Cat’s Eye seemed like a normal town. The brick buildings were well kept and the sidewalks were reasonably clean. “Doesn’t it remind you of Whispers?” Justin asked Lance as they walked down the quiet street. “Yeah, only more modern.”

A piece of paper blew across the sidewalk. Lance yawned, glancing at his watch. 2:55 am. His whole body felt as if his blood had hardened to lead.

They wandered into a park. Justin collapsed on a bench that sat beneath the shade of an oak tree. “Man, I’m tired.” Lance shivered. “Couldn’t we find shelter indoors? It makes me nervous being out in the open.”

“What if there’s something inside?”

“What if there’s something outside?”

“Good point.”

Suddenly, brass bells began tolling. Lance and Justin looked up. Nearby, the chapel of a small stone cathedral overlooked the town square.

“Is someone in the bell tower?”

“I guess. Let’s hurry.”

They quickly jogged out of the park, past the iron fence, by the record store, and across the intersection. Lance halted abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you see the stoplights?” Lance replied in a distracted tone.

The stoplights were switching rapidly from red to yellow to green. As soon as it started, it stopped.

Justin shrugged. “Must be an electrical problem,” he whispered.

They climbed up the stone steps of the cathedral. The bells were still tolling. Light peered out from the stained glass. A statue of the Virgin Mary holding a crucified Jesus sat on a ledge a few feet beneath the bell tower. Justin couldn’t shake the feeling that she was staring at them. Lance pulled open the wooden doors. “Let’s go in.”

The inside of the cathedral took on a slightly eerie quality. Pews lined the red floor. A flowery cross decorated the pulpit. Statues of the saints surrounded the room. Their only light was provided by hundreds of long, white candles. The air was warm and smelled faintly of vanilla. “All this place needs is an organ and some sad choir music,” Justin commented.

“Listen,” Lance said.

“What is it?”

“The bells. They’ve stopped ringing.”

Justin stretched out on a pew. “I’ve gotta get some sleep.”

Lance sat beside him. “Go ahead.”

It was obvious that a foghorn wouldn’t stir Justin, but Lance was the other extreme. He desperately wanted to sleep. Sleep paved the way for blessed escape. Something was keeping him awake. He picked up a Bible, flipping through the pages.

“Lance!”

Lance jumped up. The Bible fell onto the pew. His heart was pounding. Could it be…did I really hear…

“Lance! Help me!”

The familiar voice echoed throughout the cathedral. Lance’s knees went weak. IT’S JOEY!

He shook Justin’s shoulders, but he didn’t budge. Lance tried hollering at him mentally.

Lance: “Wake up! Joey’s here!”

No response. Lance frowned. What was the matter with Justin?

“LANCE! PLEASE! THE BELL TOWER!”

Trembling, Lance’s eyes darted around the area. To the left were three doors, and in the far corner was a hallway. Lance looked to the right. Hidden in the shadows, was a tiny gray room. He saw a flight of wooden stairs through the doorway.

“LLAAAAAaannnncccce…”

Joey’s shriek faded. Lance froze in his tracks, paralyzed with fear for Joey’s safety.

Lance: “Curly, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m going up into the bell tower. Joey’s in trouble. We’ll be back, I promise!”

Lance prayed he could keep that promise as he traveled up the first three rickety flights of stairs. A musty odor tickled his nostrils. His stomach lurched as he looked up. He had about 8 more flights of stairs before he’d reach the top. Fatigue slowed his movement. By the fifth flight he fell to his knees, clinging to the banister. His muscles ached terribly. 24 hours without rest or food were taking its toll.

“Lance!” Joey screamed, “HELP!”

Lance grit his teeth, energized with renewed determination. He climbed faster up the square tower, doing fine until his gaze glanced over the banister.

It was a loooong way down.

Lance’s head spun. Squeezing his eyes shut to stifle the vertigo, he ran up the eighth flight onto the landing. Night air blew in through the cracked door.

Silence. “Joey?” Lance called quietly, “Are you there?”

Justin: “Lance! Where the heck are you?”

Lance: “I told you! The bell tower.”

Justin: “Why?”

Lance: “I heard Joey screaming. Didn’t you hear him?”

Justin: “Umm, look, the priest woke me. He’s standing right here. He says he’s alone.”

Lance: “What?”

Justin: “There’s no one in the bell tower.”

Lance’s clammy hands gripped the iron door handle. Sweat trickled down his scalp.

