Authors: Russ Scalzo
The next morning Jack
headed up to the hospital. He had to try and talk to Louise. He had encountered
something similar to this a year ago in upstate New York and he was certain the
girl was right. Whatever attacked her boyfriend wasn’t human.
He took the elevator to
the third floor and the doors opened right in front of the nurses’ station.
Approaching the desk, Jack spoke.
“My name is Jack
Bennett. I’m here to see Louise Crowder.”
The nurse didn’t have
to check. Everyone on the floor knew what room Louise was in. The nurse
replied, “Her parents are with her right now. I’ll ask them if you can see
her.”
Jack nodded, but he
knew nothing was going to stop him from talking with the girl. He needed to see
her face and look into her eyes. They would tell the story that her words could
not.
The nurse stuck her
head in the door of the room, then stepped out into the hallway and motioned
him to come down.
Jack walked through the
door and was met by Louise’s father Steven Crowder. Mr. Crowder was the vice
president of Halls Technology Group, a high-tech think tank that made most of
its money on government contracts. He reached out and shook Jack’s hand as he
walked in.
The nurse quickly
introduced Jack. “Mr. and Mrs. Crowder, this is Jack Bennett.”
“Hello. No need for
introductions. You’re Jack Bennett, the consultant I’ve heard so much about.
It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I’m afraid Lou isn’t going to be able to help
you much. She is still pretty shaken up. The doctor says it is going be a long
road back. ”
“I understand,” Jack
said compassionately, “I just need a minute with her. Is that okay?”
Sitting right next to
her daughter’s bed, Louise’s mother glanced at her husband and shook her head
no. Steven walked over to his wife, lovingly put his arm around her and said,
“Let’s just give him a minute honey. We’ll stand right outside the door. It
will be alright.”
Mrs. Crowder reluctantly
agreed and the two walked out the door and stood in the hallway.
Jack slowly walked over
to Louise who was awake but not very responsive. He reached out, touched her
hand and, in a calming tone, said, “Hi Louise. My name is Jack. I need to ask
you a few questions, okay?”
Her eyes widened. She
looked straight at him and responded in a low whisper. “He’s coming. That’s
what it said. He’s coming.”
Jack leaned a little
closer and asked, “Who is coming Louise?”
Her eyes widened and
her voice trembled. “The spirit of Babylon. He’s coming.”
She continued staring
at him, not blinking, not moving a muscle.
Jack knew full well
what Louise meant. The spirit of Babylon was a Biblical reference meaning a
spirit of rebellion. It’s the one Jack had been writing about. This spirit had
a long, ugly history starting with the rebellion in Heaven when Lucifer
gathered a third of the angels in an attempt to overthrow God, but was defeated
and banished from heaven eternities ago. Jack knew those ancient scripts by heart.
Isaiah 14:12-13 reads,
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have
been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in
your heart, I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like
the Most High."
And Ezekiel 20:14 says,
“
You
were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy
mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your
ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.”
Jack had heard all he
needed to hear. He knew what he was up against. No more questions were needed.
Jack’s heart was
breaking to see this young girl so distraught. He leaned in, took her hand and
said in a low gentle voice, “Louise, I am going to pray for you. Okay?”
She didn’t say a word,
her eyes still steadfastly fixed on him. Jack could now feel her squeezing his
hand tighter and tighter, and could see and feel the desperation in her eyes.
This wasn’t what Jack was known for, but nobody really knew how Jack solved all
of the difficult and mysterious cases he was assigned to, except his old buddy
Frank. Only he knew about Jack’s secret weapon. If anyone else found out about
it, he would be labeled as a religious freak and lose all of the awesome
opportunities the government sent his way.
Jack looked up towards
heaven and simply said, “Father, in the name of Jesus, your son, I release this
child from the bondage of evil and fear.”
Suddenly, Louise sat
up. She looked around the room and then back at Jack. With tears welling up in
her eyes, she grabbed onto his arm and cried, “Thank you! Oh my God! Thank
you!”
Jack quickly said,
“Thank God - not me.”
At that, the hospital
room door flew open and in came Mr. Crowder with his wife right behind him.
Mrs. Crowder ran to
Louise. “What happened? Are you alright? I knew we shouldn’t have left her
alone!”
“Mom, Dad, I’m
alright,” Louise said, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m not sure what
happened. This man prayed for me and now I feel so much better. It’s like a
door opened up and I walked out into the sunlight. ”
Upon hearing this, Mrs.
Crowder turned around to say something to the mysterious man who had given her
daughter back to her, but he was gone.
Jack got out of the
elevator on the ground floor and headed for the parking lot. He wasn’t into
hanging around. After all, he figured God did the work so how could he take any
credit. Besides, he didn’t want that kind of thing to get around just yet. He
had to keep his secret agent status. He was on a mission and nothing was going
to get in his way. Not the seen or the unseen.
