Michael saunters into the room holding a massive bowl of popcorn.
"Thank Abba for Orville Redenbacher," he chuckles.
I look to Hollis and whisper, “Who’s Orville Redenbacher?”
He shrugs his shoulders. Michael sets the bowl down on one of the tables and pulls out a dusty, old school chalk board. “Who’s ready to get down to business?”
“I don’t think I really have a choice, so let’s get this over with,” I reply.
“Everything’s a choice, and you’re here, so let’s start at the root of this. Years ago, the hearts and minds of society moved into a negative meditation. You might recognize this as anxiety. Believers were bombarded with the message that religion is the source of everyone’s pain and suffering. The pressure that this caused stirred up panic in their hearts, and eventually it extinguished any remnants of their passion for the Lord. Basically, anxiety is where faith goes to die. A pursuit of perfection defined by evil entities then became priority above all else. It took keeping up with the Jones’ to a new level. As you navigate this journey, it is important that you remember who instigated this. If God doesn't exist anymore, then who is dictating the only set of moral standards?”
Hollis and I remain silent.
“Come on, anyone? You don’t have to raise your hands.”
"The humans in legislature?” I ask.
"Right. Gold star for you, Leo. Don’t forget about all the people in power who influence them. Avoid finding yourself in their presence, unless you are dying to experience hypothermia. The best thing you have going for you at this point is your anonymity. Keep it that way. If you feel a demonic presence and it is not crucial to your mission, avoid it at all costs.”
He walks back to the chalk board, places his hands behind his back and paces back and forth like a drill sergeant.
“The groups necessary to build a new society are law enforcement, teachers, physicians, nurses, judges, lawyers, scientists, engineers, farmers and environmentalists. You will be specifically responsible for recruiting a neurosurgeon, a police detective and an environmental scientist.”
He picks up a piece of chalk and writes:
“Character traits must uphold:
They are honest.—Treats others with love and respect.
They are humble.—Open to learning and growing.
They are brave.— At times, may make unpopular choices if it is the right thing to do.
Above all, they must profess their belief in God, the Father Above All, Creator of Heaven and Earth!
Helpful tips
*Look for those who walk in love. Look for glimpses of compassion; may be a little rusty in the faith department. Do not let that deter you.
*Abba uses sinners. The New society must remember this dark time. If every recruit is perfect and pure, no one will be able to testify to the way things were before.
*Light is attracted to light. Let yours shine, see who responds. Keep your eyes open, use the instincts you have been blessed with. In order to determine these traits, you will perform surveillance.”
I interrupt. “Can we rewind a little? How will everyone die? How many of us will be left?”
He rolls his eyes. “The earth's population will be well under 1 percent of what it is now. There will be a series of exterminations. Massive earthquakes, fires, floods and disease. All that Mother Nature has to offer. There will be creatures you could only imagine in your wildest nightmares. Basically, Hell will be able to unleash itself onto Earth. Ultimately, this isn’t your concern. You and all of those chosen to be a part of the new world will be safe, so no worries.”
Hollis is sitting next to me munching on popcorn like we are at the movies. I continue along my list of questions. “Where will the chosen survivors go?”
“There will be a designated underground safe haven for the new society. You will not know its location until the time is near. Now, back to the job at hand. You have approximately one year to recruit one individual within each role. You must stay inside the provided map boundary, as there are others completing the same task outside your area. Your first step will be research. Find the best of the best in their profession. That’s the easy part. Once you’ve narrowed the list down, you can start surveillance. You will have allies available. These archangels will be there to assist you at the right time. Any instructions they provide are to be followed. They are experts in their arena, and if you need them, it probably means our mission is in jeopardy. There will also be one more human, other than Hollis, to assist you. Just like the archangels, they will arrive at the right time.”
Hollis’s wheels were turning. “Don’t you think these professionals are going to question our sanity when we approach them with this?”
“We will cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s just get a worthy candidate first.”
“How am I supposed to help in all this?” Hollis asks.
“You’re Leo’s wing man.” Michael slaps Hollis on the arm. “You are going to be her second set of eyes and ears. When she needs you on a stakeout, be there.”
Hollis puffs up his chest. “On it, Captain. So, are you like Raph’s and Jo’s boss?”
Michael laughs. “Outside of Abba, we don’t really put a label on leadership. That’s pretty much how Lucifer fell. Raphael and Jophiel have their gifts and I have mine. I know there will be more questions, and we will have more time together to discuss them. You can choose what profession you want to start with. You have one month to choose your first candidate.”
They might be up and ready to take this on, but I need to know more. “All those people will die horrible deaths. I knew the abolishment was a huge, terrible step in the wrong direction, but do all those people deserve this?”
Michael takes a deep breath and places his hands on my shoulders. “You can sit in a stupor, mourning for those who made their bed, or you can rise to the occasion and build a world worth living in. Those people were given ample opportunity to make the right decisions, and they chose evil. If you believe in good, you best know that evil also exists. To believe anything different is naive. This is your moment to make a difference. Be the defender of the new world.”
I see a glimmer in his eye. He knows that pep talk was top notch. I extend my hand into his massive palm and shake on it. He lets out a thunderous belly laugh, and then he is gone. Hollis and I spin around in circles, looking for any trace of him, only to find ourselves alone in the grubby, old library. Hollis points toward the chalkboard. It has been wiped clean. All the notes, gone. I guess that explains the empty parking lot.
5
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Welcome to Hates, Sir
We arrive back at the condo and I feel an intense pressure building in my head. I rummage through the medicine cabinet and pop a couple ibuprofen in my mouth. Hollis needs to decompress and decides to take a shower. I lean onto the door frame, staring at my disastrous bedroom. The laundry basket is overflowing with dirty clothes from the last couple weeks, the blankets on my bed are crumpled, and there is an empty bag of chips sitting on top of my dresser. I bend down and lift the laundry basket with the intentions to bring it to the laundry room, but as soon as my hands grip the wicker handles, I toss it across the room. Normally, when I’m stressed out, cleaning burns off all the nervous energy, and my problems seem less worrisome after. I can’t pretend this is a normal problem. I grab my jacket, pull it over my shoulders and set out to get some fresh air. Three blocks away from our building, I take a seat on a public bench.