Escaping The Fog
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The fog was thick, but the light had been dimmed. I could barely see my hand in front of me as we walked through it. It felt like walking into a cloud that smelled faintly of sulfur and brimstone. My feet were cold on the damp ground beneath them. I couldn’t tell if they were wet or dry anymore. Everything seemed to be coated with some sort of oily film.
“Where are you taking us?” asked Mika from behind me. She sounded scared now too. “What’s going on? Why is this happening?”
I didn’t answer her because there wasn’t anything I could say. This place was beyond explanation. We’d entered another world entirely.
We continued forward until we reached an open area where several buildings stood around a large courtyard. There were no windows here, just doors leading inside each building. They all looked dark and abandoned; their shutters closed tightly against whatever lurked within.
In one corner of the yard, two men sat at table playing cards while drinking beer out of mugs. Their faces were hidden by hoods pulled down low over their heads. One man wore black robes covered in gold stitching along its edges, while his companion dressed more casually in jeans and a t-shirt. Both of them turned toward us when we approached.
“Who goes there?” demanded the first man who spoke. He rose up off the bench and stepped closer to us. His voice echoed strangely in the foggy air.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the other man. “Let him pass.”
The first man nodded once before returning to his seat. As he did so, I noticed something strange about his hands. They appeared normal enough, but they were also glowing red.
“You’re not human either,” I told the second man. “Are you a part demon?”
He laughed quietly. “No, I’m just a simple servant of the Lord. Now move aside, or else I’ll have to hurt you.”
Mika moved quickly between me and the man in the robe. Her sword came free of its scabbard as she prepared herself for battle.
“Stop!” I shouted. “There’s nothing wrong with you! You don’t need to fight us. Just let us go and everything will be fine.”
The man frowned at me. “Why should I trust your words? Who are you anyway?”
I hesitated only briefly before answering. “My name is Alex Cross. And this young woman beside me has come looking for help. If you want to know what happened to her, then follow us back to our home. Once there, we can explain everything.”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And why would I do that?”
I shrugged helplessly. “Because it seems like the right thing to do. Besides, how many people get attacked by demons every day and survive? Not very many, I imagine. Even if you kill us, which I doubt, you still won’t find any answers. So, please…just let us go.”
After a moment, the man sighed heavily and lowered himself back onto the bench. “Very well. But make sure you stay close. Otherwise, things might turn ugly.”
With that, he picked up his mug of beer and returned to his game. The other man followed suit. Neither of them bothered to watch us leave. Instead, they focused their attention on their cards.
As soon as we passed through the gate, Mika stopped and stared at me. “What was that all about?” she asked nervously.
“That guy’s a servant of God,” I explained. “A priest, actually. He works for the church.”
She shook her head slowly. “But I thought the church was supposed to protect everyone from these kinds of creatures.”
I smiled wryly. “They used to, but lately they’ve become more concerned with keeping their secrets than helping others. That’s probably why they sent those soldiers after us earlier today. They wanted to keep us away from the truth.”
“So, what do we do now?” she asked.
I glanced around the empty courtyard. “Well, I guess we start walking. Hopefully, we’ll run across someone who can give us directions.”
“Do you think anyone is alive out here?”
I shrugged again. “Not really. Most of the people left town long ago. A lot of them went south, hoping to escape the fog. Others tried to cross the border into Canada. Some even headed west toward Mexico. I heard some of the locals got together and started hunting the monsters down. Maybe they found a few of them, but most of the survivors ended up leaving too. It’s been years since I last saw anyone living outside the city limits.”
“Then how did you end up here?”
“I had nowhere else to go. My parents died during the war, and my sister took care of me afterward. When she disappeared, I decided to search for her. I knew she wouldn’t abandon me, so I figured she must have gone somewhere safe. Since I couldn’t afford to buy a plane ticket, I walked all the way here. I made it halfway before being attacked by those soldiers.”
“How far is it to the nearest village?”
I looked over at her. “About fifteen miles. We could walk there in three days, maybe four if we push ourselves hard. However, I’d rather take our time. There’s no reason to rush. After all, we’re not going anywhere until we figure out where to go next.”
“Okay,” she replied. Then she turned to face forward. “Lead the way.”
***
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering aimlessly through the streets. Every now and then, one of the buildings would catch fire, forcing us to detour around the flames. Other times, we encountered groups of men dressed in black robes. Each group seemed intent on killing us. Fortunately, we managed to avoid each confrontation without incident.
By late evening, we finally reached the outskirts of the city. The houses grew smaller and less frequent. Soon, we were surrounded by fields, forests, and mountains. In fact, I began to wonder if we weren’t already deep inside the Canadian wilderness.
“You know, I’m starting to feel like we’ve lost,” Mika said suddenly.
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. We aren’t. As long as we stick to the main road, we’ll eventually reach civilization. Although, I admit it does seem strange that there isn’t another settlement within sight. Why hasn’t anyone built anything new?”
