Off The Pages
Chapter Fifteen

After the conversation they had with Emily Hurst, Jericho took off to do some last-minute business and get things prepared. The woman had texted them that her husband had plans on Sunday, so normal church services were cancelled. Given that this struck her as an oddity, the best chance everyone decided upon was to intervene during the time he was away. Jennifer turned back into Manny and decided to tell everyone what was going on.

“So,” John said, as they all gathered at Ed’s house, “you’re telling me that the billionaire Jericho Torvalds fought against a fake Jesus brought on by some Southern Baptist preacher, and you’re going to help him?”

Manny nodded. “It sounds crazy,” he said, “I know, but I want to let you guys know because we need allies, and you’re the only people that I absolutely trust.”

Annie took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s not that I doubt you,” she said, “it’s just that, none of this sounds real. It sounds fake.”

“I thought of that,” Manny said, pulling out his cell phone and Bluetooth speaker from his pack. He shifted into Jennifer and dialed the number.

“Yeah,” Jericho said, his voice travelling through the room, “I’m almost done here, then I’ll be heading your way.”

“I just wanted to let you know,” Jennifer said, “that I told them.”

There was a pause. “Fantastic,” Jericho replied. “The first thing I’m going to do is move all three of them to somewhere else because I believe something really bad is going to happen. I think this Jack Hurst situation is going to progress rapidly.”

“Uh, no offense,” Edward interjected, “but where are we going and for how long?”

“Edward Mitchell, is it?” Jericho said. “Look, I don’t want to boss you around, but let me assure you how this is going to go. Jack Hurst is going to likely seek out a large audience. Jennifer and I talked about this for hours, and we both have concluded that none of the people connected to either of us are safe. The first thing I’m doing, right now, is moving my family to safe places. The moment I finish here, I’m heading there. Get packed.” He paused. “Jennifer, do you agree?”

She looked at her friends. “I agree,” she said. “We’re going to get all their family and friends hidden away.”

“Uh, can I say something?” John said. “No offense, mister, uh, Torvalds, but why are you helping us? I thought you were almost alt-right.”

“Mister Stephenson,” Jericho shot back, “You’re right, I was. One of my powers is to literally experience other people’s experiences. If I’m different, that’s why. If you want, I can actually show you my memories. Acceptable?”

“I, uh, okay,” John stammered.

“So,” Jennifer said, “is there anything you need me to do?”

“Just get them packed,” Jericho advised. “Get their friends and family packed. It’ll just be a few more hours for me and I’ll be there.”

“No problem,” Jennifer advised. “You heard the man. Let’s go.”

Each of the friends drove back to their own homes, and Jennifer shifted back into Manny long enough to drive home and pack up. About two hours later, she was back as her female self again, standing in the living room of Ed’s house. Ed, Annie, and John’s parents sat on the couch, a collection of suitcases and other bags sitting in the corner.

A knock rang out. Jennifer opened the door, and the billionaire walked in. A person would be forgiven for thinking Zeus or Odin had walked in. Everyone found themselves dumbstruck. Then he began taking stock of everyone present. “Alright, I’d like to do something first,” Jericho said, “everyone join hands. Form a chain.”

“Um,” John said, voice cracking, “excuse me, are you really…”

“In a moment there won’t need to be any need for explanation,” Jericho retorted. “Just everyone form a chain of hands.”

The reluctant people present held hands, and the far end had Annie holding Jennifer’s hand, and the billionaire took the heroine’s right in his left and took the free hand of Ed’s mother with his right. He flexed several of his mental powers at once. A moment later, shouts and expletives echoed through the room. “Alright,” Ed yelled, “what was that?”

“You know what that is,” Jericho said.

“I do,” Ed came back, “and that’s what bothers me.”

“Why give a long, tedious explanation,” Jennifer asked, “when you can simply see for yourself?” The nervous chatter began to quiet down at her reasonable explanation.

“Also,” Jericho added, “this way there’s no details lost. You all know who we are, and why you’re here. Most importantly, you understand the gravity of the situation. I did my best to filter out the pain I experienced, sorry of some leaked through. I’m getting better at this power.”

“I’ll take the luggage,” Jennifer offered.

