PART III

Chris and Cynthia opened their eyes when they stopped falling, they were standing on this weird place. They checked to see if there were alright and moved aside to allow some supplies to fall once, they got themselves organized they examined their surroundings. The sky was yellow with black marbling and the sand around them was crayon purple, it looked like a meandering in animation software.

The place looked a desert. There was some stretched, distorted yelling about something about them, in the distance was a set of white mountains with black peaks.

"You think this place would be normal for us"

Cynthia said looking around her trying to get her eyes to adjust to the weird color pallet and the overall package.

The yelling stopped and the place was still, the temperature was cool oddly enough. They had no means of navigating around the place, they did not know where they were, Chris had an army compass on his belt, he pulled it off and made his bearings. the planet they seemed to be on was that not of earth, it had curtly had a strong magnetic field to it.

Their first thing was to do was to find a high mountain to see where they are and where to go, white triangles with black tops in the distant seemed to suggest otherwise.

long hours seem to pass as they trekked down to the mountains, both spoke of stories old and new, Cynthia spoke and discussed the bible, Chris and they ran through the test bank after they had completed what they knew they came upon signs of living, Cynthia and sniffed and knew that Dan must had been there.

They were hours walk from the mountains when they decided to rest for the day and find some sleep, Chris and Cynthia ate some instant meals that Chris was able to snark before plunging into the core, sleeping without covers or blankets was something that they were used to but keeping their socks and underwear was a high priority, changes were given before they left.

***********

Leaving the site, they trekked up the white mountains, it seemed like three hours until they were ready to reach the top of them. At the top Chris was able to see where they were and where they came from. The barren dessert seemed to stretch north where they came from (Traveled South). But to the east was two more mountains that terminated into a beach and turquoise colored water.

"What is this planet?" Chris asked Cynthia. She just shrugged her shoulder and made their way, from a distance they saw a red box, it was sizable from where they were located on the beach with the purple sand.

Making their way down was much a shorter affair and made it to the beach. Talking with Cynthia about the Bible seemed to be the order of the day, reaching the box they found it was taller than them and had much a breadth. The red box seemed smooth on the outside and had not a place for anything, not a hole, handle, nothing. knocking on it, Chris was able determine that it was wood, Cynthia began looking around for some other clues and things about the big red box when she finds a smaller box and unearths it from the sand and brings it to Chris.

"Look what I found" she said showing him the box.

Chris looks at the box and opens the latch and finds some paper in the box, he then tokes it out and gives the box back to Cynthia, he shares a view with her, and they both look at the paper.

Row, Row, Row your Boat Gently Down the Stream.

"Nursery Songs, really?" Chris asked her. Cynthia and Chris looked over at the big red box, it was not something of the military but whatever.

"Could something in the box, have something to do with the nursery song" Cynthia asked. she told him he has not looked at the bottom yet buried in the ground. With that in mind they decided to push the cube and roll it over to see if there was anything on the buried side, a couple of pushes and the cube moaned and creaked, it was heavy alright. they both made a running push and the box rolled over and was almost swept into the water. uncovered by hands they found a lid and a latch, opening it, Chris first looked around in it with a flashlight and then reached in it. Chris reached in and found some heavy-duty plastic material he carefully pulled it out, it had a silver canister attached to it, upon further inspection it was a life raft, sizable but not worth the big box it was in, Chris studied the box further and found nothing else inside of it.

The Raft was sizable with lots of space for two people, Chris told Cynthia under no circumstances were they to use her knife other than preparing food and emergencies. Inflating the raft, they made their way into the water and loading on supplies, Chris pressed off the shore and allowed themselves to drift down the water.

Time seemed to be slow and still as they drifted down, the water was growing but they were still pushed in the current that seemed to guide their raft, Cynthia and Chris sat in silence as they continued to drift, minuets seemed to drift into hours. The yellow sky seemed to fade into a darkness and that darkens began to engulf them, as time passed colors faded and the world was dimming. Were they Dying? was death upon them? Cynthia was unsure, Chris seemed to think so, but they themselves were fine and ok. Eight hours in their journey she turned on a flashlight and shined it, the light found nothing the darkness was all to consuming and hindered light.

Growing tired from the experience, Chris passed Cynthia some bars, these had to do, there was nothing that they could eat that was consumable from the water, Chris in the darkness leaned over the raft and reached down and touched the water, at least they were still moving and going somewhere. Getting back into the boat, he and Cynthia laid down and fell into a sleep and allowed the boat to take them down, turning off the light plunged them down into utter darkness.

********

Cynthia was the first one to rise and found that they were beached on place, she stood up to do some personal business and saw that the water had sunk a bit from the beach, looking for a place to do her business she wandered not too far from the beach but still within clear eyesight from the place.

Chris got up and notice that Cynthia was gone, thinking she would be back he began to check their stuff and their surrounding area.

The sand was green this time none the less, the tree yellow with blue foliage and dirt, whatever this place decided it was going to be, it seemed that everything was going to crack their expectation on this whole mess. Cynthia came back and bathed behind the raft and then Chris took his turn, she found herself a place and rinsed out her clothes and put on some extra clothes she had packed that had not been worn yet.

She meets back up with Chris they both decided to explore a bit, leaving the raft they were a couple of feet into the woods when the raft broke loose and sailed away, the strong current pulled it away from them too quickly to get back to it leaving them stranded on this place. leaving with no choice they decided to go and put down camp in the backward collared woods, as they were scouting the place Cynthia and Chris found a hatch, a metal one in the ground.

"Why don’t I open the hatch and you cover with your gun" Cynthia asked. Chris agreed and got into position; Cynthia took a couple of tries to get the hatch open but on the fourth try she swung it open. There was a snarl down below, two bangs rang out and the animal yelped, both stepped back as a rabid fox dashed injured toward them, but it stopped short and died before them.

Using a branch, Chris moved the animal, and they burned it. Chris entered the place first and then Cynthia behind him, it had seemed like a small place, the hallway had four rooms on each side and then at the end of the hallway was a doorway leading to a bigger room that went from both sides of the small little bunker.

In one was some unused radio equipment in casing,

"Bingo back to what we can actually use around here" A common thought was shared among them both. Both spent some time nursing the radio back to life and got it working. Plugging in the radio for the final time, they debated on what do to, while they debated a loud thump came from within the bunker and it got their attention. Chris and Cynthia went over to the door and to listen again for the noise and was silent. They walked back to the room and there was some rumbling noise above them it grew louder, both went out to investigate and found nothing, in place of the hatch was the radio they had worked on, both were alarmed that they could not find the bunker again. stuck with out the bunker they decided to go and look around a bit more, walking along they came what he expected but still heavy, he found. In the large clearing there was davits in the ground. ten yellow balls and one blue one, a red cedar box appeared, both of then approached it, Cynthia stepped forward and picked up the box and found a small paper inside.