“Maybe they ran out of wood or something,” she suggested.
“Yeah, that could be it.” I paused for a moment. “Wait a minute! This doesn’t make sense. How can there possibly be no trees in this area? Didn’t they cut down all the timber when they first settled here?”
Mika frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t need it anymore once they finished building the city.”
“Or maybe they just forgot about the forest altogether.”
Suddenly, I noticed several small figures moving along the side of the road ahead. They appeared to be children—at least, they were wearing similar clothing. One of them waved at us, causing the others to laugh loudly.
“Hey!” shouted one of the boys. “There are two strangers coming towards us. Let’s kill ’em and eat their brains.”
The other kids laughed uproariously.
“Come on, guys,” pleaded another boy. “Let’s play nice. If we scare them off, they won’t tell anyone about us.”
“Scare them off?” repeated the leader. “Why should we bother scaring them? We want to eat their brains.”
He pointed his sword at me. “And we’re gonna get them whether they like it or not.”
“No, wait!” cried one of the girls. She grabbed hold of the boy’s arm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to fight him. Just let them pass.”
The leader glared at her angrily. “Are you crazy? Do you realize who he is?”
“Who?” she asked. Her voice sounded frightened.
Before the girl could answer, I drew my pistol and fired a single shot into the air. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
“What was that for?” demanded the leader. He stared at me with hatred in his eyes.
“That’s none of your business,” I growled. “Now move aside. Or do you want to die right here and now?”
His friends gasped nervously.
“Oh, come on,” whined the girl. “Please don’t hurt us. We’ve never seen anybody from the city before.”
“Then why did you attack us?” I countered.
She shrugged. “Well…we thought you might be monsters.”
“Monsters?” I echoed. “Like what kind of monster?”
“A zombie,” answered the leader. “They’re supposed to look scary, but they don’t really taste very good.”
“Zombies?” I exclaimed. “But zombies aren’t real. People only believe in them because they’re afraid of death.”
“So?” snorted the leader. “Do you think we’re stupid? Of course, we know they’re imaginary creatures. But that doesn’t mean they can’t still be dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” I repeated. “How so?”
“If they ever find out about us, they’ll probably try to hunt us down and kill us.”
“Kill us?” I scoffed. “For being different?”
“Exactly,” agreed on the leader. “After all, we’re not human. So how can we expect people to accept us?”
“Accept us?” I shook my head. “Listen, kid. It’s obvious you haven’t been taught much about life. And that’s too bad. Because you’re going to learn some important lessons today.”
I raised my gun again. “First, nobody has any reason to hate you. Not even yourself. Second, everyone deserves a chance to live. Third, it’s wrong to judge someone based on superficial appearances. Fourth, and most importantly…”
I aimed the barrel directly between his eyes. “Never underestimate an outsider.”
***
As soon as the children saw me pointing the gun at their leader, they scattered in every direction. Their screams filled the air.
“Stop!” screamed one of the girls. “We didn’t do anything!”
“Run away!” urged the leader. “Get back to town while you still can.”
“No way!” I yelled. “You’re coming with me.”
“Go ahead and shoot us,” he sneered. “Just remember: you can’t escape the fate that awaits all outsiders.”
“Fate?” I replied. “Is that what you call it? Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t believe in destiny. I believe everything happens for a reason. That means you’re free to choose your own path. And if you decide to follow mine, then you’re welcome to join me.”
“Join you?” The leader chuckled derisively. “In what? A suicide mission?”
“Not exactly.” I lowered the gun. “This isn’t a suicide mission. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is our last chance to save the world.”
“Save the world?” he repeated. “From what?”
“Look around you,” I said. “Have you ever seen such beautiful scenery?”
The leader glanced up at the trees lining the road. Then he looked over at the mountains in the distance. Finally, he turned his attention to the sky above.
“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly. “It’s pretty amazing.”
“Amazing?” I laughed. “Don’t you see? Everything you just described is proof that this planet was created by a higher power. Someone powerful enough to create something so magnificent—and yet also delicate and vulnerable. Something so perfect, it couldn’t possibly exist without divine intervention. Now, I happen to believe that God exists. And I think He sent His son to Earth to help us understand Him better. To teach us how to love each other instead of fighting against one another.”
“Love?” echoed the leader. “Why would anyone need to learn how to love?”
“Because it’s the greatest gift we have to offer others,” I explained. “And it’s the best way to show them that we care about them. At least, that’s what I learned when I first met Jesus Christ.”
“Jesus Christ?” asked the leader.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “He’s the Son of God. You may have heard of him.”
“I’ve never even heard of Him,” protested the leader.