CJ’s Street Café was a
great place to get a quick bite and a strong cup of coffee. Frank Lederman
loved CJ’s because he could get out of the office, sit outside, and get some
fresh air while observing the people hustling by. It was a beautiful spring day
with a light breeze and warm sunshine, the kind of day that induces a heavy
dose of Spring Fever.
Frank enjoyed reading
people and he was good at it. That’s what made him such a good detective. He
took a sip of his hot black java and patiently waited for his buddy Jack to
arrive, hoping to hear some good news about his hospital visit.
Looking up, he could
see Jack leisurely coming down the street. Frank shook his head and smiled. He
could never quite figure out how Jack could always be so laidback and calm even
in the midst of some of the most bizarre circumstances. Finally, Jack pulled
out his chair and sat down across from Frank. Catching the eye of the waitress,
he politely greeted her and ordered.
“Hi there. Coffee,
please. Cream and sugar and an egg bagel toasted with butter. Thanks.”
Frank looked at him and
teased, “You know, you should drink your coffee black. You ruin it with all
that crap.”
“Is that a truth?
Should I write that down?”
Frank lifted his cup in
a mocking toast and said, “Funny. So what did you find out? When we got there,
she wouldn’t or couldn’t talk at all. I hope you fared better.”
“Well, it is as I
suspected. She was right. The thing that attacked her boyfriend wasn’t human.
It was a demon.”
After all the years
Frank had spent working with Jack, he kind of figured that it would be
something he didn’t really want to hear about.
Sarcastically, Frank
responded, “A demon. Of course! What else could it have been?” Changing his
tone a bit, Frank took another sip of his coffee and asked, “What did the girl
say?”
“It told her that the
spirit of Babylon was coming. It’s a Biblical reference to the spirit of
rebellion that, according to my research, has been growing stronger since the
early 1960’s. Over the last ten years, it has grown exponentially.”
Jack paused for a
moment as the waitress arrived with his coffee and bagel.
Frank took a deep
breath and said, “You know I hate this crap. It gives me the creeps. Why can’t
it be some madman that I can track down and put in the slammer? With you, it’s
always got to be a spirit or a demon or whatever. Geez Jack - so now what?”
Jack knew he had to get
Frank back to more familiar turf so he redirected, “Well, first off, I need you
to pull the file on the Oslow’s. I’ve got a feeling it starts there. What do
you know about these people?”
Feeling a little more
at home Frank said, “It was before my time, but the story goes that they were
into some strange stuff. They belonged to some weird secret society called The
Sons of Marod or something like that.”
Jack interrupted,
“Could it be The Sons of Nimrod?”
“That‘s it Nimrod. The
Sons of Nimrod. You’ve heard of it? Wait a minute. Of course you have.”
“That explains a lot.
The Sons of Nimrod are an organization based in the Middle East. They believe
in a world without religion; a world where everyone is free to live any way
they want - no rules, no boundaries. The Sons of Nimrod are waiting for a new
world leader, one they believe is coming soon.”
Frank motioned to the
waitress for a refill. “Before I ask this, I need more caffeine. So, who is
this Nimrod character?”
Jack pointed at him and
said, “This is why you need to read the Bible. Nimrod was the first leader and
king in recorded history. The ancient historian Josephus says that it was
Nimrod who excited the people of his day to have contempt for God. He was
the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah. He persuaded the people not to
give God credit for their lives or happiness, but to believe that it was
their own courage that procured their happiness.
“He also gradually
changed the government into tyranny seeing no other way of turning men from
their fear of God into a constant dependence on his power. He said that he
would be revenged on God if He should have a mind to drown the world
again. For that, he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able
to reach and so he built the tower of Babel, which was located near ancient
Babylon. He promised that would avenge himself on God for destroying their
forefathers.
“What is even more
interesting is that what Josephus has written is precisely what is found in the
Gilgamesh epics. Gilgamesh also set up tyranny. He opposed God and did his
utmost to get the people to forsake Him. Many believe Gilgamesh and Nimrod are
actually one in the same. The name Nimrod probably has to do with the
Hebrew word marad meaning ‘to be rebellious’ or ‘we will revolt.’
“All these gods were
worshipped in ancient Babylon thus the meaning of what the demon told Louise: ‘The
Spirit of Babylon is coming.’”
Frank soaked Jack’s
words in and finally responded. “Wow! Why is it that every time I’m with you, I
feel like I’m back in a class at the University?” He shook his head in
disbelief and continued, “So this Nimrod or Gilgamesh guy was a real person and
this organization believes he is coming back?”
Jack finished his bagel
and answered, “He was a real person, however they don’t necessarily believe he
is the one coming back, but rather another that will walk in his footsteps.”
“This secret
organization, The Sons of Nimrod, are they mentioned in the Bible?”
“No, no one is really
sure when they got started. Some say the early 1700’s.”
“So this demon thing that
is or was in the Oslow House - you think it had something to do with their
deaths?”
“I have no doubt. They
had no idea what they were getting into. They invited the demon in and it
killed them. I can’t prove it, but I’m sure that’s what happened.”
“Okay, so now we’re
back to what?”