Twinkle, Twinkle little -------- how I wonder what you are.

Cynthia and Chris rolled with laughter over the verse, a star came out without thinking but the problem was not about the shape but the placement of the yellow ball, the paper read further that they have one chance to place the yellow ball, if they fail, they cannot proceed back nor forward further and will have to face another challenge until they finish it. There was a clause in the paper in that if they were to figure out the yellow ball first, they will have an easier time with the blue ones.

"Are you a five-point person or a six-pointed person" Cynthia was asked by Chris standing by the balls. Cynthia thought for a bit on that, she was taught five her gut told her five but why ten blue balls?

But the paper told them that if they placed the yellow one correctly then they will have an easier time with the blue ones.

"Five point" came out of her mouth. Chris then took the yellow ball and hovered over the center hole, both looked at each other, the air was silent, no birds nothing, the paper made no mention of how many chances they get, but a time limit of two hours when the first ball is placed.

The ball slipped from Chris's hand, and He tried to catch it and it fell into the hole. Chris panic and reached down into the hole, Chris got back up and looked around to see what would happen. Cynthia was about say something when she looked passed Chris and saw that the balls were levitating. they began to move, and Chris ran over to Cynthia and watched as the balls began to float and rest in their places forming a star.

"Well, that solves that problem what is next?" Chris talked to Cynthia. they did not know what was going to happen next, they did not know where to go there was no pathway out of the place now, and they were surrounded by trees, they had just completed the task, an hour later as they were mulling over what to do when they decided just to move on and figure out.

****

Colton looked out the window, it had been since yesterday since Chris and Cynthia had been dropped into the core and they were still waiting, it had been three hours after the drop Colton and Gabe decided they were going to move out and Anne Bloc would personally get them if Chris and Cynthia came back. Colton was still attached to the whole deal until Chris got done with what he was doing, and the military was adamant about that. Beardom seemed to seep into both, they had already gone through the whole pile of notes and thinking about what was going on. But something in his mind lingered on,

who was his biological mother and father?

His parents were going to tell him the whole story about his adoption, but his father died from lung cancer before he got shifted off to Paris Island for bootcamp and his mother was suffering for early onset dementia, rare cases in younger people but it could happen. Colton sighed and picked up the phone to talk to his aunt, about the whole deal,

Sorry but the person you are trying to contact is not available, please try again or leave a voice message.

He remembered that his aunt was not a nice person, always angry always mad at something, frustrated at some what she thought injustice that was being done to someone somewhere, he hung up and laid back in the bed and thought more about the whole situation with the experiment.

He began to think deeply about Sandra, well she was nice woman, though preliminary conversations with her had been meaningful with her, her laugh was infectious, deeply not in line with the rest of her cohorts politically, hardworking woman, that’s what he liked about her, she paid more attention to detail and in the few hours they were talking to with each other she was showing signs of being a possible partner.

Sandra looked out her window, her apartment overlooked the skyline of the small city, she laid back in her bed and looked down at her phone, what were family going to think about having a white man in the family? She did not like to lie but the prospects of the denial of her father’s blessings, she had God in her life though She sat up and bowed her head in prayer, she was going to get the straight from God, she was going to get the answer that was going to guide her in these things.

Gabe looked down at the machinery down below him, the two engines that were the focus of the enter whole thing, they had been here a month going on and their lives were here about this whole mess. He had wondered about the complex found time by weaving his way through they may rid of corridors and things they did not get to see in their initial entrance.

Sighing out of boredom he walked down off the platform and weaved his way down the stairs to the main floor and walked into the break room for a snack, He was rummaging through the cabinets when he heard some rustling behind him, the air behind him grew cold as if something was behind him, a spirit a thing.

He looked behind him and saw a figure standing their but could not make out the features, the form was that of a human but what? Gabe spun fully around and the figure unblurred, it was Ricky.

"Ricky man what are you doing here, I thought you were?" Gabe gasped.

"Naw man just sleeping, what do you think" Ricky said wiping away the blood from his face. Ricky was a victim of an unfortunate accident and Gabe was there to witness the whole thing, the situation was out of his hands and Gabe was truly innocent of the whole deal.

"Look I will be back if you ever think about leaving this place I will hunt you down, before you can get pass the entry gate" Ricky said threating him and walking away.

Gabe sunk into a chair,

I was innocent Ricky, why blame me for your abject failure on your part.

*************

Time seemed to stretch and grow as they went further and further in their travels, time dealation was thrown as a proposal but the concept was quickly thrown out.

"What are we doing here?" Chris asked Cynthia.

"We are looking for my husband" came the reply, it seemed that there were going nowhere just meandering and doing nothing they were in the woods with off colored environments, it was like a perpetual acid trip that seemed to have no end, they needed to get back on track and figure things out, Chris needed to talk about Dan for a bit to figure out what Dan might do in these kinds of situations.

"I Dunno, Dan was one of these who kept tight lipped about military things, no he did not lie but he did not say anything that would give away his life" Came the reply from Cnythia.

Chris was not experienced in military survival stuff though camping was his forte, Cynthia recounted how, her husband took her camping once and how the trailer capsized, and they stuck to other things. That was when Dan was one year into his career, they never had the chance to try for a child, Dan was too busy and Cynthia was occupied with other things in life, though she planned that if she found Dan, they would try.

"Now what" Chris asked himself not knowing where to go and what to do. So far, they have been challenged by puzzles with nursery rhymes, they wondered a bit what would happen next.

Chris decided to turn on the radio and see if they could get any contact with anyone, or Dan with the matter. The radio was supplied with amateur radio crystals, meaning the radio that they had was operating on the rocks, but the Dial offered them some flexibility in their tunning.

They had spent time marching up and down the bands and calling for anything, it was getting near dark when they found the faint voice of a man over the radio trying to call to them, Cynthia was sure that was Dan, she jumps on the mic while Chris aimed the antenna, that they made, it was rather crude but, they were limited in what they could use.

Cynthia tried to get Dan to release any clues where he might be but none had been found with him, she called out to him, stunned and shocked, it had ben three years since she had last heard him, his voice fades out and she was desperate to find him she cried out and threw the microphone, she cried out for Dan. taking her in his arms he comforted her, she was tired, dirty, sweaty and not in a good mood.

