Abundant Rain Read online

  Abundant Rain

  By

  Vanessa Miller

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  *****

  Published by:

  BFP Publishing

  Abundant Rain

  Copyright © 2004 by Vanessa Miller

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  For my mother, Patricia Harding,

  the sweetest woman I know.

  Prologue

  We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

  Ephesians 6:12

  There was so much commotion on that twelfth day of September that no one noticed the two, tall-enough-to-give-Shaq-a-crook-in-his-neck, figures that descended from on high. They walked through the eerie streets of New York passing many mournful and tear-soaked faces.

  One man’s knees buckled under the weight of his grief. His wife would not be coming out of the World Trade Center. He bowed his head low as he fell on the ground screaming, “Oh, God, why her? Why, God?”

  Another grief-stricken victim shook her fists at the heavens and said, “You’ve never looked out for us. Do You even exist?”

  Nathan turned to Brogan. “The people’s faith has wavered.”

  “Yes,” Brogan answered. “Many saints will fall away from God because of yesterday’s tragedy.”

  They continued on. Some assignments were harder to pull off than others. Nathan had a sinking feeling that this one would be a doozy. The prayers of the saints had risen to the heavens concerning Kenneth and Elizabeth Underwood. Aaron, the captain of the angelic hosts, had given Nathan charge over the safety and well being of Kenneth. Likewise, Brogan had charge over Elizabeth.

  Brogan pointed at the rubble. “You got any idea how we can get Kenneth out from under all that?”

  Nathan shook his head. “We’ll think of something.”

  “Why do you think the Almighty sends you on impossible assignments?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Their destination lay before them as a desolate wasteland. What was once beheld in awe was now the object of pity. Billowy smoke still rose from the ruins. In the place that was famous for buying and selling, body bags were now the commodity being exchanged, as executives and tycoons were lifted from the rubble.

  Nathan pointed at a shadow that filled the air. “We’ve got company.”

  “You didn’t think the evil one would miss the opportunity to see so much death and destruction did you?”

  Nathan surveyed the layout. He wasn’t surprised at what his heavenly vision displayed. “His demons are all over this place. Just keep your head down. Let’s find Kenneth and get out of here.” They moved quickly through the wreckage, each tossing aside stones that would have normally taken three or four men to lift.

  Nathan and Brogan split up as they tirelessly worked hour after hour, removing rubble and pulling bodies from the debris. Brogan moved to the south side and continued sifting through the debris.

  Nathan yelled, “I found him!”

  Brogan ran back to the north side just in time to witness two hulking spirits standing over Nathan, growling and snarling. “Put him back, pansy boy.”

  Nathan had Kenneth in his arms. He looked up to see who had just called him a pansy, and was face to face with two of the biggest, grizzly-looking demons he’d encountered in years. Their heads were like bats and they had ten-inch fangs. Nathan turned to Kenneth. He was bruised and bloody. Nathan couldn’t feel a pulse, but his body wasn’t cold yet. He had to be alive. Instead of getting his charge to a hospital right away, he was going to have to contend with Bif and Bof. “Get out of my way,” Nathan told them. “I’m on an assignment from the Lord!”

  Bif and Bof burst out laughing. “You better put him down or I’m gon’ send you back to your Lord crying like a pigtail-wearing girl,” Bif told Nathan while massaging his fist with his scaly fang.

  Brogan had already stripped out of his workman’s disguise and was now in full glory. Wings extended and sword drawn, he was ready for battle.

  Nathan tried one more time. “Look, can y’all just get out of the way? I’m not in the mood for kicking demon butt today. Okay?”

  The one with jaundice eyes spat brown mucus on the ground and snarled. “Punk, please. You’re the one in disguise, trying hard not to be noticed for who you are.” He puffed up his scaly chest. “We come as we are, cause we ain’t scared of,” he poked Nathan in the chest, “you or nobody else.”

  “That’s right,” his beady-eyed, bat-faced cohort said. “Boy, I’m gon’ whup you so bad, you gon’ beg the Ancient of Days to make you human, so you can go on and die.”

  Nathan laid his charge down, praying that he wouldn’t become a casualty of 9-11. But if he didn’t spank Bif’s and Bof’s fang-extended behinds, he wouldn’t get Kenneth out of there anyway. Nathan took off his construction hat and a bright light shone above his head. The demons green-eyed it and got fidgety when he pulled off his workmen’s clothes. They really got mad when they had to behold his massive wings and white garment trimmed in gold. “Yeah, you miss this gear, don’t you?”

  Jaundice eyes told him, “We’re going to beat it off you, then we’ll wear yours.”

  “Never again will you wear the Lord’s armor,” Brogan said.

  The demons turned their intimidating stares on Brogan. “That’s all right,” Nathan said. “They talk like those big-bad fallen angels that got their wings clipped, but they fight like Sodomites.” Nathan pulled out his golden sword. “Come on with it.”

