, making a loud, crackling noise. The specter then turned to her, reacting to the sound of the broken branches. Try as she might, Christy struggled to escape the thorny thicket she had become stuck in. Caught up in the branches at least for the moment, she was at the mercy of the hooded specter! The hooded figure walked up to her holding the chalice of the cat's blood out to her as if offering it to her to drink. Just at that moment, the glow of the fire cast an illuminating light on the face of the specter. It was Si! “Here drink this, it will help you get some sleep!” Screaming hysterically, the young brunette suddenly jumped up, covered with sweat, and shaking uncontrollably, only to notice that she was sitting up in her own bed. Once again she had had a terrible dream. Or had it been? She wasn't sure of anything any more. She must have been asleep for hours. Her screaming awakened Si, who had been sleeping next to her. He jumped up, trying to comfort her. “Calm down, Baby. You were just having another nightmare.” He cradled her in his arms and tried to talk her down. It took a while, but the hysterical brunette finally calmed down. Si held her in his arms for the longest time, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't get back to sleep. “Hold on Baby, let me get you a little something to help you sleep.” He left for the kitchen, and returned shortly with a glass that contained a red liquid. “Here, drink this, it will help you get to sleep.” The words reverberated in her ears over and over. She looked up into his face. The same evil grin from the face in the dream was on her husband's now distorted face. “Oh my God!” she gasped.

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As she fell into unconsciousness the words ‘God can't help you now’ rang in her head, until her mind went blank... The next morning, the blur of the night before had worn off. Christy awakened in an empty bed. Si had gone to work. What an awful dream she had had. It had seemed so real. She was starting to confuse reality with her nightmares. Drinking a cup of coffee to clear the cobwebs, Christy decided to try to calm her anxiety by working in her garden. Still feeling a little unsteady Christy herself was beginning to doubt her own sanity. Maybe she did need to see a doctor. But she wasn't about to see the one that Si had picked for her. One that she didn't know! Christy would talk to her mother the next day about what psychiatrist she should see. For now her therapy would be working her tiny garden. Crawling around her garden among the weeds and flowers proved therapeutic for Christy. The young brunette finally started to calm down. Her hands felt around the now hardened earth and wild flowers like little probes making their way toward a thick growth of weeds. There was something hard lying beneath the weeds. As she cleared them away from the hard clump, she pulled back in horror. There at her knees lay the body of a dead cat! Upon closer inspection the horrified brunette noticed the cat's head was missing! The gloves she wore were covered with blood from the lifeless body of the cat. Christy began convulsing uncontrollably, then vomiting violently. Try as she might the young brunette couldn't seem to catch her breath. She struggled to get to her feet and stumbled into the house. All that was around her was a blur, her eyes not able to focus on any one object. Then blackness and then total silence.... Not awakening until much later, Christy's surroundings were unfamiliar to her. The disgruntled young brunette was now staring at the ceiling of a sterile white hospital room. “She's waking up, Doctor” came a voice from across the room. It was a nurse. “Don't be frightened, young lady, you’re going to be okay,” came the doctor's soothing voice. “Where am I?” she asked.

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“You’re at the Parish Hospital, dear.” “Why am I here?” “Don't be alarmed, Ms. Mehri'.” “Would someone please tell me, why I am here?” Taking her hand the doctor explained that she had lost her baby! The words echoed through her head. “Oh my God!” Christy began to repeat over and over as she began to cry uncontrollably. Her body ached and shook all over. The doctor and nurse both tried in vain to calm her down. She cried for hours, finally crying herself to sleep. When she awoke, another nurse stood by her bed. It had gotten dark outside her window. This nurse was older, with a gentle look on her face. “Is there something I can get you honey?” Christy was quite calm now from the sedatives she had been given. She asked the nurse for a drink of water. When the nurse returned, Christy took the water from her and quietly drank it down. After a short pause Christy asked the nurse, “Please, could you tell me...” she gulped from the dryness of her throat, then choking out the words. “Was it...a boy or a girl?” Tears filled her eyes as she waited for the answer. “Ma'am, I don't know,” came the nurse’s reply. “Please! I've just got to know!” cried the disoriented young woman. Noticing the torment in the disoriented young brunette Nurse Williams answered, “Okay honey, I'll go and try to find out for you.” Christy sat alone in stunned silence. So much had happened to her. And now to top it off, she’d lost the baby! Looking around her white, sterile looking room, with everything so neat and in its place, the doped up woman sat quietly. Its smell of disinfectant was so strong that it made her feel queasy. With its plain white curtains over the windows it all seemed so unreal. Everything was so plastic; so fake. She felt as if she were underneath some huge microscope, her life open for the whole world to see. As the young woman drifted away into these lines of thought,

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the door opened. It was Nurse Williams. “Well?” the frightened girl asked, looking up with wide, inquisitive eyes. “Mrs. Mehri', it seems your husband brought you to the hospital after the miscarriage. You had the miscarriage at home. The hospital never received the fetus. Perhaps your husband knows what became of it.” Christy collapsed back into her bed in weakness and exasperation. She didn't feel like talking anymore, remaining silent until later that night, when her husband finally showed up. Coming into her room with flowers in one hand and a box of candy in the other; Si had a big reassuring smile was on his face. He was kind and gentle to his weak young wife trying to ease the tension that she must have been feeling at that moment. He spent the night at the hospital with her, talking of nothing but pleasant things. During that night the miscarriage never once came up in the conversation. Si managed, at least for a little while, to make Christy forget the unpleasant events of the last few weeks. She even seemed to forget the pain and empty, hollow feelings inside of her. They talked and talked, until she fell into a peaceful, relaxing sleep. The next day, Christy was released from the hospital. Si took a half-day off of work to bring her home and make sure she was settled and comfortable. He made her a pallet on the couch, in front of the television fixing her some milk and cookies. As he was about to leave, he asked, “Is there anything else I can get you before I go to work?” “No, Baby. You've been wonderful. But there is one thing.” she replied. “Anything, dear,” Si replied. “Could you tell me what happened to our baby's body? The hospital said they don't know what happened, because I had the miscarriage at home.” Christy's eyes were welled up with tears and her voice shook as she asked the question. Si got a curious look on his face. “Don't worry, Baby. I took care of it.” “How did you take care of it? Please Si, I need to know,” Christy insisted.

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“I had it buried this morning,” he answered. “Where Si, where did you have it buried?” she asked in an agonizing tone. “Baby, don't let it upset you,” he answered. “You're a bereaved mother, and now you just need to get some rest.” “But...” “No buts, Christy. Just lie down and rest and we'll talk about it when I get home. Here, take some of these sleeping pills the doctor prescribed,” he said as he handed his young bride the pills. “Si?” she said with an anxiety in her voice. He put his fingers to her mouth. “No, don't say another word. Just get some rest. We'll talk about it when I get home. I've got to go now; I'm already late for work.” With that, the young man kissed his tired wife, telling her he loved her, as he rushed out the door. She watched out the window as he sped off in his jet-black mustang. Si's evasiveness about the baby, along with the curious look on his face when asked about the baby, kept rolling around in Christy's head. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but knew she had to find out what it was. Even though the tired young woman didn't know what it was that she was looking for, she began searching the house, looking in closets, drawers, beneath furniture and everywhere that anything could be hidden. She looked everywhere in the house...nothing! There was a workshop in the back yard behind the house. She had only been inside of it once. It had been so dirty and dingy that she never entered it again. She had never even given it a second thought until now! Thinking about it, she couldn't even remember Si going in there since they had been together. It was old and dilapidated looking. Christy just thought it was an old shack used by prior owners and abandoned after Si had bought the house. Something inside told her that the answer to her questions lay beyond the confining walls of this abandoned old structure. Walking out the back door Christy cautiously made her way to the locked old shed. Grabbing the door handle, she tried to open the door. It was locked! Circling the building to the backside,

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the driven young woman tried to peer into the back window. A black curtain on the inside prevented her from looking inside. Curiosity built up inside of her, for some unexplained reason she had to know what lay beyond the velvet black curtain. She just had to know! Christy looked around, spotting a nearby rock. She picked it up and threw it through the window. Reaching inside, the unstable young brunette unhooked the latch on the window and climbed inside. It was very dark. She fumbled through the blackness finally finding the cord to the overhead light. The workshop had changed since the time she had seen it. When she had last seen it last it had been an abandoned room with nothing but old trash strewn everywhere. A sort of junk room. Someone had since come in and cleaned it up. On a table at the opposite end of the room laid several strange looking daggers inlaid with odd hieroglyphic symbols and two freshly made black candles. Curiously, a golden chalice like the one she had dreamed of also lay there. A large book written in some language she couldn't understand lay in the middle of a scattering of books dealing with Satanism and satanic worship. One of the books was opened to a chapter entitled “The Black Mass”. She was shocked. Even though she knew that Si was a little eccentric, she had never imagined in her wildest dreams that he could be a Satanist. How naive she had been! She had always assumed that Si's eccentricities had stemmed from an eastern religion, not Satanism! Picking up the opened book, she began to read about the Black Mass. The air about her was filled with an almost electrical feeling of danger. A feeling that at any moment someone may sneak up on her, catching her doing something she shouldn't be doing... “Needed for a Black Mass, a pentagram drawn on the floor. A naked woman should be used as the altar. She should lay spreadeagle at the bottom of the pentagram; her vagina thrust upward. In each of her hands should be a black candle, preferably made from the fat of unbaptized babies.” Suddenly feeling very nauseated, Christy's head became

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clouded with fear and disbelief. Gathering her wits and darting from the shop, the frightened young brunette tried to escape the danger and depravity of the shop of horrors! As young woman rounded the corner of the house, she stumbled over the garbage can that sat just outside the kitchen door. The can fell over, emptying the contents onto the ground. Staring at the ground in shock Christy recoiled in fear and repulsion. There, in the middle of the scattered garbage, covered with flies, was a human fetus! Pale in color, it looked as if the color had been boiled out of it. The horror of the moment gripped the convulsing young brunette as she realized that the fetus was her unborn child! The satanic paraphernalia, the black candles...Si had boiled the fetus of their unborn child to make the black candles that adorned the alter in the ghastly shop! “What kind of monster was he?” Christy thought to herself. She began to vomit and fell to the ground, crying and shaking like a newborn baby. Perhaps this was another bad dream, and she would wake up. Christy knew one thing though, if this was real, she had to leave this place and never return. It was the dead of winter as Christy left on that horrid night. She disappeared into the darkness, aboard a Greyhound bus, leaving the nightmare of her life with Si behind. The sounds of the night birds and the sights of the darkened Louisiana Bayou ushered her out into the unknown new world, beyond the boundaries of the only world she had ever known. There was an apprehension mixed with a sigh of relief, intertwined, spinning around inside her head. She would eventually end up in Baton Rouge, a student at LSU, sitting in her friend Kayla's apartment, with tears in her eyes, reliving the terror of that year in her story of hopelessness, despair and horror.

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CHAPTER 8

Monday was a beautiful day on the campus of the Louisiana
State University. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. Christy strolled through the heart of the campus enroute to Louisiana State University's student union auditorium. Cypress trees laden with Spanish moss surrounded the pond that fronted the student union building. The pond, which supported many species of plant and animal life native to Louisiana, was in sharp contrast to the surrounding city of Baton Rouge Louisiana. Baton Rouge, whose economy was largely dependent on the petroleum and energy industries, had become a city of concrete and steel in past years. A revived petroleum industry had turned Baton Rouge into an industrial hustling, bustling hub of the oil industry. This fact made the unique natural landscape of the LSU campus one of the more scenic campuses in the country. Along with its aesthetic beauty, the campus had a laid back atmosphere that helped students cope with the daily stress factor brought on by an educational environment. Christy met Kayla at nine o’ clock sharp; exactly one halfhour prior to Professor Pfeiffer's long awaited lecture. “Are you feeling better today, Christy?” Kayla asked in a concerned tone. “I'm feeling much better today. Thank you. I guess I was just letting my imagination get the better of me. Si is a part of my past.” The young brunette smiled slightly. “Besides, he couldn't possibly know where I am now.” Christy then gave a dismissive glance and the girls entered the front doors of the auditorium. Kayla was careful not to mention the strange happenings of the previous weekend. Christy's upbeat attitude was enough to convince her concerned friend that it would be best not to bring up the bad memories. The lobby of the student union's auditorium was modern looking with huge plate glass windows that encased the whole front of the structure. Beyond was a row of large rusty colored

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double doors that led into the main seating area of the large auditorium. It was still early. Only a scattering of students was inside of the nine thousand-seat auditorium. This suited Christy, for she had wanted to arrive early enough to get good seats. The halfhour wait seemed a lifetime to the girls, especially Christy. After all, she had been reading material written by the world class archaeologist since her early teen years and now she was going to get a chance to hear one of his lectures, and perhaps even meet him. Excitement filled the air as well as the loud chattering of anxious Theology students. Finally the lights dimmed and a spotlight lit up the podium at center stage. A sudden hush replaced the loud sound of student voices. Reverend Thomas, the head of the Theology department, walked up to the podium to deafening silence. After clearing his throat, he began to speak. “Only once in a lifetime does a man come along with such insight to his work that he manages to change the very foundations on which his work is based. I am here to introduce such a man. A man without equal in the field of religious archaeology. So without further ado, it is my pleasure and privilege to introduce...Dr. Randal Miguel Pfeiffer!” Enter Randal Miguel Pfeiffer, a large bearded man with deep dark eyes. Face etched with lines that told the story of a full lived productive life, his dark brown hair concealed the tinges of gray that were forming around his cranium. Christy sat spellbound, in awe of the man that she knew so well, through his many writings. He now stood just a few feet away, about to share his vast theological knowledge with her and many of her fellow students. Even though she had never seen him before, he looked strangely familiar to her. As the applause subsided, Professor Pfeiffer reached the podium. A deep hollow silence followed, waiting to be filled with the vast knowledge of this remarkable man. Gazing into the large room filled with humanity, he began to speak. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Randal Miguel Pfeiffer. I am an archaeologist specializing in religious artifacts. I am here to share with you some of the adventures and

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anecdotes from my recent expedition to the Holy Land. But I must warn you, if you’re not careful, you may learn something.” A swarm of laughter filled the auditorium. Christy studied his face as he spoke. She couldn't place him but she had seen his face somewhere before. And it wasn't inside the cover of one of his numerous books. It was somewhere in person and in the not so recent past! Excited, the young brunette continued to listen as the archeologist spoke. His voice was smooth, and the delivery in his speech exuded self-confidence. He mesmerized the audience with his magnetic personality and thorough knowledge of his subject matter. Christy hung onto every word of his lecture, and was hypnotized by it, as was everyone else who was attending this monumental engagement. Though totally involved in his speech, Christy could not keep from staring into his deep dark piercing eyes. Professor Pfeiffer began sharing his experiences involving the discovery of lost texts from Genesis. Found in a false wall of a small monastery at the foot of the Sinai were letters from the Apostles Paul, John, and Mark as well as unidentified writings attributed to writers at the time of the San Hedren in the Temple of Herod in Jerusalem. Christy couldn't break away from Professor Pfeiffer's gaze. It could have just been her imagination, but it was as if he were talking directly to her. “These discoveries” he continued, “led to new insights into biblical teachings and were instrumental in the discoveries of the lost texts of the bible uncovered on my last expedition to the Qumran valley.” “Those eyes,” she kept thinking to herself, “those piercing eyes. Where had she seen them before?” As Professor Pfeiffer's words faded back into Christy's mind, the young brunette’s thoughts faded back to the smoky bar-room of the Buccaneer Club. Her mind traveled back to the stranger that was standing at the end of the bar. The stranger that stared at her with his penetrating eyes, looking beyond reality and straight into her soul. It was him! The stranger that seemed to follow her everywhere she had gone on that faithful night. It had been

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Professor Pfeiffer that had scared her so, and not some henchman sent by Si to find her. The room filled with cheering and clapping as every one around Christy rose to their feet. They were joining together in giving Professor Pfeiffer a standing ovation. Christy nudged Kayla. “That's him!” “Of course that's him,” Kayla shot back in a puzzled voice. “No Kayla, he's the guy that kept staring at me on Saturday night, the one that kept following us!” Kayla, still puzzled, finally showed a look of recollection. “Him, are you sure?” “Yes I'm sure,” the excited girl answered. This and the fact that Christy had waited most of her teenage and adult life to meet this man compelled the young brunette and her friend to make their way to the front of the auditorium. Professor Pfeiffer was signing copies of his latest book, “The Secrets of the Qumran Valley”. It was the story of his expeditions to the Holy Land. It also contained excerpts from the lost text from the book of Genesis as well as excerpts from the Book of the Sword, both discovered on his last expedition. Waiting in line, the excited girls purchased a first copy of the new book, then waited in line for a second time for a chance to meet the world-renowned author and archaeologist. Finally, Christy and Kayla made their way to the front of the line. Turning from his last signature Pfeiffer's eyes immediately caught Christy's. A look of familiarity filled his face. Grabbing Christy's hand, the distinguished professor held it as if they were old friends. “And how did you like my lecture?” he asked with great exuberance. “Oh, it was marvelous,” Kayla answered in an excited tone. Pfeiffer's eyes never left Christy's. “And what did you think about my lecture?” he directed the question directly to Christy. Kayla felt ignored. “I...I found it...very stimulating,” Christy answered shakily, still surprised by the professor's obvious direct attention. Staring for a short time, Christy finally spoke. “Have we met somewhere before?”

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“No ma'am, I don't believe.” he replied. “Are you sure? Weren't you in the Buccaneer club Saturday night?” she asked in a bewildered tone. “No ma'am, I only arrived this morning from New York. But surely if we had met, I would remember a woman of such breathtaking beauty as yourself!” Confused, the young brunette was taken aback at the revelation that he had not been in the Buccaneer Club on Saturday night. Perhaps it was just someone who looked a lot like him. “But those eyes,” she thought, “Those had to be the same eyes. No two people could have eyes like that. So piercing, so captivating.” Something strange was happening to Christy. And she was determined to find out what it was! Finally he signed her book, without taking his eyes off of hers. Christy was so spellbound by his presence that she couldn't think of anything else to say. She turned to walk away, then, as if by some act of divine providence, he called out to her. “Ma’am?” Her heart sank. “Could I have a word with you after the signing?” “You sure can!” Kayla answered before Christy could even open her mouth! After the room had cleared, Professor Pfeiffer approached the two young girls. “It is a rare pleasure to meet two such beautiful young ladies.” They giggled like young girls in response to the professor’s comments. Christy was the first of the two girls to speak. “Professor Pfeiffer, I’ve read so much of your work that I feel that I know you already. You've lead such a fascinating life. It's a pleasure to meet you!” She reached her hand out in a gesture of friendship. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently in the manner of the gentleman that he obviously was. The girls, taken aback by his gesture smiled at each other in astonishment that this famous, respected man would pay such attention to two ordinary young people. “So, you've read about my work. Would you two care to join me for dinner tonight and discuss my work in more detail?”

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Kayla butted in (as was her style), “No, I'm sorry, we're busy tonight, maybe another time?” Christy was irritated by Kayla's evasive action. She wasn't about to pass up an opportunity like that. “Maybe you can't Kayla, but I certainly can!” She turned to the professor with a glow in her face, “I'd love to.” Even though professor Pfeiffer had been addressing both women, his eyes had never left Christy's. This bothered Kayla. She felt uneasy, as if there was something more than dinner involved in Pfeiffer's invitation. So she waited until later to address her fears to her mesmerized friend. In the meantime, Professor Pfeiffer and Christy Summers had made plans to meet in front of the student union building about seven o’ clock that evening. Later they would have dinner at Dupuys, a local eatery featuring French cuisine, served in a simple romantic atmosphere. After the plans for the evening were made, the professor said good-bye to his two female companions and they went their separate ways. Walking silently in the direction of Christy's dorm until they were well out of the sight of Professor Pfeiffer, Kayla broke the silence. “Are you crazy, girl? You don't even know this man, and you’re going out, alone with him? Didn't your experiences with your ex-husband teach you anything?” Christy waited for her friend to catch a breath between sentences. “Are you finished, mom?” Christy said sarcastically. Kayla nodded in response. “Good! First of all, I don't appreciate you telling me what I can and can't do. Second of all, this is a famous man, I doubt he means me any harm. I appreciate that you are worried about me, but I can take care of myself. Besides, there's something about him that makes me feel comfortable. Famous people like him don't harm anyone!” “Jack the Ripper was a famous person!” Kayla countered in a sarcastic voice. “Kayla, that's not the same thing.” “I know, baby, I'm just worried about you, especially after all you've been through lately.”

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“Don't worry Kayla, I'll be alright. There's just something about him...” Christy’s friend started to respond. “I'll be okay, honest.” Reluctantly, the young redhead dropped the subject. After reaching Christy's dorm, Kayla got into her car, turning quickly to her friend before she could walk away. “Christy, just promise me one thing.” “What's that, Kayla?” “Promise me you'll call me when you get home tonight.” “Okay, I promise." the brunette said in a tone of resignation. “Alright, I'll see you later,” Kayla said as she rolled up her car window. She started to accelerate and then came to a screeching halt. Rolling down her window, she motioned to her friend. “One more thing. Have a good time,” she shouted as she sped off into the Baton Rouge traffic. Christy laughed to herself as she thought, “That nut, she'll never change.” The young brunette walked up the stairs toward her second floor room. As Christy ascended the stairs she thought to herself how lucky she was to have such a good friend. Unlocking her door, the happy young brunette stepped inside beginning to do a few things around her room that needed to be done before her next class. Glancing at her watch she was shocked at the time. It was almost one o’ clock, she had forgotten about her calculus class. Rushing out the door, the young woman ran down the street to her appointed class! Christy arrived at class about five minutes late. Her fellow students hardly noticed as she silently made her way to her desk. With the events of the morning fresh on her mind, the excited young woman could not keep her mind on her calculus class. Instead, she was lost in thoughts of far away places, wondering what it would be like to walk through the ruins and digs of the same places that Jesus Christ had walked so many centuries ago. Perhaps even in the same footsteps of the savior. Thoughts of making important discoveries about the bible and the people who lived in those times were mind boggling to the young brunette. Goose bumps began to pop up all over the Christy's body. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been interested in a career dealing with theology, and even more recently, archaeology.

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Thoughts raced through her head at the prospect of having dinner with one of the leading...no, the leading authority on religious archaeology in the world. She was so deep in thought that only the absolute motion of students leaving the math class broke her away from them, pulling her back to the reality of the surrounding world. After running by the campus bookstore to purchase a few badly needed reference books, the young woman raced back to her dorm room. It was already four o’ clock, and she had little time to get ready for her date with Professor Pfeiffer. Hurrying, Christy gathered a few clothes and laid them in an orderly fashion on her bed, then entered the shower. As she showered, Christy thought of her love of God and how her dreaded life with Si had only reaffirmed her devotion to the pursuit of theology as a vocation as well as a lifestyle. At least one good thing had come out of her relationship with her former husband; she was getting a chance to meet the top authority on religious archaeology in the world. How excited she was. If she had ever wondered prior to this moment, she wondered no more; her move to Baton Rouge and LSU had been the right one for her. As Christy stepped from the shower there came a banging on the door. Quickly wrapping herself in a towel, she answered it. “Yes, who is it?” “It’s Sheri. There’s a phone call for you at the front desk.” “Okay, I'll be down in a minute. Thank you, Sheri.” She quickly dried off, threw her clothes on, and rushed down to answer the telephone. “Hello?” There was a long pause.... “Christy? It’s me, Si.” There was another long pause. This time from the surprised brunette. “Si, I never want to see you again. Can't you just leave me alone?” “Look Christy, I just need to talk to you, then I won't bother you again, please?” The frightened young lady was very apprehensive, for every time Si talked to her he had a way of twisting the facts and events to his advantage persuading her to do his bidding. Christy responded with a mixture of fear and

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irritation. “All right, Si, what do you want to talk about?” There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone line. “Can't we get together? You know, talk face to face.” “No Si, can't you get it through your thick skull, I never want to see you again!” Si's voice cracked a little as he continued. “Christy, I just want a chance to apologize to you, and try to explain.” “Look, Si...” “No baby, let me finish,” Si interrupted. By now his voice sounded pathetic; desperate. “Okay, Si, go ahead and finish,” the brunette answered defiantly. “I was just going through a hard time...” he gulped and took a deep breath, “And when we lost the baby, my mind just snapped.” Tears welled up in Christy's eyes. After a short silence, Si continued. “Baby, please if you don't allow me to see you... I might do something...drastic.” The young woman's tone softened. “Like what, Si?” “I might…I think I might kill myself.” Christy wasn’t in love with Si any more, but she didn't want to see him kill himself either. She couldn't live with that responsibility, no matter how much she loathed him. “Si, don't be an idiot!” “No, I mean it baby, since you left me without giving me a chance to explain...hell, I have nothing to live for! I just need a chance to explain.” Bewildered, Christy sat for a second trying to think of what to say. “Can't you explain over the phone? I'm listening.” Christy could hear Si beginning to cry on the other end of the phone. Si had always been such a strong man, and his sobbing on the other side of the phone got to the softhearted young brunette. “Okay, Si, Okay. We can talk face to face.” “Oh thank you, baby. You won't regret this, I promise. What time do you want to meet me tonight?”

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“Si, tonight's not good for me, how about tomorrow? About eleven o’ clock. Right after my archaeology class?” Si was silent for a moment. “Why not tonight? I really need to get this off my chest.” he said with an insistent voice. “Si, I can't make it tonight, I've got other plans!” “But...” “No buts Si, I just can't make it tonight. I've agreed to meet with you, if you want to meet with me it will have to be tomorrow!” There was an anger in the young woman's voice. Si, sensing that he was losing control of the situation replied quickly. “That's fine, baby. Don't get mad, just calm down. Tomorrow will be fine. I didn't mean to make you mad. Okay?” The humbleness in Si's tone of voice changed Christy's attitude. “I'm sorry too, Si, I didn't mean to get angry. I just have a lot of pressure on me. You know, starting a new school and all.” “I understand Christy,” he replied. What do you have to do that's so important tonight?” Christy began to lose her patience again. “If it’s any business of yours, I've got some studying to do for my archaeology test tomorrow!” She lied, just slightly. “Babe, I'm not trying to be nosy, I was just interested...where did you want to meet me tomorrow?” “Oh, I guess, in front of the Archaeology building. Do you know where it is?” “Don't worry, Christy, I'll find it.” No one talked for a while. Finally Christy broke the void of conversation. “Well Si, I've got to go now.” “Okay baby, I'll see you tomorrow...I love you,” he added. There was another pause. “I'll see you tomorrow, Si, good-bye!” With that she hung up. Glancing at the clock above her desk, Christy realized how late she was. Six forty-five. “Darn, I'm going to be late!” She grabbed her things and ran hurriedly for the front door, rushing out toward the student union building. Christy was in such a hurry, she didn't notice the tall, dark, handsome man just behind her, hidden in the shadows. Someone she knew well. But obviously not well enough!

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CHAPTER 9

Christy rushed past the rows of cypress trees and picturesque
red brick school buildings. About ten minutes late for her date with Professor Pfeiffer, the young girl was out of breath and overcome by a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Professor Pfeiffer was no where to be found! Sadness overwhelmed Christy as the realization sunk in that she may have missed the date with her mentor. “I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up.” A familiar voice came from behind the young brunette. Turning, Christy saw the reflection of her hero within the tinted glass windows fronting the student union building. “I'm so sorry, Professor Pfeiffer...” He interrupted her. “Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning. I want you to call me Randal.” “Oh...Randal, I'm sorry that I was late, but I had an old friend on the phone and it took forever to get him off of it.” “That's okay, Ms. Summers, I haven't been waiting long.” “It’s Christy, just call me Christy,” she reciprocated in the friendliest of tones. Smiling at one another the couple extended arms and stole happily away to Pfeiffer's rental car parked just around the corner. Reaching the four door blue Ford Focus, Professor Pfeiffer skirted the pretty young woman around to the passenger’s side opening the door for her to enter the car. “He's such a gentleman!” the giddy young woman thought to herself. Once in the car Christy gave directions to Dupuy’s, which was on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. Pfeiffer started the vehicle and made his way to the junction of Interstate ten and twelve, navigating his way to the restaurant according to his young companion’s directions. Dupuy's was located just outside of the Baton Rouge city limits in the small town of Denhim Springs, part way to Hammond, Louisiana. Its country inn appeal was evident as they

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drove into the lusciously landscaped parking lot. Adorned with evergreens among huge cypress trees, laden with Spanish moss, the restaurant looked like a cross between Tara plantation from “Gone With the Wind” and the beautiful plantation homes of the Florida parishes of southeast Louisiana. Ivy climbed up the arbor that sided the antebellum brown building. On either side of the front French glass doors were antique kerosene lamps resembling those of old European style. Entering the front doors, the couple was greeted by a beautiful young woman dressed in a tasteful floor length blue dress. “Table for two?” she asked. Professor Pfeiffer nodded to her in the affirmative as he and Christy were led to their table next to the huge plate glass window that overlooked the formal gardens. The gardens were full with tropical looking flowers surrounding a three-tiered water fountain that flowed into a bottom pool filled with large gold fish and decorated with the fallen petals from the tropical flowers around it; a very beautiful, romantic place custom made for lovers! After settling in at their red and white checker-clothed table, Randal ordered a bottle of Poully Fosse, a French wine. Both were captured by the other’s reciprocating glances of admiration and infatuation. Christy was a little intimidated sitting with this worldrenowned archaeologist and author. Pfeiffer sensed this. He broke the ice by speaking first. “So, you've read some of my work. Are you interested in archaeology?” “Oh yes,” the young brunette replied. “What interests you most about my work?” “Actually, I'm really interested in your last expedition. The lost books! I get goose-bumps just thinking about writings of such biblical importance hidden from the world for so long.” “Well, Christy, before you put me up on some sort of pedestal, let me tell you what I believe. I believe that the books were meant to be discovered, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.” “Professor, you flatter yourself with your humility.” the giddy

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young woman responded. The professor continued, “You’re too kind, Christy. I’ve got to admit that I am proud to be the one to have uncovered these manuscripts.” Pfeiffer paused. “They were considered legend before my expedition. Even my associates thought me a little crazy, but I endured their ridicule.” Taking a deep breath and a sip of wine the renowned archaeologist continued. “It just goes to show, that if you want something bad enough, and work hard enough, nothing is beyond your grasp.” Christy became lost in the words of the distinguished archaeologist as he spoke of his experiences in the Middle East. This was a dream come true for her. Conversing with an expert on the subject of religious archaeology. She couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams that anything of this magnitude could have happened to a little country girl like herself. Especially with the events of the previous year in mind! But at this moment, the memories of her horrible life with Si were buried far back in the recesses of her sub-conscious mind. “Are you ready to order, madam?” Reality broke Christy's train of thought as she turned to her waiter, standing pen in hand at the edge of their table. Randal glanced at his pretty young companion in an inquisitive manner noticing the confused look in her eyes. “Would you mind terribly if I ordered for us?” “Oh that would be wonderful,” Christy answered, relieved at his suggestion. Randal proceeded to order seafood platters of snow crab claws, lobster tails and broiled soft-shell crabs stuffed with crab meat dressing, smothered in a rich hollandaise sauce. Beginning with escargot bordelaise and small spinach salads, this meal would be the most memorable meal to date in Christy's short life! Pouring the wine into chilled glasses, and raising his glass in a toast, the gallant professor once again impressed his young charge. “A toast! To a beautiful young lady and the most charming company I could ever have hoped for on this lovely evening.” Christy raised her glass in a reciprocal motion and clinked

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glasses with her handsome host. She smiled as they drank to Randal's romantic toast. As the evening progressed, talk of literature, art and music began to dominate the conversation. Temporarily, Christy forgot about her interest in theological archaeology. Not until talking over a desert of Ameretto cheesecake with slivered almonds did the subject of theology resurface. “Profess… I mean, Randal,” Christy looked embarrassed. “I would sure like to know more about your expedition to the Qumran Valley and the books of the bible you found.” “Christy, I would love to discuss it with you. It’s enlightening to find a young person nowadays with such a genuine interest in such things.” He smiled at her as he sipped his glass of wine. “I've set up a study in my suite at the Bellmont, if you'd care to join me there after dinner.” For the first time on this wonderful evening, Christy felt a little uncomfortable. “Well I don't know, Randal, I'm not sure if that would be proper.” Professor Pfeiffer seemed amused. “Don't worry, Christy, call anyone you'd like and tell them where you are. I merely wish to entertain your interest in my work, not try to trap you into some kind of compromising situation.” He raised his hand in the sign of a boy scouts honor. “I promise.” Set at ease by the boyish manner in which he conducted himself, the young brunette began to giggle. “Professor Pfeiffer, I'd love to accompany you to your room,” the young woman said holding her hand out to her distinguished host. Beginning to chuckle in unison as they realized the humor in the situation both stood up from the table. Randal paid the check and they walked out of the restaurant arm in arm oblivious to anything or anyone around them. Pfeiffer suddenly stopped. “One more thing,” he said in a serious tone, “Please call me by my first name, Randal, as I asked you before. Professor Pfeiffer sounds too formal between such good friends. I get enough of that at all of those boring college

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functions.” “If you insist... Randal,” she replied in a bold, precise manner. They left the restaurant so involved in one another that they failed to notice the dark, black mustang following them at a safe, undetectable distance. Like a panther stalking its prey in the deepest, darkest jungle, the black vehicle followed them all the way to the parking lot of the Bellmont Hotel. Pulling up to the Bellmont, Pfeiffer left his vehicle with the valet stationed at the front of the finely landscaped drive leading up to one of Baton Rouge’s finest lodgings. Upon entering the posh lobby of the hotel Christy was immediately caught by its luminous golden glow. Between its front tinted windows and gold on red decorative appearance, crystal chandeliers lighted the foyer of the fine old hotel. Track lighting lit the hallways just enough to accentuate the fine portraits of Louisiana life that were in abundance in the historic building. After receiving his key from the front desk, Professor Pfeiffer and his female companion proceeded to the elevators where they boarded and rode up to the famous archaeologist’s suite. Once settled in, the couple resumed their commune with one another talking with the exuberance of children. Dying to learn more about the Professor's escapades in the Middle East, Christy continued her questioning. “Professor?” She noticed a frown on Randal’s face. “I mean, Randal. What led you to the discoveries of the lost books?” Pfeiffer tweaked his beard as his facial expression transformed into a look of total concentration. He decided to start from the very beginning. Christy watched, hanging on every word as her mentor began to speak. “First of all, I was able to narrow the areas to the perimeters where the Essenes actually lived by cross referencing artifacts from my earlier expeditions with descriptions from the locals. The Essenes, after defecting from the Pharisees and Sadducees, relocated to the Judean desert. We concentrated our efforts in that area as well as others in close proximity. After speaking with some elders in the area, we narrowed our search to that of the caves along the cliffs overlooking the Dead Sea. For many years, artifacts had been discovered there. Including libraries and

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holy shrines set up by the ancient tribes of Israel. “On earlier expeditions I had heard of the legends of a Sword. The Sword of Righteousness, referred to vaguely in various parts of the Bible. Folklore of that area told us that the Sword was supposed to have been hidden away in an ark. The ark was also purported to have contained the pillars that the Ten Commandments were inscribed upon, as well as the Holy Grail; the cup used by Christ and his apostles at the Last Supper before he was taken away by the Romans to be crucified. “Within its ranks, the Essenes had a secret order of priests known as The Brotherhood of the Sons of Zadok. They were supposed to have been entrusted by God with the holy artifacts contained in the ark, as well as certain secret ancient doctrines pertaining to the covenant between God and man.” Christy sat in focused silence as the professor continued his story. “We learned through the locals that a Roman Captain by the name of Josup had heard of the Sword some two hundred and fifty some odd years earlier. The Roman Captain led his legions into the Judean desert at the time of the Jewish revolution, about sixty- three A.D. to stop the uprising. While there, he decided to search for the fabled Sword. An extensive search for the sword was made by Josup and his men, ending in failure. It is believed that a few high priests from the Brotherhood had removed and hidden the ark and its contents just prior to Josup's invasion rather than chancing its capture by the Romans.” Professor Pfeiffer took a deep breath and continued to speak. “After a thorough search, Josup found the priests who supposedly had hidden the ark. He personally interrogated them and as a result of their silence, the priests were put to death thus killing the only persons who knew where the ark was hidden.” After a brief pause, the professor went into his reasons for searching for the Sword. “Even though these stories were not documented, there were too many similar stories to ignore the possibilities that they could be true. So we decided to trace the movements of the Roman legion under Josup’s control. That led us to the caves just off of the Dead Sea.”

