His voice was thick. “They’re dead!”
“What?”
“Mom, my sister, my little brother — ” he swallowed back the rising emotion — “they’re all … dead.” Becka’s heart broke as she reached out for him. “No, Ryan, it’s not true, it’s a lie!” She pulled him close. He buried his face deep into her arms like a little boy. She held him tightly and could feel his body trembling with silent sobs. “It’s all lies, Ryan, it’s not true. None of it is true.”
He looked up at her. Becka’s throat ached with emotion as she stared down into those deep blue eyes. Eyes that usually sparkled with such life but that were now filled with agony.
“I saw them,” he choked. “I saw the crash.” His lip started to tremble, but he fought to continue. “I was standing right there in the road, Beck. They swerved to miss me — I saw them hit …
I saw them hit the truck.”
“No, Ryan, it wasn’t true, it was — ”
“I saw!” He was shaking again, fighting back another sob. “I saw them go through the windshield … I saw my sister … her little head — ” He broke off.
Becka’s arms tightened around him. Tears burned her eyes as she stroked the back of his head, trying in vain to console him. At last she turned his face toward hers and looked directly into his swollen, red eyes. “Listen to me, Ryan. It’s not true. It’s a lie.”
“But I saw it … I heard them screaming.” She shook her head. Tears spilled onto her own cheeks.
“They’re lies. That accident never happened.” He searched her face, trying to understand. She continued.
“You can’t go by what you see.”
“But the screams — ”
“You have to believe. Remember? We can’t go by what we see or what we hear. We have to trust God, to believe what he says.
His truth, Ryan, remember?”
New tears sprang to Ryan’s eyes, only now they were tears of helplessness. “I can’t,” he croaked. “It’s … too hard.” Becka swiped at her eyes. “I know. I know. But
he
can give you the faith. If you ask him, he’ll give you the faith.” His eyes started to falter, to look away.
She gripped him tighter. “Ryan, God will help you believe!” She was practically shouting. “He’ll help you believe, but you’ve got to ask, you’ve got to ask him!”
Her intensity drew his attention back to her. Then, ever so slowly, he began to nod. “Yes … ,” he whispered.
Before Becka could respond, there was a sudden tumbling and crashing on the stairs above them. They scurried to their feet and ran to the base of the steps. Becka was the first to see him.
“Scotty!”
Her brother lay sprawled out at the bottom of the steps. He and the others had started to climb on their own, but he’d slipped and fallen. Yet it wasn’t the falling that horrified Becka — it was her brother’s neck. She had never seen a head twisted in such a strange position. Instantly, she knew the reason. His neck was broken.
“Scotty! Scotty,
no!!”
She dropped to his side. He did not respond. His eyes were closed and he was not breathing. “Scotty, Scotty, wake up! Scotty! Oh, God — no … please, please, not Scotty!” She threw her head back and cried. “Please, Jesus!
Please.”
Tears fell from her lashes onto his lifeless body. “I warned you!” she yelled. “I said you weren’t protected. Dear God, please, please …”
“Becka — ” Ryan knelt beside her. “This — this isn’t true. It can’t be.”
“What are you talking about?” she wailed. “Look for yourself.”
“No, no, it’s just what you told me. This isn’t real; this couldn’t have happened.”
“Look at him!” she shouted.
“It’s not real, Beck.” Ryan’s voice was growing steadier. “It’s another lie. He believes in Jesus; he’s protected.”
“No, that’s just it — he wasn’t protected. He wasn’t wearing his — ”
“God wouldn’t let something like this happen, not the God I’ve been reading about. He wouldn’t let this happen to one of his own. Not by that — ” he motioned toward the top of the stairs — “that thing.”
“But — ”
“Believe … Becka. You said it yourself, you’ve got to believe.
Don’t go by what you see; go by what you know. God wouldn’t let something like this happen. Not here, not like this.” She continued staring at her little brother. Next to Mom, this was her greatest love, the only family she had left.
“Believe,” Ryan repeated. “It’s another lie … it’s not true, it’s a lie.”
Becka blinked. Slowly her eyes rose to meet Ryan’s. Was it possible? Was this just another counterfeit?