“No problem,” Jericho answered. He gestured, and they all joined hands again. He flexed his teleportation power, and though it took dozens of jumps, he got there with all the civilians. Jennifer grabbed luggage, extending the long, rolling handles, and hanging them from each arm like grocery bags. Her power flowed through them and she took to the sky. At full speed, she arrived at the site in seconds.

“I’m here,” she said. Jericho released a power and opened the door.

“Great,” he replied. “I was just getting them all squared away.” She set the luggage in the corner. One look at the interior, and her mouth hung open. She’d never set foot in such a luxurious space. From the outside, it resembled a cabin, and it was tucked away in a wooded area dozens of miles from civilization, but on the inside, it looked like an expensive vacation getaway. The living room area was bigger than her house. From the fancy hardwood floor, to the cavernous kitchen just past the far wall, it had everything and then some.

“How did you set this place up?” she asked.

“I kept that part out of the memories,” he replied. “I’ve got other locations I set up after the Lights. With some of the powers I got, it was easy to set up these places off the grid. No paper trail, and they’re only detectable to people I choose. All the utilities are provided by a collection of powers.”

“Holy crap,” Jennifer exclaimed, “you really thought of everything.”

“I figured things would get to a point where people were using powers to terrorize,” he explained. “These were just a safety precaution.”

“So,” Jennifer asked, “what do we do now?”

“Oh!” Jericho noticed. “That reminds me. Everyone, I’ve given you all a teleport power that’s enhanced. This way, you can come and go. I’d advise you not to tell anyone where you are.” There was a collection of various yeses in agreement. “I’ve stocked the pantry, the fridge, and the freezer. Everything should be good for a while.”

“Uh,” John’s father asked, “What do we do if we have to move?”

Jennifer and Jericho exchanged a glance. “If worse comes to worst,” she explained, “and things get bad, you won’t be left hanging. I promise.”

“I’ve got other places to hide you,” Jericho explained, “I just can’t quite reveal all of them at the moment.” He went over his mental list. “There is one I can share with you, though.” He touched each of them and showed them the location.

A text message came to him. He glanced at the phone, and nervous concern drew itself on his face. “Is it time?” Jennifer asked. He nodded. “Alright.”

Emily Hurst sat in the living room of the house she had enjoyed living in until just days ago. Timothy and Eric sat next to her with their suitcases packed in front of them. She had fought off the urge to break down and cry several times. It occurred to her she’d have plenty of time for that, and she didn’t want to freak her children out before she had to. Jack had driven off just a few minutes earlier, and she’d made sure to act natural. She put up just the right amount of nervous housewife behavior, so he didn’t suspect anything. It was, after all, strange for them not to go to service on Sunday. If she just let him go without any strife, he’d wonder why she wasn’t concerned. So, despite no acting training, she felt she put on a decent act. He’d gotten in the Cadillac and driven away.

The door rang, and she got up and opened it. As the two stood before her, and shut the door behind them, she felt a sense of relief, even as the storm of conflicting emotions raged on in her. “I’m…I’m so glad you’re here,” Emily Hurst said, blinking away forming tears. “I just didn’t…”

“It’s going to be alright,” Jennifer said, giving her a hug.

The housewife shook her head. “I just don’t understand any of this!”

“For what it’s worth,” Jericho said, “I don’t understand it either. The thing is, your husband is probably taken in by the combination of his faith and the appearance of a figure that looks like his Lord.”

“But, he’s such a good man!” she protested. “How could this happen?”

“I can’t know that completely,” Jericho replied, “but I can show you.” He looked past her. “In fact, get your kids. I can show them too.”

“But!”

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “I’ll filter out the pain. I’ve gotten good at it.”

She stared at his extended hand. She turned her head. “Kids! Come here!”

He smiled at her call. “We can’t make everything right just yet,” he stated, “but right now, I can assure you there’ll be no secrets.”

The two children approached, apprehensively. “Mom,” Tim said, “who are these people?”

Eric’s face lit up. “You’re that hero lady flying around!” he shouted, pointing.

“Eric, Tim, join hands,” she said.

They formed a chain. Jericho took her hand. At once, he gave them the rundown on what had happened up to that point, for both himself and Jennifer, and at the same time, he saw their collective memories of Jack Hurst. Years of her marriage to the man appeared in his mind.

