When the trunk had opened, Staci had expected there to be bright light. She had been thinking of how the previous victims had been found out in the woods. She assumed she would have been taken to a similar location, but she noticed there was a rooftop above her and her captor. She realized that she was in a garage.
When he reached in the trunk for her to help her out, she began to realize that they weren’t in a garage at all. They were in a warehouse. As he helped her to get to her feet and as she leaned back against the car, she noticed nothing but an empty warehouse. The ceiling was high overhead, and then there was nothing else but windows, walls and beams.
He untied the gag and removed it. A smile touched his lips as he looked at her.
She didn’t say anything.
“I’ll bet you didn’t see this coming,” he said to her. “But I’m sure you’ll tell me that God saw it.”
She didn’t respond.
He paused, allowing her time to speak. When she didn’t, he said, “You can play the silent treatment game all you want. It won’t change a thing. You’ll still die here.”
She looked him in the eyes, but still remained silent. There was a look of grim resolve on her face, as if she was accepting what was about to happen.
Crowe shook his head. “Stubborn, aren’t you? If you’re such a good Christian, why aren’t you trying to get me saved? Why aren’t you trying to convince me that I’m a sinner and I need a Savior?” He folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. “I expected you to condemn me if not try to witness to me about your faith. Is that what you’re doing right now? Condemning me in your heart?”
Staci chose that moment to speak, but when she did, she used the Word of God. “‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 1’” She was happy that the scripture just seemed to come to her mind without her even trying to think of it on her own. She believed it was the Spirit of God who was giving her the words to speak and the courage to stand.
He chuckled. “Well done. You’re going to use scripture against me. But I do believe that there was a man called Jesus. Yet this Jesus is a part of history, so I don‘t believe that I shall be condemned.”
“You don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” It wasn’t a question.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t.”
“‘Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 2’” She thanked God for giving her more scripture. She wasn’t exactly certain where that one came from, but it was very much appropriate for her situation.
“Enough of this!” he exclaimed. “Do you want to live?”
She nodded. “Of course, I want to live, but do you actually expect me to believe that you‘d let me go?”
He paused. “I will let you go.”
She looked at him with doubt in her eyes.
Crowe held up his hands. “You have my word. I will let you go.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because your boyfriend has probably figured out by now that I’m the killer they’re looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were out there looking right now. By letting you go, I may buy me some time to get away.”
“If that’s true, then untie me and let me go.”
He paused. “I will…but first, I want you to do something.”
She let out a sigh. “There’s always a catch,” she replied knowingly.
He nodded. “Of course, there is. Because this is what it’s all about sweetheart. All you have to do is curse God and then…I’ll let you go. Turn away from Him and I’ll set you free.”
Staci didn’t even hesitate. “That’s not going to happen. And stop calling me ‘sweetheart’!”
“I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
“You’ll kill me because you’re a murderer. A murderer like your father, the devil.”
He stared at her. “What did you say?”
Staci was happy to receive another verse of scripture that just came to her. She actually smiled. “‘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. 3’”
“What do you know of it?” he demanded. “You don’t know anything about me!”
“You kill Christians because God loves them. You’re jealous because your father didn’t love you.” Tears filled her eyes, but they weren’t because of fear. She felt genuinely bad for Crowe. “But God does love you, only you have gone so far out of His reach that He can’t possibly save you. You’ve hardened your heart. You’ve rejected Him. You not only rejected Him, but you’ve also rejected His people. Christians. And maybe overtime, this jealousy in your heart became hatred and you lashed out. You murdered a Christian…Someone who was trying to show you the way. But you refused to listen and became so angry that you reacted. And you continued to react by killing more Christians.” She shook her head sadly. “What you may not have known was that the Christian who came to you to show you the Way was sent to you…by God. God was trying to reach out to you. And you refused Him.”
Crowe stared at her. He was entirely shocked that she knew about him as she did. Out of all of the victims he had captured and slain, none of them had ever seen right through him as Staci Cohen did.
He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Curse Him.”
Staci shook her head. “No. I will not curse the God who saved me.”
He glared at her. “No one is going to come to your rescue. I’ll kill you if you don’t curse Him.”
“I won’t curse Him…and you won’t kill me either.”
“Oh, really? You think I won’t kill you?”
“I know you want to.”
“Then, what makes you think I won’t kill you?”
Staci paused. “Because he won’t let you.”
Crowe blinked and shook his head. “What are you talking about? Who won’t let me?” He laughed. “We’re alone, sweetheart. No one is here but the two of us.”
“And him. He’s also here, and he’s right behind you.”
Crowe looked incredulous. “Do you really expect me to fall for that?”
Something hard pressed against the back of his head and Lenox’ voice spoke right into his ear. “If I were you, I’d listen to her. It would be the smartest thing you’ll ever do.”
Crowe froze.
He heard others approaching, too, and realized that it was over. He didn’t fight as Lenox placed him in handcuffs. Without another word, Yorke took a hold of one of Crowe’s arms and Groh took the other. They exchanged looks with Lenox and then led their killer away.
Lenox gently turned Staci and cut her bindings loose. When she was free, she put her arms around him and embraced him. Hesitantly, Lenox returned the embrace.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “I am. I…I was surprised to see you at first, but…but then I knew you were here because He led you to me.” She stepped back and looked into his eyes. “Michael…you were behind him when he took me out of the trunk. Why didn’t you take him then?”
Lenox paused. “I really don’t know, Staci…I…I guess I was just impressed with the things that you were telling him.”
“I’m glad you heard that.”
“Why? Are you saying that I’m condemned because I don’t believe?”
Staci paused as her eyes filled with tears. “I know you’re angry, Michael. I know that you blame yourself for things in your past. My greatest fear for you is that…you might reach a point in your own life…just like Cain did…Like Sebastian did…where your heart will be hardened.” She shook her head. “Please, don’t reach that point. I want you to be saved.”
Lenox didn’t know what to say.
When he finally did come up with a response, he opened his mouth to tell her. But just as he did, the ground shook so hard that the warehouse they were in collapsed on top of them. As the warehouse collapsed, the floor they were standing on buckled beneath them. Then, a hole opened up below them and within seconds, they were swallowed up whole into the darkness below.
1 - John 3:18,19
2 - Job 15:6
3 - John 8:44
On the next exciting episode of
The Gatherers For Christ…
The Gatherers are faced with a new crisis...
the aftermath of an earthquake!
Lenox and Staci are trapped underground,
and Director Fuller finds himself
working side by side to save lives with the enemy...
Tristian Salvadori, the Antichrist!
Episode #11 - Quake!
Coming soon…
on the next episode!
_______ _______ _______
No comments:
Post a Comment