SOLDIER OF GOD
Going to hell and back took days to psychologically recover from, but it now gave Robert a new purpose in life. Watching the news was always depressing. It was mostly negative stories that always dragged down his spirit. The past few days were next to impossible to keep away from the news. First it was the assassination of President Freeney by his wife, the First Lady, and now Jinteen’s invasion of the White House with an army of his demonically possessed followers. Now the dream had officially turned into a nightmare. The missing puzzle pieces of Destiny’s dark past began to fill in. How was Jinteen able to possess so many victims at once, including his youngest brother and the First Lady of the United States? Now he had every intention to force Americans into devil worshiping. This had to be stopped.
Robert wanted to be upset at Destiny, but how could he when she saved his soul from eternal damnation in hell? If it were not for her, he would be a prisoner of Satan’s for eternity. He could not fathom how Jinteen was able to transport his soul to hell and how he had managed to escape. Running from the devil was his most frightening experience ever, and he never wanted to go through it again. The upcoming nights would most likely continue to be sleepless because of the lingering images and terrifying nightmares.
Still, looking at Destiny in the face as they were seated across from each other in the dining room, he could hardly erase the images of her lips locked with her ex-husband. Most likely, there would be nothing stopping Robert from proceeding in this relationship. She was an angel who gifted him with supernatural abilities. How could he do better?
“Eric is my ex-husband,” Destiny started, with tears running down her cheeks. “We were married for five years. He was a congressman, but he was forced to resign because of his sexual-affair scandal. Obviously, I left him, and then he sold his soul to the devil. He received the ability to use black magic, and one of his first uses of it was casting a love spell on me, which ultimately led to my death.”
Robert was not familiar with Eric Webb, nor did he pay attention to politics. It was boring. The only time he was ever excited to vote was for President Orlando Freeney because he was the first black president, but other than that, he was not too familiar with any politicians. He barely even knew how the government worked. He knew that America had a Constitution, three branches of the government, and that there were fifty states.
“How exactly did you die?” Robert eventually asked.
Destiny was hesitant to speak. She clearly was uncomfortable sharing all these details with Robert.
“He cast a spell on me that caused my body to become weak if I did not have sex with him. On top of that, he had the ability to control my mind and read my thoughts. For months, I could not live unless I slept with him. There were times when I fought it and tried to do without him, but I became sick, and my body became so weak,” Destiny said. He really wanted to hug her, seeing tears run down her face, but he needed to hear more. He painfully remained attentive. “One day I had enough, after months of being under his spell, when he tied me up to a chair in his room and forced me to watch him have sex with another woman. When he finished and untied me, even though I was completely disgusted by the sight of him, I still needed his love, but I was determined not to allow him degrade me anymore. I died needing his love for my survival.” Destiny could no longer control her tears as they poured full-scale now.
Robert still felt disrespected by the incident between Destiny and Jinteen, but Robert did admire her courage for fighting the love spell Jinteen cast upon her. She was a brave woman. She did not allow Jinteen to control her with his spell anymore. Considering the fact that she saved Robert’s soul from hell, he did feel he owed her a vast amount of appreciation. If he was to be upset at anyone, it had to be at himself. He never attempted to explore Destiny’s past, mainly because he was hypnotized by her beauty, and he did not want to explore his cowardly past with her in return. He was ashamed of it, but listening to Destiny’s story, not only could she relate, but she was brave for what she endured with her ex-husband, and she showed great strength reliving and sharing the details with Robert that made her emotional.
Robert walked over to Destiny’s chair, guided her to stand up, and held her tightly in his arms. It was still a privilege being with her, now more than ever.
“Why didn’t you tell me about him before?” Robert eventually asked.
“I was not permitted to. My father wanted you to meet Eric under those circumstances to see what kind of man he is for yourself and the powers that he possesses. I wanted to tell you, but I must obey everything my father says to be with you.”
If it was any other girl, Robert would have been upset and probably dumped, but Destiny was not an ordinary woman. He could not believe he was with an angel. God was already wonderful enough for giving him life, and even more amazing now for allowing him the privilege to be with one of his precious heavenly beings. Robert knew without a doubt that he was not the purest of men himself, and he had a lot of growing to do. It would be a privilege to grow with Destiny because she was amazing.