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Christy interrupted, “But professor, why was the sword so important to Josup?” Pfeiffer looked Christy straight in the eyes with a look of conviction. “Well the Sword was believed to be the Sword used by the Archangel Michael to expel the devil from Heaven. Josup believed that a sword that powerful in the hands of man would give him domain over the devil as well as supreme power over all of mankind. He believed it would make him a god on earth.” Professor Pfeiffer continued. “Once we traced the trail of Josup’s troops and cross-referenced them with the areas that the Essenes inhabited, we had the perimeters of where our search would begin. We searched for almost three years before we had any kind of breakthrough. “During the first three years we found mostly pottery, farming tools, and other implements of everyday life. During this period very few human bones were found. In fact, we were starting to get frustrated that nothing of any theological significance was turned up. And then....” A glance from the professor at the spellbound brunette revealed that she was deeply engrossed in his story. “And then what?” she asked. Randal looked a little worried. He took a deep gulp and then went on. “The next part of the story I've never told anyone. But I feel that I can trust you.” Christy was mystified. She was about to hear something that Professor Pfeiffer had never told another living soul. Goose bumps ran up and down her body. A deep, almost spiritual silence fell over the room just before Pfeiffer continued his story. Christy concentrated on his eyes and silently listened as the world- renowned author spoke. “One night, as our expedition was settling in for the evening, I was going over some charts and notes taken during the previous three years of our journey. I was sitting next to my tent and reading by the light of my lantern. Tired from the day’s work, I was about to turn in when I became overcome by a strange feeling. There was something that I was missing. I searched through my notes over and over, through the coordinates of my maps, looking for anything that might trigger some secret part of my mind that would enlighten me and lead me in the right

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direction of my quest.” Randal hesitated. “Now you've got to understand. I am a very sane, rational man. I don't...or at least I didn't believe in supernatural happenings here on earth. That's God’s realm, not man’s.” He looked into her eyes with all the humility he could muster as if he were looking for her complete, absolute understanding. “As I was going through my notes, a great swift wind swept through the camp scattering my notes into the darkness of the desert beyond the boundaries of my lantern. I scrambled into the night, trying to salvage as many of the papers as I could. I was bent over picking them up, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a great fluorescent-looking blue light, dripping like water onto the earth in the distance! “At first, I thought that fatigue was setting in, causing me to hallucinate. After focusing on the light and rubbing my eyes, I realized that I must have been witnessing some kind of a strange scientific phenomenon. Surely, I thought it could be explained within scientific means. My curiosity as a scientist mixed with my fascination with something that I could not explain led me into the darkness and toward the rock formations at the edge of the Dead Sea where the light seemed to be manifesting itself. “As I approached them, I noticed something high up in the rock formation about a hundred yards in front of me. It was a huge glowing sword, standing on end as if pointing down into the plateau that supported it. I was fascinated. I didn't know whether to believe what I was seeing, or to try to wake myself from this fantastic dream. The huge sword was gold in color; its handle inlaid with every precious stone imaginable. It glowed with the most magnificent light I had ever seen, like a light I could imagine from Heaven. I was in awe! “As I approached the plateau, the wind made sounds like hideous laughter, seeming to taunt me forward toward some unknown fate that awaited. My emotions were an odd combination of curiosity combined with a strange fear and respect for that which lay just beyond the realm of my understanding, and perhaps my sanity. This strange inquisitiveness drove me forward. Excitement built inside of me

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as I moved forward surrounded by darkness. Led only by the strange unexplained light emanating from the image of the sword, I suddenly found myself at the bottom of the huge rock formation, gazing up at the specter of light above me. “I began to climb, scaling the steep rock formation with only the sword’s light as my guide. Inching slowly toward the sword, my curiosity pushed me upward, not thinking about the danger that lay below me in the jagged rocks. Once I had come within a few feet of the glowing sword, I just clung to the rocks frozen in wonder, staring at the phenomenon. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. In my mind’s eye, I knew that this must be the Sword of Righteousness. As I clung to the rocks gazing at this amazing spectacle that was directly above me, the sword disappeared, leaving me in complete darkness. “Balanced on a single rock protruding from the great formation I was frozen stiff, scared to death. After a few seconds that seemed like hours, I began to grope around in the darkness trying to find a way down from this suspended prison. Moving one foot down to gain a solid hold, the rock that was supporting me gave way. I fell off balance, banging my head, falling unconscious. “The next thing I remember was waking up in this dark cave. Except for a narrow beam of light that shone through the ceiling high at the top of the cave, I was in complete blackness. I must have been unconscious for hours, for the outside light was that of the early morning sun. “As the cobwebs started to clear from my head, I began to get my bearings. Just as I was coming to my senses, a faint light caught the corner of my eye. It was the Sword! It was glowing just enough to light the opposite end of the cave that imprisoned me. I tried to make my way toward it, but as fast as it had appeared it disappeared, leaving me in perpetual blackness. After a few more moments in silent darkness, I heard one of my guides calling to me from the top of the cave. I was saved. A rope and lantern was lowered to me and I was pulled out of my rocky fortress, but not before scanning the cave’s walls. “There was something man-made about their appearance. That prompted me to return with a team of excavators. Later we

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uncovered a passageway that led to the chamber where we discovered the lost manuscripts. The rest is history!” In stunned silence, the girl sat trying to decipher the story she had just been told. She looked at him with the starry-eyed expression of a puppy seeing its master for the first time after a long absence. All at once, there was an electricity in the air between them. They leaned forward toward one another as if pulled together by some magnetic force. Right as their lips were about to meet, there came a loud banging on the door. Jumping back in unison, reacting to the abruptness of the noise, the spell of moments earlier was broken by the untimely interruption. “Room service” rang the voice from the other side of the door. Randal scrambled to answer it. “I didn't order anything from room service,” he said in a bewildered tone. “It’s from a friend, sir,” the bellhop answered. “A friend?” Randal thought out loud. “I don't know anyone in Baton Rouge.” Tweaking his beard, Randal thought for a second. “Must be from someone in the faculty. Very well, bring it in.” Professor Pfeiffer stepped aside allowing the young man to bring in the iced down bottle of champagne and two champagne glasses. Once every thing was set up Professor Pfeiffer asked, ”Who did you say sent the champagne?” The bellhop reached into his pocket fumbling for the ticket. After finding it he examined it carefully. “Doesn't say sir,” the young man responded in a nonchalant voice. Pfeiffer reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill to hand to the young man. “Thank you sir, and you have a nice evening.” The bellhop checked the door and closed it gently, leaving the couple alone, together once again. “Look at what someone sent us, Christy, a bottle of champagne. Probably from someone in the faculty.” Randal opened the bottle and poured them both a glass of the bubbly. After filling the glasses, he raised his glass in a toast. “To newfound friendship.” They clinked their glasses together and

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drank. Only one thing bothered Randal as he drank the champagne. If the faculty had sent the champagne, why had they sent two glasses? No one knew Christy would be there. After a little break, they returned to the previous conversation. “Now, where were we?” Randal asked. “We were discussing your discoveries in the Qumran valley. I was particularly interested in the Book of the Sword. Christy was careful to avoid mentioning the closeness of their predicament prior to their interruption. Randal continued, “The Book of the Sword seems to be more relevant to the Book of Genesis. In the newly discovered book of Genesis, the writers go into more detail about Lucifer’s fall from grace with God than any other previous texts dealing with that incident. The Book of the Sword tells of how God entrusted an all-powerful sword to his Archangel Michael to be used to expel the devil from Heaven.” “Michael accomplished this feat by thrusting the sword into the ground at Lucifer’s feet sending him plunging into Hell. After the devil’s fall, the sword was placed at the gates of Heaven in order to deter the devil and his followers from ever entering Heaven again. Only by removing the sword from the gates could Lucifer and his followers ever breach the sovereignty of Heaven again.” “Constructed of all the precious metals and stones in the universe, the sword contained all of goodness in its purest, most powerful form. Evil could never pass beyond the goodness contained in the Sword of Righteousness. Only the most holy of God’s children, one who possessed purity, love and the grace of God, would ever be able to remove the sword from its rightful resting place at the gates of Heaven.” Christy's eyes followed Randal’s as he told the story. He had the eyes of a little child on Christmas day opening his first present. Randal was as excited about telling the story as Christy was to hear it! The professor went on to tell of the tribes of Israel, the sons of Zadok, the Brotherhood and all other elements contained in the lost manuscripts. Covered in the manuscripts as well were the

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Ark of the Covenant between God and man and it’s contents. He told of a secret language, some kind of code that was found in several of the manuscripts. Apparently this language had yet to be deciphered by the experts, although by every indication this language was understood fluently by the keepers of the sacred documents. According to the texts, these secrets were never to be known by man, except for those entrusted with their care. Suddenly the professor’s face became pale and he began to stutter. “That's why I'm not so sure that we should have uncovered these manuscripts. I mean, maybe we've opened some sort of a Pandora’s box here.” Christy noticed the change in his tone and immediately came to his rescue. “Look Randal, maybe I'm just a college student, but I believe that if the manuscripts weren't meant to be found, God would never have let it happen.” “Maybe you’re right Christy, but sometimes I wonder.” There was a short silence. “Here Christy, let me read you something from the Bible.” The girl listened in profound silence. “This is a reference to the sword,” he continued. “The sword, the sword sharpened and polished, sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightening... polished only to be wielded. Sharpened and polished to fit the slaughterer’s hand! Yes, shout and howl son of man, it is meant for my people. For all the Princes of Israel. Doomed like my people to the sword. So beat your breast; this is not the first attempt, and what would happen were there no Haughty scepter? It is the Lord Yahweh who speaks. Son of man prophesy and clap your hands. Let the sword be twice, three times as cruel, the butcher’s sword, the great sword of the slaughter, menacing all around. To make hearts sink and to increase the numbers of victims. I have posted a sword at every gate to flash like lightening, polished for havoc. Behind! To the right! To the left! In front! And I too will clap my hands; I will exhaust my wrath. I, Yahweh have spoken.” An electricity filled the air. Chills ran up and down Christy's spine. Goosebumps covered her entire body. Some where in the passage that Randal read there was an underlying warning.

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Randal was aware of it, and now Christy was. There was a long pause. At that moment Christy gazed up at the clock on Randal’s wall. “Oh my God, look at how late it is.” The clock read three o'clock. “My curfew at the dorm is midnight, I've got to get back before I get in trouble.” Randal calmed her down. “Don't worry Christy, I'll smooth things over with your dean. Come on, I'll drive you home.” The swirling wind met the couple as they drove up to Christy's dormitory. It made the evening feel somewhat colder as Randal opened the passenger side of the car. They hurried up to the door, Randal escorting his newfound friend to the front of the large red brick building. “I would like to thank you for a wonderful evening, Professor Pfeiffer.” He reached his hand out to her mouth. “Remember, I asked you to call me Randal.” She smiled. “Okay...Randal” They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. “I really did have a wonderful evening,” the waiting girl repeated. “I'm so glad that you did Christy. Do you think that we could do it again?” Christy could hardly hold in her excitement. “Oh I'd love to Prof...I mean, Randal.” The excited brunette corrected herself. What followed was an awkward moment between the newly found friends. On impulse, Christy reached out and kissed the surprised archaeologist on the cheek, said goodnight, then turned entering the building, disappearing into the darkness of the huge lobby. An excitement filled the excited young brunette as she entered her room. Being careful not to awaken her sleeping roommate she tiptoed across the room, all the while thinking about the wonderful evening she had had. How exciting it was to be out with one of the world's leading archaeologists. And he had been such a gentleman. This was the first time Christy had spent a whole evening with a man and had not had overtures toward sex made to her at some point. Boy, how her life was changing! Once she had gotten to her bed, the still mesmerized young

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woman flipped through the darkness and turned on her reading light. To her horror, she noticed something on the floor next to her bed. There was a hideous arrangement of dead roses. They were black and discolored, with droopy pale green leaves clinging to the twisted thorny stems. She was overcome with apprehension and fear. Something was wrong, terribly wrong! Even without reading the note attached to the side of the vase, she knew that Si had found her. Tripping through the darkness of her room, the frightened young woman made her way to her sleeping roommate. “Valerie, wake up,” she said as she shook the sleeping girl. “What is it?” Valerie said, still half asleep. The frightened young girl pointed to the hideous flower arrangement, her voice shaking as she spoke. “Valerie, who brought those flowers?” “Flowers?” the puzzled young woman said trying to focus through the darkness. Valerie stared at the black roses. “I don't know where they came from.” Christy stared at her in disbelief. “Honest, Christy. Those flowers weren't there when I went to sleep!” The realization that someone had entered the room while the young woman was sleeping hit both girls. They fell into each other’s arms and Christy began to cry. Valerie held on tight to her shaken friend. “It's going to be all right,” she said gently rocking Christy in her arms. “You don't understand Val. It’s my ex. He's found me.” Seeing that her friend was truly upset, Valerie continued trying to comfort her sobbing young friend. “Christy, it's just a stupid juvenile stunt. If he keeps bothering you we'll just have him arrested. He can't keep harassing you.” Valerie looked Christy straight in the eye. “If I see that bastard, I'll give him a piece of my mind! He won't fuck with me!” Heeding the words of her friend, Christy finally calmed down. She didn't know whether to be angry or scared. Mixed emotions eating away at her into the early hours of the morning, Christy finally, from sheer exhaustion, fell into a semiconscious state. The wind whistled through the trees outside her window, making a noise like no earthly sound, and the darkness

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of the night slowly crept into her room. How could such a perfect evening end in such a terrible way? Maybe the morning would give new meaning to the events of the night before. But for now, sleep was what Christy needed. The thoughts of the evening swirled through her head, dizzily sending her into a deep, oblivious sleep.

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CHAPTER 10 Sunlight was bursting through the cypress trees fronting the student union building. Christy was early for her meeting with Si. Thoughts of him sending her the arrangement of dead roses had disrupted her psyche all morning. It was time to put him in his place. Even though deep down inside she still feared him and what he stood for, she had to get him out of her life. As the young brunette waited, she pondered how she would approach him, thoughts of what she would say to him playing over and over inside her head. Once she confronted him she would have to take control of the situation, never showing any fear or else he would have her in his control as he had done so many times in their short relationship. Christy was so deep in concentration she failed to notice that her ex was standing directly behind her. He threw his arms around her and in a very friendly voice greeted her. “Hi Baby, I sure have missed you.” She tensed up and jerked away from his grasp. “Si, get your hands off of me. How dare you touch me after sending me those dead roses?” “What? Christy, I don't know what you’re talking about.” “Like hell you don't! Don't play dumb with me. I know you too well.” Christy’s eyes seared through Si’s with the intensity of a raging furnace. “I know you sent the flowers. Si, you'd just better come clean with me and tell me the truth.” The surprised look left Si's face. “All right, all right, damn it. I was the one who sent the flowers. But I was pissed off. I can't stand seeing you with another man.” “Well you'd better get used to it, because there’s no way I'll ever get back together with you!” After those words sunk in, the expression on Si's face changed to one of sadness. A tear formed in his eye. “But Baby, I still love you!”

It was ten after eleven.

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“Well you have a fine way of showing it. Dead roses and all.” Si began sobbing in heavy breaths. Realizing she was going to have to take control of the situation, Christy screamed out. “Si, don't start that crying stuff with me. It won't work any more!” “Christy, keep your voice down, people are starting to stare at us. Can't we go somewhere a little more private?” “No Si, we can't. I won't go with you anywhere, any time. I don't love you any more. And I want you to just leave me alone.” Si now started to cry openly. “Christy, I know that I've screwed up our relationship, but when I lost you, I changed. I…I don't think that I can live without you.” He was trying to take control back from her through sympathy, like so many times before. “Please Christy, just give me one more chance.” “Si, are you listening? I said NO. I don't want you back. Not now, not ever!” “Then I guess I have no choice. Will you at least kiss me good-bye?” He was weeping out loud now. No matter how hard Christy tried to be toward him, when he got like this she couldn't help but be sympathetic. “Si, settle down, let’s go over to that bench and talk about it.” After sitting down, Si didn't give Christy a chance to talk first. “Christy, I can't live without you. If you don't come back to me, then I have nothing left to live for. Maybe the world would be better off without me, anyway.” There was a short pause. Like so many times before, Si was taking back control of the conversation. Tears welled in Christy's eyes. When he looked like this, he reminded her of a helpless puppy, waiting to die in the pound. A look of total desperation. “Si, I don't want you to kill yourself.” “Then you'll come back to me?” A look of hope came back into his face. “Si, don't pressure me! If I come back to you, I don't want to come back to you because you threatened to kill yourself. I would rather return to you because I love you.” “Then there’s a chance that you'll come back to me?” Putting her hand gently on her ex-husband’s hand Christy

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replied. “Just let it happen, don't pressure me. Okay?” “Okay, okay. I don't mean to pressure you, it’s just that I love you so much. And I miss you!” Before Christy could say another word, Si continued. “Would you go out with me then?” Before she could answer he added, “Just as friends. Just as friends, I promise!” Christy had lost total control of the conversation. She thought for a minute. “Perhaps when I get home I'll give you a call.” Si interrupted, “I'm staying in Baton Rouge with some friends. Here, I'll give you my number.” Once again, like so many times before, Si had triumphed over Christy. She reluctantly took the number from him. Then completely out of the blue: “What about this guy you were with last night? Is it something serious?” “Si, that's none of your business. But if you must know, he's just a friend of mine!” Deciding not to test her patience any further he backed off. “Christy, I really don't mean to get into your way. It’s just that I care about you so much. I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, don't you?” Christy didn't answer. Si repeated himself. “You know that, don't you?” “Yes Si, I know.” she said with surrender in her voice. “Well, what are you doing this evening? Can we go get a drink somewhere?” “No Si, I can't go today. I've got classes and I have to study tonight. Remember school? That's the whole reason that I'm here.” Christy reached for a reason to leave. “Look Si, I've got to go now, just call me.” Si’s look was one of begging. Not detoured, Christy repeated herself. “Now Si, I've really got to go. Bye!” She hurried off, in a rush, to attend a class that she didn't have. Why had she let him persuade her again? Even though she didn't want to see him again, she was stuck. Christy didn't love him any more. But she didn't want him to kill himself either. When would this all end? She had no idea. All she knew was that she needed someone to talk to. Randal! She needed to talk to Randal!

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Finding her way to the closest phone, Christy decided to try to call her new friend. Perhaps he would be in his room. Tearing through her purse for his number the desperate girl removed a folded piece of paper from her purse and frantically began to dial the number on it. She reached the hotel switchboard. “Thank you for calling the Bellmont, may I help you?” “Professor Pfeiffer’s room please.” There was a brief pause, then a ringing tone. The phone rang twice, no answer. She was starting to despair when a loud click came across the receiver. “Hello.” It was him! “Randal, this is Christy.” “Christy, how are you? It’s so good to hear from you.” There was a long pause. Randal detected that something was wrong. “Christy, is something wrong?” “No, not really.” Silence filled the receiver. Then in a distressed voice the young woman spoke. “Yes Randal, there is something wrong. I've got a problem and I need someone to talk to.” “Well, tell me about it.” Her concerned friend responded. “Not on the phone, Randal. Is there anyway we could get together? I really need a shoulder to cry on.” “Of course we can. Let’s see, I've got a meeting at the university. But I should be free about four-thirty or five. How about then? We can get together and turn it into an early dinner. How about that?” “That would be nice, Randal.” “Then I'll pick you up at your dormitory about four-thirty or five.” “I'll be waiting...and Randal?” “What?” “Thanks.” After saying their good-byes Christy placed her receiver down in its cradle. Christy decided not to go back to the dorm until later as not to take a chance on running into her estranged husband there. The confused brunette strolled around the campus after her phone call to Randal. Gazing in wonder at the cypress trees, Spanish moss

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and evergreens silhouetted by the blue skies and puffy clouds, she momentarily forgot about her many troubles. The smells of honey suckle and freshly cut grass permeated the air as the young woman strolled the campus in search for calm. Coming upon a pond at the edge of the campus, the young woman began skipping rocks across the still waters; she began to remember sessions with her therapist. This wasn't the first time Si had threatened to commit suicide. In fact he had done it many times over the course of their short relationship. Dr. Roberts had told her that the threats were just used as a means for Si to get his way, for though he had threatened to do it many times, he had never made an actual attempt on his own life. But there was something about him that seemed unstable to her. Though the threats of suicide were empty ones, there was always the chance that he might step over the edge. And she didn't want that on her conscience. She had long since fallen out of love with him, but his strange control over her kept her just within his grasp. As the afternoon droned on, thoughts of her relentless ex drifted to thoughts of Randal. He was such a gentleman, worldly, intelligent; like no other man she had ever met. Even though hardened by dedication to his life’s calling, he had gentleness about him. And an even temper that allowed him the maturity to deal with any kind of situation. His piercing blue eyes looked straight into her soul. When she was around him she felt so safe, as if nothing in this world could harm her. Not even someone so dangerous as Si Mehri’! Christy liked him a lot. In fact, she was starting to get even stronger feelings toward him. Even though just knowing him for a short while, she felt she might be falling in love with him. And why not? He possessed all the qualities she ever wanted in a man. He was of gentle nature, articulate and accomplished in his life’s quest. Besides all of that he was very good looking. She smiled to herself. Tossing another pebble into the water, thoughts of her new friend swam through her head as she watched the ripples dance rhythmically back toward her. Sounds of ducks quacking as they played gracefully in the water across the pond caught her

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attention. The young brunette smiled as she watched God’s nature in action. She looked back down at the ripples in the water cutting into the reflections of the trees that stood so majestically behind her. While the ripples leveled out chills ran up and down Christy’s spine as she noticed the reflection of Si Mehri’ standing just behind her. Jumping up and spinning around reflexively the young woman stood face to face with her tormentor. “I thought you had a class to go to?” you had a he said in a gruff voice. Not knowing what to do, the brunette followed her instincts. “Don't ever sneak up on me like that again.” She was breathing hard from the combination of surprise and fear. “Besides, it’s none of your business if I have a class or not.” His eyes looked at her in a malevolent manner, an almost evil look. Any signs of sadness had left his face as well as his manner. “Oh, but it is my business, love, I'm your husband. Or have you forgotten that?” “No, Si, I haven't forgotten that. That's a fact that haunts me every day of my life. But I'll tell you one thing: I don't love you any more. I want a divorce. Do you understand that? I want a divorce!” She stood back bracing for his reaction. Her breathing became extra hard now, driven by fear and adrenaline. “A divorce! You want a divorce? Well, I won't give you one! What do you think about that! I won't give you one Goddamnit!” The angry young man grabbed his fighting wife by the wrist. “Let go of me, Si. I mean it!” Her eyes pierced his like daggers. A crowd was starting to gather around them. “Need any help, ma'am?” came a male voice from the gathering crowd. Christy looked at Si. “Let go!” He loosened his grasp on her, finally letting go. She broke away and started to run, not stopping until she got to her dorm. Christy began to cry uncontrollably. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? This had to stop. This just had to stop. She made up her mind to go to a lawyer the next day and see what she

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could do about getting a divorce. Lying back on her bed, she began to cry even harder about her hopeless situation, crying and crying until she cried herself to sleep... Christy stood alone, surrounded by fog. She couldn't tell but the surrounding rocks and hard ground gave her the feeling that she must be on a mountain. She stood in a quandary wondering how she had gotten to this remote place. Noticing a movement in the corner of her eyes, the young brunette turned her attention to it. Off to her right stood an old man. Gentle in appearance, with white hair and a long white beard. He had a calmness about him that seemed to set Christy at ease. She turned to speak to him, perhaps she could find out how she had gotten to this isolated sanctum. Suddenly a horrifying laughter filled the air. It came from somewhere behind her. Turning to see the source of the laughter Christy was startled by the appearance of Si, malevolent in appearance, and sinister in intent. The fog cleared as the malevolent figure moved forward toward the shaking brunette. She was caught by surprise as he walked right past her as if he hadn't seen her and approached the old man just to the right of Christy. Si Mehri’ reached out his hand to the old man as if seeking to shake hands. When Si’s hand came in contact with the old mans the old man suddenly burst into flames, burning rapidly into an unrecognizable lump of coal. Si then turned and faced Christy with fiery eyes of red, inhuman in nature. He had an evil aura about him, not like the reflection off of the burning old man, but as if it emanated from his soul. “God is dead.” He said talking in a mocking sadness. “Now who will you turn to?” He suddenly broke out into a boisterous, evil laughter. Si bolted around as if accosted by some unseen force. There kneeling on the ground slightly behind him was a child. His eyes exuberated the innocence of youth, and were fixed on an object growing from the ground. It was a golden flower reaching out to the sky. Its appearance was that of a sword. Si's eyes glared in absolute hatred as he watched the child.

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“So you dare to come into my domain to face me!” The child didn't answer, he just continued to stare at the flower. “Lamb of God, I come to destroy you!” Si screamed in the high tone of a crazed banshee. Reaching for the scabbard on his side, Si withdrew a long sword with black onyx handles. He raised the sword with its blade of black steel that shined as if from Hell itself ready to strike the innocent young child down. Christy screamed at the child to defend himself. He just looked back up at her with a sad smile. “Oh, but for the touch of an angel.” He replied as the sword came swooping down. She covered her eyes to conceal the carnage that was about to take place. Christy was befallen by total silence. No swoosh of a sword, no sound of severed flesh, just silence. She quickly opened her eyes to realize that she stood alone in complete darkness in the middle of a dark forest. Around her, barely visible stood tall baron trees and thick thorn bushes. The eerie glow that illuminated them didn't come from a moon, but from some hellish source not visible to her limited human eyesight. In the distance there was a faint light. “A light,” she thought, maybe I can get some help for that poor little boy… Taking off in a dead run, she headed for the light that lay in the distance. As she got closer, the distant light transformed into a small cottage tucked away in the middle of the wildly grown thicket of the deep inner forest. The stucco little pale cottage was of such proportions that it reminded Christy of childhood stories like Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White and the seven dwarfs. She rushed to the front door and began to bang on it uncontrollably. Banging and banging on the tiny wooden door until she deduced that no one was inside of the humble abode, she decided to enter. Cautiously the young brunette opened the door to the little house. “Is any one home?” She spoke loudly. There was no answer. She entered slowly, closing the door behind her. Before her lay a room with tiny hand crafted furnishings scaled down to the size of children. A long table centered the tiny room with a little

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cupboard containing small china plates and saucers. Christy felt as if she were Alice in her own wonderland. Exhausted, she sat in one of the tiny chairs that was at the end of the long table, laid her head down and rested. Perhaps she would be safe here for the time being. Christy had just laid her head down for a minute when a loud noise startled her out of her semi-conscious state. It was the sound of some one clearing his throat. Lifting up her head she noticed that sitting all around the table in front of her were nine little children. They weren't normal little children; they lacked the innocence of a child. All had pointed teeth and rust colored skin. Christy felt uneasy at the stares from the little creatures that sat at the table with her. They all were focused on her with the expressions of wild, rabid animals, waiting for the kill of their trapped quarry. In their tiny hands were little forks and knives. They began to bang on the table in unison with the tiny utensils, banging loudly until they reached a feverish pitch. The sounds were so loud that Christy cupped her hands over her ears, afraid that if the sounds got any louder, they would burst her eardrums. The frightened young woman had the idea that they were hungry and expected her to feed them. She also had the idea that if she didn't feed them she would become their unholy repast. They all had the appearance of flesh eating ghouls with sunken eyes and devilish grins. Having the urge to scream, she dared not, fearing that she might invoke them to attack her like a pack of wild dogs. Suddenly, taking her attention off of the hellish children the frightened brunette noticed a large covered platter in the center of the table. She couldn't discern whether the platter had appeared or if she just hadn't noticed it from the fright of the horrid spectacle of the children that sat before her. She was so scared and confused! The child that had cleared its throat was the one that seemed to be the leader. Without a sound he reached over to the platter and removed the domed lid that covered it. She stared in horror at the contents of the platter. Piled high on the platter were blood soaked human fetuses!

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At the same time, the ghoulish children noticed the platter and attacked it feverishly, fighting each other in order to be the first to feast upon the bloody meal. Christy looked on in shock as one of the children bit the head off of one of the fetuses. The others were decapitating the remainder of the unborn babies, tearing off little arms and legs as they ate in a ravenous, bloodthirsty frenzy. Crimson streams ran from the corners of the little ghoul’s mouths as they tore into the unborn human flesh that lay on the platter at the end of the long table just in front of the terrified brunette. Christy tried to scream but no noise came out of her mouth. The devilish eating frenzy didn't take long. Before the horrified young woman realized it, the ghouls were fighting over the last fetus! Loud pounding noises from the struggle reverberated inside of Christy's head. Fear mounted in the young woman as she felt her heart beating in her throat, beating louder and louder until it felt like it were going to burst. Deep inside, she feared that after the last fetus was eaten, the pack of wild ghouls would turn on her. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear her name being repeated over and over. Christy...Christy...Christy... Everything before her began to fade into an empty nothingness. “Christy...Christy...Christy...” She continued hearing her name being repeated as the pounding of her heart changed into distinct knocks on a wooden door. Startled and disoriented Christy jumped up from her dormitory bed. “Christy...Christy...are you all right?” came the voice from the other side of her door. It was Tina, one of her fellow students that lived in one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. Wiping the sweat from her face Christy realized that she had been having a nightmare. “Yes, I'm alright,” she answered as she opened her door. “Christy, there’s a gentleman waiting downstairs for you.” Still groggy, the young woman glanced up at the digital clock up on her wall. It was five o’ clock! Randal was here to pick her up. “Tell him I'll be right down.” Christy said as she shut the door.

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She was a mess, clothes wrinkled, sweat covering her body and hair all knotted from lying on it. Within twelve minutes the disheveled young brunette had showered, put on her clothes and makeup and was out the door rushing down the stairs to her waiting friend. “Randal, I'm so sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Have you been waiting long?” “No, I haven't been waiting very long. Are you ready to go?” “You bet,” she said, grabbing his arm and leading him out the front of the building. “Where would you like to go?” Randal asked as they approached his car. “I don't care.” She answered “I just need to get out of here. Let’s just get into the car and drive. We can decide where to go once we're on the road.” Christy guided Randal through the maze of roads leading to the interstate and out of Baton Rouge. They drove in silence for a while. Finally Randal could no longer handle the suspense. “Now, what seems to be the problem, Christy?” The young woman thought for a moment, not knowing how to begin. After taking a deep breath she spoke. “It's my ex, Si.” She began telling him the whole story. He listened intently as the shaken girl told the story of her past life up to the present and the dead roses from the night before. “He just won't leave me alone,” she said sobbing. “He follows me every where I go. He's probably following us right now.” she said as she turned to look out of the rear of Randal’s vehicle. She continued, telling about the confrontation earlier in the day and began to get hysterical. “He just won't quit, I don't know what I'm going to do. I just don't...” Drawn to tears the young woman began crying out loud. “Calm down, Christy. There’s no need to cry. Perhaps he just doesn't know how you feel.” “Doesn’t know how I feel?” she snapped back. “Randal, haven't you been listening? I've told him over and over how I feel. He just won't listen.” Randal reached over and touched the sobbing girl’s hand.

