The Sounds of War (The Genesis Series Book 2) (15 page)

And when the wine ran out the mother of Yeshua said to Him, “They do not have wine.” And, Yeshua said to her, “Why should that concern me, ma’am? My appointed time is not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever, He would say to you, you must do right away.” And lying there were six stone water pots stored for the rite of purification of the Jewish people, holding up to two or three measures. Yeshua said to them, “You must right away fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. And He said to them, “You must draw some now, then, bring it to the wedding manager.” and they brought it. As the manager tasted the water made into wine, only he did not know how it was made, but the servants, those who drew the water knew, the manager called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man first puts the good wine and then, when they would be drunk the inferior: you have kept the good win until now.” John 2:1-10, One New Man Bible

K
irsten had to circle the airport endlessly while Justin deplaned. First his flight was late in arriving because of a severe storm front that required rerouting the plane, and then he had to wait endlessly for his baggage, which naturally, was last to be taken off the plane. By the time he exited the terminal, Justin was a bundle of nervous energy. After packing his suitcases in the trunk of her car, he reached for the car keys and said, “Let me drive I need to feel in charge of something.”

On
the freeway, finally headed for Navasota the banter of good friends who had been apart for six weeks bounced between them. As they talked, Kirsten’s thoughts kept wandering back to the angelic visitation of the previous evening. Finally forcing her errant mind to stay focused on what Justin was saying she tune in to him as he said, “…and that’s temporarily over. The book is finally at the publisher and an editor will be assigned to it the first of next week.” Justin paused as he removed his sunglasses and put them on the dash. Taking his eyes from the road, he asked, “Aren’t you proud of me?”

“Mmm, so you’re finished with the writing?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said, weren’t you listening?”

“I am
. I guess I’m surprised you’re finally finished. Happy and excited that you’re finished.” Reaching for his forearm, she squeezed it and continued, “Of course we’re all proud of you.”

Even though he needed to give his attention to the afternoo
n traffic, Justin had a carefully planned agenda that he was determined to pursue. While he kept his eyes on traffic, he spoke from his heart. “It’s not the others I want to be proud, it’s you. Are you proud of me?”

“Yes,” watching his profile closely she nodded, “of course I am.”

“Proud enough to talk about the future?” Justin’s voice was gentle but somber.

Realizing he was extremely serious. Her heart pounded as
she slipped straying strains of hair behind her ear, “What future?” 

“I know we haven’t talked much about our feelings for each other.” The traffic not allowing him to remove his eyes from the road, he felt for her hand then picking it up he
wrapped his own around hers. “I love you...no, make that I’m in love with you. I haven’t been much of a boyfriend.” Then risking it all he turned to look her in the eye with the intent to finish his declaration. Instead, he allowed the words to hang between them before he once again returned to the business of maneuvering the freeway traffic.

Her expression
was unreadable and he suddenly was nervous. To substitute for words that seemed to fail him, he picked up their locked hands and placed the back of hers against his lips. She muttered something that sounded like his name. Filled with hope again, he blurted his affection. “Kirsten, I love you, and I want a future with you.” Braking to pace the car with the stop and go traffic, he paused and sighing deeply he added, “I have since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

In a low husky voice, Kirsten managed to reply, “I love you too.” Her throat constrict
ed with weeks of pent-up hurt. She batted her eyelids and fought against the tears threatening to spoil the moment. Digging the fingernails of her free hand into her thigh, she whispered, “You certainly took your sweet time to clue me in to this secret of yours.”

When Justin didn’t respond, she was grateful he
was distracted by the traffic and had not heard her comment. Silently she prayed,
Oh, God, please don’t let me mess up this moment.

Justin picked up the conversation where he had left
off, “You really do love me?”

Unable to refrain from
an emotional reaction she giggled, “Yeah…I do.”

Growing silent, he savored the moment and took the
opportunity to push the car through the freeway to the feeder road. Moments later forced to stop at a red light, he turned giving her his full attention. His eyes plummeting into hers as he broke the silence and asked, “Will you be my girl?”

“I’ll think on it.” Kirsten teased and then turning serious added, “You’ve given me no indication you had any feelings for me whatsoever, I’m kind of caught off guard by all of this.”