She looked back down to the body. No! This could not be her brother. Whatever it was, it was not Scotty. Scotty was not dead.
He couldn’t be dead. Scotty was alive, Scotty was —
“Beck. Hey, Beck.”
It was her brother’s voice. But it wasn’t coming from the body. It was coming from …
She looked about, baffled.
“Up here.” She turned to the landing at the top of the stairs.
There was Scotty, standing with the others. She gasped and looked back to the body in front of her.
It was gone.
“Beck, are you okay?” She looked back up. He was leaning against the rail, bracing himself against the pain in his head. He motioned for her. “There’s something up here you’d better see.
Hurry.”
She threw a look at Ryan. He gave a half-smile. Together they rose and raced up the stairs.
Chapter 10
9:50 p.m.
When Becka arrived she threw her arms around her little brother. “Oh, Scotty, Scotty, you’re all right!”
“Hey, easy.” He glanced at the others, a little embarrassed.
Still he let her hold him a minute because she seemed to need it.
Come to think of it, he did too. Finally he pried her away.
“Scotty,” she spoke quickly, “you’ve got to forgive the Ascension Lady. If you don’t you could get hurt. This isn’t a game. Not this time. You’ve got to believe me on this, you’ve got to forgive her, you’ve got — ”
“Hey, I know, I know — ”
“You don’t understand, you’ve got to — ”
“I
know,
Beck.” She stopped to look at him, and he nodded.
“I know.” He motioned toward the open door at the end of the hallway. She slowly turned, then drew her hands to her mouth.
There, through the doorway, in the middle of the room, danced the Ascension Lady. Her arms and legs flew in all directions; there was no flow, no sense of rhythm … just maniacal bouncing and jerking. It was as if she had become a marionette whose arms and legs were attached to invisible strings yanked by an insane puppeteer. The only control she had was over her face.
It was full of bewildered horror.
“She needs us, Beck,” Scott said quietly. “She needs our help.
God’s help.”
Without taking her eyes from the doorway, Rebecca nodded.
Scott went on. “She and I may have our differences, but that
… no person should have to go through that.” He motioned to their friends huddled together. “Or any of this.” Rebecca turned to him. “So you forgive her?”
“You think I’d be willing to go in there and face that …
whatever
it is, to help her if I didn’t?” Becka nodded. “But your headache, what about your headache?”
He shrugged. “It’s starting to go away, but it’s sure taking its time about it.”
Becka looked back to the room. “We have to go in there, don’t we?”
“If we’re going to help her. Yeah.”
Becka swallowed. “Just you and me?”
Scott looked back to the pathetic group huddled a few feet away — Philip with his near-blank expression helping to hold up the paralyzed Julie, Krissi with her ravaged face, Darryl unable to see.
“I think so, kiddo,” Scott said, meeting his sister’s eyes. “Just you and me.”
“And me,” Ryan stated as he stepped forward. “I’ll go in there with you.”
Becka and Scott exchanged looks. Finally Becka shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, Ryan, but, uh — ”
“You think just because I’m not Chris tian I can’t face that.” He sounded hurt and a little defensive.
Scott tried to explain. “It’s nothing against you, Ryan.
It’s just — if you go in there and you’re not protected, if you don’t have the authority of Christ … who knows what will happen. It just isn’t smart.”
“But you guys going in there by yourselves is?” Becka knew he was trying to help, to protect her — and she loved him all the more for trying. “No.” She shook her head.
“That’s the whole point. Scotty and I are not going in there by ourselves. We’ll have help. We have God.” Ryan stared at her and slowly understood. He didn’t like it, not one bit — but he understood. “Well … I’m right here. If anything goes wrong, if you need me, I’m right here.” Becka smiled. Then she rose up on her toes and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thanks.” They held each other’s gaze a moment. Finally Becka turned back to face the room.
The wind had picked up again and was blowing against their faces.
“Well?” Scott asked.
Becka nodded. No more needed to be said. She held out her hand and he took it. They started forward. With each step they grew more and more nervous. Yet there was another part of them that grew more and more confident. They’d done this before. Well, sort of. And they’d definitely read about it. But was that enough?
