Call to Arms - Chapter 2

Suddenly, Satan's armies become very real!

Chapter 2 – Under Attack
 

As quickly as it had come, the vision was gone. At least I assume it was a vision. There was no longer any sign of the glowing armour and Max continued his talk either unaware of anything out of the ordinary, or totally at ease with this sort of occurrence. I tried to listen to what he was saying, but my concentration was flaky at best.

‘Did you see that?’ I whispered to James.

‘See what?’

‘The armour. The sword.’

James gave me a look – the sort that said ‘Are you on drugs, or something?’ For a moment I thought he would answer, then he shook his head and his attention shifted back to what Max was saying.

Between trying to work out how the glowing armour had appeared and the anticipation of meeting Rhiannon, I guess Max was always going to struggle to hold my attention. He was a good speaker, I realised; interesting voice and confident at addressing a crowd. He knew his subject matter too. He had no notes, yet he reeled off quotes from the bible and referenced all sorts of other materials, but despite a genuine attempt to listen, my eyes kept wandering round the room to observe the other youngsters and their reactions. When he brought his talk to a close, he prayed again and then led the group in one final song before calling the meeting to a close.

I sat where I was for a moment, suddenly unsure of myself. All week I’d rehearsed this moment, but now it was here my heart was thumping and my mouth had gone dry. I didn’t want to miss my chance to talk with Rhiannon, but equally I didn’t want to mess up my chances at getting to know her by coming on too strong.

‘You coming then?’ James asked, getting to his feet.

‘Coming where?’ I asked, unsure of what he meant.

‘To meet the gang, of course.’

I could see Craig Fairbrother already chatting and laughing with a group of teens about our age. Rhiannon wasn’t in that group, but it made sense to start there and then circulate to where I could see her talking with a couple of others.

‘Sure,’ I agreed.

‘Hey, Nathan!’ Craig exclaimed as we approached. ‘Didn’t know you were coming. Good to see you.’

He sounded genuinely pleased to see me and there was no sign of anything other than friendly surprise in his expression.

‘Good to see you, too,’ I replied, trying to look relaxed as I joined the circle. There were four girls and two boys in the group aside from him. ‘Who are your friends?’

‘Guys, this is Nathan,’ Craig explained. ‘He’s in my class at school. Nathan, this is Meg, Trace, Jen, Becky, Will and Steve,’ he added, pointing to each member of the group.

I nodded to each in turn. The girls were a mixed bunch. Meg was gorgeous, long wavy brown hair, huge brown eyes and a smile that would make any photographer’s face light up. Trace and Jen were both quite physically attractive in different ways, but Becky was more of a ‘plain Jane’ type.

I assessed the boys, too. Will was an alpha. He was clearly older than me – about seventeen at a guess and ripped. He was dressed smartly, dark-haired with a thin excuse for a moustache that looked like an attempt to make him look older than he was. His hair was a little longer than was trendy, but it suited him in a strange sort of way. No doubt the girls loved him!

Steve was tall, slightly overweight, had curly ginger hair and was suffering the age old teenage curse of acne. It only took me a minute or two to realise that he was the clown of the group. I have to admit that I was intrigued, both by the popularity of this youth group and the diversity of the people who attended it. I stood in the group for a while, mainly listening while the others chatted and all the while quietly tracking Rhiannon out of the corner of my eye.

Then my chance came. The girl she was talking with was called away. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to catch her alone, so I raised my hand to the group and nodded a silent apology for making a sharp exit out of the circle before making a beeline for Rhiannon. I tried to act casual as I approached her.

‘Hi,’ I began, my voice threatening to catch in my throat. My heart was pumping like crazy. ‘I’m Nathan. Just trying to get to know some people here. You?’

‘Rhiannon,’ she replied, her shy smile dimpling her cheeks. ‘I didn’t think I’d seen you here before. First night?’

‘Yeah,’ I admitted with a shrug. ‘Does it show badly?’

‘The notice pinned to your back gives it away,’ she replied.

Was she serious? It was the sort of thing James would do. She had said it in a serious voice, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement. Was that amusement that I was walking round like a dork with a ‘Newbie’ notice on my back, or was she pulling my leg? I couldn’t resist. I reached up my back with my right hand and my eyes narrowed when I could feel no sign of anything attached to my jumper.

