The Called: Chosen (The Called Series Book 2) (6 page)

Abbie was as nervous as she had ever been. She stood backstage with her guitar; her clammy hand clasping the neck as she went over the opening song in her head. This was her big break. She realized that she was playing in one of the most famous arenas in the country and she had to go out there and leave a lasting impression.

She was relatively unknown other than the local scene, where she had established herself as one of the town’s top performers. That was really saying something in a city where a person could throw a rock and hit about ten people with musical talent. She had paid her dues; there was no doubting that.

As Abbie stood there reflecting on her life, she thought about her friends that had come to Nashville with her seven years earlier. One had given up and the other was murdered. For some reason, it was her standing here in this moment. She felt that God had her there for a reason. She could hear her mama’s voice saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” She smiled and thought, ‘maybe it does’.

She had just gotten her first album finished and two of the songs had already started receiving heavy play on radio stations across the globe. The album was quickly racing up the charts in the few days that it had been available to the public. Everything seemed to happen so fast. The tour was made official around the time that she finished cutting her vocal tracks.

Amazing quality and turnaround time was what Moonshine Records was known for. She was just thankful for the opportunity. The lights went down in the arena and the crowd became very loud. One of the stage managers gave her the queue to walk out and start her set. She was so nervous that she almost dropped her pick and stumbled forward to catch it before it hit the ground.

She stood up straight, took a deep breath, and said a little prayer. Abbie Clark was ready. It was the moment she had been waiting for and this was her time. She walked out with a big smile on her face and began the first song. It was a song about being proud of where she came from and how hard work pays off. It was a great way to kick off the concert, as she showcased her country values and charm.

Abbie continued through all eight of her planned songs, ending with the most popular single from her debut album. As she was singing, she looked out across the crowd and thought she caught a glimpse of her friend, Jenna. She was taken back for a moment, but tried to stay focused on finishing the song without breaking down. She closed her eyes for a moment to try to regain focus.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw what looked like the same creature she had seen while on the plane before landing in New York. The creature had an ugly grin on his face as he stared at her; trying to intimidate her. She knew that moment that this thing was a demon. She decided that the best thing to do was ignore it as if it wasn’t there and just continue playing until she finished. She could deal with it later.

She finished her song and thanked everyone for coming out while pumping up the crowd for the headliner. She walked off the stage, relieved that it went well and also relieved that she could go somewhere alone to talk to God. That creature was obviously aware of her presence and wanted her to be aware of his for some reason. It felt like she was in the middle of a battle, and she had to learn how to fight.

As she entered the backstage area, she was greeted and congratulated by several people; including Jenson Moon and her mother. She relaxed a little bit and invited her mom to come back to her dressing room with her. It was her mother that had shown her the bible and allowed her to read it to make up her own mind. Maybe she had some answers or advice for her about what she was dealing with.

The two of them left Jenson as he took his place at the side of the stage to see Savannah Lynn perform. They turned a corner and walked down a corridor, which had a few security personnel. They came to her dressing room and Abbie locked the door behind them.

“Mama, I have to tell you something…and ask you a question”, she said.

“Okay…Just be careful about what you say here”, said her mom.

“Yea yea… I know. Listen… When I flew into New York, I saw a creature flying outside of the plane, watching me. It joined several others like it and flew into the city. When I was out there performing, I saw one of them again. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I feel that it is evil and that is knows I can see it. In fact, I believe that the decision I made has something to do with my ability to see it.”

Her mother looked her over for a few seconds; not really sure how to respond. Mental illness had run in the family and she knew that Abbie had suffered a lot of trauma with the incident in Nashville with the loss of her friend. She wondered if that may have triggered something.

Finally, she spoke up and said, “Abbie, do you feel like you are doing alright? I mean…you have been under a lot of stress and maybe you haven’t quite had time to deal with things lately. With the investigation and all…”

“Mom, I know what I saw. It had nothing to do with anything that happened. This is connected with my decision to follow God somehow. To put it plainly, I think I may have seen a demon.”

“I’m sorry Abbie. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but with all things considered, I couldn’t ignore that it may have just been your mind playing tricks on you. Are you sure that we are secure here?”

“Yes. It’s a safe zone. I have complete privacy in here.”

“Good. As far as the demon thing goes, it isn’t out of the question. I am aware of their existence, but I have never put a lot of thought into it. I did read the book years ago and even believed it, but I just never let it go any further than that. I couldn’t risk anyone finding out that I had a faith in God. Your guess is really as good as mine honey.”

“Ever since I made my decision, I have heard God speak to me. Not audibly, but in my head. I felt that he told me that He has called me to destroy their works. I’m not completely sure what that means yet or how to do it, but He told me not to fear them. I feel like I am protected by God.”

Abbie’s mother looked at her with tears in her eyes. “I really do wish sometimes that I would have had the same boldness as you. Please Abbie…just be careful. You are high profile now and you don’t want to be found out. They will make an example out of you.”

“I’m not afraid of that mom. Eternity is all that really matters”, said Abbie. “Besides, it’s never too late to live bold. You believe it in your mind. Let it sink into your heart.”

“Maybe someday”, she said looking away with a sense of shame.

“I hope so”, said Abbie. “Well, are you planning on going back home tomorrow?”

