The Beginning of the End by Lorana Hoopes (readict txt) 📕

thermostat was, so he headed there first and flicked it on to get the place warmed up.

“Pastor Ben? Are you here?”

Ben recognized that voice as he rounded the corner. Nathan, one of the sound guys. Though saddened that Nathan had been left behind, he was thankful for the company.

“Nathan, how are you, my friend?” Ben asked as he greeted the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Nathan was a big guy, nearly six feet and close to three hundred pounds, but the man’s face crumbled at Ben’s touch.

“They’re gone, Pastor Ben. Heidi, the kids, my parents. Everyone is gone.”

Ben led the man to the chairs inside the sanctuary. “I know, Nathan. It’s hard, but we will see them again.”

“Why, Pastor? Why weren’t we taken too?”

Ben knew he would be asked this question a lot in the future, however much of the future he had. It would never get easier, but this first time would have to be the hardest. “Well, Nathan, the Bible says that some will call him Lord but not really believe. As for me, I know that I lost my faith when Beth died last year.” Cancer had taken her, but Ben had blamed God. “I stopped preaching the words God wanted me to preach and turned to what the world wanted. I lost my way.” Ben softened his tone and leaned toward Nathan. “Do you think there’s something that caused you to lose your way?”

Nathan looked down at the floor and shook his head slowly. “This weight. I guess more of my identity was tied up in my job than I thought, and when I lost it, I slowly lost myself. I couldn’t seem to stop eating, and the more I gained, the more I hated myself, the more I thought I wasn’t worthy.”

“That was Satan in your ear,” Ben said. “God always thought you were worthy, and he doesn’t care what you look like on the outside though he does appreciate when we keep our bodies healthy. They are His temple after all.”

Nathan nodded and then slowly lifted his head. “What do we do now, Pastor Ben?”

“Now, we believe. Completely. We follow God’s law and we tell everyone we can what happened. Unfortunately, the Bible says it won’t be easy until we get to Heaven, but we will get there, Nathan.”

Nathan took a few steadying breaths. “Okay.” The word came out more as a sigh, but it was a start. He placed his hands on his knees. “Should I get the sound system fired up?”

“I think we can wait on that a bit, Nathan,” Ben said. “It might be just the two of us today.”

“Hello? Is there anyone here?”

“Or not,” Nathan said with a slight smile.

Ben didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, but he stood and walked out to the foyer to greet whoever it might be. He could feel Nathan behind him, a large and protective presence, though he wasn’t sure he would need it. The woman was young with dark hair and an edgy air. He didn’t know all the parishioners in the church as well as he would have liked, but he was certain he’d never seen her before.

“Hello, I’m Pastor Ben. How can I help you?”

Her brow lifted as she folded her arms across her chest. “A pastor. Well, I didn’t expect to actually find one of you left behind. I figured I’d have to settle for an intern or something.”

“I’m sorry?”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said, dropping her arms. “I’m forgetting my manners.” She took a few steps toward him and held out her hand. “My name is Raven Rader, and I think I was meant to find you.”

Ben blinked at her. “Well, I’m certainly glad that you found me, but why do you think you were meant to find me?”

“Can we sit down? My story is kind of long.”

“Sure. This is Nathan by the way. He handles our sound system although I doubt we’ll need it today.” Pastor Ben led the way to the sanctuary. He and Nathan turned a few chairs around so that the group faced each other. “The floor is yours,” Ben said, leaning back in the chair.

Raven chewed on her lip before taking a deep breath and beginning. “A few weeks ago, I met this girl named Kat who said she saw angels. She told me that I was going to play a role in what came next. I didn’t believe her, but then I started seeing dark shapes, shapes I now believe were demons, though I haven’t seen them since the disappearances.

“Before Kat was taken, she told me she left something for me at her house. I went with a friend of mine and found this letter in a journal along with her Bible. I’ve never been a believer, and I am not familiar with the Bible, so she told me to find others who are. I’m hoping that’s where you come in.”

Ben leaned forward, intrigued by the woman’s story. “I can certainly help you understand the Bible. I may have lost my way, but I understand the words.”

“Good, because somehow, I’m supposed to tell those who are left what’s about to come, and I have no idea how to do that.”

“What if you did it virtually?” Nathan asked. He had been silent up to this point, and he now looked sheepish as if unsure he should have spoken.

“What do you mean? Like online?” Raven asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I watch a lot of YouTube and those people have thousands who follow them. What if you made videos like they did? We could even record your sermons, Pastor Ben, and send them out. That would reach way more people than we could do by ourselves.”

Pastor Ben looked to the woman who appeared deep in thought. Her dark hair covered her face, so he couldn’t see her expression, but when she lifted her head, she was smiling.

“Nathan, I think that’s a great idea.”

Candace Markham stared at the Bible she hadn’t read in ages. Her fingers