A car behind him honked, the light had turned green. As he proceeded with the turn toward Navasota he countered, “I’ve been preoccupied the last six months with the book but I haven’t ignored you...what about Christmas, what about your birthday?”

“What do you mean?”

“Kirsten, I flew out here to spend your birthday with you. I wouldn’t have flown halfway across the country to spend six hours with someone who meant nothing more
to me than a good friend. I’ve never done that for Curtis.” He shook his head at her, “Did I come out here on Eme’s or Joshua’s birthday, or anyone else’s birthday for that matter? Of course not, and let me remind you I flew here for Christmas Day and back the very next morning, then I came back here a week later to spend New Year’s Eve with you and the family. Didn’t you even get the hint when I gave you my mother’s pearls for Christmas?” Pausing he took in a frustrated breath. Cutting his eyes in her direction, he saw the hurt written on her face. Realizing the effect his words were having it dawned upon him, he had never verbalized his feelings before that moment. Squeezing the hand, he still held tight he apologized. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I didn’t say the words but I’ve certainly expressed them, or at least I thought I did. Guess that’s a male thing, huh?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry, too, perhaps I should be more understanding.” Turning to look at him, she continued, “Maybe I should have read between the lines, I guess I’m not as skilled at reading you as I thought
. But certainly never said the words before now. You never said you loved me, nor have you ever mentioned that you were thinking about us…that you were considering…heck.” Giggling again, she swiped at the tears sliding down her cheeks, “You’ve never even kissed me!”

“There’s a reason for that. If we started a romantic relationship, I’m not sure I could have controlled it
. I’ve had a mandate from God to finish my book. The book had to have my full focus and by the way, I brought a copy of the manuscript with me. I would like you to read it, but back to the subject at hand,” he squeezed her hand, “I know this is old-fashion, but may I speak to your dad about us getting married?”

Kirsten leaned across the console and kissed his cheek
. As she rubbed the lipstick from his face she smiled, “Don’t you think you should ask me if I will be your wife, first?”

Does the eagle mount up at your command and make his nest on [a] high [inaccessible place]? On the cliff, he dwells and remains securely, upon the point of the rock and the stronghold. From there he spies out the prey; and his eyes see it afar off. Job 39:27-29, AMP

When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?” Numbers 13:17-19, NIV

T
he Computer Science Department’s main door opened narrowly, a head peered around the frosted glass and a second later, a man stepped guardedly into the lab. Keeping his hand on the door handle, his eyes scanned the vacated lab.

The lab had
just enough residual lighting coming from the computer equipment to allow him to zigzag his way through the numerous abandoned workstations and haphazardly step across the cables and cords without tripping. Cautiously and quietly, reaching the back wall of the lab, he tiptoed into the long hallway that angled off the massive lab. As luck would have it, he would not have far to go. The only light in the darkened hallway came from the second office. From where he stood, he was able to determine there was someone in the office but he wasn’t sure if the one there was the one he sought. Freezing all but the tilt of his head, he hoped he could telepathically detect his target, but no movement or sound came from the small walled-in space.

Stealthily maneuvering the necessary few feet, he stretched his neck through the open doorway
. Turned in the opposite direction was a young woman with her head lowered, her thumbs flying over the surface of her cell phone. He couldn’t see her face but the unusual color of her red hair, confirmed to him she was Emeleigh Gruen.

Emeleigh was frustrated.
Kirsten had sent her a text message that read:
imperative get here ASAP.
The text had interrupted her as she packed her briefcase. Dutifully she had stopped everything and responded to Kirsten, and then she attempted to text Elijah, but for some unknown reason suddenly her messages wouldn’t ping.

Exasperated she
tossed her cell onto her desk and continued with the task of packing the briefcase. It was the start of Spring Break. The staff and almost all of the students had left not only the lab, but the entire campus as well. She had only stayed this long because of a scheduling issue. Heading up a difficult phase of a major project that required synchronization, she had to wait for the acknowledgment of data sent to her counterpart in Australia before she could leave. In spite of the time difference between her and her Aussie partner, this had proven to be a rewarding endeavor and a nice feather in her professional cap, even if it did cause havoc in her schedule. Thankfully, the awaited confirmation had only moments before arrived. She was ready to begin the holiday. Feeling the stress mount between her shoulders she picked up her cell and texted Elijah again, and this time her message:
go to car meet you there
, finally went through.