Rhiannon laughed and I felt my cheeks flush red. This wasn’t going as I’d planned at all. I’d wanted to come across as the cool stranger and she’d blown that out of the water in the first few seconds. However, it was impossible to be annoyed with her. Even though I was the butt of her joke, her gentle laughter infused me with a sense of joy unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I pursed my lips and struck a momentary pose with my hands on my hips.

‘Nice,’ I nodded. ‘So you do deadpan, Rhiannon. Are there any other dangers I should know before attempting more conversation?’

‘Apart from the fact that I’m a black belt in three different martial arts, and my dad gets homicidal if he sees me talking with boys, no, not really.’

Again the serious voice and the twinkle in the eyes. Was there any truth in what she’d just said? I genuinely couldn’t tell.

‘I guess I’ll just have to place my life in your hands then,’ I said.

The next couple of minutes before her friend returned went by in a blur. We talked, but aside from the fact that she became increasingly fascinating, I’m not really sure that I learned anything more about her. I didn’t want to appear to be throwing myself at her, so when her friend returned I went through the motions of social convention before politely withdrawing from their company on the pretext of wanting to circulate. My first interaction with her had not been what I’d expected, but I thought it better to quit while I was not too far behind.

Max intercepted me as I began to move towards another group.

‘So, Nathan,’ he began, his face serious. ‘How did you enjoy the meeting?’

‘It was interesting,’ I replied truthfully. ‘I’ll be honest, I’ve not got much experience of Church or Church people. I don’t know what I expected tonight, but I can honestly say it’s been an evening of surprises.’

‘Good surprises I hope.’

‘I think so,’ I replied, my mind spinning back to the image of the brightly glowing sword in Max’s hands. Watching closely to see his reaction, I continued, ‘I pictured the armour of God that you described rather like the Roman style armour they wear in the epic films. Would that be right?’

Max’s eyes had a piercing quality that seemed to see right into my heart. He could see that I was holding something back – I was sure of it. Did he know what I’d seen? Had he shared my vision?

‘Paul’s illustration is a picture that has endured for millennia,’ he replied. ‘Armour is worn on the outside of our bodies, but the picture is a reflection of what God wants for us on the inside. Tell me, Nathan – are you saved? Have you given your heart to the Lord?’

Wow! This guy doesn’t mince his words, does he? I thought, mentally squirming.

‘Well… um… I guess not,’ I stammered, a bit taken aback at how serious Max sounded. ‘As I said, my experience of church is a bit limited. It’s not something that my family has ever taken much interest in.’

‘Please forgive me for being so direct, but sometimes I get promptings from the Lord,’ he said, giving me a wry smile. ‘I have a distinct sense that He has plans for you, Nathan. But before you can fulfil your purpose you need to get to know Him.’

‘Right,’ I agreed cautiously. As if the evening had not been weird enough, now I was getting the third degree! I wanted to look round for an escape route, but my parents had drilled me on manners and I didn’t want to appear rude. Before I knew it the question popped out of my mouth. ‘Any suggestions on how?’

‘Talk to Him,’ Max said. ‘Ask God to reveal himself to you. I’ve always found prayer to be enlightening. And give a bit of time to reading the Word. Do you have a bible?’

‘I think we have one in the house somewhere,’ I replied, hoping he would leave it at that and move on. But Max wasn’t finished with me yet.

‘A modern translation would be easiest for you to read. You should try going to Church on Sunday as well, if you can – it doesn’t have to be this one, but God wants you to dwell in His house, Nathan. He’s calling you, but it’s going to be up to you to listen and act on that call.’

‘I’ll give that some thought, sir,’ I replied, unable to think of think of any other way to answer.

Max nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder.

‘I’m sure you will,’ he said. ‘Becoming a Christian is life changing. It’s the most amazing feeling to know and understand that you are loved by God and that he is keeping a place for you in heaven. Have a good week, Nathan. I hope to see you again soon.’

Phew! I thought as I shook his hand and moved away. That was intense!