"Cynthia, Cynthia, why must you cry like this." He said calmly. She took a while and calmed down; with renewed commitment they ran in the direction the antenna was pointing. thy had ran for many hours, both of them ran swift like a deer through the forest, both of them encouraged each other, four hours of straight running lapsed into eight, Cynthia slowed down and stopped for sit, her legs were burning and Chris was woozy, they had eaten while they were running and found a place in foliage to find a place to rest, he had grown accustomed to being dirty in this world.

The night had already settled in and, the night around them was dead silent, not rustling of the leaves and enveloped them. Chris in his waning moments before succumbing to his sleep, their place was changing around them. He reached for his flashlight and turned it off plunging both into total, total darkness and he fell asleep.

********

Anne looked down at the console, the married of switches and computer screens that updated the green text on the black void. Her eyes moved and looked at the two massive machinery that had consumed her in her research years at the university co-opting people in her orbit, she pressed a button on the console and the text changed and she read off the numbers, she scribbled something on her pad and worked out the math and sighed.

After she had watched Chris and Cynthia plunge into the core, she stood and supervised the initial "Day" then she made her peace with Luke at his graveside.

She and Luke had a fling, and it spiraled out of control even though her mind told her to throttle it back, but she pried the springs off the governor and before Lukes’s cancer diagnosis she found out about certain news, that threaten to derail the whole thing that she was working on, she was encouraged to terminate things, but she worked through it. when she could not bear it, she took sick leave and was emotionally cold through the rest of it, after seeing the results be placed in someone else’s care. She hid the news from Luke, she thought if she just brought it to fruition and "Let it Go" The whole thing would fade away, but she often would sit and wonder where the result went to. Her feeling and desire to be materialistic grew and yearned but she buried it is covering it up in the pursuit of being a professional woman. In her spare time, she hired a private eye to figure out where things went to. She was Eve, she gave birth to this viscous thing the Adam was the man that did the design before her and early prototyping but she scaled it up and fixed the bugs, she was due a Nobel peace prize but recent events had put a hamper on things, oddly enough this was the thing that she held to tightly to her chest, but not the life she brought into the world, no, that was flesh, disposable, and a hindrance to the grant money and the prestige.

The problem now was the engines were due for a cycle reboot, but the problem was that that the self-activation and the now sentience that it had now. She tired with a linguistics advisor from the university of Virginia come over and tried to come up with a language that she could create to talk to it, but he and she threw their arms up in defeat. the self-sentience was now governing its own cycles, even though it had to confide itself to the major laws of thermodynamics. She wondered what was deeper beneath the surface, the clocks no mater digital nor analogue were running backwards, time, reality was going forward but the clocks on the wall were going backwards Anne wondered what was going on with Chris and Cynthia.

*****

The morning was gray and colorless before them, the colors of their new place slowly faded in. Chris got up from his deep sleep and rubbed his eyes, his vision cleared and found that he was still with Cynthia. The color pallet was normal for once. The woods they were in had a lake sufficient for their bathing needs, Cynthia was the first to dive in and clean herself, Chris turned his back to her as she dipped into the water,

"Toss me the soap" She said lowering herself in the water to cover her breasts, he fished in his pack and got some soap and cleaned herself, when she was done she swam up to the edge and wrapped a towel around her, it was about time they had a proper bath, she tied her clothes to a line to let them soak while she got new ones and it was her turn to turn her back while Chris was undressing and slipped into the water.

The quietness of the water was enough as he submerged himself into the blue water, he watched as the dirt, sweat and grime left his body in a thick cloud, he got the soap and cleaned himself, he then alerted Cynthia that he was getting out and he towel off and Cynthia distracted herself while Chris got changed into fresh clothes, sitting down they managed to do some primitive laundry. Checking their radio, they found it still operational, continuing they followed the lake, it was two hours in their journey when they came upon a scene and in that was a man lounging with his fishing rod. He was stately man, longish face with belong hair and kaki jacket, the radio on the ground next to him was playing jazz standards while he was reading a book.

"Should we go and talk to the man and see what his business is?" Cynthia asked Chris. He was skeptical about the man, something was off about the man, he was inviting but something, something was about him that seemed off putting.

"Let’s say hi and ask him about this place and let him introduce himself?" Chris said to Cynthia. The two of them walked up to him and Chris tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes?" The man asked.

"Hello, we are sojourners, and we are looking for someone, could you tell us where we are and your name" Chris asked the man. The man hesitated and then put his book down and looked at them.

"Well first my name is Patterson, and we are at Lake Perron" Patterson said extending his hand, Chris and Cynthia were hesitant but then shook his hand.

"Who are you looking for?" Patterson said picking up his stuff and putting things away, he picked up the radio and tucked the small chair under his arm.

"We are looking for Dan, my husband" Cynthia said.

"I do not know that much about that name, sorry I cannot help you" Patterson said chuckling, saying goodbye the man made his way into the woods and both watched as the figure and the sound of the music faded in the woods.

"That man knows something, something about that man is off" Chris told Cynthia.

"He is trouble and I know it" Chris said. Cynthia was a bit concerned about it, the music finally faded out and the two of them were left in the sounds of nature. Looking around the lake took a turn to the right, the sound of a roaring waterfall, both decided it would be best to check things out.

Upon reaching the waterfall they found that they were bellow it. A cave stared at them, its void was that both knew, approaching it they stopped at the mouth. Chris reached in; it was dark, and he could not see his arm in the darkness. Taking a flashlight, Chris looked and found nothing but the void. Chris knew what was going on, he understood what that void was he nodded, and they pressed into it, and they were enveloped by it and there was nothing.

****

Gabe found himself looking into the core; he had found himself talking to whatever the voice inside it had seemed to radiate out and its deep murmuring was teaching him. but it sensed that his mind was still closed to it. Gabe understood it but it came to him asking him to submit it to it, but he was unwilling. He looked down and saw the chaos and the madness that was the core. It was bending and twisting itself as if it was preparing for something and then it stayed still. It was bright but not enough to require sunglasses. His heart slowed and was lost in time and space, He looked up and focused and saw a shadowy figure with bright white orbs for eyes standing on top of the engine and its mouth opened, a light came from the depths of it, a red ghostly ring formed around its head and they’re on its head a crown, broken, but forged with decaying metal and glass shards dripping with this yellow substance. It seemed to mock him.

The building dissolved and the sky opened it then came from above the heavens opened, then came down a man with a face bright, with a white robe on the figure yielded to the man and disappeared

“Who are you?” Gabe asked.

“It is I, a man, a man with no name, you are Gabe, are you?” The man asked him.

“Yes?” Came the reply.

The man reached and touched his eyes and his right hip, Gabe wobbled and fell to the floor and opened his eyes and saw no more.

