Terminus (31 page)

He barely heard the man introducing Jonathan Hartwell.  If only he had a visual image of VIP Lounge 6, he might still be able to teleport there and stop the sniper.

He drew a deep breath, rested a hand on the wall.  As best he could he focused on the concept of VIP Lounge 6, the image of a sniper….

Nothing.

Eyes shut tight he tried again, this time focusing on the image of a rifle.  The pain spiking through his brain suggested it wasn’t going to work.  But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in another section of the stadium.  The lights were dim and gave him no clue where he’d teleported.

He wiped the moisture under his nose—it wasn’t perspiration.

It was blood.

Again.

Thin though the blood was, it probably meant his angelic powers must be about to expire.  Couldn’t they last just one more day?  How could he stop an armed man and two nuclear explosions without them?

He’d never felt so desperate.  Or so determined.  No matter what, no matter how, he had to keep the sniper in VIP Lounge 6 from killing the woman he loved. 

Up ahead, a stronger overhead light fell on a wall sign.  Nick ran over to it, relieved to find a map framed behind a Plexiglas window that showed the stadium’s levels, restrooms, exits, and...

VIP lounges, two levels up.

But they were on the opposite side of the stadium.

Another attempt at teleporting struck back like a blow to the head with a steel pipe.  The pain itself seemed to inhibit his ability. 

And so, though his progress would seem ridiculously slow, Nick started running as fast as his mortal body could stand.

“Hello, San Diego!” Jon called out.  The cheers and flashing lights almost blinded him, his vision was blurred by tears threatening to spill.  “Thank you all for coming tonight.”  You’d have thought he’d said something brilliant, judging by the crowd’s reaction and how long it went on.   He looked down to the front row, grateful but not surprised that Elaine was there, next to Matthew.  The surprise had come when she believed his tearful phone confession.   

“Let me begin by saying to everyone I have hurt—the wife I love, the young woman I failed, my staff, church, and everyone I’ve disappointed—I truly regret the pain and embarrassment I caused.  I have since asked and received my wife’s forgiveness, I’ve asked forgiveness from my church and staff, and now I earnestly seek yours.

“This lapse in judgment has shown me that I am not above temptation. Although nothing sexual transpired, I was nevertheless wrong for allowing this to happen, and failing to keep myself above reproach. I have no one but myself to blame, I take full responsibility, and am grieved by my failure.

“But I think to be forgiven, grief over the sin is just a starting point.  Action is required in the form of repentance, as well as the renunciation of my pride, anger and fear, which led me to make excuses and rationalize doing what I knew I must not.

“In the scripture, God says, ‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’

“Tonight, before you and before God, I humble myself in repentance, I commit myself to turning from the slightest hint of impropriety, and from my selfish and hurtful ways.

“Now, I believe it is in the best interest of everyone that I step down from this ministry, trusting you not to allow my failures to change your view of the God who loves every one of us, who always forgives.  He never changes, never gives up on us, however much we deserve it—I deserve it.  As I have always preached, put your hope in Him, not in man.”  He was quiet for a moment, as if considering his next words.   

“Not in me.”

Nick had to stop running.  Winded, the only thing he heard was Hartwell’s voice over the wall mounted monitors.

 “Will you pray with me that God would create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me?”
  Hartwell turned his face to the domed ceiling as though it were open to the evening sky
.  “Dear Lord, cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.  I pray my failure will cause no one to stumble and fall away from You.  In Jesus’s name...”  He wiped the tear rolling down his cheek. 

“Amen.”

Like a great sigh, a collective “amen” floated up to fill the stadium, followed by applause so loud it seemed to be coming from all across the country. Nick, having caught his breath, continued running to the VIP lounges as Hartwell began speaking again.

 
“Friends, in just a moment you’re going to meet a remarkable woman and friend of the ministry.  She’s going to share a remarkable testimony—it’s brief but I know it will encourage you, no matter what you’re going through.

“Her name—most serendipitously—is Hope.  Let me tell you just a little about Hope Matheson.”

82

“YOU GOING TO TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON?” Lito said as he and Maria raced up the steps toward the nearest exit.

“No time to explain, come on!”  As soon as they were out of the bleacher area and into a corridor, she spotted another pair of men way across at the opposite end—Joey Hernandez and some other guy.  Joey shouted something and started running towards them. 

Lito needed no urging.  He ran with her until they reached a door that read Authorized Personnel Only.  He pushed the door which, to his relief, wasn’t locked.  Maria looked for a way to lock it behind them, gave up and followed him down the zigzagging stairs, her feet pounding on the concrete.  She couldn’t believe this was happening, couldn’t believe she’d reached out to Joey in the first place.

“What’s going on?” Lito said when they reached the end of the stairwell.  “Why are the Suarezes and Hernandezes—”

“It’s my fault,” she said, her voice desperate.  “I led them to you because...”  She fought back tears.  “Because I wanted you dead!  Especially after my grandfather talked to me.  It was like I was under some kind of influence.  All I could think about was revenge. ”

He grabbed her by the arms.  “And now?”

“I don’t know what came over me.  I was furious with you, yes.  But you’re the only family I have now. You
are
my brother and I don’t want to lose you!”

“What about the Suarezes?”

“Guzman, Suarez?  Are any of them good, are any of them my family?  All I know is that you’ve always been there for me, even though I haven’t always appreciated it.  I didn’t realize this until I really thought about what it would be like if they actually killed you.”

“Glad you had a change of heart.”  Lito stared up to the stairwell.  “They may have seen us come down this way.”

They would probably want to kill her too, now that she’d backed down on delivering her brother for an easy execution.  Lito pointed to another stairwell and started walking down.

“Listen, Maria,” he whispered.  “Something’s happened to me.”