If I’m honest, thinking back, that exchange would have been enough to put me off coming to the youth club again had it not been for Rhiannon. I circulated some more, meeting several other pleasant teenagers around my own age before James caught up with me and pointed out that it was time to leave. I was more than ready to go. Looking round, I caught Rhiannon’s eye and gave her casual wave goodbye. She smiled and returned the wave.

That decided it in my mind – all the weirdness was worth it.

Moments later, I nearly changed that assessment.

Having walked back through the body of the church, we stepped out of the large double doors into total chaos. It was like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings outside! Instinctively I ducked back in through the door. The church was under attack! How I didn’t scream out loud in sheer panic, I don’t know. James leaned round the door and looked at me with a bemused expression.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.

‘Don’t tell me you didn’t see it!’ I gasped, my hands trembling.

‘See what?’

I paused a moment, listening. There was no sound of weapon-fire. In fact, all was quiet. I peered outside again and for a moment I saw the same scene. The details seemed to imprint themselves on my retinas before the street returned to normal. Hordes of demonic figures of all sorts of shapes and sizes were attacking the building with waves of darkness and flaming projectiles that appeared to be impacting an invisible barrier not far from the threshold. Their burning eyes were filled with malice and hatred. Despite the darkness outside, I got the impression of a horde of scaly bodies and sharp claws, of gnashing teeth and snarling voices. Then it was gone.

My head spun as I panted for breath. What in the name of all that's holy is going on? Am I going crazy?

‘My imagination is playing tricks on me today,’ I mumbled. ‘I could have sworn I saw… never mind.’

‘Come on!’ James urged. ‘Dad’s waiting.’

I watched as he walked down the steps and strode off along the pavement towards his father’s car. I followed more tentatively. As I passed across the approximate line of the invisible barrier I’d seen protecting the church, a shiver ran down my spine and I picked up the pace. Believe me, I couldn’t get in that car fast enough. The reassuring thunk as I pulled the door shut behind me did take the edge off my anxiety, but it wasn’t until the car was moving and out of town well on the way home that the tension in my muscles began to ease.

‘How did it go with Rhiannon?’ James asked, looking over his shoulder from the front passenger seat. ‘I saw you talking to her.’

‘Honestly – I have no idea,’ I replied with a shrug. ‘She didn’t seem openly repulsed by me. That’s a start, I suppose.’

James laughed and although I couldn’t see it, I could almost feel his dad’s amused smirk. I wasn’t about to discuss Rhiannon in any great detail with him here in the car while Mr Stephens was listening. For a moment I thought James would push for more detail, but instead I was treated to his own account of the evening and I gratefully relaxed into the back seat and listened.

James could be relied on for dominating conversation. He did love the sound of his own voice and I was happy to be entertained. If you were to believe everything James said, then you would quickly gain the impression that every girl in the youth club was clamouring to be his girlfriend. True, I hadn’t been tracking his movements and conversations, but I was pretty sure that the exaggeration factor in his account of the evening was pretty stratospheric. His father butted in occasionally, seemingly urging his son to even greater flights of fiction. I didn’t know Mr Stephens very well, but I began to form the impression that James had gained many of his affectations from him.

Finally pulling up outside my house, it was a relief to my ears to escape the car. I waved as they pulled away and then paused momentarily to enjoy the peace of the driveway before turning to the predictable safe haven that was home.

A few words with Mum and I was on my way to bed where I proceeded to play the events of the evening over and over in my mind until well into the early hours – especially the visions. The armour had been strange enough, but the bizarrely alien battle scene outside the church had been terrifying. Every time I closed my eyes the fury of the inhuman attackers was lurking in my mind’s eye.

I’m not sure what time it was when I eventually gave up on sleep and went downstairs in search of a bible. The only one I could find was a battered old thing that looked like it belonged in a museum. I took it back to my room and looked for the passage that Max had read to us. The language was old-fashioned and the text was small, but when I found it, the words seemed to drill into my brain again:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Was that what I’d seen? Had those things been something to do with the devil? Were they the rulers of darkness? Strangely, the questions my reading raised did not set my mind alight. Instead, having read right to the end of the passage, I felt myself relax. Turning off the bedside light I closed my eyes and sank immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.