Robert felt most women under those circumstances would have succumbed to their needs, controlled by a spell or not. Robert had a lot of female friends that liked to tell him details of their relationships because he was the only fool who would listen and not attempt to be more than the emotional tampon. They told him stories basically of how they gave in to their boyfriends that belittled them because they were trapped by their passionate love and affection for their men. They were too weak to free themselves, allowing the men to abuse them emotionally and sometimes physically, while overlooking Robert. None of those female friends ever gave him a chance because he was too nice. He listened too much to their stories, when he should have given them a reality check, or more appropriately, not listened at all.
Luckily, everything worked out for him without ever having to fundamentally change who he was. Now he was with an angel that he greatly admired, and he appreciated her courage. Destiny was a gem, and he would treat her that way as long as he had the privilege to be with her.
“So he put the love spell on you before your death. How are you still affected by it now?” Robert asked.
“The spell does not affect me in my angelic form. My father did not fully cure me of the spell to motivate the man I choose to love into defeating him,” Destiny said.
God’s plan was clearer now. Robert’s supernatural abilities were to defeat Jinteen, Destiny’s ex-husband. It would be more difficult now because Jinteen controlled the United States government, with the help of the devil, but defeating Jinteen was bigger than how he treated Destiny, or how he cast a demon on Carter and millions of people worldwide. Robert loved God and he loved America with all his heart, and with his new abilities, he would not allow Jinteen to terrorize America with the devil.
Destiny went on to explain everything else that Robert needed to know about Jinteen: how he created a satanic cult called Eye for an Eye and how he formed an alliance with the creators of the popular social networking service Light Bulb, casting a demonic spell on a majority of its users, including his brother Carter and the First Lady Charlene Freeney. She was not under her own control when she assassinated the president. The demon inside her coerced her into committing the heinous act, the same act his brother would have committed if he were not there to stop it. Robert had to put an end to this, not only because he loved Destiny, but also because every American’s life was now in danger.
Because of the severity of the nationwide threat, Robert’s number one priority was to make sure his family was safe, beginning with his mother. About a half an hour later from talking with Destiny, he used the mirror world to travel to his mother’s house, entering through the bathroom-mirror portal, and then he exited the bathroom to knock on his mother’s bedroom door.
“I was just going to call you. How is Carter?” Mom asked when she opened the door.
The bags under her eyes indicated she had not slept at all. Robert did not want to tell her that Carter was worse now. Since Jinteen’s arrival, the demon inside Carter had strengthened.
“He’s going to get better,” Robert assured her.
“I want to see him!” Mom demanded.
“That cannot happen. Not today. When he fully recovers, you can see him.”
“I need to see my son!”
Robert did not know what to say to soothe his mother’s frustration. Perhaps it was best to be as honest as he could be with her.
“He wants to kill you! You don’t see what’s happening? The devil has taken control of America. Unfortunately, Carter is one of the many people that have been possessed, and he is too dangerous to be around you. I love him too, but I must protect you, Mom. I promise you he will be fine.”
Mom began to cry. Robert hugged her for comfort. He was hurting too, seeing his brother suffer from the demonic possession. He had to find a way fast to end Jinteen’s terror. He did not want anyone else to experience what his family did because of this evil man.
Suddenly, Robert heard a heavy pounding on the door downstairs. The knocking was alarming as it drew fear in his mother’s eyes as well.
“Stay here!” Robert said to his mother.
Robert calmly walked downstairs to answer the door. He did not know what to expect. The knocks were urgent. The closer he moved to the door, the more anxious he became. As he cautiously opened the door, there stood three men in black armored gear, each with an arsenal of weapons that he was only accustomed to seeing in war movies or video games. All their eyes were completely bloodshot red like Carter’s, and they all wore the same upside-down star symbol with the number 666 in the center on their uniforms.
“Can I help you?” Robert asked.
“Do you accept Satan as your master?” one of the men aggressively asked.
“Absolutely not!”
“You will come with us, then!” the armored soldier said, grabbing Robert on the wrist.
