By Kemara
Prologue
The city street was dark and cold. Monica pulled her heavy
red coat closer, shivering. She was waiting for Tess, and
she couldn't help but wish her supervisor would hurry. The
bleak apartment buildings seemed almost sinister in the
shadows. She remembered how she had been homeless once in a
place very much like this. It had not been an easy case, and
she still blushed to recall how she had doubted God. She had
learned that He would never forget her even when things
seemed hopeless. But something about this place inspired
hopelessness and dispair.
The angel paced up and down the sidewalk, her unease growing
every minute.
“I will fear no evil," she whispered, reaching out to the
comforting presence of the Father, always there at the edge
of her thoughts.
But tonight she felt nothing....no peace, love, or even
disapproval. It was like slamming into a brick wall and she
gasped in shock. Monica had been deprived of her angelic
powers on many assignments, but her trust in God had always
remained. Now, even that was gone.
"What's happening?" she wondered, fear rising. A dark figure
stepped out of the nearby alley.
"Hello, Monica."
In panic, Monica turned to run but something hit her from
behind, slamming her to the ground. As unconsciousness
closed in, she sent out a last desperate prayer for help.
Chapter
1
Tess and Andrew hurried along the street, bracing themselves
against the chilly wind.
“I sure hope Monica hasn’t been waiting long. This cold’s
enough to freeze anyone, human or angel,” Tess panted,
walking faster.
They passed a brightly lit coffee shop and Andrew glanced in
the window, half hoping to see Monica enjoying a Mocha
Latte, but she was nowhere to be seen.
As they approached the spot where they were to meet Monica,
he felt a gentle tug in his mind and stopped short.
“Wait, Tess. Something’s wrong.”
The older angel looked up at him, worry in her eyes. “What
is it Angel Boy?”
“I’m not sure....” he trailed off distractedly. To a human,
the deserted tenement area would have been vaguely
threatening, but he sensed something else, something evil.
Motioning for Tess to stay put, he took a few steps forward.
Instantly he felt the silence, an absence, not of physical
noises, but of mental ones. All his angelic powers were
gone, as if cut off with a knife. He stepped back and once
again the presence of the Father and the rest of the
Heavenly Host was comforting in his mind.
Tess was startled by the fear on Andrew’s face. She took his
arm.
“Tess, don’t move. There’s some kind of barrier here. If I’m
right about this, Monica is in very big trouble.”
“Barrier? What do you mean?” Tess demanded.
“I’ve seen this a few times when demons are involved.
There’s so much evil around them that our angelic powers
don’t work at all,” Andrew replied.
“Are you saying demons have Monica?” Tess’ voice was low and
dangerous.
“I hope not, Tess, but it looks that way.” Andrew said.
Please Lord, let me be wrong, he prayed.
“But what would they want with her?”
“I don’t know, but I have a very good idea of who’s behind
it.”
Tess frowned. “Kathleen.”
Andrew just nodded grimly.
Chapter
2
Monica groaned. Every inch of her body hurt. Weakly she
opened her eyes. She lay on a cold cement floor, damp with
water from the trickling walls. Small windows near the
ceiling let in enough moonlight for her to make out a large
basement room.
She tried to sit up, and then realized that her hands were
tied behind her back with thick ropes. She couldn’t break
them. But they’re just simple cords; they should snap
easily, she thought. Again she tried to use the angelic
strength she had relied upon so often in Search and Rescue.
Nothing happened. She twisted her wrists, but the ropes only
bit tighter. Finally, she stopped, sweating with the effort.
Using the wall for leverage and pushing with her legs,
Monica managed to sit up, wincing at the pain in her head.
Her coat was gone and her teeth began to chatter as much
from fright as from the cold. She could see now that the
room had no doors, only four cinder block walls. Humans
couldn’t walk through walls. That meant whoever had captured
her was not human.......That was Kathleen I saw. I’m sure of
it. Oh, Lord, help me please! But as before, there was no
response to her prayers.
Taking deep breaths to calm herself she tried to think
clearly. She was in human form without any of her special
powers. She had no assurance that God heard her prayers. I
wonder if this is how humans feel every day of their lives,
she wondered. It’s so frightening. No wonder they give in to
despair sometimes. No! She would not give up hope! Tess and
Andrew must have discovered that she was missing by now.
