God is Not Dead

His front door flew open, but he couldn't force himself to look at it because the disturbing pangs lured him into an unknown realm, and it felt like a dagger being driven into his lower back, the strikes radiating anguish in a way that shattered his head.

"Stay still." Skylar stated from the door as she looked around to see whether he was alone.

When Charles didn't respond but grimaced in agony, Skylar stepped closer to him and leveled the gun at him, but she couldn't figure out why Charles was screaming.

In that instant, while she was deliberating whether or not to shoot Charles as she had been hired to do, she watched as Charles' stomach started to protrude outward, and the markings in his stomach started to bleed.

It seemed as if something was ripping him apart from within.

"Kill me." Charles shouted out in agony. Skylar couldn't believe what she was seeing since there was no logical explanation.

"Please," Charles cried as anguish forked over his chest, twisting his belly like lightning.

"Kill me, end the agony." Skylar licked her lips before dropping the revolver to her side. " There will be no need for that; you're as good as dead, and the Senator won't have to worry about you."

Charles took in a deep breath in response to the pain but couldn't say anything; he touched his stomach as more blood flowed from it. Skylar fired one last shot at him before abandoning him to his mysteries.

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

Adasire jumped backwards as the snake's teeth came in contact with his legs, and reluctant to allow her another chance to attack, he struck the black mamba with the whip.

Adasire gained an advantage as the black mamba hissed with pains on the ground, but as he got closer, the black mamba launched its movement as it pushed its venom.

The muscles of the black mamba squeeze her glands in order to shoot the venom out, and then it sprays it out in a characteristic geometric pattern.

A significant amount of poison landed in Adasire's eye before he could fully comprehend what had occurred.

As he tumbled backwards, Adasire yelled. When Wilson removed the blindfold from his eyes in response to his father's cry, panic overtook him as he watched the black Mamba coil again before disappearing from sight.

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

Inspector John sighed and returned his attention to his ringing phone, looking at the caller and dropping it back on the table, realizing it was the late girl father phoning again.

The case would have been closed if only Nana had stayed instead of escaping to God knows where. He couldn't bring himself to inform the dead girl's father that the suspect is nowhere to be found, and he was on the edge of answering the call when his office door opened. 

He slid the phone back onto the table and turned to face the constable who had opened his door without knocking. "Sir, we've found Charles."  reported the constable. "Where?"  Inspector John inquired, concerned.

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

Charles stumbled as he walked down the road, clenching his teeth everytime the agony hit. The protruding stomach had now gone, and after a few minutes of contemplating what his life has been like up to this point, Charles realized that he had been holding his teeth apart whenever the pain came.

He's come to the conclusion that if he's going to die, he'll do it in God's house, he thought about Nana, his only regret is that he wasn't there for her, and if he survives this and she still wants him, he'll be true to her and God forever.

When he arrived at the church gate, he paused as he thought of all of his loved ones, everyone he'll miss if whatever is inside of him comes out. He groaned and took a step towards the building, and that's when the police trucks drew up on him. He shook his head and continued walking towards the building.

"Put your hands behind your head," Inspector John yelled as he stepped out of the police car.

Charles paused, instead looking between him and the church; as the cops levelled their guns at him, he startled and hurriedly put his hands behind him, kneeling.

He was about to tell them that he needed to seek God's face, God's intervention, but he was too late, that disturbing agony that had eluded him for a while began to throb him.

He shouted, his shirt ripped from his body as his stomach thrust forward, and he collapsed on his back as his stomach rose and dropped.

The cops watched in astonishment as Charles yelled in pain. Inspector John, who had no idea what was going on, raced forward to help Charles but soon halted when his stomach split open, resulting in his intestines gushing out.

Charles tried to speak things, but his breath failed him, and when more blood poured out of his stomach, he surrendered to the icy hands of death.

Inspector John stopped as a hand extended from Charles's protruded stomach, his taurine eyes blazing with fury as it crawled out from Charles's lifeless body.