They met in high school. His father had built the Full Revival Baptist Church which served three surrounding communities, and his only son had decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. Despite playing the guitar in high school, he felt the pull to become a reverend like his father. She saw him constantly working to connect people to religion, and how good he was at it, and his work in the community helping the poor. Once he finished, he’d settled into his role as a figurehead in the communities surrounding his father’s church. She’d stood by his side as he helped mend failing marriages, guided young people through the tumult of their youth into adulthood, and had been a pillar of goodness and guiding light in the small corner of Oklahoma they lived in.

His children were born, and the family settled into a happy existence. Their lives moved on virtually unimpeded. Disasters that befell other families just didn’t touch them. They never had to worry about their children falling down dangerous paths, and despite the occasional argument, it seemed almost impossible how uncontroversial their lives were. Jericho came back to himself with a view of the man that clashed very much with his current experience. Then again, if this fake Jesus gave him a heightened religious experience, that could very well explain the change. After all, if psychedelics could change a normal person’s personality, a magical psychic religious vision could.

“I…I don’t,” Emily Hurst said, stammering, “I don’t see how my husband could have become that person.”

“I think he had some kind of religious experience,” Jericho thought out loud.

“Time to get going,” Jennifer said. “We can discuss this at a safer location.”

The kids followed them out the rear entrance to the house, into the fenced back yard. She knelt and wrapped her arms around the kids, making sure to grab their suitcases in each hand. One final shift to make sure she had a firm grip, and she took off. The billionaire draped an arm around Emily, with suitcase in his other hand, and teleported. It took dozens of jumps, but he appeared on the front steps of the cottage just as Jennifer was opening the door to let the two kids in.

“I’ve got several locations like this I’ve set up,” Jericho told them, as they went about exploring the cabin.

“Jeez,” Jennifer exclaimed, “you’ve been busy.”

“You know,” Jericho replied, “one succeeds by identifying risks.”

“Is this place safe?” Emily asked, choosing a closet in one of the rooms as hers.

“I’ve gone over it with a fine-tooth comb,” he told her. “If someone is specifically looking for me and has a ‘replaceing’ superpower, maybe it won’t be safe. But no normal person is going to replace this place.”

Eric and Tim were busy scoping out their new rooms. Jennifer opened the fridge and grabbed a Diet Coke. Emily sat on the couch pondering the experience she’d gotten. Her husband had gone someplace mentally she had never seen him before. He had religious experiences before, but she couldn’t see how they would explain this. When he was twenty-four, he had a vision of Jesus that startled him out of bed, but all that led to was intense prayer and a general feeling of joy that lasted for days. Jericho found it easier to piece together, even though it still looked rather murky to him. Jack Hurst seemed to be desperate to save people from hell. To extrapolate that outward to its logical conclusion, if the fake Jesus gave him some kind of vision where he could do just that, then it made at least superficial sense to the billionaire that a man prone to such would fall for it. Furthermore, he’d grown up in an environment where matters of Christ were not allowed to be questioned. Maybe his wife got blinded by her love for the reverend, but Jericho could see how such a person would go all in.

The megachurch in Oklahoma City belonging to one Reverend Hiram Masterfield saw a full capacity crowd pulling in for its Sunday service. Television crews for multiple local and nationwide stations had their camera trucks in the parking lot, ready to cover this week’s edition of The Ultimate Blessed Life Church with The Reverend Masterfield, which always drew stellar ratings throughout the rural and suburban parts of America. Near the security exit, a vintage Cadillac stood parked in the secure lot. A team of security guards followed Jack Hurst through the VIP entrance and exit, down a specific hallway, towards a specific office.

Jack stepped through the door after knocking and being called in. He sat in a luxurious leather chair, possibly the softest guest chair he’d ever sat in. A series of bookcases off to his right held hundreds of religious texts, some of which even he did not recognize. The tremendous oak desk in front of him held paperwork, some audio and video recordings, and a computer. Behind it, in a chair even more luxurious than his current, sat a man in a suit almost as expensive looking as that Jericho Torvalds had worn. The man, white hair expertly tailored to look professional, with just the right makeup to make him look stately without looking made-up, had a smile Jack at once identified as phony. Paintings on his office walls of the elder Masterfield, who had founded this church before his son made it a multi-million dollar gig, as well as the wife and children, showed a vanity the reverend of the smaller church could not sympathize with. The man regarded Jack with some intrigue, then lay his hands flat on his desk.