“Know any good hymns?” Becka asked.
“That might not be a bad idea.”
They continued to approach. “I’m waiting,” she said.
After a moment Scott started to sing. “Jesus loves me, this I know …”
Becka threw him a look.
“Hey, it’s the best I can do on such short notice.” He continued, “For the Bible tells me so …”
Becka took a deep breath and joined in. Her voice was weak and unsteady, and she felt more than a little foolish, but something was better than nothing.
“Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.”
They arrived at the door. The Ascension Lady looked helplessly at them. She was past exhaustion, and yet she continued the crazed dance. Wind whipped and howled around her so fiercely that Becka and Scott had to squint against it.
“Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me — ”
Suddenly a voice began to chuckle, to reverberate throughout the room. But it wasn’t one voice, it was several. They grew louder and louder. Mocking. Shrieking.
Becka covered her ears. “Stop it,” she cried. “I command you to stop!”
The laughter decreased, but only slightly.
“Now!” Scott insisted. “We command you to stop, now!” The laughter faded into the howling wind.
“And the Ascension Lady!” Scott shouted. “Release her!
Now!”
There was no response. In fact, she seemed to leap and bounce even more violently.
“Now!” Becka shouted. “In the name of Jesus Christ, let her go, now!”
Instantly the woman crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Becka and Scott raced to her side. She groaned and stirred.
But the ordeal had been too much, and she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Scott scanned the room. Other than the wind it was completely empty. “Where is she?”
“Who? Juanita?”
“Yeah, or whatever it is.”
Becka looked about, shaking her head. Scott rose and took a step forward. “Where are you?” he shouted.
No response.
“We demand that you reveal yourself!”
At first neither of them saw a thing.
“In the name of Christ the Lord, we demand that you reveal yourself!” he repeated.
Slowly, faint outlines began to waver and shimmer all across the floor, filling the entire room.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Scott asked.
Becka nodded. “There’s hundreds of them.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s another trick.” Raising his voice, he shouted, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you to stop your lies! I demand to see the truth.” But the images grew brighter, more solid. They averaged between two and three feet high. Their bodies were misshapen, some hunchbacked, some twisted and gnarled, most were covered with fur or hair. Their faces were equally grotesque: bulging eyes, pig snouts, gaping fangs, a few even had horns. Becka was struck by how much they looked like the pictures she’d seen of gargoyles on top of ancient buildings in Europe.
“We demand the truth,” Scott repeated. “We demand to see you for who you are!”
The images grew even more solid.
“Scotty … maybe they are telling the truth. Maybe there is more than one.”
The creatures stared at them, snarling, growling, snapping their teeth. Many began taking tentative, threatening steps toward them.
“Now what?” Scott asked.
Becka rose to her feet. The creatures continued closing in.
But when Becka brushed the blowing hair from her eyes, the quick motion set the entire group scurrying backward.
Scott looked at Becka and raised his eyebrows.
When the creatures were convinced the threat had passed, they started toward them again. Suddenly, Scott made a quick movement of his own. Once again, they scurried backwards.
Scott shook his head, marveling. “It’s a bluff. They want us to think they have power, but it’s all a bluff. They’re scared to death of us.”
He turned on a group to his left. “Boo!” The things jumped and fell over each other in their attempt to back up. Scott couldn’t help laughing.
Becka saw no humor. “Scotty, this isn’t a time to fool around.”
He spun to the right. “Booga-booga!” Again they scurried backwards, but not quite as far or as fast. And their recovery was a lot quicker. They resumed closing in.
“Scotty …”
He paid no attention. This time he leaped forward. “ROAR-rrr …” But he stopped short as his foot tripped over the nearest creature, a hairy troll-like animal. Before Scott could catch himself, he stumbled forward, nearly caught his balance, then lost it again, falling headlong into the swarming mass of fur and claws.
They covered him instantly.
He screamed, but his voice was quickly muffled.
“Scotty!” Becka lunged for him, directly into the midst of the ghouls. She kicked them aside, slapping and hitting the ones trying to crawl up her legs. But there were too many. When she knocked one down, a dozen took its place. But she wouldn’t stop.