“Gabe, Gabe why have you forgotten me” A voice came above, it shook the ground and Gabe trembled at it.

“Who are you?” Gabe.

“I am, who I am, from before the beginning of eternity till it passes away, I am, I am” came the voice.

“What do you want from me?” Gabe asked the voice.

“You will, be a chosen vessel and you bear the sword, a sword you will fight a great evil” The man said

Gabe awoke, he reached for his eyes, and he saw nothing but darkness. Whatever he encountered it was surreal. He cried out from where he was at, and no one responded he got up and was weak in his right leg and could not move properly. He felt a cool breeze wash over him and he felt himself floating in the air, he cried once more before he began his own descent, and he felt himself falling.

******

Chris awoke with a jolt. He looked around and found himself alone, he saw he was alone in a hallway. A minute later he looked down the other end and saw a red glow down bit sways. He rubbed his eyes, and the red glow was still there. He walked down and came closer to the red glow and found that it was an exit sign but bellow it was a door that was nailed to the wall. He examined the door and found that there was nothing but wall behind it. Looking up he found that the ceiling was plain tiled and nothing else.

He walked around the hallway and found a tape player. He checked to see if it had any power surprisingly so, it had power.

Why would I need this? Chris asked himself. Opening the tray, he found nothing, the player was that of a Walkman and found that I could fit in his pocket. The hallway had may turns and side pockets that came off, he looked around for any signs of a door anything. An idea occurred to him, why not look up and see onto of the walls. He looked around for something to stand on and found nothing, he then tested the walls and found them breakable and flimsy. He fashioned a crude platform to climb on and made his way up it and poked his head out of the ceiling.

Indeed, he was in a maze he could see shadows of moving things in the hallways, the lights false exit signs, looking further up he found the void in that void was an exit sign. It seemed so distant, but the lettering was so clear. Looking onward he found that in the farthest fourth was four exits taking a mental picture of the maze he began his Journy. Long hours into this journey his stomach growled with hunger, and he sought rest. He stopped and sat down against the wall. He fell into a trance and looked up.

The ceiling dissolved and a blanket tied at four corners was lowered and in it was an assortment of birds of the air a voice came from above

“Rise, Chris, kill, eat!” came the command, Chris hesitated and then obeyed the command. He picked out a chicken and prepared it, the raw chicken burst into flames in his hands and it became cooked, but the fire did not burn him. It faded away and the chicken cooled. Eating it he became full, and his strength filled. He looked for the sheet again, but it was gone. He pulled his leavings and continued his way through the maze.

Reaching the latter one fourth of the maze he found a cassette tape, it was blank, no markings no nothing. He pulled out the Walkman out of his pocket and placed the tape into it and pressed play.

Chris found himself in an old familiar place, the cold, cold concrete room was freighting he had just graduated high school was interviewing for a job with the police station, but he was watching as a younger version of himself was sitting there at the cold steel table a man, that man he saw before at the lake came in and sat across from him.

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“Do you know why you are here?” the man asked.

“No?” He asked.

“I know you committed a despicable thing that I want you know that you did?” accused the man. Chris was confused about the matter. The man slid a file folder over to him, Chris walked around and leaned over his back. The file had some handwritten notes on one legal paper outlining some horrid stuff, but Chris seemed not to know or understand what the documents were. It seemed disorganized and nothing was making any sense the man laid his hand on the file and said to him

“I can make this all go away if you worship me” Chris was now baffled about things he did not know what was going on or what was in the file, he looked at it again and the wording seemed to come clearer, he read the document and saw that he was accused, accused of murder! He was taken back. Chris never murdered someone in his life, not to his knowledge no nothing.

Chris felt something in his pack, he looked down and loosed the flap and saw the gold tint of Luke's bible a light bulb went off Chris had to remain calm, his temper was about the flare, but he had to keep it, now he was in the seat and the man was above him looking down at him, angry.

“Why did you kill that child” he shouted at him. Chris had to remain calm. Satan wanted him to lash out wanted him to accept that he was a child murder. The man slapped him, but he felt no pain, the verbal assault and accusations came hence forth him. He had to ask himself why he was going through this, why?

The game was simple, keep silent as the verbal assault came and came higher and in intensity and greatness it seemed like ages before Satan stopped and overturned his chair and left the room, Chris was left alone while Chris was turning over his head what was going on the room rumbled a voice in Hebrew began speaking and water began to fill the room and crack the walls.

Chris came too and found that the maze was flooding with water a large wave that came up to the ceiling pushed and pulled him among the maze, it took him along and found the exit plunging him into darkness.

*****

Cynthia opened her eyes and looked around. She found herself in a store, it was adorned with purses and nice clothing, it was boutique store she heard a staffer ruffling around in the back. The nice clothing was certainly appealing, but it seemed like everything was tailored for her. She looked around and saw the nice things but them was something in her mind. It was a small thought, but it was there. the bell to the door rang and she looked and saw the door open and close a woman came in and was browsing around.

Cynthia looked and saw that there was a sign that said under no circumstances to try on the clothing.

“Hello, how are you doing today?” The woman greeted her.

“Well, I found myself here, so I am looking around” Cynthia said chuckling and smiling.

“You know what these clothes in here look oh so good” woman said.

“They certainly do” Cynthia said, there was something growing a feeling a desire to do something, but she could not put her finger on it. The woman pulled a nice white lace dress

“Oh, look at this, this would look so nicely on you, why don’t you try it on” The woman said

“Well, there is a sign that says that we shouldn’t” Cynthia replied looking up at it. Cynthia began to understand what the feeling about, first the woman had an aura that was off the other thing that she was being asked to disobey a command. The woman scoffed

“I know this staffer here; she would not mind go and ask her I am willing to bet that she will” the woman said handing her the dress. Cynthia took it and walked over to the back and investigated the swinging doors the back room was a bit empty, but it turned back to the right of her

“Hello?” she asked, the shuffling and the noises continued. She asked again and found no response.

The urge within her to disobey grew, she spun around

Common you got repentance, its ok to indulge occasionally. she thought to herself but logically speaking, there was no place for her to change and try it on.

“How would I try it on, I mean there is no changing room” she asked the woman. The woman laughed.

“Oh sweetie, all you have to do is open your eyes and look” she said pointing to the changing room

Strange but those were not their when I came into this place. she thought to herself, the urge to try it one was growing inside of her.

“What are you waiting for girl you deserve better but how can you tell if you don’t try it” the woman questioning her said. The phrases resonated with her. She took a step towards the dressing room

Cynthia, open your eyes see for yourself what is really going on here, open. The voice in her head told her to do.

