Year One
Episode #10 -
Crosses
“Ye are of your father the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning
and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own:
for he is a liar,
and the father of it.”
- John 8:44
He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages:
in the secret places does he murder the innocent:
his eyes are privily set against the poor.
- Psalm 10:8
And Cain talked with Abel his brother:
and it came to pass,
when they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,
and slew him.
- Genesis 4:8
"What this world needs
is a Savior who will rescue,
a Spirit who will lead,
and a Father who will love."
- Brian Yorke
*******
Prologue
The Crime Scene
The Past
Before The Rapture
He was driving a dark green, 2004 BMW on the back roads of Warren County, intentionally avoiding populated areas. The BMW didn’t even belong to him, but he considered it as a bonus for himself. He had stolen it, kidnapped the woman who actually did own the vehicle, and was now driving to a predestined location where no one would disturb him as he went about his father’s work.
It had been relatively easy for him.
The young woman he had been watching for some time was perfect for what he had in mind. Her name was Adrianna Burkle. She was 18 years old and ready to begin her life by going to a Christian college. It had been her intentions to pursue a work on a missionary field, and her dream was to find a husband who shared the same calling as she did. As far as he was concerned, however, neither her intentions nor her dream were going to come to pass.
He had decided to choose her for something greater.
The first time he had seen her was in a ShopMart behind a cash register. When his eyes took her innocent beauty in, he knew beyond any doubt that he had been led to her. She was the one who would bring him that much closer to pleasing the one he served.
For several weeks, he patiently learned everything he could about her first. He discovered what church she attended and began to visit during the Sunday morning services. He discovered that she was an extremely gifted singer as she had sung solo’s before each service. She was a choir member as well and helped with the teaching of the children’s Bible Studies.
He watched her for three months, continuing to bide his time. He attended few services, and during the services he didn’t go to, he spent that time at the house where Adrianna lived. He never took anything. He simply looked into each bedroom. He watched television in the living room. He sat behind her fathers desk in the den and used the computer. He studied every picture in the house.
And then he waited for the right time.
When that time came, it was after a choir practice in the church parking lot when he took her. She was putting something in the trunk of her BMW when he walked right up to her, grabbed her from behind and pressed a small, handheld Taser to the side of her neck. Before she could scream, he pressed the trigger and held it against her. The Taser effectively shocked her and her struggling ceased before it could even begin. But just to be certain, he kept the Taser pressed against her neck for several more seconds than was necessary.
When she became limp in his arms, he dumped her into the trunk. Taking her keys, he closed the trunk, looked around and saw no one else in the parking lot, and then he got in behind the steering wheel. He tossed his backpack on the floor on the passenger side and drove away from the church.
He knew that the shock he had given Adrianna would not keep her immobile for long so he chose a secluded area for the next phase of his plan. He stopped the car, took his backpack and climbed out. Making sure no one was around, he opened the trunk and looked in on his prey. She was breathing rapidly and struggling to get up but he didn’t allow her to. He used the Taser again on her, and then proceeded to tie her up with the rope he had in his pack. Once he was done, he gagged her and closed the trunk.
He resumed with his task by climbing back in behind the steering wheel, pulling back onto the road, and driving toward his destination. The drive was at least two hours long and during that time, he didn’t see any other traffic on the roads he used. Just himself. He didn’t hear Adrianna’s struggles from within the trunk either for he had the radio blasting loudly his favorite music from a hard rock station.
He looked forward to the work he had before him. Her fear intoxicated him like no drug or alcohol ever could. He fed off from the fear of others. Especially when those who feared him were Bible believing Christians. He considered himself to be a disciple of the devil, out to do his part in hindering the work of those who called themselves God’s children.
He drove the BMW onto a deserted dirt path off from the main road and traveled along it for several miles. He pulled up to a campsite he had prepared earlier and stopped the car. He turned off the ignition and the radio, sat back, and waited.