“That’s okay,” I reassured him. “Most people haven’t. But I promise you, someday you will meet Him. When you do, you’ll realize there’s nothing more important than loving Him. And once you start doing that, you won’t want to stop.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because it’s true,” I insisted. “Once you truly begin to love others, you’ll discover that life becomes far less complicated. All your problems will seem smaller and easier to solve. And you’ll feel happier than you ever thought possible. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course, it is,” agreed on the leader. “I guess… maybe you’re right. Maybe I could use a little happiness in my life.”
“Then let’s go,” I declared. “Let’s get started now.”
“Wait a minute,” objected the leader. “Are you sure you should be talking like this? What if someone hears us?”
“They won’t hear a thing,” I assured him. “Trust me.”
“Okay,” he relented. “But why are you helping us?”
“Well, I told you before,” I answered. “I believe in second chances. And I know you deserve one.”
“How do you figure that?”
“When I was younger, I made some mistakes too,” I confessed. “Mistakes that got me into trouble with the law. My parents were afraid I’d end up behind bars. They wanted to protect me from me. So they sent me here to stay with Uncle Joe until things calmed down.”
“Here?” asked the leader. “Wherever ‘here’ is?”
“Upstate New York,” I confirmed. “My uncle owns a farm outside of Albany. It’s not much, but it’s home. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”
“Sounds nice,” commented the leader. “So what happened next?”
“After I arrived at Uncle Joe’s house, I realized that I had no idea who or where I really was,” I continued. “I didn’t know my real name. Or any details about my past. Not even my birthday. I felt lost. Like I wasn’t meant to be alive anymore. But then I met Jesus Christ. And after I accepted His forgiveness, everything changed. I finally knew what it was like to live again.”
“You mean you became a Christian?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I already believed in God. But I still needed to find out who I was. And that took time. The time I spent learning all about Jesus Christ. About His teachings and His miracles. And most importantly, His love for everyone on Earth.”
“Wow,” marveled the leader. “Didn’t take long for you to change your mind, did it?”
“Actually, it took years,” I corrected. “Years of hard work. Years of studying the Bible and praying every day. But eventually, I discovered that God gave me a purpose: to spread His message of love and peace across the entire globe. That’s why I’m here today. Because I want to share the good news with as many people as possible.”
“Good luck,” chuckled the leader. “There aren’t very many Christians left these days.”
“Really?” I questioned. “Do you know why that might be?”
“Probably because they don’t listen to their leaders,” suggested the leader. “Maybe if they stopped listening to those crazy preachers and started paying attention to science, we’d have a chance.”
“Science?” I scoffed. “Have you looked around lately? There’s hardly any evidence of evolution anywhere! The only reason you think it exists is because of the fossil record. A lot of scientists have tried to explain away the fossils by saying they were put there by God. But that doesn’t make sense either. If He created everything, why would He leave so many gaps in his story?”
“It’s just another theory,” shrugged the leader. “We can’t prove it wrong.”
“Oh yeah?” I challenged. “Why not? Why isn’t anyone trying to disprove it?”
The leader hesitated for a moment. Then he replied, “Because nobody cares enough to try.”
“Nobody cares?” I repeated. “Is that what you really believe? Do you honestly think that no one wants to learn the truth? No matter how difficult it might be?”
“I suppose,” admitted the leader. “But I also understand why people choose to ignore it. After all, the truth is scary sometimes.”
“Scary?” I echoed. “What does that mean?”
“Think about it,” explained the leader. “If you learned that the world wasn’t actually round, but flat instead, wouldn’t you be scared?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Absolutely terrified! I’d never step foot off the edge of the earth. Never risk falling through space and landing somewhere else entirely. I’d rather die than face such an awful fate.”
“Exactly,” nodded the leader. “That’s exactly what I mean when I say the truth is scary. It makes you realize that life has no meaning. That death is inevitable. That nothing matters except our own survival.”
“And yet, despite its terrifying nature,” I countered, “the truth always prevails. Even though it scares us, it’s still the right choice. Because it leads to happiness. To joy. And to salvation.”
“Salvation?” questioned the leader. “From what?”
“Sin,” I clarified. “Every human being sins against God. We disobey Him and hurt others without thinking twice about it. But once we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we’re forgiven. And we’ll spend eternity in Heaven with Him.”
“How do you know this?” asked the leader. “Are you sure it’s true?”
“Of course I’m sure,” I answered. “God told me Himself. In a dream.”
“A dream?” questioned the leader. “You dreamed about heaven?”
“Not just any old dream,” I assured him. “This was a vision from God. He showed me everything I need to know about His plan for mankind. How we should treat each other. What kind of lives we ought to lead? Everything.”
“So you’ve seen God?” inquired the leader. “In person?”
“He came to me in a dream,” I confirmed. “Just like He promised. And now I see Him everywhere. All over the world. Everywhere I look, I can feel His presence. I can hear His voice calling to me.”
“Sounds pretty amazing,” commented the leader. “But I guess it must be nice living in your little fantasy land. Where you get whatever you want whenever you ask for it.”
The End