“Come, James,” Emerald called, “We’ve been waiting for you.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ramona hugged the dog tightly. Andrew gasped for breath. “You…must…go…” Ramona shook her head. “No! I won’t leave you!” Andrew grabbed her shirt collar. “Save yourselves!”

“Need…want…life…die…Ramona…ha ha ha…”

The retriever’s lips curled. He snarled and barked viciously at the approaching Lost Souls. Ramona whistled for him to join her as she ran to the right, disappearing deeper into the forest. The dog dashed ahead, appointing himself the leader.

Ramona felt the Lost Souls’ evil presences crawling on her skin. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Poor Andrew. It’s not fair! The dog also seemed to be upset, whimpering as they scrambled, tripped, and scurried across the sloping woods. Pretty soon Ramona was confused as to which direction they were going, but the dog never faltered. Thoughts shouted in the back of her mind: ANDREW AND JC ARE GONE! I’M ALONE! HELP!

It occurred to her that the Lost Souls’ chants were no longer audible. Did she lose them? Had they retreated? Or were they orchestrating another ambush?

The dog stumbled across a small highway cutting through the woods. Yes! Ramona cheered silently, Civilization!

The retriever turned south. Ramona followed, gasping for air. The trees cleared. 600 yards away, a little building stood in view. Ramona read the neon sign.

BRENNER’S CAFÉ.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

BRENNER’S CAFÉ, 3:40 AM

Dianna bit her lip to fight tears. Trace put a comforting arm around her. For the first time, Ruby, who hugged herself, had no comment on the situation. Even Kellen and Harper quit arguing. The sanctuary underneath the karaoke stage was pitch black, but the noises above were frightening.

Demented giggling. Snarls and snaps. Thumps. Scratching. Furniture being thrown around and ripped apart.

Dianna hadn’t prayed in years, but now it seemed necessary. God, please deliver me from this evil, otherwise I am truly sorry for…

Suddenly, above, they heard a dog barking and a woman screaming. To everyone’s disbelief, the Lost Souls sounded as if they were scattering. The dog continued barking. Minutes later, all fell silent.

“Hello?” The woman shouted, “Anybody here?”

The five prisoners began fumbling around like a herd of water buffalo. “DOOR!” Trace screamed at the top of his lungs, “OPEN THE DOOR ON THE KARAOKE STAGE!”

Footsteps pounded. The clicking of the dog’s toenails wasn’t far behind. Creak. Light poured under the stage. A Hawaiian woman poked her head in. “It’s okay. They bolted.”

One by one they hoisted themselves out of their hiding place. Dianna rubbed the handsome golden retriever’s nose. “He has such pretty eyes. Strange. I didn’t know retrievers had blue eyes.” Ramona frowned. That is weird.

Ruby gulped, re-fastening her bun. “Where did those monsters come from?”

Harper’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

“I’m Ramona. I was traveling with some friends, but we got separated.” The dog woofed insistently, nudging her leg. Ramona’s shoulders slumped. “Promise not to run me out with torches and pitchforks?”

Kellen crossed his arms. “Do we have reason to?”

Ramona sighed, “Those creatures are Lost Souls, otherwise known as demons. They’ve taken over. Lance who’s an angel, has 24 hours to recover his memory before Gandor, who’s possessed Joey, revives the master and brings about the apocalypse!”

They stared at her, unblinking, their mouths slightly agape.

“Well, when you say it in that kind of voice…”

Everyone jumped, except Ramona. She recognized the voice.

“JC?”

“Hello.”

She scanned the café.

“Down here, girl.”

Ramona gasped. JC sat next to her feet. “How’d…how’d you…”

JC smiled as he rose. “Surprised?”

“Where’s the dog?” Trace asked stupidly.

Dianna snapped her fingers. “Those eyes! I knew I’d seen them before!”

Ramona put her hands on her hips. “Do you mind explaining?”

When JC told the story, he expressed excitement and amusement. “At first I didn’t understand it either. I lay there in the tree house, it reminded me of all the times I spent the night in the tree house in my backyard with King. King was a golden retriever I’d gotten for Christmas. And suddenly, I felt really warm, so I crawled outside, and then…I can’t describe what happened, but when I tried to talk, barking came out. It’s incredible!”

Ramona broke in. “I realize this is an awful lot to comprehend, so please bear with me. Meanwhile, I suggest we leave.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Gabriel slammed the door to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. Cricket fiercely hugged Adam, who was beginning to cry. Heavy boots pounded down the hall. Chris struggled to open the window. “Gabe,” he panted, “Is it possible-I can-make us all-invisible?”