“Reverend Hurst,” Hiram Masterfield began, his voice a gravel road trained to seem fatherly. “I must say, I’m always pleased to meet a fellow man of God.” He breathed out through his nose. “You come with quite the reputation. Some of my churchgoers have told me you are closer to the Lord than even I am.”

“I hope they haven’t been bragging about me,” Jack replied.

The man gave a chuckle. “No no,” he answered. “It’s just that, I’ve heard them say that. And I invited you here because, well, let’s face it, I want to talk to you about that.”

“Before we go any further,” Jack said, taking a deep breath, “I have to say, I’m going to be doing more talking to your audience than to you. I don’t say this out of spite or arrogance, but you’re about to see why in a minute.” The feeling of the Holy Spirit came to him, and he closed his eyes briefly.

From behind him, a brilliant glow lit up the room. Hiram held his hands up to shield his eyes. “What’s going on?” he cried. After the lights dissipated, a figure stood. Standing just above average height, with flowing brown hair and unmistakable Hebrew garb, stood the Lord. The televangelist found his body move against his will. His eyes like saucers and mouth hung open, he stepped out from behind his desk, and simply stood there, unable to think, even.

Before he even realized what had happened, he was on his knees, hands clasped together in front of his chest, looking up. Blabbering nonsense came out of his mouth as he failed to replace words.

“Stand, my child,” The Lord said.

Hiram stood. Hands held at his sides, he had to remind himself to breathe. “My…my Lord!” he uttered, forcing his brain to give his mouth words to say. “You’ve…you’ve come back! It’s your glorious return!”

“You speak the truth,” The Lord replied.

“I…” Hiram struggled to collect his thoughts. “Why have so many things in the Bible not happened yet? I thought…”

The Lord put up a hand and the televangelist went quiet. “Do not merely accept the written word as the only truth,” He said. “My father, in Heaven, is not bound by mere written words.”

“Of…course my lord!” Hiram replied. “I…seek forgiveness for questioning you! What is your will, oh Lord?”

“For your services,” The Lord answered, “your past indiscretions against my Father’s laws will be forgiven. You will provide your audience and your platform to my chosen servant here.”

Hiram nodded. “Yes! Whatever you say, my Lord!”

“Your service will be rewarded,” The Lord said. With that, he vanished into thin air.

The televangelist turned to Jack, barely coherent. “Uh, do you, um,” he uttered.

“It’s okay,” Jack said, smiling. “Imagine how I felt when he came to me.”

Hiram cleared his throat and forced his trembling nerves to somewhat calm. “Do…you want me to introduce you?” he asked.

“That would be kind of you,” Jack said.

“Alright.” The televangelist affirmed, then straightened his tie and calmly exited his office. It wouldn’t be the first time he delivered a sermon with rattled nerves. If anything, he would try to remain professional. A short stroll down the hallway, and through a curtain, and he found himself on a familiar stage. He adjusted the microphone clipped to his lapel. He took a breath and let it out slowly. “Ladies and gentlemen!” The crowd erupted into cheers. “This week, I bring to you a…most unusual service. I only seldom have guest speakers on stage with me, but this time, another shall be giving you a message in my place. I want you to bring him as warm a welcome as you give me and pay close attention. From the Full Revival Baptist Church just a hundred miles away from here, the Reverend Jack Hurst!”

As he left the stage, a noticeable portion of the crowd let out sounds of confusion. Still, enough cheers came up that when Jack Hurst took the stage, he got a decently warm welcome. He waved to the crowd. A microphone had been affixed to his lapel. He cleared his throat. “My fellow children of God,” he began. “You may not know me, but my name is Jack Hurst. I come to you from my small town to bring you quite possibly the best news any human has ever put forward.” He paused. “Rather than explain it, I figure a demonstration is warranted.”

Light shone from the stage, and when it vanished, the figure of the Lord appeared. There were gasps and some shouts, but they went silent when the Lord raised his hand and everyone lifted from their seat and with a lowering, got placed in a standing position. “For those of you who doubt,” The Lord spoke, “I shall now remove all doubt whatsoever.” With a wave of his hand, a glow overcame each person in the audience. All their illnesses and maladies vanished. Missing limbs were restored. Cancer patients got restored to full health. The paralyzed stood on working legs again. “Now, you shall turn your attention to my chosen servant.”