If you break this rule, right here right now, what would the woman seduce you into doing next. Cynthia clutched the dress. She looked back at the woman and then to the doors, would she do? Her momma always told her that Jesus was willing to help her escape her temptations, the urge to break the command, Cynthia began to understand the assignment, whatever put her their in this store was trying to break her away from her faith, her first love, her love for Christ, she made up her mind and put the dress back down. The woman laughed and taunted her, throwing insults and calling her all sorts of names, she opened her eyes and saw the facade crack like a mirror and to woman looked hideous, the woman/thing lurched at her, Cynthia dove away from the flying woman, the woman/thing screeched as it flew its way into the back room, the store began to shake, and things began to fall on her.

She made her way down to the store and opened the door and got out the store as the street crumbled and fell all around her.

“Well done” A voice spoke to her any remaining temptation fled. She fell to her knees and bowed her head in prayer as the scene faded and crumbled before her, plunging her into the darkness.

*****

Gabe got up on his knees, he was blind he could not see, but he felt around and found he was in a roadside ditch. Gabe felt around and found the road. Listening he searched for any oncoming traffic finding none he began to craw down the road. He heard voices coming near, a small crowd of three

“Hello” he called out. The men came to him and found him.

“Where am I?” He asked.

“Damascus” one of the men replied. He told them he could not see, and he needed a place to go and rest.

He was picked up and taken to a hospital and was checked by a doctor.

“Well one thing for sure, their nothing I can do, he blinds and that’s that” the doctor said to the men while Gabe sat on the exam table.

“Is their anything you can do?” One of the men asked.

“Right now, no, your person here, he is just blind for the time being, or maybe just not curable” The doctor said. The words stung Gabe as now he was blind for life.

One of the men paid for his consultation and they left. They took him to a motel and paid for three days and he was alone. he sat there on the bed and stewed in his throughs about the situation, it was getting late into the night, and it came to him to know what he must do bowing his head he began to pray and fast.

*****

Colton looked down at his cellphone, he was on standby until he got the message that the others had came from the machine. He slipped in his shoes and grabbed his keys he was hungry for pizza; he walked down to the local Domino and ordered his pizza.

“Do you want a receipt?” The guy behind the counter asked him.

“Yes” came the answer from Colton.

The man tapped the computer and spat out a receipt, the man handed it to him. Colton glanced at it and found something typed within it

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE HOME SWEET HOME, FIND ME AT CHRIS’S PLACE.

Colton eyes narrowed and looked at the message, was it a glitch? He glanced over at the corner of the place and saw the same man he had seen before standing behind the oven looking at him. He smiled and closed his eyes and then opened them again, time and space seemed to slow down he lost focus on what was going on, who was this stranger, what did the stranger have to do with him?

Find the truth and the truth will set you free.

Colton heard the words in his mind, a worker pulled his pizza from the oven and leaned back from the oven and the man was gone.

“Hello?” the worker said giving Colton his pizza. Colton walked out the dominoes and headed back to his car, what was the message about? What does Chris place was about?

After searching the FCC database, he navigated his way down towards his destination. Getting in was the easy part

“I am up on the third floor” a voice came over the loudspeaker. Colton raced up to the fourth floor and found himself in a whole level room, the placed was lined with radio equipment and all sorts of stuff that was about him, one end their was this rack, like you would find at a server room, on a mount was a TV. It came on the whole thing came on.

“Hello?” He asked it.

The man starred at him intently at him.

“You must be Colton, Correct?” Asked the man in the TV.

“Yes, what do you want” Colton asked the computer.

“There is too much to tell you and so little time” the computer said

“Tell me about what, are you responsible for the receipt print out?” Asked Colton

“Well, yes” the computer replied.

“What do you want with me?”

“Sit down I got news I need you to take to Chris at a time I have yet have to finish computing but write, everything down” The computer said, Colton grabbed a chair and a pad that was laying around and the computer began.

******

Chris looked about the garden that he was in. it was decent place and nice to walk about. The fountains looked expensive, and the water was clear in its marble containers. the pathways were adorned with various gems and precious stones. He looked around and found there was a man, standing looking at one of the flower beds.

“Hello?” Chris asked the man

“Oh, hey how are you my name is Philip, yours?” Philip asked Chris.

“Chris” he extended his hand and Philip shook it. Chris felt the same vibe that Peterson gave a few places ago nevertheless Chris let his guard down.

“So, what are you doing here?” Chris asking the man.

“Well, I own this place and many more” Philip said reaching down to pick up his walking stick he looked down at Chris’s bag, he saw the glimmer of gold foil it told him what he needed to know about this man, a disappointed look came upon his face, but then smirked, he knew what precisely what to do.

“Why don’t you leave your bag here” Philip said gesturing to a bench. Chris looked over at the bench and looked down at his bag, he questioned the man’s motive. The man seemed rich enough that a bag would be insignificant to him. But then the Bible, the Bible that he carried, it seemed that he was spending his free time musing over the words and precepts.

“How about I keep it with me?” Chris said putting the strap over his shoulder, Philip chuckled and asked him to follow him.

They walked and they talked about things, but Chris was growing uneasy about the strangers probing question and on occasion had to remained him that he was venturing too much on personal territory.

Philip opened the gate and lead him out of the garden and on a rocky path. It wound its way up to a circular porch with decorated columns. Chris saw the harem of women, all dressed seductively and in not so modest settings, one of them came up to both and Philip introduced her to Chris.

“This is one of my concubines, her name is Herodias” Philip said. She smiled at him and ran her finger down Chris’s cheekbone. Chris was unsure about the situation, but he found himself being taken into the circle of women. The women encircled him and began to touch him and seduce him, he was looking for Philip, but he was no where to be found, he looked down and saw that one of them was digging around in his bag, he stopped her and was feeling of uneasiness about the situation was growing, he looked through his bag and found the bible, pulling it out made the women uneasy and more assertive, they tried to make him give up his bible and he began to understand what was going on, he pushed them away and found his way to the outer of the porch and made sure his clothes were on right. He was about to step off when a hand grabbed him and pulled him back into the Poarch. He turned around the woman were changing before his eyes into hideous creatures, their complexion dulled and became greasy and ugly.

Philip stepped out from them and came to him.

“Ill give you a choice, you can have all the pleasure and riches beyond your wildest dreams, or I can let you go” Philip said putting his arm around the “Herodias” Chis was faced with a choice, he looked behind him and saw a nice muscle car pull up and out came Cynthia.

“I know you wanted her, don’t lie to me Chris” Philip said. Cynthia was married a married woman and he did not have the right to enter a relationship with her.