“No! Hurry up!”

Cricket fumbled with the latch. “This should work.” Together they raised the window. Cricket bent over. “If we slide down the roof and jump about 20 feet, we’ll land on the porch steps.”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Adam wailed. Chris rushed over to the wooden chest beside the dresser, pushing it in front of the bedroom door. “Cricket, hop on out the window. Gabriel can hand you Adam.”

She swung her legs over the side, rolled onto her stomach, and lowered herself down the slanted roof, letting go as soon as her feet touched the edge. She pressed her body against the shingles.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gabriel leaned over. Chris grabbed his ankles. Once Cricket was safely holding Adam, Gabriel slid down.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The lock busted. The chest scooted forward. Chris scrambled out the window. Gabriel was lowering Cricket and Adam to the porch. The slant was steeper than Chris realized. His feet slipped.

“Aaahhh!”

Chris’s hands snatched the windowsill, breaking his fall but putting him in a painful position. “Let go!” Gabriel shouted, “I’ll catch you!”

Rough hands squeezed his wrists. Cricket’s father leaned out the window, meeting Chris’s gaze. Gabriel froze.

“Give me my children,” he rasped, tightening his grip. Chris’s hands were growing numb. He kicked at the shingles.

Chris: “HELP ME!”

Justin: “Hey Chris! Is that you?”

Chris: “A Lost Soul’s got me!”

Justin: “What’s he look like?”

Chris: “Over six feet tall, brown hair, black eyes, muscular build…”

Silence. Justin broke the connection with Chris. Smoke rose from the dad’s clothes. He gasped, releasing his hold and dropping to the carpet. Chris slid down the roof and slammed into Gabriel. To their horror, they both rolled off the ledge.

Gabriel expected to feel the crunch of his backbone smashing onto the steps 20 feet below. Instead, their fall steadily decreased. He felt nothing but a light, airy sensation.

“Yikes!” Cricket squealed, “You guys are floating!”

Chris looked down. “Whoa. Is this me or you, Gabe?”

“Put us down!”

Slowly they descended. Chris started trembling. “What’s happening to me?”

Gabriel grabbed his shoulders. “Don’t you see? This is your second power. I remember! It’s telekinesis!”

Chris interrupted, “But…”

“Just shut up for a few seconds. Basically, you have the ability to move objects, just by thinking about it. You transport to different places, mess with objects, and move bodies.”

“You mean like floating…and even flying?”

“Possibly. I’m not quite certain what the extent of your power is.”

“Wow! Invisibility and teleportation.”

“You four were each blessed with two special abilities. Of course we understand Lance’s condition.” They walked across the lawn to meet Cricket and Adam.

“Wait a sec. How is it you know all this?” Chris demanded. Gabriel ignored the question, scooping Cricket into his arms. Adam quietly sucked his thumb.

“Sweetheart, I want you to close your eyes.” Cricket obeyed.

“Chris, find out where Justin is,” Gabriel instructed.

Chris: “Justin, where are you?”

Justin: “The cathedral. Man, I’m worried. Lance is in the bell tower. He’s not responding to my messages. I’m on my way to get him!”

Chris: “We’ll meet you in five minutes.”

Gabriel said, “The only way to teleport the rest of us is to take my hand. I’ve got the children.” Cricket nervously fingered his shirt collar. “What are we doing?”

They held hands. Chris shut his eyes and envisioned the cathedral. Suddenly a roaring sound filled is ears. Everything zoomed into a spinning motion. Wind stung his face. His limbs were jerked at great speeds, like a crazy roller caster ride.

Then it ceased. Chris’s muscles quivered as if they’d melted into jelly. His bones ached. Cricket opened her eyes. “Cool.”

They were on the Cathedral steps.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Lance’s hand clung to the door handle. Emerald’s evil laugh sent another intense wave of fear through his stomach.

“Lance, dear, are you afraid?”

Truthfully, yes. Still, it seemed ridiculous. Lance was an angel. Weren’t angels brave and fearless? In spite of all the evidence, Lance briefly wondered if Gandor had a case of mistaken identity.

NO, I can’t think like that! I may not have everything figured out, but I know that since God is on my side, I can beat these guys.

He threw the door open, stepping outside. He stood on a covered concrete patio. Large bells hung 4 feet over his head. The area wasn’t enclosed. He hugged the brick pole and peered over the edge. His heart jumped.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

Lance spun around. Emerald stood underneath the largest bell, enveloped by thick shadows. She played with the rope. “Finally we can talk alone.”

