Lamp Black: Second Edition, Disaster, Preparedness, Survival, Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 2) (19 page)

John knew no living being could endure such torture, no physical body could withstand such abuse and destruction and continue to live. John wondered if his torture would be eternal, and he wondered, once again, what he did to deserve such a fate. He began to cry, and the jailer, pleased with his torture, and convinced that he was about to break John, began to deliver the lashes harder and faster than before.

John saw the end approach, the point in which he would do anything to end the agony, even if it meant working for the well-dressed man. He realized being in hell was only half the torment. The other half was surrendering his mind to it, to the realization that sadness, misery, and pain were a new way of life for him. It was complete and total torment, and he wanted it to end.

A
s John prepared to leap, to surrender himself to the abyss of unknown dimension, he heard a woman’s voice calling for him. It was Jenna’s voice. With new hope, John turned all his thoughts to his wife and family, to the love they shared. He realized he would willingly sacrifice himself for them, that he would endure eternal torment to guarantee their happiness and safety. As John considered his love for them, the effects of the torture began to lessen. And the more he thought about his love for them, the more it lessened. John let the feeling of love grow within him, but he knew it wasn’t enough to break the bonds and escape his tormentors.

Understanding of a greater love began to fill John’s mind as he recalled the teachings of his father. His dad once told him that the Savior’s love was unmatched among men, so John reached for that love. He cried out for his Savior, and on the third time a bright light filled the dungeon. John couldn’t see the source of the light because it was behind him, but there was fast movement, followed by a whooshing sound and a thud. The jailer’s demon head rolled to a stop at John’s feet. Then another whooshing sound, followed by a second thud. The escort’s demon head rolled to a stop near John’s feet.

Too spent to even turn his head, John remained collapsed in the shackles. An electrical sound filled the air, and he fell to the dungeon floor, free of his bonds. John opened his eyes and shrank back in terror. A tall, darkly hooded figure stood over him. His face and hands were skeletal, and in the crook of his arm rested a large scythe. Renewed horror filled John’s mind, for a Grim Reaper stood before him. John
knew it was the end. The reaper had come to collect his soul, to take him to the place where all those who die a true death are taken, the lake of burning fire.

The reaper reached out and offered his hand to John. “You don’t need to fear me,” he said, in a deep but confidently relaxed voice. It was a young voice, much younger than John would have thought possible given the reaper’s reputation. “I’ve come to get you out of here.”

John accepted one of the reaper’s outstretched hands and immediately noticed that it looked skeletal, but didn’t feel skeletal. He realized the reaper was wearing gloves, and also a mask, for it moved with his face when he spoke. John, unsure about how he felt, but happy to be rescued, didn’t feel inclined to question his rescuer about why he was wearing a mask and gloves. He was just glad to be rescued. He managed to croak out a weak, “Thank you.” Anything beyond that was beyond his abilities.

The reaper laughed kindly and asked, “Are you ready to travel?”

John nodded and accepted the reaper’s outstretched hand, and they immediately traveled. He held on tight, not wanting to lose contact with his new escort and be pulled down again. Traveling with the reaper was like traveling with Eli, so John knew it was safe. The reaper’s tunnel of light was different from Eli’s. John wondered if each traveler had their own system or tunnel of light. Already feeling better, John was about to ask the reaper where he was going when they stopped.

“I will leave you here for healing. But don’t be afraid, you’re in very good hands now,” said the reaper, as he bowed slightly. The reaper departed just as he appeared, in a flash of light.

John turned and saw a radiant white light approaching him. It was a man, and his light radiated comfort, power and majesty, and filled him with love. He collapsed to the ground and drifted slowly into unconsciousness. His last memory was of being lifted by many gentle hands and carried into a brightly lit infirmary.

John awoke in a brightly lit room, but it was no ordinary room. Everything around him was of a marvelous shade of light and warmth.
Colors seemed more vivid and vibrant, alive and cleaner than any he had ever before seen. Not all was white and blinding as he had first seen when he awoke, but rather very normal looking, except crisp and clear, and free of all distortion. He sat up in bed and saw that he wasn’t alone. Sitting in a chair next to him his was a beautiful young woman. Her long black hair, set with deep loose curls that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, made her look younger than she really was. She smiled warmly at John in response to his surprise at seeing her.

“My name is Brittany,” she said with an even bigger smile. “I have been your healer these past few days. You came here quite a mess, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I’m John,” said John, as he extended his hand to shake with Brittany.

Brittany laughed lightly, her brown eyes danced with mirth. “Yes, I know who you are, John Anderson,” and she shook his hand in hers, firmly but tenderly.

“You said, days?” asked John.

“Yes, many days in fact. You were very hurt. You required extensive healing, very special healing. The Savior himself came to you several times, though you probably don’t remember. We had to keep you under so we could heal you completely,” said Brittany as she stood. And with her right hand extended, she pushed John’s head back down to the pillow. “Now let me examine you again before you jump out of bed and demand to return home,” she finished playfully.

John complied with her command and watched as Brittany held her hands a few inches over his body, palms downward. She seemed to be scanning his body, assessing the healing progress of her patient. She would occasionally stop and let her hand hover over a specific area of John’s body for a few seconds, and then offer an occasional “Um, that’s good,” or “Almost complete,” before moving on to another spot. “Can you turn over for me, please?” she asked sweetly.

Without a word, John did as he was asked. He noticed that he was wearing a simple white tunic and trousers, but his head and feet were bare. He felt incredibly clean, cleaner than he had ever felt in his life. “Are there any scars?” he asked, curious about his damaged back.

“No, you will have no scars. Even those in your mind were freed from you by the Savior. All that remains are your memories. And you can leave those too, if you want,” replied Brittany, as she continued to scan John’s back.

