MISSING - Kidnapping The Image Of God

Sample Text

         Daryl’s body twists abruptly as his own heavy breathing chokes him back into consciousness. Fear causes his sweaty hands to involuntarily clutch tightly onto the seats armrest for support, yet he is unable to stand up. He does manage to lean his body towards the window and sees Carl and Benny staring at a lone hanger in the distance. Daryl desperately leans further into the window to see if he can better distinguish what has caught the pilot's attention. Suddenly, he sees an individual emerge from within the shadows and begin walking towards the plane. His attention shifts when he catches out of the corner of his eye, Carl abruptly grabbing Benny’s arm and quickly ushering his comrade away from the area. As the mysterious person approaches the stairs leading into the plane, he turns and glares at Daryl looking out the small window.

         As before, the shadow adjoining the individual does not allow Daryl a clear view of his nemesis facial features. Yet, there is some recognizable presence that surrounds both this individual and the entity he first saw in the Church Doorway and then again standing in the bookstore’s parking lot. Now, his presence alone causes uncontrolled panic to violently jolt Daryl back into his seat. His heart pounds harder and harder and he begins discharging air faster than what he can take in as the metallic sound of footsteps advances up the plane’s stairway. He tries frantically to bolt from his seat, but he cannot move. The unstoppable sound of the door slamming shut now echoes down the aisle. Daryl instinctively closes his eyes, not wanting to see what might be in store for him.

         The reverberations quickly dissipate into a vacuum that for the moment only allow Daryl’s pounding heartbeat into its deadly silence. Daryl can feel the closeness of the ‘unbelievable’ before him and the last strand of his sanity fights to keep from looking. Suddenly, without warning, powerful fingers press hard against his tightened eyelids, forcing them to open and behold his childhood nightmare. All the stored up, bizarre and fanciful pictures of the evil one immediately vanish from Daryl’s mind as Lucifer leans closer into his face and asks…“Do you know who I am?”