The end of chapter 13.

Lew turns back to the preacher. "If you knew your Bible, you would know by reading the book of Jude, that the Lord utterly and swiftly destroys false teachers. God will wipe out you and your entire family with His wrath! I'm imploring you to renounce this nonsense, get on your knees, and beg for forgiveness. If you continue, you will take all of these people straight into the Lake of Fire with you. It's up to you!" I turn to the audience. "You people need to run out of this evil place like it's on fire!" Slowly I make my way to Kathy. "I'm finished."

Her open mouth changes into a sly smile. 

Before we make it to the door, the Pastor erupts, spewing venom with every word. "You and your generation are the ones going to burn. We have the favor of the Father now." Most of the crowd rises with a sense of deep sadness and begins to exit. "No, my followers, they're the enemy!" 

That's the last words we hear.

Kathy and I don't speak until we're in the car. "You look sad, Lew."

"I feel sorry for them. Those people were searching for the truth, and what they found was all lies. Now, their shattered dreams may cause them never to know our true Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. All because of him."

*****
Chapter 14

I have awakened into a nightmare. The last thing I remember is coming home from the Risen Saviour Church and lying down on the couch. Now, the world is completely dark, and a thousand voices surround me. I feel like every mind in Memphis is invading my brain.

A dim light begins to shine. I wonder if it's an angel coming to help me, then it morphs into the kitchen light. The doctors said that my vision would be affected in strange ways as the tentacles from the tumors continue to grow in my brain. 

But the voices continue to grow louder. If I can focus one, maybe the others will quiet. There, it seems to be Caleb dreaming. He runs his hand down Kathy's nude back. No, I don't want to see Kathy in that way!

I need to find another voice. "Please help me, Father!"

Four men are walking down Central Avenue, and they're talking about Kebon. No leader could ever walk away from the gang alive, knowing what they know. It was last night, around midnight. They finally caught him coming back to his grandmother's house. Before he got to the porch, the four of them stepped out of the shadows with their guns firing. Kebon collapsed on the porch steps when the last shots rang out. The men start to walk away when his grandmother comes out of the house. One of them turns and says, "Mess with us, grandma, and you're next."

She screams at them. "I fed all of you at my table, and this is how you repay my kindness. The Lord will strike all of you down and avenge me!"

A cool breeze blows through the trees, flowing down the street, and my mind follows. The voices start to fade.

The light in the kitchen grows brighter, blinding me. What is happening, Father? Is this the end? Something snaps inside my mind, and the process stops. Slowly, I reopen my eyes. I'm lying on the floor with sweat pouring out - the cold floor feels terrific against my cheek. I must have fallen from the couch. My body still shakes from the pain. When I roll over to my knees to stand, I smell the urine on the floor - my right hand shakes, reaching for the counter to pull myself up. Somehow, I manage to grab the edge, but my left side is not responding. 

A sense of peace envelops me when I feel arms wrap around my chest, and I rise with ease. There is a heavenly presence with me.

My breathing eases when the pain subsides a little. Questions begin to fill my mind. Is this the beginning of the stroke I've been waiting on? Who was the presence that helped me? Will our plans to help the homeless fall apart if I'm not here? No, Caleb and Kathy are too strong for that. Do I have the strength to turn on the coffee across the room?

Slowly, I turn, but my muscles seem very weak. I make it two steps to the desk, dragging my left side - I can't move my left arm at all. The doctors told me about this partial paralysis. They said it would happen before I became completely paralyzed. 

I lean my body against the counter. My shaking right index finger reaches for the power switch. I finally click the coffee pot on, and the rich aroma begins to rise. It takes all of my strength to pour some in a cup. I steady my right hand to take a sip. I hope it's not my last.

I still don't hear any voices, but they'll return. After another sip of coffee, my brain seems to explode, and the intense pain roars throughout my body, causing my eyes to tear. I dump the coffee on the counter, and the cup falls into the sink. In the reflection of the spilled coffee, I watch my face's left side begin to fall then feel the muscles tighten in my left arm and leg as before. I hear the ligaments in my index finger snap while it twists like a pretzel. Not only do my toes curl, but my left ankle and foot curve inward, causing me to fall on my left side, and the pain is excruciating.

I've got to get up; they can't find me like this. I'm becoming a deformed monster.

My left side is completely useless; I'll have to depend on God and my right hand. I grab the silverware drawer and slide it open then begin to pull myself up. When I make it to my knees, my stomach turns, and the coffee reappears on the floor. I've left Kathy three awful messes to clean up.

Again, the invisible arms lift me to a standing position. "Thank you, whoever you are."

I have to get out of the office where we live and find a hiding place in the warehouse. I remember a custodian closet near the loading dock. It's dark and very secluded there, even in the daytime. But I need to make it to the door first. 

I step out with my right leg a little then drag the left leg to it. It will be a slow process, but with the Lord's help, I'll make it. 

It takes me six steps to make it to the door. After I slowly drag and pull myself out the door, I come to a sudden realization. To use my right hand, I have to cross the building - the distance looks daunting in my condition. I look up and pray. "Lord, please...help your...humble servant."

That's when I feel a supernatural arm embrace my waist, then an unseen hand takes my right arm and lovingly wraps it around broad shoulders. The invisible presence begins to lead me towards my destination while I start to weep. The joy of knowing that the Lord is always with me overwhelms my soul.

~

Several hours later, Kathy's internal alarm clock tells her that it's five-thirty, and time to start the day. "I hope Lew has the coffee done." After a quick visit to the bathroom, she slowly lumbers into the kitchen. Kathy smiles at the bold aroma of Seattle's Best #5 that fills the kitchen. 

~

It has taken me three hours to make a five-minute journey. I see the darkness in the corner of the building that I need to hide the monster I've become. If this is the end, I don't want to be remembered like this. My unseen friend gently guides me to an old office chair in the darkness. Slowly, I collapse into the chair then reach out my right hand. "Thank...you, my...friend. I will...never forget...this." It's so difficult to talk with only half a mouth.

I feel the warm embrace of a loving hand in mine.

The voices begin to return, but I focus on Kathy's mind. She just walked into the kitchen.

~

Kathy suddenly stops; she feels something wrong. That's when she notices the spilled coffee and the overturned cup. There's vomit on the floor, and she smells urine in the air. Kathy checks the door for Lew's jacket. It's here, but where is he?

Kathy opens the door, then frantically begins to search the building, hollering, "Lew!"