It had enormous red eyes and a little horn on the side of its head because it was small, and its aroma was terrible.

Onlookers came to a halt as many took out their phones to film. Inspector John's spines are chilled.

He couldn't speak or move for a time, simply stood there watching the bleeding beast shift its diabolical eyes about as if inspecting the scene.

"What in the name of God is this?" Inspector John muttered something. In that split second between trying to figure out what the creature was and realizing what had just transpired, the cops immediately leveled their rifles towards the newborn monster, each ready to fire if it moved.

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

Nana kept rising, knowing the peak was still a long way away, but she was determined. Adrenaline was already rushing through her veins, driving her to accomplish what no one had done before, and she continued with the rest of the squad, each supporting the other to the top.

It's going to take at least three days to get to the top, the woman at the counter told her, and the first day hasn't even gotten dark yet, and people are exhausted, so every once in a while they stop to rest. She looked ahead and saw that they are not even close to being halfway up the mountain.

"You're not tired at all, are you?" The woman who was walking next to her inquired as to when she had started to go more slowly.

Nana didn't want to respond because the lady had been chatting nonstop since they started the adventure; sometimes she pretends to listen to her but she isn't because she is so focused on reaching the top that there is no place for interruptions.

"If you had seen him, you would have been terrified." said the lady. Nana swallows a dry lump in her throat and returns her gaze to the lady. "What do you mean?"   Nana inquires.

"I'm referring to him." The lady castigated, her expression suddenly changing. " That thing ripped him apart," Nana looks aside, completely immersed in what she's saying, but as she moves ahead, the lady blocks her path.

"But there's still hope, his soul is mine." Nana remained silent as contradictory questions raced through her mind, while others paused to assess the situation.

"Who exactly are you?" Nana inquired. Nana followed the direction of the lady's eyes when she didn't respond but lowered her look, and that's when someone shouted. "She's with a knife!!!"

Nana saw that the woman had a knife in her hand and attempted to retreat, but she was only a split second too late; the woman stabbed her in the stomach with the weapon.

Nana's eyes widened in disbelief in excruciating pain before blood gushed from her stomach.

Others moved to take the knife from the lady, but they were swiftly stopped as the lady transformed into someone else.

After watching the lady change shape, everyone promptly took to their heels and began racing back down.

As Nana saw the lady standing before her, blood spat from her mouth, and she mumbled her name, "Mamila."

A smirk curved Mamila's lips before she stabbed the knife deeper inside Nana's stomach, more blood came from Nana's mouth, Nana slumped down and tumbled down the steps, a few tumbles and she stopped.

She knew she was fading as more blood flowed with ease from her body, soaking the stairs as it flowed lower. Mamila's laughter resonated as she walked down the stairs to meet Nana.

"You honestly think you can make it to the top, you can't even get up, you're dying, how would you make it now?"

Nana knew she was dying with ragged breaths and anguish circling every part of her, but she refuses to accept her narrative will finish this way, so she set her right hand forward and began to crawl upstairs in her bruised abdomen before muttering "GOD IS NOT DEAD."

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

A swarm of clouds illuminated the sky, each chasing the sun from the sky; from black clouds falls sleek rain, strong enough to reach the skin in minutes.

John tilted his head up, dazed as he watched the water drops from the dark sky wash his body in chunks.

In the rain, John felt tranquillity, a sense of peace that offers to resonate with the soul's serene aspects.

His meditation consists of walking amid those drops; it is a means for him to truly become present in the moment and a method to feel free.

And as the intensity of the rain increased, it started to soak the bottom of each light blue jean leg, darkening the denim to a darker hue, and bringing the glossy water-shine to his black boots, turning them into a kind of natural cocoon.

He remained there for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few minutes, enjoying the possibility of walking in the rain, the peace and tranquility it brought to his mind.

