Rise of the Beast (19 page)

“I didn’t promise that she would be easy,” said Krugloe, “I just said that you’d like her.”

That brought a slight smile to Karina’s face. “She is interesting.”

Karina pulled off to the side of the road, near the corner of Carroll Street
and Brooklyn Avenue. “Remember, one hour,” she repeated.

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Krugloe, his tone expressing a sense of hostility.

He was on his way. “Ingrate,” he cursed, under his breath.

It was a Saturday, but the streets weren’t particularly busy. He had it all figured out. Six minutes to walk to her house, four to accomplish entry by the back door, three to locate the old woman, then a half hour or more to bring her to the point where she would be pleading for death. It would take a few minutes to verify that he had left no evidence of any account behind, and he would be on his way. He’d be in time for Leland and Krissie’s wedding, no problem. It was all so perfect.

He worked his way down the back alley, then through an unlocked wooden gate at the back of her narrow yard. The back yard itself was a virtual jungle of fruit trees and lush gardens. It provided perfect cover. Then he was at her back screen door. He was surprised to discover that it wasn’t even locked. He slipped in.

He was way ahead of schedule. He checked his black bag, which contained rope and a gag to keep her quiet while he worked on her. He had it all figured out. This was going to be so easy.

He waited just inside the door for several minutes, listening, attempting to evaluate the situation. He heard her upstairs, walking from room to room, and she was singing. It made him smile to think of how her life was about to change, then end.

He heard a lawnmower start up in the yard a door or two down the street. It was a particularly loud one. It would likely mask any noise she might make before he gagged her. This thing just kept getting better and better.

He moved toward the stairway and then crept up the stairs. All the while, Julio watched helplessly within his prison of the mind. No, he couldn’t allow this to happen. But what could he do?

Krugloe reached the top of the stairs and looked down the short hallway. He identified where this woman was; her voice was coming from the room before him. It was time. He stepped into the room, only to come face to face with his victim. She was dressed for the wedding. She was quite becoming for one so old, this Claire James.

The woman seemed stunned, not expecting to come face to face with an intruder. Then the fear vanished from her face. “I’m almost ready,” she finally said. “I hadn’t expected you so soon. You really should have knocked.”

Krugloe was confused, a state that he rarely found himself in. Adding to it, Julio had started to fight him again. Indeed, never had Julio struggled with him so desperately. He stood there like a statue.

“The present is setting on the end table in the living room,” she continued. “If you want to go ahead and load it up, I’ll be down in about ten minutes. Oh, and there is an apple pie on the drain board in the kitchen. Go ahead and help yourself to a piece while you’re waiting.”

Still the intruder stood motionless. It had been a long time since Krugloe had encountered such resistance from one he had possessed. It caught him completely by surprise.

Claire approached Julio, concern on her face. “Are you OK, young man?” Then she saw the blade in his one hand the cloth and strand of rope in the other. “Oh my,” she gasped.

In that brief moment, Julio took control. He fell to one knee. “Run, get out of here, please,” he gasped, as if fighting for every word.

Julio expected this woman to flee screaming, but she didn’t. A moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder and with that hand a sense of power. Then he heard her speaking. Yet, her words were not in English or Spanish, but in some tongue the likes of which he had never heard.

“You have not the right!” raged Krugloe, using Julio’s own voice. “How dare you?”

“By the blood of Christ,” replied Claire, her tone suddenly forceful. “That is who gives me the right. Get out of this boy! Persecute him no longer. Go back to that wilderness you came from, demon.” There was a pause. “Get out of him, Krugloe.”

Julio was astonished. This woman had called the demon by name.

Then Julio fell to the floor, convulsing violently as the demon threw him in what seemed to be all directions at once. Then there was silence and peace. He opened his eyes to see the kind eyes of the woman looking into his. Her hand was on his forehead and she was still praying in some unknown language. It
was only then that Julio realized that Krugloe was gone. He was free. Julio started to cry like he hadn’t cried since he was a child. He was free. “Thank you Jesus,” he wept. “Oh thank you.”