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“Christy, he's still in love with you, some time it takes time to get over such things.” “Time? How much time does it take? I can't handle it anymore, I just can't handle it!” Christy began shaking uncontrollably and crying out loud again. “Why can't he leave me alone? Why can't he just leave me alone?” Tears ran down her face and she pulled her hands over her eyes. “Christy, calm down, calm down. Would you like for me to talk to him?” Randal reached over and stroked her hair in a loving way. She responded by moving over in the car seat next to him. “Oh, would you talk to him?” But then she pondered on Randal’s offer for a while. “No, that wouldn't work. Si thinks you are some kind of boyfriend. He would just get mad and try to hurt you too!” “Christy, let me take my chances. Maybe I can talk some sense into him.” Christy thought for a moment. “Oh Randal, you’re such a good friend.” “Does that mean you'll let me help you?” her concerned friend asked. With a tear of hope in her eyes, she agreed. “That's my girl" He reached over and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Now, how about a little bite to eat when we get back to Baton Rouge, Ms. Summers?” “Don't mind if I do, Professor...Randal.” The two began to laugh, lightening the tenseness of the previous moments. As the car raced back towards the state’s capitol, the conversation shifted to more pleasant subjects. Christy felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, even though deep in her stomach she felt the apprehension of Randal’s meeting with Siafold Mehri’. Si might not like a third person getting involved with his situation. Especially since he thought Randal was some kind of romantic relation of his estranged wife. This bothered her, but for now Randal’s companionship was enough to ease Christy's worried mind. Randal was not a

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romantic relation, but perhaps some day, and maybe soon, that might come to pass. She could only hope! After a nice dinner back in Baton Rouge, Pfeiffer dropped Christy back off at her dorm room. She immediately bolted upstairs and called the number that Si had given her, setting up a meeting in the morning with him. She was careful not to mention that Randal would be there. That night she had the best sleep she had had in weeks. The next morning found the birds outside singing joyously the praises of the newborn day. Blue skies were dotted with puffy white clouds, the cooling fall weather seeming to signify that the long, hot summer was finally over. Maybe Christy's long running nightmare was about to come to an end. For the first time, in a long while, she felt good about things. Jumping out of her bed early, Christy dressed for the fateful day. She could barely hear the radio's news broadcast, something about the latest devastating earthquake in some remote corner of the world. But she was too busy to listen to the details on this morning. A quick shower and make-up job and she was out the door and on her way to meet with Randal. In the meantime, Siafold Mehri’ had gotten up early also. Stopping by the local florist to pick up an arrangement of roses, live ones this time, he was bound and determined to make a lasting impression! “Christy's finally come to her senses,” he thought to himself as his black mustang made its way across town to the park at the edge of the LSU campus. “She finally realizes she needs me as well as loves me,” he thought as he smiled to himself. On this morning he would arrive early to the park wanting to make sure everything was perfect for his meeting with his lovely wife. Si pulled into a parking space, overlooking the pond that bordered the park. A group of ducks fluttered out of the water, flying to the other end of the pond, as Si got out of his vehicle. He carefully laid a blanket onto the ground, placing a picnic basket on it. Then beside it placed a bottle of wine in a small ice chest, which he had brought. This was a very special day and he was taking no chances. For this was the day he would be getting

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back together with his wife. Ten-thirty finally arrived as well as Christy Summers. So happy to see his young bride, Si didn't notice the tall, brown haired, bearded man with intense eyes that was walking up with her. As he reached out to embrace her, she tensed up. “What's the matter, Christy?” Si asked in puzzlement. She cleared her throat, and motioned toward Randal. “Si, I would like for you to meet Randal Pfeiffer.” Si's face quickly transformed from a smile into an angry scowl. As Randal reached out to shake Si's hand, the dark haired man without warning swung and hit the unsuspecting professor right on the cheek. "So you’re the one who's been screwing my wife!" The punch completely caught Randal by surprise, but when Si went to punch him again, Randal fell back into a defensive posture. Si continued to swing when he saw that his adversary, content with only blocking the young man’s wild punches, wasn't going to punch him back. After throwing a punch that sent him off balance, Randal spun Si around and put him into a full nelson. “I didn't come here to fight you.” Randal said emphatically. “Well you'd better damn well start fighting!” the dark haired young man said as he broke away from Pfeiffer's grasp. Pfeiffer ducked another blow and as he was moving out of the way Mehri’ caught him with a kick to the groin. Christy was stunned at the sudden violence and screamed for Si to stop, but he wasn't listening. He was like a wild animal. Finally Christy managed to get between the men, shielding her friend from Si's punches. “Si, just stop it!” She turned to Randal. “Randal, this wasn't such a good idea, I should have come here by myself.” “Yeah asshole, get the fuck out of here before I start kicking your ass again!” “Stop it, Si!” The bewildered girl turned back to Pfeiffer. “Maybe you should go, Randal. I'll just try to talk to him by myself. But I really do appreciate you trying to help.”

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Randal looked at her. “I'll go, if you think you'll be alright,” he said in a protective voice. “I'll be okay.” She said with a look of remorse in her eyes. Randal then shot a look of caution at Mehri’ and turned to leave. Si was breathing hard, snorting like a wild bull, with anger and fury in his eyes. “That's right, you bastard. Fuck you, if you come around me or my wife again, I'll kill you!” Christy spun around. “That's enough, Si!” She grabbed his hand leading him away from Randal’s blind side. Randal Pfeiffer made his way to his car. His lip was bleeding from his encounter with Si. He had just come as Christy's friend hoping to ease the tensions. He hadn't expected to get into a fight. He wiped away the blood from his lip as he entered his car. As Randal drove away, Christy was beginning to speak to her angry husband. “I can't believe how much of a jerk you are!” “But...” Si interrupted. “But nothing, I'm going to finish talking to you for once in my life without you interrupting!” She glared at him defiantly. “Randal is just a friend of mine. I asked him to come along because I thought he could help me talk to you. And you had to act like some kind of a thug!” The forcefulness in her voice had his attention. “Si, we just don't get along. We mix like water and oil.” “But they say opposites attract.” Si quickly added. “Si, I don't love you any more. And with the way you've been acting, I don't even think that we can be friends. Do us a favor...and just get out of my life.” All the fight was out of Si by now. The once fierce look that was on his face just seconds earlier had been replaced with a pitiful, timid, sad expression. He looked down toward the ground, like a child does when he's been caught doing something wrong. “I'm sorry Christy, I just can't stand the thought of my wife seeing another man.” “Si, I told you he's just my friend! And at this moment a much better friend than you have been.” Tears of regret began to trickle down Si's cheeks.

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“Si, we once were friends, and at one time I loved you. But things have changed. There are things about us that we just can't accept about each other. And if you still care about me, even a little bit, you'll just let go.” “Baby, all I can do is tell you I'm sorry. I thought he came to...” Si began to choke on his words. “You thought he came to what, Si. To help me break up with you? Si, you already broke us up. A long time ago. Don't you remember the things you put me through? The pure hell you put me through!” Si was surprised at Christy's use of the word. That was the closest to cursing he had ever heard from her. “You, Si, you broke us up. You have no one to blame but yourself.” “I know Christy. I know what I've put you through. But I've changed. I've really changed. After you left me, I took a long hard look at my life. And I didn't like what I saw. I've even begun attending church!” “That's nice, Si, I'm happy for you.” Si looked into her eyes with a solemn look. “Give me another chance, Christy.” “No.” “Please, give me another chance, just to be your friend?” Christy pondered for a moment on Si’s latest request. “Si, we can still be friends, I just need a little time away from you.” Siafold Mehri’ looked away to a distant place, then looked back at her. “After we become friends again, could you ever love me?” “Si, don't start that again.” Silence overtook the young man’s persuasiveness. “Is there any thing I can do?” he asked with sad puppy eyes. “Just let go.” Her eyes were unflinching. He thought for a while and then looked back. “Could I at least have a good-bye kiss?” She nodded in the affirmative. He reached out to kiss her on the mouth. She turned and offered him her cheek. “Can I walk you to your room?” “No, Si. I need some time to myself.”

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Before he could say another word she turned and walked away from him, never looking back. Si knew better than to try to follow. "If you ever need me, I'll be there for you." He yelled as she got further away. She made no attempt to answer him, continuing to walk away. As the pretty young brunette walked solemnly toward her dormitory building the north wind started to blow through her wild hair. It was beginning to turn cold. Christy tugged her jacket tightly around her as she turned the corner of East College Boulevard. Coldness numbed her body, but inside it was even more numbing. Autumn leaves ruffled in the wind about her as she walked. “Another day,” she thought to herself. “Perhaps another day.”

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CHAPTER 11

Christy was awakened early the next morning with the
message: Randal Pfeiffer called last night about nine o’ clock. Please return his call in the A.M. The chill of the early morning grabbed the young woman’s feet as she entered the bathroom. The radio that kept her company on many such mornings was blaring the latest news.... “Ali Al Hassam, dictator of the small Middle Eastern country of Shahan-Azi, has sent troops into the neighboring country of Juid. Hassam, who is considered a deity by his people, has called for restraint from other neighboring countries, saying that this invasion is a territorial dispute, and should not be considered as a threat to any other country in the region. In other news, an earthquake registering a six on the Richter scale has been reported from Venezuela. Reports are sketchy at this time...” As Christy was getting ready for the coming day, her thoughts drifted with the news’ reports of disaster. In the end there will be increasing reports of wars, famine, earthquakes...could the signs signifying the end of time be happening? Surely these kinds of events had been happening quite often since the time of the bible. Was it that they were happening more frequently now, or were they just being reported on a more regular basis due to modern technology? She had to wonder. Once she was ready for the day’s classes, her thoughts turned from those of the previous evening’s nightmares and biblical prophesy to those of her new found friend. Professor Pfeiffer, her idol, had called her, Christy Summers! He might even be interested in her. She nervously dialed the number to Professor Pfeiffer's room. There was the buzz of a ring, then a click. “Hello.” It was him. “Professor Pfeiffer, it’s Christy, you wanted me to call you?” “I sure did Christy,” he answered in a friendly tone. “would you consider having lunch with me today? There is a matter that I'd like to discuss with you.”

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She suddenly felt weak at her knees. “Why I'd love to,” she answered trying to conceal the growing feeling of exhilaration in her voice. “Then I'll pick you up around eleven-thirty?” “That would be great,” she answered. “I hope you know a nice place to go, I'm new to this area and am not yet acquainted with the better eating establishments.” “Oh, I believe I can think of somewhere we can go.” Saying their good-byes Christy and Randal hung up. Christy became so excited at the prospect of having lunch with her mentor that she completely forgot about her Religious History class. No matter, she was meeting with the most interesting man she had ever met. Christy was ecstatic to say the least! She had feared that after the confrontation with Si, Professor Pfeiffer might never want to see her again, much less ask her out to lunch! On her way out, the giddy young woman remembered her history class. “Darn,” she thought to herself. After very little consideration, she decided to cut the class. After all, it was only one history class and the man she was meeting was one of the utmost authorities on religious history in the world. This meeting would probably be beneficial one day to her chosen field she told herself, shrugging off any other arguments against her meeting with Professor Pfeiffer. Besides, she had a big crush on him! As she made her way through the front lobby of her dormitory, a voice rang out. “Christy, telephone!” It was the voice of Mrs. Newman, the receptionist at the front desk. Christy rushed to the switchboard to answer the phone. “Hello,” she said with the exuberance of a little girl. An all too familiar voice responded on the other end of the line. Her heart sank. It was Si! Glancing at the clock above the desk, she realized that it was just five minutes before Professor Pfeiffer was to meet her in front of the dorm. “Si, look, I've got to go. I’m late for class.” She lied. “I'll call you later, okay?” Without even waiting for a response she hung the phone up. She then darted through the lobby, through the outside door and onto the front stairway to a

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waiting Professor Pfeiffer. “Have you been waiting long?” “I've just arrived,” answered the bearded man. “Are you hungry?” he asked her. “Starved,” she replied as she herded him toward his car, opting to leave early to avoid a possible confrontation with Si. Getting into his car, the couple disappeared into the noontime traffic congestion of Baton Rouge. The destination: LaRuth’s restaurant. LaRuth’s was a scenic, rural French restaurant, situated on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. It resembled a country side restaurant like what you'd find in the south of France. Outside the quaint building the grounds were landscaped with a myriad of flowers and plants giving it the appeal of a fantasy world of spring-like colors. Inside simple decor, tables with red checkered tablecloths, placed symmetrically in the middle of a large dining area decorated with simple patterned, flowered wallpaper done in pale pinks and greens. LaRuth’s was the perfect setting for romantic dinners by night or business lunches by day. Randal and Christy arrived at LaRuth’s at about a quarter past noon. Both seemed in very good spirits, Randal with his secret purpose for the rendezvous, and Christy with her mounting anticipation about the reason for their meeting. After being seated, they ordered lunch and talked for a while before the meal was brought out to their table. Randal was careful not to reveal the reason for his invitation until lunch was about over. “Christy, the reason that I asked you here is to make a proposition.” Her eyes got wide with wonder. “In a few days, artifacts from my past expeditions will start arriving in Baton Rouge from the museum in Jerusalem. I'm setting up a major exhibit, here in Baton Rouge that will later tour the country. It will be the largest mobile exhibit of religious artifacts to ever go on tour. We expect over forty million people to view it by the tour’s end. This endeavor will be one of the greatest tasks I as an expert on religious archaeology will ever undertake. I have wanted to do this for a long time. It will be a culmination of a lifetime of dreams.”

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Christy sat there spellbound, fascinated by the idea of such a thing. “That's nice, Randal, it sounds very exciting.” “Christy, a project of these proportions will need a project coordinator. I would like for you to take the job.” Christy about fell out of her seat. “Me? I've never done anything like this before. I'm flattered, really I am, but I don't...” “Before you say no, let me explain something. I've never done anything like this before, either. I've gone over the plans with architects, construction crews and other experts that deal with these types of projects. All the plans are laid out. Your job will consist of making sure the plans are followed to the letter. You'll be responsible for payrolls, supplies and anything else required to make sure this project comes in on time and under budget.” “Randal, it all sounds so exciting but...” “Don't say no, if it’s school you’re worried about, I've talked to your dean and it will be credited toward your degree if you take on this enormous responsibility. I've seen your enthusiasm and I think that you'd do an excellent job.” Christy sat with a lump in her throat barely able to choke out the words. “I don’t know what to say.” “Just say yes.” Randal’s stare was poignant and unrelenting. Christy cleared the lump from her throat. “It's just that this is all so sudden...I'll just need time to think about it.” “That’s good enough. Can you let me know something in a couple of days?” “Yes Randal, I’ll let you know.” The conversation ended on that note. Randal drove Christy back to her dorm and they said their good-byes, making plans to meet in two days to discuss the matter at hand. When Christy got up to her room, she was about to explode from the adrenaline that was pumping through her. This was the type of opportunity she had dreamed about all of her life. She knew what her answer would be already. The chance to work in

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her chosen field, hand in hand with one of the foremost experts on the field of theology in the world. And if the truth was to be told, she relished the thought of working with a man of Professor Pfeiffer’s stature. Her answer was yes! She was so overjoyed and naturally intoxicated with the prospects of her new job that she had failed to notice the jet black mustang parked just around the side of her dormitory after Randal had dropped her off. Inside the vehicle sat a disgruntled Si Mehri’, sitting, waiting; fuming mad at the prospect of his estranged wife seeing another man. That vehicle would be a regular fixture at Christy's dorm for the next few days; the occupant sitting, planning… In the meantime Christy, Randal, and a handful of workers and administrators would embark on the most ambitious project in the history of religious archaeology. Once finished, this exhibit would give millions of ordinary people around the United States, and eventually the world a chance to see what, up to this point had been restricted to the elite in the world of religious archaeology. In the weeks to come, the newspapers would tout this project as the most important exhibit to ever hit this country. Flocks of reporters from all over the world would swarm around the crew of what would become known as the ‘Lost Books of the Qumran exhibit.’ There was a feeling like electricity in the air; a feeling of history being made and Christy was absorbed right in the middle of it. Through all of the excitement and hard work, Christy and Randal became close, quite close indeed! The young woman’s feelings had grown beyond just a professional relationship. All of the late dinners and endless hours together had turned her head and created a bond between the young lady and the distinguished professor. Christy's vision was becoming blinded by feelings of love. Even though Randal had never really shown a romantic interest in her, she was leaning toward him in the romantic tense! It was the end of September. After a hard day’s work on the exhibit, Randal and Christy had just finished a late dinner and were relaxing in her suite at the Fountainbleau Hotel. They had just gone over some blueprints for one of the chambers of the

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exhibit. It was getting quite late and Randal was about to leave. “I think the exhibit is coming along quite well, don't you Christy?” “I think that we've made remarkable progress in the little time we've been working on the exhibit,” answered the eager young girl. “When do you think we will be opening the exhibit to the public?” “Well, tomorrow’s the twenty-second of September, if things keep going according to schedule we should be finished by the middle to end of December.” An unexplained shiver ran down Christy's spine as she looked at the calendar. September 22, the Autumnal Equinox. Something about this day made Christy feel uneasy. Randal noticed the sudden shift in the young girl’s mood. “Christy, are you alright?” She shook her head as if to dislodge some physical thought from its origin, then turned her attention back to him. “Please, don't leave me alone tonight!” The request caught the professor off guard. “What's the matter?” he asked in a paternal tone. “I really don't know. I just don't feel like being alone tonight. I can't explain it!” Professor Pfeiffer studied the look in her face, trying to decipher it. She was visibly shaken, white as a sheet! Suddenly her knees got weak and she started to faint. Reflexively, he moved forward and caught his young friend before she hit the floor. Gallantly, he carried her in his arms to a waiting chair in the next room. Sitting with her, holding her hand, the Professor waited until she came to. “Christy what happened? One minute you seemed okay, the next you’re scared to death!” “I can't explain it, Randal. There’s just something happening, a feeling of some sort of...evil!” She turned quickly, grabbing his hand. “Just don't leave me alone tonight, promise me.” The professor looked puzzled. “Look, I feel like if you leave tonight something terrible is

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going to happen.” Tears formed in her eyes, begging him to stay. “Christy, I'll stay. But would you try to explain what's going on? I can't help if I don't know what's wrong.” The disturbed young lady threw her arms around her friend, sobbing in gratitude. “Thank you, Randal, you don't know how much this means to me!” She kissed him and tightened her grasp. She avoided his questions, content that his presence would make everything better. Inside, she knew better. The Autumnal Equinox meant more than she was willing to admit. Much more! It was during this time of year that several of the strange occurrences had happened during her relationship with Si. You see, this was one of the high, holy days of Satanism. During these days the nightmare of her relationship with Si had intensified. And tonight as she stayed in Randal's arms, she sensed danger. An eerie feeling that the nightmare she had tried to escape so many months ago, was about to start all over again... Randal talked to her, comforting her, reassuring her that he would be there for her and see her through whatever ordeal she had to face. They talked until shortly after midnight, when she nodded off, tired from the tasks of the previous day. Professor Pfeiffer tucked her into bed and made his way to the couch that was in the front room of the suite, where he laid down and shortly fell into a deep sleep. The suite that Christy occupied had a bedroom, den and a kitchenette. A balcony protruded from the sliding glass doors of her bedroom and overlooked the shadows of the Baton Rouge skyline. The wind had increased outside, gently knocking against Christy's bedroom window putting her into a gentle alpha state of sleep, despite her fears about the Autumnal Equinox. As she was just entering the first stages of REM sleep, a rapping came upon the door that led to the front den. Thinking that it must be Randal, she got out of her bed and proceeded to open the door. Christy opened the door and there he stood, bathed in the moonlight of the late night Louisiana moon. Without a word, he took her into his arms and began to kiss her passionately. She yielded to his advances. He responded by

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picking her up in his muscular arms and carrying her back into her bedroom, laying her gently down onto her soft waiting bed. Gently, he began to kiss her, running his lips from her mouth along her shoulders and down to her breasts. His lips worked their way back up to her mouth crushing against her’s putting them into a spiritual as well as physical union. His tongue began darting in and out of her mouth competing with her’s in a gentle combat of rhythmic motion. Their senses became intertwined into one. Undoing her gown, Randal exposed her breasts, dropping the delicate garment to the floor. Her yielding body stood naked before him, begging him to take her. This would be the second man in her life was to make love to her, and she was shaking with anticipation. She so wanted this that nothing was going to make her stop. His kisses became deeper, alternating with the gentle sucking of her warm lips. Christy melted back on the bed like a hot metal object sinking into new-fallen snow. Her amorous friend ran his fingers softly down the length of her belly to her silky white thighs as he continued kissing her breasts. Consumed with passion, the brunette closed her eyes in ecstasy and leaned her head back gasping in short, hard breaths. Then his kisses made their way down to her fertile womanhood. She grabbed his hair, pulling his head to her and deep into her very soul. Her body began to gyrate as his kisses made their way deep into her psyche, leaving her breathless and excited beyond anything she had ever experienced before. Spasms of pure pleasure rushed throughout her body, coming from some unknown source deep within her. Pfeiffer then ran his tongue up from her quivering womanhood along her belly, back up to her mouth, positioning his body in order to enter her. Christy laid back, eyes closed, taking every overpowering sensation in. Suddenly a pain struck her, the sharp pain of something too large trying to enter her orifice. Something that felt artificial. She looked up in terrified surprise. Poised above her was the sight of Professor Pfeiffer ravaging her, his face contorted in an evil grimace. Then as the horrified young woman watched, the lines in his face started to change: to the frightened brunette’s horror, the lines in the face of Randal Pfeiffer

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transformed to the smiling malevolent face of Si Mehri’! Mehri’ jerked his head back in one quick motion and began to laugh. A menacing laughter that chilled Christy's blood to the bone. She started to struggle, trying to brake free from his iron grasp, but his strength was too much for her. The whole room became engulfed by a large shadow. Not just a shadow caused from the blockage of light, but a shadow that was in itself an evil, living, breathing entity. The shadow began to choke the life out of the scared, shivering, quivering brunette. As the aberration of Si ravaged her, Christy started to notice another change in the being that was violating her. Shadows behind Si swirled and began to form a huge pair of black wings that unfolded from behind the unholy figure just above her in a slow deliberate motion! Stretching out its wings and reaching out with one of its claws toward the sky, the winged gargoyle-like creature stood up from atop of its perch above the frightened girl. It screeched out an ungodly shriek and turned toward the sliding glass doors, leading to the balcony and the outside world. Suddenly a quick burst of high wind shattered the glass doors, sending splintered glass throughout the room. Rising up, the winged creature leapt toward the fragmented glass doors. Its bat-like wings began to flap furiously as it disappeared into the dark Louisiana skies, accompanied by its hellish screams. Scared, the young woman had somehow positioned herself in the corner of the room and collapsed, shaking and crying uncontrollably. She was startled by a sudden banging on the door. “Christy, are you alright?” The banging continued. “Christy, let me in.” The voice was that of Randal Pfeiffer. Christy didn't know what to believe at that moment with the events of the last few minutes fresh in her mind. “Christy please, just let me hear you say your alright.” The frightened young woman finally got up the courage to answer. Carefully stepping through the broken glass, she opened the door. There stood Randal Pfeiffer, awakened by the uproar from the young woman's room. Before he could say a word, the frightened girl collapsed into his arms. He held on to her tightly.

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“Christy, tell me what's wrong.” He gently pulled her head onto his shoulder, stroking her hair in a paternal manner. Christy began to tell her story of horrors about what had just happened to her. Tears streamed down her face as she told of the seduction by the creature disguised as Randal. She sobbed uncontrollably as she told of the transformation into the winged creature from hell that had violated her. She related the whole hellish scene as Randal listened intently. After she finished, Randal gazed at the young woman with a condescending look. She waited for a response. “I know it’s hard to believe, but you've got to believe me. I'm not going nuts, it’s Si! It’s Si, I’m telling you! If you don't believe me, just come in and look at the glass all over the floor.” After saying that, she led the bewildered archaeologist into the room. Everything in the room was in its place. No broken glass, no sign of a struggle. In fact the only object that was disturbed was the bed that the frightened young girl had been sleeping in. “You think I'm nuts, don’t you?” Christy broke down and began to cry uncontrollably. Randal reached out to her and took her into his arms. “It was just a bad dream, love, just a terrible nightmare,” he said as he stroked her hair gently, holding her firmly in his arms. Christy broke free from his grasp, screaming, “It wasn't a nightmare! And I'm not going nuts! Don't you understand, it’s Si? That monster is somehow causing all of this! I can't explain how, but I know it’s him, I know it is. And I need help to stop him.” She stood across from her concerned friend, shaking and waiting for him to answer her. “Christy, you have to understand...my scientific mind doesn’t allow me to just jump in and believe in such things without studying them first...but my instincts tell me that there's something more here than meets the eye. Of course I'll help you.” Relieved, the young brunette fell into the older man’s arms and they communicated in unspoken silence into the early hours of the morning. She now felt that there was someone there to help her make it through her living nightmare. Deep down inside, Randal wondered if perhaps Christy was

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losing her mind. And if he should try to talk her into seeking professional help. But equally he felt that Si was somehow responsible for the disturbed young woman’s dilemma. As the late evening transformed into the early morning hours, birds outside began to sing and the new day’s sunlight tried to lift the gloom from the somber events of the evening. It was another day, but somehow the mood of the night continued.

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CHAPTER 12

Click, the radio function of Christy's alarm clock went off.
“It's September twenty-third. Good morning, this is John Chandler, and here’s today's news... Speaking from the capital city of Beelzah, King Ali Al Hassam has confirmed that Shahanean forces have invaded and conquered the neighboring country of Juid. U.N. sources have condemned this action and are urging that Hassam’s forces withdraw immediately from Juid to avert possible U.N. military action. So far, no response from Beelzah. In other news, an earthquake has erupted in the Argentinean city of Buenos Aires. So far no assessment of damage has been made, but it is feared that the heavily populated area has been devastated...” Christy listened as the radio reeled off the tragic events of the day, one after the other. Famine, earthquakes, civil wars, sickness and world lawlessness. All were believed to be signs foretelling of the end of the world. Perhaps the world was reaching its final ebb. Christy sat sobbing, still in the arms of Randal Pfeiffer. The news certainly wasn't helping her demeanor in any positive way. Events of the previous evening still seemed real to her, even though Randal had tried to talk her into believing that they were just part of a realistic, graphic nightmare. It was nearing eight o’clock in the morning. “Christy, I have to be leaving pretty soon to get ready for my ten o’ clock appointment with the project’s board of regents.” “No, please don't leave me alone!” “Christy, listen. Get ready and you can come with me, okay? I can't miss this meeting with my financiers. It's very important.” She thought about it for a moment. “Well, do you want to go?” Snapping out of her shock induced stupor Christy answered. “No, you go ahead, I'll just stay here and try to calm down a bit.”

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“Are you sure Christy? I think if you get out, it'll make you feel much better.” “No, Randal, I think I'll just take a shower and try to shake off last night.” “Christy, I don't mind you going along.” A mask of a smile came across the haggard young girl’s face. “No, Randal, I'll just kind of relax a little around here before I go to the exhibit this afternoon. I have quite a bit of work to do up there and if I relax a little bit before I go, I'll get more done. You go along without me. I’ll be fine.” Christy forced the most sincere smile that she could. Studying her face the archaeologist determined that at least on the surface she seemed to be in better spirits. “Alright Christy, but tell me you'll go to lunch with me after the meeting.” She smiled in response “That'll be fine, Randal, call me when you get an idea of when the meeting will be over.” Satisfied that Christy would be all right, Randal kissed her cheek and was on his way. He never saw the shaking body, streaming tears and fear in her eyes after he left. She was still shook up from the night before, but there was something else. A more immediate fear was gripping her tightly. It was the morning of the twenty-second of September. In Satanic cults, one of the holiest days of the year. All of the changes of season, the Autumnal and Vernal equinoxes, the summer and winter Solstices were considered by Satanists as the holiest days of the year, Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve being the highest, most holy day of the year. It is believed that on these days, sacrifices, often human sacrifices, are offered to the Devil in exchange for his help in increasing Satanist’s powers in the Black Arts. Whatever the beliefs, bizarre occurrences have been documented in larger numbers on these unholiest of days. Christy, in retrospect had noticed that the worst experiences in her relationship with Si had happened on these days. Perhaps that fact coupled with the happenings of the night before accounted for her increased awareness and anxiety on this blurred

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morning. After Randal left, Christy had decided to take a nice warm bath and dress for the coming day. It would be a few hours before Randal’s return and she needed to keep her mind occupied and off of her many troubles. After running her bath, the young woman turned on the radio. Maybe a little soothing music and a long relaxing bath would be just what she needed to keep her mind off of everything that had happened to her in the past days. Music swam through her head as she lay limply in the water. Soon she began to feel better. The ordeal of the night before had just been a dream, she told herself. Why was she so cursed with such vivid, horrible dreams? All of her life the nightmares had been with her, but had intensified noticeably after she had met Siafold Mehri. Somehow the strange mystical beliefs Si had exposed Christy to had invaded her subconscious mind and were having an effect on every facet of her life. What once seemed to her as some religion from the mystical east, she now recognized as Satanism. Whether he was a serious practitioner of Satanism or just a novice, his beliefs had warped her sense of reality and she couldn't handle it any more. She now was having trouble distinguishing between dreams and reality, and Si was trying to sneak back into her life. “No more Si, no more!” She thought to herself as she slammed a bar of soap down into the water. The background music faded away. “And now the news... Today another devastating earthquake has been reported. This time in the country of Pakistan. Initial reports are sketchy but local sources say that possibly hundreds of people have been killed in the densely populated area. In other news, experts in India say that if the drought there continues, the resulting famine could be devastating, possibly killing as much as twenty percent of the entire population of the country. Effects of the famine could begin to materialize in as little as two months...” “Click!” Christy turned off the radio. “Isn't there any good news on the radio any more?” she thought to herself. Wrapping herself in a towel, she stepped out

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of the tub. As she made her way into the bedroom, the phone began to ring. “Riingg, rriinngg.” Thinking it was Randal, she hurried to answer it. “Hello?” An eerie, mesmerizing voice rang through the startled woman’s ears from the other side of the telephone line. “Go to the mirror...go to the mirror...go to the mirror,” spoke the voice in a monotone hypnotic cadence. “Go to the mirror...go to the mirror.” it continued. Christy's eyes went vacant as she fell into a trance like state. It was as if some foreign being had taken over her unguarded body. Dropping her towel she moved to the front of her fulllength mirror standing naked before it. Slowly the bewitched young brunette faded back into reality staring at her nakedness in the mirror. But something was different. It was her reflection in the mirror, but she was standing in the confines of another place. Her reflection stood in what resembled the inlaid stone walls of a dungeon in a medieval castle. The room was lit by torches that were held in place by stone-carved human like arms protruding from the cold stone walls. The room was bare except for the naked brunette, and a huge wooden table surrounded by hand carved wooden chairs, like something out of medieval times. Slightly beyond the huge table stood a gothic looking sacrificial alter. She quickly turned away from the mirror. Fear gripped her tightly as the young woman realized that she now stood in the chamber of horrors that had just been a figment of her imagination only seconds earlier. Christy turned back to the mirror and to her horror she could see her naked reflection standing in the suite at the Fountainbleau. She had somehow switched places with her reflective double and was now trapped in the mirror! Reflexively, her body began to spasm as the realization of her predicament became clear. A cold breeze blew through the dreamscape world bringing chill bumps onto her nude shaking body. Dizzily, she glanced around the room studying her hellish confines, trying to calculate a way out.

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An overwhelming dread grasped the young woman as she noticed something else. Over in front of the altar on the other side of the huge table stood a mammoth creature, arms raised in prayer, with its back to the frightened young brunette. She could see that it was wearing a ram’s head over it’s head and to its side was sheathed a black onyx handled sword. Dressed in black robes like that of a monk, its intentions were anything but religious in intent. Slowly turning, the large ominous creature focused his attention on the woman, unsheathing his sword, at first raising it to the sky, then motioning it toward her. He beckoned her forward to face some pre-ordained fate at its hands. Frightened, Christy dashed away from the creature of darkness in an attempt at escape. Glancing at the mirror once again she noticed the reflection of her room at the Fountainbleau. An idea crossed her confused mind. Quickly she grabbed a vase of flowers on a near-by table and thrust it through the mirror. The mirror burst into a myriad of jagged fragments of glass, sent into motion by some unseen force as the vase struck it. Suddenly millions of flies filled the room, so thick that when the frightened young woman breathed she inhaled some of the flying pests! Gagging at the stench that suddenly filled the room, Christy smelled what she imagined smelled thousands of decomposed bodies lying in an open mass grave; the smell of death! The harried young girl noticed a large wooden door out of the corner of her eye and ran to that side of the room. Grabbing the huge brass door handle she jerked with all of her might trying to escape the demonic enclosure. The door wouldn't budge. Once again the hopelessness of her situation sunk in. Her senses consumed in fear, Christy realized that she couldn't escape something of such supernatural magnitude. She was now forced to sit and wait for the next occurrence. She didn't have to wait long, for as she glanced at the void in the wall where the mirror once stood, hundreds of hideous little demonic creatures began parading out into the fly darkened room. They were about three feet tall, with horse like bodies connected to combination human and monkey like torsos. Laughing as they entered the room, one by one they danced in pagan ritualistic

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manner, circling the frightened young woman. Christy screamed out as loud as she could, but the screams were drowned out by the sounds of buzzing flies and chanting young demonic centaurs. A sudden loud bang came from the direction of the broken mirror and two black bat-winged skeletal creatures burst into the room flying erratically about, red eyes glowing like hot cinders set in contorted skulls. Bursting into flames, loud painful screams came from the far end of the room. Screams of agony as well as perverted ecstasy permeated throughout the chaotic scene as if sent directly from hell. All at once the creatures in the room turned in unison and faced the broken mirror that had now become a portal between the unknown and this demonic chamber of horrors. Looking toward the flames, the creatures bowed in homage to the creature that hovered above the flaming inferno. A huge rust covered, contorted face, with its pointed chin glared out and scowled with malice at its malevolent but subservient audience. “All hail Lucifer,” came a chorus of voices from the abominations that now filled the room. Even the multitudes of flies seemed to give their undivided attention. A booming voice rang out! “My children, my disciples of darkness, I bring you tidings of great joy.” There was a sudden and eerie silence that filled the room. “Soon I will send onto the earth my only begotten son. He will be sent forth to purge the earth of the hypocrisies of God and his bastard son, Jesus!” A shriek of hideous laughter filled the room. The creatures raised their arms to the sky, screaming like wild animals in praise to their leader and at the same time mocking God and his son, Jesus. “All behold his blessed mother!” The huge specter of the devil pointed his bony finger directly at Christy. Shocked and scared, Christy cowered and began to fade into unconsciousness as the multitude of demons and hellish creatures howled their approval to their malevolent leader. “Our long awaited new age has begun!” Lucifer shouted as his chorus of dark angels sang his praises in twisted hellish

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strains of inconceivable, evil music. Christy shut her eyes and collapsed on the floor. After lying in silence for what seemed hours the groggy brunette slowly lifted her head off of the floor. She was back in her hotel room, lying in the middle of broken glass from the shattered mirror. The sobbing young brunette glanced over at the bedside table and noticed the receiver to the phone hanging to the floor. Christy went to put the phone back on the hook and instinctively put it up to her ear. “Christy, Christy? Are you there?” The voice was that of Si Mehri’. “How did you get this number?” she shrieked as she slammed the phone down onto its cradle. Looking up at the clock, Christy noticed that only a few minutes had passed since answering the phone. The whole sordid ordeal had lasted less than five minutes! Realizing that Si was practicing some kind of mind control on her, the scared young brunette came to the reality that she had to get him out of her life once and for all! Her feet stung from the cuts received from the broken mirror. She called housekeeping to clean up the mess, explaining that there was an accident. Then she tended to her cuts. It was funny, but she was no longer scared of Si. She was very mad at him and his mind games. His mind control had gone too far. Christy decided she would take Randal’s advice and see a therapist the next day. Somehow she had to break Si’s evil control over her. Determined, the young woman decided she needed to talk to her estranged husband but not on his terms, on hers! She had to find a way to control the situation and make him understand that she would no longer tolerate the way he was manipulating her. For no amount of therapy in the world would help her if he was still in her life. But for now, she needed to get ready for lunch with Randal. He would be calling soon. She would carefully hide the scars from her accident and try to be in good spirits when he returned. Randal was her best friend and quite possibly he would be the one to help her out of her hopeless, helpless situation.