“Let me be clear that I have no idea as to why our Lord chose me as his servant,” Jack began. “I am no better than anyone. I am just a man who serves our God on high. Still, a little less than a week ago, Jesus, who stands before you, visited me in my living room. He showed me the glory of his Father’s Kingdom of glory and love that shall reign forever and ever. In the coming days He will show it to you, if you are faithful and true to our Father’s will.”

He walked around the stage. A solemn and serious expression came upon him. “However, I also must bring you the news no person wants to hear. Although His glorious Kingdom is at hand, we have a war to fight. We are locked in the final battle against evil, against Satan’s forces on Earth. This is not an enemy who has a capital we can take and force to surrender. This is not an enemy who can be defeated with normal means. The Lights in the sky are not merely a ‘scientific event’ that ‘lacks explanation,’ according to the secular minds of science. It is the handing out of weapons for the final battlefield. Those of you who have powers, turn them to the service of the Lord, and take a stand against evil. For this world has gone so far in sinning. We have fallen so far from the love of our Father.”

A bottle of water sat on the podium. He took a drink. “This world is full of evil,” he continued. “It was not enough that we merely loved the sinner and hated the sin, as our Good Book commands us, we had to go and love the sin. We glorify all manner of wickedness in the name of making ourselves holy. We put ourselves on pedestals and worship our own perceived impressiveness. We deny the existence of our Father in Heaven. We say ways of life known to be the way of sin and evil are things to be proud of.” He shook his head. “No more.”

The crowd cheered, “No more!”

He took another drink of water. “All ways of sin lead to destruction, and damnation,” he explained. “My Lord will be leading me to where I need to go. I will be spreading His word as far as needed. Once the final hour is at hand, we will fight the final battle against the Deceiver. That is my Lord’s plan, and I will obey. Those of you who have powers, turn them against evil, follow us, and we shall conquer those who have chosen the enemy.”

The crowd went wild.

He placed both hands on the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with this. The hour for your decision to the ultimate question is at hand. Will you be saved, or will you be cast into the Lake of Fire where those who choose to serve our Enemy will be? This is the single most important choice you make, because if you make the wrong choice, you will have an eternity to regret it.” He paused. “Thank you.”

He got a standing ovation, and shouts for more. The Lord stayed behind and ministered to those who wished to receive the good word about the Kingdom to come, but Jack had fulfilled the purpose his Lord had chosen him for. Security escorted him back to his car and helped him dodge the crowd. As he drove home, every ounce of joy fired in his brain at once. He felt fulfilled like he’d felt only once before. At last, the time drew near.

The Cadillac pulled into the driveway. As he parked the car next to the Chevy SUV, he thought of all the ways he would tell his wife the good news. Sure, she might have just looked on television and seen it, but he wanted to share with her this information.

The door to the house flew open. “Emily!” he shouted. “Come quick! I have to show you something!”

No sound greeted him, save for the faint hiss of cool air through the vents. The living room and kitchen lights were on, but other than that, it looked abandoned. He looked through the living room and saw nothing. The TV sat untouched, and everything looked undisturbed. No food had been prepared in the kitchen. He looked on the back porch and, in the yard, and nothing looked out of place.

Upstairs, he saw it.

All three suitcases were gone.

He sat on the king bed he shared with his wife. “Dear Lord,” he prayed, “I am not worthy to receive you, but I beg for your guidance.”

He felt the holy spirit come upon him and the Lord appeared in a flash of light. “My child,” he spoke, “what troubles you?”

“My wife and children are gone,” Jack answered.

The Lord looked up a moment. Then, Jack saw his facial expression darken. “That man is alive,” he told his mortal servant. “He has allies, and they have convinced your wife that you are a dangerous person to be around. They’ve taken to hiding.” He looked at Jack, resolutely. “I will take you to them.”

“No,” Jack said, holding up a stifling hand. “Let them. We’ll get them back after we win the final battle.”

“If you ask that of me,” the Lord replied, “that is what I shall do, out of respect for your servitude. They shall be left alone until after we prevail.”

Jack took a breath. “Thank you.” He steeled his will for the coming battle. He couldn’t help but clench his teeth to stifle his anger. Now, the battle had become personal.