“Well, I have to pray
about it, but it feels like the next step is to go back to the house.”
“Back to the house and
do what?”
“Not sure, but I’m
probably going to have to confront this thing.”
“Are you crazy?”
“If I do, it will be
God who confronts it, not me alone. I’ll give you a call tonight and keep you
updated. In the meantime, get me that file on the Oslow’s.”
“You got it.”
The two men got up from
the table, shook hands, and went back to work.
The local police
station was jammed with the usual low-end criminals. The agency made it a
priority to
partner
with local police to
help
carry out investigations and assess local
and regional crime threats, so for Frank to walk in and out of the station was
not unusual.
They
knew him well and furnished him with a place to work when he needed it. Frank
walked through the chaos, sat down at his desk, logged in to the computer, and
pulled up the Oslow files.
He began reading when
he heard, “Hey, Frank! Where you been, man? Long time, no see.”
It was Donny Westelton.
Not one of Frank’s favorites.
Donny walked up behind
him and said, “The Oslow file? What the heck are you looking at that for? You
Feds thinking of going cold case on us or somethin’?”
Frank swung his chair
around. “Just checking a few things out, that’s all. Pretty interesting case.”
“I wouldn’t get too
wrapped up in that one. That’s one case better left alone. You know what I’m
saying? Unless you’re writing a book or somethin’?” Donny laughed out loud.
“You writin’ a book, Frank?”
“Don’t you have a crime
to solve,” Frank paused for a moment and sarcastically finished, “or
somethin’?”
Donny shot him a quick
flick of the chin and walked away.
From a distance,
Detective Heidi Macaulay stood listening intently. She was thirty-five years
old, tall, very good looking, and known for being smart and tough when the
situation called for it. She waited a few minutes and then slowly walked over
to Frank’s desk. She was trouble in more way than one.
“I couldn’t help but
hear Donny being his normal jackass self. Checking out the Oslow murders, huh?
It’s awful what happened to those two kids. Weird, right?”
Frank looked up at and
thought,
Wow! She looks great today but then, she always looks great.
Heidi had been after
Frank ever since his divorce two years ago and even a little before that, but
Frank knew it would not be a good move to get involved with a fellow cop,
especially Heidi. Clearing his throat he said, “Yeah, very weird.”
“Donny is annoying, but
he might be right about this one. Some things are better left alone. It was
thirty years ago. The guys who worked that case aren’t even here anymore. From
everything I’ve heard, it’s nothing I’d want to get into.”
Frank thought to
himself.
What’s this all about? Something’s not right. Why is everyone trying
to push me away from this case?
He didn’t like the way
it all felt. Turning back to Heidi he said, “Well, I’m not really getting into
it. I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Heidi sat down on the
corner of Frank’s desk and leaned in, her long brown hair falling down around
her face framing her incredible green eyes. “Wanna grab some lunch today? I got
some time.”
Frank took a deep
breath and politely said, “I have a ton of work to do and besides, I don’t
really think that would be a good idea. You know, people talk.”
“Let them talk! They’re
gonna do it anyway. So what!”
“No thanks. I’m really
buried.”
Heidi stood up and
said, “Maybe another time?”
Frank nodded and went
back to work. Once she was out of sight, he shook his head, took another deep
breath and thought to himself,
I gotta get outta here
.
He pulled out a small
USB drive, copied the Oslow file, put it in his pocket, and left. He needed to
get that file to Jack ASAP. Only God knew what Jack Bennett was going to do
next, and whatever it was Frank wanted to be there.
* * *
It was now six o’clock.
By this hour, Jack had spent some real time in prayer. He relied on those
conversations with God- for wisdom, direction, and strength. He voiced his
concerns, even though God already knew them all. The silence served as the most
sacred, a time to listen-mind, heart, and soul.
He now knew beyond any
shadow of a doubt that he was to confront and remove the demon from the house
that it had called home for over thirty years. He grabbed his Bible off the
desk and headed out the door. Before Jack could get into his car, he saw Frank
pulling up the driveway. He stood with his hand on the door handle and waited
for Frank to get out of his car.
“Hey! I got the thumb
drive with all the Oslow files. Where are you going?” Before Jack could answer
he added, “Wait, are you going to the house?”
“Yeah, I have to take
care of this. And Frank, I have to do it alone.”
“Are you sure? You
might need backup.”
Not that Frank really
wanted to be there, but he was conflicted as to what he should do. He had seen
Jack do this kind of thing once before. If he hadn’t, maybe he would have
pushed the issue more. He would have insisted Jack take him for backup. But he
had. Frank wasn’t really a believer, but he was confident some things existed
that he didn’t understand and Jack did.
Jack opened the car
door and said knowingly, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have backup.”
Frank wasn’t exactly
sure what he meant by that, but knowing Jack he had a pretty good
idea.
He tossed the USB drive
to Jack who caught it and got into his car. Jack gave him a reassuring nod and
smile, and headed off to do what God had called him to do - confront the demon
at the Oslow House.