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About eleven-thirty, he knocked on her door. She rushed to him, grabbed his hand, and led him away not even giving him time to say hello. “I'm starved Randal, you ready to go?” Her demeanor seemed so happy; a sharp contrast from earlier that morning. Professor Pfeiffer was happy to see this, considering the young brunette’s spirits when he had last seen her. Not one word was mentioned by Christy about the terrible dream she had had just hours earlier. She was also careful not to mention the phone call that had triggered it. After a very pleasant lunch they went to the site of the exhibit to examine the progress made in the last few days. Later that week, artifacts would start arriving from Israel. The structures that would house the artifacts would need to be completed by then. Finishing touches were being added now to the virtual reality chambers where the artifacts would be displayed. Due to the diligent work of alternating crews everything else was coming in ahead of schedule. After a brief meeting with workers about the pending arrival of the artifacts and contingencies on how they would be handled, Randal and his female companion left for a long relaxing drive. “I'm so glad that you feel better, Christy. When I left this morning, I was worried about you.” “No need to worry about me, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself,” the brunette said playfully! Randal wondered what had happened to change the woman's mood, but decided not to pursue it fearing that he may do more harm than good and trigger something in her subconscious mind throwing her back into her depression. Whatever had happened to her earlier, Christy seemed to be doing fine now! They spent the afternoon relaxing, taking in the sights of Baton Rouge and surrounding areas that their hard work on the exhibit had deprived them of thus far. They visited the Louisiana state capitol building, the tallest state capitol in the country. Just before dark, they drove out into the countryside of the Florida Parishes, finally having dinner in a quaint restaurant on the outskirts of town. After finishing dinner, as the couple was approaching

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Randal’s car, Christy grabbed the famed archaeologist’s hand, stopping him in mid stride. “Randal, before we leave, I've got to tell you something.” He waited, looking at her with inquisitive eyes. She hesitated, seeming embarrassed at what she was about to say. Smiling, the young brunette swallowed hard, took a deep breath and started to speak. “Randal, I just wanted you to know how much your friendship has meant to me in the last few weeks. You've been a wonderful friend, helping me cope with a very trying time in my life and I want you to know how much I appreciate it! In fact, you've become the best friend I’ve ever had my whole life!” Smiling, the gentle archaeologist laid his hand on hers. “You've been a very important part of my life too,” he said as he leaned over and kissed the beautiful young woman. They both pulled back with the innocence of young lovers, laughing at each other for their naivety. Randal circled around to the passenger side of the car, opened the car door, and offered the young lady entrance to it. She stepped into the vehicle and the bearded man proceeded to the other side, entering it and putting the key into the ignition. The ignition sputtered, not sparking enough to start the engine. He pumped the gas pedal and tried to start it again. Same result. Christy’s facial expression changed from smiles to anguish. Noticing the change in expression, Randal tried to reassure her. “Don't worry Christy, it’s just a little engine trouble, I'll just get out and look under the hood.” “No, don't get out, don't leave me alone.” The girl was hysterical. Randal worried about this sudden change in mood. “Calm down, Christy. Just calm down, there’s nothing to worry about!” There was no way he could understand the premonition that the girl was experiencing. Like deja vu, she was getting a feeling she had experienced many times before. A feeling she had experienced just before some of the most horrible times in her life with Si. Strange chills were running rampant up and down her spine. She couldn't explain why, but she knew, something terrible was about to happen!

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The worried professor stared into her now vacant eyes. “Christy...Christy, are you all right?” He waved his hand in front of her eyes trying to get a reaction. The motion broke her stare. She shifted her glare to his eyes. “Randal, there is something wrong! Something terribly wrong!” “Christy, it’s probably just the battery or the ignition switch! Nothing to get upset about.” “No Randal, you don't understand!” She grabbed the collar of his shirt tightly. “SOMETHING IS WRONG!” He noticed she was getting very upset and reached out to comfort her. She broke away from his grasp. “DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?” Once the words had left her mouth the young brunette collapsed in her seat crying uncontrollably. Taken aback by the sudden shift and unknown nature of her mood, Pfeiffer was worried. “Christy, what’s the matter? What happened to upset you so?” She looked up at him, white faced with fear. “The voices. The voices are back!” Randal eased over in the seat close to Christy. They sat in silent darkness for a few moments before Randal finally broke the silence. “What are the voices saying to you?” “I don't know.” she replied. “Christy, I think you need help...professional help.” “Randal, the voices are in my head. They don't exactly say anything. At least in the sense of actual words. They just convey messages of danger, messages that something is wrong.” Randal looked into her eyes with concern. “You still think I'm crazy, don't you?” She looked back at him defiantly. “Well I'm not. Oh, I'm confused all right and maybe a little scared and disturbed. But I'm not crazy. Si has some kind of control over me and I need to find some way to take that control back.” “Christy, no one said you were crazy, but maybe seeing a good psychologist might help you get that control you speak of back.” He looked into her eyes reassuringly. “Christy, you've had a tough time. A husband that won't let go. Several terrible

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things have happened to you that normal people don't have happen to them in whole life times. You've had to make a lot of adjustments. All I'm asking of you is to give me a chance to help you sort things out. And seeing an analyst might help you do that.” There was a hesitant moment and then Christy spoke. “Randal, I appreciate your concern. But would you just take me home now?” Professor Pfeiffer was puzzled and shocked by the sudden change in character. After a moment of thought he replied. “Christy, I didn't mean to imply that you were crazy, I was just trying to offer you my help. I care very deeply for you.” “I understand Randal, it'll be alright, just give me a ride home.” she said with a little reassuring smile. I'll get out and check the hood then and we'll be on our way. “Don't bother, the car will start now.” she said with an assertive smile. He looked back at her questioningly, and then tried the ignition. It started right up! The couple was silent during the trip back to Christy's hotel. Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, an eeriness hung thick in the air. The room was black from the night except for two fiery glowing red eyes that hung in the corner of the room, looking and waiting...

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CHAPTER 13

It is written that in the end of times, famine, earthquakes,
pestilence and wars will plague the earth. The dead will live, and the living will die. Chaos will rule the day with the hand of darkness. The Devil’s reign will be complete. Man will search for answers, and though they will stand before him, he will be blinded by the darkness. Even the great Sword of Righteousness will fall from the gates of Heaven into the blackness in men's hearts only to be lost in the void. Without the sword, temples, churches and synagogues will crumble into great crevices of greed and ignorance. Heaven itself will become vulnerable to the powers of darkness and its prince of death, Lucifer. But hear this, all who will listen, and fear not, for the flower of God will bloom, its touch giving new life and salvation to all who believe the truth. The new covenant between God and man will be like an unmistakable light shining through the darkness. And in the end rising like a phoenix up through the ashes, in death there will be new life, a new beginning.... It was becoming late. Professor Pfeiffer put down his translation from the Book of the Sword. Even though he was getting sleepy, he could not get his mind off of the sudden mood swings Christy had gone through earlier that evening. Since getting home, he had been trying to reach her by phone, but to no avail. Something deep down inside was eating at her psyche. Randal felt so helpless. He wanted to reach out his hand to her but something was stopping her from reaching back to him. He was sure that if she needed him, she would call him. If she could... Back at Christy's hotel room, the listless girl sat in darkness staring at the wall in the corner of her room. A set of glowing fiery red eyes stared back. “You’ve got to get rid of him!” A voice boomed from the corner of the room. “Do you think you can save him merely by sending him home?” Hellish laughter bellowed out from behind the deep, commanding voice.

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“No, he's my friend, you’re not. Why can't you just leave me alone?” the young girl sobbed. “If you give us what we want, we'll leave you be!” “Yes, give us what we want.” “Give it to us.” Echoing, mocking voices boomed from the background. “How can I give you what you want, when I don't know what it is?” Christy began crying loudly as she had done all night long. The voices had haunted her throughout the evening. At this point she was wondering to herself if she was truly going mad or if Si's mind control was causing her to hallucinate. And there was another option; perhaps the Devil himself was talking to her! The voices wanted something but wouldn't tell her what it was. What on earth could she possibly possess that could be of value to the Devil? Was she going mad? The first rays of morning sunlight began to shoot through the breaks in the curtains, slowly illuminating the room. The ghastly shadows and specters of the night before seemed to disappear with the appearance of the morning light. Christy lay sobbing in her little corner of the room, upset by the grim reality that she was possibly losing her mind... Startled by the sudden urgent ringing of her phone, Christy jumped to her feet. At first she was afraid to answer it but then thought better of that, in case it was Randal. “Christy, it’s Randal. I tried to reach you all night. Are you okay?” He paused before continuing. “Christy, I'd like to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were crazy, I was just offering my help if you needed it.” “Oh Randal, it’s I who should apologize. I've just been a little depressed lately. I'll see a therapist; I'll do anything that you want me to. I need your help if you’re still willing.” The worried professor was pleased at this about face. “You bet I'll still help you. Let me come over right now and we'll work this all out once and for all.” Christy could barely answer through her tears of joy. “Please come over. I'll be waiting!” In the weeks that followed, Randal and Christy's new found

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relationship blossomed. Whether it was the long hours together readying the exhibit for public view or the absence of Si's interference, they became very close. Christy began seeing a therapist and the dreams eventually stopped. Her hard work on the exhibit gave her a new perspective on life. A reason to expel all other things from her mind. Between Christy's efficiency and Randal’s knowledge and expertise, the “Lost books of the Qumran Exhibit” was about to become reality. An opening date was set tentatively for November fifteenth. It was the end of October and the finishing touches were being put on the massive exhibit. Christy had never known such happiness. Her life now had meaning. The dreams had stopped and this man, Randal Pfeiffer, was responsible. She was growing very fond of him. In fact, she was falling in love with him! Even though he tended to see their relationship in more of a professional light, her feelings had grown into feelings of a more physical type. It wasn't that he couldn't fall in love with her, it was just that all of his energies were concentrated on the opening of the “Lost books of the Qumran Exhibit.” It never occurred to him to fall in love. It never occurred to him that she could be in love with him! At this point all of the close contact, the business dinners and lunches, the constant companionship were clouding the young girl’s vision and good judgment. But a young woman can't help but dream. She tended to see love and romance in the way it was portrayed in novels. After all of the bad experiences she had had with Si, she needed some freshness in her life and the prospect of a storybook relationship looked good to her. After all, her whole life in the past couple of months had been a storybook type existence. Meeting Randal, being given the opportunities to pursue her career on the level that she was now pursuing it. It was no wonder that she was so vulnerable to her own naive feelings. It was one evening after a particularly busy day’s work that found Randal and Christy relaxing at her newly leased apartment. They were fixing to grill a couple of steaks and have a calming evening of quiet conversation. This evening was to be a reward

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for all of the hard work they had done up to this date. They deserved it. Except for a few last minute details the exhibit would be finished ahead of schedule, a testament to the hard work and dedication that the couple had put into it. Over a dinner of grilled steak, buttered squash, baked potatoes with all of the trimmings, and a beautiful fresh garden salad, Randal raised his glass of wine in a toast. “To a dedicated, tireless and extremely exceptional woman, without whom the Lost books of the Qumran exhibit would not have been possible.” They clinked glasses in a toast and drank. “Well Randal, it’s not hard to do when you work for a boss who’s as inspiring a person as you.” She began to giggle like a little schoolgirl. There was soft music playing in the background. The mood of the evening was definitely upbeat. “What's that tantalizing aroma I smell?” Pfeiffer said with his nose in the air. “Well that's some of Momma Summers’ famous peach cobbler.” He looked at her in admiration. “If that cobbler tastes half as good as it smells, I'm in for a treat!” “Mr. Pfeiffer, you’re starting to embarrass me with all of your praise.” Reaching across the table, the bearded gentleman grasped the beautiful young woman’s hand. “You deserve more praise than I could ever give you. Working with you has been the high point in my life. And I hope that given time, our relationship can flower into something much more special.” Christy's eyes were sparkling with the realization of the moment. Goose bumps covered her body. After a moment of silence, Christy excused herself politely. “I'd love to stay here and bask in all of your adulation sir but if I don't pull my cobbler out of the oven, we'll be having charcoal for desert.” As she entered the kitchen her heart was beating ninety to nothing. She was so excited that she didn't want to embarrass herself by acting too forward. Finally the excited young brunette

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calmed down enough to take the cobbler out of the oven. After spooning generous portions into small desert dishes and filling demitasse cups with coffee she re-entered the dining area. So far the evening had gone perfectly. After having desert, they retired to the den and a little soft music. Slowly, they danced together, whispering into each other’s ears. Finally Randal’s conversation shifted back to business. “Christy, after the first of the year I'm going on the road with the exhibit. I'd like very much for you to come along and be my road manager.” She looked at him with stars in her eyes. “Now I understand if you need a little time to make your decision. Take your time.” “What time do I need? I'll take the job!” Randal seemed surprised at the suddenness of her answer. “Randal, I would take the job even if I wasn't getting paid for it. It’s always been my dream to do something of this nature. I've learned so much in these past couple of months that I could never pay you back for the experience. Of course I'll do it!” As if on cue, they both raised their glasses in a toast. “To the future,” they said in unison. Dancing and conversing for a couple of more hours the ticking clock finally dictated that they call it an evening. Christy walked her gentleman friend to the front door, their balance slightly hampered by the alcohol they had consumed. As they stood at the front door to Christy's little apartment they laughed like little children both immersed in each other’s company. “Goodnight, Christy, I had a wonderful evening... And I'm so glad that you decided to go on tour with me.” “So am I, Randal. It’s not every day that a plain old country girl like me gets an opportunity like this.” “A plain old country girl you’re not.” Randal said as he suddenly got a serious look in his eyes. Their eyes connected at the same moment. Before either person realized it, they were in each other’s arms. Randal put his lips to Christy's and they began to kiss. Randal pulled back before they had a chance to go any further,

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regaining his composure and bidding Christy goodnight. He was a gentleman above all and wasn't about to compromise that which was so deeply entrenched in him. As he walked to his car he told the young girl that he'd see her in the morning. She was so mesmerized from the realization of the moment that she barely heard him. All of her dreams were coming true. She was pursuing a serious career in the religious field and she was falling in love with the most interesting man she had ever met. Not to mention that as far as she knew, Si had finally decided to leave her alone. After a moment of collecting her thoughts, a kitchen full of dirty dishes beckoned her back in to reality. But somehow the job of cleaning up didn't seem such a chore at all. It took her no time at all to clean up. Finally, tired from the eventful evening, she decided to retire to her bedroom. Suddenly, without warning she was overcome with a feeling of pure fear. Body covered with goose bumps and brow covered with sweat, the bewildered brunette sensed that another presence was in the room with her. Christy started to panic. Before she let fear take total control of her, she fell down on her knees and began to pray feverishly. After a few anxious moments, the fear and feelings of doom subsided. “God wouldn't let this happen to her. Not again.” she thought to herself. “God will get me through this, just as he always has.” A calendar on her refrigerator had October the thirty first circled. She hadn't noticed, but tonight was the evening before All Hallow’s eve. She had to break Si's psychological grip on her. Christy rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of sleeping pills. Pouring four times the regular dosage into her hands, she swallowed them down with a mouth full of water. Christy wasn't going to let herself fall apart this time, even if she had to escape it artificially. Continuing to pray, Christy isolated all other thoughts from her mind except for her total meditation and concentration on her mental offerings to God. Finally she became so drowsy that she had to lie down. As she lay down, she turned on the TV so the noise would blot out the haunting dreadful silence. “Ali Al Hassam today balked at the U.N. resolutions

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demanding that his troops withdraw from the occupied lands of Juid. He called for all Muslims from around the world to unite and prepare for a jihad, a holy war, against Christianity. In other developments...”

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CHAPTER 14 The infidels must die. Allah has appeared to me in the form of the wind. He told me that I, Ali Al Hassam, will lead all Muslims in a Holy Jihad against the secular world.” An ocean of human faces cheered in approval. Chants of “Death to the Infidels” and “Kill the American Satan” filled the air in such a feverish pitch that the entire ground shook from the excitement. Ali Al Hassam smiled at the reaction from his people. Not since Saddam Hussein’s Holy War in the early nineties had there been such a powerful Arab leader. Since Hussein’s loss of power following the second Persian Gulf war, the Middle East had remained in disarray. The time was right for someone to step in and take the reins of power and unite the Arab world. Enter Ali Al Hassam. Using just the right mixture of religion, statesmanship and manipulation of Muslim fundamentalism, Hassam achieved his role as dictator of Shahan, as well as becoming one of the most powerful and respected men in the Arab world. After his quiet rise to power in the Arab world, he was now gaining the attention of the western world with his invasion of Juid. Shahan, a country created after Iraq, was divided by civil war following the Persian Gulf war, had become a model of success to the rest of the Arab world. Its economy booming from oil revenues, as well as deals with the western world, was the envy of all other Arab countries. It now had a modern infrastructure, socialized programs of housing and health-care, and the lowest unemployment in this part of the world. In fact it had the lowest unemployment rate in the world. Including the west! Shahan, through a strong federal government and vast oil revenues had managed to modernize its cities to western standards without jeopardizing the old world traditions of Islam. It had one of the highest standards of living in the world yet it had become a modern Mecca for Muslims from all over the

“All who are not followers of Islam are enemies of it.

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world. Lavish mosques trimmed in gold as well as other precious stones and metals dotted the country. Not bad for a country that just a few years earlier had been just a rugged desert mountain section of northern Iraq. The once rugged territory was now covered with trees and vegetation. Advanced irrigation systems and modern agricultural techniques had transformed this once barren land into the show place of the Arab world! It was no wonder that the people of Shahan had such pride in their country as well as the man that had made all of this possible, Ali Al Hassam. ‘The Great Rebuilder’. But besides building a great prosperous country out of the ruins of a miscalculated tragic war, Hassam had built something else. He had built one of the world’s most formidable military powers! Not even the United States or Israel could boast of a more modern, well-trained army. Also, unlike the fourth largest military force of Saddam Hussein’s era that had lost to the coalition forces of the UN in the Persian gulf war, Hassam had one of the best-trained Air forces in the history of the world. Possessing some of the most sophisticated anti-aircraft capabilities in the world, it’s military was second to none, including the United States. And now there was even talk of the so-called ‘Devil’s weapons of destruction’. Weapons so advanced that even the top scientists of the west couldn't understand their technology. Nuclear weapons in the ‘Devil’s’ arsenal had an uncanny trait for not being detected by even the world’s most advanced radars. This fact alone was enough to alarm the military leaders of the western world. Add to this the capabilities of the Shahanian force’s jamming devices that could render enemy forces incapable of even launching their missile’s systems, and you could understand the world’s concern at the invasion of Juid. Shahan was obviously testing its military might as well as expanding its borders. Even though Shahan had mutual defense treaties with most of the Arab world including its western neighbor, Jordan, there still loomed a sense of danger in that region of the world as well as countries monitoring the situation from other parts of the world.

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Though some viewed Hassam as a demigod, his promise of a united Arab world as well as a world power at this point seemed an easily obtainable goal. World powers that once had viewed him as a joke, now with the knowledge of Shahan's super weapons and its easy conquest of Juid had to start taking him seriously. Stories among Hassam's own people of his collusions with the Devil, along with the mystical connotations of the area had long prejudiced the outside world from taking this man seriously. Now they had to acknowledge that they were dealing with a world power. And if Hassam was successful in uniting the rest of the Arab world under his powerful wings, who knows what implications that would have for the secular world outside? Arabs had talked for many years of a holy war to come. With Hassam's golden tongue and embracing of Islamic fundamentalist views as well as the Palestinian cause, a jihad, or Holy war now seemed imminent even in the western world.

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CHAPTER 15

“And now here’s the news for October thirty first,” boomed
the announcer’s voice over Christy's radio. “The UN announced the implementation of economic sanctions against the country of Shahan today. All shipments of food and medical supplies have been halted until Shahan agrees to abide by UN resolutions calling for the unconditional withdrawal of troops from the embattered country of Juid. In related news, military sources have confirmed that Shahanean forces have been spotted moving into the border areas of Eastern Iran. No word from U.S. forces except to say that they are monitoring the situation closely.” Christy listened as the bad news continued but didn't seem to absorb it. Maybe she was growing immune to it or maybe her mind was on other things. It was October thirty first, All Hallow’s Eve. This was the Satanists’ high holy day. This was the day before All Saints day, the ultimate desecration against God and the saints who serve him. Si would continue his assault on Christy's sanity today. She knew it would happen, but when and how she dared not ponder. Cautiously, she got dressed preparing for another day’s work. And what an important day it was! Today she would meet with Randal and give a guided tour of the exhibit to its investors. Even though the Lost books of the Qumran exhibit wasn't scheduled to open until November the fifteenth, today was the important day, for this tour would justify to the investors their expenditures toward this monumental undertaking. This four acre complex was comprised of information booths, complete with audio visual monitors, room after room filled with actual artifacts taken from the sites in the holy land, as well as an exact reproduction of the cave and the chamber where the lost books were discovered. An interactive exhibit giving patrons first hands look at what it was like to be on location at an archaeological site. An ambitious accomplishment indeed! People from all over the world would converge on Baton

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Rouge in the coming weeks to view this monumental achievement. Scholars from around the world would view these books in the next two weeks before its being open to the general public. The Book of the Sword, as well as the other manuscripts, was new to the theological community and of interest to theologians from all over the world. In all of the individual booths and showcases ran videos explaining the different texts of the exhibit and showing their significance in the biblical sense as well as in the historic sense. All in all The lost books of the Qumran exhibit was a colossal feat, especially considering that it was put together in just two months, a feat in itself! Slated to be in Baton Rouge through December twenty fifth, the exhibit was to be totally mobile, adaptable to most large exhibition halls in the country. A small fleet of diesel trucks would move it from place to place until it will have visited most of the larger cities throughout the country. Then, tentatively planned was a world tour. And Christy was to be the road manager. Not too shabby for a country girl who had never even been out of the state of Louisiana! Under Pfeiffer's tutelage, Christy had become an authority on the Professor’s expeditions to the Holy Land, especially his last expedition that had uncovered the lost books. Quite a change from the lonely young naive girl who had shown up in Baton Rouge just a few months earlier, lacking in self confidence and direction for her own life. Here she was now, successful, self-confident and overflowing with a newly found pride and strength. Not even Siafold Mehri’ could drag her down now. Well, maybe he was the only one that could! But Christy hadn't heard from him as of late. Except for just a few moments of anxiety recently which could be explained by an overactive and overloaded imagination, she felt that she could probably even get through whatever her estranged husband could throw at her. As far as she knew, maybe he had given up on hounding her. At least she could pray that he had. The marquis outside of the Baton Rouge exhibition hall read “THE LOST BOOKS OF THE QUMRAN EXHIBIT, NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH THROUGH DECEMBER

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TWENTY FIFTH”. Dignitaries and financiers from all over the world waited outside for the arrival of Professor Pfeiffer and his private showing of the culmination of his life’s work. Christy and Randal arrived at nine forty-five in the morning, fifteen minutes early. The front of the Baton Rouge exhibition hall was totally encased in glass. Beyond the heavy glass doors and turnstiles laid the huge brightly-colored lobby, completely visible to the outside world. The lobby had been converted to a concessions area, where programs, maps and souvenirs, as well as refreshments were available to the visitors of the exhibit. As Christy and Randal entered the front of the auditorium, smells ranging from good old Louisiana seafood gumbo to New Orleans style red beans and rice filled the air. Racks of everything from toy replicas of actual artifacts to video taped tours of the exhibit lined the walls of the concessions area. Beyond this area, huge black doors opened to reveal what was to become known to visitors as the Great Hall of Time. All sides of the great hall were lined with booths, displays and showcases loaded with information about the bible and the history of biblical archaeology. In each booth or display case was a video monitor explaining its phase in the evolution of biblical archaeology. These booths and display cases laid the groundwork for detailed accounts of when and how the Old and New testaments came into being. The original parts of the Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy were the books of Hebrew law. As the teachings of Judaism spread, these and other books were written in Hebrew and Greek as well as the original ancient Aramaic, which by that time was becoming a dying language. These translations became known as the Septuagint. The three historically important translations of the Septuagint were known as the Alexandrinus (Aramaic), the Vaticanus (Latin), and the Sinaiticus (ancient Hebrew). As the history of the Bible grew so did the number of translations. In fact, it was not until some three hundred years after the death of Christ that the many books, texts and teachings of the Bible came together in one text. This text translated into

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Latin, (the language of the Roman Empire), became known as the Vulgate. Up until modern times the texts were changed and omitted, tailored to the needs of the different societies. Many books were lost in the evolution of the Bible. Some of the oldest texts of the Bible were found in the nineteen-forties at the north end of the Dead Sea in the Qumran Valley. Subsequently some fifty some odd years later the Pfeiffer expedition discovered the lost books, which were the subject matter of the exhibit in the Great Hall today. This great hall was dedicated to the evolution of the Bible, as well as the significance and importance of the Pfeiffer expedition in relation to this evolution. Beyond the great hall were some of the actual artifacts found during Pfeiffer's momentous expeditions. There were tools and implements used in every day life by the Essenes. The Essenes were a farming society, so there were many agricultural tools found, as well as pottery, plates and eating utensils. These artifacts were arranged in the inner room behind a semi-circle of plate glass that formed the rear of the room. Video players described these tools in the cases and explained the time periods from which they evolved. In the center of the huge glass semi-circle was another door. Behind this door was the most ambitious part of the Lost Books of the Qumran exhibit. Beyond this door was an elevator that brought you to the top of the final part of the exhibit. An exact replica of the cave and secret chamber that the books and manuscripts were found in. Exact in every detail down to the narrow staircase leading down to it! The walls of the cave were made of silicone colored to look like the natural insides of a cave. The hidden staircase led down to the hidden chamber. It was painstakingly reproduced from photographs taken at the site of the digs at the Qumran valley. As you walked through the cave, audio speakers gave a detailed account of the Pfeiffer expedition. After reaching the chamber, audio-video monitors showed actual footage from the discovery site. Following a brief explanation of the contents of the manuscripts of the lost books, your group was instructed to go beyond the chamber and into the outer chamber

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where the actual manuscripts were on display inside airtight glass cases. In that room monitors played programs explaining the lives of the Essenes, The Book of the Sword, Lost books from Genesis and Exodus as well as the expeditions of Josup, the great Roman Captain. Also covered on the videos was the Devil’s fall from grace with God, which caused his banishment from Heaven and other theologically significant information uncovered by the Pfeiffer expedition. All in all, the entire tour lasted for about an hour and a half. This exhibit, in time, would prove to be one of the most important religious exhibits in the history of the world. As Christy and Randal lead the guests through the front gates of the exhibit, an air of electricity and anticipation hung overhead. The culmination of Randal’s years of labor was finally coming to fruition. He was finally bringing his life’s work, his devotion to God and the world of theology to the world. All of the people who had thwarted him, all of the people who had laughed at him would now have to give him his due. He and Christy showed their guests through the exhibit with youthful fervor. They felt like proud parents, showing their newborn baby to the world for the first time. A couple of businessmen from Japan asked Randal about the exhibit’s proposed world tour. “Well, maybe you ought to talk to my road manager about that.” he said as he motioned towards Christy. As if this whole project wasn't enough gratification, this little show of confidence made Christy feel important as well as very happy! This happiness made it almost through the end of the day. Then as the guests started to dwindle and the exhibit was about to close for the day, her mind started to drift to other places. She started thinking about All Hallow’s Eve and its significance in her life. As the young brunette started thinking about her husband Si, a chill ran up her spine. Anxiety and fear started to alter her mood and dampen her spirits. Randal noticed her change in mood and moved in close to her, knowing that look on her face all too well! “Christy? Do you feel all right? Can I get you anything?”

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“No thank you, I'll be okay. Honest! I’m just a little tired.” He looked into her eyes knowing full well that everything wasn't all right. “It’s just been a busy day,” she said in a none too convincing tone. Christy tried to avoid his eyes but he knew what was wrong. Randal had been reading up on the subject of Satanism and knew why she was so apprehensive. It was All Hallow’s Eve, the high holy night for covens and witches as well as devil worshippers all over the world. He also knew that Siafold Mehri’ was on the troubled young girl’s mind. Deciding to play dumb, the bearded archaeologist didn't mention anything, opting to ask her out to dinner in order to give her a forum for letting her frustrations out later in the evening. She had done so well throughout the day and he was proud of her. For now he just needed to whisk her quickly away and provide the proverbial shoulder for her to cry on, exorcising whatever ghosts he needed to later. After the last of the guests had left, Randal and Christy looked on as the manager of the exhibition hall locked the last of the heavy glass auditorium doors. They wished him a nice evening and took off into the now darkening Baton Rouge night. Randal tried to keep the mood upbeat. “Well, Christy, where would you like to go tonight? The sky's the limit!” He waited for a response. “Anywhere you'd like to go, dinner, dancing…” Preoccupied, young woman looked back at him, attempting an enthusiastic look. “That would be nice Randal, but a nice quiet dinner somewhere sounds great. I really don't feel like dancing tonight. I'm just a little tired.” “Done!” He said in an excited voice. “Anything for my best friend in all of the world.” He drove the car across town to Joey’s, an elegant, quiet restaurant in one of the trendier parts of Baton Rouge. Christy stayed silent during the trip to the restaurant, her mind in some far away existence. Randal didn't push her to talk, choosing her solemness as an alternative to a possible anxiety attack. Joey’s was one of Baton Rouge’s finest restaurants. It was a wooden structure, resembling one of the fine New Orleans restaurants that occupied the lake front area of the crescent city.

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Nestled in a huge rock garden overgrown with tropical species of plants not native to an area so far north of the tropics, its rustic wooden charm was only a prelude to the wonderful French cuisine found inside. They rounded the corner and drove up to the front of the restaurant, surrendering the keys to the valet. Randal strode around to the passenger side of the car, opening the door and offering his hand to the relaxed but preoccupied young woman. Once inside, they were led to a corner table near a large plate glass window that overlooked one of Joey’s beautifully lit rock gardens. It was now getting dark outside and the multi-colored spotlights were illuminating the garden and its many varieties of tropical plant life. It set a nice relaxing mood and aided in calming the tense young brunette. Randal ordered a bottle of white wine, to which Christy grimaced. But he felt that it would help in the calming process. The wine, along with interesting small talk, did help to calm the young brunette down. Soon she was laughing and enjoying the evening. Whatever had been bothering her earlier was, at least for the moment, off of her mind. Randal had succeeded in salvaging the day, a day that had started off so wonderfully and had threatened to change so drastically. After a wonderful seafood platter, they left for Christy's small apartment. Christy's apartment, although small, was furnished impeccably. Everything in its place and neat as a pin. Done in an early American motif with golden colored carpet accenting the wooden finish of the furniture, it worked in perfect harmony with the modern designed kitchen. Checkerboard black and white tiles on the kitchen floor with its white cabinets and drawers showed off the cleanliness of the room. Christy asked Randal in for coffee. Although the evening had mellowed out a bit, Christy still seemed a little anxious, and Randal could detect this. “Christy, would you like to talk about it?” She looked at him with a puzzled look. “Talk about what?” she countered. Randal looked straight into her hazel eyes. “Christy, I think I know what's bothering you. It’s this day and all of this demonic

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business with Si. But I think you just need to let go.” Christy thought for a moment. “Just let go? What do you mean? If I could just let go I would have a long time ago!” “Christy, Si no longer has a hold on you. Or at least if you don't let him he can't influence you.” Christy looked a little upset. “It’s not just Si, it’s the voices.” “Christy, the voices don't control you. They can't control you. Nobody can control you except for you!” Christy began to get angry now. “Randal, I can't control the voices, I've tried.” “Okay, okay, Christy. What are the voices saying?” “They say...” she hesitated, “they say...” Randal looked into her face trying to draw an answer. “They are trying to tell me to pay homage to Satan!” She held back for a moment. “You think I'm crazy, don't you?” Randal calculated his answer carefully. “No Christy, I don't think you’re crazy. I just think that you've been through a lot.” He waited for a response. “Have you heard the voices lately?” “Well... no,” “Then why does it bother you now?” “Well because Si...” “Si, nothing,” the angry professor said in a definitive tone. “Si's influence can't affect you if you don't let it in. Do you think that the Devil has powers over God?” “Well no.” “Good. Now put your faith in God and take the Devil’s hold away from you. If you don't let him control you, he can't.” “Are you saying that if I don't believe in the Devil that he doesn't exist?” “No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying that the Devil, Si, or any other person can't harm you psychologically unless you give them the ability to do so.” Christy now was starting to get angrier. “So you’re saying that it’s my fault that all of these things are happening to me?” “No Christy, I'm saying that you've got the power within yourself to overcome them. With your strength and your faith in God.”

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What once was a conversation was now becoming a shouting match. Both of the couple's hearts were pounding, pumping adrenaline through their bodies. They squared off and stared into each other’s eyes. “Christy, before this gets out of hand let me just say that I'm your friend, I'm trying to help you. Tell me one thing, in the month since you haven't seen Si, have you been bothered by the voices?” She thought for a minute. “Well, no.” “Now what does that tell you?” Christy looked into Randal’s now intense eyes. Her eyes began to pool up with tears. “Randal, I'm just scared. I'm just so scared that the voices will come back. You see its Halloween, and it’s the highest holy night in the Satanists’ world...” “Si's world, Si's world, not yours Christy, don't you understand that! God, not the Devil, rules your world. Do you think God would let the devil encroach upon his world?” Christy thought about this for a moment. “Look, Christy, I've read about Satanism and I know what you’re dealing with!” He reached over and tried to put his arms around the disgruntled girl. She pulled away from him in an evasive manner. “What's the matter now?” he asked. “I don't know, just don't touch me. You’ve read about Satanism?” “Why yes, when you told me your story I felt like I should learn more about it.” “Something is wrong, something is definitely wrong,” she repeated. “Just go away and leave me alone.” She said in a very cold manner. Perhaps his mention of having read about Satanism had put a doubt in her trust toward him. But the change in personality was so abrupt that Randal became scared for his confused brunette friend. “Okay, I'll leave, if that's what you really want. But let me tell you one thing. It’s because I care for you so much that I'm here. I see a scared young lady in front of me and I just want to reach

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out and shield her from all harm. But I can't if you won't let me. I'm going to go now but if you need me, you know where to find me.” With that he turned and headed toward the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he heard footsteps rushing up behind him. She rushed up and threw herself into his arms sobbing openly. “Please don't leave me. I don't want you to go. I'm just confused, so confused!” The shaking young lady let herself go and began to cry out loud. “I need you so much, don't leave me. Please stay. Don't leave. I'll trust you. I'll trust you. Just give me a chance.” Randal held her tightly, consoling her. “I won't leave you. I promise. I'll stay here as long as you need me.” He sat down holding her tightly as she laid her head upon his shoulder. Patting her back soothingly, the archaeologist spoke softly. “It’s okay love, everything's going to be all right.” Rocking her gently in his arms, Randal swayed his young friend back and forth. Before they knew it, it had gotten late. “Will you stay here with me tonight?” “Sure I will, Christy, I'll just sleep right over here on the couch.” “No, Randal, please. Sleep with me, in my bed!” This request caught Randal quite by surprise. She looked at him with the fear of staying alone in her eyes. “Please, all I want you to do is to hold me. Just hold me!” Her voice shook as she spoke. “I'll stay with you, and hold you all you want, Christy.” Having said that, he took her in his arms and disappeared with her into the bedroom. They both survived the night in each other’s arms. The whining of the wind outside raged, as a gentle rainstorm pitter-pattered against the panes of her window, lulling the couple into a quiet, peaceful sleep. There would be no demons on this All Hallow’s Eve for Christy.