He pulled away from the solder’s arm, snapping his wrist instantly. The solder descended to the ground, crying out in pain. His wrist was a freakish sight. The two remaining aimed and fired their guns at Robert. He batted away as many of the bullets as he could, like irking mosquitoes nagging on a summer day. Even if the bullet did pass his arms, they did not harm him. Fighting through a barrage of bullets, he reached out to the second soldier and punched him in the skull, crushing his forehead. The last man continued to fire his weapon as the other soldier fell to the ground. He snatched the weapon out of his hands, snapped it in half, then grabbed him and picked him up overhead to throw him all the way into their van parked in front of the house.
Walking off his steps and looking around the neighborhood, Robert saw the same occurrences happening to all his neighbors on Barnes Avenue. He could not believe this was actually occurring. There were multiple identical vans on the block with Eye for an Eye posted on the sides. Armored men marched his innocent neighbors into these vans aggressively. Where were they taking them? He had to stop it. His mother, brothers, or any of his neighbors would not be forced into worshiping the devil. There was no way he could allow this to occur. Panicky, he ran inside, then upstairs to his room to get his ski mask to cover his face. Mom stood by the bathroom door by her room as he ran back down from the attic.
“What’s going on, Robert? I heard gunshots!” Mom said, and then she examined his clothing. “Why are there bullet holes in your clothes?”
“Go back in your room and lock the door. I’ll be fine! Don’t answer the door unless it’s me!” Robert assertively demanded.
“Why are you wearing a mask?”
“I’ll explain later. Please go into your room, Mom!”
“Did they shoot you? I couldn’t handle it if you got hurt, Robert!”
There was too much fear in her eyes to entertain. This was the day his reflection spoke of, the day Robert would have to be a hero and help others, the day he had to be a man and stand up against whatever he did not believe in. He did not believe anyone should be forced into worshiping anything, especially Satan! God did not even force man to worship him. God gives man rules through the Bible, but he also gives man the freedom to live life the way he pleases.
“I won’t. I promise. Go into your room, Mom. Please, for your safety!” Robert demanded.
Eventually, Mom hesitantly walked back to her room. If she only knew the ability Robert possessed, she would know she had nothing to fear, but he could not tell her or anyone else. Only Destiny would know.
Now with his mask on, Robert ran downstairs and outside over the men he previously taken out on the porch, then he made himself the center of attention as he advanced to the middle of the street.
“Freeze! Do not move!” one soldier said as a few of them pointed their guns at Robert.
“Shoot me, and I’ll break your face!” Robert yelled.
Immediately, the guards began to shoot at Robert. He ran through the bullets and then threw a punch to the first guard’s nose. Instantly, he regretted the force that he used with how deformed the injured guard’s face became. One by one, he fought off a series of armored solders who attempted to capture the families of his neighbors. Within seconds of the initial blow, the battle now became handicapped as they attempted group attacks. Robert did not have any physical combating or martial arts skills, but none of them stood a chance against him. He just pretty much did what he saw from fights on television. Even if they did hit him, they were only inflicting damage upon themselves. If he wanted, he could have stood still to let them injure themselves, like beating on a statue.
Looking down the block while engaged in battle, Robert saw a few of the houses up in flames. It inspired him to see some of his neighbors who did not have superpowers like him take a stand against Satan. It was probably much easier for them to give in. Who knew where these men were taking them? Robert wondered if he would have been as brave as his neighbors if he did not have superpowers.
After defeating all the armored men on the block, the neighborhood gathered around Robert in awe. He wished he knew what they were thinking. Maybe they knew who he was under the mask, maybe not. All his neighbors looked frightened. He needed to say something to show them they had nothing to fear, but if he spoke, they would surely know he was the guy that lived on the corner of Barnes Avenue.
“If you do not wish to worship Satan, you must defend yourself.” Robert hesitated to begin. “Everyone must help one another. Gather everything that you have that can be used as a weapon and lock yourselves in your homes. Whatever you do, do not open your doors. No matter what religion you are, or what god you serve, if you do not worship the devil, we all have a common enemy. We will not lose our right to have our own beliefs because of Satan!” Robert projected. “Do any of you have family members or loved ones who may be demonically possessed? They may be a danger to your household.”
Robert surveyed the faces of his frightened neighbors around, waiting for at least one person to admit that one of their loved ones might be possessed. It could not be easy.