Lance crossed his arms. “Don’t you know who, or what I am?”

“Of course. I’ve always known. We Lost Souls are much smarter than you’ve realized. From the time you five were born, we knew you were forces to be reckoned with.”

Lance stepped backwards. “What do you mean?”

“Lance, you may have been the child we feared the most, but there were 4 other boys we didn’t ignore. The first one was Christopher. We saw that this child would assist the angel. We hired a Lost Soul to watch him. In face, it was that traitor Gabriel. Joshua, Joseph, and Justin…they too were watched from Day One. You all can thank God for keeping you protected, because we wanted to destroy you at birth.”

Lance listened as Emerald continued. “I was assigned to Joey. When he turned six, I had a premonition. Joey would destroy Gandor.”

“What?!”

“Joey was as big a threat as the angel. But there’s a difference. You could eliminate our entire existence. Joey only presented harm to Gandor. That’s why Gandor possessed Joey. To knock him out of the fight.”

Lance, suddenly furious, shoved her. “Where is Joey!”

Emerald remained smug. “Hmm. It’s quite dark out here. We need a little light.” She cupped her hands. A ball of light appeared, bathing the dark tower.

“Where is he?” Lance repeated, talking another step forward. “You won’t win this fight!”

“But Lance, dear, I already have.”

Suddenly an arm wrapped around his neck, squeezing. Lance gagged. Whoever this guy is, he’s stronger than any human being could hope to be!

The muscles tightened. Pain seized Lance’s neck, shooting up to his jaw. His eyes grew watery. His upper body went limp. He tried kicking and fighting, but it was useless. His lungs burned.

“You’ll never save Joey,” a voice whispered in his ear.

Wheezing, Lance’s eyes rolled up to see his attacker’s face. JOEY! Okay, maybe it’s Gandor, but he’s in Joey’s body, and Joey is NOT this strong!

Light-headed and dizzy, Lance knew he wouldn’t be conscious in five minutes.

Lance (crackling and fading): “Justin…help…me…”

Justin: “Way ahead of you!”

The tower door flew open. Justin wearily ran outside. He halted in his tracks, stunned. His stomach sank. The figure strangling Lance was Joey, yet it wasn’t. The image was scrambled in his mind. Half of his brain screamed “friend!” The other half screamed “enemy!” What frightened Justin the most was the uncanny amount of strength “this friend” had.

Justin clawed at Joey’s arms. Lance’s lips were turning blue. “Joe!” He begged, “Please! Don’t listen to Gandor!”

Lance’s body buckled. Justin decided he had no choice. Smoke crackled. The hair on Joey’s arms singed. Showing no sign of pain, he released, facing Justin.

“Very clever.”

Joey’s arms shook. The smoke receded, traveling to his hands. Before Justin could react, fire shot at his chest. Justin slammed into the brick. He groaned from the pain in his chest.

Lance stood on wobbly legs. Joey, or Gandor, grinned. “By now you four should recognize your ‘hidden talents’.”

Lance shook his head, croaking, “I don’t believe you.” Emerald snorted. Gandor grabbed Lance’s shirt, hoisting him in the air. With one arm, he threw Lance across into Justin. Lance’s shoulder smacked the concrete. He moaned. Justin held him, trying to get them both up.

Gandor laughed. “I’m in a pretty convenient spot. I can use Joey’s powers for my purposes.”

Justin took a deep breath. “Joey…”

“Joey’s not here anymore.”

Justin: “Joey…Joey answer me…I know you can hear me.”

Unlike sending his previous messages, Justin experienced nausea and temporary blackness. Perhaps that was a good thing. Maybe he was pushing through Gandor’s evil and reaching the real Joey.

Lance: “ Joey, think about the fun times we’ve had. Bring back the good memories. Come on!”

Gandor grimaced. He covered his ears, shaking and howling. “What’s wrong?” Emerald shouted.

Justin: “That’s it. Keep fighting. You can do it Joey!”

Gandor let out an animal cry, falling on his knees. Emerald’s eyes were blazing. Justin and Lance leaned on each other in eager anticipation.

The menacing expression was gone. The superior manner, the challenging tone, and the strength also disappeared. Joey lay on the ground.