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CHAPTER 16

Although uneventful for an All Hallow’s Eve, the night was
eventful in the sense that it solidified Christy and Randal's relationship. Not as lovers but as the best of friends. In Randal's arms Christy felt safe and secure. The demons that had haunted Christy never showed, the voices inside her head never spoke. In fact, it was going on a month since she had been bothered by such aberrations. Perhaps Si had finally decided to leave Christy alone. In any event Christy's self confidence was at an all time high. Christy’s feelings that some impending doom followed her were quickly becoming a thing of the past. The pretty young brunette now felt on top of the world. Randal had left Christy's an hour or so earlier to pick up some clothes to wear to the exhibit. Even though they had spent the night together in each other’s arms, nothing of a sexual nature had happened. He had been a perfect gentleman offering only comfort and security for her embattled emotions. In the two weeks that followed, Christy and Randal's relationship flourished. With only minor adjustments to make on the exhibit, they had more free time to themselves. Using their time wisely, the born again couple used the first part of every day at the exhibit and spent the rest of the afternoon on into the night spending quality time with each other. They would take walks in the park, strolling hand in hand. They would pack lunches and disappear to little secluded spots spending hours in each other’s company. Two weeks passed quickly and before the couple knew it the opening day for the Lost Books of the Qumran Exhibit was upon them. After an evening of celebration and praise for all whom had worked or had any part of the creation and realization of the exhibit, the big day had finally arrived. Christy was to dress and meet Randal at the exhibition hall by ten o’ clock in the morning. Excitement ran like ripples up and down every muscle in her body. The adrenaline was pumping. It

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was show time! After a quick change and make-up job she bolted out the door and started for the Baton Rouge Exhibition Hall. A gray haze encased the skyline of Baton Rouge as an early winter chill filled the air. The leaves from the trees had long since fallen, leaving a look of emptiness among the many skeleton like branches that embodied their massive trunks. Christy was moving at a snail’s pace in the rush hour traffic. Her car radio played a collage of earthquakes, storms, famines, wars and other world disasters that had become the norm for every day news. “Political unrest has overcome the southern part of Iraq. Muslim forces have called for the ouster of their leader Mustaf Hamid, and called for Ali Al Hassam to become the new monarch of the embattled country. This bloodless coup was announced early this morning. Details are sketchy, but if the coup succeeds in placing Hassam as its leader, this would make Hassam the leader of the largest country in the Middle East. More news in a minute.” Christy reached for the knob on her radio, shutting out the real world. More and more, the news was disturbing the young brunette. She was beginning to think that the world indeed was headed for its apocalyptic end. Sighing in desperation at the helplessness of the earth's situation, she tried to think of happier thoughts. Finally the traffic subsided enough to allow her to make it to the Baton Rouge exhibition hall just in time for its opening. An anxious looking Randal Pfeiffer stood outside of the massive hall looking at his watch and pacing nervously. His mood lifted when the young brunette drove into the exhibition hall parking lot. “Christy, I was beginning to worry about you!” “I'm okay, Randal, I just got caught up in some heavy traffic. But I'm here now.” She looked at her watch. “And with two minutes to spare!” They looked at each other and laughed in amusement. “Well are you ready? This is the moment we've been waiting for,” the excited professor said in a monumental tone. They both gazed at the huge glass encased lobby with a

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unified look of admiration. “No times better than the present,” the professor said as he opened the doors to the huge edifice. Out front, a group of about five thousand people waited to enter the turnstiles of the most historic religious exhibit of the twenty-first century. At twenty dollars a ticket, not including concessions, the constant flow of people that would enter throughout the day guaranteed a successful first day! Even though an enormous amount of money was spent on the exhibit, if crowds like this continued to patronize it, it would be out of the red and into the black before it even left Baton Rouge! A monument to the hard work put into it by its creators. Once on the road, anything other than road expenses would be profit. Financiers would be paid with a huge dividend and the remaining profits would go to the Jerusalem Museum of Religion and to future archaeological expeditions to the Holy Land. But more important than that, this exhibit would promote religion and the love of God throughout the world. And with the world in the shape it was in, it could use all of God’s love it could get! Quite a feat for Professor Randal Pfeiffer and an even greater feat for a plain young country girl from an obscure little town lost in the bayous of South Louisiana. The doors of the exhibit opened at ten o’ clock sharp. As the huge crowd passed through the gates, the metallic clicking of the turnstiles signaled the opening of the world’s greatest attraction! People from all walks of life showed up at the huge exhibition hall: religious, laymen and secular alike. Even agnostic curiosity seekers (people who questioned the existence of God) showed up. Rich and poor, educated and illiterate, people came in droves to the Lost Books of the Qumran Exhibit. People came in numbers even unexpected by the most optimistic of the promoters. By nine o’ clock that night every one knew that the exhibit would be a phenomenal success. The receipts from the paid admission coupled with the money from concessions totaled just under four hundred thousand dollars. And if that weren't enough, people had to be turned away from the exhibit at nine o’ clock P.M. with over a thousand tickets for admission sold for the following day! Contrary to

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critic’s beliefs, religion was big business on this day. Randal was smiling from ear to ear. Christy, although very tired, was in a genuinely up-beat mood. With the pressures of the opening day behind them, the expectations, fears and anxieties, Randal and Christy could finally relax! After checking the daily receipts and looking over the exhibit for damages it may have incurred from the large crowd on its maiden day, the happy couple wished all of their fellow exhibitors a fond good-night disappearing into the Baton Rouge night. As they were driving along, Randal reached over and playfully patted Christy on her hand. “And now, how about that dance we missed out on two weeks ago?” A sparkle came into Christy's eyes. “I'd love to, my prince,” she said with the vitality of a young girl. Proceeding to the ballroom of a prominent Baton Rouge hotel, they began to dance the night away. Soft music and slow dance was the order of the evening. They melted into each other’s arms, gliding across the sparsely lighted dance floor. This was to be their victory dance. A celebration of their conquest over all odds, professional as well as private. The accomplishment of the exhibit itself, Christy's conquest of her own fear, and their cultivation of a new and lasting friendship amidst adversity. Randal and Christy's celebration carried them well into the night and deeper into each other’s lives. After the ballroom closed, the happy couple returned to Randal's apartment. “I could have danced into the morning. I don't feel tired at all!” Christy said with the giddiness of a youth abandoned long ago. “It was a wonderful evening, wasn't it?” answered Randal with a newfound vigor. Looking unflinchingly into each other’s eyes, they were caught up in the moment, and before either of them realized what was happening, their lips were pressed together. Both became entwined in a long warm embrace that seemed to last for a lifetime. Startled by the suddenness and intimacy of the moment, each

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pulled away from each other reflexively. “I think maybe it’s time to take you home,” Randal said nervously. Christy looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I didn't mind that you kissed me, Randal. As a matter of fact I kind of enjoyed it.” A look of embarrassment overcame the professor's face. “I enjoyed it too, Christy... It’s just that its getting late...and we both have to get up early in the morning.” Soft shadows were cast on the walls of Randal’s neatly furnished apartment. Noticeably absent of many personal items, it kind of resembled a hotel room, barren except for the desk at the corner of the room covered with important papers and reference books. “Randal, you shouldn't be embarrassed by that kiss. I wanted to kiss you, too. It was a mutual kiss.” “I know Christy, perhaps I'm just old fashioned. But I believe in the right time and the right place.” Christy smiled and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. “Okay, my prince, I just didn't want you to think that you’ve done anything wrong. Because as far as I'm concerned I'd trust you with my life! Randal, you are my best friend.” He smiled in reciprocation and motioned toward the door. “I consider you my best friend also. But we've got a long day tomorrow and I'd better get you home so you can get some resemblance of sleep.” A little disappointed but seeing reason in the archaeologist’s actions, Christy reluctantly left. The ride to her apartment seemed long because of the silence between the two. Pulling into the driveway of Christy's apartment, headlights illuminated the trees surrounding her abode. The moon lit up the walkway leading up to the pretty brunette's front door. A nightingale's voice sang out in the darkness like a lover’s serenade even though the night was still filled with unanswered questions. As they stood in silence at Christy's front door, the hesitation in Randal prompted Christy's next question. “Well, aren't you going to kiss me good night?”

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Randal put his arms around the waiting woman and delicately kissed her on her lips. She closed her eyes, succumbing to his embrace. “Goodnight Christy, I had a wonderful time tonight.” As he turned to walk away, the persistent young woman called out to him. “Randal, wouldn't you like to come in?” “Not tonight, princess, we've got plenty of time. Try and get some sleep. I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll have breakfast. Okay?” “Okay,” she said, concealing her disappointment with a smile. Christy couldn't understand Randal's apparent coldness toward her but attributed it to his old fashioned ways. She entered her apartment making her way to bed. “I know he cares for me, too. I just know it!” Thoughts of flowers and rainbows filled the young girl’s head as she quickly fell into a gentle and blissful slumber. Outside, the chill of a late autumn night settled upon the world. Moonlight shone through a gap in the clouds, passing unnoticed through the darkened fall skies. All was at peace. At least for this evening, calm ruled the earth. Christy's doorbell rang bright and early the next morning. Hazy fall clouds dominated the morning sky. A bright glow came from where the sun should have been among the clouds on the horizon. It was a typical Louisiana autumn morning. Christy opened her door. There in front of her a bundle of red roses stood suspended above a pair of long legs. The person holding the flowers stood, face hidden behind them. Randal lowered the flowers to seize Christy with a warm, friendly smile. “Good morning love. And how are you faring on this fine day?” Christy’s heart was captured by the warmth in his voice and was filled with a happiness that she had grown to depend on in the last two months. Another happy beginning to another dream-like day, this day would progress like many other days in the following few weeks with excitement, happiness and feelings of accomplishment. Christy decided not to push romantic aspects of her relationship with Randal. At least not for the time being. He had been right; they would have plenty of time for that. As a matter of fact they had a whole lifetime. As a result of Christy’s

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decision to abstain from personal feelings, their professional relationship blossomed. Christy became more proficient in her duties regarding the exhibit. Management, accounting and other duties were carried out to perfection. Christy had become such an intricate part of the exhibit that her presence became even more important than that of Professor Pfeiffer himself! The intelligent young woman was also becoming well versed in her knowledge of the lost books themselves. Increasing her knowledge of the lost books from Genesis as well as the newly discovered Book of the Sword, she began to show off her knowledge to the many visitors of the exhibit as well as her friends that frequented the theological marvel. On one such occasion was the first visit from her friends Kayla and Missy from school. Christy was very happy to see them. She hadn't seen them since she left school to work on the exhibit. After some long overdue embracing, Christy led her classmates on a personal tour of the facility. Once they reached the chamber that contained the Book of the Sword, she gave them a brief synopsis about the history of the books and how they came to be hidden in the cave in the Qumran valley. She told them of the legend of the sword as well as some of the mystery surrounding the Sword of Righteousness. Explaining how it had showed up during certain intervals in history only to be lost again in the folklore of the times. Christy spoke of how it had showed up to aid Nebachaneezer in punishing the Jews and later the Egyptians. She then explained how it was prophesied again to show up in the waning hours of man’s final epoch on earth. Spellbound, the girls hung on to every word that Christy spoke. The pretty young brunette’s self confidence impressed the same two girls that had seen her in such a vulnerable state just two short months earlier. This once insecure, severely disturbed young woman living on the edge of reality had now crawled out of her depression and was walking on top of the world. Just before the exhibit closed, Christy’s young friends invited her out for old time’s sake. It had been a long time since she had been out with them, so naturally she excepted. Besides, she had a

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lot to tell them about the phenomenal changes that had occurred in her life. That night after the exhibit had closed its doors, the girls met Christy at the back entrance. “The Three Musketeers ride again,” bellowed Missy, in her usual character. Laughing and cutting up as they climbed into Missy’s tiny Volkswagen, the girls headed out for an evening of reminiscing and fun. First stop on the agenda was The Buccaneer Club. As usual, the air was thick with smoke, music and laughter. It was just the same as Christy had remembered it. Entering the smoky establishment, the three ladies seated themselves at the first available table. Loud music played in the background as the girls began their sentimental journey back to days not so far gone. After Missy had brought the first round of drinks to the table the conversation went into full swing. Beginning with a little small talk the conversation reverted to the anticipated subject of the evening. “Well Christy, it seems a lot has happened to you since we last talked.” Missy's eyes were fixed to Christy's in anticipation of a response to her inquiry. Christy's lips revealed a sly smile. “Come on, give us all the dirt. Don’t leave out any of the gory details,” Missy blurted out in her usual manner. “Well Missy, there is no dirt. Professor Pfeiffer just realized that I was interested in his work.” “Oh come now, Christy, you know what I mean,” challenged the young redhead. Christy shot her a look of confusion. “Professor Pfeiffer is very cute. Have you two...well, you know?” “Don't be so vulgar Missy, Randal and I have a professional relationship. And if there were more to it than that, I surely wouldn't give you the details.” “Randal!” both girls said in unison as they began to rag Christy. “Get off it, girls. I expected this kind of attitude from Missy, but you, Kayla? I thought you were a little more mature.”

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“Christy, we're just poking a little fun. You know we both love you and are very happy for you.” “I know,” Christy said as she reached over the table embracing both girls. After a moment of sentimentality the conversation resumed. “Well how about it, are you seeing Professor Pfeiffer in a...you know, romantic way?” “You girls just won't quit. Okay, Kayla, if you must know. Yes I am interested, and maybe if the time comes...who knows!” All three girls began to giggle. The laughter was temporarily interrupted. A waitress came to the table and laid down another round of drinks. “Excuse me ma'am, but we didn't order these drinks,” Kayla retorted. “That's okay, a gentleman bought these for you.” “What gentleman?” the girls asked at almost the same time. “I can't tell you, he wants to remain anonymous. I guess he's into this secret admirer’s gig,” said the waitress in a smug manner. “Well thank him for us.” Christy replied amiably. The girls shrugged it off and continued their conversation. As the girls resumed their conversation, a tall dark figure stood hidden in the shadows at a far corner of the room. Drink in hand, the stranger in the shadows studied the girls closely. As the evening progressed, the dark complected, black haired gentleman made his way toward their table being careful not to reveal himself. Just close enough to observe them but not to be observed. He had a foreign accent, possibly from the east! Conversation shifted to Missy's last birthday, the girls were laughing about her birthday present. It seems her boyfriend had gotten her one of those birthday cakes, complete with male stripper. Laughing until they were about to cry, the girls all but forgot about the free drinks they had received earlier. By later in the evening the alcohol was starting to take effect and the girls were starting to get quite inebriated. After the laughter had died down a bit, Missy turned to Christy. “By the way, how old are you?” “Lets see,” the young brunette stuttered. "I was born on

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December twenty-fifth, nineteen eighty-seven. That would make me...” Before she could finish her sentence, Missy butted in. “You were born on Christmas day? The same day as Jesus Christ?” Kayla seemed astounded by the idea. “Is that why you were named Christy?” Missy added. “Well, I suppose so. Really it’s no big deal!” Christy became exasperated with the girls’ attitude toward her name. “Must've been hell for you to be born on Christmas!” Missy said in a slightly humorous tone. “Not really, why do you say that?” Christy responded in a slightly more sober tone. “Because on Christmas Day, nobody knows whether to give you a Christmas or a birthday present!” The girls began laughing boisterously at the redhead’s simplistic stab at humor. Christy wasn't laughing. “Are you girls making fun of me?” Kayla stepped in. “No, Christy, we’re just laughing and trying to have a good time. Just lighten up. Remember the three musketeers?” Finally the young brunette settled down a bit and surrendered to the revelry. Her mood had grown more somber in the last few minutes, but she tried not to let it show. After a few more minutes, Kayla suggested that they take off for the local club. Christy wasn't very receptive to that idea. The truth was that she really felt like going home. “Christy, you can't go home this early.” Missy said through the thick lips of an alcoholic stupor. “If I've offended you, I didn't mean to.” “That's not it, Missy, I just feel like going home. It really has nothing to do with you. I've just had a little more alcohol than I wished and have a very busy day tomorrow. That's all.” Accepting that explanation, the young women made their way to Missy's car. Once they got to Christy's apartment, the slightly inebriated brunette politely excused herself and thanked the girls for the evening. Quietly she bid them goodnight and searched through her purse for her ever-elusive keys. Finally Christy entered her apartment, quickly closing the door behind her. She hadn't told the girls, but a strange and

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familiar feeling had overcome her in the bar earlier. The walls around her seemed foreign to her, almost as if they were vibrating. It wasn't the alcohol, for in reality she had managed not to drink so much as her good-time partying friends. It was something else. Her two friends made their way back to the bars unaware of what was happening to their scared friend, just as they were unaware of the black mustang that had followed them to their now beleaguered friend’s apartment. The same mustang that now lay waiting in the shadows in front of Christy's apartment, waiting to pounce on its unknowing prey.

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CHAPTER 17

November flew by like a flash of light, yielding to
Thanksgiving before anyone realized it. Christy invited Randal over for Thanksgiving dinner. This would be the only full day off either had had since the exhibit opened. So it would not only be a holiday but would be a full day of relaxation from the exhibit that kept them very busy, seven days a week, eleven to fifteen hours a day. Randal and Christy discussed the upcoming national tour in some detail before settling down to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. After dinner they retired to Christy's cozy little den, filled with good cheer not to mention Thanksgiving turkey. Over a bottle of Chablis they reminisced about how they had met and all they had been through. After all, not too many couples had been through as much as they had in such a short period of time. They laughed together into the evening, finding themselves in each other’s arms as nighttime fell. Randal, noticing that he was in Christy’s arms, froze up as he had done so many times before. “What's wrong, Randal?” Christy asked in a defeated tone. “Nothing’s wrong, I just can’t. It’s nothing personal. If I could, I would. I care about you a lot. I just can’t!” After a short silence, Christy countered “Are you married?” “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just...it’s just hard for me to get close to someone in that kind of way. Just give it time. We can be friends, the best of friends.” His eyes were glistening with tears. “Please, just try to understand.” Christy was as overwhelmed with his vulnerability as she was curious about his reasons for not being able to get close. She reached over and put her arms around him in a consolatory way and hugged him closely. After a quiet moment, Randal spoke. “Are we still best friends?” “The best of friends,” she answered, pulling him to her breasts like a mother consoling her upset child. She kissed him on his

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cheek, reaffirming their undying friendship. Once that veil of uncertainty was lifted, the rest of the evening progressed along nicely finding Randal and Christy in a more relaxed mode. After consuming some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers, Randal left to finish a little paper work he had managed to neglect in favor of Thanksgiving dinner. Christy stayed home to straighten up after their pleasant day’s experience. As she was putting the last touches on her now spotless apartment, the phone rang. She answered with a melodic “Hello!” “Christy, it’s Kayla, how you doing, babe?” “Oh, just cleaning up a little. How are you doing?” “I'm bored, Todd went home for the holidays and I'm all by my lonesome.” “Todd, who’s Todd? Don't tell me you've finally found a guy to take up your quality time!” “No, Christy, nothing like that. Todd's just someone I met in class before the Thanksgiving break. He's not a boyfriend or anything. But speaking of boyfriends, how are you and the good professor getting along?” “We're getting along better and better.” “You getting any?” Kayla asked in a crass tone. “Kayla, you’re so vulgar. Do you have to have your mind in the gutter all the time?” “I'm sorry Christy, I guess I just don't think sometimes.” Kayla waited for a response. “Well?” “Well, what?” Christy answered. “Well, you didn't answer my question.” “Honestly, Kayla, you are impossible. But as if it were any of your business, it hasn't progressed that far yet.” “What are you two waiting for, the apocalypse?” “Kayla, Randal is just a gentleman. He doesn't look at me in that kind of way.” “A gentleman. I don't know babe. Are you sure he's not gay or something?” “No, he's not gay! He's just a gentleman. Kayla, can we get off of this subject, if you don't mind?” “I'm sorry sweetheart, I'm just worried about you. I don't want

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you to get hurt. You know it hasn't been that long ago since you were so down in the dumps. I thought you would never recover from that.” “That's right Kayla, but if you'd stop to think for a minute you'd realize that it was Randal that got me out of my depression!” “You’re right dear, I guess I'm just being overprotective. You know you’re still my best friend? Don't you.” “Yes, Kayla and you’re mine!” “That's what I wanted to hear. With that in mind, why don't you and I go out slumming tonight? Just you and me!” “I don't think so, Kayla. I just think I'm going to stay home, straighten up a little and catch up on some sleep.” “Are you sure?” “I'm sure. I need to get up early tomorrow.” “Yeah, yeah. I hear you. You know, Christy, you've become a real homebody.” Christy laughed. “Kayla, I've always been a homebody!” “Oh yeah, you’re right!” Both girls began to laugh. “Listen babe, it’s been real nice talking to you. Don't be such a stranger, give me a call some time.” Kayla’s voice became somber. “I will baby, I promise.” There was a warm silence. “I love you, baby.” Kayla responded. “I love you, too!” Saying their good-byes the girls hung up. Christy pondered on Kayla's phone call and the events of the evening before deciding to retire. She was bushed. Minutes found her in bed sound asleep. It wouldn't be until early the next morning that she would awaken. Christy was early to work the next day. She didn't know why but she felt a feeling of anxiousness, the feeling of an imminent encounter. On this day her intuition would prove to be accurate. It was a typical day at the exhibit. Crowds filling the turnstiles, the sound of audio players in the foreground muffled by the excited voices of the many patrons. The smell of good ole Louisiana cooking hung thickly in the air. And that was enough to attract any tourist! Christy was at her usual station, in the office overseeing the

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entrance from the concession area to the main exhibit. Gazing out into the excited crowd, suddenly she noticed a gentleman standing at the glass door to her office. A tall dark complected gentleman holding a flower. It was Si! He opened the door, poking his head inside. “Do you mind if I come in?” he said in a nonchalant manner. Slightly surprised, the young brunette searched his face looking for a possible clue to his true intentions. “I guess you can Si, but...” “Look Christy, before you say anything, I've come here to apologize. I'm sorry for all that's happened, and I've come to make amends.” He handed his wife the flower in a consolatory manner. “Will you forgive me?” Christy, still feeling a little suspicious, eyed him with a questioning look. After a lengthy silence, she spoke. “Look Si, I'm willing to forgive you, but as far as us getting back together...” “Christy, time out,” he gestured. "I'm not here to try to get back together with you, I'm here to tell you that I understand. You have the right to go on with your own life, and I have no right to keep hanging on. I can't tell you who to see and who to love. I just want to see you happy again...and if that's without me, then so be it.” He looked straight into her eyes awaiting a response. “Si, I just don't know...” “Look Christy, I'm not here to bother you any more. I'm here to tell you good-bye!” Christy could now see the sincerity in her husband’s face. “I've just come to make my peace with you and tell you I'm sorry.” He handed her the flower and turned to leave her office. “Si, wait. I appreciate that and I do forgive you.” He turned back and smiled. “Thank you, Christy.” He started to say something but then caught himself. “Well good-bye.” He turned and left. Christy watched as he disappeared into the crowd. She glanced down at the flower in her hand. It was a white longstemmed rose. She raised it to her nose and smelled it.

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“Finally,” she thought to herself, the nightmare is over. The pretty brunette felt as if a great weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders. As Christy watched Si leave, she hadn't noticed that Randal had seen him hand her the rose. After seeing this Pfeiffer turned and walked away, exiting the building and driving away in his car. Randal had a very sad look on his face. Tears filled the bearded man’s eyes as he exited the parking lot, disappearing from the exhibit for the day. Randal walked along the path leading through the middle of the park centered in the LSU campus. As he passed the bare trees and evergreen bushes, the chilled wind swirled around him. He finally reached one of the concrete picnic tables that surrounded the pond and sat down. As the afternoon dragged on he made his way beside the picturesque pond. Tossing stones into the pond, he watched as the ripples folded out towards the middle. This activity seemed to fit the professor’s melancholy mood. “Professor? Professor Pfeiffer? Is that you?” The voice was that of Christy's friend, Kayla. “Professor, what are you doing here? I thought that you'd be busy at the exhibit.” “I decided to take the afternoon off,” he replied. “Where's Christy?” the redhead asked. Randal looked off into the distance with a look of sadness. “I guess she’s back at the exhibition hall.” “Well that's just as well, I wanted to talk to you by yourself anyway.” Professor Pfeiffer fixed a glance in the direction of Christy's inquisitive friend. “You want to talk to me?” “Yes...what's going on between you and Christy?” “Well I don't believe that I know what you mean,” answered the puzzled archaeologist. “What I mean is why are you leading her on? I'm her friend and I don't want to see her hurt!” “Listen, I don't know where you're getting your information, but I'm not leading anyone on.” “Do you like Christy?” “Of course I like her.” Randal was starting to get aggravated. The prying young woman stood her ground.

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“Professor, are you queer?” “Queer?” he asked in confusion. “You know, queer, homosexual. Professor, are you a faggot?” Professor Pfeiffer was taken aback by Kayla's straight forwardness. “You know, Christy and I were talking the other night, and she thinks you might be a homosexual.” The redhead’s blunt statement took the air out of the professor's sails. “Kayla, I don't have to stand here and take this. If you'll excuse me.” He motioned her aside and walked past her in a huff. “Professor, just leave her alone if you don't intend to make her happy!” Kayla shouted as the disgruntled archaeologist made his way into the now descending darkness of the Louisiana night. Tears welled in his eyes as he walked away. Meanwhile, back at the exhibit, Christy was asking around to see if anybody had seen the conspicuously absent professor. “It’s not like him to be gone for so long from the exhibit,” she thought to herself. Worried, the brunette decided to phone his apartment. No answer. Finally the worried young woman came upon an employee that had seen him. “He was here earlier this afternoon. Last time I saw him, he was standing in the concessions area.” “What time was that?” “Lets see, must have been about one thirty, two o’ clock.” Thanking the employee, Christy returned to her little office. “One thirty, two o’ clock. That was about the time that Si had been to see me…”she thought to herself “Oh my, God. He must have seen Si visiting. Damn, I've got to find him,” she thought as she grabbed her coat and made for the front entrance to the building. On her way out, she ran into her friend, Kayla. “Hi girl, where you going in such a hurry?” “I don't have time to talk, Kayla. I've got to go.” “Hold on, honey. You look kind of upset.” “Well if you have to know, I think that Randal may have seen

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me with Si and gotten the wrong idea. And I'm on my way out to find him.” “Christy, I just saw him a few minutes ago. I'll come along and help you find him. They raced out to Kayla's car and sped away toward LSU’s park area. On the way, Kayla told the upset young woman about the brief conversation earlier between her and the missing archaeologist. This only seemed to intensify Christy's sense of urgency in finding her good friend, Professor Pfeiffer. “Kayla, you have no right...” Christy's disgust was etched in her red face. “Kayla, Randal is my best friend, you shouldn't have said anything like that to him.” The urgency in finding the disgruntled archaeologist overruled her anger and she proceeded to the park without saying another word. Combing the park and university area, the two women searched out any place that Pfeiffer and Christy may have frequented during their short relationship. There was no sign of him. They made their way to his apartment hoping to find him there. At least for the moment Professor Pfeiffer seemed to have vanished off of the face of the earth! Christy and Kayla searched everywhere they could think of until late into the evening. Although her heart wasn't in it, Christy decided to go home. Hopefully, Randal would show up to work the next day. She would apologize for her friend’s rudeness and make amends to her good friend and mentor. Of course she would continue to phone him into the night. It was eleven o’ clock. Professor Pfeiffer sat in the darkness, motionless as the phone continued to ring profusely. As he sat in total concentration, milling over what Kayla had said earlier as well as what he had seen, the ringing phone didn't register to him. Could his lack of sexual desire have sent his beloved Christy back to the arms of her demented husband? Did she really think that he was a homosexual? Sadness filled Randal as he stayed fixed in his chair, motionless except for the movements of his chest expanding and deflating as he breathed in shallow irregular motions.

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Christy could not get to sleep. She continued to worry about Randal and what he might be thinking at this time. Kayla should never have confronted Randal, and Christy had continuously reminded her nosy friend of that fact throughout the course of their search for the elusive professor earlier that evening. She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to go to sleep. Finally, Christy opened her medicine cabinet, grabbing her bottle of sleeping pills. After taking a couple of them, she dialed the professor's number one more time before they had a chance to kick in. “Riiiing...Riiiiiing...” The phone rang a few more times. Christy was about to hang up when, “click...” “Hello?” It was Randal. “Randal, are you all right? I've been worried sick about you.” She was in between tears of joy and unleashed emotion. “I'm all right, Christy.” His voice was drained of any real emotion. “Where have you been?” “Oh, I just needed to get away for a bit. I'm okay.” “Randal, I heard that Kayla ran into you and talked a bunch of trash. She should have kept her opinions to herself. I'm so sorry!” Christy burst into tears. “Christy, don't worry about it. I'll survive. But there is one thing that I would like to know.” “Anything, Randal, anything.” He paused for a moment, then silently said, “Christy, do you really think that I'm a homosexual?” “No Randal, I never said that. Kayla was putting words into my mouth. Just because you’re a true gentleman and not some sex crazed maniac like all of the men that she knows, she tags you as a homosexual. I straightened her out about that. Randal you’re my friend, my best friend. I would never want to hurt you. I love you. Even if it can't be a physical kind of love. I love you just the same.” Randal was silent for a moment. “Christy, are you seeing Si again?” “Randal, Si came to the exhibit to tell me good-bye, and to tell me that he wasn't going to bother me any more. That's all!”

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With those words, the enormous monkey that had been on Randal’s back all afternoon vanished. “Christy, I thought...” “Randal, I was afraid you were thinking that. That's why I was looking so frantically for you this evening. Just remember, I promised you that you were still my best friend and nothing has changed.” “Christy, I'm so happy to hear that. You don't know…” “Randal, would you come by and talk with me?” “Christy, it’s kind of late, but I'll pick you up early in the morning. And we'll go do breakfast.” “Randal?” “Christy, I promise!” “Okay, I'll be waiting.” “Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” They hung up. It was three-thirty a.m. About three hours later, Randal woke up. He should have felt sleepy but felt invigorated at the turn of events from the night before. As the bathtub filled with hot water in the adjacent room, Randal whistled a cheery little tune. Making his way into the bathroom, he climbed into the steamy hot bath. Continuing to whistle, the bearded man was interrupted by a loud bump from just outside of the bathroom. “Is someone there?” No answer. Uncertain as to what the noise was, he continued his bath. After bathing, he pulled the stopper out of the drain. Stepping out of the tub, he noticed that the water wasn’t draining. With the revelation that the bathtub’s drain was clogged, Randal searched for a plunger, but to no avail. Wrapping a towel around himself, the bearded man went to the lavatory. Once dry, he began to run the hot water so he could shave. Glancing back at the tub he noticed that the water was still standing in the bottom. “I'll have to tell the landlord about that before I leave,” he thought to himself as he began to shave. Steam built up on the mirror as he shaved. Between strokes with his razor he continued to wipe the mirror so he could see. After finishing, he began to blow dry his hair. As he styled his hair the mirror continued to steam up. Grabbing a towel Randal vigorously wiped the steam away once more.

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After the last swipe with his towel Randal gasped and fell away from the reflection of a large green serpent poised to strike directly behind him. It must have been about three feet in circumference, raising up a good seven feet off the ground. He reeled around in shock, raising his arms in defense. There was nothing. It had been his imagination. He breathed a sigh of relief still shaking from the revelation. Turning back to the mirror the bearded man became frozen in his tracks, the huge serpent stood looking him straight in the eyes! With the speed of a cat it lunged at him. Falling backwards to avoid the serpent’s deadly bite, Pfeiffer tripped on a bundle of towels on the floor and fell, hair dryer in hand, into the standing water in the bathtub! The electricity in the apartment was knocked out as the writhing body of the archaeologist shook in the electrified pool of water, smoke rising from the soon to be charred corpse... After being stood up by Randal, Christy decided to find out why he had not shown up. She was still worried about him. Randal’s car was parked outside of his small apartment, but there was no answer when the worried brunette knocked on the door. She finally contacted the landlord of the apartment complex. After entering the apartment with the passkey the landlord found the body of Professor Pfeiffer! Christy was at the exhibit. He contacted her after he had called the police. With tears in her eyes, Christy left the exhibit for the professor's apartment. By the time she arrived on the scene, the police had been there for several minutes. Cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape and guarded by police officers, the room was buzzing with activity. Working feverishly, detectives were checking every little detail of the professor’s apartment for any sign of foul play. Christy tried to get inside the apartment but was detained by the police until one of the detectives from inside was informed about who she was. He let her in to ask her a few questions. “Sorry Ma'am, but nobody’s allowed inside until the detectives finish their investigation.” “Could you at least tell me what happened?” she said with a shaking in her voice.

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“Well Ma'am, as far as we know, it seems that he was electrocuted.” She sunk down onto the front step of his apartment and began to weep. Professor Pfeiffer was dead. Trembling, the disgruntled young woman began to wonder. She began to wonder if her friend had been so hurt by the happenings of the preceding days that he had committed suicide. He had seemed fine when she had last talked to him on the phone. She began to shake with sadness and remorse. “Miss Summers, my name is Detective Bellows, would you mind answering a few questions?” She looked up at the slightly overweight, half-shaven figure of a man hulking over her in the doorway. He had a small note pad in one hand and a short pencil in another. His long trench coat made him look like some one straight out of a “Mickey Spillane” novel. “Yes sir, if I can,” she answered as she pulled herself onto her feet. They entered the apartment together and made their way back to the bathroom. “You were his partner in the Lost Books exhibit?” “Well, I was his business manager,” she answered in a somber tone. As they talked, a gurney carrying the body of the deceased professor passed them. Heart broken, the quivering brunette broke down into tears as it passed, throwing her body onto that of the fully covered corpse. As her weight landed on the moving gurney, the motion caused the sheet to fall off of Professor Pfeiffer’s body. It was hard and lifeless, not even resembling that of a human being. His lips were pulled back or burned away showing teeth down to the gum area. His face looked more like a skull than the distinguished rugged looks of the famous archaeologist! Christy recoiled in horror. This sight caused the already psychologically impaired young woman to lose it completely. After Detective Bellows and a couple of fellow officers gently pulled the grieving girl from atop the charred body they thought best of questioning, the disgruntled brunette, opting for a later date! After being pronounced dead by the coroner, Pfeiffer’s body was loaded aboard a waiting ambulance. It wheeled away

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silently through a small group of bystanders just outside of the apartment. “Ms. Summers, we see no further need in detaining you,” came the voice of the detectives as he came out of the bathroom. If we do need to talk to you, we can contact you later, okay?” She didn't answer as she was led away by one of the uniformed officers. After entering the police car that would take her home, the pathologist and Detective Bellows walked back into the small bathroom. “Well, what do you think happened?” asked the burly detective, notebook still in hand. “Officially, the cause of death was electrocution. But something still bothers me.” “And what is that?” asked the interested detective. “The marks on the throat. They look like fang marks. Possibly from some kind of snake. The only problem is…” The detective thought for a moment. “No species of snake from this area is big enough to have made these marks. In fact, the space between the two teeth marks are spaced so wide, that I can't think of any reptile capable of inflicting such wounds.” “Very curious” said the half-shaven detective as he played with the ends of his newly grown mustache. “Very curious indeed.”

