Heavenly Shield

chapter 2

      He stood there quietly , in the darkness of the room . He couldn't see anything , but there were at least three in the room with him . Demons !
    He could hear them clearly . one sounded very big . he couldn't say how big , to him it sounded enormous . the others sounded small , and fast . one moment next to him , the other clear across the room chattering , always chattering . they almost sounded like mice ! except that mice don't chatter words . The words were distorted , but definitely words .The last he heard mice couldn't speak . he wished they could , at least that would explain what he was going through !. "why is this happening to me lord " he thought to himself for the millionth time as he began praying again . He could hear the demons shuffling away a little, spitting and swearing every time he prayed . he'd been praying almost nonstop since the dream . At least he thought it was a dream . It had felt so real and vivid ! Sort of like a vision . And the words ! god! the words were burned into his mind like a scene from a movie you've seen hundreds of times . THE GATES OF HEAVEN WILL NO LONGER STAND CLOSED TO MAN . THE BALANCE IS BROKEN . THE SWORD UNLEASHED ! CALL UPON THE SWORD ! . Emmanuel would remember those words till his final day .
    It was right after that , that the sounds started . he was sure he'd gone crazy . It was Thursday night , just before midnight . he was working on his notes for Sunday's service when he first heard it . just as Emmanuel was saving the notes to his onedrive account , the voice said " look up some porn" . The voice was low, deep and slightly guttural , it made him jump in spite of himself . He looked around franticly , scanning the dark corners in the room for some intruder or a friend playing a poor tasteless joke on him . "Who's there?" he asked . the fear dripping in every word . immediately to his left there was a scuffling sound , like something being dragged . he turned quickly towards it . "Stop playing games he yelled" . But he was alone in the room . he reached quickly for the light switch and turned it on . The bright light blasting away all the shadows in the room . He spun left and right , franticly searching for the voice . "I'm going crazy " he thought to himself . he sat at the edge of the bed carefully , taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly . For god's sake , voices ? could he really be hearing voices ? and porn? of all things ? he hadn't so much as looked at a dirty picture in years now . much less actual porn . "This is a test , isn't it god " he said out loud to no one . "well I hope I've passed this one" . Again he heard the dragging sound , right by his left leg . It made him flinch so uncontrollably he almost fell out of his bed . "Can you actually hear me maggot "? . The voice sounding just to the left of him . the word maggot ringing in his ears and rattling around in his head like an echo . The sound of it making him tense up and go deafly quiet . All his instinct telling him to keep quiet . If the devil wanted to have a conversation , he wasn't about to oblige him. His throat dried up like desert at high noon . He tried to calm himself and call on his faith to get him through this test of faith . He never once thought that he would facing off against the devil! but this wasn't the devil , not by a long shot . If he had the vision to see this demon , what he would see would terrify him . While it had the shape of a man , it was more agile and limber looking , as if it had many more joints than a man , its limbs moved almost like a snake . It didn't have a skin color , as it was little more than a shadow , but unlike a shadow , it had more substance , you couldn't see through it . It slithered about the room

    It was nothing more than a demon . but there was no way for Emmanuel to have known that just by sound . To him the devil himself was there to torment and test him . And maybe to drag him down in to hell too . His fear was getting the best of him , and he was beginning to lose all composure . "Our father who art in heaven " he croaked meekly through the dryness in his throat . "hallowed be thy name" . the dragging sounded again , this time moving away from him , almost as if stumbling away . "thy kingdom come , thy will be done , on earth as it is in heaven . The dragging sound coming a little faster now . more determined . moving all the way into the furthest corner of the room . "Disgusting maggot" . "Give us this day our daily bread , and forgive us our trespasses , as we forgive those who trespass against us". "You should shove the words up your ass maggot , I'm sure they'll feel better in there"! Emmanuel cleared his throat , his confidence inching back up , his faith reminding him of who he served . " Lead us not into temptation , But deliver us from evil . For thine is the kingdom , the power and the glory , for ever and ever, AMEN! " . Emmanuel's voice fell away . the quiet enveloping him once more . he listened carefully to the silence . it felt like he stood there forever, waiting . he had to remind himself to breath more than once . He finally took a deep breath , his knee's buckling as he let it out . he fell to his bed , exhausted , tears in his eyes . He was shaking head to toe . He had been tested , and he felt like he barely survived the encounter .