They would do everything they could to help her.
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I
will fear no evil.” Her voice was shaky, but the words gave
her confidence. God can still hear me even if I can’t hear
Him. I have to believe that.
Monica closed her eyes, letting the words pour from her
heart. Prayers of fear: I’m so scared... and anger: Why did
this happen to me?...., but finally, of love and acceptance.
Hours passed. Slowly she felt peace stealing over her like a
warm blanket. She lifted her head, tears streaming down her
cheeks. “Your will be done, Father. I trust you.”
Chapter
3
“Hello, Clara. I guess it’s pretty bad, then?” Tess looked
up from her seat on the park bench as the archangel
appeared.
“Hello Tess, Andrew. Yes, Monica’s disappearance is very
serious. If she isn’t found soon, we’ll have to call in Sam
and the rest of Special Forces.”
“But God knows where Monica is, doesn’t He? Why doesn’t He
tell us?” Andrew’s voice was taunt with worry. He fidgeted,
unable to sit still.
Clara looked at her old friend sternly. “Of course God knows
where she is. If He chooses to keep that from us, we have no
right to question Him. Things will happen in His time, not
ours.”
Andrew sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry, Clara. I know that,
but anything could be happening to Monica right now!”
Clara laid a hand on his shoulder. “I know Andrew. And
you’re right that we need to hurry.” She surveyed the city
around them, still hidden in pre-dawn darkness. “Now, show
me where you felt this barrier.”
Chapter
4
Monica woke from a troubled sleep.
Three demons stood over her. Even though they were in human
form she didn’t need her angelic senses to know what they
really were. She realized that on some level she had been
expecting them ever since she’d regained consciousness in
this bare stone room.
All three appeared as handsome men, devilishly handsome in
fact. I wonder if that’s where humans got the term, Monica
thought with wry humor. They stared down at her with evil
eyes, saying nothing, just looking.
She marveled that she wasn’t more apprehensive. She had no
cause to be, yet. Until then she thanked God for the small
measure of peace He had granted her. The calm before the
storm, I guess.
“What do you want?” Her voice was steady. She raised her
chin and returned their stares.
The tallest man squatted down in front of her.
“You’re just as pretty as she said.” He reached out a hand
and caressed her cheek. She gasped but refused to flinch, as
his touch burned her skin. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
He smiled and stood as the other men laughed.
“We’ll be back later with an old friend of yours,” another
man told her. “Seems the two of you have a lot to discuss.
Girl talk, you know.” He snickered as all three vanished,
leaving a stench in the musty air.
Monica sighed with relief and leaned back against the wall.
Thank you, Father, she prayed. Her face throbbed with pain,
but not seriously. When I think of what you endured on
earth, this is easy to bear for your sake. Ignoring the
discomfort, she continued to pray. Waiting.
Chapter
5
Clara stood with Andrew and Tess in front of the piece of
sidewalk where the demonic “barrier” began. She had walked
back and forth across it several times, and while her
angelic powers became limited to some extent, they were not
totally cut off as was the case with her fellow angels.
“Why doesn’t it affect you the same way, Clara?” Andrew
wanted to know. Tess just stood bundled into her coat saying
nothing, only praying constantly for Monica’s safety.
Clara smiled grimly at Andrew. “Because I’m much older than
you, Andrew. Even older than Tess if you can believe it.”
Tess snorted good naturedly, her dark mood broken for a
moment. Clara continued: “I’ve been fighting the Enemy’s
followers for a very long time. As you already know, these
barriers are a kind of side effect caused by the presence of
evil concentrated in one spot. Monica is probably very
nearby, but she is also well guarded.”
Tess spoke up for the first time. “So how can we get her
out?”
“We’ll need help, that’s for certain. I’ll speak to some
friends of mine in Special Forces. With the Father’s help,
we’ll find her.” Clara’s voice rang in the cold air, strong
and confident.
With renewed hope, Andrew redoubled his prayers. He hoped
Monica wasn’t being treated badly by Kathleen, the two had
been friends after all, but in his heart he knew better.