“Her husband is already dead; the bible says you can have a widow and not be guilty of infidelity”

That’s true, but how would Philip know about things, like that? Chris thought to himself. Cynthia had just stopped a few yards from him. But the way she was acting and carrying herself, that was not her.

“Why don’t you take me and take me to paradise” she said trying to seduce him.

This is not Cynthia at all, no I am not having to do with this at all.

Chris spun around and told Philip no. the response slapped the group and “Cynthia” they cried out and the more they did the more Chris rejected it, Philip changed and hissed at him. Chris gripped the bible and ran away from the scene; the creatures came after him. He rejected everything in his heart, the ground shook and rumbled it opened and swallowed everything up the garden the porch and the creatures, a fire came from the depths and consumed its victims Chris stopped and the scene was consumed in utter darkness.

*******

Cynthia looked about her surroundings and found that she was standing outside of a bar/pool hall. A piece of paper lay on the ground she stooped down and picked it up, it told her to go in and wait for someone to meetup with her. She walked in and looked at the scene before her. Perfect men and ladies but mostly men adorned the scene. She walked in and went to the bathroom to freshen up leaving the bathroom she sat down at the table she a waitress came by and offered her a cup of coffee on the house she accepted it and waited for it. A man came by

“Hey sweetie got some arms to fill tonight?” the man asked. She was appalled by the question, the man was no prince, bad teeth, greasy hair, stain cloths, and a beer gut with a toothpick in his mouth.

“Watch it Cal” a voice growled.

“if I was in my prime she would be my meat body pillow” the comment slapped her across the face, Her honor was defiled and her husband wouldn’t have put up with that, not with a beat down but with a calm professional dismantling of this man. Sensing that he was not wanted he moved on and left alone.

A few minutes later another man came over to table she braced herself for another but then softened when she saw the man clearly. It was Derek an old flame from her high school years a man she was dating before she went to collage and met Danny.

“Hello Derek” she greeted him.

“What’s going on Cynthia” He asked her. A bit of her yearned to spend time with him again but things were different this time and it came a different way. They spent some time talking about things and how she was going on with her life.

“Why don’t you get married again Cynthia, you know he is dead” Derek said to her.

How would he know, he hasn’t known a thing?” Cynthia asked herself.

“How would know you know, Derek, unless you have more information that I don’t he is alive until I find out for myself” Cynthia replied. Derek stopped mid bite of his food.

“Didn’t you tell me about a jacket with the red stains on it” Derek asked her.

Ok, that was a detail I did not even talk about, did I talk about that all. She thought, to herself. She dismissed herself to the pool room to think about things and what do. A bit later Derek came in and joined her at one of the pinball tables.

“How could you have known about the jacket, that was something I didn’t even speak to” Cynthia asked him.

“You did, didn’t you?” Derek replied.

“No Derek, unless you had something to do with this” Cynthia responded. Her suspicions were growing about this situation. Something stung inside of him, because, she watched him squirm about the idea, she was right in her suspicion, she just needs to twist the knife, put Derek would tell the truth about things, she wanted to know more about the situation, but she needed a way to back Derek into a corner, she had to lead him to get to that point but what could she do? Her body was not game, but she needed a way to get it out, she understood that Derek was a habitual liar when he needed to be on one hand, she could lie but that would put her in position, first she needed to figure out if his habit would kick back in, but Derek had a tick that when he would lie, he would scratch his nose.

“Derek, how did you get here?” Cynthia

“I drove here” Derek said scratching his nose.

Good girl now let’s ease into this.

“What kind of car is it” She asked pushing the start button on the pinball machine the reels rattled to their position and spat out a ball

“Ford, F 150 maroon paint with black trim” Derek said reaching up and scratching his nose. She asked herself if she was ready to go deeper and strike at the heart of the matter.

“You lie” She replied. The pronunciation cut through the air. Derek laughed.

“Why would I lie to you, I have been truth full, if you look out the window theirs my truck” Derek said pointing out the window.

“I don’t need to look, I know you Derek, I dated you before Danny and you have a certain tick when you lie you show it by scratching your nose” she said flipping the ball and nailing the vari-target in the game.

“First of all, you told me truthfully that you don’t like maroon-colored things and then on top of that the last time I saw you, you drive exclusively Toyota, now Derek spit it out, were you involve with the jacket”

Derek was silent about the matter, he gulped, her scores were climbing higher and higher. A shadow stood in the doorway of the pool room, Derek was getting nervous, she wasn’t that vindictive, it was in her view that she didn’t want Derek caught up in things that was going to hurt him, but she needed to know what was going on and pull him away from it.

“Derek, I want you to know that I have moved on, from you, you I would guess that you still have issues, don’t you?” She asked him calmly.

“He gave me the idea and I went with it” Derek admitted the shadow came into the light and Cynthia looked passed Derek and saw the man, it was Patterson from the lake, she looked over at Derek who was cowering away from him.

“Yes, I did, and I had a good time watching you loose your utter mind” Paterson said taking glee out of it.

“What did he promise Derek?” She asked.

“You” Derek Croaked.

Cynthia knew that Derek had certain issues that made him non workable, she needed to get him to see who was behind everything.

“Derek, while we were dating what was the problem” She asked Derek, Derek was silent, but he had to admit what was the problem, he already knew he was the problem but the problems he had to admit.

He turned to Paterson.

“I put everyone in jeopardy by the things that you gave me, instead of not picking up the alcohol and porn I whole hearty partook in it because, I was just too deep in it and while I liked it and loved every bit of it, but it hurt the people I should have been loving, my life now must be spent putting back the broken pieces of me”

Derek was red with rage, and he smashed a bottle, Cynthia needed to get Derek calmed down and needed to focus him. Looking in her pack for something she found his old stress ball, she got his attention, and she closed his hands around it,

The porch a bitter angry man was standing a woman stood there in a lace dress her hair was done up she, gave him the star shaped stress ball. She kissed him and left.

What Derek realized that the love that She had she tried to give him was not that of a physical intimate one but rather a love that transcended them, it wasn’t that she hated him, but she loved him and wanted the best for him that’s why she left him, his rage left him, he sunk to his knees and wept bitterly.

A group had gathered at the door and Paterson was at the other end of the room.

“You promised us her, what kind of Deal was this?” The man asked to the nervous Paterson. He kept throwing excuses and promises but nothing was cooling the room and the people advanced on him, Cynthia needed to get Derek out of the mess, finding their way out only to hear screaming from Peterson, the place began to rumble, dashing out of the place, they stepped down onto the ground, they stood in silence as the scene before them feel and collapsed.

