IN LOVE'S EMBRACE

CHAPTER 41: SECOND CHANCE

"God gives second chances because he believes in our potential for change and growth"- Unknown

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A windy and cold night, an hour where most were safely tucked in their sheets, laid one trapped between the realms of the living and dead. Trapped between life and hell.

Without warning, rain poured down with a feral intensity. To the physical eyes, the night appeared pretty normal, but bondages were being broken, chains were being snapped off, and a soul was being delivered. Only to those in the know, like Micheal, was it being revealed to.

Thunder struck and life filled the once dead body. The nose flared, the fingers twitched, and suddenly, the mouth opened to inhale as much oxygen as it could take.

After giving the body a fill of the air it so desperately needed, the eyes shot open. John swiftly sat up in alarm and his eyes rapidly roamed the room. Multiple emotions filled him, but those which stood out the most were fear and hope.

Was this another dream?, or was he truly alive?. He dared to hope for the latter as his hands felt through every inch of his skin. There was a thin line between reality and illusion. At this point, it seemed to be blurred.

"M-Micheal?" He called out in hope. Only Micheal could tell him where he was standing.

When he got no response, he shut his eyes with a sigh. It truly was too good to be true.

He should be sad, yes. But how could he when he had just found out that God, himself, loved him?!. He had just had a conversation with his creator, who loved him enough to die for him and save him from the clutches of the devil countless times. He was on cloud nine.

He desperately tried to block out the images and memory of being dragged into hell by demons. A shudder ran up his spine, he couldn't forget that no matter how much he tried.

Fear encompassed him at the thought of spending eternity with them. Tears pricked his eyes, he had no idea where he was headed now that he had spoken with Christ, there was unfortunately no bribing nor begging your way into heaven.

He wondered where God had disappeared to and earnestly prayed for him to return, his presence brought a certain peace to him.

The side of his lips itched and he raised a hand to it. The moment his fingers grazed his face, they were covered with a liquid substance .

He opened his eyes with a frown and stared down at them.

Blood. They were stained with blood, he couldn't see them well, but from their smell and metallic taste, it was pretty obvious.

For a moment, his head went blank. He had absolutely no idea what to make of it. What was happening?, who was playing this cruel prank on him?.

"John?" Micheal gruff voice whispered, jolting him from his primary state of confusion.

"Micheal?, Micheal!. Oh Micheal, you can hear me?, is this real?, can you really hear me?" He excitedly rushed out, almost plastering himself against the wall that separated them.

The voice of his newly made friend felt like balm to his injured soul.

"John!, y-yes, y-yes I can hear you. Oh my good God, Are you okay?, I thought..., you should be..., but they..., W-W-What happened?, you..." Micheal rambled on, matching his frequency and position.

Multiple emotions clogged his voice; relief, disbelief, fear, and most especially, awe.

"Am I...a-alive?" John hesitantly asked. He wasn't sure he could bear the answer, either good or bad.