“You’re thanking the right person,” said Claire. “For I tell you it was Him and not me that freed you.” There was a pause. “It was that Lusan that did this to you, wasn’t it?”

Julio nodded. “I’m so sorry I did this. But I’m so happy now.”

Claire smiled. “What is your name, young man?”

“Julio, Julio Mendoza.”

“You know my grandson, don’t you,” she continued.

Julio just nodded. Right now, he wondered how much this woman did know. Yet a second later her expression changed. She seemed to be having trouble breathing. She fell to her knees, even as Julio rose to his. “Ma’am, what’s wrong?”

“My heart,” she gasped. “Oh God, what’s happening?”

Julio looked on in horror as she collapsed before him. What was he going to do now, run? No, not now. He picked her up and carried her to her bed. His eyes scanned the room. Then he saw what he was looking for, her phone. Without the slightest hesitation he dialed 911. Right now he didn’t care what people might think. He couldn’t let Claire die.

For Claire the terrible crushing pain lasted for less than a minute. Then all of her pain, even the stiffness she had felt for years vanished. She sat up on her bed. “I’m OK, Julio,” she said.

He didn’t respond. He had the 911 operator on the line, was describing Claire’s symptoms, telling him where to send the paramedics. He walked back toward the bed, phone in hand. Claire was noticeably confused as he walked straight through her and knelt by the woman on the bed—her.

Claire looked on in wonder. It was her. She looked at her hand. No longer was it wrinkled; it was soft and smooth as it was in her youth. She touched her face to discover that it was in the same condition. She looked in the mirror. She
was there. She almost expected to see nothing. Yet she looked different from the other objects reflected in the glass. She somehow looked more real, more vivid. Stranger still, she was young again. She looked as she had when she was 30. No, she was even more radiant than that.

It was then that she saw what looked like a star shining in mid-air near the door. Swirling clouds appeared around it until it had taken on the form of a sort of corridor of clouds. At its center, in the far distance, was an object that looked as bright as the sun, yet it didn’t hurt her eyes.

She looked back at the bed where Julio was trying to do CPR on her, apparently following the instructions of the 911 operator. The brilliance of the light didn’t seem to have any effect on the room, only on her. She was literally gleaming in its luminance. She felt love all around her; it was wonderful, and its source was the light at the end of the tunnel. She needed to get going.

Claire took a step toward that wonderful tunnel only to stop. Oh she felt drawn to it all right, and she wasn’t afraid in the least. She knew who awaited her at the end of the tunnel. She so wanted to go and see Him, yet she hesitated. No, she couldn’t go. She was needed here. Leland needed her. He had to know what she knew. But if she stayed, what could she do? Again she called out to Julio, but he didn’t respond. What could she do?

“Oh Lord,” she cried. “I want to be with You, but I’m needed here. People have to know.”

“Claire,” said a voice from behind her.

She turned to behold a man dressed all in white. He had a short beard, long hair, such a kind face, and deep blue eyes. She knew at once who it was. She smiled through her tears as she fell into His arms. “Jesus,” she wept.

“It’s OK, Claire,” He said reassuringly. “I decided to come to you. Let’s go home, together.”

“No, I can’t go,” said Claire. “Lord, can’t you see what’s happening here?”

Jesus nodded. “Yes, I can. The last days are almost here.”

“But I can’t leave my grandson in the hands of that, that Monster,” wept Claire. “Oh Lord, I can’t leave Julio like this.”

“But you can’t stay,” replied Jesus, his words kind and gentle. “You have run the good race all of the way to the end.” He pointed to Julio, who was doing
everything he could to save her. “Look what you’ve done for him. I tell you, my child, he is going to make it. He is going to find the Kingdom of Heaven, I promise you. It will happen because of you, because of your love.”