  When the ruckus exploded and the fight was on, friction from the heavenly and hellish blows caused fire to spring up as rubble and debris were kicked out of the way. The fire fighters got busy extinguishing the flames, while the rescue workers pulled countless half-dead and lifeless bodies from the ruins. None of them were aware of the struggle at Ground Zero, but a certain tension hung in the air.

  Nathan and Brogan gave as good as they got. One blow after another was dealt to the adversary. Nathan was feeling pretty good about his performance, considering he hadn’t been in battle in at least a century. Then he saw one of the rescue workers kneel down by Kenneth. The rescue worker looked at another guy, then said, “I don’t think this one is going to make it.”

  Nathan swerved around his opponent. He knelt down at Kenneth’s side and whispered in his ear, “You’ve got to make it. You’ve got too much to live for. Don’t give up now.”

  Jaundice eyes grabbed Nathan by the back of the neck and threw him into a pit of rubble. Brogan soon followed. Nathan shook his head and looked at his comrade. “Come on, we can’t let these monkeys whup on us like this.”

  Brogan stood, and stretching his wounded body. “I know, man. They’ve gotten stronger since we last met.”

  “Don’t look now, but here they come, and they brought friends.” Nathan looked around the pit for something to knock off the heads of those demons. Several steel beams had been tossed into the rubble when the buildings collapsed. Each beam was already constructed in the form of a cross. That was all the sign he needed. He stood up and grabbed one of the beams. “You slice ‘em and dice ‘em with your sword and I’m going to have some batting practice with these beams,” Nathan told Brogan.

  The demon
s descended upon them. Bif, Bof and friends lived through the night, but by morning, they regretted their folly. Nathan picked up beam after beam and smashed one rotten skull after the next. Brogan then drove his sword through their hell-possessed bodies. The demons that Brogan didn’t get with the sword had steel beams driven through them. The beams were firmly planted in the ground. The deed took all night. Nathan and Brogan wearily ascended from the pit, too tired to notice the construction worker that walked into the World Trade Center looking for any sign of life and found hope. The man stood in front of the crosses that Nathan had erected, and bellowed, “Abba, Father! You are here!”

  He ran past Nathan and Brogan as he spread the word of what he had found. Fire fighters and rescue workers followed him back to the sight. He carried a can of spray paint, and with it he wrote “God’s House,” and drew a directional arrow. The fire fighters looked at the shards of steel that formed crosses standing in perfect symmetry. In a place where everything else was in complete disarray, they bowed down and began to weep and pray to God.

  “Where is Kenneth?” Nathan asked.

  “I don’t know,” Brogan replied.

  Nathan lifted his head to the heavens and asked, “Where is he, Lord? Please give me some direction.”

  The heavens were silent.

  Nathan fell to his knees, snatched gray debris from the ground, and threw the ashes on his head. “Not again. Oh, God, no, no, nooo!”

  ***

  Covered in soot and ashes, Elizabeth Underwood opened her eyes. She spent the night amongst the rubble and debris at Ground Zero, waiting for news of her husband. When none came, she stood up and ran her soot and ash stained hands through her tangled hair. She tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe some of the dirt from her clothes as she walked to one of the firemen. “How long is this going to take? I need answers. I need my husband!” she demanded.

  He turned away, unable to meet her pitiful gaze. “We’re working hard. We’re going as fast as we can.”

  She walked away. She wanted to tell him that today was her tenth anniversary, and that she and Kenneth had plans. But God had conspired against her. She woke up to a world that did not contain her husband. She was forced to inhale and exhale without him. She could now answer the question Jesus asked, “Oh, death, where is your sting?” The sting was felt by loved ones. The people left behind. She, Elizabeth Underwood, had been stung.

  She spent four years of college dating Kenneth, another ten years of marriage, loving and adoring him. Making him her world. Even through their bad times, she had loved that man.

  Forget all the waiting, she would find her husband herself.

  “Ma’am, you can’t go in there,” one of the firefighters told her.

  Elizabeth kept walking.

  “Look, lady,” he said, grabbing her arm. His grip was tight. “This is not a safe area. Just let us do our job, okay?”

  “All right,” she said. He released her arm and Elizabeth took off running.

  “Grab her!”

  Two men in gray T-shirts and jeans grabbed Elizabeth and tried to pull her away from the rubble. “No!” she screamed. She dug in her heels and fought against their grip. “Please, please let me go. I’ve got to find my husband.”

  They finally managed to pull Elizabeth out of the way. They sat her down on a piece of the Tower that had flown a hundred feet away from the building. “It’s for your own safety, ma’am. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Both men were white, young and athletic. One of them had a mustache. The other was clean-shaven.

  “But it’s my anniversary,” she whimpered.

  The clean-shaven gentleman said, “Aw, dag,” sadness clouded the man’s eyes as he continued, “just hold on. We’ll find your husband.”

  Her shoulders slumped. How could she hold on? Didn’t he know that her world had collapsed?

  Why have you done this to me, Lord? We were faithful to You. My husband loved You – I thought You were supposed to rebuke the devourer?