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CHAPTER 18

Ali Al Hassam sat in his throne-like chair gazing out of the
huge picture window in his newly acquired study at the border that lay between Shahan and Juid. He was now master of all that he surveyed. Bright lights were flashing as his onrushing massive military machine crushed the last pockets of Juidian resistance. His army, capable of defeating the most powerful armies of the world, was making short work of the rag tag army of the small country of Juid. He knew this. He also knew that the real test would come later when the eventuality of doing battle with the military forces of the western world would become a reality. The Islamic jihad that was foretold so long ago would finally come to be. And he, Ali Al Hassam would be its leader. “The Great Enforcer sent from Allah,” he thought to himself. This, he knew was a lie. For his pact was not with God but with the Devil. Hassam would rally all the Muslim nations into one great nation in the name of Allah. But the real leader would be Lucifer, the fallen angel of God. Ironic that Lucifer would conquer man and the Heavens in the name of his oldest enemy. As Hassam sat and watched the carnage in the distance, he marveled at the powerful weapons he had obtained. These weapons made the so-called smart bombs of today pale by comparison. They neutralized conventional radar systems and had the power and accuracy to devastate any enemy. Except for limited intelligence Hassam himself had allowed them to obtain, the west so far had little knowledge about their weapons. Hassam's fortunes had changed when he began to give homage to Lucifer. Raised in the Islamic culture, he had been skeptical about religion since being a boy. He had idolized such characters as Hitler and Stalin and other infamous leaders and had gained respect for the Black Arts at an early age. He claimed to be a Muslim now only to keep control of the huge numbers of people in the Muslim world that he now seemed destined to rule.

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Even though he had been interested in the Black Arts since he was a child, he didn't give it much credence until the fall of Iraq, when a cloaked stranger visited him. Promising him great power if he devoted his life to the Devil, the stranger had guaranteed that he would one day become the most powerful leader on earth. And now this revelation was coming to pass! He had been a little skeptical at first, but agreed when the stranger showed him the future in a black onyx ball. After realizing the great power that awaited him, he gladly gave his soul to the devil. Hassam had come to power following his death from an assassin’s bullet at a Shahanean public ceremony. After being declared dead the whole nation of Shahan watched the funeral on national television. As the massive crowd at the gravesite openly mourned the fallen leader another Shahanean dignitary gave his eulogy. Darkness overcame the crowd and a lightning bolt struck the stone resting place of Ali Al Hassam. A huge flame sprung up from the slab on which the body laid. The body of Ali Al Hassam rose to the surprise of the stunned crowd proclaiming himself God on earth. Writing this off as a hoax, the western world didn’t recognize the impact that the resurrection of Hassam would have on the Islamic people. And they never knew whom the cloaked holy man was that stood off in the background of the now living cadaver or his influence on the proceedings. That cloaked stranger was an emissary from Lucifer himself. Here not to address the Islamic fundamentalists that Hassam served, but to address the hidden agenda of the Devil. Conquest of the western world would be just the beginning. For Lucifer had designs on the conquest of Heaven itself! And now, years later, the malevolent Ali Al Hassam sat awaiting the arrival of that cloaked figure once again. For it was time to destroy the religions of the world. First in the name of Islam and then in the name of Lucifer himself. Religion as an institution had to fall in order for Heaven's gates to be opened. Opened by an all-powerful sword that had been promised to Hassam by the mysterious cloaked stranger.

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A knock came on the door. “Yes, enter.” came the voice of the great Arab leader. “Your guest has arrived, your excellence.” “By all means, show him in!” Hassam stood up as his visitor entered his huge study. “You have word on the location of the Sword?” Hassam spoke with eagerness. “Hassam, you greet me with impatience?” “I'm sorry, old friend, I just can't wait until I have possession of the Sword, so I can destroy these heretics of Christianity and deliver the universe to the light, Lucifer our only true God.” “Your loyalty shall be rewarded, Hassam. As for the sword, it is within our reach. By the time you have conquered Israel, it will be in our possession.” “Praise be to the father,” Hassam answered in triumph. The two men sat and discussed the war and the balance of power in the Middle East as they watched the great flashes of weaponry in the distance. “Once the destruction of Christianity and other religion is complete, Heaven will fall. Lucifer will again sit at the Throne of God. And God will fall into the great abyss.” Continuing to speak as the emissary from the Devil himself, the stranger’s voice was pompous and arrogant! “A toast,” the stranger said as he raised his goblet of wine to the great Arab conqueror. “To the destruction of Israel, and mankind as we know it.” “To the new order,” Hassam said in reciprocation. The two sat, drinking and toasting to the unleashing of the beast upon mankind and the end of the world! As the men finished their toast, the explosions in the distance stopped. “Juid has fallen,” Hassam boasted as he turned to the stranger. “You should be proud of yourself, Hassam. Lucifer is proud of you. You have assured yourself of a place in his kingdom.” Meanwhile in the distance troops were mounting on the Jordanian border. Even though a treaty existed between Shahan and Jordan, Shahan's treachery in the invasion of Juid was clear. No one in the Middle East was safe from the Devil’s weapons of

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the country of Shahan. Jordan’s government was aware of Shahan's intentions toward Israel. And the only buffer that lay in between Shahan and its mortal enemy Israel, was the country of Jordan. All of Hassam's plans were falling into place. And the always-fragile stability of the Middle East was now at its most vulnerable. “You know Hassam, the father has delivered his end of the agreement: the superweapons, the unity of the peoples of the Arab world. It is now up to you to deliver on your end.” “Yes, my friend. That is why I so badly need the Sword.” With the quickness of a cat the stranger grabbed Hassam by his throat. “Just remember Hassam, you make no demands upon him. He is your lord and master and you have no sovereignty over him. Don't let your newfound power go to your head, he can replace you at any time!” Struggling to escape the stranger’s grasp, gasping for air, Hassam finally pulled broke the strangle hold. “I didn't mean to offend you my friend. And I don't make demands on the master. I am as always, his humble servant. It’s just that I need the Sword...to do his bidding.” The alwaysmighty Hassam’s voice cowered as he addressed the stranger. “Just so you understand that, Hassam.” The stranger’s coal black eyes stared straight into those of the frightened Arab leader. “You will get the Sword when you have destroyed Israel.” Turning abruptly, the stranger strode toward the door. Before leaving he turned back to Ali Al Hassam. “Hassam, don't let the master down. It would be a big mistake, probably your last.” He rushed through the door, slamming it as he left. Hassam shook as he took another sip of wine. He then reached for the red phone on his desk. “Ari, assemble my generals together, tonight we plan the destruction of Israel.” Slamming down the phone, the malevolent leader gulped down the remaining wine in his goblet. Hailing a taxi, the stranger headed toward the airport. Once there he approached the ticket counter. “Is my private plane ready to depart yet?” “Yes, Mr. Mehri’, we are awaiting your orders.”

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“Good, check my bags, and I will board. Allah be with you.” “And Allah be with you, Mr. Mehri’.” As the plane took off, extensive plans were being made for the invasion of Jordan as well as the conquest of Israel. Si Mehri’ chuckled to himself as he passed out of Shahanean air space. “Oh Father, today Juid. Tomorrow Israel. And then, Heaven itself.” His laughter mingled with the roar of the plane’s engines. It was dark outside. Perhaps an omen of the darkness that was about to ascend upon the world.

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CHAPTER 19 Demons of the living, demons of loneliness. But this demon Christy had faced many times before in her dreams and her shattered reality. It had appeared to her in many different forms, many faces. She had heard its cry in the night, its screeching of unholiness casting its shadow on all that it surveyed. It had been just a few months since Randal’s untimely death and Christy still felt the shock. It was so sudden, so unexpected. She had tried every way she could to forget the hurt. She had surrounded herself with friends. She would take long walks in the cool evenings. But nothing she tried could make her forget. And the dreams...the dreams continued! Nights were haunting, the darkness engulfing the young woman tightly in it's icy cold grip. Feelings that the world was caving in all around dominated her every thought. She felt as if she were suffocating and now nobody could save her. It was during one of these lonely nights that Christy received a phone call and part of her past once again resurfaced. Cutting through the silence like the howling of a jackal on the misty African plain the phone rang it’s deadly cadence. Fumbled in the darkness, Christy answered it with a trembling hand. “Hello?” “Christy. This is Si...I know you probably don't feel like talking but I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry about Professor Pfeiffer’s death... And if you need a friend, I'm here.” After a short silence she answered. “I appreciate that Si. But I just need to be alone right now. If I need to, I'll call you. Okay?” Si didn't answer. “Look Si, I've got to go!” She hung up abruptly. Afterward, Christy grabbed her coat and headed out into the night. She had a lot of thinking to do and maybe a long walk would help her come up with some much-needed answers. Since she had been Randal’s partner and knew the ins and outs

Everybody has their demons.

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of the exhibit, she had been asked by the financiers to continue with it on the road. But it was too soon. Too many memories, too much pain! Consumed by grief, the brunette just couldn't make herself continue on with the exhibit, at least not this soon. Down the street from her apartment was a little park. It had concrete picnic tables and portable grills and was surrounded on all sides by cypress trees covered with Spanish moss. A picturesque little stream ran down the middle of it dividing it into two parts. An old wooden footbridge crossed it in a strategic location making both sides accessible to each other. Evergreen trees dotted the little park permeating the air with the smell of pine. They also kept the park green, even in the dead of winter. Christy and Randal used to come to this place after a tedious day’s work on the exhibit to unwind and relax. It became their private haven from the real world. A place of solitude in the middle of the great concrete jungle known as Baton Rouge. Situated at one end of the park was a rise where at sunset you could see the sun setting and if you used your imagination you could even hear the sun sizzling in the Mississippi river. Christy and Randal had spent many magical moments here. It had become their favorite rendezvous. They used to pack picnic lunches and heat themselves by the park grills, braving the cool weather to watch the sunset. These moments relieved the stress they both felt working on the monumental project that eventually became the Lost Books of the Qumran exhibit. Christy wrapped herself in her warm fur coat, circled the park, and then came to rest sitting on one of the picnic tables that she and Randal had shared so many times before. Thoughts of private conversations and tender moments raced through her mind as she sat silently watching the sun go down. Tears of sadness welled in her eyes as she remembered. Remembered the sharing of dreams, remembered the promises of future times that now would never come to be. She looked down in solitude as a teardrop fell effortlessly down to the earth. “Why...why did he have to die?” She felt like shouting out loud to the heavens in anger. The broken hearted brunette broke down and began to cry out loud. “Randal!” she shouted into the darkness of the vulnerable

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night. Hands folded over her face, she kept repeating “Why, why, why?” Christy’s eyes were blurred from the perpetual flow of tears that now overcame her. Shaking uncontrollably from the sadness that now consumed her, Christy was startled by someone standing just outside of her periphery. Just outside of her direct sight the glowing red eyes of a hooded cloaked figure watched her intently. That same cloaked figure that had haunted her dreams so many times before was now invading her reality! Jumping up and wiping the tears from her eyes she turned to face the monster. It was gone! Christy stood shaking in fear. For now she knew that she was truly alone and at the mercy of the demons that had haunted her unrelenting and mercilessly before Randal had come along. She began to cry profusely and started to run as fast as she could toward her apartment. Christy knew that even if she could escape the physical darkness, the nagging little voice in the back of her head told her she would never escape the darkness that was now attacking her psyche. Reaching the front door of her apartment, she desperately grabbed for the keys in her purse. Her fingers seemed to get into her way as she laboriously groped for them. Christy became frantic. Finally the purse fell from her grasp, contents spilling onto the ground at her feet. Frantically, the frantic brunette fell to her knees searching in the darkness for her keys and the contents of her purse. Suddenly a tall figure stepped from out of the darkness. She screamed. It was Si Mehri’! He calmly reached down and handed her the keys. “I thought that right about now you might need a friend,” he said softly. “Oh, Si,” she said as she fell into his arms, sobbing like a baby, temporarily forgetting the past. “I just don't know what to do,” she said as she threw her arms around the only friendly face in close proximity. He put his arms around her, holding her close to him. “Calm down baby, calm down. I'm here now.” He stroked her hair and kissed her gently on the forehead.

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Shadows were cast as the light from the full moon bathed the front of Christy's tiny apartment. Shadows from the bare trees swaying in the wind danced in the moonlight as if celebrating some preordained appointment with the night. Entering Christy’s apartment, the couple found refuge from the cruel world outside. They sat on Christy's couch bound in each other’s arms. Christy cried and cried while Si comforted her. “It’s okay baby, I know you loved him. Just let it all out. Don't keep it bottled up inside. Just let it all out.” He rocked her back and forth in his arms. “I'd do anything to change things, but I can't. All I can do is stay here and be your friend.” “Oh Si, I do need a friend now. I just don't understand why this had to happen. He had so much to live for.” “I know baby. God works in mysterious ways.” Christy looked up at him in surprise. “Si, did I hear you say something about God?” “Christy, that's something that I didn't get to tell you. I've become a Christian.” “Oh Si, I'm so happy to hear that. You just don't know how happy that makes me.” Out of happiness, Christy placed a reflexive kiss on his cheek. After a few tender moments, Christy looked up to see a sincerity in Si's eyes she had never seen before. A look of caring. Perhaps she had misjudged him. After all people do change! “Christy, promise me you won't let this get you down. You've made something out of your life and you need to continue to do so. Pick up the pieces and keep moving forward.” The once disgruntled girl now seemed truly touched. Spending the rest of the evening together, Christy and Si just talked. He never tried to lay a hand on her with any sexual connotations. Before they had noticed it, it had become late. “Look Christy, it’s getting late and I have to be going. But if you need me for anything, don't hesitate to call, any time, day or night. Promise?” “I promise,” answered the grateful woman. “Thank you Si. Thank you for being a friend.” He kissed her on the cheek, and disappeared into the darkness

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of the Louisiana night. Even with the revelations of Si's newfound religion, Christy would get no sleep on this night. For shortly after lying down to sleep, the loud boomings from a powerful thunderstorm awoke her. Reverberations shook her tiny little apartment. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating her room as it knocked out the electricity. This was a violent storm, not so different from the usual thunderstorms of Louisiana, but violent just the same. Scared, the young woman sat up in her bed and prayed until the powerful storm had passed. It was daylight. Christy decided to get up. After fixing herself a grapefruit half for breakfast, she dressed to greet the new day. She was to meet with the board of directors for the exhibit today to discuss it’s future. The young brunette was still reluctant as to whether she wanted to continue as the exhibit's road manager. Perhaps she would just take some time off and visit her parents before making her decision. Strolling through the campus, she thought fondly of her encounter with Si on the previous evening. He seemed sincere in his acceptance of Jesus Christ. She always had faith that God could touch all who opened themselves to him. She was very happy for Si. The meeting went smoothly and the board decided to give Christy all the time she needed. But they emphasized the need for the show to go on the road before the beginning of the summer. It was a matter of economics. Christy agreed. It was now March and she would be ready to make the decision well before the summer deadline. On her way home Christy stopped off at a local ice cream parlor. The weather was getting a little warmer and an ice cream cone would help to cool her off. Arriving at her home with an ice cream cone in one hand and her purse in the other, the young brunette switched her ice cream to another hand and found her keys. While inserting her key in the lock, the phone inside began to ring. She hurriedly wrestled between the door and the ice cream cone enroute to the ringing phone. “Hello,” the panting young woman answered in a pleasant tone.

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“Christy, this is Si. How are you feeling this morning?” “I'm doing fine. How are you?” “I'm doing okay. How did you sleep last night? That storm was kind of rough wasn't it?” “Si, to tell you the truth, I didn't sleep very well last night. That storm kept me awake all night.” “I'm sorry to hear that. The reason that I called... I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me.” “Si, I was really thinking of taking a long nap.” “I understand, Christy.” “Now Si, don't sound like that. If you'd like, we could have dinner together tonight, how's that?” “That would be great, Christy. Just tell me what time you'd like me to pick you up.” The couple made their plans, and then Christy laid down for a much-needed nap. The young woman was so tired that she fell right to sleep, sleeping soundly all afternoon. By the time Christy woke up, it was closing in on time to get ready for her dinner date with Si. The appointed time arrived and found Christy dressed and ready for the evening. Like clockwork Si arrived at her front door. “Knock, knock...” came the reverberations from the young brunette’s front door. Christy came to the door dressed in a pantsuit with matching flowered jacket. “Come in Si, I'll be ready in just a moment.” She was putting a few finishing touches on her understated make up. “Just have a seat.” Si sat down on the overstuffed couch and made himself at home. After a few short moments, Christy emerged, pretty as a picture. “Well? Are we ready?” Si extended his arm to his young charge and they made their way to his shiny black mustang. He even opened the passenger's door, showing how much of a gentleman he was. Beginning with a nice dinner at a local eatery, the evening progressed into friendly chatter, mostly about Christy's job on the exhibit. Christy was intrigued at Si's knowledge of religion. He even had a brief knowledge about the Book of the Sword. For the most part, the evening had been a calming experience

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for Christy. Siafold Mehri’ seemed to have really gone through vast changes. Christy enjoyed the evening so much that she even considered (to herself) renewing her relationship with her once estranged husband. As the hour of midnight approached, Si dropped Christy off at home, only kissing her on the cheek for a goodnight kiss. Christy was pleasantly surprised! On this night the young woman would go to sleep with fond memories of one Siafold Mehri’ in her head. Perhaps she had underestimated him. As she drifted off to sleep, the wind outside swayed against the trees causing a hypnotic sound. Hypnotic and therapeutic. While inside, as she slipped into REM sleep, a pair of fiery red eyes watched intently from the darkest corner of the room. As Christy would find out shortly, her nightmares weren't over, they were just beginning.

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CHAPTER 20 Thunderstorms were expected to hit Baton Rouge about nightfall from the huge front coming in from Texas. It was already clouding up. Christy would be leaving the next day to visit her parents in Lafitte, Louisiana. She was to spend the evening with Si before her sojourn the following day. Spending most of the day tending to her flowers and cleaning her apartment, the young brunette would be gone for about a week and didn't want to come home to a lot of tedious chores. Even though her friends were kind of skeptical, (as well as her parents) she had been spending most of her days since the first part of March with her estranged husband. His newfound philosophies on life had come in line with her own and now they were even considering renewing their vows of marriage. This time in a Catholic church! This was one of the reasons for her trip home. They had attended church together several weeks in a row and had become constant companions during the days. They had not resumed life together in a romantic way, but were rapidly approaching that aspect of the relationship, having become the best of friends in the process of their days together. For the most part, the couple’s topics of conversation ran along theological lines. Si had become quite a scholar of Christianity, having knowledge well beyond the realms of his newfound religious beliefs. Deciding to get together at Christy's apartment for a home cooked meal instead of braving the elements of the imminent thunderstorm, the couple settled in for the evening. Thunderstorm clouds had darkened the skies considerably by the time Siafold Mehri’ had arrived at the young lady’s apartment. The smell of home made lasagna, (Emma's recipe) filled the air of the small apartment. That, garlic bread, and a fresh tossed salad would be the repast for the evening. Blasts of thunder sounded as the young couple sat at Christy's table, beginning their Italian meal. As the intensity of the storm

It was March twenty-fourth.

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increased, Christy nervously served Si’s plate. By the end of the meal, the storm had become very violent outside, blowing trees horizontally, lightning flashing and thunder pounding against ferocious skies. Retiring to the front room of Christy's apartment, Christy became slightly unnerved by the carnage just outside the safety of her den. “Si, I'm kind of scared.” “Don't worry Christy, I'll protect you. There’s nothing that can happen to you as long as I'm here.” The nervous young woman spoke in a somewhat jittery manner. “You know the other night, when that bad storm came through? I started to call you.” “Christy, I wish you would have. I would have come over as fast as my feet could have carried me.” “Oh Si, you've changed so much. I'm so happy that...” At that moment a huge flash of light shone through the room, followed by a loud thunderous crashing sound knocking out the electricity. Christy jumped into Si's arms instinctively. As she panted loudly, Si comforted her. “Christy, do you have any candles we could light?” “Yes, I'll go get them.” “No, Christy, just tell me where they are and I'll get them, my love. No need in you fumbling around in the dark.” The frightened brunette yielded to the etiquette of the young gentleman, relieved at not having to brave the dark corridors of her tiny apartment. As she waited in the dark, the flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder roared in furious tones like that of a great battle in the celestial field of the sky. It seemed like an eternity, the few short moments that her dark handsome friend was away. Finally he returned, lighting the candles and setting them around the room in a circle so they provided the maximum amount of light. As the light set in, the mood in the room changed back to a more normal tone. Sitting back, the couple began trying to salvage some sort of enjoyment out of the erratic evening. Outside, the storm even seemed to cooperate by quieting, at least

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for the moment. “So Christy, tell me, did Professor Pfeiffer really believe that a prophesied sword existed? I mean a man with his experience in theological archaeology might compromise his position with his peers by believing in such things.” Christy seemed a little dismayed at Si's apparent callousness in his inquiry. “Randal was a very respected man in his field. He could believe anything that he wanted. His contributions to the world far surpassed any questions concerning the rationality of his beliefs.” Christy shot a cold look in the direction of her gentleman caller. “I didn't mean anything by that, Christy. I was just curious as to whether Professor Pfeiffer put any credence behind the legends or whether he thought of them as just symbolic in nature. I wasn't questioning his rationality in any way. And I apologize if my question was taken wrong.” Si looked at the young woman with an apologetic face. “I'm sorry, Si. I guess this storm just has me a little uptight.” “No need to apologize Christy.” With the mood lightened a little, Christy and Si continued their conversation. “Personally, I believe that a sword does exist. And I believe that it will be uncovered one day.” Christy was surprised by her friend’s candor. For Si wasn't given to such beliefs, at least beliefs so unfounded. Even with all of the spiritualism found in his beliefs he only believed in the ceremonial or traditional aspects. But not literally. For him to make such a statement told Christy that he had actually given thought to the existence of Judean or Christian artifacts. She was fascinated. “Si, I don't know if Randal believed in an actual sword on earth, in a physical sense. But he did believe that the sword existed in the realms of Heaven and that the legends of the sword in the context of its use to expel the devil from Heaven. He also believed that chronicles existed on earth pertaining to the relativity of the sword to man. And he believed that it was very important to find these chronicles because they had bearing on the ultimate prophecies about the end of the world.”

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“Interesting.” Si said as he stroked the hairs on his chin. Si's attention suddenly shifted to some foreign source for a long moment as he gazed out toward some unknown distant place. A loud burst of thunder broke the silence, signaling that the storm was catching its second wind. For a brief moment the conversation changed to the elements of the great storm that was brewing outside. It was nearing eleven o’ clock in the evening and the electricity was still out. The candles had been burning for quite a while and were reaching their ebb in illumination. Great flashes of lightning began to explode outside, light illuminating the wall of Christy's front room in a strobe-like fashion. Christy pulled herself closer to Si, driven by the fear of the moment. Thunder bellowed in loud cracking tones. The mood inside Christy's apartment was like that of a late night horror movie, victims waiting for that fatal moment. “That's it, Christy, just lie here in my arms. I'll protect you. That's it.” Si said as he rocked her gently in a back and forth motion. Thunder and lightning continued to flash as Si tried to comfort the shaking young brunette. As he stroked her hair he spoke. “Tell me your thoughts about the sword.” She looked up at him tensely. “You really are interested in the sword, aren't you?” “Yes, I am.” “Why?” she asked inquisitively. “What’s caused this sudden interest in the sword?” Stroking his chin, the dark haired man once again changed the expression on his face to that of a serious nature. “What would you say if I told you that there are legends about the sword in my old religion?” He got Christy's attention. “In your old religion?” His eyes changed into dark pools of intensity. “Yes, does that surprise you so much? There are different religions all over the world, but they do all tie in together by a common thread.” Suddenly Christy got a shiver running up and down her spine, the hair on her body standing on end. A loud crash of thunder

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exploded outside, followed by a flash of light revealing an ominous look on Si's face. Frightened, the brunette pushed her friend away and stood up. “Si, can we change the subject please?” She crossed the room trying to get her bearings. Si got up and followed her. A look of compassion and concern returned to his face. “What's wrong, Christy?” “I...I don't know,” the confused girl answered. “If you want me to stop talking about the sword, I will. Since my introduction to Christianity, I have just developed a curiosity. That's all.” Christy looked at Si, wondering, perhaps her imagination was running away with her. The thunder, lightning, the electricity being out. “I'm sorry Si, I guess this storm just has me a little on edge.” “That's okay, Christy, I'll go into the kitchen and get us something to drink. I think both of our nerves are on edge. Just sit down and relax. I'll be right back.” Christy sat down gingerly, taking the advice of her husband. She needed to calm down. His interest in religion was healthy. She was just being silly. Christy was just going to have to get over those strange feelings that haunted her so. Si was trying to change the ways that had bothered her early in their relationship and she needed to work with him, not against him. Si returned to the room, illuminated by candlelight, holding two glasses in his hand. He sat down on the chair next to hers and handed her the glass. “Look Si, I'm sorry. I've been acting rather strange. It’s all right for you to be interested in the sword. I just don't know what came over me.” “That's okay, Christy. Just sit back and relax.” Raging on, the storm outside continued to get louder and louder. Christy took a sip of her drink. It was very sweet. She had tasted it somewhere before. She wondered where. “I've got to admit, the legend of the sword intrigues me. With my background in my former religion, it’s hard for me to accept

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the concept of magical swords, at least in the context of being possessed by man. But in the symbolic sense I find more credence in the existence of a mythological sword.” Sipping another mouthful of the sweet liquid from her glass, the young brunette continued to listen to her husband as he spoke. “The idea of an actual sword sealing the gates of Heaven eludes me in its logic. Perhaps in a more spiritual sense its existence seems more valid.” Christy listened as Si theorized about the sword. She was finally starting to relax. Si continued speaking. “It states in the book of the sword that only one who is pure in heart and with a total commitment to God can remove the sword from the gates of Heaven. Perhaps this person of purity and commitment to God is more significant to the legend of the sword than any sword in a physical sense. Maybe this person, in a symbolic sense, is the sword.” Si’s inquiries into the sword seemed to be choreographed by the pounding thunder just outside of Christy’s apartment. Christy was starting to get a little too relaxed. She put her glass down, as the idea that the substance in the glass was some kind of drug crossed her mind. Then it hit her. “Oh my God.” She remembered where she had tasted that liquid before. It was the night she had married Si. That was the same beverage she had drunk before the bizarre happenings on the night of her marriage. “Yes Christy, the sword may just be a symbol for something else. Something more significant.” “Si, what are you talking about?” “I'm talking about the son of Lucifer. The son of the Devil himself. Born unto a person of purity and total devotion to God. A female such as...” Si paused. “You Christy. A person such as you. You have been chosen to be the mother of Lucifer’s only begotten son.” Si’s eyes glowed a piercing red as he stared at her with the look of a wild animal! Christy reeled back in horror but the drug she had ingested was taking effect. Stumbling as she tried to get away, she fell to the ground. Her body was becoming paralyzed. Suddenly the vicious laughter in the background that she had heard so many

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times before in her nightmares began to echo in her head. Si stood illuminated by the continuous lightning, holding his penis in his hand. The effects of the drug coupled with the eerie glow from the lightning, made Si’s penis seem distorted in its size. Distorted, it seemed four to five feet in length. “Behold the Sword of Righteousness.” Hideous laughter resounded from the background. Outside, the storm was growing out of control, wind crashing through the glass windows of the tiny apartment. Blowing hard, it bellowed through the small apartment in swirling motions lifting everything that wasn’t nailed down, throwing it aimlessly about. Booming thunder took on the sounds of infinite laughter, sounding like the screaming and moaning from the creatures of Hell. Christy, half-conscious from the drug given her, was scared to death from the sudden turn of events. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out of her mouth. Confused, she was scared and unable to move. All of the sudden a sharp pain ran through her body. To her horror, she was being raped by her estranged husband. Outside, the storm whipped into a frenzy, wreaking havoc on Baton Rouge like no storm in recent history. Christy would never know of the damage. The frightened brunette would go through such pain that night that she would fall into a deep, deep coma-like sleep. Her world would fall into blackness. And the gates of Heaven would be left vulnerable. For the Sword of Righteousness had been removed.

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CHAPTER 21 An empty room, save one bed and bedside table, walls covered with gray foam padding. There were no windows except for the tiny barred one on the door. It resembled an isolation room in a mental ward. Christy was startled at first, not knowing where she was. She felt like she had been sleeping for days. Then it all came back to her: that terrible night, the storm and finally, the rape. Her body ached; it was bumped and bruised, as if she had been in a fight for her life. As she sat back trying to piece together what had happened to her, those terrible words came back. “The son of Lucifer. The son of the Devil himself.” And according to Si, she had been chosen to bear him in her body. Anxious from the realization of what had happened to her, the young brunette began to cry. Why was this happening to her? Why was God letting it happen to her? Hadn't she always been faithful to him? “One of purity. One with total devotion to God.” She remembered the words Si had spoken that fateful night. Christy almost jumped out of her bed as a loud knock came upon the door. Sounds of metal keys turning the tumblers of a lock echoed in her ears as the door was opened. Si stood at the threshold staring at Christy with glaring red eyes. “I do hope you are enjoying the accommodations. You see, you are our special guest.” He waited for a response from the frightened young girl. “The tests have come in and the rabbit died.” With evil-intentions, the young man began to laugh with uncontrollable malevolent laughter. Christy, frozen in fear, dared not respond. “I can see that you don't feel like talking. So I will leave you now. Just knock on the door if you need anything.” Si laughed as he exited the room. Christy waited a while before she moved. Finally, getting up out of the bed, she walked to the door and began to knock. After

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a short moment the small wooden shutter that shielded the room’s view from the outside world opened. A hulking, expressionless Mongoloid looking guard peered into the room at the frightened young girl. “I'm very hungry, could you possibly...” The guard shut the wooden panel before she could finish the sentence. “Did you hear me?” she screamed. But to no avail. Christy returned to her bed, throwing herself upon it in exasperation. She wondered if the guard had even heard her. Her thoughts were answered a short while later when a servant entered the room with a tray of food. The servant was female, of Mongoloid appearance also. Never speaking, the servant just delivered the food and hurried out of the room before Christy had a chance to speak to her. She was trapped, powerless to do anything, completely at Si’s mercy. After finishing the plate of food, she rapped on the door to have the servants take the empty tray away. Once again, the Mongoloid guard unlatched the little shutter, gazed in, and quickly shut it. Quickly, the door opened, the guard stepped in and took away the tray. Christy rushed for the opened door. As she got to the door, she was grabbed from behind. Holding her by her nightshirt, the guard slung her with super-human strength onto the waiting bed across the room. In bewilderment, the girl buried her head in her arms and began to cry uncontrollably. Hours passed as she lay on the bed, crying profusely. Crying and crying until the tears would no longer come out, she became aware that something was happening. The lights in the room began to flicker and dim, and the air grew thick with guarded anticipation. A smoky substance started to pour into the room from some unknown source, possibly a hidden vent under the door. Christy couldn't tell. The fog slowly filled the room until Christy could no longer see anything around her. Waving her hands in front her, trying to disperse the eerie fog in vain, she realized that it was too thick. Terrified, the young brunette began to hear strange sounds. Sounds like that of cattle, of pigs squealing and other animalistic

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growling abounding from every corner of the room. She could detect movements throughout the room, but could make out no specific objects, just motions. A fluttering of wings swept past the frightened girl, just above her head. It was so close that she could feel the wind from its wings. She ducked out of reflex and fear. Christy stepped down off of the bed seeking shelter from what she feared was about to happen to her. Instead of the wooden floor that had once been there, the girl’s bare feet sank into a soft, muddy-feeling ooze. It was as if she had stepped into a swamp bed. She tried jumping back on the bed but it was no longer there. She fell face first into the muddy ooze. Suddenly Christy detected that the air around her had changed. Insects flew all around the panic-stricken young woman. She could feel them lighting on and stinging on her as she tried to walk forward seeking some kind of sanctuary from the strange world in which she now found herself trapped. Christy stopped, panting hard as she realized she was no longer in her padded room but in some other place. Still blinded by the fog, Christy could tell by the thickness of the air that she must be outside somewhere. She stood still, trying to get her bearings. Suddenly she sensed a strange sensation at her feet. Before she could take another breath she realized that a snake was wrapping itself around her ankle. Hysterically, the girl began to scream, shaking violently, trying to knock the serpent from around her legs. She closed her eyes and began to struggle but without success. Managing to wrap itself around her whole body, the snake tightened its grip as she struggled. Writhing in the darkness of the fog, she tried to break away from the grasp of the huge serpent. Suddenly, opening her eyes, the frightened woman realized that what she thought was a snake wrapped around her was actually the sheets of her bed. In her sleep she had obviously wrapped herself up in them. She now lay covered in sweat in the bed of her padded gray room. Christy looked up and noticed a malevolent dark figure standing at the corner of the room staring at her. It was Si. He was jerking in restrained motions trying to keep from laughing at the hysterical girl.