Turning back to her briefcase, she picked it up and
moved it to her chair as she restarted the process of deciding which printouts and notebooks of data to pack and those that could wait until after Spring Break. All the while, Emeleigh was oblivious to the one who studied her every move.

Nimbly and noiselessly, the man crept forward inching until he stood less than three feet away, turning once more to look over his shoulder and seeing no one, he turned back and spoke her name, “Emeleigh Gruen?”

Spinning on her heels, the squeal of the sneakers on the highly polished floor tiles matched the piercing of her shriek, “Who in God’s name are you!” Heart pounding against her chest, she quickly assessed her predicament. Breathing deeply Emeleigh commanded herself to remain calm.

Everything about the man’s appearance portended to f
ear. The scraggy day-old beard, collar-length coal-black hair, even the way he stood with his hands on his hips sneering. Everything about him implied hostility, yet something was odd. When she saw the toothpick that rolled between his teeth she thought,
He looks like a hoodlum from one of Mimi’s black and white movies
. Everything he wore was black. Tee shirt, jeans, leather jacket even motorcycle boots. Suddenly struck by the humorous exaggeration she nervously fought not to lose control by giving in to unwanted laughter. The thought,
He looks like a 1950’s Marlon Brando character
, caused a tense twitch around her lips and at the same time, a surprising peace settled over her. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly and measuring her words, said, “Why do you need to know who I am?”

“Yeah, you’re her,” he pointed at the name on her door, “let’s go.

“Go? Go where?”

“I must find Elijah.”

“Is he lost?”

“Quit being coy
.” He commanded as he stepped forward into her space. “I was told you would try to outsmart me and that you’re tricky, but just so you know, so am I.”

Tilting her head she arched an eyebrow
and queried, “Smart or tricky?”

Not answering, he unexpectedly grabbed her right arm with his left hand and swung at her chin with his right fist. As she slumped, he seized both arms and slung her over his shoulder.

Once outside the computer lab he quickly looked in both directions. Seeing no one, he hastily walked toward the building’s main foyer. Once in the lobby he removed her from his shoulders and shook her. When she didn’t respond, he shook her again. She was as limp as a day-old kitten. It was imperative to wake her. He couldn’t run the risk of someone seeing him carry her. The only available exit would take them into the plaza, and from where he stood, he could clearly see the courtyard and the building across the way. Two students had just exited the other building and were entering the plaza.

Looking around he
noticed that across the lobby, near the food court was a large waterfall fountain. Thinking he would use the water to revive her, he tucked her under his arm and dragged her to the fountain. After several attempts of splashing water in her face, he concluded it was going to take a more drastic approach to bring her out of her unconscious state.

Sitting down on the ledge of the fountain he laid her over his lap, pulling the neck of her shirt with one
hand, he pushed her face into the pool of cold water with the other.

Jerking her head, swinging
both arms while kicking her legs, Emeleigh desperately tried to gain traction and push away. What she managed was to sling water and fists in every direction while she continued to drown and choke at the same time. Kicking and jabbing to partial freedom, she gasped for air and managed to dislodge his hand from the back of her head.

He let
go of the back of her shirt in an attempt to use both hands to wrap around her torso. He grabbed her just as she was within inches of escaping. Regaining his hold, he slammed her against his thighs knocking what air she had managed to inhale from her lungs.

Weak and disoriented, still Emeleigh wasn’t about to submit, sputtering and wheezing she continued to kick. Putting a large hand on the nape of her
neck, he pushed her head into the water again and raised his voice, “Stop it!” He demanded, even though her head was under water she heard his demands, “Stop fighting, and listen!”