“Yea, I will need to get back. Going to go back to work.”

“Hopefully, you won’t have to work for much longer”, said Abbie.

“Baby, I don’t expect or want you to support me.”

“Momma, you worked your whole life to support your family with no help. I would say that has earned you the right to enjoy your life a little more.”

She smiled and said, “Well, if that ever happens, I want to pull my own weight. I would do something to help you out on the road or at home. I can’t be idle. Being lazy will make you crazy.”

They both laughed. It was an expression that Abbie’s mom had used as long as she could remember. If there was someone who knew how to work and support her family, it was her. She never had anything in life handed to her. Abbie secretly wondered if that was part of the reason why it was so difficult for her to completely accept salvation through Christ. Maybe she felt like she would have to earn it and if she couldn’t publicly live it out, then she didn’t want any of it.

Whatever the case was, she really hoped that her mother would come to the same revelation that she had come to. Her mom hoped her daughter wouldn’t get arrested or executed for her faith. They were both motivated by love, but only one was right.

―――――

President Cain reclined in the oval office; having poured over the list of officials all across the world that could be sympathetic to their cause. He worried about his own safety, but more than anything, he thought about the bloodshed that would take place from the country tearing itself apart. He felt responsible in a way. After all, it was he that made the final decision to join the World Council only to recant after his conversion.

Speaker Bernhart walked in as Liam was mulling over the decisions that would need to be made and their potential consequences. “Mr. President…Here I am again”, said William enthusiastically.

“We had better be careful”, said Liam with a smile. “People may think that we are on the same team.”

“Oh, we can’t have that”, said William as he reached out to shake President Cain’s hand.

“Have a seat”, said Liam. “So, what brings you here today?”

“Sir, we have two other regions that are joining us against Assad and the World Council.”

“Great news! Who are they?” asked Liam.

“We have definite interest from Great Britain and Australia. We also have some in Israel who are interested. Although they have largely welcomed Assad; there are still many skeptical about his intentions. If anything comes to light that would compromise them as a nation, then they will side with us. I have no doubt about that.”

“This is great news”, said the President. “Are we at the stage of being able to plan an attack?”

“Well, not so fast. Britain and Australia are wanting to peacefully resign from the World Council and use force only as a last resort. I suggest that we try to do the same. There will be enough unrest here at home over this decision. We don’t need to run headlong into a war if it isn’t necessary.”

President Cain tapped his pen on his desk and laid his head back in his chair. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I only hope it is that easy. My gut tells me that we will have to fight for our independence. Assad’s ego is too big to just allow three or four nations leave him. That’s what it is really about now anyway; him. Not the council, not world peace; just him.”

“I really hope that isn’t the case, but if it is then we will be as ready as we can be. We will plan for the worst and hope for the best as they say.”

“I have decided on the first order of business Speaker Bernhart. In one week, I will hold a press conference to announce our intentions to break away from the World Council in favor of our sovereignty. We will have our entire military on standby while we wait for Assad’s response. We will try to go through the proper channels to secede, but we will also be ready to defend ourselves. I would like you there with me in this conference as a show of solidarity. With us being from opposing parties, maybe we can get more support in our government as well as in the general population.”

“I would be happy to do that Mr. President”, said William solemnly.

“I appreciate that. I will assign secret service detail to you and we will depart next Sunday.”

“Where are we going?”

“I will let you know when we are on our way. Not that I don’t trust you, but this information cannot leak to anyone. There may be chaos after this announcement and we will need to be protected to maintain order within our government.”

“I am just having so much anxiety over this right now”, said Speaker Bernhart. “It is one thing for the population to be split on politics and for politicians to be split, but this is perhaps the most polarizing issue that we have had in at least one-hundred years. The stock market will crash. Every company in the United States that is based overseas or has their factories over there will go under or be severely crippled. The liberal institutions that have been pulling for this for years will start riots. Sir, this could end up being like the Great Depression, World War 2, Civil War, and Revolutionary War combined. Unless this is kept under control, I don’t know how the United States will survive.”

“Are you a praying man?” asked Liam.

President Cain didn’t even take the time to think over the question before he asked it. He was surprised at what was coming out of his own mouth. He wasn’t really sure what even prompted him to ask that question. All he could do was sit there in the still silence.

William cocked his head to the side and looked at President Cain intently; wondering if he should answer that question truthfully. ‘Maybe I can be honest’, he thought. ‘Cain wouldn’t ask me that to trap me. Not at this point.’

“Yes sir. I am”, said William with his heart feeling like it was going to pound out of his chest.

“Relax”, said Liam. “I am too. In fact, I am not ashamed to say that I believe in God.”

William took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief as he loosened his grip on the arms of the chair. “I have for a long time. I could never admit it to anyone, but a large part of why I so vehemently opposed some of your policies was that my beliefs have come from the bible. I know it sounds archaic, but just here me out…”

“William, I know. I found out the same thing a few weeks ago in my study. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord.”

The Speaker of the House stood up with tears in his eyes. “Then you are my brother.”

―――――

Maggie threw gravel everywhere as the chopper peppered the area with bullets. She headed back through the winding road in the midst of thick trees. She couldn’t believe that she was once again separated from John and that both of their lives were in danger again. As she sped down the highway in the national park, the sound of the helicopter became faint.