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“Why are you doing this to me?” Christy screamed. “What have I done to deserve this?” “Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this?” Si mimicked. Chuckling to himself as he looked on, he answered her. “You don't deserve any of this. You are unworthy to carry the child of Satan, you pitiful, pale bitch. You have only your God to blame. He is the one that decreed it be you who would be the one to remove the Sword from its perch at Heaven’s doors. It is he who decreed you be the Mother of the Devil’s only begotten son.” As Christy looked on, the dark distorted features on Si's face transformed him into something inhuman, a monster from the nether regions of hell! He glared at her in disdain with murderous eyes. “Where is your God now? Do you think that he could wish this upon you and still love you? He has abandoned you. How could he love you now? You carry the son of his most hated enemy. He has doomed you to Hell!” Si cocked his head back once again in malevolent laughter, shaking in evil joviality at the helplessness of his hated wife. Suddenly he straightened up and got a serious look on his face. “I must go now. But I will be back before the cock crows!” He busted out once again in uncontrollable laughter that trailed him as he left the room. Once Si was gone, Christy fell to her knees and began to pray feverishly. As she did, the room got darker. Loud banging could be heard as the walls began to breathe. Suddenly the whole room began to shake violently as if rocked by an earthquake. The bed and bedside table began to rattle across the floor with such force that Christy fell onto the quaking ground. Terrified, the young brunette stopped praying. After she stopped praying the room ceased to shake. She tried to resume praying, but every time she did, the same thing happened. Terrified, Christy gave up trying to pray altogether and began to cry; realizing that she was trapped in the devil’s domain. Finally, exhausted and defeated, the frightened young woman cried herself to sleep. Hours slipped into days and days slipped into weeks. Christy’s confinement and total isolation disoriented her. She

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couldn't tell the difference between day and night or between dreams and reality. They all became one. In the Devil’s domain there are no dreams, only nightmares! Her incarceration in the tiny room continued, intermittent with visitations to other hellish places like the ooze filled swamp she first visited. Si explained that her travels to these places were orientations to her new kingdom. For after all, she was the mother of the Prince of Darkness.’” As the weeks passed her stomach began to swell with the fetus of Lucifer’s unholy child. Between her nightmares, she began to vomit endlessly, dry heaving when she could vomit no more. Mindless, Mongoloid servants cared for her in robot-like manner, never showing emotion or understanding. She was never allowed to leave the room except for her venturings into the evil realms of darkness, which she was exposed to at regular intervals during her sleep. Finally, after a few months of captivity, Si came to her, leading her out of the room and into the rest of the huge building in which she was being held captive. They walked down a huge hall past countless rooms. Resembling a large medieval castle, the house seemed to go on forever. It was manned by an army of mindless, wretched creatures, ranging in degrees of humanity from the slightly afflicted to the most monstrously deformed abominations of nature. Although medieval in appearance, it took but one look outside of the huge plate glass windows to determine that they were in the middle of a deep, dark Louisiana swamp, surrounded on all sides by water, snakes, alligators and other dangerous creatures native to the area. The only way out of this hellish domain was by small boats or pirogues. Christy knew now that it was fruitless to try and escape. In desperation, she gave in to the fact that she would only leave this place if allowed to do so by her captors. Si led her into a huge study at the other end of the hallway from her holding cell. Dark in character, the room was lined with bookcases filled with volumes and volumes of books. From hardbound novels to every reference book imaginable, it had the look of a legal library. A huge polished wood-finished desk sat at the far end of the room, just in front of dark violet colored

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drapes that covered a large window. Pieces of baroque styled sculpture appointed the room’s many pieces of matching furniture, giving the room an eerie feel to it. “Please have a seat,” Si said extending his hand to indicate a large leather chair that sat in the room’s geometric center. “I brought you here to try to explain to you what is happening.” Christy sat motionless, drained by her experiences of the past months. “You have been chosen to be the mother of our Savior. You see Christy, a new world order has begun. At this very moment the forces of Lucifer descend upon the nation of Israel. They pave the way for his son's arrival on earth.” Christy sat still on her large leather chair, seemingly oblivious to what had been said. Perhaps it was the reality of what had happened to her or maybe it was the months of cruel incarceration and altered reality. But Christy sat as a shell of the former person she was. “Your God has abandoned you. Maybe he realizes that his rule of the universe is at its end. But he has abandoned you, Israel, and all of his followers. As times change, so do circumstances, and these circumstances dictate that a new and prophesied leader emerge. Lucifer's rule of the universe is at hand.” Si looked for some sign of understanding from the captive brunette. She sat still, staring straight ahead. “Lucifer has decided in all his mercy that you be freed from your room and allowed free access to the house. As you can see it is heavily fortified with guards. There is no way to escape.” Si made his way to the dark violet drapes and pulled them open in a sharp, snapping motion. “As you can also see, we are surrounded by the swamp. The only way out is by boat. Even if you tried to escape, the snakes, alligators and wild animals would devour you before you could get a quarter of a mile away.” Si looked into her eyes. There was no sign of realization in the girl’s blank eyes. “You will have a guard at your side at all times, although none are needed judging from your demeanor. You seem merely a shell of a person. It’s just as well, for you are only a vessel. A

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vessel being used for the gestation of the Father’s Offspring.” Still no reaction from the dazed young brunette. Si cocked back his head in evil, malicious laughter. He clapped his hands and a Mongoloid looking guard entered the room. “Guard, take her away. See that she enjoys herself!” Echoes of his continuing raucous laughter rang in Christy's ears as she exited the study. She was led back to her room down the hall by one of her guards. He left her zombie-like body at the bed and exited the room, leaving the door wide open. After sitting expressionless for a few minutes, she finally stood up. Her ploy had worked. She had convinced Si that she was broken. She would have to be careful not to give herself away. They still may be watching. The scared young brunette carefully made her way to the door, peering out, sizing up her surroundings. One of the huge Mongoloid guards sat vigilant at a table just outside the door. Startled, the young brunette pulled back for fear of being seen. Now she would have to regroup and come up with a plan. In order to escape, she knew she would have to observe her surroundings for a few days to detect any weaknesses in security. After finding what they were, she would use them in formulating her escape plan. Time became the young woman’s enemy as day by day she realized that there were no weaknesses in security in this Devil’s lair. New indignities awaited the vigilant girl every day and night. One night, shortly after her freedom was given her, Christy was walking around the house closely followed by her semihuman guard. Making her way to a den area, the troubled young woman heard a gagging sound accompanied by the fluttering of wings. The sounds were coming from a corridor just below her. Scared, but driven by curiosity, the young woman made her way all through the house, following the sounds, checking doors for passageways to the chambers down below. Finally, she came upon a door just off of the kitchen area that revealed a staircase. Following close behind, the guard kept an eye out as the young woman continued her search.

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Descending the staircase with the guard close behind, Christy heard even more strange noises. The further down the stairs she got, the louder the noises became until she reached the bottom. Rounding one of the dark corners, the curious young woman came upon shadow-laden fiery lights cast upon the walls. Foggy and smoky, at the end of the basement there was a hidden chamber from whence the strange light was emanating. As the young woman got closer to the chamber, the guard behind her shuddered. The emotionless creature that served as her escort, for the first time, showed an emotion. Fear! Reaching out to grab her arm, he tried to stop her forward motion but was too late. She quickly broke away and entered. What she saw after she entered sent chills down her spine. Half-human, half animal creatures, not much more than skeletal figures with huge bat-like wings preyed on some kind of dead animal. Fear prevented her from getting any closer to the scene even though she was curious to see what type of animal laid there being consumed by the starved, evil looking abominations! One of the creatures suddenly turned from its bloody repast to glance up at her. The frightened brunette gasped in horror! Its face looked familiar. It was the drawn up looking face of her mother, Emma Summers! As she screamed, the hand of the Mongoloid guard grabbed her from behind, dragging the fear frozen woman from the room, back upstairs to her padded cell. Moments later, Si entered the room. “I hear you've been a naughty girl,” he said in his thickest eastern accent. As he spoke he beat a rolled up newspaper against his other hand. “You must learn that just because you were given freedom to roam around the house, that doesn't give you the right to stick your nose in places that it doesn’t belong.” He paused for a moment. “For your protection we are going to have to ask that you confine your activities to this wing of the house. Anything beyond the den is off limits to you now. Do you understand?” Christy nodded her head in agreement, not saying a word. He turned to leave the room, then stopped dead in his tracks. “Oh yes, I brought you a little something to read.” Tossing

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the paper onto the bed, Si left the room. Christy stared at the paper for a moment, finally picking it up. Reading the headline, an icy chill ran through her body. ‘Mutilated Couple Found on Rural Lafitte Area Farm.’ Christy knew immediately that the paper had been left for a reason. Without reading the story, she knew that her parents were the couple that had been killed. She picked up the paper to read the gruesome details. Killed in a ritualistic fashion, the body parts of the couple had been dismembered and offered on a makeshift altar in sacrifice. The article went on to say that the couple’s adopted daughter had been missing since the night of the incident, March the twentyfourth. “Adopted daughter?” The confused girl thought to herself. Thinking that the Summers had been her natural parents, Christy continued reading the article. It seems that years before, Christy had been found on their doorstep in a basket. After trying in vain to find the parents of the child, they went through legal procedures to adopt her. Christy laid the paper down and began to ponder what she had just learned. Lights in the room were beginning to dim, which meant that soon the door would be locked for the night. She laid her head down upon her pillow and rested. Soon came the click of the door being locked and the sound of the lights being shut off. Thoughts of horrible deaths and demonic beings filled her head. It took a while but she finally drifted off into not such a peaceful sleep. Standing once again at the threshold of the dark forest that was all too familiar, Christy looked into the unknown, wind blowing through her brunette hair as an unholy sound in the distance beckoned her on. She knew that she shouldn't, but as in the many dreams before, she had no choice but to follow the noise, not knowing where else to go. A chorus of evil sounding music accompanied by unearthly chants from a multitude of dark angels made the hellish noise as Christy mindlessly approached them! Plodding cautiously into the unknown mists of the forest, the anxious woman tore through the thicket, making her way to the origins of the ominous sounds.

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Bathed in the light of a full moon, she discovered a path leading into the darkness. Instinctively she knew where to go! After a short walk down the path of darkness, Christy noticed a light just outside of her periphery. She knew that she shouldn't get off of the path, but curiosity spurned her on. She tore through the entangled vines and thick undergrowth until she came upon the source of the light. Right in front of her stood a great brick wall, weathered from many years of neglect. It was lighted by an old fashioned street lamp, like one you would have found in any large city during the early twentieth century. At the base of the great wall there was a row of garbage cans. There, lying on the ground, rolling in his own excrement among the many garbage cans was a young black child. It reminded Christy of a scene from the great depression she had seen once in a photograph. Looking down at the child with pity, the compassionate brunette kneeled next to him, offering assistance. Looking up at her, he became startled by the sudden intrusion. “Lady, do you have any spare change? I haven't eaten in a week.” As Christy reached out to touch him, there became a great commotion. His chest expanded and began convulsing in inhuman motions. Frightened, the young female fell back from the spasming child. Suddenly the black child’s body flew up into a crouched, standing position. His skeletal appearance made the motions seem even more pronounced as he looked up at her from his crouched position. His face had aged to that of an old man. Wrinkles covered his face and the aberration bore an evil grin. As she watched, the once small child increased to ten times his size and a huge pair of wings sprouted from out of his back. Christy recoiled in fear and total repulsion at the thing that now stood before her. “Oh my God!” she screamed out as she turned to run from the creature. Escaping into the darkness of the forest she could hear the creature scream out to her from behind. “Your God can't help you now!” Christy ran and ran as fast as her feet could carry her.

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Running until, in the distance, she could make out a large mountain. She continued on, hoping to find refuge in the vistas ahead. Running as far as she could, the frightened brunette finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell to the ground. Lying as still and as close to the ground as she could in case the winged beast had followed her, she closed her eyes and coiled up into a human ball. Lying still for hours, the young girl was finally roused by a strong cold wind. Looking up, she realized that she was at the bottom of the great mountain she had seen earlier. Where was she? She dared not guess. As she walked freely around the site she saw an old white bearded man standing just across the way from her. Motioning for him, she could not get his attention. Exhilarated at the sight of another human being, the girl started to straddle the rocks in order to reach the old man. Making her way around a large boulder that she thought would bring her to him, she emerged around the opposite side. The old man was gone and standing in his place was a huge viciouslooking dragon, right out of Grimm’s fairy tales! The scaly green creature was breathing fire and inching toward her. Stopping in her tracks, Christy set her foot firmly on the ground. When she did, the rocks beneath her gave way and dropped her into a deep dark cave. Cut and bruised from the fall, Christy stood up and looked out onto the subterranean land. It was like an underworld, but instead of sky above, there was nothing but glowing, molten rock! Noticing a fire in the distance, bruised and battered, she began to walk toward it. Perhaps she could get some bearing as to where she was. Following a man-made path, Christy set out toward the mysterious fire. Air stale and temperatures hot, the weary young woman was out of breath before she had gotten very far. Slowly plodding around a great bend in the road that rounded a tall rock formation, Christy reached the other side. Before her stood a multitude of subterranean people, their attention focused straight ahead on a single man standing on top of a short rise above them. Dark and good-looking the man, probably in his mid-twenties,

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was speaking to the crowd. His hair was long; he was unshaven. Dressed in robes like those worn at the time of Jesus, he continued to preach to the multitudes. “Blessed are the strong, for they will devour the weak. Blessed are the uncharitable for they will have, while the weak are deprived. Blessed are the liars, for they shall know the only truth...” He was preaching. But what he was preaching was a complete blasphemy of Christ’s sermon on the mount. All at once Christy was compelled to look around her. What she saw was every form of human mutation imaginable. Half-human, half-animal. Human bodies with the faces of swine. Dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins. All with the genes of evil injected into their very souls. “Blessed are the evil, for they shall inherit the earth...” The populace all cheered in unison as their sinister orator finished his speech. Christy turned, trying to steal away from the crowd. She held her head down so as not to be recognized by any of the creatures. Increasing her pace as she made her way through the mass of inhumanity, she ran right into someone that stopped her in her tracks. Looking up, the young woman noticed standing in front of her the pseudo-Christ figure, who moments earlier had been speaking to the crowd. Looking out at the multitude of believers, he motioned to Christy. “Behold my mother,” he proclaimed to the waiting crowd. They all cheered and converged on the frightened young woman, tearing at her clothes and trying to touch her as if they were reaching for some sort of deity. Christy began screaming hysterically, flaying her arms and trying to escape the grasp of the multitude of human oddities. She jerked around and around trying to avoid their grasps. Suddenly she detected some sort of change. The frightened young woman looked up to realize that she was sitting up in her bed alone inside the padded room at Si's evil hideaway. “I've got to get away. I've got to escape,” she said in between tears. “Please God, help me...”

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CHAPTER 22

Weeks seemed like months, and every day that passed made
it clear that there was no escape possible for the imprisoned woman. Her mental faculties became impaired. She suspected that the foods she was given contained drugs. But what could she do? Reality and dreams blended into one, making it impossible to tell the difference between the two. Christy was in a living hell. And what was worse, she was carrying the devil’s child. Each day she got bigger and more uncomfortable. Even though it had been weeks since she had any real concept of time, she knew that the time of her unholy delivery was growing near. The gestation period was coming to an end. Christy was sitting in the study, glancing out of the big glass window into the surrounding swampy terrain that nestled this evil house in its tight grip. On the mantel the old wooden clock ticked out its deadly rhythmic cadence as the young brunette waited helplessly for fate to intervene. Although the pretty brunette had sat in this same room many times during her incarceration, she had never really looked around at the multitude of books surrounding her. Whether it was due to fatigue, or the drugs that she was being given, she’d just never taken the time to look at the books. Watching cautiously, the burly, mutant-looking guard’s eyes followed the young woman as she got up from the leathercovered couch and made her way to the surrounding bookcases. There were volumes and volumes of leather bound books, some old, some new. All were of high quality and inscribed with gold lettering. Upon further inspection, Christy noticed that they were written in different types of ancient Arabic script or other unknown hieroglyphic writing. She went through several volumes until she came upon one she could understand. It was written in English. As the harried female thumbed through page after page of the book, it became

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clear that it was some sort of chronology of rituals and incantations. Possibly written by someone from years past. Its different references to animal mutilations and sacrifices told Christy that it was of demonic origin. On the black outer cover of the book, inscribed in gold was the title: “The Book of Life”. As she read through the book, a fly buzzed by and landed on the leather bound manuscript. Christy tried to shoo it away, but it stood its ground. At that moment she glanced up; the burly Mongoloid guard was gone and in his place sat a malnourished hideous looking creature. It was rusty in color, crouched in a contorted disfigured stature. Huge bat-like wings protruded from its back and waved slowly back and forth in a calculated motion. Its wrinkled face had thick black eyebrows as well as a malevolent smile frozen to it. An evil malice in its expression sent shivers down Christy's spine. Motionless, except for the slow deliberate motion of its wings, the creature stood with its eyes transfixed on Christy. As the despondent brunette looked back, more flies started to buzz around her. Seconds later the room began to fill up with flies. Waving her hands to keep the flies away, Christy never took her eyes off of the demonic creature. “Who are you?” she asked. The creature cocked back its head in maniacal laughter. “I am your guardian angel,” it countered in a malicious tone. Christy threw the book to the floor and rushed from the room in a panic. Thousands of flies followed as the panicked young woman ran down the hall to her padded room. Grabbing the doorknob, the frightened woman tried to turn it to the open position. It wouldn't budge. She was locked out of the room! Soon the hallway became so filled with flies, they blocked out any light, throwing the hall into complete darkness. Christy screamed, collapsing to the floor, flies entering her mouth as she breathed. Flailing her arms, the frightened brunette tried to shoo the flies away and clear a way to breathe, but to no avail. Finally she decided to get up and run back down the hall to seek some sort of refuge in the study. Any other sounds were drowned out by the loud buzzing of the flies and their numbers made it impossible to see anything.

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Christy was about to panic when out of the corner of her eye she caught the glimpse of a faint light. As she maneuvered toward it, she could also make out another form in the fly-infested darkness. As she got closer, the vision of a little man, a dwarf standing next to some sort of passageway came into view. “Quickly, quickly,” he said as he motioned the girl toward the small portal that would lead her from her fly-infested confines. Whether it was fear for her life or just the need to escape, Christy crouched down and followed the little man into the small passageway. Following the little man through a maze of tunnels leading every which way, he brought them through a cave and into an open area at the base of a tall mountain. “Who are you?” she asked the little man. “That's not important.” he answered. “We must hurry, before they find out you are gone.” Panoramic views, including every color imaginable, led the way for the dwarf and the young woman as they followed the natural path of the mountain. They traveled for some time until they came upon an empasse. “Shhhhh,” he said as he put his finger to his mouth. “Be careful not to make a sound.” He pulled her back flush against the side of the mountain. After a short while, he let her peer around the side of the natural rock wall. Out in the valley below, there were tens of thousands of starving children. Most too skinny to even stand up. They stood on top of the bodies of other dead children who littered the landscape, spared the rigors of the slow agonizing death the others were experiencing. “An abomination,” said the dwarf as he revealed the horrid scene. “This didn't have to happen.” Christy watched in horror as a small group of children tore at the carcasses of already dead bodies, fighting to obtain what food they could from the skeletal remains. Christy doubled over and began to vomit. “Don't blame them, it’s not their fault. It's the only way they know,” the dwarf said in anger. “If man had not been so greedy,

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there would have been enough for all. But in his haste to improve the world, he destroyed it!” A loud sound of thunder exploded off in the distance. “Come, time grows short. We must go!” Reaching out to Christy, the dwarf grabbed her hand and led her down into the valley, wading through the masses of death and rotting humanity. The smell of rotting flesh gagged Christy as she made her way through the half-dead beings reaching out to them, pleading for help. The dwarf just kicked at them and pushed them aside as he made his way through, leading Christy by the hand. Christy was appalled by the horror, but pushed on to keep up with her small guide. Finally they made their way into an open area lush with green grass and vegetation. A stark contrast from the barren land of the dead from which they had just come. Christy began to cry, and jerked her hand away from the dwarf’s grasp. “Why do you pull away from me?” he asked. “How can you act so appalled by the starvation of the children one minute, cursing and pushing them away the next?” Christy questioned the little man. “Can't you see? Or are you blinded by pity? Those children are already dead! Until the Sword of Righteousness is back in its rightful place, they are all doomed. We are all doomed!” Christy looked at the little man, bewildered by his blunt statement. “You, Christy, you must live so that they do not die in vain.” At that moment came another loud blast. But this time, the ground began to shake. Christy glanced back in the distance toward the children. As a huge mushroom cloud rose overhead, a vast wave of energy poured over the helpless children, vaporizing them. “There...there is your answer to poverty,” came a cackling voice. It was not the voice of the dwarf. The dwarf was gone! Standing right in front of Christy was the smiling, hellish, rustcovered creature that had called itself Christy's guardian angel. “How do you like your world’s future?” the demon barked out. He then pointed a long bony finger at Christy's swollen belly and continued.

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“You carry the new age messiah in your unworthy body. He will take the Sword of God and thrust it into the heart of mankind, and then into the heart of God himself. The epoch of God will be over. And your God will truly be dead.” Uncontrollably, the demon began to laugh. Sitting, looking on in horror, Christy couldn't tell whether this was a dream or more of her living nightmare. “Enough of this frivolity, we must continue on.” It grabbed her hand and leaped for the sky. Her wrists were bruised at the harshness of his grasp. Before Christy knew it she was hundreds of feet in the air, her only lifeline being the grip of the powerful demon upon her wrists. Bursts of wind from the sweeps of the huge bat-like wings blew through her hair as she sailed through infinity, unsure of where her destination might be. It wasn't long before the horrified brunette reached that destination. Her grip tightened as the flying demon dropped from the upper atmosphere back down toward the earth. All around were the flashing lights of bombs, the strobe-like flashes of cannons. The degradation of war! As Christy and her inhuman companion neared the earth, they could view the carnage. Crumbling ruins of small towns were set on fire, as others sat smoking in cinders. Among the burning edifices lay charred bodies, still smoking from the communion of fire. Some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition; others frozen for all of time, still reaching to the sky for salvation that would never reach them. The charred bodies of mothers were still clinging to their babies trying to protect them from the coming anointment of Hell's fire! The devastation of war reached everywhere for as far as the eye could see. Christy realized that she was witnessing Hell on earth. Both descended into a military encampment set far behind the lines of confrontation. As they got closer to earth, their landing was destined for a large recreational vehicle. Like ghosts, they passed through the walls of the vehicle and came to rest inside, next to a large table. On the table was a life-like map of the region. Little black flags covered the table, signifying the positions of the attacking army. Surrounded on three sides was the nation of Israel.

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Christy knew immediately that the armies of Shahan now had control of the Middle East, and were converging on Israel. A soldier at the far end of the room cleared his throat and began to speak. “Brothers, the time of anointment is upon us. The dog of Israel is about to fall.” Cheers filled the room as the handful of officers began to voice their approval. The uproar became so intense that the small crowd didn't notice the door open at the end of the room. A sudden silence enveloped the room as everyone jumped to attention. The imposing figure of Ali Al Hassam had just entered the chamber. “Your happiness is understandable, brothers. We have fought long and hard. Allah has provided the weapons. Our enemies of the secular west don't understand the weapons of God.” Hassam looked at the faces of his officers. “But our war is not yet over. In fact it has just begun. After we have destroyed Israel we will possess the Sword of God and then my friends, we shall conquer the world.” Resuming their cheering, the men stood in unison, saluting their mentor. In the distance came a loud boom. As Christy looked, a huge mushroom cloud rose from the distant horizon. She closed her eyes in sadness. When she opened her eyes, she no longer stood in the recreational vehicle of the dreaded Ali Al Hassam. She now was standing on a screened-in porch. A familiar screened-in porch. She stood at the front door of Jonathan and Emma Summers. Puzzled, the young brunette looked through the door and saw her parents. “They're not dead,” she spoke out loud. “Mom, Dad, it's me, Christy.” They didn’t hear her. Christy opened the door. “Mom, Dad, I'm home.” Still no recognition that she was there. Running up to her mother, Christy threw her arms around her. Christy's arms passed through her maternal parent as if through thin air! Emma Summers couldn't see, hear, or feel Christy. Puzzled and frightened, the young brunette just sat back in

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sadness and watched. “Jonathan, I'm so excited that Christy's coming home tomorrow, aren't you?” Jonathan looked up from his newspaper and acknowledged his wife with a large smile. Emma continued the conversation. “But I don't like the idea of her seeing Si again.” Jonathan laid down his paper and approached his wife. “I don't care for him either, Emma, but that's Christy's choice, not ours. If we love our daughter, we'll just have to accept the choices she makes in her personal life.” “I guess you’re right,” she answered. Jonathan laid a gentle kiss on the cheek of his pretty wife. “You know I'm right,” he said with a sly smile. It warmed Christy's heart to see the closeness of her parents again. It was a sight she hadn't seen in a long time. “Jonathan, there's something that’s been bothering me.” “What's that dear?” “Well, I've been thinking...maybe we should tell Christy that she was adopted.” A hard look came into Jonathan’s eyes. “Now Emma, I don't really think that's necessary. What difference would it make?” “I just think we should tell her the truth.” Jonathan put his arms around his wife and held her close to him. “Emma, ever since we found Christy that day in that little basket on our front porch, she’s been our little girl. Her little smile, her pretty brown hair. I knew that she was sent from God to be our child.” “I know, Jonathan, I felt the same way. But she's an intelligent, loving young woman, and I think if she knew the truth it wouldn't change the way she felt about us one bit.” Jonathan looked into Emma's eyes with a look of love. “You know Emma, I'm not the only one around here that's always right!” They threw their arms around each other in a warm embrace. A tear came to Christy's eyes as she watched. Suddenly, the front door flew open and several hooded figures rushed into the room, surrounding Jonathan Summers and his wife. Another figure wearing a large ram’s head entered after them.

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“What do you people want?” Jonathan asked in a rage. “Silence, infidel!” the imposing ram’s head-bedecked creature screamed. At that moment, one of the cloaked, hooded creatures hit Jonathan Summers in the head with a large club. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Emma fell to her knees by his side. “Why are you doing this to us?” “Woman, you have been chosen,” the figure in the ram’s head said as the others began to chant in some foreign gibberish. “Chosen. Chosen for what?” “Chosen for this!” one of the hooded figures screamed as he grabbed her from behind. The hooded man lifted Emma's head up by the hair, revealing her throat. The high priest pulled a knife from his scabbard. After chanting a few words he made his way to the screaming woman. Emma’s screams became bloody gurgles as in one swift, precise swing, the high priest cut the helpless woman's throat. What ensued was a blood bath orgy. The attackers cut the couple’s bodies up into countless pieces, tearing at the flesh with sharp knives and drinking the blood from the mutilated corpses. Christy was frozen in horror at the sight of desecration of her parents. It so overpowered her that she fell into a deep state of unconsciousness. She didn't awaken until the next morning. Numb from fear but aware of reality, she had been awakened by the tapping sounds from the next room. Six taps, a short pause, and six taps, over and over again in a slow precise rhythm. As Christy's head began to clear from the dream-like state she had previously been in, the taps kept getting louder. Lying there for a moment, listening to the sounds from beyond the door, the memories of the night before came to her. Had she been dreaming or had some malevolent force allowed her to witness her parent’s murder from months before? She dared not speculate but she knew one thing...she had to escape from this hellish place! From the darkness of her room she could make out the light seeping from the bottom of the door. The tapping got louder as she neared the closed door. As she got to it, she paused for a

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moment, took a deep breath, grabbed the doorknob and turned it, slowly opening the door. There sitting at a small desk at the entrance to the room, was the rust colored, winged, demonic creature. Still with the evil maniacal smile frozen to its face, its malformed body was hunched over the desk, sharp fingernails striking the desk’s surface in increments of six. Pulling back in fear of being seen, the scared brunette peered from a safer distance, observing the creature for a while. It was oblivious to her presence. Christy tested its periphery by waving hands in the open, just outside its vision. No reaction. Finally, after gathering up her courage, she stepped out of her confinement. Still no reaction! The girl tiptoed away from the creature in silence. A loud creak came from one of the loose floorboards. The demonic creature looked up! He didn't try to stop the scared girl, opting to study her closely with fiery red eyes. The evil grin remained etched to the creature’s gargoyle-like face. Christy began to shake in fear, but continued on. He didn't move a muscle to stop her, following her only with his eyes. As she made it to the end of the hallway, he screamed at her with a loud, booming voice. “You can run, but you can never leave!” Loud maniacal laughter filled the hallway as the creature taunted the scared young woman. With a swiftness she didn't know she had, Christy made her way to and out of the front door, never stopping to look back. Adrenaline pumped as the frightened young woman stepped into the murkiness of the swampy wilderness. She was outside now and dared not stop for fear of capture. Christy waded through the steamy, murky swamp that was alive with activity as quickly as she could. She could feel snakes and other kinds of amphibious creatures gnawing at her ankles as she continued on her quest for freedom. Climbing over stumps and any patches of ground that seemed solid enough for her to make better time, Christy ventured deeper into the unknown. At this point she would rather die than go back to the horror of the

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place from which she had just escaped. Her swollen abdomen hindered her progress but fear and adrenaline pushed her to her limits. As she ran, a chorus of laughter sprang from the darkness of the swamp. Evil voices and laughter chided her as she passed the thick vines and undergrowth of the steamy swamp. “You can run, but you can't hide. You can never leave,” the evil voices cackled in inhuman monotones. Smells of the stagnant water gagged her as she continued aimlessly into the misty underworld. Branches from trees became little arms grabbing at her and mosquitoes swarmed her as she passed. Snakes hung from the trees striking at her and talking with human voices. “She thinks she’s getting away,” the voices laughed. “She can never escape.” other voices from the darkness answered. Christy traveled for hours. Finally she felt that her legs couldn't carry her anymore. Breaking down, she fell to the ground and began to cry. Perhaps there was no escape. All at once a feeling of hope overcame Christy’s desperation. Something told her to look up. Somehow the battered young woman had made it to the edge of the swamp. As she surveyed the landscape ahead, in the distance she could see a light. Sunlight was breaking through the thick dark clouds and she could make out that the light was coming from a building. Rising above the building like a beacon of hope was a steeple. The building in the distance was a church! Hope filled Christy’s heart giving her renewed strength. Running like the wind, the bruised young woman flew across the field toward the church. Once she reached the door to the chapel, the evil laughter ceased. Finally she had reached sanctuary. Surely evil couldn't haunt her in a house of God. Bruised and battered, cut and bleeding, barefoot and in tattered clothes, she collapsed on the front foyer of the church. At least for the moment, she was safe. She got on her knees and began to pray. ‘Our father, who art in Heaven....’

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CHAPTER 23

Father Broussard arrived at the chapel at shortly past ten o’
clock to find a frightened Christy Summers huddled in the corner of the nave. Never in his life as a priest had he seen such fear in the eyes of another human being. “Come child, tell Father Broussard what is wrong.” The frightened young woman spoke out in a frenzy. “Oh father, I need your help. It’s Si, he's out to get me. Please, you've got to help. Please!” She was grabbing him by his robes, becoming hysterical. “Calm down, child. I will help you.” He gave her a reassuring glance. “But you have to tell me who this Si is and why he is after you.” “You've got to understand. I didn't know. I didn't know Father, please believe me.” “Didn't know, what my child?” Father Broussard’s face was kind and forgiving. “I didn't know he was the devil!” “You mean he worships the devil?” “No Father, I mean he is the devil! And I'm carrying his child.” Tears filled the young girl’s eyes and she went into hysterics again. “Calm down child, just calm down.” The priest patted her on the back and led her to the back of the nave. “Come and we'll talk about it over a cup of coffee.” “Father, you don't understand, I've got to get out of here. I'm in danger, you’re in danger. The world’s in danger!” Trying to calm down the hysterical girl, the priest talked in a soothing voice. “Child, you’re in the house of God. You’re safe now.” He looked at her with reassuring eyes. “Now, what's your name?” “Christy. It’s Christy Summers.” Her eyes had a wild look in them. “Father, you don't understand. I'm carrying the Devil’s child. Si's child. The son of Lucifer.”

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The priest was starting to get impatient. “Now which is it, Si's child or the Devil’s? Maybe it would help if you'd just sit down and tell me the whole story from the beginning.” Reluctantly Christy sat down. If this man was going to help her, she would have to calm down and do as he said. Shaking uncontrollably, Christy began to tell the priest her story. His face remained stoic as she told him her unholy tale of tragedy, evil and hopelessness. Listening with interest, he never interrupted until she was finished. After finishing her story, Christy looked into the priest's sympathetic, but unbelieving eyes. “You don't believe me, do you?” The confused young woman started to stand up. Reaching out to the young woman, the priest guiding her back down to her seat. “Christy, I believe that you believe what you've told me. And I also believe that you need help. And I am going to get you that help. Okay?” “I'm not crazy, Father! I just need to get to the nearest police department. Could you just do that for me?” Christy’s face was full of intensity! “Of course I will, my child.” The priest took her hand and walked her to the front door. As the couple approached the door at the back of the nave, a man stepped in from the shadows at the back of the chapel. It was Si Mehri’. “Christy, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you,” the tall dark man said in a calm, deliberate voice. Christy tightened up her grip on Father Broussard's arm. “Don't let him take me Father! Please, don't let him take me!” “Father, can't you see that she’s mentally disturbed? I'm her husband. I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of her from here. C'mon Christy, let’s go home!” “No Father, don't listen to him. He's a liar.” “Father, she just forgot to take her medicine, that's all.” “Father?” The frightened young girl looked into his eyes with teary, bloodshot eyes. Father Broussard was hesitant for only a moment. “Look, Mr. Si...”

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“It's Si. Si Mehri’. I'm happy to make your acquaintance,” Si said in an amiable tone, extending his hand in friendship to the priest. Father Broussard shook his hand. “Father Broussard, it's a trick!” the frightened young girl cried out. The sympathetic priest turned to calm her. Father Broussard turned back to Si. “Mr. Mehri’, I can tell that she's mentally disturbed, and in need of psychiatric help. If you mean her no harm, why don't you come into town with us and we can clear this whole situation up.” “I'm sorry Father, but I can't let you do that!” Father Broussard looked into Si's eyes. “Do you propose to stop me?” the priest asked the Middle Eastern stranger. Father Broussard was a rather large man compared to Siafold Mehri’. In all likelihood Si couldn't physically stop Father Broussard from doing anything he wanted to. Suddenly there came a loud burst of thunder from outside. “I said, let me bring her home with me and everything will be all right.” “Mr. Mehri’, all I want to do is make sure that your wife is going to be all right. If you mean her no harm, then you ought to respect that.” The thunder outside intensified. Great flashes of lightning lit up the stained glass windows in the church from the outside. Shadows caused by the lightning loomed ominously over the fixtures in the tiny church’s nave. As another lightning bolt flashed, Si quickly grabbed for Christy to the priest’s surprise! Father Broussard managed to get between Si and his estranged bride. “Father Broussard, you don't realize who you are fucking with!” All at once, a lightning strike knocked out the lights in the church. Lightning flashes from outside intensified, lighting up the church in a strobe-like fashion. Thunder pounded the church like it was being hit with heavy artillery fire. Rain shook the windows with such a force that it seemed the windows would burst at any second.