“My husband,” Mrs. Daniels finally admitted. She was a middle-aged Haitian woman who lived a few houses away from Robert. “He has been acting very strange the past few days. He tried to kill me last night. Luckily, I escaped. He tried to kill my son too, but he was able to fight him off and tie him up. We called 911, but no one came.”
Everyone appeared shocked, but Mrs. Daniels made everyone else feel comfortable admitting similar events occurring in their own households. Thank God none of his neighbors were murdered. After listening to multiple shocking stories, Robert gathered six possessed victims into one of the Eye for an Eye vans. He knew a few of their names but was not familiar with all of them. There was one teenage Hispanic girl, two African American children, Matt and Jessica, one older man (who was Mrs. Daniels’ husband), and two men who looked to be in their twenties, both Caucasians. Clearly, by looking at their odd features and red eyes, Robert could see that they were possessed. It was difficult to accept this many people were possessed, and so close to home, caused by one man who was now in control of the United States of America.
Robert went back to his mother’s house and then took off his mask inside. He knocked on his mother’s room door when he made it upstairs.
“Who is it?” Mom asked fearfully from inside.
“It’s me, Mom,” Robert said. Mom did not hesitate to open the door. “Is Ron here?”
“Yeah, he’s upstairs in his room. What happened outside?” Mom asked.
“I took care of it. Pack a suitcase with clothing and food. You and Ron are going to stay with me at Destiny’s,” Robert said.
“What happened outside?”
“You’ll see for yourself. Hurry up, we don’t have much time!”
Robert went upstairs in the attic and knocked on Ron’s door, which was opposite to his own. They barely spoke to each other normally, but he did love and have a mutual respect for his brother. The only time they really spoke to each other was when they needed something from each other. Hopefully, Ron was not among those possessed by Jinteen’s spell. If he were, he probably would have tried to kill Mom like Carter did. What if he had murdered someone else? Robert did not want to think like that; he needed to be optimistic.
“Yeah,” Ron said, answering the door.
He did not look to have any of the features of a demonic possession. Looking inside his room, Robert saw the paused video game on the flat-screen television. He was completely oblivious to everything that just occurred outside moments ago. He was probably glued to an online multiplayer of Call of Duty.
“You have a Light Bulb account?” Robert asked.
“Yeah, but I barely use it,” Ron said.
“When was the last time you used it?
“A few weeks ago.”
Robert had to be certain. He could not take any chances. Protecting his mother was his number one priority.
“Do you serve God or Satan?” Robert asked.
Ron looked at Robert as if he were on drugs.
“You know you don’t have to ask me that?” Ron said.
“Answer the question,” Robert demanded.
Ron shook his head, confused. Clearly, he did not want to answer.
“God,” Ron finally answered.
Robert believed Ron.
“Good, I need you to pack a suitcase with clothes, food, anything that’s important, and meet me downstairs in two minutes. Hurry!”
Moments later, with his mask back on his face, Robert carried his mother’s bag to the van followed by Ron carrying his own. Mom and Ron had to think Robert was foolish wearing a mask. It would be hard hiding his supernatural abilities from them, especially if they encountered more Eye for an Eye soldiers on the way to Destiny’s house.
Walking to the Eye for an Eye van, he saw all his neighbors around, preparing their homes for protection. Some were boarding their doors and windows. Others were searching in their garages for tools and weapons to use. If Robert had to, he could use the mirror world to enter their homes for protection. It was a vast responsibility to help so many people, but because of his God-given ability, he felt obligated.
Mom and Ron were seated in the front of the van, away from his possessed victims who were locked up in the back. The vans were already designed for shackling and kidnapping.
Driving through Freeport, Robert noticed that there were a lot fewer vehicles on the road than usual. Eye for an Eye vans crossed paths every so often. It was scary how many people Jinteen affected by the Light Bulb curse. This had to be a terrifying experience for Mom and Ron.
“Why were there so many men with guns on the porch and in the streets?” Mom asked.
“They were trying to take us away in these vans,” Robert said.
“Why?”
“Because we stood up against Satan. The day has come that we have to fight the devil with more than the word of God.”
“Where would they have taken us?”
“I don’t know.”