John thought for a moment and wondered if he really wanted to hold on to his memories from hell. But strange as it seemed, he wasn’t at all upset about those memories. “You said the Savior healed me?” asked John.

“Yes,” said Brittany. “He’s the best of all healers, save Father, of course. The Savior is the teacher of all healing. He knows the healing arts very well. I learned everything from Him,” she finished, proudly.

“You mentioned . . . Father,” said John.

“Yes. Father,” she replied, with a sweeping hand gesture and a graceful bow.

“You mean . . . God?” asked John.

“Yes. Almighty God Himself. Father. Your Father in Heaven, and my Father in Heaven, too,” she smiled.

“And the Savior . . . that’s Jesus Christ, right?”

“You can turn over again,” said Brittany. “Yes, the Savior is Jesus Christ. Really John, do you not remember your Sunday School lessons?” she teased.

“But . . .” said John.

Brittany put her finger to John’s lips and said, “Shhhh, now don’t go getting yourself all worked up. You have come here by a uniquely different path, so I know you have many, many questions. And they will all be answered in due time, but I need you to rest a while longer. Can you do that for me?” asked Brittany, as she looked into John’s eyes to see if he understood her request. John nodded and she continued,
“When you awake, you will meet with someone who will explain everything to you. But for now, I need you to rest.”

John laid his head back on the pillow and Brittany put him into a deeply relaxed sleep state with a touch of a single finger to his forehead. He had never before felt so loved, so safe and healthy as he did at that moment, in the heavenly hospital. He thought of his wife and children and immediately knew they were safe. Images of them sleeping in their beds entered into his mind, and he relaxed even more. He wondered about Eli and an image of his grandson, sitting at a table and reading a book, entered his mind. It seemed like anyone he thought about came instantly to mind.

John decided to carry his search a little further and thought of other people, like his mother. He saw her, at home in Arizona, sitting in a chair on her rooftop terrace. Her boyfriend was sitting next to her. They were holding hands, looking up at the evening sky, wanting to see the stars, but waiting for the ash cloud to break and reveal the twinkle of many distant suns.

John thought of his friend, Pete, in Belton, Texas, and saw an image of him loading up his large, diesel powered, dually pickup. It was filled with camping supplies, food, and other survival equipment. Ash was falling around him as he worked, and there was Bonnie, Pete’s wife. She was busy helping him load the pickup. He saw them pause and look up at the sky, as if they somehow sensed John’s presence. John couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he didn’t need to. He knew they were hitting the road. John wondered where they were going, but he was not given the answer.

John also thought of Mark, his other friend in San Antonio. John saw Mark sitting at home, breaking down one of his many semi-automatic rifles. He saw a look of concern on Mark’s face. John watched as Mark placed two halves of his well-oiled assault rifle into a metalized Mylar bag. He tossed in a bag of desiccant, and removed air from the bag with a small vacuum before sealing it up with a hot flatiron. John wasn’t sure what Mark was up to, but he could see that all but two
of his weapons were sealed in Mylar bags. The wrapped weapons lay spread around his living room like the carcasses of fish waiting to be sold at a market.

He turned his thoughts to Ray, Jenna’s brother, but for some reason he couldn’t see him, or anyone in Ray’s family. John tried repeatedly to reach for Ray, but he became tired and slipped, once and for all, into a deep and restful sleep.

When he awoke, John pushed himself up on his elbows. Expecting to see Brittany again, he was surprised to see a man instead. He looked to be in his late twenties, tall, lean and muscular, with a familiar face and features. His thick brown hair was wavy, and fell to his shoulders at his neck. “Are you the Savior?” asked John, as he sat up more completely.

“No,” said the man, with a kind and gentle laugh. “No, I’m not the Savior, but I will take that as a most divine compliment. Thank you for honoring me thus,” he said, as he studied John closely. “Do you not recognize me, Johnny?”

“Dad?” cried John, as tears welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks.

“Come, give your dad a hug,” said John’s earthly father.

John was in his arms in a flash, squeezing his father fiercely. “I’ve missed you so much!” he cried, as he buried his head in his father’s neck.

“There, there, son. All is well, all is well,” he said, as he soothed his son by patting him gently on the back. “You’ve had a very long journey indeed. You may feel you have earned a rest, but you have work yet to do.”

John released his dad and studied his face. He saw the youthful exuberance that radiated from his eyes, how they shined with intelligence and awareness. “Where am I, dad? Why am I here?”

“There are many reasons. Your visit to the enemy was unfortunate, but not without purpose. Search your heart and you will see this,” replied his dad.

John did, he searched his heart and saw that his visit to hell did many things for him. He understood the visit revealed a truth to him that hell was a real place, and that people were not sent there, but they ended up there because of the choices they made on earth. He thought of Corbin’s dad, and understood that he fell into the death stream because he killed his wife and took his own life, essentially assuming God’s authority for himself by choosing to take two lives before their allotted time.

John also learned that pain, spiritual pain, far exceeded any that could be endured in physical life. He realized that physical life was a mirror of spiritual life, in all its forms and functions, save for the fact that it was severely muted. From the vilest horrors of hell, to the upper reaches of heavenly love, physical life resembled, but didn’t even come close, to the extreme positive and negative values of spiritual life.

John also understood that love was a universal law, that it worked with truth, and that it encompassed the creative value of all life. Love produced the life-giving light of creation, and where there was no light, darkness prevailed. John’s mind returned to the prisoners in hell, those souls who stood fixed in place at the outer edge of darkness. But he also saw the multitude of heavenly beings. They were busy, engaged and working. There was no idleness, no laying around, and no frivolity. The entire host of heaven was engaged in work, and they were happy for it.