Chapter
6
“Well, what have we here?”
Her prayers interrupted, Monica lifted her head. Kathleen
looked no different from the last time they had met. Her
trim black suit contrasted sharply with Monica’s own simple
blouse and skirt, now very rumpled. The three demons waited
nearby.
“Get her up”, Kathleen ordered them. Roughly they dragged
her to her feet. She swayed unsteadily but shook them off,
fighting to stand on her own. They let go, but stayed on
either side, guarding her.
“Why are you doing this, Kathleen?”
“Why?” The fallen angel lifted a delicate eyebrow. ” Do I
need a reason?”
Monica knew she would never understand why Kathleen had
chosen the dark side. Surely there was something of her old
friend left. Finding it might be difficult, though. Father,
help me know what to say.
“We loved you Kathleen. We still do. God loves you very
much.”
Quick as a striking snake Kathleen stepped forward and
slapped Monica’s face. The blow snapped her head to the side
and again she felt the searing pain of a burn.
“Wrong answer!” Kathleen hissed. “Don’t talk to me about
love! Do you know how long I watched humans suffer while God
turned a blind eye?”
“God loves all his children,” Monica protested. “But he gave
humans free will. They have a choice whether to love or
hate.”
“Ah, yes. That glorious free will!” Kathleen’s smile was
triumphant. “Do you know how many humans have chosen by
their free will to join us? Every day there are more. We’re
winning, Monica.”
“No. You’ll never win.” Monica replied. “The power of love
can overcome the power of hate any day.”
“We’ll see if you still believe that when we’re done with
you.” Kathleen nodded to the demons and disappeared.
The first punch caught Monica by surprise. The second drove
her to her knees. She fell heavily, unable to catch herself.
As she huddled on the floor the fallen angels beat her
savagely. Each blow caused not only bruises and broken bones
where they landed, but also more burns. As they beat her the
demons laughed and taunted her.
“Where’s your God now? Why hasn’t he helped you?”
Biting her lip to keep from crying out, Monica made no reply
except to increase her prayers. Help me be strong, Father.
Help me......
Chapter
7
Just before dawn a group of the Heavenly Host gathered in
the twilight. Clara had enlisted the help of her fellow
archangels, Joseph and Thomas, as well as several warriors
from Special Forces. Their plan was to go behind the barrier
and search the surrounding tenements for any sign of Monica
and her captors.
“I expect we’ll meet with some resistance, perhaps as soon
as we cross over,” Clara cautioned them all. “So Tess and
Andrew must be protected, since they are the most
vulnerable.” Tess grumbled at this, but kept quiet.
“Now, let’s pray to the Father for guidance.” The group
bowed their heads in worship. “Father, we ask you to aid us
in our search, and that we may show your mercy to your
fallen children. We pray for Monica, that you will be with
her and give her patience and strength. Amen.”
“Amen,” the others echoed. Quietly they readied themselves
for a confrontation, Andrew and Tess surrounded on every
side by burly warriors from Sam’s elite group.
With Clara in the lead, the group stepped over the barrier
in unison. Immediately, they felt the evil around them. It
hung in the air like thick smog, making moving, even
breathing, difficult for anyone less than an angel. The
crumbling brick apartment buildings loomed in the darkness,
every alley capable of concealing one of the Enemy’s
followers.
“Stay together,” Clara ordered. The blond archangel scanned
the area, her quick eyes missing nothing. Something moved
between two trash cans. “Thomas!”
Almost before Clara spoke, Thomas darted over and dragged a
demon into the light. The creature had once appeared as a
handsome human man, but now his twisted face no longer bore
any human or angelic resemblance.
“Let go of me!” he hissed, struggling in Thomas’ grip. The
burly warrior only squeezed tighter and refused to moved.
Clara stood in front of the demon, her arms folded. “We’re
looking for a friend of ours,” she told him quietly. “Tell
us where she is and we’ll let you go...for now.”
The creature looked relieved at being given the chance to
escape so easily. “That...that building over there,” he
stuttered nervously. He pointed down the street. “Go down to
the basement.”