“What?”

“I’ve seen the light, so to speak.  I’m getting out of this business, even though it’s against Papi’s wishes.”

“You can’t just walk away, you know that.”

“God will protect me.”

“How can you be sure?”

“He’s sent guardian angels, you know?”

She gave him a wry look. 

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to England.  Why don’t you come with me?  Let them all kill each other fighting over the territories.  We can live a quiet life out there, start fresh.”

She stopped and let Lito walk a few more steps before he turned back. 

“After what I’ve done?  You still want me around?”

“Of course.”  He extended his hand to her.  “You’re my sister.”

For the first time in a long while, her head was clear of the clouds that obscured her thoughts and judgment.  She took Lito’s hand, and he pulled her in for a hug. 

“So, everything’s falling apart here, what do you say?  Will you come with me?”

She looked up and smiled.  “Assuming we get out of here alive, first.”

“That’s right.”

Above them the sound of a door kicked open resounded through the concrete stairwell, followed by pounding footfalls and the click of gun hammers cocking.

Maria tightened her grip on Lito’s hand. 

“Here they come.”

83

THE DOOR WAS LOCKED.

Dim light pooled into the empty corridor, just enough falling on the door for Nick to read the placard.

VIP Lounge 6.

Whether from running like a madman or the thought of a sniper taking his shot at Hope soon after Hartwell finished his introduction, Nick’s chest was pounding so hard he thought it might explode.

No point in attempting to teleport.  It drew blood and threatened to crush his head with pain—and would only waste time if it failed, which in all likelihood it would.

Perhaps he could pass through the door.  He pressed his hand against it, but the door’s physical properties resisted.  He strained, pressing with all his might. 

“Come...on!”  He felt with his fingertips for the loosening of the door’s molecules.  But even the memory of how to do this seemed to be eluding him.  He stopped straining, took a deep breath, and pressed against the door as if he were absolutely sure he could pass through it.

Then, it happened.

First the fingernails.

Then the tip of his forefinger.

And then his entire hand passed through the door.

He turned the handle.  The door still wouldn’t open.

Deadbolt.

He reached up and unlocked it, then pulled his hand back through the door and opened it.

The lounge was pitch black save for a sliver of light piercing the blinds a little ways ahead—sufficient to illuminate the man in dark clothes propped up against a window sill with a rifle.

Hartwell’s voice rang out.
“Please welcome Hope Matheson.”
 Waves of applause went up.

The sniper aimed.  Took a breath...

And fired just as Nick rushed him headlong.

84

TO THE APPLAUSE OF THOUSANDS, Hope had ascended the steps to the stage.   Where was Nick?  Was she really going to have to do this without the one most responsible for the healing she was about to share with the audience?  

But share it she must.  Overwhelmed with the welcome by these thousands she’d never met, she nonetheless felt a kinship with them.  She walked to the podium and stood there until the applause subsided.

She was ready.

“Hi, everyone...Wow!” She smiled and wiped a tear before it could roll down her face.  “You know, it was only weeks ago that I could barely pull myself out of my cot in a shelter each morning without thinking I had nothing to live for, my life was miserable, the universe hated me...And I’ll tell you, it really did feel that way.

“You see, I lost my father to cancer when I was a little girl.  A bit later, I was abused over and over again by my stepfather.  Brandon, my first husband—the love of my life—was killed in Iraq just after my daughter Chloe was born.  My second husband turned out to be a gambler who got himself and Chloe killed.  After that I just gave up on everything. 

“I eventually tried to end my life by jumping from the Coronado Bridge, but I was rescued—just as I jumped.”  She could almost feel the collective gasp.  “The scriptures say we should ‘show kindness to strangers, for by so doing some have shown kindness to angels without knowing it.’  But in my case, God sent an angel who showed
me
kindness.

“Nevertheless, even after that rescue, I tried to take my life again.  You see, I kept listening to the enemy’s accusing voices and lies.  This time I nearly succeeded.  But somehow, the pills I took didn’t stay down.  And by God’s grace, I saw my past through an entirely different perspective.

“This time as I relived those painful events, I heard God saying, ‘I am there, Hope.’  I thought, ‘You mean, you
were
there, don’t you?’  But God corrected me. “I
am
there.  In your past, your future, I am there.’

“Right there, I realized that He exists outside of time, that I was not alone during my darkest hours.  And although I still remember the awful things that happened, the pain from them eased.  I’m not saying it went away completely, but it stopped hurting me, its hold on my life was broken.

“I don’t know how else to explain it, but some of you know what I’m talking about, right?  Some of you have been healed before like this, can I get a witness?”

Shouts of amen, and applause rose up.

“Tonight, I just want you all to know.  We have a good God.  He’s powerful, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  He holds time in his hand.  That’s why he can be in our past, present and future simultaneously.  He is the same yesterday and today and forever.

“So whatever you’re suffering from, no matter how dire the situation, how deep the pain, God wants you to know that He has come to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted...”

She’d never considered herself eloquent enough to speak in public, but the rapt audience didn’t intimidate her.  And the words, the scriptures she never knew she’d memorized seemed to just flow out of her. 

“He’s here to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to prisoners...to console those who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning!

“Tonight, whoever you are, wherever you’ve been, it’s not too late.  Even if you’re suffering the consequences of your own mistakes, your own failures, He’s got healing for you.” 

From the corner of her eye, she could see the tears on Jonathan Hartwell’s face.  His wife held his hand and dabbed the corners of her eye with a tissue.

“Whether it’s the pain of the past, the hurt you’re feeling now, the worries about tomorrow, He’s saying to you right now, “I AM THERE!”  She turned and pointed to the crowds in each section of the stadium, saying each time, “with you, and with you, and you!”