“But I have more to do,” objected Claire, her tone insistent. “Please Lord, give me just a little bit more time.”

Already she could hear the sirens. The paramedics were on their way.

“Please, Lord, they need me.” Claire looked into her Lord’s face to see a broad smile.

“OK, Claire, you shall have a little more time,” said Jesus. “Make the best use of it you can for I shall call upon you again soon. You see, I have need of you as well. We have important work to do, and it cannot wait. There are terrible days ahead, and I intend to spare you from them. You are so faithful, so loving. I can tell you that our Father loves you very much. You have done well. But for now, you can stay in this troubled world.” Jesus gave Claire a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you again soon.”

Jesus turned to the swirling vapors, vanishing into them but a few seconds later. Then everything went dark.

A moment later, Claire opened her eyes to see Julio. She smiled slightly. “Thank you, Julio.”

“She’s awake,” he said to the operator. “Yes, she seems to be breathing fine, she’s talking to me.” Julio turned from the phone. “Oh thank God you’re OK. I’m so very sorry.”

Claire looked into Julio’s eyes and she knew him, knew all about him. It was amazing. “It’s OK, Julio, really it is. It wasn’t your fault.”

There was a knock at the door. Apparently, the paramedics had arrived.

Julio was off like a flash, the portable phone still in hand. He brought the paramedics back with him only half a minute later. By that time, Claire was sitting up in bed.

They immediately went to work, checking her heart, blood pressure, and her eyes.

“All this fuss,” said Claire, smiling slightly. “I just fainted, that’s all.”

“Blood pressure looks fine,” said one of the three paramedics. “Heart seems normal, too,” said the other.

“Really, I’m fine,” said Claire. “I guess I just lost my balance for a minute, that’s all. I’m sure glad that Julio was here for me.”

“Ma’am, you still should come with us to Good Samaritan so you can be checked out,” said the first paramedic. “From what Julio said, it sounds like you had a heart attack. It’s just a precaution.”

“A heart attack? No, I just got a bit dizzy, took a fall, that’s all. I must have gotten up too fast. I mean, I’m not as young as I used to be. Anyway, I have my grandson’s wedding to go to. The chauffer is going to be here in an hour. Look, I promise to go and get checked out later if I’m feeling badly. I’m sorry to be any trouble to you gentlemen.”

The paramedic smiled slightly, “Mrs. James, you aren’t being any trouble at all. We’re just concerned, that’s all.”

The paramedics remained with Claire and Julio for another 20 minutes, monitoring her vital signs, and asking plenty of questions. It became clear that they would not be able to convince her to go to the hospital. They didn’t have the authority to insist that she go with them. Then again, there was no sign that she’d actually had a heart attack. Maybe it had been something simple, indigestion perhaps. In the end, it took a promise from Julio that he would stay with her and bring her to the ER if any further problems arose before they would leave. Claire even saw them to the door, offering each of them a piece of one of her famous apple pies in the process.

As she closed the door, she turned to the young man at her side. “Now, Julio, I want you to tell me about everything that’s happened. I want to know how you got into this mess and what you know about Lusan.”

And so the story began. It was worse than Claire had anticipated. This young man had been through a nightmare during these past months. It was almost unimaginable. But now he openly offered his heart and mind to Christ. He knew only too well what was at stake. He was just thankful for another chance. They prayed for guidance right there in Claire’s living room. Claire took a little bit of olive oil and anointed the young man. She proclaimed that he would put on the whole armor of God, that he would be a great spiritual warrior. When it was all though, Julio was in tears.

“Now I really know what people mean when they say born again,” said Julio. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do next.”

Amazingly, Claire knew exactly what to do. Never had she felt such a strong leading by the Lord. “We’re going to get you into a good church. I think I know just the one. But first, we’re going to confront Lusan. No, I won’t dignify him by that name. We call it, we call him, what he is: Satan.”