“YES!!!” They slapped high fives, grins spreading across their faces for the first time in 72 hours. They rushed to his side. “Joey, Joey,” Justin coaxed gently, “Can you hear us?” Joey slowly opened his eyes. “Guys…”

“SILENCE!” The ball of light heightened to a blinding glow. Clouds covered the moon. Justin and lance protectively surrounded Joey. Emerald’s nails sharpened. “You can’t win. Joey doesn’t belong to you. So help me, he won’t kill Gandor!”

Joey started running to the door. He collapsed. His shoulders arched as he let out another animal cry. Soon after he sprang up.

Gandor was back.

“Joey,” Justin held his hands up, “Don’t give in to Gandor.”

“Too late,” he sneered, “I’m in control.”

Lance cleared his throat. “Joey, please. We don’t wanna hurt you.”

“Come on, man. Unless something happens, we may harm you when we destroy Gandor,” Justin added. Gandor chuckled. “That’s impossible.”

Lance: “Joe, listen to us!”

“How much can you do?” Gandor challenged, glaring at Lance, “You haven’t recovered your own memory. Angel. Ha!” Lance dug his nails into his palms. Emerald glided towards him. “You should’ve known you couldn’t win against us, James.”

Justin placed himself in front of Lance. “Stay away from him!”

Gandor seized him, throwing him into the bells. Justin slumped into semi-consciousness. Lance froze. Something bad was going to happen.

Then he saw it. In the pocket of Emerald’s robe was the tip of the crystal! If he could successfully steal it, then the Master would never return. Emerald’s fingers caressed his cheek. Lance pretended not to be repulsed, subtly grabbing for the crystal. Before he could grab it, Gandor shoved him to the concrete. Lance lay flat on his back, fully aware of how close he was to the edge. Wind chilled his skin.

The night darkened. Lance heard Justin scream. Gandor and Emerald stood nearby, watching him closely.

Something hissed. Cold, rough scales slithered over Lance’s arm. Lance stiffened. His heart beat against his rib cage as a skinny yet rather long creature slid across his chest. Its tongue flicked at his chin. Lance gulped as he stared into the amber-colored eyes of a king cobra.

“Since we understand your identity as that of being the Lord’s messenger, we expect that you should have the power to resist this snake. Let’s see if you are truly what we’ve believed you to be for 23 years.”

The cobra hissed, revealing its fangs. Lance looked it square in the eyes. Somewhere deep inside him, he heard a voice.

Get off.

The cobra coiled, slithering off his stomach. Lance shivered. Justin sighed with relief. Emerald and Gandor must’ve heard the voice too, because they cowered into a corner. Emerald growled. The cobra twisted. As its hood flared, it leaped, striking Lance on the left hand. Fangs pierced his skin.

The deadly venom reacted in ten seconds.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Gabriel, Chris, and the kids shot through the cathedral doors. The bewildered priest wrung his hands. “What on earth is going on?!” They ignored him, dashing into the bell tower.

Two minutes later, a horde of people scrambled inside. The leaders appeared to be Ramona and JC, who led them into the gray room, ordered the rest to stand behind, and bounded up the stairs.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emerald vanished. Gandor hid behind the bells. Justin rushed to Lance’s side, cushioning his head on top of his jacket.

Lance was petrified. His hand had already swollen to three times its normal size. His skin paled to a chalky white. His eyelids drooped.

“No,” Justin whimpered, cradling his best friend, “You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay!” Lance mumbled something incoherent. He couldn’t concentrate. His whole body was in a tremendous amount of paralyzing pain.

“I’m…burning…it…hurts…”

Justin felt Lance’s neck go limp. His heart started pounding. People died from snakebites everyday. “Scoop?” He felt Lance’s forehead, shrinking from the feverish touch.

Suddenly Lance coughed up tiny droplets of blood. He yelled, gritting his teeth. His body convulsed into tremors. Now he was very afraid. He couldn’t breathe!

Hhhiiissssss………

Lance started hyperventilating. “I…can’t…breathe…can’t…breathe!”

Don’t panic! Don’t panic! Justin scolded himself, Stay calm. He laid Lance on his back. Lance curled into a feeble ball, coughing up more blood.

Hhhiiissssss………

The cobra brushed Justin’s pant leg. It was with deep dread that Justin realized the cobra was circling Lance again. Lance gasped for air. Everything looked fuzzy.

Hhhiiissssss………

BAM!

The tower door rebounded off the wall. Chris burst outside. Gabriel, who’d left the children on the landing, followed. Justin was in a panicky state, but frozen from fear. Lance was moaning and having small seizures. A king cobra slithered closer towards them.