He didn't realize he shouldn't be there until he heard a snarling sound. Dark clouds gathered above him, and with the thick blackness that covered his vision came the horrors of the night.

He turned around to escape but immediately realized it was pointless as he couldn't locate a way out, wondering where he was, he stopped still as his eyes caught a bird release herself, instantly submerged in the dark night

As he watched the bird fly over him, he took a step back in fear. The bird with the features he's read about in books looks down at him with two bald ears, a snout-like nose, and fangs nestled within its jaws, jostling him backwards in horror.

He would have stood if it had simply been a bird, but this was a bat, and he wasn't willing to wait to see what the bird did to him. On the verge of fleeing, he noticed the bird wasn't alone.

A ballet of bats swooped at him in flamboyant silhouette, he knew it was the only logical thing to do, but his legs failed him, unable to move his feet, he slumped down as the bats circled around him.

He begged for rescue, but there was no reaction other than the echo of his voice. As he struggled to stand up again, horror washed over him. He heard a scream, a call for aid, but it wasn't him, but someone else in pain.

When he stood up, he looked forward and saw the bats feasting on someone; he wanted to flee, but then he recognized the voice and took a step forward.

When he saw Charles, his heart nearly stopped beating, the bats devouring all flesh "Charles," John cried.

He couldn't go for help because he couldn't move, as if his legs were caught in a trap.

The screams gradually faded until they ceased completely, at the same time he realized Charles had vanished, his flesh ripped from his body.

He tried to walk to him, but he couldn't because he could hear the bats snarling again, and Charles' fate might be his.

When he saw that he was unable to move, he let out a loud scream. As the bats closed in on him, he saw his life pass before his eyes. Completely defenseless, he stood there with despair and terror churning in the pit of his stomach. He lost all hope of survival when he realized that no one was coming to aid him.

When he thought all hope was lost, he saw a dazzling light shine from above and the darkness gave way, a tap on his shoulder, and he awoke.

He pants and breathes heavily, oblivious to where he is; another tap on his shoulder had him trembling before he could muster the nerve to ask, "Who are you?"

"Where am I?" he mumbled before looking around.

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

Jackson's heart sank as he saw Jasmine lie lifeless in the casket; he shouldn't cry; he'd cried too many tears already; now he has to console his wailing mother, who hasn't accepted the truth that she'd lost a daughter.

He wipes his tears away because the last thing he wants is for people to feel sorry for him while the person who murdered his sister is still at large. If he had known, he would have killed her when he had the opportunity to; he thought she had dead when he hit her, but she survived, and now she can't be located. 

He bit his lower lip, his repressed rage for his sister's murderer returning in full force.

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

Wilson looked at his father as he tried to get up, he looked around again to make sure the snake wasn't anywhere around the house, right then everything began to repeat in his head, who could have imagined she's a snake?

Adasire felt a tremendous burning sensation in his eyes, but he disregarded it and swiftly picked up the bag he was carrying and took several stones out. "What exactly are you doing?" Wilson inquires, his mouth trembling.

Adasire didn't respond; instead, he flung the stones down and began muttering chants. "What are you doing, Dad?" Wilson inquires, his tone fearful.

Adasire continues murmuring in old tongues, refusing to offer him the decency of a response.

Wilson had seen his father in this manner before, when he was still attempting to talk him out of idol worshipping. He was serious, and Wilson knew that no matter what he said now, his father would not back down.

His eyes were now scarlet, a reminder that the snake had spat on them. Seconds passed and he believed he couldn't argue his father out of whatever plan he had, the best plan is God, and only God can destroy the snake.

As he was finally working up the nerve to stand up and intervene in whatever it was that his father was doing, he felt a sudden rush of wind, and the curtains were thrown violently against the windows.

He averted his gaze, attempting to understand what was going on; a second sweep past, and he returned his gaze to his father, but he wasn't there.

Shock made him tremble, and his breath rose and fell as he tried to figure out what had happened to his father.