Darkness in the World [SAMPLE]

Prologue

        I wasn’t sure what led me here, into this chapel that I’d only entered once before.

        What I did know was that this was the place people went to when they wanted to find clarity, or even just some peace.

        And I needed a little bit of both.

        The pews were just as I remembered: vibrating softly with that strange hum, which I understood now to be the energy of prayers left behind. A warm light lit up the sculpture in front, the air was cool, and the place smelled faintly of moisture and wood.

        There was only one other person there, a guy kneeling a few rows up front. I didn’t know how kneeling could help, so I just sat where I was, speaking in whispers so the guy wouldn’t be disturbed.

        “I’m not really sure what I’m doing here,” I began, slowly, unsure if I was doing it right. “But so much has been going on in my life... and so much has been going on in my heart.

        “It’s just overwhelming when these things happen all at once. And although I know it’s my heart I’m supposed to listen to, it’s never been the easiest thing for me to do."

        I didn’t know why my eyes were suddenly blurring with tears. I hadn’t come here to cry, especially not when there was nothing to cry about. I looked at the table up front, and noticed that the guy was no longer there.

        “I guess I’m here because… There’s this longing inside me that I don’t understand. I think when Richard was here, he helped make the ache more bearable, which was why I ended up spending so much time with him. Now that he’s gone, I’m afraid I might be hoping Migs would help me the same way.”

        I took a deep, ragged breath.

        “And I know it won’t be right.” I shook my head, and looked down at my hands. “Deep down I know I can’t look outside of me for answers. Whatever this is… it’s something I need to figure out for myself.”

        I looked up at the sculpture up front, at the soft lights around it.

        “I have to, if I’m ever gonna hope that someday things will be real.”

        I sighed. 

        The air was quiet, and everything was still. I didn’t know how long I sat there waiting; I didn’t even know what I was waiting for.

        “I don’t know if you can hear me. I don’t know if anyone can. I’m always listening to everyone else, but... it’s just sad how I'm never sure if anyone is listening to me.”

        I’m not sure how long it took me to realize it. But I just suddenly noticed that the guy who’d been kneeling up front was actually now sitting next to me on the pew.

        “Oh, sorry,” I mumbled, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “I didn't mean to talk too loud.”

        “You weren’t,” he said softly.

        His voice sounded familiar.

        I looked at him again, and knew that I’d seen his face before. It was the same guy who’d covered me with a blanket, in that room where I’d been tied to a wooden bed.

        There was a golden fire in his eyes, and I understood who he was.

        “Our Lord is always listening to you, Samantha,” he said, his voice filled with tenderness. “And so am I.”

        The Archangel Michael’s presence right now couldn’t have come at a better time, or a worse time.

        Even though I’d been growing more successful at ignoring it, there was no denying the fact that he was a huge part of all this longing I felt inside. And while his being here now filled me once again with that astonishing feeling of being complete, it also made me face the stark truth that this would always be temporary; that in the end, I was always alone.

        With strong yet gentle fingers, he wiped the tears from my cheeks. I didn’t know if these tears were left over from my crying earlier, or new ones that had just come up.

        “I am so sorry you had to go through the things you’ve gone through,” he said, his compelling voice sending tremors to my heart, “I wished I could do more, protect you more than was allowed.”

        “It’s okay,” I said. As harrowing as my abduction had been, and as heartbreaking as Richard’s moving away was, they weren’t really any more painful than having Michael beside me now, his light so warm and near it was enveloping me. “It wouldn’t be right for you to do what's not allowed.”

        “That is true.” He smiled. “Which is why I made a choice.” 

        Something about the way he said the word choice made me look at him more closely.

        “I have asked Our Lord if there could be another way,” he continued, “If He would allow me more sanction in ensuring your protection. And Our Good Lord said, It is your choice.”

        Now I was confused. And for some reason I felt my heart beat go faster, although I didn’t know why.

        “I don’t understand,” I whispered.

        His smile seemed to grow brighter, although for the first time, I noticed there was something slightly different about him, about his light. It was still his light, it was still Michael. But for some reason his colors reminded me of someone else.

        “It was a choice I made,” he explained, “To make sure you will be protected, particularly in the dark days to come.”

        ‘Dark days’ can’t be a good thing, I suddenly thought, now feeling full-blown anxiety to go along with my confusion.

        “Is there something I’m supposed to do?” I asked, my voice trembling.

        He reached out his hand and used it to completely cover mine; the strength within it flowed from him and spread through me, steadying me with that simple contact.

        “There is something I have already done,” he said, very calmly. “I have surrendered my duties as Archangel of Our Lord’s Army, and have chosen to become your Guardian, Samantha Davidson.”

        I didn’t know how long I sat there, unmoving like a statue on that pew.

        But it only seemed like a moment later that I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder, and I realized that Michael was gone.

        “Hey,” Lana said, shaking me slightly. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

        I turned towards her, and wished I could answer her with a simple, “Yes, I did.”

        Because that would’ve been much, much less complicated than what was probably about to happen in my life.