  Two firemen pulled a man’s body out of the rubble. She put her hand to her mouth and gasped. “Kenneth?” Well, she couldn’t just sit on this rock and wonder.

  She watched them lay the body on the ground. Elizabeth barreled through the on-lookers and workers. She fell after tripping on a rock, got up, and didn’t bother to brush the dirt from her clothes. She ignored the, “You can’t go in there,” and “Ma’am, come back,” pleas. Nobody was going to stop her.

  By the time she reached the body, tears had welled in her eyes. She collapsed to her knees. As she looked in the face of this dead man, she let the tears flow. He wasn’t Kenneth, but someone would miss him. She cried for that person, another victim of the sting of death.

  “Ma’am, is this your husband?” one of the workers asked Elizabeth.

  She shook her head. The workers bent down to pick the man up.

  “Wait!” Elizabeth screamed.

  The clean-shaven man she had talked to earlier said, “We have to move his body. I’m sorry.”

  “But, but – his family. They shouldn’t see him like this.” The man’s shirt and pant leg had been torn. She reached over and buttoned the jacket of his navy blue suit. They took the body into a building that had the word “Dead” spray painted on one side and “Alive” on the other. Had Mr. Navy Blue Suit also trusted in the Lord for his safety?

  Brogan stood over Elizabeth, desperately trying to find a way to comfort her. Nathan was out scouring the city in search of Kenneth. Brogan looked toward the same building at which Elizabeth was staring, and prayed that Kenneth was not in there. At least not on the same side they had just laid Mr. Navy Blue Suit.

  He put his hand on her shoulder. Elizabeth looked around, immediately feeling a change in her environment. She shrugged, shifting away from this comforting feeling that was trying to overtake her and moved back into her state of misery. A night’s sleep on the hard dust-covered ground had not changed anything for her. She still prayed for lightning to strike, or for a bulldozer to run her over. Funny how death ignores you, when you crave it.

  1

  Tommy Brooks sat at a back table in the Belanté Club going over his nightly receipts, his mail, and paying bills. Empty glasses from the night before lined the bar and some of the tables. The club had been good to him. This was the Friday and Saturday night home to hustlers, gold-diggers, punks, and thieves. At least, that’s what the Dayton Daily Newspaper reported. Tommy didn’t care. Thieves paid their liquor bill just like well-educated businessmen. Oh, he’d had a few run-ins with the law because of his clientele, but cops and news cameras added to the appeal. The best thing that ever happened to the Belanté Club was the night Isaac Walker got shot. Tommy shook his head. Ray-Ray was the poster child for stupidity. Take on Isaac Walker? Hah, many had tried, but few lived to tell about it. Well, Ray-Ray’s soul was now being tormented in hell for the effort.

  At least that’s the story Isaac was telling everybody. Isaac was on a letter writing campaign; Determined to tell everybody about his so-called hell experience. Who would have thought big, bad Isaac would go jailhouse salvation? Tommy guessed it was his turn to hear the story as he picked up his letter from Isaac and opened it.

  Tommy,

  December 10, 2001

  Man, I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how sorry I am about how things went down in your club. I’ve been rethinking a lot of stuff lately.

  You’re not going to believe this, but I took a trip to hell. I saw Ray-Ray. Do you remember my girl, Valerie? She was also there. They were being tormented like nothing I’ve ever seen. And, I’ve seen a lot, man. Whew. I don’t know. My head is still messed up behind that whole scene.

  Anyway, how is everyone doing on the outside? Was the 9-11 attack as big a shock to you as everyone else? Do you have any family members in New York? Nina’s best friend, Elizabeth Underwood, went to New York with her husband to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. He was in the tower when it collapsed. She lives in Dayton.
If you know her, you might send some flowers or something. I hear she’s not doing too well.

  I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I just wanted to let you know that I’m a better man in prison than I ever was on the street. God has graced me with a second chance, and I’m taking it.

  May the peace of God reign in your life,

  Isaac

  Tommy laughed so hard he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Alert the warden! Somebody is selling drugs in prison.” Tommy slapped his knee and tried to calm his chuckles. “Whew. I got to have whatever Isaac is taking.”

  He finally stopped laughing, sat back in his seat, and thought about Elizabeth. Yeah, he knew her. How could he forget the best vocalist he’d ever heard? The only time he’d ever considered giving up his precious Belanté Club was due to the emotions she sparked in him. Five years ago, Elizabeth had auditioned to be the lead singer at his nightclub. Her voice was like warm honey. He still dreamed about the sway of her body, as she bellowed tunes that made him want to close his eyes and float away. Impressed, he called some cats he knew from the music industry, had them listen to her audition tape, and was about to sign her to a contract when she turned Jesus freak on him. Years had passed and he still hadn’t been able to get her off his mind.

  He’d had countless lovers since the day she walked through his door. He rubbed his goatee with his thumb and index finger. Women couldn’t get enough of this Mandingo black brother. And he gave them all the loving they could handle. There was only one woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. The one he had never touched because she was married. At least, she had been married. Maybe, just maybe…