Weak she nodded. She had swallowed way too much of the chlorinated water from the foundation
. She could feel the burn of the chlorine as it churned in her stomach. Fear and nerves didn’t mix well with chlorine. Emeleigh could feel the bile as it burned. She knew that without a doubt she was going to be ill; it was only a matter of time. Needing to focus, she closed her eyes and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Slinging the water off his face with his free hand, he instructed, “You are going to take me to Elijah one way or
another, now let’s go where Elijah is!”

Through clenched teeth,
she managed the words, “Car, he is at the car.” Jerked to her feet too quickly, her head spun and her stomach wrenched, barely turning her head in time, she upchucked in the fountain.

Instantly he jumped out of the way and allowed her to sink to the floor
as he exclaimed, “You’re disgusting!”

Falling to her knees, head hanging over the fountain,
Emeleigh moaned and silently prayed,
I could use an angel right about now, Lord.

“There are no angels here
, remember that.” The stranger put a foot on her back and pushed, forcing her torso flush with the fountain, unable to move she nodded.

“Wash your face and smooth your hair. We must find your brother.” Again, she nodded
. Believing she was ready to submit he removed his foot and stood back waiting as she made the effort to wash her face in the fountain.

Taking the seconds he allow
ed, Emeleigh stuck her hand in the water and as she wiped her face, she realized he had heard her thoughts. “Who…who are you? She shook her head and whispered, “What are you?”

”It doesn’t matter who I am.” Looking about quickly he demanded, “Let’s
go. Hurry up.”

Smoothing her hair, sh
e focused inwardly and prayed,
Lord please protect my thoughts from him; put your blood over my mind
. Then to test her tactic she thought
what do you want with Elijah?
The man in black didn’t answer. Closing her eyes, she experimented again.
If I run, will you hurt Elijah
? The man didn’t answer.
The blood of Christ must block his telepathic abilities,
she thought.

Snatching her arm,
the man pulled until she stood next to him. He then warned, “Stay close next to me. If you try in any way to signal anyone I’ll hurt them first, then you and that’s a promise.” Wrapping an arm about her waist, he pushed her along as they made their way out of the building and into the plaza.

Thinking he should go look for Emeleigh, Elijah looked up from his iPad for the umpteenth time just as she and a strange man entered the parking lot. Elijah watched as they walked toward him and the car. Keeping his eyes on Emeleigh, he tapped the elec
tronic device’s screen and then tossed it into the backseat. Something about her disheveled appearance warned him trouble was brewing. Getting out of the car, he jogged toward her shouting with concern, “Are you hurt?”

Trying with all her might, she sent a look that normally would have stopped
him dead in his tracks. Whether it was the look or instinct, Elijah slowed his pace to a walk, and pursued with another question, “Emeleigh what’s the matter?”

When she didn’t respond, Elijah began assessing the way she walked and the nearness of the stranger to her. At that moment, he realized the stranger was forcing his sister to walk against her will. Reactively folding hands into fists, he made eye contact with the man
. The stranger smiled at Elijah, it was more a smirk of amusement than anything else. The unexpected smile highlighted the hybrid’s black soulless eyes. Summing up the situation, Elijah instantly realized the man was Nephilim.

Moving slower
Elijah still moved forward as a rise in his spirit began to form a command of resistance. Before Elijah could give voice to the words, the Nephilim shouted, “Now!”

Elijah felt every ounce of strength leave his body
. Dropping like a puppet without strings, he fell onto the concrete pavement unconscious.

“Elijah!” Emeleigh screamed and tried to twist free.

“He’s all right, stop resisting me or I’ll do the same to you.”

A cold shiver ran down her spine as she looked up
to the face of the stranger. But instead of seeing the man in black, she saw in his place, a tall blonde haired man. “What are you?” she whispered.

“You know, you have seen me before,
” raising his eyes up, he tilted his head and said, “come now, it’s time to go. They’re here.”

Following his eyes, she looked over her head and saw a
beam of blinding light descend. The beam attached to Elijah’s motionless body and lifted him off the ground. Never taking her eyes from Elijah, she watched as he disappeared into the outline of an invisible craft. The mysterious craft never materialized or emitted noise, it simply displaced atmosphere without disturbing it. Whatever was overhead blended with the sky like a chameleon. The blood drained from her head and her very last thought was
Jericho
.