“Don’t move,” Gabriel whispered to Chris. They heard Ramona and JC whispering behind them. Five seconds later Ramona stepped outside. A small animal scampered between their legs. Chris did a double take. A mongoose?

Mongooses were animals that bred only on the Asian continent, mainly in India. They were famous for their master hunting skills went it came to killing snakes.

They watched as the mongoose quickly attacked the cobra. The battle lasted five minutes, leaving the king cobra dead. The mongoose moved away from the carcass, sniffing Lance. It made a worried little sound, crawling onto Lance’s chest.

“What does that rodent think it’s doing? Comforting him?!” Chris muttered in puzzlement. Ramona clapped her hands. “Come on, JC. You’re more useful as a human.” The mongoose sprinted into a corner.

Chris sputtered, “Where the heck did you catch a mongoose and name it JC?”

“FYI, you’ve lived with this mongoose for seven years,” JC replied, getting up off of his hands and knees. Chris’s eyes widened. Ramona patted his arm. “I’ll explain later.”

The group crowded around Lance, kneeling to examine him. The poison had progressed. Lance’s eyes were bloodshot. He was choking on his own body fluids. Ramona picked up his wrist. “His pulse is extremely shallow.”

Justin wiped away tears. “What are we gonna do? He’s dying!”

“He’s gone into shock,” Ramona said. JC covered Lance with his coat. “Why are we sitting around?” He babbled, “He’s gotta be kept warm.” Chris clenched his fists. “This isn’t happening.”

“Wait a minute!” Gabriel shouted, jolting them all, “There is something we can do!” He took Ramona’s hands. “Actually, there’s something you can do.”

“ME?”

“Yes,” Gabriel nodded firmly, “Haven’t you noticed the signs?”

“What signs?” Chris wailed, “We have no time for…”

“SHUT UP!” Gabriel pointed to Lance’s swollen hand. “Hold it.” Ramona clasped the purplish skin. And, it was the most peculiar sensation…she couldn’t totally comprehend it…but it was as if the light finally dawned on her. A strong sense of destiny.

She squeezed softly, caressing the bite marks. A warm feeling bubbled through her veins. Her fingers went numb. Chris, Justin, JC, and Gabriel held their breath with fascination.

Lance, meanwhile, stopped gasping. His chest muscles relaxed, as if they weren’t twisted into knots. His seizures quieted. Lance’s throat grew wet again he closed his eyes in wondrous relief. The pain was receding through his bones and out his feet. His vision cleared. Ramona removed her hands. The bite marks were gone!

JC fell against the pole. “Oh my gosh.” Justin and Chris raised Lance to sit. Justin smiled, laughing, “It’s a miracle!”

As always, Gabriel withheld answers to their questions. He grinned. “It is no coincidence that Ramona is so close to Lance. She, too, has ability. She is what you’d call a healer.”

Lance tried to speak. “She-saved-my life.”

“Yes. While she cannot raise the dead, her powers do extend to the sick and the wounded.”

Ramona covered her mouth. She felt so strangely excited. A healer? Her?

The sky darkened from midnight blue to black. Stars slowly disappeared. A small lightening bolt sizzled the sky, followed by a low rumble of thunder. Gabriel groaned. “Oh, gosh, no.”

“What?” Lance whispered.

“The Storm. It’s coming.”

“The Master will return soon.” They jumped, having forgotten Gandor hid behind the bells.

JC: “Joey…”

Gandor frowned. “Stop it.”

Lance: “Joey…”

Chris: “Joey…”

Justin: “Joey…”

All: “JOEY!”

Crash! A flash of lightening lit the sky. Gandor screamed. “It’s coming,” Gabriel said robotically, “The sun won’t rise.”

Joey covered his ears. “Oh! Don’t let that demon get me!” Ramona reached out to touch Joey. “Let me help you.”

Joey back-pedaled, bumping into another pole. “N-n-no I can’t. I must leave.”

Lance weakly stood. “Don’t go!” The others chimed in agreement. Joey sucked up tears. “Gandor promised I wouldn’t be in control for long. I have to run.”

Ramona touched Joey’s arm, but he jerked back. Lance shook his head. “I won’t let Gandor hurt you.”

“I have to leave,” Joey insisted, opening the door.

“Why?” Lance whined miserably.

“Because if I don’t, you will be murdered, Lance. All of you.”

“The Storm,” Gabriel repeated, “Daylight won’t come.”

SLAM! Joey was gone. Thunder rumbled.

Gabriel hugged himself. “We’re running out of time.”

continued