They looked at each other knowing that their time being with each other each ending a Toyota truck pulled up, he sighed and got in. She prayed that his journey wouldn’t be alone. She turned and began her walk into the darkness.

*****

Colton had stumbled out of the house to digest the news that he was given over the pass two days and needed time to digest but was told not to interfere with anything until he was told explicitly to do anything.

It was Sunday morning and he needed to get ready for his first church service with Sandra. She was already getting makeup on and getting her things ready. She was worried about her first introduction of her boyfriend to the family. Her father was the preacher of the Church of Christ but she had doubts that her family would be accepting, a bit later almost a half hour to worship service she knocked on the door, she was greeted by, Colton, Colton was in suit, she made him go and get fitted, her heart melted when she saw that professional look, she smiled and ran her hand down his tie, she smiled.

"You look perfect" she said.

Jamal was a very strong man, both in his intellect and his physical prowess, a former marine now preacher, his voice thundered over scripture and thought challenging his listeners to seek for themselves, he was a learned man in Greek and Hebrew after spending time as a student from Freed-Hardman university, he earned his intellectual stripes debating his professors and his peers. He wrapped up his bible class and looked up at the clock his wife Phyllis looked down at the door and watched as her daughter emerged from the front door.

“Your mother was bit concerned, but you are here now, where is your boyfriend you have talking about” Jamal asked softly. Colton emerged from the double doors and joined with Sandra.

A bit of an awkward moment passed between the two, Jamal and Colton. Sandra wasn’t upset just worried about something and Phyllis was a bit confused

Jamal sighed and looked over at his sons who were frozen as if a statute, his other daughter Kiara just dismissed herself to the nursery. Jamal understood something, it wasn’t that he was racist but just had formed a different image of this man, God wasn’t racist he created man in his own image, but he had done so in a multitude of ways to show his power, he looked over at his family again. He picked up his bible straightened his suit and dismissed his family to his office a talking was in order, Colton was invited.

******

Carter looked down at his desk, the papers were a mess the church was reeling over a bad financial decision and was teetering over fracturing. He needed vitality working over the financials and trying to keep the congregation from reaching critical mass and imploding. He was tired and needed some time away, but his tasks were to the lord and the lord alone.

He sighed and was chronically tired, night had fallen, and the coffee caffeine was no longer affective, he was dead physically and spiritually from all the stress and the worrying. He got up and walked out the door, he had two blocks to walk down to his home.

Skipping dinner he headed straight to the bedroom, his wife was their reading over her bible and when she saw him, she smiled and greeted him.

“Hey sweetie, how was everything” She asked him.

“Same thing every day” he said running his hand through his hair, she’s tried everything that a devoted wife could do, but the only thing that she could do was just pray and read. Carter sat down on the edge of the bed and bowed his head in prayer. Slipping under the covers a bit later he fell asleep for the first time in two weeks.

It had seemed like seven hours into his slumber when a voice called him. He awoke and his wife was sleeping, it was deep and resonate. It called him again and he feared it, it was deeply spiritual

“CARTER!”

“Yes?” Carter asked. A light a pure light flooded his windows and doors, a bright light in the shape of a man came into focus, he greatly feared and fell like a dead man

“Why do you worship me, for I am not the one you should worship but the one who has sent me” The figure pulled him up.

“What do you want from me?” Carter asked.

“There is a man name Gabe, he has been fasting and praying, his soul hungers for the lord, take heed and baptize him for he is a chosen instrument to fight a great evil” The figure said. Carter nodded. Carter with renewed vitality got dressed and he was guided to Gabe, Carter looked for a water source and found a nearby pool, he asked the owners if could use it to baptize.

“I indeed baptize you in the father, the son and the holy spirit” He immersed Gabe into the water, the ground rumbled and shook, Gabe emerged out of the water, scales fell from his eyes

“My Father do not forsake me!” He cried out, bright flash engulfed everything, and Carter found Gabe gone.

Gabe found himself alone a man appeared before him, he was dressed in white fabric . On his chest was a band of silver and bronze, his hair fell about his shoulders and a crown of like ruby was on his head.

“Gabe, you will bear the sword and you will fight and wound a great evil, but we must prepare you and dress you” two men appeared and dressed him like a roman soldier, the figure took a helmet and placed it on him one of the men handed him a sword, Gabe grasped the hilt and pulled it from his sheath, the man gave him a shield, the figure came down with a lantern of fire, taking that fire he took some and deposited into his head, and withdrew his hand.

“Go and fight” the figure said a door opened and Gabe marched into it.

The darkness was foreboding as the arena was made clear, the stone/sand made for some interesting footing, his foe fade in. the man was black, coal black from head to toe, his armor was that of an obsidian rock with its sheen, silver orbs that reflected from the slits of his helmet.

“Who is worthy to challenge, has your pathetic king sent his unworthy to do his bidding” The figure mocked him Gabe stood his ground, the figure laughed and drew his sword and they charged at each other, and they fought for hours while flames formed a wall around the arena.

Gabe at last stuck down and wounded his enemy, it howled in pain and anguish, the figure on the ground reached for his sword but Gabe with all his might, sliced off part of his arm, The ground shook and rumbled and cracked and broke away leaving the figure to fall, Gabe took off his helmet and watched while trying to catch his breath the descent of figure into the utter darkness and fire, songs of praise not him but to the lord almighty, he sung and joined in with the voices, but no instruments were to be heard.

*********

The darkness faded from him and found that he was at the driveway of a towering hotel, the exterior seemed innocent but from previous trials he found that he was in for a big surprise. He needed to figure out what he was up against. Walking into the hotel, he was greeted by a decaying place, though it seemed that the place was lit from the rooms and looked clean, it was dirty and decaying, the place looked like it had not been cleaned in decades.

Why was he here? The building began to light itself despite the spiderwebs and dust on the lights and chandeliers, it was dim but the light casted a clean look while the shadows remained dusty and decayed.

To the right of him was a large room, that served as the ballroom while the other one was a large spacious two-level living room that was adorned with countless couches and things. a console of an organ adorned the middle of the room it was cerebral to say the least, but it was what it was. He heard footsteps coming up to the door and it opened, a man and a woman dressed in black with a veil over her face came in, she was holding a handkerchief and dabbing her eyes meanwhile the man was dressed like he was attending a funeral, the couple ignored him and went on them was around the corner.

Chris was at first clueless about the situation and then it dawns on him. He followed the couple down the hallway and into a large room, there was people attending a wake, a casket propped open one end of the room. The woman was crying excessively about something, he then walked up to the casket, their lay a young woman, blonde. She was pale and looked cold, but she was done up nicely, he asked who this lady was.