Renewed sobs from the trunk assured him that his victim was fully aware that they had stopped. He got out of the car and slowly walked toward the trunk as he whistled a tune. When he opened the trunk and saw her inside, he paused to look at her for a moment. She stopped her struggling and stared up at him, terror in her eyes, her face stained with tears.
Slowly, he reached down for her. He smirked when she flinched, but all he did was remove the gag.
When the gag was out of her mouth, she began to plead with him. “Please…” she said, “please, let me go. I-I won’t tell anyone about this if…if you’ll only let me go!”
He didn’t respond.
After a pause, she said once more, “Please…”
Then, he asked her a question that surprised her. It was a question she never even expected.
“Where is your God?” he asked her softly.
She stared up at him, trying to understand. “What?”
He leaned over her. “Why isn’t He here to save you?”
Adrianna swallowed back her fear. “I don’t know what your problem is…but if you kill me, you won’t get away with it!”
Her comment made him smile. He decided that he had chosen his victim well for she did have a strong spirit within her.
“I am going to kill you,” he told her, “but if you will only curse your God, I promise you a quick death.”
Something gave Adrianna strength to look her captor right in the eyes and not back down. “I will not curse my God. He has not forsaken me. But if you do this, there is a place where all murderers go and you’ll be going there, too.”
“You will curse Him,” he said with a nod. “I promise you that.”
He reached for her again, but this time he intended to lift her out of the trunk.
Her eyes widened in fear. “No!” she exclaimed. “Please…please, you can’t!” Then, suddenly, she gasped as if in surprise. Her eyes seemed to focus on something that he couldn’t see.
He hesitated. He looked into her eyes and the fear that was once in them was now gone. Adrianna even smiled. Her face was the perfect picture of serenity and it only enhanced her beauty. But she wasn’t smiling at him. She wasn’t even looking at him.
He blinked his eyes.
To his astonishment, the young woman was no longer in the trunk of the BMW. Her clothes were still there. Her jewelry was there; the earrings she had worn, a ring, and a necklace were in the trunk. Even the ropes that she had been bound with were in the trunk. But Adrianna Burkle was no longer there.
In the blink of an eye, he realized that God had taken her from him and saved her after all.
The Present
After The Rapture
At an intersection somewhere in Warren County, all was quiet. A gentle breeze caused the leaves in the surrounding trees to move. The sun caused the Fall colors in the woods to brighten. A squirrel darted across the road in search of food for the coming Winter. Everything in the area appeared to be as peaceful as a scene on a postcard, displaying the Fall in nature.
That peace, however, was suddenly shattered by a siren. An unmarked police car with a siren blaring loudly suddenly sped along Route 67 and traveled through the intersection without even slowing down. Mere seconds later, two sheriff patrol cars followed along, their sirens adding to the disturbance of the serene atmosphere. They also bounced right on through the intersection without slowing down.
The unmarked police car turned onto a dirt road, but it’s tires screeched on the pavement of the main road as it turned off from it. Then, it bounced on the dirt road, tossing the two men about who were in the front seat. Detective Randy Groh gripped the steering wheel tighter as he continued to drive with determination. In the passenger seat, Brian Yorke held on for dear life as he prayed that he wouldn’t get tossed out from the vehicle.
Groh continued his erratic driving as the two patrol cars followed behind. A short time later, Groh stopped the car at the crime scene. He and Yorke were out of their car even before the other two vehicles pulled up beside it. The two detectives ran forward, but at the top of a hill, they stopped and stared down toward the lower ground. Four deputies approached and came to a stop also at the top of the hill. One of them removed his hat, eyes wide open in shock.
“Cross is back,” Groh replied softly, staring down at the crime scene below them.
There were four bodies. Each of the bodies were lying on their backs with their hands stretched out and their ankles tied together. They were each in the form of a t…or a cross. This was a calling card of a killer they had thought was gone.
Yorke swallowed back his anger. “Yeah…but this time, we’re gonna catch him.” Silently, he thought, Or die trying.
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