part 6: Miracles Are Real: Miracle Of Sickly Grace Satan’s Hold

The dark skinned boy quickly explained.

“Nope. My mom would still spank my behind if I did something like this. Joke or not. I was raised in church. I wanted to thank you ma’am for asking his name. I would have never known.”

My mom hugged him.

“Don't thank me. Just think about what you'd be losing if you chose that seat. Satan's tricks have just started.”

All the ones sitting at the table joked and played around.

They even made fun of us for acting scared and bragged about being full.

My sister spoke aloud to the man who had been healed.

“How did you avoid his temptations? He healed you.”

His short and thin hair made his pink scalp visible at just the right angle.

“Good catch. Well I'm in the chess club. The way I see it, yes he did heal me but there was a catch. He said we were all meant to be here. That means it was him who probably injured me to begin with. My brother is in prison. They run schemes just like that one in there. No way I'm falling for that.”

Time continued to pass yet nothing changed about the valley.

Well except for one thing.

A red sun-like orb appeared above the table as it illuminated the feast in the darkest light.

It was then we saw Satan's true form.

He was a horned devil, but much more than that. The pictures rarely depicted him with so much detail and dark contrast. Instead of a halo, Satan had a golden crown soaked with blood red and dyed in transcendent black. If such a thing existed in color.

He also had dark black wings which made sense considering he was a fallen angel.

The unfortunate kids looked like skeletons eating and drinking.

The food and wine spilled out of their stomachs yet they hadn't even realized it.

They continued serving themselves and laughing at us like we were the crazy ones.Satan rested both hands calmly on a napkin as he finally decided to speak.

Not to us—but to them instead.

“Your loyalty moves me. I'll tell you what. If you go ahead and kill these non-believers, I'll give you everything that you ever desired.”

The jock gave a cruel smile.

Somehow in the reflection of the lighting, he had changed from a skeleton to a zombie-looking figure.

His cheeks had hollowed out and he looked so mean.

“What about the dog master?”

Satan laughed.

“You think I'd leave my disciples without weapons?”

Suddenly the group laughed.

A cruel chuckle that looked unnatural.

Swords of all types appeared in their hands.

The jock had a shield as well.

The brown-haired college girl looked over at us.

“Please don't make us do this. Just take the seat. It's so easy. I did it and look at me.”

I couldn't look at her for one second.

They wasted no time walking toward us.

I was not as much of a history nerd as I was with rocks, but I still recognized Satan's inside joke.

He made each sword a different kind.

A samurai sword, a gladius, a Viking hammer, and others too that would do the job of cutting us into pieces just as well.

They were coming and our path was being cut off.

Suddenly a powerful vibration traveled through the valley.

It was like an earthquake.

Not the epicenter—but the waves that come after.

The weird thing was they sounded like trumpets.

The vibrations cracked the landscape to pieces.

Everything jiggled violently.

Satan's table even appeared to shake until a livid devil tapped it with his staff.Suddenly the rock cracked open, separating the evil from the good.

Instead of a trumpet, the sound turned into something that sounded more like angels singing.

Satan was livid.

“Stay out of this! No interference!”

The rumbling did not stop.

Satan laughed.

“I know how to beat that.”

Suddenly his minions grew wings as they all high-fived each other and cheered.

My sister started having a seizure.

The wind creatures flew across as they landed confidently.

My mother grabbed my sister and picked her up.

Where she found the strength I do not know.

We backed up only to hit a jagged cliffside.

The blizzard had become a catastrophe but it still didn't invade this place.

We were out of space.

The enemy laughed and chuckled.

My killer was about to be the jock.

My hand wouldn't stop shaking and I felt paralyzed with fear.

I grabbed Brittany's hand.

She laid her head on my shoulder.

Mom looked defiant.

Can you believe it?

She comforted Larry and all of us at those final moments.

“A physical death isn't the same as a spiritual one, guys! Make sure you accept Jesus…”

She wanted to say more but she never got it out.

I couldn't see the others swing, but the jock's samurai sword was coming.

Almost in slow motion.

We were all about to die.

I closed my eyes.