“Thank you.” Clara nodded. “Let him go Thomas.”
The demon scurried away as quickly as he could.
“Wait!” Clara called after him. He turned quickly. “You can
always come home, you know. All you have to do is ask. The
Father is waiting for you”
The fallen angel stared at her for a moment and almost
seemed to waver. Then he shook his head and hurried off into
the darkness.
Again the group of angels moved on. They met with two more
demons...one outside the building and another on the stairs.
Both fled in terror, with out any fight.
Thomas shook his head. “Cowards,” he muttered. “They are
nothing without their master to guide them.”
At the bottom of the stairs a doorway gaped, revealed now
for the first time. Andrew drew a deep breath, afraid of
what they would find inside. What had they done to Monica?
How badly was she hurt? Tess squeezed his hand as they
followed Joseph inside the dank room.
Chapter
8
Monica lay curled into a ball in one corner, unconscious.
Her clothes were ripped and stained, her body covered with
oozing burns, charred in some places down to the bone.
Andrew touched her arm gently then drew back to show Tess
the blood on his fingertips.
Joseph came up to them, his gray eyes flashing. “The barrier
is gone now. Looks like that Kathleen and her friends ran as
fast as they could when they saw us coming.” He looked down
at Monica in sorrow. “She took quite a beating. It took
great courage to face four demons alone. She might do well
in Special Forces someday.” He glanced quickly at Tess.
“After she’s done learning all you have to teach her of
course, Tess.”
Tess nodded. She leaned over and brushed Monica’s red hair
back. “I’m real proud of you Angel Girl, real proud.”
Despite her words, Monica did not respond.
“Andrew! Can you bring her out?” Clara called from where
stood in the doorway, keeping watch.
Carefully, the angel of death lifted Monica into his arms
and carried her out of the building, with Tess at his side.
Clara and the others followed them onto the sidewalk.
“Let’s get her out of here,” Clara said, her face troubled.
“She needs the Father’s healing.” She led the group back to
the park, a quiet patch of green in the middle of the city’s
morning rush hour.
Andrew started to lay Monica down on the cool grass, but
Clara stopped him. “It might be better if you held her,” the
archangel looked at Tess, “both of you. She’ll be in a lot
of pain when she wakes up, and it will help to have you
close.”
Andrew met Tess’ eyes. He could tell she was remembering how
Monica had held and comforted the drug addict, Lydia,
through the pains of withdrawal. Now, they did the same for
Monica. Together they sat on the ground and cradled her
between them.
True to Clara’s words, Monica began to thrash and whimper as
she regained consciousness. Andrew held her tighter to keep
her from hurting herself further. Tess laid a comforting
hand on Monica’s unburned cheek.
“It’s alright, Angel Baby. You’re safe now.”
For a moment Monica’s eyes opened, but there was no
recognition in them. She stared up at Tess and Andrew
wildly.
“I tried to be strong, Father. I tried....” She trailed off.
Their friends gathered in a circle around them, kneeling in
prayer. Andrew heard Clara’s voice, storming the Heavens.
“Lord, we ask you to send your healing upon your servant,
Monica. Soothe all her wounds, mental and physical. Let your
love reclaim her from darkness.”
Sunlight broke through the clouds above, it’s warm rays
shining directly on Monica. In response, the glow of God’s
love spread to the other angels praying so hard for her
recovery. Gradually, the burns on Monica’s skin healed to
scars and then disappeared completely. Crisp garments of
gleaming white replaced her tattered clothing. Finally, she
awakened, brown eyes alert and aware.
“Welcome back, Baby.” Tess kissed her forehead. Andrew took
her hand and Monica smiled up at them.
Slowly she got to her feet and lifted her face to the
sunlight, letting it warm her inside and out. As she stood
there, the golden light of the Father surrounded her and
they heard Him speak. “You’ve done well, my child. I’m very
proud of you.” Tears of happiness on her face, Monica knelt
in adoration. “I thank you for your loving defense of Me and
for the hurts you endured for My sake. Well done indeed!”
As the light faded, Monica’s friends surrounded her,
rejoicing. Through her tears Monica saw a white dove
fluttering away towards Heaven.