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Christy fell to the ground crying in fear as Si and Father Broussard rolled on the ground in a mortal struggle. Suddenly a powerful bolt of lightning struck the steeple, setting it on fire. Si managed to get the better of the heavier priest and pushed him against the wall with such fury that the good priest slid down the wall, hitting the floor unconscious. Si looked up as another lightning bolt hit the chapel, this time setting it aglow with an eerie ultra violet light. Bathed in the glow of the ultra violet light, the statues that stood at various spots in the nave began to come to life, taking on the forms of disfigured, grotesque gargoyle-looking creatures. All of the creatures gathered together in one group surrounding Si and Christy, laughing and pointing with long bony fingers, making obscene gestures. Sparks and burning pieces of wood fell all around the chapel as the fire in the steeple spread onto the roof of the main structure. Christy looked around at the fiery scene happening all around and imagined that this was what Hell must be like. In the meantime Father Broussard had awakened to the bizarre happenings, seeing the evil creatures gathered in his church. Realizing that this wasn't his imagination, he reached around his neck, pulling the crucifix from it and began praying in a frenzy. “Oh Heavenly Father...” Instantly the crucifix burst into flames, severely burning the father's hand, causing him to drop it to the ground. He screamed out in agony. Si looked over his shoulder at Father Broussard and began to laugh at him. “You are a devil!” Father Broussard screamed at the dark stranger. “You dare defile the house of God?!” the confused priest yelled at the devilish perpetrator. “I told you to let me take my wife with me, but you wouldn't listen. And now you have angered Him.” Siafold Mehri’ glared at the shaken priest. “Christy carries the son of Lucifer, my father. Your church is no longer a house of God, but the spoils of war! The war between your God and my Father!” After those words a great noise came from above: the cracking of the support beams at the roof of the church. In the matter of a

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few seconds, the church’s roof collapsed, covering Father Broussard in a fiery, flaming pile of rubble. Little demons now filled the church laughing at the misfortunes of the beguiled priest. The raging fire had now reached the altar of the tiny church. As the flames engulfed the altar, they began shooting straight up into the air, forming the face of a malevolent, evil presence. The face of Lucifer himself! In unison, the groups of demons that laid siege to the church all turned and kneeled in reverence to the aberration. Si raised his arms in tribute to the flaming face of Lucifer. “Behold my Father!” Si’s voice shook in malevolent power! Silence fell upon the room as Lucifer began to speak. “God once spoke to Moses from a burning bush. I now speak to you, my disciples, from his burning altar.” A chorus of laughter came from the reveling demons gathered in the burning church. “God has forsaken the earth, and the hour of Satan is at hand. As God once created me, I will now destroy him. The epoch of God is at an end and now comes the age of a new order. My order. It was preordained and it is done.” Approving cheers came from the crowd of demons at the foot of the burning altar. The face of Satan basked in the warmth of the accolade afforded him by the demonic horde. “I now baptize this church in the fires of Hell. This is the first conquest of many in my assault on Heaven. Behold, the age of darkness is at hand!” Shaking their fists and gesturing in war-like manner, the demons began cheering their malevolent leader. “I Lucifer, now proclaim you my army of demons, ready to go out into the world and wage war on the churches of God and destroy them.” A great explosion came from behind the burning face of Satan. And like the opening of Pandora’s box, multitudes of demons poured out of the flames filling the church as well as the skies around it with millions and millions of spectral demon-like beings for as far as the eye could see. They all raised their hands in unison, in battle like motions

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and screamed in such an evil screech that the sound engulfed the whole area, overpowering even the huge storm that still raged outside. “I empower you with the flames of Hell and anoint you with the holy water of Satan,” boomed the voice of Lucifer. In an instant, rain poured through what was left of the tiny church’s roof and fell onto the multitudes of demons as well as Si and Christy. A terrible stench filled the church as the rain made contact with the flames that preyed upon the tiny chapel. The smell was the smell of urine extinguishing the fires that raged inside the church. Urine poured from the sky like rain. Screaming in revelry, the demons danced in gyrating vulgar motions, basking in the urine, rubbing it on their bodies as if it were something pleasurable. These acts degenerated into fornication and every form of unholy sex act imaginable. The scene became one of chaos, an evil orgy of sexual perversion. Christy looked on in horror, unable to scream out in revulsion as the fear in which she found herself gripped her unmercifully. As she looked on, the statue of Christ above the altar caught on fire. The Christ-like figure stepped down from the burning wooden cross on which it was suspended and surveyed the room with calculating eyes. All around became silent. Looking to its left at the statue of the Virgin Mary, the Christ figure extended its hand. The statue of the Virgin Mary came to life! A loud gasp came from the deadly entourage. With the room full of demons watching, and in full view of Christy, the statue of Jesus ran over to the statue of Mary, knocking her to the ground. Shedding its clothing, the transformed statue of Christ had a large erection! Tearing the clothing from the Madonna, it proceeded to rape her. The transformed figure of the Virgin Mary screamed out in agony but to no avail, the ultimate desecration of God was now being enacted. The effigy of Jesus Christ was raping his Holy Mother! Consumed in the spectacle before them, the masses of demons and evil spirits resumed their orgy of desecration to the screams of the defiled effigy of the Virgin Mary. Thoughts of fear and horror swam throughout Christy's brain. She was confused and hurt. Even though the evil deeds

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happening were abhorrent to her, Christy’s blood ran cold as she sat transfixed to the abominations of and desecrations to her faith, mortified and saddened at the horrible sacrilege being enacted in the house of God. Suddenly, a hand touched the troubled young girl’s shoulder from behind. Christy jumped away from the violation to discover a new horror. Father Broussard’s charred body had managed to crawl up to her from the rubble of burning wood. Eyes bulging out and flesh burned away from his face, he managed to speak to her. “Fear not, my child, God has not abandoned you.” Those were his last words. He died right beside her. Christy grabbed his burnt body and pulled it to her, crying at its horrible fate. It crumbled into ashes in her grasp. The horror of the moment was too much for the overwrought young brunette. Screams of agony and sounds of sexual perversion faded to the back of Christy's mind as her faculties shut down and her body collapsed to the floor. A chronology of the many months of captivity blended with the horrors of her most recent nightmares, together they danced throughout the hidden places in the terrified brunette’s subconscious mind. The many past months had blended reality with her nightmares so thoroughly, that she could not distinguish between the two. The following days passed without Christy ever fully regaining consciousness. There were flashes of a long airplane ride, of an arrival in a foreign country. But other than those few glimpses of reality Christy stayed in her fear induced, catatonic state. She sought protection in hidden parts of her unconscious mind, but the labor of reality awaited her, watching and waiting for some preordained fate. Meanwhile, the gates of Heaven remained unprotected. The attack of Satan was now imminent. The world was cast into darkness, and the specter of the Sword loomed large over the fate of the earth as well as Heaven itself.

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CHAPTER 24

The Sinai: the land bridge connecting Africa and Asia.
Intensely hot, with an average year-round temperature of close to eighty degrees. Less than ten inches of rainfall annually add to the intense heat making it a dry, barren place, with little vegetation and animal life. To the south, the Sinai becomes rugged and mountainous. Mount Sinai sits in the south of the Sinai. According to the Old Testament, this is the summit where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. Christy awoke from her dream world, once again the captive of her evil husband. From the window in her room she could see the imposing form of Mount Sinai in the distance. Disoriented in her new surroundings, Christy Gazed out of the window, realizing that her new prison was located in a small desert settlement. By the dress of the natives she could tell that her location must be somewhere in the Middle East. That would make sense, considering that her estranged husband was from somewhere in the East. A new fear struck her. She was now in a foreign land! Possibility of escape was even farther from reality now than it had been in the swampy prison from which she had just come. Chances of someone here even speaking her language seemed vaguely remote as she surmised that the village she was being held captive in was in some distant part of the Middle East, set far away from any modern civilization and far away from any western influence. Even the environment served as her jailer now, with the rugged landscape in the distance and the desert atmosphere. Despair set in on the vulnerable young brunette like a ton of bricks. She gave up all hope of escape. Perhaps Si was right, her God had forsaken her! Christy was going to have the Devil’s child and the era of darkness was at hand. Why had God allowed this to happen?

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Why was she, one who was always devoted to God, chosen to bear the child of the devil? “One with total devotion and commitment to God,” she thought to herself. “Oh my God,” Reality hit her. It was she who had the power to remove the sword from the gates of Heaven. The meaning of that revelation finally sunk in. She pondered it as she watched the darkness set in on the lonely valley. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of the helplessness of her situation. As she looked out the window into the darkness of the Sinai, the great shadow of Mount Sinai hovered over the valley. Suddenly a knock came upon the door. Creaking loudly, the door opened. Siafold Mehri stuck his head in. “Hello Christy.” She nodded at him in a minimal gesture, acknowledging his presence. “I just stopped by to make sure your accommodations were suitable.” He looked around in jest at the sparsely furnished plain room. “Good!” Si sat across the room from her. “Christy, you are in your ninth month. The child will be born shortly. We have moved you to a safe place where we can keep an eye on you. Don't even think of trying to escape. I assure you that all of your attempts will end in failure. You are alone in this country. You have no friends here.” “Where is here?” Christy asked. “Oh good, you still have a tongue.” He smirked at her with a mocking look. “You are in the Sinai. That mountain you see in the distance is Mount Sinai.” The dark complected man shifted in his seat. “It is here that you will give birth to the Satan child. Ironic that the new messiah will be born in the shadows of the mountain where Moses obtained the Ten Commandments.” He laughed. “But enough of this frivolity. Time grows short. Your destiny is at hand. This fortress is guarded heavily. Unlike your last home, in this one you have no freedom. Here, escape is impossible. There are literally hundreds of guards outside of your room. The only choice you have is to stay put and await your fate. We will make you as comfortable as we can.”

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“Si, why is this happening to me? Why me?” “Christy, your God ordained this to happen. You weren't born by human parents. You were placed upon this earth by the hands of God. Jonathan and Emma Summers found you in a basket on their front porch. God knew that this moment would arrive and He made you the bearer of Satan’s child. One of purity and total devotion to God. That's you. So therefore you are the vessel of the son of Satan as well as the bearer of the Sword of Righteousness, with which we shall conquer Heaven. Behold, it is you that removes the Sword from the gates of Heaven!” Si laughed as he left the room, careful to lock the door behind him. Christy laid face down on her bed, crying out loud at the fate at which God had dealt her. Her stomach was tied up in knots. A click came from the direction of the door. No doubt, Si had come back in to tell her of yet another evil fate to befall her. She didn't lift her head to look at him. “Christy?” The voice wasn't that of Siafold Mehri. “Christy.” She jerked her head up from her bed, recognizing the voice. It was the voice of Randal Miguel Pfeiffer! Leaping up out of the bed, the happy woman fell into Pfeiffer’s arms. “Randal, I thought you were dead!” He placed his finger to her lips. “Shhhhh. There’s no time to explain. Just follow me.” Randal slipped a cloak over Christy and they made their way to the door. “Randal, we are too heavily guarded. We can't get out this way!” “Trust me Christy, put your faith in your God!” Randal opened the door, and the couple slipped out into the darkened hall. As Si had said, there were at least twenty men standing guard just outside of her door. Randal and Christy walked out into the hallway. It was as if they were invisible. Not one of the guards reacted to them. They walked down the hall into the corridor of the building. There were at least fifty men dressed in Arab fashion there, all holding automatic weapons. Christy just walked past them without one of them batting an eye. Bewildered, the girl had no idea what was going on, but

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trusted Randal, hurriedly following him to the gate at the edge of the complex. Towering before them was the huge iron gate! A huge spoked wheel loomed above with the chain engaged that would have to be released to perpetrate their escape. “Come!” Randal grabbed the girl’s hand and they proceeded through the gate. They walked right through it as if it were nothing but air! “How did we do that?” the puzzled girl asked. “With God, all things are possible.” She started to speak again, but he quieted her. “When we reach our destination I will answer all of your questions. But come now, we must hurry.” They headed in the direction of Mount Sinai. Time accelerated as the couple covered miles in what seemed like seconds. Before she knew it, Christy and her companion were ascending the mountain that just minutes earlier had been so far away. A smoky, gloomy fog clung to the mountainside, making it impossible to see ahead. Randal led Christy by the arm and they continued on. The couple came upon a mountain pool, nestled in a lower tier of the summit. Randal motioned to Christy to stop. “We can rest now,” Christy's gentleman companion said as he sat her down upon a large rock. “Now, I will answer all of your questions. But first, I must tell you who I am.” She looked at him inquisitively. “Who you are? But I know who you are, you’re Randal Pfeiffer.” “As a human being on Earth, I was Randal Miguel Pfeiffer...but in Heaven I am known as the Archangel Michael!” Christy sat back trying to comprehend what she had just heard. “Am I dreaming?” she said as she sat back down upon the rock. “Excuse me but after the things that I've been through in the last nine months I'm not sure whether I'm dreaming or whether I'm awake. Am I awake?” “I know this is hard to understand Christy but although you knew me as Randal Pfeiffer before, I am Michael the Archangel. I was sent to the earth as a man to deliver the Sword of

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Righteousness to God. Siafold Mehri's interest is not in you but in what you possess. You Christy Summers, possess the Sword of Righteousness. Man's breaking with the laws set forth by God have left Heaven vulnerable. Only the Sword can restore God’s faith in man and keep Lucifer at bay. God so loves his children that even though he is the Creator and all powerful, his love for his children is his weakness and that which can destroy him. But as his love for his children is his weakness, so is it his strength. The Sword, Christy. The sword can set things right again.” “But Randal, I don't have the Sword. I couldn't begin to even tell you where it is!” “Christy, you have always possessed the Sword,” Michael answered. Suddenly, with the sound of a thunderbolt, a huge boulder slammed into the ground behind them. Randal and Christy swung around anxiously. There standing tall and frightening-looking was Si. Christy recoiled in fear. She had seen him mad many times before but the look in his face showed more malevolence and evil intent than she had ever seen in him. His eyes were red with anger. Sheer power and destruction was etched in his face. “So Michael, it’s you!” he lashed out. “And they call Lucifer the great deceiver.” “No, you are the great deceiver, son of Satan,” Michael countered. “And who are you? Weakling angel of God! You make me laugh.” Si sneered at Michael in disdain. “You have no power. Where is your Sword now, Michael?” “Why do you ask, Si? Do you feel you need the Sword?” Si's face coiled up in anger. “Enough of this rhetoric, I have no time for such banter. Give me the Sword!” “You shall never possess it,” Michael shot back. “You anger me Michael. I'm going to do to you what I should have done long ago.” Si pointed his finger at Michael. Fire shot out at the unsuspecting angel, knocking him to the ground. Christy screamed out in horror. Michael lay on the ground, charred black and smoking like

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some animal caught up in a live electrical wire. Si turned toward Christy and reached out his hand. “The Sword. Give it to me!” Meanwhile, Michael returned his feet and shouted, “Is that all you've got, Si? Surely you can do better than that!” Shaking in anger, Si turned toward him. “Turning the other cheek like a good little Christian, aye Michael. You shall pay for your insolence!” Siafold Mehri maneuvered for position. “I grow tired of toying with you, weakling angel.” Before Michael's eyes, Si began to transform. His body began to bloat and convulse into something not human. Scales formed on its skin. His face began to take on a reptilian look. Then all at once he grew to a hundred times his human size, body lengthening, finally reaching such an enormous size that he towered over the level of the mountain on which Randal and Christy stood. His body had transformed into the lengthy body of a huge, winged dragon. A creature that could only have come from Hell! “What do you think of me now?” the hellish creature spouted, as fiery steam flowed out of its mouth. It spat fire as the profanities flowed freely from its foul mouth. “Angel of God, I will now destroy you!” Christy shook as she watched the scenario that was playing out before her. There was nothing that she could do but watch helplessly as the creature that used to be Si attacked the helpless angel. “Si, don't you know that it's futile to act against the Lord?” “Michael, you know yourself that Christy contains the child of Lucifer. And that child is to be born on this day. December the twenty-fifth.” Si leered at the angel. “It is just a matter of time before I possess the Sword, before I conquer Heaven. Then Lucifer will sit on the throne of God, in his rightful place.” Christy sat and listened as the two enemies volleyed verbal assaults at one another. The child was to be born on December the twenty-fifth, Christ's birthday. The ultimate insult to God. “Si don't you understand, Lucifer will never sit on the throne of God.”

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“You Christians are all the same. Always the optimists. But this time you are wrong! Don't you understand angel? Your God has had his chance, now his era comes to an end. The era of darkness is upon us. And Lucifer is the rightful heir to the throne of Heaven. Michael, you are a fool. Why do you fight losing battles? Your God has forsaken you. You and all of mankind stand alone. He has gotten old. And his age has weakened him. Survival of the fittest, that's the law of the universe.” Si looked up to the sky. “Blessed are the strong, for it is they who truly inherit the earth.” Michael listened patiently as the dragon spoke. “Si, you confuse strength with self indulgence.” “Lucifer has sent his only begotten son...” “Siafold Mehri, that child is nothing more than a blasphemy of the lord.” “Michael, it is you who blaspheme the master. I have heard enough. It is time that you feel the wrath of Lucifer.” With massive arms, the serpent once again knocked Michael to the ground. Pointing its snout at the fallen angel, the dragon breathed fire onto its body, setting the Archangel Michael ablaze. “Where is your God now, Michael?” the huge serpent cackled as Michael burned. Face twisted in anger, the serpent then swung around with its huge tail and pounded the burning body of Michael into the ground. “Is your God too weak to face the Prince of Darkness?” Cocking its head back, the great dragon continued to mock and laugh at the battered angel. Then, striking the ground where Michael was, the great dragon extracted the angel in its vice like jaws and tossed him onto a rock formation at the side of the mountain pool by Christy. It then opened its mouth and blew its fiery breath at the beaten angel. Michael once again burst into flames. Christy looked over at Michael with tear blurred eyes and began to weep for him. She was frozen with fear as she looked upon the burnt, broken body of the defeated angel. Michael lifted his weary head from the ground, looking at Christy with bulging eyes. The flesh had been burned from his face and his body was still smoking. “Fear not my child. Your God has not forsaken

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you!” He then dropped his head to the earth. Christy dropped her head in sadness. Perhaps God's reign was over. Perhaps the age of darkness was meant to be. Suddenly she felt something on her lap. Looking down in surprise she discovered an old musty scroll on papyrus rolled up and laying just beyond her swollen abdomen. Recognizing the scroll as the Book of the Sword, it had a golden glow about it. Perhaps it was the sun playing off of this gold band or Christy's imagination. Staring at the scroll in wonder, Christy noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning toward it she noticed the kindly old man from her dreams standing there. He had a look of calm in his face. Their eyes locked into each other’s. The old man extended his hand. At first she was puzzled by the gesture but then realized that he was asking her for the scroll. This was the moment of truth, could she trust him or was this just another attempt by the Devil to lure her into his trap? A scream came from the direction of the pool. Quickly turning, Christy’s blood ran cold! As she watched, the dragon stomped on the body of Michael in triumph and malevolence, smashing the Angel’s body into a broken mass of tangled humanity. It screeched in a loud, obscene manner, cocking its head back in ecstasy at his apparent victory. Then like a dog, the huge serpent lifted its hind leg and urinated on the remains of the trampled angel. Appalled at the sight, the young brunette doubled over in pain and began vomiting on the ground. Almost instantaneously another pain shot through her. Her worst fear was about to become a reality. She was going into labor! Walking up to her, the elderly man once again reached out his hand. Preoccupied, Christy had to make up her mind quickly. She would have to trust someone. On blind faith, she handed the scroll to the elderly gentleman. He gently lowered her to the ground in a more comfortable position, smiled, and then vanished! Already severe pain intensified as the contractions were coming in accelerated intervals. Then her water broke! Her baby was about to be born! The pain was so intense that she

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completely forgot about the macabre scene being played out at the mountain side pool. Lifting the mangled body of the dead angel in its massive jaws, the fierce beast tossed it into the mountainside pool. It then turned its attention to the convulsing woman. Christy looked up, and noticed that the massive dragon was plodding its way toward her. She screamed, half in pain, half in horror! “Dragon, you leave before the battle is over!” The loud voice was that of the Archangel Michael. His burnt disfigured body stood tall beside the pool where the dragon had left him for dead. Surprised, the huge monster turned away from the expectant mother to face the valiant angel again. “Michael I must admit, your devotion to your God is admirable. Your threshold for pain is incredible, it will serve you well in Hell! But now I must obliterate you into nothingness.” With that the dragon roared with such volume that the whole mountain shook. Christy became scared as a result of the earthquake-like rumblings. Then she noticed that the old man was standing over her in a protective stance. In the heat of the moment, she also noticed something else. In his extended hand was a sparkling, golden sword, with every imaginable precious stone from Heaven and earth embedded in its handle. Its sparkle was so brilliant that she had to turn her head from it to shield her eyes. Its glow lit up the dark, foggy mountainside like the sun itself. Michael noticed the glow and screamed! “Christy, throw me the sword!” Adrenaline pumped through Christy as she took the sword from the hands of the old man. Just as the dragon turned toward the scared brunette, the sword sailed through the air past its head into the battered Archangel Michael’s hands. As the sword flew past the dragon’s head, it struck at it with his mouth unsuccessfully. By the time the great serpent had turned it’s attention back to Michael, the sword was in the hand of the angel and his hand was cocked back ready to strike. With lightning like reflexes, the mighty jaws of the great dragon struck at the waiting Archangel. With one heavy sweep

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of the sword, the dragon’s head was lopped to the ground. Its headless body still lunged forward on reflexive action trying to trample the Archangel. Michael sidestepped the great creature and thrust the mighty sword into the heart of the attacking beast. Standing back, as the huge creature burst into flames, Michael watched it as it writhed in agony. It twisted and turned, tail beating against the ground until finally rolling onto its side, lying still in a pool of crackling flames. Michael and Christy watched as the burning beast smoldered down into a pile of smoking black rubble. A smell of burning flesh filled the air as the hissing sound of escaping steam dominated the silent mountainside. As the Archangel and the sobbing brunette watched the last sparks of the flames subside, Christy noticed something shiny sticking up out of the smoldering rubble of blackness. It was the Sword of Righteousness. Its glow was like that of Heaven, lighting up the darkened mountainside, triumphant in its victory over evil. Michael turned to Christy and asked, “Where did you get the Sword from?” “An old man gave it to me while you were fighting Si.” “An old man?” The puzzled angel asked. “You know, the old man that I told you about, that's been following me around for the last two years.” The Archangel thought for a moment. “I think I know who it is you speak of.” He looked into her eyes. “Reach down and pick up the Sword. I must put it back in its proper place.” Michael reached out to the young woman taking the shining sword from her hand. All at once the Sword was gone. And one look into the sky revealed its location. A huge cloud mass had gathered above the mountain. At first it looked as if the sun had broken through the cloud mass. But upon further inspection one could make out huge golden gates with a brilliant golden sword, bejeweled with every precious stone imaginable shining from its rightful place at Heaven’s gates. Christy remembered a line from the Book of the Sword. “And with the flower’s touch, the sword was returned to its

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place at the gates of Heaven.” Christy then knew that it was she that was the Flower of God. Christy glanced down at her feet and there on the ground beside her feet was the faded scroll bound in gold. Christy now understood, realizing that God hadn’t forsaken her, but had given her a test of faith. “There! There he is!” “There who is?” asked the puzzled angel. “The old man, the old man that gave me the sword.” Christy pointed to a rock formation at the far right of the battle site. Michael turned and looked over at the white haired, white bearded serene-looking gentleman standing on a rock at the far right. “My Lord,” Michael said as he dropped to his knees, bowing his head. A great light shot down from the Heavens upon the man framing him in a heavenly glow. At that moment Christy realized that the man who had followed her the last two years, the man that had manifested himself in her dreams was God. Christy fell to her knees in homage. God reached out to the young woman and lifted her to her feet. “Christy, my child, you have done well. You are the flower of God. Your deeds have started the new epoch, the epoch of God. And the return to paradise. It is on this day that the new age of righteousness begins. Lucifer’s desecration of the coming of Christ is over. His attempt at destroying Heaven is over. And now, the stage has been set for the second coming of Christ! You, Christy, the Flower of God, have returned the Sword of Righteousness, the Sword of Michael, back to the gates of Heaven, where it will remain forever.” God glanced over at the Archangel. Michael nodded back in a reciprocal motion. “Father, I love you with all my heart, but I still don't understand...” the nervous brunette swallowed hard. “Why did all of this have to happen. Why was I chosen to carry the seed of the devil?” “Christy my child, you never carried the seed of the Devil in you. The Devil cannot impregnate a true child of God. For as you know by now, you are not the child of human parents but my

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child, conceived from my love. Being the Flower of God, you could never have carried the seed of the Devil.” Christy looked down at her stomach. She was no longer bloated, no longer pregnant. She was back in the shape that she had been before the whole ordeal. It had all been an illusion. “You see my child, in the presence of God, the Devil’s tricks are nothing more than a lie.” Falling to her knees, the young woman cried out. “Oh God, forgive me for ever doubting you. I thought that you had forsaken me. Please forgive me for my absence of faith.” “My child, you never lost faith. Even in your darkest hour your great faith kept me by your side. For even in the greatest of darkness you sought the light. Your place in Heaven is sealed.” He smiled at her with a smile that filled her with joy. “But though your place in Heaven awaits you, your task here on earth is yet to be completed.” A puzzled Christy looked into the eyes of her God. “What must I do, my lord?” “When the time comes, you will know what to do,” the lord answered. The look of peacefulness on his face assured her that whatever he had in mind, the worst was over. “My time on earth grows short, I am needed in Heaven. My servant Enos will meet you shortly and will bring you to the Sisters of Faith mission at the foot of the mountain. There your life will be peaceful and you shall serve me until the appointed time. You will not see me again until we meet in Heaven, but know that always, I will be by your side.” Christy tried to speak, but before the words came out, there came a burst of light so bright that she had to cover her eyes with her arms. By the time she looked up, he was gone! Only Enos and Michael remained. The three stood at the foot of the Mount Sinai. In the distance she could see the Sisters of the Faith mission. Enos reached out his hand. “Come Christy, we must go.” Christy shot an anxious glance at the Archangel. “Michael, will you go with us?” The angel answered, “I cannot. I must return to Heaven. My

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work here is completed.” Tears filled the young brunette’s eyes. “When will I see you again?” Christy asked in sadness. There was a pause. “You will see me again. In Heaven!” he answered. With a rough voice, Christy addressed the Archangel. “I love you!” “I love you too, Christy. But I am an Angel of God. I can never love you in the earthly, physical sense. You will find that when you are in the color of the Lord, love is a much more meaningful, fulfilling kind of love.” Christy now realized why Randal couldn't make love to her. It was not possible for an Angel of God to love in a human, physical sense. It wasn't that Randal didn't love her. He had loved her more than she could ever imagine. “Christy, come with me,” the angel said as he reached out his hand to her. As she touched his hand, they ascended, as if by flight to the top of the mountain. It was beautiful, beyond imagination! As if they were at the top of the world. From the mountain’s peak it seemed as if they could see forever. Vistas so unbelievable, it was as if they were in a dream. From this point of view it was hard to imagine wars, pestilence, crime. It was easier to imagine the concept of a perfect world. “Christy, my mission on earth is complete. But your task is not. The feelings of love you have for me are no longer of the physical sense, but of the spiritual sense. Suddenly she understood. She no longer wanted him as a woman wanted a man, but felt a warmth inside, a yearning for something greater than physical pleasure. She felt like, at this moment, she was feeling love for the first time in her life. It was a pure unconditional love, an unselfish love. It was a love for all of mankind, a love born of God. With tears of joy in her eyes she embraced Michael. “Thank you.” At that moment the wind began blowing harder. The sun became brighter. Michael leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Remember!” When she looked up, Michael was gone. Heavenly voices

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rang out from the skies above. She could hear choirs of Angels singing in beautiful harmonies the glory of God. Looking into the skies, once again she could see the glowing Gates of Heaven. And bound at its gate a glowing, golden sword, bejeweled with every precious stone imaginable in its handle. Standing at the gates were Michael and a white bearded man adorned in long white robes. They waved at her and in an instant they were gone! Rubbing her eyes, Christy noticed that she was once again at the foot of the mountain. Standing next to her was Enos. He looked at her with loving eyes. “It is time.” Enos walked her to the front gates of the mission. “Christy, we are here. I must leave you.” The grateful brunette felt no remorse, she hugged the young man and entered the gates. A joy filled her heart, for she knew now that she was beginning a sojourn, the fulfillment of the will of God. Meanwhile at an outpost near the Israeli-Jordanian border, two soldiers were trying to decipher what had happened in the previous hours. Jordan had been decimated by the so-called “Weapons of Satan” of Ali Al Hassam's army. Amman had been totally destroyed by the super weapons that couldn't be detected by conventional radar. Jordan had become a wasteland! Only a few nomadic people in remote isolated sections of Jordan had survived! Israel had monitored the situation in Jordan with dismay. The weapons used by the aggressor army were of such magnitude, that there was no defense against them. Israel had mounted troops on the Israeli-Jordanian border but knew that without the ability to detect the oncoming missiles that they would be sitting ducks. It would be just a matter of time before the same fate which had devastated Jordan would devastate them. To the faithful, all that was left to do was pray. Shahanian troops had been advancing on Israeli border positions, setting up missile batteries. Israeli pilots had tried to bomb those positions but were unsuccessful. As they flew into

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the Jordanian airspace, all were destroyed. There was later proof that the guided missiles that they carried in order to bomb the Shahanian positions had just exploded inside the hulls of the planes! The surreal technology of the Shahanian forces baffled the scientists of the world. Officer Ari Goldman was the commanding officer of surveillance at this remote Israeli outpost. His small group of men was to monitor troop movements of the Shahanian forces, as well as pinpoint missile batteries being set up by the troops. It was early on that very day that he and his men had noticed fire coming from the distance in Jordan. From past experience they knew that Shahanian forces had fired missiles from their mobile silos. The radar screens were blank. With no target coordinates for Israeli anti-missile batteries to lock in on, the end for Israel was inevitable. Suddenly, great explosions began in the skies between Israel and Jordan, lighting up the heavens with such magnitude that it blinded the troops on the ground. After minutes of groundshaking explosions the skies became silent. Commander Goldman frantically radioed Israeli positions around the country to assess the damage. To his surprise no Israeli positions had been hit! There were no casualties on the Israeli side. In fact as they would learn later, even though some Shahanian missiles had been fired at Israel, most had exploded on the ground in Shahanian batteries, killing almost all of the Shahanian troops. Back in Shahan and all of the Shahanian occupied lands, all of the “Satan’s weapons” had exploded on the ground, inflicting such casualties that the once great Shahanian army was now nonexistent. All that remained was a ragtag group of disorganized defeated stragglers. Ali Al Hassam, for no apparent reason, had died in his sleep in his mobile quarters just beyond the Jordanian border. Without any retaliatory action the great army of Shahan, just one day earlier the most powerful army in the world, was no more! Commander Goldman and his top aid Shari Rabin were trying to figure out what had happened. They stared at reconnaissance photographs on the desk before them.

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“How will we ever explain what happened?” Rabin scratched his head in wonder. “I don't know.” “And the photographs, surely no one will ever believe them. How do we explain them?” “I don't know commander. Perhaps an illusion caused by light and shadows?” “Perhaps,” countered the bewildered commander. Ari Goldman then looked Rabin straight in his eyes, his own eyes welled up with tears. “Perhaps the will of God!” It seems that at the very same moment that Christy had witnessed the great light from the sky, revealing the Sword set at the gates of Heaven, the missiles in the skies above the IsraeliJordanian border had exploded. These explosions had been documented on film by surveillance scouts monitoring the border. One photograph of the explosions stood out from the others. Clearly, before the moment of the blast, the enormous figure of an Angel, wings spread and clad in a long white robe, hung suspended in the sky waiting to intercept the approaching missiles!

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EPILOGUE Christy devoted all of her time and energies toward the pursuit of worshipping God. In all that time she had never been back to the site of Michael's battle with the Devil. In fact, in all those years she never told anyone what had happened to her on that day or the days leading up to it. The nuns from the Sisters of the Faith mission had never asked her where she came from and she had never offered to tell them. Christy was well into her eighties now. Her beautiful brunette hair had turned to a wonderful silver color. She had very few wrinkles for her age, which gave her face a still youthful look for someone so old. Time and good living had been very kind to her. This morning had found her staring out of the window of her modest living quarters into the direction of Mount Sinai. Christy had often wondered what task God had in mind for her that would take some sixty plus years to happen but never questioned his wisdom. A loud knock came upon the door. Christy gently opened it. It was the Mother Superior. “Christy, you have labored hard in the past few weeks, I think it is time for you to take a break. Take a day off.” “But Mother...” “But nothing. Take this beautiful day off. Do something for yourself. God won't mind you giving a little time to yourself.” Mother Superior had a gentle but forceful look on her face. When she had that look, Christy knew better than to argue. “Mother Superior, I have thought about gathering some flowers...” The silver haired nun thought to herself for a moment. And then with a face of determination. “I'll do it!” The nuns said their good-byes for the day and Christy, after making a basket lunch of bread and cheeses caught a ride to the foot of the mountain with a local farmer. “Now don't forget, pick me up when the sun is about to go down.”

It had been sixty years since that fateful day.

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“Don't worry sister, I'll be here.” They waved at each other and Christy started the tedious task of climbing the mountain, straw basket in hand. It took her most of the morning but finally she made it to the giant slope in the summit from which she had witnessed the great battle so many years earlier. When last she had seen this area some sixty some odd years earlier it had been devastated from the battle between Michael and the great monster. The ground had been charred black from the fiery breath of the beast and covered with ash from the burning remains of the creature. But as had been re-enacted by nature since the beginning of time, from the ashes of death came the rebirth of life. Now the once charred mountain slope looked like a green meadow covered with many species of wild flowers surrounding the sparkling mountain pool. Christy spread her sheet upon the ground and laid her carefully packed lunch out onto it. She sat down upon it and began to enjoy her lunch along with the panoramic view of the valley below. Her view was breathtaking and a far cry from the darkness of the same slope on the day of the confrontation. Things had changed. Oh how things had changed since then. In the sixty years that had followed that night there had been no wars. Many years earlier, countries around the world had united to wipe out world hunger. Health care had advanced to the point where serious diseases no longer plagued mankind. The elusive utopia written about by countless authors throughout history had come to pass. The world had truly become a paradise. As Christy sat eating her lunch, she thought about how she had actually spoken to God. She thought about her love for the Archangel Michael. She thought about the serenity she had experienced in her life since that fateful day so many years earlier. She smiled as she took a sip of water from her canteen. After lunch she began strolling through the high grass and wild flowers. The silver haired matriarch kneeled beside the mountain pool, pausing for a moment looking at her reflection in the clear water. She cupped her hands, splashing water on her face, cooling it from the heat of the mideastern sun.

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Christy then began to gather wild flowers. They were reds, blues and violet in color, of all shapes and sizes. Sun blazing just slightly on the afternoon tilt from straight overhead, the silver haired nun came upon the most beautiful flower she had ever seen! It was a bright yellow, almost a golden color. At the base of the flower itself there were numerous colors inlaid like jewels. The pistil, silver in color, was very large and long and reached out from the main part of the blossom, resembling a sword's blade. God, through nature, had created a replica of the Sword of Michael in the form of a flower! Christy began to weep in happiness as she gazed at the beauty and symmetry of the flower. All of a sudden a shadow appeared over the beautiful, silver haired nun, blocking the sunlight. She looked up to see the outline of a man standing over her, with the rays of the sun reaching out from around his shadow. “Woman, why do you weep?” the man said to her. “I weep at the beauty of God’s creation. This, the flower of God.” She reached up to the stranger with the flower in her hand. The man stepped away from his perch at the front of the sun. Christy looked up at the stranger. His face had perfect features. His long brunette hair, dark complexion, and piercing brown eyes stood out. Like brilliant colors from the canvas of an artist's masterpiece, his smile was pleasing, his expression that of total peace and serenity. The stranger took the flower from the hands of the woman and put it to his nose to smell it. “But are you not the Flower of God?” His deep brown eyes looked straight into hers. They locked glances for a moment. He reached out his hand to her. “Come.” He lifted the frail old woman to her feet. She could not take her eyes from his face. Although she had never seen him before, she knew who he was. As they walked through the wild flowers of the mountain meadow, sun illuminating the area in golden light, Christy realized what her purpose for staying on earth for so many years was. God’s covenant with man had come full circle. The good shepherd had come to reclaim his flock. Jesus Christ had

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returned!

The End