Moments later, Robert reached Destiny’s house. First, he brought his mother and Ron inside. Then he brought each possessed individual from the back of the van to the back of Destiny’s house, ultimately to the basement with Carter. He carried two at a time over his shoulders. They were all tied up in the basement. When he finished storing all the possessed victims in the basement, he went upstairs to see his mother, who was now crying in Destiny’s arms.
“All the prayer I do for my sons … how is it possible for one to be possessed?” Mom sobbed.
“He’ll be fine,” Destiny said, comforting his mother.
Good question, Robert thought. Mom and Dad bombarded Robert, Ron, and Carter with religion since they were children. Robert knew there would be a day that he had to seek guidance from God on his own. Now was the time if he wanted to help his brother and the rest of the possessed victims in Destiny’s house. He could only imagine the horror that was occurring in each house across America.
Although Robert hated to admit it, Jinteen was an exceptionally powerful man. He managed to possess hundreds of millions of people across the globe that used Light Bulb, and invaded the White House with his army.
“I want to see him,” Mom said.
“That can’t happen now, Mom,” Robert said.
“He’s my son! I want to see my son!”
Robert and Destiny looked at each other, unsure of what to say. It was tough for Mom, she had not seen her youngest son in days.
“You can’t now, Mom,” Robert said.
“I need to see my son!” Mom demanded again.
“He’s possessed! He wants to kill you! He’s too dangerous for you to be around now!”
“I’ll take the chance. I want to talk to my son. I want to rebuke the demon myself!”
“No, Mom. You can’t be anywhere near him for the next few days at least. I can’t take that chance.”
It took a while, but eventually Mom gave up on seeing Carter as she cried endlessly. If he allowed her to see him, she would probably drop dead on the spot. Seeing his youngest brother possessed was horrifying.
Eventually, Robert left everyone and walked upstairs to go into the bathroom. Before he entered, he called his father, whom he had not seen or spoken to in weeks. With a challenging relationship as a child, it was difficult to communicate with his father on a regular basis now as an adult, but he did love his father a great deal and wanted to make sure he was well and safe just as he did with his mother.
The phone rang several times, but it eventually went to voicemail. Robert did not leave a voicemail. Instead, he tried to call his father again and got the same result. Concerned, Robert went into the bathroom and locked the door.
“I tried to call my dad, but I can’t reach him. Do you know where he is?” Robert asked his reflection.
“He’s in danger. Jinteen set up execution chambers across America, some in the country’s most famous sports arenas. Your father has been taken by the Eye for an Eye army to Nassau Coliseum to be executed, just like your mother and brother would have been,” his reflection said.
Robert was panicked.
“OK, I need to get to him,” Robert said, trying to be calm.
“I know, but first I want to warn you that there are a lot of soldiers inside the arena. I counted a hundred. There may be more,” his reflection said.
Anxiety built up inside, but Robert quickly dismissed it because his father’s life was on the line. He had to save his dad now before it was too late.
“Do you think I can save my father?” Robert eventually asked.
“Not only will you save your dad, but you will save everyone in the arena and inspire them to fight back against Eye for an Eye!” his reflection said.
That was all the motivation Robert needed, looking in the mirror and his reflection having more confidence in him than he did in himself. Just like his mother, his father was also one of the people whom he would give his life for, to make sure they were safe. Robert knew without a doubt both of his parents would have given their lives for God.
Robert then put on his mask, now ready to enter the mirror world.
“You and that stupid mask! Thousands of people will see you, and that’s what you choose to wear? Your style is weak for someone trying to be a superhero,” his reflection said.
“I’m not trying to be a superhero, nor am I trying to be stylish. And if you don’t think I have style, why don’t you help me?” Robert asked.
“I think you should just show your face, but since you insist with the mask, I might have a couple of ideas. Cape or no cape?”
“I would be open to a cape.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But first, your dad. This will be your toughest challenge. Are you ready?”
With his mask, there would be less anxiety and fear, even if his reflection did not think it was stylish.
“I’m ready. Team God!” Robert said.
“Team God, all day, everyday! You know you’re my favorite superhero,” his reflection said.
Robert chuckled. “That’s good to know. Jesus is my favorite superhero. You’re my favorite sidekick,” he said.
Chapter 14