“Her name was Sarah, if only you knew” the woman cried. The name sprang a hidden and suppressed guilt inside, the memories came back to him. He membered the time, the roads were slippery, and he was doing his best to keep the car from going allover the place, she was in the passenger seat doing something on her phone, the storm was making things difficult, they were heading home from homecoming, and he was trying his best. Sarah was starting to be panicking he tried to calm her down while trying to focus on the road when some car veered into the right ditch causing him to slam into the car, she passed away from the accident and but he left unscathed but stilled shocked about the event.

But why would I be at fault, that was an accident? he remembered that whatever was happening whatever it was, was trying to make him feel guilty for something that flew out of his control. He walked away from the scene and down the hallway and left the hotel, and stepped into the darkness and the scene was no more.

********

Cynthia found herself in a truck going down the highway she was with someone. She looked around and asked the person who they were.

“Name’s Samantha, you?” Samantha asked.

“”Cynthia” She replied, “Where are we and where are you going?” She continued.

“Well, I’m driving to get my truck fixed, I don’t have an adequate parking brake” Samantha asked, Cynthia just nodded and went to figure out where she was.

They pulled into a garage and got out of the car. The place looked familiar a man with blond hair came out in overalls, he wasn’t that attractive but he far from ugly.

“Hello Cynthia” He greeted her, it was Darrell. Darrell was her next guy after Dereck, man what was my obsession with dating men who first name started with D. The more she spent at the garage she remembered the times she spent there.

“I’ll get one my hands on it while you ladies wait in the waiting room” Darrell said.

Cynthia and Samantha walked into the room, Cynthia walked into the bathroom and did her business and came back out only to a dark, dark place, fog seemed to fill the room just to her shins.

“You like my place” Darrell asked walking out from behind her, he reached up and reorganized his face like clay with the one hand that was not cut off, his other arm looked like it had been cut off two inches below the wrist.

“No, really” she said.

“Well for the past three years I kept your husband here” the thing said to her, “and I am not sure I would like to release him from here, where he can spend eternity here” it continued.

“that’s not for you to decide, that’s one mans decision and Gods final call” she said.

“No not really because, God doesn’t call the shots anymore around here, I am just as good as who is in charge” it said.

“He is the father of lies” She replied, she took her stance. “Do even see past your own pride?” She continued.

“Furthermore, you know where your place is once the almighty God is done, whom you do not love” She continued. It snarled at her, and she stood her ground.

“I make you deal” It offered her. She knew that deals were the devil’s best tool to trick others.

“I will give you Danny for Chris’s soul” it offered. She was in a corner, one hand she could get Danny and all would be well but on the other hand Satan had no authority on these matters and she would be guilty as much as Satan himself, no she had to reject this offer.

“No” Came the reply.

She had to stand on moral grounds, would Danny object, Danny was smart man himself he wasn’t degreed level debater, but he could with time get one over the other. It turned and a portal opened, she looked and saw a man, on the stone floor against a rock, weeping and crying. The urge to say yeas to the deal grew exponentially but she understood, in the face of things she had to hold her stance, she loved her husband, and she was sure that Danny knew. But then she could not believe her eyes, Hell or Hades was not what this was, their was no rocks and dry spot, it was like a lake of fire.

“No” Came the answer from her. She pulled away from the image. She searched herself for things that It could use against her and prayed. The fog about them gathered around It, the fog began stinging and burning it, eating away at its flesh, it clawed tried to get off it, but it failed. It screamed in agony, as it ate on its muscle and bone, what was left of it was a spirit, its form was that of a black mist, its silver eyes for echoed her image. it rose to a great height its hand reached for her but then a great wind blew blowing it away, the fog dissipated, and she was left into the darkness, and she saw no more.

******

The darkness soon faded into a garden again, Cynthia found herself back in a garden and this time this was not the typical garden this was loaded with fruit trees, vegetables and bushes filled with fruit.

A sign told her that she could eat from all the fruit and vegetables but not from the plum tree or she will die. she was hungry and began eating, she heard someone talking and rustling through the bushes frantically eating.

she approached the man she recognized the body; it was Chris.

“Chris?” she asked the man, Chris turned around saw her, but his face was stuffed with fruit and all kinds of stuff, he exclaimed, and they embraced. They spent a good deal of time catching each other up.

When they got their fill, they both decided to explore the garden on their own and they parted.

Meanwhile Cynthia while on her own she saw a maze and chuckled, it looked to be a trap and stepped away from it. Cynthia was minding her own when she felt something behind her, it was a warm bodied thing that was for sure but then Cynthia spun around, it roared and lunged after her, and she fled.

Chris saw the sign about the tree and read, he then went away from the plum tree to avoid the temptation, it was an hour later that a man came up to him, he was in some boots and dressed like a gardener,

“Hello who are you?” he asked him.

“Chris, I just found myself here and I saw a sign to eat as much as I wanted just not the plums” he said. The gardener nodded and left him alone. he went back to her exploring. Later that day on the way back he came approaching the tree of the plums when the gardener again bumped into him, he was holding a basket, filled with all sorts of food.

“Sorry” he apologized to the man.

“That’s OK, so are you going to try the plums” the gardener asked, by this time Cynthia had already made his way back to the area having already to contend with whatever was doing the roaring, screeching and crashing. The question seemed innocent to Chris but something in Cynthia’s gut was telling her something.

“Chris?” Cynthia asked.

“Na, I cant eat them says it on the sign” he said.

“Well, the master Gardner said it was OK, he wouldn’t mind you, he would forgive you know”

Wait, wait, wait this isn’t this from the bible? Cynthia asked herself. she dropped her pack to see Chris walking up to the tree being edged on by the gardener. Cynthia was reliving the first temptation; she was not going to be responsible for the second. she ran towards her but was being blocked by the gardener.

“I will not have running in my garden” he said blocking her path, they struggled, he stopped and looked at the fruit. The more he did the more he wanted it.

“Chris, think of the bible!” she exclaimed while struggling with the man, Chris was about to grasp a plum when a hand pulled his hand away, he turned it was Cynthia, bloodied and a burned patch on the ground behind her.

“No, don’t do it Chris” she said to him.

Now hold on, a second, are we in the garden of Eden? he asked himself. after giving it, some thought he came to his senses. The ground rumbled and shook, the walls collapsed, and everything burned, the ground collapsed, and they were both plunged into darkness.

They found themselves falling. They held tight to each other, both terrified of the situation they were in now. A faded in and grew brightly and they were heading straight into it. Midway through their path they were speeding up, they